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Show (, AU "Rxcielt Greg Jaramillo gained a strike out in the District Pony League championship champion-ship game between Vernal and Roosevelt, Saturday and there wasn't anyway possible that the pitch could become a base hit as there wasn't a batter in the batting box. Jaramillo had two strikes on Roosevelt's Ryan Eldredge and Eldredge stepped out of the box. Jaramillo fired the ball to home plate and the umpire called strike three on the batter, who looked on in despair. Eldredge didn't signal for timeout when he stepped out of the batter's box and so the game was still going on as Eldredge watched the strike out call. The game between Roosevelt and Vernal was tied up 3-3 going into the top of the sixth inning. Tommy Olsen led off for Roosevelt in the inning with a single and Roosevelt's coaches decided that they would have Jeff Hanberg pinch hit for Skeeter Kroeplin. The strategy paid off as Hanberg popped a shot in front of the Vernal right fielder, who was playing deep and Roosevelt had two men on the base paths. Pete Jones blasted the baseball over the fence in center field for a three-run homer, which placed Roosevelt ahead for good. Vernal was down by five runs going into the bottom of the seventh inning and they were hoping for a big offensive offen-sive show to get back in the game. However, things started off bad for the Vernal crew as the first two batters grounded out, but Vernal gained new life when Larry Wiseman was walked. A pick off attempt was tried at first base and the ball got away from the first baseman. Wiseman moved to second se-cond base and Vernal's hopes were brightened up, but Wiseman was told to go back to first base as the Vernal batter at the plate called timeout before the throw to first base. The final batter in the inning flied out and the victory was Roosevelt's. One item that amazes this reporter is the suicide squeeze and how much it is a part of the youth baseball scene. Back in the mid-1960's just getting a player to take a small lead off the first base bag was a major job. Getting a youth baseballer to steal second base took a lot of coaxing. The coach would say, "Take a small lead off the bag. Now when I tell you to go then go." The coach would shout, "Go" and the baseballers would look around at his coach and say, "Are you talking to me?" Now-a-days the coaches use the suicide squeeze a lot. The runner on third darts down the line and the batter bat-ter bunts the ball. Sometimes the batter gains the bunt and the runner scores, but sometimes the batter misses the ball or the signal from his coach and the runner is trapped and nailed for an out. The runner has three choices when the batter fails to bunt the ball. He can try to return to the third base, but usually he is tagged out before he can return. Second, he can crash into the catcher and hope that the ball is dropped and third, he can run back and forth along the base line and pray for a miracle. Bobby Riding of the Roosevelt team got involved in a no-bunt situation in a game with Vernal, Saturday in the District Pony League championship game. The batter failed to bunt the ball and Vernal's catcher, Tommy Winters, grabbed the ball and tagged the runner. However, Riding survived the no-bunt misery as he crashed into the catcher and jarred the ball loose. To be on the safe side Riding returned to the scene and stepped on the home plate to make sure he had scored a run. Roosevelt beat Vernal's B team 15 to 1, in game in Roosevelt, Thursday, but Vernal was one strike away from getting out of the first inning only behind 1-0. Whitey Crozier singled and Allan Bumgarner was walked. Guy Trowbridge struck out and Ryan Eldredge grounded out for the second out and Crozier scored the first run of the game. Bryan Ross had two strikes against him. but with two outs he ripped rip-ped the ball over the fence for a two run homer and a 3-0 lead. Olsen delivered a bunt to drive in Ross on a suicide squeeze play and Olsen motored to first base, took a turn toward second base, fell down and got tagged out as he was unable to return to the bag in time. Another interesting item about the sport of youth baseball is signals. When this reporter played baseball the coaches didn't really use many signals. If they wanted you to steal a base, they would just tell you to go on the next pitch. However, the coaches of today have all kinds of signals to let the baseballer know that a steal is on or off, bunt is to be attempted, don't swing and various other plays. If a coach scratches his nose, ear or chin he might not have an itch problem, but might have delivered vital instructions to one of his baseballers. ' 1 ' ' "1 , -;' " f 1 ; I r THE BALL JETS toward home plate after being sent on the journey by Century 21 pitcher, Bill Price. j - ' i , . 1 f ' ? '"' - - K i . -. . , ,.' I I j J 1 i . . i ' " . BONANZA SLUGGER, Gus Warnber knocks the ball toward the fence. Warnber gained a homer during the visit at the plate. 4 - - 1 ' ' f ! - .-' "'.-; HECTOR QUIROGA talks to a batter duirng a game in the Vernal Men's B League Tournament. |