That ball dropped in center field just as Dick was turning the first bag.

It sped on, but Dick turned back from too big a risk.
But he looked at Greg, waiting idly at bat, and Holmes caught the full meaning of that appealing look.
"It's now or never," growled Greg between his teeth.

"It's seldom any good to depend at all on the ninth inning." Darrin, with a full knowledge of what was threatened to the Navy by the present situation, tried his best to rattle Greg.

And one strike was called on Holmesy, but the second strike he called himself by some loud talk of bat against leather.

Then, while the ball sped into right field, Greg ran after it, stopping, however, at first bag, while Prescott sprinted down to second bag, kicked it slightly, and came back to it.
It was up to Lanton, of the Army, now! In this crisis the Army first baseman either lacked true diamond nerve, or else he could not see Darrin's curves well, for Lanton took the call of two strikes before he was awarded called balls enough to permit him to lope contentedly away to first.