Chapter XVIII
CAROL SLIDES
The balmy May afternoon saw the baseball game between the Freshmen and the Sophomores taking place on the athletic field behind Carver Hall. The players were most enthusiastic about this latest undertaking of theirs. It seemed most of the girls in the school had turned out to see this tussle between two feminine baseball teams and to hail the victor.
Janet, with supreme confidence in her own ability, had elected herself pitcher for the Freshmen. The girls had played several games and Janet had been pretty good, if not particularly brilliant. Carol, to support her pal, was catcher. Valerie was acting first baseman and Madge was shortstop. Their gymnastics teacher was the umpire and the Freshmen were sometimes suspicious of her friendly feeling toward the Sophomores. However, the nine Freshmen elected “Do or Die!” as their motto and went into the game with all the vigor and speed at their command.
But alas, the Sophomores were also good. They had experience added to their playing ability and for the first three innings scored four runs to the Freshmen’s one. Janet, finding herself up against excellent batting ability, became nervous. Her throws to the home plate were a little wild and two girls walked to base.
Carol met Janet halfway between the pitcher’s mound and the home plate where the next Sophomore stood swinging her bat.
“Are you good!” Carol scoffed. “I thought you were the world’s wonder woman pitcher. I’m beginning to believe you are the world’s worst.”
“That’s gratitude for you!” Janet sighed. “Here I nearly throw my arm out of joint and I get no credit from you.”
“I told you to throw them a little low for Agnes and you didn’t. You deliberately threw the ball at her bat. All she had to do was stand still and let it hit. It cost us another run.”
“So what?” Janet said wearily.
“Come on, toots, do your stuff,” Carol encouraged. “We’ve got to strike this girl out.”