CHAPTER XXV
BY A CLOSE MARGIN
"Whew!" whistled Captain Elmer Dalton of the Morningside nine, as hegreeted some of the lads against whom his team was to play, "you fellowshave been making a lot of changes, haven't you?" and he looked at theseveral new members of the school team, including Joe and Tom.
"Yes, a bit of house cleaning," replied Ward Gerard. "I am captain now.Hiram and Luke got out."
"Yes, I heard there was some sort of a row."
"Oh, I suppose it's all over the league by this time," put in Peaches."But it couldn't be helped. It was like a dose of bitter medicine, butwe took it, and I think it's going to do us good."
"You mean _we're_ going to do you good," laughed Elmer. "We're going totrim you again to-day."
"Not much!" cried Ward. "We'll win. Come now, a little wager between youand me--for the sodas, say."
"You're on!" agreed Elmer. "Where's your batting list?"
The two captains walked over to the scoring bench to arrange the detailsof the game. The two teams were made up as follows, this being thebatting order:
EXCELSIOR-- George Bland centre field Dick Lantfeld left field Harry Nelson second base Nat Pierson third base Tom Davis first base Charles Borden shortstop Harry Lauter right field Joe Matson pitcher Ward Gerard catcher
MORNINGSIDE-- Dunlap Spurr centre field Will Lee shortstop Wilson Carlburg left field Ted Clay pitcher Wallace Douglass catcher Elmer Dalton first base Walker Bromley third base Loftus Brown second base Harry Young right field
The Excelsiors were to bat last, and while the rival crowds of schoolboys were singing, cheering and giving their class yells, Joe Matsonwalked to the box for the second time as pitcher on the school nine ina big school league game. No wonder he felt a trifle nervous, but he didnot show it, not even when some one yelled:
"Look at the new pitcher they've got! We'll get his number all right."
"Yes, we'll have his goat in about a minute!" added another Morningsidepartizan.
"Go as far as you like," answered Joe with a smile.
"Play ball!" yelled the umpire, and Joe faced the first batter, DunlapSpurr, who had the reputation of being a heavy hitter. Ward signalledfor a low one, for he knew that Dunlap had a tendency to hit over such aball. Joe nodded his head to show that he understood, and the nextmoment the horsehide went speeding toward the plate.
The batter swung viciously at it but--missed. He had gone half a footover it.
"Strike!" cried the umpire.
"Make him give you a pretty one!" called Elmer. "He will if you wait."
"He won't have long to wait," retorted our hero. This time he decided tosend one over the corner of the plate, as he noticed that Dunlap had afree swing. Joe hoped he would strike at it and miss, and that wasexactly what happened.
"Strike two!" howled the umpire, and there followed a gasp of dismay.Dunlap was not in the habit of doing this, and he rather scowled. Joesmiled.
"One more and we'll have him down!" called the catcher.
"Where'd you get the pitcher?" asked a Morningside wit.
"Oh, we had him made to order," replied Tom Davis, who was anxiouslywaiting on first.
Joe hoped he could make it three straight strikes, but his next wascalled a ball, and the Morningside supporters let out a yell ofgratification.
"There's his glass arm showing! He's going to pieces!" they yelled. Joeshut his jaw grimly. He was going to fool the batter if possible, andthe next ball he sent in was a puzzling inshoot.
Instinctively Dunlap started away from the plate, but he need not havemoved, for the ball, with a neat little twist, passed him at a safedistance, and at a point where he could almost have hit it had he tried.But he did not move his bat, and an instant later the umpire called:
"Three strikes--batter out!"
Then indeed was there a gasp of dismay and protest from the big crowd ofMorningside sympathizers, and the visiting nine.
"Say," began Dunlap Spurr, "that was never----"
"You dry up!" commanded his captain with a laugh. "It was a peach of aball, and you ought to have hit it. Don't begin that way. We can beat'em without that. Good work, Matson, but you can't keep it up. Come on,Lee; you're up next. Carlburg on deck."
Joe was immensely pleased, but he knew it was only the beginning of thebattle. He got two strikes on Lee and that player began to get worried.Then, after one ball, Lee hit the next one for a pop fly that Joe hardlyhad to step out of his box to get.
"Two down, play for all you're worth, Joe," called Ward; but Joe neededno such urging. However, something went wrong. Either Joe did not haveas good control, speed or curving ability as when he had started in, orthe next players found him. At any rate Carlburg knocked a dandy twobagger, and Ted Clay, who followed, duplicated the trick. Carlburg camein with the first run of the game, amid a riot of noise, and whenWallace Douglass hit safely to first, Clay got to third, coming in withthe second run a little later, when Captain Dalton also singled.
"We've got 'em going! We've got 'em going!" yelled the delightedMorningside crowd, and it did seem so. Joe felt that he must tightenup, and strike out the next man, or all would be lost.
He glanced at the bench, where the jubilant Morningside players weresitting, all regarding him sharply. It was a supreme test. Then Joecaught the eyes of some one else on him. The eyes of Sam Morton, his oldenemy.
It was like a dash of cold water. For the time being he had forgottenthat Sam was the substitute pitcher on the visiting team, but had Joeseen him and Hiram in close consultation a little while previously, ourhero would have had reason long to remember it.
"I'll show 'em I am still in the ring!" Joe murmured, and when he woundup for his next delivery he knew that he had himself well in hand again.
"Come on now, bring us all in!" urged Captain Dalton, when WalkerBromley got up to the plate. "He'll walk you, and then Loftus and Harrywill have a show. We'll have the whole team up."
It began to look so, for already seven of the nine had been at bat. Joemight have wasted time trying to nail some lad who was playing too faroff base, but he did not. Instead he sized up Bromley and sent him aswift one. The batter struck at it and missed. The next ball was calleda strike, and attention was at fever heat. Would Walker hit it?
The question was answered in the negative a moment later, for he swungat it with all his force and fanned the air.
"Out!" called the umpire, and the side was retired. But Morningside hadtwo runs, and the way Joe had been hit by four men did not augur wellfor Excelsior's chances.
"Oh, we'll do 'em!" said Ward, with more confidence than he felt.
"I hope they pound Joe out of the box," murmured Hiram to Luke.
"So do I," said the former catcher.
Excelsior hoped for great things when it came her turn at stick-work,but alas for hopes! A series of happenings worked against her. GeorgeBland rapped out as pretty a two bagger as one could wish, but he triedto steal third, slipped on a pebble when almost safe, and was thrownout. Peaches Lantfeld knocked a sharp grounder that looked almostcertain to get past the shortstop; and it did, but the third baseman,who was a rattling good player, nabbed it and Peaches went down.
"Now, Teeter!" called Ward. "See what you can do."
Teeter got to first on a muffed fly, and it was Nat Pierson's turn. Natcould usually be depended on, but this time he could not. He fannedtwice and the third time got two fouls in succession.
"Well, we're finding the ball, anyhow," said Ward cheerfully. "Kill itnext time, Nat, and give Sister Davis a show."
Nat tried to, but he knocked an easy fly, which the pitcher gathered in,and the opportunity of the Excelsior nine was over for that inning. Abig goose egg went up in their frame. Score: 2--0, in favor of thevisitors.
Joe took a long breath when he went i
nto the box again, and facingLoftus Brown, struck him out in such short order that his friends beganto breathe easier again. The game was far from lost, and as long as Joedid not allow his "goat" to be gotten, Excelsior might win yet. ThenHarry Young, probably the poorest batter the visitors had, fanned thricesuccessively, and it was Dunlap Spurr's turn again. Joe knew just whatto give him, and when he struck him out, after two foul strikes had beenmade, the crowd set up a yell.
The visitors did not get a run in their half of the second, and oncemore Excelsior had a show. Tom Davis singled, got around to third whenCharlie Borden knocked a two-bagger, and slid home in a close play whenHarry Lauter was thrown out at first. There was only one gone when Joecame to bat, and one run had come in. Joe knocked a safety, or atleast it looked as if it was going to be that, but the shortstop, by amagnificent jump into the air, nabbed it, and then came as pretty adouble play as had ever taken place on that diamond. Joe was put out andCharlie Borden, who had been hugging third, was caught at home, for hewas not a fast runner.
That retired the side, and there was only one run to match the two whichMorningside had. Still it was something, and the home team began to takeheart.
Then began what was one of the most remarkable games in the series. Joedid not allow a hit in the first half of the third inning and theExcelsiors got one run, tying the score. In the fourth the visitorspulled a single tally down, putting them one ahead, and then, just toshow what they could do, the home team knocked out two, gaining anadvantage of one.
The crowd was wild with delight at the clean playing, for both teamswere on their mettle, and the rival pitchers were delivering good balls.But the fifth inning nearly proved a Waterloo for our friends. TheMorningsides got four runs, which made Joe groan inwardly in anguish,for he was severely pounded.
"Maybe you'd better let Brown or Akers go in," he suggested to Ward.
"Not on your life!" cried the captain. "You are all right. It was just aslip. Hold hard and we'll do 'em."
Joe held hard, and there was a little encouragement when his team gotone run, making the score at the ending of the fifth inning seven tofive in favor of the Morningside team.
Once more in the opening of the sixth Joe did the trick. He allowed butone single, and then three men fanned in succession, while, just to makethings more than ever interesting, the Excelsiors got two runs, againtying the score.
"Say, we'll have to wake up if we're going to wallop these fellows,"confided the visiting captain to his lads. "They have certainly improveda lot by getting Hiram and Luke out."
"Oh, we'll do 'em," predicted Ted Clay, the pitcher.
From then on the Excelsiors fairly "played their heads off," and theyought to have done much better than they did when their hard work wastaken into consideration. But there were many weak spots that mightin the future be eliminated by good coaching, and Joe needed harderpractice.
But in every inning thereafter the home team got at least one run, saveonly in the seventh. In their half of the sixth they got two, as I havesaid, and though the visitors got one in their half of the seventh,again making the score one in their favor, in the eighth our friends gotthree, while the visitors got only two. So that at the close of theeighth the score was: Excelsior, 10; Morningside 10.
"A tie! A tie!" cried hundreds of voices. Indeed it had pretty nearlybeen a tie game all the way through, and it might go to ten innings ormore.
"We've got to beat 'em!" declared Captain Ward. "Joe, whitewash 'em thisinning, and in the next we'll get the winning run."
"I'll do it!" confidently promised the young pitcher, and he did. He wastossing the ball according to his old form again, and not a man landedhis stick on it during the first half of the ninth. Then, as the hometeam came up for their last whacks (except in the event of the scorebeing a tie), they were wildly greeted by their schoolmates.
"One run to beat 'em! Only one!" yelled the crowd.
"I guess it's all up with us," remarked the visiting captain to his men,as they took the field. "They're bound to get that one."
"Not if I can help it!" exclaimed the pitcher fiercely.
And it looked as if he was going to make good his boast, for he struckout two men in quick order. And then up came Tom Davis.
"Swat it, Tom. Swat it!" was the general cry. "Bring in a home run!"
"Watch me," he answered grimly.
Two strikes were called on him, and two balls. There was a nervoustension on everyone, for, unless Tom made good, the game would have togo another inning, when all sorts of possibilities might happen.
Ping!
That was the mighty sound of Tom's bat landing on the ball. Away sailedthe horsehide--up and away, far over the head of the centre fielder, whoraced madly after it.
"Go on! Go on!"
"Run, you swatter, run!"
"A homer! A homer!"
These cries greeted and encouraged Tom as he legged it for first base.On and on he went, faster and faster, rounding the initial bag, going onto second and then to third. The centre fielder had the ball now, but hewould have to relay it in. He threw as Tom left third.
"Come on! Come on!" yelled Joe, jumping up and down.
"If you don't bring in that run I'll never speak to you again!" shoutedWard.
The crowd was in a frenzy. Men and women were standing up on the seats,some jumping up and down, others yelling at the tops of their voices,and some pounding each other on the back in their excitement.
On and on ran Tom, but he was getting weary now. The second baseman hadthe ball and was swinging his arm back to hurl it home. But Tom wasalmost there now, and he slid over the plate a full two seconds ere theball landed in the catcher's big mitt.
"Safe!" howled the umpire.
"And we win the game!" yelled Joe, as he raced over to Tom and slappedhim on the back, an example followed by so many others that poor Tomnearly lost his breath. "You won the game for us, Tom!"
"Nonsense! If you hadn't held 'em down by your pitching, Joe, my runwouldn't have done any good."
"That's right!" cried the others, and it was so. Excelsior Hall had wonthe second of the big games with her ancient rival, though it was by thenarrow margin of one run.
Baseball Joe on the School Nine; or, Pitching for the Blue Banner Page 25
