| Show TALZs OF TI E PERSEVERANCE CLUBBy CLUB-By JAMES ALBERT WALES u The boys of the Perseverance club when we last heard of them were greatly Interested In the championship series of the Amateur Baseball league Their team was tied with the Invincible club of Glendale and the standing of the clubswas as follows Won Toit PC Jnvlnclblcs L U 1 CC7 I Perseverance club D 1 W7 Rangers t 2 3X1 Golden Knights 1 2 3 S1 J The question had arisen To which club shall lhe league award the championship cham-pionship and the silk pennant The executive committee of the league decided de-cided therefore that the Perseverance and Invincible clubs should play off the tie at Glendale Saturday lay litho lith-o The forthcoming game aroiiscd a great deal of interest and as the fame oC the teams had been borne far and wide there was much discussion an to the probable outcome of the contest NOt only the young folks but the older r 1 J I ry I + r Y GIrv A F The Coach Called Hijn Aside ones as well had followed the fortunes of the Perseverance and Invincible teams and the game gave rise to more comment than any other which was held lii that part of lie country during the entire season The supporters of the Tnvlnciblcs called attention to the fact that their favorites had lost but one game in two I years and that was merely because the I star pitcherDickIves had not been feeling well He was In fine shape for the great game however and there was no reason why the Jnvinciblcs should not win The friends of the Perseverance club admitted that their team having played but three games was not so well trained as the rival nine but what they lacked in skill they made up in grim determination determin-ation and gIll11l a word they would win by sheer pluck alone and wrest the championship from their opponents by adhering to their famous motto Perseverance Per-severance However It was declared on both sides that the game would he close and tho teams very evenly matched Both nines practiced hard during the week preceding the contest and when Saturday Satur-day came they felt that they were In shape to play the game of their lives air Foster the clever Trinity college coach had put the finishing touches to the Perseverance players and he felt confident of their success A number of special trolley cars conveyed con-veyed the Perseverance contingent to Glendale The oursvere dqcoratcd with bunting and the passengers added to the striking effect by keeping up a lively I live-ly l din all along the line Cheers and songs were varied by the discordant I blasts of tin horns and several boys had megaphones to loud strength to t i their voices A loud cheer wont up ns the Perse veranco team neatly dressed In their club uniforms came out 011 the field for practice There seemed to be at least 1000 people lVlSt J iltfrom Glendale Klv crview Park Heights and the surrounding surround-ing towns The Rlvervlew party occupied occu-pied scats on one side of the Held and l 1 1 w the local partisans wore grouped on the opposite side A constant volley of cheering added to the spirit of the occasion oc-casion and Inspired the players of both teams to put forth their host efforts Perseverance batted In the following order Tlcknor shortstop Olmstead sciond base Sayles right i fiold OBrien third base Whcatloy left field Graham Gra-ham first base Hertford center field Henderson catcher and Rogers pitcher pitch-er Ordinarily the visiting team Is supposed sup-posed to bat first but as this game was to play off a championship tie it was decided to toss up for the choice Perseverance won the tins and Captain Henderson chose the field allowing the home team to bat first Roy IiOgcrs was nervous and gave the first batsman a base on balls A clever sacrifice advanced the runner to second sec-ond but at a signal from Catcher Jack Roy turned quickly and caught his man napping off the base There wns a cheer from the Perseverance side of the field and Roy was so encouraged that he struck out the following batsman In the latter half 01 the inning Rex Tlcknor went out on a slow grounder lo first Charley Olmsted got a base on balls Reuben Sayles came to bat and Dick Ivcs looked at him with a 1 superior smile Reub returned the compliment by smashing out a hot liner to cohter which was good for two bases Charley Char-ley started for home hut the ball was thrown in so quickly that he returned to third A run for Perseverance seemed certain cer-tain at this point but Dick braced up and struck out OBrien and Whcatlcy This left the score still 00 In the 1 second Inning Roy struck out the first two men and the third went out on an Infield fly In the Perseverance Innings George Graham and ITarry Hanford were out on grounders to first base Jack Henderson sent a long drive to left field for three bases Roy Rogers Rog-ers was urged to send him home He drove a sharp liner at the shortstop who dropped it but picked it up In time to catch Roy at first As Roy crossed the bag he turned to the right and in doing so slipped on the smooth turf and wrenched his ankle lie tried to rise and walk away but Il pained him so that Joe Stein had to help him to the players bench Poor Roy was utterly unable to keep on with the game and when that fact was realized by the Perseverance supporters sup-porters their hopes sank Roy was their most brilliant pitcher Reub and Harry wore stetdy and reliable but were not thought to compare with Roy However Captain Jack put Reub In the box and sent Teddy Ensign to right field Tie Perseverance rooters gave a cheer for Roy and another for Kotib Reub was steady is clockwork and during lie next four innings only twelve men faced him three of whom he struck out The boys had never seen him pitch so well He seemed to realize the I necessity ne-cessity of keeping perfectly cool and selfpossessed for the Invincible contingent con-tingent tried in vain to rattle him Dick Ivcs was in his best form and allowed but one hit till the seventh inning in-ning At the beginning of the seventh Inning In-ning with the score still 00 the Invin clbles came to bat amid cries of Lucky seventh Dick Ives sent a 1 screaming liner to left field whLh looked for a 1 home run As he crossed third base and started for home Wilbur Wheatley sent t the hall in from deep I left There were shouts of sGo bade Hold your base but Dick thought he could make the extra base and kept on Captain Jack caught the ball squarely in his milt and lagged Dick with It as ho was sliding1 to the plate The next two men struck omit for Reub was thoroughly roused and put on extra steam Dick Ivoh got out of a tight place In the latter half for with two on base and only one 0111 he stluclc out the two batsmen following Neither shIn could do anything in the eighth and the ninth opened with tins I score still 00 A perfect storm of cheers greeted the first Invindblc batsman as he stepped to the plate He responded by sending a safe hit to renter His successor was hit by a pitched ball which made two on base and none out The next man bout a JqiucJiIgh I My to deep loft field and as It was evidently 1 Impossible for Mlbur lo get it the base runners raced for home and the Invin r cible rooters went wild with Joy Hats and flags were thrown in the air and pandemonium ivlgnctl 1 Wilbur had started for the ball at tho crack of its Impact with the bat Naturally Natu-rally a fleet runner he exerted himself to the utmost and ran swiftly to the fence with hlB back to the ball Vhun almost at the fence he turned his head leaped for tit ball and to everyones surprise gathered it in safety Almost before anyone could realize what hind 1 happened threw the ball In to second sec-ond and the second baeman touched the bag and shot the sphere to first thereby completing a triple play The two baserunners were too far off their bases to regain them in time to prevent being put mum tIt t-It would be impossible to describe the frenzied Joy of the Perseverance party I as they shouted danced and waved their Hairs in mad delight Nows the time to win shouted a Perseverance admirer as Harry Han ford came to the bat But Harry could only sand a little fly to Dick Ives Jack Henderson had made a safe hit every tlmo he came to the hat and this time was no exception for he caught the first ball pitched with a terrific ter-rific swing and sent a seething grounder past shotstop for two bases Teddy Ensign got a 1 base on balls and both runners advanced on a clever double steal With one out and two on bases It can he Imagined that the excitement ex-citement was intense Rex Ticknor went out on a foul fly making two gone Charley Olmstead was beseeched to make a safe hit and win the game lie drove a brisk grounder lo Dick Ivcs who scooped it up and retired the runner run-ner at first making the third out The score was still 0 to 0 and an extra Inning would have to be played Everyone felt sure that the tenth Inning In-ning would decide the game but the teams kept up their even steady playing play-ing and no batsman reached the Ilrst in the tenth eleventh twelfth or thirteenth thir-teenth Inning In the fourteenth and fifteenth Innings the Tnvinclbles got men on bases but sharp fielding prevented pre-vented them from scoring During the next three innings the pitchers did remarkable work Despite De-spite the fact that they had pitched practically two ordinary games they stood the strain well and did not let up for a 1 moment Dick Ivcs struck out nine men in succession during thc sixteenth six-teenth seventeenth and eighteenth innings in-nings Reub used a mixture of slow and swift curves which were very deceptive de-ceptive Had it not been for the I splendid splen-did fielding behind him however he would probably have lost t the game for many a supposedly safe hit was killed by 1 the brilliant work of the Perseverance Persever-ance infield and the outfielders covered themselves with glory by making dlfll cult t catches The spectilorsyvvcre nglow with excitement ex-citement and expectancy By this time most of their voices were husky from continued cheering but the bright colored col-ored Hags waved as vigorously as ever In the I nineteenth inning a double play with two men on bases prevented the Invincibles from scoring Perseverance Perse-verance was unable to get a man to 1 15 lAs l-As the twentieth Inning opened the sun was setting in the West and it was gradually growing darker yet the score was still the same 00 The first two Invincible batsman made safe hits There was a cheer at this and the Joy of the home team was inrreased whoa Dick Ivcs sent both men home with a rattling threebase hit Thalr long pcntup enthusiasm was let loose unre TL L r H SPECIAL s o N 1 rs I n I T u C r r c I ll t 1 A a I A4j err a I i NLI J ir S ltirs u T Tho Team Went in n Trolley Car stralnedly for in nil the 20 Innings there luid been no score up till this time rill gloom on the Perseverance side of the field was naturally Increased l when Harry Hanford dropped an easy fly through sheer nervousness Dick Ives got home on the error making the score ao In favor of the Invlncibles Reub gritted his teeth In determination determina-tion and struck out the next throe min by a magnificent effort His arm was about played out now and hi felt a dull throbbing pain above the elbow Coach Foster whimpered a few words of encouragement to Reub as he came to the batfor Pfrsovorance Tim friends of the visiting team left their seals and swarmed into the field In a body They arrayed themselves al the edge of the diamond and cheered lustily lus-tily though with hoarse and weary throats J Hit T out Reub Heres where wo win Weve got tojiave n run old man were some of the expressions shouted at the batsman but Mr Poster Pos-ter urged silence less Reub might become be-come nervous from thin din r Roub showed his selfpossession by sending a wellplaced single over third bare There was hope after all Still Terry OlSrien struck out and l Wilbur Wheatley wont out on an infield fly Two out and l one on base with three runs needed to tie the score George Graham drove a sharp grounder he twocn first and second and both runners run-ners were safe Harry Hartford was burning to atone for his costly muff and ho got his chance when he sent a safe hit to center cen-ter field There wore now there on bases and two out Not a sound was heard as Jack Henderson came to the plate The tension war so great that no one seemed able to ultsr a 1 word Dick Eves realized that be wan In a tight place He had a whispered consultation con-sultation with his catcher then rc lumod to the box and prepared to deliver de-liver the hall The < first three halls went very wide but the catcher seemed lo have no difficulty In stopping them safely It was very evident to Jack that Dick was trying to give him abase a-base on halls for fAar of letting him hit for several hasps This would force a run but as the next batsman was a substitute Dick was apparently hoping to settle him in quick order and thereby there-by end the gam with the score a 5 to 1 1 n r woe of the Invhnclhle5 Realizing I that ho must I hit the next I ball or sacrifice his chance to send in more than one run Jack eyed the pitcher closely Straight as an arrow the fourth ball I came but far from the plate Jack stepped forward and swung out at I It I with all his strength Crack Jacks hat met the hall squarely and sent It 1 safllng fair and high Into tho air The center fielder runback run-back desperately 1 1 > n this effort was hopeless for the ball flew far above his bend and disappeared over the fence It r was never found i One after another the base runners cro3sed the plate First Reub Sayles then George Graham and then Harry Hanford jind Jack Henderson almost together The score was 1 1 to1 Perseverance Perse-verance had won the ham and with It the championship of the amateur baseball base-ball league As each player reajhcd the plate he was surrounded by eager friends who bore him away in triumph on sturdy shoulders The whole team was finally carried off Ihe Held In this fashion amid rejoicings Impossible to describe It was a fitting ending lto a remarkable game a > Yet In the midst of all this celebration celebra-tion there was a feeling of respect for I the vanqulHhed learn The boys gave a hearty cheer for the Invlnrlbles and the latter returned the courtesy like true sportsmen Poor Dick Ives broke down and sobbed as I If his heart would break He had done his besl to bring victory to ills teamand It seemed too bad to lose after all In the 20 Innings he had given but 12 hits and struck out 10 men Heub struck out Jl men and allowed It hits As the crowd filed through the gates the sun had sunk to rest and darkness was setting fast For four hours the battle had been waged stubbornly and naturally enough tho players of both teams were almost exhausted from their efforts Fiery member of the Perseverance team was heartily cheered on the way home The four miles to Rlvervlew was quickly covered At the village green n I large crowd had assembled to welcome the homecornIng party When the first car had arrived and the news of Lhe victory became generally known l a mighty cheer went up One enthusiast ran over to the city hall and rang the old bell |
