Hit and Roll (Real name is unknown)

This is a game all of the neighborhood kids used to play during the 60’s, in the street in San Jose, California.

One person was the batter. He had a regular wooden bat and a tennis ball. The batter had to throw the ball up into the air and hit the ball himself. The rest of the players were out into the street, and yards.
If the player hitting the ball hit a pop up and someone caught the ball, then the person who caught the ball got to be the batter. If the ball was not caught, then from where the ball was picked up, that person then walked straight out from that spot to the middle of the street. The batter then had to lay the bat down crosswise in the middle of the street. The player with the ball then would have to roll the ball and try and hit the bat., if this was achieved then the only way the batter could keep his postion as batter was for him to catch the ball in the air when it hit the bat and popped up. If he did not catch the ball, then the person who rolled the ball would get to be the batter until someone else caught a pop up or rolled the ball and the ball was caught after it hit the bat.
We had as many as 20 or more people in the street playing, and everyone would scramble to get the chance to catch or roll the ball. Never used any mitts. Didn’t need any. Always used a tennis ball.

Janet Eeds