Grays Earn a Win in New Hampshire, Face Off with Hingham on Sunday

Jon Henson

October 6, 2018

Oppy swings big in Mont Vernon

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Last Saturday, September 29, the Grays (23-10) traveled north to Mont Vernon, New Hampshire, to enjoy a day of ball with the Granite during the festivities at the Lamson Farm, honoring a favorite local son, Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams. The day included the dedication of signs at the town lines commemorating Doc Adams as a father of modern baseball. The scheduled doubleheader became one complete game and a short exhibition, with Providence driving home winners in the one that counts, taking the day with a 32-19 victory over New Hampshire. On Sunday, October 7, the Grays will square off against the Hingham BBC at Grace Ryder Field in Marshfield, Massachusetts.

In Mont Vernon, Johnny Carlevale started things off for Providence in the top of the first with a lead-off base knock, two stolen bags, and a run scored. New Hampshire answered back quickly, tallying three aces in their first before Providence unloaded for six runs in the second. Bob Smith and Mike “Pops” Smith each contributed a single, while right fielder Steve Pascucci went long with a double, followed by five consecutive singles from the top of the order (Carlevale, Captain Brian Travers, Dave “Oppy” Oppenheimer, Greg Smith, and Jerry McCormack). New Hampshire plated two in their frame to keep the score close, 7-5 Providence after two.

Mikey "Pops" Smith throws a complete game 

After a scoreless third inning for both squads, the Grays got busy, adding five more runs on six hits, with doubles off the bats of Carlevale, Travers, Oppy, G. Smith, and McCormack. Providence outscored the Granite through the middle innings, eight runs to five, to put the score at 15-10 Grays at the top of the seventh. Oppy slammed a double and was driven in to make it 16 for the Rhode Islanders before New Hampshire plated four in their seventh to come within two. The Grays’ bats were just getting warm in these late innings, however, as they put up an additional 16 tallies off 19 hits in the eighth and ninth to secure victory.

The Grays defensive highlight came in the sixth inning in the form of a triple play. Catcher Carlevale snagged a foul tip for one hand with runners on second and third. He then quickly threw over the second baseman’s head to tempt the runners into action. Center fielder Jerry McCormack fielded Carlevale’s throw and tossed it back to Travers who wisely settled the orb in the hands of pitcher Pops Smith. From there, it was a simple toss to Greg Smith at third then back to Oppy at second to achieve the triple play. Runners may never advance on a play that begins with a foul ball, but in the heat of the moment, these rules are often forgotten. On this day, the lapse worked in the favor of the Providence defense.

The New Hampshire Granite and the Providence Grays commemorate the early days of base ball with Marjorie Adams, great granddaughter of Daniel Lucius "Doc" Adams, in his hometown of Mont Vernon.

Providence will look to finish the season strong with two dates remaining, the first of which happens this Sunday, October 7, as our local nine travels to Marshfield, Massachusetts, to take on the South Shore powerhouse Base Ball Club of Hingham in two 1864 matches. Providence swept the heavy hitters in an ‘84/’64 doubleheader (18-7 and 16-13, respectively) at Peirce Field in East Providence on May 26, before falling hard to Hingham 24-5 at the New England Vintage Base Ball Festival in Cornish, Maine, on June 23. Both teams will be looking to settle what seems like unfinished business as the end of the season quickly falls upon them. The games will take place as part of the ‘Explore Marshfield’ celebration, with tours of historic sites, an Eighteenth Century Military Muster, and a re-enactment of the Marshfield Tea Party, all scheduled throughout the day. Game location: Grace Ryder Field, 340 Main Street, Marshfield, MA. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.  

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Photos: Roger Ratzenberger (docadamsbaseball.org)