Fork Union Military Academy - Skirmisher Yearbook (Fork Union, VA)

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T in iii THE SKIRMISHER , 19: ig T' Zi-NS f- Baseball Record lVitl1 four letter men back this year in baseball, Captain Berger. Fray, Bottimore and Bohannan, we had about thirty other cadets out for the Varsity team. Among them was Curtis Thompson, our all state pitcher. who deserves much credit for the showing of our team this season. .After a hard season of training the nine were picked and never has there been a faster infield nor a surer outfield than we had this year: playing twelve championship games and losing only two. Our team opened- up the season on its own diamond with the Richmond College second team on March 31st, This was an easy game for the cadets and it gave Coach Pitts a good chance to study his men in a real game. The score was l5 to l in favor of F. U.. Richmond College getting but one hit oi? Thompson and that by Miller, a former Boston American. Q11 April the 2nd we continued the good work of the first game by de- feating Danville Military lnstitute by 18 to 2. This made the second victory for cadets at home to witness. April the 5th we went to play lfishburn Military Academy. After getting as far as Charlottesville word reached us that the game was cancelled by our opponents. They did not have another open date so it was impossible to have the annual game. It was much to our regret that we were unable to meet our old rivals this year. April the 16th found our boys on their way to Richmond to meet the Benedictine Military College. Another victory was added to our string by defeating them 12 to 3, It was a nice clean game and more interesting than the score indicates. Blackstone Military Academy, our strong old rival, was the next team to meet, so April the l7th found us at Blackstone. Sad but true we lost a hard-fought game as the score of 2 to l shows. The writer wishes to give his readers a summary of the game and let them decide which team played the better ball. Thompson fanned l7 men while Throne, Blackstone's pitcher, fanned only 6. Fork Union got S hits while Blackstone got only 2. Black- stone made 3 errors while Fork Union made no errors. The manager of our team had another contract signed by Blackstone to play another game. 95

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4 . -ae 34 5:6 W : . SKIRM ISN ER ltegf J if is Tl T Hog in v5 'ft' , the home plate with his long throw was his favorite trick. He developed wonderfully at the bat during the past year. He was elected captain of the baseball team for next year. ROLAND STEPHENS, Tlzird Base. e Stephie is no doubt the most able man on the team. He knew the game from .X to Z. A Rat. but my, how he could play ball. Never smiles, but in that serious nature that makes him doubly reliable when working out his plays. He led the team in batting average this season. He was elected manager of the team for next year. GRgXH.XlW THOMAS, Svfolld BGSU. Graham did not make his letter last year, missing it by one game. but this year he was always at the second sack from the first to the last game. To see him you would never take him for a ball player. but put him on the infield and be is a baseball playing trick BILL RICHMOND, Ccaifw' lf1'clfz'. Billie never played baseball until this year and it was only through continuous work and practice that he made the Varsity. He had little con- fidence in himself until he made that home run with three men on bases in the Danville game. From that moment he was there with the goods. ALVAH B. BLOXOM, Right Field. flloxom was a Rat. His first year on a team and at first few thought he would ever make the Varsity but working hard and faithfully we found towards the middle of the season that he was in the regular line up. He has developed into a wonderful little fielder. H. ROE BARTLE, MANAGER. With his team at heart he has proven to be an excellent executive as well as the most popular manager Fork Union has ever had. Too much credit cannot be given him for the success of our team. 94

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' 4.55 Ti i Wes THE SKIRMISHER sal? ia' v-I WY gf- but they canceled it. XYe tried until the end of the season to have them play the second game, but all efforts were in vain. XVe have been taught that it is better to lose a game honorably and fairly than to win a game by unfair methods. Our next game was with XVoodbury Forest. .X beautiful game. Close and exciting, winding up with the score l to 0 in our favor. The treatment we received at XYoodbury Forest was far above the average. The XX'ood- bury boys were real sports, even though they lost the game, and our boys came home singing the praises of lYoodbury lforest. Chatham Training School came to us on April the 30th. This game was undoubtedly the best game played on our diamond this season. Chatham played a line game but out team outhit Chatham and won the game 5 to l. Scottsville came over to pay her annual respects to old Fork Union and also to carry away the game but in this they were disappointed because the victory was ours by a score of 12 to 4. The cadets always look forward to the games with Scottsville with a great deal of interest for it is only of late years that we have been able to hold them down. The day our boys went to .Xugusta Military Academy was a hard one on them, having to make the trip in autos. Nevertheless, it was our duty to defend the state championship. NYe well remember how we trimmed them last year and we were also well aware of the fact that they were laying for us with a strong team. The game was an exciting one. but Augusta landed the game, shutting us out 4 to O. XYe hated to lose the game, but to lose to such a fine bunch of men was a pleasure. .-Xgain we received the best of treatment on the diamond and during our stay with them. Coach Carter is the kind of coach we like to play against. lVe came back to old lfork Union a little down-hearted after the game. but we had Benedictine to play on the home grounds. This game was a walk- away and very much one-sided, for the score stood 18 to 7. Most of our second team men got in this game. Scottsville and Fork Union crossed bats at Scottsville and the boys won from our friends by the score of 9 to 2. The last game of the season was to be played at home on May the 22nd and on this date the McGuire University team, of Richmond, came with a strong team to defeat us, but somehow the cadets were on their tiptoes during 9o