The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-23
IT WAS CLOSE.
Topeka Saints Met Defeat at
Springfield
The Final Score Was Four TO
Two.
ABBOTT OR UMPIRE.
One or the Other to Blame for
Result.
A Large Crowd Witnesses the
Game.
BBOTT OR UMPIRE.


| tory, however, came to the Midgets in
the eighth inning through Abbott's fail
ure to play the game. Up to that
time the score was a tie, to 2. Per
rine, the moody looking second base
man of the locals pushed out a pretty
single off one of Howie's inshoots.
Schmidt was up next. He is heavy
weight hitter for Springfield. The big
catcher made a desperate lunge at the
ball, but it clipped his bat and flew off
down towards first base right along the
chalk. Abbott let the ball roll, think
ing it q foul Perrine had already sto-
len second, and made third on Schmidts
unintentional bunt. While Abbott was
cogitating over the matter, whether to
pick up the sphere or not, and at the
same time trying to interest the UNI
pres attention that the hit was foul,
Perrine raced home and Schmidt made
his way to second. Franklin called the
hit good, and the Midgets gathered
from it their winning run. Had the
Saints first baseman picked up the
sphere, touched Schmidt as he passed,
and then thrown it to the home plate,
he would have made a double play in
stead of letting in the run that lost
| the game for his team. Then right
upon this confusion worse cOnfound-
ed" Wood and. Zoeller singled and
Schmidt came home with the fourth
run. The Saints tried hard to retrieve
their disaster in the ninth, Olson lead
ing off with a pretty two-bagger, but
Lining and HOWE were killed on slow
grounders to the infield while Peck
Harrington, who substituted for Roy
BeVis, went the strikeOut route.
Almost 1900 people saw the con-
| test, which was played in the quarter
stretch of the fair grounds. The
Midgets are using this place on the
1 Sabbath day because their league
park is close to a church on the
south side, and out of Difference to
| = =, ,s,,fe r.E l.a11 &c
played on that diamond on Sunday.
The field at the fair grounds is just
/ in the course of development, work
having commenced week ago, con-
Saints gathered upon it Sunday for
| their third consecutive battle, they
/ thought themselves back on the farm,
| planting corn and potatoes" and
/ more of the spirit of that song. The
| infield would have received about 80
| per cent. on examination. The suburbs
| looked for all the world like a newly
| plOwed field which had been narrowed
| preliminary to drilling wheat. The
| fielders fell all over themselves in
trying to handle flies. Despite the
ground, but one error was made out
! of 2 flies pounded into the three
gardens by the two teams That was
| charged to Cole, but was directly at
| tributable to the rough field. He
however. redeemed himself a moment
| later by making a beautiful running
! catch which had all the earmarks of
a clean three-bagger. The big crowd
gave him a richly deserved ovation
| as he came III at the innings close.
For the Midgets cellars in the left
garden had some pretty catches to his
credit. The outfielding, considering
| the bad condition of the ground, was
easily the feature of the game.
Not considering Abbott's bad judg-
ment but one real error was made in
| the game, and that was charged up to
( MIDGET S6nTfSfnn n S
| failure to stop Innings grounder in
| the fifth, and it ultimately meant a
run. It took less than an hour and
one-half to play the game, and that
tells the quality of the playing better
| than anything else.
Topeka is a surprise to Springfield.
such as it has been to all the other
| teams in the league. The newly or
| ganized Saints. with their rough six
weeks ante-season effort to find
port in the hearts of the fans of their
| own city. were expected to do as all
other newcomers in league baseball
be at the tail end for a year or two,
| as history records this fact But the
| Adidgets and their supporters now
recognize the Topeka team as a con-
tender for one of the first three places.
At the close of the series Sunday
night the statement was frequently
made. I'VE cannot understand how
the Saints lost four games out of five
to Sedalia."
Springfield played better ball sun
day than it has at any time this year.
With its best slab artist, Horton, on
the firing line, the Saints were unable
to bunch their hits, although they
scattered d total of seven. HOWE, tn e
clever little twist maker of the visit
OrS, was found safely nine times but
they had just as large inteIfnissions
between one another as those of his
own team. Both pitchers were effec-
tive and steady, each giving out free
transportation but once. But strike
outs were juSt as rare, HOWE tanning
two and Horton three.
Olson, the Saints shortstop added
another city to his host of admirers
The little tow-headed, gent1emanly
Swede was made the cynosure of all
the eyes in the grandstand during yes
terdayS game and of the two preced
Ing ones. every time he was in play.
His lightning foot work and continual
and consistent willingness, coupled
with errorless results have won him
another home" He had four hard
chances Sunday and took care of all
of them.
Peck" Harrington, who PLAYED
with the Saints during the series in
the left garden in the place of Ray
list, is a brilliant and sure fielder. He
had four chances yesterday and all
dropped in the we'll"
Springfield scored in the first in
ming of the game off Sisters tumble
of Smiths hot grounder and Porter
subsequent single While the second
was blank, another was made in the
third from Smiths tWo-bagger and
Hething's single. Then the Midgets
did nothing more until Abbott made
his unfortunate and fatal mistake.
The Saints made their runs in the
fourth and fifth innings After KelIar
and Sisler had few out in the fourth,
Armstrong cracked out a single. Abbott
followed with the. longest hit Of the
game, a beautiful three Dagger. Olson
was neryOusly anxious to bring IN his
first Fasanar ar7d r,1fssad fnrea wide