The seventh began with Poole at the bat. The first ball was a little wide for him, but he thought he could utilize it, and chopped a little liner over the short-stop’s head. When Sudbury came up, Ribot had his pitcher throw two balls in the hope of tempting Phil to try to steal second. Then came a strike and another ball. With three balls called, Phil started on the next pitch with the pitcher’s arm on the old chance of hit and run. Sudbury bunted, and got his base on Ribot’s wild throw to first, while Phil made second easily. This was a business-like beginning that stirred anew the sluggish Seaton throats!
Sands came up to the plate. Did ever captain face such an opportunity! A single would tie the score, a two-base hit would probably win the game. A grounder in the wrong place might result in a double play and the loss of the start this made. Sands did his best, but his best was only a slow grounder toward third, and he sped away to first without much hope of reaching there. Phil had taken a good lead from second, and dashed past Kleindienst, the Hillbury third baseman, just before the latter got the ball and shot it across the diamond to first. Sands was out, but both Phil and Sudbury had advanced a base.
“Can he do it?” said Tompkins, as Waddington faced the pitcher.
“Do what?” asked Hayes, who was stamping the ground with his foot and nervously swinging the bat in his hand.
“Anything but strike out or hit to the in-field,” replied Tompkins. “If he makes a hit, we win the game,—if he doesn’t, we lose. We shan’t get another chance like this.”
Waddington waited until two strikes and three balls had been called. At the next one he let drive with all his power.
“It’s a homer, it’s a homer!” shouted Tompkins, jumping up and down in glee.
“No, a three-bagger,” corrected Hayes, wildly flourishing his bat dangerously near Tompkins’s head.
But it was neither. Far out in the tennis courts that bounded centre-field Franklin threw himself at the flying ball, and clung tight to it, though he fell his length on the ground. He recovered himself and got the ball back in season to hold Sudbury at third, but Phil had crossed the plate.
There was babel now on both sides of the diamond, Seaton cheering the run that tied the score, Hillbury, the brilliant achievement of their fielder.