Zip It! by Kurtis Scaletta & Eric Wight

Author:Kurtis Scaletta & Eric Wight
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Amulet Books
Published: 2012-03-24T16:00:00+00:00

he Varmints made three quick outs in the top of the first inning. The Porcupines came out swinging and scored three runs. After that, I was busy and was only half paying attention. With Wally gone, there was a lot more to do. I had to find Sammy some new batting gloves because the strap broke on one of his. Wayne had a sore hand and needed ointment. Grumps—that’s what everyone called the Porcupines’ manager—needed new lead for his mechanical pencil. It took me forever to find it.

It seemed like every time I finished one errand, I had to run and get something else, or chase after a foul ball, or fetch a bat. I lost track of the game, which is how I got into trouble.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Lance handed me his “Property of Lance” mug. He gave me a little nod, but he didn’t say a word. I guessed that he wanted more coffee. I’d already refilled the mug a couple of times. I went and topped it off and brought it back. I hoped the coffee hadn’t gotten cold. He took it, sipped, and smiled.

“Still perfect?” I asked.

He looked at me with wide eyes and nearly dropped the mug.

I glanced sideways and saw that everyone in the dugout was staring at me.

I checked my zipper. Nothing wrong there.

I took off my cap to see if there was gum on it. It was fine. I looked back at the Pines’ dugout.

“What?” I asked.

Lance shook his head at me.

Teddy came over and took me by the shoulder.

“Over here,” he said. He led me to the other end of the dugout.

Grumps was watching me with wide, bloodshot eyes. He was snorting and fuming, and his head looked like a balloon, swelling and swelling. I though it might pop.

“It’s OK, Grumps,” Teddy whispered. “I’ll talk to the boy.” He waved at me to stand right at the entrance to the field, and then he pointed across the field at the scoreboard. It didn’t just show how many runs had been scored, it also showed the hits and errors each team had.

The Varmints had zero hits.

The Porcupines had zero errors.

I couldn’t talk at first. I forced the words out, sounding as small and squeaky as a leaky balloon. Or maybe I just had balloons on the brain. “Are there …” I asked. “Does Lance have any …”

“No, he doesn’t have any walks,” Teddy replied. “No hit batsmen. No errors. No hits. No nothing.”

“So the Varmints …”

“That’s right. The Varmints have not had a base runner through five innings,” the Bear whispered. “Fifteen up, fifteen down.”

“It’s a p—” I started.

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