Wednesday, May 22, 1946

                 W  L  Pct GB
Salem ......... 17 10 .630 —
Wenatchee ..... 16 11 .593 1
Yakima ........ 15 11 .577 1½
Spokane ....... 16 12 .571 1½
Tacoma ........ 13 12 .520 3
Bremerton ..... 12 14 .461 4½
Vancouver ..... 11 17 .393 6½
Victoria ....... 7 20 .269 10

VANCOUVER, May 22 — Led by the consistent slugging of Jimmy Estrada with a perfect night at bat, the Vancouver Capilanos piled up the runs for a 19-1 win over Spokane Indians to take a 2-1 lead in their baseball series.
Estrada hit four singles and drove in five runs for his share of the 20-hit spree off three Spokane pitchers. Gus Hallbourg, who pitched 6 1-3 innings, was charged with the loss.
Ray Orteig struck out five and walked two in winning for the Caps as Al Kretchmar came out of his batting slump to bat in four runs.
- - -
VANCOUVER [Clancy Loranger, News-Herald, May 23]—Our Caps had a good long batting practice last night. After Manager Syl Johnson had tossed ‘em up for his hitters for three-quarters of an hour, three Spokane pitchers (?) took over and gave the Caps another two-hour workout.
Yep, as it must be to all ball clubs, the sky fell in on the Spokane Indians at Cap Stadium, and when the last dead body was cleared away, it was found that Vancouver rapped out 20 hits for a 19-1 victory.
The win gave the local forces a 2-1 jump on the Spokes in the series, and a new confidence to carry into the fourth game tonight, when southpaw Jim Hedgecock will handle the mound chores. As a matter of fact, the boys felt so good inn the dressing room after the game, mentally calculating their batting averages, that the spirit might just last them until the Friday holiday, when they meet the Tribe twice, at 2:30 and 8 p.m.
BAD NIGHT
It just wasn’t Spokane’s night. They got off to an unfortunate start in the first frame, when lanky Bob Patterson argued too loudly and too long with Umpire Rice about a ball he claimed had hit his hand, and was given the thumb.
Mel Cole’s men had the bases full with none out in that inning, too, but they couldn’t score off Ray Orteig, who registered his second win in as many starts. They didn’t cross the plate in the second, either, despite the fact the last two batters hit safely. Things like that kept happening to the visitors all night.
OLLIE HAS TROUBLE
For instance, take the seventh inning. The Caps had just driven Gus Hallbourg from the hill and were leading 8-1. The Injuns figured not much else could happen to them, with a new hurler, a chap named Oliver on the hillock.
So Mr. Oliver heaved in his first pitch, and Frank Mullens lifted it not so gently into Sixth Avenue. Ray Spurgeon, the next hitter, did likewise. Ten hitters, another pitcher, and seven runs later, the inning came mercifully to a close. The asme thing started all over again in the eighth, but let’s not rub it in, eh?
CUFF NOTES—Leading man in our boys’ 20-hit onslaught was the people’s choice, Jim Estrada … he hit four-for-four … Watts Gulan, who moved back to third when Orteig took the mound, gathered three-for-three … AL Kretchmar, Mullens and Spurgeon also picked up three knocks apiece … Manager Mel Cole, a catcher by trade, who filled in at second Tuesday, took over as a pitcher, of sorts, last night … Mel might remember he’s in a professional league now.
[WILfan notes: Kretchmar led the Vancouver RBI parade with four, Earl Silverthorn had three … Doug Oliver surrendered seven runs on five hits and four walks but got one batter out … Cole allowed five hits and a walk in one and two-third innings, and four of them scored.]
Spokane ........ 001 000 000— 1  9 3
Vancouver ..... 020 218 74x—19 20 0
Hallbourg, Oliver (7) Cole (7) and Clifford; Orteig and Spurgeon.

VICTORIA, May 22 — A five-run last inning rally provided Wenatchee Chiefs with their margin in defeating Victoria Athletics 10-6.
Mel Wasley started the fireworks when he was safe on an error by first baseman Vic Buccola. Dick Adams laid down a bunt and Al Steele, waiting for the second bag to be covered, was slow in making a play and everyone was sadfe. Before the A's were able to retire the Chiefs, four base hits were punched out and five runners crossed the plate..
The Athletics had taken a 6-5 lead in the seventh on Bob Cherry's two run homer, after tying the game with a four-run uprising in the sixth off starter Joe Vivalda. Reliever Gene Babbitt replaced him in the eighth and got credit for the win.
Wenatchee ....... 120 001 105—10 10 2
Victoria ............ 000 004 200— 6  8 4
Vivalda, Babbitt (8) and Fitzgerald; Babich, Raimondi (8) Jensen (9) and Myers.

BREMERTON, May 22 — Salem and Bremerton renewed their base hit battle to rattle out 23 blows in the two hours and 40 minutes it took for Salem to steam roller an 11 to 9 baseball victory.
It took a circus catch off the outfield boards by Hal Summers in the eighth to save it for Salem after Bremerton had scored three runs and filled the bases.
Salem ............ 110 300 510—11 12 4
Bremerton ...... 000 005 031— 9 11 4
Wyatt, Kowalski (8) and Kerr; C. Federmeyer, Medeghini (7) and Volpi.

Tacoma at Yakima, postponed, threatening weather, wet grounds.

Caps Land Third Sacker From Padres
[Vancouver News-Herald, May 23, 1954]
Vancouver Capilanos hardly looked like a seventh-place club last night, but Bob Brown, whose memory is good, made another move to strengthen the club.
The Caps’ general manager revealed that he has acquired a new third-sacker on option from San Diego of the Coast League. He is one Lew Estes, a gent who played 53 games with the Padres in 1944 before joining the army. Estes, whom business manager Ray Starr of San Diego recommends highly, won’t be eligible to play until May 27, so he won’t be seen against Spokane.
Ruby Robert is also in the market for a first baseman, but with Jimmy Estrada playing such good ball, despite the fact that he doesn’t like the position, Brown isn’t in too much of a hurry. Cleve Ramsey, who has been in hospital with a bad knee, was walking around at the park last night, too.
Meanwhile, the rest of the lads were improving their batting average against Spokane. Here are the figure for the regulars:
Ray Spurgeon, .347; Jimmy Estrada, .322; Reg Clarkson, .270; Bill Brenner, .267; Frank Mullens, .264; Art Bonnell, .255; Earl Silverthorn, .225; Al Kretchmar, .225; Walls Gulan, .172.