Supercharged Infield (9 page)

Sophie Kowalski, up next, fouled off three pitches, then struck out. Three outs. Hawks 2, Comets 0.

The Comets scored twice in the bottom of the first inning, however, tying up the game. Then, leading off for the Hawks in
the top of the second, Jean Zacks struck out, and now Penny was more certain than ever that at least
three
of the girls — Karen, Shari, and Jean — were back to their normal selves again. There was still a shadow of a doubt about
Faye.

The half-inning ended with the Hawks not scoring, leaving three girls stranded on the bases, including Karen, who had drawn
a walk.

The Comets went hitless at their turn at
bat. Then Shari led off the top of the third with a fly to the right fielder, and Faye stepped into the box, digging her toes
into the dirt, waving the bat in small circles over her right shoulder like a big-leaguer anxious to rap that ball over the
fence.

It didn’t happen. Faye swung at the first pitch, a perfect down-the-pipe fast ball, and sent it dribbling lazily to the pitcher.
Maxine scooped it up and threw Faye out by six feet.

Great!
a voice screamed happily inside of Penny as she watched Faye from the on-deck circle.
Faye’s okay!
Oh, it would’ve been much better if Faye had knocked one between the infielders, or had even doubled. The Hawks could use
all the hits they could get. But the weak hit was a true sign that Faye wasn’t a manufactured super athlete any longer.

When she came running back from first base, Penny said to her, “Tough luck, Faye. Better luck next time.”

Faye shrugged and said, “I’ll
kill
it the next time.”

Penny laughed. Hearing that was all she needed to know that Faye, and all the other girls, were back to their normal, natural
selves again.

The Comets won the game 11 to 9, but Penny — and four other girls, at least — didn’t really mind. Winning it or losing it
wasn’t all that important today. Something else had been more important than ten wins, and it was that something that made
the world bright again, and the sun shine again — in spite of the gray clouds.

Penny saw a boy running hard across the field from the grandstand. It was Jonny, his blond hair bouncing, his wide, handsome
face shining. Penny’s heart pounded. What a change in him, she thought. He looked so much better now that he was relieved
of that terrible secret.

“Tough game to lose!” he exclaimed, breathing normally in spite of the sprint from the grandstand. “But” — he shrugged as
he met Penny’s eyes — “you can’t have everything.”

“Right,” Penny agreed, smiling.

“Excuse me!” a deep, drawling voice cut in.

Penny looked behind her. The stocky, dark-haired scorekeeper entered the circle. “What’s on your mind, Harold? A movie next
Saturday afternoon?”

Harold stared at her. “No more movies for a while.”

His dark, searching eyes rested on her a moment longer, then shifted slowly over the other faces. “Actually, I had a picnic
for the team in mind,” he said finally. “What do you think? In celebration of our natural athletes.”

“Sounds good to me!” Faye piped up, smiling. “You can take Shari and me, Harold. Jonny can take Jean and Penny!”

Harold grinned, his face beaming. He was glad things were back to normal. “Fine with me, Faye,” he said. “How about you, Jonny?
You for it?”

“One hundred percent,” Jonny replied. He took Penny’s hand, squeezed it, and Penny squeezed it back.

“Where shall we go?” she asked quietly.

“Who cares?” he said.

Baseball Pals	Long Shot for Paul
The Basket Counts	Long Stretch at First Base
Catch That Pass!	Look Who’s Playing First Base
Catcher with a Glass Arm	Miracle at the Plate
Challenge at Second Base	No Arm in Left Field
The Counterfeit Tackle	Red-Hot Hightops
The Diamond Champs	Return of the Home Run Kid