Apr 11, 2006 By Jim Kriek For The 4 min read

One of baseball’s greatest figures, Connie Mack, once observed, “Pitching is 90 percent of the game.” A couple of young pitchers come to mind for a quick “Amen” to that opinion.

Continuing to recall the past week, wayyy back there in 1976, Tom Sankovich had Connellsville on another run through the scholastic baseball ranks, at this point owning a 10-4 record.

Two reasons for the Falcon success were named Rick Broadwater and Mark Ward who in this week back then were writing a bit of Falcon baseball history.

After a four-day layoff because of rain, Connellsville finally got back into action, and Ward celebrated with a “first” – his first scholastic pitching no-hitter and the first time one Falcon pitcher had thrown double-zeroes at an opponent.

Two years previous, Steve Kooser, Mark Hartz, and Larry Green had combined to no-hit Uniontown, the first zero of any sort by the Falcon staff. Then, one year previous, Green threw the first individual no-hitter at Greensburg Salem, but gave up a run and missed double-zeros.

But this time, Ward got the double, in a 12-0 collaring of Albert Gallatin at Masontown. Colonial leadoff batter Tom McArdle walked to open the home first, stole second, and went to third on an error, where he stayed as Ward retired 19 consecutive batters. The string ended when Jim Schuessler was safe on an error with one out in the seventh.

Dave McLuckey led CAHS at bat with a double and two singles, and Broadwater and George Eutsey had two singles.

Then the Falcons got their 10th win, by outlasting Brownsville, 1-0, in an 8-inning classic at the Redstone field, as Broadwater outdueled Rod Stout. The two traded zeroes for seven innings; Stout owned a no-hitter until Broadwater and Ward singled in the sixth. The Falcons won in the eighth when Broadwater walked, Mike Tremba singled and Jack Moffett and Eutsey walked.

Broadwater fanned 13 and didn’t walk a batter, extending his walkless skein to 24 1/3innings. Through four games he had walked only one batter, and that was intentional against McKeesport.

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In other sports that week:

-Jim Shubert was elected president of the Connellsville KofC Golf League. Also named were Ivan Hominsky, vice-president; Vic Litman, secretary and John Fiesta, treasurer.

-Vince Nesser and Kevin Murtha (St. John’s) were named to the PIAA-A All-Tournament first team.

-Lee Frankhouser (Laurel Highlands), who lettered three years in football and two in basketball, has accepted a scholarship to Bucknell.

-Westminster College is ready to open its baseball season, with the pitching staff including left-hander Tim Trafecanty (South Connellsville).

-Uniontown reversed a previous loss in the Donora Undergrad Basketball Tournament by beating Mount Lebanon, 72-57, to move ahead in the losers bracket. Kevin Mildren led with 22, Mike Pratt had 20 and Bryant Thomas 11. But the run ended when California ambushed UHS, 63-62, the edge coming on a basket right at the buzzer by Si Green, to end a 30-point night. Green, who would later be named Tournament MVP, then led California past Braddock in the championship game, but no notes were available on the final. Pratt, who won the Sportsmanship Award, led with 24, Epps had 14 and Mildren 16. UHS won the consolation, 59-49 over Thomas Jefferson, led by Pratt with 17, Votilla 15, Mark Oleynik 12, and Epps 10.

-Uniontown edged Southmoreland, 1-0, scoring in the last of the seventh. Dave Madison singled and came around on two errors and a walk to Greg Kennedy, who also had a double. WP Scott Kennedy fanned eight.

-Laurel Highlands scored three in the sixth, on Scott Anderson and Don Means singles, to trip Mapletown, 4-2.

-Fairchance-Georges scored a comeback win over Frazier, 5-4. Brian Janesko’s bases-loaded double tied in the sixth. In the seventh, Rick Lemro singled and stole second, Bill Morgan walked, both moved ahead as Dave Menarchik grounded out, Mark Trump was walked intentionally to set up a force and Mark Sutton crossed up the strategy with an RBI fly ball.

-Kevin Keto (Southmoreland) has been moved to defensive tackle during University of Virginia’s spring football drills.

-Uniontown B’nai B’rith is holding its annual sports program, with the featured speaker being Rev. Jimmy Joe Robinson, of Pittsburgh, former Connellsville High and Pitt standout athlete.

Jim Kriek is a Herald-Standard correspondent.