In fast pitch softball the Turn Hall pulled a big upset when they knocked off the league leading Funky B’way team. Turn Hall was sporting a 5 win & 9 loss record and the losers were riding a 13 game winning streak.
The B’ways scored twice in the first and the Turners pitcher Jimmy Riley shut the door and pitched shutout ball the rest of the game. In the 1st Mike Nearney’s single, Jack Sholik now living in NH sacrificed Nearney to second and Joe D’Agata superstar in the league sent Mike to third.
Joe is a big time volunteer at Holy Family these days after playing tennis for many years. His brother Rick is a retired teacher at LHS. Nearney score on a Bobby Hanagan ground out. Dickie Lynch another league great now of NH and a retiree from Raytheon single and so does Rocky Conte to score D’Agata.
For the Turners their SS the former LHS and Hall of Famer Joe Celia who passed away at a much to young age, doubled in the second and went to 3rd on a wild pitch. He scored on former Lancer Baseball and now a beach resident Sean McCarthy’s sac fly. Another former LHS coach Norm Liversidge cranked a lead off HR in the 4th to tie the game. Leading off the 7th Joe Cahit’s a long homer to right to win it for the Turners. Carter is known as one of the best multi sports athletes in the Merrimack Valley. A Derry NH resident he retired from the LHA and just recently retired as a hoop official. The Tennis courts on Lawrence St. are named for his Dad the great Nick Carter. The loss was a tough one for the George Simonian League leaders.
The Hancocks, named after sponsor Ray Hancock, a City Alderman and Frankie Ruediger now a Tribune retiree and still a Methuen resident was on the mound and pitched the win over the Sargent Club. The winners upped their record to 10/7.
Scoring three runs in the 1st the Hancocks gave Ruediger a good cushion. After one out in the 1st Ronnie Tourville then living in Haverhill singled, Bill Bateman a CCHS Hall of Famer walked and John Lenihan now a NE Power retiree doubled to left center scoring both runners.
Methuen’s future great coach Larry Klimas lined a single over 2nd base scoring Lenihan. Ruediger blasts a triple in the sixth driving in Chris DeCesare who had walked. Dennis Homa singled in Jack Sholik for the Sargents in the 3rd Buddy Erban homered in the fourth for the Methuen team. Sholik and Homa each had 2 hits for the Sargent Club. Frankie Ruediger had a single and a triple for the winners.
This was the Social League Softball in August 1970.
