A Team of Destiny: 2009 Battle at Gettysburg

Some historians suggest that history repeats itself, but Mark Twain offered the argument that history rhymes. While watching the April 10^th game where the Gettysburg Bullets hosted Your Fighting Diplomats, I was astounded by the uncanny resemblance to the Confederate army and its fate with that of the Gettysburg team. Additionally, the Northern Army and the Fighting Diplomats have an eerie similarity as well

The Beginning

July 1, 1863: Elements of the two armies collide on Oak Hill Ridge during the early morning hours. The fighting escalates during the day as more Union and Confederate troops reach the field. By 4pm the defeating Union troops are defeated and retreat through Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College) and directly over what is now the baseball field and into town where many are captured. The remnants of the Union army rally however at Culp’s Hill and at higher ground at Cemetery Hill with General Hancock in command. General Lee would later regret not pursuing the Union Troops once he had them on the run. Some historians regard to failure to attack the Union at Cemetery Hill to be the Confederates greatest missed opportunity.

April 10, 2009. With the game being played in the shadows of Oak Hill Ridge where Diplomat fans standing along the first base line can see directly the monuments commemorating the battle, the Fighting Diplomats strike first with a run in the first but the Bullets strike back immediately. Taking the mound for the Fighting Diplomats was Mike Duranti, a switch from a different expected starter that observers would compare to President Lincoln changing command of the Union Army from Major General Hooker to Major General Meade. Duranti ran into problems almost immediately giving up 4 hits to the first five batters and the aptly named Bullets of Gettysburg took a 2-1 lead. In the second inning, 4 more hits and an error padded the Bullets lead to 5-1. The Fighting Diplomats showed some life when freshman catcher Blue Wells ripped a line drive over the left field fence toward Oak Ridge Hill to cut the Bullet lead to 5-2. In the bottom half of the third the Bullets continued their assault with two more hits and an error and expanded the lead to 6-2. However the Bullets left three men on in their half of the third -a failure that Gettysburg coach John Campo would later regret. Bullet observers would later regard the failure to break the game open in the third would be the Bullets greatest missed opportunity.

The Middle

July 2, 1863 The main strength of both armies has arrived by the morning hours. General Lee lodges an attack against Meade’s left and right in an attempt to displace Meade’s army from its strong position. Longstreet’s assault against the Union left makes good progress but is eventually checked by Federal reinforcements. On the Union right, Ewell’s confederate troops are able to seize part of Culp’s hill but elsewhere are repulsed. It was on this day that the 20th Maine volunteer infantry exhibited extraordinary courage in battle. Under heavy attack for hours by the Confederate 15th of Alabama regiment led by General Hood on a ridge called Little Round Top, the Maine regiment ran out of ammunition. Led by Joshua Chamberlain, they ran downhill charging the confederates with fixed bayonets … routing the Confederates.

April 10, 2009 Mike Duranti returns to form and starts to mow down the Bullets while the Diplomats threaten and manage to score two runs narrowing the Bullets lead to 6-4 entering the 7^thinning. Coach Taylor calls in reinforcements and Brendan McCreary comes in for Duranti and shuts down the Bullets in two innings with his fastball and curve. (See Brendan get a called strike 3 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFlZm8f0J7M )

The Ending

July 3, 1863 While Ewell renews his efforts to seize Culp’s hill. Lee turns his main attention to the union center. Preceded by a two hour artillery bombardment approximately 12,000 Confederate infantry attempt to break the Federal lines at Cemetery Ridge. Despite extraordinary courage, the attack later called Pickett’s charge is repulsed with heavy losses. East of Gettysburg, Lee’s cavalry is also checked in a large cavalry battle. Crippled by heavy casualties, Lee can no longer continue the battle and begins to withdraw to Virginia. Below is an artist version of Pickett’s charge.

April 10^th 2009 At the end of the 8^th inning, coming off the field Coach Taylor calls his team together to address his troops at Gettysburg:

“Four innings and 5 runs ago, our players brought forth upon this field a new determination, conceived in defense and dedicated to the proposition of scoring runs to make the game equal.

Now were engaged in a great tight game, testing whether our team or any conference team can thrive”.

The Fighting Diplomats understood this “address” to be motivational as well as a bit of a stretch on of the Civil War metaphor your faithful correspondent has been portraying. And we head to the 9th down 2 runs:

We quickly give up two outs and have Matt Will on second with Shea at the plate. Not wanting to give Shea a fastball they toss a slow curve at his back and the ball nestles snugly between his shoulder blade putting the tying run on first and Jason Anderson striding to the plate for his date with destiny. Jason responds like Joshua Chamberlain down to his last bayonet. Jason drives a shot to right center that scores Matt Will and brings Shea in scoring position. The Bullets make a pitching change just like General Lee shifting his resources on his final day. A new pitcher, Mike Sweeney comes in to face junior Nick Rolnick. Coach Taylor insets speedy Drew Atkins to run for Jason. Nick responds with a base hit on the first pitch scoring Shea and we are tied!!!. The tide has turned. Much like the North who needed three days to assert themselves the Fighting Diplomats have come alive at just the right time. Bill Murray now faces Sweeney with a chance to put the Diplomats ahead. Bill, too, takes a page from the 20^th Maine regiment and drives a base hit scoring Drew Atkins and we have the lead ! —all this with 2 outs. Sweeney gets the third out and Gettysburg comes in for their last at bat trailing now for the first time in the game. As you read above, the Confederates lined up 12,000 soldiers who demonstrated the most extraordinary courage in an effort to change the course of their fate and so it would be with the Gettysburg Bullets. They can only be respected as a team that will fight to the end. They get a misplayed fly ball and a short throw on an infield grounder to put runners on first and third for the Bullets with two outs. As Bullet outfielder Drew Roy strode to the plate onlookers began to ponder the courage of Confederate Brig. Gen. Lewis A Armistead. His brigade made the deepest penetration of the Northern defense during Pickett’s charge and achieved the " High Water mark of the Conferacy", arguably representing the closest the South ever came to its goal of achieving independence from the Union via military victory. And Drew Roy’s at bat would mark the closest the Bullets would be for victory over the Fighting Diplomats. Drew responded with a base hit and tied the score and added a nod to acknowledgement for General Armistead as he rounded first tying the game. McCreary would get the next out and we go to the 10^thinning.

The Diplomats got a runner to third on the basis of Blue Well’s sharp single to center but failed to score. Coach Taylor made another substation bring in closer Chris Miller to handle the Bullets. Miller took the mound with the game on the line and was told by Coach Taylor to “trust your stuff” as “you have what it takes to get these guys out”.

Chris throws with an unorthodox angle and is tough to hit against and took the Bullets 1-2-3 bringing us to the 11^{th inning ...} Shea leading off.

^{The baseball gods have been watching intently and observed the first pitch hit Shea. The baseball gods hate walking a leadoff hitter about as much as anything and rank hitting the guy right behind that in their hierarchy of sins. Observers of the baseball gods as much as expected them to usher Shea around to score. Drew Atkins was next and dropped a beautiful sacrifice down putting Shea in scoring position with one our. A ground out to third brought up Bill Murray with his second chance at knocking in the go ahead run. And succeed he does as Bill drives a single to center scoring Shea and we lead 8-7 after 10 and half innings.}

Chris Miller takes the ball the 11^th and shuts down the Bullets and the Fighting Diplomats go home a winner as the Bullets trudge off the field.

Epilogue

July 4, 1863 The two armies observed one another on July 4^th but the fighting has essentially stopped and Lee and his troops walked back to Virginia. The chances for the Confederacy were basically deemed all but over and Vicksburg fell the same day. Confederate bonds dropped precipitously in price when word of the loss reached Europe. Many soldiers must have wondered about their fates as they trudged home. Why would the randomness of battle select some soldiers but not others? Surviving soldiers must have speculated about their destiny to survive such battles perhaps inferring they survived to serve some greater purpose.

April 11^th, 2009 After winning two games coming from behind, the Fighting Diplomats were eager to play against Johns Hopkins. But rain forced a postponement as players began to wonder if this 2009 team were indeed a special team of destiny. Many players are finding ways to contribute and everyone is playing with confidence. The team is seeing the result of their year long efforts manifest itself on the field with clutch hits and great defensive plays. And when the team finds ways to win, even when the circumstances are grim they are indeed on the magical mystery tour and headed to a brighter destiny.