SOUTHERN LEAGUE
The 1972 Southern League is back to a five-team circuit. The Melville Millionaires withdrew and requested a one year's leave of absence to get their ship in order. After last season's disastrous last-place finish, the Melville franchise wants to concentrate on building a solid junior program to provide depth for future seasons of senior competition within the Southern League. A current lack of competitive playing personnel was the prime reason for the pullout although the Millionaires were also opposed to a move to increase import quotas to two for teams which made the playoffs and to three for non-playoff teams, flatly indicating that their revenues could not support such a change. Last season, the Millionaires started the season with two American players but released both mid-way through the schedule. The Regina Red Sox, the other club missing last season's playoffs, also voted against the import proposal as the Regina club has always maintained a local development-of-players policy.
The Moose Jaw franchise, known as the Regals for the past several seasons, will now be called the Devons beginning this campaign.
(May 28) Ed Lukowich drilled a single in the bottom of the 10th inning that drove in Don McLeod as the Saskatoon Commodores opened the 1972 Southern League season with a narrow 3 to 2 win over the visiting Regina Red Sox. Pat Price, a hard-throwing 17-year old, turned in a five-hit, 14 strikeout performance in his first Southern League performance in stifling the Sox. The Reginans had taken a 2 to 1 lead in the top of the seventh on playing-manager Jim Paisley's RBI single. The Commodores pulled even in their half of the seventh when Price singled to drive home Russ Williams who had doubled. Randy Munch, Gary Brandon and Price each had two singles for the winners.
Johnson, Sawa (L) (8) and Logan
Price (W) and R. Williams
(May 28) The newly-named Moose Jaw Devons struck for three runs in the fifth inning to take down the Swift Current Indians 4 to 2 in the Southern League opener for both clubs. Swift Current rookie chucker Wayne Pusch pitched superbly in defeat, limiting the defending champions to four hits while fanning 15 batters in his seven inning stint on the hill. Fred Cardwell got the win with eight innings of mound work. Gary Erfle's two-run single in the fifth was the blow that inspired the three-run inning and put a damper on Pusch's fine outing.
Pusch (L), Buck (8) and Nybo
Cardwell (W), Bruce (9), Rowley (9) and Tollefson
(May 29) Randy Sawa turned in a three-hit gem as he guided the Regina Red Sox to a 4 to 0 whitewashing of the Yorkton Cardinals at Mount Pleasant Park. It was the Cards first game of the regular season. Sawa sent 12 Yorkton batters down on strikes while walking just one. The Sox got Sawa all the scoring he needed in their half of the opening frame when losing pitcher Mike Girazian, one of the Cardinals imports from Fresno California, issued a bases-loaded walk to Jim Paisley, forcing in a run. Rich Gergley was the Sox' leader at the plate with a double and two singles.
Girazian (L) and Johnson
Sawa (W) and Logan
(May 30) The Yorkton Cardinals gave the Regina Red Sox a taste of their own medicine and the result was a 5 to 1 decision for the Redbirds. Import John Eichholtz handcuffed the Reginans on a two-hitter in leading Yorkton to their first win. Back-to-back doubles by Don Laube and Eichholtz accounted for the Cards' first run in the second inning. They added two more in each of the fifth and sixth before allowing the Sox to garner a lone run in the ninth. Ross Tycoles connected for the first homer of the season in the Southern League to start the Cardinals' two-run fifth inning. Tycoles paced the 11-hit Yorkton offense with his dinger plus three singles. Don Bowes also picked up a trio of singles for the Redbirds.
Seeley (L), Barr (7) and Logan
Eichholtz (W) and Johnson
(May 31) The Regina Red Sox, playing their fourth game in as many nights, evened their record at 2 and 2 with a 5 to 1 victory over the Moose Jaw Devons. Left-hander Bob Currie unfurled a five-hitter to spark the Red Sox to victory. The Washington State University sophomore fanned 12 in making his first start back with his hometown nine a winning one. Regina took a 1 to 0 lead in the second frame on a run-scoring triple by newcomer Larry Nakonechny. The Devons evened the count in the fourth on Clark Gillies solo homer. A bases-loaded two-run double by third baseman Kim Williams decided the game in Regina's favour in the fifth. Williams led the Red Sox seven-hit attack with a pair of hits. Rookie Paul Nelson went the distance for the Devons and lost, giving up seven hits while fanning 14.
Currie (W) and McCrystal, Logan (4)
Nelson (L) and Tollefson
(June 2) Left-hander Randy Sawa pitched his second consecutive three-hit shutout as the Regina Red Sox blanked the Moose Jaw Devons 1 to 0 at Mount Pleasant Park. Of the eight strikeouts that he recorded, the two with the most impact came in the third inning when he fired called third strikes past Clark Gillies and Ivan Gutfriend with the bases loaded. Losing hurler Fred Cardwell also threw a three-hitter and held the Sox hitless through the first four frames. Andy Logan's eighth inning sacrifice fly drove in the game's only run.
Cardwell (L) and Tollefson
Sawa (W) and Logan
(June 2) The Saskatoon Commodores scored seven runs in the second inning and went on to defeat the Swift Current Indians 9 to 3. Dennis Migliazzo, a six-foot-six-inch right-hander from Los Angeles, was the winning pitcher, going eight innings and allowing all six Swift Current hits while striking out ten. Loser Fred Olheiser lasted only 1 1/3 innings on the hill. Dave Renwick had two hits and drove in three runs for Saskatoon while John Migneault and Brian Keegan each hit a solo home run for the Tribe.
Olheiser (L), Pusch (2) and Nybo
Migliazzo (W), McMillan (9) and Neal, R. Williams (9)
(June 3) A solo homer by Ross Tycoles in the seventh inning pulled the Yorkton Cardinals into a 4 - 4 tie game with the Moose Jaw Devons. Tycoles hit a single, in addition to his second homer of the season, to lead the Cardinals' 10-hit attack. Teammate Don Bowes had a pair of doubles and a single while Gary Syrota and Don Laube both singled twice. The Devons managed only five hits off Yorkton's complete game pitcher, import right-hander Mike Girazian, with Roy Rowley collecting two of them, both singles.
Rowley, Nelson (5) and Tollefson
Girazian and Ortynski, Johnson (8)
(June 4) The Swift Current Indians, led by the hitting and pitching of import Terry Buck, thrashed the Saskatoon Commodores 13 to 4 for their first victory of the 1972 Southern League season. Buck was almost a one-man show for the Tribe, going five-for-five at the plate as well as sending 11 Commodores down on strikes. Included in his five hits were two doubles and four RBI's. Brian Keegan, the Indians' playing-manager, also had a big day at the plate, collecting a trio of base knocks. Brian Dickie doubled twice.
McMillan (L), Lazecki (1) and xxx
Buck (W) and Nybo
(June 6) The Regina Red Sox vaulted into an early 3 to 0 lead and hung on to defeat the Swift Current Indians 3 to 2. Swift Current's Bobby Martin stroked his second hit of the game, an eighth-inning single, to drive in both markers for the Tribe and make things a bit more uncomfortable for Red Sox' reliever Russ Barr. Newcomer Larry Nakonechny was the only Regina player to pick up more than one hit, rapping a pair of singles.
Pusch (L) and Nybo
Currie (W), Barr (8) and Logan
(June 6) The Moose Jaw Devons scored two runs in the first inning and went on to defeat the Saskatoon Commodores 8 to 1 at Ross Wells Park. Roy Rowley paced the Devons with two hits including a two-run double while Larry Tollefson hit a solo home run. Fred Cardwell went the distance for the mound win, his second of the young campaign. He allowed seven hits and fanned six Saskatoon batters.
Price (L), Renwick (7) and Neal
Cardwell (W) and Tollefson
(June 7) A first-inning lead-off homer by Roy Rowley sparked the Moose Jaw Devons to a 5 to 0 victory over the Swift Current Indians at Mitchell Field. Paul Nelson fanned 12 and walked three in picking up the mound victory. Bryan Adams hit two doubles for the Devons while Nelson and Clark Gillies both socked a double and single. Bobby Martin had the lone extra-base hit for the Tribe, a double. Fred Olheiser, who struck out eight and walked two, was tagged with the loss.
Nelson (W) and xxx
Olheiser (L) and xxx
(June 7) The Saskatoon Commodores scored five times in the third inning en route to a 6 to 3 win over the Yorkton Cardinals at Jubilee Park. Dennis Migliazzo scattered four hits in picking up the victory. He also handled the hickory with skill, drilling three singles. Zenon "Zeke" Markowsky belted a three-run homer for the Bridge City boys.
Migliazzo (W) and R. Williams
Eichholtz (L) and Johnson
(June 9) The Regina Red Sox backed the four-hit, 16 strikeout performance of veteran southpaw Randy Sawa with a 13-hit attack for a convincing 15 to 1 victory over the Moose Jaw Devons at wind-blown Mount Pleasant Park. Rich Gergley had a pair of doubles and a single for the Sox while Andy Logan smacked three singles. Both players drove in three runs. Fred Heward ripped a double and single and Larry Nakonechny blasted a three-run homer. Moose Jaw's only run came on a bases-empty dinger by Bryan Adams.
Bruce (L), Andreoni (4), Adams (6) and Tollefson, Steel (7)
Sawa (W) and Logan
(June10) The Swift Current Indians pushed across three runs in the top of the eighth inning and then held on for a 5 to 4 victory over the Yorkton Cardinals in the first game of their weekend set in Yorkton. Terry Buck scattered eight hits and fanned eight in earning the narrow win over Mike Girazian.
Buck (W) and Nybo
Girazian (L) and Johnson
(June11) Riding the two-hit pitching of rookie chucker Wayne Pusch, the Swift Current Indians blanked the Yorkton Cardinals to move into a third-place tie with the Saskatoon Commodores in the Southern League. Bob Martin's sacrifice fly in the fourth frame provided Pusch with all the scoring he would need. John Eichholtz went down to defeat for the Redbirds as he gave up six hits, one being a solo homer to Bob Lewis.
Pusch (W) and Nybo
Eichholtz (L) and Johnson
(June12) On Roy Rowley Night in Moose Jaw, Rowley had a two-run homer, a double and a single, driving in three runs, as the Moose Jaw Devons claimed their first win in four tries against the Regina Red Sox, beating the Scarlet Stockings 7 to 3 at Ross Wells Park. Fred Cardwell went the distance for the Devons to gain his third win in four decisions. Paul Nelson drilled a solo homer for Moose Jaw and added a pair of singles. Andy Logan and Larry Nakonechny each had a double and single for the Red Sox.
Seeley (L), Barr (1), Currie (7) and Logan
Cardwell (W) and Tollefson
(June 13) The Yorkton Cardinals halted a four-game winless streak when they beat the Saskatoon Commodores 6 to 5 in the Hub City. The Commodores had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the ninth after scoring their fifth run but Yorkton's Nelson Bryksa turned Mick Shaw's line drive into a double play to end the game. Mike Girazian picked up the win in relief, his first in three decisions since joining the Cardinals from Fresno California. Dennis Migliazzo, an import right-hander from Pepperdine College in Los Angeles, started and lost for the Commodores. Al Harper of the Redbirds and import outfielder Tim Alcantar of Saskatoon both had two hits.
Derbowka, Girazian (5) (W) and Ortynski
Migliazzo (L), Price (7) and R. Williams, Neal (8)
(June 14) The Regina Red Sox withstood a late-inning surge by the Swift Current Indians to post a 3 to 2 Southern League win in the Frontier City. The Red Sox scored single runs in each of the fourth, sixth and seventh innings for a 3 to 0 lead before the Indians got on the scoreboard with two runs aided by a pair of Regina errors. Lyle Johnson went the distance for the Red Sox to record his first win of the season. Terry Buck was saddled with his initial setback, after earning a pair of victories. Dave Donachie, Regina's first import player in decades, led a nine-hit Red Sox' attack with a triple and two singles. Gary McRadu also did well at the dish, collecting a two-bagger and a triple for the Crimson Hose.
Johnson (W) and Logan
Buck (L) and Nybo
(June 15) The Moose Jaw Devons pulled to within one point of the league-leading Regina Red Sox with a 5 to 2 victory over the Swift Current Indians. Paul Nelson scattered five hits, fanned 11 and walked one for his second win in three decisions. Playing-manager Ned Andreoni gave Nelson all the runs he needed for the win in the first inning when he smashed a Wayne Pusch offering for a three-run homer. Gary Erfle checked in with four singles for the Devons. Pusch gave up 10 hits and fanned six in taking the loss, his third in four decisions.
Pusch (L) and Nybo
Nelson (W) and Tollefson
(June 16) Fred Cardwell, backed by home runs from Ned Andreoni and Greg Steele, pitched a five-hitter to lead the Moose Jaw Devons to a 7 to 3 win over the Yorkton Cardinals in Southern League action. The win moved the Devons into first place in the circuit, one point in front of the Regina Red Sox. Cardwell, who posted his fourth win against one loss, struck out nine Yorkton batters while John Eichholtz of the Redbirds struck out four while being tagged for 13 hits. Steel had three singles to go with his circuit blast while Andreoni hit a pair of one-baggers in addition to his dinger. Doug Gillies of Moose Jaw kicked in with a trio of singles. Don Bowes was the Cards' leader at the platter with three singles while Rollie Wilcox singled twice.
Cardwell (W) and Tollefson
Eichholtz (L) and Ortynski
(June 17) The Moose Jaw Devons took advantage of three Saskatoon errors to score four runs in the top of the ninth and walked away with a 6 to 2 victory over the Commodores. Gary Bock, making his first start for Moose Jaw since leaving the club two years ago, picked up the win. Paul Nelson sparked the Devons offensively with an inside-the-park homer and a double.
Bock (W), Towriss (7) and Tollefson
Price (L) and R. Williams
(June 17) The Yorkton Cardinals moved a notch out of the cellar in the Southern League when they grabbed a 5 to 3 decision from the Swift Current Indians. Gord Johnson provided the winning spark for the Redbirds as he lashed a three-run homer to put his club into a 5 to 1 lead. Import right-hander Mike Girazian went the distance for the win, scattering eight hits and fanning 10. Bob Martin had a two-run four-bagger for the Tribe.
Girazian (W) and Johnson
Olheiser (L), Ernst (3) and Nybo
(June 18) Randy Sawa won his fourth of the campaign as the Regina Red Sox clipped the Saskatoon Commodores 6 to 2 in the matinee game of a twin-bill in the Queen City. Sawa wasn't as overpowering as usual but he more than made up for it at the plate, collecting a pair of doubles to drive in three runs. The Sox ripped loser Larry Lazecki for 16 hits with Kim Williams leading the way with three singles.
Lazecki (L) and Neal
Sawa (W) and Logan
(June 18) The Regina Red Sox made the weekend a complete disaster for the Saskatoon Commodores as they dumped the Hub City crew 6 to 2 in the owl encounter of a Sunday double-bill to sweep the day's activities and hand the Saskatonians their third loss of the past two days. Bob Currie, who was staked to the win by Kim Williams' three-run homer, allowed seven hits and fanned an equal number to pick up his third win. Six-foot six-inch Dennis Migliazzo took the loss, his second in four decisions.
Migliazzo (L) and W. Williams
Currie (W) and Logan, McCrystal (3)
(June 18) The Swift Current Indians posted a 4 to 1 triumph over the Yorkton Cardinals to move a point ahead of the Redbirds in the Southern League standings. Import left-hander Terry Buck allowed just three hits in winning his third in four decisions. Gary Syrota was saddled with the loss, his first decision of the season.
Syrota (L), Bowes (6), Syrota (7), Bowes (7) and Johnson
Buck (W) and Nybo
(June 21) Behind the steady seven-hit hurling of sophomore Lyle Johnson, the Regina Red Sox scored a 6 to 3 victory over the Yorkton Cardinals at Mount Pleasant Park. After being staked to a 4 to 0 lead by his teammates in the first two innings, Johnson gave up a two-run homer to Yorkton's Don Bowes in the third inning. He was touched up for another run in the eighth and worked himself out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to record the win. Import right-hander Mike Girazian went all the way for the Cardinals, striking out nine while surrendering ten hits, two of which were doubles by Rich Gergley.
Girazian (L) and Ortynski
Johnson (W) and Logan
(June 21) Russ Williams lashed a two-run double in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Saskatoon Commodores a come-from-behind 8 to 7 victory over the Swift Current Indians. The Tribe had pulled ahead in the top of the ninth on John Migneault's double which plated a pair.
Migliazzo, Lazecki (9) (W) and R. Williams
Pusch, Ernst (2) (L) and Nybo
(June 25) The Saskatoon Commodores broke a third-place tie with the Swift Current Indians when they went into Mitchell field and trounced the Speedy Creekers 7 to 3. Import Dennis Migliazzo recorded his third mound win in pitching the distance. Vern Neal's ninth-inning two-run four-bagger salted the game away for the Saskatonians. Randy Munch also drilled a circuit-clout for the visitors, a solo shot in the fifth. Zenon "Zeke" Markowsky had a double and single for the Commodores.
Migliazzo (W) and R. Williams
Ernst, Olheiser (4) (L) and Nybo
(June 26) Outfielder Doug Gillies belted a ground-rule double in the top of the 16th inning to give the Moose Jaw Devons a marathon 2 to 0 win over the Saskatoon Commodores in Southern League action. Paul Nelson pitched the entire 16 frames for the Devons, striking out 22 batters in recording his third win. Larry Lazecki suffered the loss after relieving Gary Brandon in the 12th.
Nelson (W) and Tollefson
Brandon, Lazecki (12) (L) and R. Williams
(June 27) Randy Sawa tossed a five-hitter, had two base hits, drove in a run and scored what proved to be the winner as the Regina Red Sox hung a 5 to 1 defeat on the Swift Current Indians at Mount Pleasant Park. The win was the Red Sox' fifth in a row and kept them atop the Southern League. Sawa fanned ten in going the route for his fifth win. The Reginans stung loser Wayne Pusch for ten hits, with Gary McRadu, Jim Paisley, Sawa and Fred Heward accounting for a pair each.
Pusch (L) and Nybo
Sawa (W) and Logan
(June 27) The Moose Jaw Devons defeated the Saskatoon Commodores for the second straight evening, posting a 5 to 3 triumph at Ross Wells Park. The win kept the Devons within one point of the top-dog Regina Red Sox. Hard-throwing Fred Cardwell fanned 12 in recording his fifth win. A three-run double by Clark Compton was the key blow for Moose Jaw. Neil McMillan started and lost for the Saskatonians.
McMillan (L), Lazecki (7) and R. Williams
Cardwell (W) and Steele
(June 28) Ned Andreoni blasted two home runs to power the Moose Jaw Devons to a 4 to 3 win over the Yorkton Cardinals. The win was Moose Jaw's tenth of the season, which combined with a tie, gives them a one-point lead over the idle Regina Red Sox. Both of Andreoni's circuit-clouts came with a teammate aboard. Gary Bock picked up his second win in two tries.
Bock (W) and Tollefson
Girazian (L) and Ortynski
Southern League standings (as of end of June 28)
W L T Pts.
Moose Jaw Regals 10 4 1 21
Regina Red Sox 10 3 0 20
Saskatoon Commodores 5 8 0 10
Swift Current Indians 5 10 0 10
Yorkton Cardinals 3 8 1 7
(July 2) Import pitcher Bruce Bremer, making his debut in the Southern League, stymied the Regina Red Sox on five hits in leading the Yorkton Cardinals to a 5 to 1 win at Jubilee Park. The Cards went ahead in the third with two runs and never relinquished the lead Nelson Bryksa led the winners from the batters' box, driving in two runs on a third-inning homer and a single in the seventh. Regina's lone tally came off a solo home run by Andy Logan in the fourth.
Currie (L), Johnson (5), Seeley (7), Paisley (9) and Logan
Bremer (W) and Ortynski
(July 2) The Moose Jaw Devons maintained their momentum by blanking the Saskatoon Commodores 3 to 0. Fred Cardwell won his sixth mound decision with a six-hitter and a total of nine strikeouts. Larry Tollefson drove in Moose Jaw's first counter in the fourth with a single and Gary Erfle pushed across the Devons' final two tallies with a seventh-inning one-bagger.
Brandon (L), Lazecki (9) and R. Williams
Cardwell (W) and Tollefson
(July 3) Don McLeod ripped a two-run triple in the bottom of the eighth frame which provided the Saskatoon Commodores sufficient ammunition to defeat the Regina Red Sox 5 to 3. The win moved the Commodores into sole possession of third place in the Southern League. Pat Price got the pitching decision over Russ Barr. McLeod picked up a single to go along with his three-bagger while catcher Fred Maxemiuk poked out a pair of singles. Andy Logan had four one-baggers for the Red Stockings.
Barr (L) and Logan
Price (W) and Maxemiuk
(July 4) The Regina Red Sox pulled a 5 - 5 tie out of the burner with the Saskatoon Commodores at Mount Pleasant Park. Player-manager Jim Paisley, in a pinch-hitting role, tripled home the tying marker in the bottom of the eighth and final inning to put an end to the Regina two-game losing streak. The Saskatonians out-hit their Regina hosts 7 to 5. Gary Brandon led the Commodores offensively with three hits, including two doubles. Fred Heward was the only Red Sox player to collect more than one hit, picking up two singles.
McMillan, Renwick (6) and R. Williams
Sawa and Logan
(July 4) Larry Tollefson belted three homers and drove in eight runs to lead the Moose Jaw Devons to a 15 to 1 thumping of the Swift Current Indians. Roy Rowley added a double and a pair of singles, driving in two runs, while Ned Andreoni homered and doubled to bring in three counters. Losing hurler Terry Buck led the Tribe at the plate with a double and single. Winning pitcher Paul Nelson gave up four hits and fanned eleven batters.
Buck (L), Olheiser (6) and Nybo
Nelson (W) and Tollefson
(July 5) The Moose Jaw Devons increased their Southern League lead to six points with a 10-inning 4 to 2 victory over the Swift Current Indians at Ross Wells Park. Winning pitcher Roy Rowley scored what proved to be the winner in the 10th on a single by Greg Steele. An RBI single by Doug Gillies accounted for Moose Jaw's final run. The top batsmen for the Devons were Rowley with three singles and Steele, Paul Nelson and Gillies with two singles each. John Migneault and Harvey Nybo both singled twice for the Tribe.
Ernst (L) and Nybo
Bock, Rowley (5) (W) and Tollefson
(July 8) Terry Buck unfurled a two-hitter in leading the Swift Current Indians to an 8 to 1 drubbing of the Regina Red Sox in the matinee game of their weekend set at Mitchell Field. Buck also picked up a couple of singles. Bob Martin was Swift Current's slugger of the game with a two-run homer, a double and a single. The Red Sox' only run came in the third when Jerry Zrymiak doubled and came home on Gary McRadu's single.
Currie (L), Barr (3), Seeley (8) and Logan
Buck (W) and Nybo
(July 9) The Swift Current Indians moved into undisputed control of third place in the Southern League by battering the Regina Red Sox 8 to 4 in the second match of their two-day joust. Winning pitcher Neil Ernst earned his first win with nine strikeouts and added a home run for good measure. The Tribe hung a second defeat on Regina's Randy Sawa. Home runs were prevalent in this contest. Brian Keegan had a two-run smash to go along with Ernst's dinger for the Tribe. Fred Heward socked a three-run homer for the Sox while Rich Gergley drilled a bases-empty shot.
Sawa (L) and Logan
Ernst (W) and Nybo
(July 10) With the visiting Yorkton Cardinals nursing a healthy 4 to 0 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Regina Red Sox found the elusive winning form, roaring back to claim a heart-stopping 5 to 4 Southern League victory. Larry Nakonechny's three-run, bases-loaded triple allowed the Sox to tie the game with one out. Nakonechny then polished off what he had started when he slid across the plate with the winner after being caught off third with a flat-footed lead in a run-down.
Bremer (L) and Ortynski
Johnson, Seeley (9) (W) and McCrystal, Logan (3)
(July 12) The Saskatoon Commodores combined the one-hit pitching of Dennis Migliazzo with the general ineptitude of the Regina Red Sox at the plate and in the field to record an easy 6 to 0 Southern League win at Mount Pleasant Park. The fate for the Reginans became apparent in the first inning when they handed the visitors three runs, thanks to one error, two walks, four stolen bases and a single, one of five the northern raiders offered throughout the darkness abbreviated eight-inning whitewash. Migliazzo had a no-hitter in the production stages until Rich Gergley hammered a stand-up double in the seventh.
Migliazzo (W) and R. Williams
Currie (L), Sawa (7) and McCrystal
(July 12) Pitchers Paul Nelson of the Moose Jaw Devons and Yorkton Cardinals' Mike Girazian battled through nine innings in a Southern League game that was called with the teams tied 1 - 1. The Cards broke what was a scoreless draw in the seventh when Bruce Bremer doubled and scooted home on a Devon error. Moose Jaw tied the score in the same inning on a double by Nelson and a run-scoring single by Gary Bock.
Girazian and Johnson
Nelson and Steele
(July 13) Doug Gillies broke up a pitcher's duel with a run-scoring single in the eighth inning to provide the Moose Jaw Devons with a 1 to 0 win over the Yorkton Cardinals in a Southern League contest at Jubilee Park. The win stretched the Devons' lead in the circuit to seven points over the Regina Red Sox. Fred Cardwell recorded his seventh win of the campaign while Don Bowes was tagged with the loss. Roy Rowley paced Moose Jaw at the plate with a pair of singles while Bruce Bremer rapped a double and single for the Cardinals.
Cardwell (W) and D. Gillies
Bowes (L) and Johnson
(July 14) The Saskatoon Commodores took a firmer grip on third place in the Southern League when they defeated the first-place Moose Jaw Devons 5 to 2 at Ross Wells Park.Pat Price took the win for the Commodores, his third in five starts, before giving way to Dennis Migliazzo in the seventh. The Saskatoon tandem limited the homesters to three base hits. Roy Rowley went the distance in defeat, allowing eight hits.
Price (W), Migliazzo (7) and Maxemiuk
Rowley (L) and D. Gillies, Steele (6)
(July 15) The Yorkton Cardinals managed a 4 to 2 win over the Swift Current Indians in the first of two weekend games with the Tribe at Speedy Creek's Mitchell Field. Bruce Bremer hurled a five-hitter and struck out 16 in grabbing the hurling triumph. The Cards got all the runs they needed in the first inning when losing chucker Terry Buck hit a batter with the sacks full and then had a pair of miscues by his mates cost him two more runs.
Bremer (W) and Johnson
Buck (L) and Nybo
(July 16) The Swift Current Indians rebounded from their opening game loss in the weekend set to bury the Yorkton Cardinals 18 to 6 in the Sunday encounter. Winning pitcher Neil Ernst struck out 11 and socked a solo home run for the Tribe. Swift Current's Terry Buck also nailed a dinger. Brian Keegan and Harvey Nybo each hit a double and two singles in the onslaught while Brian Dickie laced out a trio of one-baggers.
Girazian (L), Syrota (7), Bryksa (8) and Johnson
Ernst (W) and Nybo
(July 16) The league-leading Moose Jaw Devons increased their margin to nine points over the idle Regina Red Sox with an easy 11 to 3 win over the Saskatoon Commodores. Moose Jaw pitcher Paul Nelson recorded 18 strikeouts and added a two-run homer, double and single to his daily résumé, good for six RBI's. Roy Rowley added two doubles and a single while Gary Erfle contributed two singles.
Nelson (W) and Tollefson
Migliazzo (L), Lazecki (5) and R. Williams
(July 19) Veteran southpaw Terry Buck used a lazy curve, with an occasional sneaky fastball thrown in, to throttle the slumping Regina Red Sox on a one-hitter as the Swift Current Indians blanked the Reginans 3 to 0. The Indians ripped the offerings of losing chucker Lyle Johnson for nine hits, two of them run-scoring doubles. Brian Keegan and Chris Hall led the Indians' attack with a pair of hits each, with a double being included in Keegan's total.
Buck (W) and Nybo
Johnson (L) and Logan
(July 19) Import Bruce Bremer fashioned a three-hitter as the Yorkton Cardinals pummelled the Saskatoon Commodores 7 to 0 at Jubilee Park. The win was Bremer's third in four Southern League decisions. Don Laube's bases-loaded double was the Redbirds' most damaging hit.
Migliazzo (L), Lazecki (7), Price (8) and R. Williams
Bremer (W) and Johnson
(July 22) California portsider Paul Nelson scattered six hits and fanned 15 as the Moose Jaw Devons crushed the Swift Current Indians 13 to 0 in the first of two weekend meetings between the Southern League rivals.The Devons wasted little time in putting the game away as they struck for four first-inning runs off loser Neil Ernst. Nelson smashed a two-run homer and a run-scoring single to aid his mound work. Ned Andreoni collected four singles and drove in three runs while catcher Larry Tollefson picked up four RBI's with a double and single. Gary Erfle added three singles to the Moose Jaw attack.
Ernst (L), Olheiser (2), Pusch (3) and Nybo
Nelson (W) and Tollefson
(July 23) Left-hander Terry Buck, a four-year veteran of the Southern League, stunned the league-leading Moose Jaw Devons with a 17-strikeout, two-hit performance to lead the Swift Current Indians to a 9 to 0 victory in the wind-up tussle of a two-game weekend series. Brian Dickie had a two-run homer plus a single for the winners off loser Roy Rowley. Harvey Nybo hit a solo dinger, his first of the season, and also added a double.
Rowley (L) and Tollefson
Buck (W) and Nybo
(July 23) The Saskatoon Commodores stayed one point behind the third-place Swift Current Indians with a come-from -behind 4 to 3 win over the Yorkton Cardinals. Import outfielder Tim Alcantar's scratch single plated Pat Price with the winner in the bottom of the ninth after Don McLeod had beat out an infield single that scored Dave Renwick with the tying run. Mike Girazian took the loss, his sixth in eight decisions while Dennis Migliazzo won it with a six-hitter.
Girazian (L) and xxx
Migliazzo (W) and xxx
(July 25) Neil Ernst's sixth-inning double with the bases-loaded drove in all three runs to propel the Swift Current Indians to a 3 to 1 triumph over the Saskatoon Commodores. Fred Maxemiuk's single had driven in a second-inning run for Saskatoon before Ernst stroked his game-winning hit. Rookie Wayne Pusch picked up the win while Larry Lazecki was saddled with the defeat.
Lazecki (L), McMillan (8) and Maxemiuk
Pusch (W) and Nybo
(July 26) The last-place Yorkton Cardinals ventured into Ross Wells Park and promptly slapped down the high-flying Moose Jaw Devons behind the five-hit pitching of import Bruce Bremer. Al Harper delivered what turned out to be the game-deciding hit when he drilled a two-run single in the second frame. The Cards collected seven hits off loser Fred Cardwell and reliever Paul Nelson.
Bremer (W) and Johnson
Cardwell (L) Nelson (6) and Tollefson
(July 27) A two-run homer in the sixth inning by Steve Bent gave the Swift Current Indians a 3 to 1 Southern League victory over the Regina Red Sox. Import pitcher Terry Buck gave up four hits, three in the last inning, to get the win over Lyle Johnson. The win moved the Tribe into second place in the circuit, a single point in front of the Reginans.
Johnson (L) and xxx
Buck (W) and xxx
Southern League standings (as of end of July 27)
W L T Pts.
Moose Jaw Devons 16 7 2 34
Swift Current Indians 12 14 0 24
Regina Red Sox 11 10 1 23
Saskatoon Commodores 9 12 1 19
Yorkton Cardinals 7 12 2 16
(July 29) Exploding for a total of eleven runs in the sixth and seventh innings, the Yorkton Cardinals decimated the Saskatoon Commodores 11 to 3 in the first of two weekend meetings at Jubilee Park. Up until the meltdown, Saskatoon pitcher Dennis Migliazzo had hurled five innings of perfect baseball, retiring all 15 batters he had faced. Don Laube had a bases-loaded single to drive in two of the sixth-inning markers while Gord Johnson's triple drove in the others.
Migliazzo (L), McMillan (6), Parenteau (6), Hrapchak (7) and R. Williams
Girazian (W) and Johnson
(July 30) The Yorkton Cardinals moved into fourth place in the Southern League by virtue of their 8 to 4 win over the Saskatoon Commodores in the finale of their weekend double-dip in Yorkton. The win was the third in a row for the Cards and moved them a point ahead of the Saskatonians. Bruce Bremer copped his sixth pitching decision for the Redbirds. Don Laube and Ernie Cherkowsky had four-baggers for the winners.
Brandon (L), McMillan (7), Renwick (7) and R. Williams
Bremer (W) and Johnson, Ortynski
(July 31) Left-hander Terry Buck won his eighth game of the season, engineering the Swift Current Indians to an 11 to 4 victory over the Saskatoon Commodores. Buck struck out 12 while giving up eight hits in his eight innings on the hill. The victory gives the Indians 24 points, moving them into second place, one point ahead of the Regina Red Sox.
Buck (W), Olheiser (9) and Nybo
Price (L), Renwick (8) and R. Williams
(August 1) The Saskatoon Commodores scored twice in their last turn at bat to defeat the Swift Current Indians 7 to 6 in a darkness-shortened, seven-inning Southern League contest in the Frontier City. Dennis Migliazzo, with a seven-hitter and eight strikeouts, got the mound win over Neil Ernst.
Migliazzo (W) and xxx
Ernst (L) and xxx
(August 2) Paul Nelson pitched a five-hitter for his 9th win of the season Wednesday as Moose Jaw Devons trounced Yorkton Cardinals 11-1. The Devons had 11 hits, all singles. They also took advantate of 11 walks by Yorkton starter Mike Girazian Nelson, Ned Andreoni and Bryan Adams each had two hits for the winners.
Nelson (W) and xxx
Girazian (L), Syrota (7) and xxx
(August 3) Ross Tycoles and winning pitcher Don Bowes led the Yorkton Cardinals to a 5 to 1 victory over the Moose Jaw Devons in a Southern League match played in Yorkton. The win moved Yorkton into fourth place in the standings, one point in front of the Saskatoon Commodores. Bowes tossed a five-hitter and struck out nine in earning his initial pitching win of the campaign. Tycoles was the main offensive cog for the Redbirds with two singles, a double. Fred Cardwell was nailed with his third loss. Roy Rowley had three of Moose Jaw's five hits.
Cardwell (L), Rowley (7) and Tollefson
Bowes (W) and Johnson
(August 3) The Swift Current Indians pulled three points ahead of the Regina Red Sox in their current joust for second-place in the Southern League when they administered a 2 to 0 blanking of the Reginans. Veteran left-hander Randy Sawa tossed a two-hitter for the Sox but it failed to halt Wayne Pusch and the Tribe as the Speedy Creek rookie chucker stopped the Red Sox' hitters cold with a one-hitter. Both Swift Current runs were unearned as the Crimson Hose displayed signs of pressing in their efforts to snap out of their slump.
Pusch (W) and Nybo
Sawa (L) and Logan
(August 4) The plight of the Regina Red Sox continued as they went into the ninth inning nursing a 3 to 2 lead, only to have the home-standing Saskatoon Commodores strike for a pair of runs to pull out a 4 to 3 victory. The outcome lifted the Commodores from fifth spot into a third-place tie with the Red Sox. A line single that proved too hot for Regina outfielder Stu McLellan to handle allowed Saskatoon's Tim Alcantar to score from second base with the winning marker. Dave Renwick, the third of three Saskatoon hurlers got the win over Lyle Johnson.
Johnson (L) and Logan
Migliazzo, Lazecki (8), Renwick (9) (W) and Neal
(August 6) The Yorkton Cardinals squeezed by the Swift Current Indians 2 to 1 in an eleven-inning opener of a Sunday doubleheader at Jubilee Park. Yorkton's Bruce Bremer improved his pitching record to 6 wins against one loss with a four-hitter. Terry Buck was hit with the tough loss.
Buck (L) and Nybo
Bremer (W) and Johnson
(August 6) The Swift Current Indians turned the tables in the second game of their double-bill with the Yorkton Cardinals by dumping their hosts 6 to 3. Rapidly improving Neil Ernst tossed a four-hitter to pick up the mound triumph. Ross Tycoles hit a bases-empty home run for the Redbirds.
Ernst (W) and Nybo
Girazian (L) and Ortynski, Johnson (8)
(August 6) Seven fielding miscues by the Regina Red Sox plus a grand-slam home run off the bat of Saskatoon import outfielder Tim Alcantar gave the Commodores a 9 to 5 win over the Queen City visitors. The Saskatonians scored all their runs in their last two turns at bat in overcoming a 5 to 0 deficit. Rich Gergley had a four-bagger for the Scarlet Stockings.
Currie (L) and Logan
Lazecki, Renwick (5), Price (6) (W) and Neal
(August 7) The Regina Red Sox finally put it all together as they combined the four-hit pitching of Randy Sawa with a nine-hit offensive display to upend the pennant-winning Moose Jaw Devons 5 to 2 at Mount Pleasant Park.Sawa fanned eleven in posting the long-awaited win and was supported aptly by his playing-manager Jim Paisley who ripped loser Paul Nelson for three singles.
Nelson (L) and Tollefson
Sawa (W) and Logan
(August 8) The Regina Red Sox confined all their scoring to one inning but it was a big one as the Reginans won their second consecutive Southern League game, a 5 to 3 trimming of the Yorkton Cardinals. Rich Gergley's two-run homer was the igniting blast of the Regina fifth-inning surge which gave them the win. Gary McRadu had a double and an infield single for the Sox while Ross Tycoles had three hits for the Redbirds.
Bowes (L), Syrota (6) and Johnson
Johnson (W) and Logan
(August 8) The Swift Current Indians struck for three runs in the top of the first inning and then held on to defeat the Saskatoon Commodores 4 to 3 in the Bridge City. The victory kept the Indians three points ahead of the third-place Regina Red Sox. The Commodores collected a total of eleven hits off two Swift Current pitchers but five errors afield led to their downfall. Terry Buck picked up the win in relief, his ninth win against four losses. Playing-manager Brian Keegan paced the Tribe at the platter with a pair of doubles. Don McLeod was the top man with the bat for the Commodores with two doubles and a triple.
Ernst, Buck (4) (W) and Nybo
Migliazzo (L), Price (8) and Maxemiuk
(August 9) Two members of the Saskatoon Commodores are running neck-and-neck in the race for the Southern League batting crown according to data printed in today's edition of the Regina Leader-Post. Import outfielder Tim Alcantar is currently leading with a .380 average, just five points ahead of teammate Don McLeod. Alcantar and McLeod have made just 50 and 40 plate appearances respectively compared to 62 by Andy Logan of the Regina Red Sox who ranks third with 22 hits in 62 at-bats for a .354 mark. Larry Nakonechny of the Red Sox is the league's top base stealer with eight. The rookie outfielder shared the lead in triples with teammate Gary McRadu and McLeod, all with two each. Rich Gergley of Regina has nine doubles to lead in that department. Bruce Bremer of the Yorkton Cardinals has won six games and lost won for a winning percentage of .857, tops in the circuit. Another Reginan, left-hander pitcher Randy Sawa, has the best earned run average, 1,08.
(August 9) The Yorkton Cardinals hammered the Regina Red Sox 13 to 4 in a Southern League game in Yorkton that ended after 5 1/2 innings because of darkness. The win moved the Cards into fourth place, one point ahead of the Saskatoon Commodores. The Redbirds broke the game open in the third inning when they scored seven runs, three of them on a bases-loaded double by Don Bowes.
Barr (L), Nakonechny (4) and Paisley
Girazian (W) and Johnson
(August 10) Bruce Bremer was one out away from a no-hitter and one strikeout away from breaking the Southern league record as the Yorkton Cardinals blanked the Regina Red Sox 5 to 0. Bremer fanned 22 batters en route to the win. Phil Zrymiak spoiled Bremer's bid no-hit bid with a ninth-inning double. Don Bowes picked up a pair of one-baggers for the Cards against losing twirler Dave Seeley.
Seeley (L) and McLellan
Bremer (W) and Johnson
(August 11) Rich Gergley delivered a run-scoring, ground-rule double with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Regina Red Sox a come-from-behind 6 to 5 win over the pennant-winning Moose Jaw Devons. The game was called following Gergley's drive because of darkness. The victory propelled the Sox back into third place in the tightly-bunched circuit. Randy Sawa emerged as the winning pitcher, taking the decision over Fred Cardwell. Roy Rowley hit a solo home run for Moose Jaw while Regina catcher Andy Logan had a two-run circuit-blast.
Cardwell (L) and Tollefson
Sawa (W) and Logan
(August 12) The Saskatoon Commodores bounced the Moose Jaw Devons 10 to 4 at Ross Wells Park. Ed Lukowich led Saskatoon's lopsided victory,driving in three runs with a seventh-inning triple. Randy Munch also brought in two markers with an eighth-inning three-bagger. Don Hrapchak was the winning pitcher, taking the decision from Moose Jaw's Vic Bruce.
Hrapchak (W) , Renwick (8) and R. Williams
Bruce (L) and Tollefson
(August 13) Paul Nelson put together a three-hit whitewashing in leading the Moose Jaw Devons to a 2 to 0 win over the Regina Red Sox in the first game of a doubleheader. Nelson combined his performance on the mound with a double and run-scoring single off losing hurler Bob Currie. Larry Tollefson drove in Nelson after the Moose Jaw pitcher hit his second inning two-bagger to give the Devons their first counter. Nelson then drilled his single to bring in Roy Rowley with a sixth inning insurance run.
Currie (L) and Logan
Nelson (W) and Tollefson
(August 13) The Moose Jaw Devons completed a twin-bill sweep of the Regina Red Sox by taking the owl encounter of their Sunday series 3 to 1. The winners scored single runs in the fifth, seventh and eighth to salt away the victory. Winning pitcher Roy Rowley drove in two of Moose Jaw's three runs with a double and single.
Johnson (L), Seeley (8) and Logan
Rowley (W), Nelson (9) and Tollefson
(August 13) The Yorkton Cardinals won the first game of a two-game set by dumping the host Saskatoon Commodores 10 to 2. The Cards broke loose for 15 hits off four Saskatoon chuckers. Mike Girazian went the route for the Redbirds giving up six Commodore hits while whiffing four. Don Bowes led Yorkton's assault at the plate with a three-run triple and two singles.
Girazian (W) and Johnson
Price (L), Hrapchak (4), Renwick (8), Lazecki (9) and Maxemiuk
(August 13) After their first-game drubbing, the Saskatoon Commodores turned things around, throttling the Yorkton Cardinals 7 to 2 in the nightcap of their double-dip. Saskatoon scored three runs in each of the first and third innings to break into a healthy lead. Larry Lazecki went seven innings on the hill for the win. Don Bowes gave up 11 hits and took the loss before Tom Bast took over in the sixth. Mick Shaw and Tim Alcantar both had RBI doubles for the winners.
Bowes (L), Bast (6) and Ortynski, Johnson (6)
Lazecki (W), Brandon (8) and Williams
(August 14) The Swift Current Indians clinched second place in the Southern League by defeating the Moose Jaw Devons 1 to 0. The win for the Tribe broke a tie with the Yorkton Cardinals. Winning pitcher Terry Buck struck out seven and gave up but two hits. Fred Cardwell took the loss. He struck out nine and allowed six hits while walking four which included the one that scored the Indians' only run.
Cardwell (L) and xxx
Buck (W) and xxx
SUDDEN - DEATH TIE - BREAKER FOR FOURTH PLACE
(August 15) The Regina Red Sox took care of the fourth and final playoff position in the Southern League and they did it in impressive fashion with a 15-hit, 13 to 3 victory over the Saskatoon Commodores before some 1,000 fans in Saskatoon. Winning pitcher Randy Sawa got off to a rocky start as the Commodores struck for all of their runs and three of their four hits in the bottom of the first. However, the veteran southpaw was in complete control from then on. The Sox broke the game wide open with a six-run splurge in the third inning. Andy Logan was the big man at the dish in this one, collecting two doubles and two singles. Jerry Zrymiak hit a double and triple and drove in six runs. Jim Paisley and Rich Gergley added a pair of doubles plus a single each. Dennis Migliazzo started and lost for Saskatoon. The Red Sox now meet the pennant-winning Moose Jaw Devons in a best-of-five semi-final series . The Yorkton Cardinals face the Swift Current Indians in the other.
Sawa (W) and Logan
Migliazzo(L), Price (3), Hrapchak (6), Brandon (9) and R. Williams, Maxemiuk (3)
Southern League Final Standings
W L T Pts.
Moose Jaw Devons 19 11 2 40
Swift Current Indians 16 16 0 32
Yorkton Cardinals 14 16 2 30
Regina Red Sox 14 17 1 29 *
Saskatoon Commodores 14 17 1 29
* Regina gains final playoff berth by virtue of tie-breaker win against Saskatoon
SEMI - FINAL PLAYOFF SERIES
(August 16) Rookie Paul Nelson pitched a two-hitter and faced only 23 batters in seven innings to lead the pennant-winning Moose Jaw Devons to a 12 to 0 pummelling of the Regina Red Sox in the first game of the best-of-five Southern League semi-final. The game ended after seven frames because of darkness. Larry Tollefson led the Devons at the platter with a three-run homer and a single while playing-manager Ned Andreoni added two doubles and a single.
Johnson (L), Paisley (3), Currie (5) and Logan
Nelson (W) and Tollefson
(August 17) The Swift Current Indians exploded for nine runs in the sixth inning to thrash the Yorkton Cardinals 15 to 2 in the opener of their semi-final playoff round. The game was called following 7 1/2 innings of play because of darkness. Playing-manager Brian Keegan's lead-off home run set the pace for the Indians as they pounded import Bruce Bremer for 13 hits. Keegan went five-for-five as his four singles scored four runs. Winning pitcher Terry Buck allowed six hits and had two singles which drove in four runs. Brian Dickie doubled twice for the Tribe in the sixth inning.
Bremer (L) and Johnson
Buck (W), Olheiser (8) and Nybo
(August 18) The Southern League announced its 1972 all-star teams and, to no one's surprise, the pennant-winning Moose Jaw Devons led the balloting conducted by coaches and managers in the five-team league. The Devons placed three members on each team. Named to the first team from Moose Jaw were shortstop Ned Andreoni, third baseman Roy Rowley and right-handed pitcher Fred Cardwell. Catcher Larry Tollefson, outfielder Doug Gillies and left-hander Paul Nelson were selected to the second team.
Others named to the first squad were catcher Andy Logan and outfielder Rich Gergley of the Regina Red Sox,first baseman Brian Keegan and outfielder Terry Buck of the Swift Current Indians, second baseman Don McLeod and outfielder Tim Alcantar of the Saskatoon Commodores and Bruce Bremer of the Yorkton Cardinals as the team's left-handed pitcher.
Others making the second team were shortstop Don Bowes, outfielder Don Laube and right-handed pitcher Mike Girazian of the Yorkton Cardinals, first baseman Gary Brandon and third baseman Ed Lukowich of the Saskatoon Commodores,second baseman Jim Paisley of the Regina Red Sox and outfielder Neil Ernst of the Swift Current Indians.
In the individual awards, 17-year old import Paul Nelson of the Moose Jaw Devons was voted as the Most Valuable Player and winner of the Heinie Rogers memorial trophy. Larry Tollefson got the nod as the circuit's top catcher and receives the Gus Riddler memorial trophy. Rookie-of-the-year and the Father Athol Murray trophy goes to Wayne Pusch of the Swift Current Indians. The Luther (Doc) Hughes memorial trophy for the top pitcher during the regular season was won by the Yorkton Cardinals' import southpaw Bruce Bremer.
(August 19) The Yorkton Cardinals pushed across four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to edge the Swift Current Indians 5 to 4 and even their semi-final series at one game each. Ernie Cherkowsky's bases-loaded single capped the Redbirds amazing comeback in their last turn at bat. Neil Ernst had a solo homer for the Tribe. Wayne Pusch, who was relieved by Ernst in the ninth with the bases loaded, took the loss while Yorkton's Mike Girazian went the route for the win.
Pusch (L), Ernst (9) and Nybo
Girazian (W) and Johnson
(August 20) The Regina Red Sox used the long ball, four of them to be exact, to crush the Moose Jaw Devons 12 to 5 and square the best-of-five Southern league semi-final at a win each. Rich Gergley led the home run assault with a pair of round-trippers, a solo shot in the third and a two-run job in the eighth. Andy Logan smacked a two-run clout in the eighth and rookie outfielder Stu McLellan hit a two-run dinger in the third. McLellan also pasted a two-run double while playing-manager Jim Paisley had four singles. Winning pitcher Randy Sawa was nicked for ten hits and did not have his usual superb control but managed to thrive with the extraordinary offensive support. Losing chucker Fred Cardwell was laced for the first six Regina runs before being drilled from the hill.
Cardwell (L), Rowley (4) and Tollefson
Sawa (W) and Logan
(August 20) The Swift Current Indians grabbed a two games to one lead in their series with the Yorkton Cardinals when they took a 6 to 1 victory over the Redbirds at Mitchell Field. Harvey Nybo led a ten-hit Swift Current offense with a pair of doubles. Terry Buck went the distance to gain the mound decision, scattering eight hits and fanning nine. Don Bowes, the Cards' starter, was hit with the loss. Nelson Bryksa, Gord Johnson and Wes Waselenchuk all had two base raps for the Yorktonites. The Cards lost import Bruce Bremer for the balance of the season when he fractured his ankle after driving in the only Yorkton run.
Bowes (L), Ortynski (6), Syrota (7), Bryksa (7) and Johnson
Buck (W) and Nybo
(August 21) The Moose Jaw Devons rode the three-hit pitching of import left-hander Paul Nelson to a 5 to 0 victory over the Regina Red Sox and a two games to one lead in their series. It was the second shutout for Nelson in the series as he fanned twelve in putting up the goose egg. The portsider also contributed to his club's nine-hit attack off loser Bob Currie, stroking a pair of singles and driving in a run each time. Gary Erfle banged out a trio of one-baggers for the winners.
Currie (L) and Logan
Nelson (W) and Tollefson
(August 21) The Swift Current Indians advanced to the Southern League finals with a 6 to 2 win over the Yorkton Cardinals to win their series three games to one. Right-hander Neil Ernst had a big hand in sidelining the Cards as he unfurled a two-hitter on the Yorkton squad. Terry Buck paced the Tribe with the stick as he struck for a double and two singles. Harvey Nybo homered for the winners.
Ernst (W) and Nybo
Bowes (L), Girazian (7) and Johnson
(August 22) The Regina Red Sox were within two outs of pulling even with the Moose Jaw Devons in their semi-final battle but had to settle for a 3 -3 stalemate after Clark Compton's ninth-inning homer off Lyle Johnson tied things up. The gopher ball dished up by Johnson was his second of the tussle as Bryan Adams also lit him up for a fifth-inning dinger. Fred Cardwell pitched for Moose Jaw and limited the Sox to five hits while ringing up a dozen whiffs. Johnson finished with a seven-hitter.
Cardwell and Tollefson
Johnson and Logan
(August 23) The Regina Red Sox went into Moose Jaw's Ross Wells Park needing a victory to stay alive in the best-of-five final and promptly slapped down the Moose Jaw Regals 5 to 1 behind the three-hit pitching of Randy Sawa. The victory evened the set at two games each with one game tied. Roy Rowley also tossed a three-hitter in defeat. Holding a slim3 to 1 lead,with two of the runs coming after sacrifice flies, the Red Sox had a three-run outburst in the eighth without registering a base hit and came away with the series-tying win.
Sawa (W) and Logan
Rowley (L) and Tollefson
(August 24) The Regina Red Sox, under first-year manager Jim Paisley, completed their comeback against the pennant-winning Moose Jaw Regals by shutting out the Mill City crew 4 to 0 at Mount Pleasant Park. Left-hander Bob Currie gave up eight hits in capturing the eight-inning shutout, keeping the power-hitting Devons off-balance with a lazy and tantalizing curve ball. Currie allowed just two base-runners past second but held them in check from scoring. The Sox played errorless ball throughout to provide the young portsider with solid defense. Paisley delivered a crushing two-run double that started the Reginans on their way to a four-run third inning. The Sox will now go on to face the Swift Current Indians in a best-of-seven final series.
Nelson (L) and Tollefson
Currie (W) and Logan
LEAGUE FINAL SERIES
(August 27) The Regina Red Sox, fresh from an upset victory over the Moose Jaw Devons, continued to relish the role of an underdog as they went into Swift Current and upended the Indians 7 to 5 in a game shortened to six innings because of darkness. The Sox needed a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to pull out the victory. The Redlegs collected a total of seven hits off loser Terry Buck with run-scoring doubles by Jim Paisley, Andy Logan and Randy Sawa accounting for most of the damage. The Tribe managed only two hits off a trio of Regina chuckers but were able to cash in on bases on balls and errors to keep the game close.
Sawa, Seeley (4), Currie (4) (W) and Logan
Buck (L) and Nybo
(August 28) Lanky right-hander Neil Ernst threw a shutout as the Swift Current Indians squared their final series with the Regina Red Sox by blanking their hosts 3 to 0. Ernst spread six hits effectively over the eight innings played and only once did he allow any back-to-back action by the Sox. On the other side of the ledger, Randy Sawa also pitched effectively but was the victim of a lack of key hits on the part of his mates and a couple of defensive miscues behind him. Indians' playing-manager Brian Keegan beat out an infield single and scored what proved to be the decisive run in the first. Brian Dickie and Bill McKetiak had a pair of hits each off Sawa while Red Sox' rookie Stu McLellan was a particular thorn in Ernst's side, collecting a trio of base raps. Jack Buch singled twice for Regina but was erased on each occasion during a double play.
Ernst (W) and Nybo
Sawa (L) and Logan
(August 29) The Regina Red Sox staged a late-inning rally to tie the Swift Current Indians 5 - 5 in the third game of their Southern League final series. A two-run double by Jerry Zrymiak, his second two-bagger of the game, pulled the Reginans into the deadlock. Jim Paisley stroked out four singles for the Red Stockings to lead all hitters. Brian Dickie and Neil Ernst both picked up a trio of one-baggers for the Tribe.
Pusch and Nybo
Johnson, Currie (9) and Logan
(August 30) The Swift Current Indians out-hit the Regina Red Sox 2 to 1 in the home run department but it wasn't enough to stop the Crimson Hose from grabbing the lead in the best-of-seven Southern League final. It was the lone Red Sox homer, a three-run blast by outfielder Fred Heward, that spelled the difference and lifted the Reginans to a 6 to 3 triumph. Brian Dickie and Terry Buck both blasted solo homers for the Tribe after the Scarlet Stockings had taken a 6 to 1 lead. Buck also collected a pair of singles off winner Bob Currie who finished with a five-hitter and seven strikeouts. Heward also had a one-bagger to go along with his dinger.
Buck (L) and Nybo
Currie (W) and Logan
(September 1) The Regina Red Sox got the jump at the starting gate but the Swift Current Indians grabbed the lead in the second frame to win the fifth game of the best-of-seven Southern League final 6 to 2. The series now stands at two games each with one game tied. Dwayne Dekowny's two-run broken-bat single in the second proved to be the decisive blow for Swift Current as it broke a 1 - 1 tie. Winning pitcher Neil Ernst allowed seven Regina hits and fanned nine. Randy Sawa, the losing pitcher, gave up nine hits and struck out four. Swift Current's top hitters were Bob Lewis with a home run and single as well as Brian Keegan and Dekowny with a brace of singles each. Larry Nakonechny singled twice for the Red Sox.
Sawa (L) and Logan
Ernst (W) and Nybo
(September 2) The Swift Current Indians and Regina Red Sox battled to a 3 - 3 stalemate at Mount Pleasant Park in a game that ended on a sour note with the Red Sox protesting vigorously a call that robbed Larry Nakonechny of a bottom of the ninth-inning home run and the Sox of a win. Darkness prevented any extra innings from being played.
Pusch and Nybo
xxx and Logan
(September 3) The Swift Current Indians grabbed a three games to two lead in the Southern League final series with a narrow 1 to 0 victory over the Regina Red Sox at Mitchell Field in the Frontier City. Dwayne Dekowny's single in the bottom of the seventh drove in the game's only run and gave Swift Current's Neil Ernst his third win of the series. Both Ernst and loser Bob Currie surrendered six hits in their mound joust.
Currie (L) and Logan
Ernst (W) and Nybo
(September 5) The Regina Red Sox flexed their muscles and belted out four home runs to thrash the Swift Current Indians 10 to 1 to tie the Southern League final series at three games each with two games tied. Fred Heward and Andy Logan both belted a pair of circuit clouts for the Reginans to put the game out of reach for the Tribe. Randy Sawa coasted to his first series' win for the Sox, scattering seven hits in the seven-inning contest. Jim Paisley contributed a double and single to the Regina offense.
Buck (L), McKetiak (5) and Nybo
Sawa (W) and Logan
(September 8) A long nine-game series came to a close as the Swift Current Indians emerged as the 1972 Southern League champions with a 5 to 0 victory over the Regina Red Sox at Swift Current's Mitchell Field. Rookie Wayne Pusch tossed a fine five-hitter in blanking the Reginans to give the Tribe possession of the Pop Harvey memorial trophy. Loser Bob Currie was lit up for all five Swift Current runs before giving way to Randy Sawa in the sixth. Pusch also did well from the batters' box, driving in three runs with two doubles and a single. Veteran catcher Harvey Nybo also delivered in a big way for the Tribe, belting a pair of solo home runs.
Currie (L), Sawa (6) and Logan
Pusch (W) and Nybo
No final statistics appear to have been printed. However, with a few games to go, the Saskatoon Star Phoenix carried a story on the leading hitters.
With just a handful of games remaining in the regular Southern Saskatchewan Baseball League schedule, Tim Alcantar of Saskatoon Commodores holds a slim lead in the batting race.
Alcantar, an import outfielder from Pepperdine College in Los Angeles, has hit safely in 19 of 50 plate appearances for a .380 average. His nearest competitor is teammate Don McLeod, who is hitting at a .375 clip. McLeod has 15 safeties at 40 times at bat.
Andy Logan of Regina Red sox is in third spot with a .354 on 22 hits in 62 plate appearances, six percentage points ahead of Ned Andreoni or Moose Jaw Devons.
Andreoni, a former two-time batting champion and triple crown winner in 1970, has a league-leading 30 hits in 86 at bats for a .348 average. He also leads in homers, with 5, runs batted in, with 20, and runs scored, with 22.
Jim Paisley, .328, of Regina; Paul Nelson, .325, of Moose Jaw, and Gary Brandon, .325, of Saskatoon, are other hitters over the .300 mark in the five-team league.
Bruce Bremer of Yorkton Cardinals is the top hurler with a 6-1 record for an .857 percentage.
Randy Sawa of Regina has the best earned-run average, 1.08. Nelson leads in strikeouts with 140 and innings pitched, 94 and two-thirds.