Casey’s terrific drive for the circuit was the deciding factor in Saturday’s victory over State College. History repeated itself in this instance, for in 1921 Morris won the Wake Forest game with an unusually long home run, and last spring his four base clout decided the last Trinity contest
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Casey’s Mighty Smash Over Riddick Mount Gives State Team First Defeat of Year. . . Bryson Stages Come-back and Holds Hard-Hitting Techs to One Lone Run. . . State Is Dumbfounded. . . Entire Team Gives Superb Support—Jones and Bonner Provide Fielding Gems
By G. Wright Lankford
Raleigh, April 21—“And mighty Casey had struck out,” ends a famous American poem on a famous national sport called baseball—and, as the tale relates, the mobs in the stands groaned and growned as Casey took his bat and walked away, defeated.
But here in Raleigh today mighty Casey Morris, Carolina’s captain, didn’t strike out; he struck the ball a mighty smash that carried it far and away above Riddick mountain in the left field of State College’s ball park, across the high hedge and crashed it into the walls of the college Y.M.C.A. building. It was in the fourth inning when neither side had scored and no one was on base, but Casey scored, and the hundreds of Carolina students, alumni and friends yelled wildly, and the confident State College stands were silent. Casey had not struck out—he had hit for four bases.
It was the first run in Carolina’s first clash with N.C. State for the 1923 baseball season, and it somewhat dimmed the confidence in the (when the game was over and the score stood Carolina 2, State 1) most surprised student body in the world. The Techs said the Tech supporters were dumbfounded as inning after inning wore itself away and the great A. and E. baseball team, with 10 victories and no defeats to its credit, failed to hit the steady Herman Bryson to a run-making degree, and as each Carolina player in some way or other fought his way into the hearts of Carolina’s fans who were watching the contest.
When Coach Fetzer announced his lineup for the day the Techs crowded around the scorers to learn the pitching choice, and when told that he was Herman Bryson they, remembering the Trinity game, were delighted and said as much. But Mr. Bryson walked calmly into the box and let Casey Morris hold his mitt to receive the ball. The ball went home every time and, although State got 10 hits, they were scattered over 10 innings and proved deadly only in the eighth when Bryson allowed three in a row.
Carolina’s Second Score
Following Morris’ homer in the 4th neither State nor Carolina threatened in the fifth, but in the sixth “Monk” McDonald, who got two of Carolina’s four hits, crashed a double onto the bank in the left field, went to third on Joe McLean’s sacrifice, and squeezed home on Bonner’s sacrifice bunt which Curtis booted. This boot was the only error of the whole affair.
State could do nothing in her half of the sixth but in the seventh the now-frightened student body stood up, responding to the pleadings of the cheer leaders and stamped time with the wildly playing college band. They were looking for blood and it looked as though blood was coming as Captain Redfearn led off with a terrific double to left center and went to third as McDonald threw Faulkner out at first.
Carolina’s supporters were roaring, too, but not loud enough to be heard above the noise of the band and the maddened Techs. For the first time in the game Bryson walked a man, Dutch Holland, upon whom he had had to waste the first two throws as he was looking for a squeeze play. But Dutch, stealing second, over slid the bag and Monk tagged him.
Bonner Is Here
The chances to score were not gone, however, and with Redfern (Redfearn?) still prancing at third, “Red” Lassiter lifted one of Bryson’s hot ones high into left field with home run written all over it. From the stands it looked like it was bound for the same resting place with Casey’s smash, but Merle Bonner seemed not to think so. He climbed Riddick mountain; Redfern crossed the plate, Carolina hearts perched in Carolina throats and State College throats literally split themselves over the success of the “rally,” and—and Bonner caught that ball. Someone in the State stands said, “Of all the damned luck,” and someone, everyone, in the Carolina stand said, “What a great ball player.”
“Rabbit” had again won his laurels. He was almost mobbed then with joy-maddened Tar Heels and he and Casey had an awful time getting to the dressing-room after the game.
It was the first half of the eighth inning and Carolina got not a single man on first. State came up and again State students were yelling for runs. So far fate and the excellence of Carolina’s baseball team had decided that the score should be 2 to 1.
State Scores
But fate changed her mind and, even though Curtis, the first man up, whiffed, Ruth, Gladstone and Johnstone didn’t Ruth crashed a single to left and Gladstone followed with another to the same territory. Fast work by Bonner held Ruth at second, but Johnson (Johnstone?) slashed a two-base hit into Bonner’ field again and “Babe” scored. More fast work held Gladstone on the third bag.
Then the Techs lost another chance to score. Correll hit to Jones at third, and old “Touchdown,” who accepted seven hard chances without a bobble, threw the State center fielder out at first. Johnson went almost to third on the play and Shirley played the ball to McDonald. Gladstone had started to sneak home but “Monk” knew what to do with the ball. He gave it to Bryson on the line near the plate, Bryson threw to Jones who ran the State man down for the last out and the game was won.
Carolina looked good for another run in the ninth as Bonner led off with a drive into the left field hedge. It smelled like another four-base wallop, but he got only two. Hopes went up in smoke quickly, however, as Redfern snatched in Shirley’s drive and threw to second for a double play. The last chance for more runs was gone as Curtis fielded Morris’ hot smash and threw him out at first.
State’s half of the ninth seemed like an eternity to Carolina supporters. Bryson did not field the ball cleanly when Redfern, the first man up, hit to him. But Herman was playing ball today. He picked it up and got his man at first by the length of a mosquito’s hair. Faulkner hit a Texas-leaguer type to right but Carmichael came in and got it. Then Holland smashed one so hot to Bryson that he couldn’t handle it and Lassiter lifted a high one to Bonner. Bonner caught it as usual and all the old dope and confidence lay dead and buried. The game was over.
Carolina’s long hits won the game. True, state got 10 hits to Carolina’s four, but the Techs’ hits went for 12 bases and Carolina’s for nine. Almost as good, and Carolina seems to know how to run bases, and where to play the ball when State tries to get funny. Not a student in West Raleigh was looking for today’s defeat, none of them were looking for another when their team comes to Chapel Hill, but Carolina is good for many more victories.
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From the front page of The Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, N.C., April 24, 1923
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