The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-04-14
MERIDIAN PLAYED FINE CAME IF BALL Barons Outbatted Them and
 Won the Game FANS ENJOYED EXHIBITION About One Thousand People Journeyed to West End Yesterday After
 noon to See First Game
 of the Series.
FANS ENJOYED EXHIBITION

yesterday afternoon, and Tommy Stouch's Meridian team went down in de- feat. Score: Birmingham 5; Meridian ?.
 Although the Meridian boys have never been together but three times this year, and they are rather sore and stiff, they played a fine game of baseball and made It interesting at all stages for the Barons. The game of yesterday leads to the gen. eral belief among the fans that the re- maining two games of the series will be close and well worth watching.
 About 1000 fans went to West End yes- terday afternoon, and they enjoyed the game from the very first. The Barons got away from the post right away, Half ford, the first man up, scoring. After that the Barons were always in the lead but several times the Cotton States leaguers had nice opportunities to get in the lead, could tAey have produced the necessary hit. They should really have received another run, but the runner was held on third by the coacher and not all lowed to score when 1t would have been easy for him to have done so.
 Old Favorites.
 Several old players well known and popular in Birmingham were included in the Meridian line up. Sis Hopkins, the southpaw. who started the season with Birmingham last year. proved a star performer. He was on the firing line and held the Barons down pretty well considering that his wing was not in the best of conditions, and that he was up against the heaviest hitting aggrega- tion in the Southern League
 Sis also peeled off a pretty two bagger to the right field fence, and 1t should have scored Sawyer, who had previously landed safe at first on a single. The Ex-Baron was greeted with applause when he appeared at the plate.
 "Sox" Sorber. who used to camp in the Baron gardens, and racks" Parrott, as we'll as Tommy Stoucn, are all on the team and playing good ball. It looks as if Tommy has gotten together a bunch that will land in the money in the Cotton States league This same Sawyer did some stunts at the bat yestrday, getting a two bagger and a pair of singles off Cowboy Clarkes delivery.
 Barons' Llne-Up.
 The Baron line up was changed some- hat yesterday. Manager Harry is out of the game for day or two with a fin- ger that is a llttde sore, and he does not care to risk getting 1t hurt again. 'Dus- ty'' Miller went to first, Murdock to right and Hennessy to center field May was at short again, and he impressed the fans well. although he made a couple Of errors He, howevr, mad a pair of brilliant plays which more than capitalized matters, and at the bat he proved a star performer. This youngster evidently has the making of fine ball player in him, and he Is a nard and willing worker. His position at the bat and the way i he meets a ball have caused favorable comment among the fans.
 Cowboy" Clarke was in the box, and pitched a good game. He did not turn i himself loose but once or twice, and when he did the balls fairly burned the mt. The Merldianites were able to coin only seven hits of his delivery, and a couple of them were of the scratchy variety At the bat he secured a timely single over first base when there were men on bases. and he scored one of them. Delehanty's hatting clothes had just been carefully prepared and he used them to good advantage. Two clean doubles constituted his days work at the bat while in the field he pulled down every thing that came his way.
 Triple Play.
  tripple play was pulled off by the Barons yesterday, one of the few that will take place this year in baseball, and one of the most peculiar. It originated with Mayes and the youngster is cred ited with using nice bunch of head work in order to make it good.
 | Harlow. the first man up in the sixth landed safely at first on an error, and Noblett hit the ball down between short and third. and beat out the throw. It was a hard chance. and Mayer made a pretty play, holding Harlow at second. Parrot was next up and he dropped a dinky little fly to the infeld. If the fly was caught before it struck the ground, the two runners would hug their bases and only the batter would have been out. If the fielder allowed the ball to hit the ground first and trapped it, it was more than probable that the runners on [ first and second would run off and get caught. It worked out this way. Harlow sprinted towards third and Noblett to second. He was caught there and put out. even if he had not been out because he left first base.
 dispute arose as to whether the ball should be considered an infield fly. as Umpire Burke had declared it. An infield fly Is any fly, other than line drive. that an infielder can handle. The rule is that if the ball Is an infield fly the runners on base cannot leave that base until the ball has struck the ground. and if they do leave that base they are liable to be thrown out at that base in just the same manner that they would be If the ball had been caught before strik- ing the ground.
 Point at Issue.
 The only point at issue was whether Mayer could have caught the ball be- fore it struck the ground. or in other words whether it was an infield fly. If 1t was not an infield fly the runners were entitled to advance base on 1t without being liable to being thrown out at the base they had just left. If 1t was an in- field fly runner cannot leave his base. A majority of the fans and players