Page 12 Thursday, April 13, 2017 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION Devil’s Den It’s Never Too Early To Talk WHS Baseball

By BRUCE JOHNSON Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times It’s the circle of life. (Or at least it’s Shapiro 3b, Jay Cook rf, Dan Kerr 1b, Brew Crew, I came across some old my personal circle of life). Mike Diaz 2b. articles and box scores from 1964 about The new year opens in September RHP: Kris Williams, Chris Jenkins, coach Ron Gutek’s unbeaten Roosevelt with WHS football season. Then it’s Chris Vogel Junior High baseball team. WHS swim season, with the warm smell LHP: Kevin Stock, Chuck Mueller, The lineup: Bobby Flynn cf, Jim of chlorine getting me through the win- Brad DeMartino Ohaus ss-2b, Tom Hood rf, Glenn ter. And the year ends in late May/early Bench (alphabetically): Jorge Whitmore 2b-p, Ed Down 3b, Randy June with WHS baseball season. For Amorim, Mike Androconis, Brian James lf, Dick Storr 1b, Kevin Billet c, sure, there are other sports, but that’s Butts, Stephen Cheek, Dave Duelks, Mike Mease p-ss. we’ve rolled for over a half-century. Brian Flynn, John Fox, Billy Hearon, Eighth-graders Bob Brewster So now it’s the spring … WHS base- Chris Infantino, Mike Ionta, Drew (catcher) and Steve Gentino (pitcher) ball … and rain. While the Blue Devils Keehn, Bob Meyer, Justin Olsen, James also saw action. regularly produce 20-plus victory sea- O’Rourke, Anthony Perconte, Brett Flynn and Ohaus are in the Westfield sons – four of the last six years and 12 Picaro, Tom Ricciuti, Chris Rinaldi, Athletic Hall of Fame, Flynn for base- times during coach Bob Brewster’s 34- Mike Varano. ball and Ohaus mainly for soccer. year career – they are still chasing that Now let’s pick a pre-Brew Crew Flynn is currently teaching Special elusive first state championship tro- team from the previous 34 seasons, Education Resource English IV and phy. Could this be the year? Algebra II at Paterson Kennedy High Brewster has been WHS’s varsity School. But he remembers that team baseball coach since 1983. He was also well, noting, “I can still remember hit- David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The Times an all-county catcher at WHS and ting the ball into the leftfield street SWIPING SECOND BASE...Blue Devil Alex Pancini swipes second base in the third inning as Cougar second baseman Mike proudly notes that he’s seen all of (Tuttle Parkway) on a couple of occa- Meola gets the throw and shortstop Brian Oblachinski backs him up. WHS’s 14 county baseball champion- sions.” ships, either as a fan, player, assistant 50 SUMMERS AGO coach or head coach. He started coach- Fifty summers ago, Westfield had ing football and baseball at WHS in two entries in the 1967 Tri-County Blue Devil Bats Deliver 9-3 Win Over Cougars 1974-75 and served eight years as the Tournament for 11- and 12-year-olds – CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 junior varsity baseball coach under Pete the equivalent of the modern-day travel Lima. teams. Westfield American was the fifth. Scanlon pitched six com- single to center. tiful bunt by Matty LaCorte. Got a “Brew’ brought a 594-299-3 base- coached by Doug Merrill and Charlie plete innings and recorded six Westfield answered with two runs. bases loaded and started a big rally ball coaching won-lost record into this Schrope. Westfield National was strikeouts, while walking none and Vall-Llobera walked, Lerie (2-for-4, for us,” Coach Brewster said. “We season – and should have another nice coached by Bob Brewster Sr., Pat allowing eight hits. run, 2 RBI) singled and Matt LaCorte did a lot of little things well.” team this spring, so victory No. 600 Papaccio and Bruce Johnson. “I felt great out there. People were (2-for-3) put down a bunt single, load- In the sixth, Wagner singled. Later should come soon. And if you’ve got The lineups: making plays behind me and I had ing the bases. Friel launched an RBI Vall-Llobera’s everybody-safe some time, he can tell you about every Westfield American: Chris Campbell confidence in our order to get some sac fly then Lerie scored on a wild fielder’s choice allowed Wagner to one of those 896 games, including the rf, Paul Pecka cf, Steve Tebbetts 1b, runs to help me secure the ‘W’,” pitch. Barden stepped up and was dance home. Vall-Llobera scored on three ties – 4-4 vs. Irvington in 1987, 7- Joe Krakora ss, Pete Kraft c, Steve Lee Scanlon said. instructed to attempt a squeeze bunt Lerie’s long double to center. 7 vs. SPF in 1997, and 3-3 vs. Clifton in lf, John Hanrahan 3b, Billy Wolfe 2b, “The thing about him, last week he with two strikes but it rolled foul for “Last year we started 0-3. This year 2002. Tom Anderson, Bob Jester, Chip threw in a scrimmage and threw 35 an out. we got a win in our second game, Of course, Brewster is far too wise to Danker p. pitches in one inning. Today it took “That’s just Brewster. He’s always which is a big confidence boost. We ever attempt picking a team of his best- Bench: Bob Jennings, Joe Sexton. him four innings to get to 35 pitches trying whatever way to get in runs have a deep pitching rotation and a ever players. Why risk ticking off doz- Westfield National: Monte Turner because his control was right where whether it be timely hits or playing great lineup, so we are excited for the ens of his former ex-standouts? The cf-p, Jeff Davis ss, Mark Jackson 1b, Devil’s Den, of course, has never been he wanted it,” Blue Devil Head Coach small ball to try to get the win any- rest of the year,” Scanlon said. “Rookie” coach Bob Brewster gives some Craig Johnson p-cf, Mark Harbaugh c, accused of being too wise, or of duck- catching pointers to younger brother Dave Bonnetti 2b, Rob Bixler 3b, Scotty Bob Brewster pointed out. way,” Cruz said. “We definitely got to hit better. We ing an argument-fueled controversy. Tyler Hoffman tossed the seventh “I tried it. Stevie is a very good had some times where we had a man Roger in 1983, 594 wins ago. Boone lf-p, Bob Davis rf. So ... here is my unauthorized all- Bench: Tom Betz, Keith Bremer, inning and struck out one batter and bunter but the kid threw a nasty on second, no outs and Westfield had Brew Crew, my personal 34 favorite Paul Crystal, Rick Jennings, Buzzy allowed just a double to Bakie. curveball to the left-hand batter’s box. three straight strikeouts in a row, which players of the past 34 seasons (with this 1949-82, to match up against the all- Turner, Alan Webster. “I definitely am not hitting the way At least he got his bat on the ball and kind of kills it,” Oblachinski said. starting lineup): Brew Crew. The umpires were Jasper Fuhrman I would like to but it’s only the first that’s OK. It allowed everybody to “We will be alright!” Brew Crew lineup: Lamont Turner Pre-Brew Crew lineup: Bobby Flynn and Mark Dorne for American with Joe two games in. Coach ‘Mac’ always know that we will bunt at any time. Cranford 000 210 0 0 ss, Brian Ciemniecki cf, Mike Murray cf, Steve Tebbetts rf, John Havas ss, Wheatley and John Schneider for Na- says the way to win a high school We got that one the fifth inning, beau- Westfield 103 122 x 9 dh, A.J. Murray c, Clint Factor lf, Evan Kenny Stith 1b, Sam Mitchell lf, Char- tional. baseball game is first pitching, sec- ley Widmer dh, K.C. Knobloch 3b, Jeff DID YOU KNOW … ond defense, third hitting. As long as Torborg c, Neil Chamberlin 2b. … that Westfield Athletic Hall of we figure out hitting, I think we will FOX 3 RBI; YAREM 3-FOR-3, 4 RUNS; CANAVAN 3 HITS RHP: Greg Chlan, Don Anderson, Fame coach John Lay was a three-year be successful for the rest of the sea- Frank Tokash star at Montclair High in soccer and son,” Bakie said LHP: Bob List, “Skeeter” baseball, and also lettered in basket- The two-run home run and one of MacCloskey, Dennis Burke ball? He played on the Mounties’ 1942 the doubles came off the bat of senior SPF Baseball Raiders Topple Bench (alphabetically): Owen Greater Newark Tournament champi- Victor Cruz, who finished 2-for-4 with Brand, Keith Colicchio, Jack Corbett, onship team, which beat Irvington 3-2 two RBI and two runs scored. Cruz Dwight Davies, Joe Della Badia, Scott in the final at Bears Stadium. doubled in the first inning and scored Gillen, Bob Hearon, Bobby Jester, Gist … that the Newark Evening News off Owen Kessler’s looping single Elizabeth Minutemen, 13-2 Johnson, Jeff Kole, “Smitty” Lanning, picked its first all-state baseball team into shallow right field. His two-run Billy Myers, Dick Myers, Jim Smith, in 1946, but WHS didn’t have an all- homer sparked a three-run third in- Rudy Stanzel, Jeff Stember, Kurt stater until Bob Williams was named By ALEX LOWE prises me in practice with his speed McCormack handled the Stiefken, Dave Townley, Monte Turner. third-team Group 3 in 1951? Williams ning that gave the Blue Devils a 4-0 Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times lead. With Alex Pancini (1-for-3) on and ability to get to the ball. He has Minutemen’s only real rally in the A few ground rules before this hypo- was a transfer from Dunellen, who base with a walk, Cruz tagged The Scotch Plains-Fanwood High also done a really nice job with the bottom of the fourth inning. Trailing thetical, mythical, never-gonna-happen struck out a school-record 19 Plainfield School baseball team rapped out 14 bat. Those plays he made in the field 9-2, Elizabeth managed to get run- game: It will played at Tamaques 2, the batters in one seven-inning game as a Genova’s pitch and plopped it over former home field of the semipro Hawks the leftfield fence. Chris Wagner (2- hits on the way to a 13-2 victory over today were fantastic.” ners on second and third with two junior. He also hit .362 out of the cleanup Elizabeth at Williams Field in Eliza- The Raiders scored two runs in the outs before McCormack struck out and Merchants; only 1960’s-era spot. for-3, 2 runs) followed with a single, wooden bats will be used; and no one … that the Newark newspapers – Kessler took a fastball on the foot, beth on April 8. Originally scheduled top of the first inning compliments of Sean Downey looking at a pitch on in Scotch Plains, the game was moved Fox. The Raiders added two more in the corner of the plate. can even mention pitch counts. (Also, The Evening News and The Star-Led- Jake Vall-Llobera (1-for-3, 2 runs, no extra-innings; if the mythical game ger – both named their first all-county RBI) chopped an infield single to as a result of the heavy rain, which left the second. Sam Schetelich laced a “Nick has come a long way in terms the Raider field too damp for play. leadoff double down the leftfield line, of developing mental toughness,” said is mythically tied after nine mythical baseball team in 1948, but WHS didn’t load the bases then Wagner scored on innings, the game’s over and we can go have a first-team selection until Bob Jake Lerie’s RBI ground out. Matt Fox drove in three runs and scored moved to third on a balk then scored Higgins. “He has always worked re- a run, while teammate Ryan Yawger on Patrick Downey’s grounder to ally hard but he has also always been discuss it at the mythical Jolly Trolley.) List in 1955? The 1949 Blue Devils “I was a little passive. I haven’t Since Norm “Nemo” Koury is my went 14-2 and were awarded the sec- seen that pitcher so I actually took the had two RBI to pace the Raider attack. short. Canavan, who had three hits, very hard on himself. Today he didn’t The 2-0 Raiders demonstrated a then beat out an infield single and get down on himself and he worked pre-Brew Crew coach, the mythical tional title, but had nobody on first or first two strikes on both counts. Both fans can expect plenty of “inside” base- second team, OR honorable mention. were 0-2 and he threw me a curveball balanced and potent hitting attack, stole second base. Peter Warren his way through things, which shows singled into center, scoring Canavan. great maturity.” ball – run-and-hits, steals, fake bunts, The heart of that lineup included Rudy right down the middle. It was a mis- gritty pitching and some outstanding slashes, suicide squeeze bunts and, defensive efforts, particularly by After Elizabeth cut the deficit to 4- The Raiders tacked on four more Stanzel (.304), Sam Mitchell (.333) take on his part and I took advan- should the Brew Crew start crowding and Dave Townley (.377). tage,” Cruz explained. the plate, lots of high and tight … that Nino Carnevale made third “Victor is one of our fellow cap- brushbacks. And the game won’t offi- team Group 3 as a junior in 1954 after tains. For him to get the power going cially start until otherwise-quiet guy hitting .347? Ironically, he didn’t make will be huge for us,” Scanlon said. “Joe Baseball” Meyer shows up after all-state as a senior, when batterymate The Cougars’ two-run fourth in- his post office shift to openly berate Bob List was second-team all-Groups? ning began with a leadoff double by and second-guess Koury. Nino’s nephews included future WHS Oblachinski (2-for-4, RBI, run). Offensively, the Brew Crew’s lineup football-baseballers Dave, Jeff and Rod Patrick Connelly (2-for-4, RBI, run) looks like the old Gas-House Gorillas Yatcilla. curled a single over third. James from the 1946 “Baseball Bugs” car- … that when Jeff Torborg (’59) made Shriner (2-for-3, double) ricocheted toon. If you haven’t seen it, it’s the one the all-county team in 1959, one of where the mashers create a conga-line fellow first-teamers was Plainfield’s an RBI single off Scanlon. Connelly going around the bases. (Google Gas- scored the second run when Tom Stan Stagaard? Stan became well- House Gorillas and check it out.) known at WHS in the 1980s as the Armstrong’s grounder slipped be- But facing one inning each of (al- father of WHS athletes Mike, John, Jen tween the second baseman’s legs. phabetically) Anderson, Burke, Chlan, and Mine. Also on that 1959 all-county “He threw two inside fastballs on Lanning, List, MacCloskey, Stember, team were the Rahway power trio of both my hits. I pulled them to leftfield. Tokash and Turner would keep things Tom Hoagland, Joe Williams and Barry One was in the air. One was on the very interesting. And Corbett pitched Henderson. ground but he [Scanlon] did a great for an NCAA champion at Michigan, … that Jeff Stember (’76) did not job on the mound,” Oblachinski said. Smith threw at North Carolina, Jester make all-county or all-state, yet pitched In the Westfield fourth, James Friel at N.C. State and Kole at Wake Forest. in the major leagues for the San Fran- slashed a single over first, advanced Of course, the Brew Crew has some cisco Giants? Wearing uniform No. to second on Steve Barden’s sacrifice strong arms, too. An inning each of 50, the 22-year-old was called up from bunt and dashed to third on Pancini’s Androconis, DeMartino, Infantino, Phoenix to start against the Astros on slow single by short. Friel then scored Jenkins, Keehn, Mueller, Stock, Vogel Aug. 5, 1980, in the Astrodome. He on Librera’s balk. First baseman and Williams would be tough. And went three innings, allowed two hits Armstrong got the third out with a Ciemniecki (12-3 career), Cheek (13- and three runs, but only one earned sliding catch in the mud in foul terri- 3) and Hearon (14-6) could also help. run (a home run by Terry Puhl). With tory. Let the mythical game begin. the bases loaded in the top of the In the Cranford fifth, Jim Wozniak RJHS UNBEATEN IN 1964 fourth, he was taken out for a pinch- tapped a one-out single then was Going through The Leader archives hitter … and never pitched in the big forced out at second on Bakie’s searching for players to take on the all- leagues again. grounder to first. Bakie sprinted to third on Oblachinski’s hit-and-run Alex Lowe for The Westfield Leader and The Times OFF AND RUNNING...Raider leadoff hitter Jake Canavan is off and running in the game against the Elizabeth Minutemen Blue Devil Netmen Take 2nd single then Connelly lined an RBI on April 8. The Raiders defeated the Minutemen, 13-2, in six innings at Williams Field in Elizabeth. Bulldogs Rip Raiders centerfielder Jake Canavan. The 1 with a run in the second, Scotch runs in the sixth inning that eventually At Bryan Bennett Tournament In Softball, 10-4 speedy senior turned in two gems Plains-Fanwood blew the game open led to the game being called on the The Jonathan Dayton High School robbing Elizabeth hitters of certain with three in the third without getting 10-run rule. Raiders Colin McAlindin The Westfield High School boys (7-5), 1-6, 11-9. softball team scored all of its runs in extra base hits. Canavan’s first gem a hit. Elizabeth went through three and Sam Schetelich each had an RBI tennis team got a very good indica- Ruparel also won his first singles the first three innings to defeat Scotch came in the bottom of the third inning pitchers in the inning combining to and a run scored. tion of where it stands with the best by match against Livingston, 6-1, 7-6 (7- Plains-Fanwood, 10-4, in Springfield when Brandon Wreckler launched a issue three walks, two pitches in the The Raiders forced Elizabeth to placing second at the Bryan Bennett 4). Reich added another 6-0, 6-0, shut- on April 8. Dayton’s Holly Wilson deep fly ball towards the centerfield dirt and then suffering through a utilize six pitchers. Together the Min- Tournament at Delbarton on April 8- out at second singles and Owen Bartok was quite a wrecking crew, going 3- fence, which at Williams Field, is at a dropped fly ball that scored a run. utemen staff issued six walks to go 9. The Blue Devils blanked breezed, 6-2, 6-1, at third singles. for-4 with six RBI and three runs distance of 420 feet. Two more Raiders scored in the along with three balks and a couple of Bridgewater-Raritan (BR), 5-0, and After winning the first set, 6-2, Faktor scored. Maggie Phillips had three hits, Canavan got on his horse and fourth on a two-run single through the passed balls. stopped Livingston, 3-2, before be- and Su dropped their next two sets, 6- an RBI and two runs scored and Ma- tracked the ball down about 10 feet box by Fox to make it 9-1. George “I’d say right now that we are get- ing edged by West Windsor- 3, 10-4, at first doubles. Tananbaum rina Kwinta singled, doubled and short of the fence. Canavan’s second Mueller, who had been hit by a pitch ting strong performances defensively Plainsboro South (WWP), 3-2, for and Jai Sharma lost , 6-2, 6-1, at scored twice. theft was even better. With one out in and Peter Yarem (3-for-3, 4 runs),who as a team and I’m happy with our base the championship. second doubles. Jess O’Neil had a double, a single, the fifth, Rafeal Vasquez drove Nick dropped a bloop single into center, running,” said Higgins. “I think we Against the BR Panthers, Damien In the championship match with and RBI and a runs scored for the McCormack’s pitch into the right scored on the play. are causing a lot of problems for op- Ruparel won 6-4, 6-0, at first singles, WWP, Ruparel won his first set, 7-6 Raiders. Hannah Lyman tripled and centerfield gap. Canavan closed The Raiders got a solid pitching ponents with our speed on the base Noah Reich blanked his opponent, 6- (7-3), but lost his next two, 6-4, 6-4. scored once. Zoe Cardenas singled quickly on the sinking liner and performance from McCormack, who paths. As far as the defense goes, we 0, 6-0, at second singles, as did Owen Reich lost 6-3, 6-2, at second singles and scored twice. Casey Ferguson stretched out to make a fully extended, came in early to relieve Dan return a veteran group and I would Bartok at third singles. Ron Faktor and Owen Bartok won his third singles and Michaela Sullivan each singled, lunging grab for the out. Wilkinson. McCormack went two and expect that this would help us be more and Matt Su won their first doubles match, 6-2, 6-1. Faktor and Su won walked and scored once. “Jake Canavan has been tremen- a third innings allowing just one earned efficient and have better chemistry.” match, 6-2, 6-0, while Dave Sprung their first doubles match, 6-0, 6-2, and Jacob Tananbaum at second Sc Pl-Fanwood 000 310 0 4 dous for us so far,” said Raider Head run, while giving up one hit on his Sc Pl-Fanwood 223 204 13 while Sean Pass and Dave Sprung Dayton 325 000 x 10 Coach Joe Higgins. “He always sur- way to notching the victory. Elizabeth 010 100 2 doubles won theirs in three sets, 7-6 lost at second doubles, 6-3, 7-5.