By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Clad in cabbie hats and vintage uniforms, The Emporia Nine spanked the Harvey Boys 28-8 Sunday — at times with one hand behind their backs.

Emporia swiftly took the lead in the Labor Day weekend event at Florence’s Rosiere Field, and home runs for Emporia Nine kept stacking up.

Harvey Boys kept a goose-egg score for most of the nine-inning game.

An announcer called out players with each turn at bat, giving fans slightly snarky insight on the Florence team.

The Harvey Boys might have to change their name to “Harvey Boys and Girls.” This year’s team had both men and women.

When Karlee “Too Slow” Fetrow stepped to home plate, the announcer told the crowd: “Karlee got called up this year. She’s been playing in the minors. The Harvey Boys will take what they can get.”

He called Tate “Tater Tot” Morgan “the son of Tater Salad,” and said he “got called up a couple years ago.”

Joe “Bionic” Box did most of the hurling for the Harvey Boys.

After a handful of innings, the announcer started calling for the Emporia Nine team to put one hand behind their backs.

They did, but it didn’t help the Harvey Boys much. The Nine handily won the game.

One Emporia batter was told not only to put a hand behind his back, but also to stand facing the announcer, who would tell him when to swing.

When that didn’t work out, the announcer relented and told him to face the pitcher again.

One Emporia Nine player took a break before his turn to swing.

“Ice water, you are on deck,” the announcer called. “Quit playing with your friends. You’re on deck.”

One of the audience members told nearby fans that she heard that a lot in whiffleball games.

After Nine swinger Peaky Hamlin slammed a ball deep into centerfield, the announcer called out, “Is that Peaky Hamlin? Peaky, one hand on the bat.”

During team switches for innings, the announcer brought fans up to speed on Monday events, such as a daylong “rock, paper, scissors” game, a car show, a market, a parade, a flag raising, children’s activities, and a horseshoe tournament.