The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1953-08-20
JUST FOR THE RECORD

Joe Blake, the Braves third base
man, was the fielding star in last
weeks fve-game series with Ports
mouth. During the series he started
no less than six double plays. The
first came in the fifth inning of We'd
nesday nights double-header, and
in that game he had total of four
assists and three putoutS.
In the second game, Joe started
four more, one in the second, one in
the sixth, one in the eighth and one
in the tenth. That was something
very few third basemen have done
in organized baseball. In fact, &C
cording to the record books, no third
baseman in the American League
had ever started four Round the
Horn" double plays and only two in
the National League did it.
Needless to say, Joe's performance
was a Piedmont League record.
In the fourth game of the series on
Thursday night, when the Braves,
for the second straight night, came
up with five double plays, Joe start
ed one of those also.
During the fve-game Portsmouth
series, the Braves came up with a
total of Is double plays and that
could very well be another Pied
mont League record.
Monday mornings headlines stat
ed that Joe Blake's error cost the
Braves Saturday nights game at
Newport News.
But the cold facts are, that if both
teams had played errorless ball
through the entire nine innings,
Newport News would have won the
game l to 0, for the only run Ha-
gerstown scored was the direct re-
suit of a Newport News error, where
as the Newport News first run was
earned, coming as the result of two
singles, a sacrifice and a walk. You
will find an account of the game, to-
gether with the box score, in my
column, Keeping Up With The
Braves" on Page 6.
In Tuesday nights double header,
Joe not only played errorless ball
in both games, but he also drove in
the only run in the first game and
also started two double plays in the
second game, one of which cut off
the tying run at the plate.
Jack Concanno ninjured his knee
cap in the first game of Sundays
double-header at Newport News and
as the result it is expected that he
will be out for the rest of the season.
Ray Bortz, who played whale of
a lot of baseball for the Braves in
1851 until he was called into the
service late in the season, has re
joined the club after being discharg-
ed and it is expected that he will
break into the lineup within
couple of days.
Ray is fine utility infelder and
the club is sure lucky to get him
back now that Concannon is out of
action.
Due to Roanoke dropping out of
the league, the Braves will be idle,
as far as the Piedmont League is con-
cerned, on Saturday, Sunday, Mon
day and Tuesday.
They will, however, play an ex-
hibition game at the stadium on
Monday night against the classy
Charles Town American Legion
team, with the game starting at 8:15
p. m. Regular prices will prevail.
The Charles Town team, with a
record for the season of 10 wins and
only 4 losses, has played and beaten
some of the best service teams in the
East and it should be real battle
until the last man is out.
HAGERSTOWN LITTLE LEAGUE
Catcher Johnny Nussear, of the
Little League American Division
Police team, has not only been do
ing fine job behind the plate, but
has also been a power at bat. In
the game against the Goodwill A. C.
team in the division playoffs, played
last week, Johnny banged out two
home runs, each time with a man
on base, one in the second and one
in the fourth inning.
HAGERSTOWN PONY LEAGUE
The following are the dates of the
post-season playoffs of the Pony
League, with all games being play
ed on the leagues diamond on Jeff
erson Street Extended The games
will start at 600 p. M, instead of