W L Pct. GB
Salem ....... 6 3 .667 —
Spokane ..... 5 3 .525 ½
Victoria .... 5 3 .525 ½
Yakima ...... 5 4 .556 1
Vancouver ... 5 4 .556 1
Lewiston .... 4 4 .500 1½
Wenatchee ... 4 4 .500 1½
Edmonton .... 4 4 .500 1½
Calgary ..... 2 6 .250 3½
Tri-City .... 2 7 .222 4
VICTORIA [Jim Tang, Colonist, May 6]—Victoria Tyees, certainly providing their faithful fans with some interesting baseball this season, pulled their fourth success game out of the fire last night at Royal Athletic Park—but it took them 11 innings this time before they subdued a good-looking Salem club, 8-7.
Victory moved the Islanders within a half game of the WIL leaders and the Tyees can move out in front tonight if they can make it two in a row. Bob Drilling will do the pitching for Victoria while the Senators will count on Ernie Dominechelli, a stocky back in the WIL after Coast League service.
FINALLY GET BREAK
Winners of five of eight games so far, the Tyees have yet to win one without some sort of spectacular finish. Four wins have been by one run and the fifth by two but last night’s was probably the roughest of them all. Everything, including an off night by plate-umpire Amby Moran, seemed to go against the Victorians until Salem-manager Harvey Storey made a bad throw to first base in the eighth. That break was immediately turned into three unearned runs which tied the score at 7-7. Before that, the Tyees had see two men called out at the plate on dubious decisions, a Salem runner called safe at the plate on a close play, and four Salem double plays wipe out as many scoring threats.
TEAM EFFORT
Credit for last night’s decision must be shared by quite a few. Catcher Milt Martin sent in pinch-hitter Armando Sanchez with a two-out single in the 11th; Hal Flinn came on as the Tyees’ third pitcher in the ninth to blank the Senators over the last three innings and get credit for his second win; Steve Mesner ended a slump after12 fruitless trips with a single which plated the tying run in the eighth; Dain Clay his two doubles and a single and scored three runs, and second baseman Ron Jackson not only came up with two sparkling defensive plays but picked up two hits in four trips as well. And manager Don Pries called his shot perfectly with the right moves at the right time.
Boasting what appears to be a well-balanced batting order the Solons had Bill Prior in trouble every inning but one before they got him out in the eighth with the bases loaded and one out. Moen came on to walk switch-hitting Connie Perez to force in a run but he got out of the jam neatly without another run on two force plays, the first at the plate.
Then, after Tom Perez and Mesner had hit run-scoring singles with two out to tie it in the eighth, Pries called on Flinn, who dueled with Larry Borst, fourth of the four Salem pitchers until the break in the 11th. Mesner started that inning by drawing a base on balls and Pries made what proved to be an important move by sending in the speedy Sanchez to run.
Eddie Lake, who is 10 for 12 this week, laid down the bunt which put Sanchez on second. Salem elected to walk Joe Joshua to put the double play set-up on. Clay flied out to right field but Martin, who hit a run-scoring triple in the fourth, sliced a 2-2 pitch on the ground to right fielder Gene Tanselli. Tanselli made a good play on the ball but Sanchez was in too fast, sliding, as the throw came in a bit wide.
The finish came after a spectacular double play which took Flinn out of possible trouble in the Salem 11th. Centerfielder Pete Estrada, who had hit three successive doubles earlier, opened with a single. Catcher Floyd Ogden bunted and Pries was on the ball in a flash, getting the runner at second neatly. Meanwhile, Jackson had rushed over to cover first base and Lake’s fine throw beat Ogden to the bag for an unusual double play.
Salem ......... 202 000 210 00—7 12 2
Victoria ....... 110 200 030 01—8 11 3
Johnson, Hemphill (5), Briggs (8), Borst (8) and Ogden; Prior, Moen (8), Flinn (9) and Martin.
SPOKANE, May 6—Spokane Indians edged Calgary 2-1 in their Western International League baseball series with a 10-8 Thursday night victory.
The scoring of both teams got a big boost from bases on balls. Twenty-two in all were handed out during the game, 11 for each side.
Spokane reliefer Bud Closs got his first win of the season, against one loss, by taking over the mound chore from John Trautwein in the sixth inning.
The teams played even-up ball during the first six innings. Calgary trailed after the first two, but made that up with a four-ran sixth inning, getting the scores on a single, three walks and three Spokane errors.
The Indians combined doubles by Diz Dean and Eddie Murphy with a Calgary error and an infield out to go ahead with two runs in the seventh. Two walks and a single by Dean gave them an insurance run in the eighth.
Calgary used four pinch hitters in a ninth-inning threat, but could get only one run across.
Calgary ......... 120 004 001— 8 6 1
Spokane ....... 130 102 21x—10 11 3
Schulte and Lundberg; Trautwein, Closs (6) Giovannoni (9) and Dean.
WENATCHEE, May 6—A seventh-inning homer by Herman Lewis gave Yakima the edge it needed Thursday night to defeat Wenatchee in a Western International League Baseball game, 4-3.
John Carmichael held the Chiefs to four hits while recording a season's high mark of 11 strikeouts.
The teams move to Yakima Friday to continue their feud, which ended even at 2-all in Wenatchee.
Yakima ........... 000 021 100—4 10 2
Wenatchee ..... 000 003 000—3 4 0
Carmichael and Summers; Oubre, DeCarolis (8) and Jenney.
LEWISTON, Idaho, May 6 — The Edmonton Eskimos beat Lewiston 5-1 Thursday night to take their Western International League Baseball series with the Broncs 3-1.
Although he gave up 11 hits, Edmonton pitcher Jack Widner kept them well scattered, and it was an unearned run in the third inning that kept the Broncs from being shut out.
The Broncs left 13 men stranded on the base paths, many of their hits coming after two outs.
Eskimos won the game in the first inning when they got a walk, two singles and a double off Lewiston starter Stanley McWilliams for three runs. It was the only walk McWilliams gave in six innings of pitching.
John McKeowen led off home run for Edmonton in the sixth inning. Bob Sturgeon singled home Andy Skurski, who also singled, with the final tally.
Edmonton ......... 300 002 000—5 11 1
Lewiston .......... 001 000 000—1 10 1
Widmer and Self; McWilliams, Derganc (7) and Cameron.
VANCOUVER [Clancy Loranger, Province, May 7]—The Western International League has a livelier baseball this year, on the evidence of Bill Brenner, and they couldn’t have picked a better year for it as far as Brenner’s Capilanos are concerned.
With mountainous Bob Wellman now in the lineup, the Caps have possibly the most formidable array of batters, as a group ever to wear a set of flannels [line unreadable] pitcher, or pitchers, not quite at top form, and they’ll wreck a few WIL batting records before the year is out.
With Wellman starting his first game at first base, leading the way with two home runs, the Caps came up with a prime example of the mayhem they can cause Thursday night against Tri-City. In overwhelming the Braves, 15-4, they helped set a home run record for the new ball park and they added six doubles for good measure.
FOUR HOMERS
The locals got four home runs, and Rube Johnson of Tri-City added another for a grand total of five—two more than were ever hit before in one game at the new stadium.
Besides Wellman, who batted in four runs with his two fence-clearing blows, K Chorlton and Arnie Hallgren hit home runs. It was Arnie’s first, and the local boy also added a double and two singles to boost his batting average to a highly-respectable .429.
Chorlton, who’s been hitting the ball well all season, also picked up four RBIs, and Ken Richardson added three off a pair of ex-Coast League pitchers, Walter Clough and Jess Dobernic.
SECOND WIN
Bob Roberts, who relieved a shaky Tom Del Sarto in the second, picked up his second victory the easy way.
Rod MacKay has been nominated by Brenner to try and make it two straight over the Braves tonight at 8:15. Brenner and George Nicholas will share mound duties to close out the series.
DIAMOND DUST – Wellman, who came to town with a hitch in his swing, spent an extra 20 minutes working on it when Brenner pointed it out to him … “He learns real fast,” said Brenner “I just told him about it and right away he fixed it.” … He fixed it real well, it would seem … His first home was the best-hit ball in Cap Stadium this year … Tri-City’s Jess Dobernic, filling in for a mysteriously absent manager Edo Vanni, collaborated with Umpire Mel Steiner to add to the woes of the already harassed official scorer … Officially, at one stage, they had 10 men in the game … Word from Calgary is that officials in the Alberta city are working feverishly to save their franchise, and they’ll likely still be with us after the league meeting in Spokane Saturday … Brenner, talking about the new “lively” ball, said that last year you could loosen the cover with your hands, but not this year … Province Stars: Wellman, who should pick up any runners Dick Greco and Ken Richardson leave stranded … And the trio of Richardson, Chorlton and Jim Clark, whose good stickwork has been maybe overlooked a little on this powerhouse club.
- - -
VANCOUVER [Tri-City Herald, May 7]—The Tri-Clty Braves and the Vancouver Capilanoes square off again tonight and the best hope for the Tri-City is that Senator [Lyndon] Johnson can come up with some hurry-up legislation to end brewery ownership of baseball teams.
The brewery-financed Capilano lineup was imposing enough before Tri-City came to Vancouver but the further power was provided prior to game time when the brewery-owned Seattle Rainiers sent Bob Wellman to their Western International league entry.
Wellman homered twice to pace the Vancouver 15-4 win over the Braves.
K. Chorlton and Arnie Hallgren also hit home runs for the Caps in the 17-hit attack on two Tri-City pitchers.
Tonight, playing manager Edo Vanni has to do some choosing for a pitcher to face the beer barons’ murderers’ row. Probable starter will be Bud Guldborg or Dale Bloom.
The Braves got their usual raft of hits in the game Thursday night but the difference in mileage told the tale. Of Tri-City’s 15 blows, but two were for extra-bases. One was n homer by Rube Johnson who hit three for three and the other a double by Ernie Hockaday.
Altogether Tri-City got 19 total bases on its 15 hits; Vancouver got 35 bases for its 17. Besides the four homers Cap batters hit six doubles.
Three of the four-base blows came off relief pitcher Jess Dobernic who took over when the Caps bombarded starter Walt Clough for seven runs in two innings.
Dobernic gave up eight hits, all of them coming in the first three innings he pitched. After Wellman’s second homer in the fifth inning, Dobernic settled down and preceded to put the Caps down on one-hit the rest of the game.
Dick Greco, the boy who wouldn’t play for Tri-City for anything less than a Coast League salary, got one double which drove in one run for his poorest average in many nights.
And although Cap manager once said he didn't want Greco in his lineup because “someone has to catch those fly balls,” the right fielder did pretty good by gobbling up eight for an extremely high number of outfield putouts.
Meanwhile, in the Tri-Cities Tri-City general manager Eddie Taylor said infielder Sam Kanelos has been signed as a free agent. Kanelos was released by Edmonton recently.
Tri-City ........... 020 000 101— 4 15 2
Vancouver ....... 242 520 00x—15 17 1
Clough, Dobernic (4), and Warren, Johnson (5); Del Sarto, Roberts (2) and Pesut, Duretto (8).
WIL KOs Boxing
EDMONTON, May 6 — Boxing promoter Jack Berry has announced that the 10-round match between Canadian heavyweight champion Earl Walls and Freddy Beshore of Los Angeles will he held here May 17.
The bout originally was slated three days earlier, but Berry asked the Edmonton Boxing Commission for the new date because the Western International Baseball League season opens here on May 14.
Eskimo Goes to Semi-Pro Mandak League
[Austin Daily Herald, Austin, Minn., May 7, 1954]
MANKATO—The brother of the New York Yankees' pitcher Tom Morgan, has signed a 1954 contract to play with the Mankato Merchants.
The newcomer is Dick Morgan, who has been a catcher for six years in organized ball and three with Mason City ot the Iowa State League, but will be an outfield candidate with the Merchants.
Now 26, Morgan entered pro ball following graduation from El Monte, Calif., high school in 1954 [sic] at the age of 16. That season he batted .184 in 41 games for Kansas City of the American Association.
This spring Morgan was set to move back to AAA competition with St. Paul but developed a bad arm in spring training and was sent to Edmonton, B. C. [sic] of the class A Western International. X-rays revealed a shoulder separation and was advised to stay away from catching for a year.
That's why he agreed to come to Mankato as an outfielder.
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