CHAPTER X

A TIGHT CONTEST

"Strike one!" yelled the young umpire, as the ball landed with a resounding thud in Bart Ferguson's big mitt.

"That's the stuff!" called several in the crowd.

"Send back the Reds with a whitewash brush," added another enthusiast.

"I guess Sam's in form to-day," remarked Tom Davis to Rodney Burke near whom he sat. Tom was not playing, for Darrell was holding down the initial bag.

"Wait a bit and see what happens along about the seventh inning," said Rodney. "Sam generally falls down then if he's going to."

"Well, I hope he doesn't, that's all," said Tom, and then he gave all his attention to watching the game.

"Ball one," was the next decision of the umpire.

"Aw what's the matter with you?" cried Sam, starting toward home where Bart stood holding the ball. "That clipped the plate as good as any one would want. You'd better get a pair of gla.s.ses, Kern. You can't see straight."

"I can see as well as you!" retorted Frank Kern, the umpire.

"It wasn't anywhere near over the plate," retorted Jack King, the batter.

"Aw, you don't know a good ball when you get one," snapped Sam. "I guess----"

"That'll do now!" called Darrell sharply from first. "This isn't a kid game. Play ball. Don't be always kicking, Sam."

"Who is always kicking?" demanded the pitcher, and it was evident to all that he was in unusually bad temper.

"I hope it isn't on my account," thought Joe who, from his position in deep centre, was waiting for anything that might come his way. He had been told to play far out, for King was known as a heavy hitter.

Sam received the ball from Bart with a scowl and wound up for the next delivery. Sam was a natural pitcher. That is, he had good control, as a rule, and he made his shoulder and back do most of the work of the pitching arm, as all professionals do. Still his unpleasant temper often made his efforts go to waste.

"Strike two!" called the umpire this time, and there was no doubt about it for King had swung viciously at the ball. But Sam had sent in a puzzling little drop, and the knowledge that he had fooled a good batter brought a smile to his otherwise scowling face.

"Here's where I get you!" he predicted.

But alas for his hopes! The bat met the ball squarely and Sam had made the mistake of sending a fast ball to a heavy hitter enabling King to knock out a pretty three bagger. Far back as Joe had stationed himself he was not far enough and he had to turn and run after the horsehide.

And how he did run! He was thinking desperately what would happen if he missed it! He made up his mind that he would not, yet it was not within the power of any one to get to the spot before the ball fell.

Joe felt it graze the tips of his fingers as it rushed downward but that was all. He heard himself groan involuntarily in anguish as the ball hit the ground with a thud. He lost no time in idle regrets however, but picked it up and made a throw to third in time to hold King there, for the doughty player had a notion of continuing on home.

"Good try old man!" yelled some spectators on the benches nearest Joe.

He felt that his effort was somewhat appreciated but he wondered what Darrell would think of it. Sam was scowling again, whether at Joe's perfectly natural miss, or the fact that he was. .h.i.t for three bases was impossible to guess.

"Try for the next one," called Darrell cheerfully, and Sam did with such success that Bigney, who was second up for the Red Stockings, only pounded out a little drizzler that Sam quickly gathered in and threw to first. King was still held on third. Smart fanned out, and then came Steel, who, after knocking a couple of fouls, was fooled on a little in-shoot which made three out, King dying on third and the side being retired with no runs.

"Oh, not so bad," said Sam as he walked in to the bench.

"I guess we've got their number all right," a.s.sented Darrell. He saw Joe coming in from centre and the manager stopped to speak to him.

"n.o.body could have gotten that ball," he said, for he realized that the new player might blame himself unjustly. "I didn't think King had it in him, or I'd have told you to play out to the limit. He won't get you that way again."

"I guess not!" exclaimed Joe heartily.

The make up and batting order of the Silver Stars was the same as in the game with the Resolutes save that Joe was in Jed McGraw's place, and this brought him second to the bat. Potter was up first and managed to get a single.

"Now, bring him in," commanded Darrell with a smile at Joe, as the latter picked out a bat. He was very nervous, as any lad would have been, playing his first game with a new team. He did want to make good!

"I'll try," he said simply.

Painter, the Red Stocking pitcher, had no phenomenal speed and his curves could not be depended on to break at the right places. Still he was a good "bluffer" and he made many a batter think that he was getting a very swift ball. Often it would look as though it was going to hit the man at the plate and he would instinctively step back, disconcerting his own aim.

Joe let the first ball pa.s.s, and was somewhat surprised to have a strike called on him. But he did not kick, for, as a matter of fact, the horsehide had clipped the plate.

"I'll get the next one," thought Joe grimly. Then Painter worked his usual trick, of throwing a ball close in, and Joe bent his body like a bow.

"Strike two!" yelled the umpire and Joe felt a flash of anger. But he said nothing, and when the next ball came he swung viciously at it. He heard the heart-stirring ping! and, dropping his bat, he legged it for first as Potter darted to second.

But Joe had not hit the ball nearly as hard as he thought he had, and the result was that the shortstop gathered it in, and, by a quick throw to first, caught our hero there.

"Quick, to second!" yelled the coacher, but Potter dropped and slid, being counted safe.

"One down, only two more!" yelled Murphy, captain and catcher of the "Reds," as they were called for short.

Joe felt his face burning with shame as he walked back to the bench.

"Humph! I thought we were going to see some wonders!" murmured Sam Morton sarcastically.

"It's all right, Matson--it was an even chance, and you found the ball,"

said Darrell quickly. He knew the danger of a new player becoming discouraged.

"Thanks," said Joe quietly.

Lantry got a single which sent Potter to third, but the next two men struck out and with two men left on bases the Silver Stars had to take the field again with only a goose egg to their credit.

The game ran along to the ending of the third inning with neither side getting a run. Each team made some scattering hits but the fielding was evenly good, and no one crossed the home plate. Joe made one fine catch in the beginning of the third and received a round of applause that did his heart good.

Sam was pitching pretty good ball, occasionally being found for a two bagger, but any short-comings in this line were more than made up in the support he received from his mates.

"It's going to be a tighter game than I thought it was," murmured Darrell, at the close of the fourth inning, when his side had managed to get in one run to tie the tally which the Reds had secured. "They've got a better team than I gave them credit for."

"You don't think they're going to beat us, do you?" asked Sam anxiously.