was in the box for Scranton, Hugh not wishing to use his star pitcher
unless it was absolutely necessary. He was a bit afraid that something
might happen to Tyree that would put him on the bench and thus they
would be terribly handicapped in their first game with Allandale
on the following Saturday.

Now, Frazer was a pretty dependable sort of a slab artist, and if the
Scranton boys had not had Alan Tyree they might have believed him a
Number One. But while Frazer had a number of good curves and drops,
and a pretty fair amount of speed, he seemed only able to deceive
those huskies from Mechanicsburg in spurts.

Between times they got at him for successive drives that netted two
and three bases each. Indeed, in that very first inning the fielders
of the home team were kept on the jump at a lively rate chasing
smashing blows. To tell the truth, all three outs were made on
enormous flies that seemed to go up almost to the very clouds, and
gave "K.K." out in the middle garden, and "Just" Smith, who had charge
of left field, a big run each time before they could get their hands
on and hold the ball.

In the second time at bat the visitors did not do as much. Perhaps
Frazer managed to tighten up, and pitch better ball. He was very
erratic, and could never be depended on to do consecutive good work.
In every other inning the heavies could not seem to gauge his work
at all, and he mowed them down. Then they would come at him again
like furies, and knock his offerings to every part of the field as
though he might be an amateur in the box.

Hugh watched the fluctuations of the game with more or less solicitude.