Grover Davis' Letter to Dr. Martin Stahl - Part 2

(The following was written by Grover Davis, and is reprinted from “Reflections”, a collection of local stories available at the Grove City Welcome Center and Museum. Any opinions made in the article are from the author.)Dr. Stahl, if you are acquainted with Gov. John Bricker ask him about the tight ball games in high school between G. C. and Mt, Sterling.   Both cities had fine high school teams, but Mt. Sterling never could win over us although they had a very fine club.  Gov. Bricker later caught for the Ohio State baseball club.  Tell him that I am the little guy that did all the pitching. Our schedule was a home schedule and each played a home game against the other team each year.  Here are all the players that played on that first G.C. team:Earl White, CatcherGrover Davis, PitcherPearl Nichols, First BaseGeorge Dewault, Second BaseAllen Grant, Short StopArthur Spillman, Third BaseEarl Breckenridge, Left FieldEd. Hensel, Right FieldJohn Linebaugh, Left FieldFloyd Delashmutt, Center FieldWe about broke even in our first year as Juniors.Our senior year everybody was more mature but we held our own with the best teams we played. About ten days after all our H.S. season was over, the manager of the Derby, Ohio team that played for G.C. on Sundays and, who had a very fine team most of which was from Columbus, came you see Earl White and myself to see if we would like to be the battery for his team, for the game coming up the next Sunday, which was about 3 days away.  Of course, we were tickled to death to get such a chance as that and on the following Sunday we were ready as we had worked out some every day.  The team they were playing that day was a very fine team known as the M.C. Lilley and Company team.  They were a large uniform manufacturing company from, Columbus, O.,  who made uniforms of all kinds, you name it and they would make it, and they always had some of the best ball players in the city.   The game got underway and not many runs were scored, but M.C. Lilley  went hitless and scoreless. I had pitched a no-hit, scoreless game against a very good ball club. My catcher had caught the best ball game of his life as I had only shook off his signals a very few times.(The continuation of this letter in the next blog entry.)