“Come on, you and Ward get in all the practice you can,” ordered Peaches.
The game was to be played on the Morningside diamond, this having been decided by lot, the choice having fallen to the rivals of Excelsior.
“Well, we’ll beat ’em on their own grounds!” declared Peaches, when he and the others of the nine, with some substitutes, and a host of “rooters” and supporters, departed for the contest.
What a crowd was there to see! What hosts of pretty girls! Men and women, too; old graduates, students from both schools, many from other schools in the league, for this was the wind-up of the season.
Out on the diamond trotted the Morningside nine, to be greeted with a roar of cheers. They began practice at once, and it was noticed that Sam Morton was “warming up.”
“They’re going to use two pitchers all right,” observed Tommy Barton. “Guess they heard that Joe was going to be on deck again.”
A noisy welcome awaited the Excelsior nine as they trotted out, and they, too, began batting and catching practice. Then, after a little delay and the submitting of batting orders, the details were completed, and once again the umpire gave his stirring call:
“Play ball!”
Morningside was to bat last and so George Bland was the first of the Excelsior players to face Pitcher Clay. The two nines were the same as had met a few weeks previously.
“Play ball!” called the umpire again, and the game was on.