1961 ASA Women’s Major Slow Pitch Nationals

1961 held at Cincinnati, Ohio.


Champion: Dairy Cottage, Covington, Kentucky (29-1)
Runner Up: Cleveland Jets, Cleveland, Ohio


Dairy Cottage got 5 runs in 7th inning highlighted by Kathy Walz’s 3rd hit of the game leading the 11-hit attack that gave Dairy Cottage pitcher Sandy Conway the 9-6 victory over the Cleveland Jets in the Women’s first official Slow Pitch National Championship. Conway was 3-0 pitching for the champs. Her teammates had her back scoring 30 runs in the 3 games Dairy Cottage won, Conway surrendered eleven runs. The 7th inning uprising was highlighted by Cindy Windburn and Joyce Mason, both delivered 2-run singles breaking a 4-4 tie in the top of the 7th, making the score 9-4. Cleveland tallied 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th, but it wasn’t enough. Gloria Weiss belted a triple for the Jets in that game to tie the score at 4 earlier in the game. Cleveland’s Ruth Poole was the losing pitcher. In the Semi-Finals, Ruth Poole came through with a clutch single in the 10th inning to clinch the victory for the Cleveland Jets. In the other Semi-Final, Kathy Walz and Sandy Conway both hit HRs and accounted for 5 RBIs in the Dairy Cottage 13-3 win over Rutenschorer. Although she did not make the All America Squad, Rutenschroer’s Norma Eschenbrenner is reported to have had a .602 average during the course of the season.


  • MVP – Not awarded
  • Outstanding Pitcher – Sandy Conway, Dairy Cottage (3-0 pitching record)
  • Batting Leader – not listed – (newspaper accounts claimed Kathy Walz had the most hits, but the ASA Hall of Fame bio’s state that Norma Eschenbrenner batted .602)
  • HR Leader – not listed

1961 FIRST TEAM ALL AMERICANS

P – Sandy Conway, Dairy Cottage (3-0 pitching including a HR in the semi-final)
C – Rose Scheutzow, Cleveland Jets
1B – Betty Dvorak, Dairy Cottage
2B – Kathy Walz, Dairy Cottage (HR in semi finals and 3 hits in the final)
3B – Nancy Margrath, Heidel’s Hall
SS – Barbara Klicka, Cleveland Jets
OF – Betty DeSanto, Cleveland Jets
OF – Jean Lenzer, Dairy Cottage
OF – Carol Smith, Rutenschroer Florist


FINAL STANDINGS (Single Elimination)

1. Dairy Cottage, Covington, KY (3-0)
2. Cleveland Jets, Cleveland, OH (2-1)
3t. Rutenschorer Florist, Cincinnati, OH (2-1)
3t. Louisville Has-Beens, Louisville, KY (1-1)

—— last 6 teams went to consolation flight ——-

5t. Heidel’s Hall, Cincinnati, OH (1-1) (3-1 overall)
5t. Zee’s Nite Club, Perrysburg, OH (0-1) (2-2 overall)
5t. Aughinbaugh Canning Company, Biloxi, MS (0-1) (0-2 overall)
5t. Ellisvile Girls, St. Louis, MO (0-1) (1-2 overall)
9t. Fin ‘N Feather, Milwaukee, WI (0-1) (1-2 overall)
9t. Interstate Life Insurance, Chattanooga, TN (0-1) (0-2 overall)


SCORES

First Round
Rutenschorer Florist, Cincinnati, OH 4 Interstate Life Ins., Chattanooga, TN 1
Heidel’s Hall, Cincinnati, OH 5 Fin ‘N Feather, Milwaukee, WI 0

Quarterfinals
Rutenschorer Florist, Cincinnati, OH 7 Aughinbaugh Canning Company, Biloxi, MS 0
Dairy Cottage, Covington, KY 8 Zee’s Nite Club, Perrysburg, OH 2
Louisville Has-Beens, Louisville, KY 4 Ellisville Girls, St. Louis, MO 3
Cleveland Jets, Cleveland, OH 6 Heidel’s Hall, Cincinnati, OH 5

Semifinals
Dairy Cottage, Covington, KY 13 Rutenschorer Florist, Cincinnati, OH 3 — Cathy Walz and Sandy Conway both hit home runs for Dairy Cottage.
Cleveland Jets, Cleveland, OH 2 Louisville Has-Beens, Louisville, KY 1 — Ruth Poole had a single in 10th inning drove in winning run for Cleveland

Championship
Dairy Cottage, Covington, KY 9 Cleveland Jets, Cleveland 6


CONSOLATION STANDINGS

1. Heidel’s Hall, Cincinnati, OH (2-0)
2. Zee’s Nite Club, Perrysburg, OH (2-1)
3. Fin ‘N Feather, Milwaukee, WI (1-1)
3. Ellisvile Girls, St. Louis, MO (0-1)
5. Aughinbaugh Canning Company, Biloxi, MS (0-1)
5. Interstate Life Insurance, Chattanooga, TN (0-1)


CONSOLATION SCORES

First Round
Fin ‘N Feather, Milwaukee, WI 14 Interstate Life Ins., Chattanooga, TN 1
Zee’s Nite Club, Perrysburg, OH 12 Aughinbaugh Canning Company, Biloxi, MS 1

Semifinals
Heidel’s Hall, Cincinnati, OH 4 Ellisvile Girls, St. Louis, MO 2
Zee’s Nite Club, Perrysburg, OH 1 Fin ‘N Feather, Milwaukee, WI 0

Consolation Final
Heidel’s Hall, Cincinnati, OH 11 Zee’s Nite Club, Perrysburg, OH 0

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