Saturday, September 1, 1951

W L PCT GB
Spokane .... 93 46 .679 —
Vancouver .. 91 51 .641 3½
Salem ...... 72 67 .518 20½
Wenatchee .. 66 73 .475 26½
Yakima ..... 60 78 .435 32½
Victoria ... 61 81 .430 33½
Tacoma ..... 60 80 .429 33½
Tri-City ... 57 84 .404 36½

VICTORIA, [Colonist, Sept. 2]—Two former members of Victoria Athletics helped give the Spokane Indians the W.I.L. championship yesterday and a third player joined with the pair to shove the A’s into sixth place, only a point ahead of Tacoma’s seventh place Tigers.
The Indians won the championship by taking two games from the A’s yesterday while Salem Senators broke even with Vancouver. It was John Marshall who stopped the A’s in the afternoon, 8-1, and it was Jim Wert, a 1950 Victorian, who scored the winning run in the 4-3 contest under the lights.
It was strictly no contest in yesterday’s first game as Marshall, as good as he had to be, shackled his one-time mates with an effective pitching job. He lost his shutout in the third inning on Jim Clark’s double and Gene Thompson’s single, gave up only two sixth-inning hits the rest of the way.
Spokane scored three times in the third with Ken Richardson’s two-run homer the big blow, and wound up with another trio in the ninth.
BEST GAME
The mazda tilt was by far the best with Bill Osborn stubbornly protecting the three-run lead his teammates gave him in the second until the sixth and then losing it in the ninth.
Indians cut the lead to one run in the fourth when Wert walked and later scored on Jim Brown’s triple. Brown counted when Ben Jeffey had trouble picking the ball up and then uncorked an aimless throw.
A neat, two-out bunt by Brown plated the tying run in the sixth and John Conant won his own game in the ninth by singling in Wert, who had led off with a single, moved up on a sacrifice by Brown, and held on as Bill Sheets skied out.
First Game
Spokane ..... 013 001 003—8 14 1
Victoria ...... 001 000 000—1 7 1
Marshall and Sheets; Propst and Cardinale.
Second Game
Spokane .... 000 201 001—4 9 1
Victoria ..... 030 000 000—3 8 1
Conant and Sheets; Osborn and Cardinale.

VANCOUVER, Sept. 1—The Vancouver Capilanos lost the Western International League title Saturday night, splitting with Salem 5-4 and 4-3, losing the second game on a heart-breaking eighth inning triple by Salem’s Dick Faber.
The Caps roared through the opening game, with Bob Snyder winning his 26th of the season, tying the league record set by Bob Kerrigan of Tacoma in 1949.
Snyder started slowly and spotted Salem three runs in the first two innings, then settled down. Ronnie Smith relieved him in the seventh, but Snyder got credit for the win.
George Nicholas started the second game, with the pennant hopes riding on his shoulders. He went 2-0 in the first two innings, and by the seventh, was trailing 4-1.
The Caps, pecking away at Ludwig Lew’s pitching, got to him for three runs in the seventh after the fans had made their regular invocation to the baseball gods.
Then the play that lost the flag came.
Faber’s lashing liner drove straight for shortstop Ray Tran. Tran went down for it, but the ball caught the edge of the turf and skidded over his shoulder, through the outfield and out to the wall.
Bobby McGuire, playing his left field post, did not back Tran up on the play, and Faber ended up on third. He scored on Glen Stetter’s outfield fly.
First Game
Salem ........... 120 000 1—4 9 0
Vancouver ..... 012 002 x—5 8 1
Wilkie and McKeegan; Snyder, Smith (7) and Ritchey.
Second Game
Salem ............ 110 000 210—5 9 1
Vancouver ..... 000 100 300—4 6 0
Lew and Dana; Nicholas and Ritchey.

YAKIMA, Sept. 1—Kewpie Dick Barrett did double duty Saturday night for the Yakima Bears, pitching four-hit ball and driving in the winning run as the Bears edged Tacoma 1-0 in a Western International league baseball game.
Barrett scattered four hits and didn not allow a single walk as he racked up his 10th victory of the season against four losses.
Barrett faced only 28 batters. He singled in the only run in the ninth after the Tigers had walked a batter intentionally to get to him.
Tacoma .... 000 000 000—0 4 0
Yakima ..... 000 000 001—1 6 0
Dodeward and Lundberg; Barrett and Tiesiera.

KENNEWICK, Sept. 1—The Tri-City Braves and the Wenatchee Chiefs split a doubleheader Saturday night. The Chiefs took the seven-inning opener 3-0 behind Charley Gassaway while Tri-City captured the nightcap 6-5 in ten innings.
First Game
Wenatchee .... 001 100 1—3 9 0
Tri-City ......... 000 000 0—0 5 0
Gassaway and Roberson; Brewer and Pesut.
Second Game
Wenatchee .... 000 220 001 0—5 10 4
Tri-City ......... 000 011 012 1—6 14 1
Raimondi and Roberson; McCollum and Pesut.

Vanni Fined And Suspended For Rhubarb
[Victoria Colonist, Sept. 2, 1951]
Spokane Indians won the W.I.L. pennant yesterday without the aid of Edo Vanni, their regular right-fielder.
Vanni was fined $15 and suspended indefinitely without pay for “gross misconduct” on orders of league president Bob Abel.
The incident which caused Vanni’s suspension and fine took place in the seventh inning of Friday’s game here when Vanni protested hotly to Umpire Joe Iacovetti over a called third strike. He had to be forcibly restrained by teammates, almost coming to blows with catcher Bill Sheets, and put on quite a display featuring gestures and obscene language.

Schuster’s Talented Caps All Set for Winter Work
By Jack DeLong [Vancouver Sun, Sept. 1, 1951]
They have been the darlings of Vancouver fandom for the past four months, mighty men of the diamond, beloved by their loyal supporters and respected by their foes.
After next Tuesday, they’ll be just student Bill, truck driver Dick, engineer Joe or carpenter Jack. We mean the members of the Vancouver Capilanos’ baseball team.
For now that there will no more playoffs in the Western International League, the Caps will be closing up shop in just three days.
Playing manager Bill Schuster—Bill plans to go back to work as general handyman at the 20th Century Fox movie studios in Hollywood until the umpire yells “Play ball” again next springs.
Dick Sinovic—The apple-pounding outfielder of Caps will have an operation for a stomach ailment performed as soon as gets home to Portland. Then he hopes to work in a Portland sporting goods store.
Jimmy Moore—This speedy Cap second sacker will go back to college in Compton, Calif., where he is majoring in physical education.
Bobby McGuire—This highly-useful outfielder is going back to coaching football, basketball and baseball at Pullman, Washington high school.
Carl Gunnarson—The home brew pitcher isn’t going anywhere to find a job, He’s got one right here in Vancouver as trainer for Coley Hall’s Canucks in the Pacific Coast Hockey League.
Reno Cheso—This good infielder and utility man returns to his home in San Mateo, Calif., to resume his work as a plasterer.
K. Chorlton—The smooth outfielder is going to finish a college course in general business administration in Seattle.
Ray Tran—The hardworking popular shortstop will be back at his job as a construction workerm in his home town of Anaheim, Calif.
Chuck Abernathy—The Mr. Big who went over big at first base for Caps will just plain look forward to a job when he gets home to Los Angeles.
Sandy Robertson—Another Vancouver boy who has pitched well for the Caps. Sandy will be right back at his old job of consulting engineer in the old home town.
John Ritchey—This popular catcher and hitting pepperpot doesn’t know just what he’ll do in the off-season yet beyond returning to his San Diego home.
Ronald Smith—Pitcher is going to run a restaurant and cocktail lounge in Glendale, Calif. He’ll also play some winter ball in the fast California winter league.
Bob McLean—McLean is another Cap pitcher who’ll hit out for California and resume his job as an electrical worker.
Bob Snyder—The league’s leading righthander will soon be back behind the wheel of a big trailer truck in Reno, Nevada.
Pete Hernandez—Here’s another Cap pitching ace who is going home to Oakland, Calif. Where he hopes to resume his job at an airport.
Charlie Mead—The fleet Cap outfielder will work as a carpenter this winter in Pasadena, Calif. George Nicholas—The good Cap righthanded moundsman is going to work as a clothes cutter in a large Los Angeles manufacturing plant.
Gordie Brunswick—Best known as the chap who filled in for injured Bill Schuster at third base for most of the season, Brunswick will return to his home in Tacoma and look around for a job.
Vern Kindsfather—The come-lately to the Cap pitching staff will go back to college in Portland where he is taking a course in physical education.
Reg Wallis—The popular trainer of the Caps has already left for Penticton and a winter’s job as manager of the Penticton Arena.
Jerry Barta—Pitcher Barta will be back at university in Portland on a physical education course and refereeing basketball.