Evening star., 1944-06-07
| Mentor Proves Keen
Leader and HurIer
Smooth, Durable

1914 baseball champion mainly be-
cause of the standout activity all
season of veteran OF school sports
and capable youngster with plenty
on the ball. The vet is Coach Clif
Moore, the lad Pitcher Gene Gould.
Gould yesterday hurled the Raid
eers to 6-to-5 victory over O pow
erfuI Eastern team to bring the
interhigh title to Western for the
first time since 1871. He held the
Ramblers to five hits and scored his
teams winning run In the eighth
inning to climax a schoolboy twirl-
ing record that has few equals.
Gould this year is credited with all
seven of Westerns triumphs in
series play and is also debited with
the Raiders two losses. AS a one
man mound staff, in the nine tilts
he has famed 48, given but 16
passes, and allowed only 40 hits.
He also has the distinction of losing
a ball game in which he turned in
a one-hit performance.
Gene today was being acclaimed
as another of the top natural ath-
letes the District has turned out.
A modest, quiet youngster, he has
relaxed, easy manner on the mound,
and way of standing up under
pressure that makes any ball game
he pitches good thing to see. His
control is something that goes with
that natural style, quality he
shares with big-time greats.
Holds Players High Esteem.
His coach, Clif Moore, repeated
this year the job he did in 194l when
he piloted another hot Western
team to the championship. That
victory also was over Eastern and
afterward Moore was track coach at
the school up to this year, when he
got a chance to repeat the Al per-
formance. Moore has a way of get
ting along with his charges that Is
noteworthy. Around the Western
bench visitors are struck by the fact
that it's Mister Moore" and "sir"
when the boys speak to the mentor.
While Moore rules the Raider roost,
also noticeable aside from the In
slant obedience the youngsters give
him Is the unquestioning faith they
have in his Judgment. There were
few beefs and no crying or COM
planning on the Western bench this
year, and Moore largely was respon-
sible for that. The man not only
knows baseball, he knows how to
make schoolboys play big league
style. In the Army they'd call
Moore a born leader"
Yesterdays win on their home
field wasn't an easy one for the
Raiders. An Eastern nine that's
outhit the Westerners all year
threatened every inning. A Rambler
rally in the top Of the eighth frame
put Eastern ahead, 5 to 4, and It
wasn't until Gene Gould trotted
across the plate on a single by Leon
ard Reed in Westerns half Of that
session was the game on Ice.
Kirk, Allen Hit Homers.
Home runs were smacked by
Walter Kirk and Bob Allen Of East
ern and Jack Castro Of Western.
Eastern used three pitchers against
Gould-Pau1 Schaefer, Gene Collins
and Phil Cocinano. but none Of them
could find the groove. The trio
yielded II hits. Collins whitfield three
OF the winners but couldn't match
the steady Gould control. se
Western scoring:
First inning-Jack Castro got on
first on a fumbled fly to center.
Fred Wacker flied out. Jim Bissett
walked. Leonard Reed banged out q
single that scored Castro. Nick Cha
naka slammed . two-bagger, bring
ing in Bissett and Reed. Three runs.
Second inning With two out, Jack
Castro poled the ball over the right
field fence for q homer. One run.
Eight inning Bill Cavanaugh hit
single and went to third on bin
gle by Gould. Fred Wacker hit q
long fly, bringing in Cavanaugh
with the tying run. Leonard Reed
singled to score Gould with the VIM
ming tally. Two runs.
Eastern scoring:
Sixth inning-Harry Hughes dou-
bled and scored on Gene Collins
single. Walter Kirk hit hot one to
Shortstop Bissett, whose peg to the
plate failed to catch Collins. Two
runs.
Eighth inning Collins doubled to
right. Kirk clouted a homer. Bob
Allen, next up, also hit a four dagger
Gould bore down and famed Bob
Lamon to end the rally. Three runs.