When she came running back from first base, Penny said to her, “Tough luck, Faye. Better luck next time.”
Faye shrugged and said, “I’ll kill it the next time.”
Penny laughed. Hearing that was all she needed to know that Faye, and all the other girls, were back to their normal, natural selves again.
The Comets won the game 11 to 9, but Penny — and four other girls, at least — didn’t really mind. Winning it or losing it wasn’t all that important today. Something else had been more important than ten wins, and it was that something that made the world bright again, and the sun shine again — in spite of the gray clouds.
Penny saw a boy running hard across the field from the grandstand. It was Jonny, his blond hair bouncing, his wide, handsome face shining. Penny’s heart pounded. What a change in him, she thought. He looked so much better now that he was relieved of that terrible secret.
“Tough game to lose!” he exclaimed, breathing normally in spite of the sprint from the grandstand. “But” — he shrugged as he met Penny’s eyes — “you can’t have everything.”
“Right,” Penny agreed, smiling.
“Excuse me!” a deep, drawling voice cut in.
Penny looked behind her. The stocky, dark-haired scorekeeper entered the circle. “What’s on your mind, Harold? A movie next Saturday afternoon?”
Harold stared at her. “No more movies for a while.”
His dark, searching eyes rested on her a moment longer, then shifted slowly over the other faces. “Actually, I had a picnic for the team in mind,” he said finally. “What do you think? In celebration of our natural athletes.”
“Sounds good to me!” Faye piped up, smiling. “You can take Shari and me, Harold. Jonny can take Jean and Penny!”
Harold grinned, his face beaming. He was glad things were back to normal. “Fine with me, Faye,” he said. “How about you, Jonny? You for it?”
“One hundred percent,” Jonny replied. He took Penny’s hand, squeezed it, and Penny squeezed it back.
“Where shall we go?” she asked quietly.
“Who cares?” he said.
How many of these Matt Christopher sports classics have you read?
Baseball Pals Long Shot for Paul
The Basket Counts Long Stretch at First Base
Catch That Pass! Look Who’s Playing First Base
Catcher with a Glass Arm Miracle at the Plate
Challenge at Second Base No Arm in Left Field
The Counterfeit Tackle Red-Hot Hightops
The Diamond Champs Return of the Home Run Kid
Dirt Bike Racer Run, Billy, Run
Dirt Bike Runaway Shortstop from Tokyo
Face-Off Soccer Halfback
Football Fugitive The Submarine Pitch
The Fox Steals Home Supercharged Infield
The Great Quarterback Switch Tackle Without a Team
Hard Drive to Short Tight End
The Hockey Machine Too Hot to Handle
Ice Magic Touchdown for Tommy
Johnny Long Legs Tough to Tackle
The Kid Who Only Hit Homers Wingman on Ice
Little Lefty The Year Mom Won the Pennant
All available in paperback from Little, Brown and Company
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send a self-addressed, stamped legal-size envelope to:
Matt Christopher Fan Club
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Boston, MA 02108
Supercharged Infield
Captain and third baseman Penny Farrel is amazed by the sudden change in her teammates on the Hawks softball team. First Shari, and now Karen, have suddenly turned into super athletes — just what her team desperately needs. But at the same time, the girls have become cold and emotionless — almost as if their personalities have been replaced by their new athletic skills. Worried about her friends, Penny vows to get to to bottom of the mystery. But will she be able to discover the reason behind her fellow infielders’ strange behavior before it’s too late?
Matt Christopher is the writer young readers turn to when they’re looking for fast-paced, action-packed sports novels. A resident of South Carolina, he is the author of many books, among them Return of the Home Run Kid. For a listing of all his titles and information on joining the Matt Christopher Fan Club, turn to the last page of this book.
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