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SotO OUTLASTS GRANITE IN A BARNBURNER
A 6-2 GAME AFTER SIX TURNS INTO A 21-17 FINAL IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

MANCHESTER, N.H. (Aug. 2, 1877) - Sons of the Ocean & Granite B.C. are playing for pride at this point, but that didn’t stop them from putting on quite the show at the Kalivas Union Grounds in New Hampshire on Thursday:

Most of this game was standard fare. Granite scored first but runs by S.o.t.O. in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th, with the big event a three-run rally in T3 featuring a two-run Single by 1B Seamus Gilchrist, meant the visitors had a 6-2 lead after six innings. Then, the REAL fun began…

S.o.t.O. scored in T7 on a Double by 2B Robert Nelson. Facing a 7-2 deficit, Granite came to bat and sent eleven runs across the plate in a half-inning that featured nine Hits, seven Errors, and a three-run Double by PH Thomas Upshaw. The score now 13-7 in favor of Granite, S.o.t.O. put up a five-run rally during T8 on a series of Singles & Sacrifices, and it was a 13-12 game. Granite responded with four more runs in B8 – two-run Singles by LF James Slaughter & RF Loy D’Amour putting Granite back ahead by five runs (17-12).

Then, S.o.t.O. came up to bat for the top of the ninth, and the game turned back around to their favor:

• GRA: John Schlitz pitching
• SotO #1 Otto Humphries (RF): Reached via Error by 2B L. LaRose
• SotO #2 Henry Behr (3B): Hit by Pitch from J. Schlitz
• SotO #3 Peter Huff (LF): Pop Fly Out to 2B (1 out)
• SotO #4 George Black (CF): Reached via Error by 3B A. Nixon
• SotO #5 Hal Brinks (C): Reached via 1-run Error by 2B L. LaRose (SotO 13-17 GRA)
• SotO #6 Seamus Gilchrist (1B): 2-run Single past 2B (SotO 15-17 GRA)
• GRA: Error by CF C. Becker (Gilchrist to 2B)
• SotO #7 Peter Jones (SS): Reached via 1-run Error by 1B G. Browne (SotO 16-17 GRA)
• SotO #8 Robert Nelson (2B): Reached via 1-run Error by SS J. Lynn (SotO 17-17 GRA)
• SotO #9 Andrew Lietz (PH): Single to SS
• SotO #1 Otto Humphries (RF): 1-run Single to RCF (SotO 18-17 GRA)
• GRA: 1-run Fielding Error by CF C. Becker (SotO 19-17 GRA)
• SotO #2 Henry Behr (3B): 1-run Single past 2B (SotO 20-16 GRA)
• GRA: P Arthur Rice substitutes in for John Schlitz
• SotO: Henry Behr caught stealing at 2B (2 out)
• SotO #3 Peter Huff (LF): 1-run Double to CF (Soto 21-17 GRA)
• SotO #4 George Black (CF): Ground Out to SS (3 out)
• TOTAL: 9 R, 5 H (4 1B, 1 2B), 7 E, 1 HBP, 1 CS, 13 BATTERS

It was a disaster for Granite. Six of the first seven S.o.t.O. batsmen to reach base in T9 made it safely thanks to an Error or Hit by Pitch, and in the end four of the nine Runs scored directly due to Granite fielding miscues. Granite sent five men to bat in B9, but now behind by six it was going to take a furious rally to win or force extra innings and they simply didn’t have one in them. Sons of the Ocean had come away with a memorable victory.

The game was defined by Errors (SotO: 15, GRA: 18, LG AVG: 6.9 E/G), but there were a number of star performers:

• SotO #1 Otto Humphries (RF): 4/7 (3B, 6 TB), 4 R, 2 RBI
• SotO #2 Henry Behr (3B): 3/5 (2B, 4 TB), 2 R, 2 RBI
• SotO #6 Seamus Gilchrist (1B): 5/6 (all 1B), 4 R, 5 RBI, SB, 99 GMSC
• GRA #1 Lucas LaRose (2B): 3/6 (3B, 5 TB), 2 R, 2 RBI
• GRA #7 Loy D’Amour (RF): 4/6 (2 2B, 6 TB), 1 R, 5 RBI

Gilchrist, filling in at 1B for the injured Jesse Craig, very nearly became the eleventh batsman to put up a 100+ Game Score in the N.B.B.O. this season. With only 45 Plate Appearances to his name in 1877, perhaps Gilchrist has earned a starting role for the final week and a half.

With eight games left to play, Sons of the Ocean is 36-26 and likely to finish third in the New England Championship, while Granite is 24-38 and could easily finish anywhere from fifth to eighth.