The University nine defeated Exeter at Exeter yesterday, 8 to 1, in a game characterized by very faulty fielding. Harvard's three errors were all inexcusable, and besides these several chances were lost by slow and inaccurate handling of the ball. At the bat the team was unable to make many hits, and in spite of slow pitching only three men batted consistently. What hitting was done, however, was hard and timely. The base running showed too much hesitancy, which would have been costly against a good team. Harvard's playing was, on the whole, a decided slump from the showing made against Pennsylvania.
Stillman was not as successful as usual, although with good support he would have scored a shut out. He gave three bases on balls in succession in the first inning, but after that steadied down somewhat. He was hit for only three singles, and struck out eight men. Kernan misjudged three high fouls, but otherwise he showed some improvement. Except in one instance he threw to bases well, and held pitched balls reliably. Frantz was weak at the bat, partly because of swinging too hard. He fielded faultlessly. Clark made a costly error but he covered plenty of ground and made two opportune hits. George, who has been prevented from playing until recently by his work in the Medical School, played all though the game for the first time this year. His two singles seem to indicate an improvement in his hitting.
Although Exeter was unfortunate in making errors with men on bases, the team did some brilliant fielding. A double play made in the first inning by Woodsum, Peters and Gilman was so quickly done that the runner at first was out by three yards. Peters at short-stop covered an unusual amount of ground and made some excellent stops and throws.
Harvard began scoring in the second inning. Clark singled; Devens sacrificed him to second; Coolidge singled, and Clark scored on a wild throw to first. Coolidge went to second on the play and came home on Putnam's two-base hit. Putnam went to third on George's out and was allowed to score because of Bettes's interference. George and Kernan opened the fourth with singles, and on Jackson's wild throw of Murphy's grounder George scored. Murphy was caught stealing and Frantz went out at first. Then Stillman scored Kernan with a three-bagger and came home on Clark's double. In the next inning a base on balls to Coolidge, errors by Jackson and Peters, and a single by George brought Coolidge and Putnam in with the last two runs.
In the fourth inning Clark's bad throw let Gilman reach first. A sacrifice by Woodsum sent him to second and he got to third on Merrow's infield single. Kernan threw the ball over second in attempting to stop a steal, and Gilman scored.
The game was called in the eighth inning to enable the Harvard team to catch a train.
The score: Three-base hit--Stillman. Two-base hit--Putnam. Sacrifice bits--Devens, Rockwell, Woodsum. Stolen bases--Coolidge, Putnam, George, Kernan, Rockwell. Double play--Woodsum to Peters to Gilman. Bases on balls--by Stillman: Rockwell 2, Cooney, Peters; by Jackson: Murphy, Devens, Coolidge. Struck out -- by Stillman: Bettes 3, Peters 2, Gilman, Jackson, Woodsum; by Jackson; Stillman, Frantz, Murphy. Hit by pitched ball--by Jackson: Kernan, Time--1h. 45m.
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