o Eliot,
consulting hastily with Grant, urged Rod to use the drop every time he
put the ball over. Cline finally managed to hit one of those drops,
but he simply rolled a weak grounder into the diamond, and gave up the
ghost on his way to first, Sanger taking third on the throw.

Ready to bat, Len Roberts' gaze wandered toward the spectators back of
the ropes near first base; but, if he hoped to receive any
encouragement from Herbert Rackliff, he was disappointed, as Bunk
Lander, true to his promise, was keeping within arms' length of the
irritated and uneasy city youth. Rackliff, having surveyed Bunk's
stocky figure from head to foot and taken a good look at the fellow's
grim, homely mug, smoked cigarettes and uttered no sound save an
occasional suppressed cough.

It would be hard to describe the feelings of Roy Hooker. He had been
elated by Springer's misfortune and the success of Barville in tying
the score, but the failure of the visitors to get a lead left him still
worried and anxious. Especially was this true as he watched Rodney
Grant pitch with surprising steadiness and hold the crimson players
down.

"But he can't keep it up," thought Roy; "it's impossible. They'll fall
on him the way they did on Springer."

Roberts, who had hitherto batted with an air of confidence, now fell
into his old trick of waiting, the result being that two strikes were
called on him before he removed the bat from his shoulder. Then he bit
at a wide one, and was out.

Tuttle, hitting in Springer's place, was a snap for Sanger, who
polished him off with three high, swift, straight ones. For the third
time in the game, Stone showed his mettle and went to first on a
safety. As one man was out, Eliot, thinking to test Copley's throwing,
signaled for Ben to steal. There was nothing the matter with Copley's
wing, for he nailed Stone fully five feet from the second sack.

Roger batted a sizzler to the left of Sanger, who shot out his gloved
hand and deflected the ball straight into the waiting fingers of
Larkins at first.

Grant pitched fairly well in the seventh, but it needed the errorless
support he received to prevent the enemy from scoring, Barville pushing
a runner round to third before being forced to give up.

Sanger, working hard, disposed of Crane on strikes, forced Grant to pop
to the infield, and led Cooper into lifting an easy foul for Copley.
The red-headed catcher continued to talk to the batters, but, warned