Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-24
DISPLAY NO PUNCH
IN TIE WITH BIRDS
Mats Pass Many Chances to
Score-Lead Goes When
Griffith FaIterS.
BY DENMAN THOMPSON,
Sports Editor, The Star.

HnOXI, Miss, March 24.-The
X era of bigger and better
- hitvolumn totals preSaged
by the field day both squads
Of Nationals blew themselves to
Sunday when the regulars col
lected ID smackerS in downing
Louisville here, while the reserves
ran their bingleS into double fig
ures in conquering the Marines at
Mobile, was extremely short-liyed.
SO short, in fact, there was little
evidence a hours later that anything
OF the sort had been accomplished, and
as q result the troupers from the Cap
ital had to be content with a sail
deadlock against the Baltimore Orioles
ct their training base in Gulfport.
AS q result of the temperance Of
Old Man Slump the three open days
on the calendar this week are to be
given over largely to batting practice
and then more batting practice, in the
hope the boys will get their optics prop
erly attuned and make more music with
their bludgeons.
a SIDE from an abbreviated tussle
"A scheduled for today between the
reserves, with Al Schacht repre-
senting them on the mound, and the
varsity outfit, for which Walter john
son viii do the pitching, there is only
one tilt on the calendar until Saturday
to interfere with the schedule for in
tensive sticking drills, that being the
battle listed with the Orioles here to-
morrow.
The field leader still is confident his
henchmen will snap out Of the bingle
doldrums in due time, but is becoming
q little impatient because Of the un-
usual delay, hence the determination
to impress practically all the fingers
in camp into service to provide targets
for the welding exercises.
TN this latest Baltimore game the far
i from impressive total of seven swats
was evoked by the bats Of the Griff-
men. Dave Harris alone got more than
a single safety and in only one frame
did they put as many as two together.
As a result Of eight free tickets issued
by the boxmen Manager Fritz Maisel
sent TO the slab and half dozen errors
charged against their support, the Ma
tionals had plenty of opportunities Tor
r1lnmaking, but the fact they had a
dozen stranded en- the base lines speaks
eloquently for what was done with
them.
AS a matter Of fact, the Washington
fans failed to record single merker
that alien pitching deficiency or bob
bles afield didn't figure ir, the chief
offender In the latter respect being the
veteran Heinie Sand, forEer star short
stopper Of the Phillies, Gho erred no
fewer than five times.
THE fracas, from which Sam Rice,
west. Manush and Judge were
excused because of the fear their
undermining might be damaged on
fhat bush league field at Gulfport, was
T,laved in weather decidedly chilly de-
spita 4. bright sun and attracted some
thing like 90 or 81 cash customers. 1t
started OF as If to be the tightest KIND
81 q pitching battle and was TIL mid
vaV OF the pastime, with Carl Flsner
hurting srut-out ball for the Nationals
and Monte Weaver doing likewise for
the Birds.
THE break came in the fifth inning
when one of Sands numerous hobbies
paved the way for a productive poke
by Buddy Myer. Two more tallies were
added in the seventh when real single
by Lynn Grflth and Texas Lacquer
by Harris surrounded a couple OF passes
and an error and another brace OF
markers accrued in the eighth from
Harris second safety, which followed
three straight walks issued by Lutte
Roy.
PT7HIs blow left Harry Rice on third
and when the double-steal sign was
flashed Harris numbered toward the
midway as Rice cantered plateWaro-
The ball reached second ahead OF Dave,
who stopped and doubled on his tracks,
finally being run down;
Whether Rice's tally should nave
been recorded remained moot ques-
ton until the last half OF the frame
when the Birds collected fVe runs,
whereupon Jumps Vang-afian announced
that as Harris had been called out LOT
running out Of line before Rice reached
the plate no sixth run had been
scored.
T Until that eighth it seemed Grifhth
" was going to maintain his record
Of pitching r1nless ball, but hit
ting the first batsms to face him paved
the way for quintet of enemy marx.
eYg. An infleld hit. a walk and two
clean singles followed, which, with
wild pitch thrown in for good measure,
accounted for the damage. Griffith
then finished strong by whiting two OF
the three Birds who faced him in the
final frame.
why the game was called. then is
another Of those mysteries, as plenty
of daylight remained, but no one was
sorry.