Return of the Top Hat!
Bay City hosts Kent B.B.C. July 12, 2009 Carroll Park, Bay City, MI Bay City 12, Kent 14 The Return of the Top Hat It was a beautiful, blue sky day in the city by the bay, as the Independents welcomed a familiar group into town, The Kent B.B.C. of Grand Rapids, MI. This would mark the tenth matched played by the Bay Citys against the Kents, and the Independents were happy to see many faces of whom they have become well acquainted over the years. One of those faces had been absent the past three years upon the Kent trips to Bay City, and the hometown nine was pleased to see that the top hat wearing Gordon Olson, the club founder, had made the long trek with his club for this most recent visit. The Kents had long held the Bay Citys off the winning ledger in many a close contest, but in the past two meetings prior the Independents were able to come away victorious. They defeated the Kents 31-11 in their last visit to Bay City, and just last month they got the better of the Kents in Grand Rapids in a 7-4 win. It marked the first time that Bay City was able to take home the Silas K. Pierce Cup without sharing it with the Kents, whom they could never seem to get by. There were hopes that Bay City might be able to pull off another victory for the hometown on this day, and make it three in a row. The contest, which was officiated by the honorable Jason “Gypsy” Kladiva of the Welkins club of Port Huron, began with a contest of speed where the fleetest of feet in retrieving a thrown ball would be awarded the honor of choosing the order of striking. The contest was won by the Independents own, Tanner LeRoux. Tanner chose to strike first in the contest. The order of the contest would make no difference in the first innings however, as each club swapped a whitewash in the frame. In the second innings the Bay Citys would score twice when Branden “The Rope” Revette would drive home “Buttons” McInerney to plate his ace, and Captain Johnson struck another safety which allowed Brian “Butterfly” Beceril to tally as well. The lead would be short lived however, when the Kents put two aces in the ledger as well in their second innings. The Independents would take the lead in the third innings when Scott “Umpy” Umphrey made a complete circuit of the bases on a blast to the garden which found the onion lost amongst the flora in Carroll Park. By the time the Kent out fielders had located the pill Umphrey was already being fanned by his Independent mates in an effort to revive him after his long travails. While the Bay City defense was staunch enough to skunk the Kents in the next three innings, they continued to add to their lead with four runs tallied in the fourth innings. Those aces were sparked by two successive long blows from the bats of “Doc” Garcia, and Buttons McInerney. Each striker was able to make their second with ease. Two more Bay City strikers would plate in the fifth innings. One of those aces was made by Ron “Irish” O’Laughlin who made his second by theft, and tallied after a safety by Adam “Little Train” Johnson. The score now stood at Bay City 9, and Kent 2 at the conclusion of five innings. The two clubs would trade aces in the sixth innings, and the lead would remain at seven until the Kents whitewashed the Bay Citys in the seventh innings, and then compounded the Independents troubles by tallying 6 runs in the seventh innings. The Kent rally was sparked by a lead off home run by Mr. Lance Brewer. The hometown nine would tally only once in the eighth innings, and the match was now a tight scratch at Bay City 11, Kent 9. The Kents saw two of their first three hands lost in the eighth innings, but persevered to punish the pill for five more aces. This put them in the lead for the first time in the match at 14 to 11. The Bay Citys wouldn’t go down lightly however, as “Buttons” McInerney tallied in the ninth, and the bases were full when the Bay City Captain ended their comeback efforts with a slow fair-foul worm burner to first. The Kents would come away with the game ball and the victory in the contest at 14-12. The Kents have agreed to attend the State Championship Cup Tournament to be held in Bay City, Saturday, September 26th at Middleground Island, and perhaps the two clubs will meet again. Cup News: In a side note, the Saginaw Old Golds were able to retain their claim to the Championship Cup by defeating the Ludington Mariners this past Sunday 31-6. The Mariners have already put in a request for another shot at the Cup this coming Sunday, July 25th in Ludington.
