The Northville Nine returned to Flint to defend their title of the Stockton Cup this weekend. Determined to secure their first win of the young season, the Eclipse opened up the four team tournament against the host Lumber City Base Ball Club. The Flint club quickly provided a three run deficit to the returning champs beginning with a two out single to the left side in the first inning by Brian, who tallied two runners. The Eclipse responded an inning later by plating three with the effort resulting off the bats of Stitch, Scratch and Badger. TinMan provided the Eclipse with their first lead of the day in their bottom half of the third inning when he immediately scored on Rev’s hard hit grounder to third. Both teams traded runs in the fourth inning and doubled that feat with matching two runs in the fifth inning. The spectators were in for a treat as both teams seemed destined to answer the call for whatever the opposition presented to them.
Lumber City surged ahead with the one run lead once again in the sixth inning and a young student of the game named Kyle added to the lead in the seventh inning by securing another run when he hit a two out single to left field. The Eclipse answered the deficit when four consecutive singles by Mac, TinMan, Bender and Jaundice eventually resulted in three runs for the black and orange and a 10-9 lead. 
A fruitless top of the eighth inning for Lumber City allowed the Eclipse to extend their lead when Badger, Mac and TinMan opened their half of the inning with successive singles to the left side, eventually scoring as part of a four run outburst to claim a lead of five. A rare scene this part of the Mississippi unfolded on the hurler’s area of the diamond as the Eclipse made a change. Stitch, a competent fellow with equally skilled qualities in the field switched opportunities with TinMan. This last inning ballist movement was discussed in the north and thought to give advantage to the striking club, who failed to tally a run the inning prior and was hard pressed to meet solid wood to the apple for much of the match. However the motion of the arm from the new hurler provided a grave task for Lumber City as the sphere sailed violently through the air avoiding proper contact except in the case of the fingers for the behind, much to his chagrin as well. The win for the Eclipse and enabled them to play for the right to defend the Stockton Cup against the Sydney Stars.
The Eclipse quickly put the Stars in a hole by tallying eight runs in the second inning and added to their brilliant day of defense by holding the Sidney nine to five runs for the entire game. The Northville bats posted seven runs each in the sixth and seventh innings en route to a 26-5 win and a successful defense of the Stockton Cup.
