(July 8) 18-year-old Darwin Walkingshaw, a Lethbridge junior baseball player, signed a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers and will report to the club's Vero Beach, Florida camp for spring training next spring. He was discovered at an Alberta tryout camp and was the second Lethbridge player to join the Dodgers. Joe Tufteland signed two years ago and went 18-2 for the Dodger squad in the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri league.
Two young players attending a Brooklyn baseball school at Edmonton were considered "likely prospects" for professional ball. Don Lindeberg, chief instructor at the Dodgers' school, said the two -- Don Stewart of Unity, Saskatchewan, and Marshall Severyn from Wetaskiwin, Alberta -- might be invited to spring training in California.
BIG FOUR INTER-CITY LEAGUE :
(May 13) The Edmonton Cubs kicked off the Big Four Inter-city League with a 4-0 shutout of Calgary Purity. Les Edwards, the Cubs' playing-manager, held Calgary to three hits while fanning four. Calgary veteran Jack "Lefty" Mills took the loss giving up all four runs and five hits in 6 2/3s innings.
Mills (L), Arnie Fernandez (7) and Choukalous
Edwards (W) and Stevens
(Aug 21) Dick Barnes registered the first no-hitter in Big Four history in hurling Purity 99 to an 8-0 triumph over the Edmonton Eskimos Sunday in the opening game of a twin-bill. He faced just 29 batters, walking two and fanning four. Barnes helped his own cause with a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Ernie Beland also hit for the circuit.
Peterson (L) and Samis
Barnes (W) and Weaver.
Purity also took the second game, 8-6, in spite of three home runs by Ted Tappe of the Eskimos. Tappe, who also had a single and walk, had belted a pair of home runs Friday against Purity. Walt Gully and Wally Weaver had four baggers for the Calgary squad.
Lowe (L) and Kortgard
Fernandez (W), Mills (7) and Weaver
(Sept 13) In the opening game of a best-of-seven series, Edmonton Cubs downed Edmonton Eskimos 8-4. Les Edwards tossed a five-hitter for the win. He had seven strikeouts. Lefty Belter was the starter and loser for the Esks. Belter walked three consecutive batters and allowed two hits before being removed in the first frame. Elmer Thomas took over only to be greeted by a triple from Cub catcher Doug Stevenson. Cubs added two more in the 2nd. Bob Peterson relieved in the 4th and held the Cubs to two hits the rest of the way.
Edwards (W) and Stevenson
Belter, Thomas (1), Peterson (4) and xxx
BIG SIX BASEBALL LEAGUE :
(Sept 18) With superb hurling by Bill Kucheran and Art Huddleston, Lethbridge Miners took the opening two games of the Southern Alberta senior baseball championship series against the Coleman Cubs. Miners downed the visitors 8-3 and 10-1 in a doubleheader at Adams Park.
Kucheran tossed a four-hitter in the afternoon title and Huddleston fanned 16 while allowing just five hits in the twi-light affair. A crowd of nearly 5,000 was on hand for the opening games of the series.
In the opener, a four-run 1st inning, including a solo homer by Frank Deak, proved key to the victory. Hec Negrello doubled to drive in Matt Slavich and Steve Smerek's double knocked in a pair. Lethbridge added two more in the 2nd, one on Kucheran's homer. In the 4th, Negrello singled in Steve Odney and Fred Onofrychuck belted a triple to score Negrello. Slavich and Negrello each had three hits to lead the Miners. Alex Kovacik had a four-bagger for Coleman.
Stumpo Kimoto, who relieved his brother Lefty Kimoto in the 2nd, fanned 12 batters in his seven innings of work.
L. KImoto (L), S. Kimoto (2) and Yoshinaka
Kucheran (W) and Deak
A five-run outburst in the 3rd frame carried the Miners to the win in the second game. Slavich again poked out three safeties for Lethbridge, Negrello, Deak and Ron Mitchell each had a pair. Steve Odney had the only homer.
S. Kimoto (L), L. Kimoto (5) and Yoshinaka, Yaga (6)
Huddleston (W) and Deak
(Sept 25) Lethbridge Miners wrapped one of the most successful seasons in the team's history scoring three runs in the late innings to down Coleman Cubs 8-5 and capture the Southern Alberta Senior title in three straight games.
Playing-coach Hector Negrello led the way for the Miners with three hits, four runs scored and a pair batted in. Right-hander Norm "Red" Petrie held the Cubs to eight hits in registering the pitching victory. He fanned eight. Stumpo Kimoto, who struck out 12 Miners in seven innings last Sunday, went the route for Coleman, the Crow's Nest Pass champions. He gave up ten hits. Miners took advantage of eight Cub errors. Steve Odney, started the Miners on the way to the win with a homer as the game's first batter.
After the Miners had taken a 5-2 lead with a pair of runs in the 4th inning, the Cubs replied with a singleton in the 4th and two more in the 7th to tie. Miners then responded with two in the 8th and another in the 9th for the victory.
Petrie (W) and Deak
S. Kimoto (L) and Yoshinaka
WHEATBELT BASEBALL LEAGUE :
(Aug 24) Champion shaded Carmangay 2-1 in 10 innings to capture the Wheatbelt Baseball League title. Bud Siler went the distance of the win.
Siler (W) and xxx
Chilton (L) and xxx
SOUTHERN ALBERTA SUGAR BEET LEAGUE
(May 15) Runs, runs and more runs highlighted the opening games of the Southern Alberta Sugar Beet League.Magrath Evacs defeated the Raymond Busseis 14 to 7. At Lethbridge, Picture Butte Bluebirds crushed the Lethbridge Athletics 17 to 8 and, in the highest-scoring game of all, Coaldale K & K, replacing the Coaldale Busseis in the loop, shellacked the hapless Coaldale Cubs 33 to 3.
CROW'S NEST PASS BASEBALL LEAGUE :
(July 3) Coleman Cubs whipped Parkland 15-2 Sunday to take top money of $250 in the Blairmore baseball tournament. Parkland reached the final with a 3-2 win over Hillcrest Miners.
(Aug 24) Hillcrest Miners took a pair from the Natal-Michel Red Sox, 10-9 and 8-1. A six-run outburst in the 7th inning propelled Hillcrest to the win in the first game. Prohara fanned 14 in going the route for the winners. Chala had a grand slam homer for the Sox.
Prohara (W) and xxx
W. Kral (L) and xxx
Miners had 13 hits in taking the second game.
xxx and xxx
xxx, W. Kral and xxx
NORTHERN ALBERTA
Ball Season Opens
Fairview's 1949 baseball team came from behind to win its opening league game against Hines Creek 5-3 in 6 1/2 innings here on Wednesday evening. Making its debut in the North Peace League, the H.C. team made a creditable effort and with the breaks might have gone home a winner.
It was a cold, damp night especially for the pitchers. (Fairview Post, May 18, 1949)
FAIRVIEW TAKES BASEBALL FINAL
In a sudden-death baseball final here Sunday afternoon, Fairview coasted to an 8-0 score over Grimshaw and copped the North Peace River league crown for 1949. The MacNamara trophy goes with the victory.
John Smart on the mound for Fairview set Grimshaw down for three hits in the nine innings and was in full command throughout. Laurie Shaw worked behind the bat. Fairview's infield was clicking and turned in two neat double plays.
Ed Konowalyk, a good pitcher, made a creditable stand on the hill for Grimshaw, but his infield support was erratic and his troops showed no talent whatever at the plate. (The Fairview Post, September 14, 1949)