But Cincinnati Lacks Punch To Put ’Em Over—Miserable Base Running Contributes To Defeat.

By Jack Ryder.

Special Dispatch to the Enquirer.

Pittsburgh, Penn., May 1.—The proud fundamental city of Nashville may well go into mourning today, for its most distinguished citizen,Red Lucas, has lost his first game of ball on the main line.

After three sterling victories, one over each of the other western teams, the corking little Tennessee hurler was knocked off today by the world’s champions by a close count of 3 to 2. He did all that he could to help himself by pounding out a lordly double in the sixth and giving the Reds their only two tallies, and he came very near getting two more just like it on powerful drives which were pulled down by the fast Pirate gardeners.

But his team mates, hypnotized throughout most of the contest by the curve ball of Johnny Morrison, were unable to give the sturdy little redhead for their trio of tallies.

It was a game of wasted opportunities on the Red side. Morrison has never been a great puzzle to them, and they attacked him vigorously, but everything they attempted had the misfortune to go wrong.

First Man Gets On.

In six straight innings, from the third to the eighth, inclusive, they got the first man on a tremendous hunch in any ball game, but in only one of the six trials could they get a run over. When they tried the bold and aggressive stunt of driving it out, the second batter would crash madly into a double play.

When finally discouraged with this sort of thing, they tried a sacrifice, it was so well advertised in advance and the Pirate defense was so perfectly set for it that the runner on first was forced instead of advancing.

There were also no less than three terrible bits of base running to mar the serenity of the lovely spring afternoon.Babe Pinelli ran wild from first on an easy fly to right, with only one man out, and was killed off on a cinch double play.

Bubbles Hargrave slowed up and neglected to take two bases on his smashing drive to left center in the eighth, and Sammy Bohne, who ran for him, failed to touch second on his way back after Clyde Barnhart had pulled down Lucas’ long fly and was doubled up.

Better Work Needed.

With a little better luck in their hitting and considerable more attention to their work on the bases, the team would never have been beaten by the runs on the Pirate side. It is true that they had some hard luck in their hitting, not only in the sixth round, when it looked as if they were going to put on a big winning rally, but weak headwork on the paths was as much to blame as anything else for the sorrowful result.

The Pirates pulled four double plays, two of which were directly and absolutely due to nothing but needless base running. So the well-known alibi of hard luck is only part of the story.

Unable To Hit Morrison.

The Reds went out in order in the first two rounds, stopped to nothing by Morrison’s bender. In the second the champions staged their first and largest rally off the redhead.Pie Traynor opened it with a line single to center and advanced a base on Glenn Wright’s out at first.Stuffy McInnis poked a double to left scoring Pie.Johnny Gooch singled to center and Stuffy rolled home. The next two were easy, and it was the only round in which the enemy accumulated three blows.

The Reds never could get going.Bob Emmer led off with a single in the third, but Bubbles crashed into a double play. Hughie Critz and Pinelli opened with singles in the fourth.Edd Roush flied to Max Carey, a weak effort.Curt Walker’s long fly to right put Critz on third, but Pinelli was caught off first, and Hughey was cut down when the play was transferred in his direction.

Wally Pipp led off with a single in the fifth, but Rube Bressler hit into a double play. Lucas was mainly responsible for the pair of tallies which tied the count in the sixth. Hargrave walked and Red slopped a long double to the left field wall.

Curt Walker lined to Hal Rhyne, but Pinelli got the ball higher and sailed it to center for a clean single, driving in the two runs. Roush lofted gently to right, and the Babe, running like a wild man, was humiliatingly cut down for a double play.

Walker Gets Ticket.

In the seventh Walker was passed, but forced on Pipp’s bunt, for which the Pirate infield was perfectly set. It was in the last half of this round that the champions put over the winning marker. With one out, Wright singled to center, and went to second on McInnis’ out. Gooch was purposely passed, and George Grantham, sent up to bat for Morrison, delivered with a line double to right center, which scored Wright with the winning tally. Rhyne popped to Pinelli for the third out down past second. When it was caught, he failed to touch second on his way back, a fact which the observant Pirates noted and made use of for a double play.

So that chance was gone, and one-two-three order in the ninth left our boys a helpless and beaten outfit.

The Reds should have tied it in the eighth, or possibly won out. Ray Kremer, with a lame arm, went into pitch, and Hargrave greeted him with a big drive to left center, on which he might easily have made two bases, but he checked up at first and then did not go on. Bohne went into run for him. Lucas hit a tremendous fly to the fence in left, of which Barnhart made a wonderful catch close to the corner of the score board.

Sammy, feeling sure that the ball was going to fall safe, and being anxious to score the tying run, had run at the end of the seventh inning. He was hit in the stomach by a batted ball from Emmer’s bat in making the last play in the first half of the round, and Manager Bill McKechnie, fearing that he could not continue, rushed Kremer and Emil Yde down to the bull pen to warm up. The score was tied at the time at 2 to 2. The Pirates got a runner on second, with two out, when Johnny Gooch came up to bat and was purposely passed, the only pass of his time Lucas gave. The idea of the pass was to force the champions to take out Morrison, if they were hitting. It worked as planned. The score was tied at 2 to 2.

Sammy Bohne, usually a quick thinker, had no alibi to offer for his poor base running in the eighth, when he ran past second and failed to retouch the base on his way to first after Barnhart had made a great catch of Lucas’ long fly. “I had a slight angle on the ball as I ran down toward second,” said Sammy, who is never one to excuse his own mistakes. “I was sure that it was going to the fence and I was determined to be in a position to score the tying run and have the chance to go as far as possible on Lucas’ drive. I was about 10 feet from second base when I was almost to the base. I then started to retrace my steps back to second base, but I was not quick enough and was doubled off. It was a plain and simple boner, and I have nothing to offer in excuse for my thoughtlessness.”

Eddie Roush was retired on four easy fly balls and Critz walked once. Rube Bressler could not get hold of one and hit into a climaxing double play. When none of this trio is hitting the picture there is not very likely to be much scoring on the Red side.

Lucas hit the three longest drives of the day, all of which would have been home runs on a smaller field. He knocked Carey clear up against the center-field fence in the third, got his double to left in the sixth and was the victim of a sensational catch by Barnhart in the eighth.

He also fielded his position with more than the average speed. It was a tough break for him that the same could not be said for the rest of the Reds.

THE BULL PEN.

BY ERM.

Joy of Living.

There’s a time when the world
Seems a-throbbing with life,
When nerves are drawn taut
And excitement is rife.

It’s the time the team slugger
Steps up with his mace,
And watches the first one
With three men on base.

The grand stands are seething,
No fan’s in his seat,
All urging their hero
To turn the defeat.

Then stand you in silence,
Transfixed to your place,
He misses the next one
With three men on base.

The pitcher’s contented,
He winds up his frame
And shoots in a fast one
To finish the game.

Supreme joy of living!
That trusty old mace
Has hammered out a home run
WITH THREE MEN ON BASE!

I’m a Gonna!

I sent all my coin to Tijuana
To bet on a horse, Bella Donna,
The owners I know
Divided my dough,
And I’ve hocked the family piano.

The Philosopher’s Corner.

“What is a gas log?” asked the youth, who was just beginning to learn.

“A gas log,” pondered the philosopher, “is a dialogue between umpires.”

“If that is true,” inquired the youth, “what is a dialogue between Congressmen?”

“My son,” answered the philosopher as he grabbed for his notebook, “no two Congressmen speak to each other. And now,” he added hastily, “go memorize your constitution.”

“Fan” ain’t the word for some of these baseball bugs. Ask their wives. They’re windmills.

Just a Congenial Soul.

Mary loves the race track,
She loves a baseball game,
But when we don’t go either place
She’s loving just the same.