Fifty years ago, on July 17, 1968, the Manteca Babe Ruth all-star nine, coached by Jim Brown, invaded Orestimba Field in Newman and smothered Tuolumne County 12-2. Monte Buck went the distance on the hill and aided his own cause by belting a hit in each of his four trips to the plate. Roy Thran had three-for-three and Steve Kalin added a double and a single to the Manteca barrage of safeties.
In other sports stories
from the Bulletin files:
90 years ago: July 19, 1928 – The Manteca Maulers dropped a ball game to the Gustine Athletics on the high school diamond Sunday. The score was 5 to 1. Jack O’Keefe of Stockton, former St. Mary’s College pitcher, went the route for Gustine.
80 years ago: July 21, 1938 – The large crowd of softball fans who turned out at Recreation Park Friday night was rewarded with a close game as the Honeydews won from the Lodi Home Bakers 4 to 2. The Honeydews were held to a lone hit until the sixth inning. Dewey Percival got two hits for the locals.
70 years ago: July 23, 1948 – The Manteca Bernacchi-Bianchi boys took the Italian Athletic Club in the tournament Sunday by the score of 11-8. The tournament was held in Stockton. Bill Bianchi had three hits, including a double, and scored two runs for the locals.
50 years ago: July 19, 1968 – Steve Kalin, Police’s hard-hitting outfielder and member of the 1968 Manteca Babe Ruth all-star team, was voted the league’s most valuable player last week by coaches and managers. The Police captured the Manteca Babe Ruth championship by compiling an 8-3 won-loss record in league play. Willie Weatherford was the manager and Don Smalley was the coach.
Kent Hinton received the first annual Don Egusa Memorial Award last night at the McFall-Grisham Post’s annual baseball banquet honoring Legion players at Brawley’s.
Coach Gene Christensen’s Manteca swim team toppled Oakdale and Ripon in a Trans-County meet Saturday. Kathy Buck was the big story of the day as she captured four wins.
In Sunday’s District title clash with Turlock, the Manteca Babe Ruth all-stars could muster but three hits. Turlock took the game, 4-1. Jim Benham scored the lone Manteca run on Al Liberato’s single in the fourth inning.
40 years ago: July 19, 1978 – Six-year-old Daniel Coburn continued his dominance of Tri-Valley swim action Saturday when the Manteca Dolphins outpaced Escalon 384-272. Coburn captured three individual first places and aided two winning relay teams. Coburn topped the boys’ six and under 25-yard freestyle, backstroke and butterfly events. Four other Dolphins also scored three individual first places. They were 15 year-old Kathy Wilkinson, 17 year-old Jeff Wright, 12 year-old Shawn Rawlins and 13 year-old Robin Cabral.
Manteca’s Babe Ruth 13 year-old all-stars are state tournament-bound after defeating Tracy by a score of 6-4 in the championship game of the District 5 tournament Thursday night. Sparking Manteca was third baseman Greg Toy, who roped a single in the first inning and had the game-winning hit, a double down the left field line which scored Mark Souza from third in the sixth inning. The Central California State Tournament will be played in Lodi.
20 years ago: July 18, 1998 – After scrambling twice to get back in front, Uncle Frank’s Grill couldn’t stop the potent bats of the Tulare All-stars who exploded for seven runs in the seventh inning and earned a 12-6 victory in the Babe Ruth 16-18 Baseball State Tournament on Friday evening. The loss eliminated the Tri-County representative from the tourney being held on Lodi’s Zupo Field. Carlon Perry was the manager of Uncle Frank’s.
Back on their home “turf” for the first time in three weeks, the Manteca Dolphins used their depth and strength to tame the Ripon Sea Lions 1,101-589 on Saturday morning in the Lincoln Park pool. Five boys and five girls, including one brother-sister combination, from Manteca were triple individual winners. Eight year-old Beau Riley and nine year-old Katie Riley continued their sibling rivalry. With the win, the Dolphins ended the season in second place in the Mid-Valley Swim Conference.
10 years ago: July 24, 2008 – The 12th annual Sierra High soccer camp will kick off July 28 and run through July 31 at Sierra High. The camp is for children ages 5 through 17 of all skill levels. Players will be divided by age and skill in order to best improve each player’s skills and techniques.
The Manteca Dolphins swim team finished third at the Mid-Valley Swim League West Championships in Ripon on Saturday. Double winner for the Dolphins was Charlie Donnelly (100 fly in 1:04.76 and 100 backstroke in :36.0).
All-City Softball is returning to the site of the Little League World Series Western Regional Tournament after clinching the Northern California Division II title with a 9-4 victory over Tahoe Tallac of Sacramento Monday at Northgate Softball Complex. Gabby Hawkins did her part Saturday from the circle, striking out 11 while walking three and scattering six hits. She helped her own cause at the plate with a pair of doubles and three RBI’s.
