Out of The Past
1956: Continental ruled the Laurel Highlands Baseball League There was a time when as summer reached this stage of the solstice that sports fans had their choice of two pleasures – baseball or scholastic football.
Like this week, way back in 1956.
For the most part, baseball leagues had closed their schedules, but there were still playoff championships to be settled, and even those games were nearing their windup. Meanwhile, scholastic football was edging into the picture. Practices were being held daily, in preparation for the opening nights there were just ahead.
Football got off to a later start in those days, for then the interest was more on renewing old rivalries and having a good Friday night or Saturday afternoon at the stadium. But today the emphasis is on playoffs, so teams have to get an early start to the season, now even before Labor Day.
At this time back there in ’56, Continental clinched the Laurel Highlands Baseball League playoff championship, while the Fayette County Baseball League was in the semifinal round of playoffs, with Mill Run battling Trotter, and Uniontown going against Buffington.
Continental beat Lemont, 8-4, to win their championship, and clinch a sweep of league honors for the year – the regular season title, and playoff honors, taking the latter in a three-game sweep of their best-of-five set.
But for one inning, things looked a little dark for Continental. They went up 2-0 in the top of the first, but Lemont came right back with four as Jim Susano hit a three-run homer and Steve Bartock a solo shot. Don Oros came on in relief, stopped the threat, and pitched two-hit shutout ball the rest of the way to get the win. Jerry Spak led Continental with three doubles and a single, Jim Reckard had three hits, and Joe Spak and Bob Miller two.
Continental’s champions were Manager Joe Karpus, Steve Barto, Ken Lindsey, Bob Gaster, Denny Oros, Jim Reckard, Bernie Clemmer, Bernard Delarenze, Ray Pergalske, Frank Korona, Bob Cipoletti, Mike Gaza, Bob Calloway, Jerry Spak, Joe Cooley, Bob Miller, Andy Liptak, Bernie Gay, Bob Anthony, Fred Lebder, Dave Wrona, Joe Spak, John Myers, Tom Plevins and Larry Colan.
Trotter held a 2-1 edge in their series as the week started, but Mill Run came battling back and tied the set with a 2-1 win as Jerry Meadows pitched a two-hitter, ceding only a single to John Sibal and a double to Ed Kuhn. They were tied 1-1 going into the seventh, then Don Shearer singled, Billy Witt bunted him ahead, and George Virgin doubled him home with the winning run. Shearer also scored the first run, with a triple in the second inning, and Jeff Porterfield singled.
Uniontown tied their set with Buffington, winning 7-0, on Jim Makiel’s three-hitter. They took a 4-0 lead in the first and were on the way to the win, as Ted Barnett was nicked by a pitch, Paul Macioli, Jim Kahle, and George Visnich all singled, and Makiel doubled.
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Elsewhere that week:
-You might find this hard to believe, but the Pirates were 76-54 and tied with San Francisco – for first place!! They held a one-game lead over Los Angeles.
-On a more familiar note, the Steelers were 1-3 in exhibition play after a 17-6 loss to Green Bay. Their only scores were two field goals by Mike Clark.
-Mark Wasko, 17, who would be a senior at Brownsville High, won the 1966 Springdale Golf Club championship with a 74-73-147 card. He beat his dad and teacher, Matt Wasko, and Uniontown’s George Linko by four strokes.
– Mill Run advanced to the County League playoff finals with a 3-2 win over Trotter, as Denny Taylor pitched a three-hitter (eight strikeouts) to out duel Bill Little, who allowed five hits. Mill Run clinched in the last of the fifth, when Bill Witt walked, went to third on Charlie Orndorff’s single, and scored on Don Shearer’s fly ball to right.
-Don Franks made his debut as Albert Gallatin football coach, succeeding his brother, Gene Franks Jr., who had moved up to an administrative position. There were eight lettermen back from the previous year’s 9-0 team, Jerry Valencik and Mike Bosnic (E), Bob Lawrence (T), Ed Grenda and Mark Steinman (G), Dan Girard (C), John Bell and Barry Anthony (RB).
-Buffington beat Uniontown, 10-1, and tied their County League playoff set at 2-2. Jack Garbutt drove in two runs and Pickhandle Merkosky one to give the Buffers a 3-0 lead in the first, and that would be enough to back up Bruce Dal Canton’s two-hit pitching. The only hits were Kahl’s single, and Conte’s triple, which led to the only run. Bill Homanics had a triple and single, and Garbutt and Kochis two hits to pace the winners.
-Buffington then blanked Uniontown, 4-0, as Fred Markovich fashioned a six-hitter and fanned nine, giving him a 9-0 mound record. The Buffers got all the edge they needed in the first when Homanics singled to lead off, stole second, and scored as Denny Frews singled. In the second, Pickhandle hit the first of his two doubles (plus a triple) and Dal Canton tripled him home.
-VFW took a 2-1 lead over Lemont in their Coolspring League playoff set. Joe Galderisi homered for Lemont. Coolspring clinched with three in the sixth on Jim Savage, Owen Silbaugh, and Rich Ashton singles, and an error.
-Roberto Clemente got his 200th career hit, a three-run homer, as the Pirates beat the Cubs, 7-3, and took over sole possession of first place. (No kiddin’!!).
-VFW wrapped up the Coolspring League championship with a 5-2 win over Lemont, on Ashton’s 6-hitter. The Vets broke a 2-2 tie with three in the seventh on hits by Charley Santore, Ashton, and Silbaugh, coupled with two errors.
-Remember??
(And on a more personal note, this week marks the 55th anniversary of what some people will tell you was the biggest mistake Joan Larrabee of Vandergrift ever made in her life. She stood beside me and said, “I do.”)
Jim Kriek is a Herald-Standard sports correspondent.