Ash shouldered his bat and smiled. “I’ll do my best to make sure we do win, then.”
Both boys turned their attention to Craig at the plate. They clapped and cheered as their teammate readied himself for whatever Phillip sent his way. After one pitch, though, their applause faltered. After two, it stopped altogether. After the third, Ash made his way out of the dugout, and Carter murmured kind words to Craig when he sat down after having struck out.
If Phillip keeps throwing like this… Carter felt a little anxious until he glanced at the scoreboard. West had only one run. There was still plenty of time left. If we get on base, we could tie things up, maybe even take the lead!
Ash got them started at the top of the fourth, reaching first on a bouncing grounder. He hustled to second when Charlie M. also hit a grounder that hopped over the base path into the gap behind first and second. That brought up Peter for his first turn at bat. Unfortunately, his turn didn’t go very well. He struck out. So did Raj.
The bottom of the fourth inning started with Mason coming up to bat. Pow! He clocked Peter’s first pitch for a towering home run that fell out of sight behind the fence.
Carter watched as the scoreboard changed from WEST 1, MID-ATLANTIC 0 to WEST 2, MID-ATLANTIC 0.
Nate, the second West batter, singled. But he didn’t get any farther than first because James, in for Cole at third and taking his spot in the batting order, too, hit into a double play. Then Elton, in for Carmen in center field, got a free ride to first when Peter threw four balls in a row. Ash took a moment to talk to his pitcher. Whatever he said must have helped because Peter struck Dom out.
Mid-Atlantic might have been down, but they were far from out. The top of the fifth started off with a bang—or rather, a ping with a single off Allen’s bat. When Charlie S.—now in Ron’s spot—got a single, too, Carter’s spirits soared with hope. That hope didn’t even fade when Stephen, in for Freddie, struck out.
“We’re on base,” he murmured, drumming his fists on his thighs. “Now we just need one good hit.”
Luke had subbed in for Keith and now came up to the plate. He delivered just what they needed, crushing one of Phillip’s pitches for a double that scored Allen and Charlie!
“Yes! Tie ball game!” Carter cheered. He slapped a double high five with Ash.
Craig looked to add more to their side of the board with a high fly to center field. Luke took off for third. But Craig’s blast was caught for out number two—and when Luke couldn’t get back to second before the throw, the top of the inning was over.
The game didn’t stay tied for long. With two outs and Rodney on first, Liam came up to bat. He took a huge cut at Peter’s second pitch—and walloped it for a triple!
The fans roared with appreciation for the blast. Carter, meanwhile, was torn between wanting to add his voice to theirs and wishing the ball had been caught. When Mason followed with a single that got Liam across home plate, though, any thought of cheering vanished.
Two runs were all the West players earned that inning as the next batter grounded out.
Mid-Atlantic threatened to answer those runs right away. Ash smashed a double. He reached third on a single from Charlie M. Peter hit into a double play, sending Charlie M. back to the dugout with him.
C’mon, Raj, Carter urged silently. Keep us alive.
But Raj struck out.
Final score: West 4, Mid-Atlantic 2.
An hour later, Carter was showered and heading to meet his parents, who were waiting for him. His mother enveloped him in a warm embrace.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I know it couldn’t have been easy to face Liam. But it’s only one loss. You’ll get wins from here on out, I’m sure.”
Carter pulled back and smiled. “I’m okay, Mom, really.”
She studied his face for a moment and hugged him again.
Mr. Jones ruffled his hair. “So aside from today, how have things been going? You getting to see much of Liam?”
Carter seesawed his hand. “Not as much as I’d like, but some.”
“Well, don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time together at Christmas.”
Carter wrinkled his nose in confusion. “Huh?”
Mrs. Jones gave her husband a light smack on the arm. “You weren’t supposed to say anything!” she admonished.
“Say anything about what?” Carter demanded to know.
“Liam and his family are spending the holidays with us this year,” his mother told him. Carter gave a whoop that drew curious looks from his teammates.
“Now come on,” Mrs. Jones said, “I want to thank Ash’s mother again for letting the McGraths use her house.”
The three of them made their way toward Ash and Mrs. LaBrie but stopped short when they heard Ash say, “Surprise? What surprise?”
The suspicious look on his face told Carter that Ash didn’t think the surprise was going to be something he liked.
But Mrs. LaBrie just beamed and said, “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it? You’ll just have to wait and find out with everyone else! Oh, hello, Cynthia, Peter! And, Carter, how are you?”
He assured her that he was fine. When the parents started chitchatting, he nudged Ash. “What’s going on?” he whispered.
Ash scowled. “I don’t know for sure, but if I had to guess”—his scowl deepened—“I’d say we’re moving again.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE
Liam scanned the rec room, his gaze roaming from the boys playing video games to those at the pin-trading table to the ones lounging on the big couches, watching a movie on the wide-screen TV. Phillip and Rodney were both there, but he wasn’t looking for them. He was looking for Carter.
It was late Sunday night, and he hadn’t seen his cousin since the game. He was half-hoping, half-dreading to see him now. Hoping, because he wanted to be sure his best friend was okay. Dreading, because he was afraid his best friend might not be.
Instead of Carter, however, he spotted Ash. The blond-haired boy was tapping a Ping-Pong ball into the air with a paddle. He looked upset.
Well, duh, Liam thought. His team lost today.
Yet instinct told him that Ash was troubled by something more than the loss. Carter has always said Ash is a fierce competitor. Of course he has to be bummed out. But I would have bet anything on him putting it behind him and gearing up to face the next challenge.
Besides, there was no way Coach Harrison would have let any of his players dwell on the loss. No, something else was going on. Liam was sure of it.
Pink-pink-pink-pink-pink. Ash had mis-hit the ball, sending it bouncing across the room toward Liam. Liam bent down and grabbed it. When he straightened, he saw Ash staring at him.
Liam walked over. “Hey,” he said, handing Ash the ball.
“Hey,” Ash mumbled.
Liam picked up a paddle. “Wanna play?”
Ash shrugged. “Sure.”
Liam moved to one end of the table and Ash to the other. They began hitting back and forth, neither saying a word until Liam missed a return.
“You guys face Great Lakes tomorrow afternoon, right?” Liam asked as he retrieved the ball and sent it back across the net.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll be rooting for you.”
“Thanks.” Ash hit the ball into the net. He nabbed it before it dropped to the floor but didn’t resume playing. “Good game today.”
“You, too. Like I said before, you and Carter make a good team.”
Ash put down his paddle. “Yeah. Too bad we won’t be playing together after this tournament.”
Liam blinked. “Why not?”
Ash sighed. “I’m probably moving again.” His mouth twisted into a mirthless smile. “So if you want your old room back, it should be available soon.”
“Oh.” Liam was still digesting that information when Carter appeared. His cousin looked a little taken aback seeing the two of them together.
“So,” Carter said,
hurrying over, “what’s going on here?”
“Don’t worry, Carter,” Liam said. “We’re fine.”
“I told Liam his room is going to be up for grabs again,” Ash put in.
None of them said anything for a long moment. Then Liam gave a little laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Ash asked.
“I was thinking about how that room has connections to so many of us,” Liam replied. “Carter and I used to hang out there all the time. Then I moved away and you moved in. You met Carter. I met Sean and Rodney. Now Sean is staying in that same bedroom, too.”
He shook his head. “And the weirdness goes on! Carter met Phillip. Carter didn’t like Phillip, which meant when I met Phillip, I didn’t like him, either.” As he spoke, his voice rose, drawing the attention of other boys in the rec room, including Rodney and Phillip.
“Someone talking about us?” Rodney said, coming to the Ping-Pong area with Phillip right behind him.
Liam pointed at Phillip. “How weird was it to find out I’d moved to your town?”
“Very,” Phillip said. He grinned. “I couldn’t stand the thought of you, actually.”
“Likewise, I’m sure!” Liam retorted but smiled, too. He turned to Ash. “Let’s face it, you and I couldn’t stand the thought of each other, either, right? But now look at us, four guys—well, five if you count Rodney—”
“Which why wouldn’t you?” Rodney asked, making the others laugh.
“The five of us here,” Liam finished, “hanging out as friends. So what brought us together? Baseball, that’s what!”
His arm swept in a wide arc. “These ballplayers and the ones on the field and in the dorms and wherever else they are come from all over the world.” His voice rose even louder. “Which means that no matter where in the world we are, or go, or end up, there could be a baseball team waiting for us to join. Or coach. Or ump. Or just watch! Right?”
“Right!”
The cry came from many boys in the room. Even those who didn’t speak English seemed to understand that Liam was saying something important as they grinned and pumped their fists.
“Any one of these guys could be a future teammate. Or future rival. Or”—he nodded at Ash—“a future friend. If you do move, Ash, baseball will be there to help you make friends again.”
Carter put his arm around Ash’s shoulders. “You’ll always have your old friends, too.” Ash looked from face to face and grinned. Then he held up his paddle. “Anyone want to play a different game for a change?”
In no time, they organized a doubles Ping-Pong tournament. They invited all the boys in the room to join and, in the spirit of Little League, paired U.S. players with International players. Liam teamed up with Jon, the Australian boy they’d met at the pool. Carter paired with Kita Hiro; at one point, Liam heard him ask the boy to teach him some Japanese phrases.
Some of the games were competitive; others were total wipeouts. But all the games were played with lots of laughter.
Before long, Ping-Pong was replaced with lively, good-natured pin trading. Rodney, whose collection was by far the smallest, exchanged two California theme park pins for a colorful “spinner” owned by Antonio, an outfielder from Mexico. Antonio grinned as Rodney flicked the pin’s tiny metal arrow to make it move—then passed him another, simpler pin, saying in accented but very clear English, “Please, have this one, too!”
Delighted, Rodney accepted the gift and then whipped out his phone. He threw his arm around Antonio and snapped a photo of them together. He got Antonio’s contact information and sent him a copy of the picture.
“Now you can get in touch with me whenever you want. Except when I’m playing!” he joked.
Later, as Liam brushed his teeth before bed, he knew that no matter how West fared in the days ahead, he would always remember the night as a highlight of the tournament.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-TWO
The days and games that followed flew by. Knowing that one more loss would mean elimination, the Mid-Atlantic players buckled down and played their best.
On Monday, they faced Huxley, Michigan, the Great Lakes Regional champion. Pennsylvania won in a landslide, 10–2, thanks to terrific hitting and heads-up play in the field.
Monday’s victory was followed by another on Tuesday, this time against the Southwest team from Lone Peak, Colorado. While the 7–5 score wasn’t as lopsided as the previous game, the win put Mid-Atlantic one giant step closer to earning a berth in the U.S. Championship.
Wednesday was a day off for Mid-Atlantic. After a morning practice and time in the batting cages after lunch, the team went to watch the four o’clock International game between Australia and Asia-Pacific.
“This should be a great game,” Ash commented as he, Carter, their teammates, and their coaches found seats together in Lamade Stadium.
Carter agreed. For one thing, it was a beautiful afternoon, sunny and hot with very little humidity. For another, if their previous games were any indication, the teams on the field promised to give strong performances. And, finally, the winner would advance to the International Championship, just one step away from the World Series title game.
“You rooting for one of them?” Raj asked Carter.
Carter hesitated before answering. He didn’t want to seem like he was playing favorites, but—“I guess I’d like to see Australia win. I’ve hung out with one of their players, Jon Burns, and he seems like a great guy. Plus, with Little League Baseball getting so popular in their Region, I think it’s cool they’re doing so well. I’m not sure anybody thought they’d advance as far as they have. I mean, obviously they’re really talented and all. They’d have to be to get here. But still, I read one article that called them the ‘underdogs from Down Under.’ ”
“Japan has always been my favorite International team,” Craig put in. “I like that tradition they have of scooping dirt off the mound after they win the World Series.”
“Well,” Charlie M. joked, “we’ll just have to make sure they go home with clean hands if we face them in the title game. As for me, I’ve always liked our neighbors to the north.”
When the other boys looked at him in confusion, he clarified, “Canada! I have a connection to that country. My grandfather was from Ontario.”
“Isn’t that the airport the players from West and Northwest flew out of?” Raj asked, sounding puzzled.
“That airport is in Ontario, California,” Charlie M. said with an elaborate eye roll. “I’m talking about the province of Ontario, Canada. You know, where Toronto is?”
Raj seemed even more baffled. “The Lone Ranger’s sidekick lives in Canada?”
“Not Tonto, To-RON-to!” Charlie M. said in exasperation while the other boys laughed. “Oh, never mind.”
Raj caught Carter’s eye. He winked mischievously, letting Carter know he’d only been pretending to be clueless. Carter laughed even harder.
The game began a little while later. Australia was the home team. Jon Burns was at shortstop. The other boys Carter had met in the pool weren’t starting, but he knew he’d see them play at some point.
Asia-Pacific started off strong with a pair of singles. The runners didn’t score, however, because the next three batters made outs. Australia, on the other hand, saw two runners cross home plate in the first inning thanks to back-to-back walks and a double from Jon Burns.
Even though he wanted Australia to win, Carter felt bad for the Asia-Pacific pitcher. “What would you say to him if you were his coach?” he asked Coach Harrison.
“That it’s just one inning and it’s over and done with, so he should put it behind him,” the coach replied without hesitation. “And I’d remind him that he’s not the only player on the field. The inning’s results do not fall just on his shoulders.”
“I hope his coach tells him something like that,” Carter said.
Coach Harrison smiled. “I’m sure he will.”
The second inning went by scoreless for both teams. In
the top of the third, Asia-Pacific’s bats started talking. They racked up three runs before Australia retired the side.
The Australian boys tried but failed to close the gap. The score at the end of the third inning remained Asia-Pacific 3, Australia 2. That’s where it stayed for the next two innings, too.
“Leading off for Asia-Pacific,” the game announcer intoned, “Li-Chung Wu!”
Carter leaned forward. Wu had clocked a double in the third inning that scored two of his teammates. He was superquick, too, not just on the base paths but in the outfield, where he seemed to fly over the green grass. This at bat, though, he didn’t need speed because the Australian pitcher grazed him with the ball. Wu dropped his bat and trotted to first.
The pitcher, meanwhile, shook his head, clearly upset with himself. He seemed to get over it, though, for he struck out the next batter. The third belted a line drive between first and second. Wu raced to second, touched the bag, and kept going, landing safely at third.
“Hoo, boy,” Carter muttered. Things weren’t looking good for Australia. If the next Asia-Pacific player got a decent hit, Wu would probably score.
Ping!
The batter knocked a grounder toward third. The third baseman sprinted in to meet it. The left outfielder ran to cover the bag. The third baseman scooped up the ball, checked Wu on third, and then relayed it to second. The moment the ball left his hand, however, Wu took off. The second baseman got the runner out and immediately threw to home. The throw was high! The catcher had to leap for it. He made the catch but was out of position. Wu scored.
“Oh, man, that was tough,” Ash said, shaking his head in sympathy for a fellow catcher.
Australia got the next batter out to end the inning. Now they had one last chance to add to their side of the scoreboard. If the difference in score had been a single run, Carter thought they might be able to tie it up and send the game into extra innings. But with the score 4–2? He wasn’t so sure.
His hope for an Australian win went up a notch, though, when the first two batters singled. Then Jon headed to the plate.
Baseball World Series Page 8
