West
Baden, In. -
The Cincinnati Buckeyes opened their
2008 campaign on Saturday on the grounds
of the historic West Baden Hotel in
West Baden, In. The weather and the
venue could not be more perfect for
Spring base ball. The Buckeyes faced
the tough and gentlemanly
Blues of Indianapolis. Not the ideal
adversary to start off the season,
but they are very enjoyable to play.
The
first game was played in front of a good
crowd, many of whom recieved miniature
bats as souvenirs of the event. The Buckeyes
got off to a quick start, scoring 8 runs
in the first inning, striking some well-placed
hits and getting assistance from the
Blues defense. It looked early like the
boys in blue (from Ohio) might
upset the boys in blue (from Indiana).
Unfortunately, the feeling was short-lived,
as the Blues fixed their defensive problems
quickly. The one-bound rule
confounded the Buckeye strikers, and
they couldn't seem to use it to their
advantage on defense, either. At the
end of the seven-inning game, the enthusiastic
crowd congratulated the victorious Blues,
who scored 25 tallies to the Buckeyes
12. Mr. Mark Hurr struck two long doubles
and tallied three aces. Mr. Chris
Lyon also crossed the plate three times.
After
some team photos, the ballists took the
trolley south to French Lick, where they
were treated to a spectacular spread
of the finest food and drink at the French
Lick Resort & Casino.
Both
teams headed back to the field for the
second match of the day. The crowd had swelled
to a few hundred people in anticipation
of the 3:00 game, and cheered as both
teams lined up. The Buckeyes struck first,
with Mr. Noah Goodwin tallying an ace
for the Bucks. The Blues scored four
in their at-bat, but in an effort to
make a good game, the Buckeyes came back
with four of their own in the second
frame. After a couple of quick, scoreless
innings (thanks in part to Mr. M.Hurr,
who skillfully plucked a ball struck
over his head in center field on the
first
bounce),
the Blues bats started to come back to
life,
and
the
Buckeye
defense
did little to stop it. The Cincinnati
willows kept the game close, and had
they not stranded so many in the later
innings, the outcome would have been
very different. But the Blues were victorious
again this day, besting the Cincinnati
nine 14-11. More team photos and media
followed.
Many
thanks to the folks at the West Baden
Hotel for the beautiful venue and hospitality,
the French Lick Resort & Casino for the
delicious
lunch, the media for covering the event
and spreading the game of vintage base
ball, the many, many spectators who came
to watch us have fun - they were among
the best crowds we've played for - and
finally, the Blues for helping us hammer
off the winter rust so efficiently and
enjoyably.
-----------------------------------------------------
The
Buckeyes return to action on Saturday,
May 3 at Monroe Park in Monroe, Oh. They
will face a select nine of local coaches
as part of their Little League Opening
Day celebration. The 11:00am game is
preceded by a parade.
Article
submitted April 28, 2008 |
