CHAPTER VII THE BIG GAME
A special train brought a wild crowd of Bedford supporters down toTruesdell for the big game. Rooters for the local team jammed thebleachers and watched the preliminary practice with critical eyes.
“I can’t see Fatty Beals as catcher,” grumbled Bony Jones. “He might doall right for a backstop, but he can’t throw down to second to save hislife! I could do better myself.”
“Why didn’t you think to mention that the first of the season?” demandedCharlie Rogers, whose hair was only a shade redder than his temper whenone of his friends was assailed. “It’s a crime to keep your talentshidden that way, Bony!”
“Fatty’s all right,” declared Wat Sanford, “and anyhow, Ned Blake’sgoing to pitch, and there won’t be a Bedford man get to first—take itfrom me!”
The Truesdell players were soon called in and Bedford took the diamondfor ten minutes fast work, handling infield hits and throwing around thebases.
“Look at Slugger Slade over on third!” exclaimed Jim Tapley. “This ishis first year with Bedford, but I hear he’s a semi-pro. He looks morelike a football fullback than a third sacker!”
“He’ll try football stuff, if he gets a chance,” asserted Rogers. “I’mhoping the umpire keeps his eye peeled for crooked work. Here’s ourteam,” he continued, hoisting himself up on his one sound foot with thehelp of a cane. “Come on, boys. Let’s give ’em a cheer!”
The long yell rolled forth from half a thousand throats. “Oh well! Oh_well_! Oh WELL! Truesdell! _Truesdell!_ TRUESDELL.” To which theBedford rooters responded with their snappy “B-E-D-F-O-R-D!”
The visiting team was first at bat and three men went out in quicksuccession, not a man reaching first.
“What did I tell you!” chortled Wat Sanford. “You should worry about theheavy hitters, Bony!”
Truesdell’s efforts at bat were, however, little better than Bedford’s.The first man up drew a base on balls but perished on an attempt tosteal second; the next fouled out and Ned’s long fly was captured byBedford’s left-fielder.
Slugger Slade came to bat in the first half of the second inning andsmashed to right field a wicked line-drive, which Dave Wilbur gatheredin with his usual lazy grace.
“Atta boy, Weary!” screamed Jim Tapley. “_You_ tell ’em!”
“What do you think now about Slade’s hitting?” demanded Jones. “Thatdrive of his would have gone for a homer sure, if it had got past Dave!”
“_Horsefeathers!_” snorted Charlie Rogers.
What looked like a break for Truesdell came in their half of the fourth.Dick Somers bunted safely and went down to second on the first pitch,running like a scared rabbit and scoring the first stolen base of thegame. Tommy Beals hit a grounder to right field, which was returned tofirst base before the plump, short-legged youth was half-way there. Dickraced round to third on the play and Truesdell’s chances for a run wereexcellent. Ned Blake ran out to the third-base coaching line.
“Great work, Dick,” he chattered. “Only one gone! Take a big lead. I’llwatch ’em for you!”
Slugger Slade, the third baseman, threw him a sour look. “Keep back ofthat coaching line, you!” he snarled.
Dave Wilbur was up, and as the bleachers yelled lustily for a hit, helifted a high sky-scraper to center field. Dick clung to the bag till hesaw the ball settle in the fielder’s glove; then dashed for home.Ordinarily it would have been an easy steal for a runner of Dick’sspeed, but he had faltered noticeably in his start and the throw-in tothe plate beat him by a narrow margin for the third out.
“I want to enter a protest on that decision!” cried Dick to the umpire,as the Bedford players trooped in from the field.
“What’s the matter?” demanded the official. “The catcher had the ball onyou half a yard from the plate!”
“I know that, but I’m claiming interference by the third baseman,”yelped Dick, wrathfully. “He held me by the belt just long enough tospoil my start!”
“That’s right, I saw him do it!” asserted Ned, who had run in to add hisprotest to that of Dick.
“What’s all the crabbin’ about?” growled Slade, swaggering up to thegroup. “You was out by a mile!”
“I’m not crabbing,” declared Dick. “I’m just calling the umpire’sattention to some of your dirty playing!”
“Who says I play dirty ball?” demanded Slade, doubling up his big fistsmenacingly.
“I do, for one!” Ned spoke quietly, but his gray eyes were blazing. “Isaw you hook your fingers under Dick’s belt when you stood behind him onthe bag!”
“You mean you think that’s what you saw,” sneered Slade. “The umpiresays he’s out and that settles it!”
There seemed no chance for further argument, and Dick walked out tocenter field in a savage humor, which was somewhat appeased when Ned, amoment later, struck the slugger out with three fast ones. The nextBedford man was out at first, and a long fly to Dick ended the inning.
Ned Blake was up in Truesdell’s half and brought the crowd to its feetwith a screaming three-bagger.
“Wow! That’s cracking ’em out!” yelled Wat Sanford. “It’s a crime wedidn’t have a couple of men on bases when Ned got hold of that one!”
“There’s nobody gone, any kind of a hit will mean a run now!” criedCharlie Rogers.
The next Truesdell batter swung at two bad balls, but lifted the thirdfor a high fly to right field. Slugger Slade’s heavy breathing soundedin Ned Blake’s ear as he crouched on third base, all set for the dashfor home. With quick fingers he loosened his belt-buckle and as thefielder’s hands closed upon the fly ball, Ned sprang from the bag;stopped short in his tracks; and yelled lustily for the umpire. Everyeye turned in his direction and saw Slade standing stupidly on thirdbase with Ned Blake’s belt dangling from his hand. The Slugger had beencaught in his own trap.
A chorus of boos and jeers changed to cheers as the umpire motioned Nedhome; a penalty which Slade had earned for his team by interfering witha base-runner.
“Oh, boy! What a stunt!” shrieked Jim Tapley. “Slade met his match thattime!”
The wild yells and jeers seemed to rattle the Bedford team for themoment. Slade, purple with rage, let an easy grounder roll between hislegs, and before the inning was over, two more Truesdell runs cameacross, making the score three to nothing.
In their half of the next inning, two Bedford batters were easy outs,but the third drove a savage liner straight for the pitcher’s box. Nedknocked it down and managed to get the ball to first for the third out.The effort proved costly, however, for he came in with the bloodstreaming from his pitching hand, two fingers of which were badly torn.
“You’ll have to finish the game, Dave,” announced Ned, and the lankysouthpaw at once began warming up.
Ned’s injured fingers were hastily taped and he took Wilbur’s place inright field.
“Oh, I’d give a million dollars to be out there now!” groaned CharlieRogers, as he shifted his lame ankle to a more comfortable position.
Dave Wilbur had scant time to warm up before he faced the leaders ofBedford’s batting order. He was found for four hits and two runs scored.The score was now Truesdell three—Bedford two, and thus it stood whenthe latter came to bat in the first half of the ninth.
“Holy _cat_!” wailed Jim Tapley, as the first man up whaled out atwo-bagger. “A couple more like that and we’re sunk!”
The second batter hit to shortstop and reached first on a fumble.Bedford now had men on first and second, with none out.
“For the luv o’ Mike, hold ’em, Dave!” screamed Wat Sanford.
Tommy Beals threw off his mask and ran half-way to the pitcher’s box toconfer with Wilbur. Yells and jeers from the Bedford stand greeted thisevidence of worry on the part of Truesdell’s battery, but it took morethan mere noise to rattle Dave Wilbur. Strolling lazily back to the box,he fanned the next two men, and the Bedford yells subsided for themoment.
The next batter, however, sent a pop-fly just out of theshortstop’s reach, and Bedford had the bases loaded with two out.Slugger Slade was up, and as he swaggered to the plate, the Bedfordyells again rent the air.
“Come on now, Slugger! Knock the cover off’n it! Put it out of the lot!”
“One strike!”
The umpire’s shrill voice cut through the babel of yells from theBedford stand. Slade glared round at the official and muttered somethingin protest. Dave Wilbur took his time in the wind-up and delivered theball in his customary effortless style.
“Strrrike _two_!”
A yell of delight from the Truesdell rooters greeted this decision.Slade rubbed his hands in the dirt and gripped his bat till his bigknuckles were white. Dave Wilbur had fooled him with two slow out-dropsand the crowd fell strangely silent as the lanky youth began his thirdwind-up. Dave put everything he had into the pitch—a high,lightning-fast ball over the inside corner of the plate.
The sharp crack of the Slugger’s bat brought the Bedford crowd to itsfeet with a roar, while the silent Truesdell bleachers watched withsinking hearts as the horse-hide sphere sailed high and far betweenright and center fields.
Ned Blake and Dick Somers were playing deep, and at the crack of the batboth started on the instant. The ball curved away from Ned and a bittoward Dick who was running as he had never run before. For a moment itseemed to the watchers that the two racing fielders would crashtogether. Suddenly they saw Dick make a desperate leap into the air withupstretched arm. The ball struck the tip of his glove, and bouncing highto one side, fell into Ned’s extended hands for the final out.
Truesdell had won, and with the sort of finish that comes once in alifetime. With a roar, the Truesdell rooters swept across the diamond,and hoisting Ned Blake and Dick Somers high above the surging crowd,bore them in triumph from the field.
Slugger Slade stared after the retreating crowd and a savage scowldarkened his face. Into his mind there flamed a great hatred of thesejubilant lads who had beaten him so unaccountably. Deep within him arosethe sullen wish that he might somehow even matters with them. It was awish that would later bear much fruit.