FUNKSTOWN RETAINS LEAD IN INDEPENDENT LOOP
Pony Express Team Wins Over Bakerton, 5 To 0.
Jim Snyder, Phil Petry Combine to Hurl Shutout On July 4th; Stotler, Mercer Clout Back-To-Back Home Runs.
Funkstown’s Pony Express baseball team maintained its slim one-half game lead in the Independent League yesterday by posting a 5-0 victory at Bakerton, W. Va.
Jim Snyder and Phil Petry shared the mound duties for the winners and allowed only six hits in the shutout triumph. Back-to-back home runs by Tubby Stotler and Dick Mercer paced the Funkstown batting attack.
Snyder, gaining credit for the win, hurled the first seven innings. He struck out five and yielded all six hits. Petry mopped up in the final two frames, retiring six straight batters.
Stotler’s homer came after the first two hitters had been retired in the opening inning by starter and loser Alvin Russell. Mercer followed with his round tripper and another run cas[?] when Bill Zeigler walked, stole second and came around on Fred Billmyer’s one-bagger.
The visitors made it 4-0 in the second on a walk and singles by P. K. Kershner and George Myers.
A pair of bases on balls and Kershner’s single accounted for the game’s final tally in the sixth.
The win was Funkstown’s ninth in ten starts and enabled it to keep a half game in front of Williamsport.
Kershner and Stotler banged out three hits apiece to pace the winners.
Bakerton dropped its ninth game of the season compared to only one triumph. The losers managed two hits in the first, one in the second, two in the fifth and another in the seventh but never seriously threatened to dent the scoring column.
The West Virginians now have tallied only four runs in losing their last five contests.
Funkstown 310-001-000-5-10-0
Bakerton 000-000-000-0-6-1
Snyder, Petry (8) and Mercer; Russell and E. Moler, C. Moler (7)
