1959 Baseball: Cassie’s Great Run Ends in Disappointment
Another outstanding San Diego High team was eliminated in the Southern California playoffs and followed a trend of other Cavers teams generally also coming up short in football and basketball.
Coach Les Cassie, who guided the 1952 team to an astounding 35-2 record and its lone Southern California title in the decade, retired after this season and would return to Hoover, his alma mater, as vice principal.
Cassie’s record since 1951, when he succeeded Mike Morrow, was 221-33 and a stunning, .870 winning percentage.
This Cavemen compiled a 25-4 record this season and they were 73-9 since a talented group of sophomores arrived in 1957.
The five, three-year regulars, with batting averages this year in parenthesis: pitcher-outfielder Iva Tucker (.300), first baseman Sam Edwards (.391), catcher Paul Runge (.300), second baseman-pitcher Ezell Singleton (.468), and centerfielder Willie McCloud (.352).
The lineup also included leftfielder H.D. Murphy (.293), infielder John Frabotta (.302), third baseman Steve Simon (.294), and rightfielder Sam Cowan (.308).
Singleton posted a 10-1 record and 1.45 earned-run average. Iva Tucker and Larry Kramer each pitched a no-hitter.
Singleton was most-valuable player of the ninth annual Lions Tournament, in which the Cavemen defeated El Centro Central, 7-2; Sweetwater, 7-0; Escondido, 6-3, and Mount Miguel, 22-2, for their sixth championship.
3/30/59
Ezell Singleton struck out 17 batters, allowed four hits, and San Diego almost routinely whipped St. Augustine, 16-1, for its ninth consecutive win and Singleton’s fifth without a loss.
Willie McCloud hit his third home run in the last three games and John Frabotta, also homered. Iva Tucker and Sam Edwards added three singles apiece as part of San Diego’s 19-hit attack.
—Joe Cisterna’s three-hit pitching was the difference in Lincoln’s 3-1 win over Kearny.
—Billy Fontana was 5-for-5 and Point Loma beat Crawford, 14-1, and Hoover scored 10 runs in the last two innings for a 13-10 victory over Mission Bay.
—Fred Olmsted hit a home run and pitched Chula Vista to a 5-2 win over Helix.
—Mount Miguel’s Jeff Cox gave up 10 hits but struck out 13 and hung in for a 9-8 win over Sweetwater.
—Three errors betrayed Coronado pitcher Craig Callender, who dropped a 2-0 decision to Oceanside’s Joe Astorga.
–San Dieguito rampaged for 16 hits in a 19-0 win over Carlsbad and Mar Vista capitalized on 10 Fallbrook errors in a 16-3 win.
4/1/59
Mike Smith drove in three runs and Ronnie Riech pitched Clairemont to a 6-2 win over Grossmont.
4/3/59
St. Augustine a loser in four of its last five games, surprised Point Loma, 3-1, to knock the Pointers out of a first-place tie with Hoover and San Diego in the City Prep League.
Tom Goddard pitched the victory for the Saints, who separated from the Pointers on a single, squeeze bunt, and an error in the fifth inning.
–Ezell Singleton’s three-run home run in the seventh inning was insurance in San Diego’s 6-1 win over Mission Bay. Larry Kramer hurled a four-hitter for the Cavemen.
—Jeff Cox had four hits and Pete Jernigan homered and pitched Mount Miguel to a 7-1 win over Chula Vista.
—Dan Reed hit a three-run homer in a four-run third inning and Grossmont scored four more runs in the seventh to beat Sweetwater, 9-6.
4/6/59
Larry Kramer gave up four hits, Sam Edwards drove in five runs, and Ezell Singleton homered in San Diego’s 11-0 victory over La Jolla.
—First-year Clairemont made it five wins in six games by outlasting Hoover, 8-7.
—Pitcher Mike Jauregui had three hits and drove in three runs as Point Loma beat Mission Bay, 9-0.
4/10/59
Gary (Slats) Maloy pitched a no-hitter but three walks and a error denied Slats of a perfect game in a 7-1 Crawford win over Clairemont.
Norm Marr backed Maloy with a grand slam home run and Buddy Hunter added a solo shot.
—Frank Kamfonik of Point Loma edged La Jolla’s Dave Newton, 2-0, in a battle in which each pitcher allowed four hits.
–San Diego routed Hoover, 19-0, and took a 40-20 lead in all-time games against its arch rival. The Cavemen’s romp represented their third highest total of runs versus Hoover, topped only by a 21-3 win in 1949 and 20-3 victory in 1952.
4/14/59
Escondido took a one-game lead in the Metropolitan League as Jim Gabbard hurled a 9-2 win over Sweetwater that combined with Mount Miguel’s 12-4 win over previous frontrunner Grossmont.
–Harold Peterson hit a grand- slam home run and Willie McCloud and H.D. murphy added roundtrippers in San Diego’s 15-1 win over Clairemont.
4/17/59
San Diego took a two-game CPL lead with its 14th win in a row as Ezell Singleton reversed an earlier loss to Point Loma with a 2-1 victory.
—Bobby Graham and Don Young each hit home runs and Crawford moved into third place in the CPL with a 5-4 win over Mission Bay.
4/21/59
Fred Olmsted homered and pitched Chula Vista back into first place in the Metropolitan League lead with a two-hitter that stopped Escondido, 3-1.
–San Diego won its 15th game in a row, 14-5 over Lincoln. Angel Sanchez hit a grand-slam homer for the Hornets that made the defeat seem more digestible.
4/24/59
Sam Edwards had five hits in six trips, including a home run and double, and drove in nine as San Diego bombarded Kearny, 22-0. Paul Runge drove in three runs and Steve Simon homered for the Cavers. Ezell Singleton and Iva Tucker combined on a one-hit pitching performance.
–Oceanside made it eight wins in nine games and held its Avocado League lead with an 8-7 win over Coronado.
4/28/59
A four-run 10th inning and 6-2 win over Chula Vista elevated Mount Miguel back into a first-place tie in the Metropolitan League with the Spartans.
Big hit in the Matadors’ inning was Jerry Lipscomb’s triple with winning pitcher Pete Jernigan on base.
5/1/58
Steve Simon and Ezell Singleton each doubled in a run and Iva Tucker, fully recovered from a broken finger, hurled a no-hitter as San Diego defeated St. Augustine, 4-0.
5/5/59
Three El Cajon Valley pitchers could not stop the onslaught.
Grossmont overwhelmed the Braves, 33-10, with 29 hits, led by the 6-for-8 by Danny Reed, whose day included a grand slam home run, four singles, and nine runs batted in.
Grossmont’s Joe Sewall was 5 for 5 with two doubles, a triple, and five RBI. Almost lost in the stats were three doubles in six trips by Danny Selness and eight errors by the Braves.
The offensive explosion, probably heard at the top of nearby Mt. Helix, allowed coach Art Preston’s team to maintain a first-place tie with Chula Vista in the Metropolitan League.
–Chula Vista lefthander Fred Olmsted won a 2-1 duel from visiting Sweetwater’s Jess Molina. The Red Devils took a 1-0 lead in the top of the seventh but the Spartans scored two in the bottom of the inning.
–Willie McCloud hit a grand-slam home run and Steve Simon homered, tripled, and doubled to bring in five runs as San Diego topped Mission Bay, 14-4, despite the Bucs ending a pitching streak of 25 scoreless innings by Cavers pitchers.
–Ramona’s Neal Walters struck out 19 and no-hit Mountain Empire, 4-0.
–Fallbrook’s Jim Lira and San Dieguito’s Bill Bruns traded one-hit pitching performances, but Bruns was a 5-0 winner.
5/8/59
Larry Shuck kept Mount Miguel at a distance until Grossmont scored a run in the top of the 11th inning and went all the way in a 1-0 victory. Shuck twice worked his way out of jams that saw the Matadors retired after runners reached second and third bases with no outs in two innings.
“I’ve never seen him hum the ball the way he did in the late innings,” said Foothillers coach Art Preston.
Grossmont pitchers have gone the distance in all but one of 21 games, Preston said. The coach had given Neil MacClellan a rest in the third inning after Grossmont had scored 17 runs en route to the 33-10 rout of El Cajon Valley.
H.D. Murphy hit two home runs and Ezell Singleton and Steve Cowan added one each as San Diego clouted La Jolla, 15-4, for its 20th consecutive victory, behind the pitching of Iva Tucker and Larry Kramer.
5/12/59
Scorebook line-score observers had to take a second or third look when Grossmont took a one-game lead in the Metro League with one game to play in a 9-6 win over visiting Chula Vista.
A published line score revealed that Foothillers pitcher Neil MacClellan started and was relieved by Larry Shuck in the eighth inning, when the Spartans were erupting for four runs.
MacClellan stayed in the game at another position and returned to the mound in the ninth inning. Shuck also moved to another position and then relieved MacClellan a second time and closed out the game in a scoreless ninth inning.
–Ramona’s Don Romine followed Neal Walters’ gem of seven days earlier with a no-hitter in a 10-0 win over Army-Navy.
–Ezell Singleton was 4 for 4, with three singles and a double and pitched San Diego to a 10-3 win over Hoover.
5/15/59
What in the world of surprising results was this?
Clairemont beat San Diego High in the final regular -season game.
The fledgling program, which opened its doors in September, 1958, with a large segment of students from Mission Bay and Kearny enrollment areas and with no seniors, stunned the Cavemen, 1-0, and put an end to their 20-game winning streak.
Several good players apparently were in that Kearny-Mission Bay mix. Under coach Ernie Beck the Chieftains tied for third with Hoover, each with a 12-6 record, and were 19-12 overall.
John Barger’s squeeze bunt in the third inning scored Stan Zimny, who had tripled. George Lyons stopped the Cavemen on two hits, working out of trouble in the first, second, fifth, and sixth innings.
Barger also caught Paul Runge’s 400-foot drive to centerfield and then doubled Ezell Singleton at second base to end the game.
Despite the loss, San Diego’s second in 18 league games, the Cavers won the CPL championship by two games over Point Loma.
–Helix finished third in the Metropolitan League but had a say in Grossmont’s fortunes, rocking the Foothillers, 15-2, and preventing them from an outright title, which they were force to share with Chula Vista, 7-2 winner over Escondido.
STANDINGS
CITY PREP LEAGUE
| TEAM | WON-LOSS | Pct. | GB | OVERALL/Pct. |
| San Diego | 16-2 | .889 | — | 24-3, .889 |
| Point Loma | 14-4 | .778 | 2 | 18-5, .783 |
| Hoover | 12-6 | .667 | 4 | 17-10, .625* |
| Clairemont | 12-6 | .667 | 4 | 19-12, .613 |
| Crawford | 11-7 | .611 | 5 | 14-10, .583 |
| St. Augustine | 8-10 | .444 | 8 | 9-14, .391 |
| Mission Bay | 6-12 | .333 | 10 | 7-16, .304 |
| Lincoln | 6-12 | .333 | 10 | 9-15, .375 |
| Kearny | 5-13 | .278 | 11 | 6-18, .250 |
| La Jolla | 0-16 | .000 | 16 | 1-19, .050 |
*Hoover had one tie game.
METROPOLITAN LEAGUE
| TEAM | WON-LOSS | Pct. | GB | OVERALL/Pct. |
| Chula Vista | 8-4 | .667 | — | 15-7, .682 |
| Grossmont | 8-4 | .667 | — | 16-7, .688* |
| Helix | 7-5 | .583 | 1 | 12-9, .571 |
| Escondido | 6-6 | .500 | 2 | 14-7, .667 |
| Mount Miguel | 6-6 | .500 | 2 | 15-10, .600 |
| El Cajon Valley | 6-6 | .500 | 2 | 7-15, .318 |
| Sweetwater | 1-11 | .083 | 7 | 8-14, .364 |
*Grossmont had one tie game.
AVOCADO LEAGUE
| TEAM | WON-LOSS | Pct. | GB | OVERALL/Pct. |
| San Dieguito | 9-3 | .750 | — | 11-4, .733 |
| Vista | 9-3 | .750 | — | 11-6-1, .639 |
| Oceanside | 8-3-1 | .708 | ½ | 12-6-1, .658 |
| Coronado | 6-5-1 | .541 | 2 ½ | 6-9-1, .407 |
| Mar Vista | 5-7 | .417 | 4 | 7-12, .368 |
| Fallbrook | 4-7-1 | .375 | 4 ½ | 5-8-1, .393 |
| Carlsbad | 0-12 | .000 | 9 | 0-16, .000 |
SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS
San Diego 13, @Grossmont (16-8-1) 5.
The Cavemen literally walked their way to the first-round victory, with first baseman Paul Runge leading the parade.
Runge had a single in six times at bat.
A modest achievement, but Runge drew bases on balls in his other five times at bat, reaching base his first four appearances on a combined 16 consecutive pitches.
Runge drove in four runs, three on bases-loaded walks.
Wild Grossmont pitchers, who issued 19 free passes, contributed to a seemingly interminable, three-hour contest that began before about 500 fans at Grossmont.
Grossmont actually led, 3-2, when the roof fell in.
Two Grossmont errors, Runge’s single, Willie McCloud’s home run, and John Frabotta’s, triple were part of a six-run fifth inning that gave the Cavers a 9-3 lead.
San Diego pitcher Ezell Singleton even walked six batters but struck out 11 and raised his record to 10-0. San Diego needed only eight hits, led by Sam Edwards’ two doubles in five trips.
Point Loma (18-6) 1, @Santa Ana 14.
Jim Bradford homered and doubled for the Pointers, who were competitive, trailing, 3-1, until the Saints, champions of the Sunset League, unloaded for 10 runs in the fifth inning.
Long Beach Poly 2, @Chula Vista (15-8) 0.
Poly pitcher Tommy Sisk worked out of a jam in the sixth-inning when the Spartans loaded the bases with none out and came up empty.
Sisk struck out 13 and allowed three hits. Chula Vista’s Fred Olmsted gave up only two hits and single runs in the third and fifth innings.
Huntington Beach 1, San Diego (25-4) 0, @Beeson Field.
Bob White, who “pestered San Diego High batters with a whistling fastball,” stroked a run-scoring base hit in the sixth inning and closed out the Cavemen in a second-round playoff game on the Marine Corps Recruit Depot diamond.
The loss also closed the career of coach Led Cassie, who retired from coaching and moved into administration.
Johnny MacDonald of The San Diego Union noted that White denied the Cavemen after they had runners on third base three times and that “excellent, heads-up play by his teammates squelched the impotent Cavers.”
Harley Murray opened the Oilers’ sixth with a single. Pinch-runner Bob Anderson went to second base on a wild pitch and scored on White’s single with two out.
Tough luck San Diego pitcher Iva Tucker gave up just three hits and struck out 11.
