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Best Game of Season - July, 1906

Lake Charles Defeated the Senators by the Score of One to Nothing In a Very Spectacular Game.

Brilliant Plays Made

McCully, the New Man, Played Swift Game at Short Stop -- Cermak and Gill Threebaggers -- The Creoles Strengthened Wonderfully.

Austin lost to Lake Charles at the Driving park yesterday afternoon by the score of 1 to 0, but it was such a hard fought battle and so well played that there was not a fan present who went away dissatisfied. It was one of the best and perhaps the best game that has ever been played on that diamond. Even the spectacular and hard fought battles with Houston fade when compared with the battle with the Creoles yesterday afternoon. It was a game which the fans, who missed the game, will long regret that they missed. Only one error was made and that was doubtful, ring a hot drive to Gardner, who fumbled the ball. While there were so few bad plays there were so many spectacular fancy catches, good hits, opportune drives on both sides that the spectators gasped for breath.

But Lake Charles won the first of the series and thus Austin takes second place in the South Texas league with Houston in the lead again. A two-bagger, a steal and a wild pitch did the sad work and let in one lonely, solitary run. It all happened in the fifth inning. McGill had been handing the balls pretty hot to the batters and they could do nothing much with him. In the beginning of the fifth inning the first rattle out of the box, Hardy, the big, long, lanky first baseman for the Creoles, got two sacks and then later stole third. McGill settled down to business and came within one throw making an envied name for himself. He struck out two men in succession and had two strikes and three balls on the third man. McGill straightened up and put the speed of a locomotive behind the ball, which went low, struck the home plate and bounced fifteen feet above Gordon's head and Hardy at third base came home for the first and only run of the game. It was pretty hard luck for McGill, who pitched a star game throughout the nine innings. He held the visitors' hits down and those they got did not amount to much except in the fatal fifth inning. McGill is a great pitcher and has one of the best wings in the league.

In the fourth and sixth innings the Creoles got a man to third and it looked extremely dangerous for the Seantors, but each time McGill settled down and the team got behind him and held the hungry visitors off the homeplate. In the fourth Cooper, the first man up, got a hit and was advanced to second on a sacrifice by Ollre. Two successive and quick put outs saved the day. In the fifth Hardy got the two-bagger, which netted the run. In the sixth Cooper, again the first man at bat, got a two-bagger and later went to third, when Horn got a hit. Latham then came to bat and made a drive to McCully, who put the ball home and cut off Cooper at the home plate. Horn stole second and then went to third, but Hardy fanned and he was left at third. The visitors never got past the second base after this inning.

Things looked bright for the Senators in the second inning. Gardner got the first hit of the game and Gill advanced him to second on a sacrifice. When Bradley went out at first Gardner went to third and then the third man went out and the chance to score was lost.

In the third inning, after two men were out, Cermak got a three-bagger, which was a beautiful drive, and then McCully flew out to center field.

Captain Gill repeaed Cermak's three-bagger in the fourth inning, but this time it was after two men were out, and the plucky captain was left at third when Bradley fanned. It was a fine chance for Bradley but he unfortunately failed to take advantage of the opportunity.

In the sixth inning Cermak started the ball rolling with a hit, but again the Senators could not follow with the necessary slugging to get in a run, and the Creoles stubbornly refused to make a single error.

Exactly the same stunt was repeated in the seventh. Gill led off with a hit and was advanced to second with a sacrifice only to be followed by two going out in succession.

In the very last inning the Senators tried as they had not tried in the game to score, but the odds were too great, and they could not get in the necessary run. Gardner led off again with a hit and stole second. Gill bunted two fouls and then drove the ball to center field. McCall, who had been on theh bench, went in to bat for Bradley to change the luck. McCall did his part and made a fine hit, sending Gardner to third. Jeffries came to bat and landed the ball hot to shortstop and Gardner attempted to come home, but was cut off by about two feet. It was the right play for Gardner, but he could not make it. McCall was a second base when Gardner drove a long fly to left after two men were out, and the chance to score was lost.

Every man on the team played hard. A slight change was made in the lineup. McCully went in at shortstop and Short was sent to center field to relieve Hutchcroft, who is ill. Otherwise the lineup was the same. McCully is about the fastest shortstop that has ever played on this field. He simply won the hearts of all fans yesterday. He plays like lightning and is as sure and quick as a big leaguer. He played the game for the Senators yesterday. Six times was he called on to check the mad journey and not once did he make a bubble, and several of them were difficult to handle. It can be said without exaggeration that McCully is a star fielder and the team is indeed fortunate in getting him.

Short went to center field and filled that position in a way that would have done credit to Hutchcroft. Cermak in left field, did some star playing. A long foul he caught that looked almost impossible to reach. In addition to his fine fielding, he got two hits, of which one was the three-bagger. Gill, at first base, played a magnificent game. There can be no getting around the fact the Gill is one of the heady players of this league. Not a single doubtful play did he make yesterday. He got one single and one three-bagger, one sacrifice, and played a good game in general. The boys did their best and played like they did in the Houston games. If they play like that all the time there is no doubt they will stand easily at the head of the league at the end of the season. Houston or any other team in the league could not stand up against such a battle as the Senators put up yesterday.

Lake Charles has strengthened wonderfully since it was here last time. Thomas in the box is about as good as any of them, and his presence in the box was the real problem for the Senators to solve yesterday. The Lake Charles battery was strong as steel and it was supported by unusually excellent team work. If Lake Charles plays at all like it did yesterday for the rest of the season some of the teams will have to hustle for the honors.

Following is the Score:

Lake Charles	AB	R	H	PO	A	E
Cooper, 3b	4	0	2	0	0	0
Ollre, ss	3	0	0	1	5	0
Horn, 2b	4	0	2	2	0	0
Latham, lf	4	0	0	4	0	0
Hardy, 1b	4	1	1	6	2	0
McCreight, rf	4	0	0	0	0	0
Colgrove, cf	4	0	0	6	0	0
Billings, c	2	0	0	6	0	0
Thomas, p	3	0	1	2	3	0
TOTAL	32	1	6	27	10	0

Austin	AB	R	H	PO	A	E
Cermak, lf	4	0	2	5	0	0
McCully, ss	2	0	0	1	6	0
Short, cf	4	0	0	4	0	0
Gardner, 2b	4	0	2	1	1	1
Gill, 1b	3	0	2	8	1	0
Bradley, 3b	2	0	0	0	2	0
Jeffries, rf	4	0	0	1	0	0
Gordon, c	4	0	0	5	0	0
McGill, p	3	0	0	1	1	0
McCall, 3b	1	0	1	0	0	0
TOTAL	31	0	7	*26	11	1

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