143rd AAA Gun Battalion - Page 33

 

HQ Battery

SOFTBALL

Headquarters Battery opened the softball season in Remagen, Germany. A, B, C and D batteries were played several times and usually fell before the big bats of the Hq. team. We really got under way when we reached Esslingen, Germany. We entered a local league and emerged as the champions. The other teams in the league were D Battery, 143rd AAA Gun Bn., 53rd Air Disarmament Squadron, 704th Railway Grand Division, 716th Railway Operating Battalion, 451st. AAA AW Bn., 590th Ordnance Bn. Hq., 345th Ordanance MM Co., and 9th Air Disarmament Group.

"Pineapple" Purdy, "Butch" Lawson and "Pop" Lewis have pitched steady ball all season and are a constant headache to opposing batters. Their slants are caught by our brilliant catcher "Bless" Blessinger, a really outstanding ballplayer, who can play any position on the team. "Mac" McCarty a good steady player, is the relief catcher and also plays the outfield. The infield consisting of Harry Kwiatkowski on third, Powell on short, Dom Petrucci on second and "Woon" Emerson on first is a difficult one to hit a ball through. Double plays are a common occurence with this combination and they have turned in one triple play this season. Quillin, Art Gari- bell, Bob Fuller and Bob Hagelshaw constitute our speedy outfield. This quartet has turned many long hit balls into easy outs. Sgt. Nechas, Bob Prokop, Emerson and Hagelshaw left the battery through transfers and attendance at the Army Univer- sity Center, and Ray Buzanski had to retire because of an iinjured knee. All of them are fine ballplayers and the team was sorry to see them go. Their places were taken by Ed. Whittaker and Callaghan who have been playing consistent ball. They haven't gotten their batting eye yet, but on the basis of previous performances they should start walloping the apple soon. As this is written on 20 August 1945, Quillin, Kwiatkowski, Fuller, Blessinger, Lawson and Powell are playing on the Battalion All-Star Team which is engaged in a tournament for the championship of the 108th AAA Group. We wish them lots of luck and believe that they will emerge as the champs. The Headquarters Battery softball team has an impressive record for the 1945 season and every man in the Battery is proud of them.