1959 District Tournament

Bellefonte All-Stars Beat Bi-County Midgets. (1959, July 24). Centre Daily Times, p14. 

Bellefonte All-Stars Beat Bi-County Midgets

The amazing Bellefonte Little League All-Stars started out right where they left off in 1958 by downing the Bi-County League All-Stars, 5-1, in an opening round District 10 game at Bellefonte last night.

The defending State Champs will now meet Nittany Valley Little League All-Stars at State College today. Game time will be 6 p.m. In other Southern Tier games today, Pleasant Gap will travel to Penns Valley, Osceola will journey to Philipsburg and 4-Leaf Clover will be at Snow Shoe. Starting time for all games will be 6 p.m.

Bellefonte went ahead 2-0 in the first on an error, a walk, a passed ball, a wild pitch and a clutch single. The winners added two more runs in the second by virtue of two walks, a fielder's choice and a two base hit.

Bellefonte, coached by Hal Rossman and Elwood Johnson, made it 5-0 in the third on a walk, two infield outs and a run-producing single.

Bi-County fans had a chance to yell in the fourth when the visitors broke the ice. Two singles, sandwiched around two walks, resulted in their only run of the game.

The Bi-County team dominated the hitting department 6-3. Seventeen strikeouts highlighted the rain-splattered contest.

Bellefonte Midgets Win 2nd in Row over Valley. (1959, July 25). Centre Daily Times, p9.  

Champs Edge All-Stars by 3-2:

Bellefonte Midgets Win 2nd in Row over Valley

Bellefonte’s Little League All-Star team took a 3-0 lead after five innings and then held on to beat Nittany Valley, 3-2, in a District 10 playoff game at State College last night.

Bellefonte, the defending state champions, will now play at Pleasant Gap on Monday in another Southern Tier playoff game. Game time will be 6 p.m.

The pitchers were in charge over the first two innings, but Bellefonte broke the spell in the next inning. Two consecutive singles, a steal of third and the third hit in the frame gave the champs a 1-0 edge.

Bellefonte picked up two more rungs in the fifth inning after both teams failed to score in the fourth. A lead-off homer over the left field preceded a double, an error and a run-scoring fielder’s choice play.

Nittany Valley’s All-Stars brought the home folks to their feet in the top of the sixth with a never-say-die rally. A two-run homer put Nittany Valley within striking range. The Bellefonte team bore down and got the side out. Nittany Valley stranded two runners in the hectic last inning.

Last night’s victory was Bellefonte’s second straight of the early 1959 playoff campaign, and also it second over Nittany Valley in the past three meetings.

Bellefonte Little Leaguers Blank Pleasant Gap by 3-0. (1959, July 28). Centre Daily Times, p9. 

Bellefonte Little Leaguers Blank Pleasant Gap by 3-0

An increasingly common thing happened last night. Bellefonte’s Little League All-Star team defeated Pleasant Gap by a 3-0 score at Pleasant Gap in a District 10 semi-final Southern Tier playoff game.

Bellefonte will now play 4-Leaf Clover for the Southern Tier championship tomorrow at Bellefonte. Game time will be 6 p.m. 4-Leaf Clover beat Osceola, 8-3, last night and qualified for the right to meet the defending state champions.

Bellefonte broke the ice in the second with a two-run outburst. The winners added an insurance run in the third to put the game on ice.

Last night’s win was the third in a row for Bellefonte in 1959 playoff competition. Team from Bi-County and Nittany Valley were earlier victims. The Gap downed Penns Valley prior to last night’s loss.

Bellefonte outhit the losers by a 4-3 margin.

McDonald, D. (1959, July 30). Bellefonte Midgets KO 4-Leaf by 9-7. Centre Daily Times, p22. 

Bellefonte Midgets KO 4-Leaf by 9-7

By DOUG McDONALD, Times Staff Writer

When the 4-Leaf Clover Little League All Star team came to bat in the first inning last night at Bellefonte, an avid Bellefonte fan about 40 inches tall, yelled: “Hey, you’re playing a team that’s real hot.”

Well, the Bellefonte Little League Midgets weren’t as sharp as they’ve been over their first three games, but they had enough to score a 9-7 win. The victory enabled the team to successfully defend its District 10 Southern Tier title – and prove itself “pretty hot” in the process.

Bellefonte will now play DuBois tomorrow at 6 p.m. for the District 10 toga. Clearfield will be te site of the North-South battle. DuBois decisioned Brockway, 7-3, last night.

Four of the six district titlist will then play on Monday for Section 2 honors. Friday’s winner at Clearfield will meet the District 12 winner on Monday at Williamsport at 6 p,m. the two winners from District 7 and 9 will play on the same day at Latrobe. The teams from District 11 and 8 drew opening round byes.

Four Little League teams will then go to Jeiston for an Aug. 6-7 elimination tourney. The makeup of the Jeiston Tourney will feature the District, 12-10 winner, the District 7-9 winner. District 11 and District 8.

Jeiston is located near Johnstown. The rain date for the Sectional finals will be August 8 at 6 p.m.

The winner of Jeiston will then go to Pittsburg for the State finals, won last year by Bellefonte. three other sectional winners will travel to the Steel City for the August 13-14 affair.

Frank Webster, Bellefonte Little League president, also said last night that Philipsburg’s diamond was immediately refused as the site for Friday’s District final by the District representative. The only two remaining fields were State College and Clearfield. The latter, being more centrally located, was selected.

Both teams picked up three runs in the first inning last night while a huge throng looked on. The defending State champs rallied for six big runs in the third to give the Woody Johnson-Hal Rossman coached team a good cushion to work on.

With rain falling, 4-Leaf Clover rallied in the fifth to make the score read, 9-7. The umpiring crew halted play after 4-Leaf’s rally. After a 20 minute wait, play resumed for the final inning. Both teams failed to score and Bellefonte racked up its fourth straight playoff victory. Bi-County, Nittany Valley and Pleasant Gap were the previous Bellefonte victims.

4 Leaf Clover’s aggregation had knocked off Mountain Top and Osceola before last night’s defeat. Bellefonte collected eight hits to 4-Leaf’s four.

Midgets, Ponies Play Tonight. (1959, July 31). Centre Daily Times, p15. 

Midgets, Ponies Play Tonight

Bellefonte’s two tournament baseball teams – the Little League All-Stars and the Pony League All-Stars – will be in action today at Clearfield and Renovo respectively. Both teams will play at 6 p.m.

At Clearfield the District 10 Little League title will be at stake. The defending champs from Bellefonte will take on DuBois, the Northern Tier champ. Both teams earned the right to play for the title with Wednesday night wins. Bellefonte knocked off 4-Leaf Clover, 9-7. DuBois beat Brockway by a 7-3 score.

The win would mean a trip to Williamsport on Monday night to face the District 12 champ. Bellefonte, no in its 11th year of Little League play, won the state crown in 1958.

The Ponies will meet Lewistown in the 3rd Annual Junior Tourney sponsored by the Renovo Daily Record. Bellefonte defeated Renovo, 3-1, on Tuesday in an opening round game for both teams.

McDonald, D. (1959, August 1). Little League ‘Stars Bow in 7 Innings, 3-2. Centre Daily Times, p5. 

DuBois Nips Bellefonte For District 10 Laurels

Little League ‘Stars Bow in 7 Innings, 3-2

By DOUG McDONALD Time Sports Editor

“We got a break, and they didn’t was how assistant manager Jim LaBorde put it after his DuBois Little League All Star team scored a run in the top of the seventh to nip Bellefonte, 3-2, for the District 10 title at Clearfield’s neutral Kurtz Field last night.

Bellefonte, the defending District and State Champ, looked as though it was going to continue it winning ways with a two-run burst in the very first inning. DuBois, not to be denied, went right at it in the top of the next frame to knot the count at 2-all.

The next four action-packed innings ended with nothing but goose-eggs showin on the right field scoreboard. DuBois broke the spell with a run in the seventh after two were out.

LaBorde continued: “They’re a fine ball team. That infield defense was amazing. It was a tough one to lose.”

Bellefonte, wearing the Red, White and blue Keystone patch, denoting last year’s state champion, displayed good sportsmanship after last night’s heart-breaking extra-inning loss. Coaches Woody Johnson and Hal Rossman had the team hustling to the final out.

DuBois, a powerhouse all year in the hitting department, was held to eight last night. Over the last three playoff games, DuBois hit no less than eight round trippers. DuBois rang up such scores as 11-3, 13-1 against Punxsy and 7-3 over Brockway in its last three prior the Bellefonte game.

Screams of “highway robbery” were heard several times on brilliant defensive plays by both teams.

DuBois will now play Newberry on Monday night at Williamsport in opening-round inter-district play.

John Palmer, wrestling coach at Curwensville High School, and an assistant to the District Little League president, praised both teams for last night’s fine showing.

After the game the Bellefonte team was treated to some fine food at Bosco’s for the last time this season.