1966 Varsity Baseball Team
Captain Pete Shuman took the mound against Hill and displayed the form that made him such a prominent force for the Peddie nine. Pete held Hill to just two runs in a very tight game that wasn’t decided until the eighth inning. Then Charlie Clark belted a triple, putting him just 90 feet away from the winning run. Bill Bartolino sacrificed Charlie home to secure Peddie’s 3-2 win.
Against Blair, junior Bob Petrino pitched a masterful game. While he held Blair scoreless, the Falcon bats came alive with five late-inning hits and four runs for the 4-0 final score.
In a season that featured come-from-behind wins, none was more spectacular than the Lawrenceville game. With Shuman pitching and holding the Larries to only three hits, fielding lapses allowed Peddie to fall behind by four runs with time running out. Scoreless, Peddie was down to its last out with men on second and third. Fred Wagner beat out an infield hit to score one run. Cam Van der Veer’s single drove in the second run and then John Quick doubled home the tying runs. Charlie Gemmel’s single to center field brought Quick home with the winning run.
The return match against Blair on Founder’s Day found Peddie down, 3-2, going into the final inning. With the bases loaded, Quick’s infield grounder drove in the tying run. Then Gemmel beat out an infield grounder for the winning score.
Clinching six of its 12 victories by a single run, the 1966 baseball team demonstrated time and time again the rare combination of talent and determination that has earned it the distinction of being the first baseball team inducted into the Peddie Sports Hall of Fame.