WINNIPEG SENIOR AMATEUR BASEBALL LEAGUE

Arenas
Catholic Club
Dominion Express
Granites
Transcona

FIRST-HALF SERIES 

(May 16)  The Catholic Club and the Granite teams pried the lid off the 1921 Winnipeg Senior Amateur Baseball League season at the Wesley College grounds with the Clubbers prevailing 4 to 1. Errors played a prominent part in the scoring with only one of the five tallies being credited as earned. Winning pitcher Sid May limited the Granites to just three hits and whiffed a dozen while losing chucker Oscar Wynant gave up six safeties and fanned nine. May was slightly more generous than his slab opponent when it came to free passes, issuing four while Wynant handed out just one. A throwing miscue by May on a pickoff attempt at the keystone sack and a subsequent second error when the middle pasture patroller booted the ball in a poorly-handled backup attempt allowed the Granites’ Tommy Hood to scamper home with first run of the game in the top-of-the-opening inning. The Clubbers responded with a deuce in their half of the canto, compliments of a pair of opposition defensive mistakes. Further Granite gaffes in the fifth and seventh stanzas added the third and fourth Cee Cee tallies. First sacker Ed Cass of the winners, with a brace of one-baggers, was the only batter in the game to register more than one safety.

Wynant (L) and Singbush
May (W) and Sheppard

(May 18)  The rejuvenated Express diamond pastimers completely surprised the pundits by handing out a 5 to 2 beating to the celebrated defending-champions Transconas. It was not any fluke as the Expressmen held the upper hand for almost the entire scuffle and clearly earned their decisive win. Veteran “Lefty” Neville was trotted out to the knoll to oppose the champions and he turned in a fine performance. Although nicked for nine safeties, he exhibited splendid control and did not issue a single free pass while breezing six with his assortment of off-speed benders. The ‘Sconas also started a portsider, Pete Huget, who struggled in finding the strike zone while being hit rather freely. Seven walks and seven base raps were handed out by Huget before Vic Nestor came to his rescue in the seventh. Nestor yielded just one hit the rest of the way. Transcona shoved across the initial run in the second round but the Express evened the count in their half and forged ahead to stay in the third with a brace of tallies. The Freighters further boosted their advantage with singletons in the sixth and seventh spasms while the vanquished nine turned in a second counter in their final turn at bat. Dan McLennan and Art Phillips both poled a brace of safe swats for the victors. Ward McVey doubled and singled for the ‘Sconas while clubmate Murray Van Vliet’s speed enabled him to beat out two infield hits.  

Huget (L), Nestor (7) and Perlman
Neville (W) and Mooney

(May 19)  After enjoying the lead for most of the game and then losing it in the sixth inning, the Arenas staged a batting rally in the seventh and final inning which netted them five counters and gave them an 8 to 4 victory over the Catholic Club before some 3,000 fans. The Arenas opened up strong, scoring once in the opening panel and twice in the following spasm but the Cee Cees bounced right back, spurting for a brace of tallies in the third and then forging ahead with another deuce in the sixth round. With defeat staring them in the face and it being apparent that the seventh would be the last inning because of impending darkness, the Arenas rose to the fore with a five-spot and then blanked the Catholics in the bottom-of-the-canto just before the game was called. The winners used two hurlers with starter Dave Miller getting the hook after four frames. Bert Stainsby took over mound chores at that point and was credited with the win. Jimmy Shannon went the full distance for the Clubbers. After a shaky start, he proved to be a puzzle to the winners for four episodes before tiring badly in the seventh when he issued two walks and was nicked for four hits, including a two-run doubles by Bill Borland and “Bunny” Warren which put the Arenas ahead to stay. The winners had a 7 to 4 edge in base hits but nary a player from either team was able to amass more than one base hit.

Miller, Stainsby (W) (5) and Lloyd
J. Shannon (L) and Sheppard

(May 21)  More than 5,000 fans blistered under the broiling rays of the sun at Wesley Park to witness doubleheader action in the Winnipeg Senior Amateur Baseball League.  In the first game, 40 minutes late in starting and shortened to seven innings by mutual agreement between the combatants, the Express got past the Granites 3 to 1. The second contest, a ten-inning affair, resulted in Transcona nosing out the Arenas 3 to 2.
   

Sharp fielding by the Expressmen and the stellar three-hit pitching of “Buster” Jones were the feature of the matinee contest. The Freighter hurler struck out nine to take the mound verdict over Gerald Wear of the Curlers who was nicked for just six safeties. Errors, however, put him in the hole on several occasions. The Deliverymen scored twice in the second stanza, the first run coming on an RBI-double by catcher Nelson Mooney and the second when Mooney scampered home during a run-down between first and second base. Each team picked up a counter in the final session, the Express tally resulting from a throwing error and the Granite marker coming on a run-scoring two-bagger by Bob Davis. Flychaser Jack Robertson of the victors led all batters in the contest with a couple of singles.    

Jones (W) and Mooney
Wear (L) and Singbush

The big attraction of the afternoon was the meeting of the arch-rival Transconas and Arenas in the late tilt. Due to the overflow crowd, special ground rules had to be implemented for balls hit into the outfield. There were a number of exceptional plays in the scrappy fixture as Jack Hind of the ‘Sconas and Tommy Dodds, the new Arena recruit, locked horns in a pitchers’ duel. Each hurler rang up nine punchouts as the Transconas held a slight 6 – 4 edge in base hits. The Arenas gained their pair of runs in the second spasm in rather a lucky manner. After Wally Byron reached first through being hit by a pitched ball, catcher Abe Fingard drilled the ball into the right pasture for what looked like a single, but the horsehide went into a drain hole and disappeared under the fence, resulting in a tainted two-run four-bagger. The Transconas scored once in their half of the same session when Ward McVey connected for a long-and-gone no-doubter, one of the longest hits ever recorded at Wesley Park. The Railroaders tied the score in the fourth on an RBI-single by Sam Perlman. Neither side threatened during the next five frames but Transcona broke up the game in the bottom-of-the-tenth when Dodds weakened and first sacker Bill Borland made an error to load the bases. A walk to Jimmy Gibson followed, forcing in the walkoff winner. McVey had a single in addition to hid four-ply clout while Borland singled twice for the losing nine. 

Dodds (L) and Fingard
Hind (W) and Perlman

(May 23)  A five-run outburst in the seventh and final stanza broke up a 3 – 3 tie game and propelled the Transconas to an 8 to 3 triumph over the Catholic Club. Darkness prevented play beyond the seventh spasm when the game was called. The ‘Sconas merited their win as they out hit the Clubbers 8 to 4 and made only two errors to four by the losers. “Lefty” Green started on the hill for the defending champions but, unable to find the strike zone, was lifted in the third inning for Vic Nestor who pitched well thereafter, yielding only two scattered hits, to earn the pitching win. Another portsider, “Lefty” Green, hurled practically the whole game for the Cee Cee’s and pitched reasonably well until the disastrous seventh. Ward McVey launched his second round-tripper of the season, a solo shot, for the winners in the sixth and also connected for a double. Errol Gillis of the Catholic Club was the only other player in the game to acquire a brace of base raps although his first hit was very scratchy.

Green, Nestor (W) (3) and Moran
Little (L), Morrisey (7) and Sheppard

(May 24)  In a morning-afternoon holiday twin-bill at Wesley Park, the Arenas captured a one-sided 15 to 3 verdict over the winless Granites to begin the day’s proceedings while the follow-up contest was a classic in which the Catholic Club nosed out a 1 to 0 win over the Express in an exceptionally well-played tilt. As many as 5,500 fans witnessed the double-bill with the afternoon crowd numbering approximately 3,000.

The early contest was a rout as the Arenas fattened their batting averages by corralling 13 hits off three Granite tossers, none of whom were effective. In his first start in senior company, left-hander Dunc Irvine of the Arenas yielded seven hits, walked three and whiffed nine in copping the pitching win in the affair terminated at the end of seven innings by mutual agreement. Laurie Cuthbert led the Arena swatters with three safeties, all singles. Teammates “Steamer” Maxwell, “Snake” Siddle and “Bunny” Warren each had a pair of base knocks. Catcher Ron Singbush delivered a double and single for the Granites.

Irvine (W) and Lloyd
Stevens (L), Wear (1), Vogan (7) and Singbush

After a sub-par opener, the Catholic Club and Express furnished the fans with a snappy wrap-up scuffle. The Clubbers played errorless ball while the Expressmen made only two miscues, one of which was a tough chance. It was a real pitchers’ battle with Sid May of the Cee Cee’s opposing Fred Brown for the Express. Both heavers were in top form with only two scattered hits being garnered off May and five off the slants of Brown. The lone run of the game came in the sixth session when third baseman McGrath and Errol Gillis, as part of their two-hit performances, laced back-to-back doubles.

May (W) and Sheppard
Brown (L) and Mooney

(May 26)  The much-abused Granites surprised everyone when they turned on the doughty champion Transconas and chalked up a well-earned 6 to 3 victory at Wesley Park. In annexing their first win of the season, the Curlers jumped out of the gate with gusto, scoring a brace of runs in each of the first and second rounds before adding a singleton in the third. In the fifth, they added one more to increase their advantage to 6 – 0. The Transconas caused some excitement in the eighth episode by scoring three times after two were down. The Granites had more hits in this encounter than they did in their first three games, collecting an even dozen while the ‘Sconas accumulated eight. Bespectacled Oscar Wynant pitched a splendid game for the victors and also delivered a pair of clean base hits to help his cause. Starter and loser“Lefty” Huget was pounded hard in his two plus sessions on the bump. Tommy Hood was the slugging fiend for the Granites, spanking the sphere for two doubles and a single. Ron Singbush, Chet Parkinson and Billy Chisholm joined Wynant in stroking a brace of bingles. Carson McVey of the vanquished nine got to Wynant for a couple of one-baggers.

Wynant (W) and Singbush
Huget (L), Morton (3), Hind (8 and Perlman

(May 28)   What promised to be a hard-fought struggle when the Arenas and Express locked horns at Wesley Park to battle for the leadership of the Winnipeg Senior Amateur Baseball League turned out to be a very disappointing affair. The game ended in the second inning when Dan McLennan, playing-manager of the Express team, became so angry over a decision by plate umpire Shuster that he called his team off the field. After giving McLennan time to cool down and resume play, which the Freighter skipper did not take advantage of, the arbiter forfeited to game to the Arenas by the usual 9 to 0 score.

(May 30)  Bunching hits off Jack Hind during the closing stages of the game, the Arenas came from behind and defeated Transcona 7 to 4 at Wesley Park to strengthen their grip on first place in the senior circuit. The scoring started in the first round when the Transconas collected three counters, with the most decisive blow of the outburst being a two-run single by Ward McVey. The Arenas got a couple of those back in the third when “Snake” Siddle belted a two-run homer. The ‘Sconas boosted their lead to 4 – 2 in the fourth when Sam Perlman singled over second base and playing-manager “Steamer” Maxwell of the Arenas let the ball go through him for a three-base error as the horsehide disappeared under the fence. Gerald Mooney’s RBI-single in the fifth kept the Arenas right at the Transconas’ heels. The Arenas forged ahead for the first time in the seventh by plating a pair on a sacrifice fly and a run-scoring double by Mooney. Another deuce in the eighth episode, thanks to a two-run single by Laurie Cuthbert, sewed up the game for the Arenas. Both winning twirler Tommy Dodds and Hind were nicked for eight safeties by opposition batters with Hind having a 10 to 8 edge in puchouts. Siddle was by far the most productive swatsmith in the contest, raking Hind for three singles in addition to his circuit-clout. Clubmate Mooney of the Arenas followed with his pair of run-producing bingles. Perlman and Jim McCullough both delivered two one-baggers for the vanquished defending champions.  

Hind (L) and Perlman
Dodds (W) and Fingard 

(June 2)  Playing under chilly weather conditions at Wesley Park, the Transconas and Express battled to a 6 – 6 stalemate in a darkness-shortened, seven-inning affair.  The Express, at one time, appeared to have victory tucked away as they were leading 6 – 1 after 4-1/2 innings were in the books. The defending champions, however, rallied in their half of the fifth and ran across five counties to tie the game. Five hurlers were used during the fracas, three by the ‘Sconas, who punched out 13 base hits to nine for the Deliverymen. Carson McVey, Amby Moran, Sam Perlman and Vic Nestor registered two safeties apiece for the Tranconas with one of McVey’s swats falling in for two bases. Pat McCann nailed a two-run homer and beat out a bunt single for the Freighters while clubmate Nelson Mooney delivered a brace of one-base raps.  

Neville, Brown (5) and Mooney
Nestor, Green (5), Huget (6) and Perlman

(June 4)  The Arenas’ series of recent triumphs came to a screeching halt when the Catholic Club aggregation, with Sid May in great form on the slab, whitewashed the league leaders 5 to 0 to move within a half-game of the top of the ladder. May had the Arenas completely at his mercy, allowing only one measly hit in nine innings, while his mates backed him up to perfection with only two Arena baserunners advancing as far as second base. Losing heaver Bert Stainsby was far from his best in going the route, walking four while surrendering eight base raps, while his catcher Abe Fingard didn’t help matters by allowing three passed balls. The Clubbers plated singletons in each of the second, sixth and ninth stanzas to go along with a deuce in the fourth frame. Bill Knight and Errol Gillis were the star hitters for the Cee Cee’s, each connecting safely on two occasions, while teammate Ed Cass pounded a solo four-bagger.  

May (W) and Sheppard
Stainsby (L) and Fingard

(June 6)  Successful in bunching their eight base hits off the slants of former teammate Tommy Cochrane, the Express chalked up a 6 to 0 victory over the Granites in a short contest, with darkness terminating play after the Curlers had batted in the top-of-the-sixth round. “Buster” Jones worked on the knoll for the Express, striking out eight and yielding four safeties, all singles, in the abbreviated event. In tossing the shutout, he was a puzzle to the Granite hitters when bingles meant bacon. First baseman Pat Cann was the hitting hero for the Deliverymen, launching his second home run of the season to go along with a brace of one-baggers. Jack Robertson and Nelson Mooney followed with two singles each as Robertson was in top form on the basepaths, swiping three bases.

Cochrane (L) and Singbush
Jones (W) and Mooney

(June 7)   Swatsmiths from the Catholic Club mauled the offerings of two Granite hurlers and piled up a 20 to 6 victory at Wesley Park. The win for the Cee Cee’s moved them into a tie with the Arenas for top spot in the Winnipeg senior circuit. The winners mixed a dozen base blows with five Granite errors and ten walks to account for their 20 tallies. Bill Knight delivered the most timely blow for the Clubbers when he tripled with the bases loaded and was only nipped at the plate in an attempt for an inside-the-park four-bagger after some fine relay work between flychaser Moline, shortpatcher Mike Goodman and catcher Ron Singbush. Herb Foreman laced three singles, Errol Gillis launched a solo round-tripper while Knight, Ed Cass and Fred Flanagan each contributed a brace of bingles. Regular third baseman McGrath took a rare turn on the bump and pitched the full distance for the win. Starter Gerald Wear of the Curlers was nicked with the loss. Singbush, with a pair of one-base raps, was the only Granite batter to achieve plural hit figures.

McGrath (W) and Sheppard
Wear (L), Cameron (8) and Singbush

(June 8)  The Winnipeg Senior Amateur Baseball League pennant race tightened up as the Transcona baseballers clipped the Catholic Club 4 to 1 in a thrilling game played before nearly 3,000 onlookers at Wesley Park. The game featured a great pitching matchup between Jack Hind of the ‘Sconas and the Clubbers’ Sid May. Both slab artists were sharp, resulting in just six hits for the Railroad Towners and three for the Cee Cee’s. Errors figured in the scoring, misplays accounting for two Transcona tallies and the lone Club counter. Steady as a rock for the entire nine cantos, Hind earned the win, issuing only one free pass while whiffing seven. May also pitched a strong game, fanning nine, walking two and hitting a pair of batters, but got into trouble in the fourth frame when three hits were bunched off him for a pair of earned markers. Sam Perlman of the winning nine was the only batter in the game to amass two base knocks.  The longest blow of the contest was a three-bagger by Transcona’s Carson McVey.

May (L) and Sheppard
Hind (W) and Perlman

(June 9)  The Arenas strengthened their hold on top spot in the Senior Amateur loop by clipping the Express 10 to 2 before 3,000 fans who assembled at Wesley Park to see the combatants struggle for the league leadership. Tommy Dodds pitched a steady game for the winners, holding the Deliverymen to just five hits and coming on strong in the pinches. With his bread-and-butter curveball breaking off sharply, Dodds retired 13 batters on strikes. The Arenas didn’t experience much trouble in getting to the duo of Express chuckers when bingles produced bacon. Gerald Mooney, younger brother of the Express catcher, was the top swatsmith for the victorious Arenas, clouting a home run and two singles. Teammate “Snake” Siddle followed with a triple and a couple of one-base raps. The teams were deadlocked at 2 – 2 until the ultimate winners took control of the game during the middle innings, starting with Mooney’s bases-empty four-bagger.  

Dodds (W) and Lloyd
Neville (L), Brown (4) and Mooney

(June 11)  The Granites upended the defending champion Transcona aggregation 3 to 1 before about 2,100 patrons who were on deck at Wesley Park. The Curlers have only registered two victories to date in league play and both have been at the expense of the redoubtable Transconas. It was a nip-and-tuck affair all the way with runs being hard to come by owing to the strong pitching of winning tosser Oscar Wynant and losing heaver Axel “Lefty” Green. Wynant held the heavy-hitting ‘Sconas in check, only yielding six hits and one walk while ringing up ten punchouts. Green gave up seven safeties and a pair of free passes but was hurt by errors as only one of the runs scored against him was earned. The Granites look the lead in the opening panel when Chet Parkinson singled home outfielder Moline who had reached base by beating out a bunt and moved into scoring position on a ground out. In the fifth, the victors registered two more tallies when Moline laced a two-run single to drive in Mike Goodman and Ron Singbush. The Railroaders tallied their lone marker in the seventh when Tommy Gordon singled. stole second and scored on Green’s hit to centre field. Aside from Moline’s two timely safeties, Goodman co-starred at the dish for the winners with a triple and single. 

Green (L) and Perlman
Wynant (W) and Singbush

(June 13)  The Catholic Club diamondeers gained a 9 to 6 verdict over the Express in a game called after 7-1/2 innings of play because of darkness. The win for the Clubbers advanced them to within a half-game of the pace-setting Arenas. It was a ragged exhibition with the Cee Cee’s leading all the way after coming up with a four-spot in their opening turn at bat. Errors figured prominently in the scoring, each side securing only three earned runs. “Lefty” Little hurled the full distance for the for the Catholics, striking out ten batters. He was wild as a hawk, however, and gave up seven free passes. “Buster” Jones started on the hillock for the Freighters but was given the hook after the fourth round, not only for the six hits and eight runs he surrendered but for the three errors he was charged with. Fred Flanagan singled twice for the winners while Dan McLennan punched out a double and one-bagger in a losing cause. 

Jones (L), Petrie (5) and Mooney
Little (W) and T. Shannon

(June 15)  Taking advantage of almost every opportunity afforded them, the Arenas doubled the Granites 6 to 3 at Wesley Park. The result boosted the Arena’s lead in the Winnipeg Senior circuit to a full game over the Catholic Club in the first-half standings. The lowly Granites put up a game battle, moving in front 3 – 1 after four frames and holding the pace setters to a 3 – 3 tie after six full innings. Portsider Dunc Irvine was steady as a rock on the hill for the winners over the final five frames and kept the Curlers at bay. Throughout the contest, he relinquished just four base hits, including an RBI-double and single by Mike Goodman, plus three bases-on-balls. Losing slabster Oscar Wynant had a good deal of success against the Arenas for six rounds but weakened considerably in the late going when he was nicked for seven of the 11 base knocks he surrendered. “Snake” Siddle led the victors with the baton, bashing a double and two one-baggers. Catcher Bert Lloyd followed with a triad of singles. “Doc” Flanagan made his first appearance of the season for the Granites and laced a single that drove in two counters. 

Wynant (L) and Singbush
Irvine (W) and Lloyd

(June 16)  After nine innings of heavy scoring and ragged fielding, the Arenas emerged as 13 to 11 victors over Transcona. The Arenas appeared to be easy winners when they scored twice in the opening round and followed with eleven more in the second episode, which gave them a lead of 13 to 1, but the Railroaders fought back, holding their opponents scoreless during the final six frames while they kept slugging away to reduce the deficit to a pair. The ‘Sconas outswatted the victors by a 15 to 11 margin and had the runners on base needed to tie but just ran out of gas. Six errors in the first two chapters targeted them for defeat as the Arenas only managed to score two earned runs during the entire contest. Transcona starter Jack Hind was saddled with the loss although most of the damage occurred after his immediate successor “Lefty” Huget had ascended the hill in the second panel. Bill Siddle was credited with the pitching win after starting on the bump, temporarily relinquishing hurling duties to Dunc Irvine in the fourth and then returning to the knoll in the same canto after Irvine proved to be ineffective. Bill Borland had the most impactful blow for the winners, connecting for a grand-slam circuit-clout in the second session. He also delivered a brace of one-baggers. Playing-manager “Steamer” Maxwell also fattened his batting average with three safeties. Jim McCullough has three base knocks for the vanquished nine, all singles, and stole three bases.  

Hind (L), Huget (2), Nestor (4) and Perlman
Siddle, Irvine (4), Siddle (W) (4) and Lloyd

(June 18)  The Catholic Club kept right at the heels of the front-running Arenas in the race for the first-half pennant by defeating the Granites 3 to 1 before 3,000 fans at Wesley Park. With a 9 to 6 advantage in base hits, the Granites fought hard for victory but wildness on the part of their southpaw chucker, Bert Hessian, kept them in hot water. The portsider issued eight walks, uncorked five wild pitches, hit two batters and made a bad peg to first base that gave the Cee Cee’s one of their three runs. The Clubbers played an errorless game and trotted out a new hurler, Jim McConnell, who went the route in annexing the win in his debut. A bit nervous as he ascended the bump for his first taste of action in the Winnipeg senior circuit, he surrendered the lone run garnered by the Curlers in the opening panel on a bases-loaded walk. McConnell also displayed considerable ability as a hitter, clouting a bases-empty home run and a single. A wild pitch by Hessian allowed the tying counter to cross the dish in the fourth. The Clubbers won the game in the seventh when McConnell broke the tie with his solo dinger. Hessian’s wild throw to the initial sack allowed Herb Foreman to race in with the add-on tally.

McConnell (W) and Sheppard
Hessian (L) and Singbush

(June 20)  The Express scored five runs in the seventh inning, all after two had been retired, to snatch a 7 to 4 come-from-behind victory from Transcona. The Deliverymen got away nicely, and were leading 2 – 1 until Frank Hutter of the ‘Sconas blasted the horsehide over the fence with two mates aboard in the sixth stanza to give the Railroaders a 4 – 2 advantage. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Freighters made their winning charge in the top-of-the-seventh sparked Nelson Mooney’s two-run single which tied the score and Pat Cann’s three-run dinger which sewed up the triumph. Fred Brown performed splendidly on the bump for the victors, holding the hard-hitting Transconas to six hits while giving up only two bases-on-balls. He was put in peril several times, however, owing to seven fielding miscues by his clubmates. It was another defeat for the veteran Jack Hind who was inclined to be wild and was nicked for base raps when bingles meant bacon. Cann and Mooney both had one-baggers to go along with their crucial seventh-stanza swats while teammate Myers also contributed two safeties. Shortpatcher Amby Moran singled twice for the Railroad Towners. 

Brown (W) and Mooney
Hind (L) and Perlman

(June 21)  The Transcona baseballers extracted revenge for their defeat of 24 hours previous when they clipped the Express 7 to 2 at Wesley Park. Playing-manager Jake Morton of the ‘Sconas took to the hill and had the Expressmen eating out of his hand for eight episodes. He weakened in the ninth and lost his shutout bid when Pat Cann lit him up for a two-run tater. Morton yielded just six hits in the route-going win and exhibited almost perfect control, issuing only one free pass. “Buster” Jones toed the slab for the Deliverymen and, except for the sixth session when the Railroad Towners ran across a half-dozen counters, was reasonably effective. Only one earned run was garnered off his offerings as his mates booted the ball seven times. Amby Moran and Vic Nestor led the eight-hit Transcona offense with a double and single each. Teammate Sam Perlman singled twice, an output matched by both Nelson Mooney and Stan Weir of the Freighters.  

Jones (L) and Mooney
Morton (W) and Perlman

(June 22)  Held scoreless for seven innings, the Catholic Club pastimers came alive in the eighth session to plate a brace of tallies and knot the count at 2 – 2 and then went on to add a singleton in the bottom-of-the-ninth round to come away with a thrilling 3 to 2 conquest of the pace-setting Arenas. The critical win allowed the Clubbers to move into a tie with the Arenas on the top rung of the Winnipeg senior circuit. Both teams battled tooth-and-nail in this clash with the Cee Cee’s holding a 10 to 8 margin in base hits. Slab artists Sid May for the Catholic Club and the Arenas’ Bert Stainsby duked it out from start to finish. Lawrie Cuthbert’s run-scoring two-bagger in the third inning gave the Arena’s a 1 – 0 lead which was increased to 2 – 0 in the top-of-the-eighth when Bert Lloyd singled home “Snake” Siddle. With the pressure on in their half of the canto, the Clubbers responded when George McGrath cracked his third hit of the game, lining a two-out, two-run single up the middle to knot the count. The Arenas loaded the sacks after two were down in the ninth but May whiffed Siddle to end the threat. The curtain was rung down in the bottom-of-the-ninth when pinch-hitter Jim McConnell lined a double off the Wesley Park fence to start the inning. Wally Roche was sent in to pinch-run for McConnell and moved to the hot corner station on Flanagan’s sacrifice bunt. Catcher Stu Sheppard capped things off by sending a sharp single to centre field, allowing Roche to jog in from third with the walkoff winner. Sheppard had a previous one-bagger in addition to the game-deciding hit. Losing heaver Stainsby singled on three occasions to top the Arenas offensively while Cuthbert had a one-base rap to go along with his RBI-double.

Stainsby (L) and H. May 
S. May (W) and Sheppard 

(June 23)  “Chick” Chafe, the young portsider of the Granites, rang up 19 punchouts to establish a league strikeout record as he pitched the Curlers to a 12 to 3 drubbing of the Express. The Curlers started off in grand style, plating a trey in the top-of-the-opening inning, a lead that never wavered. They virtually iced the victory with a seven-spot in the fifth frame. Chafe walked four and yielded an equal number of hits while losing chucker “Lefty” Neville, plagued by his mates’ eight errors, was nicked for seven safeties. Bert Hessian of the winning nine, with a pair of singles, was the lone batter from either squad to produce plural hit totals.

Chafe (W) and Singbush
Neville (L) and Mooney

(June 25)  The Catholic Club’s chances of finishing on top of the first-half standings were dealt a severe blow when they were mauled 11 to 4 by the Transcona nine at Wesley Park. The ‘Sconas punched out 14 hits over the course of the afternoon, kayoing starter and loser Gustafson in the second spasm when they ran across six runs. Jack Hind started on the hill for the winners and lasted until the sixth stanza when his generosity in issuing free passes earned him an early shower. Ward McVey had a banner day at the plate for the Railroaders, slamming a triple and three singles. Amby Moran followed with a triad of one-base raps while Jim McCullough and Frank Hutter delivered a brace of bingles each.   

Hind (W), Morton (6)and Perlman
Gustafson (L), McConnell (2) and Sheppard

(June 27)  The Arenas earned at least a tie for first-half honors in the Senior Amateur League pennant race when they doubled the erratic Express squad 6 to 3 at Wesley Park. Despite having a 7 to 5 edge in base hits, the Deliverymen played with little inspiration and made no less than seven defensive blunders. Only one earned run was credited to each team. Bert Stainsby struck out five and walked one in annexing the complete-game mound verdict. Ernie Stokes, who did the heaving for the Deliverymen, got off to a rousing start by whiffing all three batters in the opening panel but lack of control began to catch up to him. The speedballing Stokes finished with seven punchouts, five free passes, a hit batter and a wild pitch. Playing-manager “Steamer” Maxwell launched a solo four-ply clout for the victors while Lawrie Cuthbert delivered a brace of doubles. Best with the baton for the Freighters were Pat Cann and Steve Penu who both singled twice. 

Stokes (L) and Mooney
Stainsby (W) and Lloyd

(June 28)  The Granites, after apparently having the game tucked away, blew a 9 to 5 lead and allowed Transcona to score four runs in the ninth inning to salvage a 9 – 9 tie. Darkness prevented any attempt at playing extra innings. The game was nip-and tuck for five innings when they score stood at one run each. From the sixth stanza on, the pitching became weak, wild and wobbly while batters went on a rampage and fielding became erratic as runs crossed the plate frequently. The ‘Sconas wound up with an 11 to 9 advantage in base hits while holding a 6 to 4 edge in errors. Ward McVey of the Railroaders maintained his record of having at least one hit in every game this season. Teammate Sam Perlman led all swatsmiths with three safeties, including a double. Registering a triple and single was Bert Hessian of the Curlers. 

Chafe, Wynant (9) and Singbush
L. Van Vliet, Nestor (6), Hugert (7) and Perlman

(June 29)  A 5 to 2 loss to the Express doused the last remaining hope of the Catholic Club in tying the Arenas for the first-half pennant. The Deliverymen roughed up starter and loser Jim McConnell for four counters in the second spasm to take control of the game. Fred Brown pitched an efficient five-hitter and walked just one in going the distance for the hillock decision. Only 32 Cee-Cee batters faced Brown over the course of the nine-inning tilt. Pat Cann clubbed a bases-empty four-bagger for the victors while teammate Art Phillips as well as Fred Flanagan of the Clubbers were the only two batters in the contest with a brace of bingles.

McConnell (L), May (3) and Sheppard
Brown (W) and Mooney

(July 4)  The cellar-dwelling Granites upset the first-half pennant-winning Arenas 7 to 6 after battling through ten, long-drawn innings of play. Both teams corralled an even dozen base knocks and, out of those, only one went for more than one base. Both pitchers of record hurled the route with “Buck” Herzog of the Curlers copping the win over young Dunc Irvine. It took a bottom-of-the-ninth inning, last gasp rally by the Granites to erase a 6 to 5 deficit and send the game into overtime. An Arena player of last season, Wilf Peltier, hit a two-out single, stole second base, moved to third on a balk call against Irvine and scored on a wild heave by the rattled hurler. The Arenas went down in order to begin the tenth. In the Granite half of the frame, back-to-back singles by Billy Chisholm and Buckley Herzog preceded the first out, a whiff. Mike Goodman walked to load the sacks and Irvine plunked Tommy Hood in the back with a fastball to force in Chisholm with the winner. Peltier had three hits against his former mates to share the batting honors for the Curlers with Hood who also stroked a triad of safeties. Flychaser Gerald Mooney of the vanquished nine likewise drilled three singles.  

Irvine (L) and Lloyd
Herzog (W) and Singbush

(July 5)  The first half of the Winnipeg Senior Amateur League schedule was brought to a conclusion at Wesley Park when the Transconas and Granites replayed their tie game of June 28. The result was a victory for the Railroaders by a 7 to 4 score. Although out hit by an 8 to 6 margin, the ‘Sconas were opportunists, banging our the majority of their swats at the desired moment when bingles produced bacon. Each team had a home run and both of them came with runners on the paths. Granite outfielder Bob Davis bashed a three-run shot in the fourth frame which gave his team a temporary lead. Jim McCullough crushed the apple over the fence in the sixth spasm with one baserunner aboard, McCullough also connected for a brace of singles to emerge as the top swatter in the contest. “Buck” Herzog nailed a double and single for the Curlers. Axel Green, with sixth-inning relief assistance from Amby Moran, picked up the heaving triumph while Bert Hessian, in a route-going effort, was tagged with the loss. 

Hessian (L) and Singbush
Green (W), Moran (6) and Perlman

FIRST-HALF SERIES
FINAL STANDINGS              W      L      Pct.    GBL
Arenas                       8      4     .667     ---- 
Catholic Club                7      5     .583     1.0
Transcona                    6      6     .500     2.0
Dominion Express             5      7     .417     3.0
Granites                     4      8     .333     4.0 

SECOND-HALF SERIES

(July 6)  The Arenas and Transconas opened up the second-half of the Senior Amateur League schedule by playing nine innings to a 4 – 4 tie. Dave Miller of the Arenas and Transcona skipper Jake Morton did the hurling, both going the distance, as the ‘Sconas held a slight 9 to 8 advantage in base hits. Gord Caslake homered and singled for the Railroaders while Bert Stainsby clubbed a two-run circuit-jack for the Arenas to compliment playing-manager “Steamer” Maxwell’s triad of one-baggers.

Miller and Lloyd
Morton and Perlman, Moran (6)

(July 7)  Showing little in the way of a recovery from their late first-half slump, the Catholic Club fell prey to the Granites 10 to 7 in the the first appearance for each team in the second-half of the schedule. Despite the fact that they collected nearly twice as many bingles as their opponents, the Clubbers landed up on the short end of the score. Each team used two pitchers and all were generous with their hits, especially winning pitcher Oscar Wynant who was raked for 14 of the 15 base raps gathered by the Cee Cee’s. “Lefty” Little, who started on the knoll for the Catholics, failed to get out of the opening canto and was stung with the pitching setback. His successor, Jim McConnell, went the rest of the way but experienced a great deal of difficulty in locating the strike zone. Bert Hessian and Wilf Peltier, with two singles apiece, led the Curlers’ eight-hit offensive attack. Fred Flanagan stroked a trio of one-base raps for the losers while McConnell belted a triple and single.

Little (L), McConnell (1) and Sheppard
Wynant (W), Herzog (8) and Singbush

(July 9)  Transcona and the Express battled 11 innings at Wesley Park in a game that ended when the ‘Sconas melted down defensively, allowing the Freighters to grab a 2 to 1 victory. The winning tally was a gift on the part of infielder Carson McVey who erred twice in the 11th stanza. McVey was not entirely to blame for the defeat, for the Express’ other tally resulted on a wild heave into the middle pasture on the part of catcher Sam Perlman in the bottom-of-the-ninth inning. Winning pitcher Fred Brown and Transcona starter Peter Huget headed into the ninth locked in a scoreless draw. The Railroaders drew first blood in the top-of-the-ninth when Perlman crossed the pan on an infield out. His throwing error in the last half of the frame allowed second sacker Gordon of the Deliverymen, who had reached base on a two-out single, to not only reach the keystone sack on the overthrow but to romp all the way around with the tying counter. Jack Hind took over mound duties for the Railroad Towners in the second overtime round of play and it was here that things went south for his squad. McVey failed to corral Dan McLennan’s short pop up to third base. After McLennan stole second, McVey fielded Nelson Mooney’s ground ball but threw wildly past first base, giving McLennan plenty of time to trot across home plate with the deciding counter. Gordon led all batters in the clash with three singles.

Huget, Hind (L) (11) and Perlman
Brown (W) and Mooney

(July 11)  Displaying their old punch in the pinches, the Arenas succeeded in registering a 4 to 1 victory over the slow-starting Catholic Club in a lively tussle at Wesley Park. The result was essentially decided in the fourth round when “Bunny” Warren poked a short hit back of third base which scored two runs to break a 1 – 1 tie. Bert Stainsby and Sid May hooked up in the knoll clash but the Arena hurler had a decided edge, yielding only three hits over the course of the game. He exhibited splendid control, issuing nary a free pass. May was nicked for seven safeties and also displayed good control, surrendering free transportation to only two batters. Lawrie Cuthbert tripled and singled for the winners while Fred Flanagan notched two of the three hits attained by the Catholics.

May (L) and Sheppard
Stainsby (W) and Lloyd

(July 12)  Clouting the horsehide hard and at opportune times, the Transconas administered a rude jolt to the doughy Arenas when they whitewashed the first-half pennant winners 6 to 0 before 3,500 fans at Wesley Park. The Railroad Towners played in faultless style behind complete-game winner Jack Hind and chalked up an impressive 13 to 6 advantage in base raps. Dave Miller started on the hill for the Arenas but was touched up freely and was lifted in favor of “Snake” Siddle in the fifth frame. Jim McCullough, the clever first sacker of Transcona, continued hid good work with the lumber and connected safely in four of his five trips to the plate. Clubmate Carson McVey also had a productive night with the baton, gathering three singles in four attempts. “Bunny” Warren collected half the hits obtained by the Arenas, registering three clean singles.

Miller (L), Siddle (5) and Lloyd
Hind (W) and Perlman

(July 13)  Determined not to be the tail-enders in the second-half of the Senior Amateur Baseball League, the Granites nosed out the Express diamondeers 5 to 4 at Wesley Park. It was an uphill battle for the Curlers who trailed through most of the game after the Deliverymen racked up a four-spot in the second spasm. They needed an eighth-inning double by playing-manager Gordon Hudson to chase across the tying and winning tallies. Both aggregations stung the sphere for nine safeties with Ron Singbush and Bert Hessian of the victors, as well as the Freighters’ Steve Penu and Ernie Stokes, all registering two base raps. One of Stokes’ hits was a three-RBI triple.
 
Stokes, Brown (L) (3) and Mooney
Herzog (W) and Singbush

(July 14)  Fred McConnell  launched a massive four-ply clout off reliever “Lefty” Huget with the bases loaded in the seventh inning to break a 2 – 2 tie and send the Catholic Club on their way to an 8 to 4 triumph over Transcona. It was the Catholics’ first win in the second-half after losing their first two. The ‘Sconas could have held the Clubbers scoreless in the seventh had it not been for three errors that gave the ultimate winners an opening and tarred starter Jake Morton with the loss. McGrath pitched the full distance for the Cee Cee’s and, except for the second stanza, was never in any serious trouble. He was touched for eight hits, three off the bat of Carson McVey, while walking two and fanning four. The winners registered ten base knocks, six of them off seventh-spasm reliever Huget. McConnell had a double in addition to his grand-slam homer while teammates Fred Flanagan and Stu Sheppard both delivered a brace of one-baggers. 

McGrath (W) and Sheppard
Morton (L), Huget (7) and Perlman 

(July 16)  A timely RBI-single up the middle by Art Frick broke up a Senior Amateur Baseball League game at Wesley Park and gave the Arenas a 3 to 2 victory over the Granites in an 11-inning battle. Out hit by the Curlers 9 to 6, the Arenas were the steadier team defensively. Six errors were chalked up against the Granites, while the winners made only one misplay. Not only did the Arenas cash in on an eighth-inning fumble by Tommy Hood which set up “Snake” Siddle’s tying marker but a gaffe in the fateful eleventh by Gordon Hudson paved the way for the deciding tally to score. Hudson made a good play to get under Bunny Warren’s dying quail back of first base but failed to hold on to it. Gerald Mooney laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance Warren to second and then Frick leaned into one of losing pitcher Oscar Wynant’s curves for a clutch one-bagger to drive in Warren and end the game. It was a tough loss for Wynant who struggled in only one round, the fourth. The Arenas used two hurlers. Dunc Irvine started but had to leave the game after the fifth. “Slim” Borwick, who took over on the hill in the sixth, finished the game and got credit for the win. Top willow wielder in the clash was Bert Hessian of the vanquished nine who slapped out three clean singles. Frick had en earlier safe swat in addition to his game-winning rap.

Wynant (L) and Singbush
Irvine, Borwick (W) (6) and Lloyd

(July 18)  Bunching seven hits in the seventh and eighth innings, the Catholic Club scored five times and overcame the 4 – 1 lead enjoyed by the Express to register a 6 to 4 victory before 2,500 onlookers at Wesley Park. Home run clouts by Pat Cann of the Express and the Clubbers’ Herb Foreman added some excitement to the struggle. Playing-manager Sid May of the Cee Cee’s went all the way on the hillock to grab the hurling triumph while the setback was charged to Express starter Ernie Stokes who left in the eighth with the Freighters nursing a one-run lead but with two opposition runners aboard. The Deliverymen had a chance to pull the game out of the fire in the ninth as their first two batters both drew walks and, after the next two swingers had gone down on strikes, a third base-on-balls loaded the bases. Outfielder Stringland then lined out to shortstop Bill Knight of the Catholics to end the game. Foreman had a single in addition to his four-ply clout for the winners.   

Stokes (L), Brown (8) and Mooney
May (W) and Sheppard 

(July 20)  The Granites moved into a half-game lead in the second-half standings by staging a ninth-inning rally to beat the Transconas 4 to 3. Winning pitcher “Buck” Herzog singled home Bert Hessian with the winning run. Both Herzog and losing twirler Jack Hind went the route, both surrendered six hits and both had a half dozen punchouts. Hind was inclined to be a bit more wild as he issued four free passes, two of which turned into runs, while Herzog walked two. “Doc” Flanagan’s RBI-single in the opening session gave the Curlers a 1 – 0 lead. The ‘Sconas plated all three of their tallies in the second spasm with Gord Caslake’s two-run circuit-jack and Amby Moran’s double figuring largely in the scoring. In arrears by a deuce, the Granites deadlocked the score in the fourth when Mike Goodman’s hit, with two aboard, was misplayed into a triple. Flanagan and Caslake led their respective teams with a brace of bingles each. 

Hind (L) and Perlman
Herzog (W) and Singbush

(July 21)  The Express band of baseballers uncovered a surprise at Wesley Park when they administered a 4 to 0 whitewashing to the redoubtable Arenas. Fred Brown, the clever hurler for the Deliverymen, was the hero of the short contest, play terminating after the top-of-the-seventh stanza owing to darkness. Brown handcuffed the first-half winners on just three scattered singles while issuing nary a free pass. In addition to stifling the opposition bats, the Express hurler registered a single and a two-run double. The Freighters scored once in the opening session and added three more in the sixth. Losing chucker Dave Miller was nicked for eight safeties and was inclined to be wild. In addition to Brown’s pair of base raps, teammates Pat Cann, Art Phillips and Henry Dion all checked in with a couple of singles.

Miller (L) and Lloyd
Brown (W) and Mooney

(July 23)  The Arenas demonstrated their old winning punch at the proper time by pulling off a 6 to 5 conquest of the Transconas in a ten-inning feud at Wesley Park. In arrears by four counters after 5-1/2 frames, the Arena tribe, although out hit over the course of the contest, managed to gnaw away at the deficit and finally knot the count at 5 – 5 after eight episodes. Neither side threatened in the ninth but, in the opening bonus round of play, after the ‘Sconas had been retired in order, the fleet-footed “Snake” Siddle reached base on a slow roller, pilfered second and surprised the opposition by coming all the way home while third sacker Frank Hutter was throwing out “Bunny” Warren at first base. Bert Stainsby worked on the slab for the Arenas and was fortunate to notch the pitching victory. He was hit hard all the way, eleven bingles being garnered off his slants. Jake Morton started on the hill for the Railroaders and got along remarkably well for five frames before weakening in the late stages of the game. After eight rounds of play, he relinquished mound duties to Jack Hind who was nicked with the overtime loss. Siddle and playing-manager “Steamer” Maxwell each had two of the seven safeties registered by the victors. First baseman Jim McCullough singled three times for the Transconas while Lyman Van Vliet tripled and singled.

Morton, Hind (L) (9) and Perlman
Stainsby (W) and May

(July 25)  After getting away to a poor start, the Catholic Club nine staged a game finish to earn a 5 – 5 tie with the Granites in a seven-inning, darkness-shortened tilt at Wesley Park. The Curlers held a 5 to 1 lead after four innings were in the books, thanks mainly to flychaser Bert Hessian’s circuit-clout with one mate aboard. The Clubbers got to reliever “Buck” Herzog for a singleton in the fifth and a trey in the sixth to even the score. Hessian had a single in addition to his round-tripper while Herzog registered a double and single. Fred Flanagan delivered a brace of one-baggers for the Cee Cee’s who had a 7 to 6 edge in base knocks. 

May and Sheppard
Wynant, Herzog (4) and Singbush 

(July 27)  Veteran heaver “Buster” Jones stymied the heavy-hitting Transcona troupe on four hits as the Express advanced into a tie with the Arenas for the runner-up spot in the second-half standings by virtue of a 5 to 1 triumph over the Railroad Towners. Pete Huget started on the knoll for the ‘Sconas and lasted until the sixth when Vic Nestor took over. The Freighters won the game in the fourth frame when they bunched five hits to score four times. They boosted their margin to 5 – 0 by scoring once in the sixth. The Transconas never threatened until the eighth when they plated their lone counter. Shortpatcher Steve Penu banged out a double and single for the winners while his clubmate, Pat Cann, strengthened his grip as the batting leader in the circuit with a pair of one-base hits.

Jones (W) and Mooney
Huget (L), Nestor (6) and Perlman

(July 28)  In a strange ending, the Arenas came away with a protested 3 to 0 victory over the Catholic Club at Wesley Park. For some reason unknown to both players and the 2,500 fans on hand, plate umpire Jim Neil called a halt to play after the seventh inning, citing darkness as the rationale. To most observers, the 1 hour and 20 minute contest could have continued at least one more inning and possibly the full nine. Only two hits were obtained by the winners in the abbreviated fracas. Bases on balls and errors played the leading part in the Arenas’ registering of their three runs, all of which were unearned. Playing-manager Sid May of the Clubbers, who replaced youthful intermediate league call-up Menu on the bump in the second spasm, had just as much difficulty as his wild predecessor in finding the strike zone and was nicked with the loss. Both Cee Cee hurlers issued four free passes. Bill Siddle pitched all the way for the Arenas, scattering three hits to cop the win. . 

Siddle (W) and Lloyd
Menu, May (L) (2) and Sheppard

(July 30)  With the leadership of the second-half in the Senior Amateur Baseball League at stake, the Express administered an 11 to 4 drubbing to the Granites. The victory for the Freighters ties them with the Arenas for the leadership in the Second Series while the Granites fell to a half-game behind. The Curlers put up a wretched defense, nine fielding misplays being chalked up against them. In addition, the pitching of losing heaver Oscar Wynant was mediocre. He was nicked for ten hits, most of which were surrendered at inopportune times. Fred Brown hurled for the Deliverymen and got along well with the exception of the third and sixth rounds when he was touched up freely. The Expressmen scored twice in the opening session and added a five-spot in the second to grab an insurmountable lead. Art Phillips of the winners boosted his batting average by clouting three singles while teammates Dan McLennan and second baseman Gordon each registered a brace of one-base hits. Wild Peltier of the Granites also delivered a couple of singles.

Wynant (L) and Singbush
Brown (W) and Mooney

(August 3)  Getting to Bert Stainsby’s offerings in the the third and sixth chapters for timely bingles, the Granites dumped the short-handed Arenas 9 to 3 to move into a first-place tie with the Express in the second-half standings. The contest was terminated after six stanzas owing to darkness. “Buck” Herzog pitched the full distance for the Granites and maintained his undefeated record. Errors put him in trouble in the early rounds but, during the final three, he had the first-half champions eating out of his hand. While Herzog was displaying excellent control throughout, Stainsby struggled with finding the strike zone, issuing six free passes and uncorking a wild pitch before getting the hook in the sixth. “Doc” Flanagan led the winners’ seven-hit attack with a double and single, which accounted for three RBI’s, while teammate Bert Hessian singled twice. Lawrie Cuthbert, with a couple of singles, had two of the five base hits acquired by the losers. 

Stainsby (L), Miller (6) and Ross
Herzog (W) and Singbush

(August 4)  Pinch-hitter Errol Gillis leaned into one of “Buster” Jones’ slants for a bases-empty round-tripper in the top-of-the-seventh and final inning to propel the Catholic Club past the Express by a 3 to 2 count in a darkness-shortened second-half event at Wesley Park. The victors unveiled a brand new battery in the Bouchard brothers. Winning tosser “Darky” Bouchard fashioned a five-hitter and whiffed seven in his mound debut. Jones, the losing chucker, was combed for nine safeties before being lifted in the final stanza in favor of Fred Brown. The Freighters jumped in front with single tallies in each of the first and second spasms. Tommy Shannon’s two-run single in the fourth frame evened the score and goose eggs followed until the four-ply clout by Gillis. Fred Flanagan and Bill Knight of the Clubbers as well as the Freighters’ Henry Dion and keystone sacker Gordon all cuffed two singles.

A. Bouchard (W) and J. Bouchard, Sheppard
Jones (L), Brown (7) and Mooney

(August 8)  Once again, the Arenas came through with a victory when it was most needed by defeating the Express 8 to 3 to move into the runner-up spot in the second-half race, right on the heels of the league-leading Granites. The Arenas never trailed after plating deuces in each of the first and second stanzas. Alex Ross started on the knoll for the victors and, although he yielded only one hit, was wild and got yanked after 3-1/3 innings with only one out and two aboard. Reliever Bert Stainsby settled things down and went the rest of the way to preserve the win. Fred Brown hurled for the Deliverymen and his curves were much to the liking of the Arenas who lit him up for 11 bingles. “Snake” Siddle , Lawrie Cuthbert, Art Frick and Johnny Dunbar each acquired two of those base raps with one of Siddle’s going for two bases. All four of the hits garnered by the Freighters were singles and no player had more than one.

Brown (L) and Mooney
Ross, Stainsby (W) (4) and May

(August 9)  In one of the best games played this season, the Catholic Club ousted the Granites from the top rung of the second-half series by registering a 3 to 2 victory over the Curlers. The loss for the Granites boosted the idle Arenas into first place. It was a nip-and-tuck affair with the final result in doubt until play terminated after seven innings due to darkness. The Clubbers obtained a two-run lead in the opening canto when Herb Foreman whacked the horsehide over the fence with Eddie Cass aboard. The Granites, who had a 7 to 6 edge in base raps, pushed hard but were never able to overcome the deficit although they made things uncomfortable for the Cee Cee’s in the final session. “Darky” Bouchard, the new recruit to the Catholic Club pitching staff, had the sign on the Curlers all the way. He pitched himself out of a jam in the fourth frame with minimal damage, allowing only one run. Oscar Wynant toiled on the hill for the Granites and, uncharacteristically, handed out six free passes, two of which turned into runs. One of those walks occurred with the bases loaded in the top-of-the-ninth panel. In arrears by a 3 to 1 count as they came to bat for the final time, the Curlers made a valiant effort, reducing their shortfall to a single tally on George Truscott’s RBI-single with one out but were unable to send Truscott home with the tying counter. Truscott had an earlier one-bagger and was the only player from either aggregation to pick up more than one base rap.

A. Bouchard (W) and Sheppard
Wynant (L) and Singbush

(August 10)  The Transconas tightened up the second-half pennant race by defeating the Arenas 3 to 1 at Wesley Park in a seven-inning encounter called on account of darkness. The ‘Sconas were out hit 8 to 4 but came up with blows when it counted more. After jumping in front 2 – 0 in the second session, the Railroaders stayed in front for good. Jack Hind fanned nine and held the first-half winners at bay when hits were needed. Bert Stainsby, who issued just one walk, was the hard-luck loser, falling prey to his teammates’ inability to hit in the clutch. Bill Siddle and Carson McVey of the vanquished nine carried off the batting honors, each spanking the horsehide for a brace of bingles. Siddle’s pair of swats were both doubles.

Stainsby (L) and Lloyd
Hind (W) and Perlman

(August 11)  The Granites regained the lead in the second-half standings when they mauled the Catholic Club 10 to 2 at Wesley Park. The Curlers put the game on ice by piling up six hits, mixed in with three errors by the Cee Cee’s, to run across eight tallies in the third inning. “Buck” Herzog maintained his winning record, holding the Clubbers to six hits, not more than one coming in any session. He also helped considerably with the hickory, registering two singles and a double. Sid May, whose temper got the best of him and led to his banishment from the game, was the loser. Catcher Stu Sheppard paced the Granites offensively with a two-bagger and single.

Herzog (W) and Singbush
May (L), A. Bouchard (7) and Sheppard

(August 13)  The Transconas maintained their slim chance of copping the second-half pennant by outlasting the Express 12 to 10  in a heavy-hitting, free-scoring affair at Wesley Park. From the third inning on when the Railroaders grabbed the lead with a five-run outburst, they stayed in front until the Freighters put up a five-spot in the seventh stanza to take over by a 10 to 9 count. The margin was short-lived, however, as Jim McCullough again turned the tables in favor of the ‘Sconas with a two-run homer in the top-of-the-eighth episode. Two more hits in that spasm produced an insurance counter. 27 base hits were garnered by the combatants, 16 of them by the winners. Gordie Caslake registered four of them including a home run and a double. McCullough blasted an earlier four-bagger to go along with his eighth-inning round-tripper. Clubmate Carson McVey also did well with the bludgeon, stroking three singles. Sam Perlman was best with the baton for the Deliverymen with a double and single. 

Hind, Nestor (W) (7) and Perlman
Jones, Brown (L) (4), Olien (8) and Mooney

(August 15)  The Catholic Club kept in the crowded running for the second-half pennant by shading the Arenas 6 to 5 in an exciting fixture at Wesley Park that was limited to eight full episodes because of darkness. Only two games now separate the entire five teams in the current standings. It was a see-saw affair with the issue in doubt until the last out occurred. The teams were locked in a 4 – 4 stalemate after seven complete stanzas. In the top-of-the-eighth and final panel, with darkness quickly creeping in, the Clubbers plated a deuce on an RBI-single by Tommy Shannon and an Arena fielding miscue. The Arenas threatened to pull the game out of the fire in their half of the canto, plating a singleton and having Bill Siddle on the paths with the potential equalizer but the rally fizzled out. Both pitchers of record, winner “Darky” Bouchard of the Cee Cee’s and Bert Stainsby of the Arenas, were touched up freely, particularly during the closing rounds. Siddle led all swatsmiths, albeit in a losing cause, with three hits, including a two-bagger, and two walks. Sid May poled out three base raps, all singles, for the winners while teammate Herb Foreman collected a brace of safeties. Art Frick laced out two healthy doubles for the Arenas while Johnny Dunbar singled twice.    

A. Bouchard (W) and Sheppard
Stainsby (L) and May

(August 16)  The Transconas and Catholic Club locked horns in a seven-inning, darkness-abbreviated clash at Wesley Park but no winner was declared as the teams battled to a 4 – 3 draw. The ’Sconas started off as if they would make short work of the Catholics by piling up four counters right out of the gate but their run-production ended right there and they were never a serous threat to score thereafter. The Clubbers got right back in the game when Errol Gillis launched a two-run homer in their first turn at bat. In the second panel, the Cee Cee’s plated another deuce to knot the count and that was the extent of the scoring. It was a rather odd game in that the Clubbers had a massive 11 to 2 edge in base hits yet the Railroaders fielded in errorless fashion while the Catholic Club made seven fielding miscues. Each side used two hurlers with Gordon Kaye, younger bother of the famous “Lefty”, starting on the mound for the Catholics. He yielded just one hit in the two innings he worked before Sid May took over. Vic Nestor and playing-manager Jake Morton shared hurling chores for the Transconas. Gillis added two singles to his four-ply clout while teammates Eddie Cass and Herb Foreman added a brace of bingles each with a double included in Foreman’s total of hits. 

Nestor, Morton (2) and Perlman
Kaye, May (3) and Sheppard

(August 17)  Adding more suspense to the already crowded second-half pennant race, the Express stepped out and sprung a 6 to 2 victory over the league-leading Granites to give the idle Catholic Club squad a share of the top rung. The hostilities ended after eight episodes of action when darkness enveloped the skies. In arrears by a 2 – 0 count entering the bottom-of-the-seventh spasm, playing-manager Gordon Hudson placed his Granites on level terms with a two-run homer. However, just when the Curlers were beginning to think that they had staved off defeat, Pat Cann of the Express upset things with a timely triple that drove in two counters. Cann then scored himself a moment later to give the Deliverymen a three-run bulge. The Freighters deserved the victory as they out hit their opponents 11 to 5 and made one error while the Granites had three misplays chalked up against them. Winning heaver Fred Brown and Oscar Wynant of the Curlers opposed each other on the mound. Batting honors were carried off by Frank Guarnera, Cann and Hudson who each drove in a pair of runs. Guarnera, along with Art Phillips and second baseman Tommy Gordon, each registered a brace of hits for the victors. 

Brown (W) and Mooney
Wynant (L) and Singbush

(August 18)  The Catholic Club diamond pastimers broke up the Senior Amateur League second-half pennant race to a certain extent by defeating Transcona 8 to 3 to all but eliminate the ‘Sconas from contention. The win for the Clubbers moved them into the front-running position, a half-game in front of the Granites. The Railroad Towners, who had been going nicely of late, had a complete meltdown defensively in this outing, booting the ball seven times. The Cee Cee’s, with a 9 to 5 advantage in base knocks, had the game in hand all the way. “Darky” Bouchard notched another pitching win for the Catholics, walking just three, while Transcona starter Jack Hind was tagged with the setback. Stu Sheppard poled three opportune hits, two singles and a double, for the winners, driving in four runs. Bouchard helped his own cause with a double and one-bagger while Fred Flanagan delivered a brace of one-base hits. Jim McCullough of the vanquished nine lit up Bouchard for a solo four-bagger while clubmate Ward McVey singled twice.

A. Bouchard (W) and Sheppard
Hind (L), Nestor (8) and Perlman

(August 19)  The Granites completely eliminated Transcona from the second-half pennant picture and advanced into a tie for top spot with the Catholic Club by beating the Railroaders 9 to 2. Play terminated after the sixth inning at Wesley Park owing to darkness. The Curlers, outswatted by a 9 to 8 margin, bunched their bingles effectively and parlayed their timely hits with the wildness exhibited by the Transcona slabsters to cop the decisive victory. “Buck” Herzog maintained his unbeaten streak on the knoll for the Granites this season in going the route. The ‘Sconas trotted out four heavers in the abbreviated event, two of whom including the starter and loser Roberts, were making their debut in the circuit. Ron Singbush doubled and singled for the winners while Mike Goodman banged out a brace of one-base raps. Carson McVey slugged a solo round-tripper for the losers while Gord Caslake registered a double and single. 

Herzog (W) and Singbush
Roberts (L), Morton (4), Nestor (4), Atkins (5) and Perlman

(August 20)  In a do-or-die clash for both aggregations, the Express ousted the Arenas from the struggle for the second-half championship with a 7 to 4 conquest of the first-half winners. Despite the 20 hits procured by the combatants, 11 stroked by the Arenas, it was a fast-paced game in which the Freighters successfully bunched a bevy of bingles in the fourth and fifth frames to pin the loss on Arena starter Alex Ross. Fred Brown hurled for the Deliverymen and was touched up freely but solid defensive support helped him to pull through.  Flychaser Frank Guarnera had an RBI-single in the fourth and a two-run triple in the fifth for the victors. Bert Lloyd doubled and singled for the Arenas. Coming through with a pair of singles for the Express were Art Phillips and Nelson Mooney while Gerald Mooney, Herb May and shortstop Johnny Dunbar replicated the output for the losing nine.

Ross (L), Borwick (5) and May
Brown (W) and Mooney 

(August 22)  The Transconas proved to be spoilers in the Granites’ quest for the second-half pennant when they bounced the Curlers 6 to 1 in a tilt limited to eight innings because of darkness at Wesley Park, relegating the losers from a tie for top spot into co-runners-up with the Catholic Club. Skipper Jack Morton nominated himself to ascend the bump and put a stop to the Granites’ march toward the flag and he succeeded with no small amount of success, limiting the Curlers to just three hits, two of which were of the scratchy variety. Morton also had success from the batter’s box, punching out a double and single to head the ‘Sconas’ seven-hit offense. Losing chucker Oscar Wynant had the Indian sign over the Railroaders in the early rounds, allowing only one hit during the first five frames. He weakened considerably in the sixth, however, when the winners ran across a trey, compliments of a three-run homer by Carson McVey, and continued his meltdown in the seventh, when he was given the hook in the midst on another three-spot by Transcona. “Doc” Flanagan doubled to score Tommy Hood with the lone counter for the Curlers in the seventh spasm. 

Morton (W) and McPhail
Wynant, Herzog (7) and Singbush

(August 23)  For the second evening in succession, the lame-duck Transcona outfit put a crimp in the plan’s of a second-half pennant contender when they clipped the Catholic Club 5 to 3 in a darkness-abbreviated, seven-stanza encounter at Wesley Park. The twin-successes of the ‘Sconas have caused a three-cornered tie for top spot between the Express, Catholic Club and Granites, each having 6 – 5 won-loss records. Jack Hind pitched a solid game for the Railroaders, striking out 12 and walking three while fashioning a three-hitter. Sid May started on the hill for the Clubbers but his offerings were pounded freely and he turned the horsehide over to reliever “Darky” Bouchard with two retired in the second stanza. Transcona’s Carson McVey was the hitting star of the game, registering a home run and two smashing singles. Ward McVey followed with a triple and single while Gord Caslake delivered a brace of one-base knocks.

Hind (W) and McPhail, Perlman
May (L), A. Bouchard (2) and Sheppard

(August 24)  The Catholic Club band of baseballers shattered the second-half pennant aspirations of the Express at Wesley Park when they chalked up a 6 to 2 victory over the Deliverymen. This game, like many others of late, was called because of darkness and ended after seven rounds of play. The Freighters started strong by scoring their only tallies in the top-of-the-opening panel on Nelson Mooney’s two-run double but the Cee Cee’s came right back and knotted the count in their half of the canto when Herb Foreman launched a circuit-clout with Eddie Cass aboard. No further scoring occurred until the seventh and final chapter when Eddie Cass of the Clubbers lit up losing chucker Fred Brown for a solo round-tripper. The four-ply blast noticeably unnerved Brown and three more runners crossed the plate, including a theft of home by Foreman, before the side was retired and the game called. “Darky” Bouchard, the Catholic Club hurler, pitched a stellar game to cop the win with a four-hit performance. He was surprisingly strong considering that he had tossed 4-2/3 innings of relief just the night previous. Cass, Foreman and Stu Sheppard all had two safeties as part of the winners’ ten-hit offense.  

Brown (L) and Mooney
Bouchard (W) and Sheppard

(August 25)  The Granites and Catholic Club will clash in a best-of-three tie-breaker to decide the second-half pennant winner in the Winnipeg Senior Amateur Baseball League. This was decided when the Curlers defeated the Arenas 6 to 1 in the final game of the schedule. Although the game didn’t mean anything to the Arenas, they put up a hard fight and were locked in a 1 – 1 stalemate until the sixth stanza of the seven-inning encounter when they went to pieces as the Granites chalked up five counters to put the game on ice. Buckley Herzog, the Granites’ stellar hurler, maintained his undefeated record by holding the first-half champions to five well-scattered hits. The lone tally scored against him came as a result of an error. “Slim” Borwick pitched a decent game for the Arenas, surrendering eight safeties while yielding only one earned run, but received wretched defensive support. Mike Goodman and “Doc” Flanagan of the triumphant Express each stroked two singles as did Herb May of the Arenas.

Herzog (W) and Singbush
Borwick (L) and May

SECOND-HALF SERIES
FINAL STANDINGS              W      L      Pct.    GBL
Granites                     7      5     .583     ----    
Catholic Club                7      5     .583     ----   
Dominion Express             6      6     .500     1.0   
Arenas                       5      7     .417     2.0
Transcona                    5      7     .417     2.0

SECOND-HALF SERIES TIE-BREAKER  Granites vs Catholic Club  (best-of-three series)

(August 29)  Before more than 3,500 spectators at Wesley Park, the Catholic Club registered the first victory in the best-of-three series with the Granites for the second-half championship of the Senior Amateur Baseball League. The final score in the contest, terminated prematurely after eight episodes with darkness enveloping the skies, was 6 to 1 for the Clubbers. It was a great battle for seven stanzas but, in the top-of-the-eighth and final round, the Cee Cee’s pretty well put a bow on it when they adorned the scoreboard with a three-spot.  With a pair of undefeated hurlers, “Darky” Bouchard of the Catholics and “Buck” Herzog of Granite fame opposing each other on the knoll, fan interest was high. Both heavers were difficult to hit, Bouchard only yielding three scattered blows while Herzog allowed just four base raps. The Granite slabster, however, lost out because he lacked consistent control while his mound foe was steady as a clock. The Curlers plated their only counter in the initial round on “Doc” Flanagan’s RBI-single. Held scoreless for four frames, the Clubbers evened the score in the fifth on a sacrifice fly and then jumped into the lead in the sixth when two runners were forced in as Herzog issued a bases-loaded walk and hit a batter. The winners added three more in the eighth without benefit of a hit as three errors and a wild pitch did the Curlers in. Eddie Cass of the victorious nine had a pair of singles and was the only batter to in the contest to register plural hit figures.  

Bouchard (W) and Sheppard
Herzog (L) and Singbush

(August 30)  The Catholic Club baseballers are the champions of the second-half of the Senior Amateur Baseball League and will meet the Arenas in a best-of-seven final series. The Clubbers demonstrated their superiority over the Granites in no small manner when they took the Curlers into camp to the tune of 13 to 2 in an abbreviated seven-inning, darkness-terminated affair to sweep their tie-breaker series in two straight games. Sterling pitching by Sid May, hard and timely walloping of the horsehide against two Granite heavers and loose defensive play by the opposition enabled the Catholics to win with ease. The direction that the contest was about to follow appeared in the opening panel when the Cee Cees chased across five markers. Granite starter Oscar Wynant was the victim of numerous bobbles behind him and was yanked in the fourth frame after eight runs had been rang up by the fast-travelling Clubbers. Buckley Herzog took up the burden and, for a few rounds, got away nicely but the strain of two night’s hard work started to tell and he was slammed rather severely towards the end. Winning twirler Sid May was in fine fettle, allowing but three hits and only one solid blow, that being a screeching bases-empty four-bagger by “Doc”Flanagan in the final stanza when the game was well out of reach for the vanquished nine. Mike Goodman was credited with the other pair, both being somewhat scratchy. Outfielder Errol Gillis was the top willow wielder for the victors, slamming three of his team’s 12 base blow, one of which was a two-run round-tripper in the sixth. Herb Foreman contributed a double and single while third sacker Morgan came through with a brace of one-base hits.  

Wynant (L), Herzog (4) and Singbush
May (W) and Sheppard

OVERALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP  Arenas – first series winners vs Catholic Club – second series champions  (best-of-seven series)

(September 1)  The Arenas, uncovering their first-half series form, took the lead in the league championship finals when they defeated the Catholic Club 5 to 3. The Arenas obtained an early lead and, by the end of six spasms, had run the score up to 5 – 0, but the Clubbers finished well and, by running across three counters in the late stages, added a lot of life to the game which kept the 3,000 fans on edge until the final out had been made. The real difference between the rivals was in the pitching. “Darky” Bouchard, the Catholic Club slab artist who had been hitherto undefeated in local play, wasn’t up to his usual form while veteran Bert Stainsby, displaying much better control than Bouchard, was at his best for the first six rounds when he didn’t allow a solitary hit. After weakening slightly in the seventh and eighth, Stainsby finished strong and wrapped things up with a four-hitter. His presence was felt at the plate as well as he clubbed a triple and a single. Bouchard was nicked for six of the seven Arena safeties before being yanked for Gordon Kaye in the eighth episode.  

A. Bouchard (L), Kaye (8) and Sheppard
Stainsby (W) and May

(September 3)  Hammering the offerings of starter and loser Sid May and a ninth-inning reliever for 15 base blows, the Arenas ran roughshod over the Catholic Club to to tune of 16 to 3 to grab a two-game advantage in the championship series. The 3,000 fans on hand at Wesley Park witnessed an interesting battle for the first five innings. The Clubbers plated singletons in each of the first and second stanzas. The Arenas came back with a trey in their half of the second, added another counter in the fifth and then took firm control of things with another three-spot in the sixth, highlighted by winning pitcher “Slim” Borwick’s two-run homer. The Cee Cee’s reduced the deficit slightly with seventh-spasm tally but the situation degenerated into a total fiasco in the top-of-the-ninth when May’s offerings were clubbed all over the lot as the Arenas ran across nine additional tallies. Borwick fanned six, walked three and surrendered eight hits in copping the easy victory. His mates helped out defensively in the sixth stanza when they pulled off a triple play. “Snake” Siddle and Art Frick both laced three singles for the winners while Johnny Dunbar registered a triple and one-bagger. 

Borwick (W) and H. May
S. May (L), Shannon (9) and Sheppard

(September 5)  The Arenas took a three-games-to-one stranglehold on the championship of the Senior Amateur Baseball League by splitting the proceeds of their Labor Day playoff doubleheader with the Catholic Club. The Catholics were unfortunate in not annexing both holiday contests as they out hit the first-half winners by wide margins each time and put up just as strong a defensive game. After a heartbreaking 3 to 2 loss in the morning curtain-raiser, the Clubbers fought harder than ever in the follow-up afternoon match and chalked up a 5 to 0 victory.  “Darky” Bouchard, the sterling Cee Cee slab artist, put on an ironman performance by pitching both games against the Arenas.

Bouchard fanned eight and limited the Arenas to just four hits, three of them off the bat of “Snake” Siddle, and one walk in the matinee event but lost when Siddle lit into one of his curves for a three-run walkoff homer in the bottom-of-the-ninth round, wiping out a 2 – 0 Clubber lead. The Catholics had forged ahead with an unearned fourth-frame counter when losing heaver Bert Stainsby pegged high to first base after fielding Stu Sheppard’s dribbler down the third-base line, allowing Bill Knight to score from second base. Errol Gillis singled in the eighth episode to drive in Eddie Cass with a second Cee Cee tally. Then came the ninth and Siddle’s heroics, preceded by a single, Bouchard’s reciprocal throwing error to the initial sack and a fielder’s choice out at the plate. Knight had three of the eight hits attained by the Clubbers while Gillis registered a pair. 

A. Bouchard (L) and Sheppard
Stainsby (W) and May

In the afternoon fracas, with elimination staring the Clubbers in the face, Bouchard was once again sent to the mound and performed better than ever, holding the opposition to only two hits, walking none while punching out seven. He faced only 30 Arena batters, three over the minimum, in chalking up the shutout triumph. The Arenas started Dave Miller on the hill but his offerings were raw meat for the Cee Cee’s and, after five runs had crossed the platter in the fourth frame, he was yanked and replaced by Alex Ross who pitched well the rest of the way. The victors bunched run-scoring hits by Gillis, Knight, Bouchard and Fred Flanagan, along with a wild pitch, to secure their five-spot in the fourth. Flanagan and Bouchard both had a brace of bingles in the winning effort with a two-bagger included in Flanagan’s sum of swats.   

Miller (L), Ross (4) and May
Bouchard (W) and Sheppard

(September 7)  The Arenas were out at Wesley Park for what they thought was the scheduled fifth game of the Senior Amateur League finals and, after the Catholic Club failed to appear, demanded that they be declared 1921 champions. Apparently not informed about a change to September 8 for this clash, a move approved by the league president, the first-half winners were angered and vowed not to play any further games.

(September 8)  The squabble relating to the fifth game of the league finals was not resolved following an executive meeting of the Winnipeg Senior Amateur Baseball League. With neither side willing to bend, it appears that the season is over.

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WESTERN MANITOBA SENIOR BASEBALL

Semi-pro baseball, in the form of the Western Manitoba Baseball League, graced the diamonds of four communities in the western part of the province in 1921. Each team was assigned 12 league games but it doesn’t appear this commitment was fulfilled. The circuit’s strongest entry, the Brandon Greys, played numerous exhibition games against American opposition, other western Manitoba independent clubs and teams from the Winnipeg Senior Amateur Baseball League.

WESTERN MANITOBA BASEBALL LEAGUE                      

Brandon Greys
Deloraine
Hartney
Souris

(May 31)  With eight fielding miscues plaguing their performance, the Souris band of baseballers were roughed up to the tune of 8 to 1 by the visiting Brandon Greys. It was the second league win in succession for the Greys who opened the Western Manitoba Baseball League campaign by bouncing Deloraine 7 – 2 on May 30. Both losing heaver Early, chucking for Souris, and winning tosser Frank Lutes pitched well for their respective teams. Each slabster surrendered just five safeties as Lutes received almost flawless support from his mates. Lutes, a graduate of Brandon’s City Baseball League, walked three and fanned an equal number while Early, who hurled last season for Virden, issued only two free passes and punched out six. With the two twirlers having it over the batters, the game result was decided by the defensive play of the fielders. Shortpatcher Davidson of Souris had three of his club’s five base raps and stole two bases but his performance with the glove was a letdown. Hot corner custodian Alex Falconer of the Wheat City brigade, with a double and single, was the only other batter in the game to pick up more than on hit.  

Lutes (W) and Cochlan
Early(L) and McDougall

(June 17)  The undefeated Brandon Greys took a tighter hold on the Western League leadership when the defeated the fast Deloraine team on their home grounds 5 to 4. Both teams had seven hits in the eight-inning contest, ended early because of darkness. Southpaw “Happy” Cornell was on the firing line for the Wheat City aggregation and came through in fine style. The Deloraine batters had difficulty with his offerings until late in the game when the diminishing illumination prevented the Brandon outfielders from seeing the fly balls. In the eighth and final canto, Deloraine rebounded from a 5 – 1 deficit and chased over three runs. With the tying counter perched at third base, Cecil Carey who had been behind the plate in place of regular catcher Harvey Cochlan who did not make the trip, shed the mask, belly pad and shin guards and ascended the hillock in relief. Carey then proceeded to whiff the next two batters to end the game. A bases-loaded triple by the Greys’ “Nip” Wilkinson in the sixth spasm off was the most crucial hit of the game. Portsider Bill Lesher, late of the Moose Jaw Millers of the Western Canada League, was tagged with the loss.

Cornell (W), Carey (8) and Carey, Chabot (8)
Lesher (L) and Lawrence

(July 6)  The Hartney diamond pastimers, backed by the solid pitching of Reg D’Arcy, administered a 7 to 3 setback to the Brandon Greys, the first Western League defeat for the Wheat City nine this season. They Greys outhit the visitors 8 to 7 but generally weren’t able to connect for safeties in the clutch. D’Arcy, the fireballing hired gun from Fort William who had 17 strikeouts against Deloraine recently, fanned 13 Brandonites in copping the complete-game victory over portsider “Harry” Cornell. It was a four-run outburst for Hartney in the top-of-the-ninth canto that turned the result around. Four solid blows by the winners in the ninth, coupled with a brace of Brandon bobbles, spelled disaster for Cornell and his mates. Catcher Graham and flychaser Breen both had key two-RBI hits in the winning surge.  

D’Arcy (W) and Graham
Cornell (L) and Cochlan

(July 19)   With winning tosser Howard Crawford limiting the opposition to just two singles, one of them of the scratchy variety, the Brandon Greys crept closer to clinching the Western Manitoba Baseball League pennant by downing the hometown Deloraine nine 3 to 1. Crawford, with a dozen strikeouts to his credit, and former Moose Jaw Miller Merle Ault, who rang up 11 punchouts, locked horns in a duel that was nip-and-tuck all the way although the visiting Greys had a decided edge in base hits, combing Ault for nine safeties. Bill Borland, who started the season with the Winnipeg Arenas, drove in the first two Brandon tallies with a third-inning double. The hosts got one back, albeit an unearned one, in their half of the panel. Crawford singled in the ninth to plate McNeill with an insurance run for the victors. Cecil Carey of the Greys, with three singles, was the game’s top hitter.   

Crawford (W) and Cochlan
Ault (L) and Hagan

STANDINGS            W     L      T     Pct.
Brandon              5     2      1    .714
Deloraine            4     4      0    .500
Hartney              3     4      2    .429
Souris               1     3      1    .250

POST-SEASON EXHIBITION GAME

(September 9)  The Brandon Greys manhandled a group of select players from Winnipeg, the majority from the city’s Senior Amateur Baseball League, by a score of 8 to 0 in a five-inning exhibition tilt staged at Wesley Park in the Capital city. The game was hardly up to expectations as the Winnipeggers, with five of their key players (Pat Cann, Herb Foreman, “Doc” Flanagan, Bill Knight and “Snake” Siddle) opting out, fared poorly in the abbreviated event, failing to secure even one base hit against the nine-strikeout pitching of Brandon chucker Ted Meredith. On the other hand, George “Lefty” Kaye, back in the Manitoba capital after a season as a hired gun with Yorkton, was hit rather freely during his four-inning stint on the mound. Every player in the Brandon lineup, with the exception of slabster Meredith, contributed at least one safe swat to the ten-hit attack. “Nip” Wilkinson and Jimmy Gibson both had a couple of singles while Lorne Chabot went long distance with a three-run circuit-clout. 

Meredith (W) and Cochlan
G. (Lefty) Kaye (L), Herzog (5) and Perlman

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BRANDON CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE

A four-team city league also was operational in Brandon during the 1921 season. A few of the players from this circuit played intermittently with the Greys of the Western Manitoba loop.

C.N.R. *
Cubs
Maroons
Senators *

* co-leader of first-half of schedule

No indication that second-half of schedule was played

 

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