Each fastball Brady House saw whizzed by a foot off the plate, a nearly unhittable offering that left the Winder-Barrow High School shortstop with his bat on his shoulder, waiting for his free pass. He had dealt with that approach before during his senior season, with teams unwilling to leave a ball in the zone for House to mash.
On this occasion, though, House began creeping in, crowding the plate, hoping for a mistake. While he took first base earlier in the game after watching four waste pitches fly by, House was determined to get at least one swing, one opportunity to deal damage against a team afraid of letting him do just that.