Saturday 29 December 2007

Saturday, April 26, 1952

W L Pct. GB
Spokane ..... 5 0 1.000 —

Victoria .... 4 1 .800 1
Lewiston .... 3 2 .650 2
Vancouver ... 2 3 .400 3
Wenatchee ... 2 3 .400 3
Yakima ...... 2 3 .400 3
Tri-City .... 1 4 .200 4
Salem ....... 1 4 .200 4


SPOKANE, April 26 — The Spokane Indians made it five wins in a row Saturday night as veteran John Conant pitched four-hit ball for an 8-1 Western International League baseball victory over Vancouver.
The Indians ended their first of week the new season with no losses and a 2-0 edge in the four-game series with the Capilanos. It was Conant's second victory. He gave up only two walks.
Manager Bill Schuster accounted for half of the Caps' hits, driving in Bill Cleveland with one for the only Vancouver run, in the sixth. Harry Butts, who started for Vancouver, was charged with the loss.
Spokane won the game in the third inning when an Eddie Murphy's triple, the Indians used four bases on balls, a single and a man hit by the pitcher to collect four runs in that frame.
The two teams will end their series with a doubleheader Sunday.
Vancouver ........ 000 001 000—1 4 1
Spokane ............ 014 003 00x—8 9 2
Butts, Chenard (3), Locke (6) and Ritchey; Conant and Sheets.

LEWISTON, Idaho, April 26 — Victoria pitchers held Lewiston to two hits Saturday night to give the Tyees an 11-4 triumph over the Broncs in a Western International League baseball game.
The win gave Victoria a 1-1 split of their current four-game series with Lewiston.
Starter Bill Wisneski gave up only two hits in seven innings. Ben Lorino took over in the eighth and blanked the Broncs the rest of the way.
Victoria collected all but one run in the third, fourth and fifth innings on six hits, three errors, a wild pitch and three bases on balls. John Treece and Bob Moniz both hit doubles for the Tyees.
Lewiston paraded five pitchers to the mound in an attempt to halt the Victoria onslaught. Starter John Morrill was charged with the loss.
The two teams meet Sunday in a doubleheader.
Victoria ...... 000 343 100—11 9 2
Lewiston .... 100 001 020— 4 2 3
Wisneski, Lorino (8) and Martin. Morrill, Allen (4), Steward (5), Spearman (8), Israel (9) and Helmuth.

WENATCHEE, April 26 — Salem got back in the Western International Baseball League Saturday night as it bounced the Wenatchee Chiefs, 11-2, for its first win in five games.
The Senators scored enough to win a couple ordinary games, collecting 13 hits, including two triples by their giant Negro centerfielder, Andy Anderson, who collected his first hit of the season at his clean-up post.
Wenatchee was close behind in the hitting with 12 hits but had five miscues in the field. The hits were well scattered by Ray McNulty, Salem pitcher, who went the distance, the Chiefs not scoring until the last of the ninth.
Frank Dasso, holder of the Pacific Coast League strikeout record, gave up eight hits in three
innings to the Senators before being relieved. He didn't strike out anyone Saturday night.
The same two teams finish their four-game series with a split doubleheader, one afternoon and one evening game, Sunday.
Salem .............. 152 002 001—11 13 0
Wenatchee .... 000 000 002—2 11 5
McNulty and Nelson; Dasso, Kanshin (4) and Pocekay.

YAKIMA, Apr. 26 — The Yakima Bears ganged up on two Tri-City pitchers for five runs in a big second inning Saturday night as the Bears pounded out a 10-8 Western International Baseball League win over the Braves.
Ken Michelson, Tri-City starter, was the victim of the Yakima surge in the second frame. He passed out five free tickets to force in three runs before being relieved by Bill Paine.
The Braves took a 5-1 lead in the top of the second as they pushed across five runs, four on two-run singles by Nick Pesut and Des Charouhas.
Tri-City manager Charlie Gassaway got the only homer of the game, a clout over the left field
wall in the sixth with the-bases empty.
Tri-City ........ 050 101 100— 8 10 1
Yakima ......... 151 012 00x—10 10 0
Michelson, Paine (2), Gassaway (4), Nicholas (6) and Pesut; Albeni and Donahue.

Braves Add Hurler; Sell Russ Foster
[Tri-City Herald, Apr. 27, 1952]
The Tri-City Braves added one new pitcher to their roster and dropped another over the weekend.
New arrival for the Braves mound staff is Neil Johnston, a 6-foot, 7-inch, speedballer. Johnston
reported to the manager, Charlie Gassaway, Friday. Yesterday, the Braves announced the sale of lefthander Russ Foster to Yuma of the class C Southwest International League.
Roster has appeared only briefly in the Tri-City lineup.
Johnston has an overall record of 24-33 in his three span of pro
fessional baseball. In his first two years with Terre Haute in the I-I-I league he had 11-12 and 10-2 seasons. Last season he won three and loss nine with Wilmington of the Interstate League.
In his first year Johnston had an earned run average of 2.89, and 3.14 in his second year. Both were among the best averages in the league.

ON THE INSIDE
By DON HERALD, Herald Sports Editor [Apr. 27/52]
There is a time honored but tragically true cliche in baseball that was supposedly coined by Rogers Hornsby. The eminent Rajah is said to have sagely observed at one point early in-his career, "that there is no defense in baseball for a base on balls." And right now Manager Charlie Gassaway is probably ready to become a charter member.
For the truth of the old adage must have been forcibly brought home to Charlie Thursday night . . . particularly in the sixth inning at Lewiston when his
pitchers were issuing more free passes than the front offices usually allow.
Which brings this next subject to mind. When a team gets in a rut like that a "stopper" is needed. Someone who can go out there and get the ball over the plate. Tri-City has such a stopper in Joe Nicholas but some time ago the Braves announced they were sending Joe to the Pioneer League in part payment for a deal. But from the way things have, been going-it may,be well to re-consider that move and keep him around. While it's true he isn't a strikeout artist still he gives up few free bases on balls. Last year he handed out 64 in the 21 games in which he appeared and the year before that he gave up but 41 in 17 game appearances.
COULD BE GOOD INSURANCE
So unless the Phils are calling the turn on the Tri-City Braves it might be well to keep Joe around. Besides, his peculiar style of delivery is rare enough that it's upsetting to most hitters when they only get a look at it now and then. Keeping Joe should be good insurance . . . something it looks as though the Braves will need.
McCOLLUM 60 DAYS AWAY
But probably the best stopper the Braves could find around these parts would be Lou McCollum . . . a pitcher incidentally who also is capable of inspiring a lot of confidence in the rest of the team. Unfortunately though, Lou asked for and got his voluntary retirement from professional baseball. And so, as much as the Braves might like to have him . . and Gassaway has indicated that he would . . . it would take 60 days for Lou to get back on the active list.

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