Chapter 1118  V3 ch352 CIF Semifinal: Gridley HS (6)

Noah led off with a walk. Not by choice. He looked ready to swing at anything close, but the pitcher was way off. Which led to another pitcher change. The new guy wasn't much different besides having better control. Dalton struck out looking at a close call. He sighed and hung his head on his way back to the dugout. Coach pulled him aside once he got back.

Korrey was up next, his first at bat of the game. And he made it count. He blasted a fastball to left field and the ball easily cleared the fence for a homer. Two more runs were tacked on to make it 10-2. This game wasn't close at all. It didn't feel like last year's playoffs where every game was a close one. Which was weird since we had Zeke last year.

"Another stat padded." I told Noah as he sat back down.

"Huh?"

"You wanted to pad your stats and you did a little." I pointed out. "Your on-base percentage went up and you scored another run."

Noah rolled his eyes. "Are you trying to start a fight?" He looked down at his hands before clenching them into fists. "I'm going to hit the gym all summer and get absolutely ripped. I want to start hitting homers too."

"I don't think shortstops are known for hitting homers." Bryce laughed, clearly having overheard us.

"Cal Ripken Jr. Alex Rodriguez. Ernie Banks. Derek Jeter." Noah started to list.

"Woah, woah." Bryce cut in. "Ripken and Jeter had a crazy amount of time in the MLB."

"Does that mean they can't count?" Noah raised an eyebrow. "Did they or didn't they hit homers?"

"Jeter wasn't known for homers." Bryce argued. "He was known for being a captain of a winning team."

Our captain of our winning team just ripped a hard line drive…right to the third baseman. Garret came back, looking dissatisfied.

Brian flew out to center to end the inning.

The top of the seventh was purely Kyle's stage as he showed his most dominant inning of the game. He breezed through each batter, upping his speed like never before. All three batters were swinging strikeouts. Three more added to his total to make it eleven. Eleven!

Our whole team gathered out on the field, slapping hands with one another and congratulating Kyle on pitching a complete game in the semifinals. Our excitement felt a little muted as we all had expected to win. Like we all knew it was coming.

Just like Adam felt like he was going to lose. Noah and I went over after to say goodbye to him before he left with his team.

"Let's take a picture real quick." Noah suggested.

Adam took out his phone and got a teammate to take a few pics before putting his phone away. "Well, it was good to see you guys even if you did kick our butts."

"Hey, you aren't walking away empty-handed." Noah grinned. "You did get an RBI double off of Kyle. You can feel good about that."

I laughed. "Yea, cuz Noah will definitely make Kyle feel bad about it."

Noah shrugged innocently. "What? Like he's not going to brag about having eleven freakin strikeouts today? Bet we hear it all week until finals."

I grinned. "That's too generous. I bet we hear it for the rest of the school year."

Noah laughed. "Okay. You're right." He looked to Adam. "Our brothers can be a little relentless with their bragging."

Adam grinned. "Guess I know where you get it from." I laughed at that and Adam nodded at me. "Jake's the most humble. Not just among your team but among everyone I know. Number two in the state and you wouldn't even know it."

I felt my face heat up, slightly embarrassed.

"You say that because you're not in the dugout with him." Noah said. "He brags all the time. Hitting homers because he wants to." He shook his head. "Sooo annoying." He laughed after I shoved him. "What? You know I'm joking. It's not bragging if you can follow through."

We spoke with Adam for a couple more minutes until he was being called away. We had to get back to our dugout to grab our bags and help the team clean up a little.

"Kyle and Jake." Coach called out. "I need you two to follow me for a second." He looked serious. "We're going to answer some reporter questions together."

"Yes!" Kyle pumped his fists and jumped up. He tossed his bag at Dave. "Here, make yourself useful."

Dave rolled his eyes.

"I'll take your bag." Noah started to take it away from me.

"Do I have to go?" I frowned and looked at Coach.

Coach nodded. "Don't worry, I'll keep it short. You just keep it simple."

I sighed and followed him and Kyle out.

Coach led us to the exit, where a group of about twenty people had started to gather. He stood next to our athletic director, whose presence surprised me. But I guess it made sense. We were in the playoffs and drawing a lot of attention.

"Now everyone is here." Our AD said. He nodded at Coach. "This is Coach Wilcox and he'll be in charge of this little Q and A session. He's been with the school for almost a decade now and I'm very proud with what he's been able to accomplish. We've been a competitive team, fighting for league championships since he arrived."

"Back to back CIF championships would be quite an accomplishment." Someone remarked. "Is there a scenario where you move on to coach at the higher levels?"

"Presently have no plans leaving Watsonville High School." Coach spoke up. "Coaching at the high school level is satisfying as you get to watch young teenagers grow into young men. These are the ages where we see the most improvement in players and I hope to be a support pillar in that process."

"You've had quite a few amazing players in recent seasons." Someone brought up. "Has it changed your coaching style any?"

"I try not to keep any uniformed style." Coach answered. "Or, if I had to say that I had a style, I would like to think it's adjustable. Each player is different. Especially teenage boys. You have the loud, rambunctious, confident types." He place a hand on Kyle's shoulder. "And then you have the timid and self-conscious type that maybe needs a little more directed guidance and support."

More than half of the people present laughed. Some man spoke up. "It's hard to believe that your best batter needs that kind of attention. I think his stats speaks volumes."

"Stats are irrelevant to personalities." Coach told him. "Personalities will change over time and really, as long as you aren't a jerk, it really doesn't matter what you're like as a person. It just changes how I try to coach them."

"Was there any particular reason you benched Jake Atkins after the fourth inning?" Someone asked.

"To give some of other batters a chance to bat and get some work in." Coach said.

"So there were no injuries or concern?" The person followed up. "You would bench your best player; potentially the best player in the state, just because another player could get work in a playoff game?" The man's eyes shifted to me. "And this has nothing to do with him going 1-3 at the plate today?"

"It's really not that deep." Kyle was the one to speak up. "We had a comfortable lead and we need our best player to be ready for the finals. Coach isn't rigid and knows how to switch things up. Even if we're winning."

"Why change when something is working well?"

"To be ready for anything." Kyle shrugged. "During the game, I decided to change things on the mound and it worked for me. You can't be so inflexible."

Kyle started to take over, answering a lot of the questions about the game and even about the finals. "Yea, I'll be ready for finals. Probably coming out of the bullpen though."

There were some questions about him and his future with the draft coming up next month. I started to stiffen, knowing what was coming next.

"And Jake, what's your thoughts on the next step? Are there any colleges you're interested in or talking to yet? Or are you taking the same route as your brother and going pro right after high school?"

Kyle glanced at me and noticed my frozen look. He threw his arm around my shoulders. "It's too early for Jake to make any decisions. Our mom will definitely make sure he'll visit some schools in the upcoming years just like I had to. As well as my twin brother and older brother. We have to explore all options. I do know that Jake is interested in visiting the same schools as those two since he is more comfortable with familiar faces."

"So would you say he leans more to college?"

"Again, too soon to say." Kyle redirected the questions and I became a piece of decor. Like a painting on the wall, there was a lot of speculation about me, but I didn't say anything. I couldn't. I just didn't have the answers.