Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 19, Number 33, DeMotte, Jasper County, 15 July 1949 — J. PLUVIUS BECOMES ROWDY AT SOFTBALL GAME [ARTICLE]

J. PLUVIUS BECOMES ROWDY AT SOFTBALL GAME

J. Pluvius, sometimes known As J. Pluvius Rainus, threateningly circled the local softball diamond last Thursday evening and Friday night and finally rushed in on the teams and fans who all ran helter-skelter for shelter. The Recreation League had managed to keep the Old Boy at a respectful disance during the Season, having been rained out only a couple of times before last Thursday’s twilight game, when the First Reformed and the Methodist teams were playing" a contest that had been moved up one day at the request of First Reformed. Managers DeFries and Jlenrichs of the two teams have now agreed to play -their Pained out game on next Monday, at 8 p.m., the regular night for such games. Last Friday’s rain never even permitted the boys to get started, and so the two teams, the Lions Club, and American Reformed, met last Monday night in the best softball exhibition seen so far in league play. American Reformed scored once in the first inning when Bob Moolenaar laid one among the sweet peas in left field. Ramp’s ramp-paging Lions tore up the cage in the second inning with counters scored by Schultz, C. Moolenaar, DeYoung, and H. Jabaay. In the lowed half of the third frame Kikkert’s gang tied the score at 4-all when D. Swart, A. Swart, and C. Kingma took a liking for home, sweet home—plate. And while the Lions apparently lay low with no markers in the third or fourth, the Reformed lads went into the lead in the last half of the fourth when Manager Kikkert added one more run, to make the score read 5-4 in their favor. No one at this stage of the fracas would have thought that Kikkert’s run was to be the last point to he scored by his outfit; yet that is exactly what developed. Batting first in the fifth, Lions Chuck Abbring poured the wood on the leather for a trip around the world, non-stop. Chuck was first man up to bat, and the three Clubbers who followed him went down and out, one, two, three. The score was tied by Abbring’s run and stood at 5-all. American Reformed still had its last bat coming, but it was three up and three out for A. Swart. C. Kingma, and E. Doom, which pointed in the score book to the league’s first extra inning game. In the first of the sixth C. Moolenaar was up and out, and oßissy followed suit after first getting a walk. DeYoung smacked a hard one left of center for a homer, making the score 6-5, favor of the Lions Club; and Jabbay, next up, made the third out. From the cries of “Hold ’em!’’ “Let’s hold ’em!" as the American Reformed team came to its turn at bat, a listener could have though a football goal line stand was about to be made; .but it was merely the audible hopes of. a bunch of Lions. It didn't take ‘ long; for the first three up were out for American Reformed. Final score: Lions Club, 6, American Reformed, 5. and many a fans has paid money to see a ball game not half so ! good. This leporter's private eye reports that Lions Manager Ramp was later seen kissing a rabbit’s, foot. Last Tuesday night Christian! Reformed got away with a rush ; to score four runs in the first ' inning against a shaky First Reformed nine that settled down to play fair ball only to lose 7-1. The second game of the evening was between American Reformed anti Bob Walstra’s Fireballing Fire Dept. iThe pressure was off in this one, and both teams had a good time and still showed frequent stretches of fine eofeball. The score was seldom

more than a point or two apart and was finally recorded at 11-10, in favor of American Reformed. This coming Friday, July 15, will just about wind up the present round-robin tourney. Each team plays seven games, or one game per round, and some of them have already finished. At persent the managers are taking a vote on what to do with games called because of rain, the game between Christian Reformed and the Legion being one that will be decided upon by their decision. Next Tuesday, July 19, the single elimination tourney will begin with one change having been made in the schedule. As now scheduled Tuesday’s first game will be between the Lions Club and the Boy Scouts. First Reformed and American Reformed, who were formerly listed to start the tourney have been moved to the bottom of the bracket on Friday, July 22. This coming Friday night the round-robin schedule calls for Methodist vs Lions Club at 8 p.m., and American Legion vs Boy Scouts at 9 p.m. League Standings: W L Pet. Christian Ref. 5 1 833 Lions Club 4 2 666 American Ref. 4 3 571 Fire Dept. 4 3 571 American Legion 2 3 400 Methodist 2 3 400 First Reformed 2 4 333 Boy Scouts 1 5 166