The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-04-16
RYANS GANG RUINED MISSISSIPPI
LEACUERS in FIRST GAME OF SERIES
Manager Reogle of Visitors Says His Club Will Stronger
Today and Expects Meridian to Hand Locals
a Trimming.

doubles and one a triple, and played
inside baseball in rings around the
visiting Mississippi league club. The
score was 10 to 1, and Manager Re-
f1ogle of the visitors must have re-
manned awake a long time last night
figuring on how he would stop Ryan's
gang of fence breakers from perform
ing another assault and battery this
afternoon.
| The locals not only swatted the apple
OPPORTUNITY and promiscuously but
they also dumped ii at judicious inter-
walls at tantalizing distances in front
Of the pan-just too far out for the
catcher and too far in for the pitcher
to handle. Turner, Osborn and Turn
bull drew credit for sacrifices ana
Long John" Showers dumped dead"
but in front of the pan with the inten-
ton of Offering himself on the altar of
his team but Parker was slow in find
ing the apple and the slim boy was
safe while Sticks Villar crossed the
pan. This one play was enough to
stamp Showers as a ball player with
something besides hands and feet.
Manager Refiogls of the MeridianitesI
apologized for his teams showing last
night, saying that his second baseman
was a pitcher and his short stop an
outfielder. In this connection it is in
teresting to note that the second sacker
handled four chances perfectly and the
shortstop made six of his seven oppor-
tunities good.
'Screech" Nelson says the Pensa-
cola club isn't composed of local boys
because some of them haven't been
here long enough to get in the union.
All of which suggests that Meridian
might do better to play baseball rules
and not union rules.
Manager Refiogle said last night
that he tried out 45 men to get his
present selection of 16, and Lamar
Sara opines that If that's true he'd
hate to see the other 20 in action. All
of which brings us back to the fact
that any team will have an off day
occasionally and that seems to have
been Merchants case yesterday.
Today, Mr.. REF" says. there'll be
another story and that Pensacola will
have to do more than bunt to win a
game. REF has another inf1elder and
catcher reporting in this morning
and he expects the additions to his
lineup will make Meridian much
stronger.
Pensaco1a's experience against the
fast twirling of the Louisville and At
lanta clubs showed beneficial results
yesterday. The Meridian twirlers did
not have enough stuff to halt the locals
and every man on the Pensacola club.
except Wentworth. hit safely. Went
worth was at bat only once and he
grounded to the second baseman, his
drive being hot grass-cutter.
sticks" Villar was back In the game
yesterday, for the first time this sea-
son. "Sticks" struck out on his first
appearance but came back the next
time up with a slashing double which
bounded against the left field wall and
would have gone over the fence if the
wind hadn't held It back. sticks
grounded to short on his third appear
ance and singled the center the last
time.
Pensacola has what is probably the
most important asset for any team, and
that is ability to hit. The locals
stepped into everything that was Of
fered yesterday and the fact that there
were 10 assists for the Meridian in
field and five putouts for the outfield
in eight defensive innings in indication
enough that the locals were slamming
the pill on the nose.
Any club that hits will win ball
games If the pitching is half decent.
When good pitching Is added to a
strong attack a club will cop almost
every game. That seems to be what
the locals have. Not only can the
boys hit and run. but they know
enough to sacrifice when occasion de-
mands and the fact that all four at
, tempts yesterday were perfect looks
good.
Defensively the club leaves little to
be desired. The outf1eld yesterday
was almost perfect, although Osborn
made one bad error of judgment when
he allowed Daniels long fly to go over
his head. The wind was carrying the
ball rapidly and Osborn just barely
touched 1t with his gloved hand. the
blow going for a hit on the strength
of the difficulty Of Judging the windage.
Sanchez was little slow in handling
| some OF his plays but he made eight
| chances successfully and cEouted the
ball for a triple with a man ahead of
him, thereby wiping out any sins that
may have been chalke6 up against
him.
sticks" villar and Tong John"
Showers complete n well-nigh perfect
outfield both Extensively and often
sively.
Bobby Ellis doesn't need any COM
mendation. The lead-off man got on
three times out OF five and scored
twice Turner sacrificed once, hit
safely twice, scoring both times, and
flied out only when there was no one
/ ahead of him. Gaines. as cleanup
man, drove in three runs with a dou-
bic in the fifth and hit the ball the
| other three times. Turnbull singled
and sacrificed and Williams singled
and walked.