1978 Vancouver, Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley
1978 BC Interior
1978 Vancouver Island
NORTH OKANAGAN BASEBALL LEAGUE
Following a year of inactivity from the baseball diamond, players from the Kamloops and Vernon senior teams stepped back into action as part of the senior B North Okanagan Baseball League in its inaugural season, joining the Enderby Legionnaires who copped the 1977 Senior "B" / Intermediate crown despite having no league in which to play. The Enderby squad, under the leadership of ex-pro Gerry Reimer who spent 11 years in the minors, the last two with the Vancouver Mounties of the Pacific Coast League, captured the league pennant.
TEAMS
Enderby Legionnaires
Kamloops Inlanders
Vernon Coldstream Hotel
(May 21) The Enderby Legionnaires opened the season in grand style, sweeping a Sunday doubleheader from the hosting Vernon Coldstream Hotel by scores of 4 to 1 and 6 to 3.
(May 22) The defending B.C. Senior "B" / Intermediate champion Enderby Legionnaires won their third game in two days, clipping the Kamloops Inlanders 6 to 4 in a Victoria Day engagement. Peter Brooks handled mound duties for Enderby and gave up nine hits in going the distance for the win. Losing heaver Jeff Bloom of the Inlanders also went the route, surrendering eight safeties while fanning 14 batters. Eddie Johnstone was the top willow wielder for the victorious Legionnaires, stroking a triple and a single. Playing-manager Vince Smith paced the Kamloops nine at the dish with a two-run double and a single.
(May 28) After losing their first two games against Enderby, the Vernon Coldstream Hotel baseballers looked impressive in taking a pair of NOBL contests from the visiting Kamloops Inlanders at Polson Park by scores of 4 to 0 and 8 to 4.
Strong-armed right-hander Leo Gauthier rang up 11 punchouts while limiting the Inlanders to just two safeties in the opener. The Vernon slabster did not issue a single base-on-balls in collecting the shutout win. Al McKee drove in two of the Hoteliers’ four runs with a fourth-inning double.
Chisholm (L), Bloom (6) and Anhorn
Gauthier (W) and Todd
Gauthier and winning pitcher Wayne Dye both slugged two-run homers for the Coldstream Crew in the nightcap while McKee stroked three safeties. Mark Bregoliss smashed a three-run round-tripper for Kamloops.
Hinch (L), Bloom (3) and Struch
Dye (W), Johnson/Johnstone (7) and McAvoy, Todd (7)
(June 4) Vernon’s Coldstream Hotel, hitting the ball with authority, amassed 26 base blows in capturing both ends of a doubleheader from the hosting Kamloops Inlanders. The Vernonites took the opener 8 to 3 and unleashed a 17-hit attack in the nightcap in coming from behind to win 11 to 7. Leo Gauthier and Dave Caldow each collected five hits for the visitors in the two-game set.
Gauthier tossed a five-hitter for the mound verdict in the matinee tussle. Caldow had three safeties for the Hotelmen while Jeff Bloom of Kamloops homered.
Gauthier (W) and Todd
Chisholm (L), Bloom (6) and Cooper
Gauthier nailed three singles and a home run in the late encounter as reliever Dave Weedmark copped the heaving decision. Losing hurler John Hogg blasted a round-tripper.
Johnson/Johnstone, Weedmark (W) (4) and Inglis
Hogg (L) and Struch
Enderby 4 – 0
Vernon 4 – 2
Kamloops 0 - 6
(June 7) Vernon’s Coldstream Hotel squandered a 5 – 0 lead but rallied to push across the tie-breaking run in the eighth episode and take a 7 to 6 NOBL victory from the Enderby Legionnaires. The loss was Enderby’s first of the campaign. The Hotelmen banged out 13 hits as Leo Gauthier led the way with three safeties. Sixth-stanza reliever Wayne Dye earned the knoll decision.
McKee, Dye (W) (6) and McAvoy, Todd (8)
Leier (L) and Johnstone
(June 11) The Enderby Legionnaires took over undisputed possession of first place in the North Okanagan Baseball League by grabbing 3 to 1 and 12 to 3 victories over the winless Kamloops Inlanders in twin-bill action.
NHL’er Eddie Johnstone smacked a pair of solo home runs for the Legionnaires in the lid-lifter, the second one snapping a 1 – 1 sixth-inning tie. Enderby’s Ron Carter threw a six-hitter in taking the win over the Inlanders’ Jeff Bloom.
In the second affair, the Legionnaires clubbed four more homers including another by Johnstone and two off the lumber of Gary Czepil. Peter Brooks registered the hillock verdict over John Hogg in this engagement. Playing-skipper Vince Smith led the vanquished Thompson Rivers’ nine offensively, hammering a home run and a two-bagger.
(June 14) A devastating 16-hit attack, which included four home runs, vaulted the Vernon Coldstream Hotel nine past the Enderby Legionnaires 15 to 3 at Vernon’s Polson Park. The result deadlocked the chase for top spot in the NOBL. The visitors opened a 2 – 0 lead in the opening canto, one of the tallies crossing the dish on Brian Gibbons’ third four-bagger of the season. Vernon quickly bounced back with a four-spot in the second spasm to grab the winning momentum. Slugging circuit-jacks for the Coldstream Crew were Wayne Dye with a pair as well as Al McKee and Mike McAvoy with one each. McKee added a brace of one-baggers to his four-ply clout in support of winning tosser Leo Gauthier.
Leier (L), Brooks (3) and E. Johnstone
Gauthier (W), F. Johnson/Johnstone (7) and Inglis, Todd (6)
Enderby 6 – 2
Vernon 6 – 2
Kamloops 0 - 8
(June 17) An 11 to 1 trouncing of the visiting Vernon Coldstream Hotel balltossers enabled the victorious Enderby Legionnaires to re-gain sole possession of first place in the NOBL. In absorbing the setback, Vernon fell a full game behind their subduers. Big right handed chucker Ron Carter yielded seven hits in winning the mound verdict over Wayne Dye. Heading the 12-hit offensive attack of the winning Enderby club was Brian Gibbons who went four-for-five including a three-run homer, his fourth dinger of the season.
(June 18) Leaving a total of 17 baserunners stranded, the Vernon Coldstream Hotel diamondeers dropped their second encounter in two days, falling 10 to 6 to the lowly Kamloops Inlanders in a sloppily-played encounter. The win was Kamloops’ first of the campaign after suffering eight consecutive setbacks. The Inlanders’ pitching tandem of Jeff Bloom and Jerome Lidster walked 16 batters but the inability of the Hoteliers to drive in runs with ducks on the pond cost them big time. Charlie Briskham nailed a solo home run for the losers.
(June 21) An 8 to 3 conquest of the front-running Enderby Legionnaires moved Vernon’s Coldstream Hotel to within a half-game of the pace-setters in the NOBL standings. Leo Gauthier scattered six hits in improving his record to 4 – 1. Charlie Briskham paced the 12-hit Vernon attack with three safeties. All three Enderby markers came as a result of home runs, a two-run shot by losing hurler Ron Carter and a solo blast by Ken Featherstone.
Gauthier (W) and Inglis
Carter (L), Brooks (4) and Johnstone
Enderby 7 – 3
Vernon 7 – 4
Kamloops 1 - 8
(June 22) The Enderby Legionnaires strengthened their hold on top spot in the NOBL by bouncing the homestanding Kamloops Inlanders 10 to 3. Enderby used the long ball to dispose of the cellar-dwelling Inlanders. Cracking two-run circuit-jacks for the winners were Gary Czepin, Brian Gibbons and Gary Hawrys. Winning heaver Daryl Leier limited the Kamloops batters to five hits. The Legionnaires had eight hits but were the beneficiaries of eight free passes to first base by losing chucker Vince Smith and reliever Rick Leroux.
(June 24-25) 1978 Prince George invitational baseball tournament
(June 28) Invading Polson Park with thunder in their bats, the Enderby Legionnaires blasted the hosting Vernon Coldstream Hotel nine 14 to 0 to make a resounding statement as to which of the combatants deserves the NOSL pennant. Right-hander Ron Carter stymied the Vernonites on two hits in breezing to the shutout win. Brian Gibbons went yard with a grand-slam tater for the victors while teammate Gary Czepil landed on the pill for three safeties.
Carter (W) and E. Johnstone
Gauthier (L), F. Johnson/Johnston (7), Caldow (8) and McAvoy, Inglis (4)
(July 1-2) Enderby second annual Canada Day baseball tournament
(July 5) The Enderby Legionnaires all but clinched first place in the NOBL when they defeated Vernon’s Coldstream Hotel 5 to 2 at Polson Park. The result widened the gap between the competing pennant-pursuers to three games in favor of Enderby. The hosting Hoteliers outhit the Legionnaires 8 to 6 but lost out in the power department as infielder Geoff Collins and playing-skipper Gerry Reimer of the winners both dialed long distance for dingers, Reimer’s coming with one aboard. Daryl Leier fanned 13 Vernon batters in earning the complete-game triumph over Leo Gauthier.
Leier (W) and Boyko
Gauthier (L) and Briskham
STANDINGS W L Pct. GBL
Enderby 10 3 .769 ----
Vernon 7 6 .538 3.0
Kamloops 1 9 .100 7.5
(July 9) A two-game conquest of the visiting Kamloops Inlanders moved the Enderby Legionnaires to within one victory of clinching the 1978 North Okanagan Baseball League pennant. The Legionnaires trounced the last-place Inlanders 19 to 4 in the first tussle and then came back to take the nightcap 9 to 2. Enderby’s Ron Carter had a massive day at the dish in the sweep, registering no less than 13 RBI’s.
Carter, while going the distance on the bump for the complete-game win in the opening fracas, helped his own cause by cracking two home runs. Stu Sonne ripped four safeties including a grand-slam round-tripper while skipper Gerry Reimer belted a circuit-clout. Kamloops’ Rod Chisholm was tagged with the loss. Keith Ferner homered for the vanquished Inlanders.
Peter Brooks annexed the knoll triumph over Jeff Bloom in the second skirmish. Carter continued his hot hitting in this affair by garnering a triad of safeties including his third goner of the day.
(July 13) Vernon blew things open with seven counters in the fifth frame in breezing to a 17 to 7 conquest of cellar-dwelling Kamloops. Big noise with the baton for the Coldstream Hotelmen was O.J. Markowsky who lashed a triple and four singles while scoring four runs. Teammate Charlie Briskham slugged a home run in support of winning slabster Allan/Allen McKee. Bert Hinch ripped a double and a brace of singles for the losing Inlanders.
(July 23) With an insufficient number of players available for a NOBL double-bill, the last-place Kamloops Inlanders forfeited both their scheduled fixtures to the Vernon Coldstream Hotel aggregation. The Inlanders record in NOBL play now stands at one win in fourteen games.
(July 30) Pennant-winning Enderby ended the 1978 NOBL schedule by sweeping a doubleheader from Vernon’s Coldstream Hotel by scores of 9 to 1 and 4 to 2. Enderby finished with a 15 – 3 won-loss record, five games in front of the runner-up Hotelmen. The Legionnaires, who have lived by the long ball all season, nailed three more homers in the final two encounters.
On the strength of two singles and a four-ply circuit-jack, Stu Sonne collected four RBI’s for the winners in the inaugural tilt. Gerry Reimer followed with a double and a brace of one-baggers. Ron Carter was the winning moundsman while Dave Weedmark was stung with the defeat.
NHL’er Greg Polis, in Enderby as an instructor for a summer hockey school, ascended the clay throne for the Legionnaires in the sunset skirmish, copping the mound victory in the abbreviated five-inning event by besting Vernon’s Al McKee. A two-out, three-run homer by Geoff Collins in Enderby’s final turn at bat wiped out a 2 – 1 deficit and cemented the victory. A solo dinger by Ron Carter in the fourth frame had provided the Legionnaires’ only tally prior to Collins’ blast.
FINAL
STANDINGS W L Pct. GBL
Enderby 15 3 .833 ----
Vernon 10 8 .556 5.0
Kamloops 1 15 .063 13.0
(August 5 – 7) B.C. Senior B Amateur Baseball Championship Tournament
(September 2 – 4) Enderby Labor Day weekend tournament
(September 27) The league champion Enderby Legionnaires dominated the statistics for 1978 in the North Okanagan Baseball League. Both the top top hitters and top two pitchers hailed from the Enderby squad.
Brian Gibbons led the hitters in five categories, including best average, .546, more than 100 points ahead of teammate Stu Sonne, at .426. The Enderby shortstop also led in runs, 26, hits, 31, total bases, 52, and home runs, with 6. Sonne led the circuit in runs batted in with 20, one better than Gibbons.
Geoff Collins, also of the Legionnaires, was tops in steals, with nine, two more than both Sonne and Gibbons.
Pitcher Ron Carter compiled the best earned run average, 2.55, and with a 6-1 won-lost record, the best winning percentage. He made the most starts, eight. Daryl Leier ranked second with a 2.85 earned run average over 41 innings pitched.
KOOTENAY INTERNATIONAL SENIOR BASEBALL LEAGUE
Minus one entrant, the Castlegar Cubs, from a successful inaugural season, the six remaining teams all returned to the fold for 1978. The two-divisional set-up implemented in 1977 was discontinued in the sophomore campaign.
TEAMS
Colville Valley WA Lumberjacks
East Kootenay Angels
Grand Forks Slag Dusters
New Denver-Silverton Twins
Republic WA Gold’n’Sawdust
Trail Hotelmen
(April 30) Brent McDicken put on a brilliant offensive display in sparking a twin-bill sweep of the Republic Gold’n’Sawdust by the Trail Hotelmen. After a high-scoring opener in which Trail won 18 to 9, the combatants settled down offensively in the late encounter in which the Smelter City aggregation prevailed 4 to 1.
Silver City rookie McDicken went five-for-five, collecting three doubles, driving in four markers including the winning tally, and scoring five times as the Hoteliers romped to the conquest in the lid-lifter. Teammate Russ Lafreniere connected for a pair of home runs and a triple, accumulating seven RBI’s. Left-hander Ken Umbarger, one of three chuckers used by the Innkeepers, was credited with the win.
McDicken continued his awesome hitting attack in the finale, another Trail conquest, by drilling a home run, double and single, collecting three RBI’s and scoring what turned out to be the deciding counter. Trail playing-manager Art Mercer followed with a double and single. Right-hander Mike Mondin, who tossed the final four frames for the Hotelmen, notched the knoll decision.
(May 7) The Trail Hotelmen took 6 to 2 and 9 to 1 verdicts from the hosting Grand Forks Slag Dusters in KISBL doubleheader action. Trailing 2 – 0 in the opening match, Trail tied the score on a seventh-inning homer by John Mota with one mate aboard and then ran across a quartet of counters in the eighth to ice the victory. A clutch two-out single by Dovilio “Dubs” Binotto drove in the winning marker. Mike Mondin earned the mound verdict over Grand Forks’ Steve Herbert.
The late encounter was all Trail as Russ Lafreniere drove in five runs with a home run, double and two singles and scored a pair of counters while teammate Mike Mukanik had a brace of RBIs and plated three tallies in support of winning tosser Ken Umbarger. Rick McLean was tagged with the loss.
(May 7) The KISBL balltossers from Republic picked up their first two wins of the 1978 KISBL campaign when they annexed both ends of a double-dip from the visiting New Denver-Silverton Twins by counts of 2 to 0 and 5 to 2.
The matinee joust was a classic pitching duel in which Gold’n’Sawdust twirler Randy Sandaine spun a one-hitter to claim the hillock decision over Mike Linn who held the Washingtonians to three safeties including a round-tripper and triple off the bat of “Gopher” Somday.
Second-stanza reliever Randy Rickard stifled the Twins on two hits in the late event after taking over from Republic starter Randy Newman. Leo Orestad smacked a circuit-jack and a brace of two-baggers to lead the victors’ offensive attack. Losing slabster Rick Patterson, nicked for eight safeties, walloped a home run for the Slocaners.
(May 14) Republic @ Trail (DH) and New Denver-Silverton @ Colville (DH) rained out.
(May 20 - 21) John Migneault of the East Kootenay Angels put together an impressive weekend in which his travelling-band of Kimberley-based Cherubs split the proceeds of four road games. Migneault cracked ten hits, including a pair of circuit-jacks and a brace of doubles, in 15 at bats during the quartet of clashes.
The Angels and Republic divided a Saturday twin-bill, the hosting Gold’n’Sawdust prevailing 10 to 9 to begin the double-dip. Migneault cracked his first dinger in that contest. In game two, he was the complete-game winning pitcher as the Halos drubbed the Washingtonians 9 to 1. With the lumber, he helped his mound cause in this tilt by clipping the horsehide for two doubles and a couple of singles, accumulating three RBI’s along the way.
Sunday, during a 15 to 7 loss to the Grand Forks Slag Dusters in the matinee portion of a two-game set, Migneault swatted a home run and a pair of singles, driving in a brace of counters, Finally, in the nightcap, he laced a duo of one-base raps during a 5 to 1 win for the East Kootenay entry.
(May 21) The four-game win streak run off by the Trail Hotelmen to begin the season came crashing to a halt when the Innkeepers dropped a pair of KISBL tilts to the homestanding New Denver-Silverton Twins by scores of 3 to 0 and 5 to 4.
The matinee clash featured a pitching duel between winner Mike Linn of the Twins and Trail’s Mike Mondin. Linn yielded just three hits and drove in two of his team’s three counters with a pair of singles. A three-bagger by Pete Markin drove in the other.
Phil Angrignon’s third hit of the game, a seventh-stanza single, plated Bill Markin with the deciding counter in the nightcap. The Hotelmen blew 3 – 2 and 4 - 3 leads as portsider Ken Umbarger, in relief of starter Morley Levick, was tagged with the loss. Umbarger and Mike Mukanik blasted solo dingers for the Smelter City squad. Fifth-frame fireman John Nesbitt of the Slocaners copped the hurling victory.
(May 28) The travelling Colville Valley Lumberjacks managed a split in their twin-bill with the hosting New Denver-Silverton Twins, capturing the tail-end of the two-game set 14 to 10 after dropping the opener 6 to 4.
Mike Linn hurled the Twins to the matinee victory, yielding six hits in going the distance. Losing moundsman George Cloakey of the ‘Jacks surrendered just five safeties but was plagued by five miscues on the part of his mates.
The wrap-up event was a loosely-played encounter in which both teams committed four errors. Despite giving up ten hits, Hal Hoxie managed to go the route on the bump for Colville to cop the mound verdict over the starter John Nesbitt of the homesters. Pete Bradway drilled a two-run tater for the Washingtonians while George Hanson contributed a triple and a double. Pete Markin smoked a three-run dinger for the Twinkies and added a pair of singles. Stu Nelson came through with a solo goner as well as a two-base hit while Phil Angrignon pasted the pill for double and two singles.
(June 3) The Colville Valley Lumberjacks defeated their Washington-state counterparts, the Republic Gold’n’Sawdust, 6 to 5 in a battle of American KISBL entries.
(June 3 – 4) Overcoming a three-run deficit in the final inning of a Sunday clash at sun-baked Coronation Park, the East Kootenay Angels salvaged a split in their two-game weekend set against the visiting New Denver-Silverton contingent by nosing past the Twins 12 to 11. The Twinkies had opened the series with a Saturday evening 6 to 0 whitewashing of the Halos. Catcher Jack Kelly of the invading Twins distinguished himself in the weekend brace of clashes, drilling five singles in ten at bats.
Winning heaver Mike Linn blanked the hosting Cherubs with an eight-hitter in the Saturday affair. New Denver-Silverton roared out of the gate with a four-spot in the opening panel and put the result on ice when shortstop Phil Angrignon added an insurance marker in the seventh spasm with a home run.
The lead changed hands three times in the error-infested Sunday engagement but the clutch two-out hitting by the heart of the Angel batting order in the ninth chapter pulled them out of a big hole. John Migneault cracked an RBI-single and Wayne Bell tied the score with a two-run double. After Bobby Neale walked, Eric Lepper came through with a crucial one-bagger to send Bell home with the winning tally.
(June 4) The Trail Hotelmen and the hosting Colville Valley Lumberjacks divided the spoils in a KISBL doubleheader. Colville came up with two runs in the last-half of the seventh inning to squeeze out a 7 to 6 win in the first game while the Trailites turned the tables on the Lumberjacks in the nightcap, plating the deciding tally in the ninth canto for a 4 to 3 victory.
A perfectly-placed suicide squeeze bunt by Dale Ochs of the Valleymen brought in Hal Hoxie with the winning run in the opening game. This followed a bases-loaded wild pitch by Trail’s Russ Lafreniere which allowed Mark Ross to scamper home from third base with the tying tally. George Cloakey gave up seven base raps and rang up nine punchouts for the ‘Jacks in securing the complete-game mound triumph. The winners managed to garner only four safeties off the Silver City hurling trio of starter Morley Levick, Ken Umbarger and Lafreniere.
With the score knotted at 3 – 3 in the ninth chapter of the finale, Art Mercer of the Hotelmen reached base on a Colville error after one had been retired. The speedy Trail skipper then swiped second base, advanced to third on a passed ball and trotted home with what proved to be the winning marker when Mike Mukanik recorded his fourth hit of the contest, a single. Lafreniere earned the knoll triumph in this affair, ousting Dennis Gibson in the hard-fought knoll joust.
(June 10 – 11) As a result of two lopsided wins over the invading Colville Valley Lumberjacks over the weekend, the East Kootenay Angels improved their won-loss record to 6 – 4 and moved into second place in the KISBL standings. An 11 to 3 thumping of the Washingtonians on Saturday evening raised the curtain on the two-game set-to. The East Kootenay nine continued their heavy hitting on Sunday afternoon by taking a 20 to 10 slugfest from the ‘Jacks.
Eric Lepper went the distance on the hillock for the hosting Halos on Saturday, fanning a dozen of the visitors in the process. Slow-working George Cloakey was tagged with the loss.
In the Sunday clash, Lepper played third base and had five RBI’s for the winning Cherubs. Bobby Neale was credited with the knoll victory while Colville starter Hal Hoxie absorbed the clay bump defeat.
(June 11) The Trail Hotelmen swept both ends of a doubleheader from the Grand Forks Slag Dusters, nosing out the Boundary Boys 6 to 5 in the lid-lifter before prevailing 5 to 1 in the nightcap.
Erratic pitching by the Dusters’ Steve Herbert allowed the Hotelmen to strike early in game one. After walking the first three batters, Herbert surrendered a three-run double to clean-up hitter Russ Lafreniere and the Innkeepers never lost that lead although the Forkmen were able to close the gap considerably as the game progressed. Lafreniere struck again by going yard with a solo dinger in the third. Winning tosser Mike Mondin, nicked for nine hits, needed relief help from Lafreniere in the final canto to preserve the victory. Herbert allowed only four hits while striking out nine.
The windup affair featured a stellar two-hit pitching performance by Trail left-hander Keith Van de Keere who rang up a dozen punchouts in silencing Grand Forks. The Dusters used two chuckers in holding the Hoteliers to five hits. Losing twirler Rick McLean hurled the first four frames and surrendered four of the five safeties garnered by the Smelter City nine including four-ply clouts to Mike Mukanik and Art Mercer as well as a brace of two-baggers to Ed Wilcox.
(June 17) The Trail Hotelmen extended their winning streak to five games by taking two games from the visiting Republic Gold’n’Sawdust by scores of 5 to 2 and 3 to 2. The Innkeepers never trailed in the curtain-raiser, plating a pair of counters in the fourth frame to break a 2 – 2 tie and move in front for good. Brent McDicken’s solo home run in the sixth spasm accounted for the final tally of the game. Right-hander Mike Mondin improved his season’s won-loss record to 4 – 1, fashioning a two-hitter in the process. With the lumber, Mondin aided his mound effort by drilling a pair of singles, scoring once and driving in a run. Terry Van Slyke was saddled with the knoll setback. Republic’s “Butch” Sager swatted a solo round-tripper.
Outswatted by a 7 – 4 margin in the sunset encounter, Trail made the most of their opportunities with ducks on the pond. Republic’s Dan Rickard fanned five but dug himself an early hole by issuing four consecutive free passes. Portsider Ken Umbarger punched out seven in annexing his third win in five decisions. Mike Mukanik clouted a run-scoring triple for the Silver City nine while Randy Sandaine dialed long distance with a bases-empty tater for the Americans. Teammate Pat Dunne, with a brace of one-baggers, was the lone batter in the fracas with plural hit totals.
(June 17) The homestanding Colville Valley Lumberjacks scored twice in the last-half of the seventh stanza to edge Grand Forks 6 to 5 in the matinee portion of a scheduled double-dip. A second engagement was halted because of a curfew with the teams deadlocked at 2 – 2 and will be completed in July.
Dave Stuker pitched and batted the Lumberjacks to the narrow come-from-behind win in the tilt that was runoff. On the hill, he scattered five hits and yielded just two earned runs. With the lumber, he stroked a pair of singles, scored two runs and batted in a brace of tallies.
(June 18) Rain washed out the second half of a double-bill at New Denver after invading Republic had prevailed 8 to 4 over the hosting Twins in the matinee skirmish. A grand-slam homer by Bob Grimm lifted the Washingtonians to their triumph. Randy Sandaine earned the knoll triumph by scattering seven hits while fanning four.
STANDINGS W L Pct. GBL
Trail Hotelmen 9 3 .750 ----
East Kootenay Angels 6 4 .600 2.0
Colville Valley Lumberjacks 4 4 .500 3.0
New Denver-Silverton Twins 4 5 .444 3.5
Republic Gold’n’Sawdust 4 6 .400 4.0
Grand Forks Slag Dusters 2 7 .222 5.5
(June 24) New Denver-Silverton and East Kootenay split the proceeds of a KISBL twin-bill. The hosting Twins won the first game 6 to 2 and the Angels took the second encounter by the same score.
Youthful right-hander Rick Patterson fired a five-hitter to pick up the pitching win for New Denver-Silverton in the matinee joust while East Kootenay’s Eric Lepper suffered the knoll setback. Patterson helped his cause with a pair of singles. Al Roemer, stroking a double and single, paced the vanquished Cherubs with the lumber.
A pair of newcomers sparked the visitors to the split with a second-game conquest. Winning hurler Dale Colvin went the distance on the clay heap, decisioning Brian West, while shortstop Vern Mott blasted a solo home run and a single.
(June 25) The Grand Forks Slag Dusters vacated the cellar position by taking two games from the Republic Gold’n’Sawdust by scores of 9 to 4 and 3 to 2. Steve Herbert was the winning pitcher in both contests.
Rick McLean of the Forkmen homered to start the scoring in the lid-lifter then later, with the score tied, delivered a two-out single which produced the eventual game-winning run.
In the exciting finale, McLean once again came through with a dramatic two-out hit that provided the Dusters with an extra-inning victory.
(June 25) By edging the Colville Lumberjacks 5 to 4, the Trail Hotelmen stretched their lead atop the KISBL to 2-1/2 games over the East Kootenay Angels. Winning pitcher Mike Mondin, now 5 – 1, got off the a shaky start, surrendering a pair of opening-canto counters. After the foes swapped tallies over the next two rounds, the Hotelmen tied the score at 3 – 3 in the bottom-of-the-third session when Russ Lafreniere blasted a two-out, two-run dinger. Once again, in the fifth frame, each squad tallied once. The Innkeepers took the lead for the first time in the sixth spasm when Brent McDicken singled home Ed Wilcox. No further scoring occurred as Colville’s Dave Stuker, who was nicked for just seven safeties in going the route, was tagged with the loss. Five walks and four miscues by his mates contributed to his demise. Top hitter in the engagement was Dean Sowards of the Lumberjacks who stroked a triad of one-baggers.
(June 25) Playing in New Denver, the hosting Twins and the East Kootenay Angels split a pair of 6 to 2 decisions, New Denver-Silverton taking the opener, the Cherubs the nightcap. Pitchers from both squads went the route in each of the scuffles.
Winning heaver Rick Patterson and losing chucker Eric Lepper were both touched for five hits and three bases-on-balls in the initial fracas.
East Kootenay’s Dave Colvin recorded the knoll verdict over Brian West in the sunset skirmish. Vern Mott launched a bases-empty homer for the Halos in this affair to go along with a single. Brent Windlinger added a double and one-base rap.
(July 1) The East Kootenay Angels started off a four-game weekend road trip on a sour note, dropping 7 to 6 and 1 to 0 decisions to the hosting Colville Lumberjacks.
A sacrifice fly decided the opener as Colville’s Mark Ross copped the knoll verdict while the Halos’ Eric Lepper was stung with the defeat.
In the twilight tilt, Lumberjack right-hander George Cloakey fired a one-hitter as the homesters narrowly prevailed in the shutout squeaker. The Colville slab artist retired 11 consecutive batters at one point in the contest. Losing flinger Bob Neale yielded just three safeties and garnered the only hit off Cloakey, a sixth-inning single.
(July 2) It was a disastrous weekend for the travelling East Kootenay Angels who suffered their second double defeat in 24 hours, falling 12 to 4 and 7 to 5 to the pace-setting Trail Hotelmen.
A four-hit pitching performance by hard-throwing Morley Levick highlighted the matinee triumph by the Silver City squad. Ed Wilcox and John Mota both launched three-run circuit-jacks in supplying Levick with all the offensive support he would need after Mike Mukanik’s bases-loaded triple in the opening canto had ignited the onset of the rout. Starting heaver Eric Lepper of the Cherubs, bounced from the bump in favor of Bob Neale in the second stanza, was nailed with the loss. East Kootenay’s Vern Mott touched Levick for a solo tater in the first inning.
Winning twirler Mike Mondin’s fifth-frame dinger with one aboard was the difference-maker in the sunset skirmish. The Hotelmen grabbed an early four-run lead which, by the time the first-half of the fifth had been completed, saw the advantage reduced to a 5 – 4 margin. But, up stepped Mondin in the Smelter City section of the chapter, and he sealed the deal in gaining his sixth mound conquest of the campaign by going yard against losing twirler John Migneault, sending in one base occupant ahead of him.
(July 2) New Denver-Silverton and Grand Forks each won and lost once in a double-dip. New Denver-Silverton, behind the steady pitching of John Nesbitt, came out on top 7 to 4 in the curtain-raiser as Steve Herbert of the Forkmen was saddled with the defeat. With Robert Sherstobitoff ascending the clay throne in the late fray, the Slag Dusters prevailed 9 to 3 over Mike Linn and the Twins.
STANDINGS W L Pct. GBL
Trail Hotelmen 12 3 .800 ----
Colville Lumberjacks 6 5 .545 4.0
New Denver-Silverton Twins 6 7 .462 5.0
East Kootenay Angels 7 9 .438 5.5
Grand Forks Slag Dusters 5 8 .385 6.0
Republic Gold’n’Sawdust 4 8 .333 6.5
(July 8) The hosting East Kootenay Angels broke out of their recent slump by picking up a singleton in the bottom-of-the-ninth inning to nose out the front-running Trail Hotelmen 7 to 6. Winning tosser Bob Neale gave up eight hits and punched out six in going the route. Russ Lafreniere, who took over mound chores from Trail starter Morley Levick in the seventh spasm, was nicked with the loss. With no outs, a 6 to 4 lead and a pair of inherited baserunners aboard in the seventh, Lafreniere managed to retire a pair of batters before the Halos’ Al Roemer stung him with a two-run single to knot the count. Then, in the ninth, the Smelter City right-hander issued a leadoff walk to John Migneault. Neale followed by bouncing a shot off hot corner custodian Ed Wilcox of the Innkeepers for a safety. Up to the platter stepped Wayne Bell who grabbed the hero’s mantle by lining a single into the right garden, driving in Migneault with the winning tally. Migneault and Neale both lit up Levick for back-to-back solo dingers on the opening canto. Brent McDicken had three RBI’s for the vanquished Hotelmen resulting from a double and a one-bagger.
(July 9) The second-place Colville Lumberjacks solidified their runner-up position in the KISBL with twin wins over their Washington state counterparts, the cellar-dwelling Republic Gold’n’Sawdust. The Tree Fallers won by scores of 7 to 5 and 8 to 2 to close to within 2-1/2 games of the front-running Trail Hotelmen.
(July 9) Grand Forks and New Denver-Silverton divided the spoils in their two-game set, the Twins winning 9 to 8 before falling to the Slag Dusters 8 to 3.
(July 16) Rick McLean was a one-man show in piloting the Grand Forks Slag Dusters to a brace of KISBL triumphs over the Republic Gold’n‘Sawdust. Toeing the rubber for 13-2/3 innings of the twin-bill, McLean chalked up mound wins in both encounters in which the Forkmen prevailed 7 to 3 and 6 to 1.
In the lid-lifter, a single off the bat of McLean was responsible for the RBI that produced the winning marker. Then, in the nightcap, he drilled a triad of one-baggers and had two more RBI’s, once again driving in the marker that put the Dusters in front for good. His four safeties in the double-dip gave him a league-leading 27 base hits for the campaign.
(July 22 - 23) Internal dissension has crept within the ranks of the Trail Hotelmen, seriously affecting personnel turnout for league encounters. On Saturday evening, only eight players from the Innkeepers’ roster showed up at Butler Park and the locals were forced to forfeit the encounter 9 – 0 to the Colville Lumberjacks. Then, on Sunday, with nine players in uniform, the Hotelmen dropped the matinee portion of a scheduled doubleheader 5 to 2 to the New Denver- Silverton Twins before, once again, ceding the second tilt by forfeiture when one of their opening-game participants abandoned his teammates and left the ball park. The Silver City team faces the prospect of a number of fines plus suspension from the KISBL as a result of the weekend fiasco.
In the engagement that was run off successfully, the Twins rallied for a four-spot in the seventh stanza to tuck away the victory. A double by Phil Angrignon, winning hurler Mike Linn’s fourth single of the joust and Jack Kelly’s home run sparked the uprising. Losing twirler Mike Mondin had three base raps for the Trailites.
(July 24) Larry Seminoff, Kootenay International Senior Baseball League president, announced that the Trail Hotelmen franchise had been suspended from the league for the remainder of the 1978 season and the playoffs as a result of failing to field a team for two of the team’s three weekend games. In his statement, Seminoff absolved Trail manager Art Mercer of any blame for the forfeitures, citing Mercer’s industriousness, dedication and energy.
FINAL STANDINGS W L Pct. GBL
Colville Lumberjacks 13 7 .650 ----
New Denver-Silverton Twins 10 7 .526 2.5
East Kootenay Angels 9 10 .474 3.5
Grand Forks Slag Dusters 9 11 .450 4.0
Republic Gold’n’Sawdust 5 14 .263 7.5
Trail Hotelmen SUSPENDED
(July 27) Steve Herbert of Grand Forks was the 1978 batting champion finishing with a .462 average in 52 at bats. Mike Mondin of Trail had the most wins, best winning percentage, and lowest earned run average.
PLAYOFFSSEMI-FINALS Grand Forks vs Colville & East Kootenay vs New-Denver-Silverton (best-of-five series)
No actual game results found in print although it is known that one underdog prevailed in the semi-finals. The Grand Forks Slag Dusters disposed of the pennant-winning Colville Valley Lumberjacks in three straight contests while it took runner-up New Denver-Silverton four games to eliminate the East Kootenay Angels.
FINALS Grand Forks vs New-Denver-Silverton (best-of-three series)
(August 26-27) It took three exciting games for the New Denver-Silverton Twins to capture the 1978 KISBL playoff championship over the weekend. The travelling Grand Forks Slag Dusters annexed the opener 4 to 3 Saturday evening forcing the invading Twins to take both halves of a Sunday double-bill by scores of 3 to 2 and 3 to 1, the final tilt requiring 11 innings to declare a winner.
Back-to-back doubles by John Semenoff and Rick McLean in the eighth episode of the Saturday affair provided Grand Forks with the deciding tally as Rob Sherstobitoff hurled the knoll victory. 15-year old rookie, Rick Patterson, was stung with the setback.
Phil Angrignon’s clutch single in the seventh stanza of the Sunday lid-lifter drove in the winning counter for the Twins and sent the series into a rubber match.
The Sunday finale was scoreless through the first five frames. In the sixth spasm, the Forkmen jumped in front 1 – 0 on consecutive singles by McLean, Semenoff and Paul Fofonoff. That lead was short-lived, however, as Andy Leathwood’s sacrifice fly in the seventh stanza plated Stu Nelson with the equalizer. Grand Forks loaded the bases with none out in the ninth round but failed to deliver a run in the pinches, having the potential tie-breaking marker thrown out at the dish following a fly out. The season neared a conclusion in the top-of-the-eleventh canto when Stu Nelson tagged losing heaver Alex Pereversoff for a two-run dinger, sending Jack Kelly, who had doubled, in ahead of him. Winning pitcher Rick Patterson, who toiled on the hill for the entire 11 chapters, then brought the curtain down on a successful season by retiring the homesters in the last-portion of the panel as the Twins laid claim to the Wish Milburn memorial trophy.
(August 31–September 4) Grand Forks Credit Union Labor Day weekend baseball tournament
SELKIRK SENIOR BABE RUTH BASEBALL LEAGUE
Beaver Valley Big T
Central Trail Giants
Colville WA
East Trail Reds
Grand Forks Turlin Motors
West Trail Blues
REGULAR SEASON
FINAL
STANDINGS W L Pts.
Colville 19 1 38
Beaver Valley 10 10 20
East Trail 10 10 20
Central Trail 9 11 18
West Trail 9 11 18
Grand Forks 3 17 6
FOURTH-PLACE TIE-BREAKER
(June 26) In a game to decide the fourth and final playoff berth, the Central Trail Giants beat the West Trail Blues 2 to 1. Pat Vlanich copped the pitching verdict over Ed LeMoel. The winning run was plated in the eighth episode when Tom Nedelec singled, stole second and raced all the way home on an overthrow by the Blues’ shortstop.
LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
SEMI-FINALS Central Trail vs Colville & East Trail vs Beaver Valley
No game results for the semi-finals, scheduled to begin on June 28, nor the league finals were found in editions of the Trail Times.
DISTRICT PLAYDOWNS
(July 7-8-9) The Selkirk Selects waltzed to the B.C. District Five Senior Babe Ruth title by reeling off four consecutive victories, climaxed by a 16 to 9 thumping of Kamloops in the tournament finale.
(July 22-23-24) Provincial Tournament at Quesnel
CARIBOO SENIOR BASEBALL
Once again, the senior-level circuits operating within Prince George and Quesnel, played a partial interlocking schedule in 1978.
QUESNEL SENIOR BASEBALL LEAGUE
Billy Barker Inn
Cariboo Clippers
Jen’s Hobos
Kopetski A’s
FINAL STANDINGS * W L Pct. GBL
Billy Barker Inn 18 2 .900 ----
Jen’s Hobos 11 7 .611 6.0
Kopetski A’s 9 11 .450 9.0
Cariboo Clippers 7 12 .368 10.5
* includes interlocking games with Prince George teams
PLAYOFFS
SEMI-FINALS (best-of-five series)
(July 31) The Kopetski A’s and Jen’s Hobos both hammered out a win against each other as the QSBL playoffs began with a twin-bill.. The Hobos rang up a big lead and then had to hang on to defeat the A’s 10 to 8 in the opener. The A’s came back with a ninth inning rally to cop the second encounter 8 to 6. The short-handed Hobos were forced to use Jim Booth on the mound for virtually both games.
Harry West started the matinée tussle for Jen’s but was pulled after facing just six batters as Booth came on to bail him out. Then, in the bottom-of-the-fifth, Bruno Rogger took on the hurling chores but only stayed in long enough to fill the bases and force one run home. Both West and Rogger retired only one batter each as Booth was summoned to put out the respective fires that had transpired. Ed Auger had a two-run homer for the winners. Kopetski starter Bud Atkins was nicked with the loss.
Booth pitched the entire second game. The Hobos blew an early 5 – 0 lead, aided by Booth’s two-run homer, in this encounter as the A’s fought back to tie the score at 6 – 6 in the eighth and then won it in the ninth on Dale Gagnon’s two-run single.
(August 1) The pennant-winning Billy Barker Inn squashed the Cariboo Clippers 11 to 3 in the opener of their semi-final series. Steve Huska belted what appeared to be a two-run homer for the winners but was instead awarded a triple when he failed to touch home plate and was called out.
(August 2) A 16 to 3 triumph over the last-place Cariboo Clippers but the Billy Barker Inn baseballers in the driver’s seat in their semi-final series. Senior Babe Ruth draftee Grant Johanneson copped his first QSBL pitching victory.
(August 3) The Kopetski A’s move one game closer to the QSBL finals with a 15 to 9 victory over Jen’s Hobos in a darkness-shortened six-inning game three. Eight runs in the sixth stanza sealed the deal for the Kopetski Clan. Pete Swanson launched a three-run homer for the A’s.
(August 8) The Billy Barker Inn earned a shot at retaining its QSBL tile with a 9 to 0 romp over the Cariboo Clippers to annex their series in three straight games. The Innkeepers clubbed three Clipper chuckers for 11 hits in the seven-inning tilt, ended by darkness. Grant Johanneson, the second of three twirlers used by the barkers, was credited with the win.
(August 9) Two player ejections from an already shortened Jen’s Hobos lineup forced the Tramps to forfeit their match with the Kopetski A’s and fall by the wayside in the QSBL playoff picture. Catcher Steve MacDonald and pitcher Jim Booth were both given the run on a disputed balk call in the third inning of a scoreless game.
FINALS
(August 20) Defending champion Billy Barker Inn won both games of a playoff doubleheader from the Kopetski A’s by scores of 9 to 6 and 8 to 5 to take a commanding lead in the QSBL finals.
(August 21) A fifth-inning grand-slam home run by Butch Meyers propelled the Billy Barker Inn to a 9 to 0 rout of the Kopetski A’s and the 1978 Quesnel Senior Baseball League title. Reliever Bryan Funk claimed the hurling victory for the Hoteliers while Kevin Beaudry was the complete-game loser..
PRINCE GEORGE SENIOR BASEBALL LEAGUE
Labatts
Lomacks
Martin & Sons Loggers
Northern Mountain Truck Service
The teams in the 1978 Prince George circuit, which fared badly in their inter-league clashes against rivals from the Quesnel loop, were ignored completely on the sports pages of the Prince George Citizen.
BULKLEY VALLEY BASEBALL LEAGUE
Hazleton Braves
Houston Bees
Moricetown Cubs
Moricetown Grizzlies
Smithers Glaciers
Terrace Reds
PLAYOFFS
(August 27) The Smithers Glaciers captured the Bulkley Valley Baseball League playoff crown for the fourth straight year with a convincing 8 to 1 victory over the visiting Hazelton Braves before a large crowd at the Civic Centre Baseball Park. The Glaciers had advanced to the single-knockout finals by ousting the Houston Bees earlier in the day 12 to 7 while Hazelton had bounced the Moricetown Cubs from the competition with an 11 to 0 whitewashing.
The playoff title capped off a fine season for the Glaciers who finished first in the regular-season schedule with a sparkling 13 – 1 won-loss record. It was the second year in succession that the second-place Braves had been relegated to the role of bridesmaid, losing to the Glaziers in the finals last season as well. Ed Nightingale, who came on in relief of starter Joe Duff in the second stanza, was the architect of a near flawless performance on the knoll, surrendering only three hits in chalking up the victory. Winston Leary, pitching in his second consecutive game after earning the complete-game victory over Moricetown, was nicked for five hits and two Glacier runs in the three innings that he toiled on the mound, taking with the loss.
Jim Watson, far better known for his prowess as a blueliner with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, had a stellar day at the plate for the Smithers squad, going 3-for-4 in the game against Houston and a perfect 4-for-4 in the finale against Hazelton.