Beaver Falls Tigers Baseball 1969

WPIAL CHAMPIONS
Section 5 Champions
23-2 Overall Record, 11-1 Section

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19690613&id=79EbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HVEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7186,6660666

Excerpt from Yearbook-  The Tiger baseball squad brought another WPIAL championship back to Beaver Falls High School in 1969.  The Tigers won the title at Forbes Field beating Bethel Park by a 7-0 score.  This championship is the first baseball championship since 1961.  Coach Joe Smartz's team had a very impressive record in their drive to the trophy. In exhibition games, they were 8-1 and were 11-1 in Section 5. The Tigers won all four playoff games to finish with a 23-2 overall record. 

The squad was without a superstar.  They were a fine example of a team.  Leading hitters for the regular season were Jerry Matiyak, Jim Betke, Jerry Lombardo, Ken Wagoner, and Ron Sciarro all hitting over .300.  The pitching was outstanding.  The mound staff gave up only 6 earned runs in 21 regular season games.  They proved themselves even more under the pressure of the playoffs.  Hal McClain pitched a no-hitter to send the Tigers to the championship game, in which Ron Sciarro had a one-hit performance.