“Let it go!” said Darrell sharply, and Tom subsided.
The Stars got another goose egg—four straight—and in their half of the fourth the Resolutes got their first run. The crowd went wild and Joe found himself clenching his hands, for the run came in because he had given a man his base on balls. The runner had successively stolen second and third, and went home on a nice fly.
“I hope I’m not going to slump!” thought Joe and there was a lump in his throat. For an instant he found himself thinking of his father’s troubles, and then he firmly dismissed them from his mind. “I’ve got to pitch!” he told himself fiercely.
“We’ve got him going!” chanted the Resolute “rooters.” Joe shut his teeth grimly and struck out the next man. Then he nipped the runner stealing second and threw him out with lightning speed. That somewhat silenced the jubilant cries and when Joe managed to retire one of the Resolute’s heaviest hitters without even a bunt a big crowd rose up and cheered him.
“They’re only one ahead,” said Rankin as his lads came in to bat. “Let’s double it now.”
And double it they did, the Star boys playing like mad and getting enough hits off Littell to make two runs.
“That’s the way to wallop ’em!” sang some one in the visiting crowd and the song composed for the occasion was rendered with vim.
Desperately as the Resolutes tried in their half of the fifth to catch up to their rivals, they could not do it. Joe was at his best and in that half inning did not allow a hit. He had almost perfect control, and his speed was good. Only once or twice did he pitch at all wild and then it did no harm as there was no one on base.
The sixth inning saw a run chalked up for each team, making the score three to two in favor of the Stars.
“Oh, if we can only keep this up!” exclaimed Darrell, “we’ll have them. Can you do it, Joe?”