CHAPTER 1 Bottom of the seventh inning Down by one run Two outs And Ben Mason was stepping up to the plate It’s now or never he thought Ben’s teammates cheered him on from the dugout The loudest shouts came from his best friends Logan Gabe and Annie They played for the East Grover Lake Grizzlies Because Ben had a quick glove and a strong arm he manned third base What he didn’t have though was speed He hoped 4
his new cleats a pair of Fusion Speeds he’d gotten for his birthday would change that Ben tapped the shiny new cleats with his bat and let out a deep breath Come on Ben You can do it Coach Parrish shouted Their coach was actually Logan’s dad During games they all made sure to call him Coach Parrish On the mound the pitcher for the Newton Lizards stood hunched and staring at the catcher He was trying to intimidate Ben but he was failing miserably Ben had already gotten two hits in the game and he was planning on smacking a third Ben stepped into the batter’s box and raised his bat The Lizards pitcher threw a fastball Ben watched as it popped into the catcher’s mitt 5
Strike one the ump shouted Ben wasn’t fazed He rarely swung at the first pitch He twisted his hands on the bat’s grip and got ready for the next pitch It was a curveball that hung high in the strike zone He swung and connected Crack Ben’s hit sliced between the first and second basemen He ran to first rounding the base as the ball bounced into right field Take two the first base coach yelled Ben dug in tearing toward second as the outfielder threw the ball in Most players would have easily gotten a stand-up double but Ben barely reached base before the throw 6
Phew That was close he thought He needed more speed from his Fusions The dugout went wild His friends whistled loudly The first base coach was Gabe’s dad Coach Santiago He clapped and shouted Nice one Ben Two outs Run as soon as the ball is hit Ben nodded The team’s first baseman a lanky kid named Tyler Murphy stepped up to the plate Ty was so tall and thin he looked like a daddy longlegs spider when he ran All he needed to do was get a base hit and Ben was sure to score the tying run Ty fouled off the first pitch sending the ball up over the backstop and into the stands where their parents sat watching the 7
