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Out of the Past

7 min read

July 1962: Softball and baseball rule Maybe there was still some explosive power left in the air from the holiday celebration, and then again maybe it was just the power that always featured their lineups.

Whatever, there was still some July 4 fireworks left to be shot by Andy Machusko in particular and the Brownsville, Pals Club, and Filbert teams in general in the County Baseball League, and by Wooddale in the Fay-West League, during this week awayyyyy back there in 1962.

It was a free-swinging time as Machusko had the kind of game that every player dreams about, in leading Brownsville to an 18-7 walloping of Buffington. Or you could also say that it was Machusko 9, Buffington 7.

Machusko hit three home runs, all with two runners on base, plus two singles, and drove in nine runs, or two more than the opposition scored combined. He connected in the third, fifth, and eighth to lead the 18-hit offense.

Winning pitcher Buck Grover added a home run and double, Ewing Bell hit a home run, double, single, and scored five runs, Pickhandle Merkosky had three hits, and Paul Redzanic and Hartman doubled. Buffington also got into the power act with Glen Burns having three hits and Al Apicella a home run.

Pals Club had 18 hits and scored in every inning to drub Masontown, 19-9. Tom Croftcheck and Joe Hatalla had three hits, and Bob Korcheck a double and triple.

Filbert counted 19 hits in a 14-4 win over Smock, three by Bernie Logan, plus Joe Craig, John DeSimon, and Rudy Martina doubles, and Garrett a triple. Petrell had three hits for Smock.

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In the Fay-West League, Wooddale used a 13-hit barrage, 10 for extra bases, to defeat Mill Run, 14-2. Snipe Hartz worked a 2-hitter, over four innings, ceding only a double to Randy Bryner and a single to Ken Osler, then Lou (Elroy) Sibal went the last three and allowed three hits, including Ken Smith’s double. Ray Burkey led the Dalers with a home run and two doubles, Ed Kuhn homered, and Ben Beal, Paul Alexander, and Randy Turley hit doubles.

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In other area sports:

-Ron Nehls pitched his 12th consecutive win of the year, and his 22nd in a row over two seasons, allowing two hits, as Uniontown collared Lemont, 2-0, in Coolspring Softball League play. Mike Soom and Hamborsky had the only Lemont hits. Judd Swaney, Tony Perno, and Ray Swaney had two for the winners. On the other half of the card, Bill Wandell, John Miskar, and Ron Crawford homered, but it wasn’t enough as Post Office lost to East Union, 13-10. Andy Mehall homered for East.

-Fairchance downed Republic Null’s Ford 9-3, in VFW Teener League play. George Sepic fanned 11, and John Lechner and Dan Andria tripled. In other action, John Gawlik worked a 4-hitter and Paul Cooley and Gary Brain tripled as Uniontown Post 47 beat Yoney’s, 10-1.

-Pals Club can show five good reasons for leading the County League at the halfway point of the season. The league’s three top hitters are Pals’ Bob Korcheck, with a .500 average (33-for-66), Fred Mazurek .411 (39-for-95, including seven home runs), and Tom Croftcheck 25-for-63, .397. In all, 20 batters were over .300. And Dick Coles (6-0) and John Radosevich (5-0), of Pals, led the pitchers.

-Charles Cluss, Bob Lewis, and Mrs. J.C. Burwell had a net of 59 to win the Mixed Best Ball of Three golf event at Uniontown Country Club. Tied for second, a stroke back, were Ann White, Gene Vodev, and Ralph Bierbower, with Mrs. Helen Benitos, Bob Eberly, and Bill Swan.

-A wiggly nine-pin that refused to fall was all that stood between Joe Gudac and a perfect game at Fick’s Bowling Lanes, and he had to settle for a 299. Added to a ‘warmup’ 193 and a comeback 236, this gave him a 728 triple for the night. Those watching him included Bob Wright and Cal Richter, of Uniontown; and Charles Gadd and John Bodnovich, of Brownsville and Hromada, of Tower Hill.

-Believe it or not, the Pirates were 50-32, in third place, five back of Los Angeles, after Alvin Oneal McBean collared the Phillies, 5-0, on six hits, and Dick Groat homered.

-Pals Club widened its County League lead to seven games, downing Masontown, 7-1, while Brownsville nipped Republic, 9-6, and Revere surprised Filbert, 6-4. Bill Marovic led Pals with a triple, double, and three singles, Bill Jones tripled, and winning pitcher Ed Herczyk (10 K) doubled.

Paul Redzanic led Brownsville with three hits, and Ewing Bell had two doubles, to help Bruce Dal Canton get the mound decision. Mike Roebuck had three hits and john Kolessar two for Republic. Sam Canistra doubled home two in the fifth to give Filbert its edge. Phil Clayton (R) and Larry Walker (F) homered.

-The Fayette County Coaches Assn. will play its annual football All-Star game Friday, Aug. 17, at Fairchance-Georges Stadium. The West Team will be coached by John Lozar, assisted by Gene Franks Jr. and Chuck Wydo, and the East Team will be coached by Stan McLaughlin, assisted by Ted Nypaver.

-Frank Cherup got 21 points to win the Par-Birdie-Eagle event (3/4 handicap) at Greene County CC. McKee Taylor and Ken Milliken had 50 each to win the 14-best hole play (3/4 handicap), one ahead of Bill Schiffbauer.

-Matt Voithofer pitched a no-hitter as Point Marion collared Republic, 9-0, in County Legion League play. George Sepic drove in three runs with a triple and double.

-In County League play, Smock ambushed Buffington, 7-3, and knocked the Buffers out of second place, while Brownsville took over the spot with a 9-5 win over Filbert.

Smock clinched with four in the seventh on four walks, Joe Locke’s double, and Jack Garbutt’s single. Locke also homered and George Ozanich had two hits. Bob Watson had three hits and Regis Burns two for Buffington.

Brownsville clinched with six in the second, led by Ewing Bell’s first of two triples. Pickhandle Merkosky (2B) had three hits and Trevor Amers two. Rudy Martina and Rudy Holloman had two hits for Filbert.

Joe Skocik pitched a two-hit shutout, fanned 13, and hit a home run and two singles, to lead Revere over Republic, 10-0 Frank Havrilla also homered. Mike Roebuck tripled in the fourth and Joe Pacan singled in the seventh for the only Republic hits.

-The Pirates split with the Phils, losing 8-4, then and winning 6-3, led by Roberto Clemente (HR, 2B, 1B, 3 RBI) to stand 52-34.

-And as the saying goes, all good things come to an end sooner or later, and so it was in the County Baseball League, as Smock handed front-running Pals Club a rare defeat, 4-3 in 12 innings, and dealt John Radosevich his first pitching loss. Radosevich fanned the first two batters in the 12th, then walked Charley Locke, who moved ahead on a passed ball. Bob Myden was intentionally walked to set up a possible third-out force, but George Ozanich crossed up the strategy with a single, to score Locke. Pals (21-3) tied in the last of the ninth, as Tom Croftcheck, walked and moved around on an overthrow and fielders choice.

Brownsville (16-9) scored seven in the second to start a 19-5 rout of Revere, paced by Casper Voithofer’s double, and hits by Paul Redzanic, Andy Machusko, and Pickhandle Merkosky. Voithofer was 4-for-4 and Merkosky had three hits.

Jim Kriek is a Herald-Standard sports correspondent.

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