WHACK!
DJ got a hold of the ball, but it popped high into the air into right field.
Ken kept his foot on the bag, and got into position, ready to tag up once the ball was caught. He turned his attention to home plate, waiting for the call from the 3rd base coach on when to run.
"Go!"
However, Ken didn't go right away. Something didn't feel right. From his calculations, the ball shouldn't have entered the fielders glove just yet. If he advanced a base before the catch, he could easily be tagged out at 3rd.
"W—Wait… Go now!"
Ken took off, bounding towards home plate with great speed. With his improved agility, his acceleration was impressive.
The throw came from right field, a one-hopper. But by the time it reached the catcher, Ken had already stepped onto home plate to complete the run.
The expected cheer did not come, causing Ken to turn around in question. It was then that he saw a commotion between the 3rd base coach and the 3rd baseman for Stetson University.
'What's going on?'
Without waiting for clarification, Ken ran back towards 3rd base and was the first to arrive, holding back the 3rd base coach. Due to their size difference, he was able to hold him back.
"You're a piece of sh—"
"Whoa now, let's calm down." Ken intervened, still unsure of what the issue was.
The plate umpire wasn't far behind Ken and put his body between the two. "What's going on?"
"This douchebag tried to trick our guy into running early. Dirty bastard." The 3rd base coach spat, still fiery.
At this explanation, Ken finally understood why he had heard two calls. Even without his intuition skill, he would have felt that the timing was off from the initial call, but this left a sour taste in his mouth.
He wasn't sure about the rulings, but it seemed rather unsportsmanlike to do such a thing.
The umpire was silent for a moment before pointing towards the 3rd baseman and announcing in a loud voice. "This is a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct. Anything else will result in an ejection."
"The runner advances, number 13 is safe."
With that, he made his way back towards home plate. The situation seemed to deescalate after the warning was given, allowing Ken the freedom to leave the 3rd base coach to his own devices.
He let out a sigh of relief and headed back to the dugout, only to be stopped by the coach.
"Nice running out there. Looks like I underestimated your speed." Coach Brown said, surprising Ken. He had expected a reprimand for going against his orders, but it seemed like results were everything to this coach.
"When I get on base, I always look to score." Ken grinned before walking into the dugout.
The coach was silent, but he felt the corner of his lips turn up in amusement. This was why he liked Ken, everything he did was to win the game, though it came with its own dangers.
Most pitchers would treasure their arms, choosing not to do anything that could possibly cause strain or discomfort. But Ken threw himself into both training and games with 100% effort.
It was as if he wasn't afraid of getting injured.
This was both a headache and a breath of fresh air for Coach Brown who had experienced quite a few pampered pitchers in his career. Though this was his first year as a Head Coach, he had needed to deal with these kinds of people many times before.
After all the drama, the Bobcats were up 2-0 on the scoreboard in the first inning. This seemed to be the trend for the new Columbia squad under Coach Brown.
However, the real test would begin with the next inning against the two clean-up hitters.
After Zeke got out with a grounder to the short stop, the Bobcats took the field once more to defend.
Ken was going to have a chat with Steve before the changeover, but everything happened so quick. The guy had been weird with him so he was a little worried they might not be on the same page.
However, there was no time to patch things up right now.
As Ken took his place on the mound, his eyes moved to the next batter coming up to the plate. Just from his body's size and shape, it was obvious that he had power.
"Batting 4th for the Cappers, Number Twoooo, Devonte Miller!"
The announcer embellished the call, eliciting a positive reaction from the crowd. It was the norm for the home team to get special treatment when it came to things like this, but Ken wasn't worried.
If he was honest, such things never bothered him.
Upon seeing the guy was ready, Ken looked at Steve who called for an inside fastball. He nodded and entered his wind up, striding forward with power.
The dirt kicked up as his lead leg planted, before his arm whipped past his head, throwing a blazing fastball right towards Steve's open glove.
PAH
"Strike."
Devonte didn't even swing, but Ken could see that the guy's eyes had followed the pitch carefully, as if he was trying to get used to its course.
The next ball was another fastball, this time a two-seam. The movement of the ball was crisp, showing that Ken was in good form.
Once again, Devonte bid his time and didn't swing, leading to a 0-2 count.
Steve called for a slider this time, outside of the zone. It was a good tactic, but Ken didn't think it would work, not against someone with as much plate discipline as Devonte.
However, he didn't shake his head and accepted the lead. They were up in the count, so there was no issue wasting a few pitches in order to secure the out.
Ken's slider snaked through the air, spinning wildly. It broke late, making it almost impossible for a batter to know what kind of pitch it was.