little opportunity for games, of late, and the boys were a trifle slow. He coached them along, suggesting improvements and offering words of advice to some players.
“Good!” cried the captain to Frank, who made a brilliant catch in center field. Frank was playing on the scrub nine. “You’ll be a regular if you keep on.”
Frank was not a natural baseball player. His forte was football, but once in a while he made brilliant plays on the nine, when he took some other player’s place.
“A couple of days more like this and we’ll be fit to give ’em all they want, to beat us,” remarked Bart as the boys gathered up the balls, bats and gloves preparatory to going home.
“If we only could beat ’em!” exclaimed Ned.
“If we hold ’em to a tie I’ll be satisfied,” retorted Bart. “That’s something no high school nine has ever done to ’em.”
For the next two afternoons there was hard practice. On one occasion Bart called on Stumpy to take the pitcher’s box, Lem making an excuse that he wanted to rest his arm. Stumpy wondered at this, as Sandy Merton was the one who usually substituted for Lem. But this time Sandy was left on third, his regular position.
Fenn had no idea he could pitch. He knew he could send in a straight ball, and he did this in practice. When Lem came back in the box on one occasion after Stumpy had been filling it, he asked in a low tone of Bart:
“Will he do?”
“I think so, but don’t say anything.”
The morning of the game the Darewell nine assembled before school, on the campus and indulged in some fast practice. The contest was to take place on the Preparatory school grounds, and in answer to a general petition Professor McCloud agreed to dismiss all classes an hour earlier that day to enable the journey to be made.
The nine and the substitutes went over in a big stage but the boys and girls who were to be spectators took trolley cars that ran close to the grounds.
“They’re a husky looking lot,” observed Bart as the stage dropped its load close to the diamond, and he observed the other nine on the field. “They play fast, snappy ball, and we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
The Darewell team soon got into practice, their methods being closely watched by their rivals. Captain Benson, of the other club, greeted Bart, and the preliminaries were soon arranged.
“Play ball!” called the umpire, and the game was on.
The visitors had won the toss for innings, and in consequence Lem had to open the struggle. The first ball he pitched went wild, and the next one struck the batter, giving him his base.
“Rotten!” whispered Lem to himself, disgustedly.
“Take it easy,” advised Bart, walking out to the pitcher’s box. “Keep cool.”
The advice did Lem good, and he struck out the next two men. Then they began to find his curves and he was hit for two single baggers and one three. At the end of the inning the game stood three runs in favor of the Preparatory school.
It was Bart’s first turn at the bat, and he managed to get to first on balls. Then Ned lined out a nice two bagger, and Fenn planted one over in right field that enabled Bart and Ned to get in. The inning ended three to two in favor of the home team.
For the next four innings neither side scored. It was a pitchers’ battle and Lem was doing fine work. But, on the other hand few of the Darewell boys could find the curves of the Preparatory school’s pitcher.
The next inning the home team got in three more runs and the visitors two, making the score four to six, against the high school boys.
“We’ve got to do better than this,” said Bart, as his team came to the bat for the eighth inning which had netted the Preparatory team one run, making their total seven.
The high school team seemed to “take a brace,” for they made three runs by hard work.
“That ties ’em!” cried Bart excitedly, as he came to the bat. “Now to beat ’em.”
As he spoke there was some sort of a commotion near the bench where the Darewell players were sitting. Then came a cry:
“Ouch! My wrist! Let up, Sandy!”
“What’s the matter?” asked the captain, running over to where he saw a struggle.
“Oh, Sandy Merton tried to play a trick on Lem,” explained Ned. “He’s always up to some foolishness.”
“I was only showing a new wrestling hold,” said Sandy. “My foot slipped and I fell on him.”
“Are you hurt, Lem?” asked the captain.
“Wrist sprained, I guess,” and he extended his hand which was beginning to swell.
“That settles your pitching,” remarked Bart. “Pity you aren’t left handed. Well, it’s a good thing we provided for an emergency. Sandy, you ought to have better sense,” and he spoke sternly.
“Oh, if you’re going to act that way about it I’ll not play,” and Sandy started away.
“Suit yourself,” said Bart calmly. “Frank, you take third in Sandy’s place.”
“Who’ll pitch?” asked Ned.
“I’ll decide when the inning’s over,” replied Bart, as he went back to the bat.
Probably the little scene made Bart nervous, for he struck out, an unusual thing with him. That put the side out, the inning ending in the tie score. There was little apprehension in the ranks of the Preparatory team, but there were anxious hearts among the high school supporters. The cheering died away.
“Stumpy; you pitch,” called Bart.
“Me! Why I can’t pitch! I never pitched a regular game.”
“I’m captain, and you pitch,” said Bart decidedly, and much amazed at his selection Stumpy walked into the box.
The suddenness of it was just his salvation. He had no chance to get nervous.
“Can he do it?” asked Ned, as he started for his place.
“He’s got a fine, natural curve,” replied Bart. “I never noticed it until the other day. Discovered it by accident. I think he’ll make good.”
And Stumpy did. He hardly knew how he did it, but he had a knack of throwing the ball that fooled the best batters on the other team. He struck out the first two men, and there arose murmurs of anxiety among the rivals.
“Why didn’t they put him in first?” asked the captain of the home team of some of his men, wondering why so good a pitcher had been left to the last.
The third batter managed to plant the leather in a long flight in the direction of third base. But Frank was right on the alert. He made a splendid jump and caught it, putting the side out minus a run. There was a wild burst of cheering from the high school girls and boys.
“Only takes one run to beat ’em!” exclaimed Bart as his team went to the bat for the last time. “Somebody
