Sixty years ago, on June 16, 1951, the inaugural games of the 1951 City Softball League season got under way here with both the YMI and the City Cash Market teams winning their games by identical scores. The YMI blasted the American Legion 15-1 and the City Cash Market measured the Lathrop team by the same score. In the first game, Pete Huarte handcuffed the Legion, allowing only three safeties, while this teammates, led by Jess Payan, blasted the Legion pitcher, Roy Platt, from the box in the fifth inning. Payan garnered three singles in four trips to the plate. Huarte helped his own ball game with a home run, a single and a walk. Outfielder Roy Damilano smashed a single, a double and a home run to lead City Cash by the Lathrop team.



In other sports stories from the Bulletin files:

90 years ago: June 16, 1921 - Jack Gilligan, who was recently released by the Manteca team and signed by Lodi, pitched a wonderful game last Sunday and blanked the Maulers. “Handsome Jack” was at no time during the game in trouble. The Tokays gathered five runs. The day was a mean one for baseball as a high wind was blowing and the Lodi landscape was moving. Many times during the game the sand and dust were so thick that those in the grandstand could not see second base. Gilligan had the Maulers guessing and the only clean hit off him was by Benny Fauls.

70 years ago: June 19, 1941 - In their first home appearance in several weeks, the Manteca Merchants lost to the Lodi Merchants 4 to 2 in a Central California League game played on the local high school diamond Sunday. With the conclusion of their high school careers, several young players of considerable ability are made available for use by Manager Harold Garvine. Louie Bronzan made his pitching debut with the Merchants, setting down 13 batters via the strikeout route in the eight innings he worked before being relieved by Al Enders. Bronzan and Jim Theiler scored the only runs for Manteca.

Announcement of the signing of Laurence E. (Larry) Siemering as head coach at Stockton Junior College was made in Stockton newspapers Saturday. Siemering will replace  Douglas Dashiell, who recently resigned to accept a position as the athletic director at Moffat Field. During the past four seasons at Manteca High School, Larry compiled an enviable record at a small school, gaining three league championships, winning 31 games while tying three and losing four. The last defeat handed his team was by Los Banos High in the season of 1938.

50 years ago: June 17, 1961 - The Lodi Wine Guild romped to a 13-1 victory over the Manteca Merchants last Sunday. Former UOP ace Bob Marconi held the Merchants to just four hits. Marconi struck out 17 during the nine-inning contest. Larry Lusk singled and scored on an infield single by Carl McCutcheon to give the Merchants their only tally in the ninth.

Favored to walk off with the district title, the Manteca Junior Legion team got off to a poor start last Saturday as they dropped a 2-1 upset to the Tracy Legion nine. Manteca’s only score came in the bottom of the ninth on a walk to Bob Teicheira and a double by Roger McCoy.

30 years ago: June 19, 1981 - Souza’s Air Conditioning and Tradeway Chevrolet swept their respective series Sunday afternoon, but previously unbeaten Ace Tomato fell twice at the hands of Tracy CHP to highlight play in the Tri-County Babe Ruth 16-18 League. Souza’s improved its record to 2-3 by defeating Superior Concrete of Oakdale 6-4 and then 8-7 in eight innings, while Tradeway improved its record to 2-3 by beating Downey of Modesto 5-3 and 18-6. As for Ace Tomato, they came into Sunday’s play with a 2-0 record, but when the day ended they were 2-2 as Tracy won by scores of 7-5 and 9-3. In the first  game of its doubleheader, Souza’s Todd Hardcastle paced the offense with three hits in the game, including a double. In the nightcap, Mike Delmanowski  had three  hits and picked  up the win in relief of pitcher Andy Campos. Reed Azevedo was the big stick man as he laced a triple, double and two singles in five trips. For Tradeway Chevrolet, Tony Martin pitched the entire game and was never in any real danger in the first game. In the second game, Ron Hester and Andy Rivera had two singles each to lead the Tradeway offense, which had just seven hits, but drew an unbelievable 21 walks off Downey pitchers. Ace Tomato got two hits apiece from Gerald Caps, Ron Limas and Rex Tschetter as they dropped the first game, 7-5. In the second game, Brian Sallee paced the Ace offense with two hits in three trips, while losing pitcher James Matas added a double.

The Manteca Dolphin swim team turned in some fine individual performances in their second meet of the season Tuesday evening, but on a whole, the Dolphins came out on the short end of the score as they lost to the Hughson swim team, 363-331. Two of the leading swimmers in the meet were Pat Kirby, who swam in the boys age 15-18 group and Kevin Wentworth, who took part in the boys age 11-12 group. Kirby took first place in both the 100 and 50 freestyle and then came in second in the butterfly. As for Wentworth, all he did was sweep all three of his events, as he took first place finishes in the butterfly, the 100 free and the intermediate medley.

20 years ago: June 16, 1991: Manteca’s Pete Richardson captured the 800 meter race in his age division of the Northern California Senior Track and Field Classic at the University of California, Berkeley. Richardson clocked a 2:19.5--his best time of 1991--to top the 50-59 age group. He has two weeks to prepare for the national championships.

After blasting out 11 hits and piling up 10 runs, the Manteca Athletic Bingo Boosters Blue went into hibernation much of the rest of the afternoon in dividing a doubleheader against Ripon during Babe Ruth 16-18 Baseball play at Ripon High on Sunday. The MABB Blue breezed by Ripon 10-6 in the opener but then lost a narrow 3-2 duel in the second game of the twin bill. Mike Costa, Brian Beebe and Greg Wallace had run-scoring hits for Blue in a big sixth inning of the first game.

The Modesto Sportsmen gained control of first place in the Tri-County Babe Ruth 16-18 League with a doubleheader sweep of MABB Green on Saturday afternoon in Modesto. The Sportsmen, undefeated in six games, blanked Green in the first game, 4-0, and then breezed to a 10-1 triumph in the closer. Green loaded the bases twice in their shutout loss, but couldn’t score a run. In the second game, Brock Hiatt, Bobby Magnuson and Paul Gutierrrez got the only hits for MABB Green.

The Manteca Dolphins continued their domination of the Mid-Valley Swim League with an easy team victory in a tri-meet with Hughson and Oakdale on Saturday. Held at Hughson High, the Dolphins totaled 917 points to Hughson’s 574. Oakdale had 210 points. Kyle King, Brad and Kelly Masterson, Brian Ivie, Christine Stoughton and Adam Plain led the charge as each had three individual first-place finishes. King (6  & under boys) won the 50 free, the 25 breast and the 25 fly. Brad Masterson (13-14 boys) took top honors in the 100 free, the 50 free and the 50 back, while sister Kelly (7 & 8 girls) finished in the top spot in the 50 free, 25 butterfly and the 25 breaststroke. Competing in the 15-16 boys division, Ivie earned the top spot in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 breast. Stoughton (17-18 girls) won the 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly, while Plain (9-10 boys) triumphed in the 50 free, 100 free and 50 breast.

10 years ago: June 23, 2001 - San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton hosted the 11th annual High School All-Star Baseball Classic on Friday with 10 Manteca-area participants putting on their alma mater uniform for one last showdown. Playing on the South team, Robert Breedlove, Brandon Lawson, Matthew Miller and Ryan Teicheira were representing Sierra High. East Union High all-star players included Chris Deitrich, Daryl DeRespini and Cameron Dodd. EU’s Kyle Raymond and Justin Beckman and Ryan Cardoza of MHS were selected as all-stars but were unable to attend. The North team prevailed by a score of 7-6, as Breedlove and Miller scored two runs each in a losing cause.

Also at Delta College on Friday was the annual All-Star Softball Game with the North team taking an 8- 5 victory over the South. Local players Elena Rodriguez, Vanessa Portillo, Becci Harnden, Valerie Placencia, Samantha Cooke, Mary Norton and Cassie Medeiros, along with coaches Nicole and Stephen Burrows headlined for the 2001 South team. East Union High’s Mary Norton had two hits and scored a run for the South.

Prospective players for Coach Doug McCreath’s East Union High football team will participate in three passing tournaments this summer. The game consists of seven players and is “two-hand touch”. The Valley Oak League does not permit teams to practice with pads and helmets until later in the season.