The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-06-28
Wheel Club and Athletics
Winners at Opening of
Local League
BOTH VICTORIES BY
MARGIN OF ONE RUN

Moro Improvements This Week /,
Wheel Clubs Ealy Lead Needed
Athletics Came from Behind.
Tho opening Of the local league season
on the Valley fair grounds Saturday sat
i.fcd the crowd present that interesting
baseball can be played by local teams and .
that there is a lot Of enthusiasm waiting |
an opportunity to be uncorked. Also it |
was evident that the new baseball dia- |
mond there met with the approval of
everyone for the balls hoped well and
long drives to the outiield rolled, giving /
base runners opportunities to stretch hits.
The Wheel club and the Knights of Co
hmbus met in the first game and Blake
wildness in the opening inning gave the
Wheel club fiverun lead. They needed
it to win by a score of 6 to >, for Thomp-
son, the old Norwich university slabster,
was fast firing in the last two innings.
Blake had chance to win his own game
with any kind Of single, but Thompson
rot him on strikes for the last out.
The second game started promptly after
the first one of seven innings had been
finished and the Athletics managed to
beat Fort Dummer Z to 6, coming from
behind in the seventh and last inning and
scoring the two runs necessary to win
with only two men out. lnetfectiveness
on the part Of Fountain, who started the
game for the Athletics, and the hits
made off Knight in the second before he
was warmed up gave the AIlites & to ,
lead at the close Of the second inning.
After that knight did not allow a hit or
issue a pass and not another run was
scored.
Dave Murphy oGicatcd as umpire in
both games. He missed three foul tips
and called them third strikes, Ober of the
Athletics being twice a victim. Other
than that his work was excellent.
Not everything was ready, Bleachers
win be in place by next Saturday and a
place provided for parking automobiles,
and ropes will be strung to keep the crowd
from encroaching on the baselines. They
did very well Saturday, especially along
the thirdbase line, but players and spec
tators alike will be better suited to leave
q margin for safety first" A wire back
stop was put in place just as play was
called for the first game and when some
success has been achieved in filling soft
place in the batters' box at the plate
which to date has foiled all efforts, anc
the diamond has been thoroughly wet
down once more and possibly rolled again
there will be little fault to find, even by
So far as the playing field is concerned j
is better today than any other in the Vi
cnity Of Brattleboro.
The slight oversight of the management
in failing to provide new balls caused
delay in starting the opening game, bu
three hours were sufficient time to fms
both Of them and there was no occasion
for anyone to be late to 6 o'clock suppe
or dinner.
Teams Evenly Matched.
So far as the games Saturday Shove
the teams are all evenly matched, bt
wdnCss of two pitchers in the openin
innings of both games gave the opposin
teams a starting advantage that prove
necessary for them to have in order
remain in the hunt On the other han
such wildness was offset by a little ligh
headedness here and there, and of cour
errors crept into the box scores, as the
do in all well regulated games. The col
bnation served to make matters interes
ing.
1t is not to be supposed from anythil
here written that there were not SOL
mighty good plays made Graves of {
Fort hummer team made several starti
stops Of hard-hit balls and contributed
ripping triple He marred his good wo
by one very poor throw. Plumb wad
through the crowd back Of third a
grabbed long, high foul Interest in
work on the part of his teammates,
abled Graves, who was on third, to Il
home, for no one but Plumb on the te
thought of covering home plate. Plul
got another foul in the crowd in the
ing off first base The outfelding of
four teams was excellent and for first
tcinpts in team play little or no fault
be found. In another few games the on
sights and slips noticeable Saturday
have been overcome.
In the first game Blake allowed 0
three singles and famed IL, but his W
ness in the opening round with an er
by b. Dunlevy, was costly Thomp
was touched for FIVE hits, B. Dunlevy
ting three of them and Blake gettinl
triple and single Walsh and Harw
had 20 Of the u putouts of the X OF
team
Angier'a Hitting Feature.
Bob Anglers hitting featured the sec
contest He got two doubles WI
counted for two runs and scored one
self for the Athletics Capt. Riley of
same team got single and a double
ion and Kennedy shifted fields as the
bothered one of them.
Fountain, who started the game for
Athletics, was wild, and a pass, a
batsman, wild pitch, a stolen base al
single'netted Fort Drummer two runs in
opening inning Doubles by Riley
Angler with an error by Graves SOU
accounts in the last half
Fountain hit the first batter in the
ond inning a sacrifice and a steal put
hfpI nd faip fhpaxv