SUNDAT, AUGUST 2

"No," corrected Mr. Perez, the head of the committee running the SoCal BaseBrawl. "Matthew was supposed to sing before the championship game. That won't be until just before noon."

"But..." Lukas didn't know what he was going to argue, it was just he had planned on getting this singing bit out of the way so he could enjoy his day. Even the thought of having to wait hours until he had to perform was agony. He'd spent all morning psyching himself up for this.

His brothers tried to be the voice of reason in all of this, and Michael tried once again. "That's cool," he told Mr. Perez. "We should have asked Matthew instead of assuming." Mr. Perez nodded and walked away. Michael put his hand on Lukas' shoulder and gave it a squeeze before adding, "Let's get our stuff into the admin building and watch the game. You'll be fine. We've got this. We'll have at least an hour to practice between games if that will make you feel better."

They didn't have much gear, but getting sand or dirt in the amplifier or guitar would be bad. Lukas grabbed the amplifier since Michael had carried it from the van. Lukas grunted, "UGH!" Michael just laughed as he took the handle of the guitar case. "How did you carry this all the way from the parking lot?"

Michael shrugged, but understood what Lukas was saying. He'd over prepared. Being outside, he decided to bring one of their bigger amps. The 200-watt Fender with two 12" speakers in a bulky cabinet weighed nearly 35 pounds. The younger Meijer boy didn't think the speaker was heavy, but just difficult to lug around because of its size. Michael quickened his pace, leaving Lukas behind. He called out over his shoulder, "Drummers are wimps!"

"What?!" Lukas tried to catch up, but the amp bounced off his leg causing him to stumble. He heaved it into the air carrying it with both arms so he could hurry after his little bro. "You'd better watch it!"

He caught Michael at the door to the admin building. They helped each other with the door and easily found the closet Mr. Perez told them about. Michael opened the door and leaned his guitar into the corner. Turning around, Lukas handed him the amplifier. When Michael turned and set the amp on the floor, Lukas shut the door and wedged his body against the door.

Michael suspected this was Lukas playing a prank but tried to open the door anyway. The twisting of the doorknob and pressing his shoulder on the door only elicited laughter from the other side. "LUKAS!" The laughter grew louder. "Com'on! Let me out."

From outside the administration building, the sound of the San Marcos Jazz Band playing "O'Canada" could be heard by Michael if he stopped to listen. He tried the door a few more times but Lukas had a good angle with his feet planted firmly on the ground and his lower back against the door. Michael growled in frustration before throwing his body against the door without the desired results. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because we've been negligent in our duties?" Lukas took it upon himself to act as the proxy for Matthew and Simon without their knowledge.

"What does that mean?" asked Michael.

"Big bros are supposed to torture the youngest. It's the law. And we haven't been doing a good enough job of it if you ask me." Lukas heard Michael exhale in a huff. He knew he'd pushed it as far as he should and leaving Michael in the closet longer wouldn't be defensible.

The door opened and Michael escaped as quickly as he could in case Lukas was teasing or changed his mind. Lukas said, "Com'on. They're almost finished with the national anthem. The game will be starting soon. Let's get out there." The brothers playfully shoved each other on the way to join their friends to root for their buddies from up north.

On the way to the stands, they heard their names called. Turning they saw Curtis, Will, Lewis, Mateo, and other friends from their lacrosse and soccer teams. Michael had taken it upon himself to drum up more boys to come cheer for the Yard Goats, convinced that it was what they needed to help them win it all. The long line of boys was followed by a weary group of adults who Michael had wrangled to drive them to the ballpark.

Cal was on the mound preparing to take his eight warm-up pitches as the boys filled the seats behind the first-base dugout. Cooper and Connor started dancing and chanting, "Go! Go! Goats!" Soon, the entire right half of the stadium had joined in.

Christian was curious about the jazz band playing and not his boyfriend. When Michael finally found his place, Christian asked, "I thought you were playing the national anthem this morning." Simon leaned in to hear Michael or Lukas explain over the crowd's chants for the Yard Goats. Michael explained and Lukas had to repeat for Simon because of the noise.

Michael felt someone elbow him lightly in the ribs before joining in the cheers. Glancing to his left he found Tim Whalen smiling. Tim had just arrived with some of his Force teammates. It seemed the other teams in the tournament were interested in who would win, even if they wouldn't. More realistically, the teams were interested in someone kicking the Torrance Bulldogs' asses. The Bulldogs made a lot of enemies the last few days and for many, their favorite team would be the team that took the Bulldogs down a notch or two...or ten.

Michael greeted Tim with a hug and a kiss on the cheek making Tim blush. Tim had thought Mayfield was a haven of cute, out, gay boys (or at least boys that liked to play according to Aiden), but East Harbor was practically in his backyard and his crush on the lead singer of At the Majestic was real.

The game progressed quickly. After three innings, Cal had faced and retired nine batters with two strikeouts. For the Mounties, Asher also only faced nine batters, earning five strikeouts including striking out all three batters in the bottom of the third inning. At some point, someone had to score. This game would not, could not, end in a tie.

Jackson Hallion was still waiting for Matthew to show up. Some of Matthew's teammates were there. Many because they had driven their little brothers to see the game. Between innings he decided to see if Matthew's brothers knew where he was. "Hey! Simon! Michael!" called out Jackson from the ground below. Michael heard his name and spotted Jackson by the ballfield facing the stands and waving his arms. Michael waved back.

Cupping his hands around his mouth to project his voice, Jackson yelled, "Where's Matthew?"

Michael started to shout back that Matthew was with Marty in LA, but quickly thought better of it. He poked Christian in the side, "I'll be right back." He made his way down the stands to talk to Jackson. "Hey, Jackson!"

"Where's Matthew?" asked the teen. "I can't find him anywhere. Is he coming?"

There was something about this situation that made Michael uneasy. It seemed to the tween that if Matthew wanted Jackson to know about his invitation to batting practice, he would have told Jackson. Michael chose to proceed with discretion. Matthew could fill in the details later. "He said he and April were heading up to LA for the day. I don't think he'll be back for the games, but he'll be home later. Maybe he'll be able to swing by Carlsbad or wherever you guys are after the tournament."

"Yeah, I guess," said Jackson. Jackson was disappointed, but he also understood that even though he was stuck having to be at the tournament, Matthew wasn't.

"You should text him and make plans," suggested Michael, trying to lift Jackson's spirits. The boys made a bit of small talk about the game before returning to their seats.

Returning to the top of the order, the Mounties sent their leadoff batter to the plate. On Cal's first pitch, the batter smacked a line drive into short center field that fell in front of Gordy giving the Mounties their first baserunner of the game. Cal's second pitch of the inning was taken as a ball out of the strike zone by Warren. Corbin was sent to second on the pitch making an easy steal of second base when Mac had trouble exchanging the ball from mitt to hand.

The Mayfield fans who witnessed the debacle against Torrance feared they were about to see a repeat of the Yard Goats falling apart and giving a game away. Connor and Cooper started a chant of "Yard Goats!" followed by two claps. They weren't ready for the tournament to end for their new friends Lance and Lenny.

Warren stepped back into the batter's box and laid down a bunt up the third-base line. Trent easily snatched the ball and threw Warren out at first, but the play moved Corbin to third base, just feet from giving the Mounties the lead.

The next batter worked the count until he saw a pitch he liked. On the contact of bat on ball, Corbin broke for home as his teammate Edmund hit a stinging grounder at Aiden. Aiden, to prevent the run in such a tight game, gunned a strike to Mac at home plate. Mac delivered the tag to Corbin's foot as the Canadian slid for home plate.

Alertly, Mac rose, ready to deliver the ball to an infielder as he checked on the baserunner. Mac's quick scan of the field and quick throw to first caught Edmond off the bag for the third out of the inning. The big-time defensive play by the Yard Goats turned around the crowd's worry and boosted the confidence and enthusiasm of the boys from Mayfield. The Mounties may have had their number the last time they faced off and the Yard Goats were out to even the score.

After Gordy led off the bottom of the fourth being the tenth consecutive Yard Goat retired by Surrey, Aiden broke the streak with a single to left. Not to be outshone by the Mounties, the coach gave Aiden the signal to steal, and he did so on the first pitch to Trent. With Aiden at second, Trent slapped a double to left-center field and the Yard Goats were the first on the scoreboard.

With Muddy's second strikeout and Scott's liner to the third baseman, the Goats couldn't capitalize on Scott being in scoring position. But a 0-1 lead going into the fifth had the Yard Goats energized.

Between innings, Lukas moved up a few rows to sit with some of this lunch table gang.

"How are you guys doing?" asked Lukas, finding a seat between Curtis and Will.

"Not bad," proclaimed Jordan. Boys in baseball uniforms were more entertaining than he expected.

"The game's pretty exciting," stated Lewis, "for baseball." The boys laughed. "I like my sports with a little bit more action."

"You would say that out loud," joked Curtis, "but does Courtney feel the same way?"

"Shuddup," replied Lewis, a bit embarrassed by the teasing.

"Say, Lukas," asked Jordan. "Where's Scott? I thought he'd be here today?"

"I don't know," admitted Lukas. "I haven't seen him since the tournament started. He's said he's busy when I've asked about coming. Maybe he's like Lewis, baseball just doesn't have enough action to hold his interest." The other boys laughed while Lewis cringed at the good-natured joshing.

In the top of the fifth, the Mounties were looking to get on the scoreboard and at least tie the game. Cal, however, continued his stellar outing on the mound. He struck out the first batter before giving up a walk to the second. Vic, the third batter of the inning hit a grounder to Aiden who flipped it to Scott. Scott stomped on second, turned towards first, set his feet and fired. The throw snapped loudly as it caught in the web of Max's glove. The umpire was even louder as he cried, "OUT!" The boys in the stand cheered the double play that ended the Mounties side of the inning.

Cal suspected his time on the mound had come to an end. He figured he'd reached his pitch count and with Lance in the bullpen, the writing was on the wall. He was happy that Coach didn't make the substitution yet because he was slated to bat first.

Taking his practice swings in the on-deck circle, Cal glanced up into the stands to see the crazy twins from East Harbor leading the crowd in his favorite cheer. "We are the Yard Goats! Google it! Google It!" The twins were with the two friends he usually saw them with, a blond with short hair and freckles and a smaller boy with dark blond hair. That foursome seemed to have been joined by a few other friends: an athletic-looking Hispanic boy; a boy of Asian descent; a taller boy with glasses; and a smaller strawberry blond. The group of younger boys yelled louder than anyone else and seemed to be having the time of their lives. Cal's attention was drawn back to the game when he heard the umpire call, "Batter!"

Cal focused and stepped to the plate. He made the most of his at bat with a double up the first base line. Mac was next to the plate and knocked a single between the short stop and third baseman. Max walked loading the bases.

That ended Asher's time on the mound. The Mounties coach brought in a lefty reliever to face Riley. It didn't matter. A single right up the middle added another run to the scoreboard. It was 0-2 in favor of the Yard Goats. There was excitement in the first-base bleacher and apprehension along the third-base line. With Gordy, Aiden, and Trent, the top of the Mayfield batting order, coming to the plate with the bases loaded, the Yard Goats could break the game wide open. The result, however, was a pop-fly to shallow center field, a grounder to the third baseman who got the force out at home plate, and then a spectacular catch by the Mounties center fielder Seung Park who caught a fly ball over his should before bouncing off the wall saving at least two runs and ending the inning.

The sixth inning brought changes to the Yard Goat lineup. Cal had reached the end of his time on the mound and Lance and Lenny came in as the new battery. Emmett went out to left field moving Riley to center field. Gordy came in from center field to play short stop, Scott moved to third, and Trent to first replacing Max. Max, the Yard Goats closer, went to the bullpen with Mac to warm up.

"Okay everybody," said Connor as the twins tried to organize all the kids around them.

"On the count of three, everyone yell, 'Twin Power'!" added Cooper.

The word got passed around as Lance took his warm-up pitches. The idea sounded fun and earned the buy-in of most of the teens and tweens on the Yard Goats side of the stands.

Connor stood on his seat counted out load and on his fingers. "One! Two! Three!"

"TWIN POWER!" shouted the boys in the stands. The volume stunned even the Kendall twins. It drew the attention and laughter of adults throughout the stadium. Anyone who hadn't noticed the twins on the field quickly identified the inspiration for the cheer as well as the duo who shouted it.

If Lance or Lenny had heard the cheer, they didn't show it. Lance threw his last warm up pitch and Lenny threw down to Gordy covering second. It was time for the Mounties first batter of the inning.

Lance faced the bottom of the Mounties' batting order. He set them down in order with two groundouts, including a spectacular diving stop by Gordy at short stop and a routine fly to Riley in center field. The Hazen twins did their jobs setting the stage for Max and Mac to come in and close out the game. But first, the Goats had another chance to put some insurance runs on the scoreboard.

Muddy came to the plate after striking out twice. Many of the boys in the stands wondered why Muddy continued to DH after so many strikeouts. But the Mounties' pitcher left a pitch out over the plate and Muddy did as Muddy does, smashing an unbelievably long home run over the left field wall. If you are keeping track, it's now 0-3 in favor of the Goats. (Or is that G.O.A.T.s? Maybe it is too early to declare that.) It was Muddy's third homer of the tournament which tied him for the tournament lead.

Scott grounded out and Lance flew out to right before Lenny lined a laser beam to center earning him a single. Skip pinch hit for Emmett. Everyone heard Mrs. Emerson shouting, "Go Ralphie!" as Skip ran to first after smashing a shot into left field.

That brought Riley to the plate with runners on first and second. For the second time in the game, Riley delivered. Another base hit drove in the fourth Yard Goat run. The Mounties pitcher walked Gordy loading the bases bringing Aiden to the plate.

The Mountie's pitcher made another mistake. Hanging a fastball a bit inside, Aiden turned and nailed a sizzling liner down the third-base line. Warren, the Mounties left fielder, anticipated the hit. It was enough to allow him to snag the ball. If he'd missed it, it could easily have been a base-clearing triple for Aiden, or even an in-the-park home run. The Mounties may have avoided a big inning by the Yard Goats, but the damage was done. The Mounties were down to their final three outs and needed four runs to remain in the game.

The Yard Goats fans were on their feet while Max took his warm-up pitches. The twins rallied the fans for another cheer. This time it was "G.O.A.T.S.S.S, Yard Goats are the Best! Best! Best!"

The top of the Mounties order stepped to the plate to face the Yard Goats' closer. Max proceeded to walk Corbin on four straight pitches and Warren on six. While Eric, the Goat's pitching coach visited the mound, some of the Yard Goat's fans grew quiet while the others yelled louder trying to hype-up Max.

Perhaps it helped. Max threw a strike. However, Edmund was prepared and hit it into deep center field. Riley ran hard towards the home run wall, but the ball appeared to be heading out of the park, which would bring the Mounties within a single run with no outs in the top of the seventh. But Riley didn't give up. He wouldn't give up until he watched the ball clear the fence. His eyes grew wide as he, the ball, and the wall closed in on one another. Reaching the wall, Riley leapt and caught the ball for the first out.

On such a deep hit, Riley expected the runners to tag and be on the run. As soon as he landed on his feet, Riley fired the ball into the cutoff man, Trent. Trent immediately drew the ball back and checked the runners. Warren had rounded second. Trent threw the ball to second where Aiden had snuck in behind Warren. Warren hurried back but it was too late. Aiden slapped the tag on his leg then ran towards the mound with the ball to ensure Corbin didn't attempt to score.

Going from two men on and no outs to two outs and one man in scoring position changed the complexion of the game. The Goats were one out away from advancing to the championship game. The boys in the stands grew excited to see the Goats close out this game and face Torrance.

Tommy, the Mounties third baseman, came to the plate hoping to keep the team's hopes alive. Waiting for a pitch he liked, he drove a hard, line drive between Gordy and Scott. Gordy took a couple steps before launching himself into the air, diving for the ball. Landing, he slid through the infield dirt stirring up a cloud of dust. Rolling over, Gordy held up his glove showing he'd caught and maintained control of the ball. The Yard Goats were heading to the championship game.

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After the obligatory handshakes, the Goats were ready to rehydrate and get out of the heat. Coach Eric stepped out of the dugout and was surprised to see a gaggle of boys waiting for the Yard Goats to make their way to Field 4, the team's rest and refueling area between games. "Well boys," he said. As one of the Yard Goats' coaches, he immediately had their attention and respect. "The team will be heading straight to their rest area on Field 4. They can visit a bit, but we need them to rest, rehydrate, and refuel for their next game. Please respect that. We'll be able to visit more after the tournament. Eric didn't want to reveal too much about that. The murmur from the under-18 crowd informed Eric that they understood.

As the Yard Goats began to stream through the gate to Field 1, their fans welcomed them.

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"Congratulations!" said Alex giving Grant a hug.

Jaden agreed and hugged Grant when he became available. "You made it to the championship game! I can't believe it! Are you going to pitch some?"

"Thanks guys," said Grant modestly. He hadn't played in the first game. Resting pitchers was something the coaches regularly did so Grant figured they wanted to make sure he was ready to pitch an inning or two sometime today. With the potential of two more games, it seemed certain he would pitch at some point. "I don't know," he said. Saying it would make it too real and he wasn't ready to think about it yet. That's why he changed the subject so abruptly. "Have you heard from Josh yet?"

Alex's face fell. "I know I sound dumb saying this, but something must have happened to Josh. Something's wrong. He would have at least texted me."

Jaden put his arm around Alex. "Alex, lots of people..."

"Stop. I know what you are going to say. You don't know Josh like I do." He saw the looks on Grant and Jaden's faces. "I know. That's what everyone says. Especially the people who get dumped. But I can't believe it. I..."

Grant pulled Alex into a hug. "No matter what, bro, you've got us." Alex returned the hug until Jaden broke them up and sent Grant on his way. He was the last Yard Goat to make it to Field 4.

"Com'on," said Jaden, putting his arm around Alex's shoulder. "Isaac should be here soon. Let's go wait for him."

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"Hey!" yelled Connor and Cooper. The twins wove their way through the crowd to catch up to the Hazen twins.

"Hey, Wonder Twins," said Lenny. That was one of the nicknames he and Lance came up with for the Kendall twins. They found the younger duo fun and a little bit crazy.

"Who are they?" asked Cooper.

"Google it!" joked Lance. They all found the play off the twins' cheer funny.

"It's really awesome when you are on the field at the same time," gushed Connor. He was crushing hard on the older boys and hoped they found time to be alone.

"Especially when you pitch and catch," added Cooper.

"Well, I pitch and he catches on the field," said Lance.

"But, I pitch and he catches when we are... alone," explained Lenny.

Connor caught on and was relieved to confirm that what they discussed at the hotel the day before meant what he thought it meant. "On our team, I'm the pitcher and he's the catcher."

Lenny and Lance smiled at the confirmation on their end, but Cooper was confused. "Huh? We play soccer." Connor whispered in his ear and Coopers face lit up like a lightbulb. "Yeah, I'm the catcher!" he confirmed, happy to make that clear to Lenny.

"Okay," said Lance arriving at the gate to Field 4, "we're here. We have to go in and prepare for the next game. We'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," said Cooper.

"Super okay," added Connor. Both had very bright grins.

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"Scott! Scott!!" called out his cousin Ronnie. The younger boy wove his way through taller bodies to find his hero.

Scott felt the impact of Ronnie before he found his younger cousin. "Hey Ronnie!" He returned the hug. "Did you like the game?"

"It was awesome!"

"Even if I went 0 for 3 at the plate?" teased Scott.

"But you caught a pop fly, got a ground out, and you were the middle on the double play in the fifth inning. And you would have had more if you hadn't moved to third base."

"Well, we play a as a team and we all do our part," reminded Scott. He caught himself after he said it. After Ronnie's bout with cancer, Scott often found himself treating Ronnie as if he were still fragile, or younger than he really is. Deep down, Ronnie knew it was just Scott being protective of him because Scott loved him so much. But that didn't make the initial sting hurt any less. "Sorry."

"That's okay."

It wasn't, and Scott knew it. "Have you made any friends yet?" he asked.

"No."

"There are a lot of kids here. They're really cool. You should talk to some of them."

"I'm good."

Scott knew that wasn't true either. "I've met some of them. They came to the hotel to hang out too. See...look over there. See those twins. They are friends with Lenny and Lance." Before Ronnie could beg off, Scott shouted, "Hey! Twins!"

Connor and Cooper were standing by the entrance to Field 4 with several other boys after Lenny and Lance entered the gate and headed to the tent. All eight looked over to see Scott coming their way. "Hey! Lenny and Lance said you guys were pretty fun to hang out with. I've got to go in and join the team. This is my cousin Ronnie. Could he hang with you guys?"

Ronnie wanted to bury himself under home plate. He wasn't helpless. If he wanted to make friends, he was perfectly capable of that. He didn't need Scott to ask other kids to play with him like he was special needs or something.

Before the twins could even answer Scott, Jack blurted out, "You're cute."

'Hmmm...' thought Ronnie stepping out of Scott's shadow. 'This might not be so bad.'

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They waved bye to their Yard Goats friends. The boys from Mayfield needed to prepare for their next game and Tim, Michael, Lukas, and a few others understood the importance of getting rest and reenergizing whether it was sports or performing on stage.

"I can't believe it," said Tim. "If the bottom of our order performed like the Yard Goats', we'd be in the championship game."

Christian asked, "What do you mean?"

"Most baseball teams are loaded at the front of the batting order. The first five or so batters get on base and generate the runs. The bottom of the order is where you have pitchers and defensive players that may not be as good at hitting. It gives you the best chance of scoring and winning. But it seems like the Yard Goats have been hitting from the top to bottom of the order. I mean, yeah, the extra base hits and homers have been at the top of the order, but geez...the bottom of the Yard Goats' order has been just as hard to get out as the top of the order. Like Riley. He doesn't look it, but he can pitch and hit."

"Yeah," agreed Michael, "the Yard Goats are the G.O.A.T.S."

Tim gave Michael a playful shove. "I wouldn't go THAT far. But they are good."

"Do you think they can beat Torrance?" asked Lukas.

"Torrance kicked their ass the first time around," noted Simon.

"True," confirmed Tim, "Torrance is one of those teams that spends a lot of money on their players. That's how they draw guys like LeBron Redding to their team. He used to play for the Force, but travel ball is expensive. It was hard for his family to continue to afford it. But the Torrance coaches told his family it would be much cheaper for him to play with Torrance, and he switched teams. That's how Torrance stockpiles so much talent. But I don't think all the players are happy to be on that team."

Lukas' lunch table buddies were tagging along. "No wonder they're beating everyone," concluded Will. "With that much talent, they're bound to win the tournament."

"Maybe," said Tim. "I know baseball looks like nine guys on the field doing their thing, but chemistry is still a big part of a baseball team. Just like it is for basketball, football, soccer, and stuff. If things aren't good in the dugout, then the guys don't have their heads fully in the game and that leads to mistakes. If the rumors are true, the guys on the team don't really like each other. That's why they have to recruit every year. A handful or more of guys leave the team every year."

Curtis smiled, "A chink in their armor." The group got in line to buy refreshments for the next game excited by the prospect of the Yard Goats winning. Michael had filled in the new guys on what assholes the Torrance team had been when he extended the invitation to come out Sunday. Rooting against them was one of the draws for his friends to attend these games.

"But even with that chink," reminded Simon, "they crushed the Yard Goats last time."

"I know you guys haven't seen it yet," explained Tim, "but Aiden is a much better pitcher than what you saw. Everyone has a bad day now and then." He personally hadn't seen Aiden pitch before but knew from the way all his teammates talked about him, it had to be true...he hoped. "The Yard Goats are better coached and play great as a team. I really think they could win this."

"Win this and a second game," reminded Michael. "To win the tournament, they have to beat Torrance twice. That's a tall order."

----------------------     

April was relieved that Rich was at the stadium. Otherwise, she'd be bored out of her skull sitting by herself watching Matthew on the field. She was excited for Matthew. However, at this moment, a man was standing in front of her boyfriend tossing balls for him to hit into a net. Watching the paint dry on one of her paintings would be just as interesting. Marty and a couple other men who must have been batting coaches were giving Matthew pointers on elbow placement, foot placement, and other things she couldn't hear.

Rich noticed the discontent on April's face. "Don't worry," he said, "they don't expect you to go to all the games."

"What?" In her thoughts, she hadn't heard all that Rich had spoken.

Rich laughed. "I was teasing you about being a WAG." April continued to stare at Rich with a blank expression on her face. "Are you alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"You were deep in thought, and it wasn't about Matthew's performance on the field. I may not have years under my belt as the spouse of a Major Leaguer, but I bet I've had the same thoughts and concerns you are having today."

"Do you really think he has a chance to make it to the pros?"

"I can't say. I gave up my baseball dreams a while ago when I knew I'd gone as far as I could go. Now I support Marty's dream. But from what Marty said to me, Matthew is an excellent prospect and could be a first-round draft pick right out of high school. That is, if that is what he wants."

They watched the Mariner's batting coach smile broadly at the teen and put his arm around the boy's shoulders. Marty and Will followed as they headed to the plate to see Matthew take batting practice.

"Marty has spoken very highly of Matthew to the Mariners organization. I haven't seen the team's batting coach smile like that...ever. Not that I'm around the team all the time, mind you. But if Matthew impresses today, I can guarantee you that the entire organization, all the way up to the General Manager, will know Matthew's name by the end of the day."

"What's it like?" asked April.

"I'm not going to lie," stated Rich, "it's a sacrifice." April looked at Rich and found a very serious expression on his face. "I've put my career on hold so I can spend some of my time traveling with the team. I think Marty needs me with him as much as I need to be with Marty. I substitute teach when I'm home, but I don't take a full-time job because I'd be pinned down at home with a job while Marty is required to travel for his. It was sacrifice being with Marty or put career expectations aside. Maybe if I had a job where I could work remotely it would be different, but I know a couple of the wives who tried that and found it exhausting. They eventually gave it up once they had kids -- the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back, as they say."

The pitcher stood on the mound behind the net to protect him from a line drive back at the mound. He always warmed up the batters with some slower, easier pitches to hit. His first to Matthew was just that.

The crack of the bat echoed throughout the empty stadium. The pitcher heard the liner whizz by as the ball traveled back up the middle of the field, landing just inside the outfield grass. Matthew looked at his hands and the bat. The sounds and feel of a wooden bat were very different from the composite bats he'd used since t-ball. Matthew smiled. It was a sound he'd only ever heard in major league ballparks.

"Most of the wives and girlfriends pick and choose which road trips to join even if they don't have jobs keeping them at home, -- it may be kids or just preferring to be home with friends and the things that are familiar to them. Being on the road with the team does get old. Today's a noon game and Marty's in the locker room hours before the game starts and the game itself is another three hours or more. So being on the road with Marty only means I get to see him while he's on the road. It doesn't mean I see him any more than I would see him if we were home in Seattle."

"You aren't making this sound very appealing," admitted April.

"I want you to understand the reality of the situation. Turning pro has screwed up a lot of relationships on both sides. It is something you and Matthew need to have a realistic understanding of what life as a major leaguer is like. It's fun for the ballplayer and the money is great, but it takes a lot out of everyone and the relationship."

"Then why?" asked April. "Why do you do it? If it is so rough, why are you here?"

"Marty." There were times when it was tough on Rich and Marty, but Rich wouldn't have it any other way. "I've known Marty since we were kids. I know what he had to overcome to be the man he is. He does public speaking on alcoholism and his recovery. He stood up for himself against discrimination within baseball and now advocates for himself and other LGBTQIA+ athletes. He's an incredible man and I will be by his side and support him no matter what he does. Baseball isn't forever."

April sat there and contemplated Rich's words as she watched Matthew having the time of his life. Other players from both teams had wandered out on the field to watch the teen take batting practice. A few of the coaches had joined them. The batting coach called out and his words echoed. "Now for power. Let's see what you can do."

The pitcher threw a meatball down the middle of the plate and Matthew turned on it. From the crack of the bat, the players and coaches standing around began hooting and hollering with excitement. Their enthusiasm matched Matthew's as he watched the ball clear the home run wall at the 390-foot marker in left-center field. With each ball Matthew hit over the wall, the players and coaches got louder and more animated. Matthew kept his composure and stayed in the batter's box, but inside he was beyond thrilled.

"What's helped me is keeping my attention on why Marty loves baseball. I always keep that in the front of mind, especially when I'm feeling sorry for myself, or Marty is frustrated. I think it will help you too. Where does Matthew's passion come from when he's playing?"

April thought. "It's his," she answered. "I think Matthew thinks of his art as something we do together. We even have a studio where we work together. His music is what he does with his family. I don't know how much of that he'd even do if it wasn't for Zach and Michael. Lacrosse was also something he did with his brothers. But trying out for the Force was his moment to break out of that and to do something for himself. It's where he can be Matthew and not one of the Meijer boys. The field is where he's finding himself and his identity as an individual."

"He's lucky to have you. I don't think I understood Marty that well when we were your age."

"What do you think Marty would do if you told him, you couldn't take this lifestyle any longer?" asked April.

"I think he'd quit baseball. And you know what?"

"What?"

"From the way Matthew looks at you, and what Marty told me about Matthew, I think he'd do the same for you."

----------------------     

Michael made the final adjustments to the balance of the pickups and tuning the strings on his Sea Foam Green Stratocaster. He and Lukas were stoked to perform their arrangement of the Star-Spangled Banner. Once they'd gotten started the previous night, they kept layering additional nuances and little extras here and there to elevate the vocals and guitar accompaniment. They'd had so much fun, they found the others had gone, leaving them in the theater to finish by themselves. This would be the first time anyone heard their final version.

The announcer introduced the boys, but they weren't listening. Michael flexed his fingers to make sure they were loose, and Lukas wondered how the hell he'd gotten himself into this. When cued, Michael nodded and then looked to Lukas to see if his brother was ready. Lukas gave a half smile.

With flourish and flare, Michael played an introduction to the national anthem before Lukas joined with the vocals. Where Michael drew the crowd in with his musicianship, the entire gathering of baseball fans were enthralled with Lukas' vocals. It was the first time Lukas took an opportunity to show off his true vocal capabilities. Working with Michael the night before helped him gain the confidence to go for it standing here in Mission Park.

The audience forgot to sing along. They were entranced by the two boys. Lukas' musical genius was evident in the arrangement. Michael's accompaniment provided the perfect platform from which Lukas could launch into his clear and powerful vocals. Even Simon and Matthew were shocked having never heard Lukas attack vocals with this much passion and energy. Michael's skill on the guitar allowed him to add the little flourishes at the right moments to make the guitar an equal partner to the vocals. It was truly a professional performance making Mr. Perez take pride in what a first-class tournament the inaugural SoCal BaseBrawl had turned out to be, even if two unknown teams from the Pacific northwest made it to the final day. The Mounties and Yard Goats had earned the respect of their competitors. Many of those competitors returned to watch the final games on Sunday simply to cheer them on.

When Lukas sang "brave," he started a vocal run that climbed the scale and was matched by Michael on guitar. The crowd celebrated the performance. It was a case where the national anthem fired up the audience for the sporting event. Michael and Lukas had set the stage for the rematch of the Torrance Bulldogs and the Mayfield Yard Goats.

----------------------     

Representing the winners' bracket, the Torrance Bulldogs were the home team for the tournament's championship game. Their starting pitcher, Lewis, was walking to the mound to take his warm-up pitches when Michael and Lukas made their way back to their seats. Everyone congratulated them as they climbed the steps and waded through a sea of knees as they made their way to sit by their beaus.

Curtis patted Lukas on the back. "I never knew you could sing like that!"

"Yeah, man," added Will. "You've been holding out on us!"

"Right," teased Lukas right back. "When have you ever wanted me to sing?"

"Whatever," interjected Will. "We're your best friends. How did we not know you could, like, really sing?"

Lukas looked at Will critically, raising an eyebrow. "As opposed to what I do on stage with the band?"

"You know," said Will in his own defense. "You were like 'singing' singing, not like 'rock-star' singing."

Lukas understood but he was not going to let Will and his friends off the hook that easily.

Gordy stepping to the plate to start off the game drew everyone's attention back to the field. They might as well have continued their conversation. Gordy grounded to the Bulldogs' second baseman, Aiden was called out on a third strike, and Trent went down swinging in a 1-2-3 first inning for Torrance.

The boys then watched Nolan walk to the mound. They stood and made a ton of noise for their new friend. While Nolan warmed up, the twins decided it was time to warm up the crowd with a cheer. "We are the Yard Goats! Google it! Google it!" The Mayfield crowd appreciated the support of the boys from East Harbor and joined in, laughing at the silly cheer.

The Bulldogs' centerfielder led off with a strike out. He was followed by the third baseman who also struck out. That brought up Torrance's shortstop LeBron. Being one of the best middle school players in southern California, LeBron had drawn the attention of college and pro scouts. As LeBron stepped into the batter's box the scouts in the announcer's box took note. They weren't disappointed. They saw a pitcher from a small town in Washington flummox an excellent batter, earning a third strikeout.

The top of the second, to the true baseball fan, revealed a weakness in the Torrance defense. Lewis started the inning by striking out Muddy on a full count and getting Nolan to fly out to center. But then Lewis hit Scott with a pitch and gave up a single to Miles. The threat died when Lewis managed to get Lenny to ground out, but it was clear that Mayfield might get something going and put some runs on the board. But to win, they'd need to keep Torrance off the scoreboard.

For that part, Nolan did his job, he proceeded to strike out the side in the second and third innings. Nine up and nine strikeouts and the full attention of the scouts. Their phones were out looking up the Mayfield baseball program and anything they could find on Nolan Moyer and his time in Meadow Park.

Nolan's performance had the Mayfield faithful on their feet. "Go! Go! Goats!" rang out from the stands. Though Muddy led off with a grounder to short, the crowd got louder when Nolan stepped to the plate. The cheering switched to shouts of encouragement to the Yard Goats' pitcher. Just as he had on the mound, Nolan delivered. The ding of the composite bat left no doubt about the outcome. Nolan homered and the Yard Goats were on the board.

Scott followed up grounding out to third bringing Miles to the plate. The grounder to second was bobbled allowing Miles to reach base on an error. He attempted to steal a base on the second pitch to Lenny and again the Bulldogs' second baseman dropped the ball. On the next pitch Lenny delivered an RBI single giving the Yard Goats a two-run lead.

Nolan continued his dominance into the bottom of the fourth. After recording his 10th consecutive strikeout, Nolan walked a batter, got LeBron to line out Miles, and then forced a grounder to Aiden for the final out of the inning.

Riding high from Nolan's performance on the mound and at the plate, the top of the Yard Goat lineup continued the onslaught. After Gordy reached first on another Bulldog error, Aiden hit his sixth triple of the tournament scoring Gordy. Aiden scored on Trent's single. Unable to drive any more runs across the plate, the Mayfield boys were in full control, leading Torrance 4-0.

"LUKAS!" came a call from the rows above.

Lukas turned to find his childhood buddies waving him to come closer. He turned to Simon and said, "Keep my seat warm, I'll be right back." He didn't have to go far, but the journey through the packed bleachers didn't make it easy. As he approached, he replied, "What? I don't want to be standing here bothering people when the inning starts."

Curtis spoke up and got right to the point, "I just got a text message from John Fremont. He lives down the block from Trajan's house. He said there was a moving truck or something there. Have you heard anything? Is Trajan back in town?" Four sets of eyes were directed at Lukas expectantly.

"No," said Lukas as his brain started flipping through all the possibilities. "I haven't heard anything from Trajan. As a matter of fact, I wasn't even copied on the messages you guys got. Do you think he is moving? Are they staying in Italy?"

The other boys shook their heads. They were all confused by the news. The next inning was about to start. "Let me know if you hear anything and have Fremont keep an eye out for us." Curtis nodded and Lukas returned to his seat.

To preserve Nolan's arm in case they needed him in an "if" game, Riley stepped to the mound in relief and Nolan moved to first base. It appeared that the previous debacle against Torrance was forgotten.

Carl, the leader of the Bulldog bullies, stepped to the plate. The batter's sneer triggered the voices in Riley's head. All the comments implied by that look echoed against the inside of Riley's skull. Nervous and a bit rattled, he walked Carl on four pitches. Carl's mouth added to the comments while he was on first. The next batter slapped a single between Noland and Aiden. When the next batter caused Gordy to commit an unusually poor play, the Torrance Bulldogs had the bases loaded with no outs.

For the first time, the crowd behind the third base dugout was louder than the Mayfield fans. Torrance's coach sent a pinch hitter to the plate. Anxious to drive in runs, the batter hit a hard grounder down the third-base line. Trent snagged the ball and stepped on third. Planting his foot, he gunned the ball over the shoulder of the expired runner to Aiden at second. Aiden taps the bag and with the grace of a ballet dancer, spins and fires the ball to Nolan getting the hitter out at first. The noise shifted from left to right as the Yard Goats silenced the Torrance crowd with spectacular defense and ignited a roar from their friends and family.

The Bulldogs brought in a new pitcher who set the Yard Goats down in order. While the top of the order quieted the boys from East Harbor, they came back to life when they saw Mason head out onto the field to take Aiden's place at second.

"G.O.A.T.S.S.S! Yard Goats are the BEST! BEST! BEST!"

The Mayfield crowd rose to their feet to inspire the defense. The first Bulldog went back to the bench after striking out bringing the top of the Torrance order to the plate. Howie doubled to right field and Edwin grounded out to Mason. With two outs, LeBron came to the plate and showed the scouts why they made the trip. He drilled a double over Cal's head in center field scoring the first Torrance run. A fly to Miles ended the sixth inning, but Torrance closed the game to only three runs.

"We Never Give Up! We Never Give Up! Go! Go! Goats!"

Mason was the first Yard Goat batter of the seventh inning. Despite his nerves, Mason got his bat on the ball, but didn't quite get all of it. A high pop-fly to short stop was the first out of the inning. Trent followed with a deep fly to left center field taking the Bulldogs' fielder nearly to the wall. Muddy, who'd struggled at the plate during the tournament, did the one thing he'd been doing well. His home run extended the Yard Goats lead back to four. Nolan struck out looking, ending the top half of the inning 5-1. It was time for Max to come in and close out the game.

The Goats were three outs from taking the tournament championship to one more, all-or-nothing game. Carl, the Bulldogs' first batter, was eager to get the inning started. Max, however, had Carl unsettled at the plate. With a vicious curveball at his head, Carl bailed, stumbling backwards to avoid getting hit. The umpire, on the other hand, watched the ball break right over the plate for a called third strike. The Bulldogs' relief pitcher, Mike Wong, stepped to the plate and drilled a smoking line drive towards right field. Mason's eyes locked in on the ball before the small boy leapt into the air stretching to his maximum length. He felt the ball hit his glove. Landing on his feet, he looked to see the ball sticking out of the top of the pocket like a sno-cone! The crowd cheered Mason and the second out of the inning.

The Bulldogs sent another pinch hitter to the plate. A ball popped high behind home plate, Mac tracked it down and ended the game. The Yard Goats were now the home team for a winner-takes-all game for the tournament championship.

----------------------     

The Yard Goats left their equipment in the dugout and hurried to the tent to prepare for the next game. The boys were too busy cheering in the stands to make it down in time to congratulate their friends. Unlike between the first two games, they only had 30 minutes to grab food and drinks before the third and final game of the day.

"Hey! Jackson!" called out Michael when he saw Trent's teen brother with his new friends from the Force baseball program. "Why did they pull Aiden at the end of the game?"

"I don't know!" called back Jackson. "I'd guess dad wanted to rest him to be the starting pitcher in the next game."

Michael looked at Tim Whalen and neither boy was happy for Aiden. Aiden had started as pitcher in the game where Torrance demolished the Yard Goats. This time around, the stakes were even higher.

----------------------     

"We're gonna grab snacks," stated Connor. "You guys wanna come with us?" Cooper stood by his side expectantly.

"I'll go," said Derek.

"I'll stay and save our seats," offered Jack.

"I'll stay with Jack," added Ronnie. He thought getting to know the boy who thought he was cute wouldn't hurt.

They watched the other three, along with Sebbie and Sean, head to the concession stand then Jack pulled his phone from his pocket. He'd been ignoring the buzzing of his phone while it was in his pocket. He suspected who the text messages were from and wanted to wait until Derek wasn't around to check. There were several missed messages.

Johann: Where have you been?
Johann: When are you coming over?
Johann: I know I've got what you want.
Johann: Bet your boypussy is itching for it.
Johann: *img*

Jack's eyes bulged out of his head. Johann had sent him a dick pic. Johann hung thick and low, lower than the man's handball-sized testicles.

"Whoa!" said Ronnie. "Who's Johann?"

Alarmed, Jack looked to Ronnie who was peeking over his shoulder at the photo. Looking back at his phone, he was relieved that the photo had caused the other messages to scroll off the screen. He hoped that all Ronnie had seen was the photo and the sender's name.

"That's a friend of mine," explained Jack. "He's always doing goofy stuff like that. Trying to get me in trouble or embarrass me with pics like that." He closed the Message app and put his phone to sleep.

"That was a really big dick," proclaimed Ronnie with a note of admiration in his voice.

"You ever see one like that in real life?" asked Jack.

"Nah," said Ronnie. "You?"

As much as Jack wanted to have someone to talk to about Johann, he knew not too. "No," he fibbed.

Jack was curious and searched for a way to ask Ronnie indirectly. Cautiously, he asked, "Did you like what you saw?"

Ronnie blushed. "Kinda."

Jack gave Ronnie a bright smile and scooted closer to his new friend.

A shout from the bottom of the bleachers broke their connection. Seeing the twins and Derek with their hands full, Ronnie and Jack bounced down the bleachers to help carry the treasure of treats back up to their seats.

----------------------     

Tim Whalen and Michael waited in line in the men's room. Next in line, a stall opened before a urinal. Without even discussing it, the two scrambled into the stall and locked the door behind them. They unzipped and fished out their dicks before crossing streams. Michael caught Tim checking him out. Michael pulled his shorts back to give Tim a better look. Tim noticed Michael's effort and his eyes darted up to meet Michael's eyes. Michael smiled then got an eyeful of Tim's junk to make sure Tim saw that the admiration was mutual.

"Do you think you can spend the night, tonight?" asked Michael.

"I'll ask."

----------------------     

Curtis, Will, Jordan, and Lewis returned to their seats and the teams began to prepare for the final game of the tournament.

Out of curiosity, Lewis asked, "Do you guys know what classes you're gonna take this year?"

It was something all the boys had weighing on their minds. High school, Freshmen year, and the countless possible combinations of classes they could take had the incoming ninth graders overwhelmed. Lukas may have been spared this so far because he hadn't had time to think about it, or maybe Simon and Matthew already having been through it, he knew he had all the help he would need.

"I don't know," said Curtis. "I asked my cousin what I should do and he said he saved PE and the easy courses until his senior year to make it easier. But my aunt said it was a terrible idea because he had too much to do and got bad grades his first two years and then partied too much and almost didn't graduate."

"What's he doing now?" asked Will.

Curtis grimaced, "He works at Del Taco."

"Damn!" said Jordan. "My mom would kill me if I screwed around like that."

"I'm thinking about taking art to get that requirement out of the way," said Lewis.

"Art?" asked Will. He couldn't imagine Lewis doing art.

To Jordan it made sense, "Can you see Lewis in band or choir?"

"HEY!" exclaimed Lewis. "I'm right here."

Curtis asked, "Are you guys going to take your foreign language this year?"

"Yeah," confirmed Will. "I'm gonna try to take four years in high school so I can test out of taking it in college."

"Which language?" asked Jordan. "I'm thinking about taking Spanish."

"Korean," stated Will.

"Really?" Curtis thought Korean would be really hard. "I was thinking about Spanish or Japanese."

"We should all take the same one so we can all study and practice together," suggested Lewis.

It was a conversation that would not result in any decisions, but the boys realized summer vacation was coming to an end and they needed to get their minds back on school.

----------------------     

The Mayfield fans stood and chanted "Go! Go! Goats!" as Aiden took his warm-up pitches. Mac was behind the plate keeping an eye on his pitcher. After Aiden's last outing on the mound, Mac was being extra vigilant. He was ready to jump in at the first sign of trouble. The top of Torrance's order was dangerous and the way they run their mouths could rattle Aiden if the blonde-haired pitcher wasn't on his game. Knowing that Aiden likes to spend a good day to get in his zone, the hour or so he's had since he was pulled in the last game wasn't the norm. No one knew how Aiden would react to the drastic change in his routine, not even Aiden.

The first batter stepped to the plate. Howie took a decent pitch and sent it into right-center field for a single. After Aiden caught the next batter with a changeup on the outside corner for a strikeout, Howie stole second on the first pitch to LeBron. Somehow LeBron caught all of a sinking fastball on the inside corner of the plate and knocked it off the left-field fence. Coming into second base standing, LeBron had driven in the first run of the game.

Michael looked around the stands and saw the fear and disappointment on the faces of some of the Yard Goats' fans. Turning back to the field, he yelled, "You got this, Aiden!" Others joined in hoping to build Aiden's confidence. They cheered and watched Aiden battle the next batter, ultimately giving up a six-pitch walk. With men on first and second, Coach Eric and Mac headed to the mound.

"Are they going to pull Aiden already?" asked Michael to no one in particular. He could only imagine how devastating it would be for his new friend. Michael wanted to go down there and tell the coach to have more faith in Aiden.

"I don't think so," answered Tim, keeping his eyes on the field. "Aiden's pitching well. Besides, no one has been warming up so there isn't anyone ready to come in and pitch."

The coach headed back to the dugout and Aiden prepared for the next batter -- Carl, asshole-in-chief for the Bulldogs. The look on Aiden's face told his friends and teammates that he was all business. After delivering two strikes, Carl grounded to Mason at second base. Mason made the play look routine, tossing the ball to Gordy who dragged a toe across second before gunning it to Nolan to complete a double play ending the top half of the first inning.

Alan, Torrance's pitcher, had his game face on too. Gordy fouled out to left field, Scott grounded out to the shortstop, and Trent struck out.

That sent Aiden right back out to the mound without much time to reflect on his pitching or catch a breather. It didn't matter. Aiden's sinking pitches made it impossible for the Bulldogs to get under his pitches. The Torrance batters conducted infield practice with grounders to Gordy, Mason, and Trent going down in order.

Muddy led off for the Goats and drove a ball to deep center, but it remained in the field of play for the first out. Nolan followed with a double into the gap in left-center field and moved to third on Aiden's ground out to first base. Riley walked putting runners at the corners before Mac singled to center scoring Nolan and moving Riley to third base. Grant's strike out ended the inning, but the Goats had tied the score at one.

Both pitchers worked quickly, and the intensity of the high-stakes game kept the crowd focused on the game, not on small talk. In the top of the third, Aiden gave up a single. Mac, however, followed that up by picking off the runner attempting to steal second. Three up and three down and the game went into the bottom of the third inning.

"Oh, thank you, Alex," said Sam. He passed a second popcorn to Gregory. "You didn't have to get us anything."

"I know," said Alex as he distributed the drinks before sitting down. "But you guys are always doing nice things for me, I just wanted to do something for you."

"Much appreciated," said Gregory. "But you don't need to spend your work money on us."

"I won't. I put most of it in my savings account. I want to go to college and study business."

"Why business?" asked Gregory.

"I don't know," Alex said with a shrug. "I guess working with my mom setting up the stores got me interested."

"Maybe we should get jobs, too," said Sam thinking out loud.

Alex replied, "I don't know if we'll be able to work during the school year, but I bet we could use some help before school starts. We want to get Cyberspace and Majestic Music open before school starts."

"What do you think?" asked Sam once he turned to Gregory.

Gregory shrugged. "What were all the balloons on the Mallway about?"

"The dance school is opening this week. I'll talk to my mom and see if you guys can help and make some money."

"Cool..." the young couple said simultaneously. Their attention was drawn back to the game.

Returning to the top of the order, Gordy, who'd been struggling at the plate going hitless for his last nine at bats, was up first. A single by their leadoff hitter sparked the Goats. Gordy stole second before Scott bunted Gordy to third. A single by Trent scored Gordy giving the Goats a 2-1 lead.

The Yard Goats taking the lead reinvigorated the tired Yard Goats fans. They rose to their feet cheering for Trent and hoping to help the Goats continue their scoring. The third inning ended with a 2-1 score.

LeBron was the first batter to the plate in the top of the fourth. He quieted the Mayfield fans when he caught Aiden's 2-1 sinker and sent it over the left field wall. The boys cheered again when Mason helped end the inning when a grounder to Trent ignited a double play.

"YEAH MASON!" screamed Michael, hoping his friend could hear. Sitting back down, Michael said, "Man, Mason can play some ball."

"I know," agreed Tim. "I think the other teams underestimate Mason and Riley because of their size. But those dudes can play some defense. And Riley's bat has been on fire this tournament."

If Tim had known Riley was next to the plate for the Goats, he may have thought twice about the commentator's curse. But just like in professional sports, Tim hexed Riley, and maybe even the entire bottom of the order. Riley went down on a called third strike while Mac and Grant went down swinging.

With Lance and Riley in the bullpen warming up, Aiden knew this was his last inning on the mound. He wanted to make the most of it. Noting the tie score, he planned to keep it that way.

He immediately put himself to work. The first batter hit a grounder that took Nolan away from first. Aiden raced Mike Wong and took the toss from Nolan for the out at first. Next, a deep fly to the left corner crossed up Emmett who recovered just in time to make the catch. Aiden ended his mound duties for the tournament with a strikeout.

Michael waved trying to get the twins' attention. Cooper was the first to look his way. Cupping his hands around his mouth, Michael shouted, "We need another cheer!"

Cooper nodded and conferred with Connor. Then the twins stood. "Hey everybody!" shouted Cooper.

Connor continued, "Listen up and cheer!"

They shouted, "Give me a 'G!'"

"G!" Some of the boys shouted at the top of their lungs but most of the crowd hadn't caught on.

"Give me an 'O!'"

"O!" More fans joined in.

"Give me an 'A!'"

"A!" They shouted even louder than before.

"Give me an 'T!'"

"T!" yelled the Mayfield side of the bleachers.

"Give me an 'S!'"

"S!"

"What's that spell?"

"Goats!"

"Who are we for?"

"Goats!"

"Tell us three times?"

"GOATS! GOATS! GOATS!"

The timing was perfect because the umpire asked Gordy to step to the plate. The Goat's shortstop's struggles at the plate returned. On a 1-2 pitch, Gordy uncharacteristically swung at a clear ball. The ball, however, got away from the Bulldogs' catcher and Gordy burned it to first. The catcher, frustrated he missed a third strike, tried to save the play by firing the ball to first. In his run, he overthrew the first baseman. Gordy didn't delay in heading for second. The crowd from both sides of the stadium are shouting and cheering at their players. Gordy slid into second before seeing the ball land in left field. Without even looking at the third-base coach, Gordy scrabbled to third base.

The smile or Gordy's face would make anyone think he'd hit a home run. Gordy clapped his hands trying to fire up his teammates. The twins modified one of their cheers and got the crowd showing, "Go! Go! Gordy!" (Or maybe it was "Go-Go Gordy!") The Yard Goats' fans could feel something was about to happen.

"Oh look!" said Tim pointing to the batter. "Cal's coming into the game! He's..."

Michael put his hand over Tim's mouth. "Don't even say it, dude. Don't even say it."

The Bulldogs looked rattled. Their coach ranted and raved from the dugout. Michael felt sorry for their pitcher. He wondered if their pitcher was shaken by the poor play of his defense, or their asshole coach. It showed when the pitcher threw a pitch into the dirt, low and outside. When Gordy saw the ball skip past the catcher, he immediately headed for home. The pitcher hurried in, but it was too late. Gordy slid into home giving the Goats the lead again.

"Go! Go! Gordy! Go! Go! Gordy!"

Cal followed that up with a single up the middle and a stolen base on the first pitch to Trent. Then Trent added to his RBI total with a double into the gap in left-center. The Bulldogs pulled it together and got the next three batters out, but the damage was done. The Goats were up by two runs.

The top of the sixth revealed the rest of the shuffled lineup. Cal entered the game in left field. Aiden took over duties at second and Mason moved to right field. Lenny replaced Mac in the line up so Mac could warm up Max, the Goat's closer.

Riley knew his arm felt tired, but he didn't want to complain. He knew his friends in Mayfield were the best friends he could ever imagine having and he was going to leave it all on the field for his friends.

From the first pitch, the Goats' pitching coach, Eric, knew something wasn't right with their little heat-thrower. Riley walked the first batter on four straight pitches. The next batter sent a ball deep into right-center and Miles tracked it down.

LeBron came to the plate smelling blood. He took Riley's offering to left center for an RBI double cutting the Yard Goats' lead in half.

Riley followed that up with another walk. With men on first and second and only one out, the Goats brought Lance in to pitch.

"TWIN POWER!!" screamed Kendall twins. Then they got the rest of the crowd to chant "Twin Power! Twin Power! Twin Power!" as Lance took his warm-up pitches.

If you ask Connor and Cooper, they'll take full credit for Lance's success. He got the first and only batter he faced to ground to Gordy. Gordy pitched to Aiden who pirouetted and gunned the batter down at first. The double play ended the Bulldog's threat.

The Goats wanted an insurance run before heading to the top of the seventh inning. Lance had replaced Mason in the lineup when he came in to pitch. Riley headed out to center field and Miles moved to right field. That meant Riley led off the bottom of the sixth inning for the Goats.

A single up the middle got the Goats' side of the inning going. Coach Hallion wanted to squeeze out one more and signaled to Lenny to bunt. The sacrifice successfully moved Riley into scoring position. After Miles struck out, Gordy came back to the plate. The sixth inning ended with Gordy fouling out to third base.

Max came in to pitch and Mac reentered the lineup to catch. Facing the sixth, seventh, and eighth batters in the lineup, the Goats were three outs from winning the tournament. Rhett, the Bulldogs' designated hitter had been quiet during the tournament, but he made noise when it mattered. On a 2-0 from Max, Rhett tagged the ball for passage over the left-field wall. The game was tied with no outs.

A strike out, routine fly to Miles, and a grounder to Aiden ended the inning. It was now up to the Goats to finish the game.

Scott and Trent both flew out to left field before Muddy singled. That brought Nolan to the plate. Muddy wasn't what you would call "fleet of foot," so it wasn't likely that Nolan would drive Muddy in for the winning run without hitting a home run. Instead, Nolan struck out. The Goats were going into extra innings with a 4-4 tie.

The Kendall twins pow-wowed again and decided to try out one of their new cheers.

"We are the Yard Goats, and we can't be beat! 'Cause we've got the power, to butt you off your feet!"

The crowd laughed at the twins and their cheer, but soon joined in. Three full-length baseball games in the southern California heat had worn out the adults and kids alike. But the Mayfield nine needed them and they wanted their boys to win. Mayfield pride showed through while the Torrance entitlement was just as evident.

Tim was nearly yelling when he explained to Michael why the Bulldogs were allowed to put a ghost runner on second base in extra innings. Michael could barely hear but understood before Scott threw his first pitch.

After the first batter grounded out and Trent was able to hold the runner on second, the Bulldogs sent a mouthy little brat to the plate. The murmuring from the Force 13-and-under players made it clear that the batter was known and not liked very well. With two strikes, Scott threw a called ball missing the outside corner. The batter, not bothering to know the call turned and said something to the umpire. When the umpire threw the batter out of the game laughter broke out among the Force players.

Taking a page from the local middle school cheerleaders, the Force players broke out into a new chant.

"Hey! Hey! Get out of our way! Today's the day we put the Bulldogs away!" The middle schoolers were enjoying their cheer and the other boys joined in.

A replacement batter came in to finish the at bat. Walking to the plate, he kept looking up at the Force players cheering against the Bulldogs. Inheriting the count, Scott only needed one strike to retire the batter.

Up next? LeBron. The former Force player stepped to the plate and silenced the Yard Goats fans with an RBI double. It had seemed the Bulldogs were chasing the Goats around the ballpark trying to stay alive. Now the Bulldogs had the lead, and the Yard Goats were in a must score situation.

With two outs and a runner on second, Torrance threatened to extend their lead. The next batter contacted the ball and a collective gasp came from the crowd. Riley ran towards the wall, tracking the long fly. With glee or dread, many thought the ball would clear the wall. However, the ball's momentum wasn't enough and it fell short of the wall. Riley safely caught the ball for the third out. It was now make-or-break time for the Goats.

The boys rose to the occasion. Not the Goats, but the boys there to cheer them on. "Go! Go! Goats!" was charged with more volume and passion than it had been any time in the tournament. Nolan, the final out of the last inning, took his spot as the ghost runner at second base and Aiden stepped to the plate.

Aiden hadn't been in his zone when he stepped onto the mound to start the game, but he was in it now. A roar of cheers and relief bellowed from the Mayfield stands when Aiden knocked the ball to left field and it rolled to the wall. The stand-up double scored Nolan. You could tell from Aiden's body language that he wanted to attempt to turn it into another triple, but he understood the risk was too great. He now represented the winning run.

Riley popped out to the Bulldogs' second baseman. Mac flied out to left, but not deep enough for Aiden to tag and head to third. Miles smacked a grounder that looked like a base hit, but LeBron somehow managed to grab and throw, catching Miles at first. Tied at 5-5, the game was heading to a ninth inning.

The Bulldogs smelled blood and were ready. The ghost runner was moved to third base when the leadoff batter hit a weak infield single. Rhett, the batter that tied the game in the seventh inning with a home run was now at the plate with runners at first and third. Smashing a line drive into right field, some fans covered their eyes, unable to watch. The ball bounced off the wall. Miles got the ball in quickly to hold Rhett at second, but two runs scored. Hearts sank. For many of the faithful, it just seemed like too much to ask for the Yard Goats to come back yet again in this tournament.

Scott got out of the inning with a strikeout and an Aiden to Gordy to Trent double play, but the Goats were in an even deeper hole to dig themselves out of. Score two runs, or the Bulldogs are the champions of the inaugural SoCal BaseBrawl.

Miles jogged out to second base and Gordy made his way to home plate. Gordy was aware of his woes at the plate and tried to put it out of his mind. He took a good swing at a good pitch and smacked a grounder to the second baseman. As a player that always does the right thing, Gordy tore down the baseline and was surprised when the throw didn't come to first. The baseman had bobbled the grounder and allowed the Yard Goats runners on first and third.

Scott followed Gordy to the plate. A fly to left-center field held Miles and Gordy on base. When the out was made, Miles took off for home and Gordy took several steps off the base to see where the play would go. When he was certain the ball would fly over the cutoff man's head, Gordy blazed a trail to second. The Goat's tying run was in scoring position.

"OH, MY GAWD!" said an exasperated Michael. "I can't take this!!"

Tim and Christian laughed at Michael, but they felt the same way. One out and down by a run. The Goats had their backs to the wall.

The chant of "Go! Go! Gordy!" started to gain traction. Everyone knew Gordy needed to cross the plate to keep their hopes alive.

Trent was heading to the plate when Coach Hallion, his father, stopped him and whispered something in his ear. Then with a slap on his butt, Trent headed to the plate.

The twins, frightful with nerves, started a new chant. "Go Goats! Go Goats! Go Goats Go!"

Trent turned his hips on an inside pitch that was a little high. Feeling he had the timing on the pitcher, he set himself for the second pitch. The pitcher threw a fastball that was also a bit too high. Trent turned his hips and brought the bat off his shoulder, again timing out the pitcher, but took the second ball. With a 2-0 count, Trent stepped out of the batter's box and adjusted his gloves. He wondered if they planned to pitch around him to get to Muddy who was on deck. They could see Muddy as an easy out and with Trent on first, they would have force plays at any base. Two outs would end the game.

Stepping back into the box, Trent dug his back foot into the dirt and readied himself for the pitch. Trent was shocked that the pitch was not just a strike, it was coming into his wheelhouse. Trent turned on the pitch. There was no mistaking it. Trent started around the bases as the fans cheered! Then the reality of the situation set it! Trent's home run didn't tie the game, the Goats were Champions!

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Dylan Delvecchio congratulated Jackson. He put his hand on Jackson's shoulder and said, "That was awesome, dude. I bet you're proud of your little bro."

Jackson was very proud of Trent. Not only had Trent won the championship with his home run, but Trent had also been voted to the tournament's all-star team and was the tournament's MVP.

Trent wasn't the only one walking away with hardware in addition to their tournament trophy. Aiden and Nolan were each voted onto the tournament all-star team. The Yard Goats won the Team Sportsmanship award. And perhaps the biggest surprise and most inspiring, little Riley was honored as Mr. Hustle.

Some of Matthew's other teammates patted Jackson on the back and congratulated him. "Thanks guys," said Jackson humbly. "I am really proud of my brother and my dad and the whole team. When I heard we were coming down for the tournament, I didn't think they'd have a chance. But the tournament was great, and I've made some pretty good friends."

"I hope you make it back down to California," said River De Leon.

Andrew Nagtalon agreed. "Maybe over spring or Christmas break?"

Dylan added, "And bring your glove next time. You can practice with us while you're down here."

A huge roar came from the parking lot. It was almost louder than the crowd when Trent's homer cleared the wall. All their heads turned to see what was happening. The Yard Goats and the local boys were celebrating something.

"What the hell's with that?" asked Andrew.

"I think my dad just told the guys they are having a pool party and overnight at someone's house."

"Isn't that Matthew's dad over there?" asked River.

Dylan laughed, "I'd bet the party is at Dr. Meijer's house."