1968 Baseball: Colts Pluck Cardinals’ Hat Trick in Fourth Try

Hoover was favored and aiming for what sportswriters euphemistically called a hat trick. The term, more favored in ice hockey and soccer, meant a player had scored three goals.

The Cardinals were shooting for a third title, having won the Lions Tournament and Eastern League (they could have claimed a fourth after being selected No. 1 in the final Evening Tribune poll).

Despite a 24-4 record, best in the seven-year history of the San Diego Section, Hoover came up short.  Crawford  (21-7), three-time loser to the Cardinals in the regular season, defeated the Cardinals,  5-1, for the championship, its fourth in seven years under coach Bill Sandback.

CIF bosses adjusted the playoffs, dumping the 12-team, two-division format for a single, 16-team bracket.

4/30/68

El Capitan and Helix remained in a tie for first place in the Grossmont League.  The Highlanders defeated Monte Vista, 4-0, behind the no-hit pitching of Larry (No) Sweat. El Cap’s Joe Thogmartin shut out Mount Miguel, 2-0, behind run-scoring singles by Greg Mulkey and Denny Rupe.

–Bob Prawdzik’s three-run home run was the difference as Escondido (5-3) picked up a game on first-place San Dieguito (6-2) in the Avocado League, 5-3.

–Don Watson’s struck out 12 and gave up one hit in Carlsbad’s 3-0 win over Vista.  Fallbrook scored nine runs in the first inning, punctuated by Chuck Perkins’ grand slam home run, in a 12-2 rout of Oceanside.

–Chula Vista took the Metropolitan League lead on Nacho Bracamontes’ three-hitter that stopped Mar Vista, 4-2.

–University stayed a half game ahead of Madison in the Western League with a 7-6 win over Kearny and Madison stayed apace with a 2-1 win over Point Loma.

–Ron Monks two-run home run was essential for Uni, while Allan Hunt handcuffed Point Loma on seven singles.

–“We didn’t accomplish much, but we’re still in first place and if we can win four of our last five games we’ll stay there,” said Hoover coach Jerry Bartow after a doubleheader split of 4-3 games with chasing Crawford.

“We had to have a split,” said Crawford’s Bill Sandback.  “We’re still in the thick of things….”

Conclusion of an earlier, nine-inning tie turned in Hoover’s favor when Gary Stock’s long fly ball scored Mike Harrison from third base in the top of the 10^th inning.

The Cardinals scored twice and had the tying run on third base but Colts’ righthander Rod Boone retired Fred Jacobsen and Crawford survived in the second game.

–Dale Davis pitched seven innings in relief and tripled in the winning run in San Diego’s 3-2 win over St. Augustine.

–Morse’s Mike Hawks’ one-hitter blanked Lincoln, 8-0.

5/3/68

Hoover’s Mike Harrison improved his record to 11-2 and kept Hoover in front in the Eastern League, 7-0 over St. Augustine. Harrison scored two runs and drove in another.

–Crawford kept the pressure on Hoover with a 5-0 win over Morse behind Mike Pieratt’s pitching and four unearned runs.

–Jim Erautt, the grandson of Eddie Erautt, who posted 16-12 and 18-10 records for the Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres in 1954 and ’55, showed familial moxie for coach Bill White’s Grossmont loop-leading Helix.

Erautt tossed a two-hit, 1-0, eight-inning victory over El Capitan to maintain the Highlanders’ league lead.

–Chula Vista pitcher Frank Enda’s one-hitter was more than enough for the Metropolitan League Spartans’ 4-0 win over the Western’s Point Loma.

“Everybody’s a contender,” said University coach Robert (Bull) Trometter.  “We still have to play La Jolla and Mission Bay and I’m scared to death.”

Uni’s league lead had just been trimmed to a half game with two remaining after Clairemont’s Tom Dodd, idled a month with back problems, stopped the Dons, 3-2, on four hits at Beeson Field on the Marine base.

5/7/68

The Grossmont and Avocado league race were nearing photo finishes.

–Helix and El Capitan shared the lead with 8-2 records after El Cajon Valley (8-3) knocked off Helix, 6-5, in 10 innings. Brian Applegate’s infield single scored Brock McRoberts with the winning run.

El Capitan jumped Monte Vista with four runs in the first inning and defeated the Monarchs, 5-2.  Santana (7-4) lost ground when Mount Miguel’s Alan Hansen blanked the Sultans on two hits, 5-0, and   Bill O’Connor hit a two-run home run.

–Escondido (7-3) caught San Dieguito and tied for first when the Cougars outscored Vista, 12-9, and Oceanside (7-4) moved to within a half game of the leaders with a 12-9, 10-inning victory over the Mustangs (7-3).

–Ben Epstein’s two-hitter and 5-0 win over Lincoln kept Hoover atop the Eastern Lreague with a 10-2 record, while Crawford (9-3) beat St. Augustine, 7-2.

–“If we can’t win two of these next three games we’d better hang it up,” said Chula Vista coach Bob Kennedy after the Spartans took a two-game lead with three to play in the Metropolitan League.

The Spartans won at Castle Park, 5-3, and looked at the possibility of a fourth league title in the same school year, following football, basketball, and wrestling.

Chula Vista’s Nacho Bracamontes retired the first 10 Castle Park batters, including seven by strikeout to improve to 10-2 on the season and 4-1 in league.

5/10/68

El Cajon, 10-5 since losing its first six, took the Grossmont League lead with a 9-3 record after a 3-0 win over Monte Vista.

The Braves’ Bob Wheelington stifled the Monarchs on three hits, while erstwhile leaders Helix and El Capitan were losing, the Highlanders to Santana, 4-3, and the Vaqueros to Grossmont on an unearned run in the seventh inning, 2-1.

–Frank Endo’s one-hitter and Kent Froede’s two-run homerun paced a 10-1 Chula Vista victory over Bonita Vista that moved the Spartans closer to the Metropolitan League title.

–Castle Park kept pace with the Spartans, 5-2 over Coronado as Ron Iapala hit a three-run home run.

–Marv Thompson’s one-hitter and five Hilltop errors geared a 14-1 victory for Nar Vista, which collected only seven hits.

–San Dieguito and Escondido remained atop the Avocado League.  The Mustangs edged Poway, 2-1, and the Cougars overcame Carlsbad, 6-3.

5/14/68

Chula Vista and Marian became the first to clinch league championships, the Spartans claiming a consecutive Metropolitan title, 9-5 over Coronado, and Marian winning the Palomar with a 7-6 edge on Army-Navy.

–University moved back into first place in the Western League when it defeated Mission Bay, 2-0, and Clairemont dropped back a half game when Point Loma blanked the Chieftains, 3-0.

University’s Greg Tomczyk and Point Loma’s Larry Luzenburg were the lockdown pitchers. Tomczyk struck out 10 and allowed two hits.  Luzenburg was touched for four hits.

–El Cajon Valley stayed a half game in front of Helix in the Grossmont circuit, nodding El Capitan, 3-2, behind Brian Applegate’s two home runs.

–Chuck Lind struck out 13 and gave one hit in a 1-0, eight-inning complete game triumph over Vista that kept San Dieguito in a tie in the Avocado League with Escondido, 6-0 winner against Orange Glen.

–Hoover earned a tie for the Eastern League championship but an outright title would come necessitate a win over Crawford three days later in the season’s final regular-season game.

Hoover shut out Morse, 8-0, and Crawford stayed as half-game behind with a 4-2 win over Crawford. Gary Stock’s home run and Ben Epstein’s three-hit pitching was too much for Morse and Rod Boone’s five-hitter and Earl Altschuler’s two runs batted in kept the Cardinals from shaking the Colts.

5/17/68

Hoover wrapped its first outright Eastern League championship since 1961 (it shared with San Diego in 1963) with an in-your-face, 9-0 victory on runner-up Crawford’s diamond.

Hoover collected 15 hits and Mike Harrison, elevating his record to 13-2 gave up hits and hurled his third consecutive shutout.

“He told me not to worry, that he’d shut them out,” said Cardinals coach Jerry Bartow, adding, “This was the first time all year we exploded on somebody.”

Every Hoover starter collected at least one hit. George Cappelletti and John Helfrick had three hits each and Gary Stock homered and drove in two runs.

“We haven’t been beaten this bad in several years,” said Crawford coach Bill Sandback.  “We’re not laying down, though, because we’ve won the playoffs a couple of times after finishing second.”

–University and Madison deadlocked for the Western League championship, each with an 8-4 record and league bosses were to vote on which would be No. 1 and No. 2 for playoff pairings.

Madison scored five runs in the fourth inning to beat Mission Bay, 8-3, and forge the tie with idle Uni.

–Helix annexed its first Grossmont League title since 1961 with a 4-0 victory over Mount Miguel that was the third victory in a week for pitcher John Sturgeon.  Grossmont opened the door for the Highlanders with a 5-4 win over El Cajon Valley.

–The difficulties that face new schools with undeveloped programs:  Bonita Vista took a 19-0 shellacking from Sweetwater, which hit four home runs The Barons finished 1-11 in Metropolitan League play and 3-19 on the season.

FINAL REGULAR-SEASON STANDINGS

EASTERN LEAGUE

WESTERN LEAGUE

GROSSMONT LEAGUE

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE

SOUTHERN LEAGUE

PALOMAR LEAGUE

AVOCADO LEAGUE

5/21/68

SAN DIEGO SECTION PLAYOFFS

FIRST ROUND

Castle Park (17-8) 3, @Hoover 4.

Gary Stock’s triple was the impetus for a three-run, Hoover fifth inning that was the difference in the Cardinals’ 4-3 win.

El Capitan (13-9) 4, @Crawford 5.

Crawford scored twice in their last time at bat.  Rod Boone’s two-run home run in the sixth inning put the Colts ahead, 3-2, and they needed two more when the Vaqueros (13-9) scored two in the top of the seventh.

San Diego 13, @Chula Vista (17-5) 5.

“I can’t remember a day this humiliating since (Ontario) Chaffey beat us, 27-13, in 1958,” said Spartans coach Bob Kennedy, who added, “but I’m happy with the year we had. You can’t laugh off 17-5.”

San Dieguito 2, @Marian (13-9) 1, 15 innings.

The Mustangs needed four hours and 15 minutes.  The winning run was unearned and dealt the defeat to Steve Bajo, who went all the way for the Crusaders (14-9).

Sweetwater 3, @Madison (12-11) 0.

Alan Dodson’s two-hit pitching blanked the Warhawks.

Kearny (12-11) 6, @Helix 7.

Keith Baxter’s base hit and two runs batted in was the pivotal shot in the seventh inning as Helix came from behind.

El Cajon Valley 10, @San Miguel School (9-7) 0.

Dan Corder and Bob Wheelington combined on a two-hitter for the Braves.

 University (13-7) 2, @Escondido Escondido 7.

The Cougars scored in every inning but one after Uni took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.

5/24/68

QUARTERFINALS

The Avocado League barged into semifinals with two surprising victories.

Escondido 2, San Diego (14-10) 0, @Cal Western University.

The Cougars’ Dan Gabbard executed a game-ending, unassisted triple play to shock the Cavers.

With runners on first and second and none out in the bottom of the seventh inning, San Diego’s Ron Brown hit a low line drive, caught by Gabbard, who touched first base and raced to touch second, ending the game.

“We were standing around holding our hands (sic) and the first thing we know it’s over,” said Cavers coach Charlie Davidson, who claimed that Gabbard trapped the ball.

San Dieguito 4, Helix (16-8) 3, @MiraCosta College.

Mustang Dan Kilpatrick’s sixth-inning double scored Terry Hernandez with the winning run.

-Crawford ,11, Sweetwater (15-10) 7, @Beeson Field. 

Earl Altschuler homered in the first inning off Alan Dodson, considered by many the top professional prospect in the San Diego Section, and the Colts drove the Sweetwater righthander to cover with a four-run third.

“We had heard a lot about him,” said Altschuler.  “We didn’t know what to expect.  He throws hard but he’s not the best pitcher we’ve faced.”

Hoover 7, El Cajon Valley (12-13) 2, @Mesa College.

Mike Harrison upped his record to 14-2 for the defending champion Cardinals.

5/28/68

SEMIFINALS

Hoover 7, Escondido (16-8) 2, @Mesa College.

Hoover coach Jerry Bartow did not employ ace Mike Harrison, instead nominating his second ace, Ben Epstein, who moved to 8-0 on the season by holding the Cougars to three hits.

Relief pitcher Steve Archambault shut out Hoover without a hit after the second inning. The Cardinals scored all seven runs on six base hits in the first inning.

Five Hoover batters were averaging at least .300.  “We’re hitting .280 as a team,” said coach Jerry Bartow.

Crawford 2, San Dieguito (18-7) 1, @Beeson Field.

Crawford earned its sixth trip in seven years to the championship game behind Rod Boone’s four-hit pitching.

5/31/68

CHAMPIONSHIP

Crawford (21-7) 5, Hoover (24-4) 1, @Beeson Field.

Mike Harrison retired the first 10 batters and Hoover led Crawford, 1-0, in the fourth inning, but the Colts struck for four runs when Danny Coronado scored on brother Mike Coronado’s single and Rod Boone hit a three-run home run for a 4-1 lead.

Colts starter Mike Pieratt limited the Cardinals to four singles and worked his way out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning by coaxing a pop-fly out and strikeout to end the game.

“I kept getting more and more nervous until the first pitch,” said Pieratt. “Then the nervousness went away until the seventh inning.

“He did a good job against Hoover in the Lions tournament, so we knew he could do it for us,” said Colts coach Bill Sandback.  “Rod Boone (the Colts’ No. 1 starter) was tired, so we went with Mike.”

“When you play a team that many times the percentages are bound to catch up with you,” Cardinals coach Jerry Bartow told Bill Finley of the Evening Tribune. “I still think we have the better team—I wouldn’t trade, I know that.”

Hoover had won three straight without defeat this season in games with their neighborhood rivals.

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