On a beautiful fall afternoon, the Merries closed out their season with a trip to Detroit.

The Merries’ earlier trip to the city had taken them to historic Fort Wayne, but this trip took them to a different historical site: Navin Field, the site of Tiger Stadium. (You may recall the Monitors played at Navin last year.) The stadium has been gone for years, but the field is still maintained by the Navin Field Grounds Crew, an industrious volunteer group that keeps the legendary field playable and open to all.

The site wasn’t the only notable aspect of this match. For the 2014 season, there were three ladies’ vintage base ball clubs in the state of Michigan — Detroit, Chelsea, and Benton Harbor — and because two of the three clubs were started this year, this was the first time they were all together! The clubs introduced themselves to the crowd and got the match started.

(L to R: the Lil Fillies of Benton Harbor, the Detroit River Belles, and the Merries of Chelsea.)

While vintage base ball was happening at Navin Field, the Tigers were playing modern baseball just down the road with a chance to clinch their division with a win. We knew they’d won when we heard fireworks at Comerica Park. When the fireworks went off, the vintage match paused for a moment of celebration.

I use modern cameras, but the match was documented in a vintage fashion, too:

Detroit came away with the victory by a score of 16-12-6.

The Merries wrapped up their first season together with a post-match huddle.

The 2014 season may be over, but don’t worry: both the Merries and the Monitors will be back in action next spring!