Two men were out, and there was a strike on Merriwell. Bender tried to pull Frank with a couple of wide ones. Failing in this, he whipped over a sharp shoot.
Merry fouled it.
"Foul ball—two strikes!" came from Carker.
The tough crowd back of first howled with satisfaction.
"Strike him out, Bender!" they cried. "Show him up!"
Bender followed with a drop, but it was a ball, and Frank declined to swing at it.
"Three balls," said the calm, clear voice of the umpire.
"A valk vill take you, Frankie!" cried Dunnerwurst, from the coaching line. "He vill made you a present to der virst pase. Yah!"
Bender pretended to kick a pebble from beneath his feet. Suddenly, without any preliminary swing, he sent over a swift straight ball.
Smash!