1971 Vancouver, Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley
1971 BC Interior
1971 Vancouver Island
OKANAGAN MAINLINE LEAGUE
Kamloops Okonots
Kelowna Orioles
Penticton Molsons
Vernon Labatts
(May 6) The defending champion Kamloops Okonots captured the 1971 OMBL opener with a 4 to 1 conquest of the Vernon Labatts. Winning slabster Bob Bridges whiffed 16 and stifled the Vernon nine on just two base hits. Losing heaver Brian Stephens, replaced on the hill by Wayne Dye in the seventh, was nicked for just three Kamloops’ safeties but one of them was a two-run circuit-jack by his mound opponent, Bridges.
(May 12) Penticton was awarded a victory by forfeiture after umpire Chester Kascak walked off the diamond indignant over verbal abuse from Vernon Labatts’ players. Doug Chilton of Vernon had been thrown out of the game at the start of the third inning and several members of the Labatts were warned for offensive language. The Molsons were leading 2 – 0 when the game was forfeited.
(May 13) Kelowna edged the Kamloops Okonots 3 to 2 in an extra-inning OMBL thriller. Outfielder Ron Harcus of the Birds blooped a double into the left garden to drive in Gary Lawlor with the winning counter in the overtime round of play. The game featured a classic mound duel between Kelowna’s Mike Burdett and Wayne Plummer of the Okies. Both chuckers were touched for just three hits. Plummer had a slight 12 – 11 edge in punchouts. Bernie Monteleone went yard with a two-run dinger for the Regatta City nine.
(May 16) The invading Kamloops Okonots clipped the Penticton Molsons 4 to 1 in the opener of a double-dip and followed up by swamping the Pentictonites 10 to 3 in the second match. Import Jeff Clark rang up 15 punchouts and tamed the Molsons on three hits in the matinée contest. With losing chucker Don Atchinson matching Clark pitch-for-pitch for four frames, the teams were deadlocked at 1 – 1. In the fifth, however, Dick Gibb broke the tie with a solo tater. The Okies added a pair of insurance tallies in the seventh to seal the deal. Bob Bridges pitched a five-hitter and struck out a dozen in the one-sided finale. Vince Smith powered a brace of two-run homers for the winners.
(May 20) Local product Rod Laitinen delivered a double and two singles to help the Kamloops Okonots hammer the visiting Vernon Labatts 10 to 2 at Riverside Park. The Okies started off with a pair of counters in the opening panel and pretty well wrapped up the verdict with a four-spot in the fourth. The Labatts played a sloppy defensive game and many of the runs scored against losing slabster Doug Chilton and reliever Wayne Dye were of the unearned variety. Former Bellingham Bells’ tosser Jeff Clark made his home pitching debut for the Kamloops nine a winning one, surrendering three hits, walking one and fanning six. Chuck Kennedy contributed a double and one-base rap to the victors’ nine-hit offensive attack.
(May 22) Although Wayne Plummer was able to overpower hosting Kelowna Orioles with his hummer, he was let down badly by his mates who committed five defensive miscues as well as a bevy of mental errors which allowed the Orioles to come away with a 7 to 1 conquest of the Kamloops Okonots.
(May 23) Second baseman Don McLean’s dazzling mid-air catch snuffed out a final-frame rally by the Penticton Molsons and allowed the Kamloops Okonots to escape with a 9 to 8 triumph in the second game of an OMBL twin-bill. The Okies captured the opener 4 to 1 to annex both contests. Kamloops, with Bob Bridges at the controls, struck out seven in gaining the decision over Penticton’s Lyle Ingram. Both squads stung the spheroid for six safeties. Neither starter, Vince Smith of the Okonots nor the Molsons’ Ted Williams, was around at the end of the second encounter. Bridges, in relief, won for the second time while Ed Folk was saddled with the setback.
(May 27) The Kamloops Okonots improved their won-loss record to 7 – 2 with a 5 to 1 triumph over the Kelowna Orioles at Riverside Park. It was the first setback of the season for the Birds who had won their previous five OMBL fixtures. Dave Murphy threw a steady six-hitter while fanning 12 to grab the victory in the abbreviated seven-stanza joust. Losing twirler Don Favell was chased from the knoll in the fourth frame after giving up four hits, walking three and hitting a batter in a bases-loaded situation. Mike Burdett finished up. Playing-skipper Lynn Bylund drove in a pair of runs for he Okies.
(May 29) Leadoff batter Bob Panton cracked a double off Kamloops’ chucker Bob Bridges to start the game but that two-bagger was the lone hit that the Penticton Molsons would garner off Bridges in the entirety of the game in which the hosting Okonots prevailed 3 to 0. Losing heaver Gary Fox was tagged for just two safeties, yielding all three of the winners’ tallies in the second spasm.
(June 3) Wayne Plummer, nipped in his first two pitching starts of the season, went the distance at Riverside Park as the Kamloops Okonots continued their dominance of the Vernon Labatts with a 10 to 4 victory. The mismatch was highlighted by Okonot first baseman Dave Murphy’s grand-slam home run in the second spasm off Labatt reliever Clark Inglis who had come on for starter and loser Brian Stephen. Plummer struck out nine while allowing seven hits. Doug Chilton drove in three of the four Vernon counters with a two-bagger that emptied the fully-populated sacks.
(June 5) Mike Burdett fashioned a four-hitter as the Kelowna Orioles blanked the Kamloops Okonots 2 to 0 in the Regatta City. Losing moundsman Bob Bridges also was nicked for just four safeties but his clubmates were unable to provide him for any sustained offense. The Birds got their first run in the third inning on a walk, a passed ball and a base hit and, then, scored again in the sixth spasm on a passed ball.
STANDINGS W L Pct GBL
Kamloops 9 3 .750 ----
Kelowna 6 2 .750 1.0
Vernon 2 6 .250 5.0
Penticton 2 8 .200 6.0
(June 10) It took two extra innings for the Kamloops Okonots to pull out 4 to 3 win over the Kelowna Orioles at Riverside Park, a win that gave the Okies sole possession of first place in the OMBL. Lanky utilityman Dave Murphy drove in the winning tally with a hard-hit, two-out single that plated “Stubby” McLean. Bob Bridges spun a four-hitter to cop the complete-game knoll conquest as he outgunned Don Bechtel, who punched out ten, with a dazzling 21-strikeout performance.
(June 13) Hard-throwing portsider Bob Bridges clouted an extra-inning, bases-empty four-bagger to break a 2 – 2 tie and give the Kamloops Okonots a 3 to 2 victory over the Hosting Vernon Labatts. Vernon held a 2 – 0 lead until the seventh stanza when rookie third sacker Rod Laitinen of the Okies belted a two-run shot to knot the count. Bridges came on to pitch in relief in the seventh, taking over from starter Jeff Clark. Doug Chilton was tagged with the defeat. Laitinen added a triple to his round-tripper while Bridges slammed a two-bagger to go along with his dinger.
(June 15) Hosting Kelowna shaded the Kamloops Okonots 1 to 0 in a tight OMBL contest that required two extra rounds of play to decide a winner. The lone tally of the game was an unearned marker and occurred when Wayne Schwab beat third baseman Ed Begg’s throw to the plate after Begg had bobbled Gary Lawlor’s ground ball. Don Bechtel grabbed the heaving victory over hard-luck loser Wayne Plummer. Both chuckers yielded four safeties. Plummer registered 11 punchouts while Bechtel had ten. Plummer, the jinxed Kamloops tosser, drilled an apparent four-bagger to tie the score but was called out for failing the touch home plate.
(June 17) Randy Rota dialed long distance with a three-run tater in the tenth inning against former teammate Vince Smith as the Kamloops Okonots took out the Vernon Labatts 5 to 2 in an OMBL encounter at Riverside Park. Bob Bridges, in relief of Kamloops starter Wayne Plummer, was the beneficiary of Rota’s blast, earning his eighth hurling triumph. Smith was highly effective in his debut with the Labatts, fanning 16 of his former mates.
(June 19) Bob Bridges annexed his ninth pitching win of the season as the Kamloops Okonots stopped the hometown Penticton Molsons 6 to 1 to pad their lead atop of the OMBL. Burly left-hander Bridges, who has one loss, tossed a three-hitter, struck out 13 and belted a solo home run in the sixth stanza. Losing heaver Bob McDermid was raked for nine base raps.
(June 24) Elongated Dave Murphy lit up Kelowna’s Mike Burdett for a fourth-inning round-tripper with one mate aboard as the Kamloops Okonots hung on to nip the visiting Orioles 2 to 1 to move 2-1/2 games in front of the pack in the OMBL standings. A triad of Okie tossers, including starter and winner Bob Bridges, held the Regatta City baseballers hitless over the course of the scuffle.
(June 29) The Kamloops Okonots added to their lead in the OMBL standings with a 2 to 0 triumph over the homestanding Kelowna Orioles. Bob Bridges rang up 17 punchouts in besting Don Bechtel in another one of their classic pitching duels. Bechtel sent a dozen Kamloops batters down on strikes. Both teams had just four base knocks in the clash that took two extra innings to declare a winner. Reliable Dave Murphy drove in Greg Gustafson with the deciding run after Gustafson reached base on an outfield bobble. The Birds committed five errors, causing their downfall, while the Okies had one miscue.
(July 1) The visiting Penticton Molsons were no match for the Kamloops Okonots in a Canada Day doubleheader at Riverside Park. The hosting Okies blasted the Vineyard City nine 8 to 3 and 13 to 0. Dave Murphy had a two-run dinger for the winners in the opener. Kamloops bolted into a 9 – 0 lead after one inning of play in the second encounter, coasting to the blowout triumph.
(July 4) The Kamloops Okonots, front runners in the OMBL, kept on winning by sweeping a doubleheader from the hosting Vernon Labatts. The Okies blanked the Vernonites 2 to 0 in the Polson Park opener behind the pitching of Bob Bridges and then walloped the hometown crew to the tune of 12 to 4 in the nightcap. The victory for Bridges in the lid-lifter was his 12th of the campaign. Pesky shortstop Dick Gibb stroked three hits against import Rick McQuart in support of Bridges’ shutout pitching.
In the second game, winning chucker Jeff Clark had an easy time of it as virtually everyone in the Okonots’ lineup stung the pill with authority. Wayne Dye, just back from a tryout with the Milwaukee Brewers organization, opened on the knoll for the Labatts, but was chased from the scene quickly as Kamloops lit him up for a five-spot in the opening canto. Doug Chilton took over for Dye and hurled the rest of the way.
(July 8) The Kamloops Okonots chalked up another victory over their nearest rivals, the Kelowna Orioles, taking a 3 to 1 verdict at Riverside Park. Starting and winning twirler Dave Murphy, vaulted the Okies to the victory with a two-run four-bagger in the third inning that erased a 1 – 0 deficit. Murphy and late reliever Jeff Clark combined for a one-hitter with one base-on-balls as well as 14 strikeouts in taming the Birds while the Okies managed just three safeties off starter Bob Schwab and reliever Don Bechtel.
(July 13) As has been the case so often this season when Kelowna and Kamloops locked horns, their latest meeting in the Regatta City once again went into overtime with the hosting Orioles prevailing 6 to 5. Don Bechtel picked up the hurling win by besting the Okies’ Wayne Plummer. Ron Dale singles home Gary Lawlor with the tie-breaking run in the bonus round of play, stinging Plummer with another close loss. Pat Sonneman nailed a two-run tater for the Birds while Dick Gibb, with a solo shot, and Larry Roberge, with one aboard, launched dingers for Kamloops.
(July 15) With slab artist Bob Bridges firing a two-hitter and Joe Watson, back in the lineup for the first time this season, going deep for a three-run goner, the Kamloops Okonots whipped the Vernon Labatts 7 to 1. Wayne Dye was tagged with the pitching setback.
(July 17) The rampaging Kamloops Okonots swept a doubleheader from the Penticton Molsons by scores of 7 to 0 and 3 to 2. Dick Gibb, Bob Bridges and Dave Murphy all belted four-ply clouts for the Okies in the matinée tilt. Jeff Clark limited the Molsons to one hit in the abbreviated five-frame contest which ended early because of the run differential.
Penticton led 2 – 0 in the twilight tilt before Dave Murphy squared matters with a two-run tater in the sixth spasm. Kamloops plated the winner in the seventh when Randy Rota singled home Clark.
(July 18) Under sweltering weather conditions, the Kamloops Okonots disposed of the Vernon Labatts 8 to 2 at Riverside Park. By prior arrangement between the adversaries, the victory was worth two wins in the double-or-nothing clash. Burly southpaw Bob Bridges didn’t let the heat get to him as he picked up another complete-game knoll decision and had five RBI’s as a result of two homers and a single. Wayne Plummer also cranked out a circuit-jack for the winners. Vernon’s pair of counters came on a two-run dinger off the bat of Vern Dye.
(July 29) Having clinched the 1971 OMBL pennant some time ago, the Kamloops Okonots refused to let up on the gas pedal by edging the Vernon Labatts 4 to 3 at muggy Riverside Park for their 26th victory of the regular season. The Okonots plated the winning run in the fifth inning when a sacrifice fly by Chris Swaine allowed Greg Gustafson to score from third base. Despite giving up several hits in the early going, lanky Dave Murphy went the distance on the hill for the Okies, scattering nine base raps. Dave Chilton had a solo circuit clout for the vanquished Vernonites.
(August 3) The runaway-leading Kamloops Okonots wound up their regular season by doubling the Kelowna Orioles 6 to 3 at Riverside Park. Lefthander Bob Bridges struck out 17 while stifling the Birds on four hits. Bridges also swatted a solo homer as well as a single, driving in a brace of tallies. Loser Don Burdett was also nicked for four safeties but gave up four free passes.
FINAL STANDINGS W L Pct GBL
Kamloops 27 5 .844 ----
Kelowna 21 12 .636 6.5
Penticton 11 23 .324 17.0
Vernon 7 27 .206 21.0
(August 6-8) B.C. senior amateur baseball championship tournament
PLAYOFFS
SEMI-FINALS Vernon vs Kamloops and Penticton vs Kelowna (best-of-three series)
(August 10) The pennant-winning Kamloops Okonots claimed a 7 to 3 victory over the Vernon Labatts as their OMBL best-of-three semi-final series got underway at Riverside Park. After a slow start, the Okies rode the the six-hit, 11-strikeout pitching of southpaw Bob Bridges, the three-hit offensive performance by Dick Gibb plus a three-run homer off the bat of Dave Murphy for the decisive win. Vernon starter Doug Chilton suffered the loss. Wayne Dye accounted for two of the Labatts’ runs with a homer in the initial panel.
(August 15) Kamloops Okonots’ pitcher Wayne Plummer fashioned a two-hitter and punched out ten as the visiting Okies emerged with a 2 to 1 win over the Vernon Labatts to sweep their semi-final series in two straight games. In arrears by a score of 1 – 0, Plummer and the Okonots went ahead in the seventh when NHL blueliner Joe Watson delivered a two-run single. Losing chucker Wayne Dye allowed six hits and breezed ten. .
FINALS Kelowna vs Kamloops (best-of-seven series)
(August 17) Burly portsider Bob Bridges was at his best as the Kamloops Okonots opened the OMBL finals with a convincing 8 to 0 whitewashing of the Kelowna Orioles. Bridges racked up 18 strikeouts and allowed just one hit, a seventh-inning double by Bernie Monteleone, in dominating the Regatta City nine. Losing tosser Don Bechtel, with eleven punchouts, was nicked for eight hits while walking six. Shortstop Dick Gibb had three hits and a pair of RBI’s for the winners.
(August 19) The Kamloops Okonots overcame a two-run deficit by scoring three times in the fifth inning en route to a 4 to 2 decision over the homestanding Kelowna Orioles. The victory provided the Okies with a two-game lead in the final series. Wayne Plummer won for the first time in five decisions against the Birds this season. Mike Burdett was tagged with the loss.
(August 21) Getting solo home runs from winning heaver Bob Bridges, Dave Murphy and Wayne Plummer, the Kamloops Okonots shaded the Kelowna Orioles 3 to 2 to take a commanding 3 – 0 lead in the OMBL finals. The Birds soared in front on a two-run circuit-jack by flychaser Brian Brooks in the second stanza but that was all the scoring they could muster off southpaw Bridges who once again fanned 18 while spinning a five-hitter. Don Bechtel, combed for seven hits, was the victim of the three Kamloops’ goners and was tagged with the defeat.
(August 24) A 7 to 4 conquest of the Kelowna Orioles wrapped up the 1971 OMBL championship series in favor of the Kamloops Okonots. The repeat champions overcame a 3 – 0 hole that had been dug when the Birds got to starter Jeff Bloom in the opening canto. Quiet-spoken import Greg Gustafson paced the Okonot comeback with a sixth-spasm home run and a seventh-inning single that drove in Joe Watson with the ultimate winning run. He the plated an insurance counter when Dave Murphy went yard with a left-field dinger. Reliever Wayne Plummer snatched the hurling victory while Mike Burdett absorbed the setback.
WEST KOOTENAY SENIOR LEAGUE
A team from Creston, the Maroons, joined the league in 1971, increasing the membership to five. The Grand Forks Mets and the Maroons, both junior entries and each having to deal with greater distances to travel for road games from the extreme west and easterly points geographically, played the bulk of their games in Sunday doubleheaders and were scheduled fewer games each than Rossland, Trail and Nelson.
The Creston entry, however, was overmatched in senior-level competition and, after losing their first nine games, dropped out of the league, forfeiting their final seven contests.
The Nelson club was no longer known as the Merchants and adopted the name of the Indians for the 1971 season.
Newspaper coverage of league games was spotty, especially during July when there were long gaps without any results.
Creston Maroons (dropped out in July)
Grand Forks Mets
Nelson Indians
Rossland Capilanos
Trail Silver Kings
(May 6) The invading Rossland Capilanos couldn’t cope with hard-throwing Don Mainland of the Trail Silver Kings in the opener of the 1971 West Kootenay Senior Baseball League. Mainland hurled the first five innings in the 6 to 2 Trail victory and did not allow a hit. The Caps only managed two safeties in the game, both off reliever Tom Volpatti. The Silver Kings, on the other hand, were hitting the ball hard with Keith Healey leading the attack, belting a triple and a two-run homer. Losing tosser Larry Brandt singled home both his team’s runs.
Brandt (L) and xxx
Mainland (W), Volpatti (6) and xxx
(May 12) Taking advantage of a bundle of defensive lapses by their opponents, the Nelson Indians opened their West Kootenay Senior Baseball League season by strolling away with an easy 14 to 3 conquest of the visiting Rossland Capilanos. The game marked the return of senior baseball to Nelson after a one-year hiatus when the club was forced to play their home games in Trail because of reseeding of the Civic Centre field. The Tribe managed only nine hits off losing pitcher Barry Seal and reliever Rich Miller, who relieved in the sixth inning, but they scored ten of their runs in the last two innings of what had been a tight game. Winning heaver Bob Jeffs went the route, yielding six safeties while fanning four and was never in serious difficulty. Seal was continually in jams although he helped his own cause offensively by lighting up Jeffs for a pair of homers which produced all three Rossland counters. Nelson’s Ernie Moisey also had a dinger, a three-run shot in the seventh spasm. In that inning, alert base running and some wild throws helped the Indians put the game on ice.
Seal (L), Miller (6) and Holmes
Jeffs (W) and Allen
(May 16) Travelling to Grand Forks for a Sunday twin-bill, the Rossland Capilanos salvaged a split in the two-game set. After dropping the opener 5 to 2, the Caps came through in fine fashion to humble the Mets 8 to 0 in the concluding tilt. In the matinée tussle, Harry Strukoff effectively handcuffed the Golden City nine for most of the game, retiring nine batters in a row before surrendering a hit to Bob Profili in the fourth, a rap which was to no avail as the next batter, Dennis Ferrey, hit into a double play. Grand Forks scored twice in the first on a triple by Jack Goodard and single by Don Robbie. They added another deuce in the second spasm on RBI hits by Sam Hancheroff and John Seminoff. Robbie added a fifth counter in the fourth frame when he doubled and came around to score on consecutive errors. The Caps got to Strukoff for their pair of tallies in the fifth when Joe Zanussi delivered a pinch-hit, two-RBI single. Strukoff captured the win with relief help from Rick McLean, while Rich Miller was tabbed with the defeat.
Miller (L) and Holmes
Strukoff (W), McLean (5) and Fofonoff
The second game was all Rossland as they quickly atoned for their first-game defeat by taking the lead on Don Holmes two-run single in the top-of-the-opening frame. From there, they never looked back as winning pitcher Barry Seal drove in two more counters in the second and the rout was on. Seal went the distance, allowing only three hits while fanning seven. Losing chucker Brian Hamagami and fifth-inning reliever McLean, toiled on the knoll for the Mets. Bob Profili, with three safeties, led the Caps with the lumber.
Seal (W) and Holmes
B. Hamagami (L), McLean (5) and Robbie
(May 25) The Rossland Capilanos and Trail Silver Kings battled through seven innings and emerged in a 6 – 6 deadlock as darkness forced suspension of the game which is tentatively scheduled to be resumed before their next clash in Rossland. The Caps came out of the gate in grand fashion, collecting five runs on four hits off Russ Paterson in the bottom-of-the-first inning as Ray Picco drove in a pair with a line shot single to highlight the uprising. Rossland scored their sixth and final marker in the sixth after Rich Miller collected his second hit and eventually crossed the pan on an RBI single by Barry Seal. Ron Rebelato scored Trail’s first run in the second inning when he was singled home by Ken Andrechuk after hitting a booming double. The Silver Kings added two more in the fifth when Al Doherty hit a two-run single. A three-run seventh stanza was ignited by Doherty’s triple, followed by a walk, a double by Rebelato, a one-bagger off the bat of Andrechuk and a wild pitch. Rossland’s Miller wound up with three safeties while Reg Cherenko, Rebelato and Andrechuk each had two hits for Trail. Starter Larry Brandt and Seal pitched for the Capilanos while Paterson, despite of his shaky start, remained on the Trail knoll for the first six cantos before giving way to Don Mainland.
(May 26) The Rossland Capilanos scored six runs in a wild sixth inning and went on to take a narrow 8 to 7 verdict over the hosting Nelson Indians. The Caps found reliever Bob Jeffs’ slants to their liking as they greeted the big right-hander with three successive singles in the sixth to push across the winning tally. Nelson starter Bryan Dubasov had been sailing along with a 6 to 2 lead but unloaded a pair of bases-loaded wild pitches in the sixth before turning the ball over to Jeffs. Winning flinger Joe Zanussi had a stellar relief outing after taking over for Barry Seal in the fifth. The Capilano portsider handled the Tribe batters with ease during the innings he toiled. Seal delivered a solo tater for the Rosslanders.
Seal, Zanussi (W) (5) and Holmes
Dubasov, Jeffs (L) and Allen
(May 27) The Nelson Indians used first and last inning bursts to defeat the hosting Trail Silver Kings 7 to 2 at Butler Park. The Tribe scored four times in the opening panel, sparked by Bob Jeffs’ two-run double, and added three in the seventh, the first of which resulted from a perfectly-executed squeeze bunt by Armando Porco. The Silver Kings plated both of their counters in the sixth inning on a RBI-single by Rob Paterson and an overthrow to third base. Jeffs picked up the pitching win with the assistance of reliever Bryan Dubasov in the sixth. Starter Tom Volpatti, bounced from the knoll after four frames in favor of Don Mainland, was nailed with the loss for the Trailites. Mainland whiffed seven in the three innings he worked.
(June 1) The Nelson Indians jumped on Rossland Capilanos’ starter Larry Seminoff for five runs in the first inning, then got to reliever Barry Seal for another five-spot in the fourth frame as they went on to bury the hosting Rosslanders 13 to 6. Don Johnson, Al Roemer and Armando Porco each had three hits for Nelson while teammate Bob McIvor launched a home run. For Rossland, Ray Picco drilled a triple and single while Joe Zanussi contributed a double and one-bagger. Bryan Dubasov went the distance for the win while Seal, in a relief, role, was nailed with the loss.
(June 3) The Trail Silver Kings scored two unearned runs in the sixth inning to defeat the Rossland Capilanos 2 to 1 at Butler Park. Larry Brandt of the Caps and Trail’s Don Mainland were locked in a tight pitcher’s duel until the Golden City squad committed two costly errors to give the Kings the win. Rossland opened the scoring in the fifth frame after singles by Brandt and Bob Profili wherein Brandt crossed the pan on a fielder’s choice as the Kings unsuccessfully attempted an infield double play. In the sixth, the Smelter City squad went ahead after Al Doherty doubled home Keith Healey, who had reached base on a Cap miscue, and then Doherty plated what proved to be the winner when a ball hit by Gary Picone was muffed. Brandt allowed only three hits in taking the loss while Mainland was tagged for five safeties. The setback for the defending champion Capilanos left them with a 2 – 5 record in league play.
(June 6) Blowing first-inning leads of 2 to 0 in the opener and 3 to 0 in the second game, the Creston Maroons fell to the hosting Rossland Capilanos 3 to 2 and 10 to 7 in WKSBL doubleheader action. Larry Brandt started on the hillock for Rossland in both games but it was just not his day as he was shelled from the mound by the Maroons in each tilt. Barry Seal, facing a bases-loaded situation, came to the aid of Brandt in the opening canto of the lid-lifter and blanked Creston the rest of the way while his mates began to chip away at the early deficit. The Caps made it 2 to 1 in the fourth on Ray Picco’s run-scoring single. In the sixth, Rich Miller nailed a towering double which drove in Seal and Art Field with the tying and lead runs. Seal found himself in a minor jam in the seventh, with the potential tying and winning runs aboard, but recovered unharmed. Both Seal and losing tosser John Hadikin were each nicked for five safeties. Hadikin and Larry Walker stroked two singles apiece for Creston.
The second game started out in much the same manner as the curtain-raiser with the Maroons striking for a trey before Joe Zanussi came on to put out the fire that Brandt had created. The Caps’ comeback against losing flinger Ken Walker began in the third panel when Ray Picco and Don Holmes each drove home a pair of tallies. The Maroons forged ahead once more with singletons in both the fourth and fifth frames but the Rosslanders quickly responded with a two-run double by Rich Miller and Bob Profili’s single which drove in two more counters as the Golden City nine went in front to stay. Walker surrendered ten hits in going the route while the tandem of Brandt and winning tosser Zanussi were nicked for 11 safeties. Holmes led the Golden City willow wielders with three hits, including a two-bagger, while Picco chipped in with a brace. Ted Thompson was the only Maroon to acquire two safeties in the tilt.
(June 9) The Rossland Capilanos trekked to Nelson and came home with a 9 to 5 win over the Indians in a free-hitting tussle. Winning flinger Barry Seal was raked for a dozen hits but kept them reasonably well scattered. In addition, his control was sharp as he did not issue any walks. Losing heaver Doug Sommerfeldt was lit up for 14 safeties while punching out three. The Caps took a quick 4 to 0 first-inning lead and were never headed. Top hitter for Rossland was Don Holmes who clipped the horsehide for two hits that produced three RBI’s. Rocky Cull blasted a triple and Rich Miller a two-bagger. Big guns with the hickory for the Tribe were Terry Minnis who nailed a round-tripper, Ted Allen with a three-bagger as well as Jim Pickering and Ernie Moisey with doubles.
Seal (W) and Cederholm
Sommerfeldt (L) and Allen, Pickering
Trail Silver Kings 3 - 2 .667
Nelson Indians 3 - 2 .667
Rossland Capilanos 5 - 5 .500
Grand Forks Mets 2 - 2 .500
Creston Maroons 0 – 2 .000
(June 10) The Trail Silver Kings rocked Creston hurlers for five home runs as they doubled the Maroons 10 to 5.
Hadikin (L), Walker (3) and xxx
xxx (W) and xxx
(June 13) In Grand Forks, the hometown Mets and the Nelson Indians split a Sunday doubleheader, the Tribe capturing the matinée fracas 7 to 3 and the Mets responding with a 3 to 2 triumph in the late scuffle which lasted 12 innings. Bob Jeffs pitched both games for Nelson. Jeffs allowed 8 hits in the first-game victory while Nelson tagged loser Rick McLean for a dozen base blows.
The owl encounter wasn’t settled until the bottom-of-the-twelfth when Jack Goddard reached first after being hit by a pitched ball, stole second and scored on winning pitcher Brian Hamagami’s single. Hamagami had ascended the knoll in relief of starting twirler Harry Strukoff in the eighth chapter.
(June 15) The Nelson Indians came from behind, wiping out a 3 to 1 deficit in their final turn at bat, to take a 6 to 3 decision from the Rossland Capilanos. Two doubles, a triple and a home run by winning pitcher Bryan Dubasov, all coming after two had been retired, boosted the Lakesiders into the lead and the win. Losing moundsman Joe Zanussi, nicked for nine hits, was the victim of the late barrage while Dubasov, reprieved from almost certain defeat, hung on for the neat four-hit victory. Bob Jeffs and Grant Alger had two safeties each for the Tribe with a double included in Jeffs’ total. Rich Miller was the lone Capilano to get two hits.
(June 16) A valiant last-inning rally by the Nelson Indians fell one-run short as the Tribe succumbed to the invading Trail Silver Kings 5 to 4. Winning chucker Mike Ward had the Indians eating out of hand for most of the game and nursed a 5 to 1 lead as the hosts came to bat for the final time. Bob Jeffs gave his team life with a hard triple to lead off. Preston Zeeben then drove in Jeffs with a single. Bob McIvor followed with another one-bagger and playing-manager Frank Hufty inserted himself into the lineup as a pinch-hitter for Grant Alger and delivered a clutch single to drive in both runners and narrow the gap to a singleton. Ward buckled down at this point and retired the side without any further damage. Ron Rebelato of the Silver Kings hit the game’s only home run, a solo blast, in the opening canto off losing flinger Bryan Dubasov.
Ward (W) and Andrechuk
Dubasov (L), Sommerfeldt (4) and Allen
(June 20) The Rossland Capilanos capitalized on first-inning jitters by the Creston Maroons and swept both ends of a WKSBL twin-bill in the Valley town by scores of 4 to 0 and 3 to 0. Joe Zanussi, still recovering from a shoulder injury, pitched a masterful three-hit shutout in the matinée scuffle to chalk up his third pitching triumph of the campaign against just one loss. John Hadikin went all the way on the bump for the Maroons in suffering the loss. Doubles by Barry Seal and Bob Profili followed by Zanussi’s single accounted for two early Rossland counters which proved to be ample for the triumph.
Zanussi (W) and xxx
Hadikin (L) and xxx
The Caps plated all three of their counters in the opening stanza of the seven-inning nightcap off losing tosser Ken Walker and rode the two-hit twirling of Seal to post their second consecutive whitewashing. The key blows in the early outburst were doubles by Art Field and Seal as well as a one-bagger by Zanussi. Jim Barnes, first sacker for the Central Kootenay nine, stroked a double off Seal in the first frame but was erased in trying to stretch his blow into a triple. Zanussi was the only player on either team to register two base raps in the finale.
Seal (W) and xxx
Walker (L) and xxx
(June 22) The Trail Silver Kings and the Rossland Capilanos divided the spoils as the locked horns in double-duty action in the Golden City. The Silver Kings copped the regularly-scheduled encounter 5 to 1 after the Caps had emerged with a narrow 7 to 6 win in the completion of a game begun on May 25 and suspended by darkness with the teams knotted in a 6 – 6 tie. The Caps needed only two batters to salt away the suspended tilt when, with one retired, Art Field lit up losing flinger Don Mainland for a solo home run and the walkoff win. Barry Seal got the win. Both chuckers had been on the knoll when the game had been halted in May.
The regular encounter went Trail’s way in the sixth stanza when they put up a three-spot on Don Szilagyi’s bases-loaded double, breaking up a 1 – 1 duel between the Silver City’s Al Doherty and Seal. Doherty picked up the hillock verdict with sixth-stanza aid from Mainland. The Trail tandem held the Caps to just two safeties while Seal, the loser, was nicked for five base knocks.
(June 24) The Trail Silver Kings took an early lead but had to hang on to escape with a 4 to 3 verdict in a joust with the Nelson Indians at Butler Park. The Kings led 4 to 0 after the second stanza and appeared on their way to a comfortable win behind the southpaw slants of Dale Payette before the Indians caught fire in the seventh spasm when they plated a trey and had the tying counter in scoring position before the balloon burst. Starting pitcher Doug Sommerfeldt of the Tribe issued three second-inning bases-on-balls before a double by Don Szilagyi and a single off the bat of Ron Rebelato produced all four Silver City counters. Bryan Dubasov came on in relief and blanked the hosts for the rest of the encounter, ringing up nine punchouts along the way. A routine ground ball by Nelson playing-manager Frank Hufty, with two aboard in the final frame, rolled through the wickets of the Silver King keystone sacker and allowed the Indians’ first runner to cross the pan. Dubasov then nailed a sharp single to drive in a pair of tallies to reduce the Lakesiders’deficit to a singleton. He moved to second base on an out but was thrown out at home on a fine heave from the outer pasture in attempting to score the equalizer when Ernie Moisey singled off reliever Don Mainland.
(June 29) The Rossland Capilanos dumped the Nelson Indians 10 to 9 in a wild game hosted by the Golden City nine. The lead changed hands throughout the game, the final result of which wasn’t decided until the bottom-of-the-seventh stanza when veteran Lou DeRosa singled, swiped the keystone sack and romped home on Len Cederholm’s single. Larry Brandt grabbed the mound verdict over Bryan Dubasov.
(June 30) The Trail Silver Kings travelled to Nelson and absorbed a 4 to 3 defeat at the hands of the Indians. The result wasn’t decided until an overtime frame was played in which the Lakesiders plated the tie-breaker on a passed ball. Pat Price picked up the hurling conquest, outduelling Trail’s ace Don Mainland. The Silver Kings had plenty of scoring opportunities but were never able to produce with ducks on the pond, stranding 12 baserunners.
(July 3) The Creston Maroons, plagued by an inept offensive production and mental lapses afield, continued to fall deeper into the cellar of the West Kootenay Senior Baseball League as the dropped both ends of a doubleheader to the invading Trail Silver Kings by scores of 7 to 1 and 5 to 0. Mike Ward pitched a strong five-hitter for Trail in the opener and got all the run support he needed in the fourth stanza when the Silver Kings got to losing chucker Allan Tompkins for an RBI single by Don Szilagyi and a two-run one-bagger by Ernie Brown.
Ward (W) and xxx
Tompkins (L) and xxx
Ernie Brown of the Silver Kings set the Creston nine down on three hits in the finale. John Hadikin allowed just four Trail safeties and rang up a dozen punchouts in absorbing the loss. He had a one-hitter going into the fifth when the Smelter Towners tallied a pair of counters following a single by Don Szilagyi, a sacrifice and a two-run tater by Mike Ward.
E. Brown (W) and xxx
Hadikin (L) and xxx
Trail Silver Kings 9 - 4 .692
Rossland Capilanos 9 - 8 .529
Nelson Indians 5 - 5 .500
Grand Forks Mets 3 - 4 .429
Creston Maroons 0 - 5 .000
(July 4) The Creston Maroons dropped a 5 to 4 squeaker to the Trail Silver Kings in a match that required two extra frames to decide a winner.
xxx (W) and xxx
Walker, Priestly (5), Hadikin (L) and xxx
(July 6) The Trail Silver Kings widened their margin atop the West Kootenay Senior Baseball League, recording a 3 to 1 win over the homestanding Rossland Capilanos in a tight pitcher’s duel. Don Mainland of the Smelter City nine and Rossland’s Larry Brandt were the pitchers of record and the fireballing Silver King hurler finally prevailed as his mates plated a deuce in the seventh for the win. Mainland allowed the Caps just five hits and walked one while increasing his season’s total of punchouts to 43. Nine bases-on-balls hurt Brandt, who yielded just three Trail safeties. In the second stanza, the Caps’ pitcher walked three batters, one of whom scored on a single by Mainland. The Rosslanders rebounded to tie the score in the fourth on an error, a single by Ray Picco and a sacrifice fly by Lou DeRosa. Singles by Rob Paterson and Mike Ward knocked across the go-ahead and insurance tallies for Trail in the seventh.
(July 7) Barry Seal and the rest of the Rossland Capilanos were reminded that errors and bases-on-balls to begin an inning can ruin a good performance as they dropped a 6 to 4 decision to the hosting Nelson Indians. Holding a narrow 3 to 2 lead entering the bottom-of-the-fifth, the Cap chucker issued a leadoff walk which was followed by an fielding miscue, leaving Indians at first and second. Ernie Moisey topped a slow-hit ground ball to third, moving up both runners and the big trouble began. Al Roemer lit into one of Seal’s deliveries, whacking a line drive over second which plated a deuce while Roemer, alertly, took second when his blast was momentarily fumbled in the outer pasture. A dinger by Terry Minnis followed which put the Tribe in front 6 – 3 and it stayed that way until Rossland’s final at bat when Art Field’s sacrifice fly drove in Joe Zanussi, who had hit a bloop triple down the right-field line, but that was the end of any comeback attempt. Brian Dubasov garnered the complete-game pitching win as Seal was saddled with the loss. A two-run double by Don Holmes in the top-of-the-fifth was the most impactful clout of the game for the Golden City nine.
The Creston Maroons, with a 0-9 record, withdrew from the WKSBL and forfeited their final seven scheduled games.
(July 8) Led by Lou DeRosa’s three-run homer and a three-for-four batting performance by Don Holmes, which produced four RBI’s, the Rossland Capilanos powered themselves to a convincing 10 to 6 conquest of the Nelson Indians in a WKSBL clash played at Jubilee Park. Portsider Joe Zanussi of the Caps recorded his fourth pitching win of the campaign with a nine-strikeout, four-walk mound effort. The Tribe’s Pat Price was stung with the defeat. Bob McIvor and Armando Porco both drove in a pair of tallies for the Nelsonites.
(July 9) Grand Forks scored eight runs on just four hits Thursday to whip Trail Silver Kings 8-2. The visitors took advantage of 14 free passes issued by Trail starter Dale Payette and reliever Al Doherty. It could have been worse. Payette loaded the bases on walks in the first inning and Grand Forks loaded them up again in the second and still failed the score. They broke through with three in the third helped by two infield errors a walk and a triple by Ron Hamagami. They put the game on ice with a five-run outburst in the sixth. Harry Stroukoff went five innings for the win.
Stroukoff (W), B.Hamagami (6) and Fofonoff
Payette (L), Doherty (6) and Picone
(July 25) The Grand Forks Mets surprised the hosting Rossland Capilanos by sweeping a doubleheader from the Golden City nine by scores of 6 to 3 and 7 to 6. After the Caps had scored a three-spot in the first inning of the opening bout, largely on the strength of Rich Miller’s two-run double, they were outplayed by the spirited Mets throughout the remainder of the contest. A three-run outburst in the fifth inning won it for the visitors and pinned the loss on Joe Zanussi. Jack Strukoff took the pitching win which improved his season’s record to 4 - 1.
The late clash ended up being a mound test between a pair of position players who rarely ascended the knoll. Bill Goddard of Grand Forks was eventually the winner over Steve McFarland, who had come on in relief of Barry Seal in the fifth frame. Down 5 to 1 as they came to bat in the bottom-of-the-fifth, Rossland knotted the count on a pair of two-run circuit-clouts by Zanussi and Seal and then went ahead 6 to 5 when Les McInnis scored on an RBI-single by Zanussi. Grand Forks wrapped things up in the seventh when they plated a deuce with the final counter coming home on a bases-loaded walk by McFarland.
(July 29) The Nelson Indians, a team without a home last season, found the confines of the Civic Centre field to their liking this season as they emerged with the regular-season pennant for 1971 after a hard-fought three-way race. The Tribe did it with a clutch 9 to 7 victory over the Trail Silver Kings in their final league match. The win for the Lakesiders left them tied with the Silver Kings and the Grand Forks Mets at the end of the regular schedule with identical .625 percentages but the Indians were awarded the flag on the basis of their showing in showdown jousts involving the three contenders. In the crucial finale, the visiting Nelsonites struck for four runs in the first inning and added five more in the third, cruising the rest of the way behind winning pitcher Bob Jeffs who breezed a half dozen. Smelter City heaver Al Doherty was saddled with the loss. A two-run triple by Terry Minnis was the impactful blow that ignited the Tribe to their opening-canto lead. RBI-bingles by Armando Porco and Ernie Moisey were the raps that spearheaded the third-inning Nelson thrust. The Silver Kings scored once in each of the third and fourth panels, added a brace in the fifth and plated a trey in the seventh.
FINAL STANDINGS W L Pct.
Nelson Indians 15 9 .625
Trail Silver Kings 15 9 .625
Grand Forks Mets 10 6 .625
Rossland Capilanos 12 12 .500
Creston Maroons 0 16 .000
PLAYOFFS - SEMI-FINALS
Grand Forks Mets vs Nelson Indians and Rossland Capilanos vs Trail Silver Kings (best-of-three series)
(August 15) The Grand Forks Mets defeated the Nelson Indians in a tightly-fought semi-final opener 4 to 3 in the Lakeside city. A well-executed squeeze bunt in the seventh episode by the Mets’ John Seminoff plated Jack Goddard with what turned out to be the winning run, breaking a 3 – 3 tie. Goddard had reached the hot corner sack with a long, line-drive triple to right-field. The Forkmen had to come-from-behind with a sixth-stanza tally to knot the count, setting the stage for their seventh-stanza winning thrust. A double by Mets’ flychaser Mike Fitzpatrick drove in that important equalizer. Brian Hamagami held the hard-hitting Tribe to just five hits in going the distance for the win, swishing nine along the way. Bryan Dubasov, who survived a shaky start only to falter again in the stretch run, was the losing twirler. Costly errors by both squads were instrumental in most of the early tallies in the joust.
(August 16) The Trail Silver Kings got off on the right foot in their semi-final series with the Rossland Capilanos when they came from behind the edge the Mountainmen 4 to 3 at Butler Park. Slabsters Larry Brandt of the Caps and Trail’s Don Mainland locked horns in complete-game outings, each whiffing five and walking three. Outhit by an 8 to 5 margin, the Silver Kings took advantage of an error by Caps’ outfielder Art Field in the fourth canto to score the lead and ultimate winning run. Field appeared to have made a running catch of a blooper off the bat of Ernie Brown but failed to hold the horsehide in the glove, allowing speedy baserunner Don Szilagyi to cross the dish from the hot corner station. In arrears 3 to 0 as they came to bat in the fourth, the Kings managed to tie things up on Gary Picone’s RBI-single and Sziagyi’s two-run triple. Then came the fateful miscue. Szilagyi had two hits for the Smeltermen while Ray Picco and Lou DeRosa each had a pair of safeties for the Golden City troupe.
(August 17) Portsider Joe Zanussi tamed the Trail Silver Kings on four hits as the Rossland Capilanos stormed back from their narrow loss in the opener to hammer the Silver City invaders 9 to 0, tying the semi-final series at a game apiece. Dale Payette took the loss for trail with Mike Ward coming on in relief in the first inning. The Caps pushed across two in the opening panel and then added six more in a wild and woolly third stanza to put the game out of reach. Surprisingly, the Caps generated plenty of offense without the benefit of the long ball as a double by Bob Profili was the lone extra-base hit they collected. Rich Miller and Ray Picco were the big batsmen for the Caps, both with two hits and two RBI’s. Zanussi also helped his cause with a pair of RBI’s.
(August 19) A disputed infield fly led to the game’s lone run as the visiting Rossland Capilanos nosed out the Trail Silver Kings 1 to 0 to win the best-of-three WKSBL semi-final series two games to one. With one out in the sixth inning and the bases loaded following Joe Zanussi’s ground-rule double and a pair of walks, the first being an intentional one to winning pitcher Barry Seal, Don Holmes hit a short fly which Trail first sacker Reg Cherenko failed to catch despite it being an automatic out. Zanussi, advancing at his own risk, scored from the hot corner and Seal, galloping in from second base, was thrown out at the dish for the third out. With two retired in the final frame, Zanussi came in to pitch for Rossland and recorded the final out. Winner Barry Seal gave up four Trail safeties while hard-luck loser Al Doherty surrendered just two.
(August 22) Riding the strong right arm of moundsman Bob Jeffs, the Nelson Indians walloped the Grand Forks Mets 9 to 4 at Donaldson Park to force a third-game in their best-of-three semi-final series. Losing chucker Harold Strukoff rang up 14 punchouts but loose defensive play by his mates led to his downfall.
Immediately after the Tribe evened the series, the two squads met once again to determine a series’ winner and the hosting Mets prevailed by blanking the Nelsonites 1 to 0. In the sixth stanza, Jack Goddard reached base on an Indians’ error, was sacrificed to second base on a bunt by John Seminoff, tagged up and moved to third after a long fly out and crossed the dish on a sacrifice fly to right-field by Don Robbie off a Bryan Dubasov pitch.
With the victory, the Mets advanced to face the Rossland Capilanos in the WKSBL finals.
FINALS Grand Forks Mets vs Rossland Capilanos (best-of-five series)
(August 28) The Rossland Capilanos and hosting Grand Forks Mets divided the spoils in the first of a pair of weekend playoff battles with the Caps capturing the curtain-raiser 3 to 1 before the Mets annexed the late encounter 5 to 4. Barry Seal’s two-run dinger in the seventh inning of the opener broke a 1 – 1 tie and won it for the Rosslanders as left-hander Joe Zanussi collected the mound victory with a four-hitter and nine punchouts. Harry Strukoff was raked for ten Rossland safeties in absorbing the loss.
The second game was in the infancy stage when the Caps’ Steve McFarland was ejected for throwing his bat after being called out on strikes and Barry Seal followed him to the showers in the third panel for protesting too strenuously on a third strike call. Rossland starting pitcher Larry Brandt exited the mound in the third inning with a blistered finger on his pitching hand after the Mets had scored three times. Zanussi was forced to takeover for the shorthanded visitors, surrendering two more runs in the fifth. Although his mates pecked away at the lead, they came up one run short as the Forkers evened the series at a game apiece. Bill Goddard was credited with the pitching win.
(August 29) Once again, the two finalists for the WKSBL playoff crown split a twin-bill. Playing in Rossland, the Grand Forks Mets overcame a first-inning 2 to 0 deficit to bounce the homestanding Caps 5 to 2 in the opener while the Capilanos avoided elimination by taking a 7 to 6 squeaker in the finale.
In the matinée tilt, Brian Hamagami of the Mets slammed the door on the Rossland hitters after giving up a pair of opening-inning tallies, allowing only one hit the rest of the way. Grand Forks’ markers came on a two-run single by Don Robbie in the third, a fourth-frame RBI one-bagger by Ron Hamagami and a two-run hit by winning tosser Brian Hamagami in the fifth.
The nightcap was an offensive struggle with the Caps outhitting the Mets 11 to 9. Rossland blew an early 4 to 0 lead they had acquired for starter Lou DeRosa by committing five errors. Heading into the seventh, the teams were deadlocked 6 – 6 but after Bob Profili singled and Larry Brandt walked, Joe Zanussi ended the proceedings with a two-bagger which drove in Proflili. Brandt, the third Rossland chucker following DeRosa and Barry Seal, was the winner while Bill Goddard, in relief of John Seminoff, was rocked with the loss. Seal led the Caps with the baton, stroking three hits while teammates Zanussi and Ray Picco chipped in with two each. Robbie, Mike Fitzpatrick and the brothers Goddard, Bill and Jack, each contributed a brace of base raps for the vanquished nine.
(September 1) Experience paid off as the Rossland Capilanos captured the 1971 WKSBL championship by blanking the upstart Grand Forks Mets 3 to 0 in the showdown game of their best-of-five final series. A misplayed fly ball in the opening canto allowed Ray Picco and Art Field to score a pair of unearned tallies and set the Caps on the road to victory. Steve McFarland added a third Capilano counter, also of the unearned variety, in the second spasm when he tripled and romped home on an infield error. The Mets outhit Rossland 6 to 3 but couldn’t produce any runs for losing hurler Harry Strukoff who whiffed five and walked one. Southpaw Joe Zanussi registered three strikeouts and issued a couple of free passes in going the route for the mound decision. As repeat champions of the circuit, the Golden City nine claimed their sixth WKSBL crown in the past seven seasons.
(September 10-12) Trail $1,000 weekend baseball tournament
| West Kootenay Senior All-Stars |
||
| 1st Team | ||
| Ted Allen NEL | C | |
| Joe Zanussi RLD | 1B | |
| Bob Jeffs NEL | 2B | |
| Jack Goddard GF | 3B | |
| Al Doherty TR | SS | |
| Armando Porco NEL | LF | |
| Rob Patterson TR | CF | |
| Al Roemer NEL | RF | |
| Don Mainland TR | P | |
2nd Team |
||
| Don Robbie GF | C | |
| John Seminoff GF | 1B | |
| Ron Rebellato TR | 2B | |
| Ernie Moisey NEL | 3B | |
| Terry Minnis NEL | SS | |
| Mike Ward TR | LF | |
| Preston Zeeben NEL | CF | |
| Barry Seal RLD | RF | |
| Harold Strukoff GF | P | |
SLOCAN-ARROW LAKES SENIOR BASEBALL LEAGUE
Nakusp
New Denver
Winlaw
(June 6) Ben Wilkowski of New Denver, pitching in his first senior game, fanned 15 as New Denver coasted to a 5-1 victory over Winlaw in the Slocan-Arrow Lakes Baseball League opener. The young Combines hurler wiggled out of three bases-loaded situations to go the distance for the win. Lew Sherrod led off the second with a towering three-bagger and scored on rookie Jim Hick's blooper for the game's first marker. Catcher Dave Groenhousen led the winners with three hits, one a triple. George Bara led Winlaw with a triple and a single. Paul Stoochinoff pitched well for Winlaw but came up with a sore arm in the seventh and was relieved by Mark Brons.
P.Stoochinoff (L), M.Brons (7) and xxx
Wilkowski (W) and Groenhousen
(July 18) Right handed heaver Bill Markin of the New Denver-Silverton Combines spent the afternoon pitching himself out of bases-loaded jams but his teammates pounded two Nakusp pitchers for 13 hits to give Markin his fourth win of the season as the Combines captured a lopsided 17 to 8 verdict in Slocan-Arrow Lakes Baseball League action. The game was highlighted by the defensive play of Lou Sherrod and rookie Bob White of the Combines and the smooth play of Nakusp shortstop Gordon Yolland. Third baseman Phil Angignon led the New Denver batting attack with three hits including a triple. Markin came through with a triad of safeties as well while Sherrod blasted a three-bagger and single. Doug Thring cranked a solo round-tripper for the victors.
Standings W L Pts.
New Denver-Silverton 4 0 8
Winlaw 2 2 4
Nakusp 0 4 0
(August 15) The Winlaw senior baseballers ended the lingering hopes of a playoff spot for Nakusp with an easy 17 to 6 win before disappointed Nakusp fans in Slocan-Arrow Lakes League play. Grant Brons went the distance on the knoll for the Combines, allowing seven hits while striking out nine and walking a pair. Losing twirler George Keay was raked for 13 safeties while breezing eight and issuing seven free passes. The big man with the baton for Winlaw was Jack Parr who clipped the horsehide for three doubles.
Standings W L Pts.
New Denver-Silverton 6 0 12
Winlaw 3 4 6
Nakusp 1 6 2
PLAYOFFS
(September 12) New Denver-Silverton Combines are Slocan-Arrow Lakes champions for the fourth consecutive season. The Combines crushed Winlaw 11-2 Sunday in the final game of the 1971 playoffs. Right-hander Bill Markin settled down after a shaky start to whiff 15 batters to coast to his 10th win of the season. He lost just once. First baseman Ron Ray banged out three hits, one a triple, to lead the winners. Doug Thring, after a month-long layoff with an injury, collected a triple and single. The sharp fielding Combines infield anchored by shortstop Phil Angrignon prevented Winlaw from starting any kind of rally. Markin not only starred on the mound, he was the club's leading hitter. Jim Aird presented Combines' captain Dave Groenhousen with the league trophy.
xxx, xxx and xxx
Markin (W) and Groenhousen
QUESNEL SENIOR BASEBALL LEAGUE
Team composition within the circuit remained stable with the same four entries from 1970 returning for another campaign. Lengthy periods of rain played havoc with and hampered completion of a planned 44-game schedule. Billy Barker Inn
Jen’s Hobos
Merchants
Selects
(May 27) The Merchants dumped the Billy Barker Inn 7 to 4 as Rod Dyck snatched the pitching verdict from Pete Swanson. Both teams had seven hits.
(May 29) Bob Gibb tossed a no-hitter as Jen’s Hobos blanked the Selects 3 to 0. Gibb recorded nine punchouts in his pitching gem. Ken Woodcock of the Hobos had the game’s only extra-base blow, connecting for a double off losing chucker Arnie Prediger.
(May 30) Billy Barker batters had a field day as the Innkeepers blitzed Jen’s Hobos 11 to 0. Jack Murphy batted in four runs for the winners. Terry Yalowega gave up just two hits in copping the shutout pitching win.
(June 1) The Selects moved into a first-place tie with Jen’s Hobos by rolling over the Merchants 9 to 6. Bob Savard connected for a first-inning grand-slam home run for the victors. John Booth allowed six hits in earning the knoll triumph over Butch Meyers who was nicked for nine safeties.
(June 3) Jen’s Hobos let loose with a barrage of hits, including a three-bagger by winning tosser Bob Gibb, as they crushed the Merchants 12 to 2. Les Luciuk and Ken Woodcock of the Hobos lit up losing flinger Rod Dyck and reliever Joe Weremy for three base knocks apiece.
(June 5) Jim Alton nailed a sixth-inning double that drove in John Booth with the winning tally as the Selects nosed out Billy Barker 4 to 3. Dale Phoenix allowed seven hits in taking the win while loser Terry Yalowega was raked for eight safeties.
(June 6) The Hobos opened up an early 5 to 0 lead and hung on to edge the Billy Barker Inn 6 to 5. Bob Gibb of Jen’s outlasted Jerry Ciochetti to grab the knoll triumph.
(June 17) The Merchants posted a 9 to 2 victory over the Billy Barker Inn as Rod Livingstone and George Williams both slashed a pair of safeties in support of the three-hit pitching of winning pitcher Rod Dyck. Terry Yalowega was saddled with the hillock defeat.
(June 19) Ace slabster Bob Gibb pitched Jen’s Hobos to a 2 to 1 victory over the Selects to take over possession of first place in the league. Bob Spooner’s solo homer in the fourth canto was the winning blow. Gibb allowed five hits while Glen Nordin, who was stung with the knoll setback, was touched for seen safe swats.
(June 20) In the opening game of a twin-bill. the Selects doubled the Merchants 8 to 4 as John Booth went the route on the bump to earn the win with a four-hitter. Losing flinger Lorne Rodonets was lit up for a three-run tater by Max Helzel and a two-run dinger off the bat of Jim Alton.
Jen’s Hobos prevailed 7 to 4 over Billy Barker in the second half of the action. Winning tosser Eric Sanderson limited the Innkeepers to six safeties while loser Don McKay was combed for 13 base blows. Vic Sloan and Ralph Beaudry were the big hitters for the Tramps in this skirmish.
(July 2-4) A six-team double-knockout tournament in Quesnel involving six teams was washed out by rain.
(July 11) The Selects and Billy Barker squads managed to sneak in one game between downpours this week with the Innkeepers coming out on top 2 to 1. An interference call that went against the Selects allowed baserunner Terry Yalowega, who also was the winning pitcher, to score from third base with the deciding run. Highlighting the game were two spectacular catches by Jerry Ciochetti that saved the Barker’s from going down to defeat. Arnie Prediger went the route on the slab for the Selects and was the hard-luck loser.
Standings W L GBL
Selects 9 4 ----
Jen’s Hobos 5 5 2.5
Billy Barker Inn 4 6 3.5
Merchants 4 7 4.0
(July 13) Behind the clutch pitching of Pete Swanson, the Billy Barker Inn edged the Merchants 4 to 3. Don McKay and Al Jobe did the most damage with the lumber against losing chucker Norm Rednetz.
(July 14) With Terry Yalowega pitching, the Billy Barker Inn exploded for four runs in the third inning and went on to clobber Jen’s Hobos 8 to 1. Catcher Wayne Inglis of the Innkeepers belted a home run off losing twirler Jerry Thomas.
(July 15) The Selects went on a hitting spree and overwhelmed Jen’s Hobos 11 to 5. Dale Phoenix was the winning moundsman while Ken Woodcock was saddled with the loss.
(July 17) The Billy Barker Inn baseballers stayed hot, winning their fourth this month by taking a 12 to 5 walkathon win over Jen’s Hobos. Pitchers Wayne Stuckleberger and Carson Kerr of the Hobos issued ten free passes to the Innkeepers before Dick Sloan ascended the bump and restored order. The winning hurler was Pete Swanson who was aided to victory by Eric Johnson who had a trio of safe swats and Jerry Ciochetti who connected twice for base raps. Leading swatsmiths for the Tramps were Tom Spooner with three safeties and Ken Woodcock with a pair.
(July 18) The Selects built up a sizeable 13 to 1 lead but had to withstand a late comeback attempt by the Merchants before exiting with a 13 to 9 triumph. Wally Pruden launched a brace of four-ply clouts for the winners in support of winning tosser John Booth. Joe Weremy went six innings on the knoll for the Retailers before getting the hook for Eric Larsen.
(July 20) Jen’s Hobos and the Merchants locked horns in a double-dip at Alex Fraser Park with the Hobos sweeping the Retailers by scores of 15 to 6 and 4 to 3. The opener was the completion of a rain-shortened game, suspended earlier in the schedule. Gordon James snatched the mound verdict at the expense of Butch Meyers. The Hobos overcame a 3 to 0 deficit to cop the evening encounter as Eric Swanson won the knoll battle over Rod Dyck.
(July 23) The Selects padded their first-place margin by downing the Billy Barker squad 11 to 7. The Innkeepers led 4 to 0 early in the game but fell apart in the middle innings as the Selects took control of things and hammered the cover off the horsehide. Wally Pruden belted his league-leading seventh tater of the campaign, a three-run shot, for the Selects while teammate Floyd Green belted his first of the season, a grand-slam dinger. Rene Turgeon added a third round-tipper for the winners, a solo blast. Dale Phoenix was awarded the hillock victory in relief of starter Arnie Prediger while loser Pete Swanson was derricked midway in the affair for Terry Yalowega.
(July 27) The Billy Barker diamond troopers took control of the game in the early stages and went on to defeat Jen’s Hobos 9 to 7. The Tramps used three chuckers, starter and loser Wayne Stuckleberger, Gordon Jones and Jerry Thomas, in an attempt to stem the tide from the bats of the Innkeepers.
(July 29) Billy Barker Inn walloped the cellar-dwelling Merchants 17 to 4, scoring in every inning of the contest. Terry Yalowega cruised to the easy mound victory while his mates were battering the offerings of four tossers from the Retailers including starter and loser Rod Dyck.
(July 31) Jen’s Hobos dropped a 4 to 2 decision to the Merchants. Lorne Rodenets claimed the complete-game win as Eric Sanderson took the loss.
(August 1) After winning a pair of games earlier in the week, the Billy Barker Inn nine lost a narrow 5 to 4 contest to the league-leading Selects. Home run power in the final canto boosted the Selects to the triumph. In arrears by a 4 to 2 count, the front-runners were the beneficiaries of a two-run round-tripper by Wally Pruden and a solo shot by Floyd Green to send the Innkeepers down to a crushing defeat.
Standings W L GBL
Selects 13 4 ----
Billy Barker Inn 9 8 4.0
Jen’s Hobos 7 10 6.0
Merchants 5 12 8.0
B. C. SENIOR AMATEUR BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
(August 6) Wayne Leonard lit up losing flinger Dale Phoenix with a three-run homer in the eighth inning which boosted the Okanagan All-Stars a 4 to 2 victory over the Quesnel Senior Baseball League All-Stars in the tourney opener of the 1971 B. C. Senior Amateur Baseball championship tournament in New Westminster. Leonard was credited with two of his team’s three hits and knocked in all four runs. Quesnel’s Jim Blair was the Cariboo’s big gun with two hits in three trips to the plate.
(August 7) The Kootenay All-Stars outlasted the Quesnel Senior All-Stars, coming from behind on three occasions to topple the Cariboo entry by an 11 to 9 count. The loss eliminated Quesnel from the double-knockout tournament. Arnie Prediger, the last of three Quesnel pitchers, was charged with the loss.
PLAYOFFS
SEMI-FINALS (best-of-three series) Jen’s Hobos Selects vs Selects & Billy Barker Inn vs Merchants
(August 10) The pennant-winning Selects got off on the right foot in their semi-final series with Jen’s Hobos, blanking the Tramps 3 to 0 on the strength of the one-hit pitching of Arnie Prediger. The victors collected six hits and took advantage of three Hobo errors. Prediger fanned seven in posting the complete-game win, surrendering only a single to Tom Spooner. The Selects went ahead 2 to 0 in the second spasm after Dale Phoenix singled and was doubled home by Rene Turgeon who himself touched the plate on an RBI one-bagger by Bob Savard. Jim Alton added the third and final counter for the winners in the sixth stanza when he singled, was sacrificed to second by Wally Pruden and scored on an error. Jerry Thomas, who was given the hook in the sixth panel, was nicked with the loss.
(August 11) The last-place Merchants upset the Billy Barker Inn 6 to 5 in the opener of their playoff series at Alex Fraser Park. The Retailers posted a four-spot in the opening chapter to jump into a comfortable lead. They added a deuce in the second on a two-run homer by Butch Meyers with winning pitcher Lorne Rodenets aboard but were forced to hang-on to the very end to secure the victory as the B-B’s began to chip away at the deficit. A solo home run by Jerry Ciochetti and a four-for-four batting performance by shortstop Jim Crewe helped the Innkeepers narrow the margin to a singleton but a last-ditch effort to secure the tying run fell just short as Crewe was thrown out at home and Eric Johnson took a called third strike to end the game.
(August 12) A 6 to 1 defeat at the hands of the Selects eliminated Jen’s Hobos from the playoffs. Dale Phoenix whiffed 11 and was touched for just one hit in going the route for the win. A double in the opening canto by outfielder Tom Spooner was the lone bingle surrendered by Phoenix. Wally Pruden and Jim Alton both cracked two-run dingers for the Selects. Pruden also had an RBI single. Eric Sanderson was tagged with the loss.
(August 14) Pushing across nine big counters in the fifth inning, the Billy Barker Inn dashed the Merchants’ hopes of winding up their best-of-three series in two straight. When the dust had settled, the Barker Boys had a 12 to 5 game two conquest and the series was tied. Catcher Wayne Inglis and third sacker Al Jobe of the Innkeepers smashed a home run each in the fifth-frame outburst of the rout that was called after five innings because of darkness. Jim Crewe, shortstop for the Barkers, and flychaser Dave Beath both picked up three-base hits in their last turn at bat as Terry Yalowega was credited with the knoll triumph.
(August 15) Billy Barker annexed the deciding game in their semi-final showdown by earning a 4 to 1 win over the Merchants. Larry Travers, who toed the rubber for the Innkeepers during the first 5-1/3 innings of the rubber match, picked up the hurling decision. Joe Weremy was charged with the loss. The B-B’s scored a pair in each of the second and third frames to move in front 4 to 0. The Retailers’ only run came in the fifth when shortpatcher Butch Meyers singled, moved into scoring position on a sacrifice and crossed the plate on a single by Weremy.
FINALS (best-of-five series) Billy Barker Inn vs Selects
(August 17) The underdog entry in the Quesnel Senior Baseball League finals, the Billy Barker Inn, upset the pennant-winning Selects 7 to 2 in the opener of the best-of-five series. Playing errorless afield, the Innkeepers assumed control of the game when first baseman Eric Johnson drove in three runs with a base-loaded double and rode the steady twirling of winning tosser Pete Swanson to the finish line. Glen Nordin was nicked with the loss.
(August 18) A brace of counters in the fifth frame boosted the Billy Barker baseballers to a 3 to 1 triumph over the Merchants and a two-game lead in the final series. With the score knotted at 1 – 1, second sacker Bob Cyca of the darkhorse Innkeepers singled, stole the keystone sack, went to third on a wild pitch by losing chucker Arnie Prediger, then stole home. Prediger had come on to relieve starter Dale Phoenix who was injured in the third spasm. Later in the same panel, Don Festerling drove in Pete Swanson with an insurance tally. Terry Yalowega successfully scattered nine Merchant safeties to capture the knoll victory.
(August 19) A 15 to 5 thumping of the Selects by the Billy Barker Inn ended the final series and gave the B-B’s the 1971 Quesnel Senior Baseball League championship in a three-game sweep. Pete Swanson, in relief of Larry Travers, took the hillock verdict over Wally Pruden who was derricked mid-game in favor of Arnie Prediger. Catcher Wayne Inglis of the winners nailed a three-run tater in the fifth frame while Swanson launched a solo dinger earlier in the inning. Al Jobe contributed a pair of doubles and a single to the onslaught, driving in four counters. Both teams played sloppily afield while the Barkers held a distinct 11 to 4 advantage in base knocks.
1971 INDIVIDUAL PLAYER AWARDS
Most Valuable Player – Wally Pruden (Selects)
Most Home Runs – Wally Pruden (Selects)
Most Popular Player – Bob Cyca (Billy Barker)
Best Outfielder – Jerry Ciochetti (Billy Barker)
Rookie of the Year – Don Festerling (Billy Barker)
Best Infielder – Jim Alton (Selects)
Top Batting Average – Ken Woodcock (Jen’s Hobos)
Best Catcher – Wayne Inglis (Billy Barker)
Best Pitcher – Dale Phoenix (Selects)