Monday, September 6, 1954

FINAL SECOND HALF
                W  L  PCT GB
Lewiston ..... 44 26 .629 —
Yakima ....... 41 25 .621 1
Salem ........ 38 26 .594 3
Vancouver .... 32 25 .561 5½
Edmonton ..... 29 35 .453 12
Wenatchee .... 22 40 .355 18
Tri-City ..... 22 43 .338 19½

EDMONTON, Sept. 6 — Lewiston Broncs clinched the pennant for the second half of the Western International League schedule by taking both ends of a Labor Day double-header from Edmonton Eskimos.
Broncs won the first game 2-1 and the second 4-1 to take the five-game final series 4-1.
Lewiston now meets Vancouver, first half winners, for the league championship.
Harvey Storey's sixth inning homer provided the winning margin for the Broncs in the first game.
Guy Fletcher was credited with the win although he needed help from two other pitchers in the ninth.
Lewiston opened the second game with four runs in the initial inning. Clint Cameron banged out a home run with two on and Don Hunter hit another homer with one on.
Edmonton's only run was scored by Whitey Thomson who connected with a home run in the second.
A crowd of 1,722 saw the twin bill.
First Game
Lewiston ........ 400 000 0—4 8 1
Edmonton ...... 010 000 0—1 8 0
Martin and Cameron; Widner, Manier (1) and Partee.
Second Game
Lewiston ........ 000 101 000—2 7 0
Edmonton ...... 000 001 000—1 9 0
Fletcher, Yaylian, (9), Orrell (9) and Cameron; Kimball, Worth (7) and Prentice.

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Sept. 7]—The Tri-City Braves closed out the dismal 1954 baseball season Monday splitting a doubleheader with the Salem Senators, 5-4 and 13-3.
The games themselves were of little importance to either team because the Lewiston Broncs clinched the second-half title with two wins over Edmonton, 2-1 and Yakima also won a doubleheader over Wenatchee, 2-1, and 4-2, to close out its season — one game off the pace.
In the Tri-City Salem action, the Senators stayed with it during the first game because they had an outside chance to sneak into the top spot. However, such a possibility, would have taken two losses by Lewiston and one by Yakima while Salem was winning two.
After winning the opener, and learning that Lewiston had the title clinched, Salem manager Hugh Luby left his charges on their own and took off for his home park to get pay checks available for the players when they arrived.
In the second game, the two teams played six innings of baseball. Salem went way out in front in the top of the sixth by scoring five runs off Don Robertson. But Tri-City came back in the bottom half to wax Gene Johnson for six runs.
From then on the Senators just played out the season. Connie Perez, the pouplar Salem outfielder, came on to pitch. Tri-City scored four more runs off Perez and Gene Tanselli, ordinarily an infielder, with considerable co-operation on the part of the Salem defense.
On one play. Vic Buccola hit what ordinarily would have been a double to right field. While the pitchers who were playing outfield played catch with the ball, Buccola came on and scored.
The win went to Robertson, his 17th of the season.
In the first game. Perez' bases loaded double in the third inning was the telling blow. Perez later scored on Dennis Luby's single, which along wilh one run scored earlier that inning gave Salem the necessary five to win.
All of the runs came after Walt Clough got two away.
Tri-City came back for two in the fourth when Bob Moniz homered with one on and picked up single runs in the fiflh and sixth innings.
First Game
Salem ......... 005 000 0—5 6 2
Tri-City ....... 000 210 1—4 7 1
Roenspie, Rayle (6) and Ogden; Clough, Flinn (7) and Johnson.
Second Game
Salem ......... 110 015 000— 8 13 3
Tri-City ....... 000 306 22x—13 15 4
Johnson, Perez (7), Tanselli (8) and Ogden, Roenspie (7); Robertson, Flinn (7) and Warren.

YAKIMA, stories unavailable.
First Game
Yakima .......... 000 200 0—2 3 0
Wenatchee .... 100 000 0—1 4 1
Edmunds and Summers; Romero and Helmuth.
Second Game
Yakima .......... 004 000 000—4 11 4
Wenatchee .... 000 000 011—2 11 2
Carmichael and Summer; Shandor and Helmuth.

WIL STATISTICS
(final, unofficial)
BATTING LEADERS
Percentage, Marv Williams, Van., .360; Runs, Al Heist, Lew., 136; Hits, K Chorlton, Van., 183; Total Bases, Williams, Van., 274; Two Base Hits, Bob Moniz, T.C., 40; Three Base Hits, Herman Lewis, Yak., 16; Home Runs, Bob Wellman, Van., Don Hunter, Lewiston, 21; Sacrifice Hits, Dain Clay, Wen., 27; Stolen Bases, Chorlton, Van., 29; Bases on Balls, Heist, Lew., 115; Runs Batted In, Wellman, Van., 108; Strikeouts, Tom Munoz, Wen., 114.
PITCHING LEADERS
ERA., Jon Briggs, Salem, 2.51; Wins, Bill Brenner, Van., 21; Losses, Billy Joe Waters, Wen., Walt Clough, T.C., 16; Strikeouts, Briggs, Sal., 263, Bases on Balls, Briggs, Wen., 161; Innings Pitched, Brenner, Van., 289; Complete Games, Brenner, Van., 26;

Taylor Terminates Job With Braves
[Tri-City Herald, Sept. 7, 1954]
Eddie Taylor, general manager, and the Tri-City Braves will come to an official parting of the ways Sept. 15, with neither showing any inclination to renew the relationship next season.
Taylor said today he has asked Harold Matheson, president of the Tri-City Athletic association, "to terminate my employment Sept. 15."
"Harold agreed," Taylor said, "and we did not talk about next year. I have always let it be known this would be my only season here and the way I feel now nothing has changed that."
Taylor said, he did not know what course he would take prior to next season.
"I'm just like a baseball player," he said. "When the season is over and you are in the cellar and not making any money, you feel the heck with it. But after you are home a week, you are waiting for spring training.
"You never know, I may not even go into baseball next year hut look around for something else. The way I feel right now, I'm disgusted with it."
The post with Tri-City represented Taylor's first job as general manager of any club. Operating independently, he was able to put together what appeared to be a fair team early in the season but as other league teams began loading rosters, it was apparent early that Taylor's efforts and the money available were not enough.
Among Tri-City fans, perhaps his most popular move was the retention of 19-year-old shortstop Dick Watson; the least popular was his sale of outfielder Des Charouhas to the Yakima Bears.
Taylor did not have a formal contract with the association this season so there is no problem of termination.
Taylor is the third general manager for Tri-City in three years. The first was Dick Richards, part-owner of the club under its original set-up, and the second was Len Monheimer, who is now with Great Falls in the Pioneer league.
Matheson, in confirming Taylor's break here, said he was locking everything up at Sanders Field Sept. 15. The association will not retain a groundkeeper over the winter as was done last year.

Salem Stockholders To Meet
[The Sporting News, Sept. 15, 1954]
Directors of the Salem Senators have called a meeting of the stockholders on October 11 to determine if the club will remain in the league next season. A drop in attendance from 81,305 last year to 58,752 will result in a deficit of about $7,200, the directors reported.