1961 Baseball: Morehead (15-0) Leads Hoover (24-3) to Title
Hoover was 1-7 in football but then the seasons changed. The Cardinals won the first San Diego Section championship with a 24-3 record in winter basketball and repeated the 24-3 with another title in spring baseball.
There were seven no-hitters pitched in the San Diego Section this year but none by Hoover’s Dave Morehead, who posted a 15-0 record.
Morehead instead pitched a no-hitter in 1965 for the Boston Red Sox, whose scout Ray Boone, himself a Hoover star of the 1942 Southern California championship team, signed Morehead after Dave’s high school graduation.
2/24/61
Crawford managed only six hits off Dave Varvel, but El Capitan committed seven errors and the host Colts won the season opener, 18-7.
–Hoover won, 9-8, at Point Loma, where the Pointers aided the Cardinals with 10 errors and Helix won at Mission Bay, 4-3.
3/1/61
Hoover’s Joe Verdon and Dick Armstrong combined to stop Escondido on three hits, 4-0, and George Sherrod allowed San Diego five hits as Helix pushed across a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to win, 2-1.
3/3/61
Bill Casey homered for Clairemont and Phil Boland for Lincoln, which edged the Chieftains, 4-3.
–Dave Bruen relieved John Allison in a Chula Vista three-run first inning and allowed one hit thereafter as the Colts rallied, 9-4.
–Dave Armstrong pitched Hoover to a two-hit, 7-1 win at San Gabriel and Ron Rutherford gave up two hits and San Diego won, 9-2, at Alhambra Mt. Keppel.
3/4/61
Robert Ruiz and Joe Verdon were the winning pitchers as San Diego and Hoover respectively concluded their northern invasion 6-2 and 5-1 over Alhambra Mark Keppel and San Gabriel.
Keppel earlier had visited San Diego and came away with a 5-0 win.
3/7/61
Froebel Brigham’s three-run home run elevated San Diego past El Cajon Valley, 6-2. Helix won at Point Loma, 3-0, behind George Sherrod’s three-hit pitching.
3/10/61
Arnold Powers walked no one, struck out 14, and set down Kearny, 6-0, to give Western League defending co-champion Clairemont a 3-0 loop record
–Mike Huse and Lee Waske combined with a two-hitter as Helix improved to 4-0 with a 3-0 win over Hoover.
3/14/61
Mike Hill hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and Dave Varvel gave up two hits as El Capitan hammered Hilltop, 14-0.
–Home runs by Jimmy Bob Mosley and Dennis Wilson propelled Kearny to a 6-5 win over Hoover and Don Sada, three for three with a triple, pitched Point Loma to a 4-1 win against San Diego.
3/18/61
San Diego’s Ron Rutherford walked St. Augustine’s Bob
Ahern leading off the second inning and then retired the next 18 batters to complete a near-perfect game in the Cavers’ 4-0, Eastern League win at Golden Hill Playground.
Rutherford (3-0) faced 22 batters. “I was hit on the wrist by a ball last week against Crawford and it’s pretty sore, so I didn’t think I’d be able to throw too well today,” declared the tall right-hander.
–Dave Morehead, fresh from Hoover’s CIF championship basketball season, spaced three hits and the Cardinals won their Eastern League opener, 6-0.
–Mike Hill stopped Helix on two hits and contributed to his cause with a triple in El Capitan’s 2-0 win over Highlanders ace George Sherrod.
–Ron (Flame) Tompkins of Chula Vista blanked Sweetwater, 8-0, and Bill Crayton of Kearny closed Mission Bay, 4-0.
3/21/61
Kearny jumped on Point Loma in a 30-minute first inning for seven runs and six hits for an 8-4 victory. Phil Ewert relieved starter Mike Parker and pitched the final 6 2/3 innings for the Komets.
–Doug Wardell pitched and Mount Miguel’s 4-1 win over Sweetwater gave the Matadors a 7-0 record and the Metropolitan League Southern Division lead.
3/24/61
Mount Miguel improved to 8-0 behind left hander Bob Curley, who hit a two-run home run in a six-run third inning and went the distance in a 7-5 win over El Capitan.
–Joe Verdon hit a two-run home run and relieved starter Dave Morehead in Lincoln’s four-run fifth inning, and preserved Hoover’s 11-4 win.
3/25/61
Thirty-one reams, including 16 in the Unlimited Division, were entered in the 11th Lions Tournament with Helix the defending Unlimited champion and El Centro Central the returning Limited winner.
3/27/61
Helix’ Lee Waske gave up one hit but Mission Bay’s Dennis Bissmeyer also allowed only one hit and Mission Bay knocked the defending Lions champion into the consolation bracket, 1-0.
Chula Vista’s Ron Tompkins gave up one hit and shut out San Diego, 1-0, and Mount Miguel, undefeated and 8-0, was beaten by Hoover, 2-0.
Coronado took a 2-1 lead on El Centro Central in the top of the seventh inning, but the Spartans rallied in the bottom half to advance, 3-2.
San Dieguito’s Rich Long had a no-hitter for five innings when the game was stopped with the Mustangs routing Ramona, 12-0, and the so-called 12-run rule was applied.
3/28/61
Rain postponed action for a day, resuming today with quarterfinals and semifinals.
3/31/61
Point Loma, 2-5 to open the season, won its fifth game in a row and the 11th Lions tournament Unlimited Division title, 5-4 over Hoover.
La Jolla made it a Western League sweep by defeating Vista, 6-5.
Helix beat Crawford, 9-1, for the Unlimited Division consolation title and Oceanside won the Limited, 4-0, over Carlsbad.
“We’ve beaten every team in the Eastern League now,” said Point Loma coach Kermeen Fristrom. “The Western League has really proved itself, hasn’t it?”
Jerry Jeli relieved Pointers starter Ron Holmes in the sixth inning as Hoover twice battled back from two-run deficits.
4/4/61
Hoover’s Joe Verdon hit a two-out, two-run home run that followed Johnny Peterson’s double in the top of the sixth inning and was the difference in Hoover’s 2-0 win over San Diego.
Dave Morehead struck out 16 and allowed one hit in outdueling the Cavers’ Ron Rutherford, who gave up five hits.
–Mike Hollister, with relief from Ron (Flame) Tompkins rode Dave Truelock’s run-scoring, first-inning triple to a 1-0 victory over St. Augustine.
–Army-Navy committed nine errors but beat San Miguel School, 18-9.
4/7/61
Arnold Powers struck out 13 and gave up six hits but dropped an eight-inning, 3-2 decision to Kearny, which scored two unearned runs.
Dennis Wilson and Jimmy Bob Mosley crossed the plate after Billy Cesena’s hot grounder went through the legs of Clairemont’s second baseman.
–Dave Varvel hit a run-scoring double and restricted El Cajon Valley to four hits in El Capitan’s 4-1 victory.
Jim (Corky) McCorquodale homered and Ron Dargo struck out 11 in Crawford’s 7-1 victory over San Diego.
4/10/61
Dave Morehead hit a home run and gave up three hits, one a three-run homer by John Allison, as Hoover improved to 5-0 in the Eastern League with a 5-3 win over Crawford.
–El Cajon Valley (1-5) won its first Metro Northern Division contest, as Owen Rinner stopped Grossmont, 4-0, on three hits.
4/14/61
Graig Nettles hit two home runs and Fred Shuey and Jimmy Martin gave San Diego a total of four in a 13-1 win over Lincoln.
4/18/61
Five singles, by Jon Clark, Bruce Kehrli, Don Sada, Tom Ferrara, and Tim Faris, generated four runs in the fourth inning and Point Loma went on to a 7-2 triumph over Clairemont for its 10th straight victory.
–Carlsbad’s line score was 0 runs, 1 hit, 7 errors in a 12-0, Avocado League loss to Vista.
–Two-run home runs by Gene Crise and Vern Elliott paved the way for Dick Armstrong, who hurled Hoover to a 7-1 win at Lincoln.
–Ewert of Kearny held La Jolla to one hit as the Komets scored a 3-1 win.
—Mar Vista and San Dieguito went scoreless for 10 innings before the Avocado League game was called because of darkness on the Mustangs’ Encinitas diamond.
4/21/61
Hoover, which lost to Point Loma in the Lions Tournament final, won its eighth straight Eastern League game, 8-2 over San Diego and opened a three-game lead on the Cavemen with five to play.
The Cardinals’ Dave Morehead allowed only four hits, including a two-run home run by Graig Nettles in the sixth inning.
–Jim Pignatelli doubled for El Capitan’s only hit but it came with the bases loaded and was enough for the Vaqueros to improve their Northern Division record to 7-1 with a 3-2 triumph against Grossmont.
4/24/61
Point Loma’s 12th win in a row, 2-1 over Mission Bay, kept the Pointers one game ahead of Clairemont in the Western League.
–Grossmont’s Neil MacClellan stopped Mount Miguel, 5-4, and aided his cause with a three-run home run.
–Chula Vista profited from three Sweetwater errors in the 10th inning and scored a 3-2 victory to take over first place in the Southern Division after Mount Miguel lost.
–Mike Hill, with help from Dave Varvel in the seventh inning, pitched El Capitan past Escondido, 1-0.
4/27/61
Joe Verdon hit a home run over the short, right field porch at Hoover that had observers calling for a tape measure.
Verdon’s drive had begun to descend when it hit a light standard behind the right field stands.
The 11-3 win over Crawford was Hoover’s 10th in a row since a loss to Point Loma in the Lions Tournament final and clinched the Eastern League title.
Unbeaten Cardinals pitcher Dave Morehead scattered four hits and won his 10th in a row.
4/28/61
“Weak-Sticking El Capitan” began the headline after the Vaqueros, inspiring historians to recall the Chicago White Sox’ “hitless wonders” of the early 20th century, defeated Chula Vista, 1-0.
Dave Varvel singled in the first inning, stole second, advanced to third on an error, and scored the game’s only run when Spartans’ pitcher Ron Tompkins issued a pair of bases on balls.
5/1/61
San Diego’s Larry Murillo no-hit Lincoln and hit a home run in the Cavers’ 13-0 victory and Brown of Chula Vista blanked Granite Hills, 1-0.
The season’s seventh no-hitter came on a day when three were pitched, including Helix junior George Sherrod’s in an 8-0 win over Grossmont.
HIT OR ERROR?
Sherrod was unaware of his gem as he continued to quiet Grossmont bats.
Grossmont shortstop Mike Ekanbrack reached first base safely after he hit a ball down the third base line in the fourth inning.
Helix’ Chris Hansen got his glove Ekanbrack’s bouncer but couldn’t make a play. The Helix scorer assumed that the play resulted in a base hit.
Grossmont viewed the play as an error, since Hansen momentarily juggled the ball. The Foothillers’ scorebook was official, Grossmont being the home team.
5/4/61
Point Loma won its 15th consecutive game and clinched the Western League championship, 5-2 over Clairemont.
–El Capitan won the Metropolitan League’s Northern Division title, 2-0 over Granite Hills.
–Hoover earlier clinched the Eastern League, bringing to three the number of titlists in the San Diego Section’s five leagues.
5/10/61
George Sherrod (12-2) tripled and drove in the winning run with a fourth-inning double and Helix (17-5) earned the Metro South title, 3-2 over Mount Miguel.
Sherrod gave up a two-run home run to the Matadors’ Duane Freeman after two were out in the seventh inning, ending a string of 22 scoreless innings by the Highlanders’ pitcher.
5/16/61
Catcher Randy Simpson hit a pair of two-run home runs and Pat Bauman’s solo homerun was all pitcher Rich Long needed as he scattered four hits in San Dieguito’s 5-3 victory over Mar Vista.
San Dieguito (7-2) claimed the Avocado League championship in a quasi-postseason contest, which was played after the teams earlier deadlocked in a 10-inniing tie.
5/18/61
PLAYOFFS
Dave Morehead socked two home runs, struck out 10 batters, and gave up two hits as Hoover (21-3) defeated El Capitan (14-5), 9-2, at Grossmont in the first round.
Morehead’s home runs measured 330 and 375 feet, respectively, and his complete game ended on his 106th pitch.
–George Sherrod outdueled Larry Murillo and Helix (18-5) edged 14-9 San Diego, 2-1, on the Marine Corps Recruit Depot’s Beeson Field.
Randy Schwartz tripled in Chris Hansen with the Highlanders’ first run and Ken Nasife scored the winning run in the top of the seventh inning on Gary Johnson’s infield roller.
One of the Cavers’ five hits was an inside-the-park home run by Henry Peavy.
–Ron Dixon allowed only an infield hit to Pat Bauman in the bottom of the seventh inning and University advanced with a 3-0 win over San Dieguito.
–Point Loma’s Jerry Jeli won a 2-0 struggle with Ron Tomkins of Chula Vista.
Don Sada’s double, Tom Lutes’ triple, and Tom Ferrara’s single were what Jeli needed as he set down the Spartans (15-8) on one hit, a bunt single.
SEMIFINALS
George Sherrod (13-3) checked Point Loma (20-7) and Helix (19-5) scored four runs in the sixth inning to eliminate the Pointers, 7-1.
Sherrod also hit a home run and gave up six hits, including Don Sada’s home run that narrowed the Scots’ lead to 3-1 in the sixth.
–University (13-7) scored first and led, 2-1, after two innings but Hoover (22-3) scored an 8-3 victory.
CHAMPIONSHIP
“Now I’ll just relax and be a fan,” said Fulton Vickery, who was retiring as coach at Hoover after taking over for Bill Matthie in 1956.
The Cardinals (24-3) sent Vickery out with a 2-0 victory over Helix (19-6), Dave Morehead (15-0) besting George Sherrod (13-4) at Beeson Field.
Morehead’s scratch single, Sherrod’s throwing error, and Bill Daw’s single gave the Cardinals the run they needed in the fourth inning.
Joe Verdon’s double, Gene Crise’s ground ball out, and Morehead’s sacrifice fly scored another run in the fifth.