Beatrice Allard

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Beatrice Allard
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
Pitcher
Born: (1930-07-10) July 10, 1930 (age 93)
Muskegon, Michigan
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • Women in Baseball – AAGPBL Permanent Display
    at Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (1988)

Beatrice Jean Allard ("Bea") (born July 10, 1930) is a former pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the 1949 season. Listed at 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m), 130 lb, she batted and threw right-handed.[1][2]

Beatrice Allard was a fireballing right-hander, with a deceptive sidearm delivery, whose promising career was cut short by an injured shoulder after being forced to change her delivery.[3]

Born in

sandlot ball with other neighborhood children when she was a youngster. She became a fan of the Muskegon Lassies and did not miss a home game during their first three seasons in All American Girls Professional Baseball League. One day she decided to assist a tryout to help a friend catcher by tossing a few balls sidearm, gradually increasing the distance each time, even though she had no intention of playing in the league. The league's president Max Carey spotted her as a potential pitcher, so he signed her to a contract.[4][5]

Allard joined the league in 1949 with her beloved Lassies. In the season opener in Muskegon, against the

save. She was used again the next night, this time as a starter. "I pitched five good innings and was able to hit a triple first time up and a single later", she remembered.[5][6]

As the year progressed, Allard was going along fine until a sore arm midway through the season quickly dimmed her performance. They tried to change my delivery and I got all messed up, she said. I didn't complain, I didn't want to be a baby, she added. Allard finished the season with her arm in a sling and decided to go to a doctor, who told her that she had a dead arm and her playing days were over.[3][4]

After her baseball career ended, Allard joined the

cryptographer and was stationed in San Francisco for three years. Afterwards, she returned to Michigan and worked in the Grand Rapids Employment Office for 31 years.[3][4]

In 1988, Allard became part of Women in Baseball, a permanent display based at the

Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, which was unveiled to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League rather than any individual personality.[citation needed
]

Beatrice Allard is a long-time resident of Lillian, Alabama, where she still receives fan mail, including requests for her autograph.[5][7]

Career statistics

Pitching

GP
W
L
W-L%
 ERA IP H RA ER BB SO WHIP
19 2 2 .500 2.75 59 48 26 18 49 15 1.64

Batting

GP AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB TB BB SO BA OBP
SLG
19 20 1 4 1 1 0 1 0 7 3 8 .200 .304 .350

Fielding

GP
PO
 A E TC FA
19 4 14 2 20 .900

[4]

Sources

  1. ^ All-American Girls Professional Baseball League – Beatrice Allard entry. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  2. ISBN 0-7864-3747-2
  3. ^ a b c "Looking Back: Lassies win opening game, lose Sunday in only AAGPBL games of weekend. Muskegon Chronicle article by Dave LeMieux. May 23, 2011".
  4. ^ a b c d The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
  5. ^ a b c "The Diamond Angle – AAGPBL interview with Bea Allard". Archived from the original on 2012-02-07.
  6. ^ 1949 Muskegon Lassies. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  7. ^ Intelius.com – Beatrice J. Allard in Lillian, AL
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