Last Saturday, the Dairymen took two games by the rules of 1864 against their perennial rivals and comrades in bats from Route 28, the Mountain Athletic Club. Game one was a tight contest played with a true handmade dead ball, and Bovina jumped to a 2-1 lead in the second behind singles from “Grizz” Griswold, “Swan” Sackett, and “Train” Tucker. The Dairymen plated another in the fifth behind singles from “Schucks” Stanton and “Hobbes” Tucker before the MAC tied the contest in the bottom of the same frame.
After seven innings, the dead ball could take no more and was retired from active service for good, to take its place among its forbears in the MAC trophy case. Playing with a modern-made lemon peel ball, the Dairymen capitalized on a MAC error to score two in the eighth with the help of singles from “Gamer” Denison and “Juice” Betterley. The final score was 5-3.
The second game featured flawless Dairymen defense as Bovina, now playing as the home squad, tallied 12 runs over the third and fourth innings. The bases were a flash of black and white in both frames, as the Dairymen batted around in each. The third saw an incredible five Dairymen doubles—from “Roughcut” Frandsen, “AT” Taylor, “Chico” Finn, “Gamer” Denison, and “Train” Tucker—and the home squad never looked back, plating seven more in the fourth before falling silent and relying on defense to take the game by a score of 12-2.
Gentlemen, thank you to all who came out and made the day possible. Baseball has returned! Hip hip, hurrah! Next gathering TBD.
Game notes. The double header, played at cozy McClintock Flats in East Meredith, was the first contest in what will be a truncated and administratively bizarre season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Game one was the first game on record in which the Dairymen failed to register an extra base hit. “Chico” Finn pulled his calf hitting a single in the fourth inning of the second game and did not return.
Yours,
Nick Frandsen
Captain, Bovina Dairymen
