Defense ultimately prevailed on a mild, overcast Saturday afternoon as the Norwood Highlanders barely eked out a win against their good friends, the Dayton Clodbusters by a final of 10-9.

Trailing 10-9 in the bottom of the 9th inning, Dayton loaded the bases with no outs. One Clodbuster grounded to hurler Honeymoon who flipped to behind Woody to force the lead runner. The next striker popped to short left field where outfielder Scooter made the catch and flipped to third baseman Mustard to get the force out on a straying Clodbuster baserunner, ending the match.

Dayton jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before the Highlanders put up 8 aces in the third inning. The Clodbusters chipped away at that lead inning by inning while Norwood was only able to put one more tally on the board for the remainder of the game.

Hat tips go to Highlanders ballists Shack, who went 4 for 5 with four singles, and Honeymoon, who went 3 for 5 with three doubles. Also, special thanks go out to fill-ins Birdlegs from the Cincinnati Buckeyes, and “No Nickname Yet” Ryan, who may be joining the squad in the weeks to come.

The Highlanders would like to thank the Dayton Clodbusters for being such great hosts and fine gentlemen. It’s always a pleasure coming to beautiful Carillon Park and we look forward to future matches against this fine group of men.

A perfect, yet slightly warm, Sunday afternoon saw your Norwood Highlanders on the field in a bout with Cincinnati’s Red Stockings. The home team Red Stockings would bat first having lost the coin flip. Honeymoon Baum shut them down in short order, as he would for the next few frames. On the reverse, the Highlanders willows struck often and mightily, plating many aces over the early innings and jumping out to a hefty lead. The Highlanders were stifled in the mid innings due to fine hurling by Cincinnati’s Big Dog Brooks and great plays made by the Cincinnati fielders. Norwood’s defense was strong, with great play by Rabit Mattingly and Mule Mullen. Cincinnati fought back in the late innings, with timely hitting and fine ginger on the bases, closing the gap substantially. In the bottom of the eighth inning, however, the Norwood boys strung several hits together to ultimately put the match out of reach for their worthy adversaries. As always, a fine display of gentlemanly good nature and sportsmanship abounded between the two squads. It’s always a great time playing the Red Stockings. Good guys all. They were formidable opponents. This round, however, belongs to the Highlanders by a final tally of 26 aces to 11.

In our second year, the Highlanders made their mark on the Cincinnati vintage base ball scene in a big way. We started on the road and took a 4-3 record into our June & July homestand. The homestand was miserable, winning only three of eight at Dorl Field. We caught fire after that, winning the next nine, and 11 of the last 12 for a final record of 18 wins against 9 losses.

We had lost a couple of key ballists in the 2010 off season, but the new replacements came through strong and greatly improved the already tough line-up. It seemed that no matter what combination of guys we had out there, it did the trick. Our record is the proof.

A great season is in the books and now we look forward to a big 2012. We hope to see even more cranks next year! Thanks for your support in 2011. See you in May of 2012!