Evening star., 1953-04-01
Mats
Continued From Page C-1.ss

pavilion had to DE reinforced,
accounting for the delay in COM
pleting the job.
{ Annual Prediction.
Meanwhile. Harris today ut
tered his annual prediction con-
cerning Gil Coan. the left-handed
hitting leftfielder whose slugging
this spring bellies that .205 aver
age Of 1852.
"Gil is really rolling" Harris
said today as the Mats hattled
Cincinnati here after dropping
6-3 decision to the Reds yes
terday at Orlando when Dean
Stone, rookie left-hander, was
clipped for four runs in the final
two innings.
tHe's hitting those left
handlers and I like that part of
bis Improvement best. / don't
expect him to keep numbering
the ball as he's doing now, but
he won't be as futile as he was
last season, either. He's laying
off those bad pitches that got
him in trouble last year and it
looks as If he ought to have
the best year of his career"
.467 Against SOuthpaws.
Coan is socking left-handers,
indeed. He's betting them for
a .467 average-and that in
cludes hits against such ac-
complished pitchers as Preacher
Roe, Alex Kellner, Warren
SPAIN, Ken Raffensberger and
Bobby Shantz, victim of a Coan
grand slam.
Gil is a .377 hitter at the
moment. He contributed a triple
and single yesterday to bat
across two runs and score the
Mats other one.
Gil's hot hitting has elimi-
mated Ken Wood from consider
alton as an alternate leftfielder.
Wood shared the post with Coan
last year, but despite Ken's 1893
hitting this spring he's being
kept on the bench.
Walter Masterson demonstra-
ted he's ready to aid the Mats
at the outset Of the season with
a fine performance against the
Reds. The bespectacled right
handler held the Reds to three
hits in seven innings.
The Reds nicked MaSterSon
for a run in the third inning
after Roy Mcmillan singled while
attempting to back away from
a pitch. Bud Podbielan sacrificed
and Mcmillan scored on Gus
Bells single to right. Willard
Marshall mauled Masterson for
a home run in the fourth inning.
Podbielan, q Brooklyn reject.
held the Mats scoreless on three
hits for the first six innings, but
Washington erupted for three
runs in the seventh when Jackie
Jensen singled. Pete RunnelS
doubled and Coan slammed a
mighty triple to right-center.
Coan scored on Pinch-hitter
Floyd Bakers outf1eld fly.
Wild Throw Aids Rally.
That 3-2 lead vanished i'm
mediately, for Stone yielded
singles to nch-hitters Hank
Foiles and John Temple. Catch
er Mickey Grasso grabbed Bells
tap in front Of the plate but
threw wild into leftf1eld trying
to force Foiles at third. FoileS
scored. Temple raced to third
and Bell to second on the error.
Bobby Adams outfield fly got
Temple across and MarShall's
single scored Bell.
Rocky Bridges double and Joe
Nuxhall's single presented the
Reds their final run in the ninth.
Coan singled with one out in
the ninth to give the Mats slight
hope, but it evaporated when
Wayne Terwilliger hit into a
double play.
NOTES: Bob Porterfield will
face the Reds Herman Web
meier and HOWE Judson today
Porterfield says he's ready
to go the distance, but Harris
plans to restrict him to seven
innings, then employ Sandy Con-
Suegra.
The game marked the first in
seven that the Mats haven't hit
a home run. =. Leftfielder Jim
Greengrass robbed Jim Busby of
an extra-base blow in the fourth
inning with a leaping catch
against the fence. The Reds
and Mats shift to Savannah to-
morrow. Stones pitching
didn't enhance his chances of
sticking with the Mats.