That’s Incredible – Part I, Caverna Baseball, Spring 1958

The date was May 21, 1958. The location was the Western Kentucky State College baseball diamond in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the site of the Region 3 Kentucky High School Baseball Tourney. Regions 1 and 2 were to the west and played at places like Paducah and Owensboro. Regions 4 – 8 were to the north and east and were being played in places like Louisville, Lexington, Covington, Ashland, and Middlesboro. Here in Bowling Green, though, teams from Caverna, Fort Knox, Glasgow, Bardstown St. Joe, Campbellsville, Auburn, Butler County, and host Bowling Green were competing to advance to the State Tourney “Elite Eight” at UK in Lexington the next week. Sixty-four teams had advanced from district tournaments the weeks before when 300 to 400 high school baseball teams had begun the quest. There were no classifications; every high school team, public, private or parochial, played for the same prize – a state championship. Among them were the Caverna Colonels.

By modern standards, the baseball field at Western Kentucky State College was not much. Sitting at the south end of campus between Russellville Road and Normal Drive, the field faced southeast presenting left-fielders with a setting sun in their eyes for late afternoon games. The infield was skinned of grass. A backstop extended down the first and third baselines in front of benches used by the opposing teams. There were no dugouts. Two bleachers, one each along the baselines provided the seating for the fans. A campus drive connecting Russellville Road and Normal Drive ran behind the third base bleachers. A row of shade trees ran behind the first base bleachers separating the field from the tennis courts. There were no outfield fences. It was probably 500’ to Normal Drive beyond left field and neighborhood houses lined the far side of the street. On-campus housing for military veterans was located beyond right field. Still, for teams used to playing on fields carved out of cornfields and tobacco patches the baseball field here was quite an improvement.

It had been several years since Caverna had played in the regional, and I think it is safe to say that no player on the team had played on a team in the regional before. The team consisted of seniors, David Lyon, Keith Gentry. Robert Goodhue, Elvin Wood, and Lloyd Isenburg. Ralph Isenberg and “Hack” Borden were juniors and Jim Strickland and Clarence “Butch” Campbell were sophomores. The bulk of the team consisted of freshmen, however; seven freshmen were on the team: Robert Dennis Doyle, Joe Earl Campbell, David Moore, Phil Rogers, Bill Strickland, Jimmy Grider and Jimmy Payton. Freshman Joel McCubbin was the equipment manager, batboy, water boy and scorekeeper. Five of the seven freshmen were regular starters and six started at least one game. To say that almost everyone had butterflies in their stomach might be an understatement. Head Coach Dorsey and Assistant Coach Watkins were also in their first year at their positions, and probably had a few jitters also.

The first round game for Caverna in the single-elimination tourney was a late morning game against Glasgow. Although Glasgow would normally have been a regular season opponent, for some reason, possibly a rainout, the two teams had not played each other. The Colonels were confident, based largely on their 11 – 0 record and because their ace, Ralph Isenberg (6 – 0) was going to the mound. The Scotties may not have been able to match their opponents record, but they had played a stronger schedule and strong starting pitcher in Roger Proffitt. Playing at 11:00 o’clock in the morning was something neither team had experienced.

Isenberg had not given up more than three hits in any game all season, but that day Glasgow reached him for eleven hits. If that was not bad enough, the team in the field behind him produced ten errors and that did not include passed balls. The most errors by Caverna in any previous game had been four. Glasgow jumped to an early lead and despite Caverna fighting back, by the bottom of the seventh inning (the last inning in high school baseball) Glasgow had a comfortable 13-5 lead. Most of the town’s-people and students who had skipped work or school to attend the game had dejectedly decided to return home. Glasgow, looking toward a semifinal game the next day, had relieved Proffitt and replaced him with their number three pitcher. The semifinals and finals were on the same day. At the time, to be able to save their top two pitchers seemed to be a real luxury-item-option.

The first two batters for Caverna in the bottom of the seventh inning were retired without incident.

After Bill Strickland slammed a triple and was called out for missing first base, brother….
Jim Strickland struck out for the second out. Then it happened…

The next batter was senior Elvin Wood. Elvin, along with Phil Rogers, had just this year enrolled at Caverna from Horse Cave Colored School, the school for black students in both Horse Cave and Cave City. Caverna was one of the first school districts in the state of Kentucky to accept the responsibility of integration. Elvin had maybe two or three hits all season and was a late game substitute playing in what was thought to be his last game. He also presented a pretty large strike zone as he was almost six-foot three and stood pretty erect in his batting stance. Somehow Elvin managed to work the pitcher to a full count, three balls and two strikes. I am sure he must have fouled off a pitch or two. Caverna was literally down to their last strike and trailing 13-5. And then it started … BALL FOUR!

Who could ever have known what was about to happen. (I was the scorekeeper and I am still not certain about the exact details of how it occurred.) Glasgow had nine errors that day and gave up ten hits. I have no idea how many Colonels reached first base that day via a walk. Eight more batters followed Elvin that inning before he would bat again.

As I was saying, Glasgow led Caverna 13-5. The first two Caverna batters had been retired. The 7, 8, and 9 hitters were coming up…

#7 – Elvin Wood (1b) drew a walk on a 3-2 count.
(Down to the last strike)
#8 – Moore ( 2b ) was safe on an infield error.
#9 – David Lyon ( lf) singled,
(Wood scored run number 1)
#1- Keith Gentry (rf) singled.
(Moore scored run number 2)
#2 – Phil Rogers ( cf ) doubled.
(Lyon and Gentry scored runs number 3 and 4)
#3 – Isenberg ( ss ) walked.
#4 – Dennis Doyle ( p ) singled. Then…
(Rogers scored run number 5)
#5 – Bill Strickland ( 3b ) again and he slammed a double, That made is 13-12 and…
(Isenburg and Doyle scored runs number 6 and 7)
#6 – Jim Strickland ( c ) singled home his brother for the tie.
(Bill scored run number eight)

Wood was finally retired and the game was headed to extra innings… After 6 hits, 2 walks, and 1 reached on an error had all occurred with two out. All that I do know is that when the final out was recorded in that seventh inning the score stood 13-13.

Freshman Robert Dennis Doyle had replaced Isenberg as pitcher the inning before and was pitching in only the second game of his high school career. His only other pitching experience had come in the game immediately prior to this one when he had a complete game victory, 8-3, over Adair County. Doyle held Glasgow scoreless as he got out of a jam in the top of the 8th inning and then Ralph Isenberg singled with the bases loaded for the winning run in the bottom of the 8th and Caverna had come all the way back to win the game 14-13 and Doyle gained his second win of the season.

The local sports writer, Bert Barone, compared the team’s feat to those of fictional Frank Merriwell. I did not know who Frank Merriwell was, but I do know that I have never ever heard of a team down by eight runs and down to their last strike coming back to victory ~ except this one.

Current WKU baseball stadium.