The field was alive with movement as Linus and his teammates warmed up. Filip was on the mound, throwing warm-up pitches to the catcher. Each pitch popped into the glove with a satisfying thud, and Linus could feel the anticipation building. It wasn't a real game, but it felt closer than any of the drills they'd done so far. This was a scrimmage, and everyone was treating it like the real deal.
In the infield, Oliver was sending ground balls to Linus as the shortstop, the 2nd baseman, and the third baseman, who were taking turns fielding and throwing to first. Linus felt a little out of place, the nerves creeping up as the ball smacked into his glove. He glanced over at the outfielders, who were casually playing catch, their long throws arcing through the air. The whole field seemed busy, but Linus's mind was fixed on the upcoming plays.
Suddenly, the coach's voice rang out, sharp and clear.
"Balls in!"
The warm-ups were over. This was it. Linus tossed the ball back to Oliver, who threw it to the bucket near the dugout. The team gathered into position, their cleats digging into the dirt as the first batter stepped up to the plate.
Linus took a deep breath, glancing over at Filip, who was now standing tall on the mound, his face focused. He had looked strong during warm-ups, and Linus could tell Filip was locked in. But that didn't ease the butterflies in Linus's stomach. This was his first real game situation at shortstop.
The game officially began with Filip's first pitch, a fastball that blew past the right-handed batter. The swing was late, and the ball flew straight into the catcher's glove. Linus exhaled, relieved that the first pitch had gone well.
"Strike one!" the umpire called.
Filip wasted no time, quickly winding up for his next pitch—a fastball that zipped past the batter, once again catching him off guard. Linus watched Filip's body language, noticing the subtle shift in confidence. He was in control.
With the count 0-2, Filip delivered his third pitch—a cutter. This time, the batter couldn't catch up to it as it broke sharply inside on the right-handed batter. He swung hard but missed completely. The first batter was out. Linus allowed himself a small smile as the team clapped in approval.
Being a lefty, Filip's cutter naturally broke in toward the right-handed batter, and that movement had been too much for the hitter to handle. With the first batter down easily, Filip seemed to be in a groove. But perhaps because of that success, Filip's next pitch—a fastball—drifted too close to the middle of the plate.
The second batter, already prepared, didn't hesitate. He swung hard and connected, sending a fast liner rocketing to left field. Linus could only watch as the ball sailed out of his reach. The left fielder scrambled to chase it down, but it dropped before him allowing the batter to safely arrive on 1st base.
The sudden shift in momentum clearly rattled Filip. Linus could see his body tense slightly as he prepared to face the next batter, Johannes. Filip's first two pitches to Johannes missed the strike zone entirely, and Linus shifted uncomfortably at shortstop, aware that Filip was behind 2-0 in the count.
Finally, Filip gathered himself and threw a two-seam fastball that looked like it would catch the zone. But at the last moment, the ball broke outside, surprising Johannes, who swung and missed. Linus could almost hear Johannes's bat slicing through the air, missing the movement.
The next pitch came, this time a four-seam fastball right in the zone. Johannes swung hard and fouled it off, the ball hitting the first base dugout. Filip was slowly clawing his way back into control.
With the count now 2-2, Filip decided to stick with another fastball. He fired it to the inside of the strike zone, but this time, Johannes connected cleanly. The ball shot toward the gap between the 2nd baseman and Oliver at first. Oliver, who had been holding the runner to first base, was positioned too close to make a clean play. The grounder sped past him in a flash.
Linus moved towards 2nd base quickly, hoping for a double play opportunity. The 2nd baseman made a desperate dive, snagging the ball before it could roll into the outfield. But by the time he scrambled to his feet, there was no chance for a throw to 2nd base. He made the smart choice and fired the ball to Oliver at first, getting Johannes out but allowing the runner to advance to 2nd base.
Johannes had gotten out, but he had at least advanced the runner on first base to second. Filip now stood on the mound with two outs and a runner in scoring position. Linus could feel the tension rising. He glanced at the runner on second. One good hit to the outfield, and they'd be facing a potential run. Linus knew that if the ball made it to the outfield, they would need a perfect throw to home plate to stop the runner from scoring. His mind raced through the possibilities. What if the ball comes to me? Will I be ready to make the right play?
But his worries were for nothing. Filip seemed to have found his groove again after Johannes's groundout. The fourth batter, after taking a few practice swings, stepped into the box. Filip stared him down, his gaze steady and focused. The first pitch—a fastball—zipped toward the plate, and the batter swung hard but only managed to clip it, sending it straight back into the netting behind home plate.
Linus exhaled slowly, his nerves calming a little.
Filip's next pitch came—a cutter this time. The batter hesitated when he saw the movement on the pitch, unsure whether to swing, and let it go by. The umpire's voice boomed, "Strike two!"
Now ahead in the count, Filip didn't waste time. He reared back and delivered a high fastball. The batter made contact, sending the ball flying toward center field. Linus held his breath, watching as the center fielder settled under it with ease.
A moment later, the ball dropped into the fielder's glove, and the inning was over.
Linus let out a quiet sigh of relief as he jogged back toward the dugout with the rest of the team. Despite his initial worries, they had managed to get out of the inning without giving up any runs. Still, Linus couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. He hadn't made any plays defensively, and now it would be a while before he even got to bat. He glanced over at the lineup written on the dugout wall. His name was down near the bottom, batting eighth—probably because this was his first game. Only Filip, the pitcher, was behind him in the order.
Linus sat down on the bench next to Oliver, who had a similar look on his face. Oliver was batting seventh, just ahead of Linus, and it didn't seem like they'd be coming up to bat anytime soon.
Lukas was their team's best pitcher, and he was now pitching against them. Linus had heard a lot about Lukas's speed and control, but seeing him pitch would be something else entirely. As if on cue, Lukas fired his first pitch to the leadoff batter. The ball whizzed by before the batter could even react.
Lukas made quick work of the first batter, getting him to swing and miss on a high fastball for the strikeout after only 3 pitches.
"Damn, that was fast," Oliver muttered.
The next batter didn't fare much better. After a couple of fouls, Lukas threw a curveball that dropped right out of the batter's reach. Another strikeout.
Linus shifted on the bench, watching as the third batter stepped up. This time, the batter managed to make contact, but it was a weak grounder toward shortstop. The fielder easily scooped it up and threw to first for the final out of the inning.
Just like that, Lukas had retired the side.
Linus slumped slightly, realizing it really would be tough to score runs against him. They hadn't even managed to put the ball in play cleanly, with the top of their lineup. He glanced over at Oliver again, both of them sharing the same thought: this scrimmage was going to be a long, difficult game if they couldn't figure out how to handle Lukas's pitching.
Linus got prepared to field again, mentally preparing himself for when it would finally be his turn at bat.