SoM NNL replay: drama ends the first series

Game 3 CHI@KC: Giants bring brooms, fail in the last innings

Unfazed by the injuries that wrecked their pitching staff in the morning, the Giants bring the brooms to game 2 of the first doubleheader of the season.

The Giants big inning is the sixth: with his second extra base hit of the game after a solo homer to start the fourth, Turkey Stearnes hits a double, advances to third on a bunt single from the speedy Wright and scores on a fielder's choice groundball from McNair. McNair gets Matlock into another first-and-third situation by legging it from first to third on a lazy line drive floater from Serrell to centerfield, and scores on yet another fielder's choice grounder, this time from Ray Dandridge.
Overall, the top of the Giants order has a field day, led by Stearnes' fouf-for-four with a double and a homer. However, the bottom half of the order contributes nothing at all, in contrast to the home team's who break out big towards the end of the game.
The bottom of the seventh could have become the Monarchs big inning: Santop reaches on a single. Then Malarcher lays down an unexpected bunt, Perkins tries to get the lead runner but fails to make the throw in time for the slow Giants catcher and Matlock advances both runners with another sacrifice bunt. However, Johnson just manages a shallow flyball to right, and Benjamin strikes out to end the inning with two runners stranded on base.
However, the Monarchs don't give up and turn the eighth into a big breakout inning, sending twelve(!) Batters to the plate and scoring six to put the first game into the win column of the new season. To begin the inning, Rube Foster looks visibly exhausted, walking one and giving up four consecutive singles to the bottom of the Monarchs' order. Eventually, the Giants turn to their ace, but again some fatigue is definitely showing as Smokey Joe Williams allows the first batter he faces to reach on an error, and then concedes two more hits and a walk to take the loss in a game the Giants already seemed to have safely in hand.

7/2/16 Chicago American Giants at Kansas City Monarchs

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E	W: L Matlock L: S Williams SV: H Salmon
Chicago American Giants	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	2	0	5	9	1
Kansas City Monarchs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	x	6	11	1

Chicago American Giants Hitters AB R H RBI BB SO T Stearnes  4 2 4 1 0 0 W Wright  4 1 1 0 0 0 H McNair  4 2 2 2 0 1 B Serrell  4 0 1 1 0 0 R Dandridge  4 0 1 1 0 0 B Perkins  4 0 0 0 0 1 B Petway  4 0 0 0 0 0 J Mendez  4 0 0 0 0 0 R Foster  3 0 0 0 0 0 S Williams  0 0 0 0 0 0 C White  1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 36 5 9 5 0 2 E- S Williams (1) 2B- T Stearnes (1) 3B- H McNair (1) HR- T Stearnes (1) Pitchers IP H R ER BB SO HR R Foster  7.1 9 5 3 5 3 0 S Williams  0.2 2 1 0 1 0 0 Kansas City Monarchs Hitters AB R H RBI BB SO O Johnson  3 0 1 1 1 1 J Benjamin  5 0 1 0 0 1 A Oms  5 0 1 1 0 0 J Wilson  1 1 1 0 4 0 D Moore  4 1 1 0 1 0 R Cannady  4 1 2 1 0 0 L Santop  4 1 2 0 0 1 D Malarcher  3 1 1 2 0 0 L Matlock  2 0 1 0 0 0 F Redus  1 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 32 6 11 5 6 3 E- D Malarcher (1) Sac- O Johnson (1), D Malarcher (1), L Matlock (1) SB- J Wilson (1) PK- J Wilson (1) Pitchers IP H R ER BB SO HR L Matlock  8.0 9 5 5 0 2 1 H Salmon  1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0