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Falcons make 1979 home softball debut tonight

The Connecticut Falcons’ longest road trip ever ends tonight when the three-time Bic International Women’s Professional Softball Association champions meet the St. Louis Hummers at Falcon Field in their 1979 home opener.

The Falcons returned to Meriden after two weeks of games, clinics and sightseeing in China and one week of Bic-IWPSA games in Buffalo and St. Louis. Player-coach Joan Joyce said the journey left the club weary, but after a one-week respite, she feels the club is ready to play.

“Everybody was tired on the road. We only had 11 players. It’s tough to play,” Joyce explained. “With a week between games, everybody’s now eager to play again. Everybody is rested.”

If all the players needed a week off from games, the Falcons’ pitching staff deserved it most. Sandy Fischer and Joyce each pitched five games during the American portion of the road trip and helped give Connecticut a 6-4 league record. Joyce, though, expects the hurlers to get relief from veteran right-hander Margaret Rebenar.

“We’ll go with three pitchers, although I’m looking for a fourth. Sandy pitched fine in the five games. She pitched good enough to win all of them. We made mistakes in the field behind her.”

Joyce has been the mainstay of the Falcons’ pitching staff during the club’s three-year reign. Last season, she compiled an 8-1 record to lead the team to the league’s World Series.

Fischer 2-3 this season, and Rebenar, who has yet to pitch, combined to win 23 games last year and Joyce expects both to improved on their 1978 performance due to added experience.

“It’ll make them better pitchers,” Joyce said of the impending workload Fischer and Rebenar have to look forward to. “A pitcher needs work to keep the arm ready.”

One the “dog days” of the season hit, Joyce is wary her pitching staff may be in for hard times, but she feels the club has a wealth of talent to overcome this possible adversity.

“Playing for, five or six games in a row could catch up with us. The teams in this league are too good. Good for hitting but not for pitching,” Joyce laughed. “We have an awful lot of talent on our team that can do a lot of things. We’ll have people playing in different positions. Part of our strength is our versatility.”

The Falcons currently carry a 14-player roster. Joyce said the compact group is easier to communicate with and is less susceptible to dissension.

“I do find that if you have 17 or 18 people on the team, players who don’t play can hurt the team. I think we can do the trick with the players we have. They have experience under their belts. Basically, we’re going to work people around.”

The lineup the Falcons field tonight will not be the same nine the club will use throughout the season. Although the club consists of all veterans except for Ginny Walsh, Joyce said she will put players at different positions until she is satisfied with the results.

“We’ll work around the end result. Whatever works out best, we’ll play,” Joyce noted.

Tonight, the Falcons will start Joyce Compton at first base, Willie Roze at second, Karen Gallaher at shortstop, Linda McMorran at third, Kathy Stilwell in left field, Snooki Mulder in center and Rayla Allison at catcher. Joyce has not decided who will play in right field.

“Our strength has been our hitting. We have speed in some areas. We have good, solid hitting throughout the lineup. Stilwell is the power hitter,” the coach said.

“We have balance throughout the lineup,” Joyce continued. “The bottom of the lineup is strong.”

In preparing for the home opener, Connecticut has been practicing at Falcon Field, but Joyce said the entire contingent had not arrived as of Wednesday.

“Right now, we have 12 players in town. Two are still missing. Stilwell and Mulder are still at school in Orlando, Florida, but they’ll be in by Thursday.”

The Falcons’ initial home stand of the season includes two games tonight and Friday night against St. Louis and two games Saturday and two games Sunday against Buffalo.

To read more articles about the Falcon’s season, click here (Part 1) or click here (Part 2)