Shadow Over Second
Read Shadow Over Second Online
Authors: Matt Christopher,Anna Dewdney
To Stephanie True Peters
Text copyright © 1996 by Matthew F. Christopher
Illustrations copyright © 1996 by Anna Dewdney
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS BOOK MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY ELECTRONIC OR MECHANICAL MEANS, INCLUDING
INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS, WITHOUT PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM THE PUBLISHER, EXCEPT BY A REVIEWER WHO MAY
QUOTE BRIEF PASSAGES IN A REVIEW.
Hachette Book Group
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New York, NY 10017
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First eBook Edition: December 2009
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental
and not intended by the author.
ISBN: 978-0-316-09484-9
Contents
The action-packed Peach Street Mudders series by Matt Christopher:
“STEEE-RIKE!” boomed the ump as Bucky Neal breezed in a pitch past T.V. Adams.
“C’mon, T.V.,” Nicky Chong muttered. He was on deck. There were two outs, and it was the top of the third inning. “Save me
a rap.”
Nicky had good reason to want another time at bat this game. He had doubled his first time up and hoped to do it again this
time. And if he did, he stood a good chance of leading the league in runs batted in.
Maybe that record wasn’t as glamorous as hitting the most home runs or pitching a no-hitter. But it was a record he knew he
would be proud to hold. And he was only six RBIs away from making it.
“Steee-rike two!” the umpire called.
“Oh, no!” Nicky moaned. “What’re you waiting for, T.V.?”
T.V. had struck out the first time up, and it looked as if he was heading down that same route again. So far the score was
Mudders 1, Green Dragons 0. A single from T.V. would put José Mendez on second. And if Nicky was the man to bat José home,
he’d be one RBI closer to his record.
The next pitch was a knee-high blazer. “Swing!” Nicky muttered. T.V. did, and belted a sizzling grounder to third.
“Good shot!” Nicky yelled. The Dragons’ third baseman bobbled the ball, then recovered and whipped it to second. José was
safe! Second baseman Dale Emerson relayed to first. T.V. was safe by a step!
Nicky picked up a bat. But he didn’t go directly to the batter’s box. He went through a ritual he performed each time he prepared
to bat.
First he tapped his right foot with the bat. Then his left. Then he took two swings. Finally he stepped into the batter’s
box and touched the outside left corner with the bat, then the right. Only then did he face the pitcher.
He let the first two pitches go by for balls, then swung at the third — and sent it soaring over the fence for a home run!
He was a third of the way to first base before he tossed the bat aside.
Worked again!
he thought with glee.
That ol’ ritual hasn’t failed me yet this season!
The Mudders’ fans cheered loudly. As Nicky trotted over home plate, the team was waiting to congratulate him.
“Way to go, Nicky!” called T.V. Adams. “Three more runs for the Mudders! And you’re that much closer to you-know-what!”
Nicky smiled and took a seat on the bench. But secretly he wished T.V. hadn’t said anything. The Mudders had only two more
games left this season, so breaking the record would be no easy task. And like many ballplayers, Nicky was superstitious.
He was afraid that talking about his chances might jinx him.
Just to be on the safe side, he rapped his knuckles on the bench.
Knock on wood
, he thought.
That should counteract T.V.’s blunder!
The score still read Mudders 4, Dragons 0, when Alfie Maples popped out to third to end the Mudders’ turn at bat.
The Dragons started out strong. The first batter slugged a triple into right field. A moment later, he crossed home plate
on a single by Eddie Kolski.
“That’s enough!” Nicky yelled from his second base position. “Let’s buckle down and get them out!”
The infield chatter must have helped. The next two batters got out on a pop-up and a strikeout. Then T.V. gloved a hot bouncer
to
third. He pegged it to second for the forced out.
Mudders 4, Dragons 1.
“All right! How about some hits, team!” shouted Coach Parker. “Start it off, Bus!”
Bus didn’t. Neither did Rudy or Sparrow. As a matter of fact, neither the Mudders nor the Dragons scored again until the last
inning.
Nicky was first up at the top of the sixth.
Tap, tap, swing, swing, touch, touch
, he murmured to himself.
Bucky Neal threw the first pitch — and Nicky connected for a scorching shot over the shortstop’s head! The ball bounded out
to the left center field fence before Greg Barnes scooped it up and whipped it to third. Nicky wisely held up at second.
“Boy, are you having a hot day!” said Dale Emerson, the Dragons’ second baseman. “Are you going for a record or something?”
Nicky just smiled and shrugged. Although Dale hadn’t
specifically
mentioned the RBI record, answering might ruin his luck.
Nicky watched Alfie Maples walk on four pitches. Then Bus Mercer hit a solid single, loading the bases. Rudy Calhoun struck
out, but Sparrow Fisher singled. Nicky took off from third the minute he heard the bat connect with the ball. He crossed home
plate safely, adding another run to their score.
Bus wasn’t as lucky. Sparrow’s single was close to second base. Dale Emerson stepped on the bag seconds before Bus slid in.
Bus wiped the dust from his pants and jogged off the field.
With runners on first and third, Barry McGee, the Mudders’ strongest hitter, stepped to the plate. Nicky cheered him on with
the rest of the Mudders’ bench.
Much to everyone’s surprise, Barry failed to connect with Bucky’s pitches. He struck out.
The scoreboard read Mudders 5, Dragons 1.
“Okay, Sparrow,” said Nicky as he passed the Mudders’ pitcher on his way to second base. “The sooner you strike ’em out, the
sooner we can get home!”
“And the sooner I can get some dinner in my empty stomach!” called Turtleneck Jones from first base. He patted his belly.
Nicky laughed. “I thought I heard something growl at me earlier. Hey,” he added. “Speaking of growling, come by my house later
on and I’ll show you something really neat.”
“What is it?” Turtleneck asked curiously.
“You’ll see.”
Both boys turned their attention to the game. Sparrow breezed in three pitches to Andy Jackson, all balls. Then he laced two
pitches chest-high and over the middle of the plate. The count was now 3 and 2.
“Bear down, Sparrow!” Nicky encouraged. “Just one more!”
Sparrow twirled the ball around and around in his hand. Then he stretched and delivered.
Crack!
A high, long shot toward right field! Alfie Maples took off after it, but he didn’t stand a chance. It was going… going…
It was gone! A home run!
“That’s okay!” called Coach Parker from the dugout. “Don’t let it shake you, Sparrow!”
That homer put the Dragons within three runs of the Mudders, reminding Nicky that as long as the Dragons were at bat, they
could come out on top.
Nicky pounded his glove and crouched, ready to field anything that came near him. But Cush Boochie, the next man up, didn’t
give him a chance. Cush singled over short.
Beans Malone stepped to the plate.
“C’mon, Sparrow! Get ’em outta there!” Nicky yelled.
Sparrow did. He fanned Beans on three straight pitches.
That took the wind out of the Dragons’ sails. Lefty Cash and Bucky Neal met the ball, but only to squeak out little dribblers.
Bus easily fielded the first one and made a clean throw to Turtleneck for the second out. Nicky did the same with Bucky’s
hit. The game ended with the Peach Street Mudders beating the Dragons 5 to 2.