Agates Shade Proctor by 2-1
Duluth News Tribune, May 7, 1955
Two Harbors opened its baseball season in District 26 with a 2-1 victory over Proctor on the latter's diamond yesterday. The winning run was scored in the fifth inning on two walks, a balk and passed ball. Skip Wallace Fontaine got Proctor's only run in the sixth on a home run.
[Batteries]
[Two Harbors:] D. Anderson and J. Anderson
[Proctor:] Sandstrom, Fontaine, Pesonen and Johnson.
Rail Nine Shows Power
Proctor Journal, May 12, 1955
Looking good even in heart-breaking defeat, the Proctor High School Rails served notice that they will be a team to contend with.
Last Friday, the Rails were nosed out 2 to 1 by Two Harbors in an abbreviated six-inning fray at the Agate Bay city [sic].
Skip Wallace Fontaine polled a four-bagger for the lone Proctor run in the final stanza.
The Rails lost even though they outhit the home team 8 to 3 and committed only a passed ball against 3 errors by Two Harbors. Proctor hit well and hard and had men on base in every canto but couldn't make them count.
Paul Sandstrom hurled the first inning for the Rails. Fontaine pitched the next four and Dick Pesonen took the mound for the sixth and final inning.
Agates Take First Baseball Game 2-1
Two Harbors Chronicle & Times, May 12, 1955
The Two Harbors Agates, in their first baseball game of the 1955 season, last Friday defeated the Proctor Rails 2 to 1 on the Rails' field to open their bid for the district championship.
In the game, wildness meant the difference between the win and the loss with the local nine being allowed but three hits but they also received seven walks.
In the first inning the Agates got off to a good start when Shromoff doubled to right, with one out, and Norlen grounded out moving Shromoff to third. On a wild pitch to Jim Anderson, Shromoff scurried home for the first run of the game.
In the fifth inning the Agates scored what proved to be the winning run. Dave Anderson led off with a single to right; Magnuson and Shromoff both walked to load up the bases with no one out. Norlen hit a sharp grounder to the second baseman who threw Anderson out at the plate. So with the bases loaded and one out, Jim Anderson at the plate, the pitcher then balked in Magnuson from third base to score the second and last run of the game on the Agates side.
Dave Anderson started the game for Two Harbors and in four innings he allowed five hits, no runs, and struck out five. He got into a tight situation in the third inning but clutch pitching got him out of it.
Dick Smith relieved Anderson in the fifth and finished the game. He had no trouble in the fifth bu in the sixth, Skip Wallace Fontaine led off with a home run. Proctor loaded the bases then with two hits and a hit batsman. Smith bore down on the batters, striking out the next two men to face him and got the next man to pop out in foul territory to Gene Magnuson outside third to end the game. Smith in two innings, allowed one run, three hits, struck out four and walked none. Anderson got the win and Sandstrom took the loss.
The Agates meet Duluth Central away this afternoon and play a home game tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 at Horace Johnson field with Morgan Park. Two games have already been postponed because of the weather--with East and Denfeld--and they will be played at a later date.
In the Two Harbors lineup of the Proctor game, players were: Magnuson, 3B, Shromoff, 2B, Norlen, SS, J. Anderson, C, Simonson, 1B, Joki, CF, Hopkins, LF, Knapp,, RF, D. Anderson and Smith, P. Of the three hits made by the local team, Smith, D. Anderson and Shromoff were the hitters.