Pre-Season - April 2, 1950

Braves Dropped By Tulare 13-7 Despite Warner, Wilson Homers
By DON BECKER
HERALD SPORTS EDITOR
LINDSEY, Cal., April 2, — The Tri-City Braves lost a Sunday afternoon contest to the Tulare Aztecs 13-7 despite homers in the fifth and sixth by Centerfielder Jungle Jim Warner and Shortstop Artie Wilson.
Wilson, with two bingles in three trips to the plate, and Warner with two for five, lead the Braves at the plate.
Monday night at 8, the Braves meet the Tulare All-Stars with either Lou McCollum or Cy Greenlaw slated for the mound chores.
In this afternoon's contest, Joe Orrell, who was charged with the loss, started and was relieved in the fourth by Bill Caplinger.
Cliff Hussey went to the hill in the ninth followed Shoeman and Petersen.
The Braves' big inning came in the third when a pair of singles and a double by Warner, Catcher Nick Pesut and Neil Bryant. A pair of passes to Wilson and Johnny Scherger followed. A fly to centerfield by Quint White brought across three more runs.
Three errors marred the fielding turned in by the Braves. They got eight hits and gave up 11. The rough spots afield are at first and third.
Johnny Scherger, Kennewick star trying to land a berth with the Braves, brought the crowd to its feet when he made a sensational attempt to stop a home run by Jerry Womanc, Aztec first baseman. Scherger went up the fence and the ball brushed his fingertips.
The winners scored three in the second, three in the fourth, one in the fifth and six in the ninth.
Outfielder Clint Cameron is still sidelined with a heel injury which hasn't shown the expected improvement following an operation.
Pesut and Warner are very popular with the fans. Pesut, a wise-cracking type of ball player, had the crowd of 500 which basked in the warm sun chuckling all the time at his antics.

Squirmin' Herman Homers for Yakima
HEALDSBURG, Calif., April 3, — Herman Wedemeyer smashed a 540-foot homer Saturday and hit a single with the bases loaded to lead the Yakima Bears of the Western International League to 9 to 5 baseball victory over the San Francisco Police Department.

Wenatchee Chiefs Down Caps Twice
PENTICTON, B.C., April 3, (UP) — The Wenatchee Chiefs had two wins under their belts today following a week end sweep of their series with the Vancouver Capilanos in Western International league exhibition baseball play.
The Chiefs slugged out wins of 10-3 and 11-3 in the home-and-home training camp series here and at Oliver, B. C.

On The Inside
By DON BECKER
HERALD SPORTS EDITOR
LINDSAY, Calif., April 2—The Braves dropped one today, 11-7. But don't let these training camp games worry you too much about the outlook for our team. The veterans are just rounding Into physical condition, and the youngsters are pretty wild, both at the plate, the
mound, and afield. Fundamentally they have the makings of a good team, their pitching staff in particular will be the predominant characteristic we feel.
Just to give you a couple of examples of what we mean, before we left the hotel for the ball park, there were 15 signed mound artists. We haven't checked since the game ended, but it wouldn't be surprising to find another one or two had checked in here.
But most of all you're probably wondering how our local boys are making out. Before we grabbed a handful of train for this sun-drenched spot (it's really lovely) we promised to bring you up to date on what they had been doing, how they look, and all the rest.
Today was our first look at the Braves in action and Johnny Scherger was the only one of the four in the lineup. At the plate he drew a walk, grounded out to inning, the first baseman, and went down swinging twice. Afield it was quite a different story. He started and finished the game in left field and came up with one of the most sensational plays of the game, when he ran up the side of the fence and stabbed his gloved hand over the top trying to nail a home run ball. The fact that it ticked past the end of his glove doesn't detract from the great effort he made.
GETTING EYE BACK
Johnny tells us that he's getting his hitting eye back. It's taking time, but he clobbered the ball for a double in the Saturday night game, so you can see in another week or ten days he'll probably be getting his share.
As we mentioned before we didn't get a chance to watch Kenny Michelson, Les Logg, or Jim Doyle today, so all we can tell you is what they, and what Charlie Peterson, the Braves boss had to say. First to quote "Pete". "It's too early to tell yet just how any of the players will round out. I'm satisfied with the progress they are making, because if I weren't, the club would release them."
Now as to the players themselves. Both Kenny and Les said much the same thing that Pete did. It's just too early to know. Les said his arm feels good and that in another week or two he would probably be able to go the full route if called upon to do so. Kenny expressed much the same thought. Jim Doyle has been having a little trouble getting his hitting sights adjusted to baseball.
He tells you that himself. But if he ever zeros in, the way he did in softball, "he'll moider the bums."
The two most popular players with the fans are Nick Pesut and Jim Warner. Clint Cameron, another fence buster is temporarily out of the lineup. The recent operation on his heel has not yet completely healed. However, he did step into a game Saturday night as a pinch hitter and belt a triple. Mention Cameron's name to any of the players and you can see a look of deep respect for a top player come into their eyes.
WOT A CHARACTER—THIS PESUT
But you'll love this character Pesut. He stands about six feet even, maybe six one, and weighs 230 pounds. The opening greeting we got from him was "If I'd known you were coming I'd baked a cake, Don." When you see him walk off the field loaded down with a catcher's equipment, baking a cake enters the realm of the fantastic.
But the fans love him. For example here's what happened today. Warner opened with a single, and Pesut did the same thing. Neil Bryant, who followed, lashed a double deep into left center. Warner made it to home okay, but Pesut lumbering along like a ship weaving in a storm was nearly run over by Bryant.
Finally Pesut pulled up at third and when Petersen stepped over near the base to talk to him you could hear Pesut's voice ring out, "Honest Pete I thought I had a saddle on and would just let Bryant ride the rest of the way in." Now, how are you going to argue with a character like that. Yes sir, you'll love this guy Pesut.
You wouldn't think, for instance, that the fact that Jim Warner won the 1949 WIL home run crown would be too well known down here would you? After all this is quite a ways from the league's territory. Yet when you move through the stands and Warner comes to the plate, you can hear them, "That's Jim Warner, the home run king." Jungle Jim they call him on the team. He hits a terrific ball with lots of sock in it.
BROKE BAT FIRST TIME UP
The first time up he broke the bat, so when he was due the second time he called for another of his own. Someone went to the clubhouse to get it for him. That was the time he caught the ball amidships and rode it out of the park, about a 350 foot blow. But when he found out that he had hit the four-bagger with his best bat he had it sent back to the clubhouse with definite instructions that it was never to be brought out again for a practice game.