Evening journal., 1896-04-29
LOST THE FIRST GAME.
Wilmington Dropped the Game
When it Should Have Won.
THE OPENING GAME OF THB SEASON
The Big Trolley Parads-City Omolals
with Big Badges and Smiling Faces
See Patterson run the Game Out OF ono
Fire-It Was Pretty Contest.

1 sou Eatothoh run the Ohne Out OF Wlo
Fire-It Was a Pretty Contest.
Yesterday was the banner day In the
baseball history OF Wilmington. The
day saw the opening OF the Atlantic
League season in this city. Probably
3 500 people saw the game There were
stAid business men, grave politicians
gray bearded granddaddes and pretty
girls. OF q verify th'ie were old men
there whose years exce,asd three score
and ten, who howled op ,obrium at the
viaitors when some particularly obnoxious
kick was made, With ell the freedom Of
representatives. FROM "de Eleventh
Over the grand stand huttersd flags
galore. The same old hags that have
done duty at the park since the days Of
/ the Qulcbsteps. Aud before and after
md between times Ia the game, the
baud played on.
Every baseball enthusiast In the city
who could possibly get away from busi-
ness was present. IL was the first time
for many years tkst Wilmington has had
an opportunity to see professional ball
and every body who could went TO see II.
Long before the hour act for the game
1 Market street presented a gala appear
ance. Toe trip OF the trolley parade WAS
| scheduled to take place from City Hall
at o'clock IL was thirty minutes after
that hour before the procession began.
| In gaily decorated cars were the band
city and county officials, the players and
newspaper men,
The cars vent down Market atreal to
| the P, w. 4 station. thence to the
& o station at Delaware avenue, and
then to the grounds by way of Foueth
| street
Shortly after the arrival OF the trolley
party, the WILMINGTON Wheel Club
arrived There we're about 100 OF these
wheelmen. aud they pAradsd around the
park in slngls als while the band played.
/ Then their wheels were stacked against
right Geld fence and they took seats In
| the stand
The players lined up in front OF the
/ stand aud President OF City C9unci
BAylis delivered little address Of vel
come to them The boys stood with caps
off In the attitude OF school boys during
morning prayer. Several OF them seemed
to think that the occasion was vory
solemn, but were not satisfied as to
whether they should remove their bats
or not So they compro missed by holding
them half on and half of their heads.
Mr. Baylis said be bad not seen a game
of ball since the old Qlickstsp days, but
he hoped after the game yesterday he
would have a very favorable Impression
Of the sport and a desire to come again
City Solicitor Robert q. Harman was
introduced aud told the players soms
truths about the game snd baseball
lovers In an interesting way. He advised
them to play clean ball and they need
have no fear Of the support they would
receive
He then threw = nev ball Into the fsld
and called "Play ball
AS to the game itself it Was a peach {"
Ia the words OF o member OF the Brown
town Grays 1T wus hard luck, but de-
locals put up a good game, didn't deg ?
Paterson won the game by q score Of
3 TO 2 Not becauss'of superior plAy ing
but on account OF dead hard luck. 4"
Wilmington had the game all It's own
way until the second half OF the ninth
inning. The score then was TO 0 In
favor OF the home team Paterson h,d
two men out and there we're no players
on bases Hundreds OF people thought
the game Was over and left the grounds.
That Is where they we're mistaken
When everything was apparently over,
the Paterson team took a squirt and by a
succession OF sharp quick hitting, aided
by q sprinkling Of errors on Wilmington 3
part they quickly tied the score.
Then the crowd went wild. The Pat
terson players who were on the bench
we're almost crazy with delight The
umpire had to thresten TO put them of
the field TO keep the whole team from
coaching the base runners
I . l. u. l..
a quick succession Of put oats Neither
for snap and action Is seldom squalod
After one man WAS gone In the seventh
Newell made a safe hit aud was ad-
vancsd to third BY a long two. base hit
by MoIntyre. Montgomery stepped TO tho
plate and csuTht the 6rSt ball fairly and
planted Il just beyond the inhelders
heads. Both Newell aud AeItyro scored
Monty" vent to third on Wild throw
by the visitors second bassnan, but was
thrown out at the plate.
When the visitors came TO the bat In
the ninth, Taylor knocked q long ~ 10
/ deep center. Drew WAS wide awake.
however and hcsepted his nth chancs Of
the game with alaority. He was the only
man on the local team who seemed to
retain his head
Amols, who while never anything
phenomenal, had been doing fairly we'll,
mostly on account OF the beautiful feld
ing behind him, seemed to lose bic head.
He could not get the ball over the plate.
Wagner went TO hrst on balls but WAS
rstirsd at second With two men out
and everything their own way Wllmlug
ton seemed TO fall out OF the game
Smlth put fly ball just outside the bass
line between second and third. Mont
gomery made long run for the ball. got
under 1t but could not hold It Had
Newell or Gallagher bsen instructed TO
get the bsll, either could easily have
done it ard the remainder OF this Ger
true tale would never have gone down to
posterity.
But it was not done Whether It was
Captain Berryhill's place 20 Instruct
either Of these players TO get the ball.
whether they should have done 50 with
out instructions. or whether the play
was made correctly and It was aimply an
error on tho part Of Montgomery. the
EVENING JOURNAL leaves TO the official
scorer and the personal opinion Of those
who saw the play. Fitch made long
| hit and brouQht homa Smffh Then