W L PCT GB
Tacoma ..... 74 48 .607 —
Yakima ..... 75 49 .605 —
Wenatchee .. 68 55 .558 6½
Tri-City ... 66 56 .541 8
Vancouver .. 53 68 .438 20½
Victoria ... 55 71 .437 21
Salem ...... 52 71 .423 22½
Spokane .... 48 73 .397 25½
Bengals Back Atop W.I.L.
BY FRANK VAILLE
Associated Press Sportswriter
UNDATED, Aug. 18—Two slim percentage points separated Tacoma's Tigers and the Yakima Bears atop the Western International League today. And the snarling Bengals from the city of destiny had the points.
Tacoma slid back into the league lead last night on the wings of young Tom Kipp's five-hit pitching and a 16-hit attack drubbing Salem 10-2 while Yakima was being humbled 9-1 by Tri-City's fourth place Braves. It is the fifth time this year Tacoma has led the pack. Yakima has been in front four times.
In other games Spokane's cellar occupants continued their jinx over Wenatchee's third place nine winning 10-6 and Victoria measured Vancouver 4-1.
Backed by his mates' errorless support Kipp was never in trouble although he gave the Oregonians single runs in the second and sixth frames. Tacoma led all the way and chased starter Ray McNulty in the fourth when Dick Greco banged out his 29th home run of the season over the left centerfield wall with a man aboard. The Tigers took the series 3-2 in drubbing Wenatchee, Spokane brought its season's mark against the first division chiefs to 10 victories in 16 starts and four series out of five. Ward Rockey started on the mound for the winners and had things under control until the final frame when Wenatchee broke loose for five runs before righthander Bob Roberts relieved him for the final out.
Southpaw Jim Propst gave Vancouver only eight hits and drove in the winning tally as Victoria moved to within a single percentage point of its fifth place rival. It was the A's third straight win over Vancouver.
While the two Canadian clubs continue their family squabble at Victoria, new series south of the border tonight find Salem and Tacoma moving their play into the latter city, Yakima goes to Spokane and Wenatchee defends its 1½ game hold on third place at Tri-City.
SALEM, Aug. 17—Big Dick Greco exploded one of the longest home runs ever hit at Waters park as the Tacoma Tigers Thursday night whipped the Salem Senators 10-2 to take the series, three games to two.
The mighty wallop Greco hammered went at least 450 feet and was the Tigers' outfielder's 29th circuit-clout of the season.
Tacoma .... 121 200 004—10-16-0
Salem ....... 010 001 000— 2- 5-3
Kipp and Sheets; McNulty Costello (4) Lew (7) and Martin.
KENNEWICK, Aug. 17—Yakima slipped back into second place in the Western International league Thursday night after a one-night stand on top as it suffered a 9 to 1 loss at the hards of Tri-City.
Lou McCollum was the winning pitcher and also made the winning hit for Tri-City in the fourth inning by driving in Buddy Peterson with a single.
- - - - - - -
KENNEWICK, Aug. 18 (Don Becker, Herald)—Big Lou McCollum took of the sting out of the Yakima club last night when he whittled them down to size with a 9-1 victory. The veteran right-hander chalked up his 17th victory of the year as he handcuffed the Yakima team with seven hits well spaced except for the third inning when the Bears counted their only run.
McCollum won his own ball game in the bottom of the fourth when his sharp single over third base scored Buddy Peterson.
It was a big night for the Braves. Jim Warner collected three hits in four trips and broke into the 100 "runs batted in", column in the big eighth when the rampaging Braves blasted dour Lloyd Dickey from the mound.
Dickey had his usual trouble finding the plate, giving up a total of nine free passes. And as usual all his trouble in the eighth started after two were out. Nick Pesut walked, and moved to second when Jim McKeegan also drew a brass ring. Then McCollum added insult to injury by slapping his second base hit of the game to score Pesut.
But that wasn't all the trouble tht unruly tempered lefthander was to face. Al Spaeter found him for a single. Vic Buccola got the third gift trip of the inning from Dickey and Warner lowered the boom, Clint Cameron came up and did the same thing when his single scored Buccola and Warner.
That was enough for Dickey and he plodded wearily off the field leaving a hopeless mess for reliefer Larry Powell to straighten our. Powell passed Peterson and Pesut singled Cameron home while the 1546 hooting and hollering fans had the best time of the series.
A BIG GO-AROUND
One of those wild plays that you usually connect up with the Brooklyn Dodgers came up in the Braves first inning. The whole thing started after one man was out, but before it was finished there had been five putouts with Cameron getting the business twice.
Dickey loaded the bags on three successive walks to Buccola, Warner, and Cameron. Then Peterson lifted a high fly ball to Jerry Zuvella in right field. Zuvella came in under the ball, caught it, and then dropped it. That's the second out.
However, Gordon Perkins, the base umpire, didn't give any kind of signal and besides the base runners had not seen Zuvella drop the ball, But Peterson running to first had. Cameron and Peterson were both trying to get on first before Peterson got Cameron started to second. But it was too late. Zuvella relayed the ball to Jacinto who threw to Coscarart covering the bag to force Cameron. That was the third out.
With everybody in a putout mood Coscarart, out of the corner of his eye, saw Warner racing for home so he fired the ball to Will Tiesera, the catcher, who tagged Warner sliding in. That was the fourth out.
But they still weren't finished. Tiesera then went out to the pitcher's mound with the ball and seeing Cameron coming to third threw the ball to Reno Cheso, the Bears third baseman Cheso a bit baffled apparently by all the racing around put the ball on Cameron. That was out number five, and twice for Cameron in one inning.
To add further to the confusion Prrkins failed to give any sign when Cameron was forced at second. Had Perkins given the first sign promptly it could havp stopped a lot of running around.
Yakima ...... 001 000 000—1- 7-3
Tri-City ..... 100 200 06x—9-11-1
Dickey, Powell (8) and Tiesiera; McCollum and Pesut.
WENATCHEE, Aug. 17—The Spokane Indians continued their season-long jinx over the Wenatchee Chiefs here Thursday night with a 10 to 6 victory. It was the fourth series win out of five for Spokane so far this league season over Wenatchee and boosted the Indians' margin over the Chiefs to ten games won, six lost.
Spokane ........ 131 001 013—10-10-6
Wenatchee .... 000 010 005— 6-10-3
Rockey, Roberts (9) and Weatherwax; Treichel and Neal, Billings (6).
VICTORIA, [Colonist, Aug. 18]—Jimmy Propst, the slender southpaw who proved so valuable to the Victoria Athletics last year, took another step along the comeback trail as he turned in another steady performance in hurling the A’s to a 4-1 victory over Vancouver Capilanos at Royal Athletic Park.
It was Propst’s second consecutive one-run job and his third consecutive victory, giving him a season record of eight victories and seven defeats.
The victory was the third straight for the A’s against the Caps, boosting them to within one percentage point of the fifth-place fivals from across the gulf. In twelve games this season, the Athletics have come out on top eight times.
Propst survived a shaky start and was sharp in the late innings. He allowed but two hits in the last six frames while fashioning a neat eight-hitter. He was in trouble in the second inning when the Caps filled the bases with none out on singles by Charlie Mead, Len Tran and Bill Heisner, but struck out Bob Bruenner and forced Jim Robinson to line into a double play to escape being scored on. The Caps scored their only run in the third when Ray Tran led off with a single and completed the circuit on Reggie Clarkson’s double and an infield out.
In addition to his excellent pitching, Propst batted in what proved to be the winning run in the second when he singled after John Hack had hit safely and advanced to third on two infield plays.
Bob McGuire and Gene Thompson pulled a successful double steal for Victoria’s first run in the initial inning. McGuire singled and advanced to third via an infield out and Lou Novikoff’s long fly and Thompson drew a walk to set the stage for the play.
Novikoff opened the sixth with a double and beat the throw to third as the Caps made a play on him on Thompson’s grounder. Jimmy Moore sacrificed Thompson to second and Hack and Billy Dunn followed with singles to drive in the final two runs.
The series continues tonight and winds up with a double header tomorrow. Aldon Wilkie is Manager Krug’s choice for mound duties tonight with Don Alvari looming as the probable Vancouver starter.
Vancouver ...... 001 000 000—1- 8-2
Victoria .......... 110 002 00x—4-11-1
Bruenner, King (2) and Heisner; Propst and Ronning.
WESTERN INTERNATIONALIncludes Games of Wednesday, August 16
AB H RBI HR Avg.
Stetter, Spok. ...... 394 149 85 12 .378
Greco, Tac. ......... 462 164 126 28 .355
Thompson, Vict. ..... 466 152 97 22 .341
Warner, Tri-City .... 441 145 97 16 .329
Vanni, Spok. ........ 384 124 51 3 .323
Clarkson, Vanc. ..... 481 154 65 9 .320
Home runs (top five)—Greco, Tacoma, 28; Thompson, Victoria, 21; Rossi, Spokane, 17; Warner, Tri-City, 16; Mead, Vancouver, 13.
Runs batted in (top six)—Greco, Tacoma, 126; Warner, Tri-City 97; Westlake, Yakima, 97; Mead, Vancouver, 94; Thompson, Victoria, 94; Cheso, Yakima [total unavailable].
Pitching leaders (top five)—Soriano, Yakima, 5-0; Robertson, Vancouver, 12-2; Greenlaw, Tri-City, 8-2; Kerrigan, Tacoma, 20-6; Ragni, Wenatchee, 15-8.
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