503 CIF Finals: West Valley Prep 7

Yea...two on, one out...it didn't last long. The pitcher found his groove and a gear clicked. He cleaned up and sped up, blowing three fastballs right by Dave. Then a repeat performance for Jason to end the inning. 

"Don't get down on yourselves, boys." Coach addressed the whole team when everyone was back in the dugout. "We're only a run behind, with some good hitters up in the seventh. Just hold them here and I guarantee that we'll catch them."

"Wow! That's a big promise, Coach!" Noah snickered. "Better not let us down!"

"And you better not make me a liar!" Coach shot back. 

The guys laughed as they started to take the field. 

I looked at the pieces of my bat, feeling like I was looking at the pieces of my life. 

"Go on, son." Coach shooed me away. "We'll pack it up and make sure to put it in your bag. You need to get out there and go play defense."

"Okay..." I grabbed my glove and ran out to my position. I was still in a daze as I got into position, thinking about my bat. It stayed with me all season. I wonder if Mrs. Atkins will be mad that I broke another bat? Is she going to yell at me? Weren't bats expensive? I started to stress. 

I was only going through the motions while my mind wandered off, thinking about the future. 

'Ding!'

My head snapped to the right to follow the line drive that bolted off the second player's bat, just in time to see Noah jumping almost laterally to grab the ball. He slid in the dirt, kicking up some dust, but was quick to jump up and show off the ball. 

"Out!" The umpire declared. 

Noah threw the ball back to Dave on the mound and lifted one finger. "One out!"

"One out!" The team echoed. 

I shook my head trying to stop all the thinking. If that came my way, I would have been screwed. Even more concerning, it could have hit me in the face and then I'll really be in trouble. I shook my arms and legs, trying to get rid of the jitters. 

Dave faced the third batter in the lineup. He had that single that snuck by me last time. He could easily hit it my way again. On a 1-2 count, he popped one up to short left field. Looking at where Garret was coming from, it was going to be a bloop single. Ugh. I moved to cover second base. 

"I got it!" Noah ran back to left field, with his back to the infield. He extended his glove, catching the ball over his shoulder and then tripped over his own feet, rolling in the grass. 

Our fans clapped wildly for the back-to-back good plays from Noah as Garret helped him up. He grinned as he threw the ball back to Dave. "Two outs!"

"Two outs!" The echo was even louder. 

The man swung on Dave's first pitch, whipping it with the end of his bat. Julian caught the line drive before it hit his chest. He held it up for the ump to see. 

"Out! Switch!"

Three up, three down. We all headed back for the dugout. 

"Did you see those catches, Jake?" Noah bragged almost immediately.

I nodded. "They were great!" I definitely wouldn't be able to pull off either of those. 

"Now if only you can do just as well at the plate." Garret joked, coming in from behind us. 

"Of course I will!" Noah shot back. "They said that good fielding will lead to good hitting." He hurried to his bag and got out his batting gloves and helmet. 

"No one says that." Garret told me, smiling. He paused before going to his own bag to get ready for his own at-bat. "I'm sorry about your bat. I know...I know enough to know that it really mattered to you." He patted me on the head. "Hopefully they find you a bat soon. You're going to need it." He grinned with confidence, leaving me standing there. 

"Doing okay?" Zeke asked, watching me. 

I glanced at Garret. He had so much confidence. He could still smile even after getting pulled off the mound. I wonder if his elbow was still bothering him. I was heartbroken over a bat, a physical item that could eventually be replaced. Yet, Garret still comforted me. I was the one to threaten him to tell Coach about his pitching arm. 

With these thoughts trying to make sense of what to feel, I was enlightened. I looked up at Zeke. "I'm better. It's just a bat. It can be replaced."

"Jake! Special delivery!" Jason hollered as he came into the dugout, holding a wooden bat. He hurried to me, pushing it into my hands. "Here! Swing it around!"

"Thanks." I told him. I looked up at Zeke again. "Do you think we can still win?"

"I never doubted it for a second." Zeke smiled at me before going to his own bag. 

I made a move to go to the end of the dugout, where I could find some space to swing this new bat around. 

"Hey! You got a bat!" Noah exclaimed happily as he passed me by. "Let's make something happen!" He left the dugout in a hurry. 

With a new wood bat in hand, and hearing such confident words from Garret, Noah, and Zeke, I started to feel a little lighter. Like a big load was taken off my back. It felt good to be surrounded by such people. Teammates. Friends. 

I glanced at my bandaged left hand. I'll have to hit from the right side.