McPherson Fires Spartan No-Hitter
Superior Telegram, April 27, 1974
Sparked by battery mates Lee McPherson and Mark Moselle, a pair of juniors, the Superior Senior High Spartans rode to a 7-0 baseball victory over the Proctor High Rails Friday afternoon at the Superior [Babe] Ruth Field.
McPherson, making his first start of the season, uncorked a no-run, no-hit game while hurling the Superior win while Moselle banged a pair of home runs to head the Spartans at the plate.
With his fastball and curveball working well, McPherson overpowered the Proctor nine. He fanned eight men and walked four.
One Proctor runner reached second base in the third inning and another one made [it] to third in the sixth but that was it.
Moselle tagged a solo homer off Proctor hurler Bob Gales in the third inning and came back to end Superior's scoring with a two-run clout in the sixth frame after Dan Morgan had doubled.
Moselle had a fourth RBI as he plated a run in the three-tally fifth inning on a sacrifice fly.
Moselle's first round-tripper sailed over the left centerfield fence and the second one over the left field wall.
Superior opened the scoring in the first inning as Bernie LaValley led off with a double off the left field wall; went to third base when Moselle was safe on an error and tallied on a passed ball.
In the fifth inning, the Spartans put together singles by Scott O'Brien and McPherson; two Proctor errors; a walk and a stolen base [in] addition to the sacrifice fly.
Moselle and McPherson led Superior's eight-hit attack with two hits apiece off Gales, who went the route for the Rails.
Superior made only two errors while Proctor had six. The Spartans stranded nine runners on base while the Rails left nine.
"I thought we played better in comparison with the season opener against Cloquet. Our defense and hitting was improved," Superior Coach Ron Orlandi commented after the game.
"Although McPherson had [a] slight control problem, he was sharp for the first game. Both of our starting pitchers have gone the full seven innings," Orlandi added.
Superior is 1-1 for the year, losing the opener to Cloquet, 1-0, on Morgan's one-hitter.
The Spartans return to action Tuesday afternoon against Northwestern High at Maple.