Chapter 15

He quickly became a crowd favorite.

Matt cheered himself hoarse whenever Vic was up to bat, but his shouts and catcalls were lost in the cacophony that rose from the stands. The announcer could barely be heard over the noise. “Bases are loaded,” he said in a hush, trying to draw out the suspense. “Can Braunson do it again?”

The crowd knew Vic would bring in every runner and they couldn’t be silenced. As one, they gasped when his bat hit the ball; the other team would scramble trying to catch it, or hell, even seeit sometimes, as Vic jogged around the bases. Each time one of his teammates touched the home plate, they did a little victory dance that made the crowd go wild. Vic himself just kept up the same steady speed, not bothering to hurry as he crossed each plate on his way home.