Evening star., 1945-09-07
vengefu| Wolff Faces
'Muncrief Tonight;
Pieretti Stars
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

BY JOHN B. KELLER.
With flag hopes revived after a
double victory over the hard-f1ght-
ing st. Louis Browns, the Mats are
keyed to a high pitch for their re-
naming tusselS with the champions.
Tonight in a singleton-the first
recent one for a Washington club
that has been in the double-header
business steadily since last Sunday
Roger Wolff will face the Browns
and Wolff with his 16-and-10 record
will be out for revenge on a ball
club that has beaten him three
times this season.
And with the Mats again only IL
games off the pace of the Detroit
Tigers, at the head Of the American
League race, revenge for Wolff
would be just as sweet to his club.
The Mats, though, probably will
be up against hot piece of pitching
themselves. Bob Muncrief, who
beat them the only time they have
faced him, will be throwing them
in for the Browns and Muncrief
boasts a record of II wins against
2 defeats. He has been one of the
better pitchers of the league the last
six weeks.
Pieretti Has Big Night.
Last night to the extreme pleasure
of the 1888 in Griffith Stadium,
the Mats with Johnny Niggeling
hurting, downed the Browns, 2 to 0,
then came back for ninth-inning
rally to triumph, to 2, in the second
clash.
The nightcap was personal vic
tory for Marino Pieretti, who got a
chance at his 18th win when Dutch
Leonard, who started on the hill,
developed an arm ailment and had
to retire after an innings work.
Pieretti not only collected three
of the nine hits the Mats got off
Jack Kramer, but he also drove in
one Washington run and carried
across the big one in the ninth.
The Browns had just punched
three hits in the eighth to tie. They
had been held to six hits by Pieretti
previously.
Pieretti led off the home ninth
with a smart smack to left. Case
put down a sacrificial bunt and
was safe at first when Len Schultz,
who took Mark Christman's throw,
pulled his foot away from the bag.
George Myatt forced out Case, but
Buddy Lewis, who had been knock
ing in runs right regularly against
the Browns, was given an inten-
tional base-filling pass.
Joe Kuhel, with the squeeze"
sign hung up, tried to bunt and
fouled. He fouled off another
pitch, then rifled a single to center
and Pieretti tore across with the
winning tally.
Niggeling Tough in Clutches.
Niggeling pitched a pretty good
game to turn back the Browns in
the opening encounter. He re-
stricted them to five hits, spread
over as many innings, and only one
Brownie reached third. Byrnes
made it in the sixth, when he drew
the first of the two walks Niggeling
gave after two were out. A passed
ball and wild pitched advanced
Milt.
Three others reached second. Al
Shirley doubled with two out in the
third. Gutteridge hit for two bases
at the start of the fourth. In the
ninth, a tumble by Niggeling put
4 NEN1rn a% tho
Quinn shot a single to right.
A double-play got Niggeling OF
| the spot in the last round. Ste
phens, trying to sacrifice, popped to
Evans. The catcher's throw to first
was too late to get McQuinn of the
sack, but Kuhers relay beat Moore
back to second. Niggeling made
good use of his six strikeouts to get
himself out of trouble at other
times.
1t was Niggeling's 18th win of
the season and his third in five
starts against the Browns.
Vim on Four Hits.
The Mats did no heavy hitting for
their win and both their runs were
unearned. They got four hits of
Shirley, two of those doubles by
Lewis, and five passes. The runs
came in the third inning in which
tumble by Second Baseman Gut
teridge at the beginning put Kimble
on. Niggeling bunted into force
out and Case fouled out, but Myatt
singled the pitcher to third and
Lewis scored both with his first two
bagger.
In the second game, the Mats got
to Jack Kramer quickly for a couple
of runs. In the first inning, Myatt
singled, stole, went on to third as
Hayworth threw over second base
and rode home on Lewis long hoist
to the centerflelder. Two were out
in the second when Ferrell walked
to be sent around by hits by Kimble
and Pieretti.
The Browns were checked until
the eighth, then Finney singled
with one gone and Moore with two
gone. Up stepped McQuinn to take
two strikes, then double against the
rightf1eld fence to send in the two
for q tie.
But Pieretti and Company took
care OF the situation in the ninth.
Harmon to Be Broudcoster