Class of 1965 Portsmouth High School graduate Larry Hisle (right) throws out a ceremonial first pitch ahead of the Trojans’ non-league game versus North Adams on Thursday at Hatcher Field.
Jacob Smith | Daily Times
Class of 1964 Portsmouth High School graduate Al Oliver (left) throws out a ceremonial first pitch ahead of the Trojans’ non-league game versus North Adams on Thursday at Hatcher Field.
Jacob Smith | Daily Times
PORTSMOUTH — Portsmouth High School and the Portsmouth HS baseball program honored two of their most famous alumni on Thursday ahead of the Trojans’ non-league contest versus North Adams — former Major League Baseball players Al Oliver (Class of 1964) and Larry Hisle (Class of 1965).
The pair of former Trojan teammates — who prior to first pitch threw out their own ceremonial first pitch — combined for more than 32 years of professional baseball experience during their playing careers.
Oliver was a seven-time All Star during his career, collecting 2,743 hits with a .303 career batting average in 18 seasons with seven different teams. He spent the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates (10 seasons), helping the Pirates win the 1971 World Series 4-3 over the Baltimore Orioles.
Hisle spent 14 seasons as a player on three different teams — the Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, and Philadelphia Phillies. He was a two-time All Star in the 1977 and ‘78 seasons as a members of the Twins and Brewers.
Following his player career Hisle joined the ranks of coaching, helping the Toronto Blue Jays win back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 93 as their hitting coach (1992-95).
Once the game got going, Portsmouth scored in each of their four trips to the plate — blanking the visiting Green Devils 11-0 in five innings.
The Trojans saw their best offensive production come in the home half of the second when they plated six runs.
Six different Portsmouth players reached via hit, including Tyler Duncan and JT Williams who both had multi-hit days.
Nathaniel Berry scored a game-high three runs for the Trojans.
On the mound, freshman Jacob Roth got the victory — allowing just two hits, issuing one walk, and striking out four Green Devils in four innings of work.
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BOX SCORE
North Adams 000 00 — 0 2 6
Portsmouth 262 1X — 11 8 0
W: Jacob Roth (P) 4IP, 2H, 0ER, 1BB, 4K; L: Shupert (NA) 2IP, 6H, 3ER, 1BB, 1K
Portsmouth hitting
Jacob Roth 1-4, R
Tyler Duncan 2-3, R, 3RBI, BB
Reade Pendleton 0-1, 2R, RBI, 3BB
JT Williams 2-4, R, 2RBI
Trevin Brooks 1-3
Zach Roth 1-3, R
Deandre Berry 0-1, 2R, BB
Nathaniel Berry 1-3, 3R, RBI
Reach Jacob Smith at (740) 370-0713 ext. 1930, by email at [email protected], or on Twitter @JacobSmithPDT © 2023 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved
