End of the Deadlock (2)

"Calm down before I throw you off my team."

The words were deep and terrifying, causing him to freeze on the spot.

Mark Williams turned Ryan around and led him back to the mound, not before apologizing to the umpire's briefly.

On the way back to the mound, Ryan was like a child who had gotten in trouble. Any thoughts of getting angry or back chatting had been quickly thrown to the back of his mind. Judging by the tone of the coach's voice, he wasn't happy.

"I don't understand." Coach Williams said when they arrived at the mound.

"W-What do you mean?" Ryan asked, genuinely confused.

"You were willing to throw away your pride and walk Ken earlier, yet in the next breath you threw away the chance to save a run because of it." Mark said, looking down at Ryan, with a frown on his face.