Los Banos Rotary Club History
Rotary Ancients Tame Lions

The youthful and high-spirited Lion softballers got their tails twisted Tuesday night by the ancient medicine men of Rotary in what turned out to be the big softball attraction of the year. The spectators—and it was the largest crowd in local softball history—didn’t see much of a ball game from standpoint of quality, but they really got their money’s worth in “belly laughs.”

The final score—with variations and premeditated calculations as officially declared by the xenerable announcer, D. Oliver Germino, showed that the Rotary gang had booted in 15 runs, to 14 tallys for the Lions. Because of another previously scheduled game the exhibition was halted at 9:00 o’clock.
The fans had an insight as to what they should not expect in the way of good softball when they saw the aggregation that took the field in the opening stanza. Mayor Erreca started as pitcher for the Lions, was yanked after one inning, and was followed in succession by “Stub” Pryor and Coach Carlyle Loftin before they resorted to a regular moundsman in the person of Vern Halstead. The Rotary gang started Councilman Elge Mastrangelo on the mound, then “Wild Bill” Woo took over for awhile and then turned the job over to “Screwball” Pimentel, a Rotary ancient who has had his pitcher’s mitt laid away in mothballs since before the war.

All in all, the Lions played more than 40 of their members during the game; the Rotarians almost as many. Top laughs of the fiasco included the attempt of Chuch Erreca to emulate a big league play and execute a hook slide into home plate, only to be lagged out by Al Fittje, Rotary catcher. Sid Smith and Frank Caton added their bit as Smith stumbled and fell as he started from third to home and Caton grabbed his shirt and practically pulled him the full distance without waiting for Sid to regain his feet.

Van Auker, manager of Golden State Co., took top hitting.

June 25, 1946

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