ern tour—the Excelsiors met the Brooklyn Atlantics. This fine team had been their old time conquerors; but, flushed with their recently acquired string of victories, the Excelsiors felt that they might take their former rivals into camp. They had been greatly strengthened by the accession to their ranks of James Creighton, the star pitcher of the time, and other recruits from minor clubs. And so it came about that, in this first match game with their old adversary, the Excelsiors found no trouble in winning, the score standing 23 to 4. The crowd in attendance at this game numbered fully 2,000 spectators. The game was played on the new grounds of the Excelsiors. It was the prestige of this victory over the Atlantics, rather than their achievements in contests with less prominent clubs on the trip to Buffalo and return, that gave to the Excelsiors so much of notoriety on their visit to the South.
On the home-coming of the Excelsiors from Baltimore and Philadelphia, arrangements were made for the return match with the Atlantics, on the Atlantic Club Grounds. The game was played on August 10th, 1860. It was believed by most people interested in the contest that the Excelsiors had a "walk-away," and this opinion was strengthened when, at the end of the third innings, the score stood 8 to 0 in favor of that club; but the Atlantics were not yet beaten. In spite of the positive belief of the great throng that the Excelsiors were invincible, the Atlantics played that game with sublime courage and faith. At the end of the sixth innings, while the Excelsiors were still leading, the Atlantics had changed the
