The 1926 Saskatchewan senior amateur finals, a best-of-five affair, opened with a doubleheader in Regina in which the powerful northerners swept both matches. Two days later, in Saskatoon, after losing the first game of the day in a ten-inning thriller, the Elks copped the provincial tiara for the first time with an impressive final game showing.
PROVINCIAL FINAL GAME REPORTS
(September 4) The Saskatoon Elks took both ends of a playoff doubleheader at Park de Young, trouncing the Regina Darke's 10 to 2 in the matinee contest and, then, nosing them out 5 to 4 in the evening match.
The introductory tussle was a tight affair for five frames but, in the later innings, the northerners proved to be superior in all aspects of the game. Saskatoon's Merrill Falby turned in a three-hit mound performance and, with the exception of yielding a two-run double to Regina's Baker in the third, had the Hardware nine well under his control. Loser Floyd White was hit freely by the Saskatonians and had major control problems, walking eight and hitting one batter. The Elks pounded 13 base raps off his slants and those of one-inning reliever Johnny Gottselig. Frank Hamilton and "Bunny" Clouston were the leading sluggers for the victors, each slamming a double plus a pair of singles.
Falby (W) and Hamilton
F. White (L), Gottselig (6), F. White (7) and C. White
Amadee Bennett held Saskatoon's Fred "Lefty" Cuff almost even in a fierce mound duel for the first seven innings of the nightcap, the Elks scoring the only run up to that point on Frank Hamilton's two-bagger in the second frame. In the last of the eighth, it appeared as though the Darke's were ready to even the series when they took advantage of an error to push across four runs to take a 4 to 1 lead. But Bennett fell apart in the ninth and was unable to hold the slugging Elks in check, surrendering four tallies. Cuff drove in the tying counter with a one-out single and scored the go-ahead tally on "Pee Wee" Smith's two-out triple. Merrill Falby then took the mound for the last of the ninth and, after issuing a leadoff bases-on-balls, retired the Darke's in short order. Elks' third sacker Joe McCulloch and Cuff both stroked three singles for the winners while Hamilton finished with a single to go along with his early double. Joe Haberman was the top dog with the willow for the Hardware crew, registering a two-bagger and a single.
Cuff (W), Falby (9) and Hamilton
A. Bennett (L) and C. White
(September 6) The Saskatoon Elks won the Saskatchewan senior amateur baseball championship when they defeated Darke's Hardware of Regina 18 to 7 at Elks Park in the second game of a twin-bill. Earlier, the Hardware Men had registered a 4 to 3, ten-inning triumph in the first game of the day. With the follow-up game victory, the Purple Hose took the best-of-five series three games to one and annexed the Leader Cup in the process.
Regina's Cliff Hogg and Frank Lyle of the Saskatonians both pitched strongly for their respective clubs in the morning encounter. From the sixth inning on, the score was deadlocked at 3 - 3 as neither team was able to push across a run to take command of the game. The Darke's finally tallied a single counter in the top of the tenth and held on for their initial win of the series. The Elks managed 7 base hits to 6 for the Reginans. Lyle whiffed 11 batters while Hogg's total was 7. Both chuckers gave up 3 bases on balls. Lyle had the games only extra-base hit, a triple. Frank Hamilton singled three times for the losers.
C. Hogg (W) and C. Bennett
Lyle (L) and Hamilton
Following their first-game victory, the Darke's roared out of the gate in the second match and scored six times in the top of the first frame, driving Saskatoon starter Merrill Falby from the hill. The lead didn't last long, however, as the Elks matched that output in their half of the frame sending Regina starter Dave Hogg to the showers. Johnny Gottselig also found that the Elks were solving his sidearm slants and gave way to Cliff Hogg who had pitched ten innings in the opener but Hogg had lost his magic and the Purple Hose scored ten runs on as many hits from his offerings to easily run away with the game and the Saskatchewan title. After Falby's early exit, winning twirler Fred Cuff held the visitors to four scattered hits and one lone run for the balance of the game. Webb Bird was the leading hitter for the Elks, ripping out four base blows including a triple. Third baseman Thompson and Joe Haberman were the only Regina players to collect more than one hit.
D. Hogg, Gottselig (1) (L), C. Hogg (3), Gottselig (8) and C. Bennett
Falby, Cuff (1) (W) and Hamilton