The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1919-10-03
RATHER TAME TOURNAMENT.

The mistake that was made in fran
ling up base ball tournament was in
waiting until so late in the season. An
lcvent,like that in July or August would
have drawn together an immense
Icrowd, and insured the attendance oil
Iball clubs in the very zenith of theil
strength and playing ability. insurine
lclassy exhibitions of the national
isport. Coming so late in the season
after most OF the organizations had
ldisbanded and in order to make a
showing it being necessary for neigh
Iboring towns to scrape together any
Iplaying material within reach, and that
material without cohesion and without
Ipractice, with the handicap that every
body just now is rushed to the limit OF
endurance gathering the apple hravest
1t could hardly be expected that a
Igreat crowd would attend an exhibit
tion of the kind. And there is the
weather to take into consideration
Weather is an important item in con-
ling games while bundled up in over
coats is not conductive to enthusiasm
In this country weather conditions
cannot be banked on at this season OF
the year, and while the chances are
that the fall will be bright and pleas
!!ant, sudden change of temperature
lis not unusual, and that is just what
happened last Saturday, on the open
ling day of the tournament. The wealth
er was cloudy, raw and blustery, after
several weeks of ideal ball weather
land that night this valley experienced
lone of the heaviest frosts that has oc-
Cured this early in the fall. AS con-
trast the next day, Sunday, was bright
calm and clear, and as result the
lcrOwd that was missing the opening
tday was present in considerable num-
bers Sunday. Unfortunately neither
Keremeos nor Allenby were able to
send team. But J. H. Wagner, pro-
motor of the entertainment, did his
lpart in desperate effort to secure
ldrawing teams when he secured the
[presence of the crack Mansfield aggre-
Igation, that reached here under the
direction of Sam Nelson about noon
Sunday. just in time to give the fans
lsome real base ball. Besides Mansfield
Penticton and Okanogan was repre-
scented. Okanogan came up weak. as
most of the old players of that danger
Ious organization were busy and could
not spare time to take part in frivolous
amusement. The boys from the county
seat built up such a team as was pos
|sible under the circumstances, and
Oroville is certainly under obligations
to those young gentlemen for coming
up to help out the tournament. That
the club did not make a better showing
lon the diamond was due wholly to the
fact that it was a pick up team, some
of the members being utter strangers
to the small nucelus of the old original
IOkanOgan organization.
The only game played Saturday was
a seven inning contest between Okla
|nogan and Oroville, more in the ma
ture of practice game than an exhi-
bition of ball playing, put on just to
entertain the few visitors on the
ground. The game was very much Of a
farce, resulting in a score of 16 to
in favor of Oroville.
Sunday large crowd collected al
he grounds, which were fringed with a
solid bank of autos. The games were
slow starting, and it was not until
NEARLY noon before the first game was
called. Okanogan and Oroville were
|again contestants, as all of the Mans
f:41l o,rvivy &C
lgrounds, and Oroville won by a score
of to 4. Again it was late before the
Isecond game was called, when Pen
lticton and Mansfield were pitted
Iagainst each other. These two clubs
are in the same class, and close
Igame was expected. Unfortunately
lack of practice was evident from the
number of errors made by both sides
THE Penticton pitcher went hog wilG
in the first inning and three runs
were scored by Mansfield on passed
balls due to wild pitches. In the same
inning the Penticton pitcher soaked
three Mansfield batters. Mansfield
scored four runs in this weird open
ling inning, and that was a lead the
|Penticton boys could not overcome. In
the fifth inning Mansfield saved the
game by a change of pitchers. The
first three Penticton batters made safe
Isingles. With the bases full 7. Scot
was sent in to relieve Lille and the
tnext three Penticton batsmen were
retired, thus pulling the team out o
a dangerous hole. The Penticton du
iplicated that stunt in the sixth inning
1.-THE first two Mansfield batters wer'
Igiven lives by muffs by third and cen
ter field, and the next batter singled
filling the bases. Then the Pentictol
pitcher tightened up and the mex
three men were retired, Maurice Dali.
playing first for Penticton, making
sensational foul fly catch. The fina
score was 8 to 6 in favor of Mansfield
The sun was almost down at the EN-
of the Penticton- -Marshfield game, an,
Mansfield was called. This was tn
best exhibition of ball playing of tn
tournament, and it is to be regrette
that the game could not have gon
} the full nine innings. Five full in
! nings were played and Oroville wa
at bat with one score, one down an
runner on third when the game wa
lcalled, it then being too dark to fol
low batted ball. The game reverte
to the five innings, the score standin
5 to 9 in favor of Oroville.
There is no doubt that the peopl
of this upper country take keen in
. terest in base ball. 1t Is one of tn
cleanest sports now before the public
: although now and then player
. found in the ranks who ought to b
L. time n,.,;.,r n hin dirrocitin