Series 9: Garfields take two of three from Crawfords

Crawfords 13-9, Garfields 6-16

Pitcher use: Trent and Welch need three games, Young and Foster need two games, Keef and Brewer need one game. Clarkson pitched one inning in finale.

Game One: Garfields 6, Crawfords 3
WP: Keefe (2-3)
LP: Day (2-2)
HR: Thompson (1), Burkett (1)

Game Two: Crawfords 7, Garfields 6
WP: R. Davis (2-0)
LP: Spalding (0-2)
Save: Day (1)

Game Three: Garfields 3, Crawfords 2
WP: Welch (2-2)
LP: Trent (2-1)
Save: Clarkson (1)

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The Garfields not only broke their second long losing streak of the season, they nearly swept the series with the first-place Crawfords.

The first game was a well-pitched duel between Tim Keefe and Chet Brewer. The Garfields jumped out to an early lead on a homer by Sam Thompson and a squeeze bunt by John Ward in the second inning, but the Crawfords bounced back with three runs in the top of the third.

Keefe stiffened after that, allowing just four safeties the rest of the way. A Thompson triple and George Davis fly ball tied the game in the sixth.

The game turned in the ninth. Jesse Burkett misplayed Louis Santop's single leading off the top of the frame, allowing the big catcher to go to third. But Keefe fanned Dick Lundy, got Ray Dandridge to ground out harmlessly to second, then struck out pinch-hitter Fats Jenkins. Leon Day relieved, and the Crawfords' bullpen woes continued --with one out, Ward and pinch hitter Jimmy Collins each walked, and Burkett hit his first homer of the season.

If that was a heartbreaker for the Crawfords, the second game was for the Garfields. Cy Young held a 6-2 lead into the ninth inning, but the first six men reached for the Crawfords (three off Young, three off Al Spalding). Day held on to the one-run lead, cementing a solid four-inning, no-runs effort by the beleaguered bullpen.

That was the limit of the good news for the Crawfords, as Mickey Welch outdueled Ted Trent in the finale. Welch got 14 groundball outs in eight innings of work and survived another single-error misplay by Burkett.

For the series, Thompson was 9-for-13 with a home run, two triples, three RBI and five runs scored.