The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-05-24
HANCOCK MAKES DEBUT
Pitches Grand Game in First
Full Trial.
With Marion One Run to the Good
Misplays Let Lima Score Five
pennybscker is Strong.

Saturday afternoon saw the Diggers
go down In defeat before the Lima
crowd in game that should easily
have been Martens by one tc
nothing score, but instead the Dig.
gers bad inning, this time this
fatal seventh, gave Lima five
counters where a goose-cgg is what
they should have been credited with.
Il was a heart-breaker for local
fans. But it must have been even
worse for Ray Hancock, the youthful
HEAVIER who was going the full route
Tor the first time since he became an
ohio State leaguer. There was class
to the work of the youngster. He
was the king-pin in the Digger de-
Tense and never once did he wobble
even during the strongest moments
of the Lima attack, except when the
support gave away utterly and the
pitcher saw runs filter over the pan
that never should have been.
For Lima that southpaw artist
Pennybaker, youngster tried and
found wanting last year by Newark,
was the Lima powerhouse This
year he had won three games and
with every particle Of baseball luck
breaking his way, he added the
fourth at the expense of Marion.
But in the nine frames that he work
ed he delivered the goods nicely, eX-
cept in one frame the Diggers could
not connect with men on bases or the.
game might have been sewed up.
long before the fatal seventh.
Marion's lonely one came IN the
third. With two down Wolfe singled
TO left and went to second when
O'Day worked Pennybaker for a pass
Bull Williams was the man of the
hour and smashed one straight back
at Pennybaker. 1t was hard blow
but the pitcher managed to get his
gloved hand in front of it and the
pill glanced off into right field
Wolfe turned third and came in, beat
ing Finke's throw to Fohl by inches
after a great slide. Foutz was under
the Staley lift to right and the scor-
ing ended There were other chances
for the Diggers to connect but Pen
nybaker kept the safe ones scattered
The telling of the seventh is the
story of Lima's best attack, the talk
ing advantage of Marion's every mis-
play and finally mixing up enough
safeties to win. 1t all happened after
Il. Reilly made a fiZZle of a foul lift
by Sykes, The ball should have been
easy for either Reilly or Locke bus
each ran after IL, looked at each 9TH
or, and then Reilly made a dash for
ii and stumbling first, missed It, The
misplay gave Sykes the life he desired
and his next effort was more satisfac-
tory, line drive to left. Had Will
Jams started quickly on the ball he
might have nailed it on the fly, at
least he would have held Sykes TO
first, He started late and in final
attempt to make a shOe-string catch,
made lunge forward on his stomach
and missed the ball. Sykes, reaching
second. That sent up the balloon
Hancock handled Newnham's bunt
and the shortstop would have been
an easy out at first but ODay drop
ped the ball Sykes going to third.
Weller hit a slow roller that Wolfe
gathered in with one hand but too
late TO get the runner and Sykes
counted, Newnham going to second.
Pennybaker hit to Hancock and the
pitcher nipped the attempted sacrifice
by forcing Newman at third. Finke
hit to left and Williams was again
slow in getting to the ball He
managed to stick one hand in front
of it but its course was not inter-
rupted and it went out TO Farrell,
Weller counting and Pennybaker
taking second. Then came a reli
heartbreaker, Farrell missing a fly
from Reilly's bat after hard run
and Pennybaker counting. Finke and
Reilly moved up a notch on Millers
grounder which was captured by
Staley Both scored when O'Day let
Foutzs roller get away from him
rive runs had filtered over the pau
when not one should have been
made
Hancock, seemingly not a bit ais.
, heartened kept on working and held
the Limas safe until the end but %
did Pennybaker and the story is
told.
There is one bright spot in the
Digger defense. that is rather excep-
tional. It came in the second and
prevented Lima from counting. Foil
walked as starter, Sykes sacrifice
put him on second. Newman then
singled safely to right but Johnstone's
quick throw home turned Fohl back
to third, Newnham going to second.
Then Weller hit a slow roller few
feet from the plate Reilly felded
the ball and caught Fohl off third,
The ball being handled By Frank
Locke and the put out finally made