(DUCK TRACKS
By Tom King
Emerald Sports Editor
After an extensive pre-season exhibition series that saw them
peel off seven victories in eleven starts, Oregon's baseballing
Ducks look pretty chipper as they take a last quick breathing
spell before tying into Idaho here tomorrow afternoon in the
Northern Division opener.
The deeds of Don Kirsch’s boys in their warm up duels don’t
inspire anyone to storm the dramatic heights as did Granny
Rice when he waxed so eloquently that the “Four Horsemen”
soon became a household byword, but no one could be moved
to write a sob-story either. Leave the crying towel on the rack.
This Duck Dali club did show plenty of rough spots on its own
little grapefruit tour, and chances are that the second place spot
that they landed in during the '48 season won't be theirs this
time—nor the top one either.
Beavers, Washington State Rate
For, while Kirsch had it figured that the defensive side of
the team was virtually the only thing about which he wouldn't
have to spend restless nights, such was not the case. The boys
simply went into a tailspin, defensively speaking, but showed
some signs of snapping out of it last Saturday when they slap
ped down the Salem Senators. Too, the catching situation is still
a question mark, and this gives the Webfoots an unknown quan
tity down that important “middle" namely, the battery.
On top of this, Oregon State has come up with a cracker
jack ball club that, paired with a veteran Washington State
outfit, gives these two schools top crystal ball billing. But these
little devices are as often wrong as not.
On the brighter side of the ledger, Mel Krause, and Sil Mills
have served up some pretty fancy pitching this Spring, and have
certainly done a lot to ease a rather tense pitching predicament.
Krause has made the switch from shortstop (which he played
as a freshman) to the mound, (when he played in high school
and the service) in grand fashion.
Krause Ready for Opening Pitch
He is what some people prefer to call a nugget, and his work
has been good enough to earn the opening day hill assignment
against the Vandals.
♦..As for Mills, he seems to have developed since he last did a
spot of pitching, which was for the junior varsity.
The experienced Homer Bropst, a mainstay on the staff, has
come through with what was expected of him and, all in all,
things pitching seem to be on the upgrade.
The inner cordon, sometimes known as an infield, and the
outer pasture, whose other identity we do not at the present re
call. are pretty much set.
Which means that Oregon is going to have an out-of-the
ordinary baseball team, on that could go all the way if the
Fates are kind.
When Kirsch ordered a squeeze bunt Saturday and won a
game with it for the second time this spring, it recalled memories
of Howard Hobson and the tricks he used to pull back in the
days when the present Duck chieftain was playing a lot of second
base.
'Hobby' Squeezed 'Em for All They Were Worth
It seems that one time Ralph Coleman of OSC brought his
crew around for an important series with the Ducks, and “Hobby"
decided to have a little fun—at Coleman’s expense.
At a crucial point in one of the games, with the bases clut
tered with Ducks, Hobson ordered the squeeze*—a whole mess
of ’em in fact. The next two Lemon-and-Green batsmen laid
’em down, and, as Coleman stood by and unsilently tied him
self into slip-knots, an equal number of runs rumbled over the
plate.
“Hobby” was all for trying a third one in a row, but a Beaver
misplay let in another run and forestalled his taxing the play any
further.
A second of Hobson’s pet schemes was getting the opposing
pitcher rattled. In this same year (’46) against OSC. the Ducks
managed two runs when they were needed most, and they did it
the Hobson wav. /
When Runner Broke, Pitcher Pulled a Skull
The big moment shaped lip when the Ducks got runners on
first and third. As the pitcher, already a bit shaky, paused in his
windup, the man on first broke for second. Now, the poor chap
on the mound, his hands cupped against his chest, got all tang
led up and (1 either bluffed a throw to the base or 2) started
stumbling around, his arms flopping, and his mind in a state of
glorious confusion. The inevitable result was a balk that sent
the Duck on third jogging home without working up a sweat.
As we were saying, “Hobby” pulled this stunt twice against
Oregon State that year, and it worked both times. Coleman,
too, did some working himself—into a lather.
Needless to add, Oregon fared rather well against the Beavers,
winning three out of four.
IM Winners Rout Opponents
In Second Week of Softball
Today’s Schedule
3:50
North field—Sigma Alpha Ep
silon vs. Sederstrom hall.
South field—Phi Kappa Psi vs.
McChesney hall.
Upper field—Pi Kappa Alpha
vs. Campbell.
4:55
North field—Delta Tau Delta
vs. Sigma hall.
South field—Theta Chi vs. Sher
ry Ross hall.
Upper field—Phi Kappa Sigma
vs. Yeomen.
By John Barton
Spring term intramural softball
rolled into its second week yester
day with five games and one for
feit resulting from the afternoon
of action.
Sigma Chi squeaked past Tau
Kappa Epsilon, 4-3, Phi Gamma
Delta toppled Merrick hall, 10jl
with what would usually be a one
sided score, but Alpha Tau Ome
ga conquered Stitzer hall 21-2 in
the real one-sided fray of the day.
Delta Upsilon rode over Cherney
hall with an 8-2 verdict.
The Legal Eagles from Fenton
hail failed to find enough loop
holes to keep from a 12-4 whipping
at the hands of Beta Theta Pi.
In the tight game of the day,
Sigma Chi showed a superiority in
hitting to prove the difference in
their score with the TKEs. Both
Bevos Open in
Portland Today
PORTLAND, April 11—(AP) —
The traditional opener—“play ball”
—will echo in Vaughn Street Park
today as the Portland Beavers start
their home play against the San
Diego Padres.
All regular seats and boxes have
been sold out and officials said the
additions and extensions for the
first game of the 1949 season could
handle a crowd between 14,000 to
15,000 fans.
Manager Bill Sweeney will put
Tommy Bridges on the mound for
the Beavers. Starting for the Pad
res will be 25-year-old southpaw
hurler Tom Kipp, who was with the
Western International League team
at Tacoma last year.
The game is billed to start at
4:00 p. m., after ceremonies by club
officials and civic leaders and
boosters.
The Beavers start off their home
play in the cellar with Oakland. San
Diego is in fourth place, behind Los
Angeles and Seattle—on top, and
Hollywood.
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squads jumped off early in the
game, with the Sigma Chis grab
bing three runs, and the TKEs
taking two in the initial inning.
THE TKEs HIT the ball with the
bat several times, but too often
blooped it into the infield for an
easy peg to first. The fourth inning
saw both teams take one run, to
finish with a 4-3 count, Sigma Chi
leading. Perry Holman for the Sigs
and Roy Griffin for the TKEs
worked on the mound.
Dave Hemstead delivered a two
hit game for the Fijis in their
game with Merrick hall, as against
Hallman Darrell Belts seven hit
performance, to lead his mates to
a 10-1 victory.
The Fijis got on base more often
that the score or hits would indi
cate, but had trouble staying alive
on base.
in me dox, uamma Delta
collected four runs in the second
inning, three in the third, and
three in the fifth. Merrick had
trouble with their pegs in the in
field and outfield, but managed to
hold the score down from higher
score by catching a few Fijis on
the third sack.
THE AFTERNOON’S TRACK
meet featured Alpha Tau Omega
against Stitzer hall. The ATOs,
who did most of the running, came
out on top with a 21-2 count. The
boys from Stitzer never game up
and played trying game, collecting
their two runs in the third frame.
The Taus ran up their count as
follows: seven in the first, two in
the third, nine in the fourth, and
three in the fifth.
DELTA UPSILON saw a happy
second inning in their game with
Cherney hall, to see seven men
cross the plate in that one inning,
and ended with an 8-2 victory.
Frank Johnson, Cherney pitcher,
chucked a steady game, but his
support fell out from under him in
the second frame, as errors mount
ed on errors, and the Hallmen in
the infield had trouble hanging on
to the ball.
Cherney collected their runs in
the first and last innings. Delta
Upsilon has produced good hitting
so far in the season, but in the
Cherney game, massed it all in one
inning. DU chucker Lee Bamber
gave the hall batmen trouble most
of the timee.
Beta Theta Pi pulled a near
track meet on the Legal Eagles in
the last game of the afternoon, but
the Eagles collected four runs ta:
the Beta’s 12.
A good time was had by all, as
the Eagles laughed their way
through the game. Both teams ran
through two pitchers in the course
of the contest, but the Millracers
had a slightly better supply than
did the men from Fenton. Beta
Theta Pi had a big inning in the
in the second, when they collected
five runs.
Duck Courtmen
Trounce ETC
Oregon’s varsity tennis team de<
feated the highly favored Eugene
Tennis Club on the local courts Sat*
urday afternoon by a score of 4-3
to successfully open the new sea*
son.
The Webfoots pounced on the
Clubmen to sweep four of the five
singles matches, before they fell in
both doubles sets. Coach Saal Les
ser expressed optimism for future
matches, but warned that Oregon
State and Washington are the "top
dogs" in the Northern Division race
this year.
H daring•••
|
f audacious...
J
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