"If you can, you're welcome," grunted Dick under his breath.
Swat! It was the first ball driven in. Had there been a fence around the field that fair drive would have gone over it. How it soared and then flew! The right fielder who followed that ball was nervous from the start. He panted as he fell upon the ball.
"Throw it to third!" yelled Teall.
"Just at that instant Dan Dalzell was nearing the home plate, which Tom and Greg had already passed. Prescott's ankle turned slightly or he would have got in ahead of the ball.
"Runner out at third," called Tozier in a singsong voice. "Side out!"
"Yet who cared?" Dick's wonderful blow on the leather had brought three men in safe.
The Souths followed at bat. One, two, three, Prescott struck them out. Ted Teall's face looked solemn, indeed.
"Wells, we've simply got to hold these fellows down," grunted Teall to his catcher in the brief conference for which there was time. "We don't want to be walloped by a score of ninety-four to two."
"I haven't let anything get by me, have I?" grunted the catcher.
"No; but signal for some of my new ones."