“Never mind, May. He’ll be coming up pretty soon,” answered Ruth Stevenson.
The next cadet to the bat was Walt Baxter. Walt was a good all-around player, but just at present he was not in the best of condition, having suffered from a touch of the grippe early in the season.
“Bang out a homer, Walt!” sang out Andy Rover.
“Never mind that, Walt. Make a safe hit and bring Jack in,” said Gif Garrison.
“I’ll do my best,” answered Walt Baxter. But it was plainly to be seen that his recent illness had rendered him somewhat nervous. He had a ball and a strike called on him, and then got another strike through a little foul that passed over one of the coaches’ heads. Then Dink Wilsey passed him a slow, tantalizing ball. Walt connected with it but sent up only a pop fly, which the third baseman gathered in with ease.
“Hurrah! that’s the way to hold ’em down,” came the cry from one of the high-school boys.
“Gee, old man, it’s too bad you didn’t have a chance to bring that run in,” remarked Gif Garrison to Jack Rover, as the latter walked in from third base.
“Well, anyway, I brought Dan in,” returned Jack, as cheerfully as he could.
“Yes; but if you had got in that would have tied the score,” went on the manager. “However, the game isn’t over yet.”
“Over! Why, we’ve just begun to play!” returned Jack, with a grin.