Victoria ..... 92 54 .630 —
Spokane ...... 90 62 .592 5
Vancouver .... 71 67 .514 17
Salem ........ 72 76 .486 21
Yakima ....... 69 79 .466 24
Lewiston ..... 69 81 .460 25
Tri-City ..... 65 77 .458 25
Wenatchee .... 58 90 .392 35
VICTORIA [Colonist, Sept. 12]—History will be made at Royal Athletic Park tonight and Victoria baseball fans who had to wait seven long years for the moment, shouldn’t pass up a chance to sit in on it. In years to come it might well be a good bedtime story to tell the grandchildren about the raising of the first W.I.L. pennant in Victoria.
Yes, it’s “pennant-raising night” tonight as the Tyees break with tradition and hoist the banner of success only four nights after it was officially theirs.
Such affairs are usually left for the following season and club officials hasten to explain that the hurry is not actually occasioned by any doubts that there will be a following season. With nothing left but to finish out the schedule, there is the understandable urge to give the fans an added attraction.
The ceremony will take place before the game with league president Bob Abel making a special trip from Tacoma to officiate.
It was “radio appreciation night” last night and the prize-giving helped attract a crowd of 1,000 fans. But the weatherman was not among the appreciative and cut baseball action short after five innings.
CONANT AT BEST
It was probably just as well. Spokane’s John Conant was at his best and he was receiving plenty of batting support from his teammates. He was leading, 9-0, when the game was called and from the way things were going, a full nine innings would only have made it worse.
Conant, who invariably hits his peak form near the end of the season, has seldom been better. Only a slashing single to right field by John Treece to lead off the fifth prevented hi from registering the second no-hit game at Athletic Park in two nights, although base-umpire Micky Hanick gave him a big assist in the second. Chuck Abernathy hit a bouncer to shortstop Wilbur Johnson and appeared to have the throw beaten by almost a step but he was called out.
CONTROL TROUBLE
Meanwhile, the Indians had no trouble with Bill Bottler, who again had control trouble. The young righthander walked nine men before Bill Prior was called in to help him out in the fifth. The Indians didn’t waste any of their eight hits at they took full advantage of the generosity to pile up a big lead, batting around in both the second and fifth innings.
The loss moved Spokane within five games of the leaders but only three games are left. Tonight’s game will be followed by the usual split doubleheader tomorrow and that’s it. The season’s final game will be “Player Appreciation Night” with gifts for the fellows who brought Victoria this flag and a chance for a fan to win a $550 oil burner—installed—to be given away by the Booster Club.
Spokane .... 031 14—9 8 0
Victoria ..... 000 00—0 1 2
Conant and Sheets, B. Bottler, Prior (5) and R. Bottler.
KENNEWICK, [Tri-City Herald, Sept. 12] — The Tri-City Braves made it three in a row Thursday night by defeating the Yakima Bears, 6-4.
George New did the pitching for Tri-City, whose control gives manager Charlie Gassaway ulcers. He walked seven Bear batters. He gave up eight hits—one of them John Albini's homer in the fourth with a man on.
Tonight the Braves will open a series with Salem. A feature of the game will be the appearance of Jackie Price, top baseball clown. The series will end Sunday with the season-ending game then being played starting at 2 p.m.
The win Thursday night puts the Braves one half game out of fourth place and one game out of fifth. If they can possibly win all four from Salem, they can possibly tie for fourth place.
The Braves jumped off to an early lead. Des Charouhas walked in the second and Tommy Marier singled to send Charouhas to third. Joe Scalise hit into a double play but Charouhas scored.
The big inning was the third. Vic Buccola was walked. Don Lopes' triple to left-center scored him and Lopes scored when Dave Brittain doubled. An error, a single by Charouhas, and a double by Marier brought in two more runs.
The Bears picked up three runs in the fourth. Chuck Malmberg walked and went to third when Jerry Zuvella [sic] doubled.
Len Noran [sic] grounded out but Malmberg scored. It was then that Albini homered down the left-field foul line.
The Braves ended their scoring with one insurance run in the eighth. Charouhas walked and was sacrificed to second. Joe Scalise' hit to score him.
Yakima picked up one run in the ninth with Dario Lodigiani pinch-hiting for Tom Del Sarto, getting a walk. A triple by Zuvella brought him home.
Dave Brittain, a pitcher, paced the Braves hitting with a double and a triple in four times up. Brittain was playing left field in a shift that saw Charouhas at second, and Lopes at shortstop.
Ray Hamrick, regular shortstop, was out of the lineup because of spike injuries in his left forearm.
Yakima's score in the fourth broke a 21-inning streak in which the Bears were unable to score off the Braves.
The attendance Thursday night was 290.
Yakima ......... 000 300 001—4 8 1
Tri-City ........ 014 000 01x—6 1 1
Del Sarto, Donley (3) and Donahue; New and Lewis.
SALEM, Sept. 11 — The Salem Senators wound up their home Western International League season here Thursday night, losing 5-4 to Wenatchee.
The season’s attendance at Salem was 95,645.
Wenatchee ..... 100 200 200—5 11 0
Salem ............ 004 000 000—4 11 3
Dahle and Robinett; Edmunds and Thrasher.
Lewiston at Vancouver, postponed, rain.
SPORTS NOTES
By Gil Gilmore
[Tri-City Herald, Sept. 12, 1952]
The next week should tell the tale.
The Tri-City area must decide now whether it wants to keep a Class A baseball club. The decision will depend upon the outcome of the current drive to Buy-the-Braves.
There is no longer two ways about it. Dick Richards, present manager and majority stockholder, can't move from here without first getting the league directors' permission. But Richards can easily get permission to move the franchise if the area shows no inclination to buy the club.
Sept. 26 will be the deadline. The time to act is now. The Athletic Association, which is pushing the drive, realizes it has a tough row to hoe. They expect large investors will be few. They see little possibility of finding a financial angel. Therefore, they are turning to the people of the area to get the job done.
It's going to take hundreds of $50 one-share sales to put the drive across. Baseball fans from every economic class must invest if the club is to stay here.
In some respects, it is better that way. It will mean a greater group will own a share of the club and the community, it will also show that Richards is wrong—that the Tri-Cities want good baseball.
INVESTMENT
The men behind the drive point out this is no charity movement. It is an investment. Like any investment it carries a risk but it also promises a return on the dollar. The small gate in recent weeks is the cause of many things. But even Richards concedes any ball club could make a go of it here in a few short years.
Buying the Braves is also another kind of an investment—an investment in the Tri-City area. The area is big enough and populated enough to support the club. The Tri-Cities are continuing to grow.
But if the franchise is moved from here now, it will be long, if ever, returning. Like Tacoma, the Tri-Cities will find themselves sitting on the outside hoping for another chance.
Pledge sheets are available. The members of the Athletic Association will be be around. When they come, sign up. We are up now with two away in the last of the ninth.
The Tri-City area must decide now whether it wants to keep a Class A baseball club. The decision will depend upon the outcome of the current drive to Buy-the-Braves.
There is no longer two ways about it. Dick Richards, present manager and majority stockholder, can't move from here without first getting the league directors' permission. But Richards can easily get permission to move the franchise if the area shows no inclination to buy the club.
Sept. 26 will be the deadline. The time to act is now. The Athletic Association, which is pushing the drive, realizes it has a tough row to hoe. They expect large investors will be few. They see little possibility of finding a financial angel. Therefore, they are turning to the people of the area to get the job done.
It's going to take hundreds of $50 one-share sales to put the drive across. Baseball fans from every economic class must invest if the club is to stay here.
In some respects, it is better that way. It will mean a greater group will own a share of the club and the community, it will also show that Richards is wrong—that the Tri-Cities want good baseball.
INVESTMENT
The men behind the drive point out this is no charity movement. It is an investment. Like any investment it carries a risk but it also promises a return on the dollar. The small gate in recent weeks is the cause of many things. But even Richards concedes any ball club could make a go of it here in a few short years.
Buying the Braves is also another kind of an investment—an investment in the Tri-City area. The area is big enough and populated enough to support the club. The Tri-Cities are continuing to grow.
But if the franchise is moved from here now, it will be long, if ever, returning. Like Tacoma, the Tri-Cities will find themselves sitting on the outside hoping for another chance.
Pledge sheets are available. The members of the Athletic Association will be be around. When they come, sign up. We are up now with two away in the last of the ninth.
NON WIL MINOR LEAGUE NEWS
Customer's Take Exceeds Solons'
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 11—J. A. Resendez, one-time semi-pro pitcher, finally cashed in on a trip to the mound.
He was selected by lot from the 695 customers at the Sacramento-Oakland, Pacific Coast League doubleheader Thursday night to try to tote "all the money you can carry" from the mound to home plate.
Resendez lugged a sack of coins the required 60 feet, 6 inches. The sack disgorged $446.78 in pennies, nickels, dimes etc. to dollars.
The promotion stunt was a money-loser for the Sacs. The Oaks swept the twin bill and received 40 per cent of the approximate $700 gate.
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