Imperial Valley press., 1908-11-28
GAMES
 IN VALLEY LEAGUE Fl Centro Ties Brawley Again, and Because of ImperiaPS Defeat Leads League
Big League Twirlers Set Fast Pace For Desert BasebaI-Holtvile With Browning in Box, Shuts Out Imper- iaI But Loses to CaIexico's Fast Aggregation.

The race in the pennant in the Colo rado Desert Baseball League is get ting warm. The importation of Pa cific Coast League pitchers and few other fast men is giving the local fans a quality of baseball rarely seen eX- cept in big cities, and it is not to be wondered at that the people are turn ing out by the hundreds to see the games.
 Fl Centro went up against Braw ley Sunday with a crippled team and even though the visitors had Phillips of the Los Angeles team in the box played them to standstill and tie in the tenth inning. Callahan's de- parture and the failure of Goldthwaite the new catcher. to arrive in time left the locals without a catcher and the best that could be done was Sher man, an amateur who lives in Imper- ial, and who can hardly be classed with the other catchers in the league. He missed three. third strikes in the first three innings. The first man who was thus presented with first base made the first score possible, and in the third inning man who had been struck out, scored Harlzins, who pitched for El Centro, gave one of the finest exhibitions of pitching and all around ball playing ever seen here, and with good support behind the bat would have easily shut out his oppon- ents.
 Brawley got one run in the first in ming and one in the third, both the result of missed third strikes. El Centro did not score until the seventh inning when two hits and putout enabled Harkins to come in.
 El Centro's half of the eighth was exciting and the fans got warmed up in good shape. Sherman reached sec ond on hit and a putout. The next man struck out and with two men out and one run needed to tie, liar ldns faced Phillips. The plucky little pitcher was there with the stick and smashed a hot one out to center field, scoring the tying run.
 In the ninth Harkins seemed to have just got warmed up and was sending them over the plate so fast that Brawley's hitters couldn't even see the ball. Three strikeouts in rap i'd succession gave Ell Centro chance to tie in her half of the inning. Fleck- enstein reached third with none out, but in attempting to score on a weak hit to pitcher by Burness, was thrown out at the plate. Burness was loafing between first and second and he also was put out, thus ending the locals half of the tenth Brawleys first three men went down before Harkins and El Centro made final "ifCrt to win Mcclellan got as far as third base and Harkins made a good try for hit with long, high fly to center field. It had plenty of steam behind it, but Brawley's center field got under it and ended the game in darkness.
 It was close, interesting and ex- citing game, but it was marred by poor umpiring. Many of the decisions were absurdly wrong, neither players nor, spectators being satisfied. The umpire question was discussed at con siderable length at meeting of the, baseball managers held in El Centro Monday, and it was decided to en- gage two professional umpires for the balance of the season.
 The score by innings;
 123 45 6 ' 8 9 10 Brawley ,,.,.1 o l % o o o 0 0 . El Centro % o O00O 1 1 o 0 9
 Batteries-El Centro, Harkins and Sherman; Brawley, Phillips and Lane