The fourth inning started off badly, Smith beating out a bunt to first, but he held on while Merry tightened and fanned the next two men with the double shoot. At this Smith went down to second, where Villum was standing on the sack as usual. Billy Mac sent down a perfect throw from the plate, but Villum appeared not to see it, for he was staring at Smith.
“Jump, you chump!” yelled Smith, and flung himself down in a beautiful fall-away slide.
For the second time that day, Villum sat down suddenly. The ball plunged into the cloud of dust, and a groan from the bleachers. When the dust cleared off, Villum was seen to be smiling blandly at Smith, holding the ball against the latter’s chest; Smith’s leg was hooked about Villum’s waist, and the Clipper was staring up with wild astonishment.
“You vas oudt,” exclaimed Villum. “You vos hooked me aroundt vhere I down sit, und you thought it vos der pase, yes, no?”
“Well, I’m jiggered!” gasped Smith.
The crowd roared with laughter at this evidence of Villum’s playing, but it fell into somber[287] silence once more as Fardale came to bat and O’Day struck out.
Then Villum came up to the plate, and, in trying to hit the first ball over, he lost his balance and was hit himself. The umpire hesitated, then motioned him to first, and Olcott’s protest went unheeded.
“Yaw!” triumphantly blatted the Dutch lad, as he trotted down. “I toldt you I’d dood it! Britty soon der ball vill hit Chip a home run vor, you pet me!”
“Sacrifice, Clan,” ordered Merry quietly. “You can’t hope for a hit.”
“Why not?” said Clancy, pausing as he was going forth.
“Because we’re up against Southpaw Diggs. Bunt it.”
The red-haired chap tried hard to obey, but failed. Villum went to second, however. Murray stood square on the base line, trying to block him off, and Villum arrived at about the same time as the ball. He flung himself straight at the sack and Murray went down amid a cloud of dust, from which the ball was seen to roll. Instantly Villum jumped up and went tearing toward third, regardless of Lowe’s orders to hold second. Murray pegged the ball down to Craven, but made a poor throw. It was a close decision, but Villum got the benefit of the doubt.
“Bring him in, Chip,” said Clancy.
[288]
For the second time, Merry faced his rival, and for the second time Green resorted to his wonderful spit ball. Once Chip fouled, and once struck in vain, then at the last instant he choked his bat and met the third ball for a bunt.
The slippery ball twisted along toward first, and Merry sped after it like a deer. Green went for it, but Chip beat out the throw, and Villum was safe with the first run for Fardale. Harker fanned, and the inning was ended.
“Well, that showed that they aren’t invulnerable, fellows,” said Merry cheerfully. “We’ll even up pretty soon!”
“You’re the only one of us who has a hit so far,” said Billy Mac.
“And that was a bad scratch,” chuckled Merry. “Well, go to it!”
Craven, the dangerous third baseman, was again up. He could not solve the double shoot, however, and Merrell and Runge went down, also. Merry had repeated Green’s feat of retiring the side with nine pitched balls.
As he walked in and met Billy, however, he shook his head doubtfully.
“I’m using that ball too much,” he said, in a low voice. “I don’t want to use the jump unless I have to, but I can’t throw the double shoot all the time, Billy.”
“Change arms, then.”
“I have. Well, let’s see what happens.”
[289]
Billy, Chester, and Lange went down in regular order to the smiling Green, although Lange managed to send up a pop fly that was gathered in by Murray. The sixth started with the heavy end up, and Ironton came out confidently.
Frank tried to avoid using the double shoot, with the result that Ironton poled a hot liner toward third. Lowe made a beautiful stop that drew an admiring yell from the bleachers, but dropped the ball, and Ironton beat it out.
The next man up was Murray, and Chip handled him carefully, forcing him to put up an infield fly, that Villum easily absorbed. Then Green strode out, smiling.
Chip gathered every energy. He put over the double shoot, reversing from an in to an out, and Green fanned. Then, using his left hand, he reversed the shoot, and once more Green struck in vain, Ironton going down to second. Knowing that it was useless to attempt luring Green, Frank once more threw every effort into a terrifically swift, straight ball—and again Green fanned.
The speed of that ball was too much for Billy, however. It went through him and rolled back to the grand stand, while Green tore to first and Ironton to third. Both were safe, and Smith advanced to the plate. Frank signaled to Billy to come up.
“It’s no use, old man,” he said quietly.
“I’m sorry, Chip,” and Billy was almost in[290] tears. “They can’t touch you, and if you only had a decent catcher——”
“None of that,” said Merry. “You’re all right, Billy. But I daren’t use the double shoot again. I’ve pitched nothing else, and I can’t give away the jump ball just yet.............