1958 Vancouver, Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley 
1958 BC Interior 
1958 Vancouver Island   

OKANAGAN MAINLINE LEAGUE

This well-established interior circuit added an eighth franchise in 1958 when a second team from Kamloops, the Jay-Rays, joined the fray following the demise of the B. C. Interior Baseball League.

Another application for membership, from the Trail Smoke Eaters, was rejected as league moguls cited the lateness of the application and, more importantly, the travel distance between the West Kootenays and the Okanagan.

Teams in the 1958 Okanagan Mainline Baseball League
Kamloops Jay-Rays
Kamloops Okonots
Kelowna Orioles
Oliver OBC’s
Penticton Red Sox
Princeton Royals 
Summerland Macs
Vernon Clippers

(April 13)   The defending Mainline League champion Kelowna Orioles kicked off the new season with a victory Sunday, 6-5 over Oliver OBCs. Orioles won it in the bottom of the ninth with two out. Richard Wickenheiser, who had singled, scored the deciding run on a smash to centre by Les Schaeffer and a error at first base.  John Vanderburgh drove in the game's first run in the second inning. Oliver held that 1-0 lead until the bottom of the fifth when Bill Martino was hit by a pitch and romped home on a drive by John Culos to knot the count at 1-1. Paul Eisenhut gave Oliver the lead in the sixth with a two-run single. In the bottom of the sixth, Hromi Ito doubled in a pair and Martino singled in another to put the Orioles on top 4-3. That was wiped out in the next frame as Richie Schnider worked Schaeffer for a walk and Elroy Jacobs slammed a homer.  Kelowna battled back to tie in the eighth on Bud Englesby's triple and Ito's run-scoring single.

Driessen (L) and xxx
Denbow, Schaeffer (6), B.Martino (W) (9) and Radies

(April 13)   Kamloops Okonots held off a ninth inning rally by the Jay-Rays to post a 9-4 victory Sunday in the season opener for both clubs. Jay-Rays had the bases loaded and just one out in the ninth but Johnny Brkich fanned a pair to end the game. Okonots opened quickly with three runs in the first inning and three more in the third. Jack Fowles had the big blow for the winners, a two-run homer. Joe Motokado smacked a four-bagger for the Jay-Rays.

Motokado (L), Dawson (4) and xxx
Gatin (W), Brkich (8) and xxx

(April 13)   Rain failed to dampen the spirits of the large crowd that turned out Sunday to welcome in the new Okanagan Mainline League season at King's Park in Penticton. The home fans were rewarded as the Red Sox exploded for six runs in the seventh inning to down Vernon Clippers 8-2.  Gordie Mundle, paced a 12-hit attack with two doubles and a pair of singles. Charlie Richards added three hits and scored twice. Bud Thurber, in his first appearance with the Red Sox, scattered eight hits in going the distance for the win.  Sox combined six hits, an error and a passed ball in their big inning.

J.Staff (L), DeRosa (8) and Dye
Thurber (W) and S.Drossos

(April 20)   The defending champion Kelowna Orioles put on a hitting clinic Sunday in crushing Kamloops Okonots 15-1 in the first game of a double-header. Kelowna also took the second game, 7-3,in action at Elks Stadium.  Les Schaeffer fired a two-hitter in the first game and Jack Denbow followed with a six-hit effort in the second.  Frank Fritz powered the offense with a pair of homers, good for five runs.

The opening game was over shortly after it began as the Orioles launched an eight-run assault in the first inning, highlighted by the first of Fritz' long balls. They added four more in the second as Hromi Ito and Hank Tostenson smacked doubles. A three-run sixth inning gave Kelowna a 15-0 lead. A homer by Bob Anderson in the ninth spoiled Schaeffer's bid for a shutout.

Brkich (L), Geefs (1), Gatin (1) and xxx
Schaeffer (W) and xxx

Again it was Frank Fritz getting Kelowna off to a good start in the second game with a two-run homer in the first frame. Orioles had a 6-1 lead after three and coasted to the win. 

Esche (L), Gatin (1) and xxx
Denbow (W) and xxx

(April 20)   Sam and George Drossos were at the centre of the action as Penticton fell behind early but rallied to notch an 8-5 victory at Princeton Sunday. The Royals jumped into a 3-0 lead in the first inning helped by three Red Sox errors. George Drossos slammed a homer with Allan Richards on base in the second to get Penticton on the scoreboard. Sam Drossos tied the game with a four-bagger in the third and Richards put the Sox ahead scoring on a double by Barry Ashley. An error by Sam Drossos in the third allowed the Royals to knot the count at 4-4 but Drossos made up for that with a two-run double in the fourth. Charlie Richards, who led the Sox attack with four hits, scored George Drossos with a fifth inning single and Ashley's long fly in the eighth brought in the final marker. Bud Thurber held the Royals to eight hits in going the route for the win.

Thurber (W) and xxx
xxx (L) and xxx

(April 20)   Bill Lennox drew a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the tenth inning Sunday to give the Kamloops Jay-Rays a 4-3 victory over Vernon Clippers at Riverside Park. In the tenth, Stan Creech walked to open the frame and Tosh Takenaka's infield grounder was bobbled to put two runners aboard. Cliff Pachal beat out a bunt before Jim Staff walked in the winning marker. The Clippers got four free passes in the ninth to tie the count at 3-3. Tony DeRosa, had a strong outing into the 8th with 16 strikeouts, but was ejected for arguing with the umpire. Alex Kashuba of the Clippers had the only homer.

DeRosa, J.Staff (L) (8) and xxx
Schollen, Dawson, Motokada (W) (9) and xxx

(April 20)    Al Hooker tossed a five-hit shutout Sunday as Summerland Macs escaped with a 1-0 win over the OBCs at Oliver before a large turnout. Glen Ball, yielding six hits, took the tough loss.

Hooker (W) and xxx
Ball (L) and xxx

(April 27)   Kelowna won it's fourth straight, 8-4 over Penticton Red Sox. Les Schaefer tossed a three-hitter to pick up his third consecutive victory. The big blow off him was a three-run homer by Sox first sacker Doug Moore. Dick Getz took the loss. Sox were hurt by eight errors.

Getz (L), Bud Thurber (4) and S.Drossos
Schaeffer (W) and Radies

(April 27)  Vernon topped Princeton 8-4 and 11-6 for their first wins of the season.  Clippers took an early lead in the opener as Tony DeRosa slammed a two-run double in the first inning and Verne Blaney scored on a sacrifice fly. They added three more in the second. Jim Staff held the Royals to seven hits in going the distance in the first game. He racked up ten strikeouts. Vernon exploded for six runs in the third inning of the second game and cruised to the 11-6 triumph.  Four straight walks brought in the first run and Verne Dye's double added two more. A single by Jerry Staff, another walk and a fielder's choice resulted in three additional counters. Princeton made it close with a four-run uprising in the fourth, three coming home on a bases-loaded triple by Bruno Ceccon. Clippers clinched the game with four runs in the eighth. Doug Hay, with relief from Tony DeRosa, picked up the win.

Jim Staff (W) and xxx
G.Rennie (L), Cousins and xxx

Hay (W), DeRosa and xxx
Cousins (L), G.Rennie (3) and xxx

(April 27)  Summerland was out-hit 9 to 8, but managed to cop a 7-4 decision over the Kamloops Jay-Rays. Al Hooker was the winning hurler. Howard Esche took the loss.

Hooker (W) and xxx
Esche (L) and xxx

(April 27)    In double-header action at Riverside Park in Kamloops, the Okonots and Oliver split the day with the Okonots running away with a 14-0 victory in the first game then falling 11-6 to the OBCs in the second. Jack Fowles, the regular left-fielder took a turn on the mound for Kamloops in the first game and came away with the shutout allowing just two hits. Bob Saklofsky was the batting king for the winners with two home runs and a triple in the opener and two singles in the second.  With the score 5-5 after five innings in the evening encounter, Oliver broke loose with six runs against reliever Bill Geefs in the sixth to salt away the win.

xxx (L), xxx, xxx and xxx
J.Fowles (W) and xxx

xxx and xxx
Gatin, Geefs (L) (6) and xxx

(May 4)   Offense was the name of the game in Okanagan Mainline Baseball Sunday.  At Summerland the Macs warmed up with a 3-1 win over Vernon in the opener before crushing the Clippers 17-0 in the second. Don Cristante and Tony DeRosa hooked up in a pitcher's duel in the first game with the Macs punching out three hits in the sixth to score a pair for the win. Macs had six hits for the victory, Cristante held the Clippers to five. Macs featured a 15-hit offensive in the second game while Al Hooker fired a four-hitter with ten strikeouts for the shutout. Jack Burton, George Taylor and Bob Parker each had three hits.

DeRosa (L) and xxx
Cristante (W) and xxx

Jim Staff (L), Hay (7), Mucha and xxx
Hooker (W) and xxx

(May 4)   In a single game at Princeton, Oliver OBCs rapped 19 hits in a 25-3 route of the Royals. Mel Ball cracked a grand slam homer.

(May 4)  At King's Park, Penticton, Kamloops Okonots downed the Red Sox twice, 7-4 and 10-2. Home runs by Len Fowles and Keith Buchanan paced the Kamloops attack in the seven-inning opener. Doug Moore cracked a homer for the Sox. 

J.Fowles (W) and xxx
Dell (L) and xxx

Gatin (W) and xxx
Durston (L), Thurber (7) and xxx

(May 4)   Kelowna Orioles swept both games from the Kamloops Jay-Rays, 7-4 behind the mound work of Les Schaeffer and 9-5 in the second with Jack Denbow getting the win. The twin victories gave Kelowna undisputed possession of first place in the league standings. Bill Martino paced the attack in the opener pounding a pair of home runs. In the second game, Bob Radies and Schaeffer smashed homers in the ninth to assure the win. Tosh Takanaka rapped a double and two singles for the Jay-Rays. 

Schaeffer (W) and xxx
Dawson (L), Esche, Aura, Kuromi and xxx

Denbow (W) and xxx
Schollen (L), Miyahara, Ottem and xxx

(May 11)   Helped by nine Penticton errors, Oliver OBCs overcame a three-run deficit with a five-run outburst in the fifth and coasted to a 9-3 victory over the Red Sox.  Oliver combined singles by Richie Schnider and Bonde, a double by Elroy Jacobs with three errors, a hit batter and a sacrifice to go ahead 5-3. Johnny Lingor drove in three more runs in the eighth with a towering home run. Ball, on the mound for Oliver spaced out nine hits, fanned eight and walked two.

Thuber (L) and S. Drossos
Ball (W) and Bond

(May 11)  At Summerland, Kelowna Orioles remained unbeaten handing the Macs their first loss, 9-8. Macs made a game of it after falling behind 8-0 in the second inning. Macs rebounded with three in the third, three in the seventh and a pair in the ninth to fall just short. Kelowna got the eventual winning marker in the fifth as John Culos scored on a pair of walks and an error. Winning pitcher Martino helped his own cause with a homer. Jack Burton and Ollie Egely each had three hits for the Macs. Young Ray Scott turned in a sterling relief effort for the Macs going seven plus innings and allowing just a run and four hits while racking up 11 strikeouts.

Martino (W), Schaeffer (7) and Radies
Hooker (L), Scott (2) and Egely

(May 11) Kamloops Jay-Rays handed the Royals a double defeat 7-2 and 9-4 at Princeton. 

(May 11)  Kamloops Okonots, out hit 12-3, needed ten innings but shaded Vernon 5-4 getting the winning marker on a passed ball. Len Gatin scored the winner after reaching with a walk and advancing to third on a fielder's choice and an error. He scampered home when Tony DeRosa's pitch got away from catcher Phil Harding. Okonots took the early lead scoring in the second inning on Jack Fowles' three-bagger. Vernon climbed ahead in the third as Phil Harding, Jerry Staff and Vern Blaney singled and Jim Staff connected for a double. Clippers took a 4-1 lead with runs by Jim Olynyk and Jerry Jellison in the fourth. Okonots battled back with singletons in the fifth, seventh and ninth for a tie and pushed across the winner in the extra frame. While managing just three hits, Kamloops capitalized on seven free passes. DeRosa fanned 12. Alex Kashuba rapped three hits for the Clippers.

DeRosa (L) and Harding
J.Fowles, Gatin (W) (5) and Anderson

(May 16)   Don Dell gave up two runs in the top of the first inning on a Elroy Jacobs homer then settled down to pitch shutout ball the rest of the way as Penticton Red Sox topped Oliver 7-2 Friday.  Sox got one back in their half of the first when Bill Raptis doubled to plate Gordie Mundle. They added three in the third on a Raptis single and Sam Drossos belted the first of two homers. Raptis doubled in two runs in the fifth and Drossos wrapped up the scoring with a circuit clout in the eighth.

Schnider (L) and xxx
Dell (W) and xxx

(May 11)   Tosh Tananaka of the Kamloops Jay-Rays is the batting leader in the early going in the Okanagan Mainline Baseball League.  The outfielder sits at an even .500, ahead of Bob Saklofsky of the Okonots who is at .458. Saklofsky has the most homers, 4, and leads in runs batted in, with 12.

Kelowna Orioles      7 - 0  ---
Summerland Macs      5 - 1  1.5
Kamloops Okonots     5 - 3  2.5
Oliver OBCs          3 - 3  3.5
Kamloops Jay-Rays    3 - 4  4.0
Penticton Red Sox    2 - 4  4.5
Vernon Clippers      2 - 5  5.0
Princeton Royals     0 - 7  7.0

(May 18)  Princeton Royals finally posted a win and they did it in style handing the league-leading Kelowna Orioles their first loss of the season. Royals finished on top 6-3 in the second game of a double-header after dropping the opener 11-5. Orioles sailed to the easy win in the first game scoring five times in the third inning and adding four in the fourth. They pounded out 15 hits in the seven inning contest with winning hurler Les Schaeffer and playing manager Hank Tostenson each with three. Schaeffer and Bob Campbell swatted homers.

VonSchilling (L) and Pinske
Schaeffer (W) and Radies

In the second game, Princeton took the lead with a pair in the first inning and were never headed. After the Royals went up 4-0, Kelowna scored all their of its runs in the third on a three-run homer by Greg Jablonski.  Newcomer Bob Lund survived 12 walks to go the distance for the win. He allowed just five hits and whiffed six. Lund led the winners with four of the team's eight hits.

Lund (W) and Pinske
Englesby (L), Denbow (3) and Radies

(May 18)   At Polson Park, Vernon, the Kamloops Jay-Rays downed the Clippers 6-2 Sunday. The winners scored twice in the first frame on a single by Stan Kato and two-bagger off the bat of Ray Ottem. Clippers got one in the second but Kamloops went ahead to stay with a run in the third and another in the sixth.

xxx and xxx
xxx and xxx

(May 18)   Len Gatin did the iron man thing Sunday for the Kamloops Okonots pitching in both games for a double-header sweep of Summerland, 4-0 and 6-5 in a ten inning thriller. Gatin had eight strikeouts and two walks in the seven inning shutout in the opener besting Al Hooker of the Macs before going all ten innings in the second game.

Hooker (L) and
Gatin (W) and xxx

The second affair was close all the way with the lead see-sawing back and forth. Summerland broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the ninth on back to back doubles by Harold Biollo and Al Hooker but Kamloops tied in again in the bottom of the stanza as Jack Fowles singled to plate Len Fowles who had drawn a walk and advanced on a sacrifice. Macs scored again in the top of the tenth as Ollie Egely, who walked, scored on a fielder's choice and a single by Ray Scott. Kamloops ended it in the tenth with two runs on a double by Huber, singles by Gatin and Len Fowles and a drive to right centre by Jimmy Jones.

Scott (L) and
Gatin (W) and xxx

(May 20)   For the second straight time against Oliver, Penticton made nine errors and for the second time it cost them a ball game. At Oliver Tuesday, the Red Sox scored 12 runs but end up losers as the OBCs racked up 15. After Penticton tied the game 3-3 in the top of the second inning, Oliver roared back to score nine times in the bottom of the inning on only three hits but five Sox errors, two walks and a hit batsman. Paul Eisenhut's two-run double was the big blow.  The Red Sox plated three in the fourth, two on a towering home run by Bill Raptis. They added one more in the sixth to make it 12-7 for the OBCs but Oliver cinched the match with three in the seventh on two walks and three singles.

Getz (L), xxx (3) and xxx 
Ball, xxx (W) (3) and xxx

(May 25)   Kamloops Jay-Rays and Penticton divided Sunday's double-bill with the Red Six on top 7-5 in the first game while Kamloops took a 4-3 squeaker in the second. Sox took the lead in the opener on Charlie Richard's home run poke in the third inning. But, the Jay-Rays quickly erased the deficit with a big five-run uprising in the fourth.  A two-run homer by Joe Motokado highlighted the big inning. Jack Durston relieved and kept the Jay-Rays off the scoreboard the rest of the way as Penticton roared back to score six times in the sixth inning. Bill Raptis knocked in two with a bases-loaded single. Sam Drosses singled in another and two more came home on Doug Moore's safety. Allan Richards brought in the final run with another one-bagger.

Getz, Durston (W) (4) and xxx
xxx and xxx

In the second game, Howard Esche had a shutout for 8 2/3s innings until Chuck Preen cracked a three-run homer in the ninth for all the Penticton scoring.  Jay Rays scored singletons in the second and fourth and added two in the eighth for their win. Red Sox made five errors accounting for three of the four Kamloops' runs. Stan Kato led the Jay Rays with a double and two singles.

Dell, Durston and xxx
Esche (W) and xxx

(May 25)  At Princeton, the Royals outscored the Summerland Macs 10-8. Macs out-hit the Royals 10-7 but booted the ball seven times.  Allan Hooker picked up the pitching win, Lund took the loss.

Hooker (W) and xxx
Lund (L) and xxx                                             

(May 25)   Vernon Clippers upset league-leading Kelowna Sunday downing the Orioles 6-5 in a ten-inning thriller. Vernon, which rallied with two in the ninth for a tie, got the winner in the extra frame when Vern Blaney, who had three hits, smashed one to centre field to bring in Wilf Christie, The Clippers' manager had come in as a pinch-runner for Jim Tooley who led off with a double. Down 5-3 in the ninth after Kelowna had scored in the top of the inning after loading the bases on a single, infield hit and a walk, Hank Tostenson scored on a passed ball. Winning pitcher Tony DeRosa helped his own cause in the bottom of the ninth cracking a triple to score one run and romping home with the tying marker on a bunt single by Ray Adams. Each team had 12 hits.

Denbow (L) and Radies
DeRosa (W) and Dye

(May 25)   Statistics released by league secretary R.J. Hall show Kelowna's Les Schaeffer with a wide lead in both hitting and pitching categories. He's not only leading the league with a booming .525 average but is also the circuit's top hurler with a 5-0 record.  Kelowna tops the league standings with eight wins in nine games for a game and a half lead over Kamloops Okonots.

Name               AB R  H   AVE
L.Schaeffer, KWO   21 7 11  .525
O.Egley, SUM       23 5 11  .479
H.Tostenson KWO    30 8 12  .400
J.Burton SUM       25 8 10  .400
B.Ceccon PRN       39 6 11  .300
J.Lingor OLE       26 6 10  .385
T.Takanaka KJR     37 5 14  .379
B.Buchanan KO      32 8 12  .376
K.Bond OLE         24 7  9  .376
G.Taylor SUM       26 10 9  .346
B.Saklofsky KO     35 10 12 .343

* Ceccon's average was published at .300 but the
hits and at bats shown would results in a .282 mark.

AVERAGE : Schaeffer KWO - .525
RUNS : Saklofsky KO, Takanaka KJR, Taylor SUM - 10
HITS :  Kato KJR - 14
SINGLES : Takanaka KJR - 13
DOUBLES : Burton SUM - 4
TRIPLES : Ceccon PRN, Buchanan KO - 2
HOME RUNS :  Saklofsky KO - 4
RBIs : Saklofsky KO - 13
STOLEN BASES : Pachel KJR - 8

Name             W   L ERA  SO
L.Schaeffer KEL  5 - 0 3.32 23
J.Denbow KEL     2 - 0 1.85 17
J.Fowles KO      2 - 0 3.33 14
L.Gatin KO       5 - 1 4.36 33
A.Hooker SUM     4 - 2 2.80 40

WINNING PCT : Schaeffer KWO - 5-0, 1.000
WINS : Schaeffer KWO & Gatin KO - 5

Kelowna Orioles     8 - 1
Kamloops Okonots    7 - 3  1.5
Summerland Macs     5 - 3  2.5
Kamloops Jay-Rays   4 - 4  3.5
Oliver OBCs         3 - 3  3.5
Penticton Red Sox   2 - 4  4.5
Vernon Clippers     2 - 6  5.5
Princeton Royals    1 - 8  7.0

(June 1)  League leading Kelowna Orioles dropped their third in a row, 6-2 to Oliver OBCs as Les Schaeffer dropped his first decision of the summer after five straight wins. Oliver pounded the Orioles' ace for 14 hits. Gary Driessen was the winning hurler and helped his own cause with a homer. Johnny Lingor was on base four times for the winners with two doubles a single and a walk. Bill Martino cracked a homer for Kelowna.

Driessen (W) and xxx
Schaeffer (L) and xxx

(June 1)  Summerland Macs, playing at home, downed the Kamloops Jay-Rays 9-3. Al Hooker tossed a six-hitter for the win. Macs managed just nine hits off Bud Schollen but took advantage of five Kamloops errors.

Schollen (L) and xxx
Hooker (W) and xxx

(June 1)  Kamloops Okonots took both ends of a double-header from the Princeton Royals, 5-4 in the first game and 12-7 in the evening encounter. Jack Fowles slammed an extra inning homer for the win in the opener. Fowles had scored the tying run in the sixth. Okonots also came from behind to win the second game. A five run outburst in the fourth put Kamloops ahead 7-5 and they added four more in the fifth and another in the sixth. Len Gatin, who went the distance for the pitching win in the first game, relieved in the fifth inning of the second to register his second win of the day.

xxx (L) and xxx
Gatin (W) and xxx

xxx and xxx
xxx, Gatin (W) and xxx

(June 1)  Rain washed out the scheduled game between Vernon and Penticton at Polson Park.

Kamloops Okonots    10 - 4 
Kelowna Orioles      8 - 3  0.5
Summerland Macs      7 - 3  1.0
Oliver OBCs          5 - 4  2.5
Kamloops Jay Rays    5 - 6  3.5
Penticton Red Sox    3 - 5  4.0 
Vernon Clippers      3 - 6  4.5
Princeton Royals     1 - 11 8.0   

(June 1)  Ollie Egley of Summerland has taken over top spot in the batting race but by just one point over Buck Buchanan of the Okonots, .469 to .468.  Hank Tostenson the Kelowna playing-manager is third at .410. Les Schaeffer of Kelowna sits at .400 and Johnny Lingor or Oliver rounds out the top five with an even .400 mark. 

(June 8)  In a game which produced 21 hits, 21 walks and eight errors, the Penticton Red Sox crushed Vernon Clippers 22-9.  Surprisingly, the Sox had to come from behind for the win. Vernon scored three in the top of the first inning. Penticton responded quickly with three in the bottom of the first, three in the second and a pair in the third to put the game on ice early.  Red Sox pounded out 14 hits, including home runs by Gord Mundle and Allan Richards. Mundle's blast came with the bases loaded. Jerry Jellison had a circuit clout for Vernon.  The Red Sox were handed 15 free passes by a trio of Clippers' hurlers. Don Dell went the route for the winners holding Vernon to seven hits and helped the offense with a triple, single and three scores. Jim Tooley had three hits for the Clippers.

Blaney (L), Jellison (2), Buckner (7) and Dye, Blaney (4), Dye (8)
Dell (W) and S.Drossos

(June 8)   At Princeton, the Royals downed Kelowna 6-2 in the second game of a twin-bill to gain a split on the day having dropped the opener 5-2. Newcomer Ray Scott gave up just five hits in the first game in a successful debut for Kelowna. Hromi Ito led the winners with three hits and two runs.  A four-run fifth inning for the Orioles sealed the deal. Greg Jablonski's Texas Leaguer brought in one run, catcher interference resulted in a second and Bill Martino doubled to scored a third. Frank Fritz followed with another two-bagger to bring in Martino.

Scott (W) and Culos
Von Schilling (L), Lund (5) and Pinske

Ron Lund yielded seven hits and no earned runs as the Royals notched their second win of the season taking a 6-2 decision in the second game. Lund also led the hitters with two safeties and two scores.

Denbow (L), Schaeffer and Culos
Lund (W) and Pinske

(June 8)  Kamloops Okonots moved into first place in the league standings trouncing Summerland 13-3. Len Gatin fired a six-hitter for the winners. Okonots rapped 16 hits off the combined efforts of four Macs' moundsmen.

Gatin (W) and xxx
Hooker (L), Jacobs (6), Burton, Cristante and xxx

(June 8)   Kamloops Jay-Rays and Oliver OBCs divided a double-header at Riverside Park Sunday with Oliver taking the opener 13-6 and the home nine netting the second contest 1-0.  Howard Esche topped Gary Driessen in a pitcher's duel in the evening game blanking the OBCs and racking up 13 strikeouts. The only run came in the fourth inning as Stan Kato singled up the middle and came around to score on a safety by John Glowacki. 

John Lingor swatted a grand slam homer in the fourth inning to spark Oliver to the first game victory. Jack Wheelhouse had cracked a four-bagger for the OBCs in the first.

Ball, Driessen (4) (W) and xxx
xxx, Motokado, Kuromi and xxx

Driessen (L) and xxx
Esche (W) and xxx

(June 13)   Summerland Macs got off to a good start with back-to-back, first inning, homers by Don Cristante and Al Hooker but they had little more to cheer about as Penticton Red Sox wiped out the lead with four runs in the bottom of the initial stanza, sparked by Sam Drossos' three-run circuit clout. They added four more in the second on an error, two walks, Gord Mundle's bases-loaded double and an outfield fly. Mundle paced the winners with three hits. Jack Durston survived 16 hits to go the distance to pick up the win. He walked three and fanned six.

Burton (L), Hooker (2) and xxx
Durston (W) and xxx

(June 15)   Kelowna Orioles turned on the power Sunday blasting seven home runs in a twin-bill sweep of Kamloops Jay-Rays 13-2 and 5-4.  Stocky Bob Campbell slammed three circuit clouts, Bill Martino had a pair and Frank Fritz and Bob Radies had singletons. Right-hander Les Schaeffer tossed a gem in the opener, a two-hitter. Jay-Rays took a 2-0 lead in the first inning but Bill Martino erased that with a three-run blast in the bottom of the frame. Fritz followed with another four-bagger to make in 4-2. They went on to score in every inning in the runaway triumph collecting 12 hits.

Esche (L), Schollen (2) and xxx
Schaeffer (W) and xxx

Ray Scott, making his second appearance for the Orioles, allowed just five hits and whiffed 13 in hurling the second game win for Kelowna.  Orioles took the lead scoring in the first and were never headed. Campbell, with his two homers and a single, led a ten-hit attack.

Dawson (L) and xxx
Scott (W) and xx

(June 15)   Kamloops Okonots posted a pair of wins Sunday against Penticton, gaining the second win by default when the game was awarded to the Okonots after three Red Sox players were tossed from the game following arguments with the plate umpire. At the time, Okonots were ahead 7-2. Kamloops took the first game 4-0 as Len Gatin silenced the Sox with a three-hitter. Don Dell yielded just four hits, but issued six walks and his mates made three errors behind him.  Gatin struck out seven and didn't allow a free pass. Kamloops won it in the first inning as Al Collier walked and Jimmy Jones belted a homer. They added a run in the fourth and another in the fifth.

Dell (L) and xxx
Gatin (W) and xxx

Before the second game was called, Kamloops scored seven runs. All were driven in by outfielder Jack Fowles. He rapped a three-run homer in the second and bettered that with a grand slam in the fourth.

Getz (L), xxx (3) and xxx
xxx (W) and xxx

(June 15)  In other games, Oliver swept a double-header from Vernon, 4-2 and 11-7. Summerland shaded Princeton 3-2.

(June 18)   In one of the tightest games of the season, Kamloops Okonots shaded the Jay-Rays 3-2 Wednesday. Okonots got the win with two runs in the sixth inning. Jack Olson drove in one with a double and the eventual winning marker came home on an infield out. Olson led the Okonots with a double and two singles. Art Field made two brilliant catches in centre field to save the day for Kamloops.

xxx, Beaton (7) and xxx
Esche (L) and xxx

(June 18)  Buck Buchanan of Kamloops Okonots is the leading hitter in the Okanagan Mainline loop with a .386 mark in 57 at bats, more than 20 points ahead of teammate Jack Fowles. Stan Kato of the Jay-Rays is third with a .364 average. Bill Martino of Kelowna and Fowles each have six homers to tie for the league lead. Len Gatin of the Okonots has the most pitching wins, nine, and tops the league in innings, 96 2/3s. Les Schaeffer of Kelowna has the best winning percentage with a 6-1 record. Al Hooker has a 7-3 mark.

Kamloops Okonots    14 - 4 
Kelowna Orioles     11 - 4  1.5
Summerland Macs      8 - 5  3.5
Oliver OBCs          8 - 5  3.5
Penticton Red Sox    5 - 7  6.0 
Kamloops Jay Rays    6 - 10 7.0
Vernon Clippers      3 - 9  8.0
Princeton Royals     2 - 13 10.5 

(June 20)  Three Penticton players, including the Red Sox playing-coach, have been suspended for unsportsmanlike conduct during the second game of a double-header at Kamloops, June 15th. W. Robson, the league president, took the action following an investigation of the umpire's report of the game. Bill Raptis, the playing coach, has been suspended for three games, plus one game for violation of the league constitution. Players Sam Drossos and Charlie Richards have been suspended for one game each.

(June 22)  In a wild one at Penticton, the short-handed Red Sox fell just short of beating the high-flying Kelowna Orioles, falling 17-16 in ten innings. Playing without Bill Raptis, Sam Drossos and Charles Richards, suspended for unsportsmanlike conduct, the Sox put on a good show for one of the best crowds of the season. Kelowna got the winner in the tenth on a double by John Culos and a single by Bob Campbell. Orioles needed to overcome an early hole as Penticton grabbed a 13-2 lead after three innings. A six-run fourth inning, sparked by a two-run homer by Frank Fritz, got the Orioles back in the game. In the ninth, Orioles scored three times, two on a homer by Culos, to go ahead 16-15, but the Red Sox scored in the bottom of the ninth to force the extra inning. They missed a chance for the win when Charlie Preen doubled and was thrown at a third trying to stretch it into a triple. Campbell wielded the big stick for Kelowna with five hits, Culos had four. Errors played a major role in the outcome as Kelowna bobbled the ball 11 times and the Sox were charged with five. However, one of the features of the game was the sparkling defensive play of Sox shortstop Lloyd Burgart who thrilled the crowd with several outstanding plays.

xxx, Schaeffer (W), xxx, Schaeffer and xxx
xxx, Durston (L) and xxx

(June 22)   The revitalized Penticton Red Sox hustled to a 6-4 win at Summerland Sunday. Sox jumped into a 2-0 lead in the first inning and were never headed. Dick Getz, with ninth inning relief from newcomer Gary Ball, limited the Macs to seven hits. Allan Richards led a 14-hit attack for the Sox with a triple and two singles. Gordie Mundle also had three hits.

D.Getz (W), G.Ball (9) and xxx
Hooker (L), Cristante (5) and xxx

(June 22)  Princeton took the opener from Oliver 5-1 but the OBCs roared back to win the second game 13-2.

(June 22)   Playing in 95-degree heat at Vernon, Kelowna Orioles beat the Clippers 5-2.  Southpaw Jack Denbow fashioned a seven-hitter for the pitching win. Clippers got on the board first, scoring in the third on Jim Staff's double to right centre bringing Jimmy Olynyk. The Orioles replied with four in the fourth. Greg Jablonski, who singled and stole second came home on an infield grounder and with Joe Kaiser and Denbow on base Hromi Ito doubled to right and John Culos singled up the middle. Bob Campbell slammed a single to bring in the fourth marker. Bill Martino crushed a homer in the seventh to end the Orioles scoring.

Denbow (W) and xxx
J.Staff (L), T.DeRosa (4) and xxx

(June 29)   Summerland Macs rallied for three runs in the eighth inning and battled to a 5-5 draw with the Kelowna Orioles. With one out in the eighth, Don Cristante doubled off the fence and Ollie Egely got a two-bagger to right. Bill Chapman's fly ball was muffed in right and two runs scored. The tying run came home on an error. Kelowna had 14 hits to 8 for the Macs.

Hooker and xxx
B.Martino, Schaeffer, Scott and xxx

(June 28-30)   Kelowna Centennial Tournament

(June 28-30)  Kamloops Centennial Tournament

(July 4)  Don Dell and Jack Durston combined to hold the Princeton Royals to three-hits Friday but it was the Royals who walked away with a 5-3 victory over Penticton.  The Royals capitalized on five Red Sox errors. Penticton had taken a 3-2 lead with three runs in the top of the eighth inning on a double by Charlie Richards, walks to Gord Mundle and Lloyd Burgart, a Royals' error and a single by Charlie Preen. The lead was short lived as Princeton roared back with three in their half of the eighth. A walk, a hit batsman, Von Schilling's single, a stolen base, an error and a couple of sacrifice flies delivered the goods for the Royals.

Dell, Durston and xxx
VonSchilling, Lund and xxx

(July 4)   Held to one hit into the sixth inning, Kamloops Okonots rallied for three runs in the seventh on three hits and a Vernon error to win 4-3. Gordie Crellin, a Calgary native, was sailing along until the late frames when the Okonots began to solve his deliveries. Ray Adams, Vern Blaney and Bill Buckner each had a pair of hits for the Clippers.

Geefs, Gatin (W) (3) and xxx
Crellin (L) and xxx

(July 6)  Lefty Tony DeRosa tossed a no-hitter Sunday as Vernon edged Oliver 1-0 in the opener of a Okanagan Mainline League double-header at Polson Park. Vernon notched the game's only run in the second inning on Bill Buckner's double, a fielder's choice and a single by Ray Adams. The 20-year-old left-hander from Trail, revealed he had once pitched a no-hitter in junior ball, but had lost 1-0. DeRosa fanned four and walked five. Richie Schnider took the loss giving up just four hits.

Schnider (L) and Bonde
DeRosa (W) and A.Kashuba

Oliver won the second game 6-5 putting together a ten hit attack as Glen Ball and Richie Schnider combined to hold Oliver to six hits. The OBCs struck for four runs on four hits in the fifth inning to take the lead for good. Jack Wheelhouse cracked a homer for the winners while Walt Stecyk and Alex Kashuba slugged four-baggers for Vernon.

Ball, Schnider (W) (3) and Bone
Staff (L) and J. Kashuba

(July 6)   Princeton took a pair from the Okonots, 3-2 and 4-3. They got the winning mark in the ninth inning of the opener while they scored all four of their runs in the second game in the first two innings. Von Schilling picked up both pitching wins, a complete game six-hitter in the second game after he relieved in the second inning of the first contest and pitched shutout ball the rest of the way.

Lund, VonSchilling (W) (2) and Cade
Geefs, Gatin  (L) (7) and Anderson

VonSchilling (W) and Cade
Fowles (L), Gatin (2) and Anderson

(July 6)  Summerland's Merv Siegrist cracked a two-run homer in the ninth inning Sunday to give the Macs a 6-4 victory in the second game of their double-header with Kamloops Jay Rays. The Rays took the first game 5-1 behind the solid hurling of Bud Schollen.

Christante (L) and Burton
Schollen (W) and Kato

Esche, Eyre (5), Hooker (W) (5) and Burton
Dawson (L) and Kato

(July 6)  In a single contest, Kelowna downed Penticton 5-2 in a game in which punches were thrown after Kelowna third baseman Frank Fritz was spiked by Penticton pitcher Jack Durston. As Fritz starting throwing punches players from both sides poured onto the field. Umpire Don Forest reversed his decision of calling Durston out after a conference with umpire Al Laface.  Durston held Kelowna at bay except in the sixth inning when the Orioles erupted for four runs sparked by Bob Campbell's two-run homer. That proved enough for the victory.

Durston (L) and A.Richards
Scott (W) and Radies

Kelowna            14 - 4   --
Kamloops Okonots   15 - 6   0.5
Oliver             10 - 7   3.5
Summerland          9 - 7   4.0
Kamloops Jay-Rays   7 - 11  7.0
Penticton           6 - 10  7.0
Princeton           6 - 14  9.0
Vernon              4 - 12  9.0

(July 6)   Penticton's Gord Mundle is the leading hitter in the Okanagan Mainline League through games of early July. Mundle's .418 average tops Jack Fowles of Kamloops Okonots, at .386. Buck Buchanan of the Okonots is third with a .371 mark and a league-leading 20 runs and 3 triples. Richie Schnider of Oliver, fourth in the batting race at .358, is tops in hits, with 24. Bill Martino of Kelowna leads in home runs, 7, and runs batted in, 23. Cliff Pachal of the Jay-Rays has the most steals, 10.

Les Schaeffer of Kelowna is the top hurler with a 7-1 record and 1.97 ERA in 55 1/3 innings. Len Gatin of the Okonots has won the most games, 10, and has a 2.83 earned run mark. Al Hooker of Summerland is 7-4, 3.10.

(July 11)   In a Friday encounter at Penticton, the Red Sox collected 13 hits to down Summerland Macs 11-6. Charlie Burtch led the winners with a double and two singles. Dick Getz settled down after a shaky start to go the distance for the pitching decision. Sox scored six times in the first frame and coasted to the win. Merv Siegrist and relief pitcher Al Hooker cracked circuit blows for the Macs.

Esche, Hooker (1) and xxx
Getz (W) and xxx

(July 13)   Kamloops Okonots are just percentage points back of the Kelowna Orioles for leadership of the OMBL after crushing the Birdmen 10-3 Sunday.  Okonots took advantage of sloppy defensive play to plate six runs in the first two innings and coasted to the triumph. Len Gatin held the Orioles to five hits in posting his 11th win of the season. He has lost just two. Gatin was a major force on the attack with a three-run double in the second and a run-scoring single in the seventh. Dave Gatherum, the Kelowna first sacker, had three hits. Okonots survived five errors, four by Al Collier filling in for regular shortstop Len Fowles.

Denbow (L), Scott (2) and Radies
Gatin (W) and Anderson

(July 13)   On his 19th birthday, Jim Staff had a day for the scrapbook firing a pair of shutouts as Vernon Clippers downed Princeton 5-0 and 2-0. The youngster allowed just two hits in the opening game and three in the nightcap. Staff was on the hill because team ace Tony DeRosa was spending the weekend at home in Trail. He hurled sixteen innings. Staff racked up ten strikeouts with no walks in the first game and added another 12 whiffs in the second. Alex Kashuba rapped one over the fence in right field to give Vernon the lead in the opener. Bill Buckner singled in Vern Blaney with the second run. With the bases loaded and one out, Buckner was forced out at home and the catcher fired to first to try for a double play. First sacker Tom Anderson thought he had the third out and rolled the ball to the mound. However, umpire Bob Inglis made a safe call and Jim Tooley and Walt Stecyk scampered home to make it 4-0. Alex Kashuba doubled to scored Jim Staff with the final counter.

Sedoni (L) and xxx
Staff (W) and xxx

Staff knocked in the first run in the nightcap with a sac fly to centre to bring in Jim Tooley who had singled and advanced on Ray Adams' double. The second marker came in the sixth as Staff singled and scored on a safety by Bill Buckner.

Silovich (L) and xxx
Staff (W) and xxx

(July 13)  Penticton, under new playing coach Lloyd Burgart, whipped Kamloops Jay-Rays 7-1 and 7-6 with Burgart putting an exclamation mark on his debut with three homers. His third broke a 6-6 tie in the second game. Allen Richards and his 15-year-old younger brother Charlie each added a four-bagger as did Charlie Preen. Stan Kato ripped a pair of homers for the Rays.

Dawson (L) and Kato
Dell (W) and A.Richards

Schollen (L) and Kato
Durston (W) and A.Richards

(July 13)  Summerland featured a 15-hit attack in crushing Oliver 10-4. Howie Esche tossed a five-hitter for the win. Ollie Egley's two-run homer in the second inning sparked the Macs' offense.

Schnider (L) and xxx
Esche (W) and xxx

(July 16)   Don Dell hurled the Penticton Red Sox to their fourth straight victory Wednesday, 3-2 over Oliver in a thriller at King's Park.  Although he yielded just four hits, four Sox errors kept him in trouble most of the night. The slim right-hander walked only two and fanned six. Richie Schnider, for Oliver, gave up just six hits and one walk but five errors by the OBCs kept runners on the bases. Dell won his own ball game in the eighth inning when his fly ball fell in for a hit when lost in the lights by the Oliver outfielders and the winning run came home.

Schnider (L) and Gilchrist
Dell (W) and A.Richards

(July 16)  Blanked for eight innings, Vernon Clippers scored two in the ninth to edge Kelowna 2-1 as new coach Vern Dye made a successful debut.  Trailing 1-0, Jim Tooley singled and Tom Stecyk doubled to tie the score. Stecyk romped home on a passed ball for the win. Tony DeRosa twirled another gem allowing just four hits to best Les Schaeffer.

DeRosa (W) and xxx
Schaeffer (L) and xxx

(July 20)  Penticton whacked 11 hits and were gifted ten walks and helped by six Princeton errors as the Red Sox clipped the Royals 9-1 Sunday. Jack Durston, who picked up the pitching win in relief, helped his cause with a fourth inning homer. Catcher Allan Richards connect for a pair of booming doubles and scored twice.

G.Cousins (L), Sidoni (2), Silovich (3), Sidoni (8) and xxx
Christianson, Durston (W) (4) and A.Richards

(July 20)  Frank Fritz slammed a ninth inning home run to give Kelowna Orioles a 9-8 decision over the Macs at Summerland. Bill Martino had earlier cracked his eighth and ninth round trippers, one a grand slam, for the winners.  Al Hooker was best for Summerland driving in three runs with a pair of hits. George Taylor had two doubles.

Denbow, Scott (W) (6) and Culos
Esche, Chapman (L) (6) and Burton

(July 20)  Oliver and the Jay-Rays split a double-header. Gary Driessen pitched the OBCs to a 3-2 first game victory. Doug Weeks drove in Elroy Jacobs with the winning run in the eighth inning.

xxx and xxx
Driessen (W) and xxx

A sterling relief effort by Joe Motokado helped the Jay-Rays to a 13-11 triumph in the second game. Eight of the Kamloops runs were unearned as Oliver committed ten errors.

xxx and xxx
xxx, Motokado and xxx

(July 20)   Winning pitcher Len Gatin drove in two runs in the seventh inning to give Kamloops Okonots a 5-4 win over Vernon Clippers. Wes Stevens had reached on an error and Buck Buchanan drew a free pass to set the stage for Gatin's game winning blow. Gatin held the Clippers to seven hits while the winners collected ten off a pair of Vernon hurlers.

Staff (L), DeRosa and Dye
Gatin (W) and xxx

Kamloops Okonots   17 - 6   --
Kelowna            15 - 6   1.0
Summerland         10 - 9   5.0
Oliver             11 - 10  5.0
Penticton          11 - 10  5.0
Kamloops Jay-Rays   8 - 14  8.5
Vernon              7 - 13  8.5
Princeton           6 - 17  11.0

(July 27)   For the fourth time this season, Kamloops Okonots notched a one-run victory over Vernon Clippers.  The latest came Sunday at Vernon in a 4-3 decision with Len Gatin getting the win with a seven-hitter while Tony DeRosa, who allowed just three hits took the loss. Jack Fowles doubled in two runs for the Okonots in the first inning and Vernon got one back in the bottom of the frame on DeRosa's single. A throwing error allowed Buck Buchanan to scamper home in the second to make it 3-1 before Vernon narrowed the gap again scoring in the fifth as Ray Adams drove in Bill Buckner. But in the seventh, Jim Tooley lost Al Collier's high drive in the sun and Gatin romped home to restore Kamloops' two run advantage. Vernon came close in the ninth as pinch hitter Vern Dye punched a double and scored.

Gatin (W) and xxx
DeRosa (L) and xxx

(July 27)   Bill Martino, Kelowna's rangy centre fielder, was in the spotlight Sunday leading the Orioles to a double-header sweep in Summerland, 9-8 and 5-1. Martino, the league's leading slugger, smacked a ninth inning single to knock in the winning run in the first game and clouted a two-run homer, his 10th of the season, enough for the victory in the second game. Joe Kaiser, the Kelowna shortstop drove in four runs with a pair of doubles. Al Hooker had a two-run homer for the Macs in the opener. Macs had fallen behind 8-0 after the first two innings but charged back to tie with six runs in the fourth and a pair in the sixth. Ray Scott fashioned a seven-hitter with 11 strikeouts to get the win in the second game. The lone run against him was unearned.

Schaeffer, Denbow (W) (4) and Culos
Esche, Burton (L) (2), Hooker (7) and Burton, Egely, Burton

Chapman (L), Hooker (8) and Burton
Scott (W) and Radies

(July 27)   A five-run third inning carried Oliver to an 8-3 win over Penticton Sunday. The OBCs rapped 13 hits off a pair of Red Sox hurlers and took advantage of five errors. Gary Driessen scattered nine hits to post the pitching win. Penticton got all three of its runs in the eighth inning on hits by Charlie Richards and Doug Moore.

Getz (L), Dell (5) and A.Richards
Driessen (W) and Gilchrist

(July 27)    The Kelowna Jay-Rays added two wins without stepping on the diamond. The Princeton Royals forfeited both games of the scheduled double-header because they couldn't field a team with too many players busy fighting forest fires.

(July 27)   Summerland's Al Hooker has taken over the lead in the batting race with a .382 mark, ahead of Jack Fowles of the Okonots at .368. Gord Mundle of Penticton is third, .360, with Stan Kato of the Jay-Rays at .355 and Geordie Taylor of the Macs at .328. The statistics include games played through July 20th. Bill Martino of Kelowna leads in home runs, 9, and runs batted in, 29. Jack Burton of Summerland and Frank Fritz of Kelowna are tops in doubles, each with seven. Stan Kato of the Jay-Rays is the leader in runs, with 24, and stolen bases, 15. Len Gatin of the Okonots is the top hurler with a 12-2 won-lost record and 2.68 ERA. Hooker has eight wins and an ERA of 3.07.

(July 30)  Kamloops Okonots moved a full game atop the league standings Wednesday with a 15-10 verdict over the Jay-Rays. Okonots, ran wild in the fourth inning scoring seven times but needed a five run outburst in the ninth for the win. Left fielder Jack Fowles wielded the big stick for Okonots driving in six runs, four with a grand-slam homer. Gordie Miyahara and Joe Motokado each had a two-run homer for the losers. Len Gatin, with ninth inning relief by Bill Geefs, was credited with the win.

Gatin (W), Geefs (9) and xxx
Schollen (L), Dawson (5) and xxx

(August 3)   Pinch-hitter Vern Blaney singled in two runs in the ninth inning to give Vernon a split of Sunday's double-header with a 7-6 victory in the second game after Clippers dropped the opener to Summerland 3-2. Macs had taken a 4-0 lead in the top of the third on three hits and an error but Vernon kept close with Walt Stecyk rapping a homer with Jim Tooley aboard in the bottom of the frame. Two Vernon errors in the fourth helped the Macs plate another pair of runs while the Clippers got a two-run homer by Alex Kashuba.  Trailing 6-4 in the ninth, Walt Stecyk doubled to bring in Bob Johnson and, after a walk to Alex Kashuba, Blaney rapped one to left for the tying and winning runs.

Chapman (W) and Egely
Staff (L) and J.Kashuba

In a fast, thrilling opening game, Summerland took the lead in the fourth on doubles by Al Hooker and Ollie Egely and Vernon quickly responded to tie as Alex Kashuba drove in brother Johnny, who had reached on an error.  Two runs in the seventh meant victory for the Macs, Egely reached, stole second and came home as Bill Eyre singled and circled the bags for the winning run on Bill Chapman's two-bagger. Vernon got one in their half of the seventh on a walk and singles by Jim Tooley and Ray Adams but Howie Esche got a strikeout to end the game. Newly-wed Tooley led the Clippers with five hits for the day in six trips to the plate.

Esche, Eyre (L) (5) and Egely
Hay, Staff (W) and Dye

(August 3)  Oliver scored twice in the top of the first inning and were never headed in downing Princeton 5-3, Gary Driessen held the Royals to seven hits in going the route for the pitching win. Al "Dusty" Sidoni took the loss, also giving up seven hits.

Driessen (W) and Wheelhouse
Sidoni (L) and Cade

(August 10)   Kelowna Orioles turned on the power Sunday with four home runs in crushing Oliver OBCs 13-3. Bill Martino started the barrage in the first inning with a shot over the club house, knocking in Bob Campbell who had a four-bagger of his own in the third. Catcher John Colus smacked one in the fifth and winning pitcher Les Schaeffer knocked one out in the seventh. Jack Wheelhouse cracked a circuit blow for Oliver in the sixth. Orioles pounded out 15 hits with Martino, Campbell and Hromi Ito each with three. Doug Weeks had three for the losers.

Schnider (L), Wheelhouse (6) and Wheelhouse, xxx (6) 
Schaeffer (W) and Culos

(August 10)   Summerland Macs upended Kamloops Okonots 6-2 behind the strong hurling of Bill Chapman who yielded but six hits. Macs secured the win with four runs, on four hits and four stolen bases, in the seventh inning.

Chapman (W) and xxx
xxx and xxx

(August 10)   Vernon ace Tony DeRosa allowed just four hits in pitching the Clippers to a 4-2 victory over the Kamloops Jay-Rays. DeRosa had a no-hitter until the sixth when he was touched for three hits. He fanned 15. The Clippers pounded out 13 hits in the victory. The winning marker came in the fifth inning as Vern Blaney walked and scored on Vern Dye's two-bagger to right field. They added an insurance run in the eighth when left fielder Larry Candido singled, moved up on a walk and passed ball and scooted home on Blaney's single to left. Cliff Pachal drove in both runs for the Jay-Rays. Blaney and Vern Dye each had three hits and two runs batted in.

Dawson (L) and xxx
DeRosa (W) and xxx

August 13)  In the inaugural All-Star game, the North Stars came away with a 5-2 victory in the exhibition at Elks Stadium in Kelowna.  A three-run fourth inning proved to be the difference. Jack Fowles knocked in two of the runs with a long blow to right field. The other scored on a hit batsman. After Jack Wheelhouse opened the scoring in the top of the first on a wild pitch, Fowles tied the match with a home run in the bottom of the initial frame. The Southern All-Stars notched another marker in the fifth as Bruno Ceccon cracked a double to plate Wheelhouse. The final run for the North came in the seventh on three walks and a single. Vernon's Tony DeRosa went three innings for the win.

Durston, Dell (L)), Schnider, Getz, Schnider and xxx
DeRosa (W), Gatin (4), Scott (7) and xxx

(August 15)   Penticton Red Sox blew an early 4-0 lead before battling back to dump Princeton 10-7 Friday at Penticton. Newcomer Bud Englesby made an auspicious debut with the Sox with two hits, one a home run into the left field trees in the fifth inning. Royals narrowed the margin to 8-7 in the seventh frame when Ike Mullin singled, losing pitcher Dusty Sidoni was hit by a pitch and Ralph Anderson followed with his second extra base hit, a triple to plate both runners. Anderson then scored on a wild pitch. But the Red Sox added a run in the seventh on a double by George Drossos and wrapped up the scoring in the eighth as Al Richards walked and scored on an error.

Sidoni (L), Silovich (5) and Cade
Getz, Dell (W) (4) and A.Richards

(August 17)   Pitchers Jim Staff of Vernon and Bud Schollen of the Jay-Rays went toe to toe for nine innings Sunday with the Clippers coming ahead 3-0 scoring all their runs in the second inning. Staff drew a walk and scored on a double by Alex Kashuba and John Kashuba followed with a homer. That ended the offense. Staff got the shutout allowing just three hits while Schollen took the loss yielding just four hits.

Staff (W) and xxx
Schollen (L) and xxx

(August 17)   Penticton was out-hit 14 to 10 but capitalized on nine walks and six Summerland errors to top the Macs 8-3 Sunday. Red Sox scored three times in the first inning and led all the way, adding a singleton in the fifth, two in the seventh and another pair in the eighth. Bud Englesby collected three hits for the winners with Charlie Richards, Lloyd Burgart and Charlie Preen each with two. Summerland got to winning pitcher Jack Durston for 14 safeties, four apiece by Harold Biollo and Al Hooker.

Durston (W) and A.Richards\
Eyre (L), Chapman (7), Hooker (8), Chapman (9) and Burton

(August 17)  Tied 4-4 after ten innings, the 11th saw a six-run explosion by Kelowna sparked by Bill Martino's three-run homer as the Orioles knocked off the Okonots 10-4 to take a one-game lead atop the standings. Martino's four-bagger was his 12th of the season, a record for the Okanagan Mainline League. After Kelowna got on the scoreboard in the fourth as Martino hit safely and came home on a single by Frank Fritz, the Okonots took the lead with two in the seventh.  Bob Saklofsky lofted a homer over left centre field with Jack Olson on base with a walk. But, in the next stanza Kelowna rallied for three to go up 4-2. Greg Jablonski tripled to score Bob Campbell and Frank Fritz followed with a circuit blow. With fans still buzzing from the see-saw action, the Okonots' Olson doubled, advanced on a fielder's choice and stole home. Saklofsky, who had drawn a free pass, advanced on an error and scampered home on a passed ball to tie the count at 4-4. After a scoreless tenth, Joe Kaiser led off the 11th with a homer, Bob Campbell singled in two and Bob Martino wrapped up the package with his long ball bringing in three more. Ray Scott picked up the pitching win in relief of starter Jack Denbow. Len Gatin took the loss.

Denbow, Scott (W) (9) and Culos
Gatin (L), Geefs (11) and Fowles

Kelowna            19 - 6   --
Kamloops Okonots   19 - 8   1.0
Oliver             14 - 11  5.0
Penticton          13 - 11  5.5
Summerland         12 - 14  7.5
Vernon             10 - 15  9.0
Kamloops Jay-Rays  10 - 17  10.0
Princeton           6 - 21  14.0

(August 17)   Stan Kato of the Jay-Rays has climbed to the top of the batting race in the Okanagan Mainline Baseball League hitting the ball at a .363 clip to edge our Al Hooker of Summerland, at .356. Bruno Ceccon of Princeton has moved up to third place with a .312 average and Bill Martino, the league's top slugger with 12 homers, is fourth with a .307 mark. Paul Eisenhut of Oliver is fifth at an even .300.

(August 20)  Vernon Clippers retained their slim chance of a playoff berth Wednesday downing the Kelowna Orioles 9-4 in a game called after six innings because of darkness. The Orioles, with an opportunity to wrap up their second straight pennant, made four errors in the second inning to hand the Clippers eight runs. Young Tony DeRosa allowed eight hits in going the distance for the win. Two of them were two-run homers by Bill Martino and Bobby Campbell. Jim Tooley rapped a double and single and scored three runs for the Clippers.

DeRosa (W) and Dye
Schaeffer (L), Denbow (3) and Culos

(August 20)  Use of an ineligible player has cost the Penticton Red Sox two wins. The league president, G.J. "Gliss" Winter, announced that the Red Sox 8-3 win over Summerland has been forfeited to the Macs and the Sox 10-7 decision over Princeton has been declared no contest. In the latter, the Royals also used an ineligible player.

(August 20)   Gary Driessen survived a rough first inning in which he gave up three runs, including a homer to Al Richards, to settle down to hurl Oliver to a 9-5 decision over Penticton. The right-hander allowed seven hits and racked up 15 strikeouts with just one free pass. Johnny Lingor and Stan Nelson each had two hits for the winners while Jack Wheelhouse had the big blow, a towering four-bagger in the ninth.

Driessen (W) and Gilchrist
Dell (L) and A.Richards

(August 22)   Kelowna Orioles shellacked Penticton 13-4 Friday to just about end the Red Sox hopes of a playoff berth. Sox need to win both games of Sunday's twin-bill with Vernon to win a playoff slot.  Jack Durston started for the Sox but failed to get an out. Hampered by a sore arm, he walked the first batter and Jack Denbow followed with a home run over the left field fence. That was all for Durston. Fred Christianson relieved and allowed another two runs before retiring the side. Orioles got to him for four more runs in the second inning, three on a homer by Frank Fritz, and were off to the races. Bill Martino led the onslaught with a homer, his 14th, double, single and two walks. He scored five times. Bob Campbell added two doubles and a single. Ray Scott held the Sox to seven hits while racking up 13 strikeouts.

Durston, Christianson (1), Getz (2) and A.Richards
Scott (W) and Radies

(August 22)  Glen Ball fired a two-hit shutout Friday to lift Oliver to a 5-0 win over Summerland Macs.

(August 24)   Vernon Clippers and Penticton Red Sox took turns Sunday knocking off each other's playoff chances in a double-header at Polson Park. Needing a sweep to ensure a playoff slot, the teams split, leaving both on the sidelines. Red Sox took the opener 4-1 behind a two-hit gem by Don Dell. Sox got all four runs in the fourth inning with Sam Drossos' two-bagger the key blow.

Dell (W) and xxx
Staff (L), DeRosa (4) and xxx

In a thrilling second game, Ray Adams smacked a double in the tenth inning to bring in Jim Tooley with the winning run in a 9-8 decision over Penticton. The action-packed encounter saw Penticton go ahead 7-6 in the eighth when Sam Drossos tripled to bring in Charlie Preen. But, Vernon, helped by two errors at shortstop, saw Adams and Vern Blaney trot home to regain the lead, 8-7. In the ninth, Gordie Mundle singled, stole second and scored on Lloyd Burgart's hit to knot the count and send the game to an extra frame.

DeRosa, Staff (W) (10) and xxx
Dell, Durston, Getz, Moore (L) and xxx

(August 24)   On the final day of the regular schedule, Oliver clobbered Kelowna 20-5 while Kamloops Okonots beat the Jay-Rays 8-4 to force a sudden-death playoff for first place in the Okanagan Mainline Baseball League. Both teams sit with 20 wins and 8 losses.

Playing in 110-degree heat at Oliver, the OBCs peppered six Kelowna hurlers for 18 hits, scoring six times in the first inning to put the game on ice early. Don Coy went five-for-five for the winners and Richie Schnider had five hits and drove in five runs.

Denbow (L), Schaeffer (1), Scott (1),  Martino (4), Campbell (5), Tostenson (7) and Radies
Driessen (W) and Wheelhouse

Kamloops Okonots took advantage of three Jay-Rays' errors in the third inning to plate six runs in the 8-4 triumph. Len Gatin scattered seven hits  in going the distance for the winners. he fanned nine and walked four. Buck Buchanan smacked a two-run triple in the big third frame for Kamloops and Bob Saklofsky and Al Collier rapped doubles.

Gatin (W) and xxx
Dawson (L), Motokado and xxx

FINAL STANDINGS           W     L      Pct.
Kamloops Okonots         20     8      .714
Kelowna Orioles          20     8      .714
Oliver OBC’s             17    11      .607
Summerland Macs          14    14      .500
Penticton Red Sox        12    15      .444
Vernon Clippers          12    16      .429
Kamloops Jay-Rays        10    18      .357
Princeton Royals          6    21      .222

(August)   Stan Kato, catcher for the Kamloops Jay-Rays, has captured the batting title for the 1958 season finishing with a .378 average, four points better than runner-up Jack Fowles of the Kamloops Okonots. Buck Buchanan of the Okonots and Gord Mundle of Penticton tied for third at .365 while Al Hooker of Summerland was right behind at .364. Bill Martino, who was eighth, was the loop's top slugger with 14 home runs and 42 RBI. He also led in runs scored, with 32 and tied for the most hits, 39. Kato was tops in steals, with 18. Len Gatin of the Okonots was the top hurler with a 16-4  won-lost record.

(September 1)  Quesnel Labour Day Tournament

(September 1)  Kamloops Labour Day Tournament

(September 7)  Kamloops Okonots claimed the Okanagan Mainline League pennant Sunday defeating the defending champion Kelowna Orioles 6-1 in a sudden-death playoff before a record crowd of 1,500 at Riverside Park. The teams finished the regular season tied for the top spot each with 20 wins and 8 losses.  Len Gatin went the distance for the winners besting Jack Denbow of the Orioles. Gatin allowed eight hits, Denbow yielded ten. Okonots jumped into a 3-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back. Jim Jones drew a walk, advanced on a wild pitch and scored as Jack Fowles singled. Gordon Beecroft, who also walked, came home on a safety by Andy Huber and Fowles scored on an error. Frank Fritz, who had three hits, knocked in the lone Kelowna run in the eighth inning with a single to right.

Denbow (L) and Radies
Gatin (W) and Field

PLAYOFFS

(September 14)   With a five run outburst in the first inning, Kelowna Orioles took a big lead and coasted to an easy 10-3 victory over Summerland in the opening game of the best-of-three OMBL semi-final playoff. Ray Scott was steady on the hill for the winners going the distance for the mound triumph.  Bill Chapman, who lasted just one-third of an inning, took the loss. Bill Martino slugged a two-run homer for Kelowna, his 15th of the season, a record for the circuit. Al Hooker had a circuit blow for the Macs. Frank Fritz had three hits for the winners.

Chapman (L), Cristante (1), Hooker (2) and xxx
R.Scott (W) and Culos

(September 14)   Gary Driessen hurled an outstanding game Sunday leading Oliver OBCs to a 2-1 victory over Kamloops Okonots in their semi-final opener. Both Oliver runs came as a result of some sloppy defensive play by the Okonots. In the second, Richie Schnider singled, advanced on a walk to Driessen and romped home on an infield error. In the third, Jack Wheelhouse walked and Johnny Lingor followed with a single. A hard-hit ball by Schnider was bobbled at short and Oliver went up 2-0. Kamloops got its only run in the eighth as catcher Art Field, Gordie Beecroft and Al Collier rapped singles. Okonots pitcher Len Gatin injured his left shoulder in a close play at first in the fourth inning and was replaced by Beecroft.

Gatin (L), Beecroft (4) and Field
Driessen (W) and xxx

(September 21)   At Summerland, the Kelowna Orioles launched an 18-hit attack in clobbering the Macs 14-1 to take their series in two straight games. Bill Martino led the winners with four hits and four runs batted in. Davie Gatherum also had four safeties. Les Schaeffer held Summerland to six hits in going the route for the win. The Orioles wasted little time in running up the score notching five runs in the first inning.

Schaefer (W) and Culos
Chapman (L), Hooker (1) and Burton

(September 21)   Down a game in the series and without their star chucker, Len Gatin, the Kamloops Okonots pulled out twin victories over Oliver Sunday, 14-8 and 10-9 to advance to the OMBL final. Okonots fell behind 3-0 in both games before coming through in the late innings to take both games. Jack Olson, a utility player, picked up both pitching wins relieving Gordie Beecroft who started both contests.

Oliver jumped into the lead in the opener with three runs in the top of the second inning. Kamloops quickly responded, going ahead with four in the bottom of the frame and added three in the fourth. Oliver tied it 7-7 with four in the top of the sixth. Okonots went ahead for good with a three spot in the bottom of the sixth and wrapped up the victory with a four run outburst in the eighth. Len Fowles and Andy Huber paced a 13-hit attack, each with three. Jack Wheelhouse cracked a homer for Oliver.

Ball (L), Wheelhouse (7) and Wheelhouse, Gilchrist (7)
Beecroft, Olson (W) (6) and J.Fowles

Trailing 9-6 going into the bottom of the ninth, Kamloops exploded for four runs to take the second game 10-9. Al Collier and Jimmy Jones led off the stanza with back-to-back walks and Jack Fowles' drive angled off the first baseman's mitt to allow the first run. Buck Buchanan was walked intentionally to load the bases. On Andy Huber's bunt, pitcher Richie Schnider got an out at home but catcher Bill Gilchrist's throw to first sailed into right field and Fowles and Buchanan scampered home to tie the game. Huber, who made it to third on the throwing error, notched the winner on an infield grounder by Len Fowles. Jack Wheelhouse who drove in three runs in the first game for Oliver, slugged a pair of homers to knock in four more in the second.

Schnider (L) and Gilchrist
Beecroft, Olson (W) (4) and J.Fowles

(September 28)   Kelowna Orioles romped to a 5-0 lead after five innings and held off a late challenge by Kamloops to take the opening game of the Mainland League final 7-5. The big blow for the winners was a two-run homer by playing manager Hank Tostenson in the fourth inning. The Okonots battled back with a Jack Fowles homer in the seventh and a two-run shot by Buck Buchanan in the ninth but fell short. Jack Denbow survived 13 hits to pick up the win, with ninth inning relief by Les Schaeffer. Denbow fanned eight and walked one. Len Gatin, back in the lineup after being sidelined with a separated shoulder, went the route for the Okonots.

Denbow (W), Schaefer (9) and Culos
Gatin (L) and J.Fowles

(October 5)   Kelowna Orioles blew a 5-0 first inning lead Sunday in dropping a 10-7 ten-inning decision to Kamloops Okonots to even the final series at a game apiece. A walk, two singles and four errors resulted in four runs in the top of the tenth for the Okonots after the teams had battled to a 6-6 draw through regulation. Orioles responded with just one in the bottom of the extra frame. After the Orioles jumped out to a big lead, Len Fowles boomed a three-run homer in the third and Kamloops added three more in the seventh, two scoring on a drive up the middle by Jimmy Jones. Orioles tied it 6-6 in the eighth on Greg Jablonski's run-scoring single.  Len Gatin tossed a five-hitter for the win.

Gatin (W) and Field
Schaeffer (L), Scott (10) and Culos

(October 12)   Kelowna Orioles have repeated as champions of the Okanagan Mainline League. The O's again jumped out to an early lead Sunday and this time held on to dump Kamloops Okonots 9-4 in the deciding game of the final series played before a crowd of about 700 fans in heavy coats and gloves on a cold and damp Sunday. Orioles plated four runs in the top of the first stanza and stayed in front all the way. Jack Denbow led off the game with a two bagger and Hromi Ito followed with a single. Both scored on errors. Bill Martino knocked in one with a hit to centre and the fourth came home on a fielder's choice. Jack Fowles rapped a two-run homer for Kamloops in the third but that's as close as they would get. Ray Scott came in to replace starter Les Schaeffer in the third and pitched three-hit ball the rest of the way.  Orioles were superb in the field playing without an error. Frank Fritz led a 10-hit attack with three safeties, Denbow, Ito and Martino each had a pair.

Schaeffer, Scott (W) (3) and Culos
Gatin (L), Olson (7) and J.Fowles

---

NORTH OKANAGAN BASEBALL LEAGUE

This senior loop of eleven clubs was split into two divisions along geographic lines for the 1958 season whereas, in 1957, each entry played every other on a random basis. Added to the league for 1958 were squads representing Armstrong and Head of the Lake while dropouts from 1957 included the Squilax Cubs and the Okanagan Bluebirds. No inter-divisional games were played but the winners and runners-up in each division advanced to the playoffs.

Northern Division
Celista Shuswatters *
Chase Chiefs
Falkland Broncs
Fedoruk Loggers
Kamloops Mustangs

* 1958 Northern Division champions 

Southern Division
Armstrong Senators
Enderby Oil Kings
Head of the Lake
Salmon Arm Merchants *
Sicamous Eagles
Six Mile

* 1958 Southern Division champions

(May 4)  Rookie Duane Weber hurled four-hit ball as the invading Salmon Arm Merchants bombarded the Sicamous Eagles 9 to 2 as the Northern Okanagan Baseball League launched a new season. A six-run fourth frame sealed the deal for the Merchants. Fly chaser Dave Wagner, another freshman, picked up a pair of two-baggers for the victors.

Weber (W) and A. Andrews
A. Nowoczin (L), P. Nowoczin (4), Forgaard (9) and xxx

(May 11)  Salmon Arm 27   Armstrong 15

(May 11)  Six Mile 12   Enderby 4
                Sicamous  12   Head of the Lake 7

(May 18)  The Salmon Arm Merchants won their third game of the campaign, all on the road, by registering a 14 to 6 NOBL conquest over Head of the Lake. Catcher Gord Andrews smacked four singles and drove in three runs for the Merchants.

A. Andrews (W) and G. Andrews
xxx (L) and xxx

(May 18)  Chase Chiefs 4   Falkland Broncs 3
                
(May 25)  A wild fourth-inning uprising, which saw Salmon Arm plate six counters, propelled the hosting Merchants to a 12 to 6 victory over the Enderby Oil Kings. Winning chucker Duane Weber ran his strikeout total to 38 in 23-1/3 innings as he went the distance against the Oilers. Al Andrews had a perfect day at the plate for Salmon Arm, nailing a three-run homer and a single to go along with three free passes.

(June 1)  The Chase Chiefs evened their record at two wins and two losses by squeezing past the neighbouring Fedoruk Loggers 8 to 7 in an NOBL northern division clash. Starter Gabe Anthony of Chase pitched the Chiefs to a 6 to 2 lead but was unable to check the Loggers’ hitting power in the eighth stanza when Fedoruk forged ahead. Felix Anthony replaced his brother on the hill and got credit for the mound victory while Joe Edwards was tagged with the loss.

G.Anthony, F.Anthony (W) and xxx
J.Edwards (L) and xxx

(June 8)  The Salmon Arm Merchants took over sole possession of first place in the southern division of the NOBL when they thumped the Sicamous Eagles 13 to 3 at Centenoka Stadium. The triumph was the fifth in succession for the high-flying Retailers. Moundsman Duane Weber picked up his fourth hillock conquest for Salmon Arm. First sacker “Lefty” Rolin shook a batting slump and punched out three hits, good for a like number of RBI’s. Another key figure for the Merchants was flychaser Harry Howell who came up with four fine snags in the outer pasture as well as drilling two timely hits.

P. Nowoczin (L), A. Nowoczin (3), Ulmer (4) and xxx
Weber (W) and xxx

(June 15)  The Armstrong Senators were belted 14 to 6 by the Salmon Arm Merchants in a sloppily-played NOBL encounter at Centenoka Stadium. A seven-run fifth frame, in which the victors registered but two hits, spelled doom for the Sens. Each club had ten safeties with winning pitcher Al Andrews leading the batting parade with three singles.

Simms (L) and xxx
A. Andrews (W) and G. Andrews

(June 22)  Conceding the contest after five stanzas were in the books, the hosting Head of the Lake diamondeers were drubbed 21 to 3 by the league-leading Salmon Arm Merchants. In reeling off their seventh straight NOBL triumph, the Merchants banged out 14 hits off a pair of Lakehead chuckers including three each by “Lefty” Rolin and Dave Wagner. Al Andrews improved his mound record to three wins and no losses by spacing five hits.

A. Andrews (W) and G. Andrews
xxx (L), xxx and xxx

(July 13)  Salmon Arm’s rampaging Merchants swept both ends of a doubleheader from Six Mile, 10 to 7 and 13 to 7, to maintain their undefeated 1958 NOBL record. Al Andrews was the winning pitcher in both contests, the first in relief and the second by going all the way. Salmon Arm infielder Barry Damgaard cracked five hits in six tries during the double-dip.

(July 20)  Failing to field a full squad of players for the contest, the visiting Salmon Arm Merchants forfeited a 9 to 0 verdict to the hosting Sicamous Eagles.

(July 27)  Despite outhitting their foes by a 10 to 9 margin, the Armstrong Senators proved to be their own worst enemies by committing 11 errors in absorbing a 15 to 4 thumping at the hands of the Salmon Arm Merchants. Barry Damgaard, Salmon Arm’s pitcher, earned his first victory of the season although he needed relied help from Al Andrews in the eighth. Starter Dick Ramsay of the Sens was nailed with the loss.

Ramsay (L), Brown (4) and xxx
Damgaard (W), A. Andrews (8) and xxx

STANDINGS

NORTHERN DIVISION
Celista Shuswatters        8 – 1     .889
Falkland Broncs            6 – 3     .667
Kamloops Mustangs          3 – 6     .333
Chase Chiefs               3 – 6     .333
Fedoruk Loggers            2 – 6     .250 

SOUTHERN DIVISION
Salmon Arm Merchants      10 – 1     .909
Sicamous Eagles            9 – 2     .818
Armstrong Senators         7 – 4     .636
Enderby Oil Kings          3 – 8     .273
Six Mile                   3 – 8     .273
Head of the Lake           1 – 10    .091

(August 3)  The Salmon Arm Merchants remained a full game in front of their closest southern division pursuer, the Sicamous Eagles, by clobbering the cellar-dwelling Lake of the Woods nine 14 to 1. Barry Damgaard picked up his second hillock triumph in as many weeks by limiting the Lakehead squad to just two hits. Starter Hector Lewis was nailed with the defeat. Al Andrews singled and doubled for the winners, driving in three runs.

Lewis (L), xxx and xxx
Damgaard, A. Andrews (8) and xxx

(August 3)  The Chase Chiefs tamed the Falkland Broncs 7 to 6 in a tightly-contested NOBL northern division skirmish. The score teetered back and forth until the bottom of the ninth inning when the Chiefs notched the winning tally.

King (L) and xxx
G. Anthony, F. Anthony (5) and xxx

(August 10)  The Salmon Arm Merchants caught sight of the 1958 NOBL southern division pennant at Centenoka Stadium when they defeated the Enderby Oil Kings 16 to 10. Al Andrews picked up the hillock victory with 4-1/3 innings of solid relief work.

SUDDEN-DEATH DIVISIONAL FINALS

(August 24)  The first-place Celista Shuswatters  rocked the runner-up Falkland Broncs  20 to 8 to grab the northern division playoff and move into the NOBL finals.

(August 24)  The Salmon Arm Merchants reached the north-south final of the North Okanagan Baseball League with a 4 to 2 victory over the Sicamous Eagles at Centenoka Stadium. In defeating the Feathered Tribe, the Storemen had the better share of luck riding with them. Three of their batters got aboard via Sicamous errors and all three plated unearned runs. Young Pete Nowoczin of the Big Birds surrendered just four hits but each came at a crucial moment. Al Andrews nicked Nowoczin for the game’s most important blow, a sixth-inning two-run circuit-shot that erased a one-run deficit and boosted the Merchants into a 3 to 2 lead. Duane Weber sprinkled seven safeties along the way in registering the complete-game mound win. Sicamous stranded 13 runners to five for the hosting nine.

P. Nowoczin (L) and xxx
Weber (W) and A. Andrews

NOBL FINALS (best-of-three series)

(September 7)  The Celista Shuswatters’ grip on the Crandlemire trophy lost some of its strength as the marauding Salmon Arm Merchants hammered out a 28 to 9 victory in the first game of the best-of-three NOBL final series. The winners collected a staggering 27 base blows off losing twirler Jack Chambers who, as playing-manager, subjected himself to an excruciating and embarrassing nine innings on the hill. The Merchants used two chuckers, starting off with winner Duane Weber who was given the hook in the second panel only to be recalled to the bump in the fourth after Al Andrews, his successor, had been lit up for six runs on six hits. Weber made good on his return appearance, yielding only one safety for the rest of the contest. It was a ragged performance defensively by both teams who split 16 errors equally between them, hardly what one would expect in a championship final. Infielders Fred Stinson and Fred Spelay of the Retailers both clipped the apple for five safeties while teammate Harry Howell collected four base knocks. Picking up a triad of safe swats apiece were Weber, Andrews and Barry Damgaard. Chris Dalin had three of the nine Celista hits.

Weber, A. Andrews (2), Weber (W) (4) and A. Andrews, G. Andrews (2), A. Andrews (4)
J. Chambers (L) and W. Dalin

(September 14)  The defending champion Celista Shuswatters roared back into contention for the 1958 NOBL title when they tripped the homestanding Salmon Arm Merchants 9 to 8 in the second match of the best-of-three series. The die-hard visitors won the error-strewn game with a five-run salvo in the eighth inning after trailing 5 to 4. A two-run double by Chris Dalin, an RBI single by Ed Chambers and Bill Dalin’s two-run single were the key blows in the uprising. The Merchants got back into contention in their half of the stanza when winning tosser, Jack Chambers, issued a bases-loaded walk. A two-run error followed and the gap was reduced to a single tally. The rally fell short, however, as, following an intentional pass to the ever-dangerous Fred Stinson, Chambers enticed Fred Spelay to fly out. Salmon Arm out-hit the 1957 champions 12 to 9 with Frank Pouncy’s three singles leading the way.

Chambers (W) and W. Dalin
Weber (L) and A. Andrews

(September 21)  Ending an eight-year famine, the Salmon Arm Merchants tucked away the 1958 OMBL title by dethroning the Celista Shuswatters 6 to 4 to win the best-of-three series two games to one. It was third baseman Fred Spelay, considered the player most overdue at the dish, who wrapped up the victory at Centenoka Stadium by slugging an eighth-inning triple to drive in Al Andrews with what turned out to be the winning run, breaking a 4 – 4 tie at the time. A single by outer pasture patroller Harry Howell followed, plating Spelay with the insurance counter. The North Shore aggregation loaded the sacks with two out in the ninth when winning flinger Duane Weber issued a trio of consecutive walks. A fielder’s choice on an infield ground ball ended the matter, however, and the Merchants lifted the Crandlemire trophy in celebration for the first time in eight campaigns.

C. Dalin, Chambers (L) (5) and W. Dalin
Weber (W) and A. Andrews

---

SHUSWAP-OKANAGAN MONASHEE LEAGUE

A short-season association of six clubs whose rosters were purported to be of junior-age players, the 1958 Shuswap-Okanagan Monashee (often referred to in the print medium as SOK’M) Baseball League played seven-inning games and operated in the spring only, scheduling league matches from late April to early June with the four-team playoffs wrapping up by June 25. Added to the mix for 1958 were teams from Rutland and Winfield.

Enderby Merchants
Lumby Loggers
Rutland Red Caps
Salmon Arm Clippers
Vernon Timberwolves
Winfield

(April 27)  Rutland Juniors got off to a winning start downing Lumby Loggers 5-3 as Wayne Horning hurled shutout ball until the sixth when Lumby got its first run. Rutland went ahead 5-0 after four frames. Helmut Kruger, who pitched the last three innings for Lumby, racked up eight strikeouts. Horning led the winners with a double and single.

S.Maygut (L), Kruger and xxx
Horning (W) and xxx

(April 27)  Vernon Timberwolves got a four-hit pitching gem from Gary Strother Sunday to whip Salmon Arm Clippers 10-3 to begin defense of their 1957 league title. Fred McMechan, Strother and Shamanski each collected two hits for the Wolves.

Larry Morrison (L) and xxx
Strother (W) and xxx

(April 27)  Enderby crushed Winfield 19-7

(May 4)  Salmon Arm rapped 12 hits Sunday to down Winfield 11-6. Warren Gould led the winners driving in three runs with a pair of timely singles. Garth Scott doubled in two runs in the sixth. Ron Erickson weathered a four-run storm in the sixth to claim the pitching victory. He allowed nine hits. The Clippers took the lead with three in the second inning and followed with singletons in the third, fourth and fifth. They wrapped it up with a five run splurge in the sixth.

Erickson (W) and xxx
xxx (L) and xxx

(May 4)   The visiting Enderby Juniors topped the Rutland Red Caps 10-8. Enderby took a big lead with four runs in the second inning, highlighted by F. Smaha's three-run homer but Rutland battled back to go ahead with a six-run rally in the fourth. Late errors handed Enderby the game as they plated three in the fifth to secure the triumph.

Robinson, Scholte (W) and xxx
W.Horning, B.Forsythe (L) (2) and xxx

(May 4)  Vernon clobbered Lumby 24-4.

(May 7)  Rutland scored four times in their initial at bat and cruised to a 6-2 win over Vernon Wednesday at Polson Park. Barry Forsythe held the Timberwolves to three hits in going the six-inning distance for the win. He had seven strikeouts. Sakamoto led the winners with three hits.

Forsythe (W) and Rieger
Strother (L), Yawney (5) and Webber

(May 8)  A seventh inning error gave Salmon Arm Clippers a 5-4 win over Lumby Thursday. Doug Jamieson scored as the Loggers' third sacker couldn't handle Garth Scott's pop-up.  Larry Morrison went the route for the pitching win.

L.Morrison (W) and xxx
xxx (L) and xxx

(May 11)    Larry Morrison tossed his second complete game victory in four days as Salmon Arm Clippers defeated Rutland Red Caps 7-4 Sunday at Rutland. Morrison yielded seven hits while helping out the offense with a single and double. Larry Miller, shifted to second base from the outfield handled his new position well and slugged a towering triple in the Clippers' four-run third inning. Salmon Arm got their other three runs in the sixth as Ken Hecker and Norm Froment walked and Denny Okada and Morrison swatted two-baggers.

L.Morrison (W) and xxx
W.Horning (L), Forsythe (6) and xxx

(May 11)  At Lumby, the Winfield nine came through with their first win of the season defeating the Loggers 17-13. Pitcher Picco of Winfield had the game highlight with a grand slam homer.

(May 11)  Vernon Timberwolves crushed Enderby 12-3 with Marshall Yawney the winning hurler.

Yawney (W) and xxx
xxx and xxx

Enderby       4 - 1   .800
Vernon        3 - 1   .750
Salmon Arm    3 - 1   .750
Rutland       3 - 2   .600
Winfield      1 - 4   .250
Lumby         0 - 5   .000

(May 15)   Lumby Loggers, playing at home, rallied for five late runs to edge Rutland Red Caps 5-4 Thursday. Vern Blaney, the winning hurler, swatted a triple and scored on a throwing error in the bottom of the seventh and final inning for the victory.

B.Forsythe (L) and xxx
Blaney (W) and xxx

(May 18)   The Red Caps pushed across three runs in the final stanza Sunday to top Winfield 7-6 at Rutland. After loading the bases on two walks and a hit batsman, Rutland plated three on a hit by Rieger, a walk and a passed ball. Winfield had taken a 6-4 lead in the top of the sixth on four hits.

Dungate, Picco (L) (7) and xxx
Horning, Forsythe (W) (6) and xxx

(May 18)  Vernon defeated Enderby 5-3.

(May 21)   First baseman Garth Scott smacked the first home run in the new Centenoka Stadium at Salmon Arm as the Clippers whipped Winfield 13-5 Wednesday. Scott's blow was an inside-the-park shot in the third inning. He also had a double and single in four trips to the plate. Ron Erickson tossed a seven-hitter and racked up 14 strikeouts in posting his second win of the season. Erickson helped the attack with a run-scoring triple in the second frame. Over the Clippers' first four games, Scott tops the team with a .500 average.

P.Dungate (L) and xxx
R.Erickson (W) and xxx

(May 28)   Thunder showers forced the postponement of the game at Salmon Arm between the Clippers and Enderby.

(May 30)   The league-leading Vernon Timberwolves drubbed Salmon Arm 10-3 Friday at Vernon as sloppy play in the field hurt the visitors. Fred McMechan went the distance for the winners yielding just five hits. Catcher Warren Gould rapped three hits for the Wolves.

Erickson (L), Morrison (3) and xxx
McMechan (W) and Gould

(June 3)   Enderby Merchants trounced Salmon Arm 11-2 Tuesday to move into second place in the Shuswap-Okanagan-Monashee League behind the Vernon Timberwolves. Merchants ran wild for eight runs in the first inning and coasted to the win.

Smaha (W) and xxx
Morrison (L) and xxx

(June 4)  Enderby staged a four-run rally in the sixth inning Wednesday to shade Salmon Arm 8-7. Clippers had jumped ahead 7-4 with four tallies in the fifth. Eli Smaha, who was the winning hurler Tuesday, picked up another win in relief of starter Norm Robinson.  He fanned four of the six batters he faced.

xxx and xxx
N.Robinson, Smaha (W) (6) and xxx

(June 6)  Rutland Red Caps notched an easy 8-1 win over the Clippers at Salmon Arm Friday. Barry Forsythe held the Clippers to five hits and whiffed eight in going the route for the winners. Red Caps collected nine hits off Jim Forman including a pair of two-baggers by Wayne Horning. The triumph cinched third place for Rutland.

Forsythe (W) and xxx
Forman (L) and xxx

(June 6)  Enderby downed Lumber 7-3 to eliminate the Loggers from the playoffs. Vernon crushed Winfield 15-1.

(June 8)  Winning pitcher Helmut Kruger rapped four hits Sunday to pace Lumby to a 9-5 victory over Salmon Arm. Kruger came to the rescue of starter Vern Blaney in the third and went the rest of the way. 

V.Blaney, H.Kruger (W) (3) and xxx
Morrison (L), xxx (5) and xxx

FINAL STANDINGS
Vernon        9 - 1   .900
Enderby       7 - 3   .700
Rutland       6 - 4   .600
Salmon Arm    4 - 6   .400
Lumby         3 - 7   .300
Winfield      1 - 9   .100

PLAYOFFS
Semi-Finals

(June 12)   Enderby Merchants grabbed a 9-4 win over Salmon Arm in the first game of their best-of-three semi-final playoff. Merchants launched a 13-hit attack and cinched the victory with a six run salvo in the fifth inning.

Morrison (L), Forman (5) and xxx
xxx and xxx

(June 15)   A five-run outburst in the fifth inning helped carry Enderby to an 11-8 triumph over Salmon Arm and a berth in the SOK'M final series. Merchants took the semi-final in two straight games. Enderby trailed the Clippers 4-2 until taking the lead with their five run frame. They made it 8-4 with a run in the sixth. Clippers rallied with a pair in the seventh and Salmon Arm chucker Jim Forman brought the Clippers to within a run by driving in Larry Miller with a double in the eighth. But the Merchants cinched the win with three in the ninth on a triple by Norm Robinson and singles by winning pitcher Eli Smaha, Bruce Kineshank and Roy Anchikoski.  Clippers got one back in the bottom of the ninth as Dennis Okada knocked in Ron Erickson who had walked.

Smaha (W) and xxx
Forman (L) and xxx

(June 15)   Vernon Timberwolves scored a pair in the first inning Sunday and cruised to a 10-1 win over Rutland in the first game of their semi-final series. Fred McMechan stymied the Red Caps on three hits while racking up 17 strikeouts. Barrie Forsythe, who gave up eight runs in just four innings, took the loss. 

McMechan (W) and Webber
Forsythe (L), Horning and Rieger

(June 17)   Pitcher Fred McMechan singled with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday to give Vernon a thrilling 7-6 victory over Rutland and the semi-final series in two straight games. Rutland had come from behind with four runs in the top of the ninth top tie at 6-6. Trailing 6-2, Hildred singled for the Red Caps and Kroschinsky drew a walk. The first run came in as Lindroth reached on an error and Forsythe knocked in another. Jim Gray drove in two markers with a hard drive to right. McMechan relieved starter Marshall Yawney and got a strikeout for the second out and after walking Sakamoto got a comebacker to end the inning. In the last of the ninth, Vernon filled the sacks on a hit and two infield errors to set the stage for McMechan's game winner. Yawney whiffed 15 before giving way to McMechan.

Forsythe (L) and Rieger
Yawney, McMechan (W) (9) and Webber

FINALS

(June 22)  The opening game of the Shuswap-Okanagan-Monashee Baseball League final was a runaway as Fred McMechan's Vernon Timberwolves trounced Enderby Merchants 11-4 at Lakeview Park. Fred McMechan Jr. held Enderby to three hits and racked up 16 strikeouts. Loser Eli Smaha allowed nine hits and fanned six. Vernon took the lead with three runs in the first inning and added four more in the third.

Smaha (L) and xxx
McMechan (W) and xxx

(June 25)  Vernon Timberwolves broke up a tight 1-0 ball game with four runs in the eighth inning to escape with a 4-2 victory to win the Shuswap-Okanagan-Monashee Baseball League championship. Wolves won the best-of-three final series in two straight games. A dropped fly ball in the Enderby outfield was a key play in the Vernon rally. Timberwolves loaded the bases and followed with a hit, an error and another base blow to push across the four markers. Catcher Wayne Webber led the winners with three hits, one good for two runs batted in. Marshall Yawney held Enderby to just four hits and fanned 14 in going the distance for the mount triumph. Vernon claimed the Pillar Lake Trophy for the second straight year.

Yawney (W) and xxx
N.Robinson (L), Smaha (8) and xxx

EXHIBITION

(July 6)   Rutland Red Caps downed the Kelowna Juniors 4-1 Sunday in the rubber game of their three-game series. Kelowna won the opener 15-2, Caps took the second 6-4.  Barry Forsythe twirled a four-hitter for the Sunday victory. He fanned 15 in the eight inning contest and had a shutout until the final frame when Kelowna got their lone tally on two of their hits and an error.

Schlosser (L), Senger and Fisher
Forsythe (W) and Rieger

(July 13)   Ron Erickson pitched a four-hitter as Salmon Arm nipped the Rutland Red Caps 4-3 in an exhibition game at Centenoka Stadium Sunday afternoon. 

Horning, Kroschinsky (6) and xxx
Erickson (W) and xxx

(July 20)   Rutland Red Caps exploded for four runs in the final inning to squeak by Salmon Arm 7-6 in a season-ending exhibition game.  Leading 6-3, Clippers faltered in the stretch when starter Jim Forman wilted in the extreme heat. Rutland's four runs came on just two hits.  Wayne Horning was the winning hurler.

Forman, L.Morrison (7) and xxx
W.Horning (W) and xxx

---

WEST KOOTENAY BASEBALL

No intercity senior circuit existed within the West Kootenays during the 1958 season as senior-level baseball in Trail, historically the epicentre of baseball within the region, floundered after the Smelter City was denied an entry into the prestigious Okanagan Mainline League. Nelson’s senior diamond troopers, the Outlaws, however, were quite active and played an aggressive schedule of exhibition games against opposition from both sides of the international border.

The Silver City squad participated in only a handful of games which included a pair of loosely-played exhibition games in May against Nelson. Then, with only a few practices under their belt, the local core of baseballers, supplemented with a few select diamondeers from the area, took on the ultimate challenge. This event brought the professional Class AAA Spokane Indians, sporting a lineup which included a number of past and future major leaguers, to Butler Park on June 9th for an exhibition encounter on an extremely rare off day.

The Spokane Indians -- yes,TRIPLE-A level Spokane -- a top farm club of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (1958 was the first season for the Dodgers in Los Angeles) with such future stars as Maury Wills (left) in the lineup, made a three-hour bus trip up to Trail in June of 1958 for an exhibition game.

Unfortunately, the game was rained out in the first inning, but not before the fans had a chance to watch a brief flurry of action. Wills led off with a walk and Jim Gentile reached on an error. Glen Gorbous (right), the Alberta product cracked one over the fence as Spokane took a 3-0 lead. The game was called in the bottom of the first as sheets of rain began to pound the diamond. (You might recall Gorbous as the cannon outfield arm of baseball having set a record with a throw of 445 feet, 10 inches, a record which still stands.) 

The Smoke Eaters didn’t return to the diamond until until late June when they were ousted in the first round of a tournament in Kamloops. In total, the leagueless Smokies completed only eight known games during the entire spring and summer of 1958.

(April 15)   Trail Smoke Eaters received the bad news Tuesday - their application to join the Okanagan Mainline League had been rejected.  League officials cited the lateness of the application and, more importantly, the travel distance between Trail and the other Okanagan teams. The immediate future for the team is likely to be exhibition and tournament ball.  The Mainline loop has eight teams for this summer - Oliver, Penticton, Vernon, Princeton, Kelowna, Summerland and two from Kamloops.

(May 11)   Nelson Outlaws, in their first game of the season, clobbered Trail Smoke Eaters 21-11 Sunday in an exhibition game at the Civic Recreation Grounds. Bo Gillis, the Outlaw right-fielder, was the big gun with five hits, two of them doubles. He also reached on an error. Frank Hufty added three hits. Julie Bilesky and Paul Broman each had a pair for Trail.

(May 27)   Taking advantage of Les Hufty's wildness and shoddy fielding by Nelson, Trail Smoke Eaters upended the Outlaws 7-3 Tuesday at the Civic Recreation Grounds. The visitors grabbed an early 7-0 lead and held on for the win. Reliever Dick Mohoruk fanned six in his seven inning stint to pick up the win. The left-hander allowed seven hits.

Seaman, Mohoruk (W) (3) and Hackett
L.Hufty (L) and xxx

(May31-June 1)  Nelson Outlaws gained a split of a weekend double-header at Spokane. They trounced the Spokane Olympics 12-2 in the opener and dropped an 11-10 decision to Fairchild Air Base in the second.  Les Hufty racked up 15 strikeouts, with no walks, in winning the first game. He yielded just four hits. Former pro Ed Luedtke was hammered for 10 hits and 10 runs before giving way to Curt Bloomquist in the fourth. Leo Petty led the winners with four hits in five trips.

L.Hufty (W) and xxx
Luedtke (L), Bloomquist (4) and xxx

In the second game, Nelson blew an 8-2 advantage in taking the loss. Fairchild rallied with three in the fourth and three in the fifth to tie 8-8 before falling behind 10-9 after six. The hosts plated a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh for the win.

Gould, Burdette (5), Olson, L.Hufty (7) and xxx
Carter, Honkin, Smith and xxx

(June 7)  A pair of former Trail players confirmed they will be in the lineup when the Smokies take on the Spokane Indians in an exhibition game Monday.  Hard-hitting catcher Wally Russell has received permission from the Vancouver Mounties to participate and lefty hurler Tony DeRosa, of Vernon of the Okanagan League has made it clear he'll be coming. Russell was the Smoke Eaters top hitter last season before signing a pro contract.

(June 9)   The highly anticipated contest with the Spokane Indians lasted less than an inning as rain poured down at Butler Park forcing cancellation of the contest after Spokane had scored three times in the top of the first inning.

(June 21-22)   The Fairchild Air Base Flyers downed Nelson 8-4 and 5-4 Sunday after losing the series opener on Saturday 3-2.  Pitcher Bob/Bill Keller and shortstop Bob Senske led Spokane to the Sunday triumphs. Senske pounded three homers while Keller, in relief, posted both wins. Senske cracked a game-winning three-run homer in the first game and then smacked an eighth inning shot to provide the margin of victory in the second. On Saturday, Ed Isaakson, who had three hits, scored the winning run on Loren Bay's bloop single. Les Hufty went the distance for the pitching win.

xxx and xxx
L.Hufty (W) and xxx

Powell, Keller (W) (3) and xxx
Gould (L) and xxx

Carter, Keller (W) (6) and xxx
Burdette, Olson (L) and xxx

(June 29)   The Trail Smoke Eaters were eliminated in first round play at the Kamloops Centennial Tournament losing 4-3 to the Vancouver Dufferins.

(June 29)   In a dazzling offensive display Sunday, Nelson Outlaws crushed the visiting Spokane Olympics 14-2 and 20-4 in a double-header at the Civic Recreation Grounds. Outlaws had just nine hits in the first game as they took advantage of wildness by Spokane hurler John Freeman and shoddy fielding for the easy victory. The short-handed visitors arrived without a regular catcher and tried four without much success. Les Hufty fired a two-hitter for the Outlaws. Ed Isaakson led the winners with a triple and two singles.

Freeman (L) and Huffman, Holmes
L.Hufty (W) and Isaakson

In the second game, Nelson scored six times in the first inning and added eight in the second to highlight the demolition derby. Outlaws collected 21 hits, four apiece by Frank Hufty and Leo Petty. Blair Olson and Joe Postnikoff, who hurled one frame, combined on a five-hitter for the winners. Ed Luedtke, who started on the mound for Spokane and later took over catching duties, was the lone offensive threat for the visitors with a fifth inning homer. Luedtke also had a homer in the opening game.

Luedtke (L), Freeman and Buckenberger, Luedtke (6)
Olson (W), Postnikoff and Isaakson

(July 1)   Even shorthanded the Nelson Outlaws had little trouble Tuesday sweeping a double-header from the Colville Air Base Ra-Darts, 11-3 and 11-2.  After three scoreless frames, Nelson, with a split-squad playing at home while the other group headed to Nakusp for an exhibition, erupted for five in the fourth and coasted to the win. Lefty Gould had a three-hit shutout with two outs in the ninth when the visitors finally got on the scoreboard.  Gould racked up 13 strikeouts. All three runs against him were unearned.

Savage (L) and Hagedorn
Gould (W) and xxx

Bernie Monteleone cracked a lead-off homer for the Outlaws in the second game and Nelson again cruised to an easy win. Les Hufty fashioned a six-hitter with eight strikeouts for the pitching win. The lone earned run against him was a long homer to left by Dale Levert.

xxx and xxx
L.Hufty (W) and xxx

(July 1)   First baseman Dave Urban knocked in two runs with a single in the bottom of the ninth inning to hand Nakusp an 8-7 victory over a split-squad of Nelson Outlaws. With one away, Urban reached for a pitch out and dumped a one-bagger over the head of second baseman Denny Kraft to bring in the tying and winning markers. Charlie Burdette and Ron Nash of the Outlaws each had three hits. Burdette plated the first run of the game in the fourth with one of the longest home runs seen in Nakusp in years. He also had a double and single. Nash knocked in three runs. Buster Patterson was the winning hurler.

Misuraca, Olson, Farenholtz (L) and xxx
Patterson (W) and xxx

(July 6)  Nelson Outlaws swept another double-header Sunday at Grand Forks, 9-3 and 5-4, to register their 15th win in 23 games. Les Hufty was the pitching and hitting star in the opener hurling a seven-hitter with 15 strikeouts while pounding out four hits in five at bats. He walked just one. The Outlaws smacked 15 hits off Mike Baldigara. Bernie Monteleone and Ed Isaakson each had three.

L.Hufty (W) and Isaakson
Baldigara (L) and xxx

In the evening game, Les Hufty swatted a pinch-hit triple in the seventh inning and came home with the winning run on brother Frank Hufty's squeeze bunt. Blair Olson, the second of three Outlaws' hurlers picked up the win.

Gould, Olson (W) (4). Hufty (7) and xxx
xxx and xxx

(July 13)  Castlegar Cubs, after getting away to a slow start this season, came through with wins in both ends of Sunday's exhibition double-header against East Trail Pirates. Sam Sheloff rang up 14 strikeouts to post the 2-1 win in the seven-inning first game.

Les MacDonald (L) and xxx
Sheloff (W) and xxx

Cubs took the second game 10-5 as Chuck Thring registered the pitching win over Lloyd Woods.

Woods (L) and xxx
C.Thring (W) and xxx

(July 13)  A large crowd took in Sunday's exhibition at the Civic Recreation Grounds as the Nelson Outlaws took on a team of visiting hockey stars. Outlaws won 7-2 helped by three home runs, a pair by Frank Hufty and a three-run blast by Bernie Monteleone. The two Stars' markers came in the second inning on four straight safeties by Bill Haldane, Don Holmes, John McMillan and Wendy Keller. Les Hufty registered the pitching win.

Keller (L) and
L.Hufty (W) and xxx

(July 15)  In an exhibition game at Castlegar, the Castlegar Cubs whipped the Trail CYO Giants 12-6 Sunday as Sam Sheloff, who entered the game in relief in the first inning, tossed a three-hitter in going the rest of the way for the win. Ed Conroy led the Cubs with two hits, one a two-run triple.

Leo Franco, Sheloff (W) (1) and Guesford
Ferro Mattiazzi (L), Dan Angerilli (5) and G.Fabbro

(July 15)  The barnstorming Iowa Colored Ghosts brought their brand of softball and comedy to Nelson Tuesday and entertained a large gathering at the Civic Recreation Grounds, dropping a 5-4 decision to the Nelson Outlaws. Don Holmes scampered home from third in the ninth inning with the winning run. Trailing 3-1, Outlaws gained a tie in the seventh on Leo Petty's two-run double. Through six innings Tree Top had a no-hitter for the visitors. Ghosts went ahead 4-3 in the 8th but a two-run ninth won it for the Outlaws. George McFarland, a recruit from the Nelson Humes, allowed seven hits in his mound work for the winners. Chat Chattam cracked a homer for the Ghosts in the seventh and Tree Top blasted a triple in the sixth.

TreeTop (L) and xxx
McFarland (W) and xxx

(July )  Nelson Outlaws topped Castlegar Cubs 8-4 at Nelson. Al Dawson and Blair Olson combined on a seven-hitter for the winners. They fanned 13 and walked six. Sam Sheloff yielded ten hits with a walk and eight strikeouts in taking the loss. Louis DeRosa of the Cubs bashed the game's only homer.

Sheloff (L) and xxx
A.Dawson (W), Olson (5) and xxx

(July 16)  After twenty games, Les Hufty is both a pitching and hitting star for the Nelson Outlaws. With a 9-1 record and 1.41 ERA in 12 games he's the leader of the pitching staff. At the plate, Hufty has compiled a .448 average, second on the team behind Joe Postnikoff who leads the Outlaws with a .462 mark.

(July 17)  With little competition in the area, the Trail Smoke Eaters took on a group of former West Kootenay baseballers, now performing on the softball diamonds. The Smokies managed a 9-5 victory, even with regular Smokie hurler Jack Ferguson on the mound for the softballers, mainly from the Castlegar Merchants. Pinoke McIntyre led the winners with a pair of doubles in three trips to the plate. Billy Johnson had a double and two singles. Ernie Socco recorded three singles for the softies. Bob Seaman handled the mound work for the Smokies and helped at the plate with a three-run triple in the second inning.

Ferguson (L), Garth Clark (7) and xxx
Seaman (W) and xxx

(July 27)   Charlie Burdette's grand slam homer in the first inning was the highlight as Nelson Outlaws shaded Kimberley Hobos 5-4 in the opening game of a double-header Sunday at Nelson. Outlaws also took the second game, 9-4.  In the opener, Hobos got on the board in the top of the first as Al Patterson singled, stole second and came around on a sacrifice and an error. In the third, Arvin Thomas cracked a double and Ken Kuntz swatted one over the head of the right fielder and scored standing up. Vern Kuntz tripled in the fourth and scored on a squeeze bunt by Art King to tie the score at 4-4. Outlaws got the winner in the seventh as Bernie Monteleone led off with the second of three hits and came home on Frank Hufty's double.

D.Blayney (L) and xxx
L.Hufty (W) and xxx

Don Holmes slugged a pair of homers and a double to lead Nelson to the 9-4 win in the second game. Loren Bay added a two-run homer in the sixth. Al Dawson was the winning hurler allowing just three hits.

xxx (L) and xxx
Dawson (W) and xxx

(July 28)   The Trail Smoke Eaters take on the Havana Cuban Giants tomorrow at Butler Park. The touring club, with a few veterans of pro ball and some up and coming prospects, is stopping off in Trail en route to the Rotary Tournament at Lethbridge.  The manager of the team is Mike Perez, a catcher, who advanced as far as Triple A ball.

(July 29)   The touring Havana Cuban Giants crushed the Trail Smoke Eaters 10-2 in an exhibition match at Butler Park before a crowd of some 750 fans. The home nine out-hit the visitors 10-9 but winning hurler Mike Perez was stingy with the free passes, allowing just one, while the Smokies' hurlers issued a dozen walks and Trail committed several costly errors. Bob Seaman, the Trail starter, lasted just four and two-thirds innings giving up seven runs on six hits and nine walks.  The Cubans broke out of the gate with a pair in the first inning without a hit. They collected three walks, a hit batsman and took advantage of two errors. Trail tied the game in the second as catcher George McIntyre lined one to centre to score Bill Johnson and Hal Jones.  However, three hits, two walks and another error in the third allowed the Cubans to pull ahead 5-2 and coast to the easy victory.

Perez (W) and Gonzales
Seaman (L), Louis DeRosa (5) and McIntyre

(July 29)  The barnstorming Havana Cuban Giants toyed with the Nelson Outlaws Thursday holding their hosts to just three hits in a 10-2 victory. Centre fielder Gregory Ason smacked a bases-loaded double in the second inning to begin the Giants' scoring. Among their 17 hits were homers by Ray Mendoza, Joe Zambrana and Al Lescano.

xxx, xxx, xxx and xxx
L.Hufty (L), Olson (7) and xxx

(August 3)  Castlegar Cubs travelled to Kettle Falls Sunday and handed the Americans an 18-4 drubbing. Louis DeRosa was the winning hurler.

L.DeRosa (W) and xxx
xxx and xxx

(August 6)   After blowing a 10-1 lead and losing the opener, Nelson Outlaws bounced back to gain a 7-3 victory in the second game of Sunday's twin-bill with the Fairchild Air Base Flyers at Spokane  In the first game, Outlaws ran wild in the third inning scoring nine times as Spokane shortstop Bob Senske committed errors of three successive plays. Bernie Monteleone's grand-slam homer was the big blast of the inning. The home team chipped away adding three runs in the seventh inning to wrap up the 12-11 triumph. Ferguson walked three batters in a row and Senske redeemed himself with a bases-clearing double. Senske, who impressed Nelson fans in late June with his big bat, with three home runs in a double-header, had a pair of doubles and a single in the first game and a homer and single in the nightcap. Lefty Blair Olson tossed a six-hitter for the win in the second game.

Ferguson (L) and xxx
Tyner (W) and xxx

Olson (W) and Nash
Keller and xxx

(August 24)   Trail Smoke Eaters came from behind to take an 11-9 win over Nelson Outlaws in an exhibition game Sunday at the Civic Recreation Grounds.  Trail won with just seven hits, but capitalized on five Nelson errors. Outlaws had the early lead on a homer by Bernie Monteleone and went two up on the lone error by Trail. Smoke Eaters tied it in the third on a pair of Outlaws' errors. Two walks, two singles and a hit batter resulted in five runs for Nelson in the third. With three singles, Trail pushed across a pair in the fourth to cut the margin to 7-4, but Nelson added another in the fifth on Don Hoffman's two-bagger and Charlie Burdette later cracked a homer and the Outlaws had a 9-4 advantage. Trail roared back in the eighth with six runs on just two hits to notch the victory.

J.Ferguson (W) and xxx
Gould, Postnikoff (L) (8), Olson (9) and xxx

(August 31)   At the Kamloops Labour Day Tournament, the hometown Okonots blanked Trail Smoke Eaters 4-0 in opening round action knocking the Smokies out of the competition.

---

WEST KOOTENAY JUNIOR BASEBALL

With the scarcity of senior-level baseball gracing West Kootenay diamonds during the 1958 campaign, the up-and-coming juniors within the area took centre stage.

Teams in the 1958 West Kootenay Junior Baseball League

East Trail Pirates
Fruitvale Beavers
Trail C.Y.O. Giants
Rossland Capilanos
Salmo

(June 26)   In the season openers Thursday, defending champion Rossland Capilanos and Salmo, the league's newest entry, notched victories.  In Rossland, the home nine whipped the Fruitvale Beavers 14-4.  Ken Smith went the route for the pitching win.

Len Paugh (L) and xxx
Ken Smith (W) and xxx

(June 26)   A fifth inning, four-run, rally netted Salmo a 4-2 victory over Trail CYO. Mel Dorey's two-bagger and a run-scoring single by Pete Kinakin highlighted the uprising. Kinakin was the winning pitcher with relief help from Norm Ekstrom in the sixth.

Kinakin (W), Ekstrom (6) and xxx
Frank Parisotto (L), Terry Johnson (5) and xxx

(July 2)  Third baseman Bobby Haymond cracked a three-run homer and a run-scoring triple in leading Rossland Junior Capilanos to a 16-0 trouncing of the CYO Giants. Dave Flanagan hurled a three-hit shutout for the Caps. Denny Vanness, Denny Ferrey and Jack Ling all poked triples while Vanness added a pair of singles.

Flanagan (W) and xxx
Danny Angerilli (L), Terry Colautti (2) and xxx

(July 3)   The East Trail Pirates had a successful home opener Thursday edging Salmo Juniors 4-1 for their second win in as many starts. Owen Mailey's second inning double cinched the game for the Pirates after Lorne Babcock scored Wayne King on a sac fly to centre. Don Burdick had scored on an error in the first frame. Richie Unger singled in Mailey in the sixth to round out the scoring. Mike Proznick singled in Bert Ponti for the lone Salmo marker. Allan Pollock scattered five hits in going the distance for the Pirates. He fanned eight and walked four.

Pete Kinakin (L), Lorne Eckstrom ( ) and xxx
Allan Pollock (W) and xxx

(July 7)  Fruitvale Juniors got their first win of the season Sunday securing a 9-4 victory over Salmo. Doug Mervin was the winning hurler.

Mervin (W) and xxx
xxx and xxx

(July 9)  With their third straight victory, the East Trail Pirates have taken over top spot in the West Kootenay Junior Baseball League. Pirates scored three times in the first inning in topping the CYO Giants 6-4 in action at Shavers Bench.  Lloyd Woods tripled to bring in Mervyn Aiken and then stole home. Richie Unger scored on an error. The Pirates cinched the triumph in the fourth as Barry Hope's two-bagger drove in Wayne King.  Kenny Alton was the winning hurler with relief help from Allan Pollock in the sixth.

Kenny Alton (W), Allan Pollock (6) and King
Frank Parisotto (L), Terry Colautti (5) and Lauriente

(July 10)  After falling behind 9-0 in the second inning, the CYO Giants roared back Thursday with 11 unanswered runs to dump Fruitvale Beavers 11-9.  Beavers had cracked out eight hits in the second to score nine times. CYO chipped away with four in the second, one in the third, and two more in the fourth to pull within two runs at 9-7. They added another in the fifth and three in the sixth to take the lead. Don Lauriente singled to bring in Donnie Lee and Terry Colautti and Ron Molina's double brought in the 11th run.  Each team had 11 hits. Fruitvale hurt its chances by making eight errors. Reliever Colautti picked up the win. The game was called after seven innings.

Whitey Paugh (L) and Jim DeBruyn
Terry Johnson, Danny Angerilli (2), Colautti (W) (2) and Terry Bressanutti

(July 13)  Frank Parisotto fashioned a four-hitter and knocked in the winning run with a triple as the CYO Giants downed Fruitvale Beavers 7-1. Parisotto fanned eight and walked four. Doug Mervyn, with an eight-hitter, took the loss.

Parisotto (W) and Cotnoir
Mervyn (L) and DeBruyn

(July 13)  Castlegar Cubs, after getting away to a slow start this season, came through with wins in both ends of Sunday's exhibition double-header against East Trail Pirates. Sam Sheloff rang up 14 strikeouts to post the 2-1 win in the seven-inning first game.

Les MacDonald (L) and xxx
Sheloff (W) and xxx

Cubs took the second game 10-5 as Chuck Thring registered the pitching win over Lloyd Woods.

Woods (L) and xxx
C.Thring (W) and xxx

(July 15)   In the feature match-up in West Kootenay Junior play, Rossland Capilanos won their fifth straight, 12-6 over East Trail Pirates, to claim undisputed possession of the top rung in the league standings. Seven runs in the first two innings ensured the win for the Caps. In the first, John Kosiancic tripled in Lloyd McLellan and consecutive singles by Bobby Haymond and Denny Vanness brought in two more. In the second, Haymond cracked a three-bagger to score McLellan and Kosiancic. Earlier Jack Ling had come home on a single by McLellan. 

Smith (W), Haymond (4) and Vanness
King (L), Thompson (2), Alton (6) and Harry

(July 15)  At Salmo, the Fruitvale Beavers moved into a tie with the CYO Giants by downing the home club 7-4. The visitors plated three in the opening frame as Melvin Unger, Jim DeBruyn and Jack Peitzsche poked consecutive base hits. They added two more in the second and two in the fourth. Ken McLean held Salmo to three hits in going the distance for the mound victory.

McLean (W) and DeBruyn
Kinakin (L) and Lukey

(July 15)  In an exhibition game at Castlegar, the Castlegar Cubs whipped the Trail CYO Giants 12-6 Sunday as Sam Sheloff, who entered the game in relief in the first inning, tossed a three-hitter in going the rest of the way for the win. Ed Conroy led the Cubs with two hits, one a two-run triple.

Leo Franco, Sheloff (W) (1) and Guesford
Ferro Mattiazzi (L), Dan Angerilli (5) and G.Fabbro

(July 17)   Rossland Capilanos remained unbeaten, crushing the CYO Giants 10-2 at Shavers Bench. Caps put the game on ice early with five runs in the second inning. Bob Profili's two bagger knocked in a pair and singles from Denny Ferrey and Dave Flanagan brought in three more. Bobby Haymond clubbed a homer in the fifth and Larry LaFace added a two-run single. Flanagan scattered five hits in going the distance for the win. Gary Morris, in his first start of the season, took the loss.

Flanagan (W) and Vanness
Morris (L), Colautti (5) and G.Fabbro, Cotnoir (5)

(July 22)  With their fifth win in six starts, the East Trail Pirates took a firm grip on second place in the league standings. Pirates clipped the CYO Giants 10-4 capitalizing on six Giants' errors. Lloyd Woods sparked the victory in the first inning with a double to drive in Mervyn Aiken and then stole home to make in 2-0. Wayne King and Bill Thompson both scored on errors in the second and Aiken singled in King for the eventual winning tally in the fifth. Starter Allan Pollock, who went just three innings, was credited with the win.

Parisotto (L), Morris (2), Colautti (6) and Lauriente
Pollock (W), Alton (4) and King

(July 24)  Frank Parisotto and Danny Angerilli combined on a two-hitter Thursday as the CYO Giants trampled the Salmo Juniors 12-3.  Parisotto went four innings, allowing one hit while fanning four. Angerilli worked the last three frames giving up one hit and adding three strikeouts. They combined for seven walks. After Salmo took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, CYO rallied for five in their half of the frame and coasted to the win.

Mel Dorey (L), Mickey Fitzpatrick (5) and Lukey
Parisotto (W), D.Angerilli (5) and Lauriente, Cotnoir (4)

(July 27)  A six-run rally in the seventh and final inning gave the CYO Giants a 7-3 triumph over the Salmo Juniors Sunday afternoon.  CYO was trailing 3-1 when they exploded for five hits and capitalized on two errors.  After pinch hitter Albert Merlo reached on an error and pinch hitter Frank Parisotto walked, Don Lauriente tied the game at 3-3 with a timely two-bagger. Winning pitcher Terry Colautti singled to bring in what proved to be the winning marker. Three more singles, by Danny Angerilli, Ivan Bell and Gary Cotnoir brought in some insurance runs. Mel Dorey had the big blow for Salmo, a two-run triple in the first inning. Colautti, elevated to a starting role, fired a four-hitter in going the distance for the win. He fanned eight and walked five.

Colautti (W) and Lauriente
Con Ekstrom (L) and Lukey

(July 28)   In exhibition action at Nelson, Danny Angerilli fired one-hit ball over six innings to help the CYO Giants shade the Nelson Juniors 3-2. The right-hander had a no-hitter into the seventh before giving up a single to Wayne Farenholtz. He had to pitch out of difficulty however as he walked six. Angerilli scored the winning run for the Giants in the sixth scampering home on Albert Merlo's double after driving in Morey Johnston with a single. Luciano Luchin singled in Allan Fabbro for the other CYO tally. 

D.Angerilli (W), Colautti (7) and xxx
xxx (L) and xxx

(August 3)  Wayne King knocked in seven runs with two triples, a pair of doubles and a single to pace the East Trail Pirates to a double-header sweep of the Fruitvale Beavers, 4-2, in an extra inning, and 12-0. The wins cinched second place for the Pirates. In the opener, King's two-run double in the eighth was the winning blow.

Al Endersby (L) and xxx
Ken Alton (W) and xxx

In the second game, Pirates exploded for four runs in the first inning and cruised to the 12-0 victory. King drove in the first, and winning, marker with a triple scoring Owen Mailey and Lloyd Woods and then came home on an error. He singled in another run in the second. Les Santano and Bill Thompson connected for triples and Jackie Jablonsky and King had doubles in the third to add four more runs. Barry Hope romped home on Thompson's single in the fourth and Lorne Babcock cracked a two-run double. Hope wrapped up the scoring in the fifth coming home on an error. Thompson was credited with the pitching win although he came out for Santano in the second.

Whitey Paugh (L), A.Endersby and xxx
Thompson (W), Santano (2) and xxx

(August 6)  In the biggest offensive explosion of the season, the East Trail Pirates humiliated the Salmo Juniors 21-1 Tuesday at Trail. It was the ninth win in ten starts for the Pirates.  A five-run first inning set the stage for the drubbing. Lloyd Woods cracked a homer and single for the winners while Les Santano and Richie Unger each added a double and two singles. Barry Hope had a triple and single. Kenny Alton fired a two-hit shutout for East Trail. Norman Reid had both hits, one of them a homer for Salmo's lone run.

Robert Doll (L) and xxx
Ken Alton (W) and xxx

(August 7)  In another West Kootenay Junior League blowout, the CYO Giants crushed Fruitvale 14-2 at Shavers Bench.  Giants actually trailed in the game, 1-0, before they broke loose for four runs in the third and seven in the fourth and three in the fifth. Bruno Forlin's two-run double highlighted the third frame when CYO took the lead. Danny Angerilli allowed eight hits and walked five in going the distance for the win.

Mel Endersby (L) and xxx
Danny Angerilli (W) and xxx

(August 10)   The defending champion Rossland Capilanos stretched their winning streak to ten games Sunday defeating East Trail Pirates 13-4 in the afternoon and cruising by the CYO Giants 11-3 in the evening. Winning hurler Dave Flanagan helped his own cause in the afternoon collecting three hits in three trips to the plate. Ken Smith added a double and single. A six run second inning put the game on ice.

D.Flanagan (W) and xxx
Wayne King (L) and xxx

In the late encounter, Caps used a six-run third inning to crush CYO. Bob Profili had a run-scoring double while Bobby Haymond drove in a pair with a one-bagger. Jackie Ling, Ken Smith and Lloyd McLellan all contributed singles in the big inning. Carmin Angerilli paced the losers with a double and two singles. Ken Smith fashioned a six-hitter for the pitching win.

Ken Smith (W) and xxx
Terry Colautti (L), Frank Parisotto (3) and xxx

(August 10)  Fruitvale picked up an easy win, taking the contest by default when Salmo failed to show for a scheduled game at Fruitvale.

(August 12)  Rossland Capilanos continued to make it look easy in West Kootenay Junior Baseball overwhelming the second place East Trail Pirates 11-2 for the Caps 11th win in 11 games. The triumph assured Rossland of its second straight pennant. Dave Flanagan, who returned to the Caps this year after his freshman season at Gonzaga University, went all the way with an eight-hitter for the win. Bobby Haymond slugged a three-run homer in the first inning to spark the Rossland attack which was helped by seven Trail errors.

Flanagan (W) and Vanness
Ken Alton (L) and King

(August 12)  A four-run rally in the fifth inning handed the CYO Giants a 5-3 win over Nelson Juniors in an exhibition game at Nelson.  Carmin Angerilli drove in four runs for the winners. His two-run triple in the fifth proved to be the winning blow. Nelson had taken a 2-0 lead in the first inning as Wayne Farenholtz scored on an error and Leo Petty singled in Bernie Monteleone.  Petty tripled in Monteleone in the fifth for the third Nelson run and almost made it a homer until he was tagged out at the plate on a relay from the outfield. Frank Parisotto went all the way with a five-hitter for the win. Loser Dave Grant was tagged for eight hits.

Frank Parisotto (W) and xxx
Dave Grant (L) and xxx

PLAYOFFS

(August )   CYO Giants surprised the East Trail Pirates with a 7-4 victory in the opening game of their best-of-three-semi-final series.

(August 21)  With a hard-fought 7-6 win, East Trail Pirates evened their semi-final series with Trail's CYO Giants at a game apiece. Owen Mailey's two-run homer in the top of the sixth proved to be the deciding blow. Pirates had taken the lead with three runs in the second inning.  Lloyd Woods tripled and scored on an error. Mailey singled in Don Burdick and Ken Alton. Richie Unger added to the lead in the third when he tripled and came home on an interference call. After the Pirates went ahead 5-0 with a run in the top of the fourth, the Giants battled back with three in the bottom of the frame.  Ivan Bell singled to score Merillo Geronazzo and pinch hitter Gary Morris slammed a two-run double. They added another in the fifth, to trail 5-4, as Gerry Fabbro walked and scored on an error. Two runs in the top of the sixth gave Trail a 7-4 lead, but CYO battled back again notching a pair on Carmin Angerilli's single but the rally fell short. The game was called after six because of darkness. Ken Alton was credited with the pitching win.

Alton (W), King (4) and Mailey
Colautti (L), D.Angerilli (4) and Lauriente, Cotnoir (3)

(August 26)   The CYO Giants used a 15-hit attack Tuesday to whip the East Trail Pirates 8-4 to advance to the final of the West Kootenay Junior Baseball League playoffs against the pennant winning Rossland Capilanos. Giants jumped into a 4-run lead in the first inning when catcher Don Lauriente singled in Ivan Bell and Carmin Angerilli with the first two of his four RBIs of the game. Bruno Forlin made it 4-0 when he singled to bring in Merillo Geronazzo and Don Lee.  Lauriente brought in the eventual winning marker in the second with a one-bagger to plate Angerilli.  Pirates had a rally cut short in the fourth on a triple play. With two men aboard Les Santano grounded to shortstop Geronazzo who flipped to Don Lee at second for the first out and Lee fired to Carmin Angerilli at first for the second. Angerilli attempted to complete the play on a throw to Ivan Bell at third but the throw was off the mark and taken by Geronazzo who was backing up the play. As Lawrence Babcock moved off third, Geronazzo made the throw to catcher Lauriente for the third out. Frank Parisotto held the Pirates to six hits for his second win of the series. He fanned six and walked one.

Parisotto (W) and Lauriente
Wayne McGee (L), Allan Pollock (6) and Mailey, Harry (5)

(August 29)   Rossland Capilanos overcame a 2-1 deficit with a three-run rally in the fifth inning to down the CYO Giants 4-2 in the opening game of the best-of-five final series.  It was the Caps 12th straight victory with a loss. Three walks and consecutive bunt singles by Ron Fabbro and Louis Campana along with a CYO error highlighted the decisive fifth inning outburst. With the bases loaded on free passes, squeeze bunts brought in Lloyd McLellan and Denny Vanness with the tying and winning runs. Dave Flanagan held the Giants to five hits for the pitching win.

Flanagan (W) and Vanness
Danny Angerilli (L), Colautti (5) and Lauriente

(September 1)  Fruitvale Fall Fair Junior tournament

(September 3)  Bobby Haymond's two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh and final inning gave Rossland Capilanos a 7-6 victory over CYO Giants and a 2-0 game lead in their best-of-five final series. After Dave Flanagan and Bob Profili reached on errors, Haymond lined one into short centre field to bring in the tying and winning runs. Caps had scored three in the first inning on a two-run double by Ron Fabbro and a two-bagger by Denny Vanness which brought in Fabbro. They added a run in the fourth on an error and John Kosiancic came home on a sac fly in the fifth. CYO got two runs in the third on Bruno Forlin's sacrifice and a single by Danny Angerilli. Don Lee tripled to score Ivan Bell in the fifth while Don Lauriente produced a two-run double in the seventh. Vanness led the winners with a triple, double and single in three trips to the plate.

D.Angerilli (L) and Lauriente
Flanagan (W) and Vanness

(September 7)  In an exciting finish to the season, Rossland Capilanos edged CYO Giants 5-4 in an extra inning to repeat as champions of the West Kootenay Junior Baseball League. Caps won the series in three straight games. It was the 14th win of the season for the champions who went undefeated in league play.  League President Stewart Smillie presented Rossland Captain Lloyd McLellan with the Murray Bowen Trophy, emblematic of West Kootenay Junior ball supremacy. CYO Giants had taken an early lead when Bruno Forlin brought in Don Lee on a squeeze play. They added three more in the top of the sixth. Ron Molina and Gerry Fabbro singled and Ivan Bell scored both with a towering triple to deep centre field. Lee's sacrifice bunt brought in Bell for a 4-0 lead. Rossland battled back with three of their own in the bottom of the sixth. John Kosiancic singled and McLellan reached on an error. Denny Vanness doubled to score both runners and then came home on Ron Fabbro's one bagger. Down one run going into the bottom of the seventh, McLellan smacked a triple to bring in Bob Profili to send the game to overtime. After CYO was blanked in the top of the eighth, Vanness reached with a single and moved to third on a two-bagger by Ron Fabbro. Louis Campana became the Caps' hero with a long fly to centre field to score Vanness with the winner. Ken Smith survived 11 hits to go the distance for the win. Danny Angerilli, who relieved in the sixth was tagged with the loss.

Parisotto , Angerilli (L) (6) and Lauriente
Smith (W) and Vanness

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ARROW LAKES / SLOCAN

(June 15)   At Silverton Sunday, Nakusp and the home squad split a double-header. Nakusp Juniors took the opener as Gregory hurled a four-hit shutout. Ken Mori allowed just three hits for New Denver-Silverton but eight errors by the hosts made the difference. A long triple by Morehouse of Nakusp was the big blow of the first game. The second game was a runaway for New Denver-Silverton as  L.Erickson rapped a triple and two doubles and Nobby Hayashi had a double and two singles in an 18-1 victory. K. Groenhuysen, a 15-year-old in his first year of senior ball had three hits. Jackie James led Nakusp with a double and single and drove in the lone Nakusp run. Ken Gordon and J.Nelson combined on a five-hitter for the winners.

Gregory (W) and xxx
Mori (L) and xxx

xxx and xxx
K.Gordon (W), J.Nelson and xxx

(June 22)   G.Nelson put on a pitching clinic Sunday as New Denver Silverton notched a pair of wins, 19-2 over Castlegar Cubs and 7-6 over Nakusp Juniors.  Nelson fired a one-hit, complete game in the opener and relieved in the first inning of the second game allowing just two hits and a run in the 6 1/3 innings worked the rest of the way. The two runs against him in the opener were unearned. Nelson also helped at the plate with a homer in the first game and a pair of doubles in the second. Erickson, who had three doubles, and Gordon each collected four hits in the win over Castlegar. Bill Morrison and Nobby Hayashi each had three.  Gregory had three hits for Nakusp and Wilson cracked a homer.

xxx and xxx
G.Nelson (W) and xxx

xxx and xxx
Pengally, G.Nelson (1) and xxx

(July 1)   First baseman Dave Urban knocked in two runs with a single in the bottom of the ninth inning to hand Nakusp an 8-7 victory over a split-squad of Nelson Outlaws. With one away, Urban reached for a pitch out and dumped a one-bagger over the head of second baseman Denny Kraft to bring in the tying and winning markers. Charlie Burdette and Ron Nash of the Outlaws each had three hits. Burdette plated the first run of the game in the fourth with one of the longest home runs seen in Nakusp in years. He also had a double and single. Nash knocked in three runs. Buster Patterson was the winning hurler.

Misuraca, Olson, Farenholtz (L) and xxx
Patterson (W) and xxx

(July 13)   With a three-run rally in the ninth inning, New Denver-Silverton All-Stars downed Trail Smoke Eaters 8-6 Sunday afternoon at Silverton. The home squad got to relieved Jack Ferguson for three hits and the three runs after Lou DeRosa had pitched five-hit ball over the first eight frames. Ken Gordon got the win holding the visitors to six hits. He fanned eight and walked a pair.

L.DeRosa, J.Ferguson (L) (9) and xxx
K.Gordon (W) and xxx

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EAST KOOTENAY BASEBALL

EAST KOOTENAY BASEBALL LEAGUE

Cranbrook Cubs
Creston Cruisers
Eureka MT
Fernie Falcons
Kimberley Dynamos
Kimberley Hobos
Windermere Wilders Warriors

(June 1)  Cranbrook Cubs enjoyed a successful season opening double-header playing at home upending Eureka, Montana, 6-3 and 6-1.

(June 8)  The Kimberley Dynamos took the measure of the travelling Eureka MT nine in a doubleheader at Coronation Park, copping 6 to 4 and 10 to 2 decisions. The Montanans had an 11 to 8 edge in base hits in the opener but three Dynie chuckers, led by winner Les Lilley, were able to choke them off when bingles meant bacon. “Buzz” Mellor, Ken McTeer and Sandy Livingstone each had two safeties for the hosts.

Lamey (L) and Reedy
Lilley (W), Nash (7), Russell (7) and McCarthy

Five-run outbursts by the Generators in the second and fourth frames salted away the verdict in the nightcap. Les Lilley belted a two-run homer for Kimberley in support of winning flinger Eric “Ike” Bodin who bowed out with an eight-run lead late in the contest in favor of southpaw Bob Cox. Bodin had nine strikeouts and yielded four of the six hits gathered by the Eurekans. 

Gwynn, Hudson, Pluid and Reedy
Bodin (W), Cox and McCarthy

(June 3)  The Sorenson Hobos scored eight times in the third inning and went on to smother the arch-rival Dynamos 14 to 4 in the opening act of the battle of Kimberley.

Blayney (W) and Ratcliffe
Bodin (L), Nash (3) and McCarthy

(June 5)  Four costly Cranbrook errors, some healthy Dynamo hitting and a velvet smooth pitching performance by righthander Eric Bodin all contributed to a lopsided 9 to 0 Kimberley victory over the invading Cubs in the season opener at Coronation Park. In the eight episodes he toiled on the knoll, Bodin rationed the visitors to four scattered base raps while the Dynies boomed out 11 blows, two of which were mighty triples by outfielder Al Roemer. Cranbrook starter Vern Doll, derricked for Wally Tymchyna in the fourth frame, was nailed with the loss.

(June 11)  Veteran hurler Bill Cole fired a four-hit shutout to pace Fernie Falcons to a 4-0 victory over Eureka, Montana. Cole fanned eight and walked none in a game shortened to seven innings due to darkness. All the hits against him were singles.

(June 17)  The Kimberley Hobos blasted their city cousins, the Kimberley Dynamos, for the third straight time this season, taking the measure of their arch-rivals 11 to 3. As in their past meetings this campaign, the Bums were able to pounce on their adversaries early, running across a seven-spot in the second spasm plus four more in the fourth. Bob Fisher stifled the Generators on four hits in going the route for the knoll victory. Dynamo starter Pete Boisvert, followed by Barry Craig in the second and Eric Bodin in the fourth, was tagged with the loss. Bodin was by far the best of the triumvirate, holding the Tramps to one hit and no runs for the rest of the joust but, by then, he irreparable damage had been done. 

(June 21-22)   Kimberley Invitational Tournament

(June 26)   Cranbrook Cubs upset league-leading Kimberley Hobos 11-10 before a home crowd. Wally Tymchyna, the winning pitcher, knocked in Turcotte with the winning run in the 10th inning.  Turcotte had reached on an error.

Blayney, Brown (L) (5) and Ronquist
Tymchyna (W) and Downey

(July 1)  Windermere Dominion Day baseball tournament

(July 9)    A six-run fourth inning carried the Kimberley Dynamos to a 12-8 victory over Cranbrook Cubs in a scheduled East Kootenay Senior Baseball League contest called in the seventh inning because of darkness. Dynamos used four pitchers with starter Pete Boisvert being credited with the win. The triumph moved the Dynies to within a half-game of the league-leading Hobos in the standings. Les Lilley led the Mining Towners at the plate with three hits while Tillie Fabbro of the Cubs doubled and singled twice

Boisvert (W), Craig (6), Nash (7), Bodin (8) and xxx
Tymchyna (L) and Somoya

(July 10)   Kimberley Dynamos continued their winning streak Thursday scoring their first win over Kimberley Hobos, 9-4.  Eric Bodin, nicked for eight safeties, hurled the victory while Bob Fisher, the first of four Hobo chuckers, absorbed the setback.

Fisher (L), Stewart (2), Blayney (3), Brown (4) and Ratcliffe, Ronquist
Bodin (W) and McCarthy

(July 13)  A doubleheader sweep of the Windermere Wilders Warriors by the high-flying Kimberley Dynamos made it abundantly clear that the recently acquired league leadership is a position the Dynies fully intend to hang on to. The Generators pounded out 16 hits in the opener for a decisive 12 to 3 victory and then wrapped up the second tilt with another 16 base blows in an 11 to 8 conquest of the triple W’s. Big Eric “Ike” Bodin was credited with both pitching wins.

The teams were tied 3 – 3 in the matinee event heading into the fifth when Bodin ascended the bump to replace starter Bob Cox, shutting out the Warriors for the remainder of the scuffle. In the Kimberley half of the canto, Les Lilley doubled home what turned out to be the winning marker. Al Roemer’s two-run homer in the same stanza added on some insurance coverage. A deuce in the seventh plus a four-spot in the eighth sewed things up for the Mining Towners.

In the high-scoring late encounter, Windermere put up a spirited fight, twice coming from behind to tie the count and forging ahead by a deuce in the sixth. The Dynamos waited until their final turn at bat to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat when Lilley swatted a grand-slam homer to cap a six-run outburst. Bodin, who relieved starter Pete Boisvert in the fifth, picked up his second victory of the day while Elgin Smith was saddled with the loss. 

(July 24)  Eric “Ike” Bodin slipped third strikes past 14 batters at Coronation Park in pacing the league-leading Dynamos past the shaky Hobo nine 6 to 0 in the latest chapter of the battle of Kimberley. Bodin gave up but six scattered hits in earning the whitewash win over the never-threatening Tramps.

(July 26)   Fernie Falcons and Kimberley Hobos split a pair at Fernie Saturday. Falcons took the opener 7-6 behind the five-hit pitching of rookie Bill Ingram. Fernie spotted the Hobos three unearned runs over the first four stanzas then rallied to take a 7-3 lead. Kimberley battled back with three in the ninth, but fell just short.

xxx and xxx
Ingram (W) and xxx

(July 29)  The front-running Kimberley Dynamos entrenched themselves even more solidly atop the EKSBL standings by eking out a close 8 to 7 win over the Cubs at Cranbrook’s Moir Park. The Baby Bears, in arears by an 8 to 3 count, rallied for four big counters in the eighth episode but their rally fell just short of catching the Dynies. Both squads collected nine hits but the big difference in the game was errors. Cranbrook had seven costly miscues while the Kimberley balltossers had just one. Winning slabster Eric “Ike” Bodin, with nine punchouts, went all the way while Vern Doll, the losing heaver, and Wally Tymchyna toiled on the hill for the vanquished Cubs. Al Roemer banged out a homer, triple and single for the victors as Harvey Nash followed with a four-ply clout and a one-bagger. Also contributing significantly was “Buzz” Mellor who came through with a pair of triples. Leading the Cubs at bat were Tillie Fabbro and catcher Joe Somoya who came through with a double and single apiece.   

(August 3)  A pair of hard-fought victories, by scores of 4 to 0 and 7 to 6, over the Fernie Falcons gave the triumphant Kimberley Dynamos a stranglehold on the EKSBL pennant. With the twin wins, the Dynies record in league play now stands at 15 wins against four defeats.

Hurlers Eric Bodin of Kimberley and Fernie’s Jack Marasco locked horns in a tight opening-game encounter in which Bodin prevailed by handcuffing the Falcons on three hits. The Generators did all their scoring in the first and third rounds. Nary a batter from either aggregation managed more than one hit.

The shorthanded Falcons also sent Marasco to the hill to start the error-packed second clash but he didn’t fare as well in this ragged, see-saw event in which Bob Cox, coming to the aid of Pete Boisvert in the fifth frame, earned the knoll verdict. Marasco had roles as both a starter and a finisher in this tilt, sandwiching his mound appearances around a two-inning stint by Wainwright. “Red” Matthews led the winners offensively with three singles.

(August 10)  A pair of top-notch contests at Coronation Park saw the invading Windermere Wilders Warriors split the proceeds with the Kimberley Dynamos, capturing the lid-lifter 4 to 1 before the hosts rebounded to annex the sunset skirmish 3 to 2.

The gritty pitching of Windermere’s Elgin Smith subdued the Dynamos in the opening bout. Smith engaged in a first-rate hurling battle against Eric Bodin and, although being touched by the Mining Towners for eight hits, was as tough as a cheap steak with ducks on the pond, receiving outstanding defensive backing from his clubmates. Meanwhile, Bodin came through with his usual fine performance as he yielded seven safeties but, wasn’t as fortunate as his mound opponent when it came to being the beneficiary of airtight support. Clarence Smith homered and singled for the Warriors while teammate Fred Christenson came through with a double and one-base rap.    

The twilight tilt wasn’t settled until the bottom-of-the-ninth panel when singles by Les Lilley and Elmer Garinger, followed by a costly Windermere error, broke a 2 – 2 tie and produced the winning tally. Bodin, who relieved Dynie starter Harvey Nash in the seventh, earned the win and evened his record for the day while Art Hackler of the Triple W’s went all the way in absorbing the loss.  

FINAL STANDINGS                   W     L     Pct.
Kimberley Dynamos                16     6    .727
Kimberley Hobos                  15     9    .625
Fernie Falcons                   13    10    .565
Cranbrook Cubs                   12    10    .545
Windermere Wilders Warriors      12    12    .500
Creston Cruisers                  6    12    .333
Eureka MT                         3    18    .143

Kimberley needed an extra inning, but scored a 4-2 triumph in the second game. Tied 2-2, Hobos pitcher Ron Brown led off with the single followed by back-to-back triples by Vern Kuntz and Jim Ratcliffe. 

Brown (W) and xxx
xxx and xxx

(August 19)   At Cranbrook, the hometown Cubs and Fernie Falcons divided the twin-bill. Cubs won the exciting first game 7-6 in a match in which the lead switched each inning. Falcons crushed the Cubs 12-2 in the second game.

PLAYOFFS
SEMI-FINALS

(August 27)   In the opening game of a best-of-three semi-final, Kimberley Dynamos and Cranbrook Cubs played to an 11-inning, scoreless tie. Dynamos had just four hits off Jack Armstrong of the Cubs while Eric Bodin limited the Cubs to four hits, walked one and hit one batter while recording ten punchouts. Cranbrook’s Jack Armstrong was nicked for nine safeties, fanned five and issued three free tickets. The lone swatsmith in the contest with plural hit totals was the Cubbies’ Tillie Fabbro who got to Bodin for a triad of one-baggers.   

(August 27)  The Kimberley Hobos scratched out a last-ditch 4 to 3 win over the Fernie Falcons at Coronation Park to go one game up in their semi-final series. For eight episodes, opposing twirlers, Fernie’s Wilf Ashmore and Mel Johnson of the Hobos, were locked in a tight, defensive duel which had the Kimberley nine nursing a 2 – 0 cushion. In the wild final frame, Johnson surrendered a two-bagger to Max Turyk before being lifted for Ron “Slicker” Brown. The Hobo reliever was ineffective, however, issuing a pair of free passes and yielding a single as the Falcons cashed in with three counters. Then, in the bottom-half of the session with two retired and a runner camped at first base, Ed Johnson stepped to the plate and delivered a run-producing three-bagger to tie the score. A clutch single by Art King followed and ended the exciting affair in walkoff fashion, as Johnson romped home with the winner. Fernie had a 9 to 8 edge in base hits as catcher Pete Caufield led the way with the baton, stinging the horsehide for a double and two singles. Merv Ronquist singled twice for the victors

(August 30-31, Sept 1)   Fernie Labour Day Tournament   

(August 31)  Cranbrook edged Kimberley 4 to 3 to take a one-game lead in the best-of-three semi-finals.

(September 1)  A two-run bases-loaded single off the bat of winning hurler Eric “Ike” Bodin with two out in the last-half of the sixth spasm propelled the Kimberley Dynamos to a 5 to 2 conquest of the invading Cranbrook Cubs and squared their semi-final showdown at a game apiece. Lanky righthander Bodin pitched a solid game, firing a four-hitter and walking not a single batter while whiffing 11. Losing slabster Wally Tynchyna was nicked for eight safeties.

(September 7)  Cranbrook Cubs, who barely made the East Kootenay Baseball League playoffs, advanced to the final by downing Kimberley Dynamos 7-2.  Jack Armstrong tossed a six-hitter for the win while Harvey Nash allowed just seven hits in taking the loss. 

FINALS

(September 8)   Kimberley Hobos, the defending East Kootenay champions, beat Cranbrook Cubs 7-4 in the opening game of a best-of-five final.  Bob Fisher was the winning pitcher.  Wally Tymchyna and Vernon Doll hurled for the Cubs.

(September 11)  In an error-infested second playoff game at Coronation Park, the Kimberley Sorenson Hobos took a stranglehold on the EKSBL championship for 1958 by virtue of a narrow 3 to 2 win over the Cranbrook Cubs. Mel Johnson went all the way on the slab for the winners, allowing four base raps, hitting a batter, walking none and fanning seven. His only bad inning was the fifth when Cranbrook scored both of their runs. Johnson’s return to complete-game form follows a long siege of arm trouble. Mound opponent Jack Armstrong also went the distance, surrendering but three hits, walking four and breezing three. Nine fielding miscues were committed with the Cubs outfumbling the homesters by a 6 to 3 count. Cranbrook’s “Bim” Brehm was the lone player in the clash to reach plural hit totals, hitting safely twice. 

(September 12)  Cranbrook Cubs shaded Kimberley 5-4 for their first win in the East Kootenay Baseball League final series.  Vernon Doll pitched the Cubs to the win. 

(September 13)  Cranbrook stayed alive in the East Kootenay playoffs with an 8-5 win over Kimberley Hobos.  Each team now has two wins and a tie. 

(September 18)   Cranbrook Cubs were named the champions of the East Kootenay Baseball League after playing the Kimberley Hobos to a 5-5 tie.  It was the second tie of the series.  The Hobos decided to default the 7th game of the set. 

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CENTRAL (NORTHERN) INTERIOR BASEBALL LEAGUE

This newly-formed five-team circuit experienced chaos right from the beginning.

Even the name of the loop was never officially agreed upon and vacillated back and forth between the Central Interior League and the Northern Interior League. The two Quesnel entries were far superior to their league counterparts, in particular the hapless Horsefly Loggers and, for the most part, overwhelmed their opposition which made it difficult to maintain fan interest. As a result, attendance levels were low and voluntary admissions by Sunday silver collections were minimal which prompted the undefeated Quesnel Firemen to withdraw to play exhibition games the remainder of the season as an independent club. Then, the outclassed Horsefly Loggers folded and the Willow River Red Sox announced that they could no longer field a team. Although the league moguls wanted to set up a final playoff series between the Quesnel Lumbermen and the Williams Lake Maple Leafs, the only remaining teams in the loop, even that never materialized.

The highlight of the season was the two day Labor Day weekend tournament in Quesnel, won for the third consecutive time by the Kelowna Orioles of the Okanagan Mainline Baseball League.      

Teams :

Horsefly Loggers (team folded)
Quesnel Firemen (withdrew from league in early July)
Quesnel Lumbermen
Williams Lake Maple Leafs
Willow River Red Sox (discontinued play as per lack of available players)

(May 25)   Quesnel Firemen kicked off the new season with a pair of victories, 13-10 and 14-6 over Willow River Red Sox. They went right to work in the first game, scoring seven times in the first inning as Oscar Festerling, Garry Tuttle and Ken Backman slammed run-scoring doubles. Festerling's second two-bagger knocked in another run in the second to make in 8-0. However, the Red Sox battled back in the bottom of the second to tie 8-8 with a huge rally. Singles by Andy Kuchurian, Ross and Mike Church drove in the first three runs. Frank Bruder knocked in a pair and, with the bases loaded, catcher Willie McDermid slammed a single to clear the sacks. The wild, see-saw action had each team score in the third. Firemen went ahead in the fourth as Ken Backman doubled and Irv Follack singled him home. Sox tied it again in the sixth, 10-10, as McDermid singled and advanced on a walk and scooted home on a squeeze play. Quesnel got the eventual winner in the seventh when Terry O'Hara drew a free pass and rounded the bags on a long double by Ken Backman who added an insurance run on Follack's hit to left field.

R.Backman, M.Church (1), F.Bruder (L) (4) and W.McDermid
Rodonets, T.Bryan (W) (3) and xxx

The Firemen used a similar script in the second game, charging out with four runs in the first inning and added three in the second. After Willow River responded with three in the third on hits by Andy Kuchurian, Frank Bruder and Mike Church the Firemen made it 9-3 in the bottom of the third with two more markers. Frank Bencher, Church and Kuchurian plated runs for the Sox to get close but Quesnel pulled away in the sixth as Frank Stevenson tripled to left to bring in Backman and Tuttle to go ahead 11-6. Stevenson, Follack and John Koppa also notched runs in the inning to end the scoring, 14-6.

L.Jensen (L) and W.McDermid, xxx (3)
Rodonets (W), T.Bryan and xxx

(May 25)  In a pair of high-scoring affairs, Quesnel Lumbermen and Williams Lake Maple Leafs split their Sunday double-header. Leafs took the opener 18-11 and the Lumbermen rebounded for an easy 19-3 victory in the second. After Quesnel had erupted for six runs in the top of the fourth, the Leafs responded with ten in the bottom of the frame and coasted to the first game triumph. Driver went the distance for the winners.

G.Dye, A.Johnston (4) and xxx
Driver (W) and xxx

In the second game it was Quesnel with a ten-run inning, the fourth, in a 19-3 romp.  Young Larry Travers started for the Lumbermen and allowed just one run up to the fifth when he loaded the bases and George Dye relieved. Dye gave up a pair before retiring the side but blanked the home club the rest of the way.

L.Travers, G.Dye (5) and xxx
Davidson (L), Peck (4), Driver (5) and xxx

(June 1)   Ouch. The Horsefly Loggers made their debut in the Northern Interior League Sunday and it was a "cover your eyes" kind of performance as they went down 22-1 and 41-5 to the Quesnel Loggers in a double-header. They booted the ball for 25 errors in the two games. Quesnel pounded out 17 hits in the opener and an amazing 34 hits in the second game. They also netted 20 stolen bases. George Dye fired a one-hitter for Quesnel in the first game racking up eight strikeouts. Larry Travers went six innings in the second yielding one hit and one run. Albert Johnston finished for the winners. The local paper made no mention of the pitchers for Horsefly.

xxx, xxx and xxx
G.Dye (W) and xxx

xxx and xxx
L.Travers (W), A.Johnston (7) and xxx

(June 5)   With their shellacking of Horsefly Sunday, the Quesnel Lumbermen have placed six hitters in the league's top ten, all with averages at .500 or better. Irv Follack of the Quesnel Fireman leads the loop with a .727 mark ahead of the Lumbermen's Art Fleurie at .636. G. Jablonski of Williams Lake is third at .625, ahead of Ken Backman of the Firemen, .555. Then there's five Lumbermen - Otto Munk, Mike Schure, Al Harris, Bob Boyd and Roy Blair. Mike Church of Willow River rounds out the top ten. Schure has the only home run and leads in RBIs with eight.

(June 8)   Irv Follack had a day for the ages Sunday as the Quesnel Fireman showed no mercy in trampling the hopeless Horsefly Loggers 28-4 and 35-0 in a twin bill. Follack went six for seven in the opener and four for four in the second game. The Firemen racked up 59 hits in the two games and their hurlers compiled 29 strikeouts.

Oscar Festerling went six innings in the opener before giving way to Lefty Rodonets. They combined for 19 strikeouts. Newcomer Vern Fortims of the local RCMP detachment handled the hurling for the winners in the second game and struck out ten in pitching scoreless ball.

Rivers (L), Dunlope and xxx
Festerling (W), Rodonets (7) and xxx

Fleming (L), Sava, Rivers and xxx
Fortims (W) and xxx

(June 11)  In an exhibition game, Quesnel Firemen beat the Quesnel Lumbermen 6-3 getting off to a two-run lead in the first inning on four errors. Oscar Festerling survived ten hits to go the route for the win.

Festerling (W) and xxx
A.Johnston (L), G.Dye (4), L.Travers (7) and xxx

(June 15)   One-sided play continued Sunday as Quesnel Fireman crushed Williams Lake 21-1 and 14-5 to run their winning streak to six games. Fireman cracked out 21 hits in the opener as Tommy Bryan held the Leafs to four hits and fanned 11. Ken Backman led the winners with four hits while Kadi Koyama, Gene Plamondon and Frank Stevenson each added three.

T.Bryan (W) and xxx
T.Jablonski (L) and xxx

Leafs had a little surprise in the second game, taking a 5-0 lead in the first inning on three walks and four hits. Lorne Rodonets settled down after the first frame and blanked the host club for the rest of the game allowing just three hits. Trailing 5-4 after six, Quesnel erupted for seven runs in the seventh helped by two errors and six passed balls. Fireman added three insurance runs in the eighth.

Rodonets (W) and xxx
B.Driver and xxx

(June 19)   The league executive has decided to take steps to strengthen the Horsefly Loggers. Immediate help is to be another pitcher and two more experienced players. Efforts are also being made to build up the Williams Lake Maple Leafs.

(June 22)   Quesnel Lumbermen took a firm hold on second place in the Northern Interior circuit Sunday trouncing the rookie Williams Lake Maple Leafs 21-5 and 13-7.  The games were played on a rebuilt Babe Ruth diamond at the Cariboo Junior High School in West Quesnel after the regular field was damaged by a circus truck. The circus had appeared Friday and Saturday. One of its trucks hooked onto a wire used to hold up the backstop for the ball diamond and the structure was turned into a mess of bent pipe and tangled screen.  Lumbermen put the game out of reach early, scoring six times in the first inning. Al Johnston hurled shutout ball for five innings, before the Leafs notched an unearned marker in the sixth. The Leafs rallied for four runs against reliever George Dye in the seventh. Lumbermen laced out 21 hits.

Abe (L), Boxer (7) and xxx
A.Johnston (W), Dye (7) and xxx

After the initial spanking, the Maple Leafs drew first blood in the second game when two bunts and a couple of interference calls accounted for three runs. However, the Lumbermen responded with six runs in the next two frames, powered by a pair of two-baggers by John Kuzak, to set the stage for another runaway victory. Roy Blair and Larry Travers combined on a seven-hitter for the winners fanning 14 Lakers. Kuzak had five hits to go along with the four in the first game for a nine-for-ten day.

T.Jablonski (L) and xxx
R.Blair (W), L.Travers (6) and xxx

(June 22)   A bases-loaded triple by Gene Plamondon in the seventh inning brought Quesnel Fireman from behind in a 7-4 victory over Willow River Red Sox. Merv Currie had handcuffed the heavy hitting Firemen for six innings allowing just a single run as the Sox took a 2-1 lead. But in the seventh, Gary Tuttle and Leo DelBuchia singled and Kadi Koyama was beaned and it caused an uproar as Koyama charged the mound. When order was restored Quesnel had the bases loaded and Plamondon's three-bagger gave the Firemen a 4-2 advantage. They added two more before Willow River scored a pair in the eighth and Firemen added an insurance run in the ninth. Currie fanned 19 in a losing cause. Tom Bryan allowed just four hits and whiffed 13 for the win.

Bryan (W) and xxx
Currie (L) and xxx

Quesnel jumped into a 5-0 lead in the first inning of the second game and never looked back. Oscar Festerling and Lorne Rodonets handled the mound work for the winners in the 13-9 triumph.

Festerling (W), Rodonets and xxx
xxx and xxx

(June 30)  Prince Rupert topped the Lumbermen 10-8.

(July 6)   Quesnel Fireman remained unbeaten in league play downing the Lumbermen 14-2 and 4-0 in a weekend double-header.  Firemen have won ten straight to start the season. After a shaky beginning, lefty Lorne Rodonets fashioned a four-hitter and whiffed 15. Firemen boomed out six hits in the first two frames and with the help of four Lumbermen errors pushed across seven runs. The Timber team scored in the first inning on hits by Mike Schure and John Kuzak. Kuzak cracked a double in the ninth and scored the only other run on an error.

McInnis (L), A.Johnston (2), A.,Harris (6) and xxx
Rodonets (W) and xxx

Tom Bryan silenced the Lumbermen in the second game firing a three-hit gem with 14 strikeouts while his mates got to George Dye for nine hits. Ken Backman and Gene Plamondon got the winners rolling in the first inning with a pair of doubles followed by singles from Irv Follack and Frank Stevenson.

Dye (L) and xxx
Bryan (W) and xxx

(July 6)  In a surprise move, the league leading Quesnel Firemen announced their withdrawal from the newly formed Central Interior Baseball Association.  Team manager Don Gale cited the "lack of support and respect" from fans in Quesnel. "This is a one-team town and the fans have apparently decided we aren't that team," declared Don. The team intends to continue to play but strictly in exhibition or tournament ball.

(July 16) In a surprise twist to a surprise announcement, the Central Interior League executive has declined to accept the resignation of the Quesnel Firemen from the circuit. Don Gale, the manager of the club, was at the meeting prepared to inform the members that the team had reconsidered its decision. Firemen are scheduled to play a league game against Williams Lake this weekend but have already lined up an exhibition against Prince George All-Stars. Gale is attempting to sort out the conflict.

(July 20)   The powerful Quesnel Firemen added to their laurels Sunday taking both games of an exhibition double-header with Prince George All-Stars, 4-1 and 8-5.  Ace hurlers Lorne Rodonets and Tommy Bryan were outstanding for the winners. Rodonets allowed just five hits in the opener and had ten strikeouts. Bryan, who yielded eight hits in the second game, fanned 20.  Firemen plated a pair in the fourth inning and they proved enough for the victory.

Makinchuck (L) and xxx
Rodonets (W) and xxx

The visitors opened fast in the second game scoring in the first inning with three sharp hits off Bryan, but the Firemen quickly responded with two in the bottom of the initial frame. The All-Stars notched two in the fourth and another pair in the fifth to take the lead, but the Firemen broke loose in the late innings to pull ahead.

Laroux (L). Backman (8) and xxx
Bryan (W) and xxx

(July 20)  After being trounced 11-3 in the first game of a twin-bill, the Willow River Red Sox came charging back to cop a 12-2 triumph over Quesnel Lumbermen in the second contest. Veteran George Dye fashioned a seven-hitter for the win in the opener as Bob Boyd led the attack with four hits. Coach Al Harris and Roy Blair each had three.

In the nightcap, Frank Bruder held the Lumbermen to five hits while the Red Sox pounded Roy Blair and Harris who shared mound duties for Quesnel.

Dye (W) and xxx
xxx and xxx

Blair (L), Harris and xxx
F.Bruder (W) and xxx

(August 10)   The shorthanded Quesnel Lumbermen took advantage of errors Sunday to upset the Firemen 10-8.  Norm Gronskei, better known as coach of the Merchants softball club, put the Lumbermen in the lead with a long double to score Lloyd Gale and Otto Munk. Roy Blair romped home on Art Fleurie's single to put the visitors ahead 3-0. The Firemen, now under the guidance of Jim Proudlove, evened the count in the third on a wild pitch that allowed Kadi Koyama to score. Lumbermen regained the lead in the fourth, with four runs, and never looked back. Al Johnston, who had three hits, started the rally with a single. They added three more in the fifth to go up 10-3. Firemen chipped away and came into the ninth down by just two. Oscar Festerling and Ken Backman singled to get the potential winning run to the plate but George Dye had enough in the tank to get out of trouble.

Dye (W) and xxx
Rodonets (L) and xxx

(August 17)   Quesnel Lumbermen and Willow River split a twin-bill with the Red Sox taking the opener 7-4 and Quesnel the second, 12-7. Mike Church allowed just five hits in the first game victory while fanning 14. Lumbermen came from behind to take the evening game. Trailing 2-0, Lumbermen exploded for five runs in the second and were never headed. Roy Blair yielded eight hits in gaining credit for the win. He whiffed seven.

M.Church (W) and xxx
Travers (L). Beaudry (7) and xxx

Madill (L), Kuchurian (2), Madill (3) and xxx
R.Blair (W) and A.Harris

(August 24)   Playing under a blazing sun, Quesnel Lumbermen edged Williams Lake Maple Leafs 11-9 Sunday at Williams Lake. Because of the heat, the teams cancelled the scheduled second game. Lumbermen broke loose for three runs in the eighth inning to secure the victory. Bill Crutchley's single scored Johnny Kuzak who had reached on an error and Ralph Beaudry rapped a three-bagger to bring in the second run and romped home on an error. Leafs got close with a run in the eighth as Jablonski singled in Smith but Stahl grounded out to end the threat.  George Dye and Al Johnston handling the mound work for Quesnel.

Dye, Johnston and xxx
Laird (L) and xxx

(August 26)   In their final games before the big Labour Day Tournament, Quesnel Fireman topped the Lumbermen 6-1 behind the stellar hurling of Lorne Rodonets. The left-hander fired a two-hitter with 12 strikeouts in the five inning contest. Darkness forced the game to be shortened. Firemen jumped into a 4-0 lead in the first stanza on singles by Oscar Festerling, Bill Mills and Ken Backman followed by Ken Bettcher's three-bagger. Backman had a triple in the fifth. Bob Boyd spoiled Rodonet's bid for a shutout when he drew a walk and scored on John Kuzak's triple.

G.Dye (L) and xxx
Rodonets (W) and xxx

(August 31-September 1)  Quesnel Labour Day Tournament

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PRINCE GEORGE & DISTRICT SENIOR BASEBALL LEAGUE

A four-team short-season district league was organized in Prince George during the 1958 season.

Three of the clubs were formed with players from within Prince George proper and the fourth entry represented the adjacent community of Willow River. The loop was reduced to three teams early on when the Merchants (nee C.L.C. team) folded and the circuit ended prematurely in July before a champion had been declared. Game results for league games were rarely posted in editions of the Prince George Citizen.

From within the ranks of the Prince George teams in this circuit, a select group of players was put together intermittently to represent the city in exhibition play against other Cariboo area clubs.

Teams : 

Canadas
Columbus Hotelmen
Merchants (disbanded)
Willow River

(May 12)   The new circuit held a draft to select players for each of the then three teams and a practice was scheduled for May 12th with uniforms to be distributed at that time.

(June 2)   The new loop kicked off on a high note Monday as Merv Currie fired a no-hitter as the Columbus Hotelmen blanked Canadas 4-0.

(June 3)  Willow River Red Sox downed the Prince George Merchants 12-8.

(June 15)   Playing at Vanderhoof, the Prince George All-Stars swept Sunday's double-header winning 5-1 and 7-4. Freddie Kapphahn was outstanding with a five-hitter in the opener to post the win while Merv Philpot took the mound victory in the second game allowing just six hits.

(June 26)   One opening remained for the $1,000 Prince George Tournament set to begin Monday. Already entered are the Prince George All-Stars, whose lineup was announced today, the Hazelton Clippers, Prince Rupert All-Stars, Morricetown, Quesnel Lumbermen, Willow River Red Sox and the Vanderhoof Quakers. The organizers are to choose from four applicants for the final entry. Ketchican, a team from the American Air Force base south of Oliver is among those on the list as are Dawson Creek and Fort St. John.

(June 30)   The final entry in the Prince George Tournament turned out to be a surprise. The U.S. Air Force team from Wasconda, Washington flew into Prince George Sunday for the event. The club is reputed to have several former major leaguers on the roster.

(June 30-July 1)  Prince George Tournament

(July 8)   Columbus Hotelmen defeated Canadas 7-2 for their third win of the young season. Fred Kapphahn went the distance for the pitching win, besting Jim Kotnko of Canadas.

Willow River 4 - 0
Columbus     3 - 2
Canadas      2 - 3

(July 13)  Prince George All-Stars grabbed both ends of Sunday's double-header downing Vanderhoof Quakers 6-3 and 15-13. Fred Kapphahn wielded the big stick on the day with nine hits in 12 trips including a home run in the second game. Ron Backman and Gord Cruikshank both turned into sparkling performances at the plate.

(July 23)   Prince George League officials announced the circuit would be shut down. An All-Star team would continue to play exhibition games.

 

 

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