Monday 17 March 2008

Sunday, June 7, 1953

W L PCT GB
Lewiston .... 25 12 .676 —
Salem ....... 22 15 .595 3
Vancouver ... 22 16 .579 3½
Edmonton .... 23 20 .535 5
Victoria .... 19 21 .475 7½
Spokane ..... 18 20 .474 7½
Yakima ...... 19 25 .432 9½
Calgary ..... 18 24 .429 9½
Wenatchee ... 17 23 .425 9½
Tri-City .... 17 24 .415 10


SALEM — Big Van Fletcher tossed a four-hitter in a seven-inning nightcap at Salem as the Vancouver Capilanos blanked the Senators 4-0 in WIL baseball action Sunday.
Salem won the opener, 3-2.
A double by K Chorlton was the big blow for Vancouver in the finale. It came in the sixth inning with Frank Mascaro and Harvey Storey on base, and both of them scored on Chorlton's long hit to left.
Fletcher moved to 7-1 with the win.
In the opener, Lonnie Myers was the victim, his first loss after four straight victories. When Salem scored in the second inning, it was the first run he surrendered in 18 2/3 innings.
Storey went 3-for-4 in the first game, with a double, Vancouver's only extra-base hit.
First Game
Vancouver ....... 000 100 010—2 10 0
Salem ............... 010 001 10x—3 8 0
Myers and Leavitt; Hemphill and Nelson.
Second Game
Vancouver ............. 000 004 0—4 5 0
Salem ..................... 000 000 0—0 4 0
Fletcher and Lundberg; Nicholas, Borst (6) and Masterson.

WENATCHEE — The Victoria Tyees banged out 14 hits in the first game to give Bill Bottler an easy 8-2 victory over the Lewiston Broncs on Sunday, then sneaked through in the series finale, 6-5, although limited to three hits by three Wenatchee pitchers.
Bases on balls, so often the cause of Tyee defeats, were the difference. The Tyees got 14, manager Cec Garriott drawing five in a row, as the Chiefs put all the Victoria runs on the bags. Bill Prior tightened up after four shaky innings to blank the Chiefs in the last five rounds for the win.
First Game
Victoria ............ 110 230 0—8 14 0
Wenatchee ...... 002 000 0—2 4 1
Bottler and Martin; Oubre and Bartolomei.
Second Game
Victoria .......... 004 110 000—6 3 2
Wenatchee .... 202 100 000—5 10 0
Prior and Martin; Bauhofer, Klein (3), Botelho (5) and Bartolomei.

First Game
Tri-City ............... 000 000 240—6 14 1
Lewiston ............. 000 040 100—5 13 2
Hedgecock, Tanner (5), Dobernic (8) and Pesut; Brenner, Marshall (8) and Cameron.
Second Game .. postponed, rain.
(story unavailable)

Yakima in Spokane, two, postponed, rain.
Calgary and Edmonton, not scheduled.

IN THIS CORNER
with DICK ZEHMS
[Independent Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Cal., June 7, 1953]
From way up north in the old stamping grounds of John (Beans) Reardon comes the lament of a baseball manager, Long Beach's Robert H. Sturgeon. He is having his second fling in the managerial dodge, calling the shots for the Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Eskimos of the Western International League.
This is Edmonton's first club in organized ball since 1932. "Sturge" had to start from scratch with his business manager, John Ducey, in building from the bottom up. It hasn't been easy. The ten-team WIL, Class "A," is rough. If you don't believe it, read what Bob writes:
"We have had exactly three out of the first 31 games that were what you would call easy games. The rest have been 2-1, 5-4 and so on — where we have to sweat out every out.
"At this writing we are 14 and 17 but can't quite make the top half. Something completely unexpected is always coming up to keep us out of the first division, although I will say that we got off to a bad, very bad start.
"Whitey Thomson (the Long Beach youngster who very nearly gave up the game this season) has been one of my really bright spots. He won the home opener with a homer, a 16-inning game with another four-master, and knocked in all three runs night before last when we won in 15 heats. He may never hit for an average, but he could hit .190 and play for me.
"That must be about my average to date. Of the last 20 or 30 times at bat, I have hit one for every two right on the nose, yet a glove always seems to fly up and I'm dead. It's downright embarrassing to say the least when you are in a close one every night and can't help the cause.
"George Caster is serving in a non-playing coach capacity now that cut-down time is here. He is invaluable with his good morale-building tendencies; pitching, batting practice, coaching the bases, hitting to the infield and running the pitchers.
Fred Downing, the former Poly boy, was optioned to Boise, but they returned him, so we are trying to find a spot in "D" ball for him.
"Every club we face seems to think we have as good a team as there is in the league. We have lost about half of our games by one run, which does not make for success in this or any other league.
"Here's an example of how tough the wins have been for my top three pitchers: Conant has won five, and lost four. His winning scores were 5-4, 5-4, 4-1 and 6-5. McNulty has won three, lost one, winning by 7-6, 11-1 and 3-2 scores. Widner has won three, lost three. His wins were 4-2, 3-0 and 12-6. Most of the losses for all three were even closer."
"Sturge," who played with the Chicago Cubs and Boston Braves in his major league career and with Los Angeles and Sacramento in the PCL before swinging into the managing game, piloted Ventura of the California State League last season.
So you want to be a manager, eh?

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