Carroll College Athletics

New York native Bill Dowling was a 3-year starting catcher for Saints baseball, helping the Hilltop to a pair of top-two Conference placings. In the 1953 season opener (Dowling’s debut), against Helena’s North Side Merchants, Bill jacked a 3-run, fifth-inning home run at Smelterite Park. After the game went into extra innings tied at 9-all, he led off the 10th inning with a single, and eventually scored the winning run, racing home from second base on a fielder’s choice and throwing error. 

In the Montana College Conference Tournament (Spring Carnival), the Saints finished runner-up to Rocky, losing 4-3 in 12 innings. Dowling contributed a double off the left field wall and a run scored in the second frame for an early lead in the finals. The next season, Carroll was shaded by MSU 6-5 in 12 innings early in the year. At the 1954 MCC Tourney, the Saints trounced Montana School of 10-2 in the semi-finals, and then claimed the 1954 title, rapping Rocky 7-1 in the chipper.