1962 Baseball: Crawford Begins Dominant Decade

Crawford was emerging as a legendary power and would appear in the San Diego Section championship game six times, winning four, by the end of the decade.

The Colts’ coach was Bill Sandback, a hockey-playing Minnesota transplant who, after seeking more agreeable weather, moved west, and taught one year at Memorial Junior High before becoming the Colts’ mentor this season.

Two players on this team, catcher Dave Duncan and outfielder Eddie Herrmann, would go on to the major leagues as catchers, Duncan later as perhaps the major leagues’ premier pitching coach with the St. Louis Cardinals…

3/2/62

Crawford’s Ron Dargo pitched a no-hitter in a 1-0 victory over visiting Helix, striking out 5, walking 2, and hitting one batsman.

Dargo also allowed only one hit in an earlier, season-opening victory over El Cajon Valley on Feb. 28.

Crawford’s Eddie Herrmann and El Capitan’s Dave Varvel collided in championship game, Herrmann scoring.

3/9/62

His team trailing, 3-2, with one out in the seventh inning, Henry Peavy struck a three-run, reported 360-foot home run that cleared a 20-foot fence in right field at Golden Hill playground, earning San Diego a 5-3 victory over host St. Augustine in an Eastern League opener

3/13/62

Jim Rupe slugged a first-inning home run and followed with three singles and John Allison allowed one run and two hits in 6 2/3 innings of relief as Crawford muscled Hoover, 11-2.

3/14/62

Jim Rupe hit solo home runs in the first and third innings and Crawford defeated visiting Sweetwater, 3-2, behind Ron Dargo’s two-hit pitching and improved to 7-0.

Three-run home runs at Clairemont by Mike Christino and George Mahaffey Barnes led San Diego to a 9-5 win and 6-0 record.

3/16/62

Froebel Brigham, eighth in the batting order, led San Diego to a 4-2 victory over Lincoln in an Eastern League game at Robb Field, Ocean Beach.

Brigham homered and tripled, and drove in all four runs as the Cavers improved to 7-0 and pitcher Larry Murillo to 3-0.

3/23/62

Ron Scagliotti struck out 18 Granite Hills batters and allowed two hits in a 5-1 Monte Vista victory.

Helix’ George Sherrod stopped Mount Miguel on three hits, 3-1.

Hoover staked a 7-0 lead in the first two innings and gave it all up in the third.  San Diego sent 18 men to the plate and scored 12 runs and went on to a 17-8 victory.

Home team Lincoln beat Crawford, 1-0, as Lou Marone outpitched Ron Dargo in a battle of lefthanders.

Fred Shuey of San Diego slid safely back to first base after almost being picked off by El Capitan pitcher Dave Varvel (center). Al Hinkle is first baseman. Vaqueros won playoff, 5-4.

3/26/62

Gary Rucker’s one-hit pitching was essential as La Jolla’s John Fink gave up only two hits in the Pointers’ 1-0 triumph.

3/30/62

Joe Jacobo’s one-hit pitching for San Diego stopped St. Augustine, 2-1, in the Eastern League. Helix retained first in the Grossmont League, edging El Capitan, 4-3, behind Dick Gowin’s single with two outs in the seventh inning.

4/4/62

Gary Rucker stuck out 16 batters and Bobby Falar’s squeeze bunt brought home the winning run in Point Loma’s eight-inning, 4-3 nod over Kearny.

Homers by Mike Christino and Carl Limbrick offset Phil Boland’s homer in San Diego’s 5-4 win over Lincoln.

Coronado sophomore Dan Jordan, up from the junior varsity squad, punched out San Marcos, 3-0, allowing only a base on balls.

Crawford’s John Allison was out as catcher Vern Elliott applied tag and umpire Hal Fredricks made call. Observing was Hoover pitcher Pat Harris. Allison was trying to stretch a triple into  home run. Colts won, 11-2.

4/6/62

Fireballer  Ron (Flame) Tompkins hurled Chula Vista to a 1-0, eight-inning victory over Sweetwater’s Joe Camacho that landed the Spartans (4-1) in first place in the Metropolitan League, ahead of Sweetwater (4-2)

Tompkins made the major leagues and had a baseball card that became very popular.  Tomkins shared his “rookie” card with future Hall of Famer Johnny Bench.

4/10/62

John Allison allowed Lincoln one hit in a 4-0 Crawford win that kept the Colts within a game of Eastern League-leading San Diego.

Bob Crowley’s three-run home run was the difference in Sweetwater’s 5-4, Metropolitan League win over Mar Vista.

Poway beat Ramona, 15-3 for its fourth consecutive Palomar League triumph.  Nick Dillon, Daro Quiring, and Bill Jack homered for the Titans.

Visiting Crawford was one out from an Eastern League tie for first place, but San Diego scratched out two runs for a 4-3 victory and improved to 7-1 in league play to the Colts’ 5-3.

Dick Pipes reached first base after errant throw by Clairemont shortstop Bill Casey and then singled in winning run in Chula Vista’s 7-6 playoff victory. George Tomaiko is Chieftains’ first baseman.

4/16/62

LIONS TOURNAMENT

Thirty-two teams in Unlimited and Limited divisions, all from the San Diego Section, began play in the 12th annual Lions Tournament, games at Navy Field, foot of Fifth Avenue and Harbor Drive.

Gary Rucker’s three-run home run in the fourth inning propelled Point Loma to a 7-5 victory over Escondido in the first round of the Lions Tournament and Russell (Hush) Puppe pitched the Pointers into the semifinal round, 4-3 over Grossmont after Rucker doubled and scored on Lynn Kemp’s bases-loaded walk.

4/17/62

George Mahaffey Barnes and Fred Shuey each had four hits as San Diego knocked out Crawford, 13-3, in the quarterfinals after the Colts set down Chula Vista, 6-3, behind John Allison’s six-hit pitching and double and single, which produced two runs batted in.

A Point Loma-San Diego championship game was assured after the Cavers followed their morning win over Crawford with a 4-3 victory over El Capitan in the afternoon.  San Diego came from behind in the last of the seventh inning on Henry Peavy’s single, which scored Sylvester Crowell and George Mahaffey Barnes.

Point Loma advanced with a pair of 4-3 victories over Grossmont and St. Augustine, respectively.

El Capitan’s Bob Conen scored when George Mahaffey Barnes’  throw was late to catcher Rob Ortman, but San Diego moved on with 4-3 win.

4/18/62

Husky Gary Rucker, backed by an errorless defense, allowed three hits and struck out 11, and pitched Point Loma to a 2-1, Unlimited Division championship game victory over San Diego.

So described by  writer Roger Conlee, the 6-foot, 1-inch,  205-pound Rucker boasted a 5-1 record and was one of the reasons Pointers coach Kermeen (Punky) Fristrom predicted a Western League championship for his team.

“It’s going to be tough, but I don’t think anyone is going to beat us out of it now,” Fristrom told Conlee after his club won its 11th in a row. San Diego (15-3) saw an eight-game winning streak end.

Ron (Flame) Tompkins hurled a no-hitter and Chula Vista claimed Unlimited consolation honors, 3-0, over Escondido.

El Centro Central was the Limited  champion after topping El Cajon Valley, 7-1, and University claimed the consolation prize, 9-8, over La Jolla.

5/1/62

Herb Palmtag singled in the winning run in the 12th inning of a game that was resumed after being  suspended earlier in the 10th inning against Clairemont.

The Pointers’ 5-3 victory enabled them to claim a share of the Western League championship.

Clairemont’s Arnie Powers no-hit the Pointers in the regularly-scheduled game, outdueling Gary Rucker, 2-0, who was the winning pitcher in the 5-3 game.

Point Loma’s Tim Faris scored winning run, beating throw to Clairemont catcher Walter Schulz as umpire Dan Peretti looks on .

5/4/62

Point Loma, Chula Vista (Metropolitan), Oceanside (Avocado), and Poway (Palomar) clinched league championships and Helix gained a tie for the Grossmont League title.

A Clairemont pitcher, Jim Tarlton, hurled the Chieftains’ second consecutive no-hitter, blanking Mission Bay, 2-0.

Bob Serrano’s two-run home run in the sixth inning and Russell (Hush) Puppe’s two-hit pitching clinched Point Loma’s championship, 2-1 over La Jolla.

Jim Quiring’s homer in the ninth inning beat San Marcos, 7-6, and separated Poway from the rest of its circuit rivals.

Phil Edwards’ two home runs paced Helix to a 10-9 win over El Cajon Valley.

Dave Bruen (left), who drove in three runs, and pitcher Ron Dargo, who allowed three hits, accept trophy emblematic of Crawford’s 9-0 win in title game.

5/8/62

George Sherrod stopped host El Capitan, 9-3, aided by 6 Vaqueros errors that led to six unearned runs, and Helix won its 11th Grossmont League game in a row and the league title.

Kearny, 3-16 overall, stunned 18-3 San Diego, 6-4, behind John Green’s two-run home run.

Dave Duncan’s grand slam home run in the first inning propelled Crawford to a nonleague victory at Point Loma.

5/10/62
PLAYOFFS

2-A

Eight teams, two each from the Eastern, Western, Metropolitan, and Grossmont leagues would square off in the San Diego section 2-A playoffs.

A one-game playoff with between Oceanside (Avocado) and Poway (Palomar) would determine the 1-A champion.

REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS

EASTERN LEAGUE

                                      LEAGUE                                                                        OVERALL                                            

TEAM WON LOST Pct. GBL WON Lost Pct.
San Diego 11 1 .917 — 19 4 .826
Crawford 7 5 .583 4 16 6 .727
St. Augustine 6 6 .500 5 12 11 .522
Lincoln 3 9 .250 8 9 12 .429
Hoover 3 9 .250 8 9 13 .409

WESTERN LEAGUE

                                      LEAGUE                                                                         OVERALL

TEAM WON LOST Pct. GBL WON LOST Pct.
Point Loma 11 1 .917 — 16 8 .667
Clairemont 9 3 .750 2 15 6 .714
La Jolla 4 8 .333 7 8 12 .400
Mission Bay 3 9 .250 8 7 15 .318
Kearny 3 9 .250 8 5 15 .250

GROSSMONT LEAGUE

                                       LEAGUE                                                                          OVERALL

TEAM WON LOST Pct. GBL WON LOST Pct.
Helix 11 0 1.000 — 16 4 .800
El Capitan 9 3 .750 2 16 6 .727
El Cajon Valley 5 7 .417 6 11 12 .478
Grossmont 5 7 .417 6 11 9 .550
 Monte Vista 5 7 .417 6 10 9 .526
Mount Miguel 4 8 .333 8 7 13 .350
Granite Hills 2 10 .167 9 5 15 .250

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE

                                             LEAGUE                                                                           OVERALL                                          

TEAM WON LOST Pct. GBL WON LOST Pct.
Chula Vista 9 3 .750 — 16 6 .727
Escondido 7 5 .583 2 13 9 .591
Sweetwater 6 6 .500 3 8 12 .400
Hilltop 4 8 .333 5 7 13 .350
Mar Vista 4 8 .333 5 4 14 .222

PALOMAR LEAGUE

                                             LEAGUE                                                                       OVERALL

TEAM WON LOST Pct. GBL WON POST Pct.
Poway 10 0 1.000 — 16 3 .842
Army-Navy 6 4 .600 4 7 8 .467
Carlsbad 5 5 .500 5 7 8 .467
Fallbrook 5 5 .500 5 7 9 .438
San Marcos 4 6 .600 6 8 8 .500
Ramona 0 10 .000 10 5 12 .294

AVOCADO LEAGUE

                                             LEAGUE                                                                      OVERALL

TEAM WON LOST Pct. GBL WON LOST Pct.
Oceanside 9 3 .750 — 14 7 .667
University 8 4 .500 1 14 6 .700
Coronado 7 5 .583 2 11 11 .500
San Dieguito 4 8 .333 5 7 11 .389
Vista 2 10 .167 7 5 16 .238

 GBL:m Games behind leader.

5/15/62

FIRST ROUND

Clairemont (15-7) 6, @Chula Vista  7.
Dick Pipes, facing an 0-2 count with two outs in the eighth inning, singled in Tim White for the winning run in the eighth inning.

The Spartans had lost a 6-4 lead when the Chieftains scored three in the top of the seventh.

Clairemont’s Arnie Powers and Chula Vista’s Ron (Flame) Tompkins each went the distance, each surviving 11 combined errors, six by the Chieftains.

The Spartans-Chiefs game was the only contest, as the three others scheduled were rained out or postponed because of wet grounds.

El Capitan 5, San Diego (19-5) 4, @Beeson Field.

Vaqueros lefthander Dave Varvel allowed only one hit and survived five errors, but a defensive play saved the game.

Dave Duncan cut down a tying run in the third inning with a perfect throw from right field.

Graig Nettles’ single to right field scored Fred Shuey, but Vaqueros catcher Gordon Carlson took Duncan’s throw and held on to the ball despite a collision with 200-pound Henry Peavy.

The victory avenged the East County club’s controversial, 4-3 loss to the Cavemen in the Lions Tournament.

Crawford coach Bill Sandback could depend on battery of catcher Dave Duncan (left) and John Allison.

Crawford (17-6) 4, @Helix (16-5) 3, eight innings.
The Colts, who overpowered Helix in the football playoffs, again carried the hammer.

The Highlanders were leading 3-1, in the third inning when John Allison and Tom Whelan hit home runs.

Dave Duncan led off the eighth inning with a 340-foot drive that decided the duel between pitching aces Ron Dargo of Crawford and George Sherrod.

Escondido (14-9) 1, @Point Loma (16-8) 0.

Pitcher Jack Turner hit a two-out single in the fourth inning, scoring Nick Thurlow, and won a tense duel with the Pointers’ hard-luck Gary Rucker.

SEMIFINALS        

El Capitan 9, Chula Vista (17-7) 5.

Dave Varvel, pitching on one day’s rest, got the better of Chula Vista’s Ron Tompkins,

Varvel allowed eight hits but the Vaqueros attacked Tompkins with 12 hits, including a double and two singles by Ron Carlson and a three-run home run by  Dave Duncan that broken open the game in the fifth inning.

Crawford’s Ron Fox was out at second base and San Diego’s Graig Nettles fired to first and completed double play. Crawford won, 9-2.

Crawford 3, Escondido (14-10) 1. 

John Allison’s complete-game five-hitter was enough for Crawford to advance and allowed coach Bill Sandback to rest lefty ace Ron Dargo.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Crawford (19-6) 9, El Capitan (18-7) 0, @Westgate Park.

Ron Dargo limited El Capitan to three singles and the Vaqueros’ Dave Varvel, pitching his third straight playoff, issued six walks in one inning.

Dave Bruen drove in three runs and Tom Ault two runs.  Tom Cassie had two hits and Cassie and Tom Whelan each had two-base hits.

Attendance was an estimated 1,200 persons, giving Crawford two major championships, defeating more renowned Helix along the way.

1-A

Poway (17-3) 3, Oceanside (14-8) 2.                                                                                         

Daro Quiring won his 13th game against two defeats, allowing two hits, and the second-year Titans survived eight errors.

The single-game playoff was between Palomar League Poway and Avocado League Oceanside.

Grossmont coach Merle Smith was confident (left) as his team took 4-1 lead into seventh inning against Helix but tension rose (center) as he signaled two outs and remained until pitcher Bernard Linn finally put away the Highlanders.