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On Saturday the Newtown Sandy Hooks
continued their barnstorming tour to the Coltsville Vintage Tournament
in downtown Hartford to take on the Providence Grays and Melrose
Pondfeilders in an 1884 and 1861 doubleheader. The weather was
warm and muggy as the tourney organization made final preparations
to a recently mowed hayfield that required considerable raking
to make it playable. The Providence and Newtown nines were greeted
by an effervescent Mr. Stewart who traveled all the way from
somewhere in southern Kentucky as it licks the Tennessee border
just to adjudicate the event. The two clubs, having met on two
occasions in the past two seasons on these same grounds, have
won one game each from the other so this by all rights would
be the 'rubber game'. The Grays, the older of the two nines,
were only a few games into their season while the Sandy Hooks
have played a total of six in '11 and carried a 4-2 record into
the day's action.
Even though many of the faces on both sides were new to this
rivalry, it was clear from the very beginning that this battle
would be fought in the trenches and only the most determined
would be conferred the victor. Pete 'Bison' Friedman and veteran
Tony McClellan were designated hurlers for the Hooks and Grays
in the highly challenging '84 match. Even thought the rest of
the tournament field had chosen the more passive 1860's style
of the play, the Providence and Sandy Hook contingents decided
the uncompromising style of the 80's game was more in-tune with
their personalities.
Friedman, having been thrust into the role of '80's pitcher
when the Sandy Hook's standard-bearer 'Muhl' Snyder went under
the knife for knee surgery, accepted the mantle as starter and
appeared in top notch condition. Not sure what was in store for
the Hooks in their first 'overhand' outing for the season, they
lined-up Kurt Wehmann (ex Bridgeport Orator captain) and Ryan
Toomey to handle relief duties.
Tristan Toomey provided backstopping duties while Norwich,
Edwards, Smith and Wehmann covered the infield. Donnelly, Miller
and Wheat patrolled the garden while Ryan Toomey stood in reserve.
Little did anyone know how dominating a pitching performance
they were about to experience at the Colt Meadows grounds that
day. From the very first inning Friedman took immediate command
of the situation as the southpaw hurler convinced the top of
the Grays line-up to go down one, two, three in order.
In the bottom of the first, 'Barkeep' Donnelley took little
time learning McClellan pitching style as he shot an immediate
single to the gap. After setting down the next two batters, the
Gray's hurler appeared more confident in his approach until Tristan
Toomey sauntered to the plate. With a blink of an eye 'Thunder'
rattled around the ball yard with a towering double that drove
fleet-footed Donnelley across the dish and the Sandy Hooks into
the lead. Brother Toomey followed with a sharp single to left
center that might have been stretched to a double if it weren't
for the deadening nature of the tall grass that slowed the ball's
pace. In spite of that fact, the long grass appeared to have
limited affect on the determined older Toomey who rolled into
home for the second ace of the session.
In innings two, three and four, both hurlers seemed more confident
of their surroundings and in control of the situation. Friedman's
pitching prowess and the stout Newtown defense rendered the Grays
powerless for those frames, and McClellan seemed to have tamed
the impatient Sandy Hook strikers as they popped-out to the pitcher
and fielders in critical situations in futile attempts to move
runners around the diamond.
After a brief intermission where
misters Stewart, Friedman, Wheat listened to the Grays captain
Travers expound on appropriate pitcher conduct when holding base
runners on base. The Providence captain took serious issue with
the Newtown's southpaw hurler's habit of lifting his right leg
for numerous seconds in the wind-up position to freeze runners
on first. While the Newtown contingent argued that the rules
were unclear and the hurler was within his rights to pitch in
that manner, referee Stewart suggested that he would watch for
other similar infractions, and that the match should soon commence
while their was time on the clock.
In the Sandy Hook's fifth, Donnelly lead off the inning with
a single and after stealing every base in sight scampered home
on a sacrifice fly by Wheat. Friedman having earned a single
following Donnelly advanced on a double steal and tried for home
on a sacrifice fly by Toomey but was gunned-down at the plate.
The Sandy Hooks lead 3-0.
In the sixth inning, the Grays mounted a rally placing two
runners in scoring position on misplayed fielding miscues. A
subsequent daisy-cutter to the infield was scooped-up by a Newtown
fielder only to be air-mailed over the first sacker's head driving
in the two remaining base runners elevating the score to 3-2
for the Hooks.
These would be the final runs scored by either side and as
Friedman continued his domination of the Grays from the pitcher's
box while his air-tight Newtown defensive corps shut the door
on any further run production.
In what was to be the final push for the Grays, the always
confident Toomey, who handles backstopping duties with the grace
of a true professional, gunned down the enemy base-stealer and
potential tying run at third to seal the Grays' fate.
Since the two-hour event was scheduled to end at 12:30, at
the completion of the seventh frame, the umpire called time and
the Sandy Hooks squeaked by the exasperated Grays by a well-deserved
3-2 margin.
In the second match - a fast paced 1861 affair - Jay
Edwards mastered the Melrose (MA) Pondfeilders in an 8-1 romp
in which the Sandy Hooks cranked out 17 hits including three
by Donnelly and two by six others to ice the cake for the Newtowners.
Next Saturday the 'grand tour' winds-up in Smithtown, Long
Island where the Sandy Hooks will face the Brooklyn Atlantics
at their Smithtown Historical Society grounds. On June 11th the
Sandy Hooks return to McLaughlin Vineyards to play the same Brooklyn
Atlantics club.
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