Webfoot’s Rally Wins Thriller
By BERNIE HAMMERBECK
All hands are talking baseball today and well they should
after yesterday’s thriller on Howe field. The details of the
game have been amply covered elsewhere on this page, so this
corner will settle for a few versions of how the Hobsonmen
managed to win the game.
First of all there was grid coach Tex Oliver and his assist
ants Vaughn Corley and Mike Mikulak. Oliver had declared a
“maids night out” for his gridders and the)' were out en masse
to enjoy the. ball game. Tex didn’t exactly try to take credit for
turning the tide in the ninth but he did let the folks know that
he really knew when to call off grid practice so boys could take
in a baseball game.
Dick Strite. sports editor of the Register-Guard, made no
claims in regards to himself, but several of the boys are point
ing an accusing finger at him as the one responsible for Air.
Soriano’s downfall and the Duck triumph. Strite as official
scorekeeper had mentioned nary a word about the beautiful
hurling job which the Husky righthander was producing. Dick
is always the newspaperman, however, and had his eye open
for the no-hitter.
CALL FOR THE PHOTOG
After the Webfoots had ended the eighth inning and
were still hitless, Strite called photog Warren Teter over
to the scorer’s table and very quietly hinted that Soriano
was nearing the Hall of Fame. How about a picture? Teter.
being the obliging chap he always is, started for the Husky
bench. Yes, that was it. Teter got as far as the Washington
bench, and came right back. Walt Kirsch had thrown the
monkey wrench into Soriano’s no-hitter with a sharp single.
Poor Teter lost another picture.
Teter wasn’t satisfied with this explanation of the ninth
inning rallv, however, lie insists lie turned the tide himself
"when he sneaked over to the end of the Husky bench and took
a sip from their water bucket. The angle .that sounds best to
this corner, though, corner direct from the V ebfoot bench.
The Ducks had been trying vainly to connect for eight innings.
I lit with absolutelv no success. It was the last half of the ninth,
and thev needed no reminders that it would take five to tie and
six to win. That’s a mighty big task to ask ol the New \ ork
Yankees let alone the lT of O Ducks, especially when the guy
i n the hill has chucked eight innings of hitless ball.
The chatter started running down the bench. There was
the usual crack about saving so-and-so his ups and then one of
the boys explained with several very picturesque army expres
sions that Mr. Soriano had nothing on the ball and that this
was the inning to prove it. And sure enough the Hobsonmen
did.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TURFS
Yesterday's weather was certainly nothing to complain
; Sunt, but should Tex Oliver run into such a sunny afternoon
; nd drv field next fall, say when the Webfoots meet USC at
Lets Angeles in late October, you may expect a few tears. This
ail sounds rather odd, but to those well-versed in the grid game
it makes sense.
The usual routine is to have the highly publicized Cali
fornia teams come north and then cry about the rain and
muddy field. And they have a legitimate beef. Gridders in
the south practice all season long on dry springy turf. Their
timing and their plays are all edjusted to this type of play
ing surface. When they come north they run into a slow
soggy field and nothing works. Their plays just aren't
timed to a sluggish field.
That stor\ is fairly common, yet the reverse is actually true,
though no one ever hears about it. The \\ ebfoot eleven practices
on a turf that is sometimes dry, sometimes soggy, sometimes
muddy.
Invariabh it is a slower turf than one finds in the South.
The gridders work until their plays run off to pertection. I'he
reverses and spinners click, the passer is at his spot when the
toss arrives. The\ look sharp. But when they go south they
f nd an even faster field than the one they were playing on up
north. The footing feels great to the fast stepping halfback and
the hard charging linemen, but when they start to run their
plavs they find that their timing is off just as much as is the
southern team’s when it plays up north. That’s the side of the
store vott seldom hear.
Ducks Held Hitless Until Final Frame
By Husky Max Soriano, Then Triumph
A fighting Oregon baseball team came from behind in the
ninth inning yesterday afternoon on Howe field before 2,000
howling fans to nose out the University of Washington, 6 to 5,
in the story-book finish to end all story-book finishes.
Behind by five runs, held hitless for eight innings by Max
Soriano, ace Washington hurler, the Ducks kept their Northern
Division record spotless when Relief
Pitcher Lyle Pettyjohn smacked a
looping single into left field to
score the tieing and winning runs
of a 100-to-l-shot six run rally.
It was all Soriano for the first
eight frames. He struck out 10,
only two Ducks had managed to
get to first base and both had died
there. Then his dream of a perfect
game exploded.
Walt Kirsch slashed a single
to leff. Walt Lozoski skied
down the left field line and
shortstop Bob Tate dropped it
after a long run. Soriano lost
control and hit Jim Norvell
with a pitched ball. The bases
were loaded.
Tony Crish slashed a drive
through the box and Tate made a
great stop and forced Norvell at
second with Kirsch scoring on the
play. Score—Washington 5, Ore
gon 1.
Spike Johnson walked on four
straight pitches and Drck Rodiger
stepped in with the bases jammed
again. He looked at a couple and
then beat a ground ball back
through the box for a single, scor
ing Lozoski and Crish. Johnson,
running hard, went all the way to
third base. Score—Washington 5,
Oregon 3.
The fans had caught the fever
and as Rannie Smith stepped in
the stands were in an uproar.
Smith banged another one back
through the box and Johnson
raced in from third and Rodiger
held up at second. Score—Wash
ington 5, Oregon 4.
Coach Tubby Graves had a talk
with Soriano and he stepped back
on the hill to face A1 Cohen. Cohen
bounced a slow roller to Ray Rice
at second base and was thrown out
by a step. Rodiger and Smith
moved lip to third and second base.
There was some delay on the
Oregon bench as Coach Howard
Hobson surveyed his stock of
pinch-hitters. Then he sent Petty
john to the plate and Soriano’s
first pitch to the big thrower ended
the bail game.
* This afternoon the Huskies
will send either Boh Cole or
Bob Goldman to the hill in an
effort to even the count. Hob
son will call on his ace, Hal
Saltzman, in an effort to sweep
the third home series. It will
lie the last home game for the
Ducks until the middle of May.
It wasn’t all Soriano on the
mound yesterday. Homer Bropst
matched him inning for inning until
the eighth. He allowed only two
hits and pitched himself out of
several holes with the help of
some great fielding on the part of
the Duck defense.
In the Washington eighth Norm
Dalthorp doubled to left and moved
to third on an infield out. Soriano
singled him home with the first
run of the game and then was
forced at second by Tate.
Rice singled infield and Tate
moved to third when Bropst
dropped Kirscli’s throw while
covering first base. Rice stole
second and Don Ryan was
passed purposely to fill the
bases. Larny lvnust lined to
center field and when Johnny
Jones misjudged the ball it
went for a homer and four
Washington runs.
Then came the Oregon ninth.
The Ducks threatened twice to
break the charm of Soriano’s hop
ping fast ball. Kirsch and Don
Dibble both lined deep to left only
to have the ball curve foul.
Kirsch had a great day at second
base with eight assists and four
putouts. Smith came up with two
backhanded stabs at short to pull
Bropst out of a hole in the second
and third innings. Lozoski made
the catch of the day in the third
inning when he pulled down Soria
no’s drive in center after a tre
mendous run. He saved another
run in the seventh with a charging
catch of Bob Swysgood’s looper
into short left field.
Tate’s play at short and Frank
Constantino’s able handling of
Soriano highlighted the Husky de
fensive play.
BOX SCORE
Washington (5) AB R H
Tate, ss . 4 10
Rice, 2b . 4 11
Ryan, 3b . 3 10
Knust, If . 4 12
Milroy, rf . 4 0 0
Briggs, rf . 0 0 0
Swysgood, lb 4 0 0
Dalthorp, cf .... 4 12
Constantino, c 4 0 2
Soriano, p . 4 0 1
PO A
1 4
1 4
0 1
0 0
0 0
0 0
11 0
2 0
11 0
0 1
Totals . 35
x Two men out
run scored.
Oregon (6)
Kirsch, 2b-cf
Lozoski, cf-lf
5 8 26x 10
when winning
AB
4
4
Norvell, 3b . 2
Crish, rf .
Johnson, lb .
Rodiger, c ...
Smith, ss .
Dibble, If .
Long, cf .
Jones, cf .
Dyer, x .
Cohen, 2b ....
Bropst, p .
Wilkins, xx .
Pettyjohn, p
R H PO A
114 8
10 3 0
0 0 11
10 0 0
1 0 11 0
114 0
113 2
0 0 10
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
0.0 0 0
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 5
0 0 0 0
0 10 1
Totals . 32 6 4 27 17
Washington . 000 000 050
Oregon . 000 000 006
x Batted for Jones in the 8th.
xx Batted for Bropst in the 8th.
Errors—Johnson, Smith, Long,
Bropst, Tate 2. Runs batted in
Soriano, Knust 4, Pettyjohn 2,
Rodiger 2, Smith, Crish. Doubles—
Dalthrop. Homer—Knust. Struck
out by Soriano 10. Bropst 4. Walk
ed by Soriano 3, Bropst 1. Hit by
pitcher - Norvell by Soriano. Earn
ed runs off Soriano 3, Bropst 2.
Innings pitched by Bropst 8, Pet
tyjohn 1. Winning pitcher—Petty
john. Umpires—Dennison and Tay
lor. Time—2 hours.
NEW YORK, April 26.— (UP)
—Eddie Brannick, secretary of the
New York Giants, said tonight that
starting pitcher Harry Feldman
and relief pitcher Ace Adams had
jumped to the Mexican league, but
said that he “didn't think the
Giants were losing anything.”
Feldman has lost two and won
none, and Adams lost one while
winning none.
NORTHERN DIVISION
STANDINGS
Won Lost Pet.
Oregon . 5 0 1.000
OSC . 3 1 .750
Washington . 3 2 .600
Idaho . 2 4 .333
WSC . 0 6 .000
Softball Nines
Take Day Off
Because of the Oregon-Washing*
ton baseball game yesterday, intra
mural softball games were sched
uled.
The schedule will be resumed
Monday with the following teams
slated to play:
Pi Kappa Alpha vs. Alpha Tau
Omega, 4 p.m., field 1.
The Bums vs. Sigma Phi Epsi
lon, 4 p.m., field 2.
Sigma Alpha Mu vs. Sigma Al
pha Epsilon, 5 p.m., field 1.
Campbell Club vs. Phi Delta
Theta, 5 p.m., field 2.
National
Sport News
NEW YORK, April 26.—(U^*—
Referee Arthur Donovan, the third
man in the ring during most of the
heavyweight championship fights
during the past decade, formally
was charged with homicide today
in the death of his long-time friend
and drinking companion, 54-year
old David Corcoran.
Donovan, 57, boxing’s most fam
ous referee, was arrested last Sat
urday after an all-night tour of
nightclubs ended in an early morn
ing scuffle which resulted in Cor
coran’s death.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 26.—
(UP)—Kenneth J. Shaw, 35, for
mer University of Santa Clara all
around athlete, today was named
commissioner of the American
Basketball league at a salary re
ported “around” $10,000 per year
for three years.
Charles (Chuck) Saunders, pres
ident of the San Francisco eS?ry
in the league, said that plans for
next season still were in the em
bryo stage, but that there was the
possibility that Oakland, Calif.,
Pocatello, Ida., Oklahoma City,
Okla., and Wichita, Kan., might be
included in the circuit next season.
DONCASTER, England, April
26.(UP)—Bruce Woodcock, heavy
weight champion of the British
Empire, advised his home folks
that he likes everything in New
York except the noise and his in
ability to get a good cup of tea,
his mother said today.
LOS ANGELES, April 26.—(UP)
—Betting odds stood at 10 to 7 in
favor of Lightweight Champion
Ike Williams tonight as he and
Challenger Enrique Bolanos near
ed completion of training for their
outdoor match at Wrigley Field
Tuesday night.
DES MOINES, la., April 26.—
(UP)—The Flying Longhorns^^f
Texas university today led the
qualifiers in two spring relay events
as the 37th annual Drake relay3
opened here today.