W L Pct GB
Vancouver ... 22 12 .647 —
Edmonton .... 16 12 .571 3
Yakima ...... 19 16 .543 3½
Wenatchee ... 19 16 .543 3½
Victoria .... 17 15 .531 4
Spokane ..... 18 18 .500 5
Tri-City .... 17 20 .459 6½
Lewiston .... 16 20 .444 7
Salem ....... 15 22 .405 8½
Calgary ..... 10 18 .357 9
EDMONTON, June 1— Third baseman Don Gigli's two-run homer in fifth, coupled with four double plays, helped John Conant hurl Edmonton Eskimos to a 7-2 victory over Vancouver Capilanos Tuesday night before 1,223 spectators.
The victory moved Eskimos to within three games of Capilanos, now occupying top rung of the Western International Baseball League. The clubs meet again here tonight in a doubleheader and wind up their four-game series Thursday with a single encounter.
For Bob Roberts, who took the loss for Vancouver, it was his second defeat in seven starts this season—both from Eskimo bats. Roberts and Rod MacKay gave up 10 hits to Conant's 11, but the latter kept them scattered while the infield, snappy despite exceptionally cool weather, contributed four double plays to Vancouver's two.
Gigli hit three-for-three. Outfielder Bobby Brown clouted a 390-foot homer in the eighth after rapping out a single earlier.
Vancouver .... 000 011 000—2 11 2
Edmonton ..... 010 122 01x—7 10 0
Roberts, MacKay (7) and Duretto; Conant and Prentice.
YAKIMA, June 1—Wenatchee scattered eight runs through four innings on 16 hits and an error Tuesday night to defeat Yakima, 8-5, in a Western International League baseball game.
The Chiefs had a 5-3 lead going when they poured across three runs to sew it up.
Wenatchee .... 000 212 300—8 16 3
Yakima .......... 100 002 200—5 7 2
Beamon, Thompson (9) and Jenney; Rios and Summers.
SALEM, June 1 — Spokane posted its third successive Western International League baseball victory over Salem Tuesday night. The score was 6-4.
Virgil Giovannoni tossed a six-hitter as Spokane scored four runs in the eighth inning to wipe out a Salem lead.
Spokane ... 000 011 040—6 12 2
Salem ...... 000 030 010—4 6 4
Giovanonni and Dean; Del Sarto, Borst (8), Johnson (9) and Ogden.
KENNEWICK [Herald, June 2]—Don Robertson, Tri-City righthander with a 5-2 record, will get the starting mound assignment tonight in the fourth and final game with the Lewiston Broncs at Sanders Field.
Tri-City will need a win tonight to pull even in the series with Lewiston. The Braves dropped the third game to the Broncs, 7-3, Tuesday night to give Lewiston a 2-1 edge inthe current series.
Should Tri-City lose tonight will be their first series loss since the visit of Vancouver two weeks ago. A loss tonight will also drop the Braves to eighth place, one half game behind the Broncs in the Western International League standings.
The score Tuesday night indicated that the game was close and interesting but it was by far the dullest play seen at Sanders Field this season.
It featured poor fielding by the Braves, poor umpiring and a sloppy baseball kept that way by Lewiston pitcher Al Yaylian's spitting.
Yaylian's tactics with the horsehide once sent Tri-City playing manager Edo Vanni to the locker room where he picked up a rule book and pointed out to the umps that organized baseball tended to frown on such tactics. However, nothing came of the discussion.
Yaylian, making his first appearance at Sanders since joining the Broncs from the Coast league, was a crafty old master at lobbing the ball across the plate. Although throwing mostly junk, he could come through with a fast ball often enough to keep the Braves off balance. He struck out seven and didn't walk anyone, although he hit two batters.
Yaylian was also the slowest mortal ever to climb the Sanders mound. He rubbed the ball, scratched, spat, walked around the hill, rubbed the ball, stretched, rubbed the ball and called time out.
Had there been any more than just the small crowd of 510 fans present, concessions would have enjoyed a boom in between Yaylian's pitches.
But despite the delays nothing can be taken away from his pitching. The Braves, the WIL's largest collection of base thieves, couldn't steal a one because the pitcher held them so close to the bag.
Tri-City scored once in the second inning when Sam Kanelos singled and Dick Watson doubled. It was Watson's first extra-base hit this season.
Lewiston went ahead in the second getting two runs on back-to-back triples by Clint Cameron and Al Heist followed by Russ Rossberg's sacrifice fly.
Tri-City tied it up in the bottom half when Yaylian hit Vic Buccola and Len Tran and Bob Moniz singled. In the fifth Tri-City went a run in front on a single by Sam Kanelos, a fielder's choice and another hit by Watson.
Lewiston went out in front in the sixth on singles by Gabby Williams and Ed Garay, followed by Yaylian's double.
The scoring should have ended there with Yaylian winning his own game. But in the seventh Garay and Yaylian singled before Tri-City starter Dale Thomason got one away. An error put Nick Cannuli on to load the bases and Thomason was taken out so lefty Earl Lemieux could pitch to left handed Clint Cameron.
Lemieux got Cameron to ground out but one run came in on the play. Jess Doberni took Lemieux's place but an error brought in two more runs.
Dobernic then returned the side and put the Broncs down one, two, three in the next inning.
Yaylian, meanwhile, grew stronger in the final frames. He gave up but one more hit to Buccola in the sveenth and then put the Braves down in order for the rest of the game.
Lewiston .... 002 011 030—7 13 0
Tri-City ...... 011 001 000—3 9 2
Yaylian and Garay; Thomason, Lemieux (8) and Warren.
Victoria at Calgary, postponed, wet grounds.
Spokane Owner to Keep Club Going
SPOKANE, Wash., June 1 — Roy Hotchkiss, who announced last week he was "through" as owner of the Western International League Spokane Indians, said on Tuesday night he will "keep the club going until somebody comes up with a plan to continue the Indians here."
At the same time he said he has taken steps to get full title to the Ferris Field bail park which is partly owned by the city. He did not say how this fits in with his plan to get out of the baseball business himself, but repeated he is as intent as ever on selling the club.
"I haven't surrenderd the franchise and I don't plan to surrender it until tje transfer can be made," he said. "But I do want to get out as quickiy as I can."
Poor attendance at the games and his own poor health were the reasons Hotchkiss gave last week for wanting to sell the club. He suffered a serious heart attack earlier this year.
Hotchkiss expressed the opinion that community ownership of the team probably would work out the best. "When you have, say, 30,000 people owning part of a ball club, you can be sure plenty of them will come out to the ball park to look after their businesses," he reasoned.
"Clubs owned by individuals or groups of individuals are folding up all over the country," he added.
Broncs Will File Forfeit Claim if Caps Don't Appear
LEWISTON, Idaho, June 1 — The Lewiston Broncs will claim a forfeit victory next Monday if the Vancouver Capilanos fail to appear for their scheduled Western International League baseball game here, Bronc officials said Tuesday.
Bill Brenner, manager of the Capilanos, has told League President Bob Abel it will be impossible for his team to meet the Monday schedule at Lewiston after playing a scheduled double header at Calgary on Sunday. He has suggested the opener of the three-game series be put off until Tuesday, and that a doubleheader be played then.
"If Vancouver doesn't appear Monday, Lewiston will claim a forfeit victory and also a financial redress," Business Manager Tom Tabor said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, more than $8,000 has been raised on the sale of books of tickets to Lewiston Broncs games, Tabor reported Tuesday.
The drive was begun two weeks ago to raise $13,000 to meet expenses.
Lend a Hand
SALEM, June 1 — Salem's baseball fans have been invited to meet behind home plate Wednesday to advise the Salem club's board of directors how they think the very poor attendance can be improved.
Bruce Williams, president of the Western International League Club, said the team's finances are precarious, and that something has to be done within the next two weeks.
Only 535 fans showed up for Sunday's day-night doubleheader with Spokane.
The meeting Wednesday will be just before the game with Spokane.
Greco Reportedly Put Up For Sale
[Tri-City Herald, June 2, 1954]
The word passing around Western International League clubs today is that Bill Brenner, Vancouver Capilano general manager is anticipating running an ad reading:
For Sale — One outfielder. Guaranteed to lead Class A league in home runs and runs batted in. Originally purchased for $4,500 from Honest Eddie Taylor of Tri-City. Model scarcely used this season. Name of Dick Greco.
Both Taylor, Tri-City general manager, and Larry Barton, Lewiston playing-manager, said Tuesday they have heard the story that Greco was up for sale but thay he had not been offered to their clubs.
In Tri-City's case it was natural that he would not be offered here because of his refusal to sign when the Braves owned him this season.
Reports have it that Greco has definitely been offeicd to Salem and Victoria.
No reasons have been given but it is believed that Brenner is finding Greco hard to handle, a trouble he anticipated when he was dealing with him last spring. Greco's salary may also be presenting a problem for Vancouver which has most of the power hitters in the league.
Although Greco has never played for Tri-City he has proved quite an asset to the Sanders field gate. After being in a major ruckus, 2,100 fans here turned out the next night to boo him.
