“Westminster 9, the Baltimore Orioles 7”

Carroll County Times article for 7 May 1995

By Jay A. Graybeal

One of the great stories from the County’s sports history is the June 1885 baseball game between the Westminster Base Ball Club and the Baltimore Orioles. Former Times editor J. Leland Jordan thought so much of this story that he kept the following newspaper clipping in his scrapbook of favorite local stories:

The Westminster Base Ball Club on Monday last, the 22d, won the most remarkable victory in their history, defeating Barnie’s Baltimore team by a score of 9 to 7. The visitors presented their strongest fielding and batting team, and had everything in favor of their winning, but the Westminster won by coolly outplaying them in the field and by their well-timed hits and magnificent base running. Driscoll pitched a cool, steady game, but the visitors, confident of victory, and in good trim, struck him hard and often, piling up a total of eighteen bases on clean hits, besides many long flies. They were unable to bunch them, however, and more than once their best batters were retired on strikes or little balls when a good hit, or even good base-running, might have won the game. Their errors were ill-timed and costly and the Westminsters took full advantage of them and put in their hits where they would tell. Their great success in this and other games is due largely to their fine plays at critical points, always doing their best work when the bases are full. The fielding and batting of Greer was perhaps the best feature of the game. Bankert in right field, and Zecker, Miller and Erek in the diamond, were also leaders in the fielding and played a perfect game. Greer, Schweitzer and Nicholas led at the bat for the Westminster; Casey, Trott and Foreman for the visitors. Nicholas and Trott both caught fine games, Trott being great on foul flies. The errors of Burns, Gardner and Sommers were most costly. The game was altogether a surprise to all, especially to the “Orioles,” who had come up with the intention of shutting out the country club; but after the capture of Sommers; terrific line ball to Miller in the first inning and the scoring of three runs, they began to grow anxious and played all the ball that they could, bu the home club won on its merits and sent the visitors home with a severe lesson. The score follows:
Westminster
A.B.
R.
B.H.
P.O.
A.
E.
Zecker, s.s 3 1 1 0 4 0
Miller, 2b 4 1 1 2 4 0
Greer, L.F 4 3 2 3 1 0
Schweitzer, 3 b 4 1 2 2 0 0
Nicholas, c 4 2 2 6 2 1
Driscoll, p 4 0 0 1 6 1
Erek, 1b 4 0 0 11 0 0
Bankert, r. f 3 1 0 1 0 0
Anders, c. f 3 0 0 1 0 1
———- —— ———- ——— ——–
Total 33 9 8 27 17 3
Baltimore
A.B.
R.
B.H.
P.O.
A.
E.
Sommers, l.f 5 1 2 1 0 1
Casey, c.f 5 1 2 1 0 0
Burns, 2 b 5 0 1 2 1 2
Stearns, 1 b 5 1 1 3 0 0
Muldoon, 3 b 4 0 0 2 0 0
Trott, c 4 0 3 12 0 0
Gardner, r.f 3 1 1 2 0 1
Foreman, p 4 1 2 0 11 2
Macullar, s.s 4 2 1 1 1 0
———- ——– ———- ——— ——– ———
Total 39 7 13 24 13 6
Score by Innings
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
T1
Baltimore 0 0 1 3 1 2 0 0 0 7
Westminster 3 0 0 0 1 3 2 0 x 9
Total bases on hits – Westminster 11 , Baltimore 18. Earned runs – Westminster 3, Baltimore 4. Two-base hits – Burns, Macullar. Left on bases – Westminster 2, Baltimore 11. Double play – Macullar, Burns and Muldoon. Struck out-on Foreman 8, on Driscoll 6. First base on balls – by Foreman 1, by Driscoll 5. Hit batters – one each. Umpire – Crouse.

The lengthy description clearly shows the importance of local baseball games in the late nineteenth century. The popularity of baseball spread quickly and, by the early twentieth century, there were dozens of teams playing on fields throughout the county. These games between hometown teams were community events which drew large crowds and were a great source of pride for the respective communities.
Photo caption: A late nineteenth century baseball game is depicted on this playing card from a set of Lawson’s Patent Base Ball Playing Cards made by the Lawson Card Co., Boston Massachusetts. The cards originally belonged to former Times editor H. Peyton Gorsuch. Historical Society of Carroll County collection, Gift of Mrs. Arleigh Burke, 1953.