Friday, July 28, 1950

               W  L  Pct GB
Yakima ...... 62 40 .606 —
Tacoma ...... 58 41 .586 2½
Wenatchee ... 61 44 .581 2½
Tri-City .... 54 48 .520 8
Salem ....... 42 56 .433 12
Victoria .... 44 59 .427 18½
Vancouver ... 42 58 .426 19
Spokane ..... 42 59 .416 19½

YAKIMA, July 28—Tacoma snapped Yakima's win streak at 10 games and moved into second place in the Western International league pennant race by defeating the Bears Friday night 6-2 in the first of a three-game series.
The victory moved Tacoma within two games of the league lead ing Bears. Bob Kerrigan, Tacoma's ace lefthander, gave up 10 hits, two more than the Tigers capped. but kept them so well spaced that the Bears could score only single runs in the 6th and 8th innings.
Tacoma ....... 310 100 000—6 8 1
Yakima ........ 000 001 010—2 10 1
Kerrigan and Sheets; Dickey, Savarese (5) and Tiesiera.

SALEM, July 28 — Salem staged a five-run ninth inning rally here Friday night to edge out the Tri-City Braves, 5-4, in the opening contest of a four-game series.
Five Senator hits, two walks and a wild pitch gave the Salem team its first victory this week. Solons left fielder Bill Spaeter drove over the tying and winning tallies with a single.
Tri-City tallied in the first inning when Al Spaeter tripled and scored on a wild pitch. Three straight walks by Senator hurler Ludwig Lew, a fielder's choice and an error scored two more. A walk and Merle Frick's double in the third inning accounted for the fourth Tri-City run.
- - - - - -
SALEM, July 28 [Herald] — The ninth inning jinx stopped Lou McCollum again in the [series]opener against the Salem Senators. Holding a 4-0 edge going into the final stanza McCollum became unstitched as the Solons went on a five-hit rampage to win 5-4.
Coupled with the five hits were two walks and a wild pitch. Bill Spaeter, Salem left fielder and brother of Al Spaeter, Tri-City's second baseman, singled in the tying and winning runs for the Senators.
The Braves got away to a big three run lead in the first canto and added another in the third. From that point until the base-hitting ninth the game was a tight pitcher's duel.
McCollum had given up but three hits until the fatal inning arrived. Lud Lew, who went the full nine for Salem, got the victory. It was McCollum's ninth setback against 14 victories.
The ninth inning jinx also stopped the veteran right hander in his last previous effort. That time he had one out and two strikes on the batter. Last night he was just one out away from his 15th victory of the season when the roof fell in.
Tri-City ....... 301 000 000—4 5 0
Salem ......... 000 000 005—5 8 1
McCollum and MeKeegan. Lew and Beard.

VICTORIA, [Colonist, July 29]—John Marshall wasn’t as funny as usual last night, but the big righthander was as entertaining as ever as Victoria Athletics and Wenatchee Chiefs defied the weatherman to split a W.I.L. double-header. A thousand hard fans who bared the threatened rain were well rewarded for their patronage.
Victoria won the seven-inning opener with Marshall, besting Joe Blankenship 1-0, but not before tossing in a few extra thrills. The Chiefs came back to grab the finale, 6-2.
OPENER EXCITING
Both games were well played, but all the excitement was packed into the opener. Showing his most impressive form of the season, Marshall had the more observant fans thinking of a no-hitter, but he had to get the breaks to get the decision over Blankenship, who really lost a heart-breaker.
Neither club managed to get a runner past second base in the first five innings with Marshall pitching hitless baseball until catcher Len Neal lined a shirt hit into left field with one out in the fifth. The A’s had picked up four runs, scattered over as many innings, off Blankenship. Then came the first of two big breaks which decided it.
Two were out in the sixth when Junior Krug got a life as first baseman Jerry Ballard juggled his easy hopper. Krug caught the Wenatchee defence napping when he risked the slippery footing to make a clean steal of second. Lou Novikoff followed with his third straight hit and Krug raced in with what was to prove to be the game’s only run.
MARSHALL IN JAM
It was then that Marshall threw in the added entertainment by getting himself in an ominous-looking jam. Bud Hjelmaa greeted him with a single in the Wenatchee seventh. Manager Rupe Thompson batted for Ballard and promptly sent a hit to right field, Hjelmaa stopping at second. Joe Unfried laced a drive off the wall in left-centre but fast handling by Thompson and uncertainty over whether the ball would be caught or not kept Hjelmaa from scoring. The bags were loaded and no one was out.
Catcher Len Neal stepped up to swing at a pitch and changed his mind but the ball hit his bat and rolled out to Marshall, who started a double play by way of the plate. Getting pinch-hitter Don Ferrarese to pop up for the game-ending out was only anti-climax.
The victory was Marshall’s 12th in 17 decisions and the loss left Blankenship with a 2-2 record against his former teammates.
The Chiefs climbed on Jim Hedgecock for a triple, two doubles and two singles in the second inning of the second game to score four runs, enough for veteran Len Treichel, who was never in serious trouble as he effectively spaced five hits and as many walks and received the benefit of two double plays.
Manager Marty Krug practically used up his bench in an effort to win. Four Victoria oitchers and three pinch-hitters got into the game and only Aldon Wilkie and Joe Mishasek failed to see action. Highlights of Victoria’s losing battle was Lou Novikoff’s first home run for his new club and the improvement of rookie John Brkich, who looked good in a two-inning relief stint.
Games this afternoon will wind up the series and the A’s current home stand. Jim Propst and Aldon Wilkie will do the Victoria pitching and it will be lefthanders all around with the Chiefs probably using Ferrarese and Jay Ragni.
First Game
Wenatchee ....... 000 000 0—0 4 1
Victoria ............ 000 000 1—1 6 1
Blankenshlp and Len Neal; Marshall and Ronning.
Second Game
Wenatchee ....... 040 000 110—6 11 1
Victoria ............ 000 010 010—2 5 0
Treichel and Len Neal: Hedgecock, Noyes (2), Smith (6), Burkich (8) and Danielson.

Spokane at Vancouver, postponed, rain.

Spokane Takes Rookie Catcher
SPOKANE, July 28—The Spokane Indians announced Friday they have signed up Bill Weatherwax, a 19-year-old rookie catcher release earlier this week by Victoria. He has already joined the team.
Bob Courage, a reserve catcher optioned by Portland to the Western International League Indians, is being cut loose to make room for Weatherwax. Slugging Joe Rossi has been doing almost all the receiving for Spokane this season.