Won in the ninth

by Christy Mathewson

Hughie put some ginger into the boys at this stage of the game. “They’re only two runs ahead and we’ve often made six in one inning,” said he as Talkington walked to the plate. Tris did his part, and drove a single to right which might have been a two bagger but which Twitchell fielded perfectly, and Tris went back to first, when Twitchell threw to second. Then Ty bunted to the pitcher’s box and Cam fumbled, and both Tris and Ty were safe, Cam was clearly going up and the Lowell rooters were doing all they could to help him.

Hans came up and Church walked over to the box and tried to give Cam a chance to cool off a bit by talking to him and instructing him also to give Hans his base. Cam pitched two balls very much to the right of the plate from the catcher’s position which Hans couldn’t have reached with a twelve-foot bat, and then Hans jumped to the other side of the plate and started to bat left handed so as to reach the balls, but then Cam put the next two very much to the left of the plate and there was nothing for Hans to do but walk to first. There were now three on bases and Hal was up.

Here was the first real chance he had had in either game to show what he could do with his bat and everybody else had been hitting Cam so here was his chance. Just then, however, Captain Church waved to Cam with his right and motioned to Mellen with his left and Cam left the box and Mellen went in. “Well,” thought Hal, “Mellen probably isn’t very well warmed up and he ought to be able to hit now.” The first two balls pitched were bad ones and were so called by the umpire.

“Just let him put one over,” said Hal to himself, “and I’ll put it over the fence.” But Mellen wasn’t pitching that kind of a ball just then. The third ball pitched Hal struck at and missed. The next one was straight over but looked high, and the umpire called it a strike, at which the stands roared in rage. The next one was a pretty good one but Hal took a chance and let it go by and the umpire called “Ball three.” It was now two strikes and three balls, and Mellen decided to put the next one over and take a chance. It came straight for the plate; Hal took a mighty swing at it and the ball started on a line for second, but Mellen stuck out his right hand, knocked it down and threw to Brest in time to force Talkington at the plate. Hal’s chance was gone. He would have made good only Mellen didn’t mind taking a chance with his pitching hand. Most pitchers would have preferred to sidestep the danger. There were still three on base and Arthur was at bat. He got three balls and two strikes on account of fouls, and then Mellen gave him one where he could hit it but it was a pop fly which fell into Hollins’ mitt and there were two out. It was now Gibbie’s chance to save the game, but Mellen’s pitching was too swift for him until he also had three balls and two strikes and then he knocked a long fly to Warcford and the inning was over.

Black gathered himself together for a mighty ninth inning effort. He felt sure of the fielding of the boys behind him, but he made up his mind to take as few chances as necessary. So he decided to strike out the side if he could, and after he had succeeded in doing that with Twitchell and Brest, he had a lot of confidence in his ability to do the same to Mellen, and he did it.

The last half of the ninth opened rather well for Lowell. Black was the first man up and he fooled the entire Jefferson infield by a perfect bunt which put him on first. This surely was a good start.

Everson, however, waited too long. He let two strikes be called on him, and they were good ones, too. The third one looked good also and Johnny struck at it and missed and there was one out. Captain Larke then knocked one down the line toward Church and the latter tried to complete the out unassisted, but Larke beat him to the bag and Black reached second. Tris knocked a slow rolling grounder to Hollins and by the time he got to it he could only catch Tris at first, for Black had reached third and Larke was at second.

Robb came to bat feeling good. He was to have his great chance after all. Two men on bases and a single would tie the score. He even allowed himself to remember that a homer would win the game for Lowell. Mellen on the other hand realized his great chance. If he could outguess Robb this time there would be a game to Jefferson’s credit. His was the first move and he tried to tempt Ty with a ball, but Ty let it pass. Then Mellen tried him with another one of the same kind, thinking, perhaps, Ty would bite on the second one, but he just waited.

The next ball came straight over the plate and Ty hit it and it went sailing out over first base, a fast liner that didn’t stop till it hit the fence, but it was like La Joy’s ninth inning hit in the first game, only longer, for it struck the fence two feet outside of the line and the umpire said, “Foul one strike.”