The Pirates rallied for four runs in the eighth inning at Baker Bowl. The outburst was just enough to give them a 6-5 win over Philadelphia.
For a while the game was a pitching duel between the Bucs’ Johnny Morrison and Phillies’ lefty Clarence Mitchell. Each team got a run in the third. In the top half, Al Niehaus doubled and catcher Johnny Gooch singled to put the Pirates up. The Phillies countered when veteran slugger Cy Williams singled in center fielder George Burns, who’d doubled.
The score stayed 1-1 until the bottom of the fifth, when a pair of errors by shortstop Glenn Wright cost the Pirates two runs. One came with one out and put two runners on. On the next play, Wright threw wildly to second on a potential double play ball, letting in one run. A two-out single by Clarence Huber made it 3-1 Phillies.
The Pirates meanwhile weren’t doing much with Mitchell. A leadoff double by Kiki Cuyler in the fourth went for naught. Finally, in the seventh Wright cut the gap to one run with his fifth home run of the season.
The Phillies, however, stretched their lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh. A single, a bunt and an infield hit put runners at the corners. Mitchell helped himself with a sacrifice fly, then Burns doubled.
In the top of the eighth, the Pirates made their comeback. Gooch singled to lead off. His pinch runner, Carson Bigbee, reached second safely when pinch hitter Johnny Rawlings grounded to second and shortstop Heinie Sand dropped the throw on the attempted force play. Max Carey doubled for one run and, after a ground out, a hit batsman loaded the bases. An infield hit by Clyde Barnhart and a single by Pie Traynor each brought in a run to tie the game.
At that point, the Phillies relieved Mitchell, bringing in righty Huck Betts to face Wright. The shortstop went from goat to hero with a double that put the Pirates ahead. They got only one run out of it, though, as Barnhart held up on the play, and he and Traynor both ended up at third. Traynor got tagged out and the inning ended a batter later with the Pirates up, 6-5.
Bill McKechnie turned to Specs Meadows for the last two innings. Meadows failed to survive the first inning yesterday. This time, he closed the game out, allowing just a one-out single in the eighth and a two-out double in the ninth.
Morrison got the win to go 3-2. Wright, Niehaus and Gooch each had two hits.
With no Sunday baseball in Pennsylvania, the teams will wait until Monday to continue their four-game series.
