Norwood American Legion coach Pete Wall must be hoping that history does indeed repeat itself. The last time Pete Wall lost his best player to professional baseball after the high school season, his squad made it all the way to the American Legion World Series. In 1987, his son Mike Wall, who was named the top high school player in New England, signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates after graduating from Norwood High School. This season, the Boston Red Sox signed hard-hitting catcher Jack Crimmins in June.
Pete Wall and Norwood kept the script intact last night by eliminating Lowell 7-4 with a dramatic three-run rally in the ninth inning to earn a coveted berth in the state finals. Pitcher Steve Cloherty allowed five hits and six walks while striking out six batters to earn the hard-fought victory. I’ve been really nervous, Pete Wall admitted after the game. We played six games in six nights. We’re going to the tournament, but no one likes the close ones.
Norwood broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the ninth. Scott Ivens reached base on a crucial three-base error and scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball. Steve Grenham then reached on an error, and Steve Cloherty walked, setting the stage for Todd Newman, whose long ground-rule double plated Grenham and put runners on second and third. Bill Jacobs followed with a sharp single to left field to drive in the final insurance run.
Steve Cloherty, who had been temporarily relieved by Scott Ivens in the seventh while holding a 4-2 lead, returned to the mound in the eighth to finish the game. He had just walked two batters so I brought Ivens in to get a ground ball, Pete Wall explained. They bunted the ball and Scott slipped when he fielded the ball to load the bases. They got a couple of singles to make it 4-4, but I told Cloherty that I was going to get him back in. He went in and threw smoke. Bill Jacobs paced the Norwood offense with three RBIs on a double and a single, while Todd Newman went 3 for 5 with an RBI.
With a stellar 26-5 record, Norwood earned a first-round bye in the state finals and was scheduled to play at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday at Braintree High School, with the statewide tournament opening on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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Mustangs’ Coach lopes It Happens-May 22, 1969
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