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ALLEGHANY’S FIVE-RUN 7TH TOPPLES MASS. BAY
PITTSBURGHERS OPEN UP EIGHT-GAME LEAD IN COLONIAL; STRONG BELTS FIVE HITS

PITTSBURGH (July 9, 1875) - Massachusetts Bay and Alleghany opened their series in Pittsburgh’s Recreation Park on Friday afternoon, and the game was decided by a rally in the 7th inning:

After Mass. Bay scored a run in the top of the 7th on a Single by LF Franklin Skaggs to even the score at 6-6, Alleghany took their turn in B7 and scored five runs on a series of Sacrifices & Singles, with the key moment being a two-run Single by SS Gerald Strong, to take an 11-6 lead that ended up as the game’s final score.

For Strong, the Single in the 7th capped an excellent performance:

• B1: Leadoff Single past 2B off I.A. Butler (SB, R)
• B2: 1-run Single past 2B off I.A. Butler
• B4: 1-run Single to RCF off I.A. Butler (SB, R)
• B6: Single to RF off I.A. Butler (SB)
• B7: 2-run Single past SS off I.A. Butler (R)
• TOTAL: 5/5 (all 1B), 3 R, 4 RBI, 3 SB

The stellar performance raised Strong’s average to .299 (.683 OPS) on the season, with 41 Runs Batted In and 22 Stolen Bases through 58 games. However, baseball aficionados know that the bat and basepaths are not where Strong excels. It’s in the field where the defending A.P.B.L. Most Valuable Player is at his best, and through those 58 games he has a Zone Rating of +17.8 at SS, which leads all fielders regardless of position and is on pace to easily beat his +21.5 ZR from last year.

The win was Alleghany’s sixth in a row and ninth over their last ten games, which has allowed them to open up an eight-game lead over Mass. Bay and three other teams – Niagara, Shamrock, & St. John’s – that are tied for 2nd place in the Colonial Conference at 28-30. Flour City is in last place at 26-32.