Mystery Coach Read Online Free PDF Page B

game!”
    “Our second,” corrected Steve. “We lost one the other day.”
    “That was a practice game!”
    “So is this as far as I’m concerned,” replied Mick, and started to walk toward the dugout.

    Steve caught up with him. Chris trailed, still seething.
    “If you quit,” he said, “you’re a couple of cowards.”
    Both turned. “Listen,” snorted Steve. “You want to see us lose every game? You want everybody in the neighborhood to laugh
     at us everytime they see us? Is that what you want?”
    “How do you know we’ll lose every game? Sure we will if we don’t stick together. But we’ve got to stick together.”
    “Then we’ll have to get rid of Coach Edson and get a new coach,” said Mick.
    “Who’s going to tell him that?” asked Chris, eyeing Mick unflinchingly. “Are you?”
    “No. But somebody should.”
    “Sure. And break his heart,” said Chris. “Make him sicker than he already is.”
    “Come on,” said Steve. “If I’m lucky, be up this inning.”
    They reached the front of the dugout and saw that Bill Lewis was on first base.
    “How’d he get on?” asked Steve.
    “Singled over short,” replied Spike.
    Tex Kinsetta was batting. He had two strikes on him, then belted the next pitch to the pitcher. The Scorpion snared the hop
     and whipped it to second for the first out. The second baseman pegged to first to complete a quick double play.
    “Save me a rap, Don!” cried Steve.
    Don Mitchell, pinch-hitting for Wally Munson, did. He cracked a single over second. Then Steve drilled one through the hole
     between left and center for two bases. But the Scorpion center fielder, a fast man with an excellent throwing arm, kept Don
     from scoring.
    Mick, batting next, flied out to third.
    Scorpions 7, Blazers 4.
    In the top of the fifth Don misjudged a flyin left field, permitting the hitter to chalk up two bases on the error. The next Scorpion blasted a drive over Chris’s head
     for a single, scoring a run, and Chris feared another wild half-inning. That would give both Steve and Mick more to chew on.
    Two walks in a row filled the bases, and the next hitter was a left-handed batter.
    Chris, his heart pounding, moved closer toward first base and waited.

9
    C RACK ! A sharp blow to second base! Chris caught the hop and pegged it home. Out!
    Frank whipped the ball to first, but the hitter was there by two steps. There were still three men on.
    “Get two!” shouted Chris.
    Bill Lewis stepped to the mound. He looked at the runners, stretched, and delivered. A hard blow to short! Jack reached for
     the hop. The ball glanced off his glove, struck his chest, and rolled to the ground. Quickly Jack retrieved it and snapped it to second. Chris, covering the bag, caught the ball for the out, and fired it to
     third.

    “Safe!” yelled the ump.
    Two outs. In the meantime another run had crossed the plate.
    Chris ran out to his position and looked at Steve. The first baseman was standing at ease beside the bag, his arms crossed,
     his eyes hard as glass. It didn’t take two guesses to know what was boiling in his mind.
    The next Scorpion popped to Frank, ending the half-inning. The Scorpions now led, 9 to 4.
    “Start it off, Spike,” said Coach Edson.
    Steve looked at him in surprise, then at Chris.
Hey! He’s alive
! his expression seemed to say.
    Spike cracked out a double and the Blazer fans cheered. “Keep it going, Blazers!” yelled a fan.
    They didn’t. Ken, pinch-hitting for Chris, grounded out, Jack fanned, and Frank hit an easy grounder to first.
    The Scorpions managed to put two hits back to back at their turn at bat in the top of the sixth, resulting in another run.
     That was all, but it was plenty. The Blazers drew a goose egg and the game was over, the Scorpions winning it, 10 to 4.
    “You still think we have a chance?” Steve asked bitterly as he walked off the field with Chris, Ken and Tex.
    “Yes, I do,” replied Chris. “I haven’t changed my mind.”
    That