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Was It Ever OK for a Girl to Play a Boys Sport?

A photograh of Carrie Moyer, famed baseball pitcher for college and semi-professional teams in Eastern Pennsylvania. In 1906, Carrie pitched for the championship Lykens and Wiconisco Athletic Association team. The story was told in two brief articles that appeared in the Lykens Standard, September 28, 1906, and October 5, 1906:

Will Raise the Pennant Tomorrow

The W. & L. A. A. baseball team, champions of the Williams Valley League, will raise the pennant on their park tomorrow, on which occasion a game will be played with the strong Millersburg team.  Carrie Moyer, the celebrated female pitcher, will play with the home team and no doubt will draw a large crowd.  The usual price of admission will be charged, but the game will start at 5 o’clock instead of 5:30 as heretofore.

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The game of ball at W. & L. A. A. park Saturday afternoon between old W. & L. team and Millersburg was won by the latter by the score of 6-4.  Miss Moyer of Macungie, pitched for Lykens, and proved a drawing card.  The championship pennant of the Williams Valley League, won for the second season by the W. & L. A. A. team, was unfurled to the breeze for the first time on this occasion, and was greeterd with loud cheers.

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This is a small sampling of articles that appeared in 1906 in local and area newspapers regarding the pitching skill of Carrie Moyer:

From the Allentown Morning Call, July 25, 1906:

GIRL PITCHER WINS:  Miss Carrie Moyer Had Fountain Hill Team Puzzled.

With Miss Carrie Moyer, the crack Macungie Girl pitcher in the box, the West Ends, of West Bethlehem, last evening defeated Fountain Hill by the score of 7 to 3.

The Girl made an instant hit with the crowd and contributed greatly toward victory for her team by striking out six men and out of three times at bat making two splendid hits.

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From the Ephrata Review, October 12, 1906 (including photo at the top of this post):

Owing to the inclemency of the weather, last Saturday afternoon, the much advertised game of baseball between the Ephrata baseball club, with Miss Carrie Moyer, of Macungie, the championship girl pitcher as pitcher, and the Millersville baseball club, with Charley Miller as pitcher, was postponed and the game will now be played on Saturday afternoon, October 20.  Miss Moyer and her brother, who fills the position as catcher, were here on Saturday last, and during their stay here made a number of friends.  Quite a number of baseball enthusiasts had gathered expecting to see the game, but were doomed to disappointment.  Had the weather at all been favorable the attendance at the game would have been very large.  The prospects are very bright cor a large attendance when the postponed game will be played on Saturday, 20th inst.  Miss Moyer will play for the Kutztown base ball team, tomorrow, Saturday;  the young lady has been a student of the State Normal School there, and has been the regular pitcher for the team.

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From the Allentown Leader, July 14, 1906:

GIRL A GOOD PITCHER

MISS MOYER OF MACUNGIE GAINS FAME ON DIAMOND

Miss Carrie Moyer, oldest daughter of V. G. Moyer, the Macungie baker, is attaining fame as a baseball pitcher. She has held her own with the best male companions and became particularly proficient in playing ball.  During this and the last season she has been given some training by two other brothers who are good ball players and as a consequence she has become very skilful in throwing and catching a ball, more so than the average boy.

She has a deceptive delivery of curves and other ways of fooling a batsman.

Her speed is remarkable for a girl, and she seems not to mind the exedrtion necessary for a pitcher.

Miss Moyer is a pretty brunette of medium size, 18 years old.  She is a graduate of the Macungie School and took a course in the Kutztown Normal School.  Miss Moyer has pitched in several games which a picked nine played against the Macungie juniors.

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From the Allentown Leader, October 16, 1906:

Miss Carrie Moyer, the phenomenal pitcher of Macungie, twirled for the Keystone State Normal School, in their last game of the season and won by a score of 15 to 11 from Leesport.  Miss Moyer was a former student of the school, and, consequently there was a big attendance.

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From the Allentown Morning Call, August 25, 1906:

DUST FROM THE DIAMOND

Miss Carrie Moyer, the Macungie lassie who won the hearts of every lover of baseball in her game here a few days ago, will pitch in a game between the Athletics, champions of the City League, and Hellertown, on the City Park diamond, Fifteenth and Linden Swtreets, next Monday evening. The game will be called at six o’clock sharp.  Maury’s boys deafeated Hellertown on August 9, and expect to repeat the trick on Monday, with Miss Moyer to pitch for them.

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From the Allentown Morning Call, July 17, 1906:

CRACK GIRL BALL PITCHER

Carrie Moyer, Doing Stunts With Macungie Team Back of Her

Miss Carrie Moyer, oldest daughter of V. G. Moyer, the Macungie baker, is attaining fame as a baseball pitcher.  She has held her own with the best make companions and became particularly proficient in playing ball.  During this and the last season she has been given some training by two older brothers who are good ball players, and as a consequence she has become very skillful in throwing and catching a ball, more so than the average boy.

She has a deceptive delivery of curves and other ways of fooling a batsman.

Her speed is remarkable for a girl, and she seems not to mind the exertion necessary as a pitcher.

Miss Moyer is a pretty brunette, of medium size, 18 years olf. She is a graduate of the Macungie School and took a course in the Kutztown Normal School.

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Carrie Moyer died on February 11, 1979, in Allentown. Her obituary stated the following:

CARRIE V. MOYER

Carrie V. Moyer, 89, of 532 Broad Street, Emmaus, died Sunday in Parkway Rest Home, Inc., Allentown.

Miss Moyer was a fingerprint operator and assistant to the supervisor of the Bureau of Criminal Identification for the State of Massachusetts before retiring in 1851.

Born in Macungie, she was a daughter of the late Victor Moyer and Keturah [Diefenderfer] Moyer.

She was a member of Solomon’s United Church of Christ, Macungie.

Miss Moyer was one of the first woman baseball pitchers in the Lehigh Valley.

Surviving are two sisters, Mrs. Sulah Engleman of Emmaus and Emily Singmaster, wife of Fred Singmaster of Macungie.

Services will be held at 1:30 p. m. Thursday in the Horace W. Schantz Funeral Home, 3rd and Main Streets, Emmaus.  A calling hour will precede the services.

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News articles from Newspapers.com.

Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.

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