“Nice hit!” said Coach Sweatt, giving Blake a high five. “Now, stay ready.”
Blake nodded at Coach Sweatt as Victor, their center fielder, came up to the plate. Then he turned his attention to the third-base coach, who was relaying signals to both Austin and Blake.
Blake understood the signal, as did Austin. They were going for the steal. Both boys began to edge off their respective bases.
The pitcher sensed what was happening and turned to throw out Blake at first. Blake quickly slid back to the base, avoiding the tag. Then he got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and checked with the base coach. The signal hadn’t changed.
Back at home plate, Victor didn’t make contact with the first two pitches. As the pitcher got ready to throw again, Blake and Austin slowly edged off their bases. Then they took off and attempted a double steal!
“Strike! You’re out!” the umpire yelled to Victor.
The catcher tried to throw out Blake as he was stealing second, but the throw was too late.
“Yeah!” Blake cheered. He and Austin had managed to pull off the double steal. Scanning the crowd, he could see his Wiffle ball buddies in the stands, cheering him on.
With the tying run on third and a leading run on second, it was Jermaine’s turn at bat.
“Come on, Jermaine! Bring us home!” Blake yelled.
Jermaine swung at the first pitch, popping up to the first baseman. Blake sighed. With two outs, the Mega-Middies’ chance of a win began to look slim.
Corey was next to bat. He had already walked twice today and had been itching to get a hit. The pitcher wound up and threw a fastball straight down the middle.
Corey’s eyes lit up like a firecracker as he pulled a line drive down the first-base line. Blake took off running, and Austin raced home. He crossed the plate, bringing the score to 2–2.
But the Mega-Middies didn’t stop there. As the right fielder picked up the ball, the third-base coach signaled Blake to run home.
The right fielder’s throw toward home plate was right on target. Blake ran with all his might. He slid into home just as the catcher swung his glove down to tag Blake.
As the dust cleared, the umpire yelled, “SAFE!”
The Mega-Middies celebrated in the dugout as they took a 3–2 lead! Blake dusted himself off as his teammates patted him on the back.
“Not bad for a newbie!” Kyle said.
CHAPTER 10
DOWN TO THE WIRE
As the Eagles prepared for their final at-bats, the Mega-Middies took the field.
“This is the toughest part of their lineup,” Austin said to his teammates. “Stay alert and back each other up. We can do this!”
Phillip finished his final warm-up pitch as the Eagles catcher, who was three-for-three with two doubles, came up to bat. After throwing a strike, Phillip threw four consecutive balls, sending the Eagles player to first base.
The next Eagles batter stepped up to bat. Pop! A pop fly soared into the air on the left side of the infield. Both Blake and Tracy started chasing it.
“I’ve got it! It’s closer to me!” Tracy called.
Blake stepped back, letting Tracy catch the ball. There was no sense in competing with his teammate over an easy out. Tracy caught the ball and tossed it to the pitcher.
“One out with a runner on first!” Blake called, getting back into position. “Let’s go!”
The next batter stepped up to the plate.
“Hey, he’s the fastest one on their team! If we can’t pull the double play, make sure we get the force out at second!” Austin warned his teammates.
Austin was right. The batter at the plate had already stolen two bases and scored both the Eagles’ runs that day.
Phillip wound up and delivered the pitch.
“Foul ball!” the umpire roared.
The next pitch came. “Ball!” the umpire called.
Feeling the pressure, Phillip breathed deeply and threw another pitch.
“Ball!” the umpire said, yet again.
Getting frustrated, Phillip did his best to focus and deliver a solid pitch.
The Eagles batter hit a grounder to Austin, who tossed it to Blake at second base for the out. But before Blake could even attempt the double play at first, the super-fast Eagles player was there.
Austin alerted his teammates again: “Two down! Man on first! We can get the force at second or take it to first, whatever’s easiest. Let’s go, Middies!”
The Mega-Middies got down into their positions as the next Eagles player came to the plate.
