Fort Benning – Tec/5 Damos Rowe and Hubert Rickerd in front of the Infantry School
176th Spirits Make Debut In TIS Loop Friday Night; Academic Profs Gain Lead
New Team Clashes With 124th Nine In First Tilt- By Sargent Milton Luban
The 176th Infantry team makes its firs Infantry School League appearance tomorrow night, clashing with the 124th Infantry at Gowdy Field. The game will start at 7 o’clock.
In another game at Harmony Church, the Student Training Brigade meets the Benning rifles with this contest slated for 6:30.
The contest between the 176th Spirits and the 124th Gators holds particular interest for TIS fans as the Spirits, while rumored to have a powerful nine, are still unknown quality.
From watching the team in practice and from the pasting they handed the Columbus Foxes, the 176th is a mighty tough club and will be vying with the Brigade and the revitalized 300th for the privilege of knocking the Academic Regiment Profs out of the first place spot they’ve been holding for the past several seasons.
Other league games on this week’s schedule feature Sunday’s doubleheader at Harmony Church which matches the 124th against the 244th F.A. and the 300th against the 764th Tanks. The first game starts at 1:20.
On Monday the Profs take on the 71st Engineers at Gowdy Field while the Benning Rifles clash with the 176th Spirits at Harmony Church. Next Wednesday pits the Brigadlers against the Spirits at Gowdy Field and the Profs vs. the Tanks at Harmony Church.
This Saturday night will see the Profs meeting the strong Camp Rucker team at 8 o’clock at Gowdy Field. Lee Grissom, former Cincinnati hurling star, will probably pitch for the visitors.
Highlight of last week’s league activities was the brilliant no-hit, no-run game hurled by George Cave of the 300th against the 124th Gators, Cave struck out 18 men, allowed only two Gators to get as far as second and none as far as third, while his team forged to a 4 to 0 victory.
THE 300TH making its first appearance under the leadership of “Lefty” Francis, former pride of the Profs, looked like a new ball club. The fielders went tearing after everything in sight, played almost flawless ball and looked like sure trouble for all opposition in the future.
Other highlights were the undefeated Profs taking over undisputed possession of first place as the Brigadiers and the 244th went down to their initial defeats.
The Profs took personal care of the Brigade, winning 5 to 4 after a tense 11-inning struggle. Dickison and DeVolder both pitched good ball, the former giving up only 10 hits while the Brigade hurler allowed 12. However, the Profs lost the services of hard-hitting Bill Cox who will be out for several weeks as the result of a torn muscle suffered while rounding third. Cox has been playing good ball and the Profs will miss his heavy bat.
The 244th F.A lost a 3-2 heart-breaker to the 764th Tank team. Menendez pitched brilliant ball in defeat, giving up only three hits and fanning 10, but a third inning double by Dib Williams did the damage. Whitfield also put on a strong pitching exhibition, allowing only five scattered hits and holding the 244th practically helpless after the first two scoring innings.
W. L. Pct
Academic Regiment . . . 3 0 1,000
244th Field Artillery . . . 2 1 .666
Student Train. Brig. . . . 2 1 .666
Benning Rifles . . . . . . 2 1 .666
764th Tanks . . . . . . . . 1 2 .333
300th Infantry . . . . . . 1 2 .333
124th Infantry . . . . . . 1 3 .250
71st Engineers . . . . . . 0 2 .000
176th Infantry . . . . . . . 0 0 .000
Standing do not include games played last night.
Academic Profs Dominate Infantry School League Race
King-pins However Have Tough Competition Ahead From 3 Teams
With the first round-robin of the Infantry School League nearing completion, the Academic Regiment Profs are still dominating the Loop race. Not counting last night’s game between the Academic and the 176th Infantry, played after the Bayonet had bone to press, the Profs have won six straight games while remaining undefeated.
As the league race slowly takes form, four teams seem to loom up as the powerhouses of the Loop. The Profs, of course, have to be regarded as favorites in only because of their lead. However, a tough fight can be expected from the Student Training Brigade, the 176th and 300th. The latter is on a rampage, having won its last five games after dropping the first two.
The Brigade’s two defeats were heart-breaking affairs, one being and 11th inning loss to the Profs and the other a 3 to 2 affair in which the winning 176th got only two hits.
The 176th Spirits have dropped only on game and have proven themselves a tough resourceful outfit with a sensational pitcher in Cooper.
The 176th and the 300th met on Monday night at Gowdy Field in the week’s outstanding game. The outcome will throw the winning team into a second-place tie with the Brigade, unless the 176th should beat both the Profs and the 300th. In that event the Profs, will be holding first place only by percentage points.
Other games on top for the coming week are the 71st Engineers vs. the 764th Tanks on Sunday at Harmony Church; the 176th Infantry vs. the 71st Engineers at Gowdy Field on Wednesday and the Academic Regiment of the 244th Field Artillery at Harmony Church the same evening.
Highlights of last week was the 300th’s 2 to 0 victory over the Benning Rifles. Luck in the ____ a terrific downpour gave the 300th the game. For five innings Lefty Francis had hurled beautiful ball, holding the Rifles to only two hits. Then, in the first half of the sixth the Rifles exploded with two doubles, two singles and a homer for five runs. But, before the side could be put out and the 300th have its time at bat so make it an official inning, the skies opened and within two minutes the ballpark was covered with scattered lakes. The game had to be called and the score reverted back to the fifth inning giving the 300th official credit for a shutout victory.
Standing of the teams as of Thursday, May 25
W. L. Pct.
Academic Regiment . . . . . .
Infantry
Student Training Brigade . .
300th Infantry . . . . . . . . . .
124th Infantry . . . . . . . . . .
Benning Rifles . . . . . . . . . .
244th Field Artillery . . . . . . .
764th Tanks . . . . . . . . . . .
71st Engineers . . . . . . . .
Monday – 31st May 19437
Strength Last Day (Commissioned And Enlisted)
| DATE | OFFICERS | ENLISTED MEN | TOTAL | INCREASE | DECREASE |
| January 1943 | 36 | 540 | 576 | 1 | |
| February 1943 | 42 | 531 | 573 | 3 | |
| March 1943 | 35 | 590 | 625 | 52 | |
| April 1943 | 38 | 578 | 616 | 9 | |
| May 1943 | 38 | 564 | 602 | 12 |
- Fort Benning Bayonet, Thursday May 6, 1943, Volume 1, Number 34
- Fort Benning Bayonet, Thursday May 13, 1943, Volume 1, Number 35
- Fort Benning Bayonet, Thursday May 13, 1943, Volume 1, Number 35, Page 6, By Sargent Milton Luban
- Fort Benning Bayonet, Thursday May 20, 1943, Volume 1, Number 36
- Fort Benning Bayonet. Thursday May 27, 1943, Volume 1, Number 37
- Fort Benning Bayonet, Thursday May 27, 1943, Volume 1, Number 37, Page 6, By Sargent Milton Luban
- Department of The Army, The Adjutant General’s Office, History of The 244th Field Artillery Battalion 8 August 1942 to 15 March 1944