SPORTS FLASHBACK AUG 1983: Angels repeat as SouthEast champs

My vacation was scheduled to officially come to an end August 9. That was including an extra day, because I picked a couple of weeks where there would be a holiday, just so I could get an extra day.

The Friday afternoon before I was slated to be back at work, I ‘snuck’ into the office to check if someone else was sitting at my desk or if the sign had been removed from the doorway. Either one of those would have been a tip-off that a longer vacation was in store.

That was about the time when editor Peter Dyck asked if I was planning on taking in the doubleheader at Friedensfeld Park, Sunday. Before I could stop myself, I blurted that I hadn’t missed a Hanover Fastball final in 13 years.

Great! Peter said. Seeing as how you’re there anyway, why don’t you take a couple of pictures? A trophy presentation of the winners and maybe a team picture ought to do it.

After having taken two weeks away from fastball playoffs, I didn’t have the heart to say no.

It turned out I enjoyed that one-game doubleheader so much that I couldn’t face the disappointment of missing the opening game in the Niverville-Schmidtke Southeastern Ladies Fastball series, that Monday night. It wasn’t really like work because with the Friedensfeld win Sunday there wouldn’t be much room for pictures of an opening game of the ladies’ league series.

So, I came back to work on August 8th. Do you suppose that Randy Penner and his Friedensfeld Sultans teammates or the Niverville Angels appreciated the effort?

I can hardly wait for the time this winter when the Huskies are playing a weekend game in Warroad. Peter, I’ll ask, are you going to the lake this weekend? And when he hastily replies that he goes to the lake every weekend, I’ll suggest that while he’s in the neighborhood, maybe he could get a couple of pictures.

Nothing too elaborate, you understand. Just a couple of action shots, preferably at least one shot of a goal being scored and maybe a group shot of Warroad’s fans.

But I really shouldn’t complain. After all, the Niverville Angels always win when I’m there. That’s because I am usually coaching the Frantz Motor Inn team at the time.

That was a pretty good game to open the series, with the teams tied at three apiece after three innings. The game appeared to be headed for a Schmidtke victory when the visitors capitalized on a mistake for two runs in the top of the seventh

Lois Penner led off the inning with a single, moved to second on a passed ball. A fly ball to left field followed and then Marg Ketler hit the ball to third. An attempt to hold the runner at second resulted in a late throw at first and the return throw to third was too high and the ball went down the left field line.

Penner scored from second and Ketler ended up on third. Ketler scored on a fielder’s choice and the visitors led 5-3 when Niverville went to bat in the seventh.

Schmidtke got the first out, but Phyllis Friesen followed with a single to start an Angels’ rally. Lois Hunt followed with a double and winning pitcher Marge Pauls followed with a hit as well.

Pauls was advanced to third base on a hit by Anne Vincent and scored the game’s winning run on a passed ball.

The Angels opened the series with the walk-off victory at home, followed up with a one-run win on Tuesday and completed the sweep in a slugfest at Niverville on Wednesday.

Niverville built up a 3-0 lead Tuesday on a bases loaded single by Anne Vincent in the third and a two-run single by Phillis Peters in the fourth, which produced another two runs.

Schmidtke scored a single run in the sixth inning and added one in the seventh, before winning pitcher Helen Shapansky got the final two Steinbach hitters to fly out to end the game.

Wednesday night in Niverville, Schmidtke jumped to an early 5-1 lead, but the home team sent 15 batters to the plate in the third inning, scoring 10 runs and going on to win 16-8.

The championship was the second for Niverville, while Schmidtke has had the trophy three times and Frantz Motor Inn twice, in the seven-year history of the ladies’ fastball league.