The Golden Couple

Chap. 64

The stands were packed.

"All of this for a Championship game between two travel baseball teams?" Regina asked me, raising her eyebrows.

I just shook my head.

If I lived in Florida, I'd spend my Sundays at Disney World. Not watching a bunch of teenage boys play baseball.

We managed to squeeze into the bleachers, sitting way too close to one another for the heat that we were enduring.

I rolled up the sleeves on my Highlander Eagles t-shirt, trying to help alleviate some of the heat.

It didn't help much.

The Summerville Tigers were up to pitch first, and Steven was taking the mound.

Bryce wasn't in the batting order today either, but I had no doubt that he would've knocked one of Steven's pitches clear into outfield.

I glanced over at the opposite side's bleachers, and after a few seconds of searching I found Steven's mom sitting on the bottom row, her hair pulling back into a ponytail and she was clad in a Summerville Tigers t-shirt.

Regina waved at her, and she waved back, a smile overtaking her face.

The game began shortly after, Steven striking out our first batter.

He was on his A-game today.

"Come on Anderson," I muttered, crossing my right leg over my left.

Not that I'd root for Steven to mess up, but in this case I think it was necessary.

Our second batter got a hit off, making it safely to first.

But he was the only one of the inning, and we didn't get a run in.

And then Bryce took the mound.

"You got this babe," I said, my right leg nervously shaking over top of my left.

They got a hit off of his first pitch.

Darn.

And then Bryce threw two straight balls.

"Bryce," I muttered, nervously twirling a piece of loose hair around my finger.

His third pitch was a strike, and the batter didn't swing.

We ended in full count.

"Come on," I chanted, watching nervously as Bryce threw the pitch.

Ball.

He walked the batter.

I glanced over at Regina, who looked just as nervous as I did.

Bryce wasn't off to a good start. And this was the Championship game.

Bryce was up and down throughout the inning, and the Tigers managed to get two runs in.

"He just needs the top of the second to regroup," Regina said, more to herself than to me. "He'll be fine."

He has to be. This is crunch time, and all of the college scouts are here.

This is what he's been working towards.

Steven, once again, pitched a tight inning. But we did manage to get one run in.

When Bryce came back out at the bottom of the second, you could feel the Eagles' bleachers simultaneously take in a deep breath.

We needed Bryce back on his A-game. Because when he was nobody could touch him.

Not even Steven.