The crowd erupted in cheers, making the whole of Satow Stadium buzz with electricity. Steve pumped his fist as he jogged around the bases, securing his final home run of the season to take the top of the leaderboard.
Ken and DJ waited by home plate for Steve to arrive. By the time he rounded 3rd base he slowed down, turning to the pitcher and sending one of the coldest stares Ken had seen from his friend.
When he eventually touched the plate, both Ken and DJ celebrated with him.
"You know he's not the pitcher who threw the beanball right?" Ken said in exasperation.
"He's wearing the same uniform." Steve replied, "He's lucky I didn't send a line drive right back at him."
Ken let out a laugh and pat his friend on the back, "Alright alright, one more inning and we can be finished. Ai booked us a nice place for dinner tonight."
Steve paled, "I have dinner planned with Tara… I'm meeting her parents for the first time." All of a sudden, his bravado was no longer present, replaced by severe anxiety.
"Ah… My condolences." Ken made a gesture of prayer, but it made Steve feel worse.
"Damn it. My Tomohawk steak…" Steve cried.
Upon returning to the dugout, the coach instantly crowded Ken. "How are your ribs? Is anything broken? Can you move alright?" The guy was pale as he inspected Ken.
"I'm fine, it's just a bruise." Ken replied, though he felt warm inside.
The coach shook his head, "Those bastards knew they were losing so they tried to take you out. I'll be following up with the NCAA after this and have that guy suspended."
Ken was about to speak up, but Coach Brown had already moved on, "Go see the medics, I'm taking you out of the game."
Ken withheld a sigh and did what he was told, he knew that when the coach got into this mood, there was no way to change his mind. It kind of reminded him of his mother, which was both funny and annoying at the same time.
"Don't worry bro, we'll strike out the last 3 no problems." Steve said, putting an arm around his shoulders.
Ken winced slightly, realizing that his side did in fact still hurt. He was almost 100% certain that it was no more than a bruise, but there was no harm in getting checked out.
While he met up with the medics, Steve was busy rubbing in his home run to Brian who looked as if he'd swallowed a fly. For the whole season, Brian had had to deal with the guy's boasting, and it seemed it would continue well into the off season.
After around 5 minutes of mobility tests, the medical staff gave Ken the all clear. "The ribs aren't broken, but you should have a mighty bruise. Try and take it easy for the next week or so." She said, giving him a small smile.
Ken thanked her and she promptly left, heading towards the coach to tell him the news.
With the score currently 13-0 it was only a matter of time before the game ended in victory. Steve held true to his word and secured 3 consecutive strikeouts to put a final stamp on the championship match.
The dugout cleared and everyone joined in on the celebrations on the field, including the coaching staff. This might only be the Ivy League Championship, but it was clear that it meant a lot to everyone.
A trophy was brought out and some team photos were taken. No doubt that they would find them posted somewhere in the Dodge Fitness Center at some stage in the future.
"Alright, we're going to celebrate!" The coach called out, his smile practically falling off his face.
"YEAH!"
Since it was an afternoon game, there was still some time before he and Ai's dinner date, so Ken didn't have to awkwardly refuse. After all, what kind of celebration would it be without the Captain in attendance.
The team was in a great mood as they headed towards the locker room to get changed after their post-match celebrations and media obligations. Both Steve and Ken were interviewed after the match, to which only one of them was excited.
Having such attention and success was rather new to Steve, but he took to it like a duck to water. Seeing the guy's personality on full display for the nation, Ken couldn't help but shake his head in exasperation.
With no media training, Steve spoke his mind, which was a breath of fresh air for those viewing, but not necessarily for the organization.
"To be honest Claire, that last home run was for my brother here." He stated, putting his arm around Ken and pulling him in. "They had the audacity to throw a beanball at my Captain after they knew they were losing. Of course I'm going to punish them."
Claire looked amused, but she kept her professionalism. "You guys are set to face Wright state in the first game of the regionals next week, do you have any thoughts about the match up?"
Ken was about to answer, but he was too slow.
"Let me put it this way, Claire. This season we're aiming for the top. I don't care if it's Wright state, or Wrong state, we'll beat them and advance. We're taking home the College world series trophy this season, don't you worry about that." Steve said, beating his chest.
'Oh my god…' Ken was speechless. He could already imagine the media frenzy after this game.
"Well there you have it everyone, Columbia have set their eyes on the trophy this post season. You can catch all the upcoming matches on ESPN in the coming weeks. This was Claire Michaels, signing off." She turned to the camera and spoke the closing remarks before the light from the camera turned off.
The moment it did, Ken sent an elbow to Steve's stomach, causing him to double over.
"Idiot." He said, walking off.