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Champion Hill Toppers split 4 at Milwaukee

The Milwaukee Cream Citys, the host club, held a fine weekend of baseball with five visiting clubs having a grand time at the old game at Greenfield Park in West Allies, WI, on Saturday, Aug. 24, and Sunday, Aug. 25. It was one of those tournaments in which anyone could have won or lost the four matches each club played. In weather fit for kings on lush green fields, the local champions took the field with nine ballists on Saturday and then added one for Sunday. Considering the aged condition of the right side of the infield and the injury condition of the hurler and right fielder, the club did all that could be expected of them.

On Saturday, the green clads took the field against a new opponent, Delton Base Ball Club of Wisconsin, and by some excellent fielding, the boys came out a 5-3 victor. Our scouts chased down long balls and our sure-handed infielders demoralized the Delton club, who could not find any rhythm at the bat. Our boys hit well, but not in bunches, and could not break it open -- but a win is a win. In the second match of the day, the boys hit a little better, but the Springfield Illinois Long Nine, who are younger and a bit snooty, had the number of the Huntington lads. By taking advantage of Topper errors, the club from Illinois was able to glide to a 13-6 win.

On Sunday, Quickstep Haugland had to withdraw due to injury, old age and blindness, so the club, in a desperate attempt to field a full club, had Judge Young suit up and hurl the first match of the day. Knowing the Judge's abilities and Pops Wiegman's gastronomic condition, Scribes Wiehe's fiance, Ashley ‘Red' Smith, put her hair up and the uniform on to help as needed.

The Hoosier club seemed to have their good friends of the Cream City club ready for a knockout punch all during their match, but couldn't quite pull it off. Judge Young, on the mound wheezing and puffing, and Pops Wiegman, held the host club down to zeroes for five innings. It must be noted that the Toppers found a defense again and the infield of Scribes, Pee Wee Krcmarik, Weege Bugge and Bird Dog Morrison played a steady game. Red Smith helped keep the strikers for the Cream Citys off balance with her comments about their weight and marriage prospects.

She was also able to get on base and make a couple of key outs, which is more than her fiancé did. Being the manly fellow he is, he went off to the woods and hid his shame and vowed to do better in the last game of the day. In any event, his shame was no greater than the ballists from Indiana, who once again forgot how to hit or run or just got tired. The one ace the Huntington squad scored in the first inning just would not hold up and in the last two innings the Milwaukee club pulled it out by a 5-1 count.

The last match of the day was a seesaw affair with the Chicago Salmon. The field was a little tilted with the hurler's box being quite a bit lower than home base and the first and second bags being lower yet than the hurler's box.

But it was the same for both clubs. In a display of what makes vintage baseball so good, the two friendly clubs traded jibes, jokes, good wishes and pickles during the match. The local lads finally had a big enough inning in the fifth to build a lead they would not lose and made it stand up for a 10-6 victory. Scribes Wiehe made a spectacular catch at third sack of a hard drive that gave him something to soothe his ego on the long train ride home with Red. The Brothers Redner, Toots and Splinter, were once again very strong in the field and at the bat. All the club members hailed the return of Gary ‘Dodger' Rowe who hit well, ran OK, and had a gimpy throw in right field. Unfortunately for our opponents the wounds Dodger received at Ft. Donelson did not affect his ability to jabber endlessly.

All in all, it was a great day for baseball. The Champion Hill Toppers travel to the Bonneyville Millers next on Sept. 7 and then host the Pioneer Festival on the 28th and 29th of that month.