A GLORIOUS VICTORY
"Good for Jack Rover!"
"That was some stop, all right!"
"Maybe it didn't sting his hand!"
So the cries ran on, and when the Colby Hall nine came in from the field the young pitcher was wildly applauded.
In the meantime, however, Gif ran to him anxiously.
"It was the best ever, Jack, but did it hurt your hand—I mean enough to stop your pitching?"
"It's not going to stop my pitching, Gif," answered the young pitcher. His hand stung as if burnt by fire, but he was not going to admit it.
"Oh, wasn't that a glorious play!" burst out Ruth Stevenson, and her glowing face showed her pleasure.
"I hope Jack wasn't hurt," answered the young captain's sister solicitously.
There was another cheering when Dan Soppinger stepped to the plate with his bat in hand. Dan had two strikes called on him, and then sent a fly to left field which was gathered in with ease.
"One out! Keep it up, Longley!"
"Don't let 'em see first!"
Gif was the next player up, and by hard work he managed to rap out a single between short and second, which carried him to first in safety. But the next two players failed to connect with the sphere, and the goose egg went up on the board for the cadets.
After that there was a good deal of seesawing for four innings, and without any results so far as scoring was concerned. Longley made four hits, and so did the Colby boys. But no runner got further than second base.
Of course the catching of the red-hot liner had done Jack's pitching hand no good. It was a little swollen in the palm, and this prevented the fingers from working quite as freely as would otherwise have been the case.
"Now listen, Jack," said Gif, taking him to one side after Jack had pitched through the fifth inning. "If your hand hurts you, say so, and I'll put another fellow in the box."
"Never mind my hand, Gif, as long as I can treat them to goose eggs," answered the young pitcher.
"But I don't want you to ruin your hand."
"That's all right. When I feel I can't do any more pitching I'll let you know."
In the sixth inning there came a break. But this could not be called Jack's fault. The first Longley player up, a chap named Mason, managed to dribble the ball toward third, and before either the baseman or the shortstop could send it over he had reached first. Then, on a wild throw to second, the runner not only covered that bag, but went on and slid in to third.
"Now we've got 'em a-going, fellows!" was the Longley yell.
"Right you are!"
"Nobody out, and a man on third! This is the time we wipe up the diamond with them! Everybody on the job!"
The next player went out on a pop fly. Then came Tommy Flanders, who did his best to line out a single. This was stopped by the second baseman, who, however, threw the ball to the home plate, thus cutting off the possibility of a run.
"Hurrah! Two men on base, and only one out!"
"Here is where Longley does some big scoring!"
"Jack, are you sure you can hold 'em?" Gif questioned anxiously, as he came up to the pitcher.
"I'll do it or die in the attempt," was the answer, and Jack gritted his teeth.
It was certainly a trying situation, but the young pitcher refused to allow his nerves to get the better of him. He gave a signal to the backstop, and then sent in an outcurve, which the batter swung at in vain. Then he sent in a straight ball, following this by another outcurve, and almost before he knew it the batter was struck out.
"Hurrah!" came from Spouter Powell. "That's the way to do it! Two men out! Now for the third man!"
The Longley player to come up was one of their best batsmen, and Jack realized that to give him anything like a good ball to hit would be fatal, so he fed the man nothing but those which were high and wide. As a consequence the fellow had two strikes called on him and four balls, and took his base, moving Flanders to second.
"Hurrah! Three men on base!" was the Longley yell. "Now, then, Simmons, bring 'em all in!"
Simmons came forward with a do-or-die expression on his face. He had one strike called on him, and then knocked a low one toward centerfield. At once he started for first, while the fellow on third dashed forward for the home plate. The ball was gathered in as quickly as possible, and the runner from first to second was put out. But the runner from third had come in just before.
"Hurrah! That's one run, anyhow!" shouted the Longley supporters.
"I told you we could do it," said Tommy Flanders. He was glad of the run, yet tremendously chagrined to think that he had not been permitted to score.
"Now we've got to tie that score or better," said Gif, when the Colby Hall boys came to the bat.
All of those who came up, including Fred and Jack, did their best, but were unable to get further than first or second.
"Hurrah! That's the stuff!" cried Pete Stevens. "Let us hold 'em down to a whitewash!"
"Sure I'll hold 'em down!" boasted Tommy Flanders. "Not a one of 'em are going to see the home plate off of me to-day."
"He'll certainly win the game if conceit can do it," murmured Ned Lowe in disgust.
It must be admitted that so far Tommy Flanders had done wonderfully well. But there were signs that he was overdoing it by pitching too hard.
"I think he'll break before the game is over," said Dan.
"Just my opinion," returned Walt Baxter. "No young pitcher can stand up under such a strain as that."
The break they had looked for came in the eighth inning. By a supreme effort Longley managed, on a fumble by one of the new players for Colby Hall, to bring in another run, at which the cheering on their side was tremendous.
"That's the stuff! Two to nothing! Wallop 'em good and plenty, Longley!"
"We'll wallop 'em all right enough," exulted Tommy Flanders. "They are going to get the worst whitewashing they ever had—you mark my words."
Alas for the conceited young pitcher! His overconfidence made him a trifle wild, and almost before he realized it the first Colby Hall batter had got a safe hit to first and the second man up went to first on balls, advancing the other to second.
"Tighten up there, Tommy! Tighten up!" called out one of the Longley sympathizers.
"I'll tighten up, all right enough," answered Flanders, with a scowl.
The next player up got another single, the ball being fumbled by the fielder, and as a consequence the bases were filled.
"Be careful, Tommy!" cautioned the Longley captain, as he came up to the pitcher. "Be careful! We don't want to spoil the score."
"They won't get in. You just watch me and see," answered Flanders, and scowled more than ever.
He did tighten up a little, and as a consequence the next batter up went out on strikes and the following player on a foul fly.
"Hurrah! Two out! Hold 'em down! Don't let 'em score!"
The next batter up was Fred. So far the youngest Rover had been unable to get further than first.
"Oh, Fred, line it out! Please line it out!" cried May Powell, and then she blushed furiously as a number sitting near her began to laugh.
"Don't you care, May," consoled Mary, and then she called out loudly: "Do your best, Fred! Do your best!"
"Go in and win!" cried Martha.
There had been a tremendous racket, but now, as Fred gripped his ashen stick and Tommy Flanders prepared to deliver the ball, a deathlike silence came over the field. Every one of the men on the bases was prepared to leg it at the slightest chance of being able to score.
The first ball to come in was too high, and the second too low, so Fred let them go by. Then, however, came a straight ball just where he wanted it, and Fred swung at it with every ounce of muscle in his body.
Crack! The report could be heard all over the grounds, and then the sphere could be seen sailing far off into left field.
"Run, boys, run! Everybody run!"
"Leg it for all you are worth!"
"It's a three-bagger, sure!"
"No, it isn't! It's a homer! Run, boys! Run! Run! Run!"
The crowd was now on its feet yelling and cheering at the top of its lungs and throwing caps and banners into the air, and while the left fielder was chasing madly after the bounding ball, the three men on bases came in one after another, followed swiftly by the panting and blowing Rover boy.
"Hi! Hi! Hi! What do you know about that! Four runs!"
"That's the way to do it, Colby! Keep it up!"
"You've got the Longley pitcher going!" cried Spouter at the top of his lungs. "Give us a few more home runs! They'll be easy!"
"Take Flanders out!" said one of the Academy boys in disgust. "He's beginning to weaken."
While the din and excitement continued the Academy captain went up to talk to the pitcher.
"Don't you think we had better make a change, Tommy?" he questioned anxiously.
"No, I don't!" roared Flanders angrily. "That home run was a fluke, that's all. I'll hold 'em down, you wait and see."
There were wild cries to change the pitcher on the part of the Longley students, while the military academy cadets yelled themselves hoarse telling their nine to "bat Flanders out of the box."
Walt Baxter was now up, and managed to get to second. Then came Jack with a single that took him safely to first and advanced Walt to third.
"Say, Tommy, you'd better give it up," whispered the Longley captain, as he came to the box.
"I'll hold 'em! Just give me one chance more," answered Flanders desperately.
And then came the real break. The next player up got what would have been a two-base hit, but the ball was fumbled, and as a consequence the man got home, chasing the other two runners in ahead of him.
"Hurrah! What do you know about that! Seven runs!"
"That's the way to do it! Hurrah for Colby Hall!"
"You've got 'em a-going, boys, give it to 'em good and plenty!"
The excitement was now greater than ever, and all, including the girls from Clearwater Hall, were shouting themselves hoarse, tooting tin horns, shaking rattles, and throwing caps and other things into the air.
"Take him out! Take Flanders out!"
"Out with Flanders! Out with him!"
"He should have been taken out before!"
"All right—finish the game without me!" roared Tommy Flanders in disgust, and, throwing down the ball, he strode from the field and into one of the dressing-rooms.
"Gee, but he's sore!" was Randy's comment.
"That ought to take some of the conceit out of him," added Andy.
The new pitcher was a left-hander who had rather a puzzling delivery, and he managed to retire the side without any more runs, so that at the end of the eighth inning the score stood 7 to 2 in favor of Colby Hall.
"Now then, pull yourselves together," ordered the Longley captain, when his side came up to the bat for the last time.
All of those who came to the plate did their best, but Jack was on his mettle, and though his swollen hand hurt him not a little, he played with all the coolness, strength and ingenuity which he possessed. As a consequence, although he allowed two single hits, none of the Longley boys got further than third.
"Hurrah! Colby Hall wins!"
And then what a celebration ensued among the cadets who had won the game and their many supporters!