Tigers Advance in NCAA With 5-3 Win Over Lafayette

Beckmann to Pitch Against Rollins Tonight
(Columbia Daily Tribune, Friday June 11, 1954)

OMAHA, June 11 - Missouri's Big Seven champion Tigers advanced to the second round of the NCAA College World Series here last night as they rode by Lafayette college, 5-3, on a three-hit pitching performance by Emil Kammer. It was the 12th straight victory for the Bengals and sends them against Rollins college, surprise winner over Oklahoma A&M, at 8 o'clock tonight.

Jerry Schoonmaker drove in the winning run for Missouri last night with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning after Lafayette's Howie Fredericks had tied the score at 3-all with a homer in the fourth. The Tigers added an insurance run in the seventh on a triple by Jerry Schoonmaker and George Gleason's double.

The Leopards took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. After two were out, Fredericks drew a walk and Ed Doerrman followed with a smash back at Kammer which the Bengal hurler deflected toward third base, then threw to Bob Schoonmaker, who let the ball elude him as Fredericks raced to third. Doerrman and Fredericks then tried the double steal and Buddy Cox' return throw to the plate arrive in time, but Gleason dropped the ball as Fredericks crashed into him.

The Tigers retaliated with three in their second. Bob Schoonmaker led off with a double to left center for Missouri's first hit and advanced to third on Jim Doerr's single after Cox had popped out. After Doerr stole second, Dick Dickinson lashed a double past third, scoring Schoonmaker and Doerr, and went to third when left fielder George Watts threw past second. Ernie Peters' low throw on Todd Sickel's grounder allowed Dickinson to cross the plate.

Peters opened the Lafayette third with a walk, but was forced at second on Bob Marchiorlete's grounder to Cox. Bill Hogart walked and Watts singled to right to send Marchiorlete across.

Fredericks' homer, a line drive over the left field fence, tied the score in the fourth, but that ws the lst hit Lafayette made off Kammer, who faced only 18 batters for the remainder of the game.

After Dickinson flied out in Missouri's fifth, Sickel singled to center and stopped at second on Bob Musgrave;s one-baser to right. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch and Sickel scored as Jerry Schoonmaker flied to Hogarty.

Missouri's final run came after two were out in the seventh. Jerry Schoonmaker lined a triple to right center and Gleason followed with a two-bagger to left center to score Schoonmaker.

Kammer not only hurled effectively, but provided the longest Tiger hit of the game, a towering clout that went over Machoirlete's head and rolled to the flag-pole in dead center for a triple.

That blow may have earned Kammer an outfield job tonight. Simmons said this morning he is toying with the idea of sending him to left field against Rollins, replacing Doerr.

Rollins, which had won 22 games and lost six before coming to the tournament, is coached by Joe Justice, brother of Charlie Justice of football fame.

Attendance at the tournament's opening session was announced as 3,976.

Lafayette College
16-8
Coach:
Charlie Gelbert
307-127
in 21 seasons.
Gelbert was a World Series star for the “Gashouse Gang” St. Louis Cardinals.
Eight NCAA District II Playoffs
5 times District II champ.

"The person who really impacted me at Lafayette was our baseball coach, Charlie Gelbert, who was an incredibly successful coach and a former professional baseball player. He always treated his baseball players like athletes and taught us to prepare just as hard as we played in games. It was that preparation and thought process that I've carried through in life."
(George Hossenlopp, Lafayette Class of ‘65)