HUDSON AND MUSKEGON TAKE GAME 1

MUSKEGON - Sid Hudson threw a complete game and Jake Early had four hits as Muskegon beat Harlem, 7-3, in Game One of the 1941 World Series.
Fans in Muskegon had been lined out front for blocks, waiting to get in to see their Thunder Dawgs take on the Harlem Knights in the 1941 World Series. Not a bad surprise for the team's first year in the new city.
Muskegon won a franchise-best 98 games, winning their third pennant, and first since 1937 when they resided in Milton. Back in 1928, when they were known as the Mississippi Misfits, they won the DBS' inaugural championship. 1941 marked only the third time the franchise had a winning record since the 1930 move to Hattiesburg. Manager Clyde Sukeforth has helmed the team since half-way into the 1934 season, and his Dawgs are heavily favored.
They took the field against the Harlem Knights, the most storied franchise in DBS history. 1941 marked their 7th pennant, most by any team in the DBS, and are hunting for their 5th DBS championship, and fourth in five seasons. However, unlike Knights teams of the past, this squad stumbled and fumbled their way into the pennant with a mediocre 79-75 record, the worst record ever by a pennant-winner, and 19 games worse than their SouthEastern counterparts.
On a clear afternoon with a light wind, Muskegon sent Sid Hudson (7-5 since being traded from Pawtucket) to the mound to face the Knights, as Harlem would counter with Bucky Walters (14-14). Hudson set down the Knights in order in the first, whereas Walters had control trouble, allowing two walks and also hitting a batter to load the bases, but escaped with no damage. The second inning went by without trouble.
Harlem drew first blood in the third, with a bases-loaded single by Phil Rizzuto. Harlem added another run on a sacrifice fly, giving them a 3-0 lead. Muskegon got one back in the bottom of the third frame with a Dolph Camilli RBI double.
The Dawgs finally turned it on the 4th, scoring 6 times, chasing the veteran pitcher and building a 7-3 lead. The big blow was a Stan Hack double that scored pitcher Sid Hudson with the go-ahead run.
Neither team scored again, as Hudson was masterful in the outing. The Dawgs hammered out 12 hits, in addition to 8 bases on balls and two hit batsmen. Both teams meet again tomorrow afternoon for Game 2.

9/27/1941, HAR41-MUS41, Ebbets Field
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
1941 Knights           0  0  3  0  0  0  0  0  0     3  6  0     5  1
1941 Thunder Dawgs     0  0  1  6  0  0  0  0  x     7 12  1    14  0
 
Knights              AB  R  H BI   AVG    Thunder Dawgs        AB  R  H BI   AVG
Brown             3b  2  1  0  0  .000    Appling           ss  4  0  0  1  .000       
Rizzuto           ss  4  0  1  2  .250    Hack              3b  3  1  2  1  .667       
Chapman,S         cf  4  0  0  1  .000    Reiser            cf  2  1  1  0  .500       
Keller            lf  4  0  1  0  .250    Camilli           1b  4  1  1  1  .250       
Nicholson         rf  4  0  0  0  .000    Wright            rf  3  1  1  1  .333       
Etten             1b  4  0  1  0  .250    Moore             lf  4  0  1  0  .250       
Hayes             c   4  0  0  0  .000    Early             c   5  1  4  1  .800       
Crespi            2b  4  1  2  0  .500    Rowell            2b  5  1  1  0  .200       
Walters           p   2  1  1  0  .500    Hudson            p   5  1  1  1  .200       
 Murphy           p   0  0  0  0  .000                         35  7 12  6             
 Greenberg        ph  1  0  0  0  .000                                              
 Benton           p   0  0  0  0  .000                                              
                     33  3  6  3                                                    
 
Knights                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Walters          L 0-1           3.1  5  6  6  4  1  79  46 16.20
Murphy                           2.2  6  1  1  1  0  50  31  3.38
Benton                           2.0  1  0  0  3  1  34  17  0.00
                                 8.0 12  7  7  8  2 163  94 
 
Thunder Dawgs                    INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Hudson           W 1-0           9.0  6  3  3  2  6 130  83  3.00
                                 9.0  6  3  3  2  6 130  83 
 
HAR: Greenberg batted for Murphy in the 7th
 
E-Wright. 2B-Crespi, Hack, Camilli, Hudson. K-Keller, Nicholson 2, Hayes, 
Crespi 2, Appling, Wright. BB-Brown 2, Appling, Hack, Reiser 2, Camilli, 
Wright 2, Moore. HBP-Hack, Reiser. HB-Walters 2. WP-Murphy. 
GWRBI: Hack
Temperature: 60, Sky: clear, Wind: left to right at 5 MPH.