The Hitting Zone

*Third Person*

"Shit, that guy is tough." Mikey said as he took off his catcher's mask inside the visitors dugout. "You can't tell me that shit wasn't on purpose."

"What else could you expect from the best batter in the state?" Blake, a senior that played left field, said. "Accept the out and take it as a win. Cody's pitch count isn't sky high or anything."

"It's just bad news if you ask me." Mikey shook his head.

"The bullpen is stocked and ready." Allen said, putting on his helmet. "You just know that Danny is itching for us to get to the end of the game already."

"He'll get his chance eventually." Coach Wilson said. "No matter what the score is, I want him to face Jake Atkins once today."

"Want to crush his spirit, Coach?" Someone asked, making a lot of guys laugh. It was well known among the team how intense and arrogant Danny can be. But that's what made him a good pitcher. He wasn't afraid of a challenge.

"It's called sparking his enthusiasm." Coach Wilson corrected his player. He went to his pitcher on the bench. "How you feeling, Cody?"

Cody had taken his hat off to wipe his sweat. "Not bad."

"I think you have to mix in more intentional balls. Don't worry so much about the count or trying to strike him out." Coach Wilson told him.

"I did." Cody spoke up to stop him. "I tried to paint around the strike zone, but anything close, he would swing. He doesn't trust the umpire on 0-2 count. He's very cautious. Patient. Persistent." He pursed his lips. "If there's a runner on, we should probably walk him."

Coach Wilson nodded. "Okay. I trust your judgement. We'll be even more careful than before. Maybe if we try hitting his way at second a little bit, we can mess with his mental state. Small advantage."

"I say we just bean him." Ty, the third baseman suggested with a shrug.

Mikey hit him on the back of his head with his glove. "Are you stupid? We'll get murdered if we do that. All these people in the stands aren't just fans. There are scouts out there and probably some official people from both of our schools. Maybe even the district. Plus, Cody could be thrown out and even suspended."

"Not all suggestions are good suggestions." Coach Wilson stated. "We won't be throwing any beanballs today or in the future. Hurting a player is taking the easy way out. There is so much more you can do before getting to that point."

The top of the second inning started. All of the guys on Servite had the idea to hit the ball towards second, but none could do it well. The cleanup hit a hard grounder up the middle, nearly hitting the Watsonville pitcher. But the shortstop came sprinting in from behind. Made the catch, made the throw, made the out.

"He's freakin fast." The batter complained.

"Nah, you're just slow."

The guys messed around and joked.

The fifth batter, Allen, pulled his grounder too much, hitting it right to short for the second out. "It's hard to aim a grounder with this guy on the mound. I say we give up on it, Coach."

Ckach Wilson nodded. "It was a good effort. Kyle's twin has a breaking ball that he doesn't. Looks like it dips a little more."

Batter six, Blake, didn't know he didn't have to try for a hit towards Jake Atkins anymore. He made contact like he had hoped, but it went to the shortstop's side. The shortstop made his third play, and out, of the inning. Blake came back with a look of annoyance. "How can these guys have a whole bunch of good pitchers?"

"Is it a whole bunch?" Someone asked. "We know of three. Garret, best in the county for pitching. Then the twins. They're all seniors and have to leave sometime."

Blake sighed. "I'm a senior. I'll be leaving at the same time."

"Okay, game's not over yet." Allen clapped his hands together. "We win today and we'll have a better chance of winning league than before. Let's stay focused."

"Yeah!"

Servite players grabbed their gloves and took the field for the bottom of the second. Cody stepped on the mound, doing a handful of practice pitches before the cleanup hitter for Watsonville stepped up. Cody narrowed his eyes and got serious. Garret Knudsen might be the best pitcher in the county, however his hitting was no joke either.

Cody Peace landed a curve in the zone for a called strike one. He got the ball back and toed the rubber. Cody was on the list of top county players too. As a pitcher, he was only behind the three that were on this opposing team. Danny was jealous, but he just didn't have the innings pitched like Cody did.

Cody ranked 8th overall in the county. As a sophomore too. It would normally be a headliner for an underclassman pitcher to be in the top ten, but it's hard to compete when the number one was also a sophomore. And three of the top ten were brothers.

Garret connected on a slower curve, pulling it to the right. The second baseman caught it after two quick skips and threw him out at first. One out. Sean Isner, another good hitter for Watsonville came up. This time it wasn't a quick attack. It was a tough batter. On a full count and a climbing pitch count, Cody threw a fastball inside. One of his fastest. Sean got jammed and the ball popped up. Ty on third came in to make the catch for the second out.

Cody thought he was cruising. The first five batters are usually the toughest. Especially with this team. However, it was the sixth batter that made the best contact, hitting a line drive right back his way, but higher. Cody frowned and his stomach dropped as he swiveled his head back to center field. Allen came sprinting in, then dove forward for the ball. He slid in the grass as he made the catch. No one knew for certain that he had it until he lifted his glove hand. The closest ump pumped his fist to signal out. End of the second.

The guys from Servite all complimented Allen on his great play as they got back into the dugout. The bottom of the lineup got ready for their turn to bat. Batter seven grounded out to third. Mikey grounded out to short. Cody got a good piece of a fastball that was sent to the outfield. Garret chased it to the warning track and made the catch.

"Something's gotta give." Mikey complained as he got his catching gear back on.

"Well let's hope it's them before us." Ty said before leaving the dugout.

"It's always been close between us and them." Allen left the dugout too.

"Stay focused, Mikey." Cody told his catcher as he put his hat back on. "Just because it's the bottom of their lineup, doesn't mean we can slack off."

"I know, I know!" He grabbed his mask and followed his pitcher out. "I just want to score first and get on the board. I like defending a lead, not chasing after one."

Cody didn't agree or disagree. He just headed for the mound. They did their set of practice pitches and started with Watsonville's seventh batter. He grounded out to second. Batter eight became Cody's first strikeout victim soon followed by another to end the inning.

Cody clenched his fists tight as he went back to the dugout. He was relieved that he kept pace with the opposing pitcher, but was also tense for the next inning. He would be back at the top of the order.

"Feel better with the strikeouts?" Coach Wilson came over to talk to his pitcher who just sat on the bench.

"I would feel better with a run." Mikey said as he passed by, sitting down too, only unbuckling some of his gear, not taking it all off.

Coach Wilson ignored him and kept his eyes on his pitcher.

"I'm in good condition." Cody told him.

"Will you walk Jake or try to pitch to him? I'll leave it up to you completely."

He pursed his lips. "I'm not sure yet. I feel like I can't give him too many chances. Him hitting into a fly out in the first felt too easy. Like he was still in control because of the foul balls. Too intentional." He stretched out his arms and rotated back and forth. "Walk him and save my elbow from the constant curves. That's what I'm leaning to."

"Make sure to do your check throws." Coach Wilson said. "He's skittish and not the best all-rounder." He looked to Mikey. "You too. Mix in a throw to first if you see the opportunity. Even if it's botched, he probably wouldn't go to second."