The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-07-05

NIUgtiDASQ from K IESA abSt
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preaching the ring. Then such road
or laughter. boots and Kisses arose
that the ciamor almost defeaned.
Why Richmond LoSe.
A crack IN the fence cost Richmond
the second game. some folk may soy
1t was 81 mum by Flournoy, but IL
wasn't. IL was that crack in The fence.
1t lay In ambush for just such d
chance. Nobody knows hoy many
weary months that crack has waited
fer just such an emergency. 1t may
have been a year but there Ii was, all
ready for the opportunity. right on
the Job and It seized it. A ,inx, a
hoodoo. a conture. miserable Die
In the left field fence: that js what
cost the game for Richmond.
TWO men were on bases when the
hole in rhe fence got in lis deadly
work. 1t was the fourth inuing. Nor
rison had singled 10 center, and
Heiuie Busch had tied Ayers up bf
placing an ugly bounding bunt just
where Ayers coafa nor handfe It
without mailing Busch in the hack as
he ran, or throwing the ball ever
Roleys head.
Spencer hunted and died bat the
two base runners advanced, and f3o~-
eden came to The bat. He hal q bail
and strike on him, aad then lie
swiped the leather almost 10 the lest
neld barrier. Flournoy made great
effort He got his hands under the
ball but before he could close them
the ball bounded into the air. Flour
noy shifted his rait:s TO meet II as
1t descended fer the second time. but
the crack IN the fence yawned, smiled
and the ball disappeared f1eurnoy
leaned against the fenee. i de1ecfea-
Disguised, despairiug gardener, Shi.e
three petersburg players battered 10
the plate. As krees flew 10 left and
was out, that hole IN the iencs cost
Rtshmea3 -t@f runs. ms margin by
which the game was ven.
Luck was with Petersburg,
Luck Against Richmond.
Merely to emphasize the truth If
this remark. consider this self same
fourth inning Fiour1oy. who had
cracKed out u double ia tho hrst m
ning, 10 no purpose. siashed sin
gle 10 left when he came up in The
fourth. Burke bumped one to center
and E1ournoy WAS held at second.
Raley raped one riga. 10 the same
spet and three men We're on, no orc
out. and Tenant ut the pat.
Feunant refused 70 bite a: Nahee's
variations and walked, SO one rur vns
In and the bases were still full. II
looked like quartet or runs. bat fate
IN the shape OF little ReinIe Busch
interfered. lie sent Vance 10 the
bench and called on Harvey Brooks.
The. lantern iawed Harvey wandered
TO the box gazed around the field.
surveyed the grandstand, sqainted at
the ,.iate. felt the oall. squeezed H.
rolled II over. examined 1t. wiped his
hands on his uniform ona after the
other. grabbed the ball again and
nodded III Catcher LIeia. Nj this
while the men on bases were Oh their
toes, Steve Griffin was biting MS cap
the crowd in the grandsfan1 Was
seethinc with excitement and impa-
thence, little Willie McComas, WAS ar
the plate ba; poised and with both
lamps glued on Brooks. waiting. Just
waiting for that hal--sni L didnt
COME. Harvey TT 2Uks was goat get
',4rg y nd when Sinaiiy re flung his arm
back he had large collection.
Brooks let the ball go and Umpire
Al Orth called II strike Then IT.
tie Willie took swing at ore. the
crowd roared. for The hit was short
single to left. Another run was IN.
the bases were still crowded and no
one was out
No More Runs This Trip.
Catcher Rogers came up The crowd
begged for a base hit. He did the
best he could. but his best was a pop
TO simmons that nobody could score
on. Three men on bases and enc
down. Pitcher Ayers faced BROOKS.
He swiped at the ball and 1t shot In
the air over the head OF Fred Lucia.
The faithful workman shed his mask
snd sprens for the aescendi1g sphere.
He caught IT. OF course ne caught
II. Wasn't any such luck az his
i,,tt hanging
out a hit that would go through a
crack in fence. Lucia caught the
ball and two were down and out.
while three base runners stood en-
the sacks and looked appealing1y at
Captain General Steve Griffin.
'Knoc Kit mile, Steve" howled
the Richmond rooters
He's easy. Harvey He's got you.
Steve." yelled q cohort OF Petersburg
partisans who were in the middle OF
The grandstand
The latter had it. Steve smashed
one, but Hsinie Busch was on the
sob and when the ball came down
Hefnie was under 1t and the three
runners Joined the left on bases in
the summary OF the box score.
How the Game Went.
. That Is Just how the game went.
Petersburg had all the luck. Rich
mond didn't have anything like It.
Why. when Graf soaked two Dag
ger in the fifth, and F1ournoy's fieiders
choice sent him to third. neither Ten
nant nor Burke could bring him In.
Burke tried hard and drove the ball
TO deep centre. but Krebs was wait
ing for II. On the other ha I'd, In
the first inning, when Morrison soak
ed the ball for three sacks. Busch
was on deck with sacrifice fly to
bring him in.
That Is how the game went IL it
hadn't been for that crack in the
fence; II II hadn't been for the
tantalizing, slow-notioned. goat-srt-
ting Harvey Brooks: II 1t hadn't been
that the Richmond heavy artillery