PAUL'S GREAT CATCH.
There was a tremendous cheering from those who favored Si Voup's club,
while the Lakeport sympathizers were correspondingly silent.
"The Excelsiors get the first run!"
"They are going to win this game sure!"
The Lakeport players were much crestfallen, but did their best not to
show it.
While the cheering was going on and Joe was preparing to pitch once
more the runner at first tried to steal to second. Like lightning Joe
delivered the sphere into the hands of Link and the runner was put
out. This brought the first inning to a close. A score board had been
erected, and up went the score, in chalk:
_Excelsiors_ 1
_Lakeports_ 0
"That's hard luck, no use of talking," said Bart, as he came in.
"Boys, we must do something this inning."
"If we can," added Paul.
"No use of getting discouraged," came cheerfully from Harry. "This game
is young yet."
Frank Pemberton was the first player to bat in the second inning.
"Here comes Cheeky," cried one of his friends. "He'll show 'em a trick
or two."
"Another victim!" roared an Excelsior enthusiast.
The run gained made Si Voup feel good and he walked to the box feeling
very important. Then he sent in an outer curve.
"Ball one!" called the umpire.
Again the ball came in and Frank did not try to hit it.
"Ball two!"
"What's the matter with that?" growled Si.
"Too far out," said the umpire.
Once more the sphere was delivered. It was in the right place and Frank
rapped it good and hard and sent it sailing far out into left field.
"Good!" came the shout. "Run, Cheeky, run!"
And Frank did run for all he was worth. First was gained, then second,
and he slid to third in safety.
"A three-base hit!"
"Now where are you, Excelsiors?"
"You've got 'em started, boys; keep it up."
Harry was the next player to bat and as he came up Laura waved her flag
at her brother.
Harry tried to keep cool, but his heart was thumping madly. He let the
first ball pass him.
"One strike!"
Again the ball came in. It was not exactly what he wanted, but he
landed on it almost desperately and sent it along the ground between
first and second base. The first baseman ran for it, while Voup started
to cover the bag. But before anything could be done Harry was safe and
Frank had come in home.
"A run for Lakeport!"
"Why didn't you put the ball home?" cried the Excelsior catcher,
angrily, for the sphere had been sent to Voup instead of to him.
"I couldn't get the man from third," growled the first baseman, yet he
knew in his heart that he had made a wrong play.
Joe followed his brother, but as luck would have it was caught out on a
pop fly to shortstop. Then Voup put in his swiftest ball, the catcher
threw it to second, and Harry was caught just as he was trying to steal
that bag. Link was at the bat and he went out an instant later on three
strikes; and this finished the first half of the second inning.
"Never mind, we have evened up the score," said Joe. "Frank, that was a
dandy hit and no mistake."
When they came to the bat the Excelsiors did their best to get in two
runs, but there was a triple play between the first and second basemen
and the shortstop of the Lakeports, and the runners failed to score.
Then a short fly to third finished the inning. Once again the score
went up on the board:
_Excelsiors_ 1 0
_Lakeports_ 0 1
"Anyway, that looks a little better," said Fred.
"It looks like a nip-and-tuck game," said Mr. Corsen to his gentleman
friend. "Still, I bank on the Lakeports."
"And I am just as confident that the Excelsiors will win."
So far Paul Shale had not been to the bat, but now it was his turn to
face Si Voup and he did it as calmly as possible. He had two strikes
called on him and two balls and then knocked a little fly to first base.
"Come home!" cried somebody. "You don't know how to bat!" And Paul
walked to the bench feeling very sore.
But the bad luck did not continue, and before the inning came to an end
the Lakeports scored two runs. Then the Excelsiors made four runs. The
score now read, Excelsiors 5, Lakeports 3, and our young friends felt
rather glum.
"Brace up, fellows," said Joe. And then he added: "Do you want another
pitcher or catcher?"
"No!" was the immediate answer. "You are all right."
During the next few innings there was a general see-sawing and half
a dozen mildly exciting plays. There was also a dispute over a close
decision on second base, but the umpire stood firm and the majority
of the spectators sided with him. The score at the end of the seventh
inning read, Excelsiors 8, Lakeports 5.
"This is a victory for the Excelsiors," said more than one. "The
Lakeports can't catch up to them now. It's too late."
But in the eighth inning matters took a brighter turn for the
Lakeports. Harry was first to the bat and knocked a clean base hit.
The fielders fumbled the ball and he managed to get down to second. As
before Joe followed him, and rapped a red-hot liner to shortstop. The
Excelsior player could not hold the sphere, and while Joe reached first
Harry went up to third. Then, while Link was at the bat, the catcher
let the ball pass him and Harry came in, while Joe advanced to third
base. The Excelsiors were now badly rattled and when the catcher threw
the ball to Si Voup he missed it, and in the mixup Joe slid home.
"Hurrah for Lakeport! That's the way to do it!"
"Voup, put some glue on your hands! You'll be able to hold the ball
better!"
Si Voup was so cut up that he began to pitch wildly and soon Link went
to first base on balls. Then Paul came up and knocked a two-bagger, and
Walter followed with a clean hit to center that brought him to second
and helped to score two more runs. The Lakeport supporters were now
cheering wildly and throwing up their hats.
"We've got 'em on the run!" cried Bart, excitedly. And when he came
up he banged out another two-base hit, and a runner came in, adding
another run to the score. But that was the end of the good luck, and
they retired at the end of the first half of the eighth inning with the
score standing, Excelsiors 8, Lakeports 10.
When the Excelsiors came up again it was with a "do or die" expression
on their faces. One of their best batsmen was up and he managed to
make a fine two-base hit which won great applause. Then came an out,
followed by another hit, and then a player got to first on balls. When
the inning came to a close the score was a tie, 10 to 10.
The excitement all over the ball field was now intense. That the two
clubs were closely matched there could no longer be any doubt. Many,
however, considered that Joe was a slightly better pitcher than Si Voup.
Harry was now again to the bat and sent the ball down to right field,
thereby gaining first. Joe followed with a fly to left field, but the
fielder dropped the ball, and Joe got to first while his brother gained
second. Then Link distinguished himself by a long drive to center which
took him to second and brought in two runs. Again a wild cheering rent
the air. Fearing they were going to lose, some of the players of the
Excelsiors began to find fault with the runners.
"They cut third base," said Si Voup. "I saw them do it." But the
runners had done nothing of the sort, and some spectators began to hiss
at the pitcher. Then the umpire told them to play ball, and in a bad
humor the Excelsiors did so. When at last the first half of the ninth
inning came to a close the score stood Excelsiors 10, Lakeports 13.
"I hope that proves a lucky thirteen," said Harry, as his club walked
out into the field well satisfied with their score.
"If we could only shut them out this last inning!" came from Link.
If the Excelsiors had been anxious to score before, they were doubly
anxious now, and Voup cautioned the first man up to do his very best.
As a result the fellow made a safe hit and reached first.
"That's the way to start 'em up!" cried Sidney Yates, who was on the
coaching line. "Show 'em how we have been fooling 'em, boys!" And then
he continued to make all sorts of remarks, in an endeavor to rattle Joe.
The next player went out on a sacrifice hit, which he made contrary to
Voup's orders. This took the man on first to second. The next batter
hit the ball to left field, but only managed to reach first, while the
other runner came home.
"Eleven to thirteen!" was the cry. "Now, Excelsiors, make those other
two runs, and one over!"
Joe's heart was thumping wildly, but he did his best to steady himself.
He pitched with all the speed left in his arm, and as a result the next
man was struck out in quick order. At this the Excelsiors looked glum
once more.
"One more out and the game will be over."
"It doesn't look as if the Excelsiors would make those runs now, does
it?"
So the talk ran on, while the next player came up, and the man on first
reached second. Then came a short hit. Link got the ball and threw it
to third and the man on second stayed where he was.
"Go in for a home run!" shouted somebody in the crowd. A run of that
sort meant three runs, for both first and second bases were now
occupied by runners.
In the midst of the fever-heat of excitement one of the Excelsiors'
best batsmen came to the plate. He had made a two and a three-base hit
and everybody felt that he could score a home run if given half a
chance.
"I must be careful," thought Joe. He realized that his arm was not as
limber as it had been. He had wanted to put Link in as pitcher the
inning before, but the others would not have it.
Making certain that the runners were not "playing off" too far, he
delivered the ball with care.
"One strike!" sang out the umpire, although the batsman had not moved
his bat.
Again the ball was sent in. This time the bat came around, but the
sphere was not touched.
"Two strikes!"
A murmur arose among the Excelsiors.
"Hit it, Wheeling; you've got to hit it!"
"Knock the cover off the ball!"
Again the ball came in just where Wheeling wished it. He reached out,
and crack! the sphere went sailing high over second base and far out
into centerfield.
"A home run!" came the cry. "A home run! The Excelsiors win this game."
"Run, fellows, run! There is nothing to stop you."
And the Excelsior players began to dance around like wild Indians. The
two on the bases began to tear around the diamond like mad, with the
lad who had hit the ball following.
Paul Shale saw the ball coming. He knew it would pass high over his
head and down into deep center he went like the wind after it. He heard
the crowd yell, but paid no attention to the rest of the players.
"I must get it! I must get it!" he said to himself, and the words
fairly burnt themselves into his brain. He made leap after leap. The
ball was coming down--it was still out of reach. He stumbled, but kept
on--and then, just as the ball came within eight feet of the earth, he
sprang up and clutched it in the fingers of one hand. Hardly had he
done this than his feet struck a rock and he went down heavily. Then he
rolled over on his back, but held the ball aloft.
[Illustration: He held the ball aloft.]
"He has got it!"
"He caught that fly after all!"
"What a magnificent play! I never saw anything to match it!"
"Those runs don't count."
"Lakeport wins the game!"