Extra Innings Read Online Free PDF Page B

scrambling back toward him!
    What was going on? he wondered. Why hadn’t John scored?
    Panicking, Ronde froze as the third base coach yelled something at him. “Back! Back!” he was saying, gesturing for Ronde to get off the bag at third.
    And now he understood. John Benson had changed his mind about scoring when he’d seen the throw come home, and he’d turned back midway! If John got back to third while Ronde was still there, one of them would be called out, and the game would be over!
    Ronde dashed back toward second base, but it was way too late. As soon as the catcher saw Ronde break, he threw back to second, and Ronde was caught in a rundown. The third base coach sent Benson back toward home, but Ronde was tagged out before Benson crossed the plate.
    The game was over. The Eagles had lost.
    And it was all his fault!

5
AFTER THE DISASTER
    Amid the usual “We’ll get ’em next time” and “They got lucky” pronouncements, there was a deep sense of letdown among the Eagles. It was a silence behind their brave words, and Tiki could hear it echoing in his own brain. What made it worse was that it had been largely his fault.
    Well, no, that wasn’t quite true, and he knew it. Ronde had made his share of mistakes too. None of the Eagles had hit very well off the strong Rocket pitching staff, and their pitching hadn’t been great either.
    Still, Tiki couldn’t help feeling he and Ronde had let the rest of the guys down. Glancing over at Ronde, who was sitting beside him, staring into the pocket of his mitt, Tiki knew his twin was thinking similar painful thoughts.
    Tiki remembered that other bus ride the week before,sitting across from Jason Rossini. “In track when you win, it’s all you,” he’d said. “You don’t have to share any of the credit. And if you lose? Well, at least it wasn’t because someone else on your team messed up.”
    Maybe Jason was right, Tiki thought sadly. Maybe he and Ronde should have gone out for track. As much as the twins had stuck up for team sports, there was obviously a downside, too, and he and Ronde were feeling it now.
    Tiki tried to find the bright side, the silver lining. “Well,” he said out loud, “at least it was an away game. Our fans didn’t have to see that mess with their own eyes.”
    â€œI hear you,” Ronde agreed with a bitter laugh. “That was ugly.”
    â€œHow ugly was it?” Tiki asked, the corner of his mouth turned up in the beginning of a smile.
    â€œAs ugly as a turtle wearing lipstick,” Ronde said, starting to giggle.
    â€œAs ugly as moldy eggs on burnt toast!” Tiki replied.
    â€œAs a booger on a beauty queen!”
    â€œAs—”
    And soon they were both laughing. The other kids couldn’t help smiling as they tried to understand what was so funny. Pretty soon everyone was in on it, and the ride home was a game of How Ugly Was It?
    As they all got off the bus in front of Hidden ValleyJunior High, waving good-bye as they headed for their rides, Tiki turned to Ronde and said, “Hey, you know what?”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œIt’s funny, but I think maybe we just took the first step to becoming a team—and I don’t mean the game.”
    â€¢Â â€¢Â â€¢
    Tiki stood at the plate, waggling his bat and waiting for the coach to throw him another one. He’d already belted the first pitch over the fence in left field and was seeing the ball like it was a big white grapefruit. The next pitch was low and in, but Tiki dropped the barrel of his bat and got there first. The sound of bat on ball was sweet and clean, and the ball soared into the sky, almost disappearing as he stared after it. It landed way, way over the fence, and everyone watching said, “Whoa!”
    Parents sitting in the bleachers, kids doing baserunning drills, even people on the street walking by, all stopped what they were