Dahl, Anderson homers lift Rails

by MARK STODGHILL staff writer

CLOQUET -- Jeff Dahl is going to Northwestern University next fall and will major in physics. With a 4.0 grade point average, he probably could have technically explained how the spheroid met the object in his hand and matter and energy interacted to get the final result Wednesday night.

But Dahl, and Proctor baseball teammate Jay Anderson, kept it simple in explaining how they hit home runs to lead the Rails to a 10-4 victory over Cloquet for the 7AA Sub-Region 2 baseball championship at Athletic Park.

Dahl slugged a grand slam home run and Anderson hit two two-run homers to put Proctor, 10-8, into the Final Four of Region 7AA Monday in Grand Rapids.

"It was kind of a low fastball. I like them there. I just swung like this," said Dahl as he leveled his arms and swung the same way he did against Cloquet pitcher Brian Durand when he drove in the four runs.

Dahl had looked like a mad professor as he started around the bases, then stopped and headed back to second before realizing his line shot was out of the park.

"I didn't know nothing. I didn't care where it was -- I just hoped it fell in," he said. "That's my first homer ever, including Little League."

With that he announced that he had to go home and write a speech that he will give tonight as one of the valedictorians at Proctor's graduation ceremonies.

His home run wrote off Cloquet after it had battled back from a 5-1 deficit to pull within 5-4 with three runs in the sixth inning. Catcher Tom McGillivray, who leaves Sunday for a four-year stint with the Marines, did himself proud with a two-run double in the Lumberjacks' rally.

Anderson could also bust his buttons, and maybe he did, with the two shots he hit to give Proctor a 4-1 lead. He broke up Dennis Conklin's no-hitter with a 375-foot two-run homer over the fence in straightaway center field on the first pitch he saw in the fourth inning.

His second tater came on a 3-2 pitch from Conklin in the sixth. The two homers gave him five for the year, three off Conklin. Proctor has hit 13 homers this season.

"He throws fastballs and I like fastballs," Anderson said simply.

Cloquet liked Proctor pitcher Ray Miles' flat curves. They rapped eight of their 10 hits off the Rails ace, who pitched the final five innings in relief of Anderson.

Anderson pitched the first two innings, but had to leave with a sore arm. He worked three innings in the Rails' semifinal win over Central Tuesday. "It was sore, but I didn't feel a thing when I hit," Anderson grinned.

Miles arm was also tender when it was over. He struck out seven and didn't walk a batter.

"The three innings I pitched yesterday took its toll," Miles said. "Cloquet took their swings and hit shots. I respect their hitting, but I wasn't sharp."

Miles was sharp with the bat with three hits and he was sharp on the mound when he had to be. He stranded Cloquet runners at second and third by getting two strikeouts in the fifth and he left the tying run at second base in the sixth with a strikeout and a groundout.

John Panger had two of Cloquet's 10 hits and drove in two runs. The defending sub-region champion Lumberjacks finish 12-6.

(Duluth News Tribune, June 3, 1982)