Norwood Wins 5-4 Over Reading in State Eastern Playoffs-August 8, 1978

John Balerna Shines with Bat and Arm as Zone 6A Champs Hold Off Late Surge at Mark Devlin Field

LAWRENCE — “Deja vu,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” “It Don’t Come Easy.” Take your pick. Any of the three could have been a theme song for the Norwood American Legion baseball team yesterday as it stayed alive in the State Eastern Playoffs by holding off Reading 5-4. Playing at Mark Devlin Field, Norwood found itself navigating a series of familiar and nerve-wracking situations before securing the victory. After taking an early 3-0 lead through the first three innings on seven hits, steady mist turned to rain, threatening a second weather delay following Sunday’s 1-0 washout.

Norwood eventually pushed its lead to 5-0, but things began to unravel much as they did when Newburyport handed the Zone 6A champs a 6-5 defeat in Saturday’s opening double-elimination game. Norwood manager Minty Kuporatz admitted his anxiety facing Reading’s clean-up hitter, Tim Courossi, who went on to single, double, and triple, pulling Reading within a single run at 5-4. Norwood left numerous runners stranded, including a missed opportunity in the sixth with runners on second and third and none out. Starting pitcher John Balerna acknowledged that Reading began timing his fastball late in the game, but he persevered until tournament pitch-count rules forced him out after the eighth inning. Reliever Dan Kennedy took over in the ninth, striking out the first batter and inducing two grounders—stranding Courossi on deck to preserve the win.

Balerna starred offensively with a single, double, triple, and two RBIs, while John Salvatore contributed three hits. Other key contributors included Paul Yelapi, Phil Angelo, Russ Ward, Chris Collins, Frank Auditore, Tom Kates, and Larry Copponi.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger