In the spring of
1931, in Norman, Oklahoma, the Braman High School Baseball team faced Anadarko
High in the final game of the Oklahoma State Tournament.Braman Looses to Anadarko
John L.Tickel ~ Braman, Oklahoma
In the spring of
1931, in Norman, Oklahoma, the Braman High School Baseball team faced Anadarko
High in the final game of the Oklahoma State Tournament.
The Braman Pirates had made changes in their lineup. Because he had a sore arm, the regular pitcher, Ty Shurtz, was playing first base and John Tickel, usually the second baseman, was in center field to take advantage of his speed. Clyde Miller, another pitcher,was on second base. Thomas Scott was covering third base. Jack Kiersey was pitching the championship game while Millard Hayworth crouched behind the plate. Roy Fender, an excellent shortstop, rounded out the infield.
The scrappy Pirates fought their way through the entire tourney and were now moments away from winning the Oklahoma State Championship. In the bottom of the ninth, the Pirates led by one run on a home run by Hayworth. It was the Anadarko team at bat with two outs and men on first and third. Jack Kiersey threw the last pitch and the Anadarko batter connected with a slow grounder to the shortstop Fender. It should have been an easy out but, Fender, flushed with the feeling of victory and over confident in his ability to make the final play for the championship, fumbled the easy grounder and it rolled between his legs. The Anadarko runner on third tore home and the game was tied. The runner on first took off . Fender could not recover the ball in time and the runner from first slid into home with the winning run for Anadarko.
The first and only chance the Braman Pirates had for a State Championship slipped through the fingers of the shortstop, and Braman, Oklahoma has never forgotten Roy Fender.
Crackers Neck 1906 Champions
Crackers Neck, the 1906 Baseball Champions of Bland County, Virginia consisted of Otto Morehead, pitcher; Jim Ashworth, catcher; Perry Burce, utility; Miller Newberry, left field; George Kitts, 1st base; Bob Tickle, 3rd base; Lozier Tickle, shortstop; Frank Dunn, center field; Jim Andy Kitts, right field and Meek Tickle, 2nd base. It was reported that Jim Andy Kitts served in his best capacity as a moral booster and proved quite successful in getting the opposing team rattled and confused with his antics and humorous remarks.
Dillworth High School Baseball Team
Dillworth, Oklahoma
circa 1930
Left to right: Tickel, 2nd Base; Auld, Right Field; Williams, Left Field; Shurtz, 1st Base; Wather, Right Field; Elbert, Center Field; Hayworth, Catcher; Gillham, 3rd Base; Fender, Short Stop; Honick, Center Field; Vanhoy, Pitcher, Undentified