ous when he walked down to the pitcher's slab. He knew that for Oak Hall to win that game depended largely upon himself.
Fortunately for Dave the first batter up was not one of Rockville's best. He got two balls and two strikes, and then another ball.
"Steady, Dave!" said Phil. "Don't let him walk."
The pitcher made a signal to Roger. He made as if to throw in the ball easily, then let drive with all the swiftness at his command.
"Three strikes! Batter out!"
"Hurrah!" yelled the Oak Hall boys. "One gone! Now go for the other two, Dave!"
"He can't put them out!" sneered Gus Plum. "Just wait and see."
It was Plum's sneer that braced the country boy as much as anything.
"That bully shan't crow over me!" he told himself, and snapped his teeth together hard. Then the ball came over the plate, and the umpire called one strike.
Again the sphere was launched forth.
"Ball one!"
"Make him give you what you want, Brown!" called out a coach.
"Make him hit it, Dave," came from the first baseman.
"Two strikes!"
