(EDITOR’S NOTE: Since May of 1999, the Times News Sports Department has featured an On This Date practically every day, highlighting an event that happened in the past. With the coronavirus putting a halt to sports locally and nationally, the On This Dates have been expanded to the stories that actually ran in the next day’s newspaper. Today’s On This Date story is from July 15, 1983).

By Craig Potter

Associate Sports Editor

COPLAY - Coming from behind in the late innings has been a recent trend for Palmerton in its Lehigh Valley Legion games this year.

The Blue and White used that same script Friday to advance to the semifinals Sunday against regular season champion Salisbury.

Palmerton plated three runs in the sixth and one in the seventh to defeat East Side 5-4. The victory gave the locals the best of three series, 2-1. Palmerton also came from a 3-0 deficit to win the first game, 5-4.

“Half our wins have come in the sixth and seventh innings,” stated a happy Palmerton coach Glen Hahn. “They never give up.”

“We’ve been rolling lately coming from behind,” said Mike Sander. He drove in the tying run in the bottom of the sixth. “I thought we could do it again.”

Gary Guldner commented, “We stick together, we never quit.”

Palmerton (10-9) has been involved in numerous one-run games all year, losing several earlier in the season but winning those tight contests lately when it means the most.

“I think we have to get mad before we play,” said Randy Engle, who drove in Guldner with the winning run in the top of the seventh. “Four of the last five games we’ve come back in the late innings.”

Palmerton almost didn’t have a chance to come back as the team had to scramble to field nine players. But they had nine people at Balliet Field by game time ready to play.

Rob Endres, who last pitched June 29 against West End, was hit hard early. Dave Chapman opened the game with a fly ball down the rightfield line when Scott Levandusky’s momentum carried him into the stands. Levendusky thought the ball was foul and by the time he retrieved it, Chapman was heading for third. The Ram easily beat the throw home.

Opposing hurler Matt Hlay doubled with two gone and scored on Dennis Fritchman’s basehit.

East Side made it 3-0 in the second as Chapman and Steve Niekem singled with Chapman coming home on Steve Miller’s hit to center. East Side lost Chapman’s services in the fourth, however. The Ram was called out on a close play at first and threw his helmet in the air. He was ejected for the action.

Palmerton scored its first run in the third when Tom Smelas was hit by a pitch. Guldner followed with a walk and Scott Hillegass singled sharply to left to drive Smelas home.

East Side got that run back in the fifth. Jim Kucharzuk led off with a hit and stole second. With two gone, Ed Sobeck’s liner up the middle struck Endres on the left shinbone and bounded into left field. Kucharzuk raced home and Sobeck ended up at second with a double. Endres was all right and continued to pitch.

Palmerton knotted the game in the sixth as Hillegass led off with a ground-rule double to left. Engle singled to right and Endres was safe on a fielder’s choice. He stole second to put runners on second and third.

After a fly to center, Levandusky’s ball to right was dropped by the Ram fielder allowing Hillegass and Endres to score. Sander was up next.

“He (Coach Hahn) told me not to walk,” related Sander, “so I took the first pitch I could hit.” Sander placed it between the center and right fielder for a single and Levandusky scampered home with the tying run.

Smelas led off the seventh with a single, but was forced at second on Guldner’s grounder to third. With two out, Engle stepped to the plate.

“I was swinging at the first pitch,” Engle said. “It was a curve ball. The (Ram) coach told him (Hlay) don’t give him anything to hit.”

The ball made it through the left side by the shortstop for the game-winning hit.

East Side had a chance to tie the game in the home half. With one out Kucharzuk walked and took second on a passed ball. Fritchman singled to left and the East Side coach decided to try Smelas’ arm by sending Kucharzuk home.

Smelas made a perfect one-hop throw to Hillegass, who had the ball waiting for the putout. A fly to right then ended the game.

“Rob got stronger as he went,” Hahn said of his pitcher. “He kept us in there.”

Endres states that the team couldn’t hit Hlay the first four or five innings. But Palmerton came up with the key hits against the highly-touted pitcher, who is going to California on a baseball scholarship in the fall, late in the game.

Endres struck out five and walked four, and Hlay fanned five and walked a pair.

Salisbury coach Jeff Person and his staff were at the game. Person said he thought his team would be facing Palmerton after it beat East Side in the first game, but then Palmerton lost the second game.

“Palmerton is a good club with good pitching,” Person said. “They can give anyone trouble. We haven’t played in a week. They scored six runs off us both times we played them.”

Salisbury (15-1) won the games 12-6 at home and 9-6 at Palmerton. Person said that Bill Paulik will start on the mound Sunday. Palmerton is expected to throw Sander.

Palmerton 001 003 1 - 5 7 0

East Side 210 010 0 - 4 11 1

Endres and Hillegass; Hlay and Hahn. W - Endres. L - Hlay. HR: East Side - Chapman (1st, none on).