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GOTHAM & QUAKER ST. OPEN '78 WITH 33-RUN BARNBURNER
APBL NEWCOMERS COME OUT ON TOP THANKS TO FIVE HITS BY GREENHORN 3B

PHILADELPHIA (May 7, 1878) - Quaker State played their first game in the A.P.B.L. on Tuesday, hosting Gotham at the Philadelphia Cricket Grounds, and their maiden voyage into A.P.B.L. play was quite the affair:

There was action to be had throughout the entire game. Gotham exited the opening inning ahead 2-1, but eight Quaker St. runs from the 3rd-5th saw the hosts go ahead 9-4. Gotham responded with eight scores in the top of the 6th, with the big hit a two-run Triple by 1B Royal Altman. Gotham now ahead 12-9, Quaker St. came to bat in the bottom of the 6th and fired off seven runs of their own, with the key hit a two-run Single by Greenhorn 3B Jerry Rockford.

The twin rallies in the sixth inning left the score 16-13 to Quaker St. Gotham scored twice in T7 but was never able to draw level, as Quaker St. runs in the 7th & 8th put the hosts out of reach and into the Win column in their first A.P.B.L. game.

Overall, the day belonged to Greenhorns, as debutants from both teams put up excellent displays:

• GOT 3B Benjamin Crisp: 3/5 (all 1B), 1 R, 1 RBI
• GOT RF Harold Corso: 2/5 (both 1B), 1 R, 4 RBI
• QS RF Charles Aplin: 3/6 (2 2B), 3 R, 0 RBI
• QS 3B Jerry Rockford: 5/5 (2 2B), 1 R, 3 RBI

The star Greenhorn of the afternoon was Rockford, whose Single in the sixth was the key hit in the rally that put Quaker St. ahead for good. The 23-year-old, who joined Quaker St. after one season in the N.B.B.O. with Trenton United, couldn’t have done any better in his first game at the sport’s highest level.

For the Quaker St. team and the 4,100 fans in attendance, it was a day to remember.
Elsewhere on the A.P.B.L.’s opening day of games, two of the other three new teams didn’t fare as well as Quaker St., while one had a spectacular afternoon.

The other new Philadelphian outfit, Tiger Social Club, opened their A.P.B.L. existence at Kings County, and the game was a low-scoring contest. Tiger S.C.’s only run came during T5 on an Error, and with the game even 1-1 in B8 All-Star LF Fred Bartholomew hit a two-run Triple to give the hosts a 3-1 win.

In Boston, Port Jersey played their inaugural A.P.B.L. game next to the ocean at Massachusetts Bay. They started well, ahead 4-2 after the opening in and 6-3 after the third. However, Mass. Bay chipped away at the lead and, with the score 8-6 to the visitors, scored four times in B7 thanks to a pair of Doubles to win 10-8.

Also in Boston, Newark took on Shamrock at the famous South End Grounds to begin their A.P.B.L. tenure. The visitors from New Jersey started brilliantly, scoring five times in T1 on a Single and a pair of two-run Doubles. From there, Newark only got stronger and went ahead 15-1 by the end of the 5th before waltzing away with a 15-2 victory.