Norwood American Legion Rolls to 9-1 Victory Over
When Bob Baxter takes the mound for Norwood‘s American Legion baseball team, opposing batting orders often find themselves completely neutralized before they can even settle into the game.
Displaying the exceptional command that has become his hallmark, the lanky left-hander delivered a masterclass performance by retiring Reading hitters in order across six of the seven innings he worked.
This dominant pitching display propelled Norwood to a resounding 9-1 victory, securing a crucial one-game advantage in the best-of-three Eastern Section series. Local fans prepared for an electric atmosphere as Norwood prepared to host Reading for game two at Balch Field the following evening with a scheduled 7:30 start time.
Throughout the contest, Baxter completely baffled opposing batters, racking up nine strikeouts while issuing zero walks. His bid for a flawless outing was touched only in the fourth inning when Joe Vitiello laced a clean single to left field, representing the only time all evening that Reading managed to push a baserunner past first base. Reflecting on his approach after the game, Baxter noted that he recognized the quality of Reading’s lineup and focused heavily on keeping his pitches low and painting the corners.
Baxter’s brilliance extended far beyond his pitching duties, as he proved equally lethal with the bat in his hands. During a explosive second inning, he drove in three of Norwood’s four runs with a deep double to left field, later adding his fourth RBI of the night with a sharp single in the fifth frame to push Norwood’s commanding lead to 9-0. Reading managed to break through in the bottom of the ninth inning against Norwood relief pitcher Scott Generazo, when Scott Hayes tripled to center with no outs and subsequently scored on a double to left by Tom Zaya.
Norwood seized control of the contest early by plating five runs across the first two innings. In the opening frame, Derek Ghostlaw drove in Kevin Igoe—who had reached base after being hit by a pitch, stealing second, and advancing on a fly ball—with an RBI grounder to short. Control troubles plagued Reading starting pitcher Vitiello in the second inning as he issued three walks, allowing Norwood to capitalize before being relieved in the third inning by Andy Hartung.
Norwood all but cemented the victory in the third inning when Jim McCready smashed a double to right field, driving in two more runs to extend the lead to 7-0. Conceding the insurmountable deficit, Reading Coach Dick Defeo acknowledged the harsh reality of the matchup, stating that teams cannot afford to dig such a deep hole against a pitcher of Baxter’s caliber. The final box score reflected Norwood’s total dominance with 9 runs on 9 hits and zero errors, compared to Reading’s 1 run on 3 hits and 2 errors, sealing a memorable postseason triumph.
(Reporting by Tony Blasi for The Patriot Ledger).
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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