ManDak Baseball League 1950 - 1957

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1956

 

Pre-season preparations for the 1956 season were like other years. Zoonie McLean returned for his seventh season and Sugar Cain for his sixth. Also returning, for their fifth seasons were Duke Bowman and Don Corcoran. Mel Duncan, Dirk Gibbons and Dewey Williams returned from the 1955 team. The ManDak League again established an interlocking agreement, this year with the four ManDak league teams from North Dakota playing the six teams in the Western Canadian League.  Member cities were Edmonton, Lloydminster, Moose Jaw, Regina, North Battleford and Saskatoon.  Overall, Minot was 8-4 versus the Canadians in 1956.

On April 10 it was announced that left handed pitcher Woody Johnson signed a contract to pitch and manage the team. Johnson had sixteen years of experience, twelve in organized baseball. However, for reasons never explained, he was replaced by Joe Lutz on May 3.  Before the season even began, Lutz came down with a kidney ailment and could not play. New left handed pitcher Joe Piercey became the third manager on May 19 just prior to the start of the season.

George Wopinek from the 1955 team signed to return but changed his mind before reporting to the Mallards. As in previous seasons the Mallards signed talented replacements. New outfielders Ed Barr and Bob Van Eman and first baseman Carl Bush were signed. Utility players Don “Gabby” Hormann, Andy Anderson, Don Miller and Don Smith joined the team just prior to the beginning of the season. Hormann injured his hand in batting practice the day before the season began and was released. Right handed pitcher Mike Schultz and left handed pitcher Cread McKinnes completed the pitching staff. It wasn’t until May 21 that the final roster spot was filled when Harold Daugherty was signed to play second base to replace Ed Bowman.

Workouts were late getting started and only one practice was held prior to two pre-season exhibition games. Only six players were on hand for this practice held on May 18. The two exhibition games were on May 19 at Williston and May 20 at Minot. The season began on May 25th.

Minot opened the season At Bismarck and was crushed 17 – 7, the loss attributed to weak pitching by Cread McKinnes and Mel Duncan. The Mallards opened at home against Dickinson on May 26 and won 5 – 4. Ed Barr had the Mallards’ second ever, grand slam home run in the seven year history of the club. Mike Schultz pitched the win. The team quickly rose to a 4 – 1 record the first week of the season when they beat the Packers 10 – 5 on a combined six hitter by Mel Duncan and Joe Piercey. Zoonie McLean led the offense with a triple, double and single driving in four runs.

Don Smith and Dewey Williams had home runs on May 30th. The Mallards beat Bismarck 5 – 0 on Dirk Gibbons six hit shutout. McLean and Bob Van Eman homered. The Mallards improved their record to 5 – 1 at Dickinson on May 31 by beating the Packers 6 – 5 behind Mike Schultz. Don Smith had his second home run in as many nights. Ed Barr also homered. Then, four days later Dirk Gibbons threw a three-hitter against the Williston Oilers at Minot for a 2 – 1 win. Gibbons was now 2 – 0, giving up only one run in 17 innings of pitching. The Mallards were 6 – 3.

On June 8, the Mallards had lost three in a row and with a 6 – 6 record were in third place behind Williston and Bismarck. Pitchers Cread McKinnes and Charlie Griffith were released Right handed pitcher Vernon “Pete” Taylor and left handed pitcher Dick Kelly were signed as replacements. Sugar Cain pitched a five hit shutout and 7 – 1 win over the North Battleford Beavers in an interlocking game on June 14 at Minot. Hal Dougherty hit an inside-the-park home run off the centerfield wall at the 460 foot mark.

At the mid-June point, the team was 10 – 7 and in third place. Ed Barr had two home runs on June 16 at Bismarck in a 19 – 11 win. Then the Mallards went into a ‘tail spin” losing six games in a row including a 14 – 2 drubbing at Bismarck on June 28 that put them into the cellar with a 11 – 14 record.

Pete Taylor made his first pitching appearance on July 1 and threw a sparkling six-hit, 11 – 0 win against Bismarck at Minot. Zoonie McLean had a three run home run. That moved the Mallards out of the cellar with a 13 – 15 record, five games behind the Williston Oilers. Dick Kelly followed with his own six-hitter blanking the Barons the following night.

The Mallards added utility player Andy Anderson to the roster and dropped Don Miller on July 4. Anderson was a right handed pitcher that would prove valuable as a catcher, infielder and outfielder. Anderson batted .262 with seven home runs for the remainder of the season and had an outstanding playoff performance.

Dickinson beat the Mallards in both games of a split doubleheader on July 8 to put the Mallards at 16 – 15, 6 ½ games behind the Bismarck Barons. They remained in third place through the rest of July although they were 30 – 25 by the end of the month. Chuck Orner was signed as catcher replacing Dewey Williams on July 20. Williams, fifteen years older than Orner was apparently wearing down. The next day Joe Piercey resigned as manager to join the pitching staff of Columbus, Georgia of the Class A South Atlantic League. Second baseman Hal Daugherty was named manager to succeed Piercey. After Daugherty took over from Peircey, Minot went 21-13; the best record in the league.

The Mallards stretched their winning streak to five games on July 23 with a 7 – 3 triumph over the Dickinson Packers. New right handed pitcher Tom Guiderian earned the win with a six-hitter. Duke Bowman had a triple, double and single driving in four runs. Sugar Cain pitched a four-hitter against the Packers the next evening. Cain and Don Corcoran had triples in the 8 – 2 win. These two wins put the Mallards’ record at 26 and 22.

Bob Van Eman singled with the bases loaded in the 9th inning against the Bismarck Barons on July 26 to give the Mallards a 4 – 3 win. The next evening, Van Eman hit a three run home run in the 9th inning as the Mallards edged the Packers 10 – 9 climaxing a comeback from an 8 – 0 deficit. Van Eman also had a home run in the 6th inning.

The Mallards won their twelfth game in fourteen on July 29 in a 16 – 5 routing over the Packers. Carl Bush had a home run. So the Mallards finished the month of July in strong fashion but remained in third place.

On August 1 Bob Van Eman resigned to join Joe Piercey at Columbus of the Class A South Atlantic League. Ex-1953 league batting champion Dean Scarborough was re-signed to take his place. Scarborough batted .386 for the remainder of the season.

Even though the Mallards had four home runs on August 9 against the North Battleford Beavers, they lost their sixteenth game of the season by one run 6 - 5. All four home runs, two by Andy Anderson, were with the bases empty. On August 15 with seventy games played and only eight to go, the Mallards were eliminated from pennant contention by Dickinson in a 5 – 2 loss. The Mallards fell into third place the following night beaten by the Packers 6 – 1. Their record stood at 37 – 34. For the remainder of the regular season the team was 6 – 1 to finish at 43 – 35.

In response to the Mallard’s 1955 playoff championship despite finishing third in the league standings, the ManDak League made a ruling that for 1956 the regular season winner would be declared the league champion. To encourage teams to give their best effort during the year rather than looking ahead to the playoffs, as had been Minot’s strategy, the league established incentives. Each of the four teams was required to deposit $250 with the league before the season started.  At the end, the regular season champions received $500 and the playoff winners were awarded the other $500.

Minot faced second place Bismarck in the first round series. The Mallards edged the Barons 9-8 in game one behind homers by Ed Barr and Carl Bush, two doubles and a single by Hal Daugherty and some clutch relief pitching by Dick Kelly and Dirk Gibbons.  Pete Taylor started and picked up the win. Bismarck gave Sugar Cain and the Mallards another one run loss, 8-7, in game two to even the series despite an Andy Anderson grand slam in the first inning for Minot.  Cain allowed no hits after the fourth inning.

Minot returned home for the next three games.  The Mallards took a 9-5 lead in game three on two more Ed Barr homers and one by Andy Anderson, but Bismarck stormed back for eight runs in the 8th inning to beat Minot 13-10.  Mallard lefty Bill Oster struck out ten and held the Barons to five hits in a 7-2 win the next day to square the series at two games each.  Minot won again the next day, 3-2, behind Pete Taylor and a home run and triple by Andy Anderson.  Duke Bowman also stroked three hits giving him a total of 13 in 20 at bats for the series.  The series shifted back to Bismarck for game six.  Sugar Cain came through, as he had done so many times before, with a two hitter and 12 strikeouts.  Scarborough homered in the ninth in a 3-1 series clinching victory. Zoonie McLean  drove in two of the Mallard runs.

The Mallards opened the final playoff series at Williston with several key players missing. Duke Bowman returned home to North Carolina to be with his sick father. Don Corcoran missed the entire series as he returned to his coaching duties. Hal Dougherty missed the last two games returning home with his family. Zoonie McLean commuted back and forth from Plentywood, Montana.

Pete Taylor pitched a three hit, 3-0 shutout in game one. Hal Daugherty homered. The Oilers tied the series at one game apiece the next day, winning 12-5 against Sugar Cain. In Game three at Minot, The Oilers won 5 – 4 in twelve innings. The Mallards refused to fold as Bill Oster held Williston to just four hits in a 3-1 Minot win to tie the series again.  Dean Scarborough, who hit .409 in the playoffs, was the batting hero in game four.  Williston beat Minot 7-3 in game five and finished off the Mallards by the same score to take the series four games to two.

With several key additions to the lineup and a more consistent pitching staff, the 1956 Mallards were improved over the 1955 club.  However, the level of play in the league was also at a higher level and was more balanced and competitive and the Mallards were unable to fare any better in the standings. Close losses hampered this season’s Minot team.  Eighteen of their thirty-five losses were one run defeats.

Sugar Cain again led the pitching staff with a 10-5 record.  Cain led the ManDak League for the second straight year with a 2.29 ERA.  Right-hander Pete Taylor was 9-7 with two shutouts.  Dick Kelly had a 6 – 5 record.  Dirk Gibbons went 6-7 and right-hander Tom Guderian chipped in with a 3-1 mark

 

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