Pre-Season, Thursday, April 17, 1952

Heavy Hitting Is Feature Of Win Over Lewiston
[Modesto Bee, April 18, 1952]
The Modesto Reds had the heaviest hitting team in the circuit last season—and the 1952 edition might also pack a fair wallop.
Class A pitching failed to awe the Reds—in fact it smelled—as the Modestans hammered three hurlers to post a 12-7 victory over the Lewiston Broncos of the Western International League here last night. It was Lewiston's second defeat against six wins.
Largest Crowd For Exhibition
Approximately 2,000 fans, believed to be the largest crowd ever to watch a preseason exhibition here, were on hand for the Reds' lone home practice contest.
A good portion—many of whom were non paying children—departed before the end of the almost three hour long affair.
Base hits were busting out all over as the Reds transformed 11 safeties, eight bases on balls and three Lewiston errors into 12 runs. They needed all the insurance they could get even though the pitching was surprisingly steady, with the exception of a couple of innings.
Dick Green, who could not find he plate when he worked for Modesto last year looked like a better hurler as he set the Broncos down without a hit during the first two frames. Hit bad inning was the fourth when he put the first four men on base via singles and walks.
Settles Down
His successor, tall Bill Kappel, settled down to give up three hits and a single run after a hectic fifth inning which saw three Lewiston runs cross the plate.
The Reds grabbed a 3-0 lead in the very first inning as catcher Clint Cameron singled with the bases loaded to drive home the first two runs. Every time Modesto was in trouble it went out and got more runs.
The picture looked dark when Lewiston took a 6-5 lead with three runs off Kappel during the frame he worked. But the Reds got three in tneir half when Cameron once again singled with the sacks bulging.
Lewiston ......... 001 230 010— 7 10 2
Modesto .......... 302 031 30x—12 12 5
Owens, Spearman (4), Powell (8) and Helmuth, Moseau; Green, Kappel (5) and Cameron, Uribe.

Wenatchee Looks Over New Hurler
OMAK, Wash., April 17 - Don Tierney, a pitcher with Denver in the Class A Western League last year, is working out here with the Western International League Wenatchee Chiefs.
Tierney joined the Chiefs Wednesday at the spring training camp here on a "look" basis.
He was released by the Vancouver Capilanos when they cut the roster recently to get under the WIL nine-veteran player limit.

SEEK BRUNSWICK
Caps All Set, Training Ends
PENTICTON [Province, April 18]—With nearly three weeks of dull, but necessary spring training routine on Penticton’s wind-swept King’s Park behind them, Manager Bill Schuster and his 1952 edition of the Capilanos pulled up stakes today and looked hopefully for warmer weather down south.
They probably won’t get it at Omak, Washington, when they stop there for an exhibition game tonight with Wenatchee Chiefs; ‘tis said the winds haven’t been too kind to their WIL compatriots, either.
HOPE IN YAKIMA
But maybe it will be different in Yakima, where the Caps play Saturday and twice Sunday before going on to Wenatchee to await Tuesday’s season opener.
Regardless of the temperature, those four exhibition games should help Schuster make his final decision on his starting lineup. He doesn’t have much deciding left to do.His catching and infield are set; there is just one outfield spot and his opening day pitcher to add.
John Ritchey, of course, will be behind the plate, and the infield is: Jim Wert, first basse; Jesse Williams, second base; Bill Schuster, third base; Ray Tran, shortstop; Ed Vanni is a fixture in left, with Joe Scalise slated for centre field and Bob Duretto likely getting the nod over Bill Cleveland for right field. Jerry Barta is tentatively set for the pitching jobm but that could change.
WANTED BRUNSWICK
The outfield setup could change, too, after general manager Bob Brown stops off in Seattle Saturday. Bob will be trying to talk Seattle g.m. Earl Sheely out of Gordie Brunswick, as well as a pitcher or two.
If Brown slicks Seattle out of Brunswick, the handsome young gent from last year’s team who can hit, run and throw will take over in centrefield, with Scalise, whose batting has been impressive, moving to right.
Any pitchers Brown can steal will be welcome, too, because the hurling corps consists of Barta, Ed Locke, Harry Butts, Jim Hedgecock and several fellows named Joe.