GRAYS SEEK WINS IN MARYLAND THIS WEEKEND

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Providence Grays head south this weekend looking for wins after a challenging start to the month of June. Opponents on the road as well as at home provided fierce competition, as Providence posted a 2-4 record over the last six outings to settle at 9-5 on the season. This weekend (Jun. 25 & 26), the Grays will travel to Rising Sun, Maryland, to take part in the 6th Annual Weekend at the Winery, facing  the Mutuals of New York and the host team Rising Sun BBC  on Saturday and finishing up the weekend with a match against the Keystone BBC of Harrisburg, PA, and a matinee with the Mutuals Sunday.

The Rhode Island club enjoyed the first overnight trip of the season the first weekend of June, starting with a split-decision doubleheader against the Resolutes BBC of Elizabeth at Rahway River Park, New Jersey on Saturday, June 4. The Grays stuck around for an 8-7 win in 10 innings to take the first game (1870), followed by a narrow defeat in game two (8-7 once again) in an 1884 contest.

 On Sunday, June 5, the Grays traveled to the Village of the Branch in Smithtown, N.Y., to join the Brooklyn Atlantic in celebrating Old Dutch Day, an event that honors the legacy of Al “Old Dutch” Dieckmann, a major contributor to the emergence of historically accurate 19th century play whose spirit lives on in the clubs that take the field today. The first game of the day was played by the rules of 1864, and the Atlantic jumped out to an early and commanding lead that they never relinquished, downing the Grays 13-4 in game one. In game two, an overhand (1884) affair, Providence exhibited strong defense and solid pitching and coupled these with increasingly hot bats to top the Brooklynites 20-11 for a split on the day.

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The games last weekend (June 18) against the Lisbon Tunnelmen took place at the Bristol Town Common (Bristol, R.I.) as part of the Bristol Fourth of July Committee’s annual celebration. Game one was an 1865 contest in which the Grays kept things tight, trailing Lisbon 4 to 2 after four innings. In the middle frames, Lisbon turned up the heat, plating five runs across the fifth, sixth, and seventh. Providence tallied three late aces to make it 9-5 Tunnelmen after eight. The Grays opened the final frame, putting two across and threatening more before the final hand was put down. Final score of game one, Lisbon 9, Providence 7.

 Game two in Bristol stepped back a year in time and followed the rules of 1864. Lisbon struck first and dominated the first three innings, establishing a 6-1 lead going into the fourth. Pitching and defense held the Tunnelmen to just three more runs over the remainder of the game, but the Grays’ bats never caught fire, with the one spark coming with two runs in the eighth. Final score, Lisbon 9, Providence 3.

The Grays will face their friends the Mutuals of New York on both Saturday and Sunday (Jun. 25 & 26), as both clubs from the Northeast make the trek to Maryland for a Weekend at the Winery, hosted by the Rising Sun BBC. Providence will also see action with the host team and the Keystone BBC of Harrisburg to make for a full weekend of base ball and camaraderie. Follow the action on the Grays Facebook page and on Instagram.

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