Noun
base ball (uncountable)
(obsolete, 1800s) baseball
base-ball (uncountable)
Dated form of baseball. (ball game)
base-ball
It was not long before I was struck with the idea that base ball was just the game for a national sport for Americans. Henry Chadwick
As described by Johann Gutsmuths, "englische Base-ball" involved a contest between two teams, in which "the batter has three attempts to hit the ball while at the home plate." Source: Internet