Phillip threw the pitch, and pow! The batter crushed the ball down the right-field line.
The speedy lead runner for the Eagles rounded second. Blake ran toward the outfield to get the relay throw from the right fielder.
As Blake caught the ball, he heard his teammates screaming for him to throw it home. He turned and saw the lead runner sprinting around third.
This is it, Blake thought. He focused and threw the ball as hard as he could to home plate. It arrived just as the runner slid home.
“You’re out!” the umpire shouted. “That’s the game!”
The Mega-Middies had won! Blake’s teammates shouted and jumped as they surrounded him.
“That was one heck of a throw!” Austin cheered.
“Where did you learn to make a play like that?” Kyle asked, grinning.
“From the backyard all-star league!” Blake said with a laugh. “And I’ve learned even more being a part of this team. Luckily, it just all came together at the right time.”
Author Bio
Shawn Pryor is the creator and co-writer of the all-ages graphic novel mystery series Cash & Carrie, writer of Kentucky Kaiju, and writer and co-creator of the football/drama series Force. He is one of the co-founders of Action Lab Entertainment and currently serves as their president of creative relations. Find out more about his works at www.shawnpryor.com.
llustrator Bio
Sean Tiffany has worked in the illustration and comic book field for more than twenty years. He has illustrated more than sixty children’s books for Capstone and has been an instructor at the famed Joe Kubert School in northern New Jersey. Raised on a small island off the coast of Maine, Sean now resides in Boulder, Colorado, with his wife, Monika, their son, James, a cactus named Jim, and a room full of entirely too many guitars.
Glossary
anxious
(ANGK-shuhs)
—
afraid or nervous about what may happen
conditioning
(kuhn-DISH-uh-ning)
—
the process of becoming stronger and healthier by following a regular exercise program and diet
league
(LEEG)
—
an association of people or groups with common interests or goals
lineup
(LINE-uhp)
—
a list of players taking part in a game
organized
(OR-guh-nized)
—
arranged into a formal group with leaders and with rules for doing or planning things
position
(puh-ZISH-uhn)
—
the place where a person or thing is or should be
pressure
