Grover strikes out 19

Seniors lead Proctor

by JIM GOEBEL of the News-Tribune staff

Proctor's baseball team, comprised of mostly senior starters, may have rediscovered a case of "sophomore-itis" Friday as the Rails defeated Cloquet in a Sub-Region 2 semifinal in the first of four games at Wade Stadium.

The Rails played with the overflowing enthusiasm that won them the Region 7AA championship two years ago to eliminate the Lumberjacks 7-1, behind Mike Grover's career-high 19 strikeouts...

...Three championship games will be held at Wade today. Proctor meets Central in Sub-Region 2 at noon, Denfeld and Hibbing collide in Sub-Region 3 at 2:30 p.m. and Esko and Hermantown meet for the District 26 title for the second straight year at 5 p.m.

Proctor's victory was a joyous way for the Rails' seniors to celebrate Thursday night's graduation. Unfortunately, Thursday's graduation exercises for Two Harbors, Cloquet and Silver Bay didn't have such a happy ending. Grover and company are not quite ready for graduation.

"This is going to be our sophomore year all over again," Grover said. "There is a lot of enthusiasm picking up. The seniors are starting to take over the team. All the seniors were in the house by 12 (midnight Thursday). We made sure of it."

However, Grover didn't really need any help to mow down the Lumberjacks in the rain-suspended game from last Friday. The left-hander had one streak of eight straight strikeouts and fanned 12 of the last 14 batters.

"I tribute it (victory) to the seniors," said Rails Coach Rich Petersson. "The last couple of weeks they have shown leadership. We didn't have it earlier. They are starting to think -- that's the game of baseball."

Proctor, 9-5, gave Grover all the runs he needed last Friday in the first inning, but added another run in the third and took total command with a four-run seventh. A triple by Bill Kuzas and singles by John Baublitz, Grover, Dale Nikko and Mark Anderson led the seventh inning barrage.

The lifeless Lumberjacks, 9-6, tagged Grover for just two hits. The Lake Superior Conference champions scored their only run in the second inning when Ken Ilse walked, stole second and third and scored on a wild pitch.

(Duluth News Tribune, June 4, 1978)