(May 27) The Biggar Nationals, brimming with a new enthusiasm and sporting a new name, opened the 1964 season by trouncing the Neilburg Monarchs 10 - 1. Bob Adams fanned 11 Neilburg batters as Biggar, doormats in the circuit for the past few seasons, got off to a fast start this campaign. Ervin Boehm, back with Biggar after a season with the North Battleford Beavers, shared the spotlight with Adams. Boehm walked three times, stole 4 bases and scored three runs. Chuck Moore started on the hill for Neilburg and took the loss.
(May 27) Right-hander Harold Hunchak worked effectively in the chilly atmosphere of Holiday Park and put together a three-hit shutout as the North Battleford Beavers blanked the Saskatoon Commodores 3 - 0 in one of the N.S.B.L. openers for 1964. Elmer Walker, Jim Shaw and Mac Collins had the only hits, all singles, off the North Battleford chucker. Saskatoon's Bernie Sonntag took the loss. He had control problems early when the Beavers counted their three markers. North Battleford was only able to scratch out five singles off Sonntag and his 9th inning successor, Murray Eddy. As with the Commodores, not a single Beaver player was able to register more than one hit.
(May 27) The Kindersley Klippers stopped the Unity Cardinals 5 - 2 in the season opener for both clubs. A three-run homer in the first inning by Jerry Flanagan pushed the Klippers to victory at Unity. Bentley MacEwen was the winning pitcher and Unity's Marcel Richard the loser.
(May 31) The Saskatoon Commodores and the Neilburg Monarchs both swept doubleheaders on the first weekend of N.S.B.L. play. The Commodores won twice by identical 5 - 2 scores at Kindersley and the Monarchs stopped the Unity Cardinals 5 - 1 in the first game and 8 - 7 in the follow-up contest at Neilburg. A third twin-bill featuring the defending champion North Battleford Beavers and the Biggar Nationals ended in a split with the Beavers taking the opener 6 - 1 and dropping the second game 8 - 6.
In the 9-inning opener at Kindersley, the Commodores scored three times in the 9th to salt away the win. Sid Bowles got the win, striking out six and walking four. The loss went to Bentley MacEwen who fanned eight and walked a pair. In the second encounter, the Saskatonians plated three runs in the initial frame and were never headed. Murray Eddy, with a four-hitter, got the win over Kindersley's Glenn Uzelman who spun a six-hit job. The double loss marked the first time in four seasons that the Klippers had dropped a doubleheader at home.
At Neilburg, the Monarchs scored five times in the 5th inning to take the matinee event and then they pushed home a pair in the 7th inning to grab the nightcap. Both winning pitcher Dave Dinwoodie of the Monarchs and Unity's Marcel Richard, the loser, surrendered five hits as Neil Urlacher and Glen Thompson of Neilburg and the Redbirds' Phil Hurley stroked doubles. Winning hurler Gary Weldon put on quite a show in the finale, drilling a brace of homers for the Monarchs. Ivan Prediger also hit a round-tripper for Neilburg as did losing chucker Mel Dahlseide of the Cardinals.
Playing at Abbott Field, the Beavers' Harold Hunchak became the first pitcher in the league to record two wins as he tossed a three-hitter to get the triumph in the opener. He also helped himself offensively by banging out a pair of singles. Johnny Ford drilled a two-run homer in the 1st inning to get North Battleford off on the right foot. Al Schafer had a double and single for the winners and John Weenk a pair of singles. In the second contest, the Nationals surpassed their win total of the previous entire season as they won for the second time in three tries. Bob McIntyre picked up the win for the Nats as he bested Don Stynsky. Lawrence Gilewich drove in five runs for Biggar with a home run and triple while 3rd sacker Fred Clemence had a brace of one-baggers. Jack Rowley hit a triple and single for the Beavers and Johnny Ford had two singles.
(June 3) The Neilburg Monarchs jumped on Saskatoon starter and loser Bernie Sonntag for six runs in the bottom of the 1st inning and went on to thump the visiting Commodores 13 - 3. Neilburg's Gary Weldon took the win with a compete game, seven-hit performance. Neil Urlacher led the 13-hit attack that the Monarchs generated with a pair of doubles plus a single.
(June 3) The surprising Biggar Nationals stopped the Kindersley Klippers 10 - 6 right on the Klips' home turf. Bob Adams survived Kindersley's 12-hit offense to go the distance for the win. He rang up six Klipper strikeouts in the process. Lloyd Rachul, the first of a trio of Kindersley chuckers, was hit with the loss. Tony Keller and Fred Clemence both lit up the Klippers' pitching staff with home runs in leading the Nationals' seven-hit production. Garnet Hannon was the top hitter for Kindersley going four for four at the dish.
(June 3) The North Battleford Beavers took advantage of seven Unity fielding miscues in defeating the visiting Cardinals 7 - 4. Harold Hunchak, with bullpen assistance from import Sherman Cottingham, gained his third victory of the season. Unity's Marcel Richard was charged with the loss. Ira McKnight spearheaded the North Battleford batting siege with a triple and single. John Ford and Jack Rowley hit a pair of singles each while Hunchak contributed a double and single.
(June 7) The Neilburg Monarchs found themselves in 2nd place in the N.S.B.L. even though they were only able to muster a split in a twin-bill with the Saskatoon Commodores. Saskatoon won the opener 3 - 2 and Neilburg the nightcap 5 - 1. Sid Bowles went the distance for the Commodores on a six-hitter to claim the triumph. The Monarchs' Dave Dinwoodie also hurled the entire game but with a different result. With the game knotted 2 - 2 in the 6th, Saskatoon's Al Wanner scored the winning run after drawing a walk, moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Don Heit, progressing to third on Ed Dezura's single and scoring when Wayne Walker was safe on a fielder's choice.
Gary Weldon put together a three-hit mound job in leading the Monarchs to the game two victory and a split. Outfielder Elmer Walker had two of the three base hits surrender by Weldon. Neilburg jumped on Saskatoon starter and loser Bernie Sonntag in the 2nd inning, driving him to the showers.
(June 7) The North Battleford Beavers continued their fast clip in the N.S.B.L. as they won both ends of a doubleheader at Unity in knocking off the Cardinals 17 - 1 and 6 - 1. North Battleford pounded four Unity hurlers, including loser Marcel Richard, for 13 hits in taking the matinee. Meanwhile Harold Hunchak coasted to his 4th straight victory on a six-hitter. Ira McKnight had a triple, double and single for the Beavers and drove in five runs. Johnny Ford came through with a double and a pair of singles. Kenny Nelson drilled a brace of one-baggers.
In the closing encounter, Sherman Cottingham pitched a two-hitter. McKnight had three more RBI's on a double and single. Carmen Keller also belted a double and single while Cottingham helped his own cause with a three-bagger. The Redbirds' Mel Dahlseide was the loser on a nine-hitter.
(June 7) The Kindersley Klippers swept a pair of N.S.B.L. games from the Biggar Nationals by 3 - 1 and 6 - 1 scores. Bentley MacEwen and Gene Graves were the winning chuckers in the double-dip. First game Biggar hurler, Stan Besse, was outstanding in defeat as he lost it on a two-hitter. Six walks did him in eventually. MacEwen was touched for five hits, one of them a run-scoring double by Larry Stark.
In the second game, winner Graves and loser Bob McIntyre both tossed five-hit ball but the Nats made eight costly errors behind McIntyre. Don Jackson had the big hit for the Klippers, a double. Fred Clemence and John Weenk each had two singles for Biggar.
Standings as of end of June 7 W L Pct.
North Battleford Beavers 5 1 .833
Neilburg Monarchs 4 2 .677
Kindersley Klippers 3 3 .500
Saskatoon Commodores 3 3 .500
Biggar Nationals 3 3 .500
Unity Cardinals 0 6 .000
(June 10) Marcel Richard unfurled a one-hitter to lead the Unity Cardinals to their first victory of the season, a 12 - 1 thumping of the Biggar Nationals. Ross Morrison and Irl Flanagan had three hits each for the Cards. Bob Adams was tagged with the loss for Biggar.
(June 10) Three runs in the first inning by the Kindersley Klippers spelled the difference as they went on to down the Saskatoon Commodores 6 - 3 at Saskatoon's Holiday Park. Bentley MacEwen went the distance for Kindersley, giving up six hits and setting down five Commodores on strikes. Murray Eddy started for Saskatoon and lost the mound battle. Jerry Flanagan was the top Klipper with the lumber, lacing out a single and three-bagger. Bob Marik topped the Commodores with two singles.
(June 10) The Neilburg Monarchs moved into a tie with the North Battleford Beavers for first place by edging the Beavers 10 - 8 at Neilburg. Jim Arens was the winning pitcher but needed 9th inning relief help from import Jerry Weldon. The Beavers used three chuckers with starter Sherman Cottingham taking the loss. Veteran Pete Prediger cracked a home run for the Monarchs while Ira McKnight and Jim Johnston clouted four-baggers for North Battleford.
(June 14) Roy Rowley returned to the lineup of the North Battleford Beavers and was instrumental in pacing the league-leaders to a sweep of a N.S.B.L. twin-bill from the Saskatoon Commodores. Rowley came on in relief of import Sherman Cottingham in the 3rd inning of the opener and yielded only two hits in six innings as the Beavers pummeled the Saskatonians 11 - 5 When Rowley entered the game in the 3rd, the Commodores held a 5 - 1 lead. Murray Eddy was charged with the loss.
In the second game, Rowley cracked a two-run homer in the 6th inning to break a 4 - 4 tie which sent the Dam Builders to a 7 - 4 triumph. Harold Hunchak recorded his 5th win without a loss in going the route. Larry Lazecki started and lost for the Commodores. Johnny Ford was the top hitter over the day for the Beavers with three singles in the opener and two doubles plus a single in the late encounter. Jim Shaw and Ed Dezura cracked doubles for the Bridge City crew in the matinee with Elmer Walker hitting a two-bagger in the second fixture.
(June 14) The Unity Cardinals stretched their winning streak to three games by taking a pair of contests from the Biggar Nationals by scores of 12 - 1 and 5 - 0. The Cardinal pitching tandem for the double-dip, Marcel Richards and Chuck Merker both threw three-hitters at the Nats. Bob McIntyre and Bob Adams took the pitching losses for Biggar respectively.
(June 14) The Kindersley Klippers and Neilburg Monarchs divided a N.S.B.L. doubleheader with the Monarchs taking the opener 4 - 2 and the Klippers the second 4 - 3. Import hurler Gary Weldon scattered six hits in picking up the opening win for Neilburg. Gene Graves was the loser. Both chuckers struck out four batters.
Bentley MacEwen had the complete game win for the Klips in the owl encounter, besting Monarchs' starter Jim Arens.
(June 17) The Kindersley Klippers shaded the league-leading North Battleford Beavers 6 - 5 at Kindersley. The Beavers appeared on their way to their 8th win of the season, opening up with a 5 - 1 lead after 5 1/2 innings. However, the Klippers caught fire in their half of the 5th and pushed across four runs to tie the score. The winning run was plated in the 8th. Playing-manager Gene Graves went the route for Kindersley, giving up eight hits while setting down five Beavers via the strikeout route. Sherman Cottingham, the last of three North Battleford chuckers, was charged with the loss. Don Jackson sparked the 10-hit Kindersley attack with three safe blows in four times at bat.
(June 17) The Biggar Nationals dropped the Saskatoon Commodores into the cellar of the N.S.B.L., edging the Hub City brigade 4 - 3 in a game that was called after six innings because of darkness. Four runs in the 2nd inning of the abbreviated contest proved enough to give the Nats the victory and boost them into 4th place. Bob Adams pitched hitless ball for four innings in earning the victory. Losing pitcher Murray Eddy went the distance for the Commodores. Wayne Barton and Bob Hoult each collected two hits in three trips for the Nationals. Hoult drove in two of Biggar's four runs. Elmer Walker led the Commodores at the plate with two safeties. The Nationals out-hit Saskatoon 6 to 3.
(June 19) The Unity Cardinals rode the pitching arm of Charlie Merker to a 5 - 0 N.S.B.L. triumph over the Neilburg Monarchs. Merker gave up just three hits, while striking out eight, in the game which was called after 6 1/2 innings because of darkness. Neilburg's Gary Weldon tasted his first defeat of the campaign in fanning five. George Monreal led Unity's six-hit offense with a double and triple. Erwin Doerksen also hit a three-bagger while Lyle May collected a pair of singles for the Cards. One of the three hits surrendered by Merker was a double to the Monarchs' Jim Grant.
Standings as of end of June 19 W L Pct GBL
North Battleford Beavers 7 3 .700 ----
Neilburg Monarchs 6 4 .600 1
Kindersley Klippers 6 4 .600 1
Biggar Nationals 4 6 .400 3
Unity Cardinals 4 6 .400 3
Saskatoon Commodores 3 7 .300 4
(June 21) The North Battleford Beavers retained a share of top spot in the N.S.B.L. when they divided a twin-bill with the Kindersley Klippers. The Klips thumped the Beavers 13 - 7 in the opener with North Battleford coming back to take the second by a 3 - 0 count. Garnet Hannon's three-run homer in the 3rd inning started Kindersley on its way to the first game triumph. Bentley MacEwen went all the way for the Klips in the opener, giving up 12 hits. Starter Beavers' starter Sherman Cottingham took the defeat.
Harold Hunchak recorded his 6th straight victory with a five-hitter in the finale. Gene Graves was tagged with the loss for the Klippers.
(June 21) The Neilburg Monarchs grabbed a share of first place in the N.S.B.L. by taking both ends of a double-dip from the Biggar Nationals 3 - 2 and 5 - 1. Dave Dinwoodie and Jim Arens were the pitching heroes for Neilburg, each giving up just three hits in the 1st and 2nd games respectively. Bob McIntyre, who took the loss for the Nats in the opener, also hurled a three-hitter.
(June 21) The Unity Cardinals won their 5th straight game by dumping the Saskatoon Commodores 8 - 5 in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader at Holiday Park. The second match was not played because of rain. While the red-hot Cards were moving in one direction, the Saskatonians were stuck in reverse gear, dropping their 5th in a row. Redbirds' starter Marcel Richard got the win over Murray Eddy. Lyle May and Erwin Doerksen both had a brace of safeties for the winners. Outfielder Bob Marik led the Hub City boys with three base knocks while Jim Shaw had a pair with one of his going for two-bases.
(June 24) The Kindersley Klippers moved into a 2nd place tie with Neilburg by trouncing the Monarchs 13 - 2. Klippers' shortstop Ken Hoyt sparked the 14-hit Kindersley offensive production slamming two homers plus a brace of singles. Lane Jackson also added a quartet of base knocks. Veteran Gene Graves was credited with the mound win for the Klips while Neilburg starter Gary Weldon took the defeat.
(June 24) The North Battleford Beavers took a one game lead atop the N.S.B.L. by beating the Biggar Nationals 5 - 2 at Biggar. Sherman Cottingham picked up his second win of the season on the mound for the Beavers. He gave up seven hits and struck out five. Bob Adams took the loss for the Nationals. Hard-hitting Ira McKnight led the North Battleford swatters with a triple and single. Roy Rowley chipped in with a pair of singles. John Weenk and Ted Geisbrecht collected two hits each for Biggar.
(June 24) The Unity Cardinals, behind the four-hit pitching of portsider Ross Stone, dropped the Saskatoon Commodores deeper into the N.S.B.L. cellar with a 5 - 0 victory at Unity. Hank Ostrosky's two-run homer highlighted a four-run 5th inning for the Cardinals against loser Bob Marik. Unity playing-manager Irl Flanagan hit safely twice in four attempts. Jim Shaw collected two of the Commodores' four safeties, both singles.
(June 28) The Saskatoon Commodores turned on the hitting power at Biggar, picking up their 4th and 5th wins of the campaign while vaulting out of the cellar, past the Nationals, into 5th place in the N.S.B.L. All of this was accomplished through a doubleheader thrashing of the homesters by scores of 14 - 2 and 23 - 9. Larry Lazecki was credited with the pitching victories in both games. He hurled all the way in the opener and relieved Bernie Sonntag in the 5th inning of the second game. Al Wanner sparked the long overdue Saskatoon outburst with the lumber as he belted two homers, a double and two singles during the twin-bill. Both homers came in the matinee game when Wanner was credited with six RBI's. Don Heit also drilled a four-bagger, a three-run shot, in the opener.
Larry Derksen, Ron Onishenko and Jim Shaw each hit homers for the Commodores in the second game. Derksen also had a double and two singles in this encounter.
(June 28) The North Battleford Beavers and Neilburg Monarchs divided the spoils in a Sunday double-dip played at Abbott Field. Neilburg captured the opener 7 - 1 and the Beavers took the second tussle 10 - 5. Gary Weldon and Neil Urlacher cracked homers for the Monarchs in support of winner Jim Arens in the first game. Harold Hunchak was hit with his first loss of the campaign.
Johnny Ford's grand-slam homer in the 6th inning propelled North Battleford to the win in the finale. Ken Nelson also hit a circuit-clout for the Beavers. Lyle Bradley, pitching for the first time this season, got the win after taking over from Sherman Cottingham in the 2nd inning. Brian McIntyre was charged with the loss.
(June 28) The Unity Cardinals and Kindersley Klippers split a brace of N.S.B.L. contests played in Kindersley. The Cards took the opener 16 - 6 and the Klippers the second one, 11 - 4. Home runs by Ross Morrison, Lyle May and Erwin Doerksen provided most of the punch for Unity in the first match. Ross Stone picked up the win, besting Kindersley's Gene Graves.
In the follow-up contest, the Klips' Bentley MacEwen scattered 11 Unity hits to record the mound triumph. Redbirds' starter Marcel Richard lost it.
(June 30) Slugger Ira McKnight of the North Battleford Beavers has taken over top spot in the N.S.B.L. batting race. Statistics published in today's edition of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix include games up to June 21 and show McKnight with 20 hits in 38 times at bat for a healthy .526 batting average. McKnight's 20 hits top the league in that department and he leads in total bases with 32 and runs scored with 19. He is tied with Neil Urlacher of the Neilburg Monarchs for the lead in doubles, each having hit five two-baggers. Gary Weldon of the Monarchs and Ken Hoyt of Kindersley lead the home run hitters in the league with three each. Johnny Ford of North Battleford is tops in RBI's with 13 and Ervin Boehm of the Biggar Nationals leads in stolen bases with eight.
Pitching statistics which include games up to June 28 show that Harold Hunchak of North Battleford and Bentley MacEwen of Kindersley share top pitching honors, each having won six and lost one.
(July 1) The three-hit pitching of Ross Stone carried the Unity Cardinals to a 5 - 1 win over the Neilburg Monarchs and top prize money in the annual N.S.B.L. tournament held at Unity. Stone fanned 10 and had things well under control, yielding only a solo home run to powerful Monarchs' slugger Neil Urlacher. Hank Ostrosky drove in what turned out to be the winning run with a first inning single when the Cards plated a pair. The six-team Dominion Day tourney attracted approximately 2,500 fans.
(July 5) The North Battleford Beavers and Saskatoon Commodores traded doubleheader victories as the Beavers took the first game 9 - 0 and the Commodores the second 3 - 0. Sherman Cottingham held the Saskatonians to just two hits in picking up the matinee shutout win. Loser Murray Eddy was pounded from the rubber in the initial frame without retiring a single batter. Jim Johnston had a four for four performance in leading the Beavers' nine-hit offense.
Bernie Sonntag scattered six hits in blanking North Battleford in the late game. Harold Hunchak was nailed with his second loss. Jim Shaw and Don Heit led the Commodores from the batters' box with a double and single each. Johnny Ford had three of the Beavers' six hits.
(July 5) The Neilburg Monarchs turned on the hitting power to thump the Biggar Nationals 18 - 5 and 7 - 1 and move into a first place tie with the North Battleford Beavers. The Monarchs pounded three Biggar pitchers for 19 hits in taking the opener. Jim Arens scattered eight Nationals' hits in grabbing the win while import Sam Washington was charged with the loss. Glen Thompson led the Neilburg offensive barrage with a homer and single while Brian McIntyre and Ivan Prediger each collected a triple, double and single. Veteran backstop Pete Prediger produced a double and single.
In the second game, Pete Prediger topped the Monarchs' nine-hit production, slamming a three-run homer in the 4th. Glen Thompson also drilled his second homer of the day. Gary Weldon gave up just three hits in wrapping up his 5th pitching victory for Neilburg. Bob Adams was the Nats' losing chucker.
(July 5) A double-bill saw off resulted when the Unity Cardinals faced off with the visiting Kindersley Klippers. The Klips edged the Redbirds 2 - 1 to start off the afternoon and then the Cards reciprocated by taking out Kindersley 6 - 3 in the finale. Gene Graves won his fourth game in the early encounter, punching out six Unity batters while surrendering but three safeties. Cardinals' starter Chuck Merker was tagged with the defeat. Ken Hoyt drove in the winning run for the Klippers in the 5th. Ross Morrison homered for the lone Unity run.
In the late game, Ross Stone won his 3rd of the year, scattering six hits and whiffing five. Bentley MacEwen was charged with his 2nd loss of the campaign. George Monreal and Dick Schmidt both had a double and single to lead the 10-hit Unity siege with the lumber. Irl Flanagan and Ross Morrison both singled twice.
(July 8) The North Battleford Beavers brought out the heavy artillery and bombarded the last-place Biggar Nationals 20 - 1 in a N.S.B.L. game at Abbott Field. The Beavers amassed a total of 23 base knocks off three Biggar hurlers. Sherman Cottingham picked up his 4th win at the expense of Biggar starter Clarence Proctor. Cottingham also stroked four singles from the batters' box. Carmen Keller with a double plus three singles led the North Battleford hit parade while Jim Johnston, Roy Rowley and Ira McKnight each chipped in with three singles. Tony Keller scored the only run for the Nationals with an 8th inning dinger.
(July 8) The Kindersley Klippers withstood a last-inning rally by the Saskatoon Commodores to win 6 - 5. Gene Graves spaced nine Hub City hits and punched out 10 batters in claiming his 5th win. Larry Lazecki was tagged with the loss. The Commodores' Bob Marik was the game's best swatter as he had three hits, one of which was scored as a double. The two-base hit came in the 9th inning after Saskatoon had cut the Kindersley margin to one run. When Marik attempted to stretch the hit to a three-bagger, he was thrown out at 3rd, nullifying the Commodores' chances of tying the game.
(July 8) The Neilburg Monarchs maintained a share of first place in the N.S.B.L. by downing the Unity Cardinals 12 - 6. Jim Arens scattered eight hits and struck out seven in earning his 5th win. Erwin Doerksen, in his first pitching assignment of the year for the Cardinals, lost it. Neil Urlacher had four hits, two of which were doubles, in pacing the Monarchs at the dish. Gary Weldon also had a brace of two-baggers as part of the Neilburg 16-hit offense.
(July 10) Ira McKnight, the hard-hitting third baseman of the North Battleford Beavers, continues to set the pace in the N.S.B.L. batting race. Latest statistic based on 40 or more at bats show McKnight with a .458 average. McKnight also leads the league in runs scored with 23, base hits 27, total bases 41 and triples with three. Wayne Morgan of the Kindersley Klippers has taken over second place among the top hitters with a .380 average while another member of the Kindersley club, Garnet Hannon, holds down third spot with .378. Neil Urlacher of the Neilburg Monarchs has collected six doubles to lead in that department while Johnny Ford of the North Battleford Beavers has driven in the most runs, 18. Jack Rowley, another Beaver, has received the most free passes with 15 bases on balls. Biggar Nationals' Ervin Boehm continues to be the theft king having stolen 11 bases.
Jim Arens of the Neilburg Monarchs has taken over as the hurler with the best winning percentage as he ran his record to five wins and one loss for an .833 average.
(July 12) The Neilburg Monarchs moved into sole possession of first place in the N.S.B.L. by sweeping both ends of a doubleheader from the Saskatoon Commodores. Gary Weldon of the Monarchs pitched and batted his club to a 2 - 1 win in the first game. Weldon allowed only two hits in this nail-biter and picked up three of his club's five hits. Saskatoon's Bernie Sonntag took the loss. Glen Thompson drove in the winning run.
Thompson, Neil Urlacher and John Repin led Neilburg's 15-hit attack in the second game which they won by a 7 - 6 score. Thompson hit two doubles while Urlacher and Repin collected three singles apiece. Monarchs' chucker Jim Arens earned his 6th win in besting Larry Lazecki.
(July 12) The North Battleford Beavers and the Unity Cardinals split their doubleheader in North Battleford. Ross Stone won his 4th game of the season against no losses in the first game as the Cardinals won 5 - 3. Harold Hunchak continued in his recent tailspin as he absorbed the defeat.
Sherman Cottingham of the Beavers remained hot as he spun a brilliant one-hitter in the second game as North Battleford whitewashed Unity 10 - 0. Only losing pitcher Chuck Merker was able to pick up a hit off Cottingham, a 6th inning single.
(July 12) The Kindersley Klippers moved into a 2nd place tie with the North Battleford Beavers when they took two games from the sagging Biggar Nationals. The Klippers scored two runs in each of the first and fourth innings to take the opening contest 4 - 2. Bentley MacEwen had a two-hitter in winning his 7th decision of the campaign. Bob Adams of the Nats took his 7th loss. Wayne Morgan homered for the winners.
Wayne "Chick" Thompson picked up his first win of the season in the owl encounter as the Klips prevailed 6 - 2. Biggar's Bob McIntyre gave up 12 hits while taking the loss. Lane Jackson hit a round-tripper for Kindersley.
(July 15) The Neilburg Monarchs withstood a last ditch rally by the Saskatoon Commodores and maintained their one-game lead atop the N.S.B.L. by beating the Commodores 6 - 5 at Holiday Park. The Saskatonians loaded the bags in the last inning with Neilburg holding a 6 - 4 lead. Wayne walker's single drove in the runner from 3rd base to cut the margin to one. Don McMillan followed Walker with a fly ball to right field which was caught by John Repin. Jim Shaw tagged up at 3rd and raced for home but was thrown out at the plate on a classic throw and relay play to end the threat. Jim Arens went all the way on the mound for the Monarchs on a six-hitter to register his 7th win. Loser Sid Bowles went 8 1/3 innings, giving up seven hits. Neil Urlacher and John Repin led Neilburg at the plate with a pair of doubles each. Bob Marik collected the Commodores' only extra-base hit, a 6th inning triple.
(July 15) The North Battleford Beavers blanked the Unity Cardinals 1 - 0 at Unity. Sherman Cottingham of the Beavers scattered six hits to record his 6th win. Over the last four games, Cottingham has given up only one run and his streak of consecutive scoreless innings has now reached 17. Marcel Richard pitched well for the Cards, giving up just four hits, but still took a tough loss. The Beavers won the contest in the 9th frame when Ira McKnight scored on a line drive by Jack Rowley that glanced off the glove of 2nd baseman Dick Schmidt. George Monreal and Schmidt were the only players to collect more than one hit, each coming through with a pair of singles.
(July 15) At Biggar, the Nationals won their 5th game of the season in trimming the Kindersley Klippers 7 - 5. Bob Adams scattered 10 hits , fanned eight and did not walk a batter in picking up his 4th win for the Nats. Loser Lloyd Rachul didn't get past the 3rd inning. Ted Geisbrecht led Biggar's 10-hit attack with two singles and a double. Teammate Bob Hoult collected a pair of singles. Jerry Flanagan hit a home run and double to lead Kindersley while Larry Fisher drilled a pair of two-baggers.
(July 19) Ross Stone opened his bag of magic tricks and hurled the N.S.B.L.'s first no-hitter of the season as the Unity Cardinals blanked the Biggar Nationals 3 - 0 in the second game of a twin-bill at Unity. The Cardinals also won the opener 8 - 1. Stone fanned 13 and walked four in the seven-inning contest to become the top pitcher in the N.S.B.L. with a 5 - 0 record. By making a clean sweep over Biggar, the Redbirds maintained their three-game margin over the Saskatoon Commodores in the race for the fourth, and last, playoff spot. Mel Dahlseide recorded his first victory against two losses for Unity in the opener, scattering six hits. Bob McIntyre was charged with the loss.
Stone picked up a brace of singles during his pitching gem in the finale. Bob Adams, who took the loss, gave up eight hits. Biggar import Sam Washington was struck on the temple by one of Stone's offerings and knocked unconscious.
(July 19) The league-leading Neilburg Monarchs stayed one game ahead of the North Battleford Beavers as the two clubs split a pair at Neilburg. The Beavers won the opener 6 - 1 and the Monarchs the second by an 11 - 10 count. Sherman Cottingham racked up his 6th straight pitching victory in the debut match and also blasted a homer. Teammate Jack Rowley also had a four-bagger.
Neilburg's Dave Dinwoodie took the loss in the opener and returned in relief to salvage a win in the late encounter in which the Monarchs out-hit the Beavers 17 to 15. Larry Flicek and Gary Weldon blasted home runs for Neilburg. Cottingham drilled his second homer of the day for North Battleford. Ira McKnight also had a dinger for the Dam Builders.
(July 19) The Saskatoon Commodores kept their hopes alive for a playoff berth by sweeping a Holiday Park double-dip from the visiting Kindersley Klippers 8 - 7 and 6 - 3. Saskatoon pitcher Murray Eddy emerged as the individual star in the two-game set, gaining both victories. The first came in a relief role as the Commodores edged the Klippers in 10 innings. The young hurler came back to start the second game and worked 6 1/3 innings before running out of gas. The Bridge City Boys came from behind four times in the opener before a single by Bob Marik settled the issue in the 10th frame. Gene Graves was charged with both losses for Kindersley. Terry Rak led the Commodores in the nightcap with three safeties. Jerry Flanagan was the big noise at the plate for the Klippers, clouting a pair of triples in the matinee and a double in the finale.
Standings as of end of July 19 W L Pct. GBL
Neilburg Monarchs 16 7 .696 ----
North Battleford Beavers 15 8 .652 1
Kindersley Klippers 13 10 .565 3
Unity Cardinals 11 11 .500 4 1/2
Saskatoon Commodores 8 14 .364 7 1/2
Biggar Nationals 5 18 .217 11
(July 22) The North Battleford Beavers moved to within a half game of the league-leading Neilburg Monarchs as they clipped the Saskatoon Commodores 9 - 3 in a N.S.B.L. game in North Battleford. Although requiring 7th inning bullpen help from Harold Hunchak, Sherman Cottingham won his 7th consecutive game to boost his league-leading record to eight wins against two losses. Hub City starter Murray Eddy was the loser. Roy Rowley led the North Battleford hitters as he laced out four singles. Larry Derksen was the top batter for Saskatoon with a double and two singles.
(July 22) The cellar-dwelling Biggar Nationals blanked the Unity Cardinals 2 - 0 behind the strong pitching tandem of Bob Hoult and Bob Adams. Winning hurler Hoult gave up just two hits before giving way to Adams in the 7th who preserved the shutout. The game was called in the 8th because of darkness. The Nationals scored both their runs in the 3rd inning. Wayne Barton had a pair of singles for the winners and Hoult drilled a double.
(July 25) The Neilburg Monarchs worked near-flawlessly behind the three-hit twirling of Jim Arens to win top money at the Saskatoon Exhibition tournament with a 4 - 3 victory over the Unity Cardinals, defending champions, in the final. The new title-holders pulled off three double plays in support of Arens. The Monarchs rapped out nine hits off two Unity chuckers, starter Marcel Richard and loser Ross Stone. Gary Weldon, normally a pitcher but playing first base in the final game, had three hits, including a triple, for the winners. Neilburg 2nd sacker Ivan Prediger pitched in with a pair of singles.
(July 26) The Saskatoon Commodores and Biggar Nationals split an afternoon-evening N.S.B.L. doubleheader at Holiday Park. The Commodores blanked the Nationals 7 - 0 in the afternoon and went down to a 12 - 10 defeat in a 10-inning evening marathon. Saskatoon jumped out to an early 3 - 0 lead in the opener which allowed their hurler Sid Bowles to coast to the shutout victory on a 5-hitter. Biggar's Bob Adams surrendered nine hits in losing the mound joust. Commodores' third baseman Ron Onishenko blasted two triples and a single to drive in three runs. Larry Derksen picked up a pair of singles. Ted Geisbrecht led The Nats at the dish with three singles, two of which were of the infield variety.
The second game was a see-saw battle that saw the lead change several times. Larry Derksen of the Commodores sent the game into extra innings with a base-clearing triple in the bottom of the 9th. Biggar capitalized on some spotty Saskatoon hurling in the 10th. Three walks, two wild pitches, an error and a single added up to the winning and insurance runs. Fred Clemence and Ted Geisbrecht led the 13-hit Biggar arsenal. Clemence boomed a triple, double and single while Geisbrecht laced out four singles. Jim Shaw, Larry Derksen and Wayne Walker each had two hits for the losers. Bob McIntyre got the win over Murray Eddy with both pitchers of record coming on in relief roles.
(July 26) The Neilburg Monarchs retained their half-game lead in the N.S.B.L. by trimming the Unity Cardinals 4 - 1 and 14 - 3 at Unity. Gary Weldon and Don McIntyre picked up the pitching victories for the Monarchs. Lyle May had two singles in the first game for Unity and a double and single in the late encounter. Brian McIntyre paced the Monarchs in the finale with a home run, double and single. Weldon picked up three singles as well.
(July 26) The North Battleford Beavers kept on the heels of the Neilburg Monarchs by taking out the Kindersley Klippers twice, 4 - 1 in the matinee and 5 - 0 in the follow-up contest. The Beavers scored three times in the 9th to register the opening game win over the Klippers. Carmen Keller, who opened the inning with a single, scored what turned out to be the winning run on a single by Roy Rowley.
In the nightcap, Sherman Cottingham won his 8th straight decision and his 9th victory of the season in limiting the Klips to a pair of hits.
(July 29) The Neilburg Monarchs boosted their N.S.B.L. lead to a full game, defeating the Biggar Nationals 6 - 1 at Neilburg in a game called after five innings because of rain. Gary Weldon hit a home run and single for the Monarchs and Ivan Prediger drilled a pair of singles. Jim Arens got the mound win in the shortened affair while Bob Hoult took the loss. Arens allowed only three hits while Neilburg had seven.
(August 2) The Neilburg Monarchs split a twin-bill with the Kindersley Klippers at Neilburg. The Monarchs beat the Klippers 9 - 2 in the first game but bowed 6 - 3 in the second. Jim Arens scattered nine Kindersley hits in gaining the opening game decision. Ivan Prediger whacked a home run and single for Neilburg while Larry Flicek hit a pair of doubles and a single. Neil Urlacher followed with a triple and double for the Monarchs. For the Klippers, Wally Jackson hit a two-run homer and Ken Hoyt came through with a double and two singles. Gene Graves struck out 12 Neilburg batters in snaring the second game decision on a six-hitter. Ivan Prediger hit his 2nd homer of the day in this one.
(August 2) In a crucial doubleheader at Unity, the hometown Cardinals preserved their two-game margin over the Saskatoon Commodores in the fight for 4th place as the two clubs split, Unity copping the first one 3 - 2 and Saskatoon taking the second one 2 - 1. In the matinee tussle, lefthander Ross Stone hurled his 6th straight win for the Cards, edging the Commodores' Murray Eddy. Stone allowed only three hits. Irl Flanagan, who had three hits for the Redbirds, scored the winning run in the 6th inning. Bernie Sonntag out-pitched Unity's Chuck Merker for the win in the second contest, allowing five hits to Merker's seven. Ron Onishenko and Wayne Walker each ripped a pair of hits for Saskatoon.
(August 2) The North Battleford Beavers, with 9 - 4 and 8 - 2 wins over the Biggar Nationals, climbed into a tie for first place in the N.S.B.L. Playing on Biggar's home turf, Sherman Cottingham and Harold Hunchak picked up the pitching decisions for the Beavers. Cottingham, who has a 10 - 2 mound record, clouted a three-run homer and singled as well. Fred Clemence had three hits for the Nationals in the opener and Larry Stark a pair. In the second tilt, Jim Johnston nailed a triple and three singles for the Beavers while Johnny Ford hit a triple and double. Wayne Barton had a pair of safeties for Biggar.
(August 4) The Saskatoon Commodores kept their N.S.B.L. playoff hopes alive by posting a 6 - 5 win over the Biggar Nationals. The Commodores blew a three-run lead in the top of the 8th before coming back in the bottom of the 9th to score twice and snatch the win. Ron Onishenko singled in the tying run and Saskatoon catcher Larry Derksen pushed across the winning run with a sacrifice fly to right field. Bernie Sonntag, an 8th inning mound reliever in this match, got the win. Biggar's Bob Hoult, after pitching six innings of hitless ball, blew a tire in the 9th and was saddled with the loss. The Nats out-hit Saskatoon 9 to 6. Ted Geisbrecht of Biggar was the game's most productive hitter with three hits in five trips. Jim Shaw and Don Heit each had two singles for the Commodores.
(August 5) The Neilburg Monarchs and North Battleford Beavers, battling for first place in the N.S.B.L., failed to resolve anything as they played to an 8 - 8 tie in a game called after eight innings because of darkness.
(August 5) The Unity Cardinals reclaimed a two-game edge over the Saskatoon Commodores in the fight for the 4th and last playoff spot as they beat the Kindersley Klippers 3 - 1 at Kindersley.
(August 7) Back-to-back home runs by the Neilburg Monarchs' tandem of Neil Urlacher and Pete Prediger powered the North Saskatchewan Baseball League All-Stars to a 3 - 2 victory over the North Battleford Beavers in the 2nd annual All-Star game which was played this year at Abbott Field. Harold Hunchak was the starter and loser for the Beavers. Ross Stone of the Unity Cardinals, Jim Arens of the Neilburg Monarchs and Bentley MacEwen of the Kindersley Klippers all toiled three innings on the rubber for the Selects with MacEwen getting credit for the win.
(August 9) The Unity Cardinals clinched the 4th and final playoff berth in the N.S.B.L. by sweeping a doubleheader from the Saskatoon Commodores by 5 - 0 and 19 - 1 scores. Lefthander Ross Stone pitched and batted his club to victory in the opening game. Stone allowed only three hits while whiffing eight Saskatonians to record the shutout. He also hit a double and single to drive in three of his club's five runs. Losing pitcher Bernie Sonntag and reliever Murray Eddy gave up nine Cardinal hits.
The Cards blasted Doug Mader and reliever Sid Bowles for 18 hits in an abbreviated 2nd tilt that was halted after five innings. Marcel Richard went the distance for Unity, giving up four hits. Outfielder Ross Morrison led the Unity batting parade with four hits including a double. Erwin Doerksen and winning pitcher Richard each had a trio of knocks with Doerksen's total including a three-bagger plus an inside-the-park home run.
(August 9) The Kindersley Klippers spoiled the Neilburg Monarchs' hopes of tying the league-leading North Battleford Beavers for first place as shortstop Ken Hoyt of the Klippers belted a pair of two-run homers to spark tem to a 4 - 2 verdict over Neilburg. Gene Graves pitched six-hit ball and struck out seven to pick up the win. Losing pitcher Gary Weldon also tossed a six-hitter while fanning five. Neil Urlacher boomed a round-tripper for the losers.
(August 11) The North Battleford Beavers captured their second consecutive N.S.B.L. pennant by edging the Kindersley Klippers 5 - 4 in the final league game of the season. The game was called after 6 1/2 innings because of darkness, a decision which upset the outspoken Kindersley playing-manager Gene Graves. Trailing 4 - 2 entering the bottom of the 6th, the Beavers came to life and rallied for a trio of counters. Rookie chucker Don Frolek, an 18 year old call up from the juvenile Beavers, made an impressive debut, not only in a relief mound role but also with the bat. Upon entering the game, Frolek was thrust immediately into the fire only to respond magnificently with a sterling fireman's job. Keeping the potential damage from a promising Kindersley rally to a minimum, he later doubled to drive in a pair of tallies including the one which tied the contest. Jimmy Johnston followed with another two-bagger which sent Frolek scampering home with the ultimate winner. Lefthander Bentley MacEwen went all the way on the hill for the Klips in absorbing the defeat. It was his 5th loss against seven victories. Lane Jackson led Kindersley at the dish garnering three singles.
xxx and xxx
Hunchak, Frolek (W) (6) and McKnight
FINAL STANDINGS W L Pct. GBL
North Battleford Beavers 21 8 .724 -----
Neilburg Monarchs 20 9 .690 1
Unity Cardinals 15 15 .500 6 1/2
Kindersley Klippers 15 15 .500 6 1/2
Saskatoon Commodores 11 19 .367 10 1/2
Biggar Nationals 7 23 .233 14 1/2
The Unity Cardinals were awarded 3rd place in the standings. They split their league games with the Kindersley Klippers but out-scored the Klippers 32 to 28 in the six games that they played each other.
PLAYOFFS :
(August 12) Behind the strong mound work of Sherman Cottingham, North Battleford Beavers downed Kindersley 4-1 to take the first game of their best-of-five semi-final series. Cottingham allowed just four hits. The Beavers had ten hits off Gene Graves. They scored three in the fifth inning when Dave Hallis belted a triple to drive in Roy Rowley, who had doubled, and Ira McKnight who reached on a single. John Ford's sacrifice fly knocked in Hallis. Jim Johnson scored the other North Battleford run when he doubled in the third inning, moved to third on a singled by Rowley and scored on McKnight's third hit of the day. The Klippers notched their only marker in the fourth as Garnet Hannon drove in Ken Hoyt.
Graves (L) and xxx
Cottingham (W) and McKnight
(August 12) Hard-throwing Ross Stone, displaying a touch of Houdini, unfurled a nifty three-hitter to lead the Unity Cardinals to a 9 - 0 mild upset of the second-place Neilburg Monarchs in the opener of the semi-final joust. The Unity southpaw, the league's top hurler during regular season play with a 7 - 0 record, set 10 Neilburg batters down on strikes and helped his own cause by smashing a pair of home runs. Jim Arens, Neilburg's starter, was lifted in the 5th and took the loss.
(August 14) The North Battleford Beavers, led by Ira McKnight's three-run homer, trimmed the Kindersley Klippers 7 - 5 to take a two games to none lead in their N.S.B.L. semi-final. McKnight broke a 3 - 3 tie with his three-run blast in the 7th inning after the Beavers had blown an early 3 - 0 lead. Don Frolek, in relief, was credited with the North Battleford pitching win. Bentley MacEwen went all the way on the hill for Kindersley to take the loss. Dave Hallis went four for five for the winners. Two of his raps were doubles. The Klips scored most of their runs of homers as Lane Jackson, Ken Hoyt and Larry Fisher all slammed circuit-clouts. Jackson also collected three singles.
(August 14) The Neilburg Monarchs blanked the Unity Cardinals 5 - 0 to even their N.S.B.L. series at one game each. The Monarchs snuffed out a scoreless tie by plating four runs in the 7th to break the game wide open. Neilburg's Gary Weldon was the shutout winner while Marcel Richard, who went the route for the Cardinals, was charged with the defeat.
(August 16) The North Battleford Beavers rode the no-hit, no-run pitching of Sherman Cottingham into the N.S.B.L. final. The Beavers 5 - 0 victory over the Kindersley Klippers gave them the best-of-five series in straight games. Cottingham struck out nine of the 30 batters he faced. It was his 2nd playoff win after posting a 10 - 2 regular season record. Kindersley starter Gene Graves took the loss. The Beavers accumulated nine hits in the series' clinching victory, one being a double by Cottingham.
(August 16) The Unity Cardinals downed the Neilburg Monarchs 4 - 2 to take a two games to one lead in their best-of-five semi-final set. Ross Stone scattered six hits and fanned eight Neilburg batters in claiming the win. Jim Arens, knocked from the hill in the 8th, took the loss in spite of an impressive 15 strikeout performance. Marcel Richard led the Cards at the plate with a single and double while Mel Dahlseide and Lyle May each had a pair of singles. Gary Weldon homered and singled to lead the Monarchs in the batting department.
(August 18) Ken Hoyt of the Kindersley Klippers has captured the N.S,B.L. batting crown for the 2nd consecutive season. Final statistics published today in the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix show the Fresno, California native with an even .500 average. The Kindersley shortstop hit safely 36 times in 72 times at bat. He also finished as the league's top home run hitter with seven. Hoyt captured the title last season with a .413 average while with the Unity Cardinals. The three runners-up to Hoyt were all members of the pennant-winning North Battleford Beavers. Roy Rowley finished second with a .395 average followed by Ira McKnight at .385 and Johnny Ford with a .366 mark. McKnight had 42 hits and scored 39 runs to lead the league in both departments. Ford had the most RBI's with 30. Ross Stone of the Unity Cardinals finished as the league's top pitcher with a 7 - 0 record.
(August 18) The Unity Cardinals advanced to the N.S.B.L finals by beating the Neilburg Monarchs 5 - 3 to wrap up the best-of-five semi-final series three games to one. Winning pitcher Chuck Merker had a no-hit, no-run game going until the 6th inning. Ross Stone finished the game on the Unity hill, taking over for Merker in the 8th. Neilburg's Gary Weldon, driven from the rubber after three frames, took the loss. The Cards out-hit the Monarchs 9 to 5 and will now take on the North Battleford Beavers for the league championship.
(August 21) The Unity Cardinals, cashing in on a poor North Battleford defensive display, trimmed the pennant-winning Beavers 9 - 7 in the opener of the best-of-seven final series. Chuck Merker, who took over from Erwin Doerksen in the 5th, was credited with the win. North Battleford starter Sherman Cottingham was hit with the loss, his first defeat in playoff action to date. The Cardinals out-hit the hometown Beavers 13 to 6 as the locals made things even more difficult for themselves by committing four errors. Lyle May led the Unity attack with a homer and single. Dick Schmidt also homered, a two-run blast in the 4th. Jack Rowley was the only member of the Beavers to get more than one hit, collecting a double and single.
(August 24) The North Battleford Beavers squared their best-of-seven N.S.B.L. final series at one game each, beating the Unity Cardinals 6 - 3 at Unity. The Beavers jumped into an early lead and were never headed. The game ended after eight innings when darkness set in. Sherman Cottingham worked 6 1/3 innings on the hill for North Battleford to pick up the win, his 3rd of the playoffs. Ross Stone, the loser, lasted 5 1/3 frames before being pulled. Dave Hallis led the 11-hit North Battleford offense with a double and two singles. George Monreal had a double and single for the Redbirds.
(August 25) The North Battleford Beavers edged the Unity Cardinals 2 - 1 to take a two games to one advantage in the N.S.B.L. final. Winning pitcher Harold Hunchak allowed six hits in going the distance, fanning seven in the process. Losing pitcher Marcel Richard allowed only five hits while striking out two. Walks proved costly to the Cards as both North Battleford tallies were plated by runners who had been issued free passes. The game's only extra-base blows were doubles by Unity's Ross Stone and Jerry Student.
(August 28) The Unity Cardinals, taking advantage of sloppy fielding, thumped the North Battleford Beavers 12 - 3 in the 4th game of the best-of-seven N.S.B.L. final series. The series is now tied at two games each. The Cards pushed across eight runs in the 2nd inning, seven of which were unearned, to salt away the triumph. Victorious chucker Ross Stone worked seven innings on the hill for Unity, giving up all three North Battleford runs. Roy Rowley started for the Beavers and took the loss. Jerry Student and Erwin Doerksen led the Unity attack with a homer each while Carmen Keller of the Beavers also drilled a four-bagger.
(August 30) The North Battleford Beavers unleashed a 16-hit barrage at the Unity Cardinals for a 16 - 3 victory in the 5th game of the best-of-seven N.S.B.L. final series at North Battleford. Jack Rowley led the hard-working Beavers with a pair of home runs while Johnny Ford, Ira McKnight and Dave Hallis clouted one four-bagger each. McKnight and Ford also checked in with a pair of singles while Hallis added a single to his home run, a grand-slam. Harold Hunchak scattered nine hits in going the distance on the mound for the Beavers. Marcel Richard started and took the loss for Unity. The Beavers put the game on ice with six runs in the 2nd inning after pushing across a pair in the opening frame. The Beavers now lead the series three games to two.
(September 6) The Unity Cardinals, riding the arm of lefty Ross Stone, pushed the N.S,B.L. final series to the limit by edging the North Battleford Beavers 1 - 0. Although managing only two hits off loser Lyle Bradley, the Cards scored the game's lone run in the 6th on a bases-loaded walk. Stone allowed five hits in taking the victory.
(September 7) The N.S.B.L. title rests in the hands of the North Battleford Beavers once again but it was a long, tough battle against a stubborn foe, the Unity Cardinals. The Beavers won the crown by nipping the Redbirds 2 - 1 in 12 innings. That gave North Battleford the best-of-seven final series four games to three. Harold Hunchak emerged as the leading light for the Beavers in the deciding game, going the 12-inning distance on a four-hitter. A walk to Jimmy Johnston by losing pitcher Chuck Merker followed by Roy Rowley's line-drive triple to right-center field won the game for North Battleford in the 3rd extra frame. Rowley collected three of the seven Beaver hits off Merker.