Frank Piatek of New Castle explains the rules of the game while acting as umpire during the the Civil War-era townball game at Saturday. How baseball was played in the 1860s differs from today. In those days, the umpire did not call balls or strikes, and walks and base stealing were not allowed.

GROVE CITY — Standing 45 feet away from home plate with his legs crossed, the hurler held a ball made mostly of yarn, cork and the layers of the cloth available to soldiers during the Civil War.

The striker stepped toward home plate and indicated with a wooden bat, made from the handle of a pick or an ax, where he wanted the pitch thrown.

Resting his bat on his shoulder, the striker swung at the first favorable pitch and the ball launched from the thick wooden stick.

"You're dead," umpire Frank Piatek cried as the ball was caught just milliseconds before the runner legged it to the base.

The first pitch was wide, but it didn't matter because there is no count, no walks and no strikes.

The next pitch was a favorable one and the striker whipped the bat around, tipping the bottom part of the cloth-covered ball. The ball ricocheted back at the behind, who caught the foul tick on its first skip.

"Two dead," Piatek cried as the cranks roared, applauding the defensive efforts of the club nine.

This is a picture of America's national pastime, known as "townball," when it first gained its popularity around the time of the Civil War.

Volunteers from the 10th Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteers Co., a branch of the Western Pennsylvania Civil War Re-enactor's Society, attempted to paint that picture in a game against the Grove City citizens during a Civil War encampment, held Saturday at Memorial Park.

"You are about to witness a game beyond your expectations," Piatek told the crowd. "Before the advent of free agency, cork bats and steroids, this is what the game was all about."

Big hitter Chris Evans took three large confident strides toward the plate, indicating with his bat where he wanted the pitch thrown.

The hurler, Todd Frampton, threw a dewdrop. As the ball arched in the air and found the middle of Evans' bat, Brian Levic, playing shortstop, moved in the direction of the ball from the middle of his position, which he took up in the outfield before play began.

Losing the ball in the sun, Levic watched helplessly as it ricocheted off the ground and into a swamp behind him. With the hand's muff, Evans rounded third base and headed home for the first ace of the match. The cranks erupted with boos and jeers.

Their disappointment didn't last long, however, as the next two strikers whiffed on all three well-thrown balls, ending the first half inning with a tally of 1-0, the home club nine leading.

The game continued for nine innings with the soldiers coming out on top, 9-8.Members of the 10th Pennsylvania Reserve, whose main goal is to educate the public about the Civil War, set out to include Civil War baseball in their encampments two years ago."We travel everywhere —from Greenville to Harrisville to Grove City to Mercer," said David Robinson, captain of the volunteer troupe."These guys — it will be like 98 degrees outside and I'll be dead from battles all day long — and these guys will get a game going just like the soldiers from the Civil War did. … Kids play baseball all summer, but they don't really know what it's all about or how it got started."They don't know that the team we know as the New York Yankees spurred out of the Civil War. It did so much to shape our country and some people don't even know about it."Robinson, a self-proclaimed Civil War enthusiast, explained there are many differences between the townball played by soldiers during the war era and the sport of baseball most know today."When the rules were initially written it was very hard to strike out. In original baseball you hit a foul and it's not a strike against you — the count just starts over again. There's also the once-bounce rule, making it more friendly for people to play."In Civil War times, balls caught after one bounce resulted in an out."It was America's favorite game during the Civil War because everyone could play it and it helped soldiers get through the rough times by relieving them from their boredom," Robinson said.Evans, one of the company's founding members, is one of those men passionate enough about the country's history to start up a game in the 100-degree summer heat."The Civil War wasn't just all about fighting and the public needs to know that," Evans said. "Because camp life was so tedious, especially for a Civil War soldier, they would do anything to get away from camp."Yes, it was about the war, but it was also about the camaraderie involved with playing with other guys. Adding this to our encampments was just one more element to increase the awareness about life during Civil War times."But in the end, baseball wound up meaning more to the country than just a way for soldiers to relieve the tedious hours spent at camp."The Civil War is what really helped transfer baseball around the nation," Robinson said."At the end of that war is when the game really took off in this country. Baseball in itself is actually an American sport. It was developed in America from different games that guys would have known. Most of it was more in line with the context of the time, with influences like poker, gambling and golf. That's why you see all of the different words like 'ace,' 'match,' and 'tally.'"As children at Memorial Park Saturday played baseball by the rules developed over a century ago, youngsters elsewhere in the country took their first crack at America's national pastime as it is known today.But that's the thing about baseball. Regardless of which rules you play by, one thing remains constant — the crack of the bat, the cheers from the crowd and the unity of a nation.

Here are some terms used in "townball," or baseball played during Civil War times:• Aces — runs• Behind — catcher• Club nine — team• Cranks — fans• Dead — out• Dewdrop — slow pitch• Foul tick — foul ball• Hurler — pitcher• Leg it — run to base• Match — game• Muff — error• Striker — batter• Tally — score• Thrower — pitcher• Wide — ball (poorly thrown pitch)• Hands — players, fielders<b>TOWNBALL RULES</b>• The striker is obligated to hit well-thrown balls. Usually the umpire does not call balls and strikes, and no player "walks," but the umpire will declare the striker dead if he believes the striker is consistently failing to swing at well-thrown balls.• Batted balls are determined to be fair or foul by the umpire according to where they first hit the ground.• If the last of three balls struck at is missed by the striker and not caught by the behind either flying or on the first bounce, it is a fair ball and the striker must run for first base.• Strikers may not bunt.• Runners may not slide into, steal or lead off bases.• Runners may not go beyond 3 feet from a straight line between the bases.• The shortstop and the behind may play anywhere on the field.• The loss of a ball in play in vegetation, over a fence, onto a building or because of other obstacles does not retard play.• The four bases are the corners of a square 30 yards apart and must be made in a manner so that they are visible to the umpire.

Debbie Frampton, left, and daughter Brittney, both of Harrisville re-enact the roles of two Civil War era town ladies during a citizens versus soldiers re-enactment baseball, or "townball" game from the Civil War era at Grove City Memorial Park on Saturday.

Terry Greene of Blairsville pitches for the townsfolk during a Civil War-era citizens versus soldiers re-enactment baseball, or "townball," game at Grove City Memorial Park on Saturday. The game in those days was a way for soldiers to get through the rough times by relieving their boredom.