SCRANTON TACKLES BELLEVUE HIGH
There was quite a big crowd at Belleville when the time came for the
game to start on Saturday afternoon. Scranton had sent a hustling
delegation of many hundreds of enthusiastic people, most of whom were
young folks, deeply interested in the fortunes of their school team,
led by Hugh Morgan.
The scene was a pretty one, for, it being a warm day, the girls were
out in force, dressed in all the colors of the rainbow, and waving
their school pennants with a patriotic fervor that did them full credit.
Then there were the groups of students belonging to each of the rival
high schools, with some fellow to lead them in cheering; they
promised to make it a day long to be remembered with their collective
noise and hearty concerted shouting.
Already the two teams were in evidence, Scranton being at practice,
with the use of the field for fifteen minutes. Some were knocking
out flies and fierce ground balls to the fielders; while the catcher
varied the monotony of things by sending down speedy balls to second
to catch an imaginary runner from first, after which Julius Hobson or
Owen Dugdale would start the ball around the circuit like lightning
before it reached the hand of the batter again.
All this preliminary work was being watched with more or less interest
by the vast crowd of spectators. There were many who pretended to be
able to gauge the capacity and fielding power of a club in this stage,
but experienced onlookers knew the fallacy of such a premature
decision. Often the very fellows who displayed carelessness in
practice would stiffen up like magic when the game was actually
started, and never make a sloppy play from that time on, their throwing
being like clock-work and their stopping of hard hit bounders simply
gilt-edged.
The umpire was on the ground, and would soon be donning his mask for
work behind the bat. He was a former Yale graduate, and as he lived
in Jenkintown, would not be inclined to favor any one of the three
clubs representing the High School League. Besides, Mr. Hitchens
was a man held high in esteem by everyone who knew him, and his
decisions were not likely to be questioned, since everyone felt certain
he would be strictly impartial, and say what he believed to be so.
When the time limit had expired the players came in, and the two
field captains were seen in consultation, as though there might be
something in the way of ground rules to be settled before play was
called. The crowd was so large that in several places it had worked
over into the field, and a rope had to be stretched to keep the
spectators from bothering the players.
It was understood that a hit in a certain quarter amidst the spectators
would be counted a two-bagger. To secure a home run on the Belleville
grounds the batter must send his ball in a direct line for center, and
far above the fielder's head. The ground has a slight slope there,
and once a good start was made it was likely to elude the running
fielder long enough to allow a fast sprinter to circle the bases.
Hugh had never played on the Belleville grounds before, but he always
made it a practice to closely examine every field before starting
a game, and discovering its weak spots. Now he realized that Belleville
must be well aware of that small slope, and the possibilities it
had for a home run. Doubtless the Belleville boys had all been
trained to aim their guns in that direction, with the hope of
accumulating a number of four-base hits during the progress of a game.
The visitors, not being wise to the fact, would waste much of their
surplus energy in sending out hits to the side of the field where,
no matter how vigorous the wallops might be, still they would only
count for two bases.
So Hugh gave each and every one of the boys the secret, and the
"heavies" were implored to do their utmost to send their hits straight
ahead, and high over the head of fielder Major, who did duty in the
middle garden. They assured him they would not be found wanting
when the time came, though, of course, much must depend on how they
were able to gauge the slants and drops of the artful Kinsey, pitcher
for Belleville.
When the two high-school nines took the field they were found to
consist of the following players in their batting order:
Scranton High Player
Position
--------------------------------------
"Just" Smith Left Field
Joe Danvers First Base
Horatio Juggins Right Field
Owen Dugdale Short Stop
Hugh Morgan Third Base (Field capt.)
"K.K." (Ken Kinkaid) Center Field
Julius Hobson Second Base
Alan Tyree Pitcher
Thad Stevens Catcher
Belleville High Player
Position
--------------------------------------
Conway Left Field
Gould First Base
Wright Right Field
Waterman Shortstop
"O.K." Kramer Third Base
Major Center Field
O'Malley Second Base
Kinsey Pitcher
Leonard Catcher
Of course the home team elected to go into the field in the opening
inning. This brought "Just" Smith to the bat to start things moving.
Well, he proved to be the "round peg in the round hole," for what did
he do but tap the very first ball up for as pretty a single as any
one would want to see. This was certainly a good beginning. Joe
Danvers "whiffed out" after knocking several foul strikes. That was
one down, but the eager Scranton fans were saying to each other:
"Notice that our fellows don't seem to have any trouble as yet in
getting to Arthur Kinsey this fine afternoon! Oh! wait till they
limber up, and you'll see them knock him out of the box."
"Yes, just wait," some of the local rooters would call out, "and
see how he mows your fellows down in one, two, three style. Arthur
always starts in easy and stiffens up as he goes along. He has
pitched two games in an afternoon, and won both. They do say he
was better at the end of the eighteen innings than when he started.
Yes, please don't take snap judgment on our poor pitcher. There,
did you see how Joe Danvers nearly broke his back trying to hit
a ball that didn't come within a foot of the plate. He'll have
them all guessing pretty soon and eating out of his hand. The game
is long, my brother, don't settle it in the first inning."
Owen got in his little bunt, all right, and succeeded in advancing
the runner to second, as well as saving his own bacon. So there
were two on the bags, and as many down, when Hugh stepped up and took
a chance at the offerings of the wily Kinsey.
Hugh managed to pick out a good one and sent it like a bullet straight
at the shortstop, who knocked it down; and finding that he could not
reach first in time, as Hugh was jumping along like the wind, sent
it over to second, where he caught Owen just by a fraction of an
inch, and Mr. Hitchens waved him off; so after all the brave start,
no score resulted.
In their half of the first, Belleville did no better. In fact, they
only got a man on first through an error on the part of Joe Danvers,
who unfortunately slipped in reaching for the ball, and as his
foot was not on the bag the umpire called the runner safe. But he
died there, Alan Tyree cutting the next two men down as a mower in
the field might the ripe grain with his scythe.
Again did Scranton make a bid for a run in the next deal, but once
more slipped up when hope had begun to grip the hearts of many of
the anxious home rooters. In this inning "K.K." struck out, Julius
Hobson was sent to the bench on a foul that Wright out in the field
managed to settle under after a lively run; Tyree got a Texas league
hit that allowed him to plant himself on first, and Thad slipped
one over into the bleachers in right that, according to the ground
rules, allowed him to go to second.
With men on two bags up came "Just" Smith, who had done so bravely
before; but alas! as that Belleville fan had truly said, the local
pitcher had tightened up and was not such "easy pickings" now; so
Smith only whiffed, and the side was out.
Belleville, much encouraged, started hitting in their half of this
inning. Two good blows, added to a couple of errors, allowed them
to send a brace of runners around the circuit. It began to look
serious for Scranton, and Hugh bade his men brace up and do something
worth while.
With Scranton at the bat Joe Danvers cracked out a clean single,
after he had had seven fouls called on him. Juggins tried to do
the same but failed to connect. Owen, after two strikes and three
balls, again bunted. He succeeded in shoving Joe down to second,
but it went as a sacrifice after all, because they got Owen before
he could cross the initial sack.
Again history repeated itself, and it seemed up to Hugh to do something
to save the inning from being a goose-egg again. He braced himself
for an effort. Kinsey apparently considered Hugh dangerous, and was
for passing him, in hopes of being better able to strike out the
next man up, "K.K." But Hugh refused to be denied, and stepping
out he smote one of those curves a blow that sent it spinning far
out in left, allowing Joe to come in, and placing Hugh on second.
Things began to look a bit brighter now. Encouraged by the aspect,
and possibly the cheers of the Scranton fans, "K.K." put one over
second that allowed Hugh to reach third, no attempt being made to
nip the batter at first.
Then up stepped Julius Hobson. As he was so fond of saying, it
was "Hobson's choice" with him, because he could not bunt, but had
to hit out. Well, he succeeded in doing a mighty thing, for the
ball went whizzing far over Major's head out in center, and started
rolling down the little incline. Hugh and "K.K." raced home amidst
thunderous plaudits, and after them came Julius, plodding along
"like an ice-wagon," some of the anxious ones declared, though after
all he had abundance of time to make the complete rounds.
There were no more runs garnered that inning, but then Scranton was
not greedy. Four against two looked mighty good to the visitors.
So the game went on. It became a regular see-saw sort of affair,
first one side being ahead and then the other.
At the end of the seventh, after considerable excitement, the two
rival nines found themselves just where they had started in the
beginning of the game, for they were tied, eight to eight, and both
fighting tooth and nail to keep the other from adding to the score,
while also endeavoring to secure a few runs on their own account.
Both pitchers had warmed to their work, however, and runs were likely
to be a scarce article from that time on.
When Scranton was going into the field for the beginning of the
eighth inning, the vast crowd settled down for an interesting close,
because when two teams are as nearly matched as these seemed to be,
it is a toss-up which will win the game.