He stepped into the batters box and faced Bryton. Like the last guy, he also had an air of confidence.
PAH
"Strike."
PAH
"Strike."
Two strikes in quick succession and the batter had yet to swing. However, he was still wearing a confident expression, as if he was the one ahead in the count.
PAH
"Ball."
"Ball."
Steve attempted to bait the guy into swinging, but to no avail. The guy was cool as a cucumber, not even giving the pitches a second look. Ken frowned, he had a bad premonition.
WHOOOSH
DOOOOONG
The next ball was struck deep into left field, bouncing off the back wall and dropping to the ground. DJ scrambled and managed to scoop the ball up and send it back to the infield, but Theo had already made it to second base.
Like that, the Crocs had their first hit of the match.
"Batting 3rd, Treyshaun Thomas!"
A dark skinned player stepped up to the batters box, his braids hanging from his helmet. The guy looked both strong and athletic and wielded a wooden bat. He was also a lefty.
Ken could see that Steve was a little annoyed behind the plate after wasting so many pitches on the previous batter and not being able to strike him out in the end. He couldn't blame the guy, but now was not the time to get caught up in the past.
Thankfully, Steve moved on and called for the next pitch.
WHOOOOSH
WHACK
The fastball was struck over the head of the shortstop, flying out into center left field. Ayden hunted down the ball with speed, barely slowing down as he scooped the ball and launched it towards Steve at home plate.
Theo who had rounded third and was on his way to home suddenly stopped in his tracks before returning to the bag. If it wasn't for the heads up play from Ayden, the Bobcats would have given up a run.
Now it was a runner on first and third with only one out. They were in a pinch, especially with who was coming up to bat next.
"Batting 4th, Captain Leo Cameron!"
The calm and confident Leo made his way over to the batters box, seemingly in no rush. His eyes scanned the field briefly before getting into position.
Leo pointed his bat towards the pitcher, placing his right hand upon his left shoulder. If one were to ask him why he did this, Leo would answer that he was simply predicting the possible angles of the pitcher's throws.
Each field was different, and each pitcher threw a certain way. By measuring at each at-bat, he was able to hone his focus, eliminating any variables.
Once satisfied, Leo dropped his arm and got into position. Just his presence on the mound was something else. Even Ken who was all the way out in right field could feel it.
Ken's right hand balled into a fist and he felt a fire ignite inside of him. He wanted to pitch right now, with every fiber of his being.
'You'll get your chance…' He told himself, trying to calm down.
Steve made his lead and Bryton nodded before winding up and sending out a fastball on the outside. It was just outside the strike zone, but this is what he wanted.
Steve held out his glove and got into position to frame it correctly. It was close enough that the umpire should give them the strike. However…
WHOOOOOSH
The sound of displaced wind assaulted him as Leo threw an almighty swing at the ball. The hairs on Steve's neck stood up and he almost flinched from the shock of seeing the bat flying so close to his face.
THWACKK!
The ball was struck cleanly, propelling itself deep into right field. The sound echoed in the stadium before it was drowned out by the cheers of the home crowd.
Ken ran towards the back fence, but it did not take long to realize that he would have no chance of getting to it. It easily cleared the fence and fell into the crowd some 50 feet from the field.
Leo casually placed his wooden bat on the ground and jogged around the bases as if he had done nothing special. The guy would rarely celebrate, in fact Ken had only seen him smile a couple of times.
A sense of helplessness assaulted Ken as he watched the guy. Part of him still couldn't believe that they had beaten Leo and the US team way back then, especially after seeing what kind of player the guy was now.
With the home run, the Bobcats were now down by 3 runs in the first inning, casting a gloomy atmosphere on the field. Ken did his best to keep his team in the game and said some encouraging words, but things went from bad to worse.
The next batter was Trent Waters, the guy Ken had met at the WWBA tournament back when he was a Junior in High School. His shoulders had gotten even wider and his batting was even better.
WHOOOSH
THWACK!
Another ball was sent into the stands, this time in the left field. The game continued to spiral out of hand until the score was 5-0 in favor of the home team Florida Crocs.
What made it even worse was that even when they had the opportunity to bat, the Bobcats were unable to capitalize at all. The wily leads of Leo and the consistent pitching of Elliot on the mound them feel stifled.
By the time the game ended, the score was 9-1. Ken had managed to cross home plate after he and Steve had hit a double in the 7th inning, but that was the only time they had scored.
The mood in the locker room after the game was solemn and barely anyone spoke. Even the coach seemed to be shocked at what had taken place on the field, only adding to their woes.
This game had been a big wake up call.