Although there have been some recent changes, baseball, unlike other major sports, isn't controlled by the clock. Perhaps that explains how some milestones in the season ignore the calendar and basic mathematics. The midpoint in the major league season, for example, is 81 games, but from a practical standpoint, it's the all-star break regardless of the number of games played. For the Flemington Neshanock and, I would guess, a number of vintage teams, the Gettysburg 19th Century Base Ball Festival is the midpoint of the season and, more importantly, the high point. Thanks to the Elkton Eclipse Club, what began as a six-team, relatively local event in 2010, now attracts, in 2024 at least, 30 teams from across the country.
As a charter participant, the Neshanock have been eyewitnesses to the event's growth and were honored to be part of the 2024 incarnation. For Flemington, the weekend began with a mid-day Saturday match with the Detroit Club, a new opponent for the Neshanock. Unfortunately for the Michigan club, they were unable to bring a full team, but as always, the true spirit of nineteenth-century baseball kicked in. The Neshanock did their part by lending them two players for an earlier game on Saturday. Thanks to Andrew “Sun Dial” Moschella and Chris “Lowball” Lowry for helping out. Had it been necessary, some Neshanock players volunteered to play for Detroit in our match, but players from other teams, including a group from the Flower City Club of Rochester, stepped into the breach.
As usual, the Neshanock lost the coin toss and went to the striker’s line, but Dan “Sledge” Hammer got the match off to a good start with a home run. Flemington broke the game open in the top of the third thanks to the lower half of the striking order. The rally was keyed by doubles from Ken “Tumbles” Mandel and “Lowball” and finished off by Danny “RBI” Gallagher's first, but not last, home run of the weekend. Flemington added four more in the fourth and two in the fifth including the Neshanock’s third home run of the game, this time courtesy of Chris “Sideshow” Nunn. Just before “Sideshow’s blast “Lowball” had to retreat to first base after almost reaching third only to have to repeat the journey with one of the speediest Neshanock players on his heels. A lot of exercise for the veteran field-captain.
Detroit rallied for four runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the Flemington matched it in their next time at the striker's line. Once again the lower half of the order played a key part including singles by Matt “Fly” Nunn, Dave “Illinois” Harris and Ernie “Shredder” Albanesius. Gettysburg Festival games are played with a 90-minute time limit and the match ended after the sixth with the Neshanock earning a 19-9 victory. Both Paul “O’Neill” Cincotta and Sam “Ewing” Ricco had three hits, and even more impressively, earned clear scores in the process. Joining them at the three-hit level was Ken “Tumbles” Mandel. “Lowball,” “Sledge” and “Shredder” each contributed two hits while “Illinois” and Bobby “Melky” Ritter manfully handled the pitching duties.
After the Detroit match, Flemington had a break before taking on the Kennett Square Club. Although no longer very active, the Pennsylvania club has always had a strong team and Saturday was no exception. The Neshanock went out in order in the top of the first and Kennett Square tallied five times for an early 5-0 lead. Flemington scored twice in the second thanks to a double by Rene “Mango” Marrero and a triple from “Ewing.” The Pennsylvania team got one back, but Flemington responded with four runs in the top of the third. Singles by “Melky,” “Lowball,” and “Sideshow” set the stage for a triple by “RBI” which tied the score at 6-6. But the game didn’t remain tied for long as Kennett Square tallied twice to regain the lead.
The Neshanock were far from done, however. Singles by “O’Neill,” Tony Pallanta and "Fly,” set the stage for “Ewing’s” double. “Illinois” followed with a single and the Neshanock had another four-run inning. Kennett Square tied it, but the Neshanock tallied three more times for a 13-10 lead. Things looked good when the Pennsylvania team failed to score in the bottom of the fifth, but the Neshanock were also blanked in their next at-bat. Kennett Square responded in their half of the sixth with a combination of hits and aggressive base running to score six times. The damage would have been worse had it not been for "Mango's" great grab of a line drive at first base. Unfortunately, the Neshanock couldn’t respond and dropped a very hard-fought 16-13 seven-inning match. “Sideshow,” “RBI,” “O’Neill,” Tony, “Ewing” and “Lowball” each had three hits. Clearly not exhausted in his third game of the day “Lowball” also earned a clear score.
Saturday's afternoon games were followed by morning contests on Sunday - four games in less than 24 hours. First up, at what Jim “Jersey” Nunn called an un-baseball-like hour of 8:00 was a match with a first-time opponent, the Statesmen of Wytheville, Virginia. Needless to say, Flemington lost the coin toss, this time with an 1864 coin, and went first to the striker’s line. The Neshanock scored once, but Wytheville tallied twice and led 2-1 after two innings. The Virginia team would have had a larger lead were it not for some stout Neshanock defense. With runners on first and third, the Wytheville striker hit back to “Illinois,” the Flemington pitcher. The wiley Neshanock veteran faked as if he was going to throw to first, trapping the Virginia baserunner off third and setting up a manfully executed rundown that also featured Tony and “Tumbles.”
The match was played on field five which favors the defense since the pitcher throws downhill. As a result, teams have to grind out runs. With one out in the third, the Neshanock began to do just that with a single by “Jersey,” clearly not that hampered by the early start. Hits by “Melky,” Sideshow” and “RBI” sent three tallies across the plate for a 4-2 Neshanock lead. Wytheville was held scoreless in their half of the inning thanks to an athletic grab of a foul ball by “Lowball." Flemington added two more in the fourth largely due to “Tumbles” who used a single to begin an odyssey around the bases that ended with a dramatic tumble/stumble across the plate. Fortunately, the end result was captured on camera since it would be impossible to do justice to it with mere words.
Flemington broke the game open with five runs in the top of the sixth and prevailed 14-8 despite an ugly defensive inning in Wytheville’s last at-bat. The father and son combination of “Jersey” and “Sideshow” each had three hit games. “Jersey” earned a clear score in the process, manfully running the bases aggressively even when it put his clear score at risk. “Mango,” “Ewing,” Tony, “Tumbles,” “Illinois” and “Melky” each had two hits. “Illinois” and “Melky” combined their offensive contributions with effective pitching performances. One of the good things about the Schroder Farm is there is enough space to play five games simultaneously. That’s the good news, the bad news is that sooner or later a team has to make the trek from field five to field one and immediately play a game.
Such was the Neshanock’s fate after the Wytheville game. Waiting for Flemington was a new team, the Hunky Dory Club of Lansdale, Pennsylvania. If field five favors the defense, field one returns the favor for the offense which was quickly demonstrated when “Sideshow” and “RBI” led off the game with back-to-back home runs. Naturally, the Neshanock batted first. Flemington added another run, but the lead didn’t last long, as Lansdale tallied four times in their first at-bat. The Neshanock regained the lead in the top of the second and then took control with a six-run outburst in the third. This time it was the top of the order leading the way with seven of the first eight strikers reaching base. In the fourth, there was a repeat of “Lowball” circling the bases ahead of “Sideshow” who hit his second home run of the game and third of the weekend.
The offensive fireworks culminated with “RBI’s” second home run of the game, this time a grand slam. Meanwhile, the Neshanock defense shut out Landsale the rest of the way, for a 22-4 victory. “Sideshow” led the way for Flemington with a four-hit clear score, highlighted by two home runs. Not far behind was “RBI” with three hits, adding a triple to his two home runs. Also contributing three hits were Tom “Thumbs” Hoepfner, “Ewing,” “Tumbles,” and “Jersey.” “Tumbles” three-hit performance also earned him a clear score. While “Jersey” didn’t have a clear score (he was forced out on the bases), the veteran Neshanock had six straight hits on the day. It was a solid performance and a good way to end the weekend. We were fortunate to have Doug Neubecker of the Bear Clan Club of Flat Rock, Michigan as our umpire. Doug returned from a serious injury and it was great to have him back at the festival.
While historical accuracy has always been stressed at the Gettysburg Festival, there was increased emphasis this year at least partially because of the standards established by the National Association of Historic Base Ball Clubs. I was talking to someone on Saturday who commented that he understood that some clubs couldn't meet those standards on every occasion. However, he followed that concession by asking rhetorically "But here?" “Here,” of course, is Gettysburg, but why does this small Pennsylvania town merit the highest standards of historical accuracy? It’s not like significant baseball history was made at Gettysburg, although Abner Doubleday did do some of his best work on July 1, 1863, not terribly far from the Schroder Farm. The answer is that it’s not the geographic location that is important, but what has been created there – the Festival itself.
There are many splendiferous nineteenth-century baseball festivals. What makes Gettysburg so special is the number of participants, 30 teams in 2024, and the broad geographic reach, clubs from as far away as Wisconsin. Taken together these two factors provide one of the best ways possible to learn and practice the highest standards of historical accuracy. And since mutual accountability is the best type of accountability, there are few, if any, better places to do this. The Gettysburg Festival is the work of many hands. It could never happen without a venue this large and the Schroder’s generosity is an invaluable gift. All of the time and money teams spend to participate is also essential. But above all, there is the work of Bruce Leith, Tom “Schoolboy” Duffy, Les Blackburn and the rest of the Elkton team. The Gettysburg Festival is a gift to the nineteenth-century baseball community. And the best way to be thankful for that gift is to play the game as historically accurately as possible.
The pic of tumbles is next year's Gettysburg t shirts.
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