though, Tommy wasn’t anything to boast about, in Skeeter’s opinion.
When the Barracudas were finally retired, Skeeter trotted in from the outfield, his glove folded in his hand.
“What are you trying to do, Miracle?” snorted Roger. “Be a hero?”
Skeeter flushed. “I was sure I could catch that ball, if that’s what you’re talking about,” he said.
“Well, you saw what happened. You should’ve waited for the bounce.”
“I know that now,” Skeeter grunted.
Third baseman Henry Mall led off. He swung hard at a low pitch and hit a slow grounder down to third. The Barracudas’ third
baseman charged in. In his haste he fumbled the ball and Henry made first.
Leo Sweetman, the stocky catcher, popped up to the pitcher, and Shadow struck out. Then Tip Miles and Joey Spry banged out
singles, scoring Henry. Roger Hyde, the second-best hitter on the team, flied out, ending the inning.
Skeeter was surprised when he saw Jimmy Sutton going out to center in place of Roger. He was sure that he would be replaced,
too. But he wasn’t.
Shadow got into immediate trouble. He walked the first two men up. Something had happened to his control. He simply could
not get the ball across the plate. He lookedhurt when Coach O’Hara called time and sent Nick Strope in to pitch. Nick, a righthander, struck out the first man and the
second hit into a double play.
Skeeter led off in the top of the fifth. He swung at the first pitch and
smack!
A solid blow! He saw the ball reach for the sky as it sailed for deep center field. He dropped his bat and started his hurricane
run around the bases. Between first and second he stumbled and almost fell. He regained his balance and kept going.
The ball soared over the center fielder’s head and struck the fence. The coach at third was swinging his arm like a windmill,
urging Skeeter in to home.
Skeeter headed for home, running that funny way of his.
“Slide, Skeeter!” Bogy Adams yelled. “Slide!”
Skeeter saw the catcher crouched, waiting for the throw-in. At that instant, panic swept through him.
He was afraid to slide. He didn’t know how. He was going to run all the way.
2
T here were only a few feet left to go. The ball was almost to the Barracudas’ catcher. Skeeter watched his bare hand and mitt.
He saw the ball strike the mitt just as he crossed the plate, touching it on the inside edge with his right foot.
The catcher lunged at him with the ball, but it was too late.
“Safe!” yelled the umpire.
“What?” screamed a Barracuda fan.
“Robber!” yelled another.
Skeeter slowed down as he approachedthe dugout. He took off his helmet and dropped it on the ground.
“Nice going, Skeet!” cried Shadow, patting him on the back. “A real blast!”
“A beautiful hit, Skeeter,” Coach O’Hara said, grinning at him. “But you should’ve slid. You almost didn’t make it.”
“He’s afraid to slide, that’s why,” Roger Hyde said.
“Didn’t think I had to,” Skeeter said defensively, and sat in a vacant spot near the end of the dugout. The farther he sat
from Roger, the better.
Bogy knocked a hard grounder through the pitcher’s mound which almost capsized Pete Allison, the Barracudas’ hurler. Spider
laid down a bunt inside the third-base line. Pete Allison fielded it and threw Spider out at first by a close margin — so
close that the Milky Way fans began shouting at the base umpire.
“You call that out? Oh, man!”
“Are those Barracuda guys paying you, ump?”
Other remarks were blasted at the base umpire, who was just an ordinary parent with no umpire’s uniform on, only a baseball
cap. Skeeter didn’t like it. What was the matter with those people, anyway? Why did they yell at the umpire like that? He
was as fair as he could be. They should know that.
Coach O’Hara sent Luther Lee in to bat for Henry Mall. Luther was on the fat side and would have to travel fast to reach first
if he managed to hit a ball
When the Barracudas were finally retired, Skeeter trotted in from the outfield, his glove folded in his hand.
“What are you trying to do, Miracle?” snorted Roger. “Be a hero?”
Skeeter flushed. “I was sure I could catch that ball, if that’s what you’re talking about,” he said.
“Well, you saw what happened. You should’ve waited for the bounce.”
“I know that now,” Skeeter grunted.
Third baseman Henry Mall led off. He swung hard at a low pitch and hit a slow grounder down to third. The Barracudas’ third
baseman charged in. In his haste he fumbled the ball and Henry made first.
Leo Sweetman, the stocky catcher, popped up to the pitcher, and Shadow struck out. Then Tip Miles and Joey Spry banged out
singles, scoring Henry. Roger Hyde, the second-best hitter on the team, flied out, ending the inning.
Skeeter was surprised when he saw Jimmy Sutton going out to center in place of Roger. He was sure that he would be replaced,
too. But he wasn’t.
Shadow got into immediate trouble. He walked the first two men up. Something had happened to his control. He simply could
not get the ball across the plate. He lookedhurt when Coach O’Hara called time and sent Nick Strope in to pitch. Nick, a righthander, struck out the first man and the
second hit into a double play.
Skeeter led off in the top of the fifth. He swung at the first pitch and
smack!
A solid blow! He saw the ball reach for the sky as it sailed for deep center field. He dropped his bat and started his hurricane
run around the bases. Between first and second he stumbled and almost fell. He regained his balance and kept going.
The ball soared over the center fielder’s head and struck the fence. The coach at third was swinging his arm like a windmill,
urging Skeeter in to home.
Skeeter headed for home, running that funny way of his.
“Slide, Skeeter!” Bogy Adams yelled. “Slide!”
Skeeter saw the catcher crouched, waiting for the throw-in. At that instant, panic swept through him.
He was afraid to slide. He didn’t know how. He was going to run all the way.
2
T here were only a few feet left to go. The ball was almost to the Barracudas’ catcher. Skeeter watched his bare hand and mitt.
He saw the ball strike the mitt just as he crossed the plate, touching it on the inside edge with his right foot.
The catcher lunged at him with the ball, but it was too late.
“Safe!” yelled the umpire.
“What?” screamed a Barracuda fan.
“Robber!” yelled another.
Skeeter slowed down as he approachedthe dugout. He took off his helmet and dropped it on the ground.
“Nice going, Skeet!” cried Shadow, patting him on the back. “A real blast!”
“A beautiful hit, Skeeter,” Coach O’Hara said, grinning at him. “But you should’ve slid. You almost didn’t make it.”
“He’s afraid to slide, that’s why,” Roger Hyde said.
“Didn’t think I had to,” Skeeter said defensively, and sat in a vacant spot near the end of the dugout. The farther he sat
from Roger, the better.
Bogy knocked a hard grounder through the pitcher’s mound which almost capsized Pete Allison, the Barracudas’ hurler. Spider
laid down a bunt inside the third-base line. Pete Allison fielded it and threw Spider out at first by a close margin — so
close that the Milky Way fans began shouting at the base umpire.
“You call that out? Oh, man!”
“Are those Barracuda guys paying you, ump?”
Other remarks were blasted at the base umpire, who was just an ordinary parent with no umpire’s uniform on, only a baseball
cap. Skeeter didn’t like it. What was the matter with those people, anyway? Why did they yell at the umpire like that? He
was as fair as he could be. They should know that.
Coach O’Hara sent Luther Lee in to bat for Henry Mall. Luther was on the fat side and would have to travel fast to reach first
if he managed to hit a ball
Similar Books
