Pirates win diamond glory in 1964

In the summer of 1964, Scott Koch, 10, was the winning pitcher in a game that brought his Southern Division Pirates diamond glory in the form of the championship of the Minor League City Series. Koch, still a resident of Cape Girardeau, recently brought me the stories and pictures his mother had collected of that championship season.

This photograph of the Pirates was printed in "Cementopics," a newsletter published for the employees of Marquette Cement Mfg. Co. Scott's father, Doug, coached the young boys and was safety inspector at the Cape Girardeau plant.

I had to go to the Missourian archives to find identifications of all the players. From left, kneeling: Jeff Hahs, David Roeder, David Hagedorn, Kirk Hahs and Clarence Blattel. Standing, Kenny Sanders, Bobby Hathaway, Gary Bierschwal, Charles Smith, Scott Koch, Peter Phelps, Terry Steele and Pat Robertson. Doug Koch is standing behind the team. Not present for the picture were assistant manager J.C. Wills and players Gary Seesing and Jim Wills. J.C. Wills was a locomotive engineer at Marquette and James, 8, was his son.

Along with the photo of the team and newspaper clippings, Scott's mom kept the rosters of all the players from both the Northern and Southern divisions.

SOUTHERN DIVISION:

STARS

Michael Hopen

Steven Clark

Rodney Maddox

Michael Hagan

Denny Gibson

Bill Brown

Charles Cox

Donald Maurer

Ronald Maurer

Joseph Davis

Alan Sample

Stephen Estes

Lewis Pierce

Albert Cutright

Terry Pierce

Manager Joe Davis

Assistant managers Gussie Maurer and Milford Adams

EAGLES

George Todt

George Magaletta

Michael Kasten

Gary Smith

Bill Leming

Bobby Bohnsack

Kenneth Owens

Dennis Mize

Stephen Todt

George Blattel

James Koen

Joe Roth

Benjamin Dumas

Mike Roth

Robbie Shoss

Manager Melvin Kasten

Assistant manager Mike Shoss

BEARS

Thomas Baxton

Carroll Benton

Jerry Rigdon

Scott Blackwell

Alex Harris

Mike King

Mickey Palmer

Bobby Miller

Paul Fortner

Alan Kern

Kelly Pelts

Paul Williams

Carl Wenskay

James Hamilton

R. Blankenship

Manager Joe Blackwell

Assistant manager Paul Ervin

REDWINGS

Lynn Fitzgerald

Stepehn Smith

Kent Goodson

Dayton Hahs

Eddie Conners

Gary Van Weelden

Charles Decker

Steve Wunderlich

Terry Andrews

Daylon Hahs

Dayle Baker

Mark Smith

John Decker

Jerry Murphree

Guy Jones

Manager Bob Evans

Assistant managers James Baker and Dayton Hahs

OWLS

Ronald Burchyett

Mark Frushour

Rickey Burchyett

Paul Spaeth

Rodney Kuehle

Richard Pletcher

Larry Scowden

Gregg Best

Randy Pletcher

Robert Draee

S. Unterreiner

Gary Palermo

Donald Beussink

William Duncan

Hugh Gill

Manager Arthur Burchyett

Assistant managers John Brunkhorst and Paul Frushour

PIRATES

Gary Bierschwal

David Hagedorn

Clarence Blattel

Richard Koch

Gary Seesing

William Robert

Kenneth Sander

Cahrles Hirsch

David Roeder

peter Phelps

James Wills

Charles Smith

Jeffery Hahs

Kirkley Hahs

Terry Steele

Manager Douglas Koch

Assistant manager John Wills

NORTHERN DIVISION:

CHIEFS

Bradford Baldwin

Mark Pfautsch

Daniel Younghouse

David Pollack

Terry Reynolds

Bruce Dalton

Tommy Staley

John Watson

Cary Lewis

Brian Pfautsch

Bruce Fee

Bobby Rawlings

Raymond Yaeger

Charles Wesley

Rodney Davis

Manager Edsel Baldwin

Assistant manager Dave Cummins

ORIOLES

Paul Kesterson

Doug Kesterson

Robert Ray

Gary Birk

John Webb

Matthew Wilkening

Sherman Fesler

Rickey Gill

Larry Gill

David Rice

Tommy Mahy

Ralph Beck

Blaine Nagel

Terry Schnurbusch

Bobby Whitley

Manager Richard Gill

Assistant managers John Sasche and Ralph Beck

MARLINS

Chip Parsley

Harry Bertrand

David Estes

Stephen Limbaugh

Michael Rueseler

Donald Jones

Dennis Middleton

Gregory Hoxworth

Stephen Maevers

James A. Schmidt

Robin Pensel

Daniel Vogelsang

Jim Limbaugh

David Cato

Donald Meinz

Manager Harry Bertrand

Assistant managers Jim Estes and Charles Parsley

HAWKS

John Haman

Darrell Ludwig

Kenneth Lawrence

Burton Bock

Robert Nicholas

Jean Smith

Fred Krre

Bradley Bock

Thomas DeBoe

Tommy Brown

Ronald Ludwig

Jeffery Schlegel

Kevin Fulkerson

James Farrow

Wayne Sanders

Manager Howard Bock

Assistant managers Richard Hildebrand and Vernon Lawrence

BISONS

Charles Bahn

Gary Dolle

Terry Slattery

Norval Randol

Rickey Davis

David Faircloth

Shanon Kirchhoff

Craig Morgan

Alan Gregory

Billy Pool

Frederick Finney

Halbert Wulfers

Rodney Baker

Robert Parks

Dave Davis

Manager Bill Morgan

Assistant manager Kenneth Stovall

ROYALS

B. Fulkerson

Robert ERvin

George Bell

Mike Uhls

Bradley Kirtley

John Wilkening

Thomas Jackson

Mike Dickey

Daniel Drury

Richard Bayer

Matthew Siemers

Steven Lee

Gary Hill

Mike McCrate

Timothy Dunham

Manager John Schade

Assistant managers George Bell and Richard Sabbath

---

The Pirates played the Royals for the city minor league bragging rights that summer, and the odds weren't exactly in the Pirates' favor. Although the Pirates sported a better record that the Royals (18-2 to the Royals' 16-4), the Royals were the defending league champs. Not only had the Royals won the top honors in 1963, but they had done the same in 1956 and 1958.

The first game of the series was played the evening Aug. 11, 1964, at Capaha Park. And the Pirates were able to hold off a late rally by their opponents to win the game, 8-7. According to the Missourian's account of the game, "Down 7-2 after four innings, the Royals tallied five times in their last two at-bats to draw the game even. the pirates ended the suspense quickly in their half of the sixth, when David Roeder tripled, driving in a teammate with the winning run.

"Scott Koch was the winning pitcher in relief of Clarence Blattel. He allowed five hits while striking out three. Bobby Ervin took, the loss, striking out 10 but allowing 10 hits."

This article from the Aug. 14, 1964, Missourian tells the rest of the story: