Garret dealt with the top of the lineup for Anderson just as easily as Kyle had done in the first inning. He closed them out with a line out to left field, a groundout to first, then a strikeout looking. Three up, three down.
Only down by one, the dugout was more boisterous as we got ready for another turn to bat. Sean replaced Kyle in the lineup, so he was the one to lead us off first to start the fourth inning.
I sat down to watch, taking off my glove.
Noah was hurrying to switch his gear just to wait for his turn at-bat in the circle. He was staring down the pitcher so hard, it was like he was trying to melt him with just his eyes.
Sean fouled off a couple of pitches down the right field line, looking like he was holding his own against this pitcher. On the fifth pitch he surprised us by launching the ball to left field. It was a high one. Everyone jumped off the bench, including me. We held onto the dugout fence and watched as the ball cleared the outfield and flew over the fence.
Homerun! A solo shot to tie the game!
It wasn't proper to go out and celebrate in the middle of the game, but as soon as Sean returned from his victory lap, the team started to pounce on him, pushing and pulling. He laughed until he was red in the face, probably feeling a sense of accomplishment.
I smiled as I sat back down, happy that we were no longer losing. The game was tied at three. I like being on even ground instead of that hole.
Anderson's coach apparently had seen enough from this pitcher that had given up three runs. He pulled him and replaced with another just like we had to do.
I peeked over at Kyle. He was sitting with Garret, talking and looking somewhat less depressed. That's good. I sighed with relief. I didn't want to see him down on himself.
Noah had to face the new pitcher first. He did his best, getting a piece of the ball, and hitting a grounder to the third baseman. The third baseman was good though. He fielded the ball with ease and his throw was on point, getting Noah out.
Kelvin and Jason weren't any better. Kelvin struck out looking, then Jason followed that up with a pop up foul ball to the catcher to end the offense. It brought our team down from the high of hitting a homerun to tie the game, but you could still feel the determination as we took the field for defense.
That determination wavered after the first pitch was sent straight into the outfield fence. The cleanup hitter who had a homerun in the second inning, had returned, earning himself a stand up double against Garret on the very first pitch.
The ball was thrown in to Noah, who gave it to Garret. They both looked shocked, and neither had anything to say. It was like a sense of disbelief. How did he get on base so fast? Was the pitch too easy?
Anderson announced a pinch hitter for the fifth batter, putting in a lefty. I scooted back, closer to the grass as Noah shifted more to cover second base.
Garret didn't look bothered by the change in hitters. Yet, on the very next pitch, his cutter didn't break like it normally did, and instead, hit into the batter's thigh.
The crowd let out a gasp.
Hit by pitch. Garret actually hit a batter.
The batter got checked over for a second before jogging to first. Meanwhile, the other infielders and I went to the mound to check on Garret.
This had never happened before. A double, then a hit by pitch? Garret doesn't do this. On two pitches too!
Unsure of what to say, I looked to Noah. He was looking at Kelvin though. "Hey, what's happening?"
Kelvin looked as unsure as I felt. He shrugged and looked at Garret. "Did you lose your grip on that? Are your hands sweaty?"
"Of course they're sweaty!" Garret lifted his glove to hide his lips and lowered his voice. "I was shaken by the cleanup hitter. I almost gave up a homerun…on the very first pitch of the inning. What should I do?"
"Don't panic." Julian spoke behind his glove too. "Panicking will just make things worse. Just recollect yourself and regain your footing."
"Easier said than done." Garret whispered. "My hands are shaking like a leaf in a tornado." He smacked his pitching hand into his glove a couple of times. "I think they must have done research on us or something."
"Of course they did, goofball." Julian rolled his eyes. "It's the playoffs. They probably had substantial information on you and the twins."
"Should we tell Coach?" Noah asked.
"He would know." Julian glanced back to our dugout and saw Coach talking to one of the pitching coaches. "Dave's probably warming up as we speak. Do you want to be replaced by Dave, Garret?"
"Of course not!" He blurted out. His shoulders slumped. "I can't help it though. I've only thrown two pitches this inning, and it's been a disaster. My mental state isn't at it's prime. I'm shaken."
"Hang in there!" Julian patted his shoulder.
"Ten seconds." The umpire warned us and we broke up, everyone going back to their respective positions.
Garret was right to say he was shaken. Even though he knew it and tried his best, something was lacking. It showed too. The sixth batter who previously had a walk, was able to sneak a line drive out of my reach, right up the middle. He drove in one run, and then made it to second when Zeke chose to throw the ball to Jason at third to get the other runner. Jason caught the ball and made the tag, but the runner was still declared safe, sneaking under that tag.
As if that wasn't enough, the next batter hit a single to right field. Sean chased the ball down, threw it in my direction, but wasn't as accurate as the others. I had to move over, did an awkward turn, then threw my best to Kelvin at home. All for naught. Those runners on second and third made it home. Not only did we hold the tie, we were three runs back in the hole.
I angrily kicked the dirt, frustrated with my own movements. If I was just a little bit quicker and more flexible, I could have had a chance to get that second runner at home.
"C'mon, it's not that bad." Noah appeared next to me. I looked up and saw that Coach had come out of the dugout to speak to the umpire. And then to Garret. He took the ball out of his hands. "Dave's coming in." Noah whispered.
Dave came running in from the bullpen as Garret was sent back to left field, pushing Mahki back to right, ultimately pulling Sean from the game.
"Dang, that's rough." Noah mumbled as we watched Sean jogging back to the dugout. "He hits a homer and then gets pulled, not even a full inning later."
"All part of the game." Julian joined us, as we watched Dave throw some practice pitches. "He did his part."
"I know." Noah frowned. "I just said that it's rough. But I understand. I wouldn't be surprised if Coach put a pinch hitter in for me either."
Julian sighed. "I'm not doing any better than you are, kid."
We stood in silence until Dave was ready to go, then slowly went back to our spots. This game was going downhill once more, and we needed to hold them here, otherwise it was just going to get harder.
Dave didn't shy away from pitching inside even though Garret had just hit a batter. He went high and inside, jamming the batter who came out swinging. The bat pushed the ball forward, but it was just a slow dribbler to the mound. Dave didn't waste any time coming off the mound; then he surprised me by turning all the way around to throw the runner out at second. Noah, who was covering, stepped on second with the ball in his glove, then smoothly transitioned to throw to first as the runner came sliding in, knocking him down after his throw.
"Out!"
"Out!"
A double play!
I hurried to Noah, helping him to his feet. "Are you hurt?"
"Just a scrape." He stood up on his feet, brushing some of the dirt off his uniform. He grinned as he looked up at the mound. "Cutting it close, Davey."
Dave rolled his eyes, getting the ball back from Julian. He ended the inning with a strikeout from the ninth batter, sending us back to the dugout.
