59 - Garaway Wins Dispute, Then Loses Playoff (5-9-59)

SUGARCREEK - It took just six pitches for West Lafayette to win the District Class "A" Scholastic Baseball Championship here Friday afternoon when the Generals and Garaway High School's Pirates resumed their playoff battle started Thursday.

*

Garaway hurler Charley Stingel fired a strike past opposing West Lafayette pictcher Ted Brown, the firt man up in the bottom of the seventh inning in a deadlocked 4-4 contest. But then he threw four straight balls and Brown was on first base. With Brown running, teammate Gene McElfresh bunted between Stingel and Garaway first baseman Dan Bleininger, Stingel fielded the ball, but threw over the head of teammate Bob Raber at first base, and before the ball could be returned from the outfield, Brown completed his circuit of the bases to tally the winning run in a 5-4 triumph.

*

West Lafayette, which left the scene of battle here Thursday afternoon thinking it had won the championship by a 4-3 margin, was called back early Friday afternoon on a ruling made by W.J. McConnell, Ohio High School Athletic Association Commissioner. McConnell entered the picture after Garaway had disputed an umpire's decision on a play arising in Garaway's 7th-inning turn at bat in Thursday's contest. The dispute came with West Lafayette leading 4-3 and Garaway at bat with runners on second and third with one out. Bleininger smashed a low, line drive to the West Lafayette shortstop. It appeared that he had trapped the baseball, but umpire Ed Smith of Strasburg ruled the catch as legal. Both Pirate runners were off at the crack of the bat with Raber scoring and Bud Yakley moving to third. When an attempt was made to nail Yakley at third, the ball went into the outfield and Yakley proceeded home with a run that would have given Garaway a 5-4 lead. However, both runners had failed to tag up after the legal catch and a hasty throw was made to second where Yakley was ruled the final out. Coaches Bill Ray and Jim Stull of Garaway questioned umpires following the game on whether Raber's scoring should be allowed since he reached home with the tying run before the third out was made at second base. Had the forceout been made at third, there would have been no dispute. The umpires agreed and the matter was referred to McConnell. Coaches and umpires involved in the dispute, along with County Supt.W.E. Laws, met in the latter's office yesterday morning to discuss the dispute via telephone with McConnell. The commissioner ruled that the run counted, but he questioned the time of appeal. He asked to talk with West Lafayette mentor Duke St. John, saying that if the General metor was willing to resume the game from the point of the disputed play it would do much to clear the situation. St. John was willing to go ahead - and today his West Lafayette charges have a clear-cut right to trophies originally presented following Thursday's contest.

*

*

*

Saturday, May 9, 1959

The Daily Reporter

Dover, Ohio