204 Game Three: University Preparatory H.S. 3

Top of the second, Garret stepped up to bat, Julian got in the on deck circle, and Sean was in the hole. I took off my glove and placed it beside me, thinking about all the things I wanted to ask Noah.

Garret struck out on three pitches before I figured out what to say, and then the crowd cheered for the pitcher, reminding me. I poked Noah. "Is University Preparatory nearby? They have a lot of fans here."

Noah sighed. "They're about an hour from here, but still closer than us. But not all are fans. I told you before that this is a big tournament with some pretty good teams with elite players. There are plenty of scouts that come to watch. College and professional scouts." He gestured to the opposing team's dugout. "University Preparatory is THE best baseball school in the CIF Northern Section division one. You know how Zeke is the best player in our county?"

I nodded.

"That's because we're not in the same county as University Prep. I don't know much about their county rankings, but I know a lot about the state rankings. They have the third and fifth best players in the state...supposedly. It hasn't been updated in a couple of weeks."

I remember Zeke ranks 8th in state. "So...we're playing against two Zeke's?"

Noah let out a laugh. "Two Zeke-caliber players. Hence why everyone is struggling to stay motivated. We don't even have a Zeke and they have two. It's a slight disadvantage."

I rolled my eyes. More like a giant handicap. "Which two players is it?"

"Both of the home run hitters."

I sighed. Of course. Figures.

"The fifth best in state was their cleanup hitter, which is now on the mound. He's the type to be drafted to the major leagues right after high school." Noah said. "The third best is the shortstop, the second batter in their lineup. They're heavy favorites to win their league championship and their whole CIF division. It's impressive."

He paused as we watched Julian hit a pop fly to right field for out number two. He shook his head at the sight. "So this is what it feels like to be a true underdog..."

I didn't have a response. I didn't know what to say. Same here? It's not like I really understand the concept of being an 'underdog' or being a 'favorite' to win. What I did know, was that Zeke was crazy good. And if we had to play against a team that had a couple of guys on his level...well...I don't like our odds.

"Why's he showing a bunt?" I caught Sean at bat, in the lefty's box, holding his bat out, knees bent, fingers in place.

Noah was focused on him as well. "Maybe he's trying for a bunt single. Or he could be showing bung to draw them in, and then he'll do a push to get the ball past them."

"He's probably showing a bunt because he knows his swing can't keep up with the dude's fastball." Garret plopped down next to me, making me flinch. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Are you going to be okay today?"

I shrugged.

"I don't think my swing can catch up to a 90mph fastball, but I still wouldn't show a bunt." Noah murmured, ignoring Garret's comment to my jumpiness.

"Yea, because you suck at bunts."Zeke came over and stood nearby. "It would just be an easy out if you attempted to bunt. The best we can hope for from you is a walk or a lucky hit."

"I take offense to that!" Noah exclaimed, popping up off the bench.

"Shut up and watch." Zeke commanded. He glanced at me. "I came over to instruct you to pay attention as well. This could be useful to you in the future."

I nodded, earnestly, hoping not to attract any negative attention. Sean took back his bunt to let a ball pass by. Then he showed again, this time getting a piece of it and sending it down the third baseline. With a fluid motion, he dropped his bat and sprinted to first. The third baseman was caught flat footed, and rushed to the ball. He got up to the ball, glance at Sean, who was guaranteed to be safe, then watched as the rolling ball go over the foul line.

"Foul!" The home plate umpire declared, bringing a round of 'boos' from the stands and a little from our dugout. Sean was forced to go back to the batter's box with a 1-1 count. He picked up his bat and got set again, showing bunt.

I watched closely as the third baseman cheated a little in, but not much to be obvious. This time he was on his toes and already prepared for Sean's bunt. Except, Sean didn't repeat his actions completely. This time he did the push bunt, squeezing the ball just past the third baseman's feet. Sean took off to first.

The shortstop came over to field the ball, yet didn't bother making the throw since Sean's speed easily allowed him to make it to the base safely. Our dugout clapped and cheered, however we still couldn't compare to University. That didn't matter now though; we have someone on base!

Daniel stepped up to the plate, and Kelvin to the on deck circle. James wasn't in the hole so he must be getting benched. I wonder if coach would let Bryce come in to pinch hit if we're able to load the bases.

Daniel took the first two pitches as called strikes and it started to stress out the dugout. Garret was whispering curses next to me and Noah was hollering for a hit over the fence. The team was pretty much divided between both reactions, with the exception of me and Zeke. We just silently watched.

I noticed the way Daniel had stepped up to the plate with an open stance, having his back leg closer to home plate and his front leg further away, opening up his stance. He was aiming for a hit down the third baseline. He wanted to pull his hit and try not to let it go opposite field. Clever. Now he just has to connect.

I don't know much about Daniel besides that he plays shortstop like Noah. Even though coach put him one position over, I could tell by his error that he wasn't fully comfortable with it. As for his batting...I can't really remember anything significant.

On the third pitch, Daniel swung his bat just as the pitcher released the ball. He timed it perfectly, smacking the ball down the third base side. The third baseman was set in his stance, however the ball took a weird bounce, sneaking under his elbow.

The crowd let out a collective gasp. Meanwhile, our whole dugout was going crazy telling Daniel to run. The shortstop, the third best player in the state, dove for the ball, sliding in the dirt, stopping the ball from going to the outfield. From the ground, he threw the ball to second base where the second baseman tried to make the tag, but Sean had a good lead off first and slid in safely before the throw had gotten there.

The dugout started to get rowdy as we now had two runners on the bases. Kelvin moved to the batter's box, but wasn't able to start his at bat because the University Preparatory Coach came out of their dugout. He pointed to the third baseman, then to the dugout before sharing some words with the umpire.

"He's pulling the third baseman..?" Garret asked as we watch the third baseman moved to the dugout and a totally new player jogged out to replace him.

"He made errors." Zeke replied. "Not scorebook errors, but mental ones. With a big school like them, I'm sure they have more players to choose from, allowing for changes in times like this."

"That's practically saying you have no trust in your teammates." Noah frowned as the situation unfolded.

"It's called a competitive environment." Zeke responded, not even concerned. "College and beyond would be the same way. A few mistakes and you would be easily benched." He glanced back at me. "No matter if you're good in one area. Beyond high school baseball, you have to be well-rounded."

Beyond high school baseball? Would that even pertain to me? I didn't feel any anxiety from Zeke's words, because I didn't really see a future for me that involved baseball. I played baseball now because of Noah. He likes to and he said we should play together so I don't want to let down my one friend. Maybe if Noah wanted me to play in college? I would have to think some more about it. For now, I'm still only a freshman. I have years.

The coach returned to his dugout, the new player got into position, and the pitcher stood on the mound with confidence. Kelvin got into the righty's box after a practice swing. He chased an outside fastball for strike one. Then foul tipped an inside pitch for strike two. The third pitch went back to the outside, but he was able to touch the ball, sending a grounder to the second baseman. The second baseman fielded it with ease and threw him out at first for our third out.

The team seem to let out a collective groan. The score was still 4-0 heading to the bottom of the second. Bryce was called from the bullpen and came jogging in, meeting the coach at the mound, as everyone else went to their own positions. Coach gave Bryce a few instructions and words of encouragement, and then went to the umpire behind the plate to announce the pitcher change. By the time he was done, Kelvin came out of the dugout with his catchers gear on.

At the bottom of the second, Bryce would have to start at the top of the lineup, almost as if the first inning didn't exist. Which was actually a nice thought. Without the first inning, we wouldn't be losing and I wouldn't have a groundout.