WOOD, (MARGE) MARGUERETTE

WOOD, "MARGE" MARGUERETTE (3 Oct. 1920-22 April 1998) was a renowned softball pitcher who in 1976 was inducted into the first class of the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame. She was born in Cleveland to Norman Wood, a gardener, and Marie (Kohler) Wood. Wood was an Olmstead Falls High School graduate and pitched from 1936-1951.

Wood played for the Erin Brew team at Elks Field in Lakewood for most of her softball career during which she competed against teams across the United States and in Toronto, Ontario. Wood played in nine World Softball Tournaments, on nine Metropolitan Cleveland championship teams and in several state championships. She was a large and powerful pitcher who used the underhand fast pitch to strike out an average of ten batters per game. During her career, she hurled numerous no-hitters and no-run games, including several in World Tournament play. In addition to her pitching prowess, Wood was a feared batter. Early in her career, she hit four home runs in four at-bats in a championship qualifying contest. During the years that she was playing with a teammate who shared the surname Wood, she was given the moniker "Big Woody," while her smaller teammate was called "Little Woody." Wood died in Aurora, Ohio, and is buried in Sunset Memorial Park.


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