Georgetown Gentlemen

From our family to yours, happy Thanksgiving!

This past Sabbath found our gallant nine, the Georgetown Gentlemen, journeying northward across the Ohio line to the fair city of Dayton, there to engage in a friendly match of base ball with the estimable Dayton Clodbusters. The grounds were laid at the Wilmington Woods, upon the pleasant estate of the 10 Wilmington Place Retirement Community. Though the weather was fair, the warmth of the afternoon proved a stout companion to the players, and many a brow was mopped betwixt innings.

The Gentlemen, though somewhat short-handed in their ranks, were fortified by the fresh legs of two promising recruits: Asher “Ace” Druen and Riley “Gunnar” Nelson, both youthful scholars at our local academies. These players proved themselves more than worthy to don the green and gray, and gave assurance of a bright future for our club.

The contest began with both sides showing spirited play. The Clodbusters, though scratching across two tallies in the opening inning, were checked mightily by the defensive works of our nine. In response, the Gentlemen struck back for a tally of their own, and all in attendance expected a close affair akin to former tilts between these two friendly rivals.

Alas, fortune soon frowned upon our heroes. Over the next three frames the Clodbusters found every nook of the field, aided at times by capricious caroms from the woodland trees. Combined with a handful of Gentlemanly muffs, the Dayton nine pressed their advantage, while our own well-struck balls found themselves swallowed by waiting hands. By the middle innings, the score grew lopsided.

Yet the Gentlemen were not without feats worthy of ink. Josh “Coppertop” Adkins displayed acrobatic skill, leaping high to snare a ball surely destined for safe passage to the field. Dustin “Rooster” Nelson, guarding the hot corner, scooped a sharply struck ball and heaved it to Daniel “Noodle” Baird at first for the put-out, while Noodle himself seemed ever-present, casting his frame to the ground again and again to halt drives down the line. At the pitcher’s post, Tommy “Molasses” Druen baffled several opponents into striking at air, his underhand deliveries as steady as the ticking of a clock.

The lumber of Rob “Bluegill” Gillespie and Nick “Cowboy” Hunt also made itself known. Twice did these sluggers drive the ball to the far reaches of the field, the spheres rolling into the roadway, thus ruled ground doubles. Meanwhile, the youthful Gunnar sped along the base paths like a gazelle, while Ace proved stout at the second base position, turning likely safeties into sure hands-outs. Their valor augurs well for the Gentlemen’s future campaigns.

Though our nine rallied stoutly in the later innings, the early deluge of Dayton runs proved insurmountable. The final ledger read Clodbusters 25, Gentlemen 8. Yet in an admirable exhibition of the true spirit of the game, both clubs agreed to close the formal contest after seven innings, and instead to partake in a three-inning friendly. In this shortened tilt, the Gentlemen found new vigor, scoring two runs in the opening inning and ultimately prevailing 2 to 1, thus securing a measure of satisfaction on the day.

Following the matches, the two clubs partook in hot sausages provided by our generous hosts of 10 Wilmington Place, and, true to custom, a bottle of Kentucky’s finest liquid corn passed hands courtesy of our Dayton brethren.

The Gentlemen now stand at nine victories against seven defeats upon the season. Their next engagement shall be this forthcoming Sabbath, the 28th of September, when they welcome their interstate rivals, the Bluegrass Barons, upon the venerable grounds of Ward Hall. The match is set to commence at 1:05 post meridian. We heartily encourage all friends of the national pastime to bring a blanket or chair, and lend their voices in support, as our Gentlemen play their final home match of the season.

Until next time, dear readers, may your skies be fair and your balls not foul.

On this fair Sunday afternoon, our town’s fair base ball heroes, the Georgetown Gentlemen, defied the heat to take to the field once again. The thermometer stood at ninety-two degrees with the oppressive atmosphere pressing as though a heavy woolen cloak upon the shoulders. Yet, that could not daunt the spirits of the faithful cranks, who thronged the manicured field of the Ward Hall estate in lively multitude. They were there to watch an afternoon doubleheader against the Tippecanoe Canal Jumpers, who hailed from Tipp City, Ohio.

When the opening contest commenced, the Gentlemen seized the moment with a ferocity that left the visitors gasping. Matt “Cornbread” Nunn struck the horsehide with the violence of a blacksmith’s hammer upon an anvil, while Aaron “Steamer” Fairchild sent scorching liners darting as arrows through the summer haze, and Matt “Mule” Koch did pummel the ball with such brutish force as to suggest he might uproot a fence post were it in his path. By the conclusion of the early innings, the tally board displayed a commanding 7 to 1 advantage for the hosts, and the cranks, though near melting in the heat, found their lungs robust enough for thunderous approbation.

The Canal Jumpers, not content to be trounced, displayed commendable spirit and sought to rally. Yet time and again their designs were dashed by the unyielding fortress of the Georgetown infield—Drew “Bucky” Beckett, Nate “Scooter” Schwartz, and Nick “Cowboy” Hunt. These three, positioned as sentinels upon the sacred diamond, performed their duties with a precision that might well have been drilled by the Prussian army itself. No bound or daisy-cutter passed their watch unchallenged.

Equally deserving of laurel in that opening frame was the indefatigable Rob “Bluegill” Gillispie, patrolling the far meadow with the vigilance of a hawk in the heavens. Time and again he dashed fleetly to seize upon drives that lesser men might have surrendered to the grass, and on one occasion his mighty return throw narrowly missed rendering the striker out at first. So commanding was his exhibition of fielding art that the Canal Jumpers, in jest yet with more truth than levity, petitioned that he be made to sit the second contest, lest his prowess render their labors vain.

Fate, as fickle as a maiden’s favor, conspired in the final inning, permitting the Ohioans to string together a furious succession of drives that at last knotted the tally at seven apiece. A hush descended, the cranks biting their lips in apprehension. Yet the Gentlemen, with nerves of tempered steel and hearts aflame with resolve, strode to their final hand unshaken. There, amidst pounding cheers and flapping hats, they plated three decisive tallies. Victory was secured by the noble count of 10 to 7.

Thereafter, both players and spectators availed themselves of a much-needed respite. The players reclined upon the grass, imbibing water with the thirst of men long at campaign, while the gathered multitude sought the refreshment vendors. Hot dogs, steaming and fragrant, were consumed, while merchants of base ball memorabilia conducted brisk trade, exchanging paper likenesses of the nation’s sporting heroes for the coins of eager lads. Children frolicked upon the lawn, matrons conversed in tones both genteel and animated, and all awaited with anticipation the second clash of the afternoon.

When the signal was at last given, the Gentlemen again took to the field, this time employing a strategy most cunning. With the heat yet more oppressive and the sun seemingly on the field as well, they rotated their hurlers—Dustin “Rooster” Nelson, Zack “Bull” Francis, and Jon “Irish” Flanary—in gallant succession, each man straining sinew and muscle to deliver his best.

As before, the affair began brightly for our lads. Rob “Bluegill” Gillispie lofted a prodigious shot into the outer expanse, his lumber ringing like a church bell, and Cowboy Hunt once again displayed his daring feet, scampering with such agility as to render him near uncatchable. Timely swats from Eric “No Name” Clark and Josh “Coppertop” Adkins pressed men to the sacks, and the tally board soon reflected a promising 4 to 2 advantage. The cranks stamped their boots and waved their hats, certain of another triumph.

Yet this contest was governed under the bound rules, and these proved a cruel mistress to our gallant hosts. Many a mighty blow, struck with conviction and sent skyward, fell but a few feet before the Canal Jumpers’ watchful scouts, who gathered them with ease as a miser gathers his coin. Still, a moment of sublime heroism enraptured the spectators: Coleman “Major” Payne, vigilant at the third sack, encountered a devilish bounder. The ball, possessed of mischievous backspin, reversed its course toward the striker’s line. Without hesitation, Major cast himself full-length upon the turf, plucking the ball from the very jaws of chaos. Rising with triumphant grin, he raised the captured sphere heavenward, and the cranks, near delirious, roared their approval until the very rafters of Ward Hall might have quivered.

But fortune, ever changeful, turned her gaze upon the visitors in the fourth inning. Then it was that the Jumpers did unleash a veritable tempest of strokes, driving ball after ball deep into the far meadow, scattering our fleet outfielders and piling tally upon tally with pitiless regularity. Our boys battled valiantly in the innings that followed, chipping at the lead with grit and determination. Major Payne stretched what might have been a single into a home run. However, the hill proved too steep to surmount. When at last the final hand was concluded, the Canal Jumpers claimed their revenge, 15 tallies to 12.

Thus concluded a day of base ball endeavor most spirited, with the honors split evenly betwixt hosts and guests. The Gentlemen now stand with eight victories and five defeats upon their season’s ledger.

Their next trial will be upon the hallowed fields of Richmond, Kentucky, on Saturday, August 23rd, where they shall encounter the renowned 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings. At 10:30 am, the first strike shall be delivered at Battlefield Park. Let all true-hearted cranks rally to the cause, make pilgrimage thither, and lend voice and vigor, that the Gentlemen of Georgetown may once more ascend the heights of glory, draped in their proud green and gray.