The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-05-23
An Easy Victory Over the Tauntons
Yesterday.
Pitcher Miller a Com
plete Puzzle.
Manchester, Pawtucket 81
70 Br0ckton Win.

Well after q somewhat discouraging
wait OF . couple of days on account Of
some very obnoxious weather, John
Smiths gang of ball players resumed
their task Of bombing everything: that
comes their way out OH the Forest ave-
nue. ball grounds.
Yesterday We met the "best team in the
league" and sure the best team
didn't seem very much better than some
Of the "slob" aggregations we have been
running up against.
Taunton Is said to be strong In pitch
ers and yesterday Manager Moore picked
out the choicest one of the lot for our
own especial benefit. His name is McDou-
gall, and W. remember him we'll as the
only winner we had In the box In the
season of '95 of lamented memory.
Frank Leonard brought himihere that
year and he certainly did pitch beauti-
full ball They say he has improved since
then and II that is true we are forced to
one conolusion-John Smith has got
gang of very nifty hitters.
The Taunton team fislded very weakly
and in short didn't play the ball it is
evident IL has been doing and must have
done to worry along for such awhile
without losing more than one game
But it could have played very much bet
ter ball and still lost, for We put our man
Miller in against them and In his hands
they were not very large set of boys.
For the first five innings only one hit
was made against him, and the few that
was quite evident that they wouldn't do
any harm, and would only serve to en-
courage the boys and not. make 1t too
hard for the people at home.
The Portland team certainly played the
most beautiful fielding game they have
yet put up. Sullivan gave them their
first run In the second when he made a
nice stop, but gagged Giant Conroy's
reach too high, sending the ball into the
pleachers.
After hat there was the most brilliant
kind of work, especially on the part of
the outtield, where Spratt, Noblit and
Smith travelled around over the ploughed
ground and race course and made some
wonderful fly catches. Spratt took an
especially difficult one over in the turnip
patch which did look good for two or
three bases and which meant runs. Nine
chances were taken in the outteld with
out an error and several Of them were
pretty hard chances at that. And Count
han too showed that he hasn't forgotten
how to play the cid game Counie hasn' t
been playing the bag up to the mark,
but yesterday he frisked around like a
colt and scooped up everything that
lurked about his territory. And he hit the
ball too in way that charmed every be.
holder. A single, a two-bagger and a
triple isn't bad days work, but there
has never been anything the matter with
Counie's hitting.
John Smith and NobliS both had their
eye on the ball, Johns way Of driving
1t out reminding us of the old days back
in '95, when McDougall used to be pitch
ing for US and the then manager of the
was smashing them out to
the fence every other time he came to the
bat, and oftener. Giant Conroy. CLARK
and Miller each came in for their two-
baggers the Gi ants being remarkably
timely. The big fellow has a pleasing
way of rappipg the ball out to the fence
when there are two or three men on bases.
The game was ours from the
start. and after the third inning it was
only question OF how badly Manager
Moore's team would be worsted.
AS has been intimated, MoDougall
proved a good thing after all and eight
runs were scored off MIN in the first
three innings, though it is no more than
fair to say that his support was not the
best. So the game went along until the
eighth when the Portland team fell down
for the first time, errors by Sullivan and
Clark letting in run.
They mad the bases all filled up for
some more tallies, but our man Noblit
placed himself under Kings we'll meant