Sean has now started his third game in a row. For some reason, I was under the impression that Tony was the real starter, but I guess starters do change by game based on performance. Tony had yet to get a hit, meanwhile Sean has a hit for every game he's been in.
Sean didn't stop the hit streak here. With a 2-2 count, he hit a nice single to left field, letting me advance to second base without needing to slide and he stood on first with a smile.
My smile was still on my face too. Zeke is up to bat with two on and one out. This is easy pickings for him. True enough, Zeke sent the very first pitch over my head. This time, I didn't get distracted and only focused on Mr. Miller, who was waving me on. I sprinted as fast as I could, tagged third base and headed to home. Julian stood nearby holding the bat out of the way, he signaled no slide. I touched home plate to score the first run, and then turned out to the field to see what was happening.
The ball had apparently gone between center and left field and was able to hit the fence. By the time I was able to look, their outfielder had thrown it to the shortstop, who was turning and throwing with all his might at me.
Julian pulled me back by grasping my jersey and dragging me with him. "Watch out! Sean is coming home!"
Sean was barreling down the third baseline. The Lincoln catcher was standing guard and was in the process of receiving the shortstops throw. He went to tag Sean, and Sean started his slide. They collided at home and rolled in the dirt.
My eyes immediately went to the umpire. I knew what I saw, but he would have the final say.
"Safe!" He extended his arms out.
The fans started to yell and cheer, and Julian pulled Sean up and smacked his backside, congratulating him. Sean waved to the crowd and then at Zeke, who stood on second. Julian handed him Zeke's bat and we walked back to the dugout together as Julian got ready for his at-bat.
Once in the dugout we accepted claps on the backs and a few 'nice run' comments from the guys. No one crowded me, and they let me easily walk unhindered to my bag, where Noah was waiting.
He gave me a thumbs up. "Good run."
I put away my helmet and put on my baseball cap. I made sure my bat was in my bag, then sat down beside him. I was still panting, trying to catch my breath from not only the run, but the excitement. I got to see such a tight play up close. Sean had timed it perfectly and was able to sneak his hand in between the catchers legs.
"Do you think I'll be able to slide like that eventually?" I asked Noah.
He looked away from Julian's at bat, back to me. "What? Who? You want to slide like Sean?"
I nodded.
He thought about it, then nodded. "I believe you can. You have some talent in baseball. Even if your batting is overshadowing everything else, your fielding isn't bad. And you've never played real baseball like this."
The sound of the bat connecting with a ball grabbed our attention. We watched as Julian's hit went high and far to center, but the center fielder caught it with ease. Two outs, bottom of the first inning, 2-0, and Mahki up to bat.
"Does Coach always change the lineup?" I asked in a low voice as we watched Mahki's at bat.
Noah shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. I'm a freshman like you, you know. This is also my first year with him. But, last semester when he was deciding on the rosters, we would play games every other day and he kept moving us around, both on the field, in lineups, and teams. It's like he was putting together a puzzle. Just trying to find what fits best."
I nodded to myself. That makes sense. Not every team we face will be the same and we also shouldn't be predictable for opposing teams.
Mahki kept the momentum going, and with a 2-0 count, he smacked the ball down the line past the first baseman. Zeke had a good lead off second base, so with the outfielder just getting the ball as he touched third, he continued on to home plate. By the time the right fielder got the ball to the second baseman, Zeke had scored and Mahki was still standing on first. 3-0.
Kyle moved to the batters box and Kelvin to the on deck circle. Chris stood ready by the fence, looking surly as always.
"Why is Chris batting last now, though?"
Noah scowled in his direction. "Cuz he sucks."
Uhh. Wasn't that a bit harsh?
Noah noticed my shock, and lightly laughed. "Okay. He doesn't suck per se. I don't really know why he's batting last. You'd have to ask one of the coaches or Zeke. Zeke helps out with the lineups."
I thought about other things I wanted to ask. "Why did we go to the mound?"
Noah looked confused for a second and then the realization hit him. "Oh. That mini meeting in the last half? That was to try and calm Kyle down. Buy him some time to get his head on straight. The second time was for encouragement and motivation. There's over a dozen reasons for us to visit the mound. You don't have to speak. Just listen. I got you covered."
I shot him a look. "Like how you lied to Kyle?"
"I motivated Kyle." He corrected.
I rolled my eyes.
Speaking of Kyle, we watched as he hit a high fly to center field to end the first inning. We led 3-0 going into the second. That should help him relax on the mound.
