Hide Article Text (OCR)
Kankakee Ousts Midlothian at NBC District By GARY GALL and DENNIS MAHONEY After a team gets eliminated from state tournament play, they're usually in one of two moods. If the team involved loses big, it’s usual ly time for reflection, when they collect a season full of thoughts that can finally be released. The other option takes place when a team drops a close one, which the Midlo thian White Sox did Tuesday night at Me morial Park. Their mood was one of an ger, and that anger was directed at the umpires. THE GAME involved the right to pro ceed to the finals of the NBC district tour nament last night in Midlothian. With the Sox falling 2-1, the Kankakee Chiefs moved into the finals against Ahepa, un beaten until then in the double elimination setup. Wednesday's winner qualifies for the best two-of-three state final playoff on Saturday and Sunday at Lewis Universi ty in Lockport, against either North Chica go or the Riverside Rockets. For Midlothian’s Howie Minas and his crew, Tuesday marked their second one run defeat of the tournament. The Pale Hose fell to Coaches Corner 3-2 in their tourney opener but had bounced back with three straight triumphs prior to Tuesday Minas didn’t take the tough loss sitting down. He was standing most of the eve ning, in fact, but on the sidelines, not in the dugout. WHEN HOME plate umpire Tom Sulli van had heard enough of Howie in the third inning, after calling a foul ball which Minas insisted never touched anyone's bat, he ejected Minas from the playing field. If the pitch hadn't been ruled a foul, it would have put the Sox’ Tom Malloy on second with a wild pitch, behind Don Bro zek, who was perched on third. As it stood, Sullivan’s call was a strike to hitter Rocco Cassamassimo, the Midlo thian team’s hottest bat in the tourney. And at the time, the Sox only trailed 1-0. Minas, after a long and heated round with Sullivan, who incidentally refused help from either of two base umpires, was run out. He protested the game at that juncture, claiming that Sullivan used lan guage much saltier than his own .If I'd said to him what he said to me, he probably would have made us forfeit the game altogether. When I came out of the game it hurt us. When this team loses me, it’s like the Yankees losing two of their best hitters, ’ Minas said candidly. ROCCO DEFENDED his manager's point. ‘‘My bat never came near the ball,’ he claimed. Did Sullivan actually curse Minas? ‘Definitely. With the Sox down 2-1 in the eighth, des ignated hitter Jeff Chiarugi was called out on strikes with two out and a man on first. He also let Sullivan have it, and when the umpire tried to walk away Chiarugi chased after him, sending his commen tary home at a distance of approximately two inches. Sullivan let him roar from the bench until the first Kankakee hitter stepped in to start the ninth, before bouncing Chiaru gi too. “‘They just tried to ruin us,’ Minas insisted. The Chiefs, defending state champs, put across two runs against Midlothian start er Paul Sapien to earn the win. Ray Schmidt singled to open the third and scored the game's initial run on singles by Rick Doss and Dave Lambert. IN THE FIFTH, Schmidt, the Kankakee designated hitter and leadoff man, crossed the plate again. He began the in ning by doubling to left center, coming home on a base hit by Bryant Fahron Sapien gave up seven hits in eight in nings, giving way to lefthander Joe Haley in the ninth after exhausting himself with effort. For the Chiefs, lefty Keith Pecka was effective through the first five, gave up a run in the sixth, and was gone in the sev enth in favor of Kevin Bokken, who earned a save Pecka gave up a run in the sixth, the rally starting when both Tom Malloy and Cassamassimo drew walks. Don Pesaven to hit a double play ball toward short, but the ball hit Malloy in the leg to leave run ners at first and second VAN RUSHING’S single to left loaded the bases, and a walk to Chiarugi forced in the only Sox run With the bases full and only one out, Pesavento held at third on a fly to short center on instructions from third base coach Joe Skarbek, who replaced Minas. Midlothian failed to score from there and Minas speculated openly that they may have tied the game if he was coaching third. “I'd have sent him for sure,” he moaned. ‘‘It was the place where we had to have that run, and we could have had . That was Howie's second ejection of the playoffs. In Sunday's 10-inning victory over St. Xavier, the veteran skipper also got tossed out, much to the delight of the home fans. STRONG PITCHING got the Sox as far as they did. Larry Rosin dropped a 3-2 decision to Coaches Corner in the opener before John Caraher, Haley and Jim Goss came back with impressive mound efforts to keep the Midlothian bid alive Goss, a former Evergreen Park stand out now at the University of Illinois, elimi nated Coaches Corner Monday by a 44 count, twirling a five-hitter and striking out 12. The losers only got a man as far as third base once, in the seventh when they loaded the bases with two outs, and Goss responded by striking out Gary Cipriani on a 3-2 pitch. By then Goss had all the runs he need ed. Midlothian tallied four times in the fourth off loser Bob Horn, with singles by Mike Hummel, Cassamassimo, Pesaven to, Cliff Bailey and Skarbek plus a double off the bag at third by Herb Schwartz turning the trick Sunday's 6-3 ousting of St. Xavier took 10 innings and a remarkable comeback by southpaw Haley. Sidelined all season with a broken hand, Haley relieved lefthander Rich Cook in the fourth and threw shutout ball the rest of the way, stifling the losers on three hits. EVEN SO, St. Xavier forged a 3-3 tie in the eighth on a Cassamassimo error that scored Mike Lenti. That helped Xavier starter Dave Rogers get off the hook, but (Continued on Page 20) Seeking the elusive baseball (arrow), Coaches Corner outfielders George Dunne (5) and Steve Bi gel are too late to keep it from going over the fence in Monday's 40 state tournament loss to the Midlothian White Sox. The ball, hit by Sox first baseman Mike Hummel, was originally ruled a home run but the umpires changed it to a ground rule double after some discussion. (Photo by Dave Winnie)
Newspaper Details
Tinley Park Star Herald
Tinley Park, Illinois, US
Thu, Jul 28, 1977
Page 19
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
IL 29 Aug 2025
Other Publications Near Tinley Park, Illinois
Tinley Park Daily Southtown News Marketer
Tinley Park Palos Star Herald
Tinley Park Pennysaver
Tinley Park Star Herald
Tinley Park Star Tribune
