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American Defenders to Pittsfield; Lewis, Duquette to remain on ownership team

The remaining owners of the American Defenders of New Hampshire have applied to move the franchise to Pittsfield's Wahconah Park for 2010.

The remaining owners of the American Defenders of New Hampshire (independent; Can-Am Association) have applied to move the franchise to Pittsfield's Wahconah Park for 2010.

The franchise shut down operations before the end of the 2009 season. It was the latest franchise to fail to make it in Nashua's Holman Stadium.

Buddy Lewis is the chairman of the team and the man making the transfer applications to the league's directors. Dan Duquette, who also was a minority owner of the American Defenders, will remain as part of the ownership. Duquette currently holds lease to the ballpark for his New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) team, the Pittsfield American Defenders, and he will find a new home for that team.

The team will play at historic Wahconah Park, the former Eastern League and NY-Penn League ballpark that most recently served as the home of summer-collegiate teams owned by Duquette. (Interestingly, a Pittsfield team based at Wahconah played in the original Can-Am Association in 1941-1942 and 1946-1951.) The ballpark first opened in 1919 but has been upgraded several times since. A name-the-team contest will be held in the near future.

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