Stasburg, PA–The Elkton Eclipse found a second home as they once again found big success at the Strasburg Rail Road Tournament.  The Eclipse won the Spring Tournament back in May and looked to do the same in the October event featuring the 2013 MAVBBL champion Milford Excelsiors, West Chester Brandywines, Harrisburg Keystones and the Eclipse.  In the first semi final game, Milford downed Harrisburg while Elkton downed West Chester 32-4 in the other match.  This set up a match between Elkton and the Excelsiors.  They had only met one time this year with the Excelsiors posting 8 runs in the first and winning by 4in August.

Elkton made sure this time around it was not much of a contest as it won 24-9 to take home the Fall Strasburg RR Cup.  A special thanks to the Strasburg Rail Road for a great day of vintage base ball and one that we hope is repeated in 2014.

ATLANTICS DOWN MUTUALS THEN PLAY A MIXED NINE MATCH

The Mutuals played their final game of the season against the Atlantics yesterday.  After the first game (Atlantics 20, Mutuals 4), we decided to make the second game a mixed pick 9, dividing up the Mutuals and Atlantics and playing simply for the fun of playing.  I proposed this idea to the Atlantics and they accepted.  I thought it would be a good show of unity and camaraderie in the vintage base ball community.  And in the end, just be a fun game and get back to the basics of why we all do this,  just like most of us did when we were younger, we would go to the park with our friends, divide the teams and play for the fun of it.  It was a great way to end the season.

Perhaps other clubs in the MAVBBL will consider doing the same!

Harrington, DE– The Excelsior Base Ball Club of Milford captured the 2013 MAVBBL title this past weekend to backup its regular season title.  9 clubs gathered in southern Delaware for a chance to take home this year’s championship, but in the end, the club with the best record came away with a tougher than expected title.

The story of the weekend was the #6 Diamond State Base Ball Club of Delaware who had to go through 3 of the best clubs in the Country if they were going to win the championship and they came within 1 run of doing just that.  In their quarterfinal, they stymied the #3 seed Eclipse from Elkton 9-3 holding the usually powerful Elkton club to just 6 hits.  This set up a match with the #2 seed and perennial power, the Atlantic of Brooklyn.  The Atlantics were no match though for the Diamond State Club though as Delaware routed the Atlantics 13-3.  In the championship though, Delaware just couldn’t produce quite enough runs and their run ended to Milford 4-3.  The Excelsiors captured their first league title in their first year.

Games that weekend included Elizabeth downing West Chester to play Brooklyn.  Brooklyn won that match 8-4 to set up its semi final against Delaware.  #5 Lewes defeated #4 Talbot to go to the other semi final against Milford who downed Washington in its first round game.  Milford shut out Lewes to get to the championship.  In the 3rd place game, Brooklyn downed Lewes 17-12.

A big thanks to the clubs who came down for the tournament and thank you to Milford and Harrington for hosting this year’s event.  The 2014 MAVBBL Championship Tournament will be in Old Bethpage at the home of the NY Mutuals.

The Mid Atlantic Vintage Base Ball League’s 2013 Championship Tournament will take place October 5 and 6 in Harrington, Delaware.  The number one seed and host of this year’s event is the Milford Excelsiors.  The Southern Delaware Base Ball Club will be hosting 9 other clubs this weekend in a celebration of the MAVBBL.  The action starts at noon on Saturday with Philadelphia playing Washington and West Chester taking on Elizabeth.  At 2pm Lewes plays Talbot while Milford takes on the winner of the Washington/Philadelphia game.  Finally, Brooklyn plays the winner of the Elizabeth/West Chester game.  At 4pm, in the last quarterfinal the Diamond State BBC of Delaware plays the Elkton Eclipse.  The semi finals are the next day at noon followed by the championship and 3rd place games at 2pm.  There’s still a chance to see all your favorite clubs all weekend though as there will be a festival of teams playing as they bow out of the tournament. 

The event will take place at Browns Branch County Park right off Killen’s Pond Road.  Take Route 1 south past the Dover Air Force base to Milford.  Where Rt 1 splits at 113, bare right on to Rt 113 to the 5th red light, turn west on to Milford Harrington Pkwy .  Follow 5 miles to Killens Pond Road.  Browns Branch is 1 mile on the left.

The Mutuals defeated the Atlantics today 10-6 in an 1884 base ball game at OBVR.  Tiger pitched the team to victory, striking out 18 and keeping the Atlantics bats silent most of the game.  He also helped himself out, hitting leadoff and going 3-5 and scoring 2 runs.  And earning him a well deserved game ball. 

The Mutuals opened the game with a 2 run lead and added another in the top of the third.  After 5, the Mutuals were ahead 3-2.  The Atlantics scored 2 in the bottom of the 6th to take a 4-3 lead.  The resilient Mutuals answered in the top of the 7th with 4 runs.  Dirt put the team ahead with a base hit to right, scoring Pickles and General and the Mutuals never looked back.  In the top of the 9th, 3 more runs were scored, putting the Atlantics down by 5 in the bottom of the 9th.  The Atlantics scored 1.  Tiger struck out the last 2 batters to shut them down and secure the win.

RISING SUN TAKES 3rd PLACE

The Eclipse BBC of Elkton traveled down to Easton for  the 7th Annual Maryland State Championship Tournament.  4 clubs participated on a fine day for 19th Century Base Ball including the Rising Sun BBC, the Chesapeake Nine of Baltimore and the host Talbot Fair Plays.  In the semi final matches, Talbot jumped out to a 17-0 lead over Chesapeake before cruising to a 21-4 win.  The other semi final was much the same as Elkton jumped out to an 11-0 lead after 2 innings and won easily over Rising Sun 19-5.

This set up a very familiar final to those who watch the Maryland State tournaments.  The host Fair Plays would once again face the Eclipse for the 6th time in 7 years.  Talbot has made it to the finals 6 of the 7 years.  The Fair Plays jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first but Elkton came back with 2 in the 2nd and 2 in the 3rd to go up 4-2.  Talbot would add a run in the 5th and Elkton came back with one of their own to go up 5-3.  Elkton would score 2 more before Talbot chipped away at the lead until it was 7-6  Elkton going in to the 9th.  Scott “Tin Can” Martino led off the 9th inning with a double to start the last frame.  A foul out and then a pop out centerfield moved the Talbot runner to third base and with the tying run just 90 feet away, Elkton’s Tom “Schoolboy” Duffy got the batter to pop out to the star of the game for Elkton Ryan “Spark” Minsker to preserve the 7-6 victory and give Elkton the title once again for the 6th time in 7 years.

In the consolation game, Rising Sun downed Chesapeake 8-7 as Chesapeake rallied to have the tying run on 3rd with 2 outs in the 9th, but Greg “Banker” Rodenbaugh got Joe “Commodore” Stanik to line out to 3rd to preserve the victory for Rising Sun.

ATLANTIC ROLLS

The Atlantics welcomed the Elizabeth Resolutes for a pair of matches at Atlantic Park this Sunday.  The first match would be played according to 1864 rules.  Elizabeth won the bat toss and elected to take the field first.  Atlantic and Resolute traded a run over the first three innings before Atlantic jumped out ahead with a 4-run 4th on singles by Dirty Pirate, Shakespeare, Billy Goat, Blackjack, and Willy Mo.  Resolute got one back, but Atlantic scored 2 more in the 5th and 6th, then broke the game open with 12 runs in the 7th, highlighted by Dirty Pirate’s home run.  Single runs in the 8th and 9th added to the lead, while Resolute could only muster up one more run in its 9th.  Tuna went the distance to pick up the 23-3 victory.  Shakespeare, Billy Goat, and Willy Mo each had 3 hits for Atlantic.

The second match was played according to the rules of 1873, and again Resolute won the bat toss, electing to again send Atlantic to bat first.  Dirty Pirate, Shakespeare, and Dreambucket led off with hits to start the scoring, outfield flyouts getting the last 2 runs home.  Resolute answered with 2 runs.  Atlantic scored another run in the 3rd, and Resolute plated 2 runs to tie the game at 4.  As in the first game, Atlantic put up a 4-spot in the 4th to take the lead for good.  Resolute answered with 2 runs, the teams exchanged single runs in the 5th, Atlantic added another in its 6th, then erupted for 7 runs in the 7th as Resolute committed 4 errors to aid the Atlantic cause.  Three runs were added by each team in the final 2 innings, but the result was already ascertained, as Blackjack pitched Atlantic to a 20-10 victory.  Dreambucket and Blackjack each had 4 hits for Atlantic, both with a triple among their hits, while Dirty Pirate was perfect with 4 hits and a walk.  Butcher added 2 hits, including a monstrous triple that cleared the trees in right field.

Atlantic will take next week off to make an appearance at the Smithtown Fair, displaying its 19th century equipment and letting the youngsters take swings against the Atlantics in the field

In a rematch from last weekend the New York Gothams, supported by a contingent of local ball players, took on the Atlantic Base Ball Club at the Smithtown Historical Society on Saturday. Pitching for the Gothams was Captain Rafael ‘Wickets’ Garcia while the lines were manned by Vincent ‘Tuna’ Aurora for the Atlantics. The matches were arbitrated by the umpire Ed ‘Pigtail’ Elmore.
This humid day began with the Gothams scoring in both the first and second innings to take a two ace lead. The Atlantic batters struck back with one ace in the third, four more in the fourth, and three more in the fifth inning to take the lead. It was singles by Sean ‘Toothpick’ Ness, Frank ‘Shakespeare’ Van Zant, Kevin ‘Flash’ Harrison followed by a triple from George ‘Wildhorse’ Ferchland to put the Atlantics ahead for good in the the fourth inning.
While it took singles by Tuna, Michael ‘Lip’ Tangel, Anthony ‘Dirty Pirate’ Cannino, followed by a double from Toothpick to go up by five runs in the fifth inning. Shakespeare led the Atlantics with three hits and an ace, while the Dirty Pirate, Toothpick and Flash each had two hits a piece. Tuna took home the 9-4 victory.
After a short recess a second match began with the Atlantic bats striking first and striking hard. Hits by Shakespeare, Flash, Wildhorse, Greg ‘Hawk’ Dengel, ‘Tricky’ Rick Stattler and Tuna got the Atlantics off to a quick five ace lead and they would need every one of them. The Gothams responded with two of their own, but the Atlantics struck again scoring another ace in the second to take a lead of 6 tallies to 2.
Then the defense got tight and neither team could generate much offense as both teams were whitewashed for the next few innings. The Atlantics scored in spurts and took a 9-2 advantage into the bottom of the eighth inning but the Manhattanites weren’t calling it quits yet. Four tallies on a combination of hits and errors in the bottom of the eighth brought the score to 9-6 and three more in the bottom of the ninth inning tied the game. With the winning run on third base with two outs for the Gothams a line drive to rightfield was caught by George ‘Blackjack’ Pappas to send it to extra innings.
There the Atlantic lineup took care of business as the Dirty Pirate singled and Toothpick hit his third double of the game. This was quickly followed by Flash’s single and Wildhorse reaching on an error. Anthony ‘Willy Mo’ Stelmach and Hawk both singled and suddenly the Atlantics were back up by four runs.
Despite scoring seven aces the last two innings the Gothams could not plate another ace and the Atlantics took the second game 13-9. Toothpick, Shakespeare and Flash led the Atlantic offense with three hits each, while Hawk struck two hits and an ace.

The Battle of the Boroughs brought the Brooklyn Atlantics and New York  Gothams to the Parade Grounds on Governor’s Island to settle once and for all  who holds reign over vintage ball in the metropolis that started it all.

The  first match was pitched between Frank ‘Hammy’ Obidienzo of the Atlantics and  Charles ‘Bugs’ Klasman of the Gothams and to both players credit they kept the  bats of both teams silent through wily veteran pitching backed by solid defense.  This first match of the day was played by the rules of base ball as they were  played in Manhattan in 1864.

The Atlantics batted first and started like they usually do, hits by George  ‘Wildhorse’ Ferchland and Dean ‘Dreambucket’ Emma combined with a fielding error  to score the first ace of the game but also had Wildhorse thrown out at a play  at the plate. That was the first and last run for the Atlantics this match. For  five innings the Gothams and Atlantics traded goose-eggs on the scoreboard.

In  the sixth inning Marc “Nice & Easy” Josloff and Anthony “Dirty Pirate”  Cannino combined to get runners on 2nd and 3rd with two hands down but the  Atlantic battery could not get them home. The bottom of the sixth inning saw the  Gothams strike well and score their first ace to tie the match at one a piece.

In their chance to rebuttel the Atlantics Sean “Toothpick” Ness and Kevin  “Flash” Harrison hit singles but with one out the Gothams turned a fly ball into  a double-play at second base to end the inning. The bottom of the eighth inning  saw the Gothams score their second, and go-ahead, run. Now the pressure was on  the Atlantics in the top of the ninth, in a 2-1 game, they got a man to second  base with one out but could not get him across the plate. The first match of the  Battle of the Boroughs belonged to the New York Gothams.

After a short recess another match was begun to the rules of base ball as  they were played in Brooklyn in 1864. Bugs stayed between the pitching lines for  the Gothams but this time they faced Ed “Pigtail” Elmore throwing for the  Atlantics.
This time the Gothams swung their bats first but went down in order. The  Atlantics, feeling the pressure, mounted a three ace rally orchestrated by the  Dirty Pirate with a single, Wildhorse and Toothpick reaching base followed by  Flash’s single. With one out and a bound out to center Flash was tagged at home  to end the inning and the Atlantics scoring for the day.

The Gothams scored two  aces of their own to bring the score to 3-2 in favor of Brooklyn. The Atlantics  followed that by getting four of their runners aboard, but they were forced out  as they advanced to end the inning.
In the fifth inning Hammy walked and Nice & Easy singled to threaten the  Gothams but their defense held and no Atlantic would score. The sixth inning  brought more of the same as Pigtail singled, but the Dirty Pirate forced him out  at second base. To redeem himself he stole second base and advanced to third on  a bound out but was left stranded there by his fellow batsmen.

As the game  advanced in innings the Gothams gave it their all. The seventh saw their pitcher  Bugs reach base and make his way around to second. On a single to centerfield he  tried to tie the game but Toothpick threw a perfect strike to Wildhorse at home  to tag the potential tieing run out. Never dismayed the Gothams again threatened  in the top of the eighth inning landing runners at second and third with two  outs but Pigtail tossed his sphere past the Gothams batter for a critical strike  three.

With one more chance left the Gothams could not afford to give up any runs  but the Atlantics landed their speed team on the bases with Hammy on third, Nice & Easy on second and Pigtail on first. The Gothams defense held and nary an  Atlantic did score. Unfortunately for them, the Atlantic defense held as well  not giving up any runs since the second inning. The Atlantics took the second  match of the Battle of the Boroughs by the score of 3-2.

Both teams played great defense especially in the outfield. The Atlantics  accrued only six hits in each game, with Nice & Easy leading the way with  three total hits, and the Dirty Pirate and Flash with two hits a piece.

Next Saturday the Gothams and Atlantics repeat this battle out on Long Island  at the Smithtown Historical Society at 11:00 AM

ECLIPSE TAKES PAIR

Elkton, MD– The Lewes Base Ball Club made its return trip up to the Terrapin Station Winery for a pair of matches on a beautiful day for 19th century base ball.  The match up paired the 3rd and 4th place clubs in the League and the 137 spectators in attendance knew they were in for a treat.

In the first game, Lewes broke the ice with a run in the 2nd which was quickly followed by 2 aces by the home club.  In the 5th the Eclipse added on another but Lewes tied it up in the 6th.  in the bottom of the 6th Elkton plated 2 more to go up 5-3.  It would stay that way until the 8th when Lewes’s bats woke up and scored 3 in the 8th to go up 6-5.  Elkton would come right back with 1 and held the visitors scoreless in the 9th.  A hit by newcomer Paul “Fuzz” Lewis and a stolen base moved him to second.  A ground out by Jason “Shady” Bromley took Fuzz to third.  Bill “Pockets’ Freeland returning from 3 months on the disabled list hit a dribbler down the 3rd baseline which was overthrown and Lewis came in to score the winning run as Elkton won 7-6

In the second game, Lewes quickly jumped on the horsemen to take a 5-2 lead after 3.    They then increased their lead to 7-3 after 5 1/2 and it looked like they would roll in the 2nd match.  Elkton’s bats woke up though as they plated 4 to tie it.  Elkton would then talley 4 more to go up 12-7.  Sloppy play by the home team though let Lewes right back in it as they scored 3 to get within 2.  In the ninth Lewes scored 1 and had 2 on with no outs before a double play and a ground out led to the final score being 13-11 in a well spirited, well played match.