Tuesday, July 20, 1954

               W  L  Pct GB
Lewiston .... 12  6 .667 —
Victoria ..... 5  4 .556 2½
Edmonton ..... 5  4 .538 2½
Salem ........ 5  4 .538 2½
Tri-City ..... 8  7 .533 2½
Yakima ....... 7  7 .500 3
Vancouver .... 4  6 .400 4
Wenatchee .... 4 12 .250 7

SALEM, July 21—Joe Nicholas, amazingly tardy in reporting to the Victoria Tyees ths season and noticeably ineffective during his brief stay with the club, set down the Tyees in order Tuesday night as he pitched the Salem Senators to a 5-1 Western International League baseball triumph.
Nicholas looked to be in his expected form as Ron Jackson, Don Pries and Dain Clay connected for singles in the opening inning to give the Tyees their only run. However, the slow-balling righthander allowed only two hits the rest of the way—a single by Steve Mesner and a double by Mel Stein in the seventh.
Salem tied it in the second inning and went ahead to stay with three runs off starter, and loser, John Tierney in the fourth. Mike Kanshin came on for Tierney in the seventh and finished up.
Manager Pries and catcher Don Lundberg argued too strongly with the plate umpire in the seventh inning and both were ejected from the game.
Victoria ......... 100 000 000—1 5 2
Salem ........... 010 300 10x—5 9 1
Tierney, Kanshin (7) and Lundberg, Martin (7); Nicholas and D. Luby.

LEWISTON, June 20—A change of scenery didn't change the luck of the Wenatchee Chiefs, fast becoming the Western International Baseball League's doormat.
After losing three of four contests at home, the Chiefs invaded Lewiston Tuesday night and dropped the opener of a three-game series, 3-2.
The Chiefs have lost 12 of 16 starts since the league opened the second half pennant drive, most of them by one or two run margins and many in the closing innings. It happened again Tuesday night. Tony Rivas' homer tied the score at 2-2 in the top of the ninth.
Lewiston won in the bottom of the inning on a walk, a single by Larry Barton and a sacrifice fly.
Wenatchee ........ 000 100 001—2 8 1
Lewiston ........... 002 000 001—3 5 2
Shandor and Self; Yalian and Garay.

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, June 21]—Tri-City fans are becoming painfully aware that the inevitable is happening — the pitchers in the Western International league are catching up with the hitters.
Through most of the season, Tri-City has depended primarily upon the Braves' ability to hit the ball to stay in the league runing. Now, batting averages are beginning to tumble.
The change was slightly evident in the Salem series here but became more so when Yakima's Danny Rlos pitched three-hit ball in the second game of the doubleheader there, to down Tri-Cily 2-1.
The Yakima Bears had equally as much trouble with Tri-Clty's Jack Hemphill, who, although giving up 11 hits, permitted but one walk, and none of the base blows were for extra bases.
In the first game, Herman Besse, recently signed as a free agent, got off to a good start with the Braves by winning the first game, 6-3. Besse was strong for four Innings but grew shaky in the final frames.
An error in the seventh nearly cost him the game but then he bore down and got the side out.
In the first game, both teams got seven hits each, and each team got two doubles. Jack Warren and Vic Buccola hit the two-base blows for the Braves.
Gordy Brunswick, recently acquired from San Francisco, made his debut with Tri-City. He hit one for four in the first game one went nothing for two in the second.
While the Braves were on the road, general mnnager Eddie Taylor announced officially that Dale Bloom, rlghthand pitcher, has been optioned to Boise of the Ploneer league.
Bloom's lack of confidence in himself as an aftermath of his "sore arm" trouble was given as the reason.
First Game
Yakima ....... 004 020 0—6 7 1
Tri-City ...... 000 010 2—3 7 2
Besse and Warren; Young, Carter (7), Lovrich (7) and Summers.
Second Game
Yakima ....... 000 100 000—1  3 1
Tri-City ...... 110 000 00x—2 11 2
Hemphill and Warren; Rios and Albini.

Vancouver and Edmonton, postponed, rain.