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Installment 11
by
Erastes
Copyright 2015 by Erastes
Chapter
21 - Dylan.
As soon as we got to the house, Dylan wanted me to start working with him on his pitching. This surprised me, because I thought that just having come from practice he might want to take a break and have some fun with Tyler first, but it's not what he had in mind. After I agreed to his request, I grabbed the catcher's mitt and a couple of baseballs, before Tyler, Dylan and I went out to the backyard. The little ones didn't join us, because they decided they'd rather go to the family room and play video games instead.
I quickly showed Dylan the grip for the four-seam fastball first and then had him practice throwing it to me. I left Tyler to stand by Dylan, so he could make sure Dylan was doing it correctly. After I thought he had that pitch down fairly well, I did the same thing while teaching him how to throw the two-seam fastball. It took a little while until he got the ball to start moving a little, as Tyler made minor adjustments to the way Dylan gripped the ball, but his pitch definitely wasn't tailing off as much as Tyler's did.
As soon as he got a little more movement on that pitch, we started working on the three-finger changeup next. The biggest thing I emphasized was that Dylan should throw this pitch using the same motion he used with both fastballs. I explained that the grip would ensure the ball came in slower to the plate, so he didn't have to change a thing. After he'd worked on that pitch for a while, I took him inside and did the same thing I'd done with Tyler next. I drew diagrams of home plate and the strike zone, so I could make sure he understood the finer points of the game, especially where it concerned pitching.
After I'd figured we'd done enough for the time being, I went to the kitchen to think about what I was going to fix for dinner. While I was doing that, Tyler and Dylan went upstairs to take a shower. About 20 minutes later, I heard Tyler calling for me.
"Uncle Blake, will you come up here?" he shouted from the top of the stairs. Once I'd come to see why he'd called me, he told me the rest. "There's something we need you to check out."
I agreed and went up the steps to see what they wanted. Tyler was still clad in his towel and I followed him down the hall to the master bedroom, where Dylan stood naked beside my bed.
"What's up?" I asked, while wondering what I was getting myself into.
"I was telling Dylan about what you said about checking my balls for lumps and I had him do it to himself while we were in the shower," Tyler began. "He thinks he might have a lump and wants you to check to see what you think."
"Dylan, don't you think you should have your father do this instead?" I challenged.
"I'm not sure he knows about this stuff, since he's never said anything to me about it," Dylan shot back. "Besides, he's not good with things like this. When my mother told him it was time to have 'the talk' with me, he found a video online for me to watch instead."
"Maybe he thought that would be better," I offered. "And he may not have told you about checking your testicles, because he might feel you're too young to have to worry about such things. It's something that usually doesn't show up until you're older, but it does happen on occasion with younger people too."
"So will you check my nuts and see what you think?" Dylan pressed, not giving up.
"I'm not sure I should," I replied. "I did it for Tyler, because I'm his guardian and I'm responsible for him. In your case, it should be your father or a doctor checking you out."
"Please, just do it for me," Dylan begged. "If I have a lump, then I'll just tell my dad that Tyler explained how I could check myself and I thought I felt one."
I wasn't sure if he was really worried that he might have a lump or if this was some scheme to get me to touch his privates. I wasn't sure why he would want me to do that, but he did look as if he was scared and wanted reassurance.
"Are you sure I'm the only one that can do this for you?" I asked, trying to make sure before committing myself.
"Yes, I really need you to do this for me and I trust you as much, or maybe even more, than anyone else," Dylan urged, but it almost sounded as if he was pleading.
"If I do, it will be solely like a doctor's exam. I won't do anything more than that," I explained, while giving him my most serious expression.
"Yeah, that's fine. I just want to be sure," Dylan responded, as the panic level in his voice seemed to decrease slightly.
Since he sounded and looked sincere, I agreed to do this for him. I sat down on the edge of the bed first and then he stepped closer to me, so I could examine his scrotum. I gingerly reached out and grasped the sac between his legs, as I gently moved the two watery orbs contained within around slightly. I checked each one out completely, but found nothing wrong. However, Dylan was starting to plump up while I was examining him, so I quickly become suspicious.
"I don't feel anything," I said, as I hurriedly released my grip.
"Then what was it I felt?" he wanted to know. "I thought it felt like something was growing on one of them."
"Dylan, there are tubes leading from each testicle that carry the seminal fluid they produce," I explained. "You might have just been feeling one of those."
"No, I felt them too, but this felt different," he assured me. "And what's that fluid stuff you're talking about?"
"Dylan, I know you and Tyler have been fooling around, so I suspect you can ejaculate just like Tyler can," I began, but he didn't let me continue.
"Do you mean cum?" he wanted to know.
"That's the street name for it, but yes," I agreed. "The fluid that comes out of your penis is produced in your testicles, so what you felt are the tubes that carry it so you can ejaculate."
"Are you sure there's nothing else?" he whined. "Please just check it for me again. I'm sure I felt something else."
Once again, he sounded and looked serious, as well as a little scared, so I agreed to do it for him again. As I was checking the area one more time, I was also giving Dylan a blow-by-blow of what I was encountering. After I examined each of his testicles over thoroughly, I once again told him I found nothing. When he started to protest, I told him that maybe he should have a doctor examine him next.
"So there's no other way to tell?" Dylan challenged.
"Not as effectively, but let me ask you a couple of questions," I followed. "Do you feel any pain down there?"
"Only if I get hit in the nuts," Dylan replied, as a pained expression formed on his face.
"Do you ever see blood or anything else that looks odd when you ejaculate or even urinate?" I continued.
"Not that I've noticed, but maybe you should check that too," he countered, looking hopeful.
"If you want to masturbate or have Tyler do it for you, then I'll look at what you produce," I offered. "I'm just not going to masturbate you."
"Is that the same as jacking me off?" Dylan countered, looking unsure.
"Again, that's one of the street names for the act, but yes, that's what masturbation means," I concurred.
"No, I can do that if you want, but I just need you to check it out for me after I finish," he quickly agreed.
"Ok, I'll give you some privacy while you do that then. Just call me when you're ready," I confirmed.
"No, just stay here," Dylan pleaded. "Tyler just about had me ready to cum in the shower before I checked myself, so this shouldn't take very long."
That tidbit of information might explain why Dylan started to get hard while I was examining him, so I quickly glanced over at Tyler to gauge his reaction next. I wanted to see if he had a smug expression on his face, which would have told me that he'd set Dylan up to do this, but he looked just as concerned as his friend. Maybe this wasn't a ploy after all and the kid was actually worried.
"Ok. Go ahead then," I reluctantly agreed.
Dylan immediately jumped on the bed, laid back and began flogging his penis. Even though most kids would have felt odd masturbating in front of an adult, he certainly didn't seem as if he was letting it bother him. He was working his penis like crazy and paying very little attention to me. Before long, he was announcing he was about to cum and his body stiffened, as the liquid strands erupted from the tip and coated his abdomen.
"There. See what you think," he urged, as soon as he caught his breath.
I moved closer and looked down at what he produced, but the only thing I noticed was that it was on the clear side. This only meant he wasn't fully mature yet and probably hadn't been able to ejaculate for very long, similar to Tyler.
"Dylan, I don't see anything here either," I confessed. "I think you're fine and just letting your imagination get the best of you."
"I hope you're right," he replied, "but I want you to check me again the next time I stay over."
I didn't respond to his request and hoped he would forget about it before then, but I no longer felt this was some sort of a game. The kid was actually worried something was wrong with him, even though I had assured him he seemed fine. I then left him alone with Tyler, as I went back downstairs.
After dinner, we focused on baseball again and I went with Dylan up to Tyler's room, so I could pull up some videos to point out some of the things I'd mentioned to him earlier. This was the same thing I'd done with Tyler, so he could actually see what I'd been talking about. After we'd done this for a while, Dylan looked at me and spoke.
"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with my nuts?" he asked again. "I checked myself after you left us earlier and I still think I feel a lump."
"Then I suggest you have your parents make a doctor's appointment for you," I recommended. "I've done the best job I know how to do, but I found nothing. Maybe you'll have better success with a doctor."
I don't think Dylan was happy with my suggestion, but he didn't say anything else. Now that we'd finished with the videos, I left him and Tyler alone, while I got the little ones cleaned up and put them to bed. While I was doing that, I also apologized to Ethan and Marcus for not doing more with them during the day.
"It's ok," Marcus told me. "We know you were busy helping Dylan and we were fine." I also noticed Ethan nodding his head in agreement.
"I just want to thank you for being so understanding and acting so mature," I told them. "I'll make it up to you when I can."
Once those two were in bed, I went to my room and began to read. A short time later, Tyler came in to speak with me.
"Dylan's still really upset," he began. "He convinced there's something wrong with him."
"I know he is, but I didn't find anything," I replied. "I don't know what else I can do."
"Will you let us sleep with you tonight?" Tyler wanted to know. "I think that might make Dylan feel a little better and stop him from worrying so much. I'll let him sleep between us, so we can both cuddle with him."
"Tyler, I'm not so sure that's a good idea," I replied, concerned.
"Neither of us is going to try to get you to do anything, if that's what you're worried about," Tyler reasoned. "I'm just afraid Dylan won't be able to sleep, if it's just the two of us. I think he'll relax more if he knows you're there too and you let him cuddle against you like I do. I know that always makes me feel better and then I'll cuddle with him on the other side."
"Are you sure he would even want to do that?" I countered, hoping my question might end the discussion.
"Let me go ask him," Tyler offered, before racing out of the room. Before long, he came back with Dylan in tow.
"Are you really going to let us sleep with you?" Dylan asked, as he studied my face for the answer.
"Is that something you want to do?" I countered, answering his question with another question.
"Yeah, I guess," he replied, while only partially committing himself. "I have the feeling you just didn't feel the same thing I did, but it doesn't mean it isn't there. That makes me a little scared."
"If this will help you sleep better, then I'll do it for you," I agreed.
Almost as soon as the words escaped my lips, Dylan jumped on the bed beside me and gave me a hug.
"Thank you for letting me do this," he whispered. "I don't want you to think I'm a baby or anything like that, but I know I'll sleep better tonight if I'm not alone."
"Well you would have been with Tyler anyway," I pointed out.
"I know, but I mean being with a grown up," he explained. "When I'm hurting or not feeling well, I always feel better when one of my parents stays with me. Since they're not here, it would help if you would do that for me instead."
"Ok, then let's get some sleep," I suggested. "You two hop under the covers and I'll turn off the lamp."
They were both in bed with me faster than you could say 'jackrabbit', so I turned off the light and laid back in my usual position. Dylan was already moving closer to me, so I slid my arm under his shoulders and held him against me, like I often did with Tyler. Dylan immediately snuggled against me and I could feel his body suddenly relax. In an instant, all of the tension seemed to drain out of him, as he melted into my side. He also placed his arm across my chest, just as Tyler often did as well, but he didn't hook his leg over mine. I think Tyler had been right and Dylan was just a very scared young boy right now, even though I had a feeling the problem was all in his head. I almost wished Tyler hadn't told him about the testicular exam, because then we wouldn't be having this problem.
Since Dylan was pressed so tightly against me, I also tried to see if I could feel if he had an erection, but it didn't take me long to determine he wasn't hard. I truly felt he just needed me to reassure him and make him feel better for the night. His fear might not have been justified, but it was certainly real to him.
As we lay there, I could also feel Tyler's body pressing against the arm I had wrapped around Dylan. I also felt Tyler's arm extending across Dylan's body and resting against me too. Dylan was sandwiched between us and it must have made him feel better, because I could soon tell he had fallen asleep.
My mind was reeling as I laid there. I was busy trying to figure out what I could do to convince Dylan he was all right, while at the same time wondering if I'd missed something. I finally decided that I was going to make sure he went to see a doctor, even if I had to pay for it out of my own pocket.
By morning, I could feel Dylan's head nuzzled against my chin, along with the sure sign that he had to pee. Since I was fairly certain his morning wood wasn't sexual, it didn't bother me, so I remained there with him until he woke up. When I realized he was starting to shake the sleep from his body, I looked down at him to see what he was going to do next. When he saw me staring at him, he smiled and spoke.
"Thank you. I slept really good last night," he confirmed. "I don't think I would have, if you hadn't let me do this."
"I'm glad I could help, but I think you'd better get up and head to the bathroom," I suggested.
He appeared slightly confused for a couple of seconds, but when he finally realized what I was referring to, he blushed slightly and then spoke.
"Let me out then, because Tyler's blocking me on the other side," he offered, with a sly grin.
I quickly threw the covers back and got out of bed, so he could get out too. He made sure I got a good look at his morning wood as he climbed out of bed and then giggled as he walked toward the master bath. He didn't even shut the door, so I was able to hear his stream hitting the bowl and it lasted for quite some time.
"Dang. I guess I really did have to go," he announced as he came back to join me. "Can I get in bed with you again and stay there until Tyler wakes up?"
"I hope you know he can be a lazybones and sometimes sleeps very late, but we can do it for a little while longer if you want," I offered. He did, so we got back in bed and I held him against me again.
"I learned a lot about pitching from you yesterday," he stated, as his head rested against my chest. "What are we going to do today?"
"Are you sure you feel up to doing more?" I countered, wanting to be sure.
"Yeah, even though I think there's a problem with my nuts, I still want to learn as much as I can about pitching," he answered. "I'm hoping the coach is gonna let me pitch in one of the games again."
"I'm fairly certain he will, so we'll make sure you are ready for your next outing," I agreed. "We'll start by checking if you've got the pitches down that we worked on yesterday and then I'll teach you the fork ball. Once you get that down, you'll know all of the same pitches that Tyler uses."
"Yeah, he told me you don't want him to throw a curve ball yet," Dylan responded.
"In a couple more years I'll work with him on one, but I want him to finish his growth spurt first," I explained. "Too many young kids ruin their arms trying to throw a curve ball too soon. As you've noticed, Tyler does very well without one."
"I know, so I'm not going to complain either," Dylan agreed, as he flashed me a shy grin.
We stayed in bed talking for a while longer and I told him about my plan to make sure he saw a doctor. He said I wouldn't have to do that and he'd mention it to his dad instead, because he didn't want me to have to pay for it. He also assured me he wouldn't tell his dad that I examined him, because he wasn't sure how his dad would react. I told him that was probably best and we left it at that.
After we heard Marcus and Ethan moving around, Dylan and I got up so I could start fixing everyone breakfast. Tyler woke up a short time after Dylan and I went downstairs and he soon came down to join us. As soon as the boys were all full, I sent them upstairs to get dressed. As they all walked away from the table, I had to chuckle. This really was a bachelor pad, with the boys and I all still in our underwear or pajamas. No woman would let us come to the table dressed this way!
After I finished cleaning the kitchen, I went upstairs to get dressed too. Then, I took Dylan and Tyler out in the backyard to work on Dylan's pitching again. We spent quite a bit of time working on the pitches I'd taught him the previous day first and then I took all of the boys to the park. I certainly didn't want Marcus and Ethan to get left out of things today.
When we got back to the house later, I fed the boys lunch and then took Dylan out back to pitch some more, since he had to be home by 3:00. This time I worked with him on the fork ball, but when we finished I knew he still needed a lot more practice on this particular pitch before he'd be ready to use it in a game.
Just before 2:30, he and Tyler went upstairs to shower and then they changed into some clean clothes before coming down so I could drive Dylan home. He gave me a hug first, before we went outside to get in the car.
"Thanks for everything, Mr. Blake. I really appreciate everything you did for me," he confessed.
"You're very welcome and I'm glad I could help," I confirmed.
I left Tyler at home to watch his brothers, while I drove Dylan to his house and dropped him off. Before he got out of the car, he made sure that I promised we'd do this again, soon.
On Monday, I picked up the two younger boys after work and drove them over to watch Tyler's practice. I quickly spotted Nathan practicing with the rest of the team, so I felt his thumb must have healed enough that he could play. However, I also noticed that Tyler was off to one side working with Carlos. I assumed they were doing it just in case Nathan re-injured his hand during the game. I felt that was a good idea, but I was still glad to see Nathan back.
"I worked with Carlos, but I worked with Nathan for a while first," Tyler explained, once he was in the car. "Nathan worked with Carlos for a while too, before I worked with him, to make sure Carlos knew everything that we did. I think Nathan will start, but I feel a little better about pitching to Carlos now too, if I have to."
"That's good," I agreed. "It means there should be nothing to throw you off your game tomorrow."
After we got home, Tyler went to his room to do his homework, while I began fixing dinner. A little while later, Tyler showed up again and it seemed as if he wanted to talk to me about something.
"I forgot to tell you on the way home that Dylan told me to let you know that he asked his father to make an appointment with the doctor," he announced. "He said he just told his dad that he felt something was wrong and wanted the doctor to check it out, so his dad agreed."
"That's good to know and I'm glad he'll be having a professional look at him too, especially if he still thinks there's a problem," I agreed.
"I could tell you thought we were just playing games with you while he was here, but Dylan was really scared," Tyler added.
"I might have thought that in the beginning, but I was soon able to tell that Dylan was definitely worried about something," I admitted.
"He told me he feels more comfortable talking to you about stuff like that than telling to his dad about it," Tyler continued. "Dylan says his dad is a really great guy, but he just acts weird and gets all nervous when Dylan asks him about guy stuff. He said his dad kind of freaks out if he or his little brother are naked when his dad is around. He says it's been like that since he was little. Dylan thinks that's why his brother overreacts when Dylan accidentally walks in on him too."
"I'm sorry to hear that, but I know some guys are so worried that others will think they're gay that they try to avoid anything that others might perceive that way," I explained.
"That's dumb!" Tyler shot back. "Even though Dylan's little brother is a year older than Marcus, I kinda hope they'll become friends. Then you can help Justin too. That's Dylan's brother's name."
"I'm not sure that would be such a good idea in this case," I pointed out. "If Justin already has that type of attitude and freaks out over something as trivial as Dylan walking in on him when he's naked, then he's the type that could cause all sorts of trouble for us."
"I think he'll change and not do stuff like that once he gets to see how we are with each other," Tyler reasoned. "Justin only knows how his father acts and he hasn't seen how other people do things. Dylan told me he wants his brother to meet Marcus and Ethan so they can start hanging out together. He thinks maybe Justin will start to loosen up a little then. I have a feeling Dylan is gonna ask you if he can bring his brother here with him sometime."
"If he does bring his brother here, then we'll all have to be very careful that we don't do anything that might upset him. I certainly don't want to give Justin anything to complain about," I warned. "That means you and Dylan won't be able to run around naked while he's here and the other two will have to be careful about what they say and do around him too. I'm just worried that Marcus might accidentally say something that Justin could take wrong, like the things he told your teammates at your birthday party."
"That was funny when he did it, but I can see where it could also be a problem," Tyler agreed. After that, he went back up to his room until it was time to sit down and eat.
I spent most of the night with Ethan and Marcus, to make up for ignoring them over the weekend. They weren't holding a grudge though, but they liked that I was paying more attention to them now. We also spent some of the time talking about the baseball signups, which would take place the second weekend of spring break. I also explained to Ethan what he should expect at the tryouts, because his brothers were already familiar with the process. Tyler and Marcus had gone through it before, when they tried out to play in their previous league. However, they'd have to go through the process again this year, since they were too old to play on last year's teams and would be moving up to the next older group.
When I was looking to find a tee-ball league for Ethan to play in, I'd discovered it was for 5 and 6-year-olds, but I later found out that they let some 7-year-olds play too. The next league, the one that Marcus had played in the previous year, was for 7 to 9-year-olds, but the 7-year-olds that weren't ready for that league were then allowed to play tee-ball. Marcus would be playing in the 10 to 12-year-old league this year, which Tyler had played in the previous season. Marcus was going to be considered a 10-year-old this year, because his birthday fell before the June 1st cut-off date. By the same token, Ethan was going to be playing as a 6-year-old, because his birthday came after June 1st date, and Tyler would be playing in the 13 to 14-year-old league this time around.
Once I put the younger boys to bed, I went in to say goodnight to Tyler. I also wanted to make sure he wasn't too worked up about the game the following day. Just before I was ready to leave his bedroom, I decided to ask him a question.
"Would it help if you slept with me tonight?" I wanted to know, and his face immediately lit up.
"It sure would!" he quickly agreed, as he raced over to join me.
I let him cuddle against me throughout the entire night, since I knew he'd sleep better and relax more than if he slept alone. We didn't do anything sexual, because this was just my effort to make sure he'd be at the top of his game tomorrow.
When I got to work the next morning, the first thing I did was to ask my boss if I could leave even earlier today. I explained that Tyler had a tough away game and he'd be pitching, but I offered to connect to the office at home later, on my company laptop, and make up for whatever I didn't get done before I left. He had no problem with my offer, so I called Brenda Riordan to let her know, so the boys would be ready when I got there.
I thought about Tyler's game off and on throughout the day, especially after I happened to glance at the picture I had of the boys and me on my desk. I wondered if the team they were going to be playing was as tough as they thought. If so, I hoped Tyler was up for it.
As soon as I could, I raced home to pick up the boys and headed over to the game. Fortunately, I found someone at the school to give me directions to the park where they were playing and I was surprised that they were playing on an enclosed field. Even though the outfield fence was only a temporary structure, similar to a snow fence, every other field the boys had played on had no outfield fences. The signs on this one indicated it was a consistent 328 feet (100 m) all the way around, so it would still be a good poke for kids this age. It might also put a little additional pressure on Tyler, since his outfielders wouldn't be able to chase down every ball hit over their heads, because some might go over the fence for a homerun.
Tyler spotted us when we were taking our seats and waved in our direction. He wasn't smiling as broadly as he normally did, so I could tell he was feeling the pressure already. For that reason, I flashed him the 'ok' sign with my hand, to let him know that I felt he'd do fine. He merely nodded and then turned back to join his teammates.
Tyler's team was going to be up first, so I hoped they'd get off to a good start. Dylan was the leadoff batter and he tried to cross up the other team right away by laying down a bunt for a base hit. Unfortunately, the ball rolled a little farther than he wanted and the third baseman was able to snatch it up and throw him out by half a step. It was a tough break, but a good try. Nathan came up next and made contact with the ball, but he didn't seem to have the same power behind his swing that he normally did. He hit the ball weakly to the shortstop and was thrown out at first as well, so I hoped this wasn't a sign that his hand was still bothering him and affecting his batting prowess.
Trent was up after that and walked, which brought Tyler to the plate. He looked terrible on his first swing, so he stepped out of the batter's box and glanced toward his coach for the next sign, before he turned toward me. I merely rotated my hips to let him know he hadn't opened up soon enough and he nodded and smiled. Before stepping into the batter's box though, he took a couple of practice swings and then got ready for the next pitch. He timed this one perfectly and hit the ball well to left-center field, but the kid playing center raced over to catch up to the ball and hauled it in for the third out.
Even from this distance, I could tell the boy that just caught the ball was quite tall and had used his long legs to get to it in time. It crossed my mind that any other outfielder might not have gotten there so quickly, so it was just another bad break for our team. Tyler looked slightly disappointed that the center fielder had been able to get him out and his head hung down as he walked back to the bench to get his glove. Since I wanted to perk Tyler up and get him over this minor disappointment, I clapped my hands together and yelled out "Good job! You'll get a hit next time." I did this to let him know he'd better forget about it and get over what had just happened. He had to clear his head and get ready to pitch, if he hoped to win the game. He merely looked up and gave me a weak grin in return.
In the bottom of the first, Tyler got the leadoff batter to ground out to Jamal at third for the first out. Then, the next kid hit a ball between Curtis and Dylan, just out of either one's reach, so there was a runner on first with one out. Tyler struck out the next kid, but he really had had to work to do it. The boy fouled off three consecutive 1 - 2 pitches first, before Tyler threw his fork ball and got the kid to swing over it when it dropped.
When the next batter came to the plate, my mouth dropped open. It was the other team's center fielder, but now that he was standing next to Nathan, I got a truer picture of how tall the kid was. He must have stood 6' 5" (196 cm) and he was only an 8th grader. I could tell Tyler was a little intimidated seeing him at the plate and he ended up walking the boy. There were now runners on first and second with two outs, so I yelled out to him.
"That's ok," I urged. "You have two outs, so just bear down and get the batter." Tyler looked up and nodded.
I didn't want him to get down on himself after walking the last boy and immediately saw Tyler buckle down like I'd urged him. He got the next boy to hit a grounder to Crawford at short and Crawford threw the kid out at first. I could see Tyler breath a sigh of relief as he walked back to the bench.
Jacob led off the top of the second and hit the ball well, but he merely flew out to the right fielder. Crawford came up after that and hit a line drive up the middle that nearly took the pitcher's head off, but the big center fielder got the ball back in quickly and held Crawford at first. Jamal came up next and bunted Crawford down to second and he nearly beat out the throw from the pitcher to first, but the umpire called him out on a really close play. That brought Antonio to the plate and he hit a line drive that looked as if it was going to go over the second baseman's head, but the kid timed his jump perfectly and snagged the ball for the third out. If he hadn't done that, I was certain Crawford would have scored on the play.
In the bottom of the second, the other team's sixth batter came up first. After working the count to 2 - 2, the kid hit a weak liner between third and short. Crawford dove for the ball and nearly came up with it, but it bounced out of his glove when his body hit the ground. He was able to pick the ball up quickly, but the runner was safe at first. It had been another unlucky break for the team that Crawford hadn't been able to hang on to the ball for the out.
The next batter struck out when he swung late at one of Tyler's four-seam fastballs and this brought up the eighth batter in the order. Tyler was ahead of him with a count of 1 - 2 when he threw his two-seam fastball. The ball ran in on the batter a lot more than it normally did and the kid froze. The ball ended up grazing the batter's midsection, so he got on base after being 'hit by a pitched ball'. This put runners on first and second with one out.
The next batter up was the last man in the order and he laid a bunt down the first base line to advance the base runners, but it didn't go very far away from home plate. Instinctively, Nathan leaped out of his stance and scooped the ball up, but when he went to throw it to first, the ball slipped out of his grasp and sailed well over Curtis' head. The base runners immediately began to circle the bases, as Curtis and Antonio raced after the errant throw. Antonio got to the ball first and threw it back to the infield, but by that time one run had scored and the other two were standing on second and third with one out.
Coach Hendricks called time and came out to chat with Nathan about what had just happened. He wanted to know if Nathan was still having problems with his hand, but Nathan assured him the ball had just slipped. The coach decided to leave him in and the team's leadoff batter stepped up to the plate for his second turn at bat.
Tyler seemed more than a little pissed as he faced this kid, most likely because he thought he had the last batter out and now a run had scored. It suddenly appeared as if he started throwing harder than before, as he released his four-seam fastball. The pitch sailed past the boy and it had reached him so quickly that he had very little time to react. He stood frozen in place and never moved his bat to swing. Tyler followed that up with an identical pitch, but this time the batter was prepared for it and fouled the ball off down the first base line.
Now, Tyler tried to slip a fork ball by the kid, but it dropped lower than he expected and hit the dirt in front of home plate. The ball then skidded, rather than bounce up as Nathan expected, so it slipped past him. Nathan threw off his mask and raced after the ball, as the kid on third bolted toward home. Nathan had trouble grabbing the ball once he got to it, which made the throw to Tyler too late to get the out, so another run scored. With a runner on third and two runs in, Coach Hendricks decided he'd seen enough and brought in Carlos to catch.
After the umpire gave Carlos a chance to warm up, the leadoff batter stepped up to the plate again with a 1 - 2 count. This time, Tyler threw him a two-seam fastball that not only tailed in, but it also dipped down a couple of inches as well. This caused the batter to swing over it for the third strike, so there were now two outs. The next batter swung late on a four-seam fastball and hit a little pop up to Curtis in foul territory at first base. He pulled it in for the third out, but Tyler's team was now behind 2 - 0 as they headed to the top of the third.
I stood up and yelled out, "That's ok. You can score too!" which I hoped might perk the team up and let them know the game wasn't over yet. I was sure the coach was doing something similar, but now we'd see if the strategy worked.
Curtis was up first and hit a hard grounder toward the gap between first and second, but the first baseman was able to snag the ball and tossed it to the pitcher covering first base for the out. This brought Dylan to the plate for the second time. After working the count to 2 - 2, he hit a soft liner over the shortstop's head for a single.
With one out, Carlos stepped up to the plate in Nathan's original spot. He looked at two balls first and then took the third pitch for a called strike, before hitting the next pitch solidly for a hard grounder to short. The shortstop picked the ball up easily and tossed it to the second baseman for the force out. The second baseman then pivoted and relayed the ball to first in time to complete the 6-4-3 double play. Tyler's team wasn't doing that badly, but the other team seemed to be catching all the breaks so far.
As the third batter in their lineup came to the plate in the bottom of the third, Tyler appeared determined that he wasn't going to allow them to score again. He was hitting his target perfectly and struck the kid out, as he stood looking at one of Tyler's fork balls. The pitch had started out at eye-level, but dropped down abruptly before reaching the plate and fooled the batter completely. After the umpire called strike three, the kid walked back to his bench shaking his head in disbelief.
This brought the other team's huge center fielder up again, but this time Tyler didn't seem to be intimidated by him. He threw a three-finger changeup first and had the kid way out in front of the pitch. Then he threw a two-seem fastball that tailed in on the boy's fists and he fouled it off. Tyler then reared back and tried to throw a four-seam fastball by the kid, but the boy hit a towering pop up in the infield. Crawford quickly settled under it and called everyone else off, as he hauled it in for the second out. Looking confident, Tyler got the next batter to ground out to Dylan for the third out.
Trent was up first in the top of the fourth and hit the second pitch out to center field. It was a solid line drive and would have sailed over the head of nearly any other outfielder, but the tall kid was able to haul it in for the first out. Tyler stepped to the plate next and fouled the first pitch to the backstop. He fouled off the second pitch as well, but this time it was a hard shot down the third base line, which seem to rattle the pitcher. After throwing a ball next, the pitcher tried to blow the next pitch by Tyler. Tyler's timing was perfect though and he connected solidly with the pitch. We all watched as the ball sailed out to left field, well above the left fielders head and cleared the fence for a homerun.
Tyler's teammates went crazy and started jumping around and whooping it up, as Tyler circled the bases. Coach Hendricks kept everyone back though and wouldn't let them go greet Tyler until he touched home plate. Then, the coach let them run out to mug Tyler as he headed back to the bench. Tyler was beaming when he glanced over at me.
Looking at the bench, the team seemed to have regained a little confidence after Tyler's mighty blow. Jamal was up next and appeared to have a little swagger in his step as he walked to the plate. Unfortunately, he merely popped the ball up to the first baseman in foul territory for the second out. That brought up Crawford to the plate and he worked the count full before hitting a hard grounder to third. The other team's third baseman was able to pick the ball up and threw Crawford out at first to end the top half of the inning. Tyler's team had closed the gap though, so the other team was only ahead 2 - 1.
Coming into the bottom of the fourth, Tyler was about to face the same part of the lineup that had scored the two runs earlier. He started out by striking out the first kid, the one that had singled off him in his previous at bat, and then Tyler struck the next kid out for the second time. This brought up the batter he'd hit with the pitch previously, so he started out by pitching the boy away. Tyler was working everything on the outside corner of the plate and the kid ended up hitting one of those pitches off the end of the bat. Curtis ran up and grabbed the ball as it rolled down the first base line, and then tagged the boy for the last out. It had been a very easy inning.
Jamal was supposed to be up first, but since he hadn't looked very good his last time up and had only hit a little dribbler back to the pitcher, the coach sent Stanton in to pinch hit for him. Stanton fouled the first pitch back for a strike and then took the second pitch for a ball, before hitting a little blooper over the first baseman's head for a single. That brought Antonio up and he hit a shot to the shortstop, but the boy scooped the ball up and turned it into a 6-4-3 double play. He'd hit the ball hard, but right at someone, another unlucky break. This brought Curtis to the plate next and he ended up hitting a fly ball to the right fielder for the last out.
In the bottom of the fifth, Tyler faced the ninth batter first. This was the kid that got on due to Nathan's throwing error and led to both runs scoring. I could tell Tyler was determined to keep the boy off the bases this time, because he threw four consecutive four-seam fastballs to the kid and struck him out.
This brought the other team back to the top of the order again. Tyler got the leadoff batter to line out to Crawford at short on the third pitch, and then he got the next batter to fly out to Jacob in left field for the last out. It was another solid 1-2-3 inning.
Tyler's team had the top of the order due up to start off the sixth. Dylan stepped up to the plate first and hit a liner over the pitcher's head that went back up the middle for a single. Carlos then stepped up to the plate next, having taken over Nathan's spot in the order. He got around on one of the pitcher's fastballs and hit a bullet between third and short. Dylan was off at the crack of the bat and rounded second, but he came skidding to a halt when he saw the left fielder pick the ball up cleanly, so there were runners on first and second with no outs.
After two consecutive hits, and hard ones at that, the opposing coach decided to change pitchers. He called the boy in from center field to pitch next and he was throwing the ball really hard during his warm ups. Beside that, it almost appeared as if the kid was striding halfway to the plate when he pushed off from the rubber, so I knew he was going to be tough on the hitters he faced.
Trent, who had walked and flied out to center previously, was due up next. Since he was facing a new pitcher and the kid was throwing smoke, the coach flashed him the sign to bunt. Trent did a great job and bunted the ball toward the third baseman, about halfway between the mound and the foul line. The pitcher's momentum had taken him toward first, so the kid playing third was the only one who could field the ball. Once he picked it up, his only play was at first and he threw it there in time to get Trent by less than half a step. However, it had also moved Dylan and Carlos up to second and third with one out.
This brought Tyler to the plate next and I saw him dig in deep in the batter's box, because it looked as if this kid was going to throw nothing but heat. Tyler fouled the first pitch off down the first base line, but then I saw him smirk at the pitcher, as if he was telling him he had his number. As the next pitch came in, Tyler opened his hips, strode forward and swung the bat in a quick arch. He connected with the ball and sent it to right center field, where it sailed over the center fielder's head as he tried to chase it down. The pitcher might have been able to catch the ball, if he'd still been out there, but the kid currently playing center was about a foot shorter, so the ball got by him. It hit the turf and rolled the rest of the way to the fence, so Tyler ended up on second with a double and Dylan and Carlos both scored on the play, which put their team ahead 3 - 2.
Tyler's hit seemed to unnerve the pitcher and he threw three consecutive balls to Jacob next. After his coach yelled out for him to "settle down and concentrate," the kid tried to groove the next pitch past Jacob, since he thought Jacob was going to take it. To everyone's surprise, however, the coach had given Jacob the green light and he drove the pitch to right center field too, although a little farther away from the center fielder than Tyler had done. This ball dropped in as well, so Jacob ended up on second with a double, as Tyler scored.
The other team's coach quickly called time and went out to talk to his pitcher. After discussing the situation with the boy, the coach decided to leave him in, so Crawford stepped up to the plate next. Crawford seemed to time the pitch fairly well too, but he just didn't elevate the ball enough and hit a line drive back at the mound. The pitcher caught the ball, although it appeared he did it purely out of self-defense, to keep it from hitting him, so Jacob wasn't able to advance. There were now two outs and Jamal was up next. He hit a grounder to the second baseman and the kid threw him out to retire the side. Tyler's team had scored three runs though, so they were now ahead 4 - 2.
Tyler was scheduled to face the heart of the other team's lineup in the bottom of the sixth, starting with the third man in their batting order. This kid had struck out twice already, once swinging and once looking, so Tyler merely reared back and threw. He ended up using five pitches to strike the boy out again, but the kid went down swinging this time. This brought up their big cleanup batter, who had moved in from center field to pitch.
As the boy walked up to the plate, I saw him glare at Tyler and could tell he was remembering how Tyler had hit a double off him that scored two runs, before he also scored on the next hit. I'm sure the boy wanted to return the favor, as he stepped into the batter's box and dug in. Tyler started him out with a two-seam fastball that tailed in on the boy's hands and tied him up, but it also made his swing look pathetic for the first strike. Tyler started the next pitch out at the letters and I could almost see the boy's mouth salivating as the ball came in. Just as he started to swing though, the ball dropped sharply and his bat ended up gliding harmlessly through the air above it. Tyler had thrown a fork ball and fooled the boy completely.
With two strikes on the batter, Tyler threw a four-seam fastball way off the outside corner of the plate next. Carlos missed grabbing it, so the ball went all the way to the backstop. It wasn't a problem though, since no one was on base, but it did make the batter consider that Tyler might be a little wild. Tyler then used the exact same motion on his next delivery, but this time he threw a three-finger changeup instead. The boy wasn't expecting this, so he was way out in front of the pitch for the third strike.
There were now two outs and the fifth man in the other team's lineup was coming up. He had grounded out to short his first time at bat and then to second base during his next time up. After getting the boy to a 2 - 1 count, since Tyler had just missed the strike zone on both called balls, the kid lifted the next pitch into the air. It was heading out to right field and Jose, who had come in to replace Antonio, drifted over and settled under it for the third out. The boys were now heading into the final inning with Tyler's team still ahead 4 - 2.
Stanton was up first and he'd hit a single his previous time up, but it wasn't against this pitcher. He was a little late on his swing each time and ended up fouling out to the first baseman for the first out. Jose was up for his first at bat after that and grounded out to the second baseman for the second out. This brought up D'Wayne, who had come in for Curtis at first, and he connected with a 3-1 pitch that headed toward right field. The kid playing there had to make a long run and couldn't quite get to the ball, so it dropped in for a double. This brought Dylan up again, and he was already 2 for 3, but this time he grounded the ball to the shortstop. The boy scooped the ball up easily and tossed it to first for the final out in the top half of the inning.
Fortunately for Tyler, he'd be facing the bottom of the other team's lineup with a 4 - 2 lead. The first boy that stepped to the plate popped the ball up to second for the first out and then the next batter grounded the ball back to Tyler. He fielded it cleanly and threw the boy out at first for the second out. Tyler then bore down on the next batter and caught him looking at a called third strike to end the game.
As the teams were slapping each other's hands afterward, I saw the various boys talking and felt they must have been chatting about the game. I noticed the big kid had also pulled Tyler aside and the two spoke for a couple of minutes, but then Tyler came over to me when he was done.
"What was that all about?" I asked, after his brothers and I had congratulated him.
"We were just telling each other great game," he answered. "The last pitcher also told me that even though he'd walked his first time up, this was the first game he'd worn the collar and gone hitless."
"Wow! That's impressive," I replied, giving him a slap on the back.
"He also congratulated me on my hits," Tyler added, but not in a bragging way. He was merely filling me in on their conversation. "I'm going to go get on the bus, cuz the coach wants to talk to us on the way back. I'll see you at the school in a little while."
He then raced away and I led his brothers over to the car so we could head home.
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E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other ‘constructive’ comments or advice may be sent to: ErastesTouch@aol.com - but please put the story title in the subject line, so it doesn’t get deleted as junk mail.
My other stories:
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/different-points-of-view/
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/a-throw-away-kid/
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Although the boys in these stories sometimes have unprotected sex, I strongly urge all of you out there to be smart and protect yourselves from various sexually transmitted diseases by using taking appropriate precautions before engaging in sex.