Newtown Sandy Hooks Stun Providence 18-7

By Ray Shaw

The Newtown Sandy Hooks Vintage Base Ball Club approached Saturday’s much-ballyhooed match with the Providence Grays with guarded optimism as they traveled to the state capitol to meet at Colt Meadows. The Grays had beaten the Sandy Hooks in a previous match-up at Old Bethpage in early August, and this was considered a must-win in everyone’s mind.

In anticipation, Newtown drew a first nine squad who are highly adept at the 1880s overhand game, a game that requires grit, guile, and unbridled athleticism.

The Newtowners have been surprisingly successful over the past season winning 1880s games, including an upset victory in the Gotham Cup in New York City against a favored Elizabeth team, then a later season victory against the Orators in Bridgeport. In both cases, the team came out on top without the services of their perennial hurler and team leader Dennis “Muhl” Snyder. Their only failure at this level was against the Grays at Old Bethpage when a makeshift squad of ballists tried admirably to match a fully fortified Providence offense, and came up short.

On this day, as both clubs met under crystal blue skies and high 60-degree temperatures, all cylinders seemed to be firing, and the Sandy Hooks seemed to be looking for blood. “Pops” O’Maxfield, founder of the Friends of Vintage Base Ball, umpired the match.

A “1884 rules” match, which approximates the game that the original Providence Grays played when they won the first organized World Series in that year, was proposed for game one. The game is complicated by the fact that only the catcher is allowed to wear hand protection, which means, for latter day ballists who spend the bulk of their time behind a desk, only the mentally strong and athletically fit are drawn to its challenges.

A feisty starting nine for Newtown included Wheat in left, centerfielder Brandt, playing his first 1880s game for the Hooks, Smith in right, Edwards at third, the sure-handed Maleri at short, Long at second, Norwich at first, Snyder in the box and the ever resilient Toomey behind the dish. Silkowski provided bat strength on the bench.

In the top of the first, the Newtowners took advantage of a cold Providence battery, which had just disembarked from a two-hour jaunt from the Ocean State, to set the tone for the day. Brandt, showing no evidence of his holiday from overhand pitching, laced a sharp single to left center off McClellen. Then “Bullet,” sensing an apparent shaky catching situation, focused on second sack. Maleri, always aggressive at the plate, allowed Bullet to capture second, then immediately rapped a quick single to center to get the Sandy Hooks off and running.

Those two base runners would ultimately account for two aces in the first inning on the strength of a towering Toomey triple that rattled around the tree line that populates the close-in left field fence. As “Thunder” rumbled into third, it was apparent the Sandy Hooks were more than ready to challenge Providence’s dominance in 1884 ball.

As Snyder reacquainted himself with hurling 1884 style after a monthlong layoff that included a diet of truklji and stuffed peppers in far-off Slovenia, the ever-dangerous Grays showcased their batsmenship and Muhl’s rusty nature by eclipsing the Hooks with three aces of their own in the bottom of the frame.

It was clear to all in attendance, both clubs were trying to gain their sea legs on the lush and somewhat tricky neutral site, and a potential slugfest was on tap.

Eventually, both hurlers settled down and for three innings neither team was able to muster more than a single ace. Defensive measures seemed to be well in hand with all fielders doing their level best to size up the competition and cover their positions. Newtown’s Maleri seemed well at home on foreign ground, ranging all over the diamond to haul down pop-up after pop-up, as his teammates appeared equally content with gloveless play.

In the top of the fifth the flood gates opened. Always dependable Brandt singled to lead off the inning, then Maleri laid down a bunt that caught the Grays defense off guard. Wheat then doubled to the tree line, that cleared the bases, and the Sandy Hooks were off on an 11-run escapade that put them into a ten-run lead. Thirteen hits, including two doubles and six stolen base,s were chocked up in that single frame to make the fifth inning the most productive in Newtown Sandy Hook history.

“Lightning” (Maleri’s nickname) had struck off a firestorm of activity that would fortify the Newtowners for the rest of the match.

The Hooks created another flurry of activity in the final inning as Wheat, Toomey, and Edwards crossed the dish and sealed the scoring for Newtown. Snyder, using every tricky pitch in his repertoire, held the historically potent Grays to three miserly runs in the final three stanzas to lead the potato shuckers to a stunning 18 to 7 victory over their big-city rivals.

Brandt, Maleri, Wheat, Toomey, and Edwards contributed three hits apiece, with Toomey driving five mates across the dish. “Dirt” Smith, doing his best to wear the logo off the front of his blouse, contributed three runs, batted in including a double that kept the fifth inning rally alive. Norwich and Long provided momentum and RBI power, and Snyder finely regained his hitting eye after an unusual slump at the plate to drive one run across in the seventh.

It was a full team effort from the boys from the sticks and the Grays looked like the ‘38 hurricane had just washed over the seawall.

After a brief intermission, the Grays and Sandy Hooks reconvened to play game two for the highly invigorated crowd. The “1867” match, which showcased the difference between the underhand game and the later overhand style, leads changed quickly and often.

The slugging Newtowners seemed adept at matching the Grays at small-ball as Edwards, using a high speed pitching approach in the first half, and Norwich, using a slower-speed approach in the final three frames, seemed hard-pressed to slow the Providence hitters at the plate.

Brandt, Smith, Maleri, and Toomey were the hitting stars in match two as the local club generated 20 hits for the second game in a row. As Providence tacked on six runs in the final frame, after Newtown had taken what seemed like a decisive lead in the sixth, the chances of a Newtown sweep fell short. In the end, the Grays won the second game by a 20 to 16 margin.

In the end, the Sandy Hooks showcased their very best on Saturday.

Current plans call for a season-ending celebration at McLaughlin Vineyard on Saturday, October 10, when they are scheduled to play the Orators in a long-awaited rematch.