1954 Tournaments

(May 24) Grande Prairie Athletics beat Sexsmith Rainiers 7-4 to win the final of the Beaverlodge tournament.  Rainers had reached the final with an 8-7 win over the US Air Force Eagles.  Oscar Tesch and Bill Ulmer handled the mound duties for Sexsmith.

(June 16)  In a miracle finish, the Meridians won the Lloydminster Legion Tournament with a thrilling 4-3, 13 inning victory over Saskatoon. A brilliant relief effort by Max Weekly was the key as the Meridians won their home tournament for the first time.  Weekly came on in the fifth with the bases loaded and one out.  He allowed just two hits over the final 8 2/3s innings and struck out seven batters.  

Lloydminster was down 3-1 with two outs in the 9th.  Second baseman Chuck McGuigan started the comeback with a single.  Johnny Ford also singled.  A third consecutive single, by Vincente Diaz, scored McGuigan and Ford notched the tying run when Leopoldo Reyes threw into the dirt at first on a drive off the bat of Rick Herrera.  

In the13th, Gems' veteran Bennie Griggs lost control, walking Len Pyne and McGuigan then hitting Ford to load the bases. A hit and run play backfired with Pyne caught in a "hot box" between home and third.  Pyne, however, scrambled to the plate as the throw went to third and the Meridians had top prize money of $1,450.  The Lloydminster Times described the action as 

" . . . by far the best of six Canadian Legion tournaments ... the tournament, which finished Wednesday in the smart Lloydminster park was amongst the best Alberta or the prairies has ever know."

MacEwen, Garcia (7), Griggs (11) and Shirley
Rosell, Weekly (5) and Quane

Ron Webb pitched a six-hitter and fanned 11 as the Meridians reached the final beating the Lloydminster Pirates 9-3.  Chuck McGuigan knocked in three runs. 

Gibbons, McGale (3) and Hamlin
Webb and Quane

For Saskatoon, Ted Wills allowed just six hits and fanned 11 as the Gems edged Rosetown 3-2 in the other semi-final game.  

Wills and Bennett
Summers and Henderson

In the opening round, the Lloydminster Pirates surprised favoured Colonsay.  Eddie Barrack held the Monarchs to six hits and fanned 12 as the Pirates pulled off a 6-2 victory.  Ray Hamlin had the key blow, a first inning triple for the winners. Saskatoon knocked Indian Head out of the tournament setting down the Rockets 6-4,  Percy Trimont had a homer for the Gems. Rosetown put the Beavers on the sidelines with a 4-3, 10 inning victory.  Howard Warfield, who had singled with two out in the 10th, scored the winner for the Phillies on an error by Beaver outfielder Lee Landrum.

Koroluk, Coben (2) and Folk
Barrack and Hamlin

Bessicks, BBrown (3) and Henderson
LDean and Green

Kirk, Griggs (4) and Shirley, Bennett (2)
George and Miranda

Johnson, Hopkins (3) and Green
Weekly and Quane, Douzas (5)

There were some red faces in Lloydminster over one of the tournament entries, the Harlem Clowns.  It turned out they were a softball team.  They were eliminated early losing to the Meridians 12-1 in a game called after 4 1/2 innings.  Max Weekly gave up just one hit and fanned nine in the abbreviated contest.  The Meridians got just four hits, but Clowns' pitchers issued 14 walks in the four innings. 

" ... the Lloydminster Meridians who were thrashing the Harlem Clowns 12-1, when the game was called no contest in the fifth.

This last touch, which got so funny it became the only sad note in the tourney, made Edmonton's John Ducey look good.  Uncle Jawn always snorts when fastballers are referred to as ball players.  Well, the Harlem Clowns were a softball touring team that got into a hardball tourney.  And they were as helpless and hopeless as new born babes in a commando battle.

Only the fact they called it off and staged their famed shadow ball act sent almost 3,000 fans home anyways happy.  Had they continued the fiasco against the Meridians, the fans, who for four years now have cursed tournament rains in Lloydminster, would have been praying for rain that night."  (Lloydminster Times)

(June 23)  North Battleford whipped Moose Jaw 12-3 to win their own tournament. Jackie McLeod tossed a four-hitter to lead the Beavers to the $1,000 top prize.  He had 11 strikeouts. 

Gardiner, Garrett (7), Gray (8) and Loe
McLeod and Green

Jesse Blackman went the distance as the Beavers dumped the Kamsack Cyclones 7-2 in one of the semi-final games, the Mallards topped Lloydminster 12-5 in the other. 

Holowaty, Ellis (6), Alvarez (7) and Shultz
Blackman and Green

Rosell, Barton (2), Herrera (3), Pyne (5) and Quane
Garrett, Seymour (2) and Loe

Two of the favourites were ousted in the opening round.  Saskatoon Gems lost 9-8 in 10 innings to Moose Jaw while Indian Head was beaten by Kamsack 9-7.  North Battleford got by Colonsay 9-7 and Lloydminster trounced Rosetown 10-2.

Wills, Kirk (7), Griggs (8) and Shirley
Psome, Gray (8) and Loe

Smith, Fabre (3) and Miranda
Ellis, Kosteniuk (3) and Shultz

Ellyson, LDean (7) and Green
Koroluk, Folk (7) and Rosher

Hill, Brown (5) and Henderson
Webb and Quane

Pancho Gray, the winner pitcher for Moose Jaw, also drove in the deciding run for the Mallards. Collins Jones had a homer.  Dave Kosteniuk was the hero for the Cyclones.  He came on in relief of starter Ted Ellis and also belted a pair of homers. The Beavers needed three runs in the ninth to beat the Monarchs.  A sparkling 2-hit, 13 strikeout pitching performance by Ron Webb led the Meridians to their win over Rosetown

(June 26-27)  Lacombe Tournament :  Brooks Buffaloes won top prize.

Carstairs Cardinals, Ligon's California All-Stars, Great Falls Jet Liners, Peace River (Donnelly) All-Stars, Central Alberta All-Stars, Lethbridge Niseis, Edmonton Athletics

(July 1)  Roy Taylor's college kids beat North Battleford 6-4 to win top prize of $1,2000 at the Saskatoon Optimist Tournament. Tony Levaggi hit a three-run homer and a two-run bomb to account for five of the Kamsack runs.  19-year-old Bob Holowaty, of Melfort, came on in relief in the sixth and blanked the Beavers the rest of the way before some 5,000 spectators at Cairns Field.  In the 7th inning playing coach Roy Taylor laid down a bunt to squeeze home an insurance run.

Kosteniuk (W), Holowaty (6) and Schulz
Holdaway (L), Stites (2) and Green

Kamsack made the final beating Saskatoon 7-2 behind the seven-hit pitching of Ted Ellis. Taylor's 6th inning bunt scored the tie-breaking run and set the stage for a big inning. The Beavers whipped Lloydminster 8-0 banging out ten hits, including a homer by Chico O'Farrill.  Ed Kapp pitched two-hit ball over five and two-thirds innings of relief to register the win. 

Wills (L), Griggs (6), Doig (6) and Bennett
Ellis (W) and Schulz

Blackman, Kapp (W) (2) and Green
Martin (L), Rosell (4), Rodness (6), Barton (7) and Quane

There were a pair of pitching gems in opening round action.  Lloydminster's Max Weekly allowed just five hits over 11 innings and struck out 11 as the Meridians shaded Indian Head 2-1.  Jose Hernandez of the Rockets also went the distance, allowing just six hits. Rick Herrera had a homer for the Meridians.  Saskatoon's Bentley MacEwen pitched a three-hitter and struck out 13 in the Gems' 13-0 victory over Rosetown.  Max Bentley had three hits. Ted Ellis and Bob Holowaty held Colonsay off the scoreboard in Kamsack's 9-0 victory.  Ellis allowed just two hits in four innings of work and Holowaty hurled hitless ball for three frames. Roy Zivanich had a triple and single for the winners. The Beavers took 10 innings to beat Moose Jaw 6-5.  Curtis Tate knocked in the winner.

Weekly (W) and Quane
Hernandez (L) and Miranda

MacEwen (W) and Shirley
Hill (L), King (6), Brown (7) and Price, Henderson (7)

Koroluk (L), Worth (2) and McKenzie
Ellis, Holowaty (W) (5) and Schulz

McLeod, Stites (W) (8) and Green
Garrett, Gardiner (6), Gray (L) (9) and Loe
 

(July 7)  Delisle Gems and Edmonton Athletics split top prize money as rain washed out the final of the Camrose Moose Lodge tournament.  Edmonton had an 8-3 lead in the third inning when the rains came. Each team took home $950.  Jim Ryan belted a pair of homers, driving in five runs, to give the Athletics a big lead.   

Lefty Belter and Ken Ing
Bennie Griggs, Don Kirk (3) and Reg Bentley

The Athletics advanced to the final by whipping the Great Falls Jet Liners 12-2.  Edmonton pounded out 14 hits.  Lefty Belter tossed a five-hitter for the win.

Boyd, Zaremba and Shappanus, Barnes.
Belter and Ken Ing

Delisle topped Lacombe 9-3. Bennie Griggs paced the Gems with two hits, including a homer.  Dick Latiff and Pat Chapman had two-base blows for Lacombe.

Bentley McEwan and Shirley, Reg Bentley
Robertson, Dave Martin and Sam Martin

In opening round action, Edmonton Athletics downed the Eastern Alberta All-Stars 9-4.  Bill Gadsby's grand slam homer in the fifth inning proved to be the winning blow.

John Gordy belted a ground-rule double in the ninth inning to score two runs as Great Falls shaded P&G Motors 5-3. 

Lacombe had 13 hits and took advantage of four Carstairs' errors to post an 8-4 victory.  P. Chapman picked up the mound win over John Makos.

Don Kirk tossed a four-hit shutout to pace Delisle to a 3-0 win over Leduc Oilers. Kirk fanned ten and walked just one.  Max Bentley belted a homer for the winners. Alf Molyneaux went the distance for the losers giving up ten hits.

(July 10?)  Kamsack Tournament :   Jim Williams' Eagles, a Cuban team from Jacksonville, Florida squeezed out a 2-0 win over Kamsack Cyclones to take top prize in the Kamsack Elks fourth annual baseball tournament. 
 

(July 15)  The Indian Head tournament was one of the biggest. The 1954 gathering was the 8th annual event.

"Ted Ellis, a blonde, 19-year-old right-hander with an ailing back and a great desire to pitch, hurled the Kamsack Cyclones to a 4-1 victory over North Battleford Beavers and top prize of $1,100 ... " (Saskatoon Star Phoenix, July 16, 1954)

The right-hander, pitching in pain from a bruised back muscle, allowed seven hits and helped his team at the plate with a run-scoring double. Ed Kapp took the loss for the Beavers.  Kapp started the final less than a hour after firing a 4-hit complete game as North Battleford advanced with a 9-2 win over Indian Head. 

Kapp, Blackman (6) and Green
Ellis and Schulz

Cyclones defeated Saskatoon 2-1 and the Beavers whipped Indian Head 9-2 in semi-final action.  Cyclone's centre fielder Bill Findley made a game-saving catch in the ninth inning to preserve Kamsack's 2-1 margin.  Both pitchers went the distance -- Ted Wills allowed four hits for Saskatoon, Ruben Alvarez five for Kamsack. Ed Kapp tossed a four-hitter in the Beavers win over the Rockets.

Wills and Bennett
Alvarez and Schulz

In second round action, North Battleford's Bill Stites allowed just two hits as the Beavers shutout the Moose Jaw Lakers 7-0.  Dave Kosteniuk went the distance in Kamsack's 9-3 win over Moose Jaw Mallards.  The Rockets' S. Martinez gave up just five hits as Indian Head beat the Regina Caps 10-2.  A highlight of the quarter-finals was a pitching duel between Saskatoon's Don Kirk and Hap L'Heureux of Notre Dame.  Both gave up just three hits. 

Stites and Green
J.Devine, Thorseth (6) and Peterson

Weldon, Psome (7), Gray (8) and Loe
Kosteniuk and Schulz

L'Heureux and Ross
Kirk and Bennett

S.Martinez and Miranda
Wall, Heidt (5) and McNabb

Saskatoon's Bob Doig provided one of the highlights of first round action.  Doig tossed a three-hitter as the Gems beat the Texas Jasper Stars 1-0. Alvin Jackson tossed a five-hitter for the losers.  Kamsack's Bob Holowaty allowed just five hits in shutting out Weyburn 9-0.

Crane Valley 1 Moose Jaw Lakers 3
Hobbs and Sterling
White and Peterson

Mainline All-Stars 7 Notre Dame 14
Endle, Brierly (8), Kydd (8) and Moss
Dombrowsky, L'Heureux (7) and Ross

Regina Red Sox 1 Moose Jaw Mallards 8
Richardson, Mitchell (4) and Abel
King and Loe

Texas Jasper Steers 0 Saskatoon 1
Alvin Jackson and Piodrell
Doig and Bennett

North Battleford 7 Rosetown 5
Stites, McLeod (4) and Green, Nelson (7)
Hill and Henderson

Regina Caps over Wynyard by default

Kamsack 9 Weyburn 0
Holowaty and Schulz
Hogg, Hoff (2) and O'Brien

Florida Eagles 4 Indian Head 12
Fabre, Coleman (2) and Johnson
Hernandez and Miranda

The All-Tournament team:

c Bob Bennett Saskatoon Gems, c Lou Green North Battleford Beavers, 1b A. Eglesias Florida Eagles, 2b Roy Taylor Kamsack Cyclones, 3b Juan Garcia Indian Head Rockets, ss Esquiel Diaz Saskatoon Gems, lf Jim McMahon North Battleford Beavers, cf Tom Daly Notre Dame Hounds, rf Tony Levaggi Kamsack Cyclones, u Jesse Blackman North Battleford Beavers, u Jack McLeod North Battleford Beavers, p Ted Ellis Kamsack Cyclones, p Dave Kosteniuk Kamsack Cyclones, p Don Kirk Saskatoon Gems, p Ted Wills Saskatoon Gems, p Dave White Moose Jaw Lakers

(July 25)  Saskatoon Exhibition Tournament

Saskatoon's Ted Wills allowed just three hits and fanned 13 as the Gems smashed Lloydminster 10-0 to win the Saskatoon Exhibition Tournament.  It was the first time in the long history of the event that a Saskatoon team had claimed the title.  Bev Bentley had four hits for the winners.  Johnny Ford had all three hits for the Meridians.  Lloydminster had lost an earlier game in the day as Colonsay shaded the Meridians 5-4 as veteran Johnny Folk fanned 15.

Rosell, Weekly (5) and Tanner
Wills and Bennett

Pyne and Quane, Tanner (9)
Folk and McKenzie

Lloydminster was assured of a berth in the final after a 3-2 win over Kamsack. Rick Herrera allowed just five hits in a route-going performance for the winners. Arne Thunander's single scored Ed Tanner with the winning run.  

Ellis and Schulz
Herrera and Tanner

The Cyclones got a brilliant relief effort from Bob Holowaty as they beat Colonsay 5-2.  Holowaty came on in the fourth and allowed only one base runner, on a walk, in his 5 1/3 innings on the hill.  Junior star Lew Hobson had 10 strikeouts in going the distance for the Monarchs.

Hobson (L) and McKenzie
Alvarez, Holowaty (W) (4) and Schulz

The Gems got to the final with victories over Colonsay and Kamsack.  Both games featured outstanding pitching for Saskatoon.  Jim Morrow pitched a seven-hitter with 13 strikeouts in the win over Kamsack while Bentley MacEwen allowed just three hits and fanned 13 in the victory over the Monarchs.

Coben and McKenzie
MacEwen and Bennett

Morrow and Bennett
Kosteniuk, Holowaty (4), Alvarez (7) and Schulz

A coin flip decided the opening game of the tournament.  Lloydminster and Saskatoon had tied 5-5 after 12 innings when darkness forced umpires to call the game.  Ron Webb pitched into the 10th inning for the Meridians.  Saskatoon had tied the game 5-5 in the top of the 9th on a two-run double by Leopoldo Reyes.

Doig, Morrow (6) and Bennett
Webb, Rosell (10) and Tanner

(July 29)  Ron Webb threw a 3-hit shutout as Lloydminster won the $1,100 top prize in the Rosetown Tournament with a 2-0 win over the hometown Phillies.  Rick Herrera was the hitting star for the Meridians, scoring the first run and knocking in the second with the single.

Hill and Henderson
Webb and Tanner

Lloydminster advanced to the final with a 10-4 win over Kamsack. Tom Mulcahy went the distance on the mound and added a triple at the plate.  Roberto Zayas and Chuck McGuigan each had a pair of triples. In the other semi-final, Rosetown shaded Moose Jaw 4-3 in 12 innings.  Cy Morton tripled and scored the winner for the Phillies.

Holowaty, Kosteniuk (2) and Schulz
Mulcahy and Tanner

Psome, Gray (8) and Loe, Jones (11)
Coleman, Brown (8) and Henderson

Jackie McLeod, fired by the Beavers the previous day, beat his old teammates as he suited up with Moose Jaw and beat the Beavers 5-4 in one of four first round matches. McLeod went the distance on the hill for the Mallards. The Meridians trounced Indian Head 15-4 with Max Weekly going the distance and hitting the game's only homer. In the seven inning contest Weekly struck out 13. Rosetown's Benny Hill allowed just four hits as the Phillies shutout Colonsay 4-0.  Murray Coben and Lew Hobson gave up only three hits in a losing cause.  Ted Ellis tossed a five-hitter as Kamsack beat Saskatoon 7-2.

Kapp and Green
McLeod and Loe

Coben, Hobson (4) and Rosher
Hill and Henderson

Weekly and Tanner
Hernandez, Fabre (6), Arango (7) and Johnson

Ellis and Schulz
Morrow, Doig (4) and Bennett

(Labour Day Weekend)  Fernie Tournament   Granum won the $400 top prize with an 8-4 win over Kimberley Dynamoes in the final.  Bill Fennessey's three-run homer in the first inning put the White Sox in the lead to stay.  Willie Walasko went the distance for the win. 

In semi-final games, Granum whipped Creston 12-0 and Kimberley crushed Eureka 18-2. 

White Sox had earlier scored a 13-2 win over Blairmore-Pincher Creek.  Frank Stone pitched the victory while his mates pounded out 19 hits, including a homer by Earl Ingarfield, the first over the newly-constructed right field fence.  Kimberley shutout Fernie 14-0 with Gordie Tinch tossing a two-hitter.  Tinch, pitching for Spokane, was the hero of the Lethbridge Rotary Tournament.