After two weekends off, one planned, the other thanks to the apparently unrelenting spring rains, the Neshanock got back on to the field this past Saturday. And it wasn’t just any field or just any opponents as Flemington was fortunate to be the host team in a three-team event at historic Case Field in Holland Township, New Jersey. The opportunity came about thanks to an introduction from Dave Szwec and the enthusiastic support of Mayor Dan Bush as well as Jessica Neglia and Heather Jenkins of the Reigel Ridge Community Center. Thanks to all of them for making possible a memorable day of nineteenth-century baseball, rain or no rain.
Built-in 1938 by the Riegel Paper Company, Case Field boasts one of New Jersey’s few surviving wooden grandstands on what has to be one of the state’s finest baseball fields, certainly one of the best the Neshanock have ever played on. Originally the home of the Riegel Ridge Papermakers who played in several semi-pro leagues including the Tri-County League, the facility is named in honor of William F. Case, a legendary local baseball coach. Now owned and operated by Holland Township, the baseball field is part of a complex that includes other athletic facilities including a community pool.
If the facilities weren’t special enough, fortuitous circumstances enabled the Neshanock to invite two of the country's top nineteenth-century baseball teams, the Brooklyn Atlantics and the Talbot Fair Plays. It’s been some time since Flemington has hosted such an event under a format where one visiting club plays the first and second game while the other plays the second and third match. This enables the visitors to play two games while traveling long, but manageable distances. The cost, if that is the word, for the host team is the wait between the first and third games which makes for a long day, over six hours on this occasion. On reflection, I'll also say that considering how much work went into a three-team event, I don't even want to think about what it's like running a 30-plus-team event like the Gettysburg National Nineteenth-Century Baseball Festival.
That much baseball can’t be adequately described in one blog post so this account will focus on the Neshanock’s two matches while a second will concentrate on the Atlantic – Talbot contest. After Mayor Bush got the day started with the ceremonial first pitch, the Neshanock having won the bat toss, sent the Atlantic to the striker’s line. Flemington got off to a good start in the field, holding the top of the Long Island club’s strong lineup to just one tally. Then after two were out in the bottom of the inning, three consecutive hits by Dan “Sledge” Hammer, Thomas “Hawk” Prioli and Tom “Thumbs” Hoepfner produced two Neshanock tallies.
Flemington got off to an auspicious start in the top of the second when catcher Gregg “Burner” Wiseburn made an acrobatic catch of a foul pop. At that point, however, things unraveled as some Neshanock muffs helped the Atlantics load the bases with two outs. And even more ominously Atlantic captain Frank “Shakespeare” Van Zant was at the striker’s line. That’s never a good scenario for an Atlantic opponent and that pattern continued when the Atlantic captain struck a well-placed double to right scoring all three runners. The Atlantics added six more runs over the next two innings and it looked like the rout was on.
The Neshanock were not, however, about to surrender and five hits plus the first of two clutch walks by Jeff “Duke” Schneider led to four Flemington runs. With the bases still loaded and two out, “Burner” hit one over the head of leftfielder, Dean “Dreambucket” Emma, no small feat in itself. Unfortunately, hitting the ball anywhere within “Dreambucket’s” seemingly unlimited range is never a good idea. Running full-speed, downhill, "Bucket" somehow caught the ball on the bounce, costing Flemington at least two more tallies.
The Neshanock closed the gap to 10-7 in the fifth but could only match the Atlantics the rest of the way and the visitors held on for a 14-10 victory. “Hawk” and “Thumbs” led Flemington with three hits each, earning clear scores in the process while “Burner” added two hits. Although "Duke" didn’t make a single hit, much less earn a clear score, he achieved the rare feat of two walks with a runner on third which under 1864 rules allows the runner to score. Contrary to what some members of the Neshanock think, the walks weren’t RBI’s but they were no less important to the Neshanock cause. Sadly Don “Splinter” Becker suffered a knee injury in the outfield, sidelining him for the rest of the day. Also injured, but able to continue was Sam "Ewing" Ricco We hope they both have a quick and full recovery.
After an over two-hour wait while watching the dramatic Atlantic-Talbot match, the Neshanock took on the Fairplay Club of Talbot County Maryland in the third and final game of the day. The first seven innings of what proved to be an eight-inning game due to time constraints were eerily similar to the first contest. Flemington again won the bat toss and took the field first. And once again, the visitors scored once while the Neshanock tallied twice only to see the lead wiped out in the second, this time by a five-run Talbot rally. As with the first game, Talbot’s lead grew to 10-3 before Flemington gamely rallied, closing to 13-11 after six innings and still well within reach at 14-11 after seven.
By that point, however, the Neshanock had run out of gas, coal, wood, or whatever fuel was popular in the 1860s and Talbot tallied eight times to put the game well out of reach for a 22-13 victory. Chris “Sideshow” Nunn had three hits, earning Flemington’s third clear score of the day. "Lefty," “Sledge,” “Hawk,” “Duke,” “Ewing," Bob “Riverboat” Smith and Chris “Lowball” Lowry all had two hits apiece. Like the first game, the second contest was marred by some Neshanock injuries, this time to “Sledge,” “Lefty” and Mark “Gaslight” Granieri. As with “Splinter” and "Ewing," we hope that any playing time lost is minimal.
While the results were certainly not what Flemington wanted, that’s the risk of playing good competition. From a broader perspective, however, there was more than enough winning to go around. Just playing baseball, even in the rain, is a victory and more so when played on a field that is both historic and exceptionally well-maintained. Demonstrating nineteenth-century baseball to a new audience is also a win both for those who play and those who watch. None of this would have been possible without Holland Township, Riegel Ridge Community Center and our guests who traveled long distances to Case Field. Thanks to everyone who made the day possible.
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