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Original story and credit to: Garry Brown, Special to The Republican

Holyoke always has been known as “a good baseball town,” and especially good for high school baseball. Holyoke High won Western Massachusetts titles in 1944-45-46, then had an even richer run when its 1950 and 1953 teams won regional and state championships.

As part of its Class of 2021, the Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame committee has chosen to honor those Purple Knights of the ’50s.

The 1950 team, led by the pitching of Bo Brennan and Ron Lesser and the hitting of Bruce Bauer and Eddie Hurley, had a 16-0 season capped by a 10-0 trouncing of Somerville and its ace, Ronnie Perry, in the state final. (Perry went on to baseball/basketball stardom at Holy Cross).

The 1953 team had a 22-2 season, highlighted by a 7-4 state final victory over Milford before a hostile crowd at Milford’s Fino Field. Sophomore lefty Roger Marquis, slugger Frank Leja and center fielder Pat Woods were the leading players in Holyoke’s ’53 tournament run.

The WMass Baseball Hall, which was instituted in 2014, began honoring teams in 2015. Springfield Post 21’s 1934 team, which made big news by forfeiting a shot at a national American Legion baseball title, was the first to be honored by the Hall of Fame committee. Post 21 withdrew from a sectional tournament in Gastonia, North Carolina, rather than play without Black teammate Bunny Taliaferro, who had been told that he would not be allowed on the field.

Other teams honored by the WMass Baseball Hall of Fame: Chicopee’s state champions of 1961- 63, Springfield Tech’s state champions of 1968-69-70, Holyoke’s state champions of 1985, Pittsfield’s Little League state champs of 2018, and Chicopee Comprehensive’s state kings of 1979.

Holyoke won in 1950 behind the rubber-arm pitching of Brennan, who allowed 12 hits and one run over 27 and one-third innings of postseason play. Thirty-five years later, Pat Brennan — Bo’s son — pitched Holyoke to a 4-2 victory over Boston College High School in the state final.

In the ’50 WMass Tournament, second baseman Eddie Hurley hit .474, that after hitting .424 during the regular season. In the state final, Holyoke stole nine bases, including three steals of home — two by Hurley, one by Ted Kusnierz.

The ’50 team, coached by Joe Conway, had Kusnierz leading off and playing center field. The rest of the everyday lineup had Dave Morrison at third, Hurley at second, Bauer at first, Bill Contrini in left field, Tom O’Connor at shortstop, Ron Krause in right field and Don Graf catching.

The Purple Knights faced defending state champion Pittsfield in the WMass final, and got a big break when the game was rained out in the third inning with Pittsfield leading 4-0. The Berkshire team had built that lead against Lesser, Holyoke’s captain and ace.

In the replay, coach Conway gave the ball to Brennan, whose pitching sparked Holyoke to a 4-1 victory.

In 1953, Holyoke had a new coach, former big leaguer Ed “Moona” Moriarty, and a new lineup. And, just as it had in 1950, Holyoke beat a Pittsfield powerhouse in the Western Massachusetts Tournament final.

This was essentially a rematch of the 1952 All-American Amateur Baseball Association’s national junior final in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. In that one, the Pittsfield Majestics beat the Highland Vols of Holyoke. Many players from both teams were back for the ’53 WMass final.

Holyoke won it 3-2 as Marquis outlasted two of Pittsfield’s prize pitchers, Denny Cohen and Larry Bossidy.

Pat Woods led Holyoke with three hits and the game-winning RBI. The loss was Pittsfield’s first after 18 victories.

In the state final, Holyoke faced a Milford team stacked with players who had reached the American Legion World Series in 1952, including ace pitchers Ralph Lumenti and Bob Stoico. Lumenti, who would pitch at UMass and reach the big leagues with the Washington Senators, was the starter and loser against Holyoke.

The big hit was delivered by Holyoke shortstop and captain Ron LaMontagne — a three-run double in the fifth inning that erased a 4-3 Milford lead. Again, Marquis went the distance to cap his 8-0 season.

Holyoke’s everyday lineup had John McGinty leading off and playing second base, followed by Woods in center field, LaMontagne at short, Frank Leja at first, Marquis pitching, George McGarrity in left field, Bill Skinner at third, Andy Quirk in right field, and Vinny Cousineau catching.

Holyoke had a close call in the semifinals when it eased past Cathedral of Springfield 1-0 on a mammoth homer to right field by Leja, who would go on to be a New York Yankees “bonus baby.” Quirk pitched that one, outdueling Al Hedin.

Holyoke’s two losses in that 1953 season came against arch-rival Chicopee, the second one in the makeup of a rainout, played after the state final. They wound up sharing the Valley League title.

Garry Brown can be reached at geebrown1918@gmail.com