SASKATOON & DISTRICT LEAGUE
(May 20) The 1948 Saskatoon & District Baseball League got underway with the two Saskatoon clubs, the Legion and the Cubs, battling to a 5 - 5 draw in a game called after 9 innings because of darkness. The Cubbies rolled out to an early 4 - 0 lead while the Legion boys tallied their first counter on a Don McIntyre home run in the second frame. The Cubs never trailed their intra-city rivals and the Legion came from behind to tie the count in the 6th. Neither club threatened after that and darkness prevented the teams from going into extra innings. Legion first sacker Cal Mills led all swatters with three hits. Arnold Johnson of the Cubs had a brace of safeties.
Mitchelmore, Falk (4) and Dubyk
Grossman, Currie (4), Jones (7) and Sasseville
(May 24) The defending champion Delisle Commodores whipped the Saskatoon Legion 16 - 7 in the second game of a doubleheader after settling for a 4 - 4 tie in the opener.
In the early encounter, both chuckers Johnny Maroniuk of the Commodores and Stan "Lefty" Currie of the Legion pitched superb games with Delisle out-hitting their Saskatoon hosts by a 7 - 4 count. Maroniuk struck out 13 and Currie whiffed 11. Doug Bentley had three hits for Delisle. Outfielder Bill Novak had a triple for the Legion.
Maroniuk and Reg Bentley
Currie and Sasseville
The Delisle bats were clicking on all counts in the evening tilt. Doug Bentley hit for the cycle off loser Johnny Grossman while sibling Max slammed a triple, double and single and lacked only a four-bagger to equal his older brother's output. Bert Olmstead struck out nine in picking up the complete game win.
Olmstead (W) and Dubyk
Grossman (L) and Sasseville
(May 25) The Viscount Royals introduction and initiation into the Saskatoon & District Baseball League was made miserable by the host Saskatoon Cubs who handed the visitors a 10 - 6 pasting in a loosely played contest. The Baby Bears put the game away early, scoring 9 of their runs in the first two stanzas. The Royals managed only four hits off a quartet of Cubs' chuckers. Catcher Mike Dubyk led the Hub City nine-hit attack with three hits including a double while teammate Arnold Johnson slammed out a brace of safeties. The game ended after the Royals completed their turn at bat in the 7th when darkness set in.
T. Senko (L), Chernishenko (6) and Sipko
Carlson (W), Mitchelmore, Corbin, Falk and Dubyk
(May 27) The Colonsay Monarchs made their initial appearance at Cairns Field and were pasted by the Saskatoon Legion 12 - 3. Three Colonsay pitchers were used and the entire trio was mauled by their hosts. Loser Johnny Folk gave up 7 runs before being lifted. Ben Jones picked up the win with a five-hit performance. Cal Mills of the Legion was the hitting star with three raps in four trips. Bill Novak, Bobby Sasseville and _____ Mitchell clicked for two apiece as did Ed Nalywako of the Monarchs.
J. Folk (L), Coffin (6), Sanders (6) and Hanson
Jones (W) and Sasseville
(May 29) The North Battleford Beavers got away to a flying start in their Saskatoon & District Baseball League debut as they took out the Saskatoon Legion by a 6 - 2 count in the opener of a weekend series. Lefty Arnold, in relief of Les Dean, was the winning pitcher as the Beavers out-hit the Legion 10 - 9. Saskatoon starter Stan "Lefty" Currie took the loss. Bobby Sasseville clouted a four-bagger for the Legion in a losing cause. Matt Meredith of the Beavers had two hits including a double. Cal Mills slashed out a triple for Saskatoon while teammate Gordie Howe contributed a double.
Currie (L), Matchett (7) and Sasseville
L. Dean (W), Arnold (3) and Meredith
(May 30) The Delisle Commodores staged a bit of a massacre in Saskatoon as the local Cubs wound up on the short end of a 12 - 4 count. The Commodores cranked out 16 safeties off loser Eric Falk and reliever Slim Burke. Bert Olmstead led the way with two triples and two singles in 6 trips. Max Bentley had a triple and two singles in 6 at-bats while Doug and Bev Bentley each hit safely twice. Starting hurler Johnny Maroniuk picked up the pitching victory. Catcher Mike Dubyk had three hits for the Bruins.
Maroniuk (W), Yaroscho and Patterson
Falk (L), Bruce and Dubyk
(May 30) The North Battleford Beavers completed a sweep of their weekend series with the Saskatoon Legion by hammering the Hub City crew 11 - 6. The Beavers pounded out 15 hits off loser Ben Jones and reliever Jack Matchett. George Taylor was the complete game winner for the Dam Builders. Roy Dean and Pete Prediger had triples for the winners.
Jones (L), Matchett (5) and Sasseville
Taylor (W) and Prediger
(June 1) Legion baseballers marked up their second victory in Saskatoon and District play by defeating the Viscount Royals 10 - 3. The Royals made a real battle of it for six frames but erratic fielding in the 7th and 8th innings was their undoing. Jack Matchett hurled six innings in posting the triumph. Loser ______ Chabot was replaced on the hill in the 8th. Gordie Howe was the Legion batting star with three hits in four trips. Jack Turner, Alex Sirota and Chabot each had a pair of hits for Viscount.
Chabot (L), Senko (8) and Sirota
Matchett (W), Currie (7) and Sasseville
(June 3) A three-run rally in the 2nd frame served to propel the Saskatoon Cubs to a 4 - 2 win over the North Battleford Beavers. Saskatoon's Les Farthing got the pitching decision over the Beavers' Ken Grasby. Both chuckers turned in complete game performances. Jerry Webster and Dunc McKay paced the Bridge City boys offensively with a brace of raps apiece, one of Webster's being a bases-empty circuit clout.
Grasby (L) and Meredith
Farthing (W) and McKay
(June 3) Johnny Folk held Viscount to two hits as the Colonsay Monarchs rolled over the Royals by an 8 - 2 score. The Monarchs had 9 base blows off ______ Chabot, the Viscount hurler.
Chabot (L) and xxxx
J. Folk (W) and xxxx
(June 6) The Delisle Commodores and North Battleford Beavers split a Sunday doubleheader as the Commodores scored a 6 - 3 win in the opener while the Beavers prevailed by a 13 - 9 count in the finale.
In the game 1 tussle, Johnny Maroniuk of Delisle struck out 9 to get the complete game win over Lefty Arnold. Dick Butler of the Delisle crew and Elton Dean of the Beavers both had homers.
Arnold (L) and Meredith
Maroniuk (W) and Scissons
The follow-up joust was one of extra-base wallops with North Battleford bats connecting more often than their hosts. The Beavers collected 17 hits off Delisle chuckers Max Bentley and losing pitcher Bert Olmstead. Les Dean, in relief of George Taylor, got the win as the tandem surrendered 12 safeties to the Gems. Taylor also led the winners at the dish going 4 for 5 while fellow Beavers' Elton Dean and Don Leask had a pair of hits each as did Doug Bentley of the Gems. Chief extra-base swat artists were Olmstead with a circuit clout, Dick Butler and Doug Bentley with triples and Roy Dean with two doubles.
Taylor, L. Dean (3) (W) and Meredith
M. Bentley, Olmstead (5) (L) and Shirley
(June 6) A clutch two-out home run in the bottom of the 9th inning by Arnold Johnson lifted the Saskatoon Cubs to a 3 - 2 victory over the Colonsay Monarchs. The Cubs fell behind 2 - 0 in the initial frame as winning pitcher Eric Falk surrendered back-to-back doubles to the Monarch's Roy Moldenhauer and Ed Nalywako. From then on, Falk was in complete control and surrendered but two hits in the remaining 8 frames.
Smith (L) and Hanson
Falk (W) and McKay
(June 8) The Delisle Commodores packed away a 7 - 1 victory over the Saskatoon Legion, a win which kept the Goose Lakers in a first place deadlock with the Saskatoon Cubs. Delisle had only a 1 - 0 lead until the 7th but 6 more tallies in the final three frames put the game on ice for winning pitcher Johnny Maroniuk who tossed a four-hitter. Legion starter Jack Matchett was hit with the loss. Shortstop Emile Francis had a trio of raps for the winners including a double. Doug and Max Bentley as well as Dick Butler and ______ Scissons each picked up a pair.
Maroniuk (W) and Scissons, Shirley (8)
Matchett (L), Jones (6) and Sasseville
(June 13) The Saskatoon Cubs overcame a 7 - 3 deficit by scoring five times in the 7th inning to edge their crosstown rivals, the Saskatoon Legion, by an 8 - 7 score. Legion starter Percy Booker left the hill after six innings with a four-run cushion but his replacements let the lead fritter away. Reliever Ben Jones, the third Cub hurler, was saddled with the loss. Les Farthing got the win, also in relief. Bill Novak and Jack Matchett of the Legion club were the hitting stars, each with three hits. One of Novak's blasts was a 6th inning bases-empty homer.
Booker, Currie (7), Jones (7) (L), Matchett (7) and Sasseville
Falk, Farthing (5) (W) and McKay
(June 13) The North Battleford Beavers took a pair of games from the visiting Colonsay Monarchs by scores of 5 - 3 and 9 - 6 to move into second place in the Saskatoon & District Baseball League. Including both games, the Beavers' Roy Dean collected 6 hits in 8 times at bat while Ed Nalywako with five hits in 8 tries was the best Colonsay hitter. Scoring single tallies in the 7th and 8th innings of the opener, the Beavers broke up a tie game. Roy Dean paced the North Battleford offense, slamming a pair of homers off loser Johnny Folk. Dave Chase of the Beavers had a brace of safeties as did Lowell Hanson, Paul Hrynkiw and Ed Nalywako of the Regals. Lefty Arnold struck out 11 in posting the win.
J. Folk (L) and Hanson
Arnold (W) and Meredith
In the late game, the Beavers never trailed as Roy Dean had four hits including his third home run of the day, in support of brother Les. North Battleford's Don Leask followed with a trio of safeties. Tony Folk suffered the same fate as his brother Johnny had in the matinee and was pinned with the defeat in the nightcap event. Ed Nalywako and Don Leigh led the Monarchs' offensively as they each hit safely three times.
T. Folk (L), Smith (8) and Hanson
L. Dean (W) and Meredith
(June 15) The Legion of Saskatoon scored four big tallies in the first frame and never trailed as they hung a 6 - 2 defeat on the visiting North Battleford Beavers. Jack Matchett got the win over North Battleford's George Taylor. Roy Dean of the Beavers continued his recent power surge by connecting for a home run, his 4th in three games. The Beavers out-hit their hosts 8 - 5.
Taylor (L) and Meredith
Matchett (W) and Sasseville
(June 19) The Viscount Royals and Delisle Commodores split a doubleheader in Delisle with the hometown Commodores taking the first game by a 7 - 2 count while Viscount roared back to capture the second encounter 9 - 8.
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(June 20) The North Battleford Beavers packed away a pair of victories by taking down the Saskatoon Cubs 15 - 6 and 8 - 7 in a Sunday twin bill. The slugging ace of the Beavers, Roy Dean, continued his home run hitting streak by banging out a circuit clout in each game. North Battleford hurler Lefty Arnold was given credit for both victories. He worked 6 innings in the lid-lifter and three innings in the owl encounter which went 12 innings.
The opener was never in doubt as the Beavers roared out of the gate and had an 8 - 1 lead after three stanzas. Catcher Matt Meredith led the winners at the dish with a 5 for 6 performance. Dean picked up a double to go along with his four-bagger.
Farthing (L), Dawes (3), Corbin (4) and McKay
Arnold (W), Taylor (7) and Meredith
The Cubbies held the upper hand in the second game and had a 7 - 3 lead in the 9th when Roy Dean clubbed a grand slam shot to tie the score. Dean then delivered a 12th inning RBI single to seal the victory. Dunc McKay and _____ Hagel both had four hits in a losing cause for the Hub City nine, with Hagel's total encompassing a home run and triple.
Farthing, Dawes (9) (L) and McKay
L. Dean, Arnold (10) (W) and Meredith
(June 20) Percy Booker faced the minimum 27 batters and threw a perfect game as the Saskatoon Legion of the Saskatoon & District Baseball League completely overwhelmed a team from Grasswood by a 13 - 0 blowout in an exhibition game. Not a single batter reached first base for the overmatched visitors as Booker retired the side one-two-three in every inning. Jack Matchett homered for the Legion.
Hamre (L), Singler (7) and Laing
Booker (W) and Sasseville
(June 21) The Colonsay Monarchs came to town and dropped the hometown Viscount Royals 7 - 1 in Saskatoon & District Baseball League action. Johnny Folk struck out 12 and gave up five hits in hurling the win for Colonsay. _____ Willis of the Royals gave up 12 hits in taking the loss.
J. Folk (W) and xxxx
Willis (L) and xxxx
(June 22) The Colonsay Monarchs jumped into a third place tie with the Saskatoon Cubs when they dropped the Saskatoon Legion 3 - 1 with a top of the 9th rally. The Legion club had held a 1 - 0 lead all the way from the 2nd frame. Winning pitcher Tony Folk lined a 9th inning single up the middle to drive in two runs. Another marker, this one unearned, followed and ended the scoring. Johnny Folk and Reg Pendleton of the Monarchs as well as Bobby Sasseville and Bill Novak of the hosts all had two hits.
T. Folk (W) and Hanson
Currie (L) and Sasseville
(June 28) In a re-scheduled game at Delisle from a previous postponement, the Commodores defeated the Saskatoon Legion by a score of 11 - 6. Lefty Currie went the distance for the Legion while Bert Olmstead and John Yaroscho shared pitching duties for Delisle. Bev Bentley and Olmstead hit four-baggers for the Navy Skippers during the battle.
Currie (L) and xxxx
Olmstead (W), Yaroscho and xxxx
(June 29) Bobby Sasseville's bottom of the 10th inning single plated Jack Matchett with the winning tally as the Saskatoon Legion edged the Saskatoon Cubs 4 - 3. In this contest, Sasseville and Cubs' backstop Dunc McKay led their respective clubs offensively and were the only batters with two hits.
Hamre (L) and McKay
Matchett (W) and Sasseville
(July 6) An all-star squad composed of players from the Cubs and Legion in the Saskatoon & District Baseball League put on a fine display to chalk up a 6 - 1 victory over the touring Muskogee Cardinals in an exhibition game before 3,000 fans. Arnold Johnston, Dunc McKay and Bobby Sasseville collected two hits each for the Hub City congregation.
Wolsley and T. Taylor
Jones (W), Currie (4), Hamre (8) and Dubyk, Sasseville (6)
(July 8) Errors were nearly as plentiful as hits as the Saskatoon Legion posted an unimpressive 13 - 4 verdict over the Viscount Royals in Saskatoon & District baseball League play. Six Viscount muffs played their part in the scoring. Not to be out-done, the Legion boys booted the ball eight times. In spite of the anemic fielding, Legion hurler Johnny Grossman limited the Royals to six hits in picking up the win over Ted Senko. Jack Matchett had a triple and double for the winners. Grossman also poked out two safeties, one being a double.
T. Senko (L), Sirota (6) and Turner
Grossman (W) and Sasseville
(July 10) The Colonsay Monarchs defeated the Saskatoon Cubs 3 - 2 as Tony Folk whiffed six Cub batters in taking the pitching victory in the first of a two-game home and home weekend series.
Green (L) and McKay
T. Folk (W) and Hansen
(July 10) The Saskatoon Legion were edged by the home team Viscount Royals 3 - 2 as the cellar-dwelling Royals won for only the third time this campaign. The Legion led 2 - 0 but Viscount came from behind with a pair in the 5th and a single marker in the 6th to snatch the win.
Stephenson (L) and Sasseville
Davis (W) and Turner
(July 11) Johnny Folk turned in a one-hit pitching performance against the Saskatoon Cubs to lead his Colonsay Monarch teammates to a 7 - 0 whitewashing of the Bridge City crew. It was the second triumph in two nights for the Monarchs over the Baby Bears and with both wins the Monarchs moved into second spot in the Saskatoon & District Baseball League. Arnold Johnson's 1st inning double was the only base rap surrendered by Folk who blew third strikes by 8 Saskatoon batters. Reg Pendleton, Ed Nalywako, Tony Folk, Roy Moldenhauer and Les Rosher all had two hits for the winners.
J. Folk (W) and Hanson
Hamre (L), Newbold (3) and Dubyk
(July 11) The North Battleford Beavers took over top spot in the Saskatoon & District Baseball League by taking a pair from the Delisle Commodores by scores of 5 - 3 and 9 - 8. The Beavers' Don Leask picked up five hits in the double dip. In the matinee affair, both opposing chuckers, John Yaroscho and Neil Courtoreille as well as Don Grant of the Beavers connected for home runs. Yaroscho picked up three hits in total while teammate Jackie Woods plus North Battleford's Grant and Pete Prediger all collected a pair.
Yaroscho (L) and Reg Bentley
Courtoreille (W) and Prediger
Ross "Lefty" Arnold out-dueled Johnny Maroniuk in the owl encounter. The Beavers scored the winning run in the last of the 8th. Delisle's Jackie Woods led all swatters with four base raps. Matt Meredith, Don Leask and Lloyd Ryan all drilled a brace of base knocks for the winners as did Maroniuk, Reg Bentley and Max Bentley of the Commodores.
Maroniuk (L) and Reg Bentley
Arnold (W) and Prediger
Standings as of July 12 W L Pct
North Battleford Beavers 9 3 .750
Colonsay Monarchs 7 4 .636
Delisle Commodores 5 4 .556
Saskatoon Legion 5 8 .385
Saskatoon Cubs 4 7 .364
Viscount Royals 3 7 .300
(July 13) Portsider Neil Courtoreille struck out 15 batters and gave up but one hit as the North Battleford Beavers shutout the Saskatoon Legion 4 - 0. Only three Legion hitters reached base with Wayne Stephenson's 3rd inning single the only base hit given up by the North Battleford lefthander. The Legion's Stan "Lefty" Currie surrendered all four runs in tasting defeat. Matt Meredith and Les Dean stroked out two hits apiece in leading the Beavers' 7-hit attack. Don Grant of North Battleford had the game's only extra base hit, a triple.
Courtoreille (W) and Meredith
Currie (L), Stephenson (8) and Sasseville
(July 17) The Saskatoon Legion travelled to Viscount and defeated the home-town Royals 7 - 6 in Saskatoon & District Baseball League play.
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(July 17) The Colonsay Monarchs walloped the Saskatoon Cubs 10 - 0 at Colonsay to consolidate their hold on 2nd place in the Saskatoon & District Baseball League.
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(July 18) A pair of lefthanders, Mike Bakaway and Johnny Maroniuk, hurled the Delisle Commodores to a 5 - 2 victory over the Saskatoon Legion. For six complete frames, the Cairns Field battle was a standoff with both teams having scored a single tally. The Delisle bats began to click in the 7th as losing pitcher Percy Booker was shelled from the mound, giving up four runs on four hits including a triple by Reg Bentley and a double by Max Bentley. Wayne Stephenson drove in both Legion runs.
Bakaway, Maroniuk (W) and Reg Bentley
Booker (L), Matchett (7) and McPhail
(July 25) The Delisle Commodores moved past the Colonsay Monarchs into second spot in the Saskatoon & District Baseball League by tripping up the Monarchs twice by scores of 8 - 2 and 2 - 1.
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(July 25) The rich got richer and the poor got poorer as the league-leading North Battleford Beavers pasted the bottom-feeding Viscount Royals 19 - 9 in the opener of a doubleheader and then followed up with a 9 - 0 pasting of the Royals in the second encounter. The Beavers cranked out 11 hits off a trio of Monarch hurlers with two of these being home runs by brothers, Les and Roy Dean.
T. Senko (L), Leigh, Turner and Turner, Ferrago
Arnold (W) and Meredith
Winning chucker Neil Courtoreille pitched four-hit ball for the shut-out win and also slammed a home run to pace the winners in the finale. Roy Dean aided his cause by belting a pair of dingers himself which were his 2nd and 3rd of the day.
Elliott (L), T. Senko (7) and Turner
Courtoreille (W) and Meredith
(July 25) The Saskatoon Cubs plated three markers in the top of the 11th inning to slap down their intra-city rivals, the Saskatoon Legion, by a 4 - 1 count. Both clubs had scored one in the 9th to force extra innings.
Hornyak (W) and Dubyk
Jones (L), Matchett (11) and Sasseville
(July 29) Second baseman Eddie Brown's single in the bottom of the 10th frame scored Mike Bakaway from 2nd base and lifted the Delisle Commodores to a 3 - 2 win over the Saskatoon Cubs in a tightly played Saskatoon & District Baseball League contest. Max Bentley picked up the pitching victory in a relief role. Slim Burke went the route for the Cubs and took the loss. Both clubs had nine hits. Brown and Bentley both had a pair of knocks for the Commodores while Al Zarchekoff and Jerry Webster reciprocated for the Bruins.
Burke (L) and Dubyk
Yaroscho, Bakaway (5), M. Bentley (9) (W) and Reg Bentley
(July 31) The North Battleford Beavers took a pair of games from the Viscount Royals by lop-sided 11 - 0 and 9 - 4 scores.
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(July 31) The home team Colonsay Monarchs dropped a 4 - 3 decision to the Delisle Commodores in the opener of a doubleheader. The evening event was tied 1 - 1 at the end of 9 innings when darkness forced the game's premature ending. Delisle's Murray Coben and Colonsay's Johnny Folk both hit home runs in the first contest.
Coben (W), Maroniuk and Reg Bentley
Smith (L), J. Folk, T. Folk and Rosher
Yaroscho, Bakaway and Reg Bentley
J. Folk and Rosher
(August 1) The Delisle Commodores took the measure of the Saskatoon Legion by a 4 - 1 count. Max Bentley had a perfect 3 for 3 at the plate for the Gems. Emile Francis and Dick Butler contributed triples.
Booker (L), Currie and Sasseville
Bakaway (W), M. Bentley and Reg Bentley
(August 1) The Saskatoon Cubs rallied with three runs in the bottom of the 9th to tie the North Battleford Beavers 5 - 5 but, at that point, the game had to be called because of a Sunday curfew. The Dean brothers, Les and Roy, both had two hits for the Beavers while Dunc McKay, Ken McAuley and Ray Hamilton of the Cubs also produced a brace each.
Courtoreille, Taylor (9) and Meredith
Ferniuk, Newbold (3) and Dubyk
Standings as of August 2 W L Pct
North Battleford Beavers 13 3 .813
Delisle Commodores 11 5 .688
Colonsay Monarchs 8 7 .533
Saskatoon Cubs 6 9 .400
Saskatoon Legion 6 11 .353
Viscount Royals 3 12 .200
(August 3) The Saskatoon Cubs enhanced their chances of landing a playoff berth in the Saskatoon & District Baseball League when they defeated the last-place Viscount Royals 17 - 7. The Cubs ran up their 11 run total off loser Ted Senko in the first five innings of the game. Starter Jerry Green picked up the pitching win for Saskatoon. Viscount's Mike Ferrago had a 3 for 5 game and tripled twice to lead the Royals' offense. First baseman Ray Hamilton had a circuit clout for the Baby Bruins.
T. Senko (L) and S. Senko
Green (W), Corbin (7) and Dubyk
(August 3) In a game at Colonsay, the Saskatoon Legion, who are on the heels of the Saskatoon Cubs for the last playoff spot, dropped a 5 - 1 decision to the third place Colonsay Monarchs.
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(August 5) The Legion baseball club of Saskatoon was officially sidelined from the Saskatoon & District Baseball League playoff picture when it took it on the chin 8 - 6 in a tussle with its cross-town rival nine, the Saskatoon Cubs. Dunc McKay slammed the Cubbies to victory with a triple in the 6th inning which produced the tying and winning runs.
Stephenson, Currie (1) (L) and Sasseville
Newbold, Falk (6) (W) and MacKay
(August 7) The North Battleford Beavers lead in the Saskatoon & District Baseball League was sliced considerably as the home town Colonsay Monarchs picked off both ends of a doubleheader with a 7 - 0 victory in the first game and a 4 - 3 decision in the second.
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(August 8) The Saskatoon Cubs packed away their third victory in as many starts, carving out an 11 - 3 triumph over the Viscount Royals. The Cubs never trailed, taking the lead on Leo Kelsey's 2nd inning double which plated a pair. Ray Hamilton of the Cubs had a triple as did Grant Marcoux and Jack Turner of the Royals.
Hamre (W), Green (5), Burke (8) and Dubyk
Elliott (L) and Ferrago
(August 10) The Saskatoon & District Baseball League regular schedule was completed in a game which saw the Saskatoon Cubs shut-out the Delisle Commodores 2 - 0. The result left the North Battleford Beavers as the 1948 pennant winners of the loop with Delisle and Colonsay tied for the runner-up position. The Cubs had previously sewn up the 4th and final playoff slot. Eric Falk hurled the complete game shut-out win, allowing but six hits. Al Zarchekoff of the Cubs and Murray Coben of the Goose Lakers each picked up two hits in the contest.
Bakaway (L), Yaroscho and xxxx
Falk (W) and xxxx
Final Standings W L Pct
North Battleford Beavers 13 5 .722
Delisle Commodores 11 7 .611
Colonsay Monarchs 11 7 .611
Saskatoon Cubs 9 9 .500
Saskatoon Legion 6 13 .316
Viscount Royals 3 14 .176
PLAYOFFS :
(August 14) One round of the Saskatoon & District Baseball League playoffs got underway in Colonsay as the visiting Delisle Commodores beat the home town Monarchs 4 - 2. The Colonsay nine out-hit the Navy Captains 13 - 7 but were unable to drive in runs in crucial situations.
Bakaway (W), Yaroscho and xxxx
T. Folk and xxxx
(August 15) The North Battleford Beavers won the first two games of their best-of-five semi-final series with the Saskatoon Cubs by scores of 6 - 3 and 8 - 1.
In the opener of the twin bill, a three run rally by the Beavers in the 7th broke up this game. Doubles by Roy and Les Dean ignited this rally. North Battleford's Matt Meredith was the game's leading hitter, stroking out four hits. Leo Kelsey of the Cubs had a triple for the longest base blow of the game.
Burke and Dubyk
Courtoreille (W), Arnold (6) and Prediger
In the second encounter of the day, the Cubs got away to an early one run lead but the Beavers exploded for all 8 of their runs in the 6th inning to salt the game away. In the 6th inning fury, Roy Dean and Don Grant blasted triples for the Beavers and Don Leask and Lloyd Ryan followed suit with doubles. Matt Meredith added three more hits to his slate, bringing his daily production to 7.
Green (L), Dawes (6), Hornyak (6), Green (6) and Dubyk
Taylor (W), Arnold (7) and Prediger
(August 15) The Delisle Commodores went up two games in their semi-final playoff set-to by trouncing the Colonsay Monarchs 17 - 3 in the matinee game of a scheduled playoff double dip. The Monarchs survived to live another day as they scratched back to earn a 6 - 3 win in the highly contested final game of the day. The Captains piled up 22 base raps off three Colonsay chuckers in coasting to the debut win. Max Bentley was the hitting star of the game going 5 for 5, with one of his knocks being a homer.
Smith (L), J. Folk, Coffin and xxxx
Yaroscho (W), Bakaway and xxxx
Johnny Folk pitched Colonsay, facing elimination, back into contention in the 2nd game as his teammates came up with three runs in the 9th inning to break a tie and hand him the pitching win.
J. Folk and xxxx
Courtoreille (L), Arnold (9) and xxxx
(August 18) A momentary bobble of the ball on a relay throw from the outfield allowed Arnold Johnson to plate the winning marker in the bottom of the 11th inning and kept the Saskatoon Cubs alive in their semi-final showdown with the North Battleford Beavers. Johnson had patiently worked losing pitcher Lefty Arnold for a leadoff base on balls. Up to the plate stepped Ray Hamilton who promptly singled into center field as Johnson raced to third. Beavers' center fielder Les Dean's relay to shortstop Lloyd Ryan was muffed just long enough to allow Johnson to scamper home with the winning run and gave the Cubs a hard-fought, must-win 11 - 10 verdict. The lead had changed hands several times in this see-saw battle. The two starting pitchers, Eric Falk of the Cubbies and Neil Courtoreille of North Battleford both lasted but one inning on the hill and relievers Slim Burke and Arnold went the rest of the way as Burke, who fanned nine, was credited with the pitching victory. Matt Meredith of the Beavers and Saskatoon's Les Farthing both had three-hit performances. Aside from his 11th inning single, Hamilton also homered. Les Dean also cranked one out for the Beavers.
Courtoreille, Arnold (2) (L) and Prediger
Falk, Burke (2) (W) and Dubyk
(August 19) Johnny Maroniuk fashioned a two-hit pitching job and that, coupled with a heavy bit of stick work in the 7th inning by his teammates plus a mediocre fielding display by Colonsay, resulted in an 8 - 2 victory for the Delisle Commodores and the elimination of the Colonsay Monarchs from the Saskatoon & District Baseball League playoff picture. Delisle won the best-of-five series three games to one. Colonsay jumped into a 2 - 0 first inning lead but it was all they could muster off the cagey veteran Maroniuk the rest of the evening. In the 7th and holding a 4 - 2 lead, the Commodores put the game away when, with five hits, an error and a walk, they produced four big runs.
Maroniuk and Reg Bentley
T. Folk (L), J. Folk (8) and Sirota
(August 22) As a result of a shoddy defensive effort, the North Battleford Beavers virtually presented the Saskatoon Cubs with a 7 - 6 win in the fourth game of their playoff series, thereby squaring the set-to at two games each. The Beavers handed their Saskatoon hosts a number of unearned runs, committing six errors at crucial times. North Battleford out-hit the Cubs 14 - 8 but the miscues were far too costly. Angus Hamre picked up the mound win although requiring bullpen help from Slim Burke. North Battleford's George Taylor was tagged with the loss. Ray Hamilton had a somewhat tainted, inside-the-park home run for the Baby Bears.
Taylor (L), Arnold (5) and Meredith
Hamre (W), Burke (7) and Dubyk
(August 24) The North Battleford Beavers won the right to meet Delisle in the best-of-five finals of the Saskatoon & District Baseball League as they downed the Saskatoon Cubs 5 - 3 to win the semi-final series three games to two. The visiting Cubs were great offensively slamming out 12 hits off winner Lefty Arnold. The North Battleford southpaw struck out seven in his complete game effort. A pair of snappy double plays by the Beavers snuffed out potential Saskatoon rallies. The pennant winners made the most of their 6 base raps and picked up four tallies in the opening frame off loser Les Farthing. Top hitter in the contest was Cubs' infielder Bobby Dawes who singled three times.
Farthing (L), Burke (1) and Dubyk
Arnold and Prediger
(August 29) The Delisle Commodores took both ends of a playoff doubleheader from the North Battleford Beavers to jump into a comfortable lead in the best-of-five Saskatoon & District Baseball League final series. The Ship Skippers took the first game by a 7 - 0 score and then followed up with a 5 - 4 squeaker in the evening tilt. In the matinee event, 6 gift runs in the 3rd inning were more than enough to spell defeat for the Beavers. Johnny Maroniuk surrendered six hits in picking up the shut-out win. Max Bentley's triple was the only extra-base hit of the contest.
Maroniuk and Reg Bentley
Courtoreille (L), L. Dean (3) and Prediger
The Beavers had the best of the second game except, where it counts, in the number of runs. They out-hit Delisle 13 - 9 but had 16 runners left on base. Entering the 4th inning knotted at 1 - 1, the Commodores took the lead on three well placed hits and a walk. North Battleford's Matt Meredith had four hits in 6 trips to lead all batters. Delisle's Max Bentley and Lloyd Ryan of the Beavers both had triples.
Yaroscho (W), Maroniuk (8) and Reg Bentley
Arnold and Prediger
(August 30) Delisle baseballers bagged another bunting when they defeated the North Battleford Beavers 2 - 1 to finish off the 1948 Saskatoon & District Baseball League championship series in three straight games. This battle was one of those 9 inning thrillers and the 2,500 fans enjoyed every minute of it. Entering the bottom of the 9th with the score tied 1 - 1, Delisle's Max Bentley hit a screaming line drive to center field which narrowly escaped the glove of Don Grant and allowed the "Delisle Dandy" to reach third base. Dick Piper, the next batter, poled out a fly ball to left field and Max had no trouble scoring the winning run after Matt Meredith had made the catch. Lanky George Taylor was the hard-luck loser, giving up but five hits and no earned runs. North Battleford's Roy Dean was the best offensive performer with three hits. Max and Doug Bentley both had a pair of base knocks for the Commodores.
Taylor and Prediger
Yaroscho, Maroniuk (7) (W) and Reg Bentley
Batting Wrap Up
Max Bentley, who toils for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League during the winter and plays almost any position with the Delisle ball club in the summer, is the 1948 batting champion of the Saskatoon & District Baseball League. The "Delisle Dandy" manufactured an amazing average of .459 to win the individual batting crown by a wide margin.
Top Ten Hitters AB H Ave
Max Bentley (Delisle Commodores) 74 34 .459
Roy Dean (N-Battleford Beavers) 62 24 .387
Jack Turner (Viscount Royals) 44 17 .386
Matt Meredith (N-Battleford Beavers) 71 27 .380
Les Dean (N-Battleford Beavers) 39 14 .359
Don Leask (N-Battleford Beavers) 71 25 .352
Elton Dean (N-Battleford Beavers) 60 21 .350
Ray Hamilton (Saskatoon Cubs) 55 19 .345
Reg Pendleton (Colonsay Monarchs) 63 21 .333
Mike Ferrago (Viscount Royals) 46 15 .326
Garry League
There was no change in the composition of the 1948 Garry League from a season previous. Sheho turned the tables on their main foe, Yorkton, and defeated the Cardinals in the final game of the league playoff tournament.
Border League
The 1948 Border League reverted to its 8-team format of two seasons ago. The Estevan Maple Leafs finished first in the regular season followed by Columbus ND, Crosby ND, Portal ND, Ambrose ND, Noonan ND, Bowbells ND and Lignite SK.
(September 11) Estevan, Ambrose, Crosby and Bowbells have advanced to the second round of the Border League playoffs with victories in Saturday's tournament. Estevan, pennant-winners this season, had an easy time hanging a 10-2 defeat on Lignite. Don Chapman allowed just five scattered hits for the win. Left fielder Langedahl led the attack with a pair of homers while Dubyk, Weir and Chapman pounded three-baggers.
Glaspey, Bush and xxx
D.Chapman (W) and Dubyk
In other games, Bowbells downed Columbus 6-2 while Ambrose blanked Portal 3-0 and Crosby scored a 6-5 extra inning decision over Noonan.
(September 18) Estevan Maple Leafs captured the Border League championship Sunday downing Crosby 4-3 in the playoff final. Leafs made the final with a 14-3 win over Ambrose and Crosby shutout Bowbells 5-0.
Prince Albert
As was the case in 1947, Prince Albert fielded two senior level baseball clubs in 1948, the well-established Bohemians and the second-season Army, Navy & Airforce Veterans. The Bohs expended their efforts on exhibition and tournament challenges while the Vets joined the 1948 Hi-Way Baseball League and played a few exhibition tilts beyond their regularly scheduled league commitments. The city cousins never faced each other in on-field competition during the 1948 campaign but occasionally a player or two found his way from one team to the other.
The Veterans captured the 1948 Hi-Way League championship after sweeping St. Louis in a semi-final playoff series and then defeating Domremy in the finals.