BIRTLE CANADA DAY TOURNAMENT
(July 1) Hamiota Red Sox captured top money at the $1,500 Birtle Tournament Wednesday downing Brandon Cloverleafs 6-4 in the final. Sox rallied for four runs in the late innings for the title. Glennis Scott picked up the mound decision over Jack Denbow, on the hill for the second straight game for the Leafs. A crowd of 5,000 attended the third annual event.
The day started with two upsets as Virden topped St. Lazare 4-1 and Brandon knocked off Riverside 6-3. The Cloverleafs then blanked Virden 4-0 to advance to the final.
Dauphin, which had shelled Souris 10-3, was no match for Hamiota, who had received a bye, taking a 15-3 beating.
The likely individual star of the day was Ted McLaughlin of Brandon who had nine hits, including two triples and four doubles. He also made several outstanding catches in right field.
Tommy Town and Don Sumner each had two hits in their opener as Gary Keating hurled the win over Lorne Lilley. Bob Thompson was Virden's winning moundsman over Fred Chabiel of St. Lazare and also hit a homer, as did Norm Hemstad.
Denbow allowed just four hits in topping Virden in the semi-final to hang the loss on Bill Cairns. Neil Geekie gained the pitching win for Dauphin over Don Hunter of Souris but three Bird hurlers couldn't stop Hamiota. Brian Smith coasted to the win as Don Smith smacked a homer and Bill Berezinski replied with a four-bagger for the Birds.
Al Robertson, Lynn Caldwell, Denny Smith and Dallas Smith each rapped two hits for Hamiota in their final victory. Bob Wilson slammed a homer for Brandon.
NEEPAWA DOMINION DAY BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
(July 1) Transcona Atomics of the Winnipeg Metro Senior Baseball League repeated as champions of the Neepawa BPAS Dominion Day Tournament taking top money of $300. Atomics edged Birnie Braves 8-7 in the final.
Neepawa Cubs finished third and Winnipeg Royals fourth. Close to 3,000 fans attended the annual event sponsored by the Beautiful Plains Agricultural Society.
A home run to deep centre field by Cam Hurst in the seventh inning broke a 7-7 tie. Barry McFarlane, who relieved starter Larry Hart, was the winning pitcher. Art Birch took over mound work for Birnie in the fifth from Malcolm Hutton. Atomics collected seven hits while the Braves counted five. In semi-final action, Atomics downed Neepawa Cubs and Birniedefeated Arden
VICTORIA SENIOR AMATEUR BASEBALL ASSOCIATION INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
(July 3-4-5) John Haar hit a pair of dramatic home runs Sunday to give Vancouver O'Keefes the championship, and top money of $500, at the Victoria Amateur Baseball Association's Invitational Tournament. O'Keefes clipped Haney-Hammond 9-8 in a hectic 11-inning final at Royal Athletic Park. In the bottom of the ninth, with Haney-Hammond up 8-6, Haar clouted one over the centre field fence to tie the game. Then with one out in the 11th, he took the first pitch for a strike then crushed the next one for a homer and the game. The Vancouver nine reached the final edging Port Moody 3-2 earlier Sunday with Jim Marshall driving in all three runs.
In Saturday's play, the two Victoria entries were both eliminated. McLarens dropped a 2-0 decision to Port Moody as the club left 11 men on base as Ron Carter pitched out of frequent jams. Carter knocked in the eventual winning run with a second inning single. Haney-Hammond posted a pair of shutouts, 4-0 over Victoria Greaves and 10-0 over Vancouver Boilermakers. O'Keefes whipped Courtenay 13-2, rallying in the late innings after trailing in the early going. John Marcinko, who relieved in the first inning allowed just one hit the rest of the way.
Des Moseley fired a six-hitter, drove in the tying run and scored the winner Friday as Greaves Construction opened the Victoria Tournament with a 6-4 triumph over Chemainus at Royal Athletic Park. Moseley fanned 12 and walked a pair. Gary Bishop led the winners with three hits and Steve Bishop and Tom Moore each had two.
SASKATOON EXHIBITION TOURNAMENT
(July 20) Neilburg overcame a 4-0 deficit with five runs in the last two innings to edge Asquith 5-4 to kick off the Saskatoon Exhibition Week Tournament. Asquith had broken a scoreless tie with a four-run outburst in the fourth inning highlighted by Les Stack's three-run, bases-loaded double. Monarchs made it 4-4 in the seventh when Larry Flicek belted a three-run triple and was waved home on an interference call. Pete Prediger knocked in the winner in the bottom of the 8th with a sacrifice fly. Jim Arens went the distance for the Monarchs giving up six hits.
Hobson, Adams (L) (8) and Brooks
Arens (W) and P.Prediger
(July 21) Delisle, which managed just four hits but capitalized on 11 walks, ran up an 8-3 lead before faltering in the late innings and just hanging on for a 9-7 victory over Guernsey-Lanigan in the Tuesday morning contest at the Exhibition tournament. The Combines, who punched out ten hits, had the bases loaded when Murray Coben got the final out for Delisle. Jackie Woods clouted a triple for the winners and Dave Britz had a three-bagger for the Combines.
Groff (L), Bleishwitz (4), McClaren (5) and Plaster
Bowles (W), Coben (6) and Wanner
(July 21) Unity's Marcel Richard fired a four-hitter in blanking Rosetown 7-0. Cardinals collected ten hits with George Monreal, Roy Rowley and Ross Stone getting two apiece.
Richard (W) and May
Miller (L), Holdaway (4) and
Gillies, B.Andrews
(July 22) Exhibition tournament fans saw another shutout as Bentley MacEwen of Kindersley three-hit Eatonia Wednesday in a 9-0 decision. The left-hander whiffed nine and walked just one. Klippers collected ten hits off Eatonia's Bernie Niwa including triples by Ken Hoyt and Lane Jackson and doubles from Wayne Morgan and Garnet Hannon.
MacEwen (W) and D.Jackson
B.Niwa (L) and Fetch
(July 23) Neilburg stunned Delisle with an 11-run fifth inning as the Monarchs coasted to a 15-6 victory Thursday. Brian McIntyre's grand slam highlighted the wild fifth frame when the Monarchs sent 16 batters to the plate. Winning pitcher Gary Weldon joined the fireworks with a homer and single. Shortstop Glen Thompson added a double and two singles and Larry Flicek had two hits and scored three times. Pete Prediger knocked in three runs and Johnny Repin slammed a pair of doubles. Max Bentley clouted a homer and triple for Delisle.
Eddy (L), Dannybrook (5), Damarais (5) and Norris
Weldon (W) and P.Prediger
(July 24) Unity Cardinals took a 3-0 lead in the second inning and made it stand up in a 5-2 win over Kindersley to win a spot in Saturday's exhibition final. Cardinals combined Dick Schmidt's solo homer, a single by Ira McKnight, two walks and an error in the inning. Wayne Morgan provided the Klippers' offense with a two-run homer. Ross Stone, the young Saskatoon native, was tough in the clutch in hurling the win for the Cardinals. The game featured several outstanding defensive plays including one by Unity's Johnny Ford in the fourth inning when Morgan clouted a long one with a runner aboard. Right fielder Ross Morrison couldn't get to the ball but Ford raced far from his centre field position to haul down the drive. Kindersley stranded 13 runners leaving the bases loaded in the first and the 8th and leaving two on the bags in the third and ninth.
Graves (L) and D.Jackson, Flanagan
Stone (W) and McKnight
(July 25) Neilburg Monarchs captured the Exhibition Tournament Saturday behind the three-hit hurling of Jim Arens in a 4-2 win over Unity Cardinals. A crowd of 3,000 saw the Monarchs push across the winning run in the seventh and an insurance run in the 8th to take the J.F.Cairns trophy and $575 top money. Neilburg took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth when Neil Urlacher tripled and scored when Gary Weldon followed with a single. Unity rebounded to tie in the top of the seventh when Ross Morrison scored on a wild pitch. In the bottom of the seventh, the Monarchs plated the winner on a single, sacrifice and an error. They added a run in the eighth when Weldon led off with a triple and romped home on Johnny Repin's sacrifice fly. Pete Prediger, playing in his 30th Exhibition Tournament, was a key figure for the winners with a run-scoring double and solid defense behind the plate. Pete's son Ivan had an outstanding game with two hits and 11 chances without a miscue at second base. Weldon led Neilburg with a triple and two singles.
Weldon won the $25 prize for most strikeouts in a single game, 12, and won a share of the $25 award for the most hits in the tourney. He tied with teammates Urlacher and Glen Thompson, each with five.
Richard, Stone (L) (7) and May
Arens (W) and P.Prediger
PEACE RIVER TOURNAMENT
(July 29) Peace River : Donnelly Cubs and Edmonton Weiller and William Colts shared top prize as darkness prevented the final game as the semi-final between the Edmonton club and Falher Leths took a record 18-innings before Edmonton pulled out a victory on Bill Lupue's home in the top of the 18th. Dave Waddle, with 12 scoreless innings of relief, picked up the win.
Kotyk, Holmes (6), Waddle (6) and Waddle
Olson, Weremy (9), Esch (9) and Kozie
Donnelly reached the final with a 6-5, 10-inning win over Peace River. Back to back doubles by Norm Tibeault and Roger Chauvette accounted for the winning margin.
Bucholtz, Doucette (3) and Roberts, Boulet (9)
Czuy and Folkman
In opening round games, John Doucette fired a five-hitter as Donnelly edged Beaverlodge Royals 3-2.
Ray and Martens
Doucette and Maisonneauve
Peace River whipped Tangent Braves 11-1. Ken Gall tossed a two-hitter for the win.
Lemoine, Elton (3) and Larenko
Gall and Folkman
Falher shaded the Edmonton Blue Willow Angels 5-4 in 13 innings on a single by Gene Morin.
Dinwoodie, Neilson (13), Zilinsky (13) and Erickson
Weremy, Olson (7) and Kozie
Dave Waddle pitched a three-hitter and drove in the winning run in the 11th inning as Weiller and William Colts got by Fairview Outlaws 2-1. Jim Fox fanned 15 in a losing cause for Fairview.
Waddle and Waddle
Fox and Wagner
LACOMBE TOURNAMENT
(July 29 - 30) Lacombe : The 15th annual Lacombe Baseball Tournament kicked off with wins by Kamloops, North Battleford, St.John (Washington) and Lacombe. Eight teams began the day competing for prize money of $4,550.
The hometown Red Sox were shutout on two hits over the five five innings by Gene Graves but broke loose for two in the 6th and four in the 7th and coasted to a 9-5 victory. Kamloops topped Viking 8-4, North Battleford Beavers blanked Vernon Luckies 6-0 and St. John got by Cold Lake Parrots 6-3 on home runs by first baseman Hal Brunstad and centre fielder Jim Spencer.
Second baseman Elroy Jacobs belted a two-run homer in the 9th inning to give Kamloops Leland a 3-2 victory over North Battleford - Unity Beavers in the final of the 15th annual Lacombe Baseball Tournament. The BC squad received outstanding relief pitching by Al Simmons, a Pittsburgh Pirates' prospect, who came on in the 4th inning for starter Gordie Beecroft. The 19-year-old Simmons, suffering from a shoulder injury, had not been expected to play.
Kamloops picked up top prize of $1,100 in the $4.,550 event. Earlier, Beavers had advance to the final with an 8-3 win over St. John, Washington and Kamloops edged Lacombe Red Sox 9-8. Others - Viking Shamrocks, Saskatoon-Kindersley Commodores.
TWO HILLS TOURNAMENT
(August 3) The Safeway Seals of the Edmonton Metropolitan League captured the Two Hills Tournament for the second successive year by trouncing the host club 19-1 in Monday's final. The victory in the tourney, sponsored by the Two Hills Chamber of Commerce, gave the Seals $300 first place money and the trophy presented by the Calgary Brewing Company.
Bill Chahley was a major force for the winners holding Two Hills scoreless for the first seven innings and rapping the game's only homer. Seals edged Fort Saskatchewan Red Sox 2-1 in the semi-finals chasing the winning marker home in the final inning. Dave Waddle got the win. In the opening game Safeway whipped Cold Lake 8-5.
FALHER TOURNAMENT
(Aug 12) Falher : The host Leths downed Donnelly Cubs 8-2 to take top money in the Falher tournament. Joe Weremy went the distance for the win.
Weremy and Kozie
Zaichowsky, Chauvette and Maisonneauve
Falher had a bye into the final as the Edmonton All-Stars left for home when it appeared rains would wipe out the final round.
Cubs downed Peace River 3-2 in the semi-final scoring the winning runs in the top of the 9th inning. Cub coach John Doucette had a one-hitter going into the 5th inning when he sprained his ankle on a play at first base.
Doucette, Zaichowsky (5) and Maisonneauve
Gall and Folkman
In the opening round, Donnelly ousted Eaglesham-Tangent 2-1.
Lee, Lemoine (1) and Yuremko
Doucette and Maisonneauve
Peace River topped Barrhead-Westlock 9-3.
Gall and Folkman
Romanuk, Staples (8) and Stolen
Falher whipped Rycroft Rebels 10-1.
Kozvback, Gardner (2), Sodergren (6) and Bozak
Walker and Kozie
GREAT FALLS INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT
(August 16) Calgary Giants, led by pitching ace Paul Coleman, downed Edmonton Oilers 6-3 to take top money in the $3,600 International Tournament in Great Falls, Montana. Coleman, named the outstanding pitcher in the tourney, held the Oilers to six hits and helped at the plate with three safeties. Joe Keough also had three singles for the winners. Calgary spotted Edmonton a 3-0 lead then roared back with six unanswered runs to walk away with the victory. A three run 7th inning, helped by singles from Coleman, Keough and Jim Flammini, put the game on ice for the Giants. Edmonton's Gayle Hopkins was named Most Valuable Player.
Calgary advanced to the final dropping Saskatoon 12-6. A five-run outburst in the 8th inning broke a 6-6 deadlock. Doyle Lyman and Ben Hines belted homers for the winners. Harvey Smith picked up the win in relief. Edmonton, with a four-run, 11th inning, won a berth in the title game edging Lethbridge 11-7. Ted Bridges' two-run triple was the key blow. Ed White had a three-run homer for the Cards. Oilers out-hit the Cardinals 15-8 in contest which counted in the WCBL standings.
Giants opened the tournament with a 12-inning, 4-3 win over St. John, Washington while Edmonton got a four-hit shutout from John Pearce in a 7-0 victory over Spokane. Bill Huntley cracked a three-run homer off Spokane starter Steve Bell in the second inning and Morrie Bend hit a two-run shot off reliever Ed Fiskland in the sixth as the Alberta club sent the Can-Am Twilight League leaders home early. It was just the Orphans second loss in 20 games.
Terry Christman fired a five-hitter as Lethbridge won in the opening round, 11-3 over Cranbrook. Christman was also the big man at the dish with a triple and two singles. Roger Sugimoto had three singles. Saskatoon topped Big Sky 4-2. The tournament failed to attract much attention - just 87 paying customers attented the Lethbridge - Edmonton semi-final and 150 were in the stands for the final.
Cranbrook 3 Lethbridge 11
Oddy, Arrowsmith (5) and Fabro
Christman and Ferguson
Edmonton 7 Spokane 0
Pearce and Rex, Hopkins (8)
Bell, Fiskland and Ellmes
Calgary 4 St. John 3
Johnson, Reynolds (9) and Tatem
Lukems and Chalich
Big Sky 2 Saskatoon 4
Anderson, Martello (8) and Mullick
Reberger and Nyman
Edmonton 11 Lethbridge 7
Franchuk, Miller (5), Doyle (8) and Rex, Hopkins (9)
Conger, Mauritsen (3) and Kagy
Calgary 12 Saskatoon 6
Lyman, Smith (6) and Hines
Rounsaville, McDonald (7) and Simon
Calgary 6 Edmonton 3
Coleman and Hines
Mohr, Fowlkes (7), Pearce (8) and Rex
KAMLOOPS LABOUR DAY INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
(September 5-7) The young Burnaby O'Keefe's backed up a pair of timely home runs by first baseman Don Cowan with near flawless work in the field to romp to the championship of the 18th Annual Kamloops Labour Day Weekend Tournament downing the defending champion Kamloops Lelands 9-2 in the finale on Monday.
The O'Keefe's broke out of the gate quickly scoring in the first inning of their opening game on Cowan's three-run blast against Penticton, winning 5-1. Right-hander John Marcinko tossed a seven-hitter for the win with Bill Martino's homer the lone run against him. Les Schaeffer tossed three innings of no-hit ball in relief of starter Larry Webster. Catcher Stan Osadczuk also had a four-bagger for Burnaby.
O'Keefe's blanked Nelson 6-0 in the semi-final behind the four-hit pitching of Ian Dixon. John Kochan, John Haar and Dixon belted homers.
Again in the final they took an early lead with four runs in the initial frame off Barry Elson. They added a singleton in the fifth and two in the sixth and another pair in the seventh. Starter Bob Crawford combined with reliever Glen McRae to hold Kamloops to four hits, two of them homers by Buck Buchanan and Randy Dolven. A power failure of the outfield lights at Riverside Park forced umpire-in-chief Ken Van Matten to call the game in the last of the eighth inning.
Kamloops advanced to the final with a 7-0 shutout over Maillardville in a rain-shortened four-and-a-half inning semi-final on Monday. Don Elson allowed just two hits for the win while the Lelands punched out ten, including a round-tripper by Randy Dolven.
Kamloops downed Vancouver Astoria 5-1 in their opening game as lefty Jerry Watts fired a six-hitter and Gordie Beecroft smacked a homer.
In other games, diminutive right-hander Ed Fiskland tossed a five-hit shutout in Nelson's 5-0 victory over Fort St. John Huskies. Second baseman Charlie Burdette's two-run homer highlighted Nelson's 13-hit attack off Derek McGillivray and reliever Eldon Ray.
Maillardville broke open a tight contest with a seven-run splash in the ninth inning, helped by four errors, in an 11-3 triumph over Lacombe which held a 3-0 lead after four innings and who out-hit the winners 14 to 10.
Burnaby 5, Penticton 1
Marcinko (W) and Osadczuk
Webster (L), Schaeffer (6) and Richards
Fort St. John 0, Nelson 5
McGillivray (L), Ray (8) and Schuster
Fiskland (W) and Hoagland
Astoria 1, Kamloops 5
Kozak (L) and Kozak
Watts (W) and Kato
Maillardville 11, Lacombe 3
Gillespie, Frizzell (3), Miscisco (W) (6) and Edwards
Pasutto, Berlando (L) (5), Graham (9) and Saville
Burnaby 6, Nelson 0
Dixon (W) and Osadczuk
Rich (L), Desharnais (4) and Hoagland
Maillardville 2, Kamloops 7
Miscisco (L), Frizzell (5) and Edwards
Elson (W) and Kato
Burnaby 9, Kamloops 2
Crawford, McRae (5) and Osadczuk
Elson (L), Watts (1), Beecroft (6) and Kato
B. C. SENIOR AMATEUR BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
(September 5-7) The Victoria Transport Workers crushed Prince Rupert 13-4 Monday to win the British Columbia Senior Baseball Championship. The Island crew unleashed a 23-hit attack in winning the provincial crown for the second straight year.
The Transports won the Victoria Senior Amateur League pennant, collected the Rithet Cup, and marched through the double-knockout tournament with three straight victories. The Transport Workers whipped Victoria Greave’s Movers 10-1 Saturday then then carried on to blank the Prince Rupert Merchants 10-0 with Les Brice pitching a six-hitter for the shutout. Greaves were eliminated Sunday when they lost 6-3 to the Vernon Luckies. Vernon lost 8-7 to Prince Rupert on Monday. In the final, veteran Art Worth survived a shaky first inning, in which he yielded three runs, and won handily behind a powerful offense. He contributed on the attack with a two-run homer in the third inning. Workers second baseman Barry Harvey was selected as the championship's most valuable player. He collected eight hits in 14 at bats.
Jim Richard, Al Adams (3), John Lambie (6) and Joe Giordano
Art Worth and Mike McAvoy
Monday
Vernon 7 Prince Rupert 8
Bert Assay, Bud Englesby (3), Ron Miciuk (8) and Wayne Leonard
Gary Marshall, Jim Richard (9) and Joe Giordano
Sunday
Victoria Transports 10 Prince Rupert 0
Les Brice and Mike McAvoy
Bill Smith, Ted Thompson (2) and Joe Giordano, Bill Smith (2), Giordano (9)
Victoria Movers 3 Vernon Luckies 6
Les Moseley and Barry Cosier
Ron Miciuk and Wayne Leonard
Saturday
Transport Workers 10 Greaves 1
Steve Bishop and Mike McAvoy
George Brice, George Holt (6) and Barry Cosier
Vernon 4 Prince Rupert 5
Bud Englesby, Bert Assay (7) and Wayne Leonard
Gary Marshall and Bill Smith
KENORA LABOUR DAY WEEKEND TOURNAMENT
(September 6-7) Brandon Cloverleafs, with just a nine-man roster, including one over-worked pitcher and a Winnipeg replacement, pulled off a familiar result Monday winning the Kenora Labour Day Tournament. Brandon beat the Figlund Seals 6-2 behind the hurling of young iron man Ron Toews of Plum Coulee. It was his third game of the weekend. The Leafs had to go four extra innings to edge St. Paul, Minnesota 4-3 in the semi-final after dumping Dryden Red Sox 11-5 in their opener. Souris dropping a 4-3 decision to Figlund in the semi-final after a 4-3 win over Vila in their first game.
Toews went the distance in the first game and also contributed a pair of home runs. Ted McLaughlin also had a four-bagger. In the second game, Toews relieved starter Gary Keating in the seventh inning and hurled shutout ball the rest of the way. Ed McDonald, a replacement from the Carman Cubs, cracked a homer in the 11th to win it for the Leafs.
Keating came back to start the final but lasted just an inning as Toews again ascended the hill. He was backed by four home runs as Gerry McKay belted a pair and McDonald and Tommy Town each rapped their second of the tourney.