The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-03-24
TEN TO THREE.
CRUSHING DEFEAT OF MEMPHIS
BY THE NASHVILLE NINE.
The First Game In the New Park In
the Presence OF a Big
Crowd.

the opening game Of the local base
ball seaso between the Nashville and
the Memphis mines. The new grounds
are admirably adapted to the sport,
and the smooth and level surface OF
its diamond must be the source of
keen delight to the players accus-
toned to hunt the ball on the uneven
and gIsss-eovered surface Of last
years bail park.
The general sentiment of those
who went out 10 witness the game
was that the homs nine would 6e de-
feated, but y few credulous persons
persuaded themselves that either by
tacit Encouragement, or hy the in
might get away with the game,
and confident in that belief
they put up their shskels only to have
them quickly scooped in by those who
never permit local pride to interfere
with their Eober judgment. 1t is pei
haps fortunate tnat these exhibition
games, which do not count in the con-
test for the League championship, have
been introduced. They furnish o safe
and reliable test OF the relative
strength of the Lesgue mines, and
they may possibly serve to open
the eyes OF the apparently purblind
managers Of the Memphis nine TO the
fact that has long been patent to out
sldeIe, that the batteries they have en-
gagged TO represent Memphis in league
contests are utterly below the
level OF mediocri.y, and do rot
stand ghost OF show before such
sluggers as Nashville, Atlanta, Savau.
nah and Charleston can bring to the
front. There is no use taking refuge
behind lame apologies, and endeRvor-
ing to excuse defeat by alleging this
or that prtt-xt in extenuation OF the
poor showing made yesterday. The
fact remains that we have one
pitcher who has been tried and
found wanting, another who hss
been cast off by Nashville and a third
of whom nothing is known, but who
will occupy the box to-day and OF
whom great things are predicted. 1t
is said that he Is left.handed pitcher
and that but one earned run was made
off his pitching in Ma. hville the oth;r
day. Krehmeyer will support him
behind the bat. He is a good catcher
and may be relied on to hold up
his end Of the line skilfully.
We would not advise our readers to
be too sanguine of the result. The
game yesterday opened fairly enough
and gave promise OF better things
than were realized. Nashville was
first at the bat, but failed to score.
The inning was marked by
good fielding, notably by a clever
throw of Blacks from left field,
cutting off Mari at home
plate. Black, of the home nine, sent
long fly to left field and was caught
out by Goldsby. LAWN hit to third
base and made first on a muf by Hill
lery. Andrews struck out. LAWN
makes second on passed ball. Sneed
sends easy fly to centre field and re-
tires the side.
The second inning was character
lied by the unmerciful slugging of the
home pitcher. Sowders took his base
on balls. Beard made a two
Dagger, sending Sowders to third.
0'Br,en hit safe to center field, bring
ing in Beard and Sowders. Bittman
was retired at first. Earle was hit by
pitcher and took first base. Brynan
hits safe to RIGHT field, 0'Brien scoring,
and Earle making third. Mari hits to
pitcher who fields the ball home, re-
firing Earle. Goldsby hits safe over
third base, bringing in MARI and Bry-
nan and making second. Hillery
sends fly to left field and is
fielded out by Black. Fussel-
bach struck out, Phelan made
safe hit to left field for one base, Phe-
Ian steals second and third bases amid
great enthusiasm. WHITEHEAD steals
second Colgan fouls McElroy at bat,
Phelan caught out trying to steal
home. This left the game 8 to 0 in
favor of Nashville, and the hopes Of
the hackers of the home nine
sank deep in their boots. What
followed is hardly worthy of
description. The Nashville sluggers
kept the home team busy hunting
leather, while the latter could do 4
nothing with B ynan's balls. We re-
gard him as a superior pitcher, and
probably the best in the Nashville
nine. Nothing eventful occurred
after this until the fifth inning when
Whitehead of the Memphis nine
awoke the crowd from the torpor
into which it had fsllen to
a condition of wild en-
thusissm by knocking bail safe to
LETT field for three bases. The local
nine was credited with Two runs IN ,
this inning. Nashville scored 8 in
the sixth inning ard 2 in tho ninth,
one qt snehi q home run by t.lhe old re-
liable, sowders. Memphis, not to be
outdone, also scored q home run, An
drews lifting q ball very prettily over
the right Geld fence. Manager Sneed
occupied the pitchers box in the
ninth inning, but the change was NOT
particularly gratifying. III
No official score was Kept, AID nore
is herewith given. The game was IN.
worthy of it. To sum up the playing
1t is but Just to say that the local nine
is almost perfect in its infeld and fair
in its outfield, that Fusselbaeh is the
best short stop we ever had, and that
Whitehead not not only covers third
base well, but promises to develop into
a sure batter. All we need is one or
more good pitchers to back up our
fislders, and it is doubtful whether
they can be procured at this stage OF
the season. The golden oppot-
tunity has slipped by, the
best available pitchers have been
signed and Memphis will be fortunate
if by some happy chance she contrives
TO get hold Of a man who can keep
the heavy bstters of the Southern
League within reasonable bounds.
The errors OF last season do not seem
to have brought with them any useful
lesson, and Memphis bids fair TO wind
up at the tail end of the league, as
she did last year. The following is
the batting order for to-day: A\
MEMPHIS. NASHVILLE.
Black, left field, Mari, center field,
LAWN, center field, Goldsby, left field,
Andrews, LIST base, Hillery, Sd base,
Sneed, right field, SoWders, right field,
Fusselbach, short stop, Beard, short stop,