1979 World Series

CLASSIC MATCH BETWEEN GOOD HITTING AND GOOD PITCHING

The three-time defending champs, Connecticut Falcons, clinched an automatic berth in their fourth consecutive Worlds Series on the last day of the season by sweeping a double-header from the New York Golden Apples. The Hummers who finished .012 percentage points behind the Falcons defeated the Buffalo Bisons in the playoffs to earn a berth against the defending champs.

During the regular season, the two teams had played each other 16 times with the Falcons holding a 9-7 edge but the Hummers had swept a four-game series earlier in the season at Falcon Field, the site of the Bic-International Women’s Professional Softball World Series (“World Series”). Everyone knew that the Falcons were the team to beat, but the Hummers came into the World Series with a team blessed with power, speed and the ability to dazzle opponents. Would this be the year that someone other than the Falcons wore the crown?

1979 World Series Game #1 – St. Louis 2, Connecticut 1

The St. Louis Hummers received a power surge from an unexpected source that carried the Hummers to a 2-1 victory over the Connecticut Falcons in the first game of the World Series at Falcon Field. Charlene Sennewald, who one inning earlier robbed the Falcons’ Joan Joyce of a possible leadoff double with a diving catch in left field, belted a two-run homer off Margaret Rebenar in the top of the sixth inning to give the Hummers the victory. With Susie Hiner on second base, Sennewald hit her first homer of the season to propel the Hummers to victory in the crucial opening game.

Sennewald’s homer erased a 1-0 Connecticut lead and winning pitcher Cindy Henderson survived a ninth inning jam to gain the victory. Connecticut scored its only run of the game in the second inning when Willie Roze led off with a double and later scored on an error. The Falcons stranded 12 runners on base including one in the bottom of the ninth. Kathy Stilwell, who had two hits in the game, led off the ninth inning with an infield single and moved to second on a ground out and then to third on a wild pitch with two outs. Henderson retired Joyce on a soft fly to center to end the game and give the Hummers the initial victory in the best-of-five series. Rebenar, who lost her third game to the Hummers this season, struck out four and walked three. Henderson allowed six hits and walked five.

The game was highlighted by several sparkling defensive plays. In the top of the ninth inning, Connecticut’s Snooki Mulder, robbed Debbie Zoss of a possible double when Mulder ranged to her right and fell as she gloved the line drive. In the top of the fourth inning, Stilwell saved two runs when she raced to the edge of the infield dirt to grab a line drive off the bat of Carole Meyers with the bases loaded.

1979 World Series Game #2 – Connecticut 8, St. Louis 1

After six scoreless innings, the Hummers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the seventh when league home run leader and league MVP Nancy Nelson walloped a home run off Joan Joyce but Connecticut quickly retaliated. Leading off the bottom of the seventh, Margaret Rebenar belted a towering home run off Margie Wright to ignite an eight-run Connecticut scoring parade to carry the Falcons to an 8-1 victory over the Hummers and knot the World Series at 1 game apiece.

Linda McMorran, who had two hits in the game, followed Rebenar’s blast with a sharp single to center. Snooki Mulder drove in McMorran with the go-ahead run and Wright was replaced on the pitching mound by Vicki Swanson. Kathy Stilwell greeted Swanson with a single to left and after an error by the Hummers, the floodgates opened and Connecticut clinched a victory. Joyce Compton singled to load the bases before Joyce drilled a single to left center to score two runs. Willie Roze followed with a double scoring another run. Rebenar’s sacrifice fly scored Joyce. Roze then stole home to complete the Falcons’ scoring.

1979 World Series Game #3 – Connecticut 2, St. Louis 0

Behind the pitching of Sandy Fischer who threw a five-hitter, Connecticut defeated St. Louis 2-0. Joan Joyce and Rayla Allison singled home the runs off Cindy Henderson.

1979 World Series Game #4 – Connecticut 6, St. Louis 5

With two outs in the top of the ninth and Connecticut leading by one run, it came down to Margaret Rebenar, the league’s most valuable pitcher, and Nancy Nelson, the league’s most valuable player. Rebenar retired Nelson on a soft ground ball to give the Falcons their third consecutive victory in the best-of-five series and their fourth consecutive World Series championship.

Kathy Stilwell led off the first inning with a walk and scored on Joyce Compton’s single. Later in the inning with two runners on base, Willie Roze gave Rebenar a 4-0 lead when she belted Margie Wright’s pitch inches over the left field fence. In the second inning, Connecticut added another run when Compton doubled and scored on a double by Joyce. But the Hummers chipped away at the lead and finally tied the game in the sixth inning.

In the second inning, Susie Hiner scored on a single by Carole Meyers and then in the fifth, St. Louis scored three times. A walk to Vicki Schneider and singles by Charlene Sennewald and Debbie Zoss scored one run and a sacrifice fly and an error allowed St. Louis to move within one run, 5-4. Meyers led off the sixth inning with a triple and scored on Schneider’s single to tie the game, 5-5.

The tie game was short lived when Joyce Compton, who had three hits in the game, tripled in the seventh inning and scored the winning run on Joan Joyce’s sacrifice fly. Margie Wright, who lost the second game of the series, allowed eight hits and walked three to fall to Rebenar, who scattered nine hits and walked three.

This was a fitting end to a series billed as a classic match between good hitting and good pitching, and the Falcons once again wore the crown.

To read news articles about the 1979 IWPS World Series, see below.