There is one more chance for community members to enjoy "base ball" as it was played in 1864 as the Brandywine Base Ball Club plays its final games of the season on Saturday, Sept. 9, at East Goshen Park, 1661 Paoli Pike, West Chester.

The Chester County team will take on the Providence Grays Historic Base Ball Club from Rhode Island and the Diamond State Base Ball Club of Delaware, with games set at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Games are free and open to the public.

"We won't play on the cut baseball diamonds. Our field is the large open expanse of grass at the north end of the park," said Rick Stratton, the team's marketing manager, noting that canvas bags or sacks filled with rubber chips are used for bases.

As part of vintage base ball rules, players do not wear gloves, and only one baseball is used during the entire game. The games have only one umpire, and all pitching is underhand.

The teams follow the rules and customs established in 1864 by dressing in historically similar attire and using period-appropriate equipment, including handmade wooden bats and hand-stitched balls made exclusively for vintage play, The baseballs are slightly bigger and softer than the modern version. Team members do wear cleats, but all modern-day logos are covered with black tape.

The team's most recent outing was on Aug. 26, when it played for the first time at Limerick Community Park against the Mutual Base Ball Club of New York. At the end of each inning, one player announced the score of the game with runs called "tallies." For example, the Brandywine Club scored five tallies in the first inning.

Fans enjoyed learning about the historical aspects of the game from the players, who took time to explain the differences and similarities between 19th-century base ball and modern baseball.

For example, during the game, spectators had to wait after a home run while the players retrieved the ball from over the fence since it was the only ball used. "They used one ball throughout the whole game because they were expensive to come by," explained Brandywine Base Ball pitcher Bryan Kopcik. "Often, they were handmade. The club would tailor them to their needs. So if you had a fast club, it might make the ball more 'dead.' If they had power, they would wind the cord tighter. This way it would get more pop off the bat."

Kopcik added that playing the sport without a glove is something that players get used to. "The first couple of games (your hands) are more tender," he said, noting the baseball does soften up as play goes on. "You can still break a finger if you don't catch it right. We advise (beginners) to catch it like a football instead of grabbing at it in the air."

Even though the teams follow the rules of vintage play, Stratton said, the teams still play to win. "It's all about history, but it's also very competitive," he stated.

For more information about the Brandywine Base Ball Club, visit http://www.brandywinebbc.org or http://www.facebook.com/BrandywineBBC. Prospective players may send a message to the team on Facebook or email brandywinebbc@gmail.com.