GRAND FORKS VICTORIA DAY TOURNAMENT
The Grand Forks Sun carried the following story on the 1920 tourney of May 24th featuring featuring Grand Forks BC & three teams from Washington state (Republic, Danville & Colville)
Grand Forks Wins From Republic, But Loses in the
Finals With the Colville Team
In the baseball, tournament on Monday May 24, Republic won from Danville 5 to 3, Curlew lost to Colville 10 to 0, Grand Forks won from Republic 8 to 7, but lost in the finals 9 to 2 to Colville.
The Grand Forks-Republic game was the most interesting of the day. Neither side scored in the. first. Republic tallied one in the second and another in the third. Nothing happened in the fourth, but the fifth was the lucky inning for Grand Forks when, during a wild batting rally, they ran in five runs. Republic did nothing in their half but, in the sixth, with Cagnon, the Grand Forks second sacker, laid out with a badly spiked ankle, they ran in three more, the locals having also scored two in their half. In the seventh, Cronant and Snyder scored for Republic making it a tie and things looked serious. However, with a speedy runner like McLeod on base, Kidwell also getting a place, Fielding came up with the mighty war club and did the business. It was enough. Only three men faced pitcher Duffield when Republic came to bat, two striking out and the other out on a fielder's fly. It was a good game and a fine finish.
The Grand Forks team, badly demoralized by Cagnon's accident, started in the next game without a rest and against the strongest team of the day. At that, they were not blanked, getting a run in the first inning, and also one in the third, with three men on bases. The second inning was bad for Grand Forks when Colville started a batting rally and scored four runs, having made one also in the first. Whitehead relieved Duffield in the box for Grand Forks, but poor support gave Colville four more runs before the end of the game, although it was the opinion of one of the umpires that Whitehead was the equal or superior of any other pitcher taking part in the tournament.
Grand Forks players : McLeod 2b, Kidwell s.s, Fielding r.f, Whitehead p, Atwood c , Jenne c.f., McIlwaine l.f, Siddell 3b., Duffield lb. Newbauer, Tepoortin and Brassard also took part while Cagnon 2b was out of the game because of an injury.
Colville players : Rogera s.s., Sill 2b., Hard c.f., Laird p, Butts c, Welch r.f., Trombley l.f.,Weroli lb, Smith 3b.
AYLESBURY TOURNAMENT
(June 24) Aylesbury captured top money in their own tournament, defeating “Lefty” Lesher and his Craik teammates 5 to 1 in the tourney final. Lesher fanned eleven in absorbing the loss. Craik, with Ray Hill toeing the rubber, qualified for the final by crushing Keeler 17 to 7 while Aylesbury knocked off Bethune
STALWART TOURNAMENT
(June 28) Imperial squeezed past Craik 3 to 2 in the opening game of the Stalwart tournament for both squads. Catcher Willard of Imperial and Craik third sacker Steve Ayres both clipped the orb for a double and single.
Lesher (L) and Steinert
Dahms (W) and Willard
CRAIK DOMINION DAY TOURNAMENT
(July 1) With perfect weather conditions in play, Craik hosted a five-team Dominion Day tournament and came away as winners, defeating Aylesbury by the decisive score of 9 to 3 in the tourney final. Fully 4,000 baseball fans witnessed the action. In first-round play, Aylesbury drew the bye as Imperial walloped Sand Hills by a large margin and Craik defeated Liberty 5 to 3 in a finely-pitched game in which Bill “Lefty” Lesher tossed a two-hitter for the win. Catcher Steinert had three of the five Craik hits off losing twirler Hans Larson.
H. Larson (L) and Sluman
Lesher (W) and Steinert
In the semi-final round, Craik had the bye as Aylesbury eliminated Liberty 7 to 5.
The finale was a walkaway for the hosts as they lit up losing flinger Oscar Amundrud for 17 base blows including three each by third baseman “Casey” Moroschan, initial sacker Johnstone and winning chucker H. Morrison. Middle pasture patroller F. Jennings had three of the six Aylesbury safeties.
Morrison (W) and Steinert
O. Amundrud (L) and E. Dreschler
LOREBURN TOURNAMENT
(July 5) The Craik baseball club won the six-team Loreburn tournament, edging Hawarden 5 to 4 in the tourney final after disposing of Tugaske 11 to 2 in the opening round and hosting Loreburn 3 to 0 in semi-final action. Ray Hill copped the complete-game mound triumph against Hawarden with Steinert as his batterymate. Bill “Lefty” Lesher punched out 13 Loreburn batters in the second-round tussle, firing a two-hitter.
“Casey” Moroschan was on the slab for Craik in the showdown match for first-prize money.
LIBERTY TOURNAMENT
(July 13) The Liberty troop of diamondeers annexed top money in their own tournament, clipping Craik 9 to 6 in a ragged finale in which both pitchers were freely hit. Earlier, Craik had qualified to meet the hosts by whitewashing Aylesbury 12 to 0 behind the three-hit, 13 strikeout performance of “Lefty” Lesher.
TUGASKE TOURNAMENT
(July 19) Craik’s baseball team captured first money in the tournament held in conjunction with the Tugaske Sports Day. They won three games, defeating Lawson 8 to 1, Liberty 7 to 1 and Loreburn 10 to 2. Oscar Amundrud, recruited from Aylebury for the tourney, toiled on the hill for the first and third games against Lawson and Loreburn while “Lefty” Lesher was on the bump for the contest against Liberty which proved to be the stiffest test of the day. It wasn’t until the eighth stanza that Craik broke open a 1 – 1 stalemate, scoring six times to clinch the game. Lesher yielded six hits and whiffed ten in earning the hillock verdict.
Lesher (W) and Steinert
Newhouse (L) and Clendenning
PENNANT TOURNAMENT
(July 23) Swift Current captured the 1920 Pennant tournament with a convincing 11 to 4 win over Cabri in the tournament final. Cabri held a 3 to 1 advantage after two innings of play and looked to be in good shape with eventual losing twirler “Lefty” Gainer in control. However, defensive lapses by his teammates plus the air-tight infield and stellar pitching provided by the Speedy Creekers proved to be the decisive factor. The starting Swift Current battery of catcher Johnny Newman and winning pitcher Tommy Fairbanks both had two hits for the winners as did the keystone combination of shortstop Wes Robinson and second sacker Abe Elliott.
Fairbanks (W), Peck (7) and Newman
Gainer (L) and Clarke
The best game of the tournament was played in semi-final action and saw pitcher Bill Brussick of Swift Current emerge with a no hit-no run victory as the Frontier Towners squeaked out a razor-thin 1 to 0 triumph over a very tough Sceptre nine. First baseman “Ivory” Daum picked up two of the winners’ three-hit total.
Brussick (W) and Newman
Basiren (L) and Mike McNeally
In first-round play, Cabri defeated Success and Sceptre knocked off Webb.
VISCOUNT TOURNAMENT
(July 26) After getting past Watrous in the opener of their three-team tournament, the hosting Viscount nine battled Craik for first-place money as two former WCBL portsiders, Fred Libke of Viscount and Craik’s “Lefty” Lesher, duked it out on the hill for their respective clubs. Both southpaws were on their game and hurled stellar ball throughout but a sixth-inning defensive meltdown by Craik led to an eventual 13 to 5 defeat, setting up a match against Watrous for the runner-up prize money.
Lesher (L) and Steinert
Libke (W) and Wolfe
The darkness-shortened battle for second-place was annexed by Craik 3 to 0 after just four innings of play. Oscar Amundrud, on loan from Aylesbury, won the mound decision in the abbreviated affair, blanking Watrous and losing tosser Brillon.
Brillon (L) and xxx
O. Amundrud (W) and Steinert
SOUTHEY TOURNAMENT
(August 2) Southey tournament - The Craik baseball club walked away with first money of $300 at the Southey baseball tournament. Their first game against Raymore was won 4 to 2 with pickup Oscar Amundrud, recruited from Aylesbury for the tourney, on the mound. The Regina Imperial Life crew then fell to Craik 2 to 0 as Bill “Lefty” Lesher, formerly of Moose Jaw Robin Hoods, went the route on the bump for the shutout win. The final game against Cupar, also a 2 to 0 blanking, was called after five innings and again saw Lesher toeing the rubber for the winners. During this abbreviated contest, Lesher mowed down eleven opposition batters via the strikeout route. For Viscount, which lost to Imperial Life 9-4, it was their first loss after 18 straight victories.
STRASBOURG TOURNAMENT
(August 3) The highly-competitive Viscount nine, the eventual tournament victors, caught Craik off guard in the tournament opener and eliminated the Highway #11 squad by taking an 8 to 6 decision. Pitching his third game in two days was just too much for losing tosser “Lefty” Lesher. A feature of the game was a home run by Craik infielder Steve Ayres.
GOVAN TOURNAMENT
(August 4) A heavy rain prevented the final game of the Govan tournament from being played as Craik, 16 to 3 winners of their opening game against Southey, split first and second money, their half amounting to $175. Oscar Amundrud, seconded from Aylesbury for the tournament, had an easy time of it on the hillock for Craik in their romp over Southey.