The Kalamazoo Lassies were a team who played from through in the

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley, which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...

. The team represented

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

. Home games were initially played at Lindstrom Field, but later games were played at the Catholic Athletic Association Field, now the Soisson-Rapacz field. Kalamazoo uniforms were white (home) and gold (away) with dark green numbers, belt, socks, and cap.

History

In 1950 the AAGPBL was losing money and fans, and the teams and host cities were changing almost every year. This was a good thing for Kalamazoo as the city was granted the Muskegon Lassies team on a trial basis when the city of Muskegon could no longer support them. The move took place in the middle of the season and the new Kalamazoo Lassies played their first game, still in their Muskegon uniforms, on June 15, 1950 at Lindstrom Field. About 1,400 fans attended the game, which was won by the defending league champion Rockford Peaches, 8–2. The new Lassies posted their first victory the next night, a 10–2 rout of Rockford led by

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

Doris Sams and player-manager Bonnie Baker. The Lassies combined for a 36–73 record that year and finished in the cellar. The Lassies ended 1951 with a mark of 33 wins, 75 losses and two ties, but moved up one spot in the final standings. In 1952, the team finished fifth of six teams with a 49–60 record, their best yet. Kalamazoo improved in 1953, ending third at 59-50-2 and reaching the playoffs for the first time. After dropping the opener to the first-place Fort Wayne Daisies, Kalamazoo won 2–1 and 5–3 as Jean Lovell got a couple big hits. But the Lassies lost both games in the finals to the Grand Rapids Chicks. In the 1954 season, the Lassies posted a 48-49-1 record and finished fourth of five teams, earning the right to go to the playoffs. In the first round, the team disposed of the

South Bend Blue Sox The South Bend Blue Sox was a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented South Bend, Indiana, and played their home games at Bendix F ...

in three games and faced the Fort Wayne Daisies for the Championship Title.

1954 champions

In Game 1 of the AAGPBL Series, Kalamazoo defeated Fort Wayne 17-9 behind a four-hit, seven strong innings from June Peppas, who also helped herself by hitting 2-for-4, including one

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

. Her teammates Carol Habben and Fern Shollenberger also slugged one each, and Chris Ballingall belted a grand slam. Pitching star Maxine Kline, who had posted an 18–7 record with 3.23 ERA for the Daisies during the regular season, gave up 11 runs in six innings and was credited with the loss. Katie Horstman connected two home runs for the Daisies in a lost cause, and her teammate Joanne Weaver slugged one. The Daisies bounced back in Game 2, hitting five home runs against the Lassies to win, 11–4. Horstman started the feat with a two-run home run to open the score in the first inning. In the rest of the game, Betty Weaver Foss added two homers and drove in five runs, while her sister Joanne and In Game 4, starter Gloria Cordes helped Kalamazoo to tie the series, pitching a

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

victory over the Daisies, 6–5. Habben drove in two runs who marked the difference, while Kline suffered her second loss of the Series. In decisive Game 5, Peppas pitched a clutch complete game and went 3-for-5 with an RBI against her former Daisies team, winning by an 8–5 margin to give the Lassies the Championship title in the AAGPBL's last game. She received support from Mary Taylor (5-for-5), Balingall (3-for-4) and Schroeder, who drove in the winning run in the bottom of the eight. Peppas finished with a .450 average in the Series and collected two of the three Lassies victories, to become the winning pitcher of the last game in the league's history.

All-time roster

:''Bold denotes members of the inaugural roster'' * Gertrude Alderfer * Agnes Allen * Isabel Alvarez * Ange Armato * Mary Baker * Chris Ballingall * Doris Barr * Mary Baumgartner * Donna Becker * Kay Blumetta * Mary Carey * Isora Castillo * Donna Chartier * Donna Cook * Doris Cook * Gloria Cordes * Betty Jane Cornett * Alice DeCambra * Lillian Faralla * Betty Francis * Carol Habben * Marlene Hammond * Jean Havlish * Alice Hohlmayer * Frances Janssen * Rita Keller * Barbara Liebrich * Jean Lovell * Betty Luna * Jean Marlowe * Mirtha Marrero * Naomi Meier *Miss DeMarco * Jane Moffet * Eleanor Moore * Nancy Mudge * Dorothy Naum * Miss Nogay * Anna Mae O'Dowd * Barbara Payne * Marguerite Pearson * June Peppas * Betty Jean Peterson * Charlene Pryer * Sara Reeser * Jenny Romatowski * Eilaine Roth * Elaine Roth * Terry Rukavina * Doris Sams * Joan Schatz * Dorothy Schroeder * Fern Shollenberger * Joan Sindelar *

Joyce Steele Joyce Steele (29 May 1909 – 24 September 1991) was an Australian politician and one of the first two women elected to the Parliament of South Australia, the other being Jessie Cooper. Steele was elected to the House of Assembly and Coop ...

* Jane Stoll * Mary Taylor * Helen Walulik * Nancy Warren * Margaret Wenzell * Betty Whiting * Ruth Williams

Managers

References

Sources

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League historyAll-American Girls Professional Baseball League official website – Kalamazoo Lassies seasonsAll-American Girls Professional Baseball League official website – Manager/Player profile search resultsKalamazoo Public LibraryJune Peppas: All-American Star
*All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book – W. C. Madden. Publisher:

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. *The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: A Biographical Dictionary – W. C. Madden. Publisher:

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. {{All-American Girls Professional Baseball League All-American Girls Professional Baseball League teams 1950 establishments in Michigan 1954 disestablishments in Michigan Baseball teams established in 1950 Baseball teams disestablished in 1954 Sports in Kalamazoo, Michigan Defunct baseball teams in Michigan Women's sports in Michigan