60 YEARS AGO
Stratford (15-1) beat Milford 4-1 to complete a clean sweep of its eight Housatonic League games as MORT HORBACH pitched a four-hitter and Matty McNally had two hits. & The North Paraders also beat Bassick 4-0 behind a three-hit effort from lefty BILL ANDERSON and two key hits from Vin Sica. & JACK MULVEY pitched a three-hitter and got ample offensive support from George Saccone and Charlie Panullo in Central's 7-2 win over Bullard-Havens. & Saccone then pitched a one-hitter in a 3-1 win over Danbury. & Bullard-Havens did come back to beat Hartford Trade 5-2 behind JOE UZARSKI'S five-hit pitching. & In Senior City League action MAL BAXTER homered, doubled and drove in three runs to back up Bus Dobbs' three-hit pitching as the Lenox beat the Rosebuds 6-0. & The Lenox also knocked off the Black Rocks 9-0 as GENE O'CONNELL allowed five hits with 12 strikeouts and Bob Balla and Bucky Milvid drove in three runs each.
50 YEARS AGO
Coach Paul Kuczo's Stamford team was the only Fairfield County representative in the CIAC Class "A" tournament, but the Lock City Black Knights lost to Naugatuck 4-1 at Longbrook Park in the first round as Don Dorion outpitched ANDY WASIL. & JOHN NETCHKO, state amateur champ from Race Brook, shot a two-under par 69 to win the state one-day tournament at Brooklawn CC over Jack Wielk of Wheeler Park. W.A. "Billy" Booe of the host club and Dick Siderowf, of Indian Hill,
Fairfield Prep's MBIAC champions handed top-seeded Lyman Hall (15-2) a 4-2 loss in the CIAC Class "A" quarterfinals at Nolan Field as the Jesuits handed highly touted pitcher Jim Hartmann his first loss in three years of scholastic action. Hartmann entered the game with a 13-0 record for the year and a 23-0 career mark. Ace BILL MCCARTHY gave up four hits with 10 strikeouts and had a no-hitter going until the fifth. McCarthy also had two hits and an RBI single while Joe Fahey had three hits and John Delaney, Lou DiZenzo and Hal Lonergan two each. & St. Joseph suffered a tough 1-0 loss to Middletown in a Class B second round game. JOHN ARSENAULT worked the first 4 innings and gave up four hits in taking the loss before Dave Danowski finished up in hitless fashion. Sophomore Nick Posh doubled and Lou Laccavole singled for the lone Cadets' hits off Bill Guida. & LARRY DOBER took individual honors over a field of 36 entries with a 75 and led Central to the MBIAC golf championship on the black course at D. Fairchild Wheeler. Robert Ruby and Dale Stegner, both from Bunnell, tied for second with 77's and Steve Dearth of Milford was a shot back in fourth. Ron Freeman and Scott Blonder of Fairfield Prep and Lou Scinta of Notre Dame posted 79's. Barry Fitelson (81), Rick Cohen (82) and Joe Anthony (84) joined Dober for the champs, who totaled 322. & HARVEY MELZER of Norwalk allowed four hits and singled in the winning run in the ninth and Dick Nocera homered as Southern Connecticut (20-2) defeated Oswego State 2-1 to win the NCAA College Division Atlantic Coast tournament at Yankee Stadium. Coach Gene Casey's Owls beat LIU 7-1 in the semifinals as LARRY CAPUTE singled in two runs, Joe Lopiano homered and Terry Toigo tripled in support of winning pitcher Bob Brooder. 30 YEARS AGO
TOM NORKO capped a brilliant scholastic career by pitching 16 strong innings while Scott Wakeman tripled and scored the winning run on Mark Cramer's suicide squeeze to end the five-hour Class LL championship marathon as second-seeded Shelton edged top-rated Southington 2-1 before 1,752 fans at Quigley Stadium. Norko, who was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 14th round earlier in the week, tripled in Rod Searles in the fifth. The senior righty struck out 16 and spaced nine hits to outlast a trio of Southington pitchers, who combined to strike out 24 Gaels. Jim Koeller struck out 15 in working the first nine innings. For coach Joe Benanto's Gaels (22-1) it was their first LL crown after having set a state record with three straight Class L titles from 1972-74. John Fontana's Blue Knights finished 21-1. & Seventh-seeded St. Joseph, which never won a state tournament game before this season, unleashed a 22-hit barrage in swamping top-rated Cromwell 24-2 in the Class S finals at Palmer Field. Captain RON CARAPEZZI collected four hits and seven RBI while Maurice Kiely (four, three), and Mickey Camerato (three, two) also starred for coach Ed McCarthy. John DeDonato picked up the win after relieving Camerato in the fifth.
20 YEARS AGO
Senior southpaw MIKE SCIORTINO was brilliant in pitching a two-hit shutout and facing only 22 batters, one over the minimum, in leading Trumbull over West Haven 1-0 for the CIAC Class LL crown before an SRO crowd at Penders Field. Joe Yacovacci scored the lone run off tough-luck loser Phil Dillon (9-1) on an infield error in the fifth. Trumbull (22-5) can boast of two state championships in major sports during the same academic year under coach Jerry McDougall, having won the Class LL football title last December. & Trumbull pitcher/shortstop BOB VANCHO was named the Connecticut High School Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year. & Fairfield Prep won the CIAC Class LL team tennis championship, compiling enough points (13) after the first day of the two-day event. BRAD NORTON of Prep defeated Rob Oppenheim of Hamden 6-1, 6-2 in the quarterfinals and Lou Gloria of Amity 6-2, 6-2 in the semis. The doubles combo of Tony Ceccarelli and John O'Dwyer also won twice, including an upset over top-rated Tom Uati and Ron Kesselman of Simsbury 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. & Second-seed JERRY ALBRIKE and the doubles team of Stan Phelps and Ted York of St. Joseph advanced to the Class M tennis finals. & JOE SERINO'S 67 took top honors in a medal play tournament at D. Fairchild Wheeler, two shots in front of Eric Meerbach. Ray Wojna Jr. (70) was third, followed by Gary Timpany (72), and Ron McLeod and Al Sarosky at 73. & JOHN RUBY and DR. BOB RUBY defeated Ben Costello and Mike Pantano on the third hole of sudden death to win the Mill River member-member tournament.
10 YEARS AGO
TCU's J.J. HENRY of Fairfield shot four straight 74's for an 8-over 296 total to finish 11 shots behind winner Tiger Woods of Stamford at the NCAA golf championship near Chattanooga, Tenn. & PETE TUCCI JR. of Norwalk and Providence College, was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 31st pick of the first round of the major league baseball draft. Tucci is the highest state player drafted since Hamden's Scott Burrell (1989, 26th pick of Seattle Mariners). Other state players taken in the first round include: Stamford's Bobby Valentine, 1968 (fifth overall, Dodgers); University of New Haven's Cameron Drew, 1985 (12th, Astros); Fairfield's Charles Nagy, 1988 (17th, Indians) and Watertown's Rico Brogna, 1988 (26th, Tigers). n
The Greater Bridgeport Old Timers Athletic Association will conduct its final monthly meeting before its summer recess 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the St. Andrew's Church Hall on Anton Street. Tickets for the annual outing 11 a.m.-4 p.m. July 23 at Owen Fish Park may be purchased at the meeting or by calling ticket chairman Ed Cornwell at 372-2033.
-Readers may submit glossy photos of old teams or groups from the region for publication in Sunday's "Those Were The Days" weekly sports feature. Photos should be the original glossy or a quality reproduction with year of the photo, identification of individuals and all other pertinent information. All photos will be returned. Send them to: "Those Were The Days", Sports Department, Connecticut Post, 410 State St., Bridgeport CT 06604.
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