Fred Bowen - Winners Take All

R ally caps! Kyle Holt shouted as he marched down the Reds bench. All at once, his teammates turned their caps around. They were pumped. It was the top of the sixth, the last inning of the game. The Reds were down 32 against the Cubs, their archrivals. It was definitely time for rally caps.

Kyle was too nervous to sit down. He leaned forward against the tall chain-link fence in front of the Reds bench, his hands clutching a couple of high links. Nate Bloom and Claire Jenkins, his teammates and best friends, were pressed against it too.

Down by a run, Nate said, shaking his head. We gotta come back.

Yeah, Claire agreed. Or well be one game behind the Cubs in the standings with only two games left to play.

Yeah, and if the Cubs win, theyll never let us forget it, Kyle said.

The Reds and the Cubs were the top teams in the eleven- and twelve-year-olds Rising Stars League. And they were locked in a tight battle for first placewith only ten days left in the season.

The bleachers were packed with parents, brothers, sisters, friends, and neighborspractically half the town. Nobody wanted to miss this game.

Kyle looked out onto the field past second base to the wooden fence lining the outfield and to the thick woods behind it. This was his favorite place in the worldespecially when the Reds were playing the Cubs.

Alana Garvey, the Reds leadoff batter this inning, came up to bat.

Come on, Alana, Kyle called out.

You go, girl! Claire yelled.

The first pitch came in a little high. Alana chased it and popped up to the shortstop.

One out.

Kyle, Nate, and Claire watched silently as Alana trudged off the field. Dylan Reffe was up next. Claire crossed her fingers against the fence.

Come on, Dylan! Nate shouted. Start us off.

Dylan smacked the ball into center field and raced to first base. Kyle, Nate, and Claire went wild, cheering and pounding the fence. Everyone on the Reds bench jumped to their feet and started pounding the fence too.

Coach Dayes voice quickly cut through the cheers: Salvador, youre up. Kyles on deck. Nates in the hole.

Kyle grabbed a bat and took some practice swings as Salvador Rodriguez struck out on three blazing fastballs.

Two outs! Bryan Ford, the Cubs catcher, shouted as he held up two fingers.

Kyle took his stance, spreading his feet out in the batters box and tapping the plate with his bat.

Well, well, look whos gonna make the last out, Bryan taunted Kyle from under his mask.

Kyle tried to ignore Bryan, like he always did.

The first pitch streaked across the outside corner.

Strike one!

No batter! Bryan yelled as he tossed the ball back. Whats the matter, Kyle? he sneered. Too fast for you?

Kyle stepped out of the batters box and glanced at Bryan. Id like to punch that guy, he thought.

Just meet it. Only takes one! someone shouted from the stands. Kyle knew the voice right away. It was his dads. His dad came to all the games and always cheered the loudest.

Swing level! his father yelled.

Kyle choked up on his bat and stepped back into the box. His eyes narrowed as the second pitch spun toward him.

Crack!

Kyle banged a grounder clear into left field. Dylan cruised into second and Kyle reached first with time to spare.

The Reds were coming back!

Now it was up to Nate to keep the rally alive.

Two outs. Run on anything! Coach Daye shouted to Kyle and Dylan.

Nate crushed a line drive into the gap between two outfielders, and Dylan and Kyle took off. Dylan easily made it home to tie the game as Kyle was powering toward third. Kyle saw the third-base coach wildly windmilling his arm and turned on the jets.

He sprinted across home plate with the crowds cheers ringing in his ears.

The Reds had pushed ahead! The score was 43.

One out later, Kyle hustled out to his position in center field for the bottom of the final inning. Come on, Reds! he shouted as he ran. Just need three outs.

The first two Cubs batters popped up to the infield and the Reds moved two outs closer to the win.

One more out, Kyle pleaded as he pounded his glove and paced in center field.

The next Cubs batter stepped up to the plate and settled into his stance. The first pitch was low, but the batter looped a single to left field. Now the Cubs had a runner on first with two outs, and Bryan Ford was coming to the plate.

No batter! Kyle yelled, but he didnt believe it. Bryan may be a jerk, but he is a slugger, Kyle thought. Move back, Kyle called to Claire in left field, waving her back with his hand.

The first two pitches missed their mark. Throw strikes! Kyle shouted, sensing trouble. He didnt want to lose this game. Not in front of all these people. Not in front of his dad.

The next pitch cut the heart of the plate. Bryan swung hard and sent the ball soaring deep into left center field. Kyle raced after it, barreling to the edge of the field.

The outfield fence came up fast, but Kyle couldnt slow down. He pushed his right foot down in front of it and leaped as high as he could. His right hand found the top of the fence and pushed him even higher. He twisted his head back and saw the ball falling toward him. He stretched his glove out to grab it.