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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-08-30, Page 40Page R Petrol±awon third straight in 78 Petrolia Hard Oil has built a dynasty. The sleek Petrolia squad dazzled `capacity crowds at the Agriculture Park last year with timely home runs, stinging pitching, and slick defensive play as they won the Goderich Industrial League fastball tournament for an unprecedented third straight year. And ironically, Petrolia nailed down their third consecutive championship in similar fashion to their first win four years ago, with a hard fought victory over London Ted Dilts 4-1. These two 'teams and the A championship have become synonymous in the last five years of the tournament and each encounter between the equally matched clubs in the final produces top quality, exciting softball. And the difference between the teams in the championship game last year was one pitch. London pitcher Marty Reynolds gave up only five hits to the powerful Petrolia bats, but Hard Oikir first baseman John Robinson rode a Reynolds pitch well over the left field fence in the third inning of that final game that brought in three runs and virtually nailed down the win. The team played scoreless through the first two innings before Petrolia rallied in the top:of the third. With two out Reynolds walked Petrolia's Bill Fairbairn and Alex McEachern reached first on a routine ground ball after the first base man pulled his foot off the bag. The error cost London the championship in this grudge match as Robinson followed with his game winning three run homer over the left field fence. But still trying desperately to get that final out of the third inning, London committed two more errors and a wild pitch that allowed Mark Kelch to score from third base with the fourth Petrolia run. London scored their only run of the game in the-f-o•urth.,i nn.i-n g.., --an- i -nn in •-that--h-a-d -g r -ea t -run - scoring potential but was , thwarted by a spectacular defensive play by shortstop Keith Helps. Gord Brooks and Pete Allen. led off the London fourth with successive. singles. With none out Reynolds hit a line shot in the hole between short and third that looked like a sure base hit and would have at least loaded the bases for London.. But Helps dove to his right, snared the line 'drive and recovered to throw to first base and double up Brooks who was on his way to second. London salvaged a run out of `the inning but Helps' double play took the sting out of their attack. Don Smith went the distance on the mound for Petrolia and gave up one run on five hits, three of those hits coming in London's run - producing fourth inning. The only other time Smith ran into trouble was in the first inning when. he gave up a lead off double to Chuck Humbey but then retired the next three batters. Mark Kelch led the Petrolia batters with two hits in four trips to the plate. Humbey of London also had two hits. The win for Petrolia in the final game was their fourth straight of the tournament. They hammered Orangeville 16-9 in the first game of the A division Saturday morning as Doug Smith went the distance and added four hits in five times at. .bat. .He also scored three, runs for Petrolia. ,The road to last year's championship was a •difficult one following their opening victory and Petrolia relied on home runs to carry them. They defeated Dorchester 6-4 in the second game on the strength of homers by Doug Peters, John Robinson and Mike Graham that accounted for five of their six runs. Henry Anjen'ra and Smith shared the mound duties in the game. The semi-final contest with Stratford was probably Petrolia's toughest challenge as the teams battled nine innings before Alex McEachern won the game with a ninth inning home run for a 1-0 victory. Both --Stratford pitcher Dave Stacey and.. Petrolia's Larry Forbes pitched admirably. Forbes gave up just two singles in the game and Stacey had relinquished only two singles in eight innings before McEarchern drilled the game -winning homer. r Petrolia players accept second title in 1977 London took Kitchener Evergreens in their first game 5-2 and then defeated two Sarnia teams to enter the championship game against Petrolia. Walton won B crown Rick McDonald isn't likely to forget the Goderich Industrial Fastball League tour- nament for a long while. ` And the hundreds of tournament players and fans who thronged to Agriculture Park for the 10th annual tournament last year aren't about to forget about McDonald either. McDonald, the lanky Walton pitcher, almost single-handedly took . Walton to the B Cham- pionship with his near perfect pitching and. booming bat. He pitched all four games that his team wis involved in, allowing just one unearned run in four games, and if that isn't a remarkable feat in itself, he smacked a home run over- the right field fence in the bottom of the seventh inning -to lift Walton to a 1-0 victory over Wingham in the B Championship. Needless to say, McDonald was selected as ' the B division most valuable player in the tournament and there wasn't a more obvious choice in the park. Grant Coulters, Wingham BP catcher, was selected as the division's most sportsmanlike player. It was odd that a team would rely on a one man pitching staff, but it became abundantly clear in the bottom of the seventh inningof.that final game that McDonald was the only weapon Walton needed. McDonald gave up a single to Wingham in the second inning of the final game and then held them hitless until the seventh inning. With two out in the final inning he gave up a walk and Bob Armstrong then stroked a single to provide Wingham with their biggest threat of the ball ga me. But the threat ended as McDonald got the third out on a ground out that set the stage for his last inning heroics. Wingham pitcher Don Edgar retired the first Walton batter before McDonald lofted a high drive over the right field fence. • It was a $420 hit, the amount Walton pocketed for their championship win. Walton defeated the Lucan Irish Nine in their first game of the tournament 6-1. Ironically, Lucan's unearned run in, the third inning of that •game was the only run McDonald allowed in the tournament: He pitched three consecutive one - hit games before Wingham touched him for two hits in the final.' McDonald played a major role in Walton's offence in the first game smashing a'first in ning triple that scored two runs and his fifth inning single scored another. Murray Houston was the top Walton batter -in" that game with three hits, including a triple, and he scored two runs. In the second game they defeated Zurich 2-0 in one of their toughest contests and wouldn't you know it, McDonald knocked in both runs and pitched a -one -hit shutout. Houston singled in the first inning and McDonald followed with a two -out double that scored what proved to be the winning run. In the sixth' inning Roger Humphries walked and again with two out McDonald tripled to score the insurance run, he needed. Houston •-and McDonald combined for four of Walton's five hits in the game. Walton downed Port Lambton 4-0 in the semi- final and despite his second straight one -hit shutout, McDonald's presence was rather unobtrusive. It was the only game in which he did not figure in his team's scoring. Walton got first inning runs from Houston and Gary Bennett and Murray Lowe and Paul Humphries scored fourth inning runs to clinch the win. Wingham was equally impressive in last year's tournament and displayed a brand of play worthy of defending champions. They won -their first game 3-0 over Bryanston and then dumped Goderich Canada Company 6-0 in the second game. Wingham had played shutout ball until the semi-final when they defeated Corunna 5-1. Corunna's only run came on a solo hornier. Theteams were evenly matched as evidenced by the 1-0 score in that thrilling final game that was perhaps the best of the tour- nament, despite its defensive nature.