1949 Game Reports, British Columbia, Vancouver Island     

1949 Vancouver, Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley 
1949 BC Interior 
1949 Vancouver Island   

Vancouver Island

VICTORIA SENIOR AMATEUR LEAGUE

Senior amateur baseball in Victoria didn’t receive a lot of press coverage during the 1949 season. Whether it was a case of indifference on the part of those in a position to generate publicity for the league or the press just being overwhelmed with the presence of the professional Western International League team, the Victoria Athletics, game reports in print were infrequent and brief.

A few familiar names (Art Worth, Clint Hodges, Jim Harford, Berlyn Hodges) who would eventually wind up playing for the Moose Jaw Canucks/Maples in the early fifties are among the roster names.

The playoff situation ended on somewhat of a sour note. Trailing two games to none following a second game forfeiture, the Clint Hodges-led Boosters defiantly boycotted the third game entirely to express their displeasure with the umpiring.

Teams in the 1949 Victoria Baseball Association Senior League
Boosters
Eagles
Navy
Pitzer & Nex

(May 15)   Bill Prior of the Victoria Eagles gave the new season a rousing send-off with a no-hit no run game as the Eagles blanked the Navy 12-0. Prior struck out 12, walked one and hit a batter. Ted Parkins powered the Eagles offense with a three-run homer in the second inning

xxx and xxx
Prior (W) and xxx

(May 16)  In a 32-hit slugfest at Beacon Hill, Pitzer & Nex shaded Victoria Boosters 12-11.  A pair of five-run innings, the fourth and fifth, proved decisive for the winners. In the fifth, two walks, singles by Bill Reynolds, Don MacKinnon and Bernie Clarkson and Jimmy John's two-bagger did the damage.  Boosters rallied for five in the sixth and singletons in the seventh and eighth but fell just short. MacKinnon picked up the win with relief help from Cliff Hume.

MacKinnon (W), Hume (7) and Bertrand
Worth (L), Moffatt (5) and Harford

(May 22)   At Duncan Sunday, the homesters took both ends of an exhibition double-header from the Victoria Eagles 5-2 and 13-2. The opener featured solid hurling by Doug English and Bill Prior. English won with a five-hitter and 14 strikeouts. Prior gave up nine hits, one a homer by Roy Schappert , and fanned 15.

Prior (L) and xxx
English (W) and xxx

Schappert , who had seven hits on the day, also belted a homer in the second game as Duncan ran wild on the bases to pilfer 11 sacks. Joe Gergle also connected for the circuit for the winners who received steady hurling by Tony Folk and Eric Rodger. Folk had a no-hitter for six innings and was relieved by Rodger who fanned four in the last two innings.

Clarkson (L), Davies (5) and xxx
Folk (W), Rodger (8) and xxx

(June 1)   Navy ended the Boosters' win streak at four games running up an early lead to win 17-11.  They plated four runs in the first inning, added five in the second and broke loose for six in the fourth.  Walks and errors figured prominently in the scoring for both sides.The Sailors collected 11 hits to seven for the Boosters.

Boosters       4 - 2 
Pitzer & Nex   3 - 2
Navy           3 - 3
Eagles         1 - 4

(June 10)   Pitzer and Nex downed Navy 6-2 to break a three-way tie for first place in the Victoria Senior Amateur League.  The victory moved the Gasmen a half game ahead of the idle Boosters.  Cliff Hume went the route for the winners scattering eight hits and fanning ten. Navy took the lead with a run in the fourth inning but Pitzer and Nex bounced back in the bottom of the frame with a pair when Len French tripled and Ken Higgs singled following a Navy error.  Deakin clouted a long triple and came home on a fielder's choice to square the count for Navy in the seventh.  The league-leaders came right back with two in the seventh and another pair in the eighth to wrap up the scoring. Higgs' singled in the final two markers. 

Bishop (W), Tudor (7) and Kubicek
Hume (W) and Bertrand

Pitzer & Nex   5 - 3
Boosters       4 - 3 
Navy           4 - 4
Eagles         2 - 5

(June 12)   Five Navy errors helped pave the way for the Eagles 8-6 victory Sunday.  Worrell settled down after giving up four early runs to hold Navy to eight hits in claiming the pitching win.

Davies (L) and Carson
Worrell (W) and Hyslop

(June 13)   A three-run eighth inning carried Pitzer and Nex to a 6-4 win over the Boosters. Ken Hicks drew a walk to start the rally and singles by Jimmy John and Len French plus a two-bagger by Bernie Clarkson resulted in a big inning.  Del Bertrand's two-run homer in the fifth inning had erased a 3-1 Boosters' advantage. Clarkson and Jim Harford each had three hits to lead the winners.

MacKinnon (W) and Bertrand
Worth (L) and Harford

(June 15)   The cellar-dwellers trounced the league-leaders Wednesday at Beacon Hill. Behind the three-hit pitching of Bill Prior, the Victoria Eagles had little resistance in posting a 14-3 triumph over Pitzer and Nex.  Prior fanned 12 in his route-going performance.  Del Bertrand led the Eagles with three hits.

Prior (W) and Carson
Hume, McLellan (9) and Bertrand

(June 19)  Boosters moved into second place in the Victoria Senior loop as Art Worth blanked the Eagles 5-0.

xxx and xxx
Worth (W) and xxx

(June 20)    Walks and errors highlighted Monday's action at Beacon Hill as Pitzer & Nex stretched its lead to a full game by outlasting Navy 14-11. The game produced 22 bases on balls and 16 errors. The winners broke a 10-10 tie in the top of the seventh inning when they combined three hits and a walk for two runs and added another pair in the eighth.  Relief pitcher Rosy McLellan stopped a Navy rally in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win. Del Bertrand and Ken Higgs led the batsmen as Bertrand had four hits in five trips and Higgs collected three safeties.

Hume (W), McLellan (7) and Bertrand
Evans, Bishop (L) (5) and Hyslop, Worrell

Pitzer & Nex   7 - 4
Boosters       5 - 4 
Navy           4 - 6
Eagles         4 - 4

(June 24)    Back-to-back three-run innings, the fifth and sixth, helped Pitzer and Nex to a 10 to 6 triumph over Boosters Friday.  Two singles, a fielder's choice and Del Bertrand's three-bagger plated the three sixth inning markers. Don MacKinnon allowed seven hits in going the distance for the win.

Moffatt (L) and Harford
MacKinnon (W) and Bertrand

(July 4)   The Boosters slipped a game and a half back of the league lead Monday in dropping a 6-4 decision to the third-place Eagles. Stan Davies hurled a five-hitter for the win to best Art Worth who gave up nine hits in a losing cause.

Davies (W) and Carson
Worth (L) and Hendry

Pitzer & Nex   8 - 5
Boosters       7 - 7 
Eagles         6 - 7
Navy           5 - 7

(July 6)   A six-run outburst in the third inning helped carry the Victoria Eagles to a 14-6 victory over league-leading Pitzer & Nex. Ted Parkins led the winners with four hits in six trips while Bill Prior allowed just six hits, five in the first two innings, in going all the way for the mound triumph.

W.Prior (W) and Carson
MacKinnon (L), Hume (3) and Bertrand

(July 31)   Cliff Hume, the Pitzer & Nex hurler, experienced some highs and lows Sunday as the club shaded last place Navy 10-8 to move closer to the league pennant.  Hume limited the Navy to four hits and rang up 20 strikeouts. He also nearly lost the game as he walked 12, hit two batters and threw three wild pitches.

Hume (W) and xxx
xxx and xxx

(August 1)   A 2-0 game through six innings, Pitzer and Nex ran wild in the last three frames scoring three in the seventh and four in each of the final two frames to whip the Boosters 13-0 and clinch first place in the league standings. The win behind the five-hit, shutout pitching of Don MacKinnon brought the club the McGavin Cup. Del Bertrand, the catcher for the Gasmen, not only provided extra entertainment with his antics but punched out three hits, scored twice and knocked in four runs.

MacKinnon (W) and Bertrand
Moffatt (L), B.Hodges (9) and Hendry

(August 3)  Abe Saperstein's Harlem Globe Trotters had no difficulty with the Victoria All-Stars Wednesday at Royal Athletic Park taking both games of an exhibition double-header by identical 16-0 scores. With the city nine outclassed, the feature for the spectators was the clowning of Ed Hamman, who amused the crowd with his zany antics. In the afternoon game, three Trotter pitchers limited the locals to nine hits. Cliff Hume started for the All-Stars but was treated roughly as were his successors Stan Davies and Toad Garnet. The visitors combined 13 hits with a sloppy Victoria defense to run away with the win.

xxx, xxx, xxx and xxx
Hume (L), Davies, Garnet and xxx

John Williams fired a two-hitter for the shutout in the second game. He racked up 19 strikeouts and pitched hitless ball after the second inning.  Bill Prior gave up two runs in the first frame when three walks and two infield outs gave the Trotters the lead. He escaped unscathed in the second inning before the visitors scored in each of the next six innings.

J.Williams (W) and xxx
Prior (L),. xxx and xxx

(August 6)   Coming off a double trouncing at the hands of the Harlem Globe Trotters, the Victoria All-Stars rebounded Saturday with a 22-4 drubbing of the Bremerton, Washington, All-Stars in an exhibition game at Athletic Park.

(August 7)   The regular season of the Victoria Senior Baseball Association wrapped up Sunday with the Eagles edging Navy 9-8 to finish just a game back of pennant-winning Pitzer & Nex.  Doug Stewart got credit for the win with relief help from Bill Prior in the ninth.  Eagles pushed across the winning run in the seventh inning on successive singles by Eddie Sheppard and Al Leatham and an infield out. 

D.Stewart (W), Prior (9) and xxx
xxx, xxx and xxx

Pitzer & Nex  13 - 8
Eagles        12 - 9
Boosters      11 - 10
Navy           6 - 15

PLAYOFFS

(August 10)  In the opening game of a best-of-three playoff, Boosters shaded Pitzer & Nex 6-5 in a game called after seven innings on account of darkness.  A three-run first inning put the Boosters on the road to the victory. Walter MacDonald held the pennant-winners to six hits in going the route for the winners.  Don MacKinnon allowed 11 hits in taking the loss. The Gasmen had the bases loaded in the seventh but MacDonald got out of trouble with a strikeout to end the inning.

MacDonald (W) and xxx
MacKinnon (L) and xxx

(August 13)   With a resounding 17-3 battering Friday, Boosters knocked pennant-winning Pitzer & Nex out of the playoffs in two straight games.  Nine errors by the Gasmen counted heavily to their downfall. Art Worth hurled the Boosters to the win and helped at the plate with a homer in the sixth inning.

Worth (W) and xxx
Hume (L), McLellan (4) and xxx

(August 15)   Victoria Eagles tripped up Navy 8-5 Monday to win their playoff series in two straight games. The Birdmen will meet the Boosters in the final series for the Rithet Cup.

(August 17)   Bill Prior pitched and batted the Eagles to a 5-0 triumph in the opening game of the Rithet Cup series. Prior allowed just five hits and rang up 11 strikeouts as the Eagles took a 3-0 lead after two innings. In the second, a single by Rookie Wright and an error were followed by Prior's long double to score a pair. Prior added to the lead in the sixth when he knocked in two more markers with a second two-bagger.  Art Worth yielded just seven hits in being saddled with the loss.

Worth (L) and Hendry
Prior (W) and Carson

(August 19)   Eagles took a 2-0 game lead in the best-of-five final series for the Rithet Cup Friday when the Boosters declined to carry on after a sixth inning row with umpire Tommy Restell. Manager Clint Hodges and son, Berlyn, were chased by Restell after a shoving match with Umpire Bert Nex over a disputed play at second base. The score was tied 6-6 when the game was called.

(August 21)   Eagles were awarded the league championship and the Rithet Cup Sunday when the Boosters failed to show up for game three of the final series.


VICTORIA AMATEUR LEAGUE

Canadian Collieries
Foundation
Straith-Two Jacks
Yarrows


DUNCAN & DISTRICT LEAGUE

The three-team Duncan & District League of 1948 was no more in 1949. The Duncan Athletics, sponsored by Garner Brothers, continued to operate and absorbed the elite players from the two disbanded entries of the season previous. Playing a regular schedule of exhibition tilts in 1949, the Duncan nine had an impressive record.

(May 22)   At Duncan Sunday, the homesters took both ends of an exhibition double-header from the Victoria Eagles 5-2 and 13-2. The opener featured solid hurling by Doug English and Bill Prior. English won with a five-hitter and 14 strikeouts. Prior gave up nine hits, one a homer by Roy Schappert , and fanned 15.

Prior (L) and xxx
English (W) and xxx

Schappert , who had seven hits on the day, also belted a homer in the second game as Duncan ran wild on the bases to pilfer 11 sacks. Joe Gergle also connected for the circuit for the winners who received steady hurling by Tony Folk and Eric Rodger. Folk had a no-hitter for six innings and was relieved by Rodger who fanned four in the last two innings.

Clarkson (L), Davies (5) and xxx
Folk (W), Rodger (8) and xxx

(June 5)   Duncan All-Stars clobbered Port Alberni United Cabs 12-3 and 19-10 in a Sunday twin-bill at Port Alberni. Doug English fired a four-hitter in the opener as Duncan backed his hurling with a 13-hit attack.  In the second game, trailing 5-3, Duncan erupted for 11 runs in the third inning to put the game out of reach. Tony Folk went the distance for the winners compiling eight strikeouts. He had two of Duncan's 19 hits and scored a pair of runs.

English (W) and Dame
White (L), Olsen (5) and xxx

Folk (W) and xxx
B.Whyte, Howbriggs (4), Stoltz (6)

(June 12)  Duncan Garner Bros. Athletics split with the Vancouver Athletic Club at Athletic Park Sunday, losing the opener 2-1 and rebounding for a 6-4 win in the second.  The first game featured outstanding pitching by 16-year-old right-hander Arnie Hallgren of Vancouver and Doug English for Duncan. Both allowed seven hits.

Hallgren (W) and Bellamy
English (L) and Dame

Duncan fell behind 4-0 after three innings in the second game but rebounded with four runs in the fourth and a pair in the sixth for the win. In the fourth, Charlie Stroulger, who had three hits in the first game, led off with a single and helped by three errors by Vancouver shortstop Cece Stein, Duncan scored four times with Stroulger, Pete Hawryluk, Jimmy Cain and Joey Gergel plating the runs. Two innings later, Stein committed his fourth error of the game after hits by Gergel and Rodger and a walk to Tony Folk and Duncan chalked up the winning run.

Folk, xxx and xxx
xxx and xxx

(June 19)  The Duncan All-Stars continued to impress Sunday taking both games of a double-header with the Vancouver Westerns, 4-0 and 7-6.  Doug English twirled a one-hit shutout in the opener while Roy Schappert and Jimmy Cain each had three hits for the winners.

Richardson (L) and J.Yanchuk
English (W) and Dame

Sloppy work in the field and four walks by the visitors handed Duncan four runs in the first inning of the second game but Vancouver battled back to pull into a 6-6 tie in the top of the sixth and final inning. Charlie Stroulger, who had three runs for the winners, scored in the bottom of the sixth for the winning marker.  Eric Rodger picked up the win in relief of starter Tony Folk.  Long had a highlight for Vancouver with a two-run homer in the fourth inning.

Murphy, Zailo (L) (5)and J.Yanchuk
Folk, E.Rodger (W) (6)and Hawryluk

(June 26)   Duncan pulled off a win and a tie Sunday in an exhibition double-bill against the Grandview Chiefs of Vancouver senior ball.  The home club built up a 6-0 lead in the first game before Grandview rallied with four in the eighth, highlighted by Harry Robinson's four-bagger, and one in the ninth to make it close. Eric Rodger allowed eight hits in going the route for the pitching win.

E.Matthews (L) and H.Robinson
E.Rodger (W) and D.Cleough

Grandview jumped into a 5-0 lead with two in the first and three more runs in the second inning of the nightcap. But Duncan exploded for six runs in the third inning to take the lead. A run in the seventh for the Chiefs made it 6-6 where it ended when the game was called. The contest featured four homers, Roy Schappert and Pete Hawryluk for Duncan and Freddy Hole and Ralph Ballam for Grandview.

Ballam and xxx
English and xxx

(July 2-3)   Duncan Dominion Day Tournament   The Duncan Athletics knocked off the Vancouver Athletic Club 6-4 Sunday to win the  eight-team Dominion Day Tournament.  Doug English won his second game of the tourney hurling for the winners backed by Joey Gergel's second homer of the day.

In the opening round Saturday, Duncan whipped Pitzer & Nex of Victoria 8-1 as English went the route. The Victoria Eagles downed Nanaimo 9-4, Vancouver Westerns shaded Courtenay 8-5 and Vancouver V.A.C topped Haney 1-0 in 11 innings. Jimmy Crosato hurled a gem for the shutout going the full 11-innings with 10 strikeouts. He also led the offense with four hits in five at bats. He was later named the tournament's most valuable player. 

In semi-final action, Vancouver V.A.C. bested Vancouver Westerns 5-2 and Duncan blanked Victoria Eagles 4-0 as the Athletics scored all four runs in the seventh inning. Pete Hawryluk belted a homer and Jimmy Cain smacked a two-run triple and later scored himself. Tony Folk fired the shutout. 

(July 10)   Duncan got a win and a draw in a twin-bill with West Vancouver. The locals took the first game 10-6, scoring four times in the eighth inning.  After falling behind 3-0 in the top of the first inning, Duncan fought back to finish in a 5-5 tie in the second game, cut short to allow the visitors to catch the boat home.

K.Spees (L) and I.Spees
Folk, E.Rodger and Cleough

xxx and xxx
xxx and xxx

(July 25-26)  On Vancouver Island, the touring California Mohawks split with the Duncan Athletics winning the Monday encounter 3-0 but dropping a 3-1 decision Tuesday.  19-year-old Jack Welton held Duncan to three hits in firing the shutout for the California kids. First sacker Ted Sonny Adkins smacked a third inning homer to give the Mohawks what turned out to be the winning run.  They added another when Calen Bowman drew a walk and reached home when Bud Bauhofer went to second on an error by Duncan hurler Doug English. Another error resulted in the third run in the seventh inning.  41-year-old Pete Beiden, the Fresno State coach, put on an outstanding display as catcher despite a broken thumb.

Welton (W) and Beiden
English (L) and Cleough

Tony Folk held the Mohawks scoreless for seven innings in the second game before giving up a four-bagger to Ted Adkins, his second homer of the day. The Athletics took the lead in the fifth inning when Bill Syme and Cain drew free passes and came around to score on successive singles by brothers Eric and Lyell Rodger.  The brothers also accounted for Duncan's third run in the seventh. Eric Rodger reached on a walk and came home when Mohawks shortstop Roy Parker bobbled a grounder by Lyell Rodger.

Clayton (L) and Beiden
T.Folk (W) and Stroulger

(July 31)    Duncan Athletics shutout Nanaimo 2-0 in a hot Sunday afternoon feature at Athletic park Sunday. 

(August 7)   Scoring in every inning, eight times in the seventh, Duncan Athletics slaughtered the visiting Bremerton Elks 23-3 Sunday at Athletic Park. Duncan had 19 hits and were aided by eight Bremerton errors. Jimmy Cain and Joey Gergel each scored four times. Tony Folk and Doug English combined to hold the visitors to four hits.

Zeller (L), Jackson and Smith, Rodger
Folk (W), English and Stroulger

(August 28)  Record crowds turned out Sunday as the Duncan Athletics faced off in a double-header with the professional Victoria Athletics of the Western International League. The visitors took the afternoon encounter 6-1 behind the pitching of Frank LaBrum but Duncan battled back to win the evening game 5-1 on a fifth inning grand slam homer by Pete Hawryluk.

Richard Morgan gave the pros the lead with a homer in the third inning but their big output came in the seventh and final frame as Gil McDougald (a future New York Yankee) smacked a bases-loaded triple and then came home on Len Noren's two-bagger.

LaBrum (W) and Morgan
English (L), Prior (7) and Dame

Duncan faced a weaker Victoria lineup in the second game as the pros juggled players inning by inning, using a fresh hurler every new frame. Nonetheless Tony Folk hurled shutout ball for six innings before the visitors broke through in the seventh for their only run. 

Folk (W) and xxx
xxx, xxx, xxx, xxx, xxx, xxx, xxx and xxx

(September 4-5)  Courtenay Labour Day Tournament   After a extremely successful summer, Duncan Athletics experienced their worst setback of the season Sunday at the Courtenay tournament. Victoria Eagles crushed the locals 12-1 as Bill Prior pitched and batted the Eagles to victory. Rated the Island's outstanding pitcher, Prior held Duncan to just six hits while pounding out two doubles and a single for Victoria. Third baseman Reynolds and catcher Del Bertrand each had four hits for the winners. Pete Hawryluk accounted for all the Duncan scoring with a homer in the eighth inning.

Folk (L), English (3) and Cleough
Prior (W) and Bertrand

(September 8)   Third baseman Pete Hawryluk was the leading hitter for the Duncan Athletics in their wildly successful season. Hawryluk, considered the team's most valuable player, led the club with a .386 average in 23 games. He also led the club in homers and triples and was one back of Roy Schappert who finished with a .370 mark good for second place, in two-baggers. Tony Folk compiled an outstanding record of 9-1 in 11 games to lead the pitchers. Doug English finished with a 7-3 record and three shutouts.


NANAIMO INTERMEDIATE LEAGUE

As was the case during the spring and summer of 1948, Nanaimo baseballers in 1949 joined no inter-city league and again opted for a three-team intermediate circuit. Two seasons removed from representation in the 1947 North Vancouver Island Senior Amateur Baseball League and a couple of years away from re-entering senior competition in the 1951 Mid-Island Baseball League, the Hub City diamondeers provided a snappy, entertaining brand of baseball.

The City Taxi Clippers captured the league pennant for the second consecutive season. In semi-final playoff action, the Nut Shop eliminated Southend in a best-of-three series, winning once and tying two others. In the best-of-five final showdown, the Clippers held a two games to one lead following their triumph on September 1 in game three of the finale. No further information was uncovered from later editions of the Nanaimo Free Press suggesting that the series was not completed.


COMOX DISTRICT LEAGUE

The 1949 Comox District Baseball League didn’t get much ink in the local press during the regular schedule. It appears that it was a six-team circuit with two entries each from Courtenay and Cumberland plus single teams from both Campbell River and Comox. The name used by one of the Cumberland teams was never mentioned in any of the few clippings found but, based upon the previous season, they would probably have been called the Robins so, for now, will go with that.

Campbell River Athletics
Comox Valley Tigers
Courtenay Legion
Courtenay Young Liberals
Cumberland Cubs
Cumberland Robins

(June 5)   Campbell River Athletics and Comox Valley Tigers rang up 57 runs in two games Sunday as the Athletics won the first game 10-9 before the teams fought to a 19-19 draw in the second game. Marshall survived 14 hits in the first game to post the pitching win over Gordon Pratt for the Tigers who allowed 15 hits. Each hurler rang up 11 strikeouts.

Marshall (W) and xxx
Pratt (L) and xxx

In the second game, Turcotte and Haramboure for Campbell River had 10 strikeouts and 10 walks while Dave Reid and Pratt combined for eight strikeouts and five walks for the Tigers.

Turcotte, Haramboure and xxx
Reid, Pratt and xxx

(June 8)   At Lewis Park Wednesday, the Courtenay Young Liberals downed the Campbell River Athletics 5-3.  The Rivermen got on the scoreboard in the first inning but Bill Moore put the Liberals in the lead with a two-run homer in the second. They added a run in the fourth as Roy Moore drove in Junior Chalmers who had tripled. Courtenay got a run in the fifth on a pair of River errors and salted the game away in the sixth when Roy Moore singled and scored on Shorty McIvor's three-bagger. Annand picked up the win after relieving starter McIvor in the first inning after he had given up three walks. 

Marshall (L) and xxx
McIvor, Annand (W) (1) and xxx

(July 31)   In the last game of the regular season, Campbell River Athletics edged Courtenay Legion 7-6 Sunday. Smoothy Marshall took the pitching decision over Spit Quinn.  The Athletics got off to a quick start with five runs in the first inning on three hits, three walks and two errors.  Courtenay came to life in the sixth inning with three runs on hits by Junior Chalmers, Quinn, Bill Moore and a long triple by Lyle McKenzie. The Athletics pushed across the winning run in the last frame when Thulin and Haramboure registered safeties.  Roy Moore smacked a homer for the Legion in the bottom of the final inning but Chalmers was picked off third to end the game.

Marshall (W) and xxx
Quinn (L) and xxx

(August 3)  In a benefit game for injured players, the Courtenay All-Stars shaded the Cumberland All-
Stars 2-1. Earle Woods and Gordon Pratt handled the hurling for the winners and Ron Pratt was on the hill for Cumberland. Spit Quinn of Courtenay led the hitters with a three for three night.

PLAYOFFS

(August 10)    Dave Plett hurled a neat three-hitter Wednesday to help Campbell River Athletics to a 2-1 win over Gordon Pratt and the Comox Valley Tigers in the opening game of their semi-final series. Young right-hander Plett chalked up his first win since recovering from an appendix operation.  Athletics had a golden opportunity to break the game wide open in the first inning loading the bases with none out on Andy Telosky's double, a walk to Marshall and a Tigers' error. But Pratt got a strikeout and two infield grounders to get out of trouble.  The A's took the lead in the third scoring on Telosky's single, a stolen base and Haramboure's base blow.  Korsa brought in the second marker in the fifth on a long fly by Telosky.  Dave Reid counted the lone Tiger run in the fifth when he reached on an error and eventually scored on a sacrifice.  In the eighth, the Tigers were in a position to tie or win as Pratt led off with a triple and Don Janes walked and stole second but a strikeout and a double play ended the threat.

Plett (W) and xxx
Pratt (L) and xxx

(August 10)   Courtenay Legion shaded Cumberland Cubs 3-2 in the first game of their semi-final. Richardson led the winners with three hits.

Quinn (W) and xxx
R.Pratt (L) and xxx

(August 14)   With a 2-1 win over Comox, Campbell River advanced to the league final series Sunday. In a well pitched game, "Smoothy" Marshall tossed an eight-hitter for the Athletics. He fanned six and walked none. Earle Woods yielded just five hits in taking the loss.  Korsa scored in the first inning for the A's and Marshall plated the winner in the second.

Woods (L) and xxx
Marshall (W) and xxx

(August 14)   The Courtenay Legion and the Cubs are deadlocked at a win and a tie apiece in their semi-final after the Cubs muffed their chances in the ninth at Cumberland Sunday. With two on and one out, a missed bunt signal killed a promising rally.

(August 20)   Art "Spit" Quinn fired five-hit ball Saturday evening to shutout Cumberland Cubs 10-0 and send the Courtenay Legion into the playoff final against Campbell River. Quinn rang up 12 strikeouts.  Legion scored in each of the first four innings and coasted to the win.  Fred Orr led the offense with a triple and single.

Walker (L), Pratt (2) and Bono
Quinn (W) and Moore

(August 21)   Courtenay Legion won the opening game of the best-of-five final series downing Campbell River 6-3 Sunday at Lewis Park. Lefty Bob McIvor fashioned a five-hitter for the win in the seven-inning contest. After spotting the Athletics a run in the top of the first, Legion took the lead for good in the second scoring three times. Singles by Ray Downey, Lyle McKenzie and Fred Orr resulted in a pair and Dick Downey's double knocked in the third. McKenzie had a triple and single for the winners while Andy Telosky punched out a double and single for the A's.

Marshall (L) and Calnan
McIvor (W) and McKenzie

(August 27)  Courtenay's Spit Quinn pitched shutout ball Saturday as the Legion shaded Campbell River 1-0 scoring the only run in the last of the ninth. Junior Chalmers singled, stole second, advanced to third on an overthrow and come home on a long fly by Dick Downey. 

xxx and xxx
Quinn (W) and xxx

(August 28)   Campbell River stayed in the hunt Sunday afternoon in notching a 14-6 victory over Courtenay but fell, 17-7 in a second game as Courtenay Legion took the Peden Cup winning the best of five series in four games. Given 17 run support, Shorty McIvor managed to go the distance to chalk up the win in the deciding contest.

xxx and xxx
xxx and xxx

McIvor (W) and xxx
Marshall (L) and xxx