St. Raphael 2, Westerly 1 - June 18, 1951
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St. Raphael Nine Whips Westerly In 12 Innings, 2 to 1
St. Raphael Nine Takes Deciding Game Of Series From Westerly To Enter Finals
Box Score
St. Raphael Nine Whips Westerly In 12 Innings, 2 to 11
Lovett's Single Scores Agostini With Clincher
By DICK REYNOLDS
Saints Meet La Salle Today at 2:00 at Aldrich Field in Final Series
St. Raphael fought to the final round of the schoolboy state baseball playoffs yesterday at Aldrich Field by topping Westerly, 2-1, on George Lovett's line single, which score George Agostini from third, in the 12th inning.
In breaking up a pitching duel between Paul Fiore, of St. Raphael, and Dave Stenhouse, the Saints husky first sacker crashed a fastball to left with two out and men on second and third.
Bill Gingerella slipped to the turf in starting for the drive but the smash in all probability would have landed safely even if the Bulldog had stayed on his spikes.
By squeezing the Bulldogs out of the semi-finals, two games to one, St. Raphael qualified to open the final best-of-three series today at 2 p.m. against La Salle on Aldrich Field.
Parenteau for Saints
Bill Parenteau, left-hander, whose only loss in six starts was the 1-0 defeat by Westerly in the first game of the semi-finals, will be the St. Raphael pitcher with either Joe Feeney or Tom McAleer. each unbeaten, the La Salle selection.
All contests of the finals will be played at Aldrich Field. By winning the toss immediately after the triumph over Westerly yesterday, St. Raphael will be the "home" team today.
Umpires assigned for today by James D. Wright, playoffs director, are: J. Mullen (plate)' Ed Morgan (first base), and Tony Agatiello (third base).
With one gone in the last of the 12th, Agostini slapped a slow hopper to short and when Johnny Pappadia's peg to first was wild, Agostini scooted to second.
Stenhouse, who, like Fiore, had hurled through several previous threats unscarred, fanned Roy Guarino but Ron Kennedy toyed with Chet Hanewich's grounder too long for a try at first. Lovett, hitless in four showings, too advantage of the "life" by lacing out his big blow.
Tense Situations
Throughout its three hours the game was jammed with tense situations, the Saints having 10 runners stranded and Westerly 15.
But until the 12th, the boxmen, who had hurled shutouts for the victories earlier in the series, were in command, except for the third and fourth frames.
In the third, Ron Kennedy, who had doubled in the first, single through short with one out. Johhny Leach, sophmore right fielder, followed with the first of his two singles pushing Kennedy to second.
Fiore fanned Stenhouse in sneaking through his newly-acquired side-arm curve but Joe Dragon committed his first bobble, juggling Duck Gingerella's roller, and the sacks were full. Savage hit a grounder to Agostini, who fumbled the ball for the only black mark on an otherwise excellent report card, and Ron Kennedy scored. With the bases still loaded, Fiore, who struck out a total of 15, one more than Stenhouse, whiffed Bob Champlin.
The Saints started the process of evening the count at 1-all in the fourth when Chet Hanewich reached on an error by Ron Kennedy, who in the third had snuffed out a Saint tally with a sparkling stop on Roy Guarino's harsh grounder.
Lovett Walks
Lovett walked after a 3-2 count and Bill Kennedy moved the runners to second and third with a sacrifice. But when Hanewich started to squeeze and changed his mind, he was tagged out at third by Pappadia on a peg from Savage. The latter continued his crackerjack catching in the series by throwing out three runners at second and playing errorless ball.
Lovett moved to third on Jigger Higgins' ground single through short and scored as Ron Kennedy mussed up D'Ambra's grounder and threw too late. Dragon walked but when Higgins tried to steal home, Savage planted his 200-pund bulk there for a putout.
The game might have ended in the 10th if Fiore had not failed to touch first in singling to left and continued to second when the ball was dribbled by Bob Gingerella. The alert Duck Gingerella called for the ball and Bill Halloram, first base umpire, ruled Fiore out. A few seconds later Agostini doubled to center for his first hit of the playoffs.
Westerly loaded the bases in the fifth and 12th, as well as in the third, but Fiore erected the no passing sign.
St. Raphael Nine Takes Deciding Game Of Series From Westerly To Enter Finals2
Saints Nip Bulldogs In 12th, 2-1; Open Against La Salle Today
By TED MULCAHEY
Paul Fiore and George Lovett, a pair of old reliables, engineered St. Raphael Academy to a 2-to-1, 12-inning victory over Westerly High in the third and deciding game of the semi-final series for the R.I. Interscholastic League baseball crown yesterday at Aldrich Field.
The win qualified the Saints for the championship series with La Salle Academy, which was scheduled to start this afternoon at 2 o'clock at Aldrich Field. The second game is listed for Thursday and the third game, if necessary, for Saturday, both at the same field.
Southpaw Bill Parenteau was Coach Barney Garrity's choice to open the final series for the Saints, but Coach Carl Toti of La Salle refused to choose between Tom McAleer and Joe Feeney until game time.
Fiore Fans 15
Fiore, ace right-hander of the St. Raphael hurling staff, turned in another brillian performance in shackling the Westerly batters with eight hits while fanning 15. In the third, sixth, ninth and twlefth innings Fiore retired the side on strikes.
The one Westerly run came in the third inning and was unearned, Fiore thus allowing onle that single tainted tally in 21 innings of play-off pitching. He blanked Westernly, 5-0, in the second game of the series. Fiore walked five, one of them intentionally, and hit two batters.
Lovett provided the pay-off blow, a single to left with George Agostini on third and Chet Hanewich on first with two out in the 12th. It was a line drive which cleared Bob Gingeralla's head and broke up a sparkling mound duel between Fiore and Dave Stenhouse.
Stenhouse, who had blanked the Saints, 1-0, in the opening game of the series, handing the local nine its only loss of the year, hurled well enough to win most games, but Fiore was just a trifle tougher. Stenhouse held the Saintsto six hits, but walked nine as his control wavered and let fly with a wild pitch in the seventh which could have proved costly. Both runs off Stenhouse were unearned.
Both Hurlers Tight In Clutch
Both hurlers were continually called upon to pitch themselves out of holes. Three times Fiore slammed the door with the bases loaded and bases on ball put numerous St. Raphael runners in scoring position, particularly in the late innings.
Four of the eight hits off Fiore came in the first three innings, two of them in the third when Westerly scored its only run. There was one out when Ron Kennedy and Johnny Leach dumped singles into center field in the third. Stenhouse went down swinging for Fiore's first strikeout and it appeared the plucky right-hander was off the hook.
However, Joe Dragon messed up Don Gingerella's ground ball down the third base line and Agostini did the same to Fred Savage's bounding ball to short. That gave Westerly its run and still left the bases clogged. But Fiore caught Bob Champlin looking at a third strike for the third out.
Came the bottom of the fourth and St. Raphael got the run back in a weird turn of events. Hanewich reached on Ron Kennedy's error at third and George Lovett walked. Bill Kennedy sacrificed, putting runners on second and third and one out.
Johnny Higgins tried to put down a bunt for the squeeze, missed the pitch entirely, and Hanewich, coming down with the pitch, was an easy out. Higgins then singled to right, but Lovett had to stop at third, and Higgins moved to second on the throw to the plate.
Ralph D'Ambra grounded to third, but Ron Kennedy couldn't find the handle and Lovett scored. Dragon walked to load the bases. Then, with Fiore batting, Higgins tried to steal home but was out on a nice play by Savage at the place.
That's the way the ball game stood the next 7 2-3 innings.
Saints Miss Chances
In the St. Raphael seventh D'Ambra singled with one out and moved to third on a wild pitch. Dragon walked and allowed himself to be caught off first in a rundown, but D'Ambra refused to budge off third.
In the 10th, Fiore lef off with a blast to left and pulled up at second as Bob Gingerella fell fielding the ball. However, Fiore had failed to touch first on the way around and was out. That play loomed even bigger when Agostini belted a double to center. Roy Guarini walked but Hanewich forced Agostini and Lovett forced Hanewich.
Bill Kennedy led off with a single in the 11th but got no farther than second base.
Westerly loaded the bases in the fifth with two out, a great throw from Guarino in right preventing a run from coming in on Savage's single, but Champlin popped up for the third out. Westerly put single runners on in the eight, ninth, and 11th, but none got beyond second.
In the 12th, Ron Kennedy fanned, Leach singled, Stenhouse fanned and Don Gingerella was purposely passed after Leach stole second. Savage was hit by a pitch to load the bases but Champlin went out swinging.
That set the stage for the winning rally. Fiore grounded out to lead off but Agostini rapped an infield hit to short and took second on the poor throw to first. Guarino was called out on strikes, but Hanewich was safe at first as Ron Kennedy erred on a ground ball to third, Agostini making third on the play. Then came Lovett's game-winning single.
| Name | POS | AB | R | H | PO | A | E | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | HBP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agostini, G | ss | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Guarino, R | rf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hanewich, C | c | 6 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lovett, G | 1b | 5 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kennedy, B | 2b | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Higgins, J | lf | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D'Ambra, R | cf | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dragon, J | 3b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fiore, P | p | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 37 | 2 | 7 | 36 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westerly | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| St. Raphael | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
