Victoria .... 73 36 .670 —
Spokane ..... 63 49 .560 11½
Vancouver ... 54 49 .524 16
Salem ....... 52 56 .481 20½
Lewiston .... 52 58 .473 21½
Yakima ...... 51 61 .455 23½
Tri-City .... 47 61 .430 25½
Wenatchee ... 44 66 .400 30½
VICTORIA [Colonist, Aug. 8]—Showing a complete reversal of form from Wednesday night and finding Wenatchee’s injury riddled Chiefs not even a reasonable facsimile of Yakima’s hard-hitting Bears, Victoria’s Tyees added to their W.I.L. lead at Royal Athletic Park last night as they swept a double-header from the trailers 7-2 and 7-3.
The double win boosted the Tyees 11½ games ahead of the second-place Spokane Indians, who completed a series sweep over Salem and 16 games ahead of the third-place Vancouver Capilanos, who also found the Bears more than they could handle.
PATCHWORK TEAM
The Chiefs presented a patchwork line-up which had only the batterymen and outfielder Ross McCormick in their usual positions. First-baseman Bill Stites completed the outfield, second-baseman Buddy Hjelmaa was to be found at first base, outfielder Laurie Monroe held down the keystone sack, third baseman Mike Guerrero moved over the shortstop and outfielder Lyle Palmer handled Guerrero’s old job.
Just the same, it took excellent pitching by Jehosie Heard and Bill Bottler and an overall improvemet to beat the handicapped Chiefs who had southpaw Dave Dahle and veteran righthander Frank Dasso ready for the league leaders.
Heard chalked up his 18th victory in 24 decisions and his seventh straight in the nine-inning opener as he held the Bears to five hits. Bottler, knocked out in his last two starts, pitched a four-hitter in the seven-inning finale to record his fourth win in six decisions.
SOUNDER DEFENSE
The Tyees were bolstered by the return to action of Lu Branham, their peppy second baseman. Branham’s return enabled manager Cec Garriott to return John Treece to third base and take Bob Moniz from the hot corner and put him back in left field. The result was a far tighter defense, which may have won the second game when Branham pivoted a difficulty double play in the sixth inning, when the Chiefs had one run in, the bases loaded and Bottler on the ropes.
Branham also contributed offensively, getting three hits in the two games, batting in one and scoring four.
CONSISTENT ATTACK
Moniz and Garriott did the most damage at the plate as the Tyees, hitting consistently, picked up 25 hits. Moniz had a home run, double and single in the first game and a double in the second and batted in four runs. Garriott batted in one runs in the first game as he picked up three singles and two runs in the second with a single and a bases-loaded bases on balls.
The five-game series continues tonight with a single game and ends tomorrow with afternoon and evening games. Bill Prior has been nominated to do the Victoria pitching tonight and the local righthander will be seeking his fourth win.
First Game
Wenatchee .... 001 010 000—2 5 1
Victoria ......... 200 022 01x—7 15 1
Dahle and Pocekay; Heard and R. Bottler.
Second Game
Wenatchee .... 002 001 0—3 4 3
Victoria ......... 110 500 x—7 10 0
Dasso and Pocekay; Bill Bottler and Martin.
SALEM, Aug. 8—Spokane made a clean sweep of a three-game Western International League series, defeating Salem, 5-1, here Thursday.
The Indians got four runs in the third inning on hits by Wilbur Johnson, John Conant, Ed Murphy, Sam Kanelos and Mel Wasley. Hits by Wasley and Bill Sheets accounted for the other score in the sixth.
Connie Perez, Salem outfielder, won a home-run hitting contest over Mel Wasley prior to the game, 4-3. But in the game, Wasley rapped out three hits in four tries while Perez was held hitless.
Spokane ... 004 001 000—5 12 2
Salem ...... 000 000 010—1 7 1
Conant and Sheets; DiBiasi and Nelson.
VANCOUVER [Keith Matthews, Aug. 8]—As they are nearing their greatest hour of need—the WIL’s stretch run—the Capilanos found themselves two more baseball players short after Thursday night’s 7-5 loss to Yakima.
One is Jesse Williams, the shortstop who jammed his thumbs in the third inning, then gamely finished the game without reporting an injury. Now, he’s going to have to rest for a few days from what appears to be a dislocation.
The other is Paul Jones, the pitcher. Today, Paul was to be reinstated to full and active duty after his insubordination sentence. However, that’s going to be hard to do as Paul has jumped the ship.
Some of his team-mates feel Paul has gone home, others are sure he has headed eastward across Canada and will wind up playing semi-pro ball. No matter where he has gone, he’s of no further use to the Caps, and although the Capilanos could suspend him indefinitely from Organized Baseball, they will probably not bother and merely release him outright.
None of this is going to help Vancouver in whatever chances they have of catching Victoria. Luckily enough, Jimmy Moore is around and he’ll fill in in the infield while Williams is out.
The bothersome Yakimas went to town in a big way in the third inning last night, scored five runs for themselves and won a ball game then and there.
Slowly the Caps tried to creep back into contention. They got up to 6-4 when Len Noren’s innocent-looking seventh-inning single took a bad hop over Gordon Brunswick’s head and went for a run-scoring triple. That took just about all the air out of the Caps.
Brunswick, incidentally, had another great night. In the past week, the big fellow has found himself with the bat, and last night he crashed his 9th homer of the year and two singles in four trips.
DIAMOND DUST—The same clubs meet again tonight at 8:15 with Tom Lovrich (5-2), the Caps’ red-hot collegian going against Mr. Lodigiani’s crew. … Blondie and Dagwood Bumstead, of comic strip fame, were introduced before the game … They’re playing an engagement at the Cave … Baby Alexander got right into the swing of things by grabbing a vendor’s uniform and selling peanuts while his folks watched the game.
Yakima ........ 105 000 100—7 13 1
Vancouver ... 011 020 100—5 10 3
Shandor and Donahue; Snyder and Ritchey.
KENNEWICK [Herald, Aug. 8]—Tri-City's big, burley catcher, Nick Pesut, was the hero of the game Thursday night after he broke up the game with a bases-loaded homer in the third inning.
The series then put the Braves out in front 6-4, and they were never again seriously threatened in taking a victory from the Lewiston Broncs 10-5.
The win gave the Braves two out of three of the series. Tonight they will open a series with Spokane. This season, Spokane has beaten the Braves 10 times to six wins for Tri-City.
The two teams have won three apiece in series at Sanders Field.
Big Nick was feeling good all the way around Thursday night. Although he was playing with his injured throwing hand wrapped in bandages, he pegged out two runners who attempted to steal second after the batsmen struck out.
He also snagged two high pop foul flies back near the screen. Besides the homer, Nick's first of the season, he got two more singles and only a brilliant stop by second baseman Glen Tuckett kept him from getting four for four. His hit in the seventh inning drove in a run to bring his total for the night to five.
The way the game started things looked bad for the Braves. Lewiston scored in the first when Milt Smith walked and got to second on Snag Moore's grounder. Smith scored when Gabby Williams singled.
Tri-City came back for one run in the bottom of the inning after Don Lopes balked and was driven in by John Kovenz' triple.
Then Lewiston had their big inning. With none away, Arty Wilson singled. Glenn Tuckett stepped up and belted the, ball out of the park. He was followed by Bob Lundberg who did the same.
Ralph Romero, the Tri-City hurler, clamped down and then and the next batter flied out and the next two struck out to end the inning.
But the Braves bounced back in the bottom of the third. Ray Hamrick doubled and Joe Nicholas, former Tri-City hurter, walked three men to bring in one run. It was then that Pesut got his homer.
From then on it was all Tri-City's game although the Broncs picked up one run on in the sixth on the Lopes' error, a hit by Wilson and another by Tuckett.
The Braves picked up two runs in the fourth when Hamrick got his second double and Don Lopes scored on Del Charouhas' single.
Tri-City got a lone run in the seventh when Marier walked, Scalise singled and Pesut singled.
In the eighth inning, Charlie Mead hit a fly ball deep into center field. Charouhas sped back for it and hauled the ball in. But in doing so, the center fielder smashed into the boards and was knocked out.
The Tri-City team raced out to center field to give Charouhas aid. He recovered and played the rest of the game.
In the bottom of the eighth, Charouhas knocked out a triple to score Kovenz for the Braves' final tally.
Altogether the Braves collected 11 hits and made two errors, Romero who went the distance, yielded nine hits. The Broncs made no errors.
Lewiston ... 130 001 000—3 9 0
Tri-City .... 105 200 11x—10 11 3
Nicholas, Clancy (3), Schulte (4), Bowman (6) and Lundberg; Romero and Pesut.
Wenatchee Cancels Series At Home
WENATCHEE, Wash., August 7—The cellar-dwelling Wenatchee Chiefs of the Western International Baseball League are having money troubles and will play at least one of their remaining home series on the road, their president said Thursday.
Arthur Pohlman, president, said the team will play in Vancouver Aug. 15, 16 and 18, instead of at home, as scheduled.
The Chiefs just aren't drawing crowds this year, he said, while the Capilanos who are, have promised them expenses and a 50-50 split of the gate to play the August series in Canada.
Sports Notes
By Gil Gilmour
[Tri-City Herald, Aug. 9, 1952]
When Robert Abel, president of the Tri-City Western International League, dropped into town the other day, Tri-City Brayes officials let him know that they aren't too enthusiastic about other teams in the league playing exhibition games with the Coast League teams.
Last week, Salem played an exhibition with Portland and 4,500 came out to see the game. So the next night when Salem played a league-scheduled game, only a few hundred fans showed up which cut the take of the visitors.
The Braves officials say they were caught in a similar deal one time at Salem and they want no part of it again.
In the WIL the visiting team gets 40 per cent of the gate or $200, whichever is higher, but the Braves officials say they can't keep a team on the road for $200 a day.
Under league rules such exhibitions are forbidden unless the next scheduled WIL team grants permission. Presumably, Salem got this permission.
INVESTIGATION
Abel was here to finish up his investigation of the Dick Richards—Larry Monroe fight and although he did not say what action he has in mind, he left no doubt that he was annoyed by the whole thing.
He also made it clear that Wenatchee Manager Dick Adams was intent on pushing the thing as he told me he would do the night of the fight. And apparently, Monroe, the ball player whose forehead was cut in the fracas, isn't about to let the matter drop.
Abel has asked the Wenatchee club to forget about the charges filed in Kennewick against Richards and wants the row kept within the baseball family. This will
probably be done although some time ago the Wenatchee World quoted Adams as saying ,the case would be pressed the next time the Chiefs come to the Tri-Cities.
Wenatchee comes here again Aug. 22-24. The Braves play there next Tuesday, and although there will more than likely be fireworks at the series, it would be a good time for everyone to get the thing peacefully ironed out.
CLINIC
Manager Charlie Gassaway had come up with the idea of starting a baseball clinic for fans. Charlie is none too happy about the criticism leveled at him for his use of squeeze play tactics.
In particular was the example of the other night. The Braves were one run behind and had a man on first. John Kovenz, a top hitter and also an excellent bunter, came up to bat and fouled hs first attempt.
A group of the fans set up a howl and placed blame on Gassaway. As it turned out Gassaway's tactics worked and he now has the satisfaction of knowing he was right.
Kovenz laid the next pitch down and the runner moved to second from where he eventually scored to tie up the game. Playing the percentages may not be the most, dramatic baseball but it's usually the smartest game.
ROOKIES
Gassaway, incidentally, is long on veterans and short on rookies. Officially Gassaway is on the sick list. If he recovers from his shoulder injury and takes his place in the lineup, he will have to take one of the veterans—in this case, Ray Hamrick out of the lineup.
All of the players on the regular lineup are either veterans or limited service men.
Last week, Salem played an exhibition with Portland and 4,500 came out to see the game. So the next night when Salem played a league-scheduled game, only a few hundred fans showed up which cut the take of the visitors.
The Braves officials say they were caught in a similar deal one time at Salem and they want no part of it again.
In the WIL the visiting team gets 40 per cent of the gate or $200, whichever is higher, but the Braves officials say they can't keep a team on the road for $200 a day.
Under league rules such exhibitions are forbidden unless the next scheduled WIL team grants permission. Presumably, Salem got this permission.
INVESTIGATION
Abel was here to finish up his investigation of the Dick Richards—Larry Monroe fight and although he did not say what action he has in mind, he left no doubt that he was annoyed by the whole thing.
He also made it clear that Wenatchee Manager Dick Adams was intent on pushing the thing as he told me he would do the night of the fight. And apparently, Monroe, the ball player whose forehead was cut in the fracas, isn't about to let the matter drop.
Abel has asked the Wenatchee club to forget about the charges filed in Kennewick against Richards and wants the row kept within the baseball family. This will
probably be done although some time ago the Wenatchee World quoted Adams as saying ,the case would be pressed the next time the Chiefs come to the Tri-Cities.
Wenatchee comes here again Aug. 22-24. The Braves play there next Tuesday, and although there will more than likely be fireworks at the series, it would be a good time for everyone to get the thing peacefully ironed out.
CLINIC
Manager Charlie Gassaway had come up with the idea of starting a baseball clinic for fans. Charlie is none too happy about the criticism leveled at him for his use of squeeze play tactics.
In particular was the example of the other night. The Braves were one run behind and had a man on first. John Kovenz, a top hitter and also an excellent bunter, came up to bat and fouled hs first attempt.
A group of the fans set up a howl and placed blame on Gassaway. As it turned out Gassaway's tactics worked and he now has the satisfaction of knowing he was right.
Kovenz laid the next pitch down and the runner moved to second from where he eventually scored to tie up the game. Playing the percentages may not be the most, dramatic baseball but it's usually the smartest game.
ROOKIES
Gassaway, incidentally, is long on veterans and short on rookies. Officially Gassaway is on the sick list. If he recovers from his shoulder injury and takes his place in the lineup, he will have to take one of the veterans—in this case, Ray Hamrick out of the lineup.
All of the players on the regular lineup are either veterans or limited service men.
NON WIL MINOR LEAGUE NEWS
Necciai Joins Pirate Squad
PITTSBURGH, Aug. 7 — A tall, skinny lad who had to crouch to get out of the airplane without bumping his head arrived here Thursday night to begin his major league career.
Ron Necciai, right hand strikeout sensation of the minor leagues, is slated to put on a Pittsburgh Pirate uniform Friday. If everything goes according to plan the 20-year-old 6 foot, 5 inch hurler will make his first start against the Chicago Cubs here Sunday.
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