448 Game @ Servite (8) (1/2)

Bottom of the fifth. The air was getting colder as it got later. The long fourth inning really pushed us to have a longer game than normal. It didn't help that our excitement from Noah's run, died down.

Garret was the last one out of the dugout, having spent time putting away his bat and helmet. He looked a little down on himself-something that was so unlike him.

"Time to switch gears!" Noah clapped his glove, directing his words to Garret.

Garret lifted a hand in his direction as if to wave, but he didn't look back. He warmed up with a couple of pitches before the Servite batter stepped up. Batters four, five, and six. All three contributed to Kyle's beating last inning. Two of which had homered.

Garret completed his windup and motion, sending a cut fastball inside. The batter fouled it down the third baseline. 0-1. Garret followed up with a fastball outside for a ball. 1-1. The third pitch started to look like it would also miss the zone, but it cut in. It didn't fool the batter though. He swung, hitting the ball with the far end of his bat.

The ball was sent my way with speed, skipping across the infield grass. I got in front of it, using my glove to make the stop, then from there, I threw to Julian at first.

"Out!"

Julian threw the baseball to the stoic Garret on the mound. "One out, two to go."

Garret lifted two fingers; the only sign that he was listening. He faced the next batter with even more aggressive pitches, aiming for hard spots. It worked out: he was able to strikeout the two batters that had given Kyle a hard time. The fifth inning was over with, and we were down by two.

Fortunately, Zeke would lead us off for the sixth. With the two other seniors following right behind. It's another good opportunity to catch up.

"Do you think Garret is acting funny?" I asked Noah as we sat right beside one another. "He was rather quiet and emotionless up on the mound."

Noah's lips thinned as an expression of displeasure passed by on his face. "He's okay. He was like this against Golden West the first time. When we lost. He doesn't usually become like this."

Great. So the only other time he behaved like this, was the game we lost? That's fantastic. I rolled my eyes to myself.

But, Noah caught me. He let out a small laugh. "What are you so worried for? We didn't have you in that game. We won't lose with you around."

"..." I stared him down. "We lost against University Prep. Badly."

"Okay, okay, so we won't lose when you and Zeke play in the same game." He patted my shoulder. "Does that make you feel better?"

I was about to reply, but the actions on the field caught my attention. Servite was changing pitchers. This could either be really bad or really good, depending on who was coming in.

"Hey Noah...do you remember that one relief pitcher that we saw for Servite?" I swallowed hard. "The one that closed out Golden West? The one that has beaten Zeke before...do you think we'll see him today?" My anxiety was rising.

Noah fell silent.

Ernest J. Williamson is "supposedly" the best relief pitcher around. I still remember him striking out the side against Golden West. His pitching had weird movement. I wasn't confident facing something so new...luckily he didn't appear the first time we played Servite. Which, is strange, now that I think about it.

"That's not him." Noah spoke up, looking at the mound. "I know that's not him at least."

I let out a sigh of relief. Zeke has a chance then.

"Williamson isn't here." Coach came over. He spoke up for everyone to hear, yet was walking right to me and Noah. "We don't know why, and we shouldn't dwell too much on it. Focus on the game please." He stopped near me and Noah. "You two looked like you had seen a ghost. Did you think Sanchez would pitch the whole time?"

I shrugged, guilty. "Well, he wasn't doing terrible."

Coach gave a small grin, not looking too kind. "He pitches just two days ago. Even if he kept under the account, he was serious in his actions. He would be at least a little bit tired today. If you look up the stats, Sanchez has pitched the most innings in the league. Servite relies on him too much."