Out of the Past
Redstone’s Mullin had hot bat for Detroit Tigers in 1947 Remember that old song “those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end…”
Hoped they would never end might be more like it.
But whatever the hope or thought, “those” really “were the days” away back then, for sure awayyyyy back there for this week in 1947. Unfortunately they came to an end. But just for a while, let’s continue the previous column, recalling this week in May and “those days.”
The weather was great and the Big 10 and County Baseball Leagues were in full swing, while the high schools were heading into their final baseball and track days.
The two top baseball names for that week were Pat Mullin and Stan McLaughlin.
Redstone High grad Mullin was off to a great start with the Detroit Tigers. He was leading the American League in batting with a .425 average, on 17 hits in 40 times up, including a league-high of seven doubles, and he was one of five sharing first place in home runs with four.
McLaughlin is remembered for developing winning football teams at Dunbar Twp., and then at Connellsville Area after the merger. But how many remember him as an “Ironman” baseball pitcher.
This week in ’47, Dunbar Twp. High was leading Section 16, and had just edged Hurst High, 2-1, as Stan worked a 5-hitter. Kontra and Ivan Hominsky led the hitting with a double and single each, and Willie Wright doubled.
Later in the week, DT scored its sixth consecutive section win, 8-3 over Scottdale, with all six pitched by McLaughlin! This one was a 3-hit effort. The Mules clinched in the fifth on a bases-loaded triple by Joe Gratson, the only extra-base hit of the game. Ironically, in time, teammates McLaughlin and Gratson would become strong coaching rivals, Stan at Dunbar Twp. and Joe at Scottdale.
In Big 10 Baseball League action:
Pals Club stopped Keister, 7-4, Rollie Vincinelly leading the offense with a home run and triple.
Angels got three in the last at bat to edge Oaks, 5-4. Pinch hitter Sam Fields singled in two to tie, and Joe Yasenosky singled in the clincher. Bob Seimon pitched the 4-hit win and fanned nine.
Cosmos got one in the seventh on Sholtis’ second single to nip Krett’s, 5-4. Washabaugh had two hits for the losers.
Gates downed Martin, 5-3, on Joe Barnhart’s 3-hitter. Plava, Walt Smodic, and Hatella had two hits.
In County League play, Amend routed Ronco, 17-1, behind a 16-hit drive led by John Verbus, Konetsko, and J. Yasichko with three each. Umble allowed Ronco just one hit, a double by George Fisher.
Collier downed Ralph, 5-3, as Plisko worked the win and battery mate Hovanic had two hits.
In other sports notes:
-Lt. Dick Pitzer, former Connellsville High and West Point football standout, is home on leave before reporting to Japan and assignment with the First Cavalry Division.
-Waynesburg College baseball players include Charles Siesky (P), Connellsville; Mickey Janis (IF) and Bill Catney (P), Uniontown; Fred Kreuter (P) and Frank Costello (IF), Brownsville; and Casmir Zavora (IF), New Salem.
-First half figures for Section 18 show Uniontown the best hitting team (.276), ahead of North Union (.274) and German (.268), and Charley Buchak, Point Marion, is the top pitcher with 43 strikeouts and only three walks, in a 3-2 record.
-South Union beat Masontown, 12-4, as Jim Franks and Bendo combined on a 5-hitter, two of them triples by C. Caramella. Rip Haley hit a 2-run homer for SU.
-Point Marion, coached by Bill Power, will play a 10-game football schedule this year, at home with East Pike Run, Perry Twp., California, Vernon, and Georges, and on the road at Mapletown, Masontown, Waynesburg, Dunbar Twp., and South Union.
-Connellsville finished second in the WPIAL Invitational Track Meet at Washington, with 42 points, behind Mount Lebanon’s 60.5. Dick Stillwagon doubled for the Cokers in the 100 (.10.2) and 220 (:23.9), and anchored the winning 880-relay team (Webb, Betters, Koval). The Cokers also won the 440-relay (Webb, Betters, Koval, Vallucci) in :46, and the mile relay (Herbert, Betters, Vellucci, Pete Matthews) in 3:39.8.
-Returning to dual competition, Connellsville routed Clairton, 83-44, led by double wins from Stillwagon (100, 220, 880 anchor), Matthews (440, long jump, mile relay anchor), and Don Kruper in both hurdles.
-Scottdale scored 60 to win its own triangular over Brownsville (50) and German (31).
J.C. George tripled for Scottdale in the shot, high jump, and discus. Other winners were Cummings (high hurdles), Hollenbaugh (100), Stoner (mile), Slaughter (low hurdles), and Babura (880). Brownsville winners were Morris (long jump), Williams (440), Davidson (880), and the 880 and mile relay teams of Smith, Strollen, Davidson, and Wright. (No first names listed).
-And after about 10 days being weathered out, by rain, wet grounds, etc., Uniontown finally got its Middle Atlantic League season started, scoring four runs in the ninth to edge Niagara Falls, 9-8. Professional baseball was finally under way in Uniontown.
Jim Kriek is a correspondent for the Herald-Standard