“My, but this is going to be the banner game so far as attendance goes,” remarked Sam to Bob.
“Yes, and it will bring us in a neat bit of money,” returned the Brill captain.
“How are they going to divide this year?”
“One-third and two-thirds,” returned Bob; meaning thereby that the winning team would take two-thirds of the receipts, and the losing team the remaining third. This money, of course, did not go to the individual players, but was put into the general athletic fund of each college.
Roxley won the toss, and as a consequence, Brill went to bat first. As the first man took his position, there were cries of all sorts, mingled with the tooting of many horns and the sounds of numerous rattles.
“Now then, Brill, show ’em what you can do!”
“Knock a home run first thing!”
“Don’t let ’em see first, Roxley! Kill ’em at the plate!”
The Roxley pitcher took his position, wound up; and the ball came in quickly.
“Ball one.”
“That’s right! Make him give you a good one.”
Again the ball came in, and this time, as it was a fairly good one, the batter swung for it, and missed.
“Strike one.”
“That’s the talk, give him another like that, Carson!”
Again the ball came whizzing over the plate. The batsman struck it fairly, and it sailed down toward second base. The runner was off like a shot, but it availed him nothing. The second baseman caught the fly with ease.
“Hurray! One down! Now for the other two!”
The second man at the bat went out in one-two-three order. Then the third player up knocked a short fly to first.
“Three out. That’s the way to do it, Roxley!”
“Now, for a few runs!”
It must be confessed that Tom was a trifle nervous when he took the ball and walked down to the box. The eyes of over twelve hundred spectators were on him, and those included the eyes of the girl he thought the dearest in all the world. He gave a short sigh, and then suddenly braced up. “I’ve got to do it,” he muttered to himself. “I’ve simply got to!”
As was to be expected, Roxley had its best batters on the top of the list. The first fellow to face Tom was a hitter well-known for his prowess. As Tom had heard that this man loved a low ball, he purposely sent in the sphere rather high.
“One ball.”
“That’s right, Clink! Make him give you what you want.”
The next ball was intended for an out-curve, but, somehow, Tom missed it, and it came in fairly over the plate. Crack! The bat connected with it, and away the sphere sailed to center field.
“Run, run!” The cry echoed from all sides, and, almost in a twinkling, Clink was down to first, and racing for second. Then, feeling that he had time to go further, he bounded onward, and slid safely to third.
“That’s the way to do it! Look, a three-bagger!”
“Hurray! We’ve got them on the run; keep it up, boys!” And then the air was rent with the noise of horns and rattles.
“Steady, Tom, steady,” whispered Bob, as he walked toward the pitcher. “Don’t let them rattle you; take your time.”
“They are not going to rattle me,” returned Tom, and set his teeth hard. He faced the new batsman, and then, of a sudden, twirled around and sent the ball whizzing to third.
“Look out! look out!” yelled the coach at third, and Clink dropped and grabbed the sack just in the nick of time. Then Tom went for the batter. One strike was called, and then two balls, and then another strike, and a ball.
“Don’t walk him, Tom, whatever you do,” said Spud, as he came down to consult with the pitcher.
“All right. What do you think I ought to give him?”
“Try him on an in-shoot.”
Once again, Tom sent the ball over to third, almost catching Clink napping as before. Then, the instant he had the sphere once more in his possession, he sent it swiftly in over the plate.
“Three strikes! Batter out!”
“Good for you, Rover! That’s the way to do it!”
“Now kill the other two, Tom!”
But to “kill the other two” was not so easy. The next man went out on a pop fly to third, which held Clink where he was. Following that came a safe hit which took the batter to first and allowed Clink to slide in with the first run. For the moment pandemonium seemed to break loose. The Roxley cohorts cheered wildly and sounded their horns and rattles. Brill, of course, had nothing to say.
“Oh, Songbird, they got in a run!” remarked Nellie, much dismayed.
“Well, the game is young yet,” returned the Brill student. Nevertheless, he felt much crestfallen to think that Roxley had scored first.
With one run in, and a man on first, Roxley went to the bat with more confidence than ever. But it availed nothing, for Tom finished the inning with the Roxley runner getting no further than second.
“Now, boys, we’ve got to do something,” said the Brill captain, when the nine came in. “Two runs at least, and three if we can possibly get them.”
“What’s the matter with half a dozen, while we are at it?” laughed the second baseman.
“All right. As many as you please,” returned Bob.
But it was not to be. With all her efforts, Brill managed, during this inning, to get no further than third. Tom came in for a try at the bat, but the best he could do was to send up a little pop fly that the rival pitcher gathered in with ease. Then Roxley came in once more, and added another run to her credit.
“Hurrah for Roxley! That makes it two to nothing!”
There were looks of grim determination on the faces of the Brill players when they went to the plate for the third time. The first man up was struck out, but the second sent a clean drive to left field that was good for two bases. Then came a sacrifice hit by Spud, that advanced the runner to third, and on another one-base hit, this run came in amid a wild cheering by the Brill followers.
“Hurrah! One run in! Now, boys, you’ve broken the ice, keep it up!” And then the horns and rattles of the Brillites sounded as loudly as had those of the Roxley followers a short while before.
But, alas! for the hopes of our friends! The only other run made that inning was a third by Roxley!
During the fourth inning, Roxley added another run to her score. Brill did nothing, so that the score now stood 4 to 1 in favor of Roxley. The fifth inning was a stand-off, neither side scoring. Then came the sixth, in which Frank Holden, the first baseman, distinguished himself by rapping out a three-bagger, coming in a few seconds later on a hit by the man following him.
“Up-hill work, and no mistake!” said the Brill captain, when the team had come in for the seventh inning.
“See here, Bob, if you think you would rather try some of the other pitchers—” began Tom.
“Nothing of the sort, old man. You are doing very well. I don’t consider four runs against two any great lead. And you haven’t walked as many men as their pitcher.”
The seventh inning brought no change in the score. But in the eighth, Roxley added another run, bringing her total up to five.
“Looks kind of bad,” said Sam, to another substitute on the bench. “Five to two, and the ninth inning. We’ve got to play some if we want to beat them.”
“Sam, I want you!” cried Bob, coming up. “Felder has twisted his foot, and you will have to take his place in left field.”
“Am I to bat in his place?” questioned the youngest Rover.
“Yes.”
“All right. I’ll do the best I can.”
There was silence around the grounds when the Brill team came to the bat. With the score 5 to 2 in favor of Roxley, it looked rather dubious for the visitors. Some of the onlookers, thinking the game practically over, started towards the gates, and t
he carriages and automobiles. The first man up was the captain, and he walked to the plate with a “do or die” look on his face.
“Now, Bob, lam it out for all you are worth!” shouted one of his admirers.
The first ball sent in was too low, and Bob let it pass him; but the second was just where he wanted it. The bat swung around like lightning, and, following a loud crack, the sphere sailed off towards left field.
“Run, Bob, run!” yelled a great number of his friends, and the captain let go all the speed that was in him. When the ball finally reached the diamond, it found Bob safe on third.
“That’s the way to open up! Now, then, bring him in!”
This was not so easy. The batter up tried a sacrifice hit, but the ball rolled down well towards the pitcher, who landed it at first in a twinkling. Bob attempted to get home, but then thought better of it, and slid back to third. The next batter up was Sam. He had with him his favorite ash stick, and, as he stepped behind the plate, he gritted his teeth and eyed the pitcher closely.
Carson had been practicing on what he called a fadeaway ball, and now he thought this would be just the right thing to offer Sam. He wound up with a great flourish, and sent the sphere in.
Sam was on his guard, and calculated just right. His bat came around in a clean sweep, and on the instant the ball was flying down towards deep center.
“My! look at that!”
“Run, Rover, run!”
No sooner had the ball connected with the bat, than Bob, at third, was on his way home. He reached the plate before Sam touched first. Then Sam, skirting the initial bag, tore straight for second, and then for third. In the meantime, the fielder was still running after the ball. As Sam started for home, the fielder managed to capture the sphere, and threw it with all his skill to the second baseman.
“Run, Sam, run!” yelled Tom, fairly dancing up and down in his anxiety. “Leg it, old man, leg it!”
And certainly Sam did “leg it” as he never had before. Straight for the home plate he came, and slid in amid a cloud of dust, just before the ball came up from the field.
“Hurrah! hurrah! a home run!”
“Now, boys, we’ve started the ball rolling,” cried out Bob. “Remember, only one more run ties the score.”
CHAPTER VIII
HOW THE GAME ENDED
The next batter up was plainly nervous. He had two strikes called on him, and then he knocked a small foul, which was quickly gathered in by the third baseman. Then Tom came to the bat, and was lucky enough to make a clean one-base hit. After that, came several base hits in rapid succession. These brought in not only Tom, but also the man behind him. Then came a bad fumble on the part of the Roxley shortstop, and, as a result, another run was put up to the credit of Brill.
“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 an end, and the side retired with seven runs to its credit.
“Now, Tom, hold them down if you possibly can,” said Bob, as his team took the field.
“I’ll do my level best, Bob,” was the reply.
With the score five to seven against them, Roxley put in a pinch hitter by the name of Bixby. This player certainly made good, getting a three-base hit with apparent ease. Then followed an out, and then another base hit, bringing in Bixby’s run. Then followed some ragged play on the part of Bob and his second and third basemen, which put out one man, but evened up the score, 7 to 7.
With two men out, and the score a tie, it was certainly a delicate position for Tom.
“Tom, hold them! please hold them!” pleaded Bob, as he came up. “Don’t let them get as far as first if you can help it.”
The batter to face Tom was a fairly good one, but the young pitcher remembered that this fellow had always struck at balls which were both high and far out. Accordingly, he fed him only those which were low and well in, “One strike!”
“That’s it, Tom! Keep it up!”
Again Tom wound up, and the ball shot over the plate. This time the batsman 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 the speed 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 game was 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 two runs when they had five, remember.”
“Hasn’t Tom pitched pretty well?” questioned Minnie.
“Sure, he has! Those Roxley fellows are great batters. More than once they 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 came to the bat first, and knocked a little one, but managed to reach first. Then, on a sacrifice hit, he advanced to second. Following that, came a wild throw by the Roxley pitcher, and Frank dusted as fast as he could for third.
“Now, Carson, hold him!” yelled a number of the Roxley followers to their pitcher. “Don’t let him get in!”
Carson did his best, but with two strikes called on the batter, there came a neat little one-base hit, and, amid a wild cheering and a grand tooting of horns and sounding of rattles, Frank slid in to the home plate.
“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 put out 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 at Bob 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 were now on their feet. All sorts of cries and suggestions rent the air. Amid this great hubbub, the Brill nine took their positions, Sam going down to left field as directed by Bob.
Tom was a trifle pale as he faced the first batter, but, if he was nervous, the Roxley player was evidently more so. Almost before either of them knew it, two strikes had been called. Then, however, came a short hit to third, which the baseman fumbled, and the batter got safely 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 balls called on the pitcher. As a consequence, Tom fed him several straight ones over the plate, and so quickly that two strikes were called almost before the baseman realized what was occurring. Then, as he swung at a low one, the third strike was called, and he was declared out. In the meantime, however, the runner on first had made second. Then came another out, and then a drive to second, which landed the batsman 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 to interview the pitcher.
“I’m doing all I can,” returned Tom.
It must be admitted that Tom’s blood was surging wildly. A miss—and the 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 it left his hand, his foot slipped, and the sphere came in, not on a curve as the young pitcher had intended, but straight. Crack! went the bat, and in a twinkling the sphere was sailing high in the air toward left 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 youngest Rover was running with might and main down left field. The eyes of all the spectators were on him. On and on, and still on, he sped, with the ball curving lower, and lower toward the field. Then, just as the sphere was coming down, Sam made a wild clutch with his left hand and caught 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. The Brill students fairly danced for joy, and their friends, including the ladies, were almost equally demonstrative.
“Sam, that’s the best catch I ever saw in my life!” cried Bob, as’ he ran forward to grab the young left-fielder by the hand.
“It certainly was, Sam; and you pulled me out of a big hole,” came from Tom. “When I saw that fellow hit the ball, I thought it was all up with us.”
“Some catch, that!” broke in Spud. And all the others on the nine, and many of Sam’s friends, said the same.
Of course, Roxley was tremendously disappointed at the outcome of the struggle. Nevertheless, as was usual, she cheered her opponent, and was cheered in return. Then the two teams broke and ran for the dressing rooms, and the great crowd of spectators began to slowly disappear.
“Oh, Sam, that catch was too lovely for anything!” cried Grace, when the two Rover boys had managed to break away from the rest of the team and their numerous friends, and had rejoined the girls and Songbird. “Why, do you know, I was on pins and needles when I saw that ball coming down and you running after it. I was so afraid you wouldn’t get there in time!”
The Rover Boys Megapack Page 293