BY CALLY ANDERSON
PHOTOS BY JESSALYN KIRCHHOFF
“This town has a lot of history of baseball,” Mark Eberle said.
Eberle, a historian and FHSU professor of biology, spoke of this history on Wednesday evening at Larks Park where the 2nd Annual Vintage Baseball Game took place. The evening was dedicated to the history of vintage baseball and free to the public as The Old Fort Hays Post Nine Team took on the Hays Larks Alumni.
As both teams took to the field, the Vintage game replicated the original baseball rules set back in the 1860s and went nine innings.
Four key rules played a significant impact on the game. No gloves were used by any player. Due to the no glove rule, a one-bounce rule was also in place – meaning if a ball was caught off the first bounce by the opposing team, the batter was still considered out. Pitchers were also only allowed to throw underhand and wherever the ball first hit the ground determined if it was fair or not.
As the game began, the first inning was a telling sign of a close game as the inning ended 2-1 in favor of the Larks Alumni. At the end of the 5th inning, the two teams were tied 10-10. Overall, the game was finished in nine innings but three more were played for fun by both teams.
In Hays baseball history, the Old Fort Hays Post Nine Team was the first and original team in the area. A member of the night’s Post Nine team, Lance Geyer, is proud to participate in an event like this and represent a part of history.
“It (the vintage game) really gets the community out here and shows Hays’ strong baseball tradition,” Geyer said.
While the Post Nine team is no longer around, baseball is still present with the Hays Larks who compete throughout the summer.
“The Larks have been here since 1946, there are lots of historical aspects across the country, even here,” Eberle said.
The Hays Larks are in their 76th season and next play at home at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday vs the Dodge City A’s at Larks Park.