PHOTO: Gnadenhutten Indians - Ron Bradley (He's Cage Star, Too)*
GNADENHUTTEN - Ron Bradley might just get through Gnadenhutten's Fall high school baseball season without giving up many more hits than the number of games his team plays. The Senior pitcher for the Tuscarawas County Class A school's league leading diamond nine, state finalists last Spring, has surrendered just 11 hits in his six mound appearances this Fall. And the Indians, behind Bradley's untouchable throwing, have won all six games and stand undefeated atop the loop. Coach Bob Gaume's prize performer and the current talk of the town of 1,500 went into a "grudge" contest this afternoon with Northwestern having pitched two no-hitters, two one-hitters, and one two-hitter. Comparatively speaking, he was clobbered when Garaway reached him for seven hits early in the season, but Gnaden won anyway, 5-3. His most recent no-hit effort was Monday against Baltic. Port Washington was the other victim. Bradley has pitched every game the Indians have played thus far. Gaume, apparently taking no chances on losing, has him slated to start the season's remaining two league games with Port Washington and Garaway. But, even if Bradley wasn't around, Gaume feels coaching in the town of Gnaden wouldn't be a problem. "It's just a natural sports town," the Canton native and Kent State graduate declared. "These people here are interested in all kinds of sports, but there's especially a lot of interest in baseball because of last year." "Last year" was the surprising push Gnadenhutten made all the way into the state baseball tournament finals at Columbus. They defeated Northwestern in the semi-finals, but then lost to Goshen 3-1, in the title game. Bradley pitched that one, giving up four hits and walking none. Gaume attributes intense competiveness and sound ball playing of Gnaden athletes to the town's excellent Little League and Pony League programs. These, he points out, afford a boy sound baseball fundamentals with which to take on the game in the faster-moving circles of high school, college, and independent ball. Bradley has come up through the community's baseball program, and as a Sophmore marked up his first pitching record of 5-3. Last year he moved up to 11-1.
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Gaume is anticipating similar performances by the athlete when the Indians turn in their diamond uniforms and start basketball. Bradley will carry a reputation as one of the county's top players on the basis of his 17.1 shooting average for 462 points in 27 games last year.
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Thursday, October 2, 1958
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio
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