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_ Late start but strong finish ‘‘The enthusiasm is just great on this (Tiger) club and we‘re playing good exciting baseball,"‘ said Payne moments after his club dismissed the leagueâ€"leading Windsor Chiefs 6â€"1 Sunday afternoon at Bechtel Park. Tigers won their fifth and sixth games in a row on the weekend to up their record to 16â€"10 and field manager Alfie Payne hopes the torrid pace doesn‘t let up until around the middle of September, when the league champion will be declared. Page 12 â€" Waterloo Chronicle, Wednesday, July 25, 1979 By Rick Campbell Chronicle Sports Editor Waterioo Tigers are the hottest team in the Interâ€"County Major Baseball League. Streaking Tigers now Iâ€"C‘s hottest The victory came half a day after Tigers travelled to "I feel the same as last year, coming in late and all. It was a while before I got my chance then to but in the last half I was hitting better and better. Hopefully this year will be the same."‘ By Rick Campbell Chronicle Sports Editor Thanks to Carl and the boys, Mike Blake is beginâ€" ning to have a groovy summer. _ _ _ _ _ Blake finally worked his way into the lineup a few weeks ago as a designated hitter, and more recently has seen regular action in left field. He has responded beautifully to the call of duty, especially at the plate where in the past three games he was eightâ€"forâ€"10 with four doubles and a triple. ~ A .276 hitter with the club last year, Blake says a change in stance has resulted in his improved batting. “Becaése I‘m playing more, I have a better eye up at the plate and I‘m far more selective than I used to be. I guess once you get in a groove it seems everyâ€" thing works."‘ f Blake bears no grudge about his lack of playing time earlier in the season, as he missed.the first 10 games while attending Ohio State University on a hockey scholarship. And with incumbent Dix in right field and Jimmy Taylor playing so well in centre, Blake naâ€" turally had to wait for an opening in Tigers unsettled left field to get his chance. For the early part of the Interâ€"County Major Baseâ€" ball League season, the Waterloo Tiger outfielder was rusting away with inactivity on the bench due to his late arrival from school in the United States. * ‘"During batting practice lately Leo (DeRocher) and Alf (Payne) and Dave (Dix) have been at me to close my stance more to one like (Boston Red Sox) Carl Yasztremski‘s. Before I was wide open and pullâ€" ing everything left, but I‘ve closed up now and hitting the ball to all parts of the field. _ 14 Princess St. West 886â€"2900 or 886â€"2370 , WATERLOO BOWLING LANES BOWLING â€" CHILODOREN â€" 3 Games $1.00 Bow!l 2 Games, get one free Shoes â€" No Charge _ GOING ABROAD? THE TREASURE TROVE ADULTS â€" 3 Games $2.00 16 UNION ST. EAST, WATERLOO 10 AM. â€" 5:30 P.M. SUMMER SPECIAL Daily 10 00 a m to Close FAMILY BOWLING "‘Fully Air Conditioned‘ OPEN BOWLING 55¢ Per Game Daily for information call has many good quality Canadian gift items _ that will be a joy to give and a pleasure to receive Cambridge and rode the power hitting of Dan Collison to a 14â€"7 win over the sliding Terriers. The two wins put Tigers one win up on Stratford Hillers in the West Division secondâ€" place battle. But Hillers, who lost here 6â€"4 last Wednesday, has one less defeat. . The most glaring was their lack of hitting, which is not inâ€" dicative of their thirdâ€"place team batting average. Hoâ€" wever,. their strength in many games has lain with their strong pitching, not their bats, and when Chiefs could come up with neither Sunday, trouble was soon to follow. ‘‘The guys really want that second place overâ€"all,"" said Payne referring to the Iâ€"C‘s playoff format whereby teams qualifying for postâ€"season action will be aligned according to records. We want to pass Stratford and also Toronto from the other division to get as many home games as posâ€" sible" Windsor did the old double dip Sunday, losing a nightcap 8â€" 3 to Kitchener Panthers also at Bechtel. They are now 186 and should remain in first place no problem, but did show some obvious weaknesses against the Tigers. Making his first senior start on the mound in two years, Tigers Bob Schnurr threw a sterling fourâ€"hitter at the Chiefs and his mates bunched two runs in the second q‘nd four in the eighth to assure Schnurr of the win "Rick (Williams) has been doing a lot of pitching for us lately and he is a little tender, and with Scott Bailey pitchâ€" ing in Cambridge I decided to go with Bobby (Schnurr)," said Payne explaining the move. "After his great effort against St. Thomas a couple of weeks ago, I was confident he could go the distance. I told him last night (Saturday) to have a good sleep. rest up today and just get here in time to get loose. You could tell out there that he really enjoys pitching and right now he holds the key to our third starcter C Schnurr‘s singular moment of difficulty came when he walked leadoff batter Jerry Desjardin in the eighth and then lost his shutout when Bob Daragon tripled For the rest of the time. the Tiger pitcher was an awesomely confident figure on the mound Canada‘s most comprehgnsivre Driver Traming Course A centrefielder most of his career, Blake feels he is best suited in left for the senior league, especially since three knee operations have reduced his mobiâ€" lity. o A Federally Chartered € Nonâ€"Profit Organization Your course fee is income tax deductible and you may save up to 44% in insurance premiums by presenting our _ course certificate Young Drivers CAMBRIDGE 623â€"6730 KITCHENER 579â€"4800 MIKE BLAKE ...changed stance Evening Classes Starting Wednesday August 1, 1979 6:30â€"9:30 pm Cambridge Evening Classes Starting Wednesday August 1, 1979 6:30 â€" 9: 30 pm Kitchener NEXT . COURSE STARTS Waterloo is at home to Cambridge tonight and tentatively closes aut their schedule this weekend,. playing host to Lonâ€" don Saturday at 7: 30 p m (Family Night) and then going to Kitchener Sunday A postponed game against Guelph in Guelph will only be rescheduled if it affects the final standâ€" ings Dan Collison tied an eightâ€"yearâ€"old league record by smashing three home runs against Cambridge pitching._Colâ€" lisan also had two singles going fiveâ€"forâ€"six. Mike Yosurack also homered and singled, Blake tripled and doubled. Mickâ€" ey Collison had two singles and Larry Crooke and Payne one each Wednesday‘s win over Stratford featured a benchâ€"clearing brawl precipitated by a shoving match between Tiger Dave Byers and Stratford‘s Jim Catania when the latter w thrown out at second. Byers received a game suspensmn‘ his efforts but his mates were spurred on and grabbed lead for good when Jim Taylor cleared the bases with an eighthâ€"inning triple to right field Williams went the distance for the win while Roger Kahle gave up eight Tiger hits in a losing effort Blake had two doubles and a single and Dunc MacDonald. Byers. Dan Colâ€" lison and Brian Schnurr singles Four Tiger singles in the second inning produced two runs off loser Roger Doe, and then the home squad sent 10 men to the plate in the eighth, registering four runs off five hits. The bottom half of the order did most of the damage at the plate for Waterioo. Mike Blake, hot as a pistol in th few games, had a double and two singles including th bunt of the year at Bechtel. Gary Dix had a groundâ€"rule double that came within five feet of a grandâ€"slam homer in the eighth and also had a single. Dunc MacDonald had two rbiâ€"singles while single hits went to Dan Collison, Dave Byers, Dave Dix and Williams I dare say there‘s not too many teams in this league that can play a game short four regulars and get 14 runs and 15 hits on the road." said Payne ‘*They probably figured it would be a highâ€"scoring game against Windsor so why not throw me. I was really looking forward to the challenge of meeting them (Chiefs) but I wasn‘t scared, 1 think there are better hitting teams in the league than them .‘ * Saturday Tigers were short four regulars but grouped eight runs in the middle innings to give Bailey the buffer he "I think I‘m surprising myself more than anyone else," said Schnurr, who struck out three and gave up an equal number of walks. "I tired near the end, but I felt good for most of the game."‘ Uplike last time against St. Thomas when he had but a few minutes notice, Schnurr found out Saturday that he was the starting pitcher. ‘"Leo (DeRocher) told me before the Cambridge game that I would be catching that game and pitching this one, but I told him if I was going to pitch today I‘d rather not catch â€" there‘s a lot of wear and tear on your arm catching." said Schnusr. ‘*We‘ve got 12 seniors returning next year and we hope to finish in the top five. That school is used to winners and now that we are too they‘ve really startâ€" ed to follow us. Our schedule is great next year too, we travel pretty well all over the country. It‘s the best hockey I‘ve ever played." * ‘*The way the scouts are looking at the colleges these days, yoh never really know. But if anything is going to happen to me in that direction, I have a feelâ€" i0g this will have to be the year." While at Ohio State, Blake rooms with former Waâ€" terloo Siskin Mike Conrad, who has improved immenâ€" sely since his departure from the local scene and is constantly among the team‘s top scorers. A graduate of the Waterloo Minor Hockey system, he played four years for the Tier II Guelph squad which one season went all the way to the national semiâ€"finals. Since Major Junior A players are not eli~ gible for US scholarships, the Tier II level is a breedâ€" ing ground for college stars and Blake was no excepâ€" tion as he was snapped up by Ohio State. 4 Enrolled in a journalism course in the university! Blake has shared the goaltending the past two year and has an average in the "high threes" in an offenâ€" siveâ€"oriented game. _ Buckeyes, long known for their powerhouse football and basketball teams, ended up ninthâ€"ranked in the country in hockey this year and Blake figures better things are to come in his final two years. A standout junior with the local Expos during the midâ€"70‘s, the agile 23â€"yearâ€"old is probably better known for his hpckey career than baseball. As for Blake, he would like to enter the electronic end of sports media, but is not atgut to totally reject the idea that his future might include a little detour, for professional hockey. ‘