The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-04-09
BLUES BEAT EAGLES
Big Crowd Witness Initial
Game at Athletic Park.
SCORE TWELVE TO TWO
Game Was Better Than Score
Would Indicate.

| feat yesterday afternoon at Athletic parh
| by the superior playing Of the Kansas
| City Blues by the score of u to ?. The
/ game was better than the score would
{ indicate. It was an ideal day. an idea
crowd, but not an ideal game. but it was
pretty good and the fans while they
would have liked to have seen a little
| closer score were very well satisfied.
The Kansas City Blues arrived here
yesterday morning and were met by a
good sized crowd. They were taken TO
| the Manhattan and at 100 in the after
noon the two teams in carriages made a
street parade after which they drove TO
the grounds. The Blues were under the
personal management of Mr.. ]. A. Man
ming.
BY 2:30 the grand-stand was comfor-
tally filled and the bleachers were crowd
ed and a row of boys were perched along
the fence and occupying ever tree limb
where the game could be seen. They
looked like a line of black crows. So
interested were they that even the pa
trolling of a policeman did not scare
them. There were a number of the fair
sex present who seemed to enjoy the
game as much as the men. They fire.
quently applauded the plays. Among the
1000 present were noticed the following
fans: Messrs. Frank Oliver, c. ]. Fetch
er, Jim Burton, c. I. Fuller, II. G. Toler,
p. NJ. Anderson, Z. Vail, Judge Dale. e.
e. Bleckley, 3. B. Herndon. A. c.. Wal
den. DR.. Rolf. Bob futile, VIII Ayers,
George Steel, DR.. Hoagland, Col. Loomis,
Judge Hatton, ]. Giles Smith, City Clerk
Kramer and DR.. Hoffman.
Manager Alexander had written to May
or Berkeley of Guthrie to be present and
pitch the first bali. He was unable to be
here as the following letter Will Indicate:
Guthrie, O. T., April Z, 1898.
Mr.. ]. e. Alexander, Wichita, Kan.
Dear Sir-I regret very much that IN
avoidable circumstances viii prevent me
from being in attendance at the initial
ball game tomorrow, April s. Please ac-
cept my thanks for the invitation.
with the best wishes for the success of
the Wichita Eagles I am very truly
yours, BEN F. BERKLEY.'
Fire Marshal Walden started the game
by throwing the first ball He received
quite an ovation when he took his position
in the box. The Eagles were a little bit
nervous and several seemed to be over
anxious in their plays. The game should
really have been won by Kansas City by
a score of Z to 3 Some unfortunate err
rors which were very costly gave the
Blues five runs which they were not en-
titled to. Clark, who has only had one
days practise, gave the Blues four Of
their runs, while Plake and Nichols each
hands down. Another thing the Eagles
were clearly out of luck.
With one man on second Gwinn put the
ball over the right field fence, but it was
two feet on the other side of the foul
line. Nichols hit two hard ones which
would have been good for two-bagger,
but they also went outside of fair ground.
Gwinn and Nichols were the only two
who could hit Watt, the others going
out on easy grounders or sky scrapers to
the field. SEWERS pitched a fine game
and made hit with the fans. He never
gave base on balls and shot them in
fast with the curves a shooting around
lively. He pitched a remarkable game
with the discouraging errors his support
were giving him. Cheatum caught a good
steady game and Borgess. on third did
good work
Precisely at o'clock at the sound of
the gong the Eagles took their places with
OHaSan at the bat. He went out easv
from third to first. Slagle followed suit
Frisbee hit safely and took first. Clark
made an error and he came in Wichita
went out in one-two-three order Kan
sas City got another run in the second
on errors. Wichita retired on easy infield
hits. In the third plenty of errors gave
the Blues three scores. The Eagles made
one in the fourth and sixth, While the
Blues took one in every inning until the
eighth when they got three being banked
in the ninth
The Blues made II safe hits of SEWERS
seven clean ones and four hunts At
least five of the hits made were after
the side ought to have been retired Mich |
DIS in left field made two errors, but one /
Of them was muf after a long. hard
run. He retrieved himself. however, at /
the bat. getting two two base hits. Flake |
at short let three groUnders get away !
from him. Clark on second made five /
nissplays, but made a nice stop Of q
thrown bah by going way up in the air /.
for it. Gwinn HIT well. bat was in hard I
luck He played an errorless game at
first. Burgess on third threw well to first /