Proctor, Rapids advance in 7AA
Duluth News Tribune, June 6, 1978
VIRGINIA -- Mike Grover hit a two-run homer, drove in three runs and pitched Proctor to a 5-1 victory over Hibbing, while Jim Jetland hurled a two-hitter to lift Grand Rapids 3-0 over St. Francis in Region 7AA baseball semifinals Monday.
Rapids and Proctor will meet for the Region 7AA championship today in Virginia at 3 p.m. Grand Rapids is the defending champion and Proctor won the title two years ago.
Grover, who struck out 19 to beat Cloquet 7-1 Friday, broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the first when he hit a shot over the 300-foot bleachers in left-center field to give the Rails, 11-5, a 3-1 advantage.
The Rails, who scored single runs in the first and third innings on errors, got their fifth run in the fourth inning. Jay Nelson singled, stole second and was driven home on a single by Grover.
Hibbing scored its lone run in the first inning when Ken DeMaris, who was on third and Tom Kern at first worked a double steal.
The victory lifted Grover's record to 6-1. He finished the contest with 10 strikeouts and seven walks.
In the opener, Jetland was working on a no-hitter before it was broken up in the fifth inning. He waked just one batter.
[Grand Rapids] got the only run they needed in the fourth inning when Dave Stanelle doubled home Jeff Hoard. A pair of walks and errors by the second baseman and catcher gave Rapids two insurance runs in the fifth.
Cory Gilbertson was the losing pitcher, working the first five innings and yielding all six of Rapids' hits. Stanelle led Rapids with two hits.
Rapids 9 vs. Proctor in 7-AA
Hibbing Daily Tribune, June 6, 1978
VIRGINIA -- It will be Grand Rapids and Proctor in today's Region 7-AA baseball final in Virginia at 3 p.m., as a result of Monday's action.
Grand Rapids pushed one across in the fourth, and two in the fifth to beat St. Francis in the tourney opener Monday by a 3-0 margin, while Proctor got three in the first, one in the third, and one in the fourth to down Hibbing, 5-1.
Jim Jetland put in another powerful performance on the mound for [Rapids] against a St. Francis squad, which ended its season with a 17-2 mark. Grand Rapids is 18-1.
Jetland hurled a perfect game through the fourth, except for a walk issued to Mike Sizen to open the second. St. Francis got its only hits late in the game, with one in the fifth and another in the sixth. The Jet fanned 10 Saints batsmen.
Grand Rapids opened the game with a double by Dave Stanelle down the left field line off starter Cory Gilbertson, and Jetland drew a walk after Steve Anderson was called out on strikes.
But the runners stayed right where they were. They did the same when [Rapids] loaded the bases in the second on back-to-back singles by Tom Smith and Roger Bishop to open the stanza, two consecutive outs, a walk, and a deep fly to center.
Dave Salminen got another hit for [Rapids] in the third, but he died on the path also. Grand Rapids hit six times, and left nine men on base in seven innings.
[Rapids] played errorless ball in the contest, while St. Francis committed four. Three of the miscues were charged to second baseman Tim Steinte, who had trouble fielding in Virginia's sand and gravel pit, and [Rapids] scored on every mistake.
Jeff Heard reached on the second baseman's error with one gone in the fourth, and scored as Dave Stanelle singled to right center when the throw home was wide to the third base side.
Jim Jetland walked to open the fifth, and Mike Freize went in to run for him. Kevin Kellin laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Frieze, and then Dave Salminen got aboard with a walk. With two gone Bishop hit a grounder which was not handled cleanly at second, allowing [Freize] to score.
Alert base running and coaching allowed the second run to score on the play, as Bob Streetar sent Salminen to the plate forcing a wild throw from second. St, Francis got out of the inning behind 3-0, a score which proved to be final.
Pinch-hitter Scott Martin led off the sixth with a single for [Rapids], and then Dave Stanelle walked. Starter and loser Cory Gilbertson was lifted in favor of Rick Stoeckel, who got St. Francis out of the inning.
Rapids got a batter aboard on the first baseman's error in the top of the seventh but couldn't bring him home. Then Jetland retired the side in order in the bottom of the inning, fanning the first two, and [Rapids] had their first regional victory.
In the second game of the day, Hibbing stranded 13 runners who had reached on six hits and seven walks, and came up on the short end of a 5-1 score. Though the Bluejackets out-hit Proctor, 6-4, they didn't get the right blast at the right time.
The Rails played it just the opposite, taking advantage of three walks, a hit, two stolen bases, and an error in the first inning to score three runs and grab a 3-1 lead they never gave up.
The big blow of the bottom of the first stanza came off the bat of pitcher Mike Grover, who homered over the grandstand in an abbreviated center field at Virginia. Jay Nelson, who had reached on an error at third, scored with Grover. Tim Norton scored earlier as he walked, stole second, advanced on a sacrifice, and came in when Nelson's grounder was booted.
Hibbing committed four costly errors in the contest, while the Proctor play in the field was pristine. The Bluejackets opened the game with a run, as Ken DeMaris led off with a walk, stole second and third, and with two outs came home on a double steal. So Proctor's three in the bottom of the stanza put them ahead, 3-1.
Grover struck out 10 Hibbing batters, but also gave the Bluejackets some chances to score with eight walks. Hibbing stranded three in the first, two in the second, two in the third, one in the fourth, two in the fifth, and three in the seventh while bringing only one home. Grover went all the way on the hill for Proctor.
Hibbing's Mike Giesler, who took the loss, hurled through three and one-third, until being shown the gate in favor of Jim Grillo. The Rails scored in the third as Dale Nikko walked, stole second, and came in on the third baseman's miscue. With the sacks jammed, Bill Grillo hauled in a fly at center, cut down a runner coming in from third, and Giesler fanned the next batter to get out of the fix.
Giesler wasn't so fortunate in the fourth, as Jay Nelson singled, stole second, and came in with Proctor's fifth of the contest on a single by Grover. The Hibbing starter was lifted after the second hit of the stanza.
Grillo faced only four batters in the fifth, and put the Rails down in order int he sixth in a sterling performance, highlighted by his leading the Bluejackets out of the jam in the fourth. Grillo snared a popped bunt to his right with a diving catch, and doubled the runner at second to end the fourth stanza.
Hibbing put singles together in the seventh by Dave Toivola, Bill Grillo, and Pat Motherway to load the bases, but with two gone the last batter fanned, and the Bluejackets ended their respectable season behind 5-1.
Hitting for Hibbing were Bill Grillo, 3-3, Motherway 1-3, Toivola 1-3, Marv Vulcich 1-3, and Ken DeMaris 1-3. Grover paced the Proctor attack at 3-3 with three RBI, while Tim Norton and Jay Nelson had singles.