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The Pendulum
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Thursday May M, 1957 Krs
Elon wins District tourney, advances to regionak
By Jeff Marcin
Sports Editor
Elon’s Fightin’ Christians
defeated all three teams it faced
en route to their third consecutive
District 26 baseball tournament
championship in Burlington last
week.
The Christians, who have won
18 of their last 19 games, now ad
vance to the Area 7 Regional
tournament at Bluefield State Col
lege in Bluefield, W. Va.
Elon will play the first game of
the tournament beginning at 2
p.m. against the University of
South Carolina-Aiken. The win
ner of that game will face the win
ner of the Georgetown (Ky.) vs.
West Liberty (W.Va.) battle in
the winners' bracket Friday.
The double-elimination tourna
ment concludes Saturday, with
the winner advancing to the
NAIA World Series at Lewis and
Clark College in Lewiston,
Idaho.
In the championship game last
Saturday, Elon got three runs in
the third and fourth innings and
hung on to defeat Atlantic Chris
tian 8-5.
Rick Jones
Although he was touched for
14 hits by the Bulldogs, Micky
Dean picked up the win for the
Christians, with relief help from
Duane Hyatt, who came on in the
ninth to retire all three batters he
faced.
The Christians had previously
rallied from seven runs behind to
defeat ACC 12-11 in the first
round last Thursday. Then Elon
knocked off Wingate 8-2 on Fri
day to make the finals.
“I'm so proud of these guys,”
said a jubilant coach Rick Jones
following (he win. “These euys
havi- a ! '• -'‘character, and they
don’t "
Prior to the final game, Jones
was honored as the District 26
Coach of the Year.
After the Bulldogs took a 1-0
lead in the top of the third on
Saturday, Elon rallied in the bot
tom of the inning.
Shortstop Jimmy Duncan, who
was 3-for-3 on the day, singled.
Randy Warren followed with
another single, and Bill Nemenz
doubled, scoring Duncan and
Warren. Right fielder Jimmy
Duncan then connected on a
ground-rule double scoring
Nemenz, and Elon had taken a
3-1 lead.
First baseman John Barrick
lead off the fourth with a solo
home run, his second of the tour
nament and seventh on the
season. With two outs in that in
ning, Duncan walked and Warren
ripped a two-run homer, increas
ing the Christians’ lead to 6-1.
In the sixth, Elon third
baseman David Terry belted a
solo homer.
ACC, which finished 36-17 for
the season, didn’t quit, pecking
away for one run in the sixth, two
in the seventh and one in the
eighth. But Dean pitched his way
out of a bases-loaded, one-out
jam in the eighth, and Elon add
ed an insurance run in the bottom
of the inning to sew up the
championship.
Tournament game 2
In the semifinals, Elon coasted
to an 8-2 win over fourth-seeded
Wingate, Southpaw C.W. Willis
went the distance, allowing six
hits and striking out nine on the
way to his fourth win of the
season.
The Christians jumped out to a
2-0 lead in the first inning. They
increased that lead to 4-0 in the
fourth. Warren walked, then
scored on Tom Alessi’s double.
Caldwell then lined a single to
score Alessi.
After Wingate rallied for two
runs in the fifth, Elon added their
own scoring burst, with the aid of
the Wingate pitchers.
Barrick jacked a solo homer
over the right field scoreboard
onto the recreation center roof in
the sixth.
In the seventh, Duncan led off
with a walk. Warren walked, and
both runners advanced on a wild
pitch. Duncan then scored on a
sacrifice fly by Nemenz, and
Warren scored on a wild pitch.
Caldwell ihen walked as did Tank
♦
award WINNERS: From left to right, pitcher Chris Cole, outfielder Tom Alessi,
Qf th ^ >^y uncan and second baseman Bill Nemenz were recipients of the baseball awards
“T^ banquet last week. Cole received the Chester Huey Award; Alessi, the Graham
Doc Mathis Award; Duncan, the W. B. “Bill” Terrell Award; and Nemenz, the C. V. “Lefty”
Photo By Sam Walker
Briggs Award.
Hardin. Barrick then singled to
score Caldwell.
Willis then finished off his
complete game by retiring the
side in the ninth, striking out the
final two batters.
Tournament game 1
In the opening game of the
tournament, the Christians rallied
for five runs in the sixth inning
and held on to defeat ACC in a
wild one, 12-11.
The Bulldogs jumped out to an
early 3-1 lead against Elon pit
ching ace Chris Cole in the first
inning. They increased their lead
to 10-5 with a six-run fourth.
Elon then put on the big rally
in the home half of the sixth.
Catcher Jerry Russell opened
the inning with a double. Terry
walked, and with one out, War
ren smacked a triple to the wall
in right center, scoring Russell
and Terry. Alessi then tripled to
score Warren. Nemenz followed
with a home run. and the Chris
tians had taken the lead 11-10
Elon added an insurance run in
the eighth and heid on I'or the
victory.
Alessi, Caldwell named all-district
Outfielders Tom Alessi and Jimmy Caldwell were named to the
15-member NAIA All-District 26 team announced this weekend.
Alessi led the team in batting average (.427) and stolen bases (27)
and tied the school’s season hit record with a team-leading 64.
Caldwell led the team with 16 home runs and 51 RBIs and is one
homer away from the season record of 17.
Tom Alessi
Jimmy Caldwell