Saturday 15 March 2008

Friday, May 8, 1953

W L Pct GB
Lewiston .... 10 3 .769 —
Vancouver .... 7 5 .583 2½
Victoria ..... 8 6 .571 2½
Edmonton ..... 6 5 .545 3
Tri-City ..... 7 6 .538 3
Yakima ....... 7 8 .467 4
Spokane ...... 6 8 .429 4½
Calgary ...... 5 8 .385 5
Wenatchee .... 5 9 .357 5½
Salem ........ 3 6 .333 6


VICTORIA [Jim Tang, Colonist, May 9]—Victoria Tyees continued to be in a generous mood at Royal Athletic Park last night as Tri-City Braves made it two in a row in the four-game series.
After failing to make the most of their offensive chances Thursday when forcing base-running which didn’t work, the Tyees were beaten, 5-2, last night by faulty inner defenses.
GOING TO HELP
Victim of the leaky infield was righthander Bob Drilling, making his 1953 debut. All five runs were unearned as the Tyees backed him with five errors. But there was some cheer in defeat. Drilling, cool and poised and with no sign of the wildness which plagued him years ago, looked extremely good, and it appears as if the Tyees have come up with a “stopper” to augment their inexperienced mound corps.
Drilling might have won despite the errors but for the fact he was matched against a fellow who was just as good. Big Jess Dobernic, former Chicago Cub and Los Angeles righthander, held the Tyees to seven hits and was in control in all but the sixth inning. That was when Gale Taylor, currently hitting at a great clip, singled in both Victoria runs—as if to show his resentment at being pitched to with first base open.
Taylor’s hit tied the score, errors by Herman Charles at third base having been responsible for single Tri-City runs in the second and sixth innings.
But the Tyees weren’t through yet with their infield as cold as the evening. Manager Cec Garriott switched back to his regular infield in the seventh, Jim Clark going in at shorstip and Lu Branham at second and Don Pries moving back to the hot corner.
The changes didn’t work, however, with Pries and Branham sharing the blame for the three-run ninth which beat Drilling.
LU SURPRISED
Branham was most at fault, being caught napping when Ray Tran bunted after Terry Carroll opened the ninth with a single. Pries fielded the bunt cleanly but with Chuck Abernathy moving for the play, found no one at first. He was first to hold up his throw until the last second as Branham moved slowly, and then fired the ball into right field. Carroll scored on the play and Tran went to third. Two more hits, another not and a stolen base gave the Braves some insurance runs.
SOME WERE HELD
In spite of the errors, the game produced some find defensive plays. Carroll pulled down Milt Martin’s smash with a leaping catch against the fence in the second, then was robbed himself by Garriott in the fourth. Abernathy and Drilling collaborated on a fine out at first in the third inning with Vic Buccola the victim and Clark saved the Tyees trouble in the eighth with a neat play to get a runner at third on a tough chance from Nick Pesut, who lost a base hit.
The same clubs conclude today with afternoon and evening games. Victoria pitching selections will probably rest between Don Hopp, Zeb Walker, Bill Prior and Bill Bottler.
Tri-City ... 010 001 003—5 8 1
Victoria ... 000 002 000—2 7 5
Dobernic and Pesut; Drilling and Martin.

SPOKANE — The Spokane Indians jumped on Lewiston Manager Bill Brenner for four hits and five runs in the first inning and stayed out ahead all the way Friday night in downing the leaders of the Western International League 14-12.
Will Hafey's home run was the big blow in the first.
Lewiston .... 000 400 404—12 11 2
Spokane ..... 510 130 40x—14 13 0
Brenner, Nicholas (1), Spurlock (6) and Cameron, Neal (6); Spring, Descalso (7). Cordell (9) and Sheets, Triandos (7).

WENATCHEE — Righthander Jack Widner shut out the Wenatchee Chiefs on five hits Friday as the Edmonton Eskimos racked up a 3-0 win in the opener of their Western International League series.
Manager Bobby Sturgeon scored twice and picked up two hits for the Eskimos.
Edmonton ……… 000 101 001—3 9 0
Wenatchee ……... 000 000 000—0 5 2
Widner and Pisani; Beamon and Helmuth.

YAKIMA — Rookie pitcher Glen Hittner pulled himself out of trouble often enough to win his first baseball game as the Calgary Stampeders defeated Yakima, 7-5, in a Western International League baseball game Friday night.
Calgary … 020 020 300—7 12 4
Yakima … 001 001 021—5 11 2
Hittner and Bricker; Schaening, Rial (7), Young (9) and Day, Mountaintes (9).

Salem at Vancouver, postponed, wet grounds.

Wenatchee Revises Roster
WENATCHEE, May 8—Wenatchee Chiefs of the Western International League announced a lineup shuffle today which involved seven players.
They sent catcher Art Cuitti back to Oakland, optioned right-hander Neil Rasmussen to Bakersfield, released outfielder Dee Noah and catcher Bob Aubert, received first baseman Tommy Munoz and catcher Harry Bartolomei from Oakland, and signed southpaw Pete Younie, released by Lewiston.

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