1961 held at Portland, Oregon.
Champion – Whiter Gold Sox, Whittier, California
Runner Up – Raybestos Brakettes, Stratford, Connecticut (60-9)
Joan Joyce hurled a 2-0, 1-hit shutout to beat the Gold Sox and vault the Brakettes into the final “if” game show down. After 14 innings of scoreless ball as Joan Joyce and Louise Mazzucca hurled inning after inning of shutout ball. In the top of the 15th inning.
The Brakettes’ Mary Dowling drove in Joan Joyce to make the score 1-0. But in the bottom of the 15th, Sherry Noland came up to pinch hit and worked Joyce for a walk. She scored on Sharon Backus cluth hit to tie the score again, this time at 1-1.
Both pitchers kept throwing, Joyce registering 40 strikeouts in the game. In the bottom of the 19th inning with 2 outs, Colleen Riley got her second hit of the game. Up came Sherry Noland and she stood on the batters box as Riley stole second and third. Noland and the Whittier squad shocked the world with a squeeze bunt and before the ball could be fielded cleanly. Riley raced the third base line and slid across the plate into history.
Whittier’s Sharon Backus had two hits in the game. The hitting stars for the Brakettes were Mickey Macchietto-Stratton (13-38, .342, 2B, 6 Runs), Joan Joyce (10-37, .284, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI and 4 Runs) and Millie Dixon (8-35, .205, 2 3B and 5 Runs).
Bertha Ragan-Tickey was 2-1 with 41 strikeouts in 27 IP for the Brakettes, she also pitched a shutout.
- MVP – Joan Joyce, Raybestos Brakettes (6-1, 130 K, 61 IP, 4 shutouts, no hitter, perfect game, including 40 K in 19 inn. title game 2-1 loss, 32 IP/67 K on final day; Joyce was also 10-37, .270, 4 RBI, 4 Runs)
- Outstanding Pitcher – Joan Joyce, Raybestos Brakettes
- Batting Leader – Pam Kurrell, Lock Drug Jets (8-14, 2 RBI, 3 Runs, 2 Doubles, 2 Triples) – .571
- HR Leader – Joyce Moxley, Toronto (5-15, .333, 6 RBI) – 1
- HR Leader – Genna Adams, Ogden (3-9, 333, 3 RBI) – 1
1961 FIRST TEAM ALL AMERICANS
P – Joan Joyce, Raybestos Brakettes
P – Louise “Chris” Mazzuca, Erv Lind Florists (4-1, 4 Shutouts, 73 K, 40 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits)
P – E. Louise Albrecht, Whittier Gold Sox (4-0, 2 ER, 39 IP, 17 K, beat Joan Joyce 2-1 in 19 inn final game)
C – Micki Macchietto-Stratton, Raybestos Brakettes (set record with 13 hits; 13-38, .342, 6 Runs)
C – Joy Collict, Filtro Electric Perks
1B – Shirley Topley, Vancouver Queens
2B – Mildred Dixon, Raybestos Brakettes
3B – Marie Ottaviano, Raybestos Brakettes
SS – Beverly Mulonet, Raybestos Brakettes
OF – Pam Kurrell, Lock Drug Jets
OF – Darlene May, Whittier Gold Sox
OF – Joyce Moxley, Filtro Electric Perks
UTIL – Angela Blasse, Burry Biscuit Marauders
UTIL – Elsa Wernonen, Erv Lind Florists
1961 SECOND TEAM ALL AMERICANS
P – Marion Fox, Filtro Electric Perks (3-2, 3 shutouts)
C – Bobbie Bertini, Lock Drug Jets
1B – Audrey McComsey, Reading Crystal-ettes
2B – Chris Ambord, Whittier Gold Sox
3B – Marie Stout, Burry Biscuit Marauders
SS – Roma Menold, Erv Lind Florists
OF – Diane Kalliam, Lock Drug Jets
OF – Hap Beryl-Piper, Erv Lind Florists
OF – Pat Walker, Orlando Rebels
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Whiter Gold Sox, Whittier, CA (5-1) (South Pacific Coast)
2. Raybestos Brakettes, Stratford, CT (8-2) (Defending Champ)
3. Filtro Electric Perks, Toronto, ON (3-2) (East Canada)
4. Erv Lind Florists, Portland, OR (5-2) (Host)
5t. Pekin-Lettes, Peoria, IL (2-2) (West Central)
5t. Orlando Rebels, Orlando, FL (2-2) (Southern)
7t. Reading Crystalettes, Reading, PA (3-2) (Central Atlantic)
7t. Lock Drug Jets, Redwood City, CA (2-2) (North Pacific Coast)
9t. Bryant Builders Tomboys, Atlanta, GA (2-2) (South Atlantic)
9t. Minneapolis Comets, Minneapolis, MN (2-2) (Northern)
9t. Yakima Webb Cats, Yakima, WA (1-2) (Northwestern)
9t. VFW Merchants, Adrian, MI (1-2) (East Central)
13t. Spud-Nut Shamrocks, Salt Lake City, UT (1-2) (Rocky Mountain)
13t. South Hill Queens, Vancouver, BC (1-2) (West Canada-British Columbia)
13t. Burrey Biscuit Marauders, Elizabeth, NJ (1-2) (Mid-Atlantic)
13t. PBSW Ramblers, Phoenix, AZ (0-2) (Cactus)
17t. Falstaffettes, Houston, TX (0-2) (Texas)
17t. West Bend Lionettes, New Orleans, LA (0-2) (Southwestern)
17t. Oshe Meat Company, Topeka, KS (0-2) (Western)
17t. Cochituate Corvettes, Cochituate, MA (0-2) (New England)
NOTES: West Canada-Alberta Champ – Premier Steelers, Alberta did not attend.
