Friday’s game proved to be a terrific contest, and for four innings it went on a scoreless tie with both teams fighting a terrific battle for supremacy. In the first half of the fifth inning Al. Canner, the Penguin catcher, laced out a three-bagger from one of Dixon’s deliveries and Cas Gorham followed him immediately with a single that drove home the first run of the game. It looked to Jeff then that his old friends of the Penguins were set up to win another game, and win it without his help. But Dixon tightened up and struck out the next two men and caused Gould, who was playing in Jeff Thatcher’s place on the scrub team, and accepting his reversal with very bad grace, to raise a high fly into Rabbit Warren’s hands. That retired the side and the Penningtons came to the bat full of fight but one run behind their juniors.
Lafe Gammage was the first man up and Long Lafe poled out a single first crack out of the box, finding one of Honey Wiggins’ air tight curves to his liking. Mickey Daily followed him with a bunt which rolled down the third base line and was retrieved by Gould only just in time to throw him out at first. But Lafe arrived safely on second. Buck Hart was up and Jeff Thatcher was on deck. It was up to either one of them to bring in that single run and tie the score, if they could not do more.
Buck tried very hard indeed, but the best that he could do was send a sizzling liner at Brownie Davis who almost succeeded in making a double play of it, whipping the ball down to Dick Runyon so fast that Dick had plenty of time to snap it back to Cas Gorham who narrowly missed touching Lafe Gammage out as he slid back to second.
It was up to Jeff then. There were two out and a man on second and one run needed to tie the score. Jeff weighed two bats methodically as he walked to the plate. Outwardly he appeared very calm, but inwardly he was as nervous as a cat. Could he do it? he kept asking himself as he stepped up to the rubber. But the moment he squared away to face Honey Wiggins the nervousness left him and he felt as calm and collected as if he were about to recite a lesson in the class room.
“Get this baby, now,” he heard a mean voice coach from third base and he turned his head to see Gould glowering at him. Jeff smiled then and down in his heart he resolved to make good.
He watched Honey Wiggins as he squared away in the pitcher’s box and took the signals from Al. Canner.
“Come on, Honey,” coached Canner. “This is the only one you have to put away and the game is ours. Easy meat.”
Honey wound up. Jeff gripped the bat and moved his body slightly forward. The ball came whistling toward him. It was a wide breaking out curve and Jeff knew that it would shoot over the rubber for a strike. He was not easily fooled with a wide out and he measured with calculating eye and struck.
It was a beautiful line drive straight at Gould, and it had all the force behind it that Jeff’s powerful arms and shoulders could muster. Gould lunged for the ball. It hit his glove, bounced high and went on into the outfield for a single. Big Lafe was making his long legs go like a windmill as he raced down the third base line for home. He made it standing up and Jeff was safely on second before Fat Daws could throw in to Brownie Davis. The score was tied. Jeff had accomplished his purpose.
It was well that he had, too, for Wade Grenville, who followed him in the batting order got Honey Wiggins in a three and two hole and then for some unaccountable reason reached for a wide one and sent a grounder down first base line for the third and last out of the game.