Evening star., 1944-04-09
Series TiIts, Opening
tuesday, Are Sliced
To Seven Innings
BY GEORGE HUBER.

Last weeks combination of cold
weather, rain and snow prevented
all schoolboy teams with the ex-
ception of Western and Coolidge
from playing scheduled baseball
games that would have given a line
on how they might fare in the Dis
trict championship series that opens
on Tuesday. SO there Is little in the
way of past performances on which
to base a prediction as to how the
race will 60.
Western definitely is established
as one of the teams to beat, how
ever, with Eastern and Wilson, de-
Tending champion and runner-up
from last year, respectively, also
highly regarded off the form shown
In preseason drills. These last two,
however. have yet to be tested in
competition. Tech and possibly
Central also might have good teams,
but like most of the others they
will remain unknown quantities until
actually seen on ball field with
the chips down.
Anacostia, Roosevelt and Coolidge
all have problems that figure to keep
them from advancing this season.
Anacostia and Coolidge seem to lack
hitting, and while Roosevelt has one
or two sluggers, it doesn't possess
the fielding f1nesse nor experience.
Play Thinning Games.
Tuesdays opening games, both at
4 o'clock, send Anacostia against
Wilson and Coolidge against West
ern. The other teams get going on
Friday with Eastern at Roosevelt
and Tech at Central. With the ex-
ception of Roosevelt, those teams
opening on Friday have games listed
earlier in the week against outside
competition that figure to shake
them down into playing form.
Series games this year, inciden-
tally, will be seven innings long
instead of the traditional nine.
Western held the tough Navy
Plebes to 6-5 victory a week ago
and several days later blasted out a
TO triumph over suburban compe-
tition from Washington-Lee. The
down the line and two good pitchers,
Gene Gould and Randy Fones, from
last years squad. Coach Cliff Moore
had to find only one new infielder,
and he apparently did okay in pick
ing Jim Bissitt for shortstop. Jim
has hit and fielded capably. A lot
of other good points indicate the Red
Raiders are in position to make a
bid for the high school crown they
captured in 1941.
Eastern Needs More Hitting.
Eastern needs only a little heftier
hitting than shown in practice, 1t
appears, to make good job of de-
veterans makes the Ramblers a
smooth fielding outfit and they have
a promising pitcher in Gene Collins
Wilson rates about the same, and
while it may have no real standout
pitcher, Coach Willard Bristor has
hurting corps that numerically is
strong and he can use two or three
boys a game if necessary.
Coolidge, Westerns opponent in
tuesdays opening game, was Lhe
only team in action yesterday, and
the Colts went down before Bethes-
da-Chevy Chase, 9-5. Coolidge was
able to get only two hits off George |
Myers and Herbie Benson, Baron
hurlers, while Myers was able to
fan eight batters. Coolidge's two
second Inning runs off Myers were
unearned, while Benson had a wild
session to walk in the three sixth
inning markers.
Meanwhile the Barons got to Jim
Bassinger, who went the full seven
innings for Coolidge, for nine hits,
one third-inning double by Benson
that sent in two runs. Benson was
Bethesda's big gun with two hits in
four trips. He drove in five runs
Bethesda got four tallies in that
frame to add to the three in the
first inning off a hit batsman, a
wild pitch and singles by Ken
Meese and Benson. The Barons
finished their scoring with two runs
in the fourth