RANDALL IN THE TENTH
Lem Sellig, who was up first for Fairview, had what Tom thought was
a wicked look in his eye. Whether Tom lost control or whether Lem
surprised himself and his friends by finding the ball, in spite of its
puzzling curve was not known, but at any rate he knocked a two bagger,
and it was almost a three sacker, for the center fielder dropped the
ball, and had some time in finding it in the grass before he threw it in
just in time to shut off Lem from going to third. This stroke of luck
seemed to give Fairview confidence, and Frank Sullivan almost duplicated
Lem's trick, bringing in the third baseman, and getting to second
himself.
"Now we're going to walk away from 'em," declared Lem, as he tallied the
first run for his side, and it did look so, for Ned Williams found Tom
Parsons for a couple of fouls. But the fatal blow was wanting, and Ned
went back to the bench, amid groans. Sullivan stole to third on a ball
that managed to get past Dutch at home, and then followed a wild scene
when John Allen knocked a pretty fly, bringing in Frank, but getting out
himself. This made the score two to three in favor of Randall, and there
was a nervous tension when Tom got ready to attend to Herbert Bower, the
next man up.
"I've got to dispose of him with some style," thought the Randall
twirler, "or our fellows will get rattled. Let's see if I can't do it."
It looked a bit discouraging when his first two deliveries were called
balls, but the next three could not have been better, and Bower was
struck out.
"All we've got to do is hold 'em down now, and we've got the game,"
declared Dutch, as he walked with Tom in from the field.
"We've got to get some more runs," insisted the captain.
But they didn't. Dutch, Phil and Holly went down in one, two, three
order. And a zero went up in the seventh frame for Randall.
Tom struck out Sam Soden for a starter in the eighth, and then he lost
his balance, or something else happened, for he issued a free pass to
first for Simonson, amid a chorus of groans from the Randall lads, and
jeers from Fairview, who hurled such encouraging remarks at Tom as
these:
"We've got him going now!"
"He's all in!"
"We have his goat!"
"Talk about glass arms!"
Whether it was this jeering, or whether Tom was really tired, did not
develop, but, at any rate, Ed Felton, who followed Simonson, placed a
magnificent hit just inside the first base line, and with such speed
did it go that it sifted down in through the seats of the right field
bleachers, and Ed scored the first home run of the game, bringing in
Simonson, whose tally tied the score; the homer putting Fairview one run
ahead.
"Now we've got 'em! They're easy fruit!" yelled the Fairview throng, the
girls from the college blending their shrill voices with those of their
male companions. Tom was rather shaky when he and Dutch held a little
consultation in front of home plate, as Puder walked up with his stick.
Puder singled, and Tom was getting worried, but he managed to pull
himself together, and struck out Sellig and Sullivan, killing Puder on
second, and halting any further scoring by Fairview that inning.
"Maybe you'd better put Rod Evert in the box in my place," suggested Tom
to Mr. Leighton, as the Randall nine, much dispirited, came up for their
turn at the bat, the score being four to three in favor of Fairview.
"Nonsense!" exclaimed the coach. "You'll do all right, Tom. This is only
a little slump."
"I _hope_ this is the end of it," remarked the pitcher. "We can't stand
much more."
"I'll duplicate Felton's home run," promised Dutch.
"That's the way to talk," declared Ed Kerr, who was not feeling very
happy over the showing made by the team of which he was manager.
But alas for Dutch's hope! He didn't get a chance to bat, for Woodhouse
struck out, and Molloy and Pete Backus followed.
"If we can hold 'em this inning, and then get two runs, it will do the
trick," remarked Holly Cross at the beginning of the ninth.
"If," spoke Tom dubiously, for he was beginning to lose heart. However,
he gritted his teeth and, after a few warming-up balls before Ned
Williams came up, he pitched to such good advantage that Williams was
out in record time. John Allen swiped savagely at the horsehide, but it
was not to be, and he walked back to the bench, while Bower came out, a
smile of confidence on his face.
"Here's another home run," he prophesied, but Tom, in his heart, decided
it was not to be, nor was it, for Bower struck out. This still left the
score four to three, in favor of Fairview at the ending of the first
half of the ninth inning. Randall needed two runs to win, but one would
tie the tally, and give them another chance. It would also afford
another opportunity for Fairview.
The big crowd was on edge. Songs and college cries were being hurled
back and forth from grand stand and bleachers.
"The 'Conquer or Die' song, fellows," yelled Bean Perkins, and the
strains of "_Aut Vincere Aut Mori!_" sung in Latin, welled sweetly and
solemnly over the diamond. Tom Parsons felt the tears coming into his
eyes, as he walked in.
"Oh, if we only can win!" he breathed.
He was up first, and he almost trembled as he faced the Fairview
pitcher. There was a mist in his eyes, but somehow he managed to see
through it the ball that was coming swiftly toward him. It looked good
to his practiced eye, and he swung at it with all his force. To his
delight there followed that most delightful of sounds, the "ping," as
the tough mushroom bat met the ball.
"Oh! Oh! Oh! A pretty hit! A beaut!" Tom heard the crowd yell, as he
tossed aside the club, and started for first like a deer.
"Go on! Go on!" yelled Holly Cross. "Keep a-going, Tom!"
Tom kept on, swung wide around first, and then legged it for second. The
ball had gone well over the center fielder's head, and he was running
back toward the daisies after it. "Go on! Go on!" implored Holly. Tom
reached third before the ball was fielded in, and he remained there
panting, while Joe Jackson took his place at home plate, swaying his bat
to and fro.
"None gone, Tom on third and Joe at bat," mused Mr. Leighton. "I wish
Joe was a better hitter, but maybe he can knock out a bingle that will
do the trick."
Joe did, though it was more through an error on the part of the second
baseman, who muffed the fly, than any ability on Joe's part, that the
Jersey twin got to first.
Tom came in, amid a burst of cheers and yells, scoring the tying run.
Would there be a winning one, or would ten innings be necessary?
Jerry Jackson struck out, while his friends groaned, but Joe, with
desperate daring, managed to steal second. Then up came Dutch
Housenlager, and when he hit the ball a resounding whack the heart of
more than one lad was in his throat. But, by a desperate run, the left
fielder caught the fly, and Dutch was out, while Joe Jackson was on
third. He died there, for Phil, to his great chagrin, struck out. The
score stood a tie 4 to 4.
"Ten innings! Ten innings!" yelled the crowd.
Bean Perkins and his fellows were singing all the songs they knew. So
were the Fairview cohorts, and the scene was a wild one.
"Hold 'em down, Tom; hold 'em down!" implored the coach as the plucky
pitcher went to his box.
It looked as if he was not going to do it, for he passed Sam Soden to
first, and duplicated the trick for Charley Simonson and with two men on
bases, not a man down, and Tom as nervous as a cat, it began to look
dubious for Randall. The crowd was on edge. So was Tom, with two lively
runners on the first and second bags to watch. Several times he threw to
first, hoping to catch Simonson napping, but it was not to be.
Suddenly Pete Backus, who was holding down second base, threw up his
hand to shield his eyes, and Tom saw a dazzling streak of light flash
across from the grand stand.
"What's the matter, Pete?" asked the pitcher.
"Some girl up there must have bright buttons on, or a hat pin made of
diamonds, for they're flashing in my eyes," complained Pete. Then the
flash vanished and Tom was about to pitch a ball for Ed Felton, who was
up, when, as he gave a comprehensive look at first and second, he again
saw the dazzling gleam in Pete's eyes.
"We'll have to stop that!" exclaimed the captain. "I'll ask Kerr or Mr.
Leighton to speak to whoever's wearing such bright adornments."
"Funny it should hit me in the eyes all the while," complained Pete,
changing his position, but the beam of light followed him.
"Some one's doing that on purpose," declared Tom, and he fairly ran
toward the grand stand. But before he got there he saw something
happening.
The beam of light came from that section of the stand near where Tom had
noticed Langridge and Miss Harrison sitting. Then, as he raced on, he
also remembered that Sid sat there too. A terrible thought came to him.
Could Sid be trying to disconcert the player who was taking his place,
by flashing a mirror in his eyes?
"Of course he wouldn't do such a dirty trick!" said Tom to himself, a
moment after he had entertained the thought.
The captain reached the stand, in company with Dutch, who had run back
in response to the pitcher's motion, in time to see Sid leap to his
feet, reach forward toward Langridge, who sat in front of him, while the
deposed second baseman exclaimed:
"You mean sneak!"
"What's the matter?" asked Langridge coolly, as he turned an insolent
stare on Sid. "Mad because I'm with Miss Harrison?"
"No, you cur! But I see what you're doing! Hand over that mirror!" and
before Langridge could protest Sid had yanked him backward, partly over
the seat, and had grasped the right hand of the former Randall
student--a hand containing a small, circular mirror.
"You were flashing that in the eyes of our second baseman, you sneak!"
cried Sid hotly. "I was watching you! You held it down, where you
thought no one would see. You ought to be kicked off the stand!"
"I did not!" declared Langridge brazenly, yet there was fear in his
manner, and the mirror was mute evidence. "I was just going to hand it
to Miss Harrison," he went on. "To let her see if her hat----"
The girl turned her blue eyes on him, and shrank away from the notice
attracted to her escort. Langridge did not complete his lie.
"I saw what you were doing," went on Sid. "Wasn't something flashing in
Pete's eyes?" he asked, as Tom and Dutch, with some of the other Randall
players, stood on the ground, in front of where the scene had taken
place.
"That's what I came in to see about," declared Tom.
"I--I didn't know it was shining in his eyes," stammered Langridge. "Let
go of me, Henderson, or I'll make you!"
Sid did not want to make a scene, and released his hold of Langridge.
Tom, by a motion, signalled to Sid to say nothing more, but it was
principally on the score of not wanting to further subject Miss
Harrison to embarrassment, rather than to save Langridge from
punishment. Then, too, there was only slim proof against Langridge. Sid
grabbed the mirror away from the bully, and the latter dared not
protest. There were some hisses, and Miss Harrison blushed painfully.
Langridge tried to brazen it out, but, with a muttered excuse that he
wanted to get a cigar, he left the stand, and the blue-eyed girl, after
a frightened glance around, went and sat with Ruth and Madge. Sid looked
as if he wanted to follow her, but he did not dare, and after Tom, Ed
Kerr and Mr. Leighton had consulted together for a few minutes, it was
agreed to take no action against Langridge, who had sneaked off.
"He did it, all right," decided Tom. "He wanted to rattle Pete and make
us lose to Fairview, but we're not going to do it."
"Indeed not," asserted the coach. "Hold 'em down now, Tom. One run will
do the trick."
There were two men on bases, and none out when Ed Felton resumed his
place at home, and Tom was inclined to shiver when he remembered what Ed
had done to the ball before. But the pitcher took a strong brace, and
struck out Ed, much to that worthy's surprise.
Then, by some magnificent pitching, in the face of long odds, Tom
retired Puder and Lem Sellig with an ease that he himself marveled at.
His arm seemed to have gotten back some of its cunning.
A zero went up in the tenth frame for Fairview.
"That looks good to me!" cried Holly Cross, dancing about. "If we can't
get in one run now, Tom, we ought to be put out of the league."
"Well, it's up to you, Holly," remarked Tom. "You're up first."
"By Jove, you'll not be ashamed of me!" declared the big center fielder.
He rapped out a nice bingle that took him to second base. Then came Dan
Woodhouse, and he struck out, amid groans.
Bricktop walked up with an air of confidence, amid encouraging comments
from his chums. The Fairview pitcher was getting a little rattled, and
threw so wild that the catcher, though he jumped for the ball, missed
it, and had to run back while Holly, who had stolen to third, came
in with a rush. There was a mixup at the plate, as Holly slid in,
accompanied by a cloud of dust, but the pitcher, who had run up to
assist the catcher, and make amends for his wild throw, dropped the
ball, and Holly scored the winning run.
There was a moment of silence until the big crowd and the players
appreciated what it meant to pull out a victory in the tenth, and that
after an exceedingly close game. Then came a burst of cheers, and
applause that made the grand stands and bleachers rattle.
"Wow! Wow! Wow!" yelled the exultant Randallites, and they capered
about in very joy, like wild Indians, slapping each other on the back,
punching and being punched, cheering for themselves and for Fairview by
turns.