I went back and fielded some ground balls to finish getting ready for the game. I felt I was where I needed to be mentally. I think Moose felt confident because he had Bert pitch the first game. Last year we trotted Justin out because we didn’t know if we’d be playing more than one game. Most teams would play their best pitcher to assure they got to the second round.
It was soon time to get started. Everyone was focused and determined to win today. Bert had worked hard to perfect his two-seam fastball. It was a good pitch because it tended to tail away. Batters routinely topped the pitch and hit grounders. Bert wasn’t overpowering, so if he could get them to hit grounders and let us play defense, we had a chance at winning.
Bert normally ran into trouble if his pitches started to get up in the zone. When he did that, it was like watching batting practice. I was happy to see the first three batters he faced all grounded out. We came up to bat with smiles on our faces. Bert was going to have a good outing.
Our only problem was our bats deserted us. Come the bottom of the seventh inning, we were deadlocked at 0–0. Neither team was able to get a runner further than second base. It wasn’t like their pitcher was very good. We should have been lighting him up.
I was leading off and had gone 0–3 so far today. I guess I wasn’t surprised when Moose pinch-hit Brock Callahan for me. Brock had looked good in batting practice before the game. On the first pitch, Brock hit a screaming line drive right at the third baseman. I groaned, knowing it was a sure out, but was surprised when the ball bounced off his chest. I was sure that would leave a mark.
Moose sent Bryan up next, taking the bat out of Wolf’s hands. He stepped in and hit a hard shot right back at the pitcher. The ball brushed the pitcher’s hip, which caused it to change direction just enough so their shortstop wasn’t able to field the ball cleanly. We now had runners on first and second.
Jim was sent in as the third straight pinch hitter. Their pitcher tried to get Jim to chase a fastball high in the zone. He showed good discipline and held up. The next pitch was a hanging curve. Jim parked it, giving us the win 3–0.
I GUESS I SHOULD HAVE expected it when Moose benched Jeff, Wolf and me for the second game. The Callahan twins and Jim were inserted into the lineup. Mike pitched a good game, but the defense wasn’t as strong without the two of us in the middle of the infield. The good news was our substitutes paid off at the plate. We ended up beating Lakeview 8–6.
I pitched the next game against Washington. We met them in the semifinals last year. They’d forfeited when they ran out of pitchers. I had a good game. I actually struck out Ty three times. My bat also came back to life as I hit two singles and a double. We cruised to a 6–1 victory.
We met St. Joe in the final. I personally thought they should’ve been the number one seed. They always had a strong baseball team, and they were undefeated this year. Justin shut them down. He wasn’t flashy, but still only allowed six hits. We won the tournament with a 12–3 win. Our record stood at 11–1, the best start Lincoln had had in over ten years.
The team gathered around to find out who the MVPs were. The three of us had talked during the day. It was decided the winners had to be single and not freshmen. They also had to be guys who wouldn’t embarrass us or talk afterward. Justin was eliminated for what he did to Piper. My buddy Jeff was also taken out of the pool of possible candidates by Bill and Tim. I decided not to fight them on their decision because he was dating Cassidy. The ‘no dating rule’ took out a lot of the rest of the team.
“It was easy to name the MVPs of the tournament. Both guys came through with clutch hitting and stepped in when we needed pitching. The winners are Brock and Bryan Callahan,” Bill announced.
After the brothers had been congratulated, I saw Bill and Tim talking to them. They both had big grins and were nodding as my fellow captains explained what was expected of them tonight.
HARPER WAS ACTING NERVOUS when we pulled into the parking lot of the Alpha Chi Omega house. Cora had instructed us to park in the rear, come in through the back door and go down to the basement. We were sitting in my Jeep as she turned to me.
“Am I being a bitch by not letting you spend time with other girls?” she asked.
I almost laughed until I realized she was dead serious. I took a deep breath and looked at the back of the Alpha Chi Omega house. It was a monster of a sorority house that looked like it was built at the turn of the 1900s. You could have moved it to a plantation in the Deep South. I jerked my mind back from wandering and answered her question.
“Harper, you confuse the hell out of me. When I first met you, I was attracted to your spunk and quick wit. I have an affinity for smart, self-assured women. It certainly didn’t hurt you have a killer body. Then you go saying something like that. If I said it, you’d look me in the eye and tell me to quit being a wuss and grow a pair. I don’t understand why you think you need to change the way you think, just because we’re dating.”
“Did you just call me a wuss?” Harper asked as she glared at me.
“No, I said you’d call me a wuss,” I clarified.
“No, I think you’re just finding a clever way of calling me a wuss,” she shot back.
I started to say something clever and then stopped myself. Harper was a lot like her mom. She could smell bullshit from a mile away. I decided to ‘man up, and grow a pair.’
“I guess I did,” I said.
“Oh. You know I’m going to kick your butt.”
“Have at it, tough girl,” I said, unable to hide my amusement.
“All right, I’ll quit feeling sorry for you and make you watch as your teammates get laid.”
“Fine with me,” I said and kissed her.
“I hate it when you kiss me just when I’m getting a good mad on,” she huffed, and we got out of the Jeep.
Harper found her way under my arm as she led me in. I knew she wasn’t mad, she was just feeling insecure. She’d be back to normal as soon as she got a feel for what was going on. I found it funny that Harper made sure I was looking good tonight. I had planned to wear jeans and a t-shirt with my letterman’s jacket. She had me try on several outfits before she was satisfied. I wasn’t surprised when she picked out something casual from Dakora. I think she wanted to make the other girls jealous. I was a little surprised when she wore a skirt that barely covered her butt. I wasn’t sure what the purpose of her attire was. If it was meant for me, then okay, but I was worried she’d dressed for the college guys who’d be there.
When we got inside, we found we were the first ones there from my group. Cora saw me and smiled. She was talking to several of her sisters, so we went and grabbed a couple of sodas. I was confused at the different clothes the girls were wearing. I asked Harper about it.
“The ones in the jerseys must be the pledges. The girls wearing normal clothes have to be the sorority sisters.”
I noticed the ones wearing jerseys seemed to be just wearing jerseys. I checked out the pledges and they were all cute. Pam had told me Alpha Chi Omega was noted for having the best-looking women on campus. While I hadn’t seen the other twenty-some sororities, I would take it on faith she was right. I sent a text to Tim and Bill, letting them know the ladies were waiting for them. They were in charge of getting Bryan and Brock here.
There were already several guys here and most looked to be college age. They were talking to each other. I shook my head when I realized that it wasn’t much different than high school, with girls clustered in one group and the boys in another. Harper and I were people-watching as we waited for the rest of our crew to show up. Five minutes later all my teammates showed up, wearing jeans and baseball jerseys. I guess I missed the memo.