The next ball split the plate for a perfect strike, but the batsman, obeying his captain’s command, let it go by. He refused to offer also at the next one, which also went for a strike. The count now stood three-two, and if Bobby was in a hole the batter was also.
Cool as an icicle, Bobby wound up and put all he had on a high fast one that fairly smoked as it went over the plate. The batter made a wild lunge at it but missed, and the ball sank with a thud in the catcher’s glove.
“You’re out,” called the umpire.
“That’s going some, Bobby,” cried Fred from short. “Keep it right up. They can’t hit you.”
This was a little premature, for the next man connected with the first ball pitched and sent it whistling over Bobby’s head. It had all the earmarks of a single, but Mouser redeemed his previous error of judgment by leaping into the air and making a superb catch that brought the crowd in the stands to their feet. The Rockledge rooters were jubilant, while the Beldenites were correspondingly depressed.
The next two innings passed without a score for either side. Both pitchers were doing excellent work, and while the Belden boxman, Erlich, was hit rather freely, the ball seemed to find a fielder in the way every time. Twice the Rockledge boys had men on bases, once by an error and the other time from a passed ball, but were unable to bring them around.
In the fifth inning, Rockledge broke the ice. Skeets led off with a rattling single to right. Shiner sacrificed him neatly to second. Billy sent a hot one between short and third that looked as though it would be good enough to bring Skeets home, but the ball was retrieved so smartly and thrown into home by the Belden left fielder that Skeets, who had rounded third and started on his homeward journey, saw that he could not make it, and had all he could do to scramble back to third. In the meantime Billy had reached second.
With one man out, Bobby came to the bat. The first was too high and he let it go by. The second was waist high and right in the groove, and Bobby swung at it with all his might. There was a sharp crack as the bat met the ball, and then the latter sped out almost in a line between right and center. Bobby dropped his bat and was off like a flash, while Skeets and Billy came galloping home.
As Bobby rounded first, he saw that the right and center fielders were still chasing the ball. By the time he had reached second the right fielder had picked it up and was steadying himself for the throw to third. The chances of the ball and batter getting there at the same time were about even. But two runs were in anyway, and Bobby knew that he could afford to take the chance. He put on extra speed and slid into the bag just a fraction of a second before the third baseman clapped the ball on him.
“Safe!” cried the umpire, and the Rockledge crowd went wild.