“That’s three,” called Durfee. “Out on the run, fellows!”
The score remained at two to nothing until the beginning of the eighth inning. Then Porter put a man on first, got him to second by a neat sacrifice, and presently, with two out, brought him home on a long fly to right field. With three runs against them, the Yardley players went to bat in the last of that inning determined to at least even things up. Loring’s discovery had gradually accomplished an improvement in Yardley’s hitting, and there were now several base-hits credited to her on the score-book. Unfortunately, however, none of the hits had yielded a tally.
Reid went to bat first. The pitcher, like many other pitchers, was not a good man with the stick, and the best he could do on this occasion was to lay down a little bunt in front of the plate that was fielded to first almost before Reid had started to run. The next batter was Black, who was substituting Carey at first. Black was a better hitter than he was a fielder, and had already twice managed to reach the first corner. Durfee went down back of the base to coach. Squatting there, with a grass-blade between his teeth, he recalled Payson’s puzzling remark; and for the twentieth time he watched Holmes in the hope of discovering the coach’s meaning. Holmes fixed the ball in his lean hand, got the signal from his catcher, threw his long arms above his head, twisted one foot around the other leg, turned half around, paused for an instant, and then quickly unwound himself and stepped forward with a long stride, launching the ball away breast-high toward the plate. Durfee leaped to his feet, his eyes flashing. “Mr. Umpire!” he shouted. “Watch that pitcher! He’s stepping out the box!”
The Porter captain came hurrying in from third, denying, expostulating. Holmes smiled scornfully. The umpire sauntered down from the plate. “Play ball!” he commanded.
“Watch his foot, please,” begged Durfee. “He goes away over the line every time, sir! You can see where he steps.”
Holmes proceeded to show just where he stepped, carefully placing his toe well back of the boundary of the pitcher’s box.
“Then what’s that hole here?” demanded Durfee. “That’s where you’ve been stepping; any one can see that!”
The umpire looked rather more impressed now.
“All right,” he said. “Go ahead with the game.”