CHAPTER VIII
HOW THE GAME ENDED
The next batter up was plainly nervous. He had two strikes called onhim, and then he knocked a small foul, which was quickly gathered inby the third baseman. Then Tom came to the bat, and was lucky enoughto make a clean one-base hit. After that, came several base hits inrapid succession. These brought in not only Tom, but also the manbehind him. Then came a bad fumble on the part of the Roxleyshortstop, and, as a result, another run was put up to the credit ofBrill.
"Seven runs. That's going some!"
"I guess this is Brill's game, after all."
"Make it a round dozen while you're at it, boys."
But this was not to be. The hits for Brill had evidently come to anend, and the side retired with seven runs to its credit.
"Now, Tom, hold them down if you possibly can," said Bob, as his teamtook the field.
"I'll do my level best, Bob," was the reply.
With the score five to seven against them, Roxley put in apinch hitter by the name of Bixby. This player certainly made good,getting a three-base hit with apparent ease. Then followed an out, andthen another base hit, bringing in Bixby's run. Then followed someragged play on the part of Bob and his second and third basemen, whichput out one man, but evened up the score, 7 to 7.
With two men out, and the score a tie, it was certainly a delicateposition for Tom.
"Tom, hold them! please hold them!" pleaded Bob, as he came up. "Don'tlet them get as far as first if you can help it."
The batter to face Tom was a fairly good one, but the young pitcherremembered that this fellow had always struck at balls which were bothhigh and far out. Accordingly, he fed him only those which were lowand well in, "One strike!"
"That's it, Tom! Keep it up!"
Again Tom wound up, and the ball shot over the plate. This time thebatsman swung for it, but failed to connect.
"Strike two!"
"Good boy, Tom, that's the way to do it!"
"Be careful, Billy, make him give you just what you want!"
Once again Tom wound up, and this time sent the ball in with all thespeed that was left to him. Again the bat came around.
"Strike three! Batter out!"
A wild yell arose. Here was the end of the ninth inning, and the gamewas a tie!
"Oh, Songbird! do you think Brill will win?" exclaimed Grace,anxiously.
"I certainly hope so. We've pulled up pretty well. We had only tworuns when they had five, remember."
"Hasn't Tom pitched pretty well?" questioned Minnie.
"Sure, he has! Those Roxley fellows are great batters. More than oncethey have knocked a pitcher clean out of the box."
"Oh, I certainly hope Brill wins," murmured Nellie.
There was an intense silence when the tenth inning opened. Frank cameto the bat first, and knocked a little one, but managed to reachfirst. Then, on a sacrifice hit, he advanced to second. Followingthat, came a wild throw by the Roxley pitcher, and Frank dusted asfast as he could for third.
"Now, Carson, hold him!" yelled a number of the Roxley followers totheir pitcher. "Don't let him get in!"
Carson did his best, but with two strikes called on the batter, therecame a neat little one-base hit, and, amid a wild cheering and a grandtooting of horns and sounding of rattles, Frank slid in to the homeplate.
"Hurrah! hurrah! that makes the score eight to seven!"
"Keep it up, boys! You've got 'em going."
But that was the end of the run making for Brill. The next man was putout with ease, and the side retired with the score reading: Roxley--7,Brill--8.
"Now, if we can only hold them," was Spud's comment, as he glanced atBob and then at Tom. "How about it?" he demanded, of the pitcher.
"I'll do what I can," was Tom's simple answer.
Nearly all the spectators in the grandstand and on the bleachers werenow on their feet. All sorts of cries and suggestions rent the air.Amid this great hubbub, the Brill nine took their positions, Sam goingdown to left field as directed by Bob.
Tom was a trifle pale as he faced the first batter, but, if he wasnervous, the Roxley player was evidently more so. Almost before eitherof them knew it, two strikes had been called. Then, however, came ashort hit to third, which the baseman fumbled, and the batter gotsafely to first.
"That's the way! Now, keep it up!"
"We only want two runs to win."
The next batter was one that Tom, fortunately, had studied closely.This man usually waited all he could in the hope of having ballscalled on the pitcher. As a consequence, Tom fed him several straightones over the plate, and so quickly that two strikes were calledalmost before the baseman realized what was occurring. Then, as heswung at a low one, the third strike was called, and he was declaredout. In the meantime, however, the runner on first had made second.Then came another out, and then a drive to second, which landed thebatsman on first, but kept the man on second where he was.
"Two men on base!"
"Bring 'em in, Landy! Bang it out for all you are worth!"
"Careful, Tom, careful!" pleaded Bob; and even Spud came down tointerview the pitcher.
"I'm doing all I can," returned Tom.
It must be admitted that Tom's blood was surging wildly. A miss--andthe game would either become a tie or be won by Roxley.
In came the ball, and the Roxley player swung at it viciously.
"Strike one!"
"Good boy, Tom, keep it up!"
"Strike him out, old man!"
Again Tom twirled the ball and sent it in. Just the instant before itleft his hand, his foot slipped, and the sphere came in, not on acurve as the young pitcher had intended, but straight. Crack! went thebat, and in a twinkling the sphere was sailing high in the air towardleft field.
"Hurrah, that's the way to do it!"
"Run, everybody run!"
"Get it, Sam, get it!"
The ball was high in the air and well over Sam's head. The youngestRover was running with might and main down left field. The eyes of allthe spectators were on him. On and on, and still on, he sped, with theball curving lower, and lower toward the field. Then, just as thesphere was coming down, Sam made a wild clutch with his left hand andcaught it.
"Batter out!"
"My, what a catch!"
"Wasn't it a beauty!"
"Brill wins the game!"
Such a riot as ensued! Hats and canes were thrown up into the air,horns tooted loudly, and the noise of the rattles was incessant. TheBrill students fairly danced for joy, and their friends, including theladies, were almost equally demonstrative.
"Sam, that's the best catch I ever saw in my life!" cried Bob, as' heran forward to grab the young left-fielder by the hand.
"It certainly was, Sam; and you pulled me out of a big hole," camefrom Tom. "When I saw that fellow hit the ball, I thought it was allup with us."
"Some catch, that!" broke in Spud. And all the others on the nine, andmany of Sam's friends, said the same.
Of course, Roxley was tremendously disappointed at the outcome of thestruggle. Nevertheless, as was usual, she cheered her opponent, andwas cheered in return. Then the two teams broke and ran for thedressing rooms, and the great crowd of spectators began to slowlydisappear.
"Oh, Sam, that catch was too lovely for anything!" cried Grace, whenthe two Rover boys had managed to break away from the rest of the teamand their numerous friends, and had rejoined the girls and Songbird."Why, do you know, I was on pins and needles when I saw that ballcoming down and you running after it. I was so afraid you wouldn't getthere in time!"
"Well, I just got it, and no more," returned Sam, modestly.
"He pulled me out of a hole," broke in Tom. "If it hadn't been forSam, Roxley would have won the game."
"But you did well, Tom,--better than our other pitchers would havedone," replied his brother, loyally. "Everybody says so. Why, four orfive of those Roxley hitters can knock the ordinary pitcher clean outof the box."
"Believe me, there
will be some celebration to-night!" vouchsafedSongbird, as his eyes lit up in expectation. "Bonfires, speeches,parades, and all that."
"Don't I wish I was a college boy, to be there!" returned Minnie,wistfully.
"Too bad! but no girls are allowed," returned Sam. "Just the same, Idon't think we'll have to get back to the college very early."
It had already been arranged that the Rovers and Songbird and thethree girls should go off on a little automobile trip after the game.Grace and Nellie had received permission to be absent from Hope duringthe supper hour, and Tom had telephoned to the hotel at Cliffwood,about twenty miles away, asking the proprietor to reserve a table forthem and prepare dinner for six.
Sam was now at the wheel, and as he could handle the car as well ashis brother, the run to Cliffwood did not take long. At the hotel, theyoung folks encountered several other parties from Brill and Hope, andthe gathering was, consequently, quite a merry one. Tom had orderedflowers for the table, and also small bouquets for each of the girls.
"Oh, how perfectly lovely, Tom!" cried Nellie, on catching sight ofthe flowers.
"I think the gentlemen ought to have button-hole bouquets," saidGrace.
"All right, I'm willing," returned Sam quickly, and thereupon some ofthe flowers from the larger bouquet were speedily transferred to threecoat buttonholes.
It was a lively time all around, for between the courses that wereserved, the young folks insisted upon singing some of the Brill andHope songs. As it happened, there were no outside guests present, sothe students and their friends could do pretty much as they pleased.
"Sorry, but we've got to start back," said Tom, presently, as helooked at his watch. "Not but what I'd rather stay here than go toBrill for the celebration!" and he looked fondly at Nellie.
"What's the matter with my driving the car?" suggested Songbird, whowas well able to perform that service. "You've both had a whack at it;it seems to me it's my turn now."
Both of the Rovers were willing, and a short time later, with Songbirdat the wheel and Minnie beside him, and the Rovers and the Laninggirls in the tonneau, the touring car left the hotel and started onthe way to the Sanderson cottage and the seminary.
"What's the matter with a song?" cried Sam, as the car sped along.
"Right you are!" returned his brother. "Girls, what shall it be?"
Instead of replying, Nellie started up an old favorite at the college,sung to the tune of "Camping on the Old Camp Ground." Instantly all ofthe others joined in.
"Some song!" exclaimed Tom, after the first verse had come to an end."Now then, altogether!" and he waved his hand like a band leader. Thevoices of the young people arose sweetly on the evening air, buthardly had they sung two lines of the second verse, when there came anunexpected interruption.
Bang! The sound came from below them. Then the touring car suddenlyswerved to the side of the road. Almost as quickly Songbird threw outthe clutch and applied both brakes. They came to a standstill in themiddle of the roadway.
"Oh, Tom! what's the matter?" gasped Nellie "I don't know, but I'mafraid it's a blowout," was the serious reply.
The Rover Boys in Business; Or, The Search for the Missing Bonds Page 7