Top of the fourth inning started with Kyle, Garret, and myself. We all got our helmets on and grabbed our bats. Brian finished his warmup and Kyle went up.
"Bet he strikes out again." Bryce announced.
"Shut up."
"So annoying."
"Are you jealous?"
Bryce shrugged. "What? I'm telling the truth. It's a given that the twins suck at batting. It's crazy how often Coach lets them hit even in clutch situations."
"He'll make contact." I spoke up.
Bryce grinned and leaned on the fence next to me. "You really think so?"
I nodded. The twins aren't horrible at batting...it's better to say that they don't attach any importance to it. Especially when facing against one another. "I think if they try, they can make contact."
"But not get a hit." Bryce finished.
James smacked him on the head with his glove. "Dude, you don't even have a hit yourself. You talk a lot for someone with a strikeout and a walk."
Bryce pouted. "I've scored a run! And stolen a base too!"
Kyle really did make contact like I thought he would. But Bryce was also correct to say that he wouldn't get a hit. All he did was hit a pop fly to Julian playing first base. This started another round of mocking from Bryce.
I was happy to leave the dugout and move to the on deck circle. Bryce was looking for a fight and I don't want to get in the middle of it.
Garret, at the plate, followed through on his statement, getting on base again by hitting his second single of the game. He grinned at me from first as I came up to the batter's box.
I guess since it's no longer Dave on the mound, I could try to hit a homerun. Brian isn't family. Plus, he doesn't seem as sensitive as the twins. This can be a learning experience for him.
I just have to aim for the corners. Sean in right and Dave in left. Yep...definitely going to aim for left field. Brian got set and went through his motion, but he just couldn't compare against the seniors. I easily pulled the ball to left field and took off. The ball soared over Dave's head and cleared the short fence for a homerun. Redemption.
I smiled as I rounded the bases behind Garret. Bryce could be heard heckling Brian. The guys were all making comments and shouting out compliments as I tagged home plate.
Garret slapped my back. "That's the way to do it!"
"Zeke's replacement is here!" Bryce bowed when I entered the dugout.
I laughed nervously, feeling self-conscious with all this attention. "I'm no Zeke..."
"You're right!" Bryce had his helmet on and bat in hand. "You're Jake, batting prodigy. You're better than Zeke." He headed for the on deck circle.
I went back to my spot to switch my gear, thinking about what he said. I am Jake, and yes, I could be considered a batting prodigy. But better than Zeke? Is that even possible? Maybe he means my batting average is better than Zeke. Because that's true. I just don't think I'm a better player than him overall.
"Hey, don't think so much." Garret nudged me. "Ignore Bryce. He's just having some fun today. You should too. There's plenty of time to daydream when school starts again."
My lips twitched. "You shouldn't daydream during school."
Garret laughed.
Mahki hit another fly ball to Sean in right field for the second out of the inning while Bryce struck out for the second time today to end it for us.
"Booo!" Everyone seemed to shower Bryce with insults as we switched sides.
It didn't get to Bryce though. He just grabbed his glove and sprinted for the mound. "Don't worry guys! I'll do better where I belong!"
"Against Julian and Zeke?" James snorted as he headed to left field. "Sure, okay. Maybe after this, Miller can take you to the doctor to treat your delusions disorder."
Bryce stuck his tongue out at James.
James was onto something though. He clearly understood that Bryce wasn't good enough to take on the graduates. Bryce walked Julian then gave up a homerun to Zeke. Gave up the two runs that we had just earned. Brutal. Bryce cringed, but straightened himself out to continue on.
Sean hit a single to the outfield, but after him it was the weakest part of the lineup. Theo hit a grounder to Garret at short. Garret snatched the ball and threw to me, covering second base. I caught the ball then got out of the way of Sean's slide and threw to Kelvin at first to complete the double play.
It was just the kind of big play that Bryce needed. With two outs and no runners on, he could focus on the batter. Andy didn't stand a chance. Not because of age and experience, but just because Bryce needed to release some of his pent up frustration.
"Looking a little rusty out there, kid." James gave Bryce a small pat on the head when he got back to the dugout. "Do you need me to take over?"
Bryce slapped his hand away. "I'm fine! Just getting warmed up."
Brian was in need of getting warmed up too. He had a rough fourth inning thanks to me and Garret, but he got a little sharper in the top of the fifth. He got Jason to groundout to first base then hit a snag, giving up a pair of singles to James and Kelvin. He bounced back, striking out Alex and then got Kyle to fly out to right field.
James came back to the dugout with a smirk. "A hit for me, yet none for you." He told Bryce.
Bryce rolled his eyes as he headed out of the dugout, eager to take the mound again.
"You shouldn't pick on him so much." Kyle chuckled.
James shrugged. "There aren't many opportunities left for me to do so."
Mahki nodded in agreement. "Get your jabs in now. Maybe we can follow the stats in the spring."
James shook his head. "Not possible. Do you remember our seniors keeping track and looking back? No. They were busy with their own season."
"At least we have social media." Mahki sighed. "It's kind of sad to go off and lose all you guys like this. We'll have to make new friends and new teammates."
"That's life." James stated. "We'll have to do it all over again in college. If you continue with baseball in the pros, it's also a constant change in teammates and making new friends while losing touch with old friends. Even in a regular job, you'll lose and gain new coworkers. Maybe even change employers yourself."
"You're bumming me out." Mahki left the dugout with a heavy sigh.
"There will always be reunions." Garret told James, heading out as well. "It's not like this is some final goodbye. We'll come home for Thanksgiving and Christmas."
My shoulders lost some tension that I didn't know was building up. Garret was right. Everyone may be going their separate ways, but it's not like we won't see them ever again.