Vol. 2, No. 15
Baseball
iSouffujanli
EXTRA June 7, 1966
Maine Township High School South, Park Ridge, III.
Bam, Biff Pow-We re No. 2 In State By Derek Gilna In the state baseball eight team playoff in Peoria, the Maine South Hawks had little problem getting by Rock IslandAlleman and Alton, doing so 13 - 0 behind the 3 - hit pitching of John Spiggos. Alton was stubborn, but lacked finesse and pitching and fell to the Park Ridgians 8 to 6. Fatigue finally caught up to the squad, when only one hour after the Alton game they took the field the second time to face the powerful Spartans of Glenbrook North. Glenbrook jumped on a fatigued John Spiggos who had pitched his way to a shutout in the Rock Island game and worked one and two-thirds innings to save Chuck Richard's win in the Alton game. Glenbrook sent 13 men to the plate in the first inning, scoring the first eight runs of their 15 to 2 win. South for its own part ended up scoring 23 runs in the three game series on the way to the runner-up spot. Although Ken Kozil of Glenbrook limited the Hawks to only four hits in going the distance in the title game—two of the hits coming from the bat of first baseman Bob Holz— Maine hitting in the rest of the two series was prodigious. ^The squad amassed 21 hits in the first two games, despite the fact that the first game lasted only five innings. Auggie Matejzel piled up five of those hits in the first two games, but his lack of success with the bat in the last game symbolized that in baseball, as well as any other sport, you perform better when the breaks are with you. This unusual meeting was the first time since 1946 that two teams from the same conference met in the final. Kelly lost to Fenger in a championship game, both teams coming from the Chicago Public League in the days when two teams were allowed from Chicago. It was unfortunate that the team Maine met was the only team who had given them trouble all year. It did serve to showto the few remaining skeptics that there is considerable power in the CSL. In the final innings Coach Van Proyen inserted Perez at third, Steffen out to pitch, and Kaufman and Sauter to the catcher's spot.
his paperwork long enough to look down at the field, he would have observed the finest allaround player in the tournament playing shortstop f o r Maine South. Matejzel's infield play was sparkling as he made one great play after another. In the Alton game he made two brilliant plays in a row on hard smashes that could just as well have been hits, but Auggie kept Richards in control with good defensive work. At the plate Augie was on base more than anyone in the tournament. The little shortstop banged out 5 hits in ten official trips to the plate. When he didn't get a hit he walked, and his mere presence on the basepaths gave opposing pitchers and catchers additional woes.
After winning their first two tournament games by impressive margins, the Hawks found an old jinx in Glenbrook North and succumbed to the slugging Spartans 15 to 2 in the championship game. As co-champions of the same conference Maine and Glenbrook had met twice in the regular season and the Spartans had emerged victorious on both occasions. At the scene of the title game even coach Watt pointed out that the law of averages were definitely against his team. But Lady Luck was with the Spartans again and she must have had a bat in her hand as the Glenbrook strongboys rapped out 14 hits behind the 4-hit pitching of Ken Kozil. Hawk hitting had been exceptional throughout the first two games of the tournament, but many a Hawk fan drooped in dismay when Glenbrook put eight runs on the Scoreboard before the Hawks got to bat. Leve started the fire for Glenbrook with a leadoff single. Jacob was safe at first sacrificing Leve to second. Brietzman then delivered a hit to load the bases. With Piggott at bat Glenbrook executed a triple steal with Leve stealing home and Briezman and Jacob going to second and third on the play at the plate. Piggott proceeded to strike out but Larson followed with a two run single and was out trying to stretch it. With the bases wiped clean the pitcher Kozil started things all over again with a double to left center. Spiggos gave up his first walk to the next man, Zarit. Youngberg followed with a single to load the bases for the second time in the inning. The shortstop, Mynars, came through with a two-run single, scoring Kozil ;iiid Zarit* with runs 4 and 5. Leve, the leadoff man, delivered his second hit of the inning, a double over the head of the light fielder. Youngberg and Mynars came across the plate and the score was 7 to 0. Leve took third on a play at the plate which saw Mynars scoring from first on a double. Jacobs following single scored run number 8 from third and convinced Coach Van Proyen that it just wasn't Spiggos' day. Richards came in and gave
up a single to the first man he faced, but then got Piggot to fly out to center to retire the side. Even after a record-tying inning the Hawks were not to be denied altogether as they put across two in their half of the first to complete their tournament scoring. Matejzel led off with a walk after which Gibe struck out swinging. Strom followed with another walk and Holz blasted a long double high and deep to right center scoring Matejzel and Strom. They were the 22nd and 23rd runs of the tournament for the Hawks in an all - out effort to reach the top. Kozil coasted the rest of the way, pitching shutout ball, for the final six innings and received his ninth win of the year against only one loss. Glenbrook added two more runs in the fourth on a tremendous homerun by their captain, Don P i g g o t t . Jacobs reached second on an error by Kilinski to lead off the inning and scored one out later on a line drive shot out of the ballpark in left center by Piggott. They were the only runs scored off reliever Richards who had to leave after the fourth after pitching his allowed nine innings of baseball. After the Hawks failed in the fourth, Hood appeared as the new pitcher for South in the top of the fifth. Zarit and Youngberg received back - to - back walks to lead off the inning for Glenbrook. Hood then committed a balk moving runners to second and third. Mynars followed with a single, driving across Zarit. Leve popped out to the first baseman for the first out, and then Jacob drove Youngberg home with a sacrifice fly to center. The Spartans completed their barrage with two more runs in the sixth. Piggott lead off the inning with a single, advanced to second on a fielder's choice and scored on a 2 - base error. After Zarit struck out Youngberg singled to center where the center fielder was charged with an error allowing the runner to reach second. Youngberg was advanced to third and scored on a passed ball. Steffens finished up for the Hawks in the seventh by striking out the first two men he faced and getting another to pop out.
The all-tournament team for 1966, selected by the sports writers covering the state finals, contained the names of two outstanding Hawk infielders, Auggie Matejzel and Rick Kilinski. Kilinski's all-around play far outshadowed any other thirdsacker in the tournament. At the plate he showed power with a homerun and several other extra base hits. This, combined with his slick glovework at the hot corner, earned him a unanimous choice as allstar third baseman. Even though Augie Matejzel missed a unanimous selection by one vote, the writer who failed to vote for him surely couldn't have been watching the ball game. If he had stopped
SURPRISE
ANGER
INNOCENCE
HAPPINESS
HYSTERIA
They hit a triple!
The ump makes a bad call!
" I t wasn't me that yelled at vhe Ump."
We hit a home run.
We become one of two best baseball teams in the state!
The sadness of losing is reflected most poignantly in the eyes of pitcher John Spiggos. Maine nevertheless could never have reached the finals without him.
Kilinski, Matejzel Named To All-Tournament Team
Page 2
SOUTHWORDS
June 7, 1966
7-Run 4th Inning Sends Hawks Into Finals, 8-6
Dave Strom and Alton catcher are all mixed up as Strom scores yet another run.
Romp 13 To 0 In First Win Maine's 13 to 0 drubbing of Rock Island-Alleman in their first tournament game proved once again the power of the Chicago suburban schools. South collected 14 hits in handing John Spiggos his 11th triumph of the season on a silver platter. John, responding to the lack of pressure gave up only three hits all afternoon. The game saw two state tournament records tied. Seven of the Hawk hits were for extra bases, tying one state record. Six of these seven were doubles, also tying that record. Rick Kilinski's homerun provided the seventh extra-base clout. Maine batters went 14 for 28, batting .500 for the contest versus the state mark of .531 as the Hawks neared another record. The amazing part about this performance was that it took place in a fiveinning game. Normally, except in the stale final, games are called when one team amasses ten more runs than its opponent. Murphys'boro also fell by ten runs to Glenbrook North in its first game, falling in six innings. 10 to 0. The Rock Island game started inauspiciously, as Maine stranded five men in two innings; in the same number of innings pushing across only one run. Rock Island mounted its only real threat of the afternoon in the bottom half of the first, when the team left men on second and third. In the opening frame, Rick Kilinski tagged the first of his
two extra-base hits of the day, a double. Rick's ground rule smash scored Gibe who had singled. Spiggos greeted Tim Moore, the Rock Island hurler, with a ground rule double to right. The young sophomore hurler turned the threat but didn't do so well in the third. Eight men went to bat in the Hawk's 3-run third. Moore started his problems by walking Rick Kilinski and Chuck Coad. Moore got O'Hare for the second out and actually struck out Spiggos. The catcher dropped the called strike and threw wide of the bag at first. The hefty first baseman, roundly cheered by the Maine fans, let the ball gel by him and John scampered to third as the ball rolled to the screen of the South bullpen. Waberzeck's s o 1 id single to left drove in John for all the insurance he needed. Nine men faced Moore in the fourth, and once again they were successful in pushing across three runs, this time on only two hits. The Hawks were helped along by the four walks issued to them in the frame. Auggie got his third hit of the game and Bob Holz got the first of his two. Two straight doubles to left by Strom and Holz finally blew Moore out of the pitcher's mound in the fifth, when the Hawks amassed five of their six extrabase hits. Rick Kilinski's tremendous homer to center drove in the ballhawkers" eight, ninth, and tenth runs of the afternoon. Chuck continued the streak of
Over 1500 Maine South students jam 35 buses headed for Peoria Thursday to cheer Hawks
three extra-base hits when he doubled to center with still no one out. Coad scored on O'Hare's bounding ball up the middle. Spiggos struck out for the first out of the inning, but Kirk Waberzeck kept the Hawk rally alive with a double down the left-field line. Then, in one of the oddest situations in an odd game, Russ Gibe hit a deep fly to right that the right fielder camped under. He dropped the ball, but Russ, not seeing the action himself, was motioned to the sideline by his coach. The inning, strangely enough, ended after only one out. S p i g g o s bore down in his half of the inning, striking out the side, and threw only two balls the entire frame. John blazed a fastball past Mosher for the last, giving Maine the game 13 to 0. John's curve ball was superb through the game. This pitch and his terrific fast ball accounting for eight strikeouts in only five innings. Coach Van Proyen wished to lift Spiggos for junior hurler Rick Steffen in the bottom of the fifth, but John needed little help, as shown by the three straight strikeouts. Besides, who could blame John for wanting a state tournament shutout. In the Glenbrook game, the Spartans, for the second time this year, caught Maine with their pitching down. It was much the situation in the second Glenbrook conference game, when Spiggos had pitched the day before.
The second round of the State High School Baseball Tournament found Maine South pitted against Alton High School in a contest to decide which team would meet Glenbrook North in the title game. Glenbrook had earned a spot in the championship game with a second round victory over Galesburg earlier in the day. Alton, under the coaching of Wayne Tyler entered the game with a record of 19 and 8, and had gained a berth in the second round with a 8 to 6 victory over Austin of Chicago. Glenn Van Proyen's Hawks had emassed a record of 16-3-1 and entered the second round by crushing Rock Island-Alleman 13 to 0 in five innings. Righthander Chuck Richards got the call for South and received the win as the Hawks tagged Alton's Webb with an 8 to G defeat. Both pitchers got by the first two innings unscathed but teams managed to push one over in the third. Alton drew first blood when Basil walked, stole second and scored on a single by Jouett. But the Hawks came right back in their half of the inning to tie it on a lead-off single by O'Hare, a sacrifice by Waberzeck and an RBI single by Matajzel.
ter to face him, Richards, dropped a spinning single into right field, scoring O'Hare and Coad from second and third. Matajzel then followed with a walk and Gibe singled to drive in Waberzeck but was then out trying to go for second. Strom then drove in the final run of the inning with a single to left. Richards scored run number eight from third on Strom's hit. Holz who had made the first out in the inning ended the inning by grounding to short. Alton stormed back with four runs in the fifth but their rally fell just short as Larsen came in to relieve Richards and put out the fire. Richards got in trouble when, after getting Basil to ground out to third, Chappell batting for Ealey got on base on a fielders' choice. He then walked Hard and Jouett got on on a fielders choice to walk the bases. Richards then heaved a wild pitch far out of the reach of Waberzeck, and Chapell scored from third, while the other runners advanced to second and third. Weaver singled to drive in Hard from third leaving runners at first and third with one out. Larsen came in to pitch for South and got the first batter he faced, Kennedy, to ground After Alton was retired in out to second. But the next batorder in the fourth, the Hawks ter Gruver singled to score broke the game wide open with Weaver with the last run of the seven runs in the bottom of the day. Munson (nded the inning inning. by grounding to O'Hare at secDave Strom got things started ond. for the Hawks with a base hit Alton threatened again in the to left. Hoiz was out pitcher to sixth. After Wheeler took a first advancing Strom to second. called third strike from Larsen, Webb then loaded the bases by Basil blasted a triple. Chappell giving up successive walks to then walked and Hard followed Kilinski and Coad. with a ku to score Basil from With O'Hare coming to the third. Reliable John Spiggos plate, Tyler had had enough of then came in to put out the fire of Webb and he brought in Du- by striking out Jouett and forccommen, another righthander. ing Weavti to ground to secDucommen got O'Hare to ond. bounce right back to the mound The Hawks failed to get a hit where Ducommen gloved the the finul two innings but ball, firmed up his grip, meas- in >!ammed the door on ured up his throw, and heaved Spiggos the Redbirds preserve Richthe ball over his catcher's head ards' victory. to The win was the for a two run error. fourth of tho year for Chuck Strom scored from third and against no defeats. Richards Kilinski scored all the way from had seen little action in action second while Coad went to third previous to the tournament. His and O'Hare stopped at second. opponent, Webb, was similarly In his embarrasment Ducom- inexperienced with a season men didn't wait for coach Tyler record of 1-0. to come out to the mound. He Both teams had 8 hits and 1 threw down the ball and headed error but Alton left 7 men on right for the dugout. base to Maine's 1. Strom and Ealey then became the new Matajzel each had two hits for pitcher for Alton. The first bat- the Hawks.
to 13 to 0 first round victory over Alieman of Rock Island. Hawks went on to second place
finish in ISHS Baseball Tournament. South was defeated by Glenbrook North in the finals.