1 Tyrone swung the bat. He hit the ball as hard as he could. Then he watched it sail out over the field.
2 "Run!" shouted the crowd, and Tyrone ran.
3 The crowd began to cheer and clap as he raced across home plate. Tyrone gave everyone a big smile. He liked playing baseball. Soon his friend Juan would be at bat. Maybe their team would win.
4 Juan Lopez was a good player, too. He wanted to be able to hit the ball as high as a kite. Maybe he would do it today. He stood ready to hit the ball.
5 The pitcher threw the ball once, but Juan did not swing the bat. The umpire called "Ball one!" The pitcher threw three more balls, but none of them were good. Juan had to walk to first base. He was not happy. He wanted to make a home run. Other boys tried to hit the ball, but they all struck out. Juan did not get to run to the other bases. The score was fourteen to ten in the other team's favor.
6 After the game was over, Juan's mother, Mrs. Lopez, came down from the stands.
7 "You both played very well today," she said. She brushed some dirt off of the crown logo on the back of Tyrone's black team shirt. "You will need to have this washed before the next game," she said. "Your number ten is hidden under all the dirt."
8 "I wish the game wasn't over, Mama," said Juan. "I don't want to stop playing."
Paragraphs 9 to 17:
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