SPORTS FLASHBACK 1965: Steinbach Millers win first title since 1947

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This article was published 30/07/2023 (645 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Grunthal pitcher Hank Warkentin watched a Harry Steingart home run clear the fence in the first inning of a one-sided contest that gave the Steinbach Millers their first La Verendrye Baseball League championship since 1947.

Steingart’s round-tripper came with a man on and increased Steinbach’s lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the first inning, in game three of the series. Grunthal never recovered, losing the deciding game of the best-of-three final by an 11-3 margin.

Warkentin has never been hit the way he was pounded around on Tuesday. Lead-off batter Earl Kreutzer lined out his first pitch of the game for a single and the Millers never looked back.

Kreutzer took second on a bobble by the left fielder. Elvin Schmitke reached base on another error. Larry Friesen in left field again could not come up with the ball, and Kreutzer scored.

Grunthal, thoroughly shaken, never recovered. Ralph Rempel hit a sharp grounder to third, and Fred Driedger booted it. Brian Reimer followed with a dying-quail single over third that scored a run.

Dennis Fender’s ground ball to second accounted for the third run. With one man on, Steingart came up and slammed the ball over the fence on a 3-2 pitch. It was his second homer of the series; his first coming in the previous game against Grunthal.

Meanwhile, Marv Hollender was coolly disposing of Grunthal batters, and never found himself in serious trouble. He scattered five hits over six innings to get credit for the win. Hollender pitched both of Steinbach’s wins in the series.

Hollender gave up a run in the fourth on a walk and a pair of singles. Two more came in in the fifth inning on a double and an error.

Grunthal committed six errors, while the Millers got away with one. Pete Rempel contributed three fine catches in left field, spearing two line drives on the run and going back to haul down a drive by Dick Martens, with two men on in the fourth.

Grunthal had beaten Steinbach 6-4 on August 5 at Grunthal to extend the best-of-three series, scoring two unearned runs off Pete Peters in the third inning of that game to break a four-all tie and held on to force game three.

C.P. Hiebert was the victim of shoddy fielding in the first inning, when Grunthal scored three times. Three errors, two hits and a wild pitch gave Grunthal the three markers. They added another on Johnny Driedger’s double in the second.

After two innings, Grunthal led 4-1 in the top of the third. Warkentin, working carefully to protect the lead, walked Rich Hildebrandt and yielded a wrong-field double to Pete Peters.

Steingart then pulled a drive just inside the third baseline to even the count. Warkentin fanned the next three batters.

Grunthal scored the winner and an insurance run in the bottom of the inning. Bill Zaporzan reached base on an error and stole second and third. Dick Martens walked and stole second.

A run scored when catcher Earl Kreutzer dropped a third strike and hit the runner with his throw to first. Martens came in on a wild pitch.

It was the third inning of the opening game of the series that gave Steinbach a one-game lead and the opportunity to win the championship on the road.

Catcher Earl Kreutzer’s two-out, two run double in the third inning gave the Steinbach Millers all the runs they needed to defeat Grunthal in the first game of the finals at Steinbach.

Kreutzer’s hit chased across Pete Rempel and Jim Schellenberg, both of whom had walked. The Millers added an insurance marker in the fourth, when Elvin Schmitke walked, stole second, went to third on a bad throw, and scored on a wild pitch. The final score was 3-1.

Hank Warkentin allowed only two hits and chalked up six strikeouts as he took the loss.

Marv Hollender was in dazzling form for the Millers as he struck out ten in six innings, giving up four hits. Hollender had a much easier time winning his second game of the finals as the Millers staked him to a huge lead and coasted to an 11-3 win.