Grays Split Twin Bill with Boston to Open 40-Game Season
May 1, 2021
Providence vs. Boston – Doubleheader (’65 & ’64) –
April 24
The Grays struck first in the opening match and had some
trouble igniting the fuse, going scoreless in their first two frames.
Meanwhile, Boston plated two aces in their first inning but came up emptyhanded
in the second for a 2 to 0 lead going into the third. Providence bats found
life in the top of the inning, with centerfielder Ryan “Loggy” Logsdon leading
off with a double, followed by a double by pitcher Brian Travers, a triple from
catcher Aidan Pirruccello-McClellan, and singles by first baseman Charlie Dryer
and second baseman Jon “Bones” Henson. The bevy of hits scored six runs to give
the Grays the 6-2 lead.
The Union answered back with three runs of their own to narrow the difference to a single ace, but the fourth inning saw Providence construct a 17-run frame. Short stop Johnny Carlevale hit two singles, Travers belted three singles of his own, while Aidan P-Mc added his second double of the day. Jamie Maynard (left field) smacked a double in the frame, and Dryer picked up a double and another single. Bones and Loggy each contributed additional singles, and right fielder Helen Sheldon’s patience at the dish resulted in a base on balls that walked in a run. Third baseman Greg Smith hit two doubles in the Grays’ fourth inning as well. The Union held Providence scoreless in the fifth and responded with two runs in the bottom, which rounded out their scoring for the match, as pitcher Travers and the Grays’ defense held strong for the duration. Providence added nine more runs across the seventh and eighth innings, with more hits from Travers, Aidan, Maynard, and Dryer, a double and single from Jerry McCormack (third base), and two doubles off the long bat of right fielder Dave “Grandpa” Watson. Final: Providence 32, Boston 7.
The Union straddled the line for first swings in game two (1864 rules) and jumped out to a two-run lead off Bones Henson’s pitching. The Grays took an early lead, scoring five runs in their opening salvo with offense and aces tallied by Carlevale, Travers, Smith, Maynard, and Watson. Boston plated one in the second, two in the third, and one more in the fourth, while giving up two Grays’ runs (one each in the third and fourth) to knot the score at seven apiece at the halfway point. The tie remained after six, as both squads put up a run in their respective frames. Miscommunication and some defensive stumbles cost Providence momentum throughout, even as Carlevale, Travers, and Watson continued to hit well. The seventh inning turned out to be the deciding factor, as the Union bats pummeled Bones for five runs, including a well-struck, opposite-field home run off the bat of Boston’s heavy swinging third baseman Chris Welch. Providence could only muster two aces in response, and the sides held each other scoreless in the eighth and ninth for a Final: Boston 14, Providence 10.
2021 Season
Preview
After the pandemic-shortened season of 2020, the Grays look to get back to the successes of 2018 and ’19, with a fuller roster and a complete campaign of events awaiting them. Following last weekend’s debut, Providence travels to Hartford on Saturday, May 8, for a doubleheader with the Connecticut club, which will feature the season’s first overhand match (1884 rules) as well as an 1860s game to round out the day.
Next up is the first significant road trip of the year (May
15 & 16) for Historic Base Ball on the Lawn at Brewery Ommegang in
Cooperstown, New York. The Grays will play four games over the weekend with the
Mountain Athletic Club, Connecticut, the New York Mutuals, and the Bovina Dairymen,
all following the rules of 1864.
The month of June starts off with the annual pilgrimage to
Smithtown, NY, to face the Atlantic BBC of Brooklyn in a ‘64/’84 doubleheader
for Old Dutch Day, followed by a rematch overhand doubleheader with Connecticut
on June 13 in Wethersfield Cove. On June 19, Providence will host the Tunnelmen of Lisbon, CT, for the Bristol Fourth of July Committee’s day of activities on
the Bristol Town Common in the heart of Rhode Island.
July’s action begins with Base Ball at the Beach in Hull,
MA, where the Grays host the Dairymen and the Union for a round robin event
cooled by the ocean breeze. On July 17 and 18, Providence will travel to
Gettysburg for the National 19th Century Base Ball Festival, where
the club will face the Bear Clan BBC of Flat Rock, Michigan, the Lewes BBC of Delaware, the Canton (Michigan) Cornshuckers, and the Addison Mountain Stars of
Pennsylvania. The Doc Adams Festival at Old Bethpage Restoration Village on
Long Island is scheduled for July 31 and August 1, and the Grays anxiously
await their slate of opponents for the epic four-game event at this most
bucolic of settings for 19th century ball.
The August heat continues with the return to home ground, as
the Grays host the two-day Rocky Point Historic Base Ball Festival in Warwick,
featuring clubs from Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Maryland.
Rocky Point provides a keen connection to Rhode Island, as well as base ball,
history as the site of many Sunday games in the days when sport was prohibited elsewhere
in New England on the Sabbath, and where Babe Ruth walloped a home run (ground-rule
triple) into Narragansett Bay in 1914 as a member of the minor league
Providence Grays during an exhibition with the Chicago Cubs. The Grays will
return to the beach at Hull on August 21 for an ‘84/’64 doubleheader with the
Westfield Wheelmen.
Check out the 2021 schedule for more details and be sure to follow the Grays on Facebook and Instagram for updates and recaps throughout the season.
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