“Yes, it was too bad,” answered Ray, “but you have had your share of misfortune too—last Wednesday, I mean. I think you should have had that game.”
“Well, so do we,” said Bennett, “but what could we expect, playing as we did on their ground? We had to play the nine and the whole crowd too. I fear you will get your dose of it on Monday.”
“I suppose so,” answered Ray.
Halford had received a donation from a wealthy graduate of money enough to lay out new grounds and construct a new and large grand stand. As we entered the gate in our carriages after dinner, the sight that met our eyes was enough to gladden the heart of any baseball enthusiast.
The new diamond was as level as a billiard table, and covered with fresh, green, closely cropped grass, while the grand stand was gaily decorated with flags, and filled with a chattering and laughing crowd of people.
“Great Scott,” exclaimed Percy Randall, “just look at that outfield, boys! There isn’t a blade of grass on it, and it is as smooth and hard as a board. If we knock a hard ball outside of the diamond it will roll into the middle of next week.”
“That’s just what we want to do, fellows,” answered Ray promptly. “Hit low and hard, and the ball won’t stop this side of the fence. Remember now for the last time, fellows: don’t hit up in the air—hit hard and low, and run your bases like tigers.”
We were accorded the compliment of a round burst of applause, as the Halford men came in from their practice, and we ran out on the field. This put us in the best of spirits, and we set to work picking up the balls, catching them on the fly, and throwing them from base to base with a brilliancy and dash that elicited frequent acknowledgment from the grand stand. We had only ten minutes for our preliminary exercise; then the signal sounded, and the game was called.
Now that fortune had turned, it persisted in our favor, for we won the toss, and chose the field. Full of confidence we ran to our various positions, and their first batter took his place.
Not being quite warmed to work yet, I made the mistake of placing the first ball directly over the plate. The batter caught it about the center of his bat, and sent it away out to center field. It had not occurred to us in our calculations that the outfield might prove as advantageous to our opponents as to ourselves in case they hit hard; but this was brought forcibly to my mind, for, before the ball was captured on the ground by Lewis Page, the batter reached second base. This was greeted by a round of applause, but nothing daunted, we settled down to work, and put out the next man in short order.