1959 Vancouver, Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley
1959 BC Interior
1959 Vancouver Island
VICTORIA SENIOR AMATEUR LEAGUE
Page Cleaners replaced Pearce Electric of a year previous as the V.S.A.B.L. remained steady at four clubs. A hefty 76-game schedule was instituted by the circuit for the 1959 season.
Interestingly, three of the four playing-managers in the 1959 loop (reinstated amateurs Art Worth of the defending champion Eagles, the Naval Vets’ Gerry Parker and Lowell Hodges of the Page Cleaners) were teammates with the 1951 Moose Jaw Canucks of the semi-pro Western Canada Baseball League and the 1952 Moose Jaw Maples of the semi-pro Saskatchewan Baseball League. Berlyn Hodges, older brother of the Page Cleaners’ skipper and a member of that squad, also performed for the two Mill City aggregations during the aforementioned campaigns.
Eagles
Naval Vets
Page Cleaners
Wakeman-Trimble
(May 9) The Naval Vets watched an 8 to 1 lead slip through their fingers as the Eagles pounded out five seventh-inning runs, after cashing in for three in the sixth, to win the opener of a doubleheader 9 to 8 at Royal Athletic Park as the 1959 version of the Victoria Amateur Baseball League got underway. In the second game of the twin-bill, Page Cleaners got off on the right foot by doubling Wakeman-Trimble 4 to 2. Gary Bishop’s seventh-inning inside-the park grand-slam round-tripper was the blow that tucked away the come-from-behind triumph by the Feathered Tribe in the opener.
Siddons, Todd (L) (6) and Sadler
S. Bishop, Boudreau (W) (7) and Moody
Playing-manager Lowell Hodges of the Cleaners crossed home plate with the winning counter in the eighth canto as the front-end of a double steal with rookie shortstop Bob Martin. Later in the frame, Martin added an insurance tally with more heads-up base-running, scurrying home on a squeeze bunt down the third base line.
Mosely, Beck (5), Jacobson (W) (7) and White
Greenwood (L), G. Brice (8) and Bond
(May 12) The Naval Vets scored all of their runs in the last four innings at Royal Athletic Park to post a 6 to 1 victory over Page Cleaners. George Holt scattered eight hits in going the route for the win. The Vets broke open a scoreless tie with a single run in the sixth panel before adding singletons in the seventh and eighth, then closing out their offense with a three-spot in the ninth. The Pages managed only a lone counter in the seventh frame when Ron Karadimas doubled home playing-manager Lowell Hodges.
(May 13) All four clubs in the Senior Amateur Baseball League have identical 1 – 1 won-loss records following Wakeman-Trimbles’ 4 to 0 shutout victory over the Eagles at Royal Athletic Park. It took the teams five innings to get untracked with W-T’s first tally coming in the fifth after the winners had the bases loaded three times. On two of those occasions, Eagle shortstop Gary Bishop nipped runners at the plate on force outs after sharp grounders were hit his way. The third time, however, proved luckier for the Construction Contractors as Jerry Booth touched the pan with the opening counter. Catcher Doug Patterson’s inside-the-park homer accounted for two more runs in the sixth inning. Playing-manager Lyall Cornett doubled deep into left-centre to drive home Ricky Blake and end the scoring in the seventh frame. George Brice nabbed the mound victory, allowing the Big Birds just two safeties while ringing up 14 punchouts. A smart twin-killing in the sixth panel, Brice to shortpatcher Cornett to first sacker Dave Black, helped preserve the shutout.
(May 16) The visiting Bellingham Bells captured a pair of Royal Athletic Park exhibition game victories, slamming down the Victoria All-Stars 12 to 4 in the opener and then coming back in the evening to win 6 to 2. In the matinée tilt, catcher Jim Moody of the Bells slammed a home run to lead the winners’ 10-hit attack in support of the four-hit pitching of Dick Minice.
Minice (W) and Brandy
G. Brice (L), Bishop (6) and Moody
The Washingtonians outswatted the Capital City crew by an 11 to 8 margin in the closing argument.
Christman (W), Jensen (9) and Grandy
Jacobson (L), Garner (8) and Moody
(May 19) Playing-manager Art Worth tried five pitchers, including himself and regular catcher Jim Moody, in an effort to stem the batting power of the Naval Vets, but it was all in vain as his flock of Eagles were swamped 16 to 7 at Royal Athletic Park. Naval Vet skipper Gerry Parker went with three moundsman in gaining the long drawn-out victory. Despite being buried in the walkaway, Gary Bishop homered for the Eagles.
Rogers (W), Smith (4), Menzies (7) and Sadler
L. Brice (L), Boudreau (2), Lequesne (5), Moody (5), Worth (7) and Moody, Boudreau (2)
(May 21) Wakeman-Trimble battled the Page Cleaners through 11 full innings at Royal Athletic Park, only to lose 8 to 7. The winning run was a real family proposition in which Berlyn Hodges lashed a crisp single up the middle to drive in his brother Lowell Hodges from second base. The Pages, who trailed 2 to 0, 5 to 3 and 7 to 6 at various stages of the contest, had to battle every inch of the way against W-T starter Chuck Schima who only allowed three hits in 4-1/3 innings and reliever George Brice who completed the final 6-2/3 frames. Des Mosely went all 11 stanzas in taking the bump triumph for the Pages. He issued nine walks but countered with 13 strikeouts while allowing but six safeties. Two of those base blows were a triple and double off the bat of Doug Patterson. Barry Williams of the Cleaners proved to be the game’s opportunist, scoring three runs without the benefit of a base hit.
Schima, Brice (L) (5) and Patterson
Mosely (W) and White
(May 22) The busy bat of Gary Bishop made the difference at Royal Athletic Park as the Eagles grabbed a 4 to 3 decision over Page Cleaners. Bishop walloped a solo circuit-jack in the second inning and chased home the winning run with a fifth-inning single. Playing-manager Art Worth picked up the pitching victory, out dueling Ron Karadimas. Worth fanned a dozen and walked five while Karadimas whiffed four and issued five free passes. Both yielded seven hits.
Karadimas (L) and White
Worth (W) and Moody
(May 23) The winners in doubleheader action at Royal Athletic Park had to come from behind on both occasions to post both victories. In the afternoon joust, Wakeman-Trimble flashed an eight-run surge in the fifth inning to overtake and pass the Eagles who had built up a 5 to 2 lead. The W-T’s finished up with a 12 to 6 win to step into second place, one game behind the Naval Vets, in the Senior Amateur League standings.
S. Bishop (L), Worth (5) and Moody
Campbell, Greenwood (W) (4) and Patterson
The Naval Vets also had to scramble uphill to defeat Page Cleaners 4 to 2 to hold onto the league lead. The Pages went ahead by plating a singleton in the opening panel but the Vets got that run back in the third. The winners took the lead for good with a three-spot in the seventh. Ron Peskett dealt up the big blow of the frame, a two-run double off lefty Bill Garner. Peskett then rode home on a sizzling single by Mike Hodge as Keith Todd picked up the hillock triumph.
Garner (L) and White
Todd (W) and Sadler
(May 26) Des Mosely posted his second complete-game win of the campaign in pitching Page Cleaners to a 7 to 3 conquest of Wakeman-Trimble. Mosely allowed eight hits while breezing nine while mound opponent Chuck Schima also yielded eight safeties and swished an equal number. A four-run outburst in the seventh frame, spurred by Stu Mitchell’s two-run triple, staked the Pages to a 7 to 0 lead. The W-T’s bounced back with a three-spot in the next frame, two of which came on a homer by Ron Groom, to end the scoring.
Schima (L) and Patterson
Mosely (W) and White
(May 28) Both teams ran the bases with abandon as Wakeman-Trimble walloped the Naval Vets 11 to 4 in Senior Amateur League action at Royal Athletic Park. A total of 13 bases were swiped by the foes as W-T blasted out ten hits including a double by Dave Black. George Brice earned the bump triumph with a six-hitter.
(May 29) Skipper Art Worth and pitcher Robin Barnes combined talents to move the Eagles out of the Senior Amateur Baseball League cellar. The Big Birds’ 7 to 4 win over the Naval Vets forced a four-way tie in the standings with each club sporting identical 4 – 4 records. Barnes had a one-hitter heading into the seventh and eventually was touched for three safeties before relinquishing mound duties to Steve Bishop in the ninth. Worth, pinch-hitting for Daryl Lorimer, stepped into a hanging curve ball served up by Vet chucker Barry Menzies and lashed it down the first-base line for a three-run double in the top-of-the-fourth stanza. It was all the inspiration the Feathered Flock needed.
Barnes (W), S. Bishop (9) and Moody
Menzies (L), Rogers (7) and Sadler
(May 30) The Victoria Senior Amateur League All-Stars split an exhibition double-dip with the nationally-rated Seattle Cheney Studs at Royal Athletic Park. Veteran southpaw Art Worth received more-than-ample offensive support in the opener as the Stars shocked the semi-pros with an 8 to 5 triumph. Irked by the defeat, the Studs roared back for a 13 to 6 win in the nightcap. The Victorians lit in to loser Ken Wilson for 15 base blows in the matinée contest, highlighted by a home run off the baton of Mike Hodge.
Wilson (L) and Maguinez
Worth (W) and Moody
The Studs pounded out 14 safeties in the follow-up scuffle against losing twirler Bill Garner and reliever Steve Bishop.
Johnson (W), Carnahan (7) Maguinez
Garner (L), S. Bishop (9) and Moody
(June 5) The Naval Vets took a half-game lead atop the Senior Amateur standings with a 6 to 5 win over the Eagles at Royal Athletic Park. Vic Skinner supplied the damaging blow for the Vets, a ninth-inning single that sent Mike Hodge home with the winning counter. Skinner had another one-bagger and a double in addition to his game-winning safety. Art Worth had the Eagles’ longest swat, a home run that capped a three-run first inning against winning tosser Keith Todd.
Todd (W) and Peskett
Menzies (L) and Moody
(June 6) Gerry Parker and his crew of Navy Vets are back in the saddle in the Senior Amateur circuit following a doubleheader at Royal Athletic Park. The Swabbies had to go an extra inning to nose out Page Cleaners 9 to 8 in the finale of the day’s events to take a clear-cut lead in the tightly-bunched loop after the Eagles had captured the lid-lifter by blanking Wakeman-Trimble 4 to 0. Steve Bishop fashioned a two-hitter in posting the hillock victory for the Big Birds in the opener.
Campbell (L) and Patterson
S. Bishop (W) and Moody
Bill Munday doubled home Vic Skinner with the walkoff winner for the Vets in the overtime session.
Garner, Mosely (L) (7) and White
Holt, Smith (9), Rogers (9), Siddons (W) (9) and Saddler
(June 9) Page Cleaners stepped from one tie to another at Royal Athletic Park but in a better way. Starting the game deadlocked in third place, the Pages walloped Wakeman-Trimble 8 to 1 to join the Eagles on the second-pace rung of the standings. Winning chucker Des Mosely improved his season’s record to 3 and 1 with the six-hit, complete-game effort.
G. Brice (L) and Patterson
Mosely (W) and White
(June 10) Timely plate power backed up by the steady pitching of Stan Smith and Pat Rogers gave the Naval Vets a little additional padding atop the Senior Amateur League as they whipped the Eagles 7 to 1. Rogers earned the win at the expense of Eagles’ starter Robin Barnes. The Vets now hold a 1-1/2 game cushion over the second-place Page Cleaners nine.
Smith, Rogers (W) (5) and Sadler
Barnes (L), S. Bishop (5) and Moody
(June 11) The first triple play of the campaign was recorded by Wakeman-Trimble but they still lost 4 to 3 to the league-leading Naval Vets. The game was highlighted by the sparkling defensive play of the losers, who also added a twin-killing to their record, as well as the timely hitting of the winners. Keith Todd “junk-balled” his way to the five-hit win while Jerry Booth was stung with the loss. Booth lost his own game in the seventh when he walked Stan Stewart who promptly stole second and crossed the plate on successive wild pitches. The triple play came in the third inning with baserunners Mike Hodge at third and Vern Evans at second. Vic Skinner topped a slow bouncer back to Booth and Hodge, expecting a throw to first base, broke for the plate and was eventually tagged out in a rundown by catcher Doug Patterson who then wheeled and threw to second baseman Rick Blake who put the tag on Skinner, running for the keystone sack, for the second out. Blake then tagged Evans who appeared to lose his focus and didn’t react quickly enough to regain the middle pillow, for the third out.
Todd (W) and Sadler
Booth (L) and Patterson
(June 12) Veteran portsider Art Worth found an early cushion comfortable and was never pressed in pitching the Eagles to a 6 to 2 victory over Page Cleaners. Worth allowed just five hits and punched out 13 in going the distance. Rival playing-manager Lowell Hodges spoiled Worth’s bid for a shutout by nailing a two-run circuit-clout in the final frame. The loss went to Des Mosely, snapping his three-game win streak.
Worth (W) and Moody
Mosely (L), L. Hodges (5) and White
(June 13) The Eagles kept pace with the front-running Naval Vets as both squads won games in doubleheader action at Royal Athletic Park. The Naval Vets edged third-place Page Cleaners 10 to 9 on Vic Skinner’s tenth-inning, two-out RBI single.
Jacobson, Beck (L) (9) and White
Siddons, Holt (W) (5) and Sadler
In the nightcap, the second-place Eagles hammered 11 hits off George Brice to defeat Wakeman-Trimble 8 to 6. Clutch pitching by Steve Bishop in the ninth preserved the victory for the Feathered Tribe. The W-T’s, making a valiant comeback effort after trailing by five runs, plated a three-spot in their last turn at bat and had the bases loaded but Bishop rose to the challenge by whiffing the side.
G. Brice (L) and Patterson, Cornett (5)
S. Bishop (W) and Moody
(June 16) Rain halted the game between the Eagles and Navy Vets at Royal Athletic Park. Although the game had gone the regulation 4-1/2 innings before the weather played havoc, it was still tied 2 – 2 and league officials decreed that the game would be played to a conclusion later in the season.
(June 17) Wakeman-Trimble gave the Page Cleaners all the edge they needed to win in the fourth inning of their tussle at Royal Athletic Park. The last-place W-T’s committed four errors as the Pages scored seven runs on only three hits for an 11 to 4 victory. The one bad inning gave the Cleaners’ Des Mosely all the ammunition he needed to hang up the pitching win. The loser was Jerry Booth.
Mosely (W) and White
Booth (L) and Patterson
STANDINGS W L Pct. GBL
Naval Vets 9 4 .692 -----
Eagles 7 6 .538 2.0
Page Cleaners 6 7 .462 3.0
Wakeman-Trimble 4 9 .308 5.0
(June 18) Eagle fielders tried to make up for their sins. But even a pair of double plays wasn’t of much help to pitcher Robin Barnes as the Big Birds dropped a Senior Amateur Baseball League decision to Wakeman-Trimble 5 to 3, committing six errors along the way. In and out of trouble most of the night, Barnes was eventually given the hook after filling the bases in the ninth by playing-manager Art Worth, who calmly proceeded to set down the succeeding three batters in order. It was then winning flinger George Brice’s turn to have trouble as the eagles scored all their runs in the last inning. Brice, in going the distance, fanned 14 batters, walked eight and allowed five hits.
G. Brice (W) and Patterson
Barnes (L), Worth (9) and Moody
STANDINGS W L Pct. GBL
Naval Vets 8 3 .727 ----
Eagles 6 6 .500 2.5
Page Cleaners 5 6 .455 3.0
Wakeman-Trimble 4 8 .333 4.5
(June 19) A timely hit and a not-so-timely error paved the way for the Naval Vets to edge past the Page Cleaners in 11 innings, a win which allowed the Vets to open a three-game lead in the Senior Amateur Baseball League. Larry McKinty’s 11th inning single, combined with an outfield error, allowed Mike Hodge to score the winning run all the way from first base. Keith Todd, tagged for nine hits including a circuit-blast by outfielder Art Pike of the Pages, was the winning chucker while Paul Beck was nicked with the loss.
Todd (W) and Sadler
Beck (L) and White
(June 20) The Eagles trimmed the Page Cleaners 7 to 1 in the opener of a twin-bill at Royal Athletic Park. In the second contest, Wakeman-Trimble won their second in a row, thumping the top-dog Naval Vets 20 to to 1, to move into a third-place tie with the Pages. Steve Bishop earned the matinée-game victory by tossing a five-hitter against the Pages who self-destructed defensively, committing five fielding miscues.
L. Hodges (L) and Pike
S. Bishop (W) and Moody
Jerry Booth, in hurling an eight-hitter in the late affair, received solid offensive support from his W-T teammates who smashed the horsehide for 15 base blows. Lyall Cornett and Norm Curran both went yard for the victors.
Booth (W) and Patterson
Holt (L) , Siddons (4), Smith (9) and Sadler
(June 23) Pressed into action as a hot corner guardian, an unfamiliar position for a regular reliable pitcher, Wakeman-Trimble’s Dave Emery booted the ball on two critical plays in each of the second and eighth innings, miscues which allowed all four of the Eagles’ runs as the W-T’s dropped a 4 to 1 decision to the Feathered Flock. The four unearned counters served to nullify a fine four-hit pitching performance by losing slabman George Brice. Winner Barry Menzies also spun a four-hitter but receive better defensive support during crucial times of the game.
Menzies (W) and Moody
G. Brice (L) and Patterson
(June 24) The Naval Vets weren’t doing much hitting off the slants of Eagle Lefthander Art Worth at Royal Athletic Park but they still came up with a 3 to 1 Senior Amateur Baseball league decision. Pitching a steady, heady game, playing-manager Worth limited the Vets to just four safeties over the route. Keith Todd, on the elevated portion of the diamond for the Swabbies, was nicked for seven scattered safeties, never allowing more than two in any inning. A close play at the plate, with Mike Hodge being judged safe on a slide in the third inning, produced what turned out to be the winning marker.
Worth (L) and Moody
Todd (W) and Sadler
(June 25) The third-place Page Cleaners nine inflicted the second lopsided defeat upon the league-leading Naval Vets this week, drubbing the Swabbies 10 to 2. Both Vet counters were scored in the opening inning when Mike Hodge blasted a two-run tater over the left-centre field fence at Royal Athletic Park. Hodge’s blast was only one of two allowed by winning pitcher Hal Jacobson, the other being a single by Ron Peskett in the third. The Pages, on the other hand, got to losing flinger Stan Smith for a total of 13 base hits while the Vets were committing five errors. Jacobson swished ten and issued just two bases on balls.
Smith (L) and Sadler
Jacobson (W) and White
(June 26) Dave Emery pitched Wakeman-Trimble into a third-place tie in the Victoria Senior Amateur Baseball League as the Electrical Contractors edged Page Cleaners 5 to 4. Emery nailed down the win with a clutch pitching performance in the bottom-of-the-ninth inning. With the bases loaded and two out, the young W-T hurler whiffed Art Pike after the Cleaners had already scored one run and were threatening to take it all.
Emery (W) and Patterson
Beck (L), Garner (7) and White
(June 27) A big dent was put in the Naval Vets’ Senior Amateur Baseball League lead at Royal Athletic Park. The Vets opened a doubleheader by losing 9 to 8 to Wakeman-Trimble in twelve innings and then the second-place Eagles scored a 7 to 1 triumph over the third-place Page Cleaners in the nightcap. Power hitting by both teams highlighted the afternoon scuffle as the Vets hammered out 14 hits and the W-T’s 16.
Siddons, Todd (L) (4) and Sadler
Booth, G. Brice (4), Booth (W) (8) and Patterson
The bulk of the day’s interest turned to the evening game as the Eagles’ Steve Bishop turned in a no-hit mound victory. The lone run scored against him came in the eighth inning on the only Eagle error of the game. Barry Harvey gave Bishop all the plate support he needed in the first inning with a two-run, inside-the-park homer.
Mosely (L) and White
S. Bishop (W) and Moody
(June 30) Winning their third in a row, the suddenly-hot Wakeman-Trimble squad blanked Page Cleaners 2 to 0 at Royal Athletic Park. George Brice fashioned a three-hitter in recording the hillock triumph.
Garner (L) and O’Neill
G. Brice (W) and Patterson
(July 1) The Eagles completed an earlier fixture against the Naval Vets, suspended by rain on June 16, with a 5 to 2 victory and then posted a 9 to 2 triumph in a regular Senior Amateur League clash. The twin victories vaulted the Feathered Tribe into top spot in the loop, one full game in front of the Vets. Playing-manager Art Worth was the hero of the sweep, earning the bump decisions in both triumphs.
Menzies, Worth (W) (3) and Moody
Rogers (L) and Sadler
Holt (L), Parker (6) and Sadler
Worth (W) and Moody
STANDINGS W L Pct. GBL
Eagles 11 7 .611 ----
Naval Vets 10 8 .556 1.0
Wakeman-Trimble 8 10 .444 3.0
Page Cleaners 7 11 .389 4.0
(July 2) It’s been a rough week for the Naval Vets and it’s all because of the fact the Eagles have decided to start flapping their wings. In their latest clash, the Vets were bounced for a third straight time by the Big Birds, this time an 11 to 2 shellacking. The game was virtually over in the very first canto when the Eagles snared eight big runs, sparked by a grand-slam, inside-the-park homer drilled by Les Brice. Steve Bishop went all the way for pitching win, limiting the losers to four scattered hits.
S. Bishop (W) and Moody
Todd (L), Siddons (4), Stewart (6), Holt (6) and Paskett
(July 3) Lady Luck seems to have turned the other cheek on the Naval vets of the Senior Amateur baseball League. Riding high and handsome two weeks ago, the Vets now languish in second place, only half a game out of third. The Sailors, who haven’t been able to score more than two runs in any of their last four games, suffered their latest setback at Royal Athletic Park, a 2 to 0 blanking at the hands of Wakeman-Trimble. Both W-T runs came in the fourth inning. Catcher Doug Patterson drove in the first by cracking out a triple and then touching home for the final counter on a single by Gary Leibel. Dave Emery scattered six safeties for the win.
Emery (W) and Patterson
Rogers (L), Todd (4) and Sadler
(July 4) The slump-ridden Naval Vets went down to their seventh straight loss, a 6 to 0 whitewashing at the hands of Page Cleaners in the opener of the usual Saturday twin-bill at Royal Athletic Park. In the sunset event, the Eagles continued to soar by taking a 9 to 6 verdict from the Wakeman-Trimble pastimers. Hal Jacobson’s four-hit performance on the hill sparked the Pages to the win in the matinée game.
Holt (L) and Sadler
Jacobson (W) and O’Neill
Playing-manager Art Worth took to the bump in the sixth stanza of the late scuffle and preserved the win for Eagles’ starter Barry Menzies. Worth struck out the side in the sixth to break off a three-run W-T rally and then proceeded to fan eight of the next nine batters to face him. Larry McPherson had a round-tripper for the winning Feathered Flock.
G. Brice (L) and Patterson
Menzies (W), Worth (6) and Moody.
(July 7) In a continuation of their horrendous skid, the Naval Vets dropped their eighth consecutive game, taking it on the chin 14 to 10 in a slugfest with the high-flying Eagles. The Shipmen hit the horsehide well, gathering ten of the game’s 21 hits, but threw it all away by committing six errors. The Big Birds scored 13 times in the first three frames and coasted home from there, adding a single counter in the eighth. Starter Al Ched, making his first appearance of the season, was the winner.
Ched (W), Smith (4), S. Bishop (5) and Moody
Siddons (L), Parker (2), (6), Holt (7) and Sadler
(July 9) The Eagles’ drive to pad their Senior Amateur Baseball League lead came to a shuddering halt at Royal Athletic Park as Page Cleaners cleansed the league-leaders 9 to 3 to snap their five-game unbeaten streak. The biggest blow of the contest came in the opening chapter when Page flychaser Berlyn Hodges powered a home run over the centre-field fence during a three-run uprising. Winning flinger Paul Beck survived that threat and threw shutout ball the rest of the way.
Beck (W) and O’Neill
S. Bishop (L), Menzies (9) and Moody
(July 10) Wakeman-Trimble put the skids to the four-game win streak assembled by Page Cleaners by edging their foe 3 to 2 in eleven innings at Royal Athletic Park. The win for the W-T’s moved them into second spot in the standings, a half-game ahead of the Naval Vets. A throwing error by second baseman Ron Karadimas in the second overtime session allowed W-T playing-manager Lyall Cornett to score from the keystone sack with the winning run. Youthful George Brice picked up the mound win at the expense of veteran Bill Garner.
G. Brice (W) and Patterson
Garner (L) and O’Neill
(July 11) The recent trends continued in a Senior Amateur League double-dip at Royal Athletic Park as the Naval Vets lost again, going down 13 to 4 against Page Cleaners, while the top-dog Eagles trampled Wakeman-Trimble 14 to 1. The Pages lit up a pair of Vet chuckers for a dozen safeties in the opening game romp.
Mosely (L) and O’Neill
Todd (L), Siddons (5) and Sadler
Eagles’ skipper Art Worth picked up his fourth pitching victory in less than two weeks in going the distance in the second contest.
Worth (W) and Moody
Emery (L) and Cornett, Patterson (3)
(July 14) After acquiring first baseman Daryl Lorimer from the Eagles, the Navy Vets took to the diamond at Royal Athletic Park and captured their first win following a harrowing 10-game losing streak, setting down Wakeman-Trimble 4 to 1. The Seafarers played their best baseball in two weeks, as Lefthander George Holt pulled his won-loss record to 2 – 4 while limiting W-T to five hits. Holt got all the edge he needed in the sixth inning when centre fielder Stan Stewart clouted a three-run homer to break a 1 – 1 tie.
Booth (L) and Patterson
Holt (W) and Sadler
(July 16) Page Cleaners powered their way back into sole possession of second place in the Senior Amateur circuit when they humbled Wakeman-Trimble to the tune of 11 to 0. Lefthander Bill Garner tossed a five-hitter in picking up his first win of the season in five starts. The Pages backed up the former University of Oregon star by battering youthful George Brice for 15 hits, including a three-run triple by Lowell Hodges. The Page playing-skipper added a pair of singles in his five trips to the dish to share batting honors with outfielder Gary Tuttle, who also went three-for-five and had a two-bagger as part of his sum of swats.
Garner (W) and O’Neill
G. Brice (L) and Patterson
STANDINGS W L Pct. GBL
Eagles 15 8 .652 ----
Page Cleaners 11 12 .478 4.0
Naval Vets 11 13 .458 4.5
Wakeman-Trimble 10 14 .417 5.5
(July 17) Scoring four runs in the top-of-the-ninth inning, the Naval Vets hung on to take a 10 to 8 victory over the front-running Eagles at Royal Athletic Park. The win was the second in succession for the rebounding Vets who recently ended a 10-game losing streak. A two-out bloop single by playing-manager Gerry Parker tied the score at 7 – 7. The Shipmen then went on to score three more times while the Big Birds, batting last, managed a singleton in their half of the frame.
Siddons, Holt (W) (7) and Sadler
Menzies, Smith (3), S. Bishop (L) (8), Worth (9) and Moody
(July 18) Taking advantage of two fine complete-game pitching performances from Hal Jacobson and Paul Beck, Page Cleaners took a firm grip on the Victoria Senior Amateur League’s second position by sweeping a doubleheader, by scores of 4 to 1 and 6 to 3, from the front-running Eagles in the first two games of a rare triple-header at Royal Athletic Park. The third affair, played under the lights, was a 12-inning marathon in which Wakeman-Trimble came out on top of the Naval Vets by a 9 to 6 count. Jacobson threw a three-hitter in the opening seven-inning clash.
Worth (L) and Moody
Jacobson (W) and O’Neill
Beck came back with a six-hitter in the sandwich tussle of the day.
S. Bishop (L), Boudreau (2) and Moody
Beck (W) and O’Neill
In the night game, W-T pitcher Dave Emery won his own game in the third panel of overtime when he blasted a three-run walkoff homer. His batterymate, playing-manager Lyall Cornett, also connected for a dinger earlier in the contest.
Todd, Holt (L) (8) and Sadler
Emery (W) and Cornett
(July 21) Veteran southpaw Berlyn Hodges, quietly alternating between first base and the outfield all season, stepped out to pitch his first game of the campaign and did an adequate job of it, hurling Page Cleaners to a 10 to 6 conquest of the league-leading Eagles. Hodges, older brother of the team’s playing-manager, Lowell Hodges, allowed seven safeties but was deadly in two-strike situations, ringing up 19 punchouts. Two of the seven hits surrendered were by opposing chucker Steve Bishop who clouted a triple and double. The win for the Pages pulled them to within a half-game of the Feathered Flock.
S. Bishop (L) and Moody
B. Hodges (W) and O’Neill
(July 23) A 7 to 0 whitewashing of the Naval Vets propelled the winning Page Cleaners into a share of first place in the Senior Amateur loop. Both the Vets and the eagles now sport 15 – 12 won-lost records for the season. Lefty Bill Garner turned in a brilliant three-hit performance for the Pages. Using a series of benders and heat, Garner swished a dozen in securing his second win of the campaign. Only Vet shortstop, Mike Hodge, displayed any sustained effectiveness against Garner, singling twice.
Holt (L), Siddons (8) and Sadler
Garner (W) and O’Neill
(July 24) The Eagles grabbed back sole possession of first place in the Senior Amateur League and, in the process, dumped Wakeman-Trimble back into the cellar of the circuit by overwhelming the Contractors 12 to 5. Stan Smith went the route on the hillock for the winners, scattering nine W-T hits, including a two-run homer by Lyall Cornett in the seventh.
Booth (L) and Cornett
Smith (W) and Moody, G. Bishop (7)
(July 28) Wakeman-Trimble fielders were charged with six errors but they didn’t fumble a chance to climb out of the Senior Amateur Baseball League cellar. Making up for their inept defensive play by displaying power at the plate, the Electrical Contractors climbed into third place in the circuit by tripping up the Naval Vats 8 to 6. A 13-hit attack against losing chucker Keith Todd, including doubles by Gary Leibel, Norm Curran, Buddy Price and Lyall Cornett, provided all the ammunition required by the W-T’s. Rick Blake provided the most potent baton for the winners in helping Dave Emery chalk up the pitching victory. Making his return to the lineup after a broken wrist sidelined him on June 13, Blake stung the pill for three straight singles in five at-bats.
Todd (L) and Sadler
Emery (W) and Cornett
(July 30) The Eagles skidded into second place in the Senior Amateur Baseball League after being thumped 8 to 0 by the new top dogs, the Page Cleaners. The Pages came up with 14 base knocks against losing tosser Jim Boudreau but it was the Eagle defensive collapse that accounted for all the scoring. Seven errors by the Feathered Tribe, playing without manager Art Worth, paved the way for the eight counters. Strong right handed hurler Paul Beck threw a fine game for the victors, limiting the Big Birds to six hits, whiffing eleven while collecting four singles himself.
Beck (W) and O’Neill
Boudreau (L), Menzies (8) and Moody
(July 31) Wakeman-Trimble committed six errors and pitcher Jerry Booth allowed ten base hits but the Electrical Contractors still managed to come up with a 14 to 7 win over the last-place Naval Vets. The win for the W-T’s moved them to within 2-1/2 games of the second-place Eagles.
Booth (W) and Cornett
Siddons (L), Holt (7), Parker (8) and Heath, Peskett (7)
(August 1) The Naval Vets moved to within a half-game of the third-ranked Wakeman-Trimble nine by upsetting the Eagles 8 to 0 in the first tilt of a Saturday double-bill. In the wind-up fracas, first-place Page Cleaners extended their lead to 1-1/2 games by edging the W-T’s 2 to 1. George Holt’s fancy two-hitter set the Feather Tribe down in the lid-lifter.
Holt (W) and Heath
Smith (L), Ched (2) and Boudreau
Norm Curran of the Electrical Contactors added to his league-leading home run total but his ninth-inning solo blast wasn’t enough to stop the Cleaners and winning pitcher Berlyn Hodges in the nightcap.
B. Hodges (W) and O’Neill
Emery (L) and Cornett
STANDINGS W L Pct. GBL
Page Cleaners 17 12 .586 ----
Eagles 16 14 .533 1.5
Wakeman-Trimble 13 16 .448 4.0
Naval Vets 13 17 .433 4.5
(August 4) Errorless fielding and manager Art Worth’s effective pitching helped the Eagles record a 4 to 1 victory over Page Cleaners at Royal Athletic Park to move within a half-game of the league-leaders. Losing slabster Bill Garner was nicked for nine safeties by the Big Birds. Stu Mitchell accounted for Pages’ only run, connecting for a home run in the second inning.
Worth (W) and Moody
Garner (L) and O’Neill
(August 5) Left fielder Norm Curran, the leading home run producer in the Senior Amateur circuit, smashed two doubles and three singles to drive in four of his team’s runs as Wakeman-Trimble strengthened their hold on third place with an 11 to 9 win over the last-place Naval Vets. The W-T’s combed 15 hits off loser George Holt in the heavy-hitting affair. Pitcher Jerry Booth recovered from a shaky start that saw the Vets get to him for four first-inning counters, to go the distance for the win.
Booth (W) and Cornett
Holt (L) and Heath, Sadler (8)
(August 6) The Eagles moved to with a few percentage points of Page Cleaners after dropping the Naval Vets 11 to 5 at Royal Athletic Park. An eight-run seventh inning pulled the Feathered Flock into the lead after falling behind 5 to 1. Gary Bishop and Barry Harvey nailed four-ply clouts in support of winning flinger Steve Bishop.
Todd (L), Siddons (7) and Sadler
S. Bishop (W) and Moody
(August 7) Portsider Des Mosely, the Senior Amateur loop’s strikeout leader, swished 17 batters, scattered six safeties and wound up with a shutout as Page Cleaners whitewashed Wakeman-Trimble 10 to 0 at Royal Athletic Park. Mosely also provided the big bat at the plate, spanking the sphere for a double and two singles to pace the winners’ 13-hit attack against loser Dave Emery.
Mosely (W) and O’Neill
Emery (L) and Cornett
(August 8) The hot battle for first place in the Victoria Senior Amateur Baseball League continued at Royal Athletic Park as both the league-leading Page Cleaners and runner-up Eagles won their matches in doubleheader action, the Feathered Flock nosing out Wakeman-Trimble 3 to 2 and the Pages dropping the Naval Vets 9 to 6.
Cornett (L) and Patterson
Menzies (W), S. Bishop (8) and Moody
Siddons (L), Holt (5) and Sadler
Beck (W), Garner (6) and O’Neill
(August 11) The Naval Vets moved to within a half-game of third-place Wakeman-Trimble after crushing the W-T’s 11 to 4 at Royal Athletic Park. Keith Todd whiffed six and walked a pair in hurling the three-hit complete-game win.
Todd (W) and Sadler
Cornett (L) and Patterson
(August 12) The Page Cleaners established themselves as heavy favorites to win the regular-season pennant when they beat back the second-place Eagles 6 to 2. One big inning, the second, did the damage as the Pages put together a walk, five hits and a couple of Eagle errors to overcome a 1 to 0 deficit with five big runs. Winning pitcher Berlyn Hodges rang up 11 punchouts while surrendering only four hits. Art Worth, on the bump for the Feathered Tribe, was hammered for 13 base knocks.
Worth (L) and Moody
B. Hodges (W) and O’Neill
(August 17) A 6 to 5 conquest of Wakeman-Trimble allowed the Naval Vets to nose past the W-T’s into third-place in the Senior Amateur circuit. A two-out rally in the bottom-of-the-ninth stanza produced the Vets’ victory. with the teams deadlocked in a 5 – 5 tie, losing twirler Dave Emery fanned the first two batters to face him but then weakened, issuing consecutive walks to Ron Peskett and Gerry Parker. Unfortunately, his batterymate, Doug Patterson, then allowed two passed balls which permitted Peskett the opportunity to plate the winning tally.
Emery (L) and Patterson
Todd, Holt (W) (6) and Sadler, Heath (7)
(August 18) It took 12 innings for the Page Cleaners to scrape through with an 11 to 10 decision over the pesky Naval Vets at Royal Athletic Park. The win for the Pages moved them two full games in front of the runner-up Eagles for top spot in the Senior Amateur loop. The loss was a heart-breaker for the Vets who had tied the score with a two-run outburst in the bottom-of-the-ninth inning. Standout relief pitching by southpaw Berlyn Hodges, who doused the Vets’ fire in that frame after coming to the bump to replace starter Hal Jacobson, spelled the difference in the contest. Hodges tossed shutout ball until his mates provided the winning run in the 12th. A clutch single by catcher Kiernan O’Neill with one out scored Gary Tuttle with the winning tally. Mike Hodge provided three of the Seafarers’ runs with a fourth-inning tater.
Jacobson, B. Hodges (W) (9) and O’Neill
Siddons, Holt (L) (4)and Sadler, Heath (10)
(August 19) The Eagles dropped 2-1/2 games off the pace set by Page Cleaners after losing a 9 to 7 decision to Wakeman-Trimble. Seven errors by the Big Birds, most of them committed during the early stages of the game, gift-wrapped the win for the Electrical Contractors. Winning pitcher Jerry Booth breezed ten while allowing eight hits.
S. Bishop (L), Menzies (3), Ched (7) and Moody
Booth (W) and Patterson
STANDINGS W L Pct. GBL
Page Cleaners 21 13 .618 ----
Eagles 19 16 .543 2.5
Wakeman-Trimble 15 20 .429 6.5
Naval Vets 15 21 .417 7.0
(August 20) The Page Cleaners nine thumped the slumping Eagles 12 to 2 at Royal Athletic Park to clinch first place in the Senior Amateur League. The game was highlighted by winning pitcher Des Mosely’s six-hit, 18-strikeout performance.
Boudreau (L), Smith (7) and Moody
Mosely (W) and O’Neill
(August 21) A 5 to 4, ten-inning victory over the Naval Vets all but assured Wakeman-Trimble of a third-place finish in the Senior Amateur League and the last playoff berth. Dave Emery struck on ten in going the distance for the win and also singled to drive in Norm Curran with the winning counter in the overtime session. The Vets outswatted the W-T’s by a 12 to 7 margin but Emery was reasonably effective in scattering the bingles for less than maximum damage.
Emery (W) and Patterson
Todd (L) and Sadler, Heath (9)
(August 22) The battle for the third and final playoff spot in the Victoria Amateur Baseball League is going down to the wire. The Naval Vets and Eagles made sure of that at Royal Athletic Park when both squads reeled off wins in doubleheader play. The Vets started things off by nipping pennant-winning Page Cleaners 8 to 7 while the Eagles followed with a similar 8 to 7 triumph over Wakeman-Trimble in a skirmish which lasted 11 innings. Robin Barnes and George Holt combined to hold hold the Pages to seven hits in the opener. One of those blows was a circuit-clout by third sacker Stu Mitchell.
Karadimas (L) and O’Neill
Barnes (W), Holt (6) and Heath
In the owl encounter, Eagles’ skipper Art Worth singled home Jim Moody with the winning counter in the second round of overtime.
Cornett (L) and Patterson
Ched, Worth (W) (9) and Moody
(August 25) Wakeman-Trimble battled their way into the playoffs of the Senior Amateur Baseball League at Royal Athletic Park. Amid a near brawl, they eliminated the Naval Vets from the three-team tile chase with a 9 to 4 victory over pennant-winning Page Cleaners in the final game of the regular schedule. The ejection of W-T outfielder Gary Lawrence by senior umpire Earl Barnswell led to a surge of Lawrence’s teammates storming the field to protest but order was eventually restored. Jerry Booth pitched the victory for the Electrical Contractors, safely scattering six hits although continually putting himself in jeopardy by giving up 12 walks. The longest clout of the evening was a three-run dinger in the fifth panel by George Brice who, for this contest, was holding down first base. The W-T’s will now face the Eagles in a best-of-three semi-final showdown for the right to battle Page Cleaners for the playoff championship
Booth (W) and Patterson
Mitchell (L) and O’Neill
FINAL STANDINGS W L Pct. GBL
Page Cleaners 22 15 .595 ----
Eagles 20 17 .541 2.0
Wakeman-Trimble 17 21 .447 5.5
Naval Vets 16 22 .421 6.5
PLAYOFFS
SEMI-FINAL (best-of-three series) Wakeman-Trimble vs Eagles
(August 27) Playing-manager Art Worth provided the leadership his young charges needed in pacing the Eagles to a 14 to 8 win and a one-game lead over Wakeman-Trimble after their semi-final opener. Worth, toeing the slab at Royal Athletic Park, gave up a generous 13 hits to the losers but nearly made up for it by hitting for the cycle, a feat that drove in six of his team’s counters. In five official at-bats, he nailed a homer, triple, single and double, all in consecutive turns from the batter’s box. Even considering the large number of base knocks he surrendered, Worth was effective in two-strike situations, ringing up 14 punchouts. The Feathered Tribe collected 15 base knocks in the slugfest as Jim Boudreau followed Worth in the willow-wielding department, creaming the horsehide for three singles and a double. Top swatsmiths for the W-T nine were Norm Curran and Bud Price who both went three-for-five.
Emery, Cornett (L) (4) and Patterson
Worth (W) and Moody
(August 28) The Eagles eliminated Wakeman-Trimble from the playoffs after breezing to a 13 to 7 conquest of the Electrical Contractors in the second game of their semi-final series. A 14-hit offensive attack by the Feathered Flock broke the game wide open and, only a six-run eighth inning by the W-T’s, kept the score from getting out of hand. Skipper Art Worth came to the rescue of winning chucker Steve Bishop during that eighth-canto turmoil.
S. Bishop (W), Worth (8) and Moody
Booth (L), Cornett (7) and Cornett, Patterson (7)
FINALS (best-of-five series) Eagles vs Page Cleaners
(August 29) Ex-pro Berlyn Hodges stymied the Eagles on two hits while whiffing 11 in pitching Page Cleaners to a convincing 9 to 0 whitewashing of the Big Birds in the opening game of the Victoria Senior Amateur League finals. The veteran southpaw didn’t issue any walks while his teammates, led by Stu Mitchell, got to Al Ched and Stan Smith for nine base knocks. Mitchell drove in four runs with a pair of singles and a double.
Ched (L), Smith (1) and Moody
B. Hodges (W) and O’Neill
(September 1) Berlyn Hodges easily copped the win for Page Cleaners in the opening game of the Senior Amateur finals but, in game two, the Eagles allowed him just two pitches while he was working in relief. With the Cleaners leading in the bottom-of-the-ninth by a 4 to 3 count, starter Des Moseley, who was working on a two-hitter, walked leadoff batter Barry Harvey who promptly put himself into scoring position by stealing second base. Art Worth then strode to the plate and rifled a hard single up the middle which caromed off Moseley’s leg, sending Harvey to third. At this point, Moseley limped to left field as Hodges traded places with him and took over on the mound. On Hodges’ first pitch, Worth unexpectedly broke for the keystone corner, catching middle infielders Ron Martin and Ron Karadimas napping as catcher Kiernan O’Neill’s hurried throw sailed over the bag and into the middle pasture, allowing Harvey to touch home with the tying tally while Worth moved to third. Again doing the unexpected, manager Worth who admits to his dislike of the squeeze play, flashed the sign for just that as Steve Bishop stepped into the batter’s box. Worth then broke for the plate as Bishop dutifully laid down a bunt but the lumbering lefty, not known for his speed, became caught in a run-down between third and home. Pages’ shortstop Ron Martin, covering third hit Worth in the back with a thrown ball, allowing the winning run to score in a 5 to 4 Eagle victory which tied the series at a game apiece.
Mosely (L), B. Hodges (9) and O’Neill
Worth (W) and Moody
(September 2) Page Cleaners took a two-games-to-one lead in the Senior Amateur Baseball League finals on the strength of a marathon, 12-inning 7 to 6 victory over the Eagles. The final dramatic run came in the third round of overtime after pinch-hitter Des Moseley of the Cleaners reached second base on a two-base error, was advanced to third on Ron Martin’s sacrifice and scored on Berlyn Hodges’ bouncing single that took an unpredictable hop over the head of Eagle second sacker Gary Bishop. Hodges, pitching in relief of starter Paul Beck, was credited with his second mound triumph of the series. Losing tosser Steve Bishop whiffed 15 before retiring to the showers in the 12th as playing-manager Art Worth took over hillock chores.
S. Bishop, Worth (L) (12) and Moody
Beck, B. Hodges (W) (7) and O’Neill
(September 3) A 4 to 2 victory over the Eagles allowed Page Cleaners to capture the 1959 Victoria Amateur Baseball League championship and the Rithet Cup playoff trophy on the basis of a three-games-to-one edge. Berlyn Hodges was again the big noise in the Pages’ victory as he has been throughout the series. Appearing on the elevated portion of the diamond in his fourth consecutive game, Hodges put the damper on an Eagle rally in the ninth inning when it appeared as though they might prolong the series. The Cleaners hammered Eagles’ Stan Smith for 13 safeties, all singles, in the win while Page starter Hal Jacobson allowed five base raps by the Feathered Tribe. Hodges switched over from first base to the hillock with one out in the final canto, inheriting runners on second and third base. He proceeded to strike out Jim Moody but then walked Gary Bishop to load the bases. With the potential winning run at first base, the crafty portsider dug deep and set down Barry Harvey swinging for the final out of the game and the series.
Jacobson (W), B. Hodges (9) and O’Neill
Smith (L) and Moody
MID-ISLAND SENIOR BASEBALL
No known senior-level baseball league existed involving mid-Island teams during the 1959 campaign. Ladysmith and Lake Cowichan organized teams for limited inter-city exhibition and tournament play but representation from Chemainus, Duncan and Nanaimo was non-existent.
(June 20) Ladysmith unveiled a brand new senior baseball team, the 49ers, composed mainly of graduates of the minor baseball program. Their season’s debut was a successful one as, backed by the strong pitching of Darrel Brinham and some timely hitting by his teammates, they took the measure of the Lake Cowichan squad by a 7 to 2 count. Brinham went the route on the knoll, racking up 17 strikeouts along the way. He gave up a single tally in the second frame then blanked Lake Cowichan until the ninth inning when the Lakers posted their final marker. Ray Pellerin banged out a two-run triple in the third stanza as the 49ers jumped into a lead they never relinquished. After a fourth-frame singleton, they capped their efforts in the sixth as Lynn Noye slammed a three-run homer.
Wise (L) and Ferguson
Brinham (W) and DeClark
(August 16) The Ladysmith 49ers split an exhibition doubleheader with the visiting Campbell River Cougars of the Comox District League, narrowly winning the matinée contest 6 to 5 but dropping the evening affair by an identical 6 to 5 margin. A three-run homer by Dale Smith in the bottom-of-the-third panel of the curtain-raiser erased a 3 to 1 deficit and put the Ladysmith diamond troopers in front to stay. Darrell Brinham yielded six hits in earning the pitching victory.
Trailing 5 to 4 as they came to bat in the ninth chapter of the nightcap, the Cougars scored a pair on a one-out drive by Taylor which provided a lead that stood up in the bottom-half of the inning.
COMOX DISTRICT SENIOR BASEBALL LEAGUE
The well-established Comox District Senior Baseball League, a five-team loop, was the top circuit in operation in upper Vancouver Island during 1959.Alberni Athletics
Campbell River Braves
Campbell River Cougars
Courtenay Arbutus
Cumberland Chiefs
(May 10) Courtenay Arbutus baseballers poured it on when bingles meant bacon, sweeping a pair of Comox District League games from the Campbell River Braves by scores of 10 to 2 and 7 to 4 as the 1959 season got underway at Lewis Park.
Jergen Schilling went all the way on the hill for Courtenay in the opener, striking out seven while scattering six hits. Braves’ starter Bill Third was nailed with the loss. Schilling, along with rookies Gordon McKay and Doug Williams, each stroked a pair of hits.
Courtenay led 4 to 3 in the second game before pulling away with a three-spot in the eighth canto, primarily on the strength of a clutch double by Earl Woods. Gordon “Pro” Pratt earned the mound victory, although relinquishing hillock duties in the seventh to reliever Innes Bosomworth. Carl Woodcock, tagged for nine Arbutus’ safeties, went the distance on the bump in absorbing the loss. Woods and Fred Orr both banged out a brace of safeties for the winners while Clarkson and Conrod of the Braves duplicated the feat.
(May 18) Courtenay Arbutus ruined Cumberland’s Empire Day celebrations by laying a 9 to 2 drubbing on the hometown Chiefs. Jergen Schilling stymied the hosts on two hits in going the route for the win over Cumberland starter Isadore Schmidt. Gerry Montgomery, Innes Bosomworth and Doug Williams all had two hits for the victors. Danny Bulatovich led the Chiefs offensively with a booming triple and a sacrifice fly.
(May 24) The Campbell River Cougars and the invading Alberni Athletics split a double-bill as the visitors grabbed the matinée event 9 to 8 while the Cougars rolled to an 11 to 3 triumph in the final game.
The A’s came from behind to tie the opening game 7 – 7 in the seventh canto and then added another deuce in the eighth to move in front for good. A run-scoring, pinch-hit single by the Cougars’ “Smoothie” Marshall narrowed the margin to one in the final chapter but the last-gasp rally died with a pair of runners stranded. Alberni had a 13 to 7 margin in base hits as Alex Spencer led the way with three safeties. Ed Deptford picked up two hits for the Cougars.
Campbell River’s Larry Compton tossed a six-hitter in the sunset match while his mates were slamming the horsehide hard and often for 14 hits off the slants of a trio of Alberni tossers. Ed Deptford clipped the orb for three base raps in this contest, bringing his total of bingles to five in the two-game set.
(May 24) Playing at Cumberland, the Chiefs squeezed out a one-run victory over the Campbell River Braves to begin things but fell to the Tribe 5 to 3 in the late tilt. Cumberland managed only three hits off hard-luck loser Carl Woodcock in the opener but made the best of their opportunities.
Playing-manager Bill Palek provided the hitting power that propelled the Braves to their first win of the season in the nightcap, slamming a home run and double. Bill Third tossed a five-hitter for Campbell River in a route-going performance.
(May 27) Courtenay Arbutus downed the Cumberland Chiefs 5 to 4 in an exciting, well-played match at Lewis Park. Jergen Schilling copped his third mound win in a tough battle against Danny Bulatovich. Schilling was touched for six safeties and whiffed an equal number while Bulatovich rang up seven punchouts but was raked for nine base knocks. Ron McLellan tripled and singled for the victors.
(May 31) A two-game sweep of the Campbell River Cougars cemented Courtenay Arbutus’ position atop the Comox District Baseball League. Stellar relief performances by Courtenay’s Jergen Schilling allowed for 6 to 4 and 6 to 3 victories.
Schilling saved the opener for Gord “Pro” Pratt by inducing a quick, eighth-inning double play with the bases loaded once he ascended the hill. Pratt, with nine strikeouts, was credited with the win while Larry Compton took the loss. At the plate, Gerry Montgomery, Innes Bosomworth, Fred Orr and Burns each picked up two hits while Campbell River’s Compton matched that output.
Courtenay’s Jim Vaton, in his first start on the knoll this season, went seven innings plus in the evening game, issuing a walk and three straight singles in the eighth before handing the ball over to Schilling who quelled the blaze and went on to preserve the win. The Cougars had a 9 to 8 advantage in base knocks as Ed Deptford stung the sphere for three safeties. Dale Jarvis and Gerry Montgomery, with a brace of safeties each, were best with the baton for the winners.
(June 7) The Cumberland Chiefs elevated their position in the Comox District Baseball League, ascending all the way to the top, by knocking previously-undefeated Courtenay Arbutus down a peg with a split-venue doubleheader sweep. Bill Roses returned to the mound for Cumberland after a considerable absence and celebrated his homecoming with a 7 to 4 decision over hosting Courtenay in the opener. The second skirmish, which moved to the Cumberland diamond, saw “Red” Daglie scatter five hits in hurling the Chiefs to a 7 to 3 triumph.
Jergen Schilling was Roses’ knoll opponent in the curtain-raiser as the teams battled toe-to-toe up until the sixth stanza when the Chiefs went ahead to stay at the expense of Schilling. They increased their lead in the seventh as John Milburn got to reliever Gord Pratt for a two-run double. Milburn was the top hitter for Cumberland with three safe swats while Roses chipped in with a pair. Innes Bosomworth smacked a triple and double for the vanquished nine.
Rain threatened most of the evening contest at Cumberland but it never got to a game-calling stage. The Chiefs broke this game open with a three-run outburst in the sixth inning, driving losing pitcher Bosomworth to the showers in the process. Courtenay threatened in the seventh but Daglie wormed his way out of a jam, stranding a pair after allowing a lone Arbutus counter. The winners had nine base hits with “Tiger” Munro the only player to collect a brace.
(June 14) Aided by a bevy of Courtenay errors, the Cumberland Chiefs dumped the Arbutus by a 7 to 3 count in the first of a scheduled two-game set. The second half of the planned twin-bill was rained out. Courtenay started off fast with single tallies in the first and second innings but the Chiefs responded with a deuce in the third on a two-strike, off-field single by Wilder to even things up. In the fourth, nine Cumberland batters paraded to the plate as the Chiefs pushed across five tallies, none of them earned, while Courtenay was imploding with four fielding miscues. Jergen Schilling, starting on the bump for Arbutus, was hit hard and gave way to Jim Vaton in the fifth. “Red” Daglie went all the way on the slab for the Cumberland win despite being hit on the right foot early in the game. Ken Allen and John Milburn each picked up a brace of safeties for the victors with Doug Williams getting two for Courtenay.
(June 17) In a make-up game of a rained-out affair that turned into a slugfest, Courtenay Arbutus defeated the Campbell River Braves 10 to 7. Jergen Schilling was the winning tosser for Courtenay as his batterymate, Gerry Montgomery, helped offensively with a bases-loaded triple.
(June 21) Courtenay Arbutus visited Alberni for a double-dip and took it on the chin twice by the pulp-town Athletics, falling by scores of 8 to 7 and 4 to 2.
The Athletics trailed 7 to 3 going into the eighth inning of the opening game but a two-run, wind-blown home run by diminutive Richard Sakauye, the smallest player on the diamond, cut the deficit in half and tended to shake up Jim Vaton, the Arbutus’ starter. He then yielded a double to Alex Spencer and a sun-ball hit to Jack Mosdell that made it 7 to 6. At this point, Jergen Schilling was summoned to the slab to douse the fire and he responded with a strikeout to end the rally. In the bottom-of-the-ninth, however, he ran into trouble. With two out, he walked reliever Grisdale of the A’s, their third pitcher of the game. An error and an infield single then loaded the sacks and Spencer, on a full count, stung the pill to the middle garden to score a pair of tallies in the walkoff win. Aside from Spencer’s fine outing at the dish, teammate Doug Miles picked up three singles. Ron McLellan had a triad of safe swats for Courtenay.
The night game was a pitcher’s battle for five innings as southpaw Grisdale, returning to the hill as a starter, and Gordon “Pro” Pratt were in complete control. First baseman Doug Miles, leading off the sixth for the Athletics, broke the scoreless draw by lighting up Pratt for a solo dinger. Alberni increased the lead to 4 to 0 in the seventh when Jack Mosdell ripped a two-run triple and later scored on a passed ball. In the eighth, the Arbutus came to life and plated a two-spot when, with two aboard, Gerry Montgomery lined a hard drive to centre field that flychaser Mosdell lost in the sun. Courtenay outhit the A’s 7 to 6 with Pratt and Gordon McKay getting two apiece.
(July 5) It took ten innings for the Alberni Athletics to come away with a 4 to 3 win in the second game of a doubleheader with Courtenay Arbutus and gain a split in the day’s activities after Courtenay had crushed the A’s 11 to 0 in the afternoon affair.
The first game was a wet affair with the rain starting in the second inning and continuing until the seventh when it was called with Arbutus well in command. Jergen Schiller earned the shutout win , limiting Alberni to just three singles. Only one Athletics’ runner got as far as second base. While Schilling was dominating on the hillock, his mates were bashing Alberni chuckers for 13 hits. Two rookies, Gord McKay and Doug Williams, led the parade with three safeties each. Ron McLellan supplied the power blow of the rout, a four-ply clout with the bases empty during a seven-run third spasm.
Trailing 3 to 2 entering the ninth panel of the windup affair, the A’s plated a singleton on a sharp drive between first and second that was knocked down by Arbutus’ initial sacker McKay but which left him no time to throw the galloping baserunners streaking for home from the hot corner. In the overtime session, Courtenay flinger “Pro” Pratt loaded the bases and was given the hook in favor of Innes Bosomworth. The first batter Bosomworth faced lifted a pop-up back of second base, an automatic out on the infield fly rule, which keystone sacker Dale Jarvis almost dropped. For whatever reason, Jarvis lost his concentration or forgot how many outs there were so didn’t react quickly enough when Alex Spencer tagged up at third and came roaring in to score the winning run. Grisdale, who came on in relief for the A’s in the ninth, took the win while Pratt, who bailed Arbutus starter Jim Vaton out of trouble in the eighth, was nicked with the loss.
PLAYOFFS
SEMI –FINALS Campbell River Braves vs Cumberland Chiefs and Courtenay Arbutus vs Alberni Athletics (best-of-three series)
(July 26) The Cumberland Chiefs, pennant winners in the regular-season chase, split their playoff twin-bill with the fourth-place Campbell River Braves, cruising to an 8 to 2 triumph in the first game before succumbing to the Braves 6 to 4 in a thrilling follow-up match.
Carl Woodcock and “Red” Daglie were the opposing pitchers in the afternoon game with Cumberland’s Daglie giving up but four hits, two of them coming in the first inning when the Cameron brothers, Don and Ron, combined for the Braves’ first run. The Chiefs came back to tie the score in their half of the opening panel and took a 3 to 1 lead in the third on RBI-singles by Ken Allen and Bill Roses. A double by Roses added to the lead as two more scored in the fourth. Campbell River fell apart defensively in the sixth as the lead was extended to 8 to 1. A ninth-inning single by Sandy Graham gave the Braves their second run.
In the sunset game, Bill Third went all the way on the hill for the Braves in posting the win while three slabsters toed the rubber for the Chiefs. First-inning one-baggers by Woodcock and Graham made it 1 to 0 for Campbell River. The teams traded singletons in the fifth, but Cumberland forged ahead with a three-spot in a four-hit bottom-of-the-sixth after surrendering a lone run in the top half of the frame. The pesky Braves, however, did not fold and took the lead for good in the eighth with a pair of counter, courtesy of the Graham brothers, with George’s triple driving in Sandy just before George reached home on an error. After hitting a double, Don Cameron added an insurance tally in the ninth to end the scoring.
(July 26) The third-place Courtenay Arbutus won a pair of exciting contests, 5 to 3 and 8 to 6, from the hosting Alberni Athletics to capture their best-of-three semi-final series in straight games. Superior pitching, something they lacked during the middle of the regular-schedule, won it for the Arbutus diamond troopers who finished just behind the A’s for the runner-up spot in the circuit. Slab artist Jergen Schilling proved the biggest thorn in the side of the Athletics, copping an opening complete-game victory and coming on in the ninth inning of the second game to save the win.
A seventh inning solo home run by Alberni’s Doug Miles sent the teams into the home stretch of the lid-lifter knotted at 3 – 3. From that point on, Schilling was invincible which gave his mates the confidence to blast three solid singles in the ninth to plate a deuce and tag Jack Mosdell with the loss.
Notching a pair in the opening panel and a three-spot in the third, the Arbutus nine jumped into an early 5 to 2 lead in the wrap-up tilt but eventually fell behind 6 to 5 in the sixth when the A’s sent starter Gordon Pratt to the showers. Reliever Jim Vaton held the Athletics in check for two scoreless innings and, in the eighth, Courtenay came up with a big three-run spurt to forge ahead for good. The most significant hit of the inning was a long triple by Fred Orr after Gerry Montgomery had singled and Ron McLellan had reached first on a base-on-balls. A successful squeeze bunt brought Orr to the dish with an add-on run allowing Schilling to mount the bump in the bottom-of-the-ninth and preserve the win for Vaton.
(August 2) The Cumberland Chiefs, who finished well ahead of the pack in the Comox District Baseball League standings, wrapped up their semi-final series by eliminating the Campbell River Braves. Final score and game details were not located in editions of the Comox District Free Press.
POST SEMI-FINALS EXHIBITION DOUBLEHEADER
(August 2) While the Cumberland Chiefs and Campbell River Braves were tangling in the rubber-match of their semi-final showdown, the other semi-final victor, Courtenay Arbutus, chose not to be idle and engaged in a two-game exhibition set with the previously eliminated Alberni Athletics. Courtenay prevailed 11 to 2 in the matinée match while Alberni bounced back to take a 9 to 3 decision in the finale.
Jergen Schilling, with a five-hitter, outduelled Alberni’s Madakoro/Madokoro in the first match as Courtenay’s Earl Woods and Alex Spencer of the A’s led their respective squads with two hits apiece.
Outfielder Bill Andrews crushed a home run along with two singles, all of which which produced five RBI’s, to lead Alberni to the second-game triumph. Teammates Spencer, Kimoto and Phillips all registered a brace of bingles. Arbutus rookie Doug Williams also stroked a pair of hits.
FINALS Courtenay Arbutus vs Cumberland Chiefs (best-of-five series)
(August 9) Each team won once as the Comox District Baseball League finals got underway in Cumberland. Courtenay prevailed 12 to 10 in a slugfest opener in which the teams combined for 26 base hits. Pitching carried the day in the late encounter, won by the Chiefs 2 to 0.
The lead changed hand several times in the hard-hitting opener as swatsmiths from both dugouts had the upper hand from the first pitch on. Leading all hitters was Cumberland’s Danny Bulatovich who launched a pair of round-trippers, a solo shot and a two-run blast. Teammate Bill Roses had three safeties including a double. For the Arbutus nine, Ron McLellan powered a brace of doubles while Gord McKay stung the sphere for a two-bagger and single.
The second contest was a complete reversal of the pitching-challenged match that preceded it, except for tempers running wild. Ron Lund of the Chiefs and Arbutus’ tosser Jergen Schilling locked horns in a hillock joust that produced ten safeties, seven of them by Cumberland. The hometown nine grabbed a 1 to 0 lead in the bottom-of-the-first when Walker and Lund both hit safely and Bulatovich hit a ball that middle pasture patroller Ron McLellan chased to to fence but couldn’t quite hang on to. The second tally came in the third spasm as Tom Hutton singled, moved to the hot corner station on a one-bagger by Walker and scored on a fielder’s choice. That was the extent of the scoring as both chuckers went the distance with Lund fanning eight while Schilling whiffed seven.
(August 16) Toiling like gladiators for five hours on the diamond at Lane Field before the largest crowd of the year, the Cumberland Chiefs and Courtenay Arbutus are right back where they started, tied up in the Comox District Baseball League finals. Cumberland came through with the important first-game win but it took them ten innings to do so. The score was 9 to 7 and the game turned out to be the most exciting of the campaign. The night contest was tight for two innings but Courtenay moved out in front to stay in the third and went on to win 5 to 2.
In arrears by a trey as they came to bat in the-bottom-of-the-ninth canto of the opening skirmish, the Arbutus rallied for a three-spot to send the game into overtime. Cumberland took advantage of a pair of walks and a couple of Courtenay errors to forge into a 9 to 6 lead in their half of the tenth. Once again, the Arbutus fought back as three hits in succession plated one run before the last-ditch rally ran out of gas. Ron Lund, who persevered from start to finish on the hill for the Chiefs, was credited with the pitching win while Gord “Pro” Pratt, the second of three Courtenay hurlers, was stung with the defeat. Arbutus outfielder Earl Woods was top swatsmith in the scuffle, booming three doubles while teammate Gordon McKay was right behind with a triad of one-baggers.
Jergen Schilling pitched and batted the Arbutus back into contention in the series with a complete-game win in the second game to go along with a double and two singles at the plate. Cumberland’s Bill Roses also went the route in absorbing the loss. Ron Lund had two of the six safeties acquired by the Chiefs.
(August 23) A convincing 7 to 2 trouncing of the Courtenay Arbutus in game five of the series allowed the Cumberland Chiefs to annex the 1959 Comox District Baseball League championship. For Cumberland, it was the strong right arm of Ron Lund that proved the deciding factor. Lund was consistently sharp and ran into trouble in only one inning, the eighth. Jergen Schilling, on the slab for Courtenay, had trouble right from the start and was hit hard by the Chiefs’ power-packed lineup. Schilling failed to retire any of the first four batters to face him in the opening inning and found himself and the Arbutus behind 2 to 0 after Lund’s two-run single but escaped a bases-loaded situation when keystone sacker Dale Jarvis snared a one-out line smash for an unassisted double play to minimize the damage and end the inning.
The Arbutus, however, never recovered from that shaky start and fell behind even further in the fourth when Cumberland plated another deuce with Lund driving in one of those tallies. In the hole by a 5 to 0 margin in the eighth, Courtenay finally got to Lund when Gerry Montgomery hit a two-run, ground-rule double. The Chiefs, not to be outdone, retaliated with two more markers in their half of the eighth to wrap up the scoring. For the third time in the game, Lund came through with runners aboard as he singled in one of those tallies to complete his offensive output for the game with three singles and four RBI’s. Almost forgotten with his quiet batting performance was teammate Walker who lit Schilling up for four consecutive base knocks, including a double. Completing his mound performance with a seven-hitter, Lund rang up 14 punchouts while issuing three free passes. For Courtenay, Fred Orr led the way with the hickory, stroking two singles.