Marjorie Peters, American baseball player, Died at 97

Marjorie L. Peters was born on September 11, 1918, and died on April 1, 2016.

She was a pitcher.

She played from 1943 through 1944 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

Peters was a 5 ft 2 in [1.57 m], 112 lb. [57 k], she batted and threw right-handed.

At that time, she was one of the sixty original players to join the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for its inaugural season.

She also gained a distinction of having pitched the first ball in the first game ever played in the league.

Born in Greenfield, Wisconsin, Peters started to play softball as a seven-year-old in the parks of her homeland.

Her family was known as the athlete of her family, Marjorie Peters was a tennis star, speed skater and bike racer as a young girl.

In World War II she went to work at a Defense Logistics Agency.

Even though her interest in sports led her to attend an AAGPBL tryout at Borchert Field in Milwaukee and was invited to the final tryout at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

She made the final cuts and was assigned to the Rockford Peaches, playing for them two seasons.

In the first game of the new league on May 30, 1943, Peters pitched against the South Bend Blue Sox in what ended up being a 14-inning game won by South Bend 4–3.

Marjorie Peters finished her rookie season with a 12–19 record and a 3.10 earned run average in 39 games, ranking sixth in complete games (24) and innings pitched (270), seventh in wins, and eighth in ERA.

Marjorie Peters also helped herself with the bat, compiling a .200 batting average (25-for-125) and one home run, driving in nine runs while scoring 24 times.

In 1944, she was used sparingly and retired after marrying Donald Beane at the end of the season.

Marjorie Peters marriage lasted until 1948.

Marjorie Peters passed away at 97 yrs old.