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Out of the Past

By Commentary Jim Kriek 8 min read

Fifty-five years ago it was ‘upset’ day in Big 10 Baseball League Believe it or not, there was a time when living was a bit slower, the weather wasn’t as hot, and things in general were a little bit more on the laid back side.

So what happened?

Well, the sun still came up in the morning, it still went down at night, and there were a lot of things to do that kept the county’s wheels turning. In between, people were still going to the movies for there was almost a half-page of movie ads for the area, with such names as Peter Lawford, Esther Williams, William Powell, now almost forgotten names, but whose dialogue you could go home and repeat at the dinner table and not get your mouth washed out.

And there was a lot of baseball being played, with the Big 10 and County Leagues heading into their final weeks, gearing up for the playoffs, and another All-Star game being played. When did all this take place? Let’s go back to this week in July, awayyyy back in 1950.

“Upset” was the big word on this particular day in the Big 10 League, with the banner headline on the Morning Herald sports page reading “Robena, Brownsville, Smock in Upsets.”

But upsets aside, another big item was Paulcheck’s beating Monarch, 9-6, in another Big 10 battle, and while the win clinched first place in the Valley Division, it had an even more significant overtone. This was the 28th consecutive win for Paulcheck’s, now 35-1. They opened with seven wins, lost one, then started a winning run that reached 28 with this clincher. And if any team has ever had a longer run around these parts, this corner can’t recall hearing about it. Readers?

The leaders came from behind with four runs in the seventh to clinch. Stefancin hit a home run and single, Howarth homered, and Stefaniak doubled for the winners. Kantra had two Monarch hits.

So, what else was happening that week?

-Settini’s scored five in the first and beat Oliver, 7-3. M. Smithley led the winners with a double and single, A. Ezza doubled, and Altamonte singled twice. For Oliver, Michels and Solly had two hits, Kalafut a double.

-The North Division got out to a 6-0 lead in the first two innings, and went on to beat the South Division, 11-4, in the Big 10 League’s second All-Star game, and even their series. The South won the previous game. Tom Berlinsky’s bases-loaded double featured the 4-run second inning. For the North, Walt Kiwall (Vestaburg) and Tom Havadich (Perryopolis) hit doubles, and John Clay (Perryopolis) and Lou Gates (Brownsville) tripled. Nemacolin teammates Joe Taffoni (3B) and Steve Korcheck (HR) led the South. Clay also pitched four scoreless innings to get the win. John Strycula (Perryopolis), Taffoni, and Rudy Gotch (Nemacolin) all had two hits.

-In Fayette County League action, John Gmutza pitched a 4-hitter, Franks doubled, and Andy Holloman singled twice, to pace Filbert past Ralph, 4-1. Tony Pasquale had two hits for Ralph. E. Bohna and Roebuck had two hits and Kuklish doubled as West Bend downed Royal, 8-3. Balava and Glista had two Royal hits. Buffington collected 20 hits and routed Allison, 18-4, led by Joe Panek with four this, Bill Levosky and winning pitcher Joe Vilk three each. Panek tripled, Levosky tripled twice, Frampton homered, Nagy and Grote doubled, and Vilk tripled. E. Zimmerlink and Kordich homered for Allison. Gates rallied with two in the seventh and two in the eighth to edge Martin, 6-4. Sam Boots had three Gates hits, and Kozy tripled for Martin.

-The next day, Filbert got its 26th win (26-9) and edged closer to the County League’s Valdike lead, by downing Martin, 6-1. Joe DeCarlo and Steve Gmutza combined on a 6-hitter, two by Kovach. For Filbert, B. Holloman and A. Holloman had a double and single, and Swartz a triple and single.

-Up to the middle of the week, there was one surprise and one “as usual” for the Pirates. The Bucs, with Ralph Kiner now at 28 home runs, were leading the National League in attendance at old Forbes Field, with 860,991 paid admissions. However, guess who was in last place, with a 32-54 record, 17-games behind St. Louis.

-Collier unloaded a double-18 to trounce Dandria’s, 18-4, in the County League. Menarchick had four of those hits, and Morgan and Thomas doubled. Coville (2B) and J. DiLorenzo (3B) led Dandria’s. Jerry Livington drove in all the runs with two singles as Mount Braddock nipped Lemont St. Cecilia’s, 3-1.

-In the Big 10, Joe Crackovich hit two triples and Bill Brown homered to pace Robena over Oaks, 4-3. Stan Dmochowsky pitched a 4-hitter and hit a single and double, as Bobtown collared Pals Club, 8-0. Morgan and Yasenosky added two hits each. Ed Gape, Jim Vaji, and Toody Paul had four hits each as Point Marion stopped Fairchance, 11-4. Perryopolis scored in the last of the ninth to nip Rafey’s, 3-2. Timcheck pitched a 4-hitter. Strycula had two hits, and Don Mains a double to pace the winners. Dan Solisky pitched a 5-hitter and had three hits of his own as Colonial 3 blanked Republic, 11-0. Andy Locke added a double and single.

-John Sabo singled in Chet Walters and Dale Titler in the sixth, for the final 3-1 edge by Brownsville over Isabella. Monath pitched a 7-hitter and was backed by L. Gates and Horwat with two each. Mike Karoly singled Steve Korachek across in the last of the ninth as Nemacolin nipped Exchange, 1-0. Chip Helmick pitched a 3-hitter and battery mate Korscheck backed him with three. Smock scored seven in the first and rolled from there, past Vestaburg, 11-6. WP Jack Garbutt, Lessick, and Turosak had two hits for Smock.

-Pitt announced its football season would start Sept. 30 at Durham, N.C., against Duke. The Panthers would also meet Ohio State, Rice, Northwestern, Miami (Fla.), West Virginia, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Penn State. How’s that for a schedule?

-Frank Wydo, former German Twp. High football standout, signed his contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and would be playing his fourth year in the NFL.

-In the County League, Buffington scored in the ninth to edge Gates, 1-0. Lowther pitched a 6-hitter and hit three singles as Upper Middletown stopped Bute, 6-3. Howell added a triple and single, while McKnight equaled that for Bute. Ronco edged Royal, 5-3, with Bailey hitting a single and double. J. Franko homered for Royal. Winning pitcher Liptock hit four singles, Kazimer a triple and two singles, and Rechichar a triple as Filbert routes Martim, 14-1.

-There were two surprises in the Big 10, as Bobtown downed Oaks, 8-1, and Pals Club ambushed Nemacolin, 6-4. Stan Dmochowsky worked a 3-hitter and fanned 10 for Bobtown. Polosky hit a double, Yelenik three singles, and Antonelli a triple and two singles for Bobtown. George Yasenosky doubled in two runs in the last of the ninth, with two out, to give Pals the edge. Jim Mangan added three hits.

-In other Big 10 games, Menhart doubled and John Romancik singled him over, as Crucible nipped Robena, 2-1. Greensboro had 27 hits, four each by Christy and Valli, in a 22-3 rout of Fairchance. Filbert had 14 hits, four by Martin, to down Martin, 14-1. Singles by Joe Panek and Bill Levosky plated the only run as Buffington edged Gates, 1-0.

-Manager Bill Haywood showed his players how he wanted it done, working a 6-hitter, and having two of his own, as Shoaf stopped Enany’s, 5-1, in Valley Division play. Mike Kondral also had two Shoaf hits.

-In the Big 10, Andy Locke hit a home run and two singles to lead Colonial 3 past Vestaburg, 17-3. Berlinsky homered for the losers. Finfrock homered and Jack Garbutt hit two doubles to pace Smock over Roley’s, 16-7. Durso hit a double and two singles and Point Marion scored twice in the last of the seventh to edge Nemacolin, 7-5.

-In a cross-town County League rivalry, Levin’s of Connellsville blanked St. Rita’s, 9-0, as Bob Galasso pitched a 5-hitter. Wagner (3B, 2B), and J. Kurtz and M. Kurtz (2B) led the offense.

-The week ended with Perryopolis (33-6) comfortably leading the Big 10’s North Section, over Isabella (28-19), while Oaks (28-8) and Nemacolin (29-9) were battling in the South. Palcheck’s, now 36-1, led by eight in the County League’s Valley Division, Filbert (28-9) by six over Buffington in the Valdike Division, and Levin’s (32-4) and Trotter (34-6) were close in the Yough Division. The Pirates? Well they were 33-57, still last, now 21 back of Brooklyn, which had taken over the lead.

Remember?

Jim Kriek is a correspondent for the Herald-Standard

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