East Cleveland leader. [volume] (East Cleveland, Ohio) 1942-1970, 1961-06-22
by Bob keefer

The local baseball diamonds
are buzzing with activity now
that all of the four leagues
sponsored by East Cleveland
Little League, Inc. have begun
playing for keeps"
Members of the eight Little
League and six Pony League
teams are sporting new uniforms
this season which gives them a
\ professionalism appearance.
1 Most of the games to date
have been closel y-contested but,
for the most part, the pitchers
seem to have rounded into form
quicker than the batters.
A roundup of the games
played in the three leagues dur
ing the past week is as follows:
Little League
The Nelson jewelers., who
have won the Shaw Division
championship for the past five
seasons, opened the 1861 cam
paign very auspiciously by
blanking Fisher Furnaces, 60, \
at Shaw Field on Monday eve
ming. The Nelson nine pounded 4
out II hits, including home funs
by Eddie Nicholson, Gary Ben
dock and Dale Davies. Tony
Gunder, Nelson left-hander,
limited the losers to four scat
tered hits and struck out seven.
In Mondays opener at Super
ior Field, Police and Associates
chalked up an So victory over
Kennedy's Mems Shop by vir-
tue of pair of four-run innings
which broke up a three-inning
pitching duel. The Police entry
put together three hits for four
runs in both the fourth and
fifth innings after neither team
was able to score in the first
three stanzas. kennedy's were
limited to three hits, two of
them by Jed Morrison, as Don
Kennedy, the Police hurler,
famed IS. Tuesday nights
games were rained out.
Pony League
jim Connell Chevrolet APP
pears to be the team to beat for
the league title as evidenced
by their current 40 record with
the first-half schedule now at
the midway point.
Only one team, the Phil
Snyder Fords, has given the
Connell nine any real trouble
10 date. That game was played
1t Skating Rink Field last We'd
1esday with the Fordmen taking
4 4-2 decision.
Daring base running has been
very instrumental in Connells /
success thus far and it was
stolen bases which proved to
DC the downfall for Snyder's in
that contest. Pat Visci, who
pitches and catches with equal
ability for the Connell entry,
stole home for the third time
n three games while his tai
,nted teammate, Robin Caputo,
llso committed theft Of home
,late to record the margin Of
-ictory.
The Visci-Caputo combination
.lso shared the Connell pitching
.hores during the game with
.ach striking out five Snyder
,atters.
The fourth Connell victory
vas registered at Forest Hills
7ield on Monday night with
'auls Restaurant becoming an
1-3 victim. Roger Horvath
andled the mound duties for the
7hevrolet team in very capable
nanner, striking out ten in his
irst pitching effort Of the 81
eason. Again it was Visci and
Japuto who paced the eight
it Connell attack with each
citing two hits. Visci ran ram
ant on the bases again with
our more stolen bases being
dded to his impressive total.
Edwards Funeral Home won
S second game in three outings
y edging the Snyder Fords, -
4, at Forest Hills last Friday.
was a tough loss for John
folnar, the Snyder pitcher,
,ho gave up only four hits and
truck out Is but the ''long BALI"
roved to be his downfall. In
ne first inning he gave up a
ONE run, a walk and a triple
or two runs and, III the fifth
rame, he permitted the first
40 batters he faced to score on