Friday, May 21, 1954

                W  L  Pct  GB
Vancouver .... 15  9 .625  —
Victoria ..... 13 10 .565  1½
Edmonton ..... 10  8 .556  2
Spokane ...... 12 10 .545  2
Lewiston ..... 12 11 .522  2½
Yakima ....... 12 11 .522  2½
Salem ........ 11 13 .456  4
Wenatchee .... 10 12 .455  4
Calgary ....... 7 11 .389  5
Tri-City ...... 8 15 .343  6½

VICTORIA [Province, May 22]—Victoria Tyees evened their four-game Western International Baseball League series with Vancouver Capilanos 1-1 here Friday night as they backed Bob Drilling’s fine five-hit pitching with spectacular defensive play to score a 3-2 win.
The result left the two clubs at 2-2 for the season. Both Vancouver losses, the first by a 2-1 score, have been suffered by manager Bill Brenner.
Capilanos entertain Edmonton Eskimos in a holiday double-header at Capilano Stadium Monday, first game 2:30, second at 8:15. Newcomer from Seattle Tom Lovrich is expected to pitch one of Monday’s games.
Tyees made three errors but exceptional fielding, featuring a sensational running catcher off his shoe tops by centre fielder Tom Perez, which robbed Jim Clark of extra bases and was turned into a double play, was predominant.
KEN RAPS ONE
Drilling had a no-hitter going until the fifth as Tyees scored a run in each of the third and fourth innings. Caps had only one hit until the seventh, when Ken Richardson sliced a ball over the right centrefield wall to score Marv Williams ahead of him to tie up the game.
After striking out the side in the seventh, Brenner ran into trouble in the eighth to lose a tough-luck decision. Richardson made a great play behind the bag at third to rob Art Seguso of a hit but his hurried throw pulled Bob Wellman off the bag at first.
LOST IT
After Don Pries had flied out, Milt Martin lifted a fly ball to right field and Danny Holden lost it in the lights. It went for three bases and scored pinch-runner Ron Jackson with the winning run.
Holden replaced Dick Greco, who was tossed out in the fourth inning when he was called out on strikes for the second straight time.
- - -
VICTORIA [Colonist, May 22]—Backing Bob Drilling’s best pitching effort of the season with spectacular defensive play, Victoria Tyees continued to give Victoria baseball fans the best in exciting baseball last night, as they edged Vancouver Capilanos, 3-2, at Royal Athletic Park.
The victory squared the present four-game series at 1-1 and left the clubs all even for the season after four games. It also moved the Tyees into sole possession of second place in the WIL, a game and a half behind the Caps, and in a position to take the league lead if they can take today’s two games.
Last night’s thrilling one-run triumph left the scrappy Tyees with rather an amazing record for the season. Out of the 13 games they have won, eight were by one run and three by two runs. And most of the close ones have been in Victoria. The Tyees have now played nine games at home. They won six by one run, one by two runs and two they lost were by one run and three runs.
Drilling, improving steadily, won his fourth straight game after losing the league opener for the Caps on April 29. He held the hard-hitting league leaders hitless until one was out in the fourth inning and had a one-hitter going into the seventh. He was hit hard on occasion but received some tremendous support from his teammates although Victoria was charged with three errors.
Most spectacular fielding play of the night was contributed by centerfielder Tom Perez in the eighth inning. With the score tied at 2-2 and the tie-breaking run on second, Perez picked off Jim Clark’s bid for extra bases by grabbing a sliced liner after a long run. Pinch-runner Bob Duretto, who understandably thought Perez would never catch up with the drive, was doubled off second base and a threat ended.
Perez also made a good catch on Marv Williams’ bid for a hit in the fourth inning while Eddie Lake made an unusually-fine play in the second when he went deep in the hole between his shortstop position and third base to flag a bid by Bob Wellman backhanded and, somehow, get his throw to second base in time for a force-out.
Dain Clay and Steve Mesner also came up with fine plays while first-baseman Art Seguso leaped high to snag a sizzling liner right over the bag in the fifth to start an unassisted double play.
Ken Richardson sliced a home run over the fence in right-centre in the seventh after K. Chorlton had singled and been forced by Danny Holden tie it up.
The winning run came on a lucky break in the eighth. Richardson made a sparkling stab of Seguso’s hit over the third base bag but his hurried throw pulled Bob Wellman off the bag at first and Seguso was safe. Ron Jackson went in as a pinch runner and stayed on first as Pries flied out. Then Martin hit a high fly to right field and Holden lost it in the lights. It rolled to the fence for a triple and Jackson raced in with the winning run.
Holden was replacing Dick Greco, who left the game in the fourth inning by orders of plate umpire Runyan after a too-expressive protest of a second straight called third strike.
Hal Flinn and Mike Kanshin will do the Tyee pitching today while Tom Lovrich and Bill Franks have been named by Brenner. Game times are 2 and 8 p.m.
Vancouver .... 010 010 000—2 5 3
Victoria ........ 001 100 01x—3 8 3
Brenner and Pesut, Duretto (8); Drilling and Martin.

LEWISTON, May 21—Carl Bellotti's two-run double in the ninth brought in Bob Kellogg and Jack Bukowatz with the tying and winning runs as Salem Senators got past the Lewiston Broncs 4-3 in the Western International League on Friday night.
Lewiston started fast, with two runs in the first but faded as the Senators rallied for one run in the second, another in the fifth and two in the ninth.
Salem ........ 010 010 002—4 10 0
Lewiston .... 200 010 000—3  5 2
Roenspie, Royal (9) and Opden; Martin and Garay.

Wenatchee at Calgary, rained out.
Yakima at Edmonton, rained out.
Tri-City at Spokane, rained out.