CHAPTER XIV
THE GAME AT MORNINGSIDE
Interest, especially for Joe, centered in what Frank Brown, the schoolpitcher, might do. So, as a matter of fact, was the attention of nearlyall the players and spectators on him. For, to a large extent, thevictories of the Excelsior team would depend on what their battery coulddo. Of course it was up to the other players to lend them support, butit was pretty well established that if the pitcher and catcher did well,support would not be lacking.
At the catching end of it Luke Fodick could be depended on nearly everytime. But Frank Brown had yet to show what he could do as a twirler. Inpractice he had made out fairly well, but now the real test was to come.
Naturally he was a bit nervous as he walked to the box, to face hisfirst opponent, none other than Ward Gerard, the scrub captain; and Wardwas a good hitter. He managed to hit a two bagger.
Luke and Hiram cast anxious looks at each other. Well they knew how muchdepended on the showing their pitcher would make.
"Watch yourself, Frank," called Hiram--just the very advice to make poorFrank more nervous. But he braced up, struck out the next man, andmanaged to hold the succeeding one hitless.
The school nine was now about in the same position as the scrub hadbeen. Their opponents had a man on third and two out. It was a time whenFrank needed to brace up, and repeat Joe's trick. But he could not doit. Joe himself came to the bat, and with watchful eyes picked out justthe ball he wanted after two strikes had been called on him. He rappedout as pretty a single as had been seen on the diamond in many a longday, and brought in Ward with the first run.
"Wow! Wow!" yelled the scrubs, capering about. "That's the way to doit!"
Luke and Hiram were almost in a panic. They saw the team they had socarefully built up in danger of disintegration; and holding a hastyconference, warning was sent to every school player to do his very bestto get the scrub side out without another run.
Frank did it, for he struck out the next man, and Joe died at second.But the scrub had one run and the school nine nothing. It was a poorbeginning for Excelsior's chances at the Blue Banner when the playersrealized what a strong team Morningside had, and how efficient were theother nines in the league.
I am not going to describe that first school-scrub game in detail. Ishall have other more important contests to tell you about, as the storygoes on. Sufficient to say that after the ending of the first inningHiram and Luke went at their lads in such a fierce spirit that there wasa big improvement.
Joe kept up his good work in the box, but he had not yet "found" himselfthat season. He was not hardened enough; he lacked practice, and his armsoon gave out. Then, too the fielding of the scrubs was ragged, afterJoe once began to be hit. The result was that the school nine began topile up runs, and Hiram and Luke were jubilant.
"Now, where's your wonderful pitcher?" asked Luke of Ward.
"Oh, he's coming on. No use to work him too hard at first," replied thescrub captain good naturedly. "Look out for your own."
This advice was needed, for, after helping his team to get a good lead,Frank Brown also rather went to pieces and when the game was over theschool team led by only two runs.
"That's too close for comfort," observed Hiram to Luke, as they walkedoff the diamond. "Frank has got to do better than that."
"Oh, he'll be all right after a little more practice," spoke thecaptain.
"If he isn't Larry Akers will go in," warned the manager.
"Sure. Well, we've got lots of time before the first Morningside game.We'll win that."
"I hope we do," but Hiram's tone was not confident. Somehow he wasworried over the way Joe Matson pitched.
As for our hero, he was warmly congratulated by his friends. Tom Daviswas particularly enthusiastic.
"We'll have you in the box for the school nine before long," hepredicted.
"I don't know," answered Joe rather dubiously. "It's a close combinationbetween Hiram and Luke, and they may get Frank Brown into shape."
"Don't you believe it. He can't pitch as good as you in a thousandyears."
"That's right," chimed in Teeter.
"Nothing like having good friends," remarked Joe laughingly.
Now that the season was started the baseball practice went on with avim. Luke and Hiram had some of their players out every day, batting orcatching the ball. Others were sent around the track to improve theirwind, and in the gymnasium others were set at work on the variousmachines, as Dr. Rudden found their weak spots.
The school nine battled against the scrub, too, and though Joe improvedin his pitching so did the members of the first team in their batting,so that there were no other contests as close as the first one.
The time for the first Morningside game was approaching. It was thefirst regular contest of the season and as such was always quite anaffair. This time it was to be played on the Morningside diamond, andLuke and Hiram were bending every effort to win the game.
The nine picked to play was practically the same as the one that playedthe first game against the scrub. There had been some shifts, and thenshifts back again, and under the urging of the coach, the captain andthe manager, the lads had improved very much.
The day of the first game came. In special cars or in stage coaches, forthose who preferred that method of locomotion, while some of the morewealthy lads hired autos, the nine and its supporters made their way toMorningside. Hiram, Luke and a few of their cronies went in a bigtouring car that Spencer Trusdell, a millionaire's son, owned.
"Some class to them," remarked Joe, as he and Tom with a squad of thescrub and substitutes, got aboard a trolley car.
"They may have to walk back," predicted Tommy Barton, one of the scrub.
"Why?" asked Joe.
"Spencer may not have money enough left to buy gasolene. He's a sport,you know, and always betting."
"Well, he'll bet on his own nine; won't he?"
"Oh, yes--but----" and Tommy paused significantly.
"You don't mean to say you think Morningside will win, do you?" askedWard Gerard. "You old traitor, you!"
"I shouldn't be surprised to see our side licked," replied Tommy calmly."They're soft, and Morningside has already played one game with Trinityand trimmed them."
And as Joe and Tom journeyed to the grounds they heard others say thesame thing. Nevertheless, Luke, Hiram and their own particular crowdwere very confident.
There was a big attendance at the game. The stands were filled with arustling, yelling, cheering and vari-colored throng--the colors beingsupplied by scores of pretty girls, whose brothers, or whose friends,played on either nine.
"Jove! What wouldn't I give to be booked to pitch to-day!" exclaimedJoe, as he and Tom found their seats, for neither was on the list ofsubstitutes.
"I know how you feel, old man," sympathized Tom. "But just hang on, andthings may come your way."
"Play ball!" cried the umpire, and the first big game of the season forExcelsior Hall was underway.
That contest is still talked about in the annals of the two schools. Itstarted off well, and Excelsior, first to the bat, rapped out two runsbefore the side was retired. Then came the first real intimation thatthe opponents of Morningside were weak in several places, notably in thepitching box, and in fielding and stick-work.
Frank Brown, after striking out two men in succession, and giving theimpression to his mates that he was going to make good, and to hisrivals that they had a strong boxman to fight against--Frank, I say,literally went up in the air.
He was not used to being hooted at and jeered, and this is just what theMorningsideites did to him to get his "goat." They got it, for beforethe first inning closed he had been unmercifully pounded, and four runswere chalked up to the credit of the foes of Excelsior Hall.
Still that score might not have been so bad had Hiram and Luke kepttheir heads. They changed their batting order, put in some substitutes,and Hiram used strong language to Frank.
"You've got to do better!" insist
ed the bullying manager. This had thefurther effect of getting on Frank's nerves, and he did worse than ever.
"Say, why don't you fellows get a real pitcher?" asked Halsted Hart,manager of the Morningsides.
"This is too easy," added Ted Clay, the opposing pitcher with a laugh.
In desperation Luke finally sent in Larry Akers to pitch. At first hetightened up and stopped the winning streak of Morningside, and then,he, too, fell by the wayside, and the hooting, yelling crowd had his"Angora," as Peaches dolefully remarked.
It might be said in passing that both Peaches and Teeter did well, andGeorge Bland not quite so well. But the rest of the Excelsior team mademany errors. Even Luke was not exempt, and this had the further effectof worrying his players.
It is no pleasure to write of that first game, and that is why I havenot gone into details about it, for Excelsior Hall is a school dear tomy heart, and I do not like to chronicle her defeats.
When the ninth inning came the score stood fourteen to six. Indesperation, Luke had sent in Ned Turton to replace Larry. Several ofhis own friends asked him to give Joe a chance, but neither he nor Hiramwould listen. In fact, there was a disagreement between Hiram and Luke.The manager wanted to shift Peaches back to first base but Luke wouldnot hear of it until Hiram threatened to resign as manager, and that soalarmed the captain that he let him have his way.
That settled matters, not because Peaches went to first, though he didgood service there, but it was too late to stem the losing tide. TheExcelsior team could not get a run in their share of the ninth, andMorningside did not take the trouble to finish out, the final scorebeing fourteen to six in their favor. The opponents of Excelsior hadsnowed them under.
Baseball Joe on the School Nine; or, Pitching for the Blue Banner Page 14
