The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 21, 2027

2027 Ruthlandian East Final Recap

Beechwood Romps, Wins RU East Again
It was absolutely no contest in the Ruthlandian East for the second consecutive season... The powerful Beechwood Bobcats strolled to an 18-game victory over second place Marston... and demolished the next three teams by 21 games... Wynnamac, Eastshore and Belle Plaine tied for third place.

Superlative pitching was the order of the day for manager Bret George and his Beechwood Bobcats (98-56), who chalked up 98 wins for the second fabulous year in a row, led by All-Star Ken Arby (28-8 2.33), who almost won 30 games, All-Star Maury Patterson (26-11 2.90) and Bill Curtis (17-8 2.90)... the Bobcats also have a good offense that's ranked 6th in scoring... IPA great and All-Star CF Vic Valenti (.305/25/99/104) was the workhorse in the batting order, but he got some strong support from LF Jojo Davis (.343/3/43/95), 3B Skipper Smith (.280/12/89/69) and C Joe Bachmann (.258/15/82/50).

The Marston Nine (80-74) had a turnaround season under new manager Danny Church... the Nine moved up from 6th to 2nd this year... Church played 25 years in the IPA, the last 17 in Marston... Church was a 5-time Gold Glove at SS and 3B... he batted .278 lifetime and collected almost 3500 hits (6th), 700 doubles (1st) and 2000 walks (3rd)... Church played for 6 playoff teams and 4 pennant winners... Ronald Schmitt (19-12 2.75) was the ace of the mound staff, along with fine closer Bobby Daniel (6-5), who saved 26 games and posted a 2.74 ERA... Marston had solid pitching and batting... top performers for the Nine are IPA legendary CF Russ Woodward, who had another great year with a .325 BA, 31 HR, 90 RBI, 108 runs, All-Star 3B George Varsh (.306/6/74/64), All-Star 2B Lonnie Trekell (.257/23/88/77) and C Ron Marlowe (.293/14/68/56)... rookie SS Doyle McCandlish (.259/0/58/63) stabilized the infield in his first season.

The Wynnamac Sundowners (77-77) took a turn for the worst and fell back to a third place tie, after winning the flag two years ago and winding up second in 2026... when the pitching dropped off sharply this year, manager Matt Donnelly saw his mound staff soar from a 2.77 team ERA up to a 3.65 ERA... young Jason Weeks was Wynnamac's best with a 15-16 mark and a solid 3.07 ERA... his dad, Jerry Meeks (11-15 4.31), the Sundowners longtime ace, and veteran star Lon Marshall (15-15 3.76) both suffered down years... Donnelly had plenty of good bats in his lineup with LF Lil Hoss Burkhalter (.306/28/83/100), 3B Dorak Aranda (.306/3/13/75/79), C Les Leslie (.280/19/74/58) and 2B Liam Cadbury (.247/18/88/68).

Killer Brewster is still in charge of the Eastshore Elegants (77-77)... his club wound up third last season and tied for third this year... the Elegants have better than average hitting with a .260 BA (10th) and are ranked 9th in scoring... on the mound they are less than average with a 3.86 team ERA... Brewster's bullpen is pathetic with a 4.20 mark (28th)... defensively Eastshore is above average with a .977 FA... top run producers are RF Ivan Borkowski (.307/28/94/87), SS Larry Romney (.272/20/83/81) and LF Larry Lowe (.290/6/56/91)... on the hill the club leaders were Randy Boone (20-14 3.29) and Melvin Key (17-16 3.47).

The Belle Plaine Musketeers (77-77) also tied for third place in the RU East... last year they were fifth... skipper Dave Torregrossa has a potent offense with a .264 BA (7th), 131 homers (7th) and is 3rd in scoring... but the Muskies are only mediocre on the mound with a 3.88 team ERA (24th)... All-Star SS Slick Hammill (.298/14/71/86) is the top hitter, aided by LF Owen Newman (.299/25/85/82), C Derek Roman (.292/18/84/75), 3B Tyler Verret (.256/23/83/76) and RF Leon Bourque (.282/15/62/86)... Johnny Davenport (20-8 3.48) and Lamont Cramer (17-10 3.44) are the top hurlers.

Sixth in the standings were the Elnora All-Stars (71-83), piloted this year by former catching great Leon Carter... up slightly from seventh in 2024 and 2025 and the cellar last year... Carter has decent bats (.255 BA-13th), good power (120 HR-15th), but not much scoring (23rd-tied)... not much pitching either (3.79 ERA-19th)... All-Star CF Travis Glass (.302/31/98/93) leads the lineup... followed by rookie RF Pettis Pentleton (.300/15/59/88) and rookie LF Jock Jumonville (.298/13/67/80)... best pitchers were vets Lucien Vachon (15-20 3.33) and Will Hamilton (12-17 3.20).

Gibby Bobkins is not a happy camper in Sugar Valley (68-86), who ended up seventh for the second straight season... the Rattlers still rattle the fences with 161 homers (1st), but don't connect often enough (.244 BA-26th)... Bobkins' staff is only average with a 3.75 team ERA (18th)... standout 1B and All-Star Dean Woods topped the RU in homers with 40 (tied with Kees Draeger of Belair Beach) and led the IPA with 121 RBIs... other top bats were CF Lindsay Deal (.262/28/87/80) and SS Jan Kessinger (.288/3/55/73)... rookie Jeremy Blanchard (15-17 3.32) did well in his debut year... vets Benny McConnell (12-22 3.92) and Nick Moore (11-15 3.46) had down seasons.

The Cold Creek Catamounts (65-89) looked on the rise last year with a fourth-place finish under skipper Trip Holmes, but it didn't last... the Cats plummeted to last place this season... it's been 15 years since Cold Creek won a pennant and made the playoffs... Holmes resigned at the end of the season and was replaced by journeyman catcher Scoop Lemiuex... the Catamounts have a little power (128 HR-9th), but little else... best talent is All-Star 1B Steve Daniels (.280/28/87/82)... CF Carl Denton (.236/25/78/77) hits with power, but is short on contact... Lemiuex has some young arms that show promise: Joey Christianson (15-19 3.50), Jamie Gustafson (13-22 3.60), Tommy Smith (12-17 3.56) and Norman Hill (8-3 3.34)... closer Kyle Wilkerson (4-4) pitched well with 24 saves and a 2.64 ERA.

I haven't forgotten the Team Histories.

I will resume them after I recap the 2027 regular season.
I'll mix them in with the playoff coverage.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 21, 2027

2027 Ruthlandian West Final Recap

Sligo Survives In RU West 4-Team Struggle
With 10 games to go the Sligo Rovers and Middlefield Roosters were deadlocked for the top spot in the Ruthlandian West, just one game ahead of Colfax and Fort Benton... the Rovers went on an 8-2 tear and left the others in the dust, surpassing Colfax by 4 games and defending champ Middlefield and Fort Benton by 5 games... Sligo was third last year.

Eddie Keys and his Sligo Rovers (86-68) got fine pitching this year from All-Star Les Patterson (22-12 2.71) and Earl Perkins (15-8 2.69)... these two starters plus solid work from Sam Tate (15-16 3.46) and Lou Page (12-13 2.99) were key factors in the Rovers success... closer Milt Flanagan (5-7) added 31 saves with a 3.02 ERA... Sligo had decent power with 127 homers (10th-tied), but were frail offensively, ranking only 26th in scoring... tops at the plate were LF Biff Blauer (.297/15/63/87) and RF Teddy Brunet (.311/26/77/68), 1B Johnny Sackett (.297/10/58/85), rookie CF Darryl Collins (.262/18/95/65) and C Sherman Albert (.280/21/65/56).

The runner-up Colfax Blasters (82-72) got themselves a new skipper this season, the former pitching great and Hall-of-Famer, Ilya Szabo, who replaced Clem Rogers after his 26 years stint... Szabo was 327-210 with a 2.57 ERA in his 19 seasons... Colfax came in fifth in 2026... Smoky Rogers (17-12 3.15) and James Elliott (20-16 3.26) were the top starters... Cliff James was 19-12, but posted a 4.25 ERA... runs were hard to come by with a .247 team BA and only 73 homers (32nd)... 3B Dino Manale (.271/4/54/90), CF Hal Granders (.274/15/67/94) and 1B Doug Kirkwood (.268/12/94/70) were the best of the lot... the Blasters are good defensively with a .978 FA.

The Middlefield Roosters (81-73) were dethroned this year after winning the division for the past four seasons... a September collapse did them in... Bailey Norcross' Roosters wound up in a third-place tie with Fort Benton... the offense was down with a poor .237 BA (31st), though they had 157 homers (2nd)... but the pitching was good with a 3.37 ERA (8th)... the bullpen was great with a 2.65 ERA (1st)... Judson Davis (12-7 2.76), Glenn Tackett (15-10 3.41), Danny Denver (18-11 3.69) and Tyrus Cobb (18-17 3.52) were a good foursome... Despite leading the IPA in saves, closer Waylon Hillman was inconsistent, winding up with 37 saves and a 2.91 ERA, but he was just 1-11 in overall record... LF Floyd McClellan (.247/29/81/72) and 1B Paul Smiley (.243/24/72/70) led the club offensively, but no one hit well except RF Vic Ivarsson... he topped the team with a .308 BA, 12 HR and 56 RBIs in a platoon situation.

After 5 years in the RU West basement, the Fort Benton Defenders (81-73) moved up a notch from fourth last year to third this season... manager Robbie Brooks has solid hitting with a .266 BA (4th) and good pitching with a 3.24 team ERA (6th)... rookie Frankie Quinn (17-12 2.92), Edd Farmer (14-13 2.80) and Augie Marquis (15-13 3.11) gave him some quality starters... at the plate CF Vince Boylan (.271/25/95/88) and LF Stan Saunders (.282/12/60/82) led the way... young Jerome Cox fared well splitting time at SS with a .326 BA, 5 homers, 35 RBIs and 44 runs.

The Forest City Lumberjacks (73-81) came in fifth, guided by owner/manager Robbie Jackson, now in his 27th season... the Lumberjacks climbed up from 7th last year... it's been 14 years since the 'Jacks made the playoffs... Forest City has good power with 153 homers (4th), fine defense with a .978 FA, but is only an average team otherwise... offensively the Lumberjacks are paced by CF Fred Weldon (.282/31/83/88), 1B Barry McKnight (.258/25/88/70), 3B Rusty Hood (.237/21/71/66), C George Arnick (.287/14/71/55) and 2B Jackie Jackson (.280/6/56/76)... Jackson's only pitcher this season was rookie Doug Cox, who was outstanding with a 14-6 mark and 2.48 ERA, but he was lost in early August with a torn labrum... the rest of the starters are just journeymen.

The sixth-place Volusia Vigilantes (72-82) improved slightly in wins this season, but ended up in the same spot as last year in the standings... the V's are in a huge postseason drought with no playoff appearance since 2006, yet they have regularly made the RU first division over the years, but not recently... this is the fourth straight season Alfonso Feliz's club has been in the second division... it's hard to find anything good about the Vigilantes except for rookie pitcher Cisco Almeida (19-16 2.63) and rookie SS Joao Rosales (.284/15/99/70).

After two good years of finishing in second place, the Stoner Stars (71-83) slipped badly and plunged to seventh place in the RU West, mainly because its pitching rotation was in constant flux... all-time ace Billy Chapel (256-207 3.30) was given up on for the first half of the season... same thing happened to young Matthew Jarvis, who was 15-11 with a 3.41 ERA last year... Chapel was 17-12 in 2026, but ballooned to 4.34 in ERA, the worst in his career... activated in July, Chapel did well, going 6-6 with a fine 2.69 ERA in 14 starts, but Jarvis didn't come back until September and was only 1-3 with a 3.77 ERA in 7 starts... manager Benny Stern just said they didn't earn a roster spot in spring training and left it at that... Raul Hidalgo had another fine year with a 2.78 ERA, but was only 15-14... spot starter and setup reliever Darrell Geoffrey (10-8 2.43) had a good year... at the plate the Stars hit well for average with a .262 mark (8th), but had little power with 86 roundtrippers (29th) and were only average in scoring runs (16th)... 3B Jeff Henderson had an excellent year with a .324 BA, 18 home runs and 93 RBIs... 1B Fletch Fowler was productive, too, with 22 homers, 99 RBIs and 82 runs scored, while batting .273... rookie RF Neil Mooney batted .296 with 7 home runs and 69 runs batted in... and CF Al Rispone hit .271, scored 94 runs, hit 10 homers and drove in 66.

The Rocky Rapids Snappers (64-90) had another bad year, remaining in the cellar for the second year in a row, causing manager Ryan Noland to step down... He is currently seeking someone to replace him... Noland will remain the general manager... not much to say positive about the Snappers... they are near the bottom of everything... the youngest of the Noland family, 22-year-old Walter Noland, pitched well this season with a 10-10 record and a solid 3.15 ERA... he has played 4 years now with a career 56-46 record and a fine 3.19 ERA... 5 Noland siblings have played for the Snappers... the oldest, Junior, played for 11 years with a fine 169-144 record, winning 20 games four times and making the All-Star team twice... He retired in 2026 at age 32... RF Tiger, now with the Marston Nine, was with the Snappers for 11 seasons with a .293 career BA and 103 home runs... Tiger is 31... Tiger's twin Tommy is also 31... Tommy was the Snapper SS for 3 years (2024-2026) and is a career .265 hitter... He is now on the reserve roster... and Cyrus, age 24, is a Snapper backup outfielder, but has hit only .217 lifetime... 1B Angelo Nardone is the Snappers only decent bat... Nardone is hitting only .269 and leads the club with 14 homers and 63 RBIs... as a team Rocky Rapids is batting only .240 (29th), ranks 30th in scoring and has hit only 92 homers (26th).

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 21, 2027

2027 Tycobbian North Final Recap

WR Rascals TU North Pennant Winner
Four clubs fought the whole season long for the Tycobbian North division crown... very few games separated them at anytime during the regular campaign... they all had their chances, but couldn't quite pull it off... all except for the White River Rascals, who managed to squeeze out a 2-game victory over the Luxora Zorros, beat the reigning champ Mahaska Haymakers by 3 and fourth place Hartsdale Hellcats by 4. All of the challengers could have snatched it in the last six weeks of the year... no one seemed to want to win it... as it was, White River backed into the title, they really didn't win it... the Rascals played less than .500 ball the last two months of the season, but still hung on to win.

Mick Cronyn's pitchers carried the first place White River Rascals (84-70) to the division title... the Rascals moved up from fourth place in 2026... vets Ron Hendrix (21-14 2.54) and Paul Sardini (15-15 2.92) were the workhorses of the staff, along with solid closer Jeffrey Lloyd (5-7), who compiled a 1.83 ERA and 31 saves... All-Star 1B and cinch IPA Hall-of-Famer Marty Blake (.299/24/87/80) and CF Hal Littleton (.293/7/42/80) anchored the batting order.

The runner-up Luxora Zorros (82-72) came out of nowhere and within 2 games of the flag... in the past four seasons the Z's were terrible, coming in last three times and seventh once... new manager Lacey Tompkins had four wonderful starters: all 23 and under... Toby White (18-9 2.49), Benny DeVito (19-15 3.07), rookie Fabio Medeiros (16-15 3.09) and Tommy Ellefson (11-12 2.98)... in the bullpen Paulo Da Gama (4-3) stood out with 20 saves and a 2.00 ERA... the Zorros were average bats (.246 BA-17th), but with power (146 HR-6th)... 1B Gerry Hathaway topped the team with a .296 BA, 30 HRs and 92 RBIs... but he didn't get much help... All-Star C Pete Gibbs (.230/12/56/50) didn't hit much, but played great defense.

The third place Mahaska Haymakers (81-73) had a disappointing season... last year's Pro Cup finalist and TU North division winner was favored to win it again, but manager Rusty Tanussa couldn't quite do it, falling 3 games short... the Haymakers had the hitters, but were only average on the mound... they batted .270 (1st), led the league in runs and hit 129 home runs (14th-tied)... however on the hill Mahaska had a 3.53 team ERA (15th)... the best bats belonged to All-Star 2B Todd Tarkovsky (.286/23/102/86), RF Travis Tuttle (.288/29/88/93), star C Bucky O'Brian (.314/12/83/75), CF Pasha Yablonski (.290/5/56/100) and 1B Paul Davies (.295/17/71/58)... the pitching mainstays were Sammy Kafelnikov (19-14 2.92) and Arno Vainmaa (18-8 3.23) and closer Victor Stravinsky (8-6) with 18 saves and a 2.52 ERA.

Fourth in the TU North were the Hartsdale Hellcats (80-74), missing out on the pennant by 4 games... up from sixth in 2026... Kendry Moulton took over for Zim Donner as skipper this year... Moulton played for the Hellcats for 17 years and will likely end up in the IPA Hall of Fame after hitting over 500 homers with a .297 career average in 26 seasons... the Hellcats had fine starting pitching (3.21 ERA-6th), but were weak in the bullpen (4.25 ERA-32nd)... only average with a .246 team BA (18th) and 105 homers (23rd), ranking 13th in scoring... starters were rookie Lou Chylak (16-14 2.37), rookie Eric Isenhart (12-9 2.89), Donovan Lee (14-6 3.48) and Jim Starks (12-15 3.30)... Lee was lost in early August, a crucial loss in the stretch drive... closer Chris Marvin chalked up 24 saves with a fine 1.63 ERA, but posted a poor 4-9 won-lost mark... Hartsdale's most productive bats were 1B Johnny Scott (.249/19/86/89), RF Fred Wasikowski (.276/16/70/75) and CF Ken Wessel (.248/10/81/63).

The North Hills Hawks (70-84) came in fifth this season, slipping from third place last year... skipper Masaichi Okawa featured good pitching (3.32 ERA-11th) and poor batting (.233 BA-27th) and ranked 31st in scoring runs... Terry Costanza (18-12 2.68) and Rich Hanson (12-16 2.95) were standouts, but suffered from run support... closer Augie Dreyer (3-3) was a plus with 9 saves and an impressive 1.93 ERA in 52 appearances... offense was almost non-existent... C Mikhail Romanovsky led the club with 15 homers, 62 RBIs and 66 runs, while batting just .252.

Dane Wesner's pitching has gotten progressively worse over the past two years... as a consequence the Fairfax Frogs (68-86) have gone from pennant winner in 2025 to second in 2026 to a dreadful sixth this season... Walt Smith (11-11 3.70) was the only decent pitcher... 18-year veteran Ken Hill went over the 300-victory mark this year, but wound up only 11-23 with a 3.69 ERA... 2B John Velasco (.281/10/56/92), CF Eric Kusek (.263/6/91/75), Alan Dale (.254/20/64/94) and RF Randall Crawford (.283/16/77/69) were the most reliable hitters.

The Oxford Red Caps (66-88) continued a four-year slide from second to third to fifth and finally the seventh spot this year... Mack Spencer's team wasn't much at the plate or on the mound... batting just .233 (23rd) with 99 home runs (24th-tied) and ranked 31st in run scoring... budding superstar Dennis Hartwig came down to earth this year with a .284 BA, 21 homers, 80 RBIs and 87 runs scored... Lifetime Hartwig is a .333 hitter... second year 1B Kerry Sterling didn't hit much for average (.240), but made up for it with 40 home runs and 105 runs batted in... Kenny Gorham topped the pitchers with an 18-16 record and a 4.19 ERA.

Since placing second in 2021, the Blue Lake Blue Sox (62-92) have been the pits with six straight second division finishes, falling all the way down to last place this season... not a good rookie year for new manager Rick Hilliard, who lack any sort of hitting (.234 BA/22nd) or much pitching (3.68 ERA-23rd) except for Billy Trakas (17-13 2.93), Chris Landry (18-15 2.94) and Doug Kirkpatrick (10-21 3.03)... CF Chris Halley (.286/2/36/81), 2B Roger Wilson (.242/15/86/68) and Gil Willis (.254/13/65/80) put up modest stats for the Sox.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 21, 2027

2027 Tycobbian South Final Recap

Sun Sox Sink Suns In TU South Playoff
Top to bottom and from beginning to end, it was a stirring pennant race in the Tycobbian South... the Southport Sun Sox won in a thrilling extra-inning finale, nipping the Arroyo Grande Suns 5-4 in a single-game playoff... Colchester faded to third place, 2 and a half games back... San Alejo was only 4 and a half games out in fourth place, tied with defending division crownbearer Ginza... Cape Coral ended up sixth and 5 and half games off the pace... with Turon seventh and 6 and a half out... Summerland was last, but just 7 and a half games behind.

The Southport Sun Sox (81-74) came back in the second half after trailing by 3 games at mid-season... manager Charley Oscar had been fourth the past two years... This was the Sun Sox's first pennant in its history... they have had only one postseason appearance and that was 26 years ago... two fine starters Al Laclair (22-11 2.24) and Don Pascioni (15-16 3.03) kept them in the race, along with an exceptional bullpen with closer Joel Shepard (10-5) with 27 saves and a strong 1.44 ERA in 54 appearances and middle reliever Eddie Baron, who was 3-0 with an impressive 1.75 ERA in 54 games... RF Lorne Evans and CF Rick Cabrini carried the club... Evans led the IPA with 42 homers... he drove in 105 and scored 101 times, while batting .296... Cabrini hit .320 with 9 home runs, 57 runs batted in and scored 89.

Manager Cyclone Cobb always has his Arroyo Grande Suns (80-75) in the pennant hunt... for the last 10 years they have been a first-division team and in the thick of things, winning 4 pennants... it was an especially tough loss this year as the Suns blew a 4-0 lead late in the single game playoff that they lost 5-4 in 10 innings... it was the Suns vaunted offense that failed them this year...they batted only .233 (26th), down substantially from .263 the year before... the Suns still hit with power (159 HR-3rd), but didn't score well... Arroyo Grande depended on its terrific bullpen (2.45 ERA-4th) this season... standouts were closer John Nelson (7-8) with 30 saves and a 1.52 ERA and mid-relievers Royce Coleman (2-1 2.94) and Jason Patrick (0-1 1.71)... Cobb's best starters were Chico Huerta (18-12 3.97), Paco Morales (16-15 3.61), Cesar De Leon (15-13 4.03) and Ernie Matthews (12-17 3.00)... absolutely no one hit for average this season... 1B Rusty Vizcarra (.232/33/95), All-Star C Gary Troxell (.227/30/81), CF Johnny Eichhorn (.245/24/65), RF Rod Jacobs (.231/25/66), LF Eduardo Villanueva (.267/13/45) and 2B Andy Pearson (.255/12/66) all has dismal years all at the same time.

After being in a three-way tie for first at the All-Star break, the Colchester Elites (78-76) collapsed in the last month of the season and wound up in third place... Uncle Robbie Wilbertson almost won the pennant last year, too, but fell short by a game... his Elites suffered in the batter's box, hitting only .232 (28th), but had some good pitching with a 3.37 team ERA (12th)... Cholly Burdette (19-10 2.75), Brandy Snow (13-13 2.98) and Mike Kierkegaard (14-15 3.33) gave them some very capable starters... LF Jim Lewellen was the most productive bat with 36 homers and 89 RBIs, but he hit only .245... CF Cleve Belton cracked 28 roundtrippers, drove in 82 runs, while batting only .255... last year's TU MVP Steve Burns had a sub-par season with a .271 BA, 14 homers and just 71 RBIs... Burns hit .350 in 2026 with 28 homers, 98 RBIs and scored 120 runs.

After taking the TU South pennant two seasons in a row, Huroko Uchiyama's Ginza Ninjas (76-78) dipped to a tie for fourth with San Alejo... Ginza dug themselves too deep of a hole in the first half of the year... they trailed by 8 games and couldn't come back, even with the division's best record in the second half... the Ninjas starters let them down... Harlan Wilson won the most games with an 18-11 mark, but posted a 3.96 ERA... Yutaka Yoshida was 12-16 with a sky-high 4.30 ERA... ace Daniel Ferguson, a 20-game winner in 3 of his 4 seasons, fell to 12-21, but did have a good 3.34 ERA... rookie Hollis Pace was Uchiyama's best with a 10-6 record and a 3.11 ERA... Pace was moved to starter in July after doing so well in the bullpen... Ginza's big guns did their jobs at the plate... All-Star 1B Johnny O'Rorke (.289/31/106/89) and rookie sensation and All-Star CF Cotton Cornwall (.306/30/101/96) sparked the attack with help from RF Sadaharu Uchiyama (.313/14/72/72) and star C Crash Davis (.267/12/53/70).

Perennial also-ran, the San Alejo Montaneros (76-78), are accustomed to be near the bottom of the TU South, but this year they made the first division, winding up in a tie for fourth and only 4 and a half games from first place... only twice in 20 years has San Alejo been this high in the standings... good hitting got manager Alberto Herrera's team there with a .261 BA (4th) and 138 homers (10th), ranking 6th in runs... 35-year old journeyman 1B Ramon Escabedo blossomed with 19 homers and 87 RBIs to top the team... Escabedo batted .267... 3B Bubby Blackwell (.302/10/57/68) and SS Leon Clendennon (.289/12/59/79) also chipped in with some offense... 7 regulars had double-digit power... John Kaltenbach paced the pitchers with a 16-8 record and a 3.35 ERA.

The Cape Coral Hurricanes (75-79) were tied for the TU South lead at mid-year, but slumped in the second half and came out sixth, but just 5 and a half games off the pace... it was marked improvement over finishing last the previous two seasons... new manager Flipper Bird got better pitching this year... All-Star Mike Rinaldi (21-11 3.36) and Randy Burns (17-17 3.43) were the prime pitchers, while RF Bill James (.284/13/65/60), 2B Neil Hennon (.286/1/61/70) and 3B Sandy Coburn (.258/3/45/90) were the best batters in a weak-hitting lineup.

The Turon Typhoons (74-80) languished in seventh place for the second straight season... manager Whitey Richburn had one strong hitter and average pitching... 1B Michael Page had his best season with 38 homers and 102 RBIs, while batting a solid .304, but he had little help... RF Ryan O'Bryan was the best of the rest with 10 home runs, 87 runs and 58 runs batted in...
IPA legend Nicky Engstrom had a fine year at age 38 with a 13-13 record and an excellent 2.94 ERA... this season Engstrom became the all-time IPA leader with 371 wins, 2 better than Hall-of-Famer Cody Burg of the Cape Coral Hurricanes... other quality pitchers were Sal Quattrone (17-13 3.14) and James Newland (15-13 3.41).

Despite having excellent pitching, the Summerland Sunsets (73-81) were in the TU South basement, but just 7 and a half games away from first in the tightly-bunched division... skipper Will Hackett has some good arms with a 3.06 team ERA (3rd)... his starters were quite good with All-Star Scotty Ellison chalking up a sensational 2.38 ERA and an 18-15 record... Jorn Heese was only 11-12, but compiled a fine 2.58 ERA... fine rookie Ron McDonald (14-13 3.31) and Willie Baldwin (15-17 3.31) were solid, too... the Sunsets left a lot to be desired at the plate with only two quality bats in the lineup: vets SS Gregg Proctor (.267/20/87/63) and CF Joe DeLucca (.250/12/55/80).

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 21, 2027

2027 Tycobbian East Final Recap

Wolves Hold Off Panthers and Nats In TU East
A hot streak in July and August brought home the Tycobbian East title to the Midway Wolves for the third time in history... it was a season-long struggle... the Wolves were a close fourth at the halfway point and took charge in the second half and managed to survive a bad September and hold off the East Point Panthers and Ozarka Naturals in the last few weeks... None of the contenders played above the .500 mark in September... a hot streak by any of them would have won it... Midway nudged out East Point by 2 games and Ozarka by 3... three clubs, Tuckanarra, High Mesa and South Fork, deadlocked for fourth and were beaten out by 6 games... even seventh place Red Bluff was fairly close, just 7 games off the pace... Hillsboro was a distant 14 games back and finished in last place.

Manager Cochise Chandler picked up his third pennant in 14 years with a fairly good offense that had a little pop and All-Star ace Bobby Dorignac... the Midway Wolves (82-72) hit .252 (14th) with 149 homers (4th) and ranked 3rd in runs... Midway had a solid rotation with Dorignac (25-11 2.56), Cary Snead (15-7 3.40), Alberto Toledo (17-15 3.88) and vet Motega Wolf (13-18 3.95) providing some good starts to help out Dorignac... no outstanding batters in the lineup, but Chandler did have 9 guys in double digits in home runs... All-Star 3B Rusty Graves (.290/13/72/75) and 1B Cal Hunter (.308/14/53/67) topped the batting order with help from 2B Rob Gigler (.244/20/56/87) and SS Jug Slavin (.258/14/72/66)... Chandler's bullpen will be a problem in the postseason with a 4.13 ERA (31st).

This year was the East Point Panthers (80-74) best since they won the division flag in 2008... only twice in that time have they made the first division... skipper Robbie Brooks had a sound mound corps that notched a fine 3.07 team ERA (5th)... except for a little home run punch (135 HR-11th tied) the offense was pathetic... the Panthers batted only .229 (31st)... East Point had a slight lead at the All-Star game and held it into August, but then faltered badly down the stretch... heading a fine young staff was Frank Blair (14-11 2.65) and Jack Bolden (14-15 2.39), plus two capable rookies Dixie Brooks (16-16 3.41) and Joe Foley (13-12 3.21)... get some bats and the Panthers look good in the future... closer J. D. McDermott (3-5) chalked up 24 saves and had 2.85 ERA... reliever Russell Williams also stood out with a 5-4 record and a 1.79 ERA in 36 relief appearances... RF Kenko Aoki led the attack with 38 homers and 108 RBIs, but batted only .210... All-Star 1B Tetsu Tanaka rapped 29 out of the park, scored 94 times and drove in 84 runs, while hitting .254... SS Bob O'Brian added 13 homers, 56 RBIs and 67 runs to the offense.

For the first time in 6 years the Ozarka Naturals (79-75) were contenders... however come crunch time manager Joe Mac Carney's club floundered and came in third, just 3 games out... second-year sensation Marty Lane carried the club with a great 27-7 record and a 2.80 ERA... Howard Hutch again led the IPA with 326 strikeouts... it was the 7th time he has topped the TU... the Nats hit well for average with a .265 mark (3rd), but lacked power (73 HR-31st) and didn't score well, ranking 17th... top bats were 1B George Jenkins (.289/16/82/76), All-Star SS James Couch (.289/12/74/74) and All-Star CF Ted Price (.286/12/76/72)... RF Ken Maybery led the team with a .319 BA, but hit only 4 homers and drove in 39 runs... Mayberry did lead the team with 79 runs.

Last year's division champ, the Tuckanarra Blue Jays (76-78), had a poor first half, but surged in the second half and ended up one of the better teams in the TU East... the Tucks came in fourth under manager Carlton "Lefty" Stevens, just 6 games off the pace... they were tied with South Fork and High Mesa...nobody had really good years for the Blue Jays... ace Quinn Starr was only 17-15 with a 3.41 ERA... his brother Glynn Starr had a poor year with a 13-15 record and a poor 4.42 ERA, by far the highest of his career... budding star Croc Wedgedale was just 10-8 with a 3.79 ERA... prior to a serious arm injury last year, he was 20-9 and 17-11 in his first two seasons... Wedgedale doesn't seem to be the same pitcher... Stevens only has two reliable bats in his lineup... 3B Koora Nawajuk stood out with 19 homers, 95 RBIs and a .285 BA... 1B Lynn Starr had 21 home runs, 89 RBIs and scored 84 runs, but batted only .264, far below his .305 lifetime average... longtime star LF Danny Redd , a career .320 batter, hit only .236 at age 33... new 2B Eddie Darby was signed as an expensive free agent, but hit only .274 with 9 HRs, 46 RBIs and 72 runs... down quite a bit from his .297 career average, 100 runs scored and 80 RBIs... Darby did play some fine defense.

The South Fork Stallions (76-78) were decimated by injuries to valuable starters Jim Tettelbach and Oklahoma Crane, along with 1B Terry Nixon... 20-game winner Tettelbach went down in May with a 2-3 record and a 2.70 ERA in 7 starts... Crane (9-11 2.96) was lost in late July... Nixon is a steady .300 hitter and fine fielding first sacker... Lips Leon's best pitchers were veterans Ozz Gatsby (15-10 3.09), Gary Price (15-16 3.79) and Bill Massey (12-18 3.36)... All-Star closer Richie Raeburn (8-4) tailed off somewhat in the second half and finished with 23 saves and an excellent 1.14 ERA... CF Shelby Glasscock and LF Patric Giles provided most of the offense for the Stallions, but didn't hit for much average... Glasscock belted 28 homers, batted in 106 runs and scored 97, but hit .238... Giles had 24 home runs, 72 RBIs and 74 runs scored, while batting only .242... as a team South Fork hit only .231 (29th) and tied for 26th in scoring, but were tied for 4th in homers with 149.

Frisky Franks' High Mesa Cowboys (76-78) polished off the year on a high note as they had the best division record in August and September... lousy hitting cost them a good season... the Cowpokes batted only .233 (24th) and ranked 19 in scoring... in its history High Mesa hitters have hit .267 on average, but not this year... Franks has fairly good pitching, led by starter Emil Kaltenbach (19-11 2.54) and closer Pete Woods (6-5) with 31 saves and a strong 2.29 ERA... things are not good in High Mesa when all-time IPA great 1B Jack Elliott slumps to a .258 BA, almost a hundred points under his career mark of .347... Elliott did rap 39 homers, drove in 94 and scored 92 to lead the team... star RF Bill Andrews batted only .215, but was productive with 31 home runs, 96 RBIs and 95 runs... another standout 2B Roland Campbell was down, too... batting just .240 with 16 home runs, 72 RBIs and 68 scored... better bats would have possibly meant the pennant this year... usually it's the pitching that gets the blame in High Mesa.

The Red Bluff Red Sox (75-79) haven't made the postseason since 2009 and manager Bucky Frizzell has spent the last four seasons in the TU East second division, mainly in seventh or eighth place... the Red Sox finished seventh this year, but they were only 7 games behind champion Midway, mainly because of its fine pitching... Frizzell's staff posted a 3.28 team ERA (8th)... however Red Bluff had lousy hitting with a very poor .228 BA (32nd), ranked 29th in scoring, but did have a little firepower with 140 homers (8th)... the Sox rotation included four fine starters in Rod Westfall (15-12 2.64), Sean Connery (8-7 2.75), Denny Mills (17-17 3.13) and Jack Phillips (14-15 3.03)... star 2B James Mack led the offense with 30 homers and 96 runs batted in, but batted a weak .243... LF Corbett Brooks added 23 home runs and 58 RBIs with a .262 BA... and 1B Leander Burks went deep 21 times, batted in 65 runs, but hit only .219.

For the second consecutive year the Hillsboro Blazers (68-86) are the worst team in the division and for the 26th year in a row they will miss the playoffs... the Blazers have never played in the postseason... skipper Rawhide Marshall has no hitting and is just average on the hill... the Blazers hit just .229 (30th) and compiled a 3.73 team ERA (26th)... Terry Berryhill (16-18 3.83) was the most dependable starter... RF Tommy O'Hara was the best run producer with 31 roundtrippers, 75 RBIs, 78 runs, but batted just .235... 1B Larry Guichard chipped in 19 homers and 77 runs batted in, while hitting .271.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 21, 2027

2027 Tycobbian West Final Recap

Reds Top TU West 3rd Year In A Row
Matty Christianson may have had one of the all-time great teams in IPA history this season... his Rolling Hills Reds racked up 104 victories this year and are champions again in the Tycobbian West for the third successive season and fourth time in six years... however it wasn't easy this time around... the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers proved to be quite an obstacle... the Reds trailed them by 3 games going into the final two months, but they turned it on and went 30-16, while the Bucs dipped to just 22-24 and finished 5 games off the pace... third place Chicopee had a good season, but wound up 17 games out... so did fourth place Arlon, who were 12 games over .500, yet lost the pennant by 21 games... that's how good Rolling Hills was this year.

Rolling Hills (104-50) lacked for nothing with a great 2.70 team ERA (1st) and a .270 BA (2nd)... the Reds ranked 5th in scoring... 5 players made the All-Star team... Christianson has a wonderful starting rotation with All-Star Kenny Leonard (23-8 2.62), All-Star Errol Gaudet (24-8 2.31), Sal Jordan (21-12 3.16) and Johnny Brown (16-7 2.90)... All-Star closer Bobby Morris (6-5) paced a good bullpen with 34 saves, which led the TU, and a terrific 1.54 ERA... the Reds had some solid bats, too, in All-Star 1B Billy Christianson (.321/14/99/110), All-Star LF Pat Webb (.294/21/106/83) and SS Tony Ptacek (.266/18/82/61).

Tough year for the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (99-55)... 99 wins wasn't good enough to make the playoffs... the Bucs had to settle for the runner-up spot for the second straight season... longtime skipper Guy Rondre had fine pitching with a 3.04 team ERA (2nd), prolific power with 164 home runs (1st) and was ranked the top scoring club... Rondre's top hurlers were Greg Moss (21-8 2.14), Ray McClendon (14-4 3.21), Eddie Lasky (15-6 3.23) and Wally Hudson (15-14 3.47)... Moss led the IPA in ERA... All-Star 1B Jerry Todd sparked the attack with a .302 BA, 31 roundtrippers and 97 RBIs... All-Star C Cruz Andrade added 26 homers and 91 RBIs with a .282 BA... LF Neil Lamont had 25 home runs, 75 runs batted in and hit for a .264 average.

The Chicopee Braves (87-67) finished third for the second successive season... all in all a fine year for manager Harry Fleetfoot... his Braves featured three All-Stars, solid pitching with a 3.27 team ERA (9th) and better than average hitting (.253 BA-11th), ranking 10th in scoring... mound stalwarts were All-Star Bob Ferguson (18-13 2.59), Frank Mullins (23-14 2.92) and Kyle Preston (19-10 3.34)... closer Rick Beasley (5-4) had his best season with 22 saves and a 1.83 ERA... top bats were All-Star 2B Takota Littlefeather (.304/9/57/88), rookie LF Sakima Shaman (.302/19/90/83), All-Star RF Charlie Jensen (.296/18/87/84) and rookie 3B Yahto Sisika (.267/13/50/81).

New manager Rocco Belasario took over in Arlon (83-71) and lifted the Champions out of the basement into the fourth spot in the TU West... Belasario starred for the Champs for many years and was inducted into the IPA Hall of Fame this season... Belasario was a career .301 hitter with 508 homers and is the all-time IPA leader with 1023 stolen bases... Arlon is overdue for a pennant, last winning in 2020... the Champs hit only .247 (15th), but scored well and ranked 3rd in runs... they were just average on the hill with a 3.61 team ERA (20th)... Belasario got power, but not much average from RF Carlos Quintana (.233 BA) with 24 homers and 86 RBIs and LF Bailey Brupbacher (.276 BA) with 26 home runs and 67 RBIs... 34-year-old SS Johnny Madigan made the All-Star team in his second season with Arlon, batting .267 and scoring 105 runs... 3-time Gold Glover Madigan played 13 seasons in Kilkenny of the RU North... the Champions top pitchers were rookie starters Roger Cummings (18-12 3.34) and Raydon Burks (14-13 3.08)... in the bullpen it was middle reliever Buddy Palmer with 59 appearances, an 11-5 record with a 1.49 ERA and 9 saves... closer Alex Sakarian (5-5) saved 24 games with a fine 2.03 ERA.

The LaClaire Lynx (78-76) have never won a pennant, nor even made the playoffs in the club's 27-year history... new skipper Zeppy Deshotel made some progress this year with the team going 2 games above .500 and climbing one spot in the standing to fifth place... Deshotel starred for the Lynx in right field for 18 years and retired in 2022 to become the team's bench coach... lifetime Deshotel batted .312 with 469 homers and 1699 RBIs... he is on the IPA Hall of Fame waiting list... Deshotel has an average team with fairly good power and run-scoring ability... the Lynx hit 144 home runs (7th) and ranked 7th in runs... three All-Stars paced LaClaire at the plate: 11-time All-Star and superstar SS Flash Devlin (.298/28/83/100), rookie LF Carroll Candy (.304/19/92/74) and rookie RF Kelly Chamberlain (.300/20/76/92)... LaClaire's top twirlers were Pat Kovacs, who was brilliant in his third IPA season with a 23-8 mark and a 2.74 ERA... rookie Jeff Buttrum was 17-13 with a 3.56 ERA.

The Denton City Redbirds (68-86) were sixth under new manager Lavon Gooch, who replaced Ford Whiteman this year... Whiteman won 6 TU West division flags in his career and took the Redbirds to the playoffs 8 times, all prior to 2014... Gooch had a solid career in Denton City with a .293 BA, 332 homers and 1221 RBIs... Gooch played on 7 of those playoff clubs... the Redbirds suffer from very poor hitting, ranked last in scoring... they are only average on the hill... Glenn Hamilton (16-17 2.64) stood out as a starter, while Johnny Duncan (5-5) was superb as a closer with 28 saves and a ridiculously low 0.96 ERA... two rookies RF Luis Camacho (.290/11/68/53) and 1B Jasper Denton (.257/14/79/68) were the only decent bats.

Manager Aaron Hankins saw his Kenwood Wildcats (66-88) fall out of the first division for the first time since 2020, ending up in seventh place... the Wildcats best performers were starting pitcher Trigger Rogers (18-14 3.69), closer Scott Bohn (5-5) with 24 saves and a 2.44 ERA and Hankins' own son, Babe Hankins, who really blossomed into an elite player this year in his sixth season with a .354 mark, 27 homers, 93 RBIs and 103 runs... Hankins won the TU batting crown and had the number two average in the IPA, topped only by Roger Lanier of the St. John Crusaders... Lanier led the RU with a .355 BA... young 3B Eric Hollister (.267/13/72/57) and rookie SS Jeff Lang (.260/6/64/62) also provided a little offense.

The Bayview Vikings (62-92) got a new manager this season, but to no avail, former star player Chancey Quibedeaux didn't do any better than his predecessor, Walter Johanssen, who was in charge for the team's first 26 seasons... the Vikings came in last for the second time in the last 3 years... Quibedeaux has a hard row to hoe in Bayview and a huge rebuilding project... he has little talent... Vern Harstad did well in his third season with a 17-16 record and an impressive 2.88 ERA... LF Wayne Kenney (.269/22/64/67) and RF Knut Valen (..254/14/81/59) had the best batting averages on the team, while aging star CF Davey Krueger batted just .196 with 21 homers and 65 RBIs... it may be time for Krueger to retire at 39... Krueger has been the Viks power guy for 15 seasons with 487 homers and 1342 runs batted in.

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 23, 2027

Pro Cup Quest Begins Tomorrow
They have endured and survived a 154-game regular season and in the case of Southport had to extend to 155 games to make the IPA Pro Cup playoffs. Now the Elite 8 are raring to go in quest of the ultimate in Islandian baseball - the cherished Pro Cup, which is given annually to the best team in the Islands. The winning team will have to make it through three tension-filled rounds to be declared the winner.

The 2027 IPA Elite 8 Series begins tomorrow afternoon at 4 locations. There are only two clubs returning from last year, the defending Pro Cup champ Valmara Vipers from the Ruthlandian Union and the Rolling Hills Reds from Tycobbian. Valmara will open up at home at War Memorial Stadium against the Crystal Lake Crushers in one of the Ruthlandian Union's best-of-seven series. It'll be powerful Beechwood hosting the Sligo Rovers at City Park Stadium in the other series. In Tycobbia, Rolling Hills will entertain the Midway Wolves and Southport will travel to White River Stadium to tangle with the Rascals. Among the eight teams only Crystal Lake, Valmara and Sligo have Pro Cup crowns. The Crushers garnered two of them, in 2020 and 2022, while Sligo got theirs in 2021.

Only three teams have ever won repeat titles in Pro Cup competition. Far Mountain has done it twice, winning in back-to-back-to-back years from 2011 to 2013. The Eastshore Elegants accomplished it in 2016 and 2017 and Tuckanarra did it in 2023 and 2024. This year the Valmara Vipers will try to become the fourth team to do it. The Vipers will be one of the favorites to win it all, but it will get intense competition from the Beechwood Bobcats in the RU Elite 8. Rolling Hills has been tabbed the Tycobbian favorite. Beechwood topped the RU with a 98-56 record, edging out Valmara, who went 97-57. Rolling Hills rolled over everybody in the TU to the tune of 104-50, the best record since Colfax won 107 games in 2010.

Who will win the Pro Cup this season? Most pronosticators are picking Rolling Hills because of its great pitching (2.70 ERA). Only Beechwood can compare to the Reds mound staff with its 2.96 team ERA. On the surface it appears to be the year of the Reds and the Bobcats, who are forecast to meet in the Pro Cup Finals. Both clubs wield pretty good bats and can play good defense. Valmara doesn't look great on paper, but won a lot of games. Don't count them out. The rest of the teams don't seem to be in the league of the top three picks, although it seems some unheralded club often steps it up in the postseason and surprises the pundits. Valmara was given no chance to win last year, but they did. Ditto Mahaska, who was the runner-up to the Vipers last season. Rolling Hills and Beechwood were upset in the Final 4s last year.

Tale of the Teams:
Best BA:
1. Rolling Hills .270 (2nd in TU)
2. Crystal Lake .266 (3rd in RU)
3. Valmara .253 (14th in RU)
3. Beechwood .253 (15th in RU)

Most Home Runs:
1. Midway 149 (tied for 4th in TU)
2. White River 129 (tied for 14th in TU)
3. Beechwood 124 (12th in RU)
4. Southport 118 (tied for 18th in TU)

Most Runs:
1. Midway 725 (tied for 3rd in TU)
2. Rolling Hills 711 (tied for 4th in RU)
2. Crystal Lake 711 (tied for 4th in RU)
4. Valmara 704 (tied for 6th in RU)
4. Beechwood 704 (tied for 6th in RU)

Best Overall ERA:
1. Rolling Hills 2.70 (1st in TU)
2. Beechwood 2.96 (1st in RU)
3. Sligo 3.03 (2nd in RU)
4. White River 3.11 (6th in TU)

Best Starter ERA:
1. Rolling Hills 2.87 (1st in TU)
2. Beechwood 2.98 (1st in RU)
3. Sligo 3.07 (2nd in RU)
4. White River 3.24 (8th in TU)

Best Bullpen ERA:
1. Rolling Hills 1.70 (1st in TU)
2. Southport 2.35 (3rd in TU)
3. White River 2.54 (5th in TU)
4. Valmara 2.73 (4th in RU)

Worst BA:
1. Southport .242 (tied for 18th in TU)
2. Sligo .245 (25th in RU)
3. White River .247 (16th in TU)
4. Midway .252 (14th in TU)

Fewest Home Runs:
1. Rolling Hills 89 (tied for 28th in RU)
2. Crystal Lake 93 (25th in RU)
3. Valmara 116 (18th in RU)
4. Southport 118 (tied for 18th in TU)

Fewest Runs:
1. Southport 598 (23rd in TU)
2. Sligo 638 (26th in RU)
3. White River 654 (15th in TU)
4. Valmara 704 (tied for 6th in RU)
4. Beechwood 704 (tied for 6th in RU)

Worst Overall ERA:
1. Crystal Lake 3.89 (27th in RU)
2. Midway 3.69 (24th in TU)
3. Valmara 3.37 (7th in RU)
4. Southport 3.17 (7th in TU)

Worst Starter ERA:
1. Crystal Lake 3.78 (21st in RU)
2. Midway 3.59 (18th in TU)
3. Valmara 3.53 (8th in RU)
4. Southport 3.41 (13th in TU)

Worst Bullpen ERA:
1. Crystal Lake 4.32 (30th in RU)
2. Midway 4.13 (31st in TU)
3. Beechwood 2.86 (6th in RU)
4. Sligo 2.80 (5th in RU)

The Islandian Times Pro Cup Poll:
1. Rolling Hills Reds
2. Beechwood Bobcats
3. Valmara Vipers
4. Crystal Lake Crushers
5. White River Rascals
6. Sligo Rovers
7. Southport Sun Sox
8. Midway Wolves

The Islandian Times
Thursday, September 23, 2027

2027 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Bobcats Smack Rovers 4-1 In Opener
Powerful Beechwood opened up its Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series with a 4-1 victory at home over the Sligo Rovers... Bobcat ace Ken Arby hurled a 5-hitter and RF Johnny Corleone slammed a 3-run homer to spark the victory... Arby (1-0) went the distance, fanned 7 and walked none in a strong outing... he beat Les Patterson (0-1), who also worked the entire game, yielding 7 hits and only 1 earned run...Patterson struck out 3 and walked 3 and allowed no runs after the second inning... Sligo got its only run in the fifth.

Crushers Crush Vipers 8-1 In Game 1
The were on the road, playing the defending Pro Cup champion Valmara in game one of the RU Elite 8 Series at War Memorial Stadium, but it didn't matter to the Crystal Lake Crushers, they stomped the Vipers anyway 8-1 with a 12-hit barrage and a complete game by T. D. Burnham... 1B Josh George led the way with 4 hits and got assistance from 2B Pete Hicks and LF Glenn Winters, who got 2 hits each... Burnham (1-0) was not his best as he walked 7 Vipers and gave up 9 hits, but he stranded 13 of them... Burnham had 7 Ks and the help of two double plays... Billy Ray (0-1) took the battering and the loss... the Crushers tagged him for 6 runs and 9 hits in 6-plus innings.

Tycobbian Union

Rascals Rap Sun Sox 5-2 In Elite 8 Opener
Opening up at home at White River Stadium, the Rascals kicked off the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series with a 5-2 victory over Southport... going all the way Ron Hendrix (1-0) throttled the Sun Sox on 5 hits, struck out 4 and walked none... leading the Rascals 9-hit attack were RF Kenneth Kent and 3B Charley Emery with solo homers... Kent also doubled in a run in the sixth... CF Hal Littleton went 3-for-4 and SS Kenny Young got a pair of hits... Southport's only scores came on RF Lorne Evans' 2-run homer in the top of the ninth... Al Laclair (0-1) went the route in defeat, allowing 9 hits and 5 runs... he walked 4 and whiffed 3.

Reds Roll Over Wolves 7-2 In First Game
Game one of the TU Elite 8 Series between Midway and Rolling Hills was played at the Reds home diamond Midtown Base Ball Grounds and Rolling Hills came away with a 7-2 triumph... winning pitcher Errol Gaudet (1-0) checked the Wolves on 7 hits in his 8 innings... Gaudet had 2 walks and 2 strikeouts... he got help from Bobby Morris, who sat Midway down in the ninth... Midway starter Bobby Dorignac (0-1) was hit hard in the loss as the Reds got to him for 7 runs in 6-plus innings, but only 3 were earned... Rolling Hills snapped a 2-2 tie in the last of the sixth on C Tony Brinkerhoff's RBI double... the Reds broke the game open in the seventh with 4 runs, highlighted by Brinkerhoff's 2-run double... LF Pat Webb had 2 hits and 2 RBIs and RF Bobby McConnell went 2-for-4, scored twice and drove in a run... Midway's 1B Jake Welsh collected 3 hits and batted in 2 runs for the losers.

The Islandian Times
Friday, September 24, 2027

2027 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Bobcats Win Again, 2 Games Up on Sligo
The Beechwood Bobcats rang up another win in game two of the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series at their home park City Park Stadium, knocking off the Sligo Rovers 6-2 behind the pitching of Maury Patterson and a pair of 2-run homers by CF Vic Valenti and C Joe Bachmann... the highly-favored Bobcats have now won the first two games of the best-of-seven series... Patterson (1-0) notched the win despite walking 6 batters and surrendering 6 hits... Patterson fanned 10 in his 8 frames... Dennis Moody came on in the ninth and blanked the Rovers... RF Teddy Brunet paced Sligo with a homer and a double... the RU Elite 8 will now head to Sligo and Silver Mountain Park for at least games three and four; game 5, if the Rovers extend the series.

CL Whips Valmara 3-2 On Mason's Hit
It was a stunning finish to game two of the RU Elite 8... Valmara carried a 2-1 lead into the top of the ninth and was all set to even the series, but it was all spoiled by journeyman RF Michael Melchiore's RBI double that tied the score up at 2-2, then won 3-2 on CF Kyle Mason's RBI single... it was the Crushers second win in a row over the defending Pro Cup holders... 39-year-old Duncan Welch staggered through 8 innings for the victory... Welch permitted 10 hits and 6 walks, but managed to hold the Vipers at bay, stranding 15 baserunners... Welch only allowed 2 runs and got help from Keith Hunter, who closed it out with a scoreless ninth... this was Welch's 16th postseason win, which ties Hall of Famer Mila Mohoski for the most postseason wins... lifetime Welch is 16-2, while Mohoski is 16-11... Valmara starter Clem Carmouche hurled an outstanding game, stopping the Crushers on 5 hits and a run in 8 innings... reliever Ivan Guzek (0-1) blew the save and the game in the ninth and got the loss... the Vipers outhit Crystal Lake 10 to 7 and were led by LF Teddy Szymanski with 3-for-5, 2 of them doubles.

Tycobbian Union

Sardini Stops Southport 7-1, WR Takes Game 2, Too
White River's Paul Sardini made quick work of the Southport Sun Sox in game two of the Tycobbian Elite 8 Serie by stopping them 7-1... it was the Rascals second win in a row for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series... In a sensational performance Sardini (1-0) fired a 2-hitter, struck out 5 and issued 2 walks... a 4-run second inning put the Sun Sox away... Dan Pascioni (0-1) took the loss as he was slammed for 6 runs and 6 hits in 4-plus innings... White River managed only 7 hits, but it was enough... Rascal C Denny Radke got the game's only homer, a one-run shot in the 7th.

Reds Win Again, Leonard Blanks Midway 4-0
Rolling Hills' great pitching stood out again in game two of the TU Elite 8 Series... Kenny Leonard and two relievers combined to shut out the Midway Wolves 4-0 to give the Reds a 2-0 lead in the series... Leonard worked into the eighth, gave up 4 hits, fanned 7 and walked 2... Bobby Morris got the last out in the eighth and Alfonso Gonzales pitched a perfect ninth... Cary Snead matched zeros with Leonard until CF Scotty Yiska cracked a 2-run homer in the bottom of the fifth... Rolling Hills added 2 more scores in the eighth... the Reds slapped 11 hits off three Wolves pitchers... Yiska and RF Bobby McConnell led them with a pair each... Snead (0-1) suffered the defeat, allowing 2 runs and 8 hits in 5 innings with 7 Ks and a walk.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, September 25, 2027

2027 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Page Peerless, Sligo Stumps Beechwood 6-0
Facing a 3-0 deficit, the Sligo Rovers rose to the occason and got back into the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series with mighty Beechwood... Sligo's unheralded southpaw Lou Page really did a number on the Bobcats, blanking them on 4 hits in a crucial 6-0 victory, cutting Beechwood's lead in the series down to two games to one... 23-year-old Page was 12-13 in the season, but possessed a fine 2.99 ERA in 33 starts... in his first ever postseason start Page (1-0) struck out 6 and walked just one... the Rovers collected only 7 hits and were sparked by RF Teddy Brunet (.250) and 3B Manny Alou (.125) each with homers and 2 runs batted in... Roy Pitts (0-1) caught the loss as Sligo ripped him for 6 runs and 6 hits in 6-plus frames, though only 3 runs were earned... the Bobcats committed 3 errors.

Randolph's HR Gets Vipers Back In Elite 8 Series
Defending IPA champs Valmara needed a win and needed one badly - they got it on Floyd Randolph's (.133) 13th-inning blast - that got the Vipers a vital 3-2 victory over Crystal Lake, narrowing the Crushers lead to two games to one in the RU Elite 8... a third loss would have been devastating... it was magnificent game, well-pitched and well-played... the third Viper pitcher Tom Greenwood (1-0) picked up the win with two scoreless frames in the 12th and 13th... the loss went to the fifth Crusher pitcher Roger Bishop (0-1), who came on in the 12th... both starters did well with Valmara's Chris Phillips logging 8 innings, permitting 2 runs on 8 hits with 5 strikeouts and a walk... Crystal Lake's Arnie Cason tossed 6 and two-thirds innings, gave up 2 runs on 6 hits, fanned 8 and walked 4... Cason trailed 2-1 when he departed, but the Crushers tied it up in the last of the eighth and forced the extra innings... Each team had 12 hits apiece... rookie 2B Alec Leclerc (.375) and 1B Ron Freiberg (.444) paced Valmara with 3 hits each... rookie SS Jimmy Conroy (.300) had 3 hits for the Crushers, including 2 doubles, while LF Glenn Winters (.400) smacked a pair of two-baggers, too.

Tycobbian Union

Sun Sox Stay Alive, Shut Out Rascals 1-0 In Game 3
Southport was at home and desperate for its first win in the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series... White River took the first two at their homefield and was on the verge of taking a commanding lead... but the Sun Sox got their wish as four hurlers combined to shut out the Rascals 1-0 on 5 hits... back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the third by pitcher Ronnie Galus and CF Rick Cabrini gave them the only run in the game... Galus (1-0) worked the first 7 innings, holding White River to 4 hits, fanning 7 and walking one... relievers Joel Shepard, Mel Underwood and Eddie Baron saved it for Galus with 2 scoreless innings... Rascals starter Carl Dreux (0-1) was almost as sharp, yielding only one run on 5 hits with 4 Ks and 3 walks... Cabrini (.417) has 3 of the Sun Sox 5 hits, while 1B Marty Blake (.400) rapped 3 of the Rascals 6 hits.

RH Reds Edge Midway 1-0, Near Sweep
You can't win if you can't score... the Midway Wolves are finding it out the hard way... the Rolling Hills Reds have shut them out twice in three games and only allowed 2 runs in the other... the Reds won 1-0 in 10 innings on the road at Joe Wolf Stadium to take a huge 3-0 lead in the TU Elite 8... Sal Jordan shut out the Wolves in his 8 innings on just 3 hits and closer Bobby Morris polished them off with a pair of scoreless innings... Morris (1-0) got the win in the 10th when SS Tony Ptacek (.333) singled in 1B Billy Christianson (.333) from third base with the winning score... Midway starter and loser Alfredo Toledo (0-1) struggled throughout the game with 7 walks and 10 hits, but was tough when he had to be... the Reds stranded 14 baserunners... the Wolves have managed only 2 runs and 16 hits in the three losses so far.

The Islandian Times
Sunday, September 26, 2027

2027 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Sligo Knots Series, Edges Beechwood 2-1
Playing at home at Silver Mountain Park for a second straight game, the Sligo Rovers edged favored Beechwood 2-1 in game four of the RU Elite 8 Series and knotted it up at two games each... both clubs had their aces going at it... Les Patterson (1-1 1.13) made up for a 4-1 opening game loss to Ken Arby with a super outing... Patterson limited the Bobcats to just one run and 4 hits in his 8 innings for the victory... Milt Flanagan chalked up the save by blanking Beechwood in the ninth... Ken Arby lost it, but he was strong, too... Arby (1-1 1.59) surrendered 2 runs on just 3 hits, whiffed 8 and walked none... in the second frame two singles by RF Teddy Brunet (.267) and Darryl Collins (.231) and an RBI groundout by 3B Manny Alou (.091) accounted for the Rovers first run... they got the second one in the fourth on LF Biff Blauer's (.333) triple and a groundout by Collins... the Bobcats cut it to 2-1 in the top of the seventh when Skipper Smith (.267) singled with one out and was doubled in by Teddy Tate (.250).

Vipers Near Elimination, CL 5-3 Winner In Game 4
The fourth seeded Crystal Lake Crushers are now poised to eliminate the third seeded Valmara Vipers, the reigning champs of the IPA... a slight underdog Crystal Lake got another fine start from T. D. Burnham in game four at Lakeshore Stadium... as always, Burnham was wild as the Wild, Wild West... he walked 5, fanned 6 and left 10 Vipers on the bases, but gave up only 3 runs... Valmara got to him for 8 hits... the Crushers gave Burnham good support with 10 hits, led by 3B Carl Bentley (.353) with 3 hits, CF Herm Taylor (.375) with 2 hits and 2 runs, RF Teddy Dietrich with 2 hits and 2 runs and SS Jimmy Conroy with 2 RBIs... a 3-run sixth wrapped it up for Crystal Lake... Billy Ray (0-2 7.30) was the losing pitcher... he was battered for 5 runs and 9 hits in 6 innings... rookie 2B Alec Leclerc (.381) with 2 hits and CF Teddy Szymanski (.389) with 3 hits led Valmara at the plate.

Tycobbian Union

Series Even, Southport Nips WR 6-5 in Game 4
The Southport Sun Sox blew a 5-3 lead in the top of the ninth, but came back and won it in the last of the ninth when reliever Jeffrey Floyd walked in the winning run to give them a 6-5 triumph over the White River Rascals and evened up the TU Elite 8 at two games apiece... White River led 3-2 after seven, but starter Ron Hendrix couldn't hold it... 2B Sam Cousins (.333) tagged him for a 3-run homer in the eighth giving Southport the lead... it was a 5-5 tie when Hendrix departed the game... Floyd (0-1) was the loser in relief...Both teams collected 10 hits each... Cousins had 3 hits for the Sun Sox, a double, triple and a home run... C Luis Alvarado (.188) also had 3 hits... Rascals 3B Ray Hershberger (.385) smacked 4 hits and scored 2 to lead them... RF Kenneth Kent (.385) hit his second homer in the series.

RH Reds Sweep Midway, Gaudet Wins Game 4
Who's gonna stop the Rolling Hills Reds?... they just rolled over the third-best scoring team in the Tycobbian Union in a four-game sweep, holding Midway to just 3 runs in four games in the Elite 8 Series... Errol Gaudet (2-0 1.59) stopped the Wolves 5-1, allowing just 5 hits in a complete game... Bobby Dorignac (0-2 4.61) slowed down the Reds for a while... after 5 frames Midway held a 1-0 lead, but a CF Scotty Yiska (.250) triple and RF Bobby McConnell's (.412) sac fly tied it up in the sixth... Rolling Hills exploded for 4 runs in the seventh. highlighted by 2B Jeff Booker's (.500) and Tony Ptacek's (.308) RBI singles and a 2-run double by Gaudet (.400)... Rolling Hills will get a few days off awaiting the winner between White River and Southport.

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 27, 2027

2027 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Bobcats Take Series Lead, Rip Rovers 8-4 In Game 5
The Beechwood bats perked up a little bit in game five of the Ruthlandian Elite 8 to take the series lead three games to two... the Bobcats banged the Sligo Rovers 8-4, scoring 5 runs in the first two innings... after Sligo rallied for four in the fourth, Beechwood put them away with a 3-run seventh... 1B Teddy Tate (.235) led the Bobcats 10-hit attack with 3 RBIs and 3B Skipper Smith added 3 hits and drove in 2 runs... Maury Patterson (2-0 3.18) went the distance and was in charge except for the fourth frame... Patterson had 5 Ks and walked 3, permitted 4 runs and 4 hits... 8 walks really hurt the Rovers... starter Earl Perkins (0-2 9.00) was the losing pitcher... Perkins walked in two runs in the second and issued 6 in his 3 innings and allowed 5 runs on 4 hits.

Crushers KO Vipers In 5, Win Finale 6-5 In 15th
There will be no repeat in the IPA Pro Cup this year... last year's champ Valmara bit the dust in five games in the Ruthlandian Elite 8... Crystal Lake rallied from a 5-2 deficit late in the ball game and won in 15 innings 6-5 when losing pitcher Wallace Hansen (0-1) walked 1B Josh George (.250) with one out and the bases loaded... it was one of three walks he issued in the inning... Viper starter Clem Carmouche faltered in the last two innings of regulation... Carmouche yielded a sac fly to Tommy Trent and run-scoring single to Michael Melchiore in the last of the eighth and a game-tying single to Dominic Gdowski in the bottom of the ninth... the Crushers got strong relief work from Ross Birchford, Keith Hunter and winner Herb Gladsbury (1-0)... they stopped Valmara cold over the last 7 innings, holding them scoreless... both teams collected 14 hits each... Crystal Lake was led by 3B Gdowski (.333) with 3 hits and 3 RBIs and SS Carl Bentley (.375) with 3 hits, too... Valmara SS Stan Bajek (.304) slammed 4 hits, including a home run and 2 doubles, and batted in 2 runs... LF Sonny Oliver (.222) also went deep and had 2 hits.,, fourth-seeded Crystal Lake will take on the winner of second seed Beechwood and sixth seed Sligo in the RU Final 4... the Bobcats are up in the series three games to two.

Tycobbian Union

Sardini Fans 12, Rascals Go Up 3-2 In TU Elite 8
In a terrific 12-K outing, Paul Sardini hurled the White River Rascals past the Southport Sun Sox 6-2 to send them up three games go two in the best-of-seven TU Elite 8 Series... Sardini (2-0 1.50) permitted 6 hits and walked one batter, outpitching Dan Pascioni (0-2 7.90), who went the route in defeat and gave up 9 hits with 7 strikeouts and 3 bases on balls... Rascals RF Kenneth Kent (.353) clouted a 3-run homer in the third inning, his 3rd so far in the series... LF Amos Dunston (.571) also homered and had 3 hits in all.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 28, 2027

2027 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Rovers Trim Bobcats 7-6, Force 7th Game
It was a seesaw affair in game six of the RU Elite 8 Series at City Park Stadium in Beechwood, where the visiting Sligo Rovers trimmed the Bobcats 7-6... Beechwood started off on fire with 3 first-inning scores, but Sligo regained it 5-3 by the sixth... the Bobcats took the lead once again 6-5 after 8 frames, only to lose it in the top of the ninth on back-to-back doubles by Johnny Sackett and Biff Blauer that evened it up at 6-6, followed by 3B Manny Alou's RBI fielder's choice... Alou beat the throw to first on a double play attempt, getting the game-winning run in... Lou Page (2-0 2.50) got the win, but it was tough going... Page surrendered 9 hits and 6 runs in a complete game, struck out 8 and walked 2... in the ninth Dennis Moody (0-1) not only blew the save, but lost the game... Alou (.222) led the Rovers 11-hit attack with 2-4, scoring 2 runs and driving in 2... Alou and CF Darryl Collins (.286) both homered... Beechwood CF Vic Valenti (.190) hit a 3-run blast in the opening frame and 3B Skipper Smith (.348) tied the score 6-6 in the eighth with a solo roundtripper.

Tycobbian Union

Southport Ties WR, Wins 4-3 In 11 In Game 6
Playing on the road in White River, Southport made sure there would be a game seven in the TU Elite 8 Series... CF Rick Cabrini decided it with a 2-out double in the top of the eleventh that plated Sam Cousins with the winning run in a 4-3 triumph... reliever Rob Ricks (1-0) tossed 2 runless innings for the victory, with the loss going to Terry Kane (0-1), who came on in the eleventh... the Rascals outgunned the Sun Sox 13 to 10 in the game, but stranded too many runners... White River left 14 on base... Cabrini (.444) led the winners with 4-for-6, while Cousins (.316) batted in 2 runs... Rascals CF Hal Littleton (.350) went 3-for-6... White River starter Carl Dreaux did well, going 9 innings and giving up only 3 runs... Ronnie Galus started for Southport and left in the eighth with a 3-3 tie.

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 29, 2027

2027 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Arby Beats Sligo 4-1, Beechwood Final 4 Bound
It was must win game - game seven of the RU Elite 8 between Beechwood and Sligo... the two starters had won 50 games between them... it was the Bobcats great pitcher Ken Arby who prevailed over the Rovers fine Les Patterson 4-1 to claimed the hard-fought series four games to three... Arby (2-1 1.04) fired a 3-hitter, allowed no earned runs, fanned 9 and walked 4 in a route-going affair... it was a classic pitcher's duel for the first 6 frames with Beechwood holding a narrow 2-1 edge on CF Vic Valenti's (.240) two-run shot in the third... the Bobcats got some breathing room with a pair in the seventh on an RBI double by Teddy Tate (.238) and an RBI single by Jojo Davis (.320)... Patterson (1-2 1.88) pitched well in the loss, yielding only 3 earned runs on 7 hits... Valenti and Davis paced the Bobcats at the plate with a pair of hits apiece... Second-seeded Beechwood will now battle red-hot Crystal Lake in the RU Final 4, who knocked off defending IPA champ Valmara in five games in the other RU Elite 8. The Crushers are the number 4 seed in the Pro Cup playoffs.

Tycobbian Union

Sun Sox Shine, Laclair Whips WR 4-2 In 7th Game
The stage was set - seventh game of the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series at White River Stadium - both clubs had their best pitchers well-rested and ready to go... the winner would continue in the Pro Cup playoffs... the loser would go home for the winter... Southport's Al Laclair and White River's Ron Hendrix were equal to the task and battled to a 2-2 draw after 7 frames, but it came to an end in the Sun Sox top of the eighth... with runners on second and third and one away, the winning score came in on a wild pitch and CF Rick Cabrini followed with an RBI single to add a little cushion to the score... Laclair (1-1 3.51) went the distance, permitting just 2 runs on 8 hits with 4 walks and 4 Ks... losing pitcher Hendrix (1-1 3.91) pitched well till the ill-fated eighth, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits... Cabrini (.452) had two hits for Southport and 1B Kyle Ross (.217) had a homer and 2 RBIs... Rascal RF Kenneth Kent (.385) led them with 2 hits, including his 4th homer of the series... in the TU Final 4 Series the Sun Sox will engage powerful Rolling Hills, who easily rolled over the Midway Wolves in a 4-game sweep. The Reds are the top seed in the Pro Cup playoffs this year with underdog Southport rated the seventh-best team.

The Islandian Times
Thursday, September 30, 2027

Pro Cup Final 4s Begin Play Saturday
Two favored teams will try to hold off two wannabes in the IPA Pro Cup Final 4s. Beechwood is the favorite in the Ruthlandian matchup with the Crystal Lake Crushers, who are fresh off an upset victory over last year's Pro Cup winner Valmara. The Bobcats had better beware - Crystal Lake is a fine all-around team with good pitching and good offense. Beechwood is the second seed in the Pro Cup playoffs, while the Crushers are rated the fourth-best club. The Bobcats were the top winner in the RU this season with 98 victories. Crystal Lake managed only 83 wins.

The Rolling Hills Reds, winner of 104 games this season, are the odds-on favorite to capture the Pro Cup this year and they certainly looked the part with a 4-game sweep of the Midway Wolves. The Southport Sun Sox are ranked seventh in the Pro Cup poll and it will be quite a surprise if they upset Rolling Hills. The Sun Sox chalked up only 81 victories during the season.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, october 2, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

CL Crushes Beechwood 8-2 In Game 1
The Crystal Lake Crushers don't think there are 3 teams in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs better than them... the fourth seed made a huge statement in game one of the Ruthlandian Final 4 with a rousing 8-2 shellacking of favored Beechwood, the second rated team... the Crushers blasted one of the best pitchers in the IPA for 7 runs and 11 hits in 5 innings... 28-game winner Ken Arby (2-2 2.51) went down hard today in one his worst outing of the year... Crystal Lake piled up 14 hits in all, breaking up a tight 2-1 contest with 5 runs in the sixth frame... Leading the way were 1B Josh George (.321), 2B Pete Hicks (.269) and LF Glenn Winters (.368), all with 3 hits apiece... George and RF Teddy Dietrich (.278) had 2 RBIs each... T. D. Burnham didn't pitch a pretty game, but he won... Burnham (3-0 2.00) walked 9, but only gave up 4 hits and 2 runs.

Tycobbian Union

Gaudet Tops Laclair 2-1 In Opener, Reds Edge Sox
In game one of the Tycobbian Final 4 Series at Midtown Base Ball Grounds, the Rolling Hills Reds continued to get great pitching and won for the fifth straight time in the postseason... they have yet to taste defeat this year in the Pro Cup playoffs... Errol Gaudet (3-0 1.38) had to be good today to beat the Southport Sun Sox with Al Laclair (1-2 3.21) on the hill... Gaudet edged Laclair 2-1, yielding only 6 hits with 5 strikeouts and no walks... Laclair allowed 11 hits, but only 2 runs... homers accounted for all the runs in the game... Southport CF Rick Cabrini (.486) led off the game by going deep, but that was it for the Sun Sox... LF Pat Webb (.381) pounded a 2-run clout in the third frame that proved to be the game-winner... Webb led the Reds with 3-for-4 and Cabrini went 3-for-4 for the Sun Sox.

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 3, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Bobcats Tie Series, Rally Past CL 5-3
Beechwood needed a win in game two of the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series and got it... the Bobcats rallied for 4 runs in the fourth to overtake Crystal Lake 5-2 en route to a 5-3 victory... LF Miron Burczyk (.286) slugged a 2-run homer to highlight the rally... C Marty Bailey (.143) also went deep for the winners... Beechwood starter Maury Patterson (3-0 3.38) was good enough for the win, striking out 9 in 7 innings and giving up 3 runs on 6 hits... relievers Ken DeGraw and Dennis Moody saved it for him with 2 scoreless frames... Duncan Welch (1-1 2.86) took the loss, hampered by poor defense... Welch allowed 5 runs, but only 2 of them were earned... Welch surrendered 4 hits in 6 innings... Crystal Lake was led at the plate by CF Herm Taylor (.367) with 2 hits and 2 runs batted in... 3B Carl Bentley (.375) had 2 doubles and an RBI.

Sun Sox Knot Series, Galus Stumps Reds In Game 2
The red-hot Rolling Hills Reds were cooled off today in game two of the Tycobbian Final 4 Series 4-1 by Ronnie Galus, who stumped them on 6 hits... the Reds had a 5-game postseason string busted by the right-hander... Galus was in command with 6 Ks and no walks... He outpitched Sal Jordan (0-1 0.53), who went the distance and deserved a better fate... only one of the 4 runs was earned... Jordan gave up 7 hits, walked 5 and fanned 6... in the top of the second, a walk to LF Alton Queeg (.000) and a triple by Jason Hinton (.208) put Southport on the scoreboard first... they added 3 more in the third on a sacrifice fly by 1B Kyle Ross (.233) and RBI singles by SS Scoop Adams (.121) and C Luis Alvarado (.135)... RF Bobby McConnell (.440) paced Rolling Hills with 2 hits and drove in its only score in the last of the third.

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 4, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

CL Clips Bobcats 5-1, Grabs Final 4 Lead
The Crystal Lake Crushers are playing the devil's advocate this season in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs... after upsetting last year's champs Valmara in round one, they are at it again... the Crushers parlayed strong pitching and timely hitting into a 5-1 victory over favored Beechwood in game three of the Ruthlandian Final 4... that gave them a two games to one lead in the best-of-seven series... winning pitcher Arnie Cason (1-0 1.42) blanked the Bobcats on 6 hits in the first 6 frames, while fanning 5 and walking 2... Cason left with a 5-0 lead... Herm Gladsbury and Keith Hunter saved it for Cason, striking out 5 over the final 3 frames... Hunter gave up a solo homer in the ninth to 1B Tommy Tate (.222)... 2B Pete Hicks (.294) paced the Crushers with 3 hits, including a solo home run... 1B Josh George (.306) had 2 hits, scored twice and drove in a run... and RF Teddy Dietrich (.231) drove in a pair of runs... Beechwood starter Roy Pitts (0-2 4.26) suffered the loss, allowing 5 runs and 8 hits in 6 innings.

Tycobbian Union

Sun Sox Stun RH Reds 5-1, Take Series Lead
Maybe the Southport Sun Sox are hard of hearing... maybe they haven't heard how good the Rolling Hills Reds are... in game three of the Tycobbian Final 4 the Sun Sox stunned the Reds 5-1 to take a 2-1 lead in the series... Southport got great relief work from Mel Underwood and Jesse Martin after starter Dan Pascioni went out in the third inning with an arm injury... Pascioni permitted a run and 2 hits in 2 and two-thirds innings... Underwood stopped the Reds cold on 1 hit in his 5 and two-thirds innings... Underwood (1-0) notched the win, struck out 6 and walked just one... Martin blanked the Reds in the ninth... loser Kenny Leonard (1-1 0.66) was touched for 5 runs and 6 hits in 6 innings, but 4 errors cost him 4 unearned runs... Southport snapped a 1-1 tie with a pair of runs in the fourth on 2B Sam Cousins' (.250) triple and 3B Jason Hinton's (.214) single... the Sun Sox increased it to 5-1 in the fifth on SS Scoop Adams' (.139) sac fly and Cousins' RBI single... Cousins and CF Rick Cabrini (.465) topped the Southport bats with 2 hits each.

The Islandian Times
Tueday, october 5, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Burnham Brilliant, CL Nips Bobcats Arby 1-0
Ken Arby, who will probably win the RU Golden Arm Award this year, and T. D. Burnham, a 21-game winner, locked up in a spectacular pitching duel in game four of the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series... Burnham was brilliant and beat Arby again... this time it was 1-0 and gave the upstart Crystal Lake Crushers a gigantic three games to one edge in the series over Beechwood... Burnham (4-0 1.54) tossed 8 shutout innings, limiting the Bobcats to 4 hits, striking out 8 and walking 6... Keith Hunter notched his second postseason save by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth... Arby (2-3 2.54) was great, too... he held the Crushers to 5 hits and blanked them for 7 innings... Crystal Lake got the game's only score when SS Jimmy Conroy (.267) singled in the bottom of the eighth and was driven in by LF Glenn Winters' (.310) game-winning triple.

Tycobbian Union

Reds Rip Sun Sox 7-1 in Game 4, Series Even
Rolling Hills ripped Southport on the road 7-1 to even the Tycobbian Final 4 at two games apiece... the Reds smashed 15 hits to back up Errol Gaudet's sharp pitching... Gaudet (4-0 1.29) went the route, fanned 2, walked one and permitted 7 hits and just one run... Rolling Hills jumped on losing pitcher Al Laclair (1-3 4.17) from the git-go, pouncing on him for 4 runs in the first inning and 5 runs and 10 hits in his 3 innings... 2B Jeff Booker (.379) led the Reds with a 3-run triple among his 2 hits, LF Pat Webb (.344) had 2 hits, including a homer, and scored twice... 1B Billy Christianson (.240) also had 2 hits and scored twice.