The Giants, winners of the National League pennant in Springdale won the toss in the single elimination play off game and took the field before a capacity crowd at their league park. Coach Anderson had Josh ready to pitch with Willie Brown available if Josh should weaken. One loss now would eliminate the Cougars and Coach intended to start his ace hurler every game or whenever possible, through the playoff season.
The Cougars started without any wasted time. Ethan Moore grounded out, but Michael doubled to right field on his first pitch. Tyrone Johnson singled him to third and then the power side of the Cougar line-up literally blasted the Giant pitcher off the mound.
Jake tripled; Matthew doubled; Carlos followed with another double, and four runs were in. Yelling with the others in the dugout, Michael saw the look of amazement on Coach Anderson’s face. Even the Cougar coach had not imagined that much power in his batting line-up.
Josh pitched his usual smooth, consistent game and the final score was 11 to 1 for the Cougars. The win advanced them to the district playoff tournament, the first small step on the long trail to the top. There were sixteen district winners playing for the district championship, with the winner advancing to the sectional tournament.
Michael Smith tried not to think beyond the district championship, but he could not help himself. It was almost inconceivable that the Cougars would get beyond the district playoffs, but it was there in the back of his mind all the time as they practiced and prepared to travel up to Lakeview for the opening game.
Andy Wilson said to him that evening after the Giants win, “Think we have a chance, Michael?”
Michael nodded. “We have as good a chance of beating Lakeview as they have of beating us.”
“I didn’t mean that,” Andy muttered. ‘I was thinking of the world championship, playing in the Williamsport Stadium for the Little League World Series.”
Michael stared at him. “Do you know what that means?” he asked. “We can’t lose a game. We’ve got to beat Lakeview and we’ve got to beat everybody we come up against all the way to Williamsport.”
“I know,” Andy nodded. “I know.”
“Stop talking about it,” Michael told him. “It’s supposed to be bad luck to do that.”
“I can think, can’t I?” Andy chuckled. “I can dream, can’t I?”
Michael was dreaming too, realizing how wild the dream was. Any Little League team, which reached the playoffs in the Little League World Series Championship tournament, would have to be a truly great team; a real team pulling together as one, fighting like mad for every run, every pitch, bearing down every moment. The Cougars were far from being that kind of team, not when four or five players were not even talking to each other.
Four busloads and several cars filled with players, friends, and parents drove thirty miles to Lakeview, to witness the Lakeview and Springdale contest in the district playoff game. The Springdale Little League Association chartered the bus the players were riding in. This was a Saturday afternoon game and as they drove up late Saturday morning, Coach Anderson was as nervous as a mother hen with a dozen fluttering chicks scattered around a barnyard. The players could scarcely sit still in their seats and Coach, sitting up front with the driver, kept calling back to them repeatedly,
“Okay gang, Take it easy. Relax back there.”
Lakeview, a city of over one hundred thousand people, was four times bigger than the town of Springdale and the Lakeview Little League Park facility was about twice the size of the Springdale Park. The playing field, of course, was the same size as required by league rules, but there were at least four thousand Lakeview fans in the stands when the two teams took the field.
The Lakeview team had a left-hander on the mound by the name of Jimmy Ray Bell, a tall, rangy, dark-haired boy. Bell could pitch and he threw hard. He struck out Ethan, and then he struck out Michael. Tyrone Johnson managed to hit a Texas league blooper for a single to right, but then Jimmy Ray Bell fanned the tough Jake Jones to end the inning.
Carlos said to Michael after Jake fanned, “This is going to be a ball game. That lefty throws heat. Stay loose.”
Josh started for the Cougars with Willie Brown and Cris Martinez available from the bullpen. Josh was as good as ever against the Lakeview sluggers. After three innings of play the score was tied 0 to 0 and Michael noticed Josh was really working hard, bearing down, throwing everything he had on every pitch. Michael knew he would tire in the late innings. Bell, on the other hand, was working very smooth and easy. His form was excellent.
In the fourth however, the Lakeview club broke the ice, reaching Josh for a walk and two hits, giving them a run and a 1 to 0 lead. It was obvious Josh was getting tired.
Nevertheless, with one out and two Lakeview runners on, Ethan and Michael broke up the incipient rally. They pulled off a beautiful double play on a hard-hit ball over second. Ethan went behind the bag for the ball to field it. He flipped it to Michael, who whirled and fired it to Tyrone Johnson for the double play. The crowd gave them a big hand on the play and Coach Anderson slapped both of them on the back when they came in to the dugout for the top half of the fifth inning.
“We need to get that run back,” Michael said grimly. “Start us off, Andy.”
Andy did start them off with a nice single over third. Coach flashed the bunt signal to Daniel Garcia, who dropped a bunt beautifully down the first base line to pull the first baseman in to field it. Daniel then beat the left-handed Bell on the pitcher’s banana run to the bag. Two Cougar runners were on with no outs. Bunting down the first base line was always a good call on a left-handed pitcher.
Josh came up to hit, with Ethan on deck and Michael in the hole. Josh, given the sign to bunt as well, placed the ball in a perfect spot in front of the plate, which advanced both runners. The Lakeview catcher threw Josh out at first base and it brought Ethan to the plate with one away, runner on first and third.
Ethan looked at Michael in the batter on-deck circle as the left-hander threw four wide balls, intentionally walking Ethan to load the bases for the force out anywhere. Coach Anderson came out to speak with Michael and he said quietly,
“You’ve done this before, Michael. This is just another ball game and it is not the last inning this time. We do have another at bat. So, just take it easy and hit the ball. We’re going to score a few runs on this guy.”
Michael just nodded, but there was a lump in his throat and he was breathing with difficulty. He had struck out once against Bell and the second time he had rolled a weak grounder back to the mound. He had heard about this Jimmy Ray Bell kid, whose fastball clocked in at 72 miles per hour on a radar gun. From 46 feet away that was pure heat. He knew that he was batting against a good pitcher and he felt uneasy about being able to get a hit. However, coach’s pep talk made him feel better. He wanted to make good contact for the team, for Springdale, and most of all, for Coach Anderson. Coach had never really gotten anywhere as a ball player even though he loved this game of baseball and his new family of ballplayers.
Jimmy Ray Bell pitched a curve ball, which broke right over the plate for a called strike. Michael wet his lips with the tip of his tongue. He made eye contact with the three Cougar base runners and he could hear the yells of encouragement from the Cougar dugout. They had to win. They had to win every game.
Bell pitched again on the inside corner and Michael’s eyes lit up with an instant reaction. He swung his bat at the ball, driving the ball down the first base line. The Lakeview first baseman lunged at it but missed and the ball rattled down the right field line, fair by six inches.
Two runners came in and Michael slid into second with a double. He got up, dusted himself off, and listened to the noise from the contingent of Springdale fans rooting. It was for him. He saw Coach Anderson grinning, shaking a fist at him from the dugout steps. It felt great to be alive. It felt great to be a Little Leaguer playing to win a baseball game.
They did not score another run that inning, but the score was 2 to 1 for the Cougars and everybody f
elt much better. There was talk and a lot of chatter in the Cougar infield now.
In their bottom half of the fifth inning, the first Lakeview batter singled to lead off. The next batter failed to drop a sacrifice bunt and Carlos threw out the base runner who was trying to steal second. Carlos threw the ball down with the force of a big leaguer and Michael tagged the runner in plenty of time. Carlos had such a natural quick release of the baseball for a Little League catcher. Trying to steal on Carlos was never a good idea.
In the bottom of the sixth and last inning, the Lakeview team threatened again, and this time in earnest. Josh was on his last legs, his curve ball was not breaking off as it had in the early innings and his control was not as sharp.
Coach Anderson had Willie Brown warmed up in the bullpen at the start of the sixth. Josh had walked the first batter. The second batter had singled to right. With runners on first and second and no one out, the big Lakeview crowd had begun to make some noise.
As Josh stood there with sagging shoulders, Coach Anderson asked for timeout from the umpire and walked out to the mound. Michael trotted in and stood to listen as coach spoke. Josh’s parents were in the sector behind the Cougar dugout and Michael could see Josh’s father, standing up, glaring at Coach Anderson. It was apparent he did not want the Cougar coach to take his son out of the game.
Coach said, “You’re tired, aren’t you Josh?”
Josh nodded. He was looking at the ground.
“Arm hurt?” Coach asked.
“A little,” Josh admitted.
“Okay,” coach said simply. “I’m putting Willie in, Josh. I want you to understand your opponent is not knocking you out of the game. You’re tired and it’s for the good of the team that I take you out.”
Josh looked at him. To leave a game once he had started it was a new sensation for him. He did not like it too well, but he nodded, seeing the logic in Coach Anderson’s statement.
Coach waved a hand to the bullpen and Willie Brown came in. Michael saw Josh Miller’s father take a big half-smoked cigar from his mouth and throw it down angrily. He sat back down, arms crossed, his face literally glowering, red with rage.
Willie Brown was nervous too, knowing he had to protect that slim one run lead. Michael said to his neighborhood chum,
“You can do it Willie. We’re all behind you.”
Willie nodded gratefully. Coach Anderson said quietly,
“The infield plays back for the double play and remember we’re in the lead. They have to make one run to tie us, two runs to beat us. Do you know how hard that is? Let them do the worrying. You, just relax out there.”
Willie Brown pitched carefully and got the first man on a pop-up to Matthew Davis. The next batter, the Lakeview cleanup hitter, slapped a hard, spinning grounder to second. Michael fielded it, threw it to Ethan Moore who was skipping over from short, and Ethan whipped the ball across to the tall Tyrone Johnson at first. The throw was wide of the bag, but Tyrone stretched out and made a sensational catch, keeping his foot on the bag. The field umpire hesitated, and then he waved the runner out, ending the game. The Springdale Cougars were still in the tournament.
FALLING APART