On the Rainy Field (again)

Just finding home plate was an adventure - all photos by Mark Granieri

First of all, a public service announcement from the Neshanock.  If you have any outdoor activities scheduled this spring and summer, it would behoove you to check if Flemington has a game that day.  If not, you are in good shape. On the other hand, should there be a scheduled Neshanock match, it would be wise to have backup plans.  That may seem unscientific, but consider this:

Saturday, April 27 in Rising Sun, Maryland – cold and rain

Sunday, May 6 at Ringwood, New Jersey – canceled due to a forecast like Rising Sun.

Saturday, May 18 in Holland Township, New Jersey – almost six hours of steady drizzle

Monday, May 27 in Newtown, Pennsylvania – steady rain

You have been warned – mark it well!

Since he predicted exactly when the rain would start, it's no surprise Jeff "Duke" Schneider was prepared

The latest episode of playing baseball in the rain was our annual visit to Newtown, Pennsylvania to take on the home-standing Strakes.  Although the local team plays only once a year, they’ve been doing it for so long, that there’s nothing new under the sun (if any) for them in 1864 baseball.  The Strakes are also very talented and could more than hold their own against some of the best teams recreating nineteenth-century baseball.  Once again, Flemington was in the field first, thanks to Tom “Thumbs” Hoepfner’s continuing mastery of the bat toss.  With one Strake retired and one on first, the next striker hit a hard shot to first base.  Scott “Snuffy” Hengst fielded the ball, tagged the runner and then the base for an unassisted double play.  I don’t recall many Neshanock twin-killings by one player and most of those were of the fly ball/tag the base variety.  It was a fine play that retired the Strakes without a tally.

Now we know why Chris "Sideshow" Nunn is so fast, his feet never touch the ground!

Ken "Tumbles" Mandel, the pride of Newtown, at the striker's line

Perhaps inspired by the play, Flemington got off to a strong start at the striker’s line.  After Chris “Sideshow” Nunn reached first and moved around the bases, he scored on Danny “Lefty” Gallagher’s productive out which although it wasn’t an RBI, was no less helpful.  Five of the next six Neshanock batters hit safely and Flemington tallied four more times for a 5-0 lead after one.  In the top of the second, the first two Strakes were retired.  The next batter hit a long fly to left that “Lefty” was unable to catch despite manfully diving into the shrubs in left field.  No damage was done thanks to “Thumbs” who retired the unsuspecting runner on the hidden ball play.  Although it was done in unusual fashion, Flemington had retired the first six Newtown batters without allowing a run.

With three hits in as many at-bats, Paul "O'Neill" Cincotta was a regular visitor to first base

It was great to have Joe "Irish" Colduvell and Ann Colduvell join us - we hope to see "Irish" back in uniform at some point this season

Flemington added a single run in the third, but Newtown got on the scoreboard with their first two tallies in the fourth.  It could have been worse though as the local team had runners on second and third with only one out, but failed to score.  The Neshanock got one back in the bottom of the inning, but the bad news was the arrival of the rain in exactly the inning Jeff “Duke” Schneider predicted.  Flemington retired the Strakes again in the fifth without scoring keyed by a fine catch of a foul fly by “Snuffy” at first.  Newtown did get one back in the top of the sixth and the score was 7-3 with the Neshanock coming to the line.  After the first two strikers went out, it didn’t look promising, but two hits and a walk set the stage for “Snuffy’s” double widening the margin to 10-3.  

Box score format courtesy of Tim Anstett

While it may have looked like Flemington was in command, the Strakes are too good a team to hold down forever.  Six Newtown hits sparked a six-run rally cutting the margin to 10-9.  The Neshanock got one back in the bottom of the seventh, but by that point, the rain had taken over.  Unlike modern baseball, the decision to call a game because of rain rests not with the umpire, but with the two team captains.  That generated some debate and discussion, but by this point, trust me, the Neshanock know when the weather has prevailed.  As a result, the game was called with Flemington ahead 11-9 after seven innings.  

Besides playing excellent defense, "Snuffy" had three hits, earning a clear score in the process. Joining him in the clear score category was Paul “O’Neill” Cincotta also with three hits including two perfectly executed fair-foul hits.  “Thumbs” had two hits while “Lefty” contributed the Neshanock’s other extra-base hit, probably the only broken-bat triple in baseball history. The Neshanock took full advantage of their opportunities, leaving only four men on base.  Bobby “Melky” Ritter and Bob “Riverboat” Smith handled the pitching with their usual effectiveness.  All told it was a solid Flemington effort against a good and worthy opponent.  By the way, the long-range forecast for the Neshanock's next match at Howell Living History Farm on June 8th is for rain.  Plan accordingly.