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MERCANTILE WINS A WILD ONE AGAINST PENN
HOSTS TAKE VICTORY IN TEN INNINGS AS TEAMS COMBINE FOR 29 RUNS & 38 HITS

PHILADELPHIA, PENN. (July 4, 1882) - There were Independence Day fireworks in the P.C.L., fitting given the league represents the city that is home to the Liberty Bell and was one of the key locales of the American Revolution.

Mercantile & Penn gathered to open their series at Market St., and what unfolded was a July 4th classic.

After an inning and a half it looked as though Penn had the win wrapped up, for they responded to Mercantile’s tally in B1 with an eight-run rally in T2 that was capped with a two-run Double by LF John Werra. The visitors then scored twice in T4 to take a 10-1 lead and responded to Mercantile’s second Run with two in T5 and one more in T6 to go ahead by the score of 13-2, a surely insurmountable lead.

That was when the Mercantile comeback began. The hosts put up an eight-run rally in B6, during which there were six run-scoring base hits, to shrink the eleven-run deficit to just three (13-10). Mercantile then scored twice in B7 on an Error and a Single by LF Sam Brown to cut that deficit to just one (13-12).

Penn came to bat in T9 and scored via Sacrifice Fly to take a 14-12 lead. In B9 the first three Mercantile batsmen reached base, and they made it a 14-13 game on a Single by C Thomas Kirkpatrick. The hosts then drew level on an Error by Penn 3B Clyde Thompson, and the game was headed to Extra Innings.

In T10 Penn went down without much of a fight, and with two out in B10 Kirkpatrick hit a Single that sent 1B Samuel Harris around from Second Base for the winning run to complete the largest comeback in P.C.L. history, with Mercantile turning an eleven-run deficit at 13-2 into a 14-15 victory.

The were numerous excellent performances at the Market Street Grounds.

• PENN 2B William Moore: 3/6 (all 1B), 2 R, 2 RBI
• PENN LF John Werra: 5/6 (2 2B), 3 R, 2 RBI, SB, 7 TB – PotG
• MERC C Thomas Kirkpatrick: 3/7 (all 1B), 2 R, 3 RBI – GW HIT
• MERC 1B Samuel Harris: 3/7 (all 1B), 3 R, 1 RBI
• MERC 2B James Hurt: 3/7 (2B), 1 R, 2 RBI, 4 TB
• MERC 3B Jacky Kooren: 4/7 (all 1B), 3 R, 3 RBI

The result moved Mercantile out of last place in West Philadelphia, their record now 22-26 (5.5 GB). Penn fell into a third-place tie with Bartram Village due to the loss, their record now 25-24 (3 GB). Independence remains the surprising West leaders at 28-21, but the eight teams are just six games apart.