Batting to Win Part 27

"Now, Pete, don't forget what I told you!" shouted Tom, as the lad who was taking Sid's place stepped up, but poor Pete must have had a poor memory, for he struck out, and when Tom himself took up his stick, Bricktop, who had been vainly trying to steal second and who was somewhat tired out, by the pitcher's efforts to catch him napping on first, finally did what the Fairview players hoped he would do--he played off too far, and he couldn't get back, when Allen suddenly slammed the ball over to the first baseman. Bricktop was out, and the Randall side was retired, but with three runs to its credit.

"That'll do for a starter," observed Tom, as he put on his pitching glove. "We'll duplicate that next inning."

But the sixth saw goose eggs in the frames of both nines, though Tom sent a pretty, low fly out to center, where it was neatly caught by Ted Puder, who had to jump for it. The Jersey twins struck out in monotonous succession, thus ending the sixth.

"Now for the lucky seventh!" yelled a crowd of Fairview supporters.

"Everybody stand up!" and the big crowd arose to get some relief from sitting still so long.

The seventh was destined to be lucky in spite of the efforts of Tom and his men to hold back Fairview.

CHAPTER XXI

RANDALL IN THE TENTH

Lem Sellig, who was up first for Fairview, had what Tom thought was a wicked look in his eye. Whether Tom lost control or whether Lem surprised himself and his friends by finding the ball, in spite of its puzzling curve was not known, but at any rate he knocked a two bagger, and it was almost a three sacker, for the center fielder dropped the ball, and had some time in finding it in the gra.s.s before he threw it in just in time to shut off Lem from going to third. This stroke of luck seemed to give Fairview confidence, and Frank Sullivan almost duplicated Lem's trick, bringing in the third baseman, and getting to second himself.

"Now we're going to walk away from 'em," declared Lem, as he tallied the first run for his side, and it did look so, for Ned Williams found Tom Parsons for a couple of fouls. But the fatal blow was wanting, and Ned went back to the bench, amid groans. Sullivan stole to third on a ball that managed to get past Dutch at home, and then followed a wild scene when John Allen knocked a pretty fly, bringing in Frank, but getting out himself. This made the score two to three in favor of Randall, and there was a nervous tension when Tom got ready to attend to Herbert Bower, the next man up.

"I've got to dispose of him with some style," thought the Randall twirler, "or our fellows will get rattled. Let's see if I can't do it."

It looked a bit discouraging when his first two deliveries were called b.a.l.l.s, but the next three could not have been better, and Bower was struck out.

"All we've got to do is hold 'em down now, and we've got the game,"

declared Dutch, as he walked with Tom in from the field.

"We've got to get some more runs," insisted the captain.

But they didn't. Dutch, Phil and Holly went down in one, two, three order. And a zero went up in the seventh frame for Randall.

Tom struck out Sam Soden for a starter in the eighth, and then he lost his balance, or something else happened, for he issued a free pa.s.s to first for Simonson, amid a chorus of groans from the Randall lads, and jeers from Fairview, who hurled such encouraging remarks at Tom as these:

"We've got him going now!"

"He's all in!"

"We have his goat!"

"Talk about gla.s.s arms!"

Whether it was this jeering, or whether Tom was really tired, did not develop, but, at any rate, Ed Felton, who followed Simonson, placed a magnificent hit just inside the first base line, and with such speed did it go that it sifted down in through the seats of the right field bleachers, and Ed scored the first home run of the game, bringing in Simonson, whose tally tied the score; the homer putting Fairview one run ahead.

"Now we've got 'em! They're easy fruit!" yelled the Fairview throng, the girls from the college blending their shrill voices with those of their male companions. Tom was rather shaky when he and Dutch held a little consultation in front of home plate, as Puder walked up with his stick.

Puder singled, and Tom was getting worried, but he managed to pull himself together, and struck out Sellig and Sullivan, killing Puder on second, and halting any further scoring by Fairview that inning.

"Maybe you'd better put Rod Evert in the box in my place," suggested Tom to Mr. Leighton, as the Randall nine, much dispirited, came up for their turn at the bat, the score being four to three in favor of Fairview.

"Nonsense!" exclaimed the coach. "You'll do all right, Tom. This is only a little slump."

"I _hope_ this is the end of it," remarked the pitcher. "We can't stand much more."

"I'll duplicate Felton's home run," promised Dutch.

"That's the way to talk," declared Ed Kerr, who was not feeling very happy over the showing made by the team of which he was manager.

But alas for Dutch's hope! He didn't get a chance to bat, for Woodhouse struck out, and Molloy and Pete Backus followed.

"If we can hold 'em this inning, and then get two runs, it will do the trick," remarked Holly Cross at the beginning of the ninth.

"If," spoke Tom dubiously, for he was beginning to lose heart. However, he gritted his teeth and, after a few warming-up b.a.l.l.s before Ned Williams came up, he pitched to such good advantage that Williams was out in record time. John Allen swiped savagely at the horsehide, but it was not to be, and he walked back to the bench, while Bower came out, a smile of confidence on his face.

"Here's another home run," he prophesied, but Tom, in his heart, decided it was not to be, nor was it, for Bower struck out. This still left the score four to three, in favor of Fairview at the ending of the first half of the ninth inning. Randall needed two runs to win, but one would tie the tally, and give them another chance. It would also afford another opportunity for Fairview.

The big crowd was on edge. Songs and college cries were being hurled back and forth from grand stand and bleachers.

"The 'Conquer or Die' song, fellows," yelled Bean Perkins, and the strains of "_Aut Vincere Aut Mori!_" sung in Latin, welled sweetly and solemnly over the diamond. Tom Parsons felt the tears coming into his eyes, as he walked in.

"Oh, if we only can win!" he breathed.

He was up first, and he almost trembled as he faced the Fairview pitcher. There was a mist in his eyes, but somehow he managed to see through it the ball that was coming swiftly toward him. It looked good to his practiced eye, and he swung at it with all his force. To his delight there followed that most delightful of sounds, the "ping," as the tough mushroom bat met the ball.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! A pretty hit! A beaut!" Tom heard the crowd yell, as he tossed aside the club, and started for first like a deer.

"Go on! Go on!" yelled Holly Cross. "Keep a-going, Tom!"

Tom kept on, swung wide around first, and then legged it for second. The ball had gone well over the center fielder's head, and he was running back toward the daisies after it. "Go on! Go on!" implored Holly. Tom reached third before the ball was fielded in, and he remained there panting, while Joe Jackson took his place at home plate, swaying his bat to and fro.

"None gone, Tom on third and Joe at bat," mused Mr. Leighton. "I wish Joe was a better hitter, but maybe he can knock out a bingle that will do the trick."

Joe did, though it was more through an error on the part of the second baseman, who m.u.f.fed the fly, than any ability on Joe's part, that the Jersey twin got to first.

Tom came in, amid a burst of cheers and yells, scoring the tying run.

Would there be a winning one, or would ten innings be necessary?

Jerry Jackson struck out, while his friends groaned, but Joe, with desperate daring, managed to steal second. Then up came Dutch Housenlager, and when he hit the ball a resounding whack the heart of more than one lad was in his throat. But, by a desperate run, the left fielder caught the fly, and Dutch was out, while Joe Jackson was on third. He died there, for Phil, to his great chagrin, struck out. The score stood a tie 4 to 4.

"Ten innings! Ten innings!" yelled the crowd.

Bean Perkins and his fellows were singing all the songs they knew. So were the Fairview cohorts, and the scene was a wild one.

"Hold 'em down, Tom; hold 'em down!" implored the coach as the plucky pitcher went to his box.

It looked as if he was not going to do it, for he pa.s.sed Sam Soden to first, and duplicated the trick for Charley Simonson and with two men on bases, not a man down, and Tom as nervous as a cat, it began to look dubious for Randall. The crowd was on edge. So was Tom, with two lively runners on the first and second bags to watch. Several times he threw to first, hoping to catch Simonson napping, but it was not to be.

Suddenly Pete Backus, who was holding down second base, threw up his hand to s.h.i.+eld his eyes, and Tom saw a dazzling streak of light flash across from the grand stand.