Coach Wyatt almost couldn't believe his eyes. His number 1 hitter was performing a squeeze bunt? Just who authorized this play?
But he soon shut his mouth as he saw where the ball went. It was the perfect distance between the first baseman and the pitcher, leading to confusion between the two.
While the two bumbled around, Ken was on the fast track towards first base at the same time Latrell had almost reached home plate.
By the time that the first baseman returned to the bag, Ken had already been called safe.
"W—What a play…" Coach Wyatt muttered in disbelief.
"Nice bunt Ken!"
The Gladiators bench erupted in cheers, showing their support. The crowd also made their appreciation known, celebrating the masterful play.
"He really bunted in that situation?" Rob Fisher the Chairman of the WWBA was in the audience, his face turned up in amazement.
"We have to have him…" A grizzly looking man in his late 40's muttered.
Rob turned to his left and let out a small smile, "Be patient Doug. You'll get your chance in September."
The man named Doug grumbled, his eyes moving to a woman wearing a white sun dress not far away. As if feeling his gaze, the woman turned around and flashed him a confident smile.
Doug grinned, his confidence skyrocketing.
The catcher stared at Ken's figure now safely standing on 1st base, almost not believing what he saw. Remembering the guy's words, he suddenly felt like a fool.
'The ball will go in that direction…' The catcher mused, letting out a sigh. He hadn't really lied since he hadn't specified how far the ball would go, merely pointing out the direction.
Still, the words felt rather shameless, but who was he going to complain to? The umpire?
Unaware of the stir he'd caused, Ken stretched out his legs while standing on 1st base wearing a smile. He was originally going to try and smack the ball, but seeing it was a sidearm pitcher and the Elite Squad's fielders had spread out, it was as if they were inviting a bunt.
Not to mention Latrell was sitting on third base, ready to score. In his mind, this was the most optimal decision for the team, despite what some people might argue.
'A run is a run.' Ken thought, taking a lead towards 2nd base.
Max was next up to bat, his big frame looking menacing. Since they only had 1 out, Ken was wanting to steal some bases.
As soon as the pitcher began his wind up, Ken took off with his head down.
WHOOOSH
WHACK!
Ken raised his head and saw the ball fly towards left center field.
'Crap.'
He quickly pumped the brakes, feeling his muscles groan in protest. Thankfully he was able to come to a stop relatively quickly before turning back towards first base.
"Out."
The pop-fly was easily captured in the outfield, forcing Ken back to 1st base where he'd started. With this catch, they now had two outs with a single runner on base.
Max sent Ken an apologetic look, realizing his mistake. With Ken's leg speed, he didn't need to be so hasty in chasing after the ball. If he'd waited until the guy was on 3rd base, it would have been an easy tag up for an additional run.
Ken waved him off, there was no use crying over spilled milk.
Dion was next up to bat, however, he made the same mistake as Max.
WHOOOOSH
WHACK!
Since there were already 2 outs, Ken ran towards 2nd base, but it was pretty clear that it wouldn't matter. Sure enough, the ball was easily caught by the center outfielder, making his run a moot point.
"Out! Changeover."
At the call of the umpire, Ken slowed down to a walk, heading off the field.
"Sorry man, I got too far under the ball." Dion said regretfully.
"No matter." Ken waved it off, "We'll have plenty of opportunities to score again." He replied, already moving on with his life.
He'd learned long ago that there was no point in agonizing over such missed opportunities. What really mattered now was keeping the Elite Squad scoreless.
Thankfully, this was Ken's specialty.
Ditching his helmet, Ken picked up his glove and placed his cap on before heading to the mound. But just as he was about to leave, the coach tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hmm?"
"Where did you learn to bunt like that?" He asked, wearing an unreadable expression.
Ken raised his eyebrow, but a small smile pulled the corner of his lips a moment later, "It was just a skill I picked up quite a while ago."
Finding his own joke rather funny, Ken had a little chuckle to himself.
"Right… I just wanted to know why you didn't try and hit it big. I didn't give the signal for a bunt." He asked rather somberly.
"Hmm. Well first off, I wasn't comfortable hitting a sidearm pitcher since I've only ever hit against one before, and that was almost 2 years ago. Even then, I've still not gotten fully accustomed to using the wooden bat just yet." Ken explained patiently.
"There was also the fact that the fielders had subconsciously moved backwards, exposing the infield. Maybe they knew that I was a good hitter, but either way, it worked out in the end."
Coach Wyatt was silent for a while, but he couldn't exactly argue with Ken's points. What he also didn't mention was that Latrell was in scoring position. If it were any other player, the coach would have called for the sacrifice bunt and taken the guaranteed run.
The only reason he didn't was because he thought Ken might be able to secure them a 2-run home run. Looking back at it now, the coach realized that he might have been too greedy.
"Mmm, that's some good decision making." He stated, patting Ken on the shoulder.
"Alright, we're up one run to nothing, go and do your thing." Coach Wyatt grinned, his mustache flying in the wind.
"Heh, no worries coach."
With a confident grin, Ken walked up to the mound.