Gator Nine Upset By 244th Tossers
In a free-hitting slug-fest, the 124th Infantry went down to a surprise 11 to 8 defeat, against the 244th Field Artillery, Friday, June 25th at Harmony Church.
The Artillerymen, knocking out 11 hits, including home runs by Loeffler and Welch, for 26 bases during the game, tallied 5 runs in the 4th inning to jump into the lead 6 to 5 and never be headed.
Junie Belin, Gator first sacker, was the leading hitter of the day with a single, double and a triple. Loeffler also got three hits, a round triple and two singles.
176th Spirits Threaten Near Close of Race
Climb Fast in TIS Loop With Four Recent Wins
Handling the champion Academic Regiment Profs – a swift 4 – 3 clout on the chin Monday night, the fast-climbing 176th Spirits, by taking four of the last five games, have really climbed into the Infantry School league scramble for second place.
The Spirits are one game out of second and a half-game out of third and, if they continue to play the flashy ball they demonstrated against the Profs, should take their remaining two games.
Behind the beautiful pitching of Lefty Wissman the Spirits really sparkled in the field, Lohr robbing Prasse of at least a triple by a spectacular leaping catch of the ball just as it was about to hit – or sail over – the fence. Ramizotti practically covered the entire infield by himself, handling 13 chances flawlessly.
If nothing else, the Spirits showed them they would definitely be in the fight for the second-half tide along with the Profs, the Brigade and the 300th.
The 124th Gators, after having their seven-game winning streak disrupted, have had their troubles, having completed their first-half schedule solidly entrenched in fifth place. A week ago at this time the Gators seemed on the verge of crashing into second but a slump killed their chances of rising higher than fifth.
The Brigade has two more games to play and must be favored to take both, which would clinch second place for them.
Team W. L. Pct.
Academic Regiment . . . . . 12 3
G T Brigade . . . . . . . . . . . 9 4
200th Infantry . . . . . . . . .
Infantry . . . . . . . .
124th Infantry . . . . . . . . . 4 7
244th F. A. Bn. . . . . . . . . . 3 9
267th Tankers . . . . . . . . . 4 14
6 TR Rifles . . . . . . . . . . . 4 13
Page 66
Baseball Card
Thursday, July 15th-Fort Benning League:
Parachute School vs. Lawson Field at Gowdy Field (7:00)
255TH Station Hosp. vs 24th Gen. Hosp at Medico Field (6:30)
Friday, July 16th – Infantry School League:
124th Infantry vs. 6th Trng. Regt.at Gowdy Field (7:00)
176th Infantry vs. 3rd Stud. Trng. At Harmony Church (6:30)
Saturday, July 17th – Fort Benning League:
53rd Gen Hosp. vs. 513th Parachute at Gowdy Field (7:00)
Sunday, July 18th – Infantry School League:
300th Infantry vs. 6th Trng. Regt. At Gowdy Field (1:30)
3rd Stud. Trng vs. 124th Infantry at Gowdy Field (3:45)
176th Infantry vs. 164th Tanks at Gowdy Field (7:00)
244th F.A. vs. Academic Regt. at Harmony Church (2:30).
Monday, July 19th – Infantry School League:
Academic Regt. vs. 176th Infantry at Gowdy Field (7:00)
Thursday, July 20th – Fort Benning League:
Lawson Field vs. 53rd General Hospital at Gowdy Field (7:00)
Wednesday, July 21st – Infantry School League:
764th Tanks vs. 3rd Stud. Trng. At Gowdy Field (7:00)
244th F.A. vs. 124th Infantry at Harmony Church (6:30)
Caption reads – July 1943 1st Sgt. Ray Cormier
July 1943, Ray Cormier promoted to 1st Sgt.
Infantry School Race Resolves Into Battle Royal of Four Rivals
Spirits, Profs, Eagles, Gators Involved in Dig-fight For Flag
When the rampaging 176th Spirits topped the first-half post championship Prof team Tuesday they gained first place, but the first week and a half of Infantry School league baseball clearly shows the race for second-half crown in going to be a dog fight among the 176th, and the Academic Regiment, the 6th Training Regiment and the 124th, with the 764th Tanks ready to knock over any team that lets up for a moment.
Perched on top are the Spirit with four wins tow their record, while the Profs won their first game played, a 16 to 4 slaughter of the 244th Field Artillery; then lost to the 176th.
The Spirits, opening with a tense 2 – 0win over the 124th Gator, added two more scalps to their collection, beating the 3rd STR Rifles, 5 – 2, and then winning a free-hitting thriller from the 764th Tanks, 10 – 7.
The Gator bounced back from their opening defeat to hand the 6th Training Regiment Eagles an 8 to 3 trouncing, the worst licking the Eagles have taken all season. Ewell Blackwell made his pitching debut for the Gators and proved that with him and Christie, the 124th will have about the toughest mound corps in the league.
On Sunday the scrappy Gators took over the Rivles, 5 – 4, coming from behind to do it. Lew Christie pitched five-hit ball and drove in the winning run himself with a slashing ninth inning single. The Gators have the pitching, a brilliant catcher in Stocker and a sensational center fielder in Smith. But the infield portion of the center line from catcher to center field is where the Gators need strengthening. Give the 124th a sound keystone combination and there’d be no stopping the team.
The Eagles looked fair in losing to the Gators and had in beating the 300th. They had to overcome a six-run handicap to take the Triplets with Francis’ wildness and Cave’s poor relief hurling contributing more to the Eagles victory than anything the Eagles did. However, the Eagles are tough, and it was just lucky for them that they were able to get a bad game out of their system and still win.
The 300th has looked bad in both its games. But the Triplets looked just as bad in the opening of the first-half schedule and then turned around and almost set the league on fire. There is still a chance that Lefty Francis can whip his boys into the fight. If Lofty can get himself into last year’s form he is capable of pushing his team into first place himself.
In the Eagle game Francis allowed only two hits but handed out 10 walks. Last season when the southpaw gave up two walks in one game he was off form. In Sunday’s game, he showed flashes of his old brilliance, and if he really gets himself into condition the Triplets will yet provide a headache to the league leaders.
Tonight, the Profs will play their postponed game with the Tanks, the contest getting under way at 830 at the second game of a Gowdy Field double-header.
300th vs. 244th F.A. at Gowdy Field on Friday night
309th vs. 176th at Gowdy Field, Sunday night at 7 o’clock
6th Tang Regiment vs. 3rd STR at Harmony Church, Sunday at 2:30
Academic Regiment vs. 124th at Gowdy Field, Monday night
3rd STR vs. Academic Regiment at Gowdy Field and the 244th vs. 176th at Harmony Church
Wednesday night
League Standings
Team W. L. Pct.
176th Infantry . . . . . . . . . . 4 0 1.000
124th Infantry . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 .667
6th Training Regiment . . . . . 2 1 .667
Academic Regiment . . . . . . 1 1 .500
764th Tanks . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 .500
300th Infantry . . . . . . . . . . 0 2 .000
3rd STR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 2 .000
244th Field Artillery . . . . . . 0 2 .000
Profs Sag As Three-Way TIS Loop Battle Looms
Spirits, Gators Deadlocked For Lead With Eagles Right Behind
It’s still a bit to early to pick a winner in this second-half of the Infantry School league race, but right now it looks as if the Academic Regiment Profs will be unhappily watching the 124th Gators, 176th Spirits and 6th Training Regiment Eagles fight it out for the crown.
The Profs seem to have lost much of their old zest, apparently trying to squeeze through with their first-half press clippings. On the other hand, the Gators, Spirits and Eagles have the pennant glint in their eyes and battling furiously all the way.
One fact stands out in bold relief: it’s a mighty tough league, much better balanced than it was in the first half. There isn’t a so-called underdog in the Loop that isn’t capable of staging an uprising against one of the leaders.
From this observation post we expect the Artillery Group to furnish some of the biggest headaches. While the Howitzers have still to win one, the team has been strengthened in several spots and has been looking better in every game. In Hoffman, the Artillerymen have a hurler who is going to cause a lot of batting averages to shrink.
Highlights of last week were the games between the Triplets and Spirits and the Gators and Profs. With George Cave pitching airtight, four-hit ball, the 300th managed to squeeze through for a 3 – 2 triumph over the Spirits in spite of seven Triplet errors. It was the first loss for the Spirits while for the Triplets it is beginning to look like a duplication of their first half adventures when they also dropped the first two games then ran up an eight-game winning streak. Tonight’s clash with the 124th and Sunday’s game against the Profs will reveal the 300th’s chances of making history repeat itself.
On Monday the 124th Gators lost no time in capitalizing upon the Spirits loss. Packed by Ewell Blackwell’s brilliant hurling, the Gators slapped down the vaunted Profs, 6 – 5, to climb into a first-place tie with the Spirits. As ball games go, it was rather a sloppy one, each infield kicking in with four errors. The game was a renewal of the oldest rivalry on the post and both teams seemed tightened up. The Gators, particularly, were fighting all the way and their errors were caused mostly by over-eagerness.
In the other important game of last week, burly Jim Pendergast completely smothered the opposition as the 6th Training Regiment took a 3 – 0 contest from the 3rd STR Rifles. Red Kemether led the Eagles attack, knocking in two runs with two hits, while George Simmons smacked in the other score.
124th vs. 300th, tonight at Gowdy Field
6th Training Regiment vs. 76th Tanks, Friday at Gowdy Field
6th Training Regiment vs. 176th at 1:30, Sunday, at Gowdy Field
Academic Regiment vs. 300th at 7, Sunday, at Gowdy Field
3rd STR vs. Artillery Group at 3:30, Sunday, Gowdy Field
6th Training Regiment vs. Academic Regiment, Wednesday, at Gowdy Field
76th Tanks vs. Artillery Group Wednesday, at Harmony Church
Team W. L. Pct.
176th Infantry . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1 .800
124th Infantry . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1 .800
6th Training Regiment . . . . . 3 1 .750
Academic Regiment . . . . . . . 2 2 .500
300th Infantry . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 .500
764th Tanks . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 .230
3rd STR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 .250
Artillery Group . . . . . . . . . . . 0 4 .000
Saturday – 31st July11
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
June 1943 37 668 595 7
July 1943 39 543 582 13
- Fort Benning Bayonet, Thursday July 1, 1943, Volume 1, Number 42
- Fort Benning Bayonet, Thursday July 1, 1943, Volume 1, Number 42, Page 6
- Fort Benning Bayonet, Thursday July 1, 1943, Volume 1, Number 42, Page 7, By Sargent Milton Luban
- Fort Benning Bayonet, Thursday July 8, 1943, Volume 1, Number 43, Page 6
- Fort Benning Bayonet, Thursday July 15, 1943, Volume 1, Number 44, Page 6
- Fort Benning Bayonet, Thursday July 15, 1943, Volume 1, Number 44, Page 6
- Fort Benning Bayonet, Thursday July 22, 1943, Volume 1, Number 45, Page 7, By Sargent Milton Luban
- Fort Benning Bayonet, Thursday July 22, 1943, Volume 1, Number 45, Page 7, By Sargent Milton Luban
- Fort Benning Bayonet, Thursday July 29, 1943, Volume 1, Number 46
- fort Benning Bayonet, Thursday July 29, 1943, Volume 1, Number 46, Page 6, By Sargnet 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