CHAPTER XXI
RANDALL IN THE TENTH
Lem Sellig, who was up first for Fairview, had what Tom thought wasa wicked look in his eye. Whether Tom lost control or whether Lemsurprised himself and his friends by finding the ball, in spite of itspuzzling 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 theball, and had some time in finding it in the grass before he threw it injust in time to shut off Lem from going to third. This stroke of luckseemed to give Fairview confidence, and Frank Sullivan almost duplicatedLem's trick, bringing in the third baseman, and getting to secondhimself.
"Now we're going to walk away from 'em," declared Lem, as he tallied thefirst run for his side, and it did look so, for Ned Williams found TomParsons for a couple of fouls. But the fatal blow was wanting, and Nedwent back to the bench, amid groans. Sullivan stole to third on a ballthat managed to get past Dutch at home, and then followed a wild scenewhen John Allen knocked a pretty fly, bringing in Frank, but getting outhimself. This made the score two to three in favor of Randall, and therewas a nervous tension when Tom got ready to attend to Herbert Bower, thenext man up.
"I've got to dispose of him with some style," thought the Randalltwirler, "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 calledballs, but the next three could not have been better, and Bower wasstruck 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, threeorder. 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 losthis balance, or something else happened, for he issued a free pass tofirst for Simonson, amid a chorus of groans from the Randall lads, andjeers from Fairview, who hurled such encouraging remarks at Tom asthese:
"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 notdevelop, but, at any rate, Ed Felton, who followed Simonson, placed amagnificent hit just inside the first base line, and with such speeddid it go that it sifted down in through the seats of the right fieldbleachers, and Ed scored the first home run of the game, bringing inSimonson, whose tally tied the score; the homer putting Fairview one runahead.
"Now we've got 'em! They're easy fruit!" yelled the Fairview throng, thegirls from the college blending their shrill voices with those of theirmale companions. Tom was rather shaky when he and Dutch held a littleconsultation in front of home plate, as Puder walked up with his stick.Puder singled, and Tom was getting worried, but he managed to pullhimself together, and struck out Sellig and Sullivan, killing Puder onsecond, and halting any further scoring by Fairview that inning.
"Maybe you'd better put Rod Evert in the box in my place," suggested Tomto Mr. Leighton, as the Randall nine, much dispirited, came up for theirturn 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 onlya little slump."
"I _hope_ this is the end of it," remarked the pitcher. "We can't standmuch more."
"I'll duplicate Felton's home run," promised Dutch.
"That's the way to talk," declared Ed Kerr, who was not feeling veryhappy 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 Woodhousestruck out, and Molloy and Pete Backus followed.
"If we can hold 'em this inning, and then get two runs, it will do thetrick," 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 NedWilliams came up, he pitched to such good advantage that Williams wasout in record time. John Allen swiped savagely at the horsehide, but itwas not to be, and he walked back to the bench, while Bower came out, asmile of confidence on his face.
"Here's another home run," he prophesied, but Tom, in his heart, decidedit was not to be, nor was it, for Bower struck out. This still left thescore four to three, in favor of Fairview at the ending of the firsthalf of the ninth inning. Randall needed two runs to win, but one wouldtie the tally, and give them another chance. It would also affordanother opportunity for Fairview.
The big crowd was on edge. Songs and college cries were being hurledback and forth from grand stand and bleachers.
"The 'Conquer or Die' song, fellows," yelled Bean Perkins, and thestrains of "_Aut Vincere Aut Mori!_" sung in Latin, welled sweetly andsolemnly over the diamond. Tom Parsons felt the tears coming into hiseyes, as he walked in.
"Oh, if we only can win!" he breathed.
He was up first, and he almost trembled as he faced the Fairviewpitcher. There was a mist in his eyes, but somehow he managed to seethrough it the ball that was coming swiftly toward him. It looked goodto his practiced eye, and he swung at it with all his force. To hisdelight there followed that most delightful of sounds, the "ping," asthe tough mushroom bat met the ball.
"Oh! Oh! Oh! A pretty hit! A beaut!" Tom heard the crowd yell, as hetossed 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. Theball had gone well over the center fielder's head, and he was runningback toward the daisies after it. "Go on! Go on!" implored Holly. Tomreached third before the ball was fielded in, and he remained therepanting, while Joe Jackson took his place at home plate, swaying his batto and fro.
"None gone, Tom on third and Joe at bat," mused Mr. Leighton. "I wishJoe was a better hitter, but maybe he can knock out a bingle that willdo the trick."
Joe did, though it was more through an error on the part of the secondbaseman, who muffed the fly, than any ability on Joe's part, that theJersey 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, withdesperate daring, managed to steal second. Then up came DutchHousenlager, and when he hit the ball a resounding whack the heart ofmore than one lad was in his throat. But, by a desperate run, the leftfielder caught the fly, and Dutch was out, while Joe Jackson was onthird. He died there, for Phil, to his great chagrin, struck out. Thescore 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. Sowere the Fairview cohorts, and the scene was a wild one.
"Hold 'em down, Tom; hold 'em down!" implored the coach as the pluckypitcher went to his box.
It looked as if he was not going to do it, for he passed Sam Soden tofirst, and duplicated the trick for Charley Simonson and with two men onbases, not a man down, and Tom as nervous as a cat, it began to lookdubious for Randall. The crowd was on edge. So was Tom, with two livelyrunners on the first and second bags to watch. Several times he threw tofirst, hoping to catch Simonson napping, but it was not to be.
Suddenly Pete Backus, who was holding down second base, threw up hishand to shield his eyes, and Tom saw a dazzling streak of light flashacross 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 ofdiamonds, for they're flashing in my eyes," complained Pete. Then theflash vanished and Tom was about to pitch a ball for Ed Felton, who wasup, when, as he gave a comprehensive look at first and second, he againsaw the dazzling gleam in Pete's eyes.
"We'll have to stop that!" exclaimed the captain. "I'll ask Kerr or Mr.Leighto
n 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 rantoward the grand stand. But before he got there he saw somethinghappening.
The beam of light came from that section of the stand near where Tom hadnoticed Langridge and Miss Harrison sitting. Then, as he raced on, healso 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, amoment after he had entertained the thought.
The captain reached the stand, in company with Dutch, who had run backin response to the pitcher's motion, in time to see Sid leap to hisfeet, reach forward toward Langridge, who sat in front of him, while thedeposed second baseman exclaimed:
"You mean sneak!"
"What's the matter?" asked Langridge coolly, as he turned an insolentstare on Sid. "Mad because I'm with Miss Harrison?"
"No, you cur! But I see what you're doing! Hand over that mirror!" andbefore Langridge could protest Sid had yanked him backward, partly overthe seat, and had grasped the right hand of the former Randallstudent--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 youthought no one would see. You ought to be kicked off the stand!"
"I did not!" declared Langridge brazenly, yet there was fear in hismanner, and the mirror was mute evidence. "I was just going to hand itto 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 noticeattracted to her escort. Langridge did not complete his lie.
"I saw what you were doing," went on Sid. "Wasn't something flashing inPete's eyes?" he asked, as Tom and Dutch, with some of the other Randallplayers, stood on the ground, in front of where the scene had takenplace.
"That's what I came in to see about," declared Tom.
"I--I didn't know it was shining in his eyes," stammered Langridge. "Letgo 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 wasprincipally on the score of not wanting to further subject MissHarrison to embarrassment, rather than to save Langridge frompunishment. Then, too, there was only slim proof against Langridge. Sidgrabbed the mirror away from the bully, and the latter dared notprotest. There were some hisses, and Miss Harrison blushed painfully.Langridge tried to brazen it out, but, with a muttered excuse that hewanted to get a cigar, he left the stand, and the blue-eyed girl, aftera frightened glance around, went and sat with Ruth and Madge. Sid lookedas if he wanted to follow her, but he did not dare, and after Tom, EdKerr and Mr. Leighton had consulted together for a few minutes, it wasagreed to take no action against Langridge, who had sneaked off.
"He did it, all right," decided Tom. "He wanted to rattle Pete and makeus lose to Fairview, but we're not going to do it."
"Indeed not," asserted the coach. "Hold 'em down now, Tom. One run willdo the trick."
There were two men on bases, and none out when Ed Felton resumed hisplace at home, and Tom was inclined to shiver when he remembered what Edhad done to the ball before. But the pitcher took a strong brace, andstruck out Ed, much to that worthy's surprise.
Then, by some magnificent pitching, in the face of long odds, Tomretired 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'tget 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 DanWoodhouse, and he struck out, amid groans.
Bricktop walked up with an air of confidence, amid encouraging commentsfrom his chums. The Fairview pitcher was getting a little rattled, andthrew so wild that the catcher, though he jumped for the ball, missedit, and had to run back while Holly, who had stolen to third, camein 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 toassist the catcher, and make amends for his wild throw, dropped theball, and Holly scored the winning run.
There was a moment of silence until the big crowd and the playersappreciated what it meant to pull out a victory in the tenth, and thatafter an exceedingly close game. Then came a burst of cheers, andapplause that made the grand stands and bleachers rattle.
"Wow! Wow! Wow!" yelled the exultant Randallites, and they caperedabout in very joy, like wild Indians, slapping each other on the back,punching and being punched, cheering for themselves and for Fairview byturns.