Out of The Past
May 1950: Sandlot, scholastic baseball, track dominate local scene How many times have you heard someone say “I don’t have a thing to do,” or they will groan, “there’s nothing to do?”
Some people would be happy to have that respite from daily toil, while others will repine merely for the sake of doing so.
But if you had been on the local sports scene during this week away back, and really awayyyyyy back, in 1950, you could never have said there was nothing for you in a sports sense. The real question would have been what you were going to do first.
High school baseball was down to its final regular season days with teams still battling for the lead.
High school track was winding up, and the County Baseball League and the Big 10 were in high gear. So, if anybody felt they had nothing to do, at least in a sports sense, it was their own fault.
The scholastic Section 20 race remained tight, as South Union beat archrival North Union, 9-2, and maintained a one-game lead, while German scored in the last of the eighth to nip Georges, 8-7, and Uniontown stopped Redstone, 8-3. No box score was reported for the North-South game.
Ron Curry homered for UHS, and Bill Hillen and Johnny Smith had two hits, to back up the pitching of Boo Lucosky.
Georges led 6-0 after two, but German pecked away and tied in the sixth, then won in the eighth when Bob Spenik was aboard on a fielder’s choice and Hank Kurnot tripled him home. Kurnot also hit a double and two singles.
Section 22 leader Carmichaels combined 16 hits with 10 errors and three walks to rout Center Twp., 19-3. Bob Cutler and Bill Mandell had three hits each.
St. John’s lost to Scottdale, 5-2. Steve Haky had two singles, Jim Nypaver a triple, and John Shuman a double for St. John.
Waynesburg nipped Mapletown, 5-3. Taylor allowed three hits, two by Ray Wilson. Ab Morris had two for WHS.
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In County League play, George Gamble pitched a 3-hitter and fanned five as Uppermiddletown got its first win, 3-1 over Phillips. Crutchman and R. Herbert had two hits.
Levin’s blanked St. Rita’s, 4-0, as Bob Galasso pitched a two-hitter and struck out 11.
Manzella and Testa (double) had the only hits. Bill Kurtz led Levin’s with a double and two singles.
Joe Timcheck threw the season’s first no-hitter and struck out 16 as Star Junction collared Settimi’s, 19-0. He allowed only five baserunners, two on walks and three errors. Bogdanske, N. Clickovich, Vajack, and Swickey had two hits each.
In the Valley Section, Ray Chuck worked a 3-hitter and Griffin homered as Paulcheck’s edged Coolspring, 4-1.
Bacha had three hits in Collier’s 14-2 rout of Dunbar.
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It was opening day in the Big 10 South Division, and defending champion Nemacolin got away to a winning start, 10-7 over Crucible. Other results: Greensboro 6, Bobtown 1; Fairchance Exchange Club 10, Fairchance 5; Pals Club 8, Robena 5; and Oaks 11, Point Marion 1.
John Polander blanked Nemacolin, 5-0, until the seventh, then the defenders got three, and added seven in the eighth. Randy Gotch and Arleigh Vincinelly had three hits and Taffoni homered. Novotny (slam) and J. Rumancik (1 on) homered for Crucible.
Bob Victor and Steve Polink pitched a 5-hitter for Exchange, and Steve Polink and Paul Polink had two hits.
Don Christy had four hits to pace Greensboro.
Julius (Moose) Solters was in the big crowd as Pals victoriously dedicated their new field. Zombar hit a double and two singles, and E. Mihalic had three for Robena.
In the Big 10 North, Isabella got six in the 11th to down Republic, 10-4, while Smock scored in the last of the 11th to nip Perryopolis, 10-9.
George Gustovich hit a 3-run homer for Isabella in the 11th. Gene Coletti and George Kopacko had three hits.
Smock tied in the ninth on A. Garbutt’s double and Lessick’s single, and won in the 11th as Tony Bertovich singled, moved ahead on a fielder’s choice, and scored on Moriarity’s single.
F. Yezioro, Cortazzi, and Baer (1 on) homered in Keister’s 9-5 win over Clyde.
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In other sports action:
-Connellsville tied for sixth in the Washington Track Invitational, won by Mount Lebanon. Connellsville’s sprint medley relay team of Barcus, Goddard, Franks, and Delligatti won in new meet record time of 3:43.5, breaking the old record of 3:48,6, by Wilkinsburg in 1946.
-The Pirates lost to Brooklyn, 7-5, to stand 9-9, in fourth, three games back of the Dodgers.
-Uniontown lost to Donora in track, 85-42. Raider winners were Paul Jackson (javelin), Ditty Mulligan (PV), Ron Curtis (HJ), and the 880-relay team of Frank Henderson, Bill Carr, Orville Conn, and Bill McCloy.
-Connellsville won the Morning Herald-sponsored Fayette County Grade School Track Meet, with 40 points. German had 30, Luzerne 22, defending champion Uniontown 19, Redstone 18, Georges 10, Brownsville 5, and North Union one. New Salem and Perry also competed. One record was tied, by the Connellsville 300-yard relay team of Dale Riley, Jim Lynn, J.R. Baker, and Don Martray in :36.1, equaling Uniontown’s 1949 mark. Angelo Robertucci and J.D. Shearer (C) led in the dashes.
(To Be Continued)
Jim Kriek is a Herald-Standard sports correspondent.