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     swinging his arms loosely back and forth in front of him. Man! he thought, was he lucky. He had expected to miss that grounder
     for sure.
    The Batwings’ second batter came to the plate. Duke threw three pitches before the batter took his first cut. He missed, then
     cracked a line drive over the third-base sack that went for two bases.
    The next hitter, a lefty, banged an inside pitch to right field, scoring the man from second. Stubby Tobin’s throw-in held
     the hitter on first.
    The Batwings’ clean-up hitter fouled off two pitches, then socked a high-bouncing ground ball to Sandy. Sandyfielded it and snapped it to Nibbs. Nibbs stepped on second, then pegged the ball to first. A double play!
    Sandy smiled. He felt better.
    First at bat for the Spacemen was Kerry Dean, who waited out the pitcher, taking two balls and two strikes before his first
     cut. It was a strikeout.

    Jules Anderson let a strike go by him, then laced the next pitch just inside the first-base bag for a double. He stood on
     the sack, clapping his hands and yelling for Sandy to knock him in. Sandy stepped to the plate. The guys on the bench and
     the fans began yelling, too.
    “Bring ’im in, Sandy! Bring ’im in!”
    His face was hot. His palms sweated. He wiped them on his pants, then gripped his bat close to the knob and waited for Ed
     Thomas, the Batwings’ pitcher, to put one in there.
    In it came, chest-high. Sandy swung. Missed! “Strike!” said the ump.
    Another. “Strike two!”
    Sandy stepped out of the box, dried his hands on his pants, then stepped in again.

6
    B ALL!”
    The first nervous sensations were gone. Sandy felt more sure of himself. Ed had speed, but his curve was just a wrinkle.
    The pitch came in. It was knee-high and curving. Sandy cut at it.
Crack!
The ball struck the ground in front of Ed, then bounced over his head and to the outfield. Frank Mintz, coaching at third,
     windmilled Jules on to home. The throw-in from the outfield held Sandy on first.
    Well, he had done it. He had evened the score.
    Oink Decker blasted a hot grounder to shortstop, and Sandy ran as hard as he could to second, not thinking he’d ever make
     it. The shortstop fumbled the ball! By the time he retrieved it the men were safe on their bases.
    Marty Loomis connected solidly with the first pitch, but it was a high fly to right field and easily caught. Two away.
    Stubby Tobin was up next. He waited out the pitcher till there was a three-two count on him, then smashed a line drive over
     short. The ball hit the grass behind the bare ground and rolled out between the left and center fielders. Sandy scored from
     second. A quick retrieve and throw-in from the center fielder held Oink up at third.
    Nibbs Spry, looking anxious and dangerous at the plate, did no more than foul two pitches to the backstop screen. He struck
     out, ending the first inning.
    Sandy felt good as he ran out to short and picked up his glove. Two to one. If only the Spacemen could pick up a few more
     runs before he had to leave.
    He was prepared this time for a first-pitch hit. But the leadoff man let it pass. “Strike one!” called the umpire.
    Duke laid the next pitch in there, too. The batter swung. The blow was solid, driving the ball like a meteor to deep right
     field. It hit behind Stubby. Before Stubby picked it up and pegged it in, the runner was on third base.
    The next batter hit a high-bouncing grounder to second base. The runner on third took off the instant the ball was hit.

    Nibbs fielded it and whipped it home. The peg was a mile high over Marty’s head, and every Spacemen fan in the stands groaned.
     So did Nibbs. The runner scored, and the hitter ran to second.
    A scratch single advanced the man to third. Duke was on his way to walking the next hitter. He threw three balls without a
     strike. Then he shot two straight over the heart of the plate.
    “Atta boy, Duke!” yelled Sandy. “Throw the next one in there, too!”
    “Belt it out of