The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-02
SPORTING NEWS.
Topeka Won the Opening Game
in the Valley League.
Defeated LeavenWorth Team
Before a Large Crowd
FTNAT, SC0RE 9 IN Il
FINAL SCORE s TO 4.
Taylor Had a Bad Inning Which
Melted Topeka Seven.
Olson, the Short Stop fOrAIberts
Team, Proved the Star.

Leavenworth, Kan, May BY
punching eight clean-cut hits, Topeka
made seven runs in the sixth inning,
and thereby captured from Leaven-
worth on Sunday, the opening season
game of the Missouri Valley League
championship series. The final score
was to 4.
It was a good battle and interesting
up to the end, despite the fearful
slaughter which the visitors made off
Taylor's pitching in that fatal sixth
inning and also in the next, when they
smashed out four more safe ones. but
managed only to. make them bear one
run When the pitcher went up, the
Leavenworth inffeld wilted and became
as fun of holes as a porous plaster.
But the injection of a little ginger
made them pull up strong in the last
two innings and play errorless.
Ihere was no parade, or brass band,
or mayor pitching the first ball yes
terday- There was not a ripple on the
surface OF the town of LeaVenWorth
about the ball game. Just 1,026 people
quietly made their way to the League
park and took seats. The players used
the same method of conveyance, got on
the diamond and did. their preliminary
pract1cing and went to work at $3.50
O'Clock when Umpire Franklin started
the game.
Topeka took the bat. but two pop
ups and a grounder retired them with
out run. Leavenworth did a little
PETER The first man up struck out,
the second one grounded to the pitcher
and was nipped at first Rapp got
single and worked his way to third
by an overthrow on the part of SISSY
to first. But the next man up ground
ed out on a slow one to first.
The next three innings were Just
about like the first. SISSY duplicating
his overthrow in the second and letting
another man get to third. But neither
came in
The scoring started in the fifth The
visitors were banked. Leavenworth
sent Rapp to the bat first and he took
something just like his name at the
ball, making a pretty single. Cole
! overthrow second on returning the bail
to the diamond and Rapp was on bag
l. No. 2. st. John grounded out. Luettlze
walked. Taylor singled, scoring both.
Two little grounders stopped the rum
getting.
That put the visitors on their met
tie. Stinson started out with a single.
| Cole, Armstrong, Lining, Abbott, AL
more, followed in succession with rap
u clean onesas bringing in eight runs
| Two pop. ups and a groundeF stopped
! In their half of the seventh Leaven-
worth could do nothing, but the visi-
tors fattened their batting averages by
getting four more safe hits off Taylor.
These were chalked up to the credit of
Cole, Armstrong, Kellar and Lining.
Only one run resulted however, three
men dying on the sacks. A strikeout,
a grounder and pop-up ended the in
| ming.
In the eighth the visitors went out
in one, two. three order, but the locals
scraped up two more runs. Stinson
! let Woolfver and Nickel walk Lyons
lifted up a Texas Lacquer. Lining
n F7f0 7n.- hit
fumbled, letting in two runs. It was
a hard bali to catch, high and in the
sun Neither team scored in the ninth,
each sending but three men to the bat
The visitors had two new faces on
| their team from the aggregation which
/ they have been lining up against teams
/ These were sissy and Abbott, third
and first basemen. Both are good men.
SISSY was tried out in the st. Joseph
1 Western league, but fell just a little
short. He made two bad wild throws
\ yesterday, neither, however, costing a
run. He Travelled on the train most of
the night before from Iowa and was
tired before he went on the ball field.
He made a beautiful running catch in
the ninth inning of a high foul almost
up against the fence. At the bat he
showed up in good shape. although he
got but one hit Abbott, who comes
from St. Paul, played an excellent
game on first base, but famed out
/ three times. His advance notices
Z
1 takers. They never let an opportunity
slip by to wrangle with the umpire
over questionable decisions, or failed
to keep the coaching lines full of their
noise.
Bevis, a right fielder. who played
with Fort Scott last year said he
would report here yesterday with To-
lpel1a, but failed to show up. Manager
/ A1berts donned a uniform and went
into the sun garden himself. making
one pretty catch. While at the bat he
got two good hits at the time when
they were worth something
One of the features Of the game was
the infeld work of Olson. the Topeka
college star caught the heart of the
fans at once by his lightning action
He had but three chances, two high
flies and a grounder, but his speed in
getting behind third and second bases
when the play was there made him the
cynosure of a good many eyes all the
I time that the visitors were in the field
Stinson pitched a good game Of base
ball. He struck out but three men,