CHAPTER XXV
A VARSITY LOSS
“What do you know about that?”
“Varsity beaten the first game!”
“The scrubs win!”
“Say, that Ned Slade sure can pitch!”
“And did you see Bob scoop up that hot grounder and get it to first?”
“Well, the varsity didn’t really get warmed up.”
“That home run of Sid Lenton’s was a peach, though!”
These were some of the comments that could be heard as the studentsfiled off the diamond after the sensational finish of the practice game.
“Well, you did us,” said Bart Haley, with a smile at Jerry.
“But we’ll do you next time,” added Bill Hamilton.
“Well, I hope you do,” admitted Jerry. “We want the varsity to beat itsother college opponents, and we scrubs are willing to be beaten if thatcomes about.”
Frank did not join in the talk, but there was a sullen look on hisface. Clearly he did not fancy being beaten, especially when it wasdue to the work of Ned primarily, and to his own failure to hit,secondarily.
“Great work, boys! Great!” ejaculated Tom Bacon, captain of the scrubs.“That was a peach of a pick-up of yours, Bob.”
“Thanks.”
“And you certainly pulled down that high one I threw you, Jerry,” addedGeorge Fitch, who, at third, had caught a bouncing ball and heaved itover to first, but so high that Jerry had to jump for it, narrowlymissing the spheroid. But he put out his man.
“Some little curve you’ve got, to fool Frank,” said Lem Ferguson to Ned.
“Oh, he’s not such a hitter.”
“He’s considered pretty good, and his average is the best on the team,”declared George. “Oh, Frank is a good player, even if there are somethings about him some fellows don’t like.”
The first practice game, in which the varsity went down to defeat evenby so small a margin, was the talk of the college that night. Still, itwas not so important as the fact would have been later in the season.The boys had not quite settled into their stride.
Frank called a meeting of the team, and he “laid down the law,” asBart said afterward. Frank insisted that there must be more snappyplaying, nor did he excuse himself for missing Ned’s curve.
“I played rotten, fellows, I admit that,” he said, “but so did you, andwe’ve got to do better or Kenwell will walk all over us.”
“They’ve got a dandy team, I hear,” said Bill Hamilton. “Some newfellows have come on, and they’ve got a pitcher----”
“So have we,” interrupted Frank. “I’ll back Jim Blake against any manthey have when Jim gets warmed up.”
“Thank you!” laughed Jim, making a bow.
“But we’ve all got to play harder,” declared Frank. “If the scrub beatsus again--well, they mustn’t, that’s all, if we have to ‘bean’ some oftheir best men.”
“Meaning those motor boy fellows, as you call them?” asked Jake Porter.
“I’m not mentioning any names,” retorted Frank. “Only play hard, that’sall.”
There was another practice game two days later, and though the scrubdid its best to beat the varsity, the second nine was beaten six toten. Ned, Bob and Jerry were a trio of strength, but they lackedsupport at critical moments, and though Ned did not allow many hits,those that were made off him were well placed.
“This is more like it,” said Frank to his lads, as they walked off thefield. “They only beat us the other time by a fluke.”
“A fluke! Huh!” exclaimed Ned. “We’ll have a few more of those sameflukes served up to you soon.”
“Don’t start anything,” begged Jerry, in a low voice.
The varsity was playing good ball, though there was room forimprovement, and Frank realized it. He was a good captain and manager,though his stubbornness was not of any benefit to him nor the team.
The time was approaching for the first game of the three with Kenwell.This would take place on the grounds of the military academy. Thesecond game would be played at Boxwood Hall, and the third, if it wereneeded, would be played at either place, to be decided by lot.
Meanwhile, the varsity team played other nines, winning some gamesand losing a few, on the whole maintaining its reputation. But theother games did not count in the opinion of the lads as much as didthe annual contests with Kenwell. That was the event looked forward toalmost as much as was a world series. The two institutions had longbeen rivals.
The scrub nine, compared to the number of games played against otherscrubs, won more than the varsity. For there were several smallcolleges and preparatory schools in the neighborhood of Fordham, and,as these had second nines, contests were arranged with them runningthrough the spring.
The day before the first of the Kenwell-Boxwood games Ned, Bob, Jerryand the other members of the scrub nine, played the Kenwell scrub, andbeat them ten to five on the military academy grounds.
“Now let the varsity duplicate and we’ll say we’ve got a good team,”declared Tom Bacon.
“Oh, we’ll win; don’t worry!” prophesied Frank.
A big crowd of Boxwood Hall rooters went to Kenwell to see the firstof the three contests. A big auto-stage conveyed the team, and in theautomobile of our heroes as many of the scrubs as could find room wentalong to cheer for their team.
It was a perfect day, and there was a large crowd on hand. The rivalcheer leaders got their cohorts going early, and songs and battle crieswere wafted back and forth across the field. The boys from the academy,in their natty uniforms, made a pretty picture, and there were a numberof girls and women present, so the grounds, with the vari-colored hatsand dresses of the feminine contingent, held a brilliant assemblage.
Frank and Captain Oscar Durand, the latter of Kenwell, held aconsultation, submitted batting lists, and flipped the coin. Frank wonand chose to bat last, naturally.
“Play ball!” directed the umpire, as there came a hush in the singingand cheering.
“Don’t I wish I were in the game!” exclaimed Ned, who with his twochums and others sat among the loyal rooters.
“So do I,” echoed Bob.
“Well, we may yet. The season isn’t half over,” remarked Jerry.
The play started. There was nothing remarkable about it at first. Fora few innings there was a sort of pitchers’ battle, and some pop flieswere knocked by both sides.
“The boys are beginning to get on to each other’s curves,” said Bob.
Then came a break. Jim Blake served up a slow ball to Ford Tatum, theKenwell catcher, who banged it out for a three bagger. And Durand, thecaptain, with a two sack beauty, brought the man in with a run thatput the military lads ahead. That started things going. Several otherplayers got hits off Jim, and the inning ended finally with the Kenwelllads four runs ahead.
“It’s all over but the shouting,” commented Ned.
“We may have a chance,” Jerry returned.
“Sock” Burchell, the Kenwell pitcher, had good curves and a fast ball.For the next two innings he held the Boxwood Hall lads to a singlehit. Not a run came in. Then Frank knocked a homer which brought thecrowd to its feet and sent new hope thrilling through the veins of thecollege team and its coherents.
Whether Frank’s sensational run made him lose his head, or whether hetried desperate measures, was not disclosed. At any rate, he directedthe game wrongly from then on. He gave signals for hits and runs whenhe should not have done so, and while at first base, coaching, gave awrong direction to a runner which caused him to be thrown out at second.
Then the fielders began muffing balls, the first baseman dropped one heshould have held, and when the Boxwood Hall boys came up to bat for thelast time they had a margin of six runs to overcome.
“The fat’s in the fire now,” sighed Bob.
And so it was. One man singled, but that was all. The next went out ona foul tip, and “Sock” struck out the two following.
Boxwood Hall had lost.
Ned, Bob and Jerry at Boxwood Hall; Or, The Motor Boys as Freshmen Page 26