Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 03:50:48 +0000
From: Douglas DD <thehakaanen@hotmail.com>
Subject: Mayfield Magic  Chapter 13

Welcome back. The Goats play the Monte Bulldogs in the first game of their
best of three championship series. Enjoy the action as well as the boys who
make up the Mayfield Yard Goats.

Please contribute to the Nifty Archive and keep the stories rolling.

Your emails are always appreciated. thehakaanen@hotmail.com
Douglas

CHAPTER 13
T.E.A.M.

SUNDAY, JULY 19

 Aiden and Nolan cooked up Sunday breakfast in their role as naked
chefs. Larry and Phil helped by setting the table. The teamwork led to a
breakfast of fried eggs cooked to order, link sausage, buttered toast, and
a fresh fruit bowl. The boys were up at nine because Nolan was expected to
attend the eleven o'clock service at the church the family would start
attending in Mayfield.

"It sounded like you boys were having fun last night," Phil grinned as
breakfast neared an end. Nolan and Aiden both turned bright red with
embarrassment.

"Um...well...yeah," Aiden finally managed to squeak out.

"And what do you think we want to talk to you about?"

"Making too much noise."

"Exactly. You know how your pop and I feel about you two having sex. We've
talked about that at length, so that's not the issue. We don't mind you
doing it on the balcony if you're where you can't be seen."

Phil glanced at Larry who said, "But, just as if you were doing it indoors,
your noise has to be controlled. If you want to screech at the top of your
lungs, there is plenty of forestland in the area where you can screech to
your heart's content."

"Do you think my parents heard us?" Nolan asked with trepidation.

"I doubt it. There are two stands of trees separating our properties and
I'm sure they absorbed the sound."

"Why didn't you stop us last night?" Aiden asked.

"Because the chances of you being heard by anybody but the Wilkersons was
unlikely." The Wilkersons were an older couple who lived to the east of the
Miller house. "And their hearing isn't all that sharp."

"They may have thought it was us anyway," Phil chuckled.

"We promise to be careful," Nolan said.

"Maybe we can wear masks," Aiden suggested.

"You boys will find a way. You know that you don't need to be
silent—that's close to impossible. But you can't be screeching at the
top of your lungs, either," Larry said.

"Okay, dads, we got it and we'll do our best to be quieter, right Nolan?"

"I concur," Nolan said, pleased with his word usage.

"Can we still, you know, well, do it...do it..."

"Outdoors?" Larry asked. "Like we said, as long as you can't be seen."

"Aiden, I've never known you to be embarrassed by the subject of sex," Phil
said.

"Then you need to do a better job of reading my mind," Aiden giggled. "But
this is, like so different with Nolan and me being neighbors. We have a lot
of stuff to get used to."

"And we're sure you'll do a good job of adjusting to the change," Larry
said. "Remember that your dad and I will always be here for you to talk to;
and I mean both of you."

With that, Nolan and Aiden rose from the table and headed upstairs to
shower and dress. In the shower, they discussed their conversation with
Larry and Phil and swore to each other they would do better. They also
expressed their gratitude that Aiden had such understanding dads.

"And to think we'll be playing baseball for both of them over the next few
years," Nolan said.

"Yep. Two men who heard you screaming your lungs out while getting your ass
fucked," Aiden smirked.

Nolan wrapped his fingers around Aiden's hard, wet, cock, and started to
stroke it as the shower water cascaded down Aiden's abdomen. "I've got a
half hour before I get picked up," Nolan said.

"Keep going like you are and I'll just need a half a minute."

It took just a bit less than two minutes for Aiden to shoot his load over
Nolan's wet skin. He then got down on his knees and placed his lips around
Nolan's erection. Nolan ended up being the one who needed just a half a
minute to cum.

After Nolan was picked up for church, Aiden called Gordy and Miles to see
if they wanted to come over to swim, throw a baseball around, or play some
wiffle ball. He said they could invite somebody to join them if they
wanted. Gordy called the twins, who said they could come to Aiden's.
Knowing that Mason would be going to church and visiting with his friend
Freddie, Miles called Rusty. Even though Rusty was a bit of a loner, he
still wanted to be included in events with his teammates and was very happy
to be invited.

The six boys enjoyed an afternoon of skinny dipping, sandwiches, freshly
squeezed lemonade, and VERY competitive wiffle ball. The wiffle ball was
the only thing they did with clothes on. Aiden, Rusty, and Lenny made up
one team and Gordy, Lance, and Miles made up the other. Larry and Phil
observed that the wiffle ball game would be a play to win affair. The boys
were in competition mode. It was as if they played any way other than hard,
smart, and to win, it would keep them from getting into the right frame of
mind for the upcoming championship playoff games.

MONDAY, JULY 20

<Mayfield Middle School>

The next evening saw the six wiffle ball boys totally amped for the Goats'
practice, and they had company. Scott, Mac, Trent, Muddy, and Riley were as
amped as the wiffle ball boys. Mason, Grant, and Emmett sensed what was
happening and kicked their aggressiveness up a notch. Only Max remained
somewhat laid back. Max felt using too much energy in practice was the
equivalent of wasting the energy. It was not that he didn't hustle, he just
didn't get into competition mode.

The player the Goats put much of their focus to was Nolan. Even though he
wouldn't be participating in the playoff games, Nolan understood that he
needed to practice at the same intensity level as his new teammates. Aiden
had told him about the intense wiffle ball game in his backyard. Nolan knew
he had to use that as his example, so when the California practices, which
would be his "real" practices, started after the playoff games had been
played, he would show the Goats what made him tick. He needed to show them
he practiced like they did—hard, smart, and to win—even when he
couldn't play and he would settle for nothing less.

Coach Hallion was surprised at how quickly the team had accepted Nolan. Two
days ago, he had been the Goats' rival on the mound and now he was fitting
in like he'd been playing for them all summer. He shouldn't have been
surprised, however. The night before he had asked Trent how he thought the
team would accept their two pickup pitchers. His answer had said a lot
about the team dynamics. "Nolan will fit in great. Because he's Aiden's
boyfriend, almost everybody already knows him. Plus, we've played against
him so much that the team can see not only how good he is but how hard he
works. I bet Nolan comes to his first practice and acts like he's played
for us forever."

James Hallion thought his son was being a bit optimistic, but it didn't
take him long to admit that Trent had Nolan's acceptance by the team pegged
perfectly. When he asked about Calvin Loggins, Trent replied that he
thought it would take Cal longer to fit in since he and his teammates would
have to get to know each other. "Aiden is the only one who's really talked
to him much, but everybody agrees he's a really friendly guy and a great
pitcher. I think after he's practiced with us he'll be a good part of the
team. Scott, Aiden, and I are going to work to make sure everybody welcomes
and accepts him when he comes to his first practice."

Coach Hallion, Eric, and Kevin had been disappointed that Skyler couldn't
play for them. He was without a doubt the best pitcher in the Southwest
League. But the coaches agreed that Cal was a good alternate choice. He was
now officially on the tournament roster and would be at their next
practice. From what they had seen and heard during the season, having
Trent, Nolan, and Calvin on their pitching staff gave them three of the top
five pitchers in the league. Aiden and Scott were both skillful pitchers as
well. How the small-town pitchers would fare against the big boys in
California was a different matter altogether.

The practice went smoothly. Nolan quickly learned the routines and the
drills. The practice was more organized than his Scrapper practices had
been. Coach Hallion and his assistants expected the drills to be run with
precision. The also did a lot of situational drills, like putting a runner
on second, telling the players in the field that there was one out, and
hitting a variety of grounders and fly balls, switching the fielders every
three minutes. When a player wasn't participating in the situational drill
he was with Eric or Kevin working on the batting tee, hitting wiffle balls
into the fence.

What Nolan would learn from Aiden was that Larry and Phil were Coach
Hallion's mentors. They showed him how to lay out the schedule, assign the
players to drills, and keep things moving. It also helped that Eric and
Kevin had played for Larry and Phil from sixth grade through their senior
year.

When practice was over, Nolan rode with Aiden to Aiden's house. Larry was
their driver and asked Nolan for his impression of his first Goat practice.

"It was fun," Nolan responded. "The coaches are really organized and
there's not much standing around. Plus, they teach us a lot, especially
Eric and Kevin. I can tell they played for you, Coach, they know their
sh...stuff. So, yeah, it's a lot of fun."

"I'm glad you had fun. That's the key."

"I know that's part of the Goat motto. Aiden's told me what it is more than
once, but this is the first time I got to say it with my team. `Play hard,
play smart, play to win, and above all HAVE FUN!"

"And Kevin told us a new one today," Aiden said. "He says he learned it
when he was playing college ball. It goes: T-E-A-M; Together, Everyone
Achieves More."

"I've heard that acronym, but have never used it," Larry said as he turned
into his driveway. "Next spring might be as good a time as any, I suppose."

"Are you ever going to use the Goat motto?" Nolan asked.

"If I do, it won't be until this class of Goats becomes Mustangs."

Larry shut off the engine and the boys got their gear out of the back and
dashed into the house where Phil had roast beef sandwiches and a mixed
vegetable medley waiting for them. Nolan had asked for permission to spend
the night and received it. Since Tuesday and Wednesday nights were game
nights, his mother knew that Aiden would want to sleep by himself. She and
Nolan's father wondered how long that self-imposed rule would last and how
they would deal with it when the boys decided to try sleeping together on a
game night.

Aiden received an expected Skype call from Marty a little after eight
o'clock. It was an off day for the Mariners, giving Marty time to
call. Aiden and Nolan took the call together. The boys were wearing nothing
but gym shorts. Marty had insisted on their being dressed should they ever
talk to him face to face together. Still, Marty found their bare chests and
abs sexy. He was certain if the pair took their shorts off there was a good
chance he would spontaneously erupt in a flood of semen.

Marty noted the difference in their development. Nolan's arms and torso
showed definite muscle development. He wondered if Nolan was lifting
weights (the answer was yes). Aiden had a well-toned torso, but the heavy
muscle development hadn't yet started. He thought it was getting near time
for Larry and Phil to start Aiden on a weight training program, but he
would leave that up to them. He had no doubt that his former coaches knew
their stuff.

Of course, they talked baseball, starting with how the Mariners were doing
in the pennant race and how it felt to be an All-Star now that the season
was back in full swing. They next talked about the Goat and Bulldog series
starting on Wednesday.

"Have you ever heard of Together Everybody Achieves More?" Aiden asked.

"Oh, yeah. Coach Sanchez, our third base and outfield coach, likes to be a
motivator, and that acronym is one of his favorites," Marty responded. "The
thing about that saying is that it's true, which is why it's caught fire
lately." Marty wished Aiden good luck in the series.

"Thanks, but like you've told me a zillion times, you make your own good
luck. And the Goats like to say, `Play hard, play smart, play to win, and
have fun'. I guess that would be a way to make our own luck."

Aiden wanted to talk about the BaseBrawl in California, but Marty stopped
him. "I'll call after you win your championship on Thursday and then we'll
devote the whole phone call to the big Brawl. And with Nolan joining the
Goats for the tournament, make sure he sits in on the call."

"I'll cut him off if he doesn't," Nolan grinned.

"Oh, don't do that—it would be pretty bloody."

"MARTY!" Nolan and Aiden screeched together.

The three laughed together, Marty then told Aiden to spank the Bulldogs,
Aiden told Marty to spank the Phillies harder, and they ended the call.

After the call, Aiden and Nolan once again had sex on the balcony, this
time with Aiden being the bottom. They had reasonable success keeping their
noise under control and a ton of success cumming within seconds of each
other as Nolan plowed deep into his boyfriend's hot ass.

When they finally climbed into Aiden's bed, they were more than ready to go
to sleep. Aiden had grabbed Horace and he now set the stuffed Donkey above
their heads.

"When I sleep in your bed, Sugar Bear, Casey has to sleep with us," Aiden
told Nolan. Casey was Nolan's stuffed teddy bear.

Nolan wasn't quite as attached to Casey as Aiden was to Horace but saw no
reason to say no to Aiden's request. "And some night, Casey and Horace have
to sleep together with us," Nolan said.

"That sounds kinky, but I can go with it," Aiden yawned. He cuddled with
his naked boyfriend and both boys fell asleep quickly under the eye of the
ever-watchful Horace.

TUESDAY, JULY 21

<Aiden and Nolan>

After breakfast, Aiden and Nolan sat with Larry in the conference
room. Both boys were dressed in t-shirts and underpants. During their
shower, they had discussed getting Calvin involved with the Goats. They
agreed that talking to Larry to see what he thought of their ideas and to
find out if he had any ideas of his own would be a good idea. Since this
was a serious issue, they decided they should be wearing something, even if
it was just underwear. Phil was at work, or they would have involved him as
well, but they wanted to talk to Cal as soon as they could.

"Calvin wasn't at yesterday's practice because he was away with his father,
correct?" Larry asked.

"Correct," Aiden answered. "I know Coach gave him the game and practice
schedule and sent him and his parents the travel schedule. Cal told us he
should be home sometime this afternoon."

"What would you be suggesting he do?"

"We're hoping he can come to our playoff game tomorrow," Nolan said.

"We're sure he'll be at practice on Saturday because he texted me and said
so," Aiden added.

"The big problem, as I see it, is one we discussed when you told me you
were big on picking up Calvin as our second pitcher, and that is
transportation."

"Yeah, we know Clark Pass is way out in the sticks," Nolan said.

"Pop, do you think if Cal's parents drove him here, he could ride to the
game with us tomorrow?" Aiden asked.

"Son, that goes without saying," Larry answered. "And if he needs to be
picked up at home, I'm willing to drive up to Clark Pass to get him. He
needs to feel as much a part of the Goats as possible before you guys head
out to California next week. You're having only one practice before you go
and if he can come to the games and feel part of the team, that's even
better."

"I plan to be at the games and I've already had one practice. Plus, I know
most of the players on the team. That's not all true for Cal and like you
said, we gotta make him feel like he's part of the team," Nolan said.

"Yeah, and an important part," Aiden added.

"Why don't you text him and invite him to the game," Larry said. "Let him
know what his transportation options are."

"If he can go to both games, do you think he can spend the night tomorrow?"

"That sounds like a great idea. Ask him, and if his parents agree he's in."

"And don't worry, he won't be sleeping with me tomorrow night. Game nights
are for getting plenty of sleep, especially since we have a game
tomorrow. I'll be so ready to crash. But, if he can stay Thursday night,
that's a different story. And yes Nolan, as you know my bed can sleep
three."

Larry shook his head. He still had to get used to the open sexuality of
Aiden and Nolan—that certainly wasn't the case when he and Phil were
that age, at least not around their parents.

"I'm gonna text Cal and then Nolan and I are gonna go bike riding into town
to see who we can hang around with," Aiden told his dad.

"Have fun. There are sandwiches in the fridge if you want to stop by for
lunch," Larry told the boys.

Aiden and Nolan ended up enjoying lunch with Gordy and Miles at Gordy's
house. After lunch the four boys ended up at Trent's house and swam in his
pool. Aiden and Nolan had packed swimsuits in their bicycle bags just in
case. Mac and Scott were at Trent's house when they arrived; the Goat
teammates enjoyed a fun afternoon.

Calvin called Aiden just before four o'clock. Aiden had just finished
dressing when his phone rang. He was pleased to see it was Cal. After a bit
more than ten minutes of talking they had organized their upcoming
days. One of Cal's parents would drop him off at Aiden's house the next day
in plenty of time to ride with Aiden and Nolan to the game. He would spend
the night at Aiden's house and ride to Thursday's game (or games) with
Aiden and Nolan. One of his parents would pick him up at Aiden's house
after the game.

He would be back to spend Friday night at Aiden's with Aiden and Nolan,
attend the Saturday morning practice, then attend the swimming party at
Aiden's house. As badly as Cal wanted to spend Saturday night, his mother
wanted him home that night because of a dinner she was preparing for
company and also because he would be leaving for California on Tuesday. She
wanted him to spend the last three nights with his family before he
left. It was the same reason she wouldn't give him permission to spend
Thursday night with Aiden.

Aiden reported all of this to Nolan and the other Goat players at Trent's
house. They were all excited about getting Cal involved with the team and
planned to be at Aiden's house after Saturday's practice, if their parents
approved of course.

<Mac and Trent>

"You guys aren't going to do it again, are you?" Jackson asked Mac and
Trent as they sat on the patio of the Hallion residence.

"It's part of our pregame routine and we want to do it now and not on
Wednesday since we're playing Wednesday night," Trent said.

"And what is it to you?" Mac asked.

"I'm just wondering. Are you sure you're not really gay?"

"And what if we are?" Trent asked. "I can think of worse things. And you
don't mind a romp in bed with a guy."

"Only because of horniness."

"Yeah, it's gotta be tough when your girlfriend splits with you."

"But it's also kind of fun playing the field, which will become easier once
school starts. In the meantime, I have an always horny brother," Jackson
grinned.

"And tonight, you get to lie in your bed and jerk off since this is a
pitcher and catcher thing and has to be done in private."

"How about after the season ends?"

"You can make it your fantasy when you jerk off tonight," Mac told him.

"Gotcha. Well, you guys have fun tonight and I'll invent a wild night for
us in the future," Jackson said.

"What about our big night with us and our girls?" Trent asked. "You need to
find one so you can join in."

"Like you said, let's wait until after baseball."

That night Mac did his thing with Trent, topping him hard and deep to
remind him that when the first pitch is thrown by Trent, Mac was the one in
charge.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22

Calvin's mother arrived at three o'clock to drop Cal off at Aiden's. Aiden
dashed out of the house and gave him a big hug. Aiden was dressed in his
uniform and ready to go when the time came. Cal shook off the momentary
embarrassment of the hug and introduced Aiden to his mother. Aiden then
introduced them to Larry, who had just come out of the house.

"Follow me and let me show you the place," Aiden told Cal. Cal grabbed his
overnight bag and followed him up the steps and into the house. At the same
time Larry and Cal's mother, Laura, got involved in a friendly conversation
about the upcoming trip.

"Damn, Aiden. You live in a friggen mansion," Cal said as he ran his left
hand through his shaggy blond hair.

"Nah, it's just where I live." He told Cal to leave his bag by the stairs,
which he did. Aiden then took Cal into the viewing room where they looked
out on the lake.

"This is amazing. I mean, I live in a nice house. It's big enough for the
four of us and everything, but this is amazing." They stepped out on the
patio where Cal could look down at the swimming pool. "Holy crap, a pool,
too? Your dads must be rich."

"Well, my pop, Larry, is a teacher and my dad, Phil, is in charge of the
county road department, so it's not like they make a lot of money. But
they're pretty smart with their money and made good investments and they
adopted what they call their big tax deduction and, well, we do okay."

They walked down to the pool and stood on the deck. "I didn't tell you this
on the phone, but I will now. When you hang here after practice on
Saturday, we will be having a pool party and pool parties at my house are
what's called clothing optional," Aiden told Cal.

"That means we can skinny dip if we want?"

"Yep."

"Coolio. Do a lot of guys do that?"

"Everybody does," Aiden grinned.

"Double coolio. I can't wait. And is that your boat there at the dock?"

"Yep. And you can go water skiing if you want on Saturday, but you need to
bring your swimsuit for that."

"Gotcha. Is that boat your dads' big tax deduction?"

"Not even close. They keep saying a boat is a hole in the water you keep
pouring money into, but they love it. No, their big tax deduction is me."

"You?" Cal gasped. "Is that why they adopted you?"

"No, that's just a joke. I'm sure I cost them more money than they get
back, but they love me too," Aiden grinned. "What did you mean when you
said there were four in your family? Do you have a brother or something?"

"I have something. I have a twin sister. Her name is Carla and she's a
pitcher too. She was on the softball team for the school season and now she
pitches for Cotter's Grocery. She's pretty good."

"Whoa, she must be the Carla my friend Kalie and her friends talk
about. They said she's the best pitcher in their league this summer and was
pretty good on the school team."

"Yeah, she's the bomb out there in the pitcher's circle."

"Well so are you on the pitchers' mound."

"And my dad has a couple of Clark Pass High pitching records. My mom
pitched school ball, too. I guess pitching runs in the family," Cal said
proudly.

Aiden continued his tour showing such popular places as the hot tub, the
big basement shower, the well-furnished games room, the back room (without
telling Cal what often happened behind its closed door at parties), the
basketball hoop in the back of the house, and the baseball practice and
wiffle ball play area. "Don't tell me this isn't, like, some kind of
mansion. I've never known anybody who lives in a place like this."

They went back into the house. Cal picked up his bag and went upstairs with
Aiden. Aiden showed Cal the guest room where he would be spending the
night. He then showed off his own bedroom.

Cal continued to be overwhelmed. "Cripes, you've got a balcony, a big king
bed, a view of the lake, a television, a computer, and a friggen train in
your room."

"It's comfortable," Aiden said modestly.

"Is Nolan going to sleep with you tonight?"

"We have a deal, which our parents kind of made us do when Nolan moved to
Mayfield, and it's that we don't sleep together on game nights to guarantee
we get a full night's rest."

"I guess that's why I'm sleeping in the guest room tonight."

"Yep, but if you want to sleep with me on Friday night, you get first
dibs. But you don't have to sleep with me, I just wanted you to know you
could."

"But don't we have practice the next morning?"

"It's practice, not a game."

"Good call."

"Anyway, like I said, you don't have to do it, practice or no practice."

"It's cool. When I have overnights with Todd or Donnie we almost always
sleep together, and our beds are way smaller than yours. But what about
Nolan? Won't he be sleeping with you on Friday?"

"He's got no problem with sleeping with other guys and I'm the same
way. Our only rule is we don't keep it secret."

Aiden's phone rang and he checked to see who it was. "Speaking of Nolan,
it's him." Pause. "Yep, he's here." Pause. "Okay, see you in a couple."

"Okay, we gotta go," Aiden said as he grabbed his bag. "Nolan's gonna ride
with us. We're gonna pick him up, then pick up the twins, and then head for
Longview."

"Where are Nolan's parents?" Cal asked.

"His mom's at work and his dad is cool with Nolan riding with me to the
game. His `rents will both be at the game and Nolan will ride home with
them."

"It sounds like you guys have it all planned out."

"You know it, dude," Aiden grinned.

Aiden asked Cal to sit in the front seat of the Odyssey and he sat in the
middle seat where Nolan soon joined him. "I didn't know you guys lived so
close together," Cal observed.

"We do and we love it, right dad?"

"We can't keep them apart," Larry chuckled.

Aiden introduced Cal to the twins who then sat in the back seats, and they
headed off on the hour trip to Longview.

<Longview Sports Complex>

The big day had arrived. The Monte Bulldogs and the Mayfield Yard Goats
would be facing off in Longview on Field 2 of the sports complex used by
Longview and some of the Kelso teams. Field 2 had a skin infield and could
accommodate the shorter baselines played by that age group. Like Field 1 it
had an electronic scoreboard. It also had the same outfield arrangement and
the same bleacher capacity. The only difference was that the infield was
dirt instead of grass.

Monte was the home team for the first game of the playoff. The second game
would be played the next day on Centralia Field 1. Mayfield would be the
home team for that game. Should the IF game become necessary, the home team
would be decided by a coin flip.

After entering the complex, they saw Skyler and Greg getting prepared to
warm up. Aiden and Nolan walked over to greet them. They traded fist bumps
and wished each other good luck.

Skyler stopped the two friends as they started to walk to their side of the
field. "Hey, when are we going to have an overnight in your digs?" Skyler
asked.

"It's gonna have to be a time between August 15 and when school starts,"
Aiden replied. "Let's keep trading texts. We'll figure something out."

That ended the socializing. It was time to get game serious.

Many of the fans for both teams brought their radios with them or had a
radio app on their phones. Radio station KCLC, which was operated by
Centralia Community College, would be broadcasting all the games of the
championship series. Andrew Orson, a communications professor would be the
lead announcer. He had six students working under him as announcers and
on-the-air production assistants.

Being the visitors, the Goats batted first. Skyler was the starting pitcher
and showed right from the first pitch why everyone said he was the biggest
stud in the league. He struck out the side on 12 pitches and set the tone
for the game. Scott answered Skyler's challenge with a 1-2-3 inning of his
own, but in a different fashion. He retired the side on nine pitches but
didn't strike out anybody. Scott may not have been the stud that Skyler
was, but he was a damn fine pitcher, and had a good team behind him.

At the end of the third inning, the game was still scoreless. Skyler had
put down the first nine batters, striking out six of them. Scott had
allowed a single and walked one.

The Goats went down 1-2-3 in the top of the fourth, leading to some antsy
players and coaches in the Goat dugout. Everybody knew Skyler was an
outstanding pitcher, but, as Eric put it, "The dude is dealing!" Skyler had
retired the first twelve Goat hitters.

Cal was sitting with Nolan in the bleachers. The two Goat pickup pitchers
were getting to know each other and were comparing notes on how they felt
about pitching for a different team. Cal envied Nolan because he not only
knew a lot of the players, but also because his boyfriend was on the
team. Cal only had two friends on the team: Aiden and now Nolan. The two
had hit it off and became instant friends.

Their anxiety level went up when the Bulldogs started to put together a
threat in the bottom of the fourth. Their leadoff hitter doubled, and the
next hitter picked up an infield single, putting runners on first and third
with no outs and Skyler coming to the plate. Skyler was not only an
outstanding pitcher, but he was also a good all-around ballplayer. The
runner on first took off for second on a 1-1 pitch. Skyler got hold of that
pitch from Scott and hit it up the left field line for a two-run
double. The second run scored on a close play at the plate because the
runner had been put in motion which gave him a head start. The fourth
inning ended with the Bulldogs holding a 2-0 lead.

The Goats picked up their first hit with one out in the fifth when Scott
singled up the middle. Cal and Nolan hollered the loudest as the Mayfield
fans stood and cheered. Grant, who was the designated runner for the
pitcher, entered the game to pinch run. The Goats couldn't score him as
Miles and Mac both struck out.

Scott allowed a two-out single in the bottom of the inning, but that was
it. In the top of the sixth, Gordy and Aiden hit back-to-back singles with
two outs. Trent brought the Mayfield fans to their feet when he sent a
hard-hit ball to center, but the centerfielder made a beautiful over the
shoulder catch to take away an extra base hit and retire the side.

Scott threw a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the sixth. It was now the top
of the seventh and do or die time for the Goats.

Muddy, Scott, and Miles were the scheduled batters. The Goats hoped that
Skyler, who had thrown 74 pitches, was tired and they would be able to get
to him. The league had raised the pitch limit from 86 to the middle school
maximum of 90 for the playoffs, so pitch count would probably not be an
issue.

Skyler mowed through the three batters. He struck out Muddy, got Scott to
ground out to short, and ended the game by striking out Miles. The Monte
Bulldogs had won a hard-fought 2-0 pitcher's duel. Skyler totally dominated
the Yard Goats, striking out 12 and walking none. The Bulldogs played
errorless ball. It was a beautifully played game by both teams.

"I hate to say it, but congratulations—you pitched an epic game," Aiden
told Skyler in the handshake line.

"That might be the best game I ever pitched," Skyler admitted. "I mean you
guys have a good hitting team and stopping you like that wasn't easy or
even hard. It was, like, close to impossible."

The team sat in the bleachers for the post game meeting. Nolan and Cal sat
a few rows behind them where they could hear without being intrusive. Coach
Hallion went over the game and talked about the schedule for the next
day. "You played a great game today," he told his charges. "Scott went all
the way and pretty much shut down a good hitting team. Unfortunately,
Skyler did the same to us and we couldn't put anything together. We got
shut out by a good team and a good pitcher."

"But now we close the door on it and think about tomorrow. Trent will be
our starter and I think Shane Wright will be pitching for the Dogs. From
what I've heard he's their number two pitcher."

Aiden raised his hand, and the coach gave him a nod. "You're right, he is
number two. I know from what I heard is that his speed's a lot like
Scott's, and he can get wild sometimes and if we're patient we might be
able to get some walks. Plus, he's a lefty." Young teams were often a bit
intimidated by left-handed pitchers since they didn't see them very often.

"Good, because we sure didn't get anything from Skyler," Mac said.

"I'll announce the lineup at the pregame meeting," Coach Hallion said. "Be
sure to get a good night's rest and eat healthy. Also, the temp will be in
the 80's tomorrow, so make sure you stay hydrated, especially since we
might be playing a double header. We will have plenty of water available in
the dugout."

"Coach, we WILL be playing a double header tomorrow," Mac said. "There's no
doubt about it. Yes, Skyler is a stud, but peeps forget that Trent is one,
too."

The Goats all nodded and mumbled like they almost believed it.

Gordy rose from his seat in the bleachers and calmly said, "And here's
something nobody ever mentions but is something to think about."

The entire team went silent and looked directly at Gordy, who rarely spoke
up in practice. Everyone respected him for being smart, a great baseball
player, and one of the nicest guys they knew. When he spoke to the team, it
was never about himself—it was always about the team. As a result, when
Gordy spoke, everyone listened.

"Our last loss before this one was to Clark Pass in our last league
game. Then we played Winton in a loser out game and won. Next was Clark
Pass in two loser out games and we won them both. Wednesday, we played the
Scrappers in a loser out game and won. Okay, we lost today and I'm not
happy about losing. Nobody's happy about losing." This was the longest
speech anybody could remember Gordy ever giving. Even though they all
anticipated the punch line, they waited for Gordy to deliver it. "Tomorrow,
we have two loser out games and that's when the Goats are harder to beat
than ever. Now we get to take everything we've been doing to win and put it
all together."

After a moment of quiet, Aiden said, "Wow, that was beyond awesome,
Gordy. It was like totally epic. We'll all do it together as a team, and do
with our big stud pitching for us," Aiden said.

The team's noise level had risen considerably after Gordy's talk. Riley
nudged Lenny and they both shouted, "T-E-A-M. Play hard...," they shouted
in unison. At that point most of their teammates chimed in with
them,"...Play smart. Play to win. Have fun!" Everyone stopped except Riley
and Lenny who continued by shouting, "Together Everyone Achieves More!"

The entire team cheered, including Max and Rusty who had been quiet until
the end. A glare from Mac inspired them to join in.

"I'll see you all by five tomorrow at Centralia Field 1," Coach Hallion
said over the hubbub.

"We plan on being there ready to kick booty," Miles said, which was what
all his teammates were thinking.

Next: Grand Salami Time

Mayfield Yard Goats vs Monte Bulldogs at Longview Sports Complex Field 2.
1. Gordy-SS (6)
2. Aiden-2B (4)
3. Trent-3B (5)
4. Muddy-DH
5. Scott-P (1)
6. Miles-LF (7)
7. Mac-C (2)
8. Max-1B (3)
9. Rusty-RF (9)
Riley-CF (8)