Again Dick signaled. His third was altogether different—-a bewildering out-curve. Gardiner's batsman didn't offer, but Purcell caught the leather neatly.
"Strike three, and out! One out!" announced the umpire.
"Whoop!" The joy from the home fans was let loose. With a disgusted look, Gardiner's man slouched back to the players' bench.
CHAPTER XVIII
THE GRIT OF THE GRAND OLD GAME
In that half of the inning it was one, two, three—-down and out!
Even Fred Ripley found himself gasping with admiration of Prescott's wonderfully true pitching.
Yet the joy of the home fans was somewhat curbed when Gridley went to bat and her third man struck out after two of the nine had reached bases.
So the first inning closed without score. Gardiner had found that Gridley was "good," and the latter realized that even young Prescott's pitching could not do it all.
The first five innings went off quickly, neither side scoring.