friend — a friend your age — who you could call up on the phone, or yell at on the street, or whose
house you could go to and spend a few hours. You might as well have never been born.
The Spacemen were up first, and Kerry Dean led off with a pop fly to the first baseman. Nibbs waited out Ed Thomas, the Batwings’
short right-hander. Then, with a two-and-two count, he rapped a hit just over Ed’s head. Ed leaped, butnot high enough. Nibbs was on with a single.
Sandy came up. He tapped the tip of his bat against the plate and looked at Nibbs standing with his hands on his knees on
first. None of that “Come on, Sandy! Blast it!” from Nibbs as there used to be. Nibbs was dead silent. From the bench came
a few scattered yells. And from the stands. It seemed that only a few cared whether he hit or not.
Crack!
A pop fly straight up into the air over his head. He dropped his bat and started to run. Nibbs had run off the bag and was
standing several feet away from it, watching a Batwing go after the ball. It was either the catcher or the pitcher, Sandy
didn’t look to see.
Then the Batwing fans let out a happy yell, and Nibbs hurried back to first.Sandy turned two-thirds of the way to the base and jogged back to the dugout, in time to see the catcher toss the ball back
to the pitcher.
“Get one the next time, Sandy,” a fan said.
Well, at least someone was rooting for him.
Cookie Lamarr smashed a long, shallow drive between left and center fields, scoring Nibbs, and stopped on third for a neat
triple. Marty Loomis struck out to end the top of the first inning.
Duke Miller struck out the first Bat-wing hitter, and the second hit a slow grounder to him, which he fielded easily. The
next batter popped a blooping fly to him. It was Duke all the way that bottom half of the inning.
Stubby got on due to an error by thethird baseman, then went to second on Ken Bockman’s sacrifice bunt. Punk Peters singled, and Duke pounded a double, scoring
Stubby. Ike Norman held Punk up at third.
“Ducks on the pond!” yelled a fan. “Knock $em in!”
Kerry flied out for the second time. Then Nibbs walked, loading the bases, and Sandy came to bat.
“Sandy, put on your helmet,” said the umpire.
Sandy flushed. He had forgotten his protective helmet! He turned and started to get one, but Phil was bringing it to him.
“Thanks, Phil,” he said softly.
He put the helmet on and stepped into the box. Sweat popped out on his forehead. He held his bat over his shoulder, waving
it back and forth just a little, andwatched Ed Thomas stretch and throw. The pitch looked letter-high. He swung.
“Strike one!” yelled the ump.
“Thataway to pitch, Eddie!” cried the Batwing fans.
“Hit that ol’ onion!” shouted the Spacemen rooters.
Another pitch almost in the same spot. Sandy swung.
“Strike two!”
Sandy grit his teeth. Sweat blurred his eyes and he wiped it away. He got ready for Ed’s next pitch. It was in there again
and he swung.
“Strike three!”
A roar burst from the Batwing fans and players. Sandy, his heart a ball of lead, tossed bat and helmet toward the dugout and
trotted out to short, his eyes lowered to the grass at his feet.
The first ball Duke pitched was knocked to Sandy. Still flustered over the strikeout with the bases loaded, Sandy fumbled
it. Finally he picked it up. By then it was too late to throw.
The next Batwing hit to Nibbs. Nibbs caught the grounder and turned to toss the ball to Sandy at second.
But Sandy wasn’t there!
Sandy woke up. He had forgotten about a possible double play! He rushed to second. Again he was too late. He caught Nibbs’s
throw, but the runner was already there. Hurriedly he pegged to first. The peg was wild. Both runners advanced a base.
The Batwings kept hitting and knocked in three runs before the Spacemen could get them out. The Spacemen picked up three,
including a homer by Ken Bockman.But the Batwings scored four runs in the
house you could go to and spend a few hours. You might as well have never been born.
The Spacemen were up first, and Kerry Dean led off with a pop fly to the first baseman. Nibbs waited out Ed Thomas, the Batwings’
short right-hander. Then, with a two-and-two count, he rapped a hit just over Ed’s head. Ed leaped, butnot high enough. Nibbs was on with a single.
Sandy came up. He tapped the tip of his bat against the plate and looked at Nibbs standing with his hands on his knees on
first. None of that “Come on, Sandy! Blast it!” from Nibbs as there used to be. Nibbs was dead silent. From the bench came
a few scattered yells. And from the stands. It seemed that only a few cared whether he hit or not.
Crack!
A pop fly straight up into the air over his head. He dropped his bat and started to run. Nibbs had run off the bag and was
standing several feet away from it, watching a Batwing go after the ball. It was either the catcher or the pitcher, Sandy
didn’t look to see.
Then the Batwing fans let out a happy yell, and Nibbs hurried back to first.Sandy turned two-thirds of the way to the base and jogged back to the dugout, in time to see the catcher toss the ball back
to the pitcher.
“Get one the next time, Sandy,” a fan said.
Well, at least someone was rooting for him.
Cookie Lamarr smashed a long, shallow drive between left and center fields, scoring Nibbs, and stopped on third for a neat
triple. Marty Loomis struck out to end the top of the first inning.
Duke Miller struck out the first Bat-wing hitter, and the second hit a slow grounder to him, which he fielded easily. The
next batter popped a blooping fly to him. It was Duke all the way that bottom half of the inning.
Stubby got on due to an error by thethird baseman, then went to second on Ken Bockman’s sacrifice bunt. Punk Peters singled, and Duke pounded a double, scoring
Stubby. Ike Norman held Punk up at third.
“Ducks on the pond!” yelled a fan. “Knock $em in!”
Kerry flied out for the second time. Then Nibbs walked, loading the bases, and Sandy came to bat.
“Sandy, put on your helmet,” said the umpire.
Sandy flushed. He had forgotten his protective helmet! He turned and started to get one, but Phil was bringing it to him.
“Thanks, Phil,” he said softly.
He put the helmet on and stepped into the box. Sweat popped out on his forehead. He held his bat over his shoulder, waving
it back and forth just a little, andwatched Ed Thomas stretch and throw. The pitch looked letter-high. He swung.
“Strike one!” yelled the ump.
“Thataway to pitch, Eddie!” cried the Batwing fans.
“Hit that ol’ onion!” shouted the Spacemen rooters.
Another pitch almost in the same spot. Sandy swung.
“Strike two!”
Sandy grit his teeth. Sweat blurred his eyes and he wiped it away. He got ready for Ed’s next pitch. It was in there again
and he swung.
“Strike three!”
A roar burst from the Batwing fans and players. Sandy, his heart a ball of lead, tossed bat and helmet toward the dugout and
trotted out to short, his eyes lowered to the grass at his feet.
The first ball Duke pitched was knocked to Sandy. Still flustered over the strikeout with the bases loaded, Sandy fumbled
it. Finally he picked it up. By then it was too late to throw.
The next Batwing hit to Nibbs. Nibbs caught the grounder and turned to toss the ball to Sandy at second.
But Sandy wasn’t there!
Sandy woke up. He had forgotten about a possible double play! He rushed to second. Again he was too late. He caught Nibbs’s
throw, but the runner was already there. Hurriedly he pegged to first. The peg was wild. Both runners advanced a base.
The Batwings kept hitting and knocked in three runs before the Spacemen could get them out. The Spacemen picked up three,
including a homer by Ken Bockman.But the Batwings scored four runs in the
Similar Books
