The Unwilling Umpire by Ron Roy

CRACK!
    The baseball popped into the warm June air and rose slowly toward the sky. The crowd leaped to its feet, yelling, “Run! Run!”
    Mr. Dillon, the school principal, dropped the bat and raced toward first base.
    Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose were sitting in the front row of bleacher seats.
    Dink’s full name was Donald David Duncan, but his friends called him Dink.
    “Having a baseball game to raisemoney was a great idea,” Ruth Rose said.
    “Yeah,” said Josh. “We have fun raising funds!”
    The kids in Green Lawn had sold enough tickets to fill the bleachers at the town baseball field. The money would go to Camp Challenge, a summer camp for kids with special needs.
    Out in center field, Josh’s mom watched the baseball as it started to fall. She raised her glove and the ball dropped neatly into it.
    Mr. Dillon was out! He trotted back toward home plate.
    “I didn’t know my mom could catch like that!” Josh said.
    Dink grinned at Josh. “Too bad she couldn’t teach
you
how,” he said, giving Josh an elbow in the side.
    “Great catch, Mom!” Josh yelled.
    “Gentlemen, yer out!” yelled Pete Unkenholz, the umpire at home plate,motioning with his thumb. “Ladies, yer up!”
    Pete was a tall, friendly guy with spiky blond hair. He was a good worker, too. He had helped set up the bleachers for the game.
    Josh’s mom’s catch was the third out for the men’s team. The women ran off the field, high-fiving each other. The men began to take their positions on the field, joking with the female players.
    Josh turned to Ruth Rose. “Want to make a bet the men beat the women?” he asked.
    Ruth Rose nodded, making her black, curly hair bounce. She liked to dress all in one color. Today she wore red from her headband down to her high-top sneakers.
    “Sure, I’ll bet you an ice cream cone that the women win,” Ruth Rose said to Josh.
    Josh flashed a grin. “You’re on!” hesaid, shaking Ruth Rose’s hand.
    The three kids watched the men take their positions. Their friend Mr. Thaddeus Pocket was head coach. He walked around the field, chatting with the players.
    “How did Mr. Pocket learn so much about baseball?” Dink asked.
    “He told me he played a lot in college,” Josh said.
    “It was great of him to bring some of the baseballs from his collection to the game today,” Ruth Rose said.
    “Yeah! I guess they’re worth a lot of money,” Dink added. “He let me hold the one signed by Babe Ruth!”
    “Cool! I’m named after a famous baseball player!” Ruth Rose said.
    “Ha!” Josh said. “I think they named a candy bar after him, too.”
    Six of Mr. Pocket’s autographed baseballs were on display in the clubhouse. Everyone who bought a ticket to thegame had a chance to admire them in the locked case.
    The men were all in their field positions. Ellie was up first on the women’s team. She grabbed a bat and headed for the batter’s box. Pete smiled at Ellie and gave her a thumbs-up.
    “Pete seems like a nice guy,” Dink said. “I’m glad he volunteered to ump.”
    “Where did he come from?” Josh asked. “He just showed up a couple of weeks ago, right?”
    Dink shrugged. “I don’t know, but everyone seems to like him a lot.”
    “He sure is big,” Ruth Rose observed. “Look how he towers over Ellie!”
    Pete threw the ball to the men’s pitcher, Mr. Linkletter. The scoreboard read: MEN 1, WOMEN 0.
    “Play ball!” Pete yelled.
    Ellie stepped up to the batter’s box. Everyone cheered as she got ready for the first pitch from Mr. Linkletter.
    Behind Ellie, Jake, a local firefighter, was catching. He crouched with his mitt in front of his chin.
    The pitch was low, but Ellie swung anyway. She missed and the ball zinged into Jake’s waiting glove.
    “Strike one!” Pete announced as Jake tossed the ball to the pitcher. Mr. Linkletter wound up and threw his next pitch. This one was high, but Ellie swung and caught part of the ball. It skipped down the first-base line. Lucky