TodayFirecracker set to go around the robin
Three out-of-town teams challenge trio of local clubs for coveted title.
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Article RatingIt’s said that the only sure things in life are death and taxes.
Now there’s something else to add to that list.
When six teams converge on Carlisle and Mechanicsburg this weekend for the annual Firecracker Tournament, those teams are guaranteed five games due to the new round robin format.
West Shore Twilight members Mechanicsburg, Cumberland and Enola welcome out-of-towners Allegheny Valley from Pittsburgh and New York entries Brooklyn and New Rochelle.
The setup is a change from the usual double-elimination, bracket-style format that has been used the last few years.
“The teams that come in and play the round robin enjoy it,” said Bill Rickenbach, manger of the host and sponsor Mechanicsburg Cardinals. “They know they’ll have five games and if they’re one of the top two, they’ll have six. It looks to us like this is the only way we can go with a tournament anymore is with the round robin.”
Rickenbach cited conflicts with area fields as a main reason for the change of format.
“The field situation is tough,” said Rickenbach, who had issues landing fields at Dickinson College and Messiah College last year. “When we have a round robin we can squeeze the whole series into two fields. You don’t have to (kiss up) to somebody and then have them back out at the last minute.”
Aside from Shirley/Rickenbach Field at Mechanicsburg’s Memorial Park, the other host site is Carlisle Area School District’s George Bowen Field, the home of the Cumberland Dodgers in the summer.
“We’re more than happy to share the field, it’s one of the nicer fields in the area,” Carlisle High varsity coach and Cumberland pitcher Brett Livingston said. “(Rickenbach) asked me back during the high school season if we wanted it for a tournament. Cumberland has been playing on it so why not have our team on it?”
There wasn’t any conflict with Bowen Field as Carlisle’s American Legion team, Post 101, plays at Dickinson Park and the Twilight season takes a break for the tournament.
When Bowen Field hosted tournaments in the past, the Carlisle baseball booster parents worked the concession stand and the money was split down the middle. But with short notice in regard to which fields would be used, the boosters were unavailable.
“It’s tough because a week ago we didn’t know what all the fields were,” Livingston said. “It was Saturday that we found out they’d be playing at our field.”
To prepare for a tournament that can take its toll on a baseball team, the locals were allowed to add players from other teams. Mechanicsburg, in particular, needed a boost.
Shortstop/pitcher Jason Altieri is out for the season with a broken hand and third baseman Mike Hellam was injured during a legion game. Rickenbach was unsure of Hellam’s status.
Stepping in to help Mechanicsburg defend its crown will be Newville players Colby Rickabaugh and Lance Miller.
Additions to the other two area teams weren’t available at press time.
Along with the injuries, the road to another Firecracker title won’t be a smooth one for Rickenbach.
Enola, the Twilight regular-season leader, has split two games with Mechanicsburg this season while the Cardinals swept a pair from Cumberland last weekend. In the Memorial Tournament in late May, Mechanicsburg took two of three from Allegheny Valley.
But Rickenbach knows the teams are different and the stakes are higher in a short tournament.
“With the amount of good teams we’re getting here,” Rickenbach said, “it’s becoming tougher to win these things.”
