Dan got two balls, and the third one was just where he wanted it. [He slammed it out for a three base hit], and Dutch and Holly scored the first two runs of the game, while Tom did a war dance at third, where he was coaching. On a single by Bricktop Dan came in, though he was nearly caught at home, for the ball was quickly relayed in from left field, where the shortstop had sent it, but old Kindlings slid in through a cloud of dust, and Charley Simonson, who was catching for Fairview, dropped the horsehide, so Dan’s run counted.
“Three—nothing! Three—nothing!” yelled Tom, wild with joy. “Now, boys, we’ve struck our gait! And only one out!”
“Watch his glass arm break!” shouted several in scorn at the Fairview pitcher, but the latter refused to let them get his “goat” or rattle him and kept a watchful eye on Bricktop at first, when Pete Backus came up.
“Now, Pete, don’t forget what I told you!” shouted Tom, as the lad who was taking Sid’s place stepped up, but poor Pete must have had a poor memory, for he struck out, and when Tom himself took up his stick, Bricktop, who had been vainly trying to steal second and who was somewhat tired out, by the pitcher’s efforts to catch him napping on first, finally did what the Fairview players hoped he would do—he played off too far, and he couldn’t get back, when Allen suddenly slammed the ball over to the first baseman. Bricktop was out, and the Randall side was retired, but with three runs to its credit.
“That’ll do for a starter,” observed Tom, as he put on his pitching glove. “We’ll duplicate that next inning.”
But the sixth saw goose eggs in the frames of both nines, though Tom sent a pretty, low fly out to center, where it was neatly caught by Ted Puder, who had to jump for it. The Jersey twins struck out in monotonous succession, thus ending the sixth.
“Now for the lucky seventh!” yelled a crowd of Fairview supporters. “Everybody stand up!” and the big crowd arose to get some relief from sitting still so long.
The seventh was destined to be lucky in spite of the efforts of Tom and his men to hold back Fairview.