Spring gradually turns into summer and quickly heads for fall. A new season brings hope while the end of it brings heartache. Such is the seemingly short period that a ballist feels while playing a game they love. The Eclipse Base Ball Club of Northville closed out their season on Sunday while hosting the Lah-De-Dahs of Greenfield Village. Unfortunately for the team from Dearborn, the Eclipse picked up where they left off from the day prior. They tallied four runs in the first inning with the aid of consecutive singles from Bender, Badger and Kid. Tinman moved Bender home with a fly out to center and Scratch drove in Badger with an infield single. After a single by Moonlight, Mac drove in his first two runs of the season with a single to left to plate Kid and Scratch. It must have made his future son-in-law proud to witness it in person so one day he could tell his kids that their grandfather contributed something for the Eclipse other than his friendship.
The third inning saw the unavoidable happen for a corner infielder. With the Eclipse leading 6-1 and Tinman and Scratch on first and second base respectively, Moonlight stepped up to the plate and laced an offering directly to Pirate of the Lah-De-Dahs standing at first base. Common sense took a back seat to impulse as he used his hand to stop the ball’s path to right field. The sound it made was akin to striking a riding crop on horsehide and gave Pirate pause to renew his thinking about choosing first base over hurler.
The awe at the sight of a solar eclipse pales for the many who witnessed Cuppa from the Eclipse after he approached the plate in the fifth inning. With Trouble on first after a hard single to right that left the fielder’s fingers tingling, Cuppa gripped his custom Red Stick bat and swung mightily. The impact with the ball split the bat in half and would force Cuppa to use it as kindling on his next camping trip.
The Eclipse once again had the luxury of Chip behind the plate and her presence accounted for five put outs. It was this type of defense that transformed the Eclipse into a much better team than years past. Key additions of Moonlight and Kid to the team added athleticism not seen before, the continued improvement of Badger, Moose and Hangman in their second years and the health of Trouble only made the team from Northville more exciting to watch. The Eclipse would go on to win Sunday’s match by a final of 16-3 and in the process send longtime members, Rev and Bender, out on a high note as they ended their careers for the orange and black.
It was a touching scene to see former Eclipse ballplayers Goose, Paddy, Dutch, Handle and Crash attend this match and show their support. Playing base ball is just an added perk to actually being a part of this amazing group of people.
