Park hosts vintage baseball tournament on Saturday

The Colorado River State Historic Park and the Yuma Aces Vintage Base Ball Club will host a tournament at the park from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 11.

Vintage baseball clubs from throughout Arizona will gather in Yuma for the tournament. Teams that will attend include the Yuma Aces, Higley Haymakers (Phoenix), Mesa Miners, Phoenix Senators, Tucson Saguaros, Bisbee Black Sox and Peoria Smelters.

“We have wanted to bring a vintage baseball game to the park for a long time and were really excited to hear of the newly formed Yuma Aces Club,” said Tammy Snook, park manager. “It has been great to partner with them in bringing this fun event to the Yuma community.”

Vintage baseball is played with period reproduction equipment, uniform styles inspired by early clubs and using rules from a period when the game was still developing into America’s favorite pastime.

The rules and regulations of a vintage game are different from modern baseball. “We use wooden bats, there are no gloves allowed, you can catch the ball on a bounce to get an out and a bystander can catch the ball and get an out,” said Darci Peralta, organizer and captain of the Yuma Aces.

Throughout the season, the Arizona Vintage Base Ball League holds a monthly game, each hosted by a different club in Arizona. The Saturday tournament is the first time that Yuma has hosted teams from throughout the league.

The Yuma Aces is a newly organized team bringing the game to the Yuma community. The team, officially known as a “club” among enthusiasts, is the first of its kind in Yuma and the newest club organized within the Arizona Vintage Base Ball League.

The Colorado River State Historic Park is located at 201 N. 4th Ave. Spectators are encouraged to bring chairs. Regular park entrance fees apply. No pets or outside food and drinks are allowed.

For more information, please contact the Colorado River State Historic Park at 928-329-0471.