THE ISLANDIAN TIMES

Around the Town in the IPA

ROLLING HILLS REDS

Owner: Lemroh Meat Company
GM/Manager: Matty Christianson

Rollings Hills has a population of 78,000 and is located in the west central part of Tycobbia and was originally settled by the Kewanna Indians. "kewanna" means "hills that rise and fall" in their language. That is exactly what the landscape looks like here...gentle, rolling hills populated with sporadic groves of birch trees and acre after acre of cattle, dairy, pig, chicken and agricultural farms. Crops include wheat, oats and corn, potatoes and vegetables. In town are the stockyards and meat and grain processing plants. The population is mainly Americans and Brits with only a few Kewannas remaining.

Rolling Hills is an oldtime middle class town with wooden storefronts and bricks streets, lined with gas lamps and pedestrian walkways. No cars are allowed in the midtown area.

It is the home of the Rolling Hills Reds of the IPA's Tycobbian Union West Division. The Reds play at the Midtown Base Ball Grounds, a relic from the early days of baseball. Built in 1907, it is surrounded by birchwood trees in a picturesque park area of town, where families can picnic and enjoy strolls, bicycle rides and boat rides on the park ponds, all amid the peaceful shade trees. A quaint aspect of the ballpark is that the power alleys are deeper than center field. They measure 425 feet, while to dead center it is 410 feet. It takes quite a blast for righthanders to get it out...350 down the line in left field and 375 in straightaway left. However, the lefthanded hitters love it...only 320 down the right field line and 350 to straightaway right .

The Lemroh family owns the team as well as being the owners of the stockyards and meat processing plants. The concessions stands are unique in design. All are set up like soda fountains, complete with stools. They serve up tasty hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, ice cream, sundaes, banana splits, thick shakes and malts.

A Dixieland band provides the music between innings and helps the Rolling Hillians cheer their Reds to victory. Many times throughout the game the fans will dance the Charleston. During the seventh inning stretch you get a rousing Dixieland version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame".

The GM and Manager of the Rolling Hills Reds is the legendary pitcher, Matty Christianson, one of the most revered players and managers in Tycobbian baseball history. Christianson stood out as a player and manager in the company leagues. When the IPA began play in 2001, Christianson became a vital part of the Rolling Hills franchise. A record four times he has been named the Tycobbian Manager of the Year. Under his leadership the Reds have won 7 TU West flags, made the playoffs 9 times and captured 2 Pro Cups (2029 and 2031).

Midtown Base Ball Grounds (1907)
Capacity: 6,850

Dimensions:
LF Line 350
LF 375
LCF 425
CF 410
RCF 425
RF 350
RF Line 320

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 1, 2032

2032 IPA Pro Cup Final 4 Series - Game 1

Tycobbian Union

San Alejo Seesaws Past Reds 4-3 In TU Final Opener
It was a back-and-forth battle in the first game of the TU Final 4 at the Casa de Beisbol in San Alejo with the lead changing hands several times... except for a ninth-inning error, Rolling Hills would have won the opening game... instead San Alejo escaped with a 4-3 victory on C Dan Hicks (.231) two-out 2-run single in the bottom of the ninth.

Ollie Olivares (2-1/1.08) went all the way despite giving up 11 hits... starters Olivares and Buck Myers fought to a 2-2 draw after 8 frames, but McGraw Christianson (0-1) let the Reds down in the ninth and lost it... if 1B Wayland Pugh hadn't dropped a throw, Christianson and the Reds would have won it... Myers worked a fine game, allowing only 2 runs and 4 hits in 8 innings.

San Alejo's LF Adrian Otero (.192) doubled in a run in the first and CF Jaime Chacon homered in the seventh, giving the Montaneros the lead each time... Rolling Hills tied it 1-1 in the sixth on a C Tony Brinkerhoff (.250) double and regained the lead 3-2 in the eighth on RBI singles by LF Scotty Yiska (.368) and RF Matt Sundberg (.300).

Chacon led the Monties with 2 hits and 2 runs scored, while the Reds were paced by 3B Billy Christianson (.316) with 3 hits... CF Rich Eisenhauer (.273) and 1B Waylon Pugh (.231) added 2 hits each to the Rolling Hills totals.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 2, 2032

2032 IPA Pro Cup Final 4 Series - Game 2

Ruthlandian Union

Charron's HR Beats Colfax In Game 2, Series Tied
Down 3-2 in the top of the ninth, pinchhitter Richard Charron blasted a 2-run homer to give LaGrange a 4-3 triumph over Colfax to even up the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series at one game each... it was the Blasters first loss in the postseason after 5 straight victories... both starters hurled complete games... 24-game winner Alex Gillespie (2-1/3.52) turned in another nice performance as he held the red-hot hitting Blasters to 3 runs on 6 hits... until Charron's clout Randell Perkins (1-1/1.50) was just about to do the Sports in... Perkins permitted only 2 earned runs and 6 hits.

Colfax drew first blood in the third when Perkins (.500) helped his own cause and doubled to lead off the inning, moved to third on a groundout and rode home on Samm Bolton's (.333) sac fly... LaGrange regained the lead 2-1 in the top of the fifth on 2B Whitlow Stokes' (.250) a 2-run single... Colfax came right back in the bottom half of the inning and took a 3-2 lead... with runners on first and third, 2B Dean Hardy (.333) attempted to steal second... a wild throw by C Ron McCullough allowed SS Dino Manale (.240) to score from third and Hardy get to third, where he scored on Perkins' sacrifice fly.

Tycobbian Union

San Alejo Nips Reds Again, Wins 2nd Game 2-1
For the second day in a row at the Casa de Beisbol in San Alejo the Montaneros got the winning run in the bottom of the ninth to nip the defending Pro Cup champion Rolling Hills Reds 2-1 to cop the first two games of the TU Elite 8 Series... magnificient Montaneros pitching again saved the day... Herb Stewart outpitched Maury Cantrell... going the distance Stewart (2-0/0.35) stopped the Reds on just 4 hits and no earned runs, struck out 5 and walked 2... Cantrell (1-1/1.10) was sharp, too, yielding only 2 runs on 7 hits, while fanning 8 and walking 2 in his 8 and a third innings... Adrian Otero's (.207) walk-off triple drove in Jaime Chacon (.500) with the winning run in the last of the ninth.

Both clubs scored in the opening frame... Reds 2B Derek Kristensen (.304) singled and came around to score when Otero misplayed a flyball... the Montaneros knotted it up in the bottom of the inning on singles by Leland Stone (.417) and Dwight Dickey (.207) and a sacrifice fly by Chacon (.500)... San Alejo outhit the Reds 8 to 4 with Stone getting 3 of them and Dickey a pair... Kristensen collected 2 for the Reds.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 3, 2032

2032 IPA Final 4 Series - Game 3

Ruthlandian Union

Garnett Stiffs Sports 4-1, Colfax Up 2-1
Milton Garnett got Colfax back on track in game three in the RU Final 4 at Sports Stadium in LaGrange... Garnett stiffed the Sports on 4 hits in a masterful 4-1 win to put the Blasters ahead in the series two games to one... Garnett (2-0/2.50) gained his second victory in the playoffs... he posted 8 Ks and no walks, while going the route.

36-year-old 1B Doug Kirkwood sparked the Colfax bats with a perfect 4-for-4 day and 3 RBIs, including a 2-run smash in the second inning, which gave Garnett enough runs to win... Colfax ripped LaGrange pitching for 14 hits, but stranded 10 baserunners... Mike York (1-1/1.47) took the brunt of the loss by allowing 14 hits in 8 innings, but was stingy when it came to runs.

Tycobbian Union

Reds Clip Monties 7-6 In 11 Innings
It was another tight ballgame in the Tycobbian Final 4 played at the Midtown Base Ball Grounds in Rolling Hills... this time it was the hometown Reds taking San Alejo in a one-run decision 7-6 in 11 innings... all three games have been decided by one run... the Reds, the defending Pro Cup titleholder, still trail 2-1 in the series.

Losing pitcher Pablo Pilar (0-1/0.00) walked RF Matt Sundberg (.276) with two outs and the bases loaded to give the game to Rolling Hills... the Reds had to rally in the eighth inning to send the game into overtime... SS Freddy Ball (.400) doubled with one out, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on 2B Derek Kristensen's (.345) RBI single... San Alejo blew several leads... the Montaneros led 3-0 in the top of the second, but lost the lead when Rolling Hills roared back with 4 in the bottom of the second... San Alejo jumped back in front 6-4 with 3 in the fourth frame.

Rolling Hills collected 17 hits to 12 for San Alejo... Ball went 4-for 5 to pace the Reds... Kristensen had 3 hits and drove in 2 runs... LF Scotty Yiska (.357) also socked 3 hits... 3B Bubby Blackwell (.300) was the Monties best bat with 3 hits and 2 RBIs... 1B Rob Lewis (.278) also contributed 2 runs batted in... and C Dan Hicks (.229) had the only homer in the game, a solo salvo in the second inning.

Neither starter was effective... San Alejo's Clete Lawson was belted for 12 hits and 5 runs in 7 innings, while the Reds Errol Gaudet surrendered 6 runs on 10 hits in 5 innings... Rolling Hills' bullpen really stepped up and did their job as they blanked the Monties on 2 hits over the last 6 frames... Dave Gronkowski worked 3 of the innings, Russ Krolle 2 and McGraw Christianson (1-1/0.00) picked up the win with a scoreless 11th.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 4, 2032

2032 IPA Pro Cup Final 4 Series - Game 4

Ruthlandian Union

Colfax Wins 3rd In 4 Tries, Ekes By LaGrange 4-3
In game four at Sports Stadium in LaGrange, Colfax notched its third win in four tries over the Sports in the RU Final 4, eking out a 4-3 victory... the Blasters built up a 4-0 lead in the first four frames and then had to hold off LaGrange... 3B Lou Wilhoit (.300) drove in 3 runs with 2 hits and a sac fly to lead Colfax... starter Randell Perkins gave up 12 hits in 8 innings, but survived with the win... Perkins (2-1/1.08) gave up 3 runs in 8 innings, struck out 3 and issued one base on balls... Konrad Koch notched his second save in the postseason with a 1-2-3 ninth... the Blasters need only one more win in the best-of-seven series to advance to the IPA Pro Cup Finals.

Sports starter Alex Gillespie deserved better... he only permitted one earned run out of the 4 he was charged with... Gillespie (2-2/3.00) was tagged for 9 hits in 7 innings and the defeat... C Ron McCullough (.500) topped the Sports with 3 hits, including a 2-run double.

Tycobbian Union

Myers Evens Series, Reds Top Monties 3-1
The Rolling Hills Reds are still in the running for back-to-back Pro Cups... their ace Buck Myers came through with a clutch 3-1 victory over San Alejo in game four of the TU Final 4 to even the series at two games each... in a complete-game performance Myers (3-0/0.77) gave up 9 hits, but only one unearned run to bag his third straight playoff win... he whipped Ollie Olivares (2-2/1.64), who also went the distance, allowing just 5 hits and 3 runs with 4 Ks and a walk.

The light-hitting Montaneros got an early lead in the second inning... LF Adrian Otero (.243) led off with a two-bagger and scored on an RBI single by CF Jaime Chacon (.353)... but that was it for the day as Myers blanked them the rest of the way... the Reds quickly regained the lead in the last of the second when back-to-back doubles by Scotty Yiska (.355) and Tony Brinkerhoff (.250) tied the score at 1-1... Brinkerhoff advanced to third on a groundout and scored easily on RF Matt Sundberg's (.290) deep fly to center... that gave the Reds a 2-1 lead... they got an insurance run in the third on a base hit by 2B Derek Kristensen (.333)... Rolling Hills won despite being outhit 9 to 5.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 5, 2032

2032 IPA Pro Cup Final 4 Series - Game 5

Ruthlandian Union

Colfax Wins 10-0, Pro-Cup Bound
The best baseball minds in the Islands made the Colfax Blasters the favorite to win the 2032 Pro Cup... so far Colfax is right on track after disposing of the LaGrange Sports in five games to win the Ruthlandian Union crown... the Blasters played to perfection in game five with 19 hits and a one-hit 10-0 shutout by Rudy Rosario... the only hit was a single by CF Alphonse Gagne (.250) in the first inning... Rosario (4-0/1.42) fired third strikes past 6 batters and walked 3 to capture his 4th postseason win... Colfax will take on the San Alejo-Rolling Hills victor for the IPA championship.

3B Lou Wilhoit went 4-for-4 and drove in 2 to lead the Blasters at the plate... CF Samm Bolton (.316) had 2 hits and 3 RBIs... SS Dino Manale (.308) scored twice and socked 3 hits... and RF Hal Granders (.279) drilled a pair of hits and score 2 runs... Bolton swatted a 3-run homer and Wilhoit hit a solo job.

Ryan Janssen (1-3/5.40) had a tough postseason after going 20-13 with a 3.21 ERA in the regular season ... Colfax roughed him up for 10 hits and 8 runs in just 4-plus frames.

Manager Ilya Szabo kept his press conference low key, saying "We still have a lot of games to play to attain our primary goal. It was great to beat Elnora in the first round and now to get past another fine team LaGrange in the second round. It's great to be the Ruthlandian champs. We are looking forward to playing the Tycobbian titlewinner, too. I just hope we continue to play well. So far it's been a fantastic season."

Quincy Peterson, skipper of the Sports, had nothing but praise for the Blasters and wished them luck in the Pro Cup Finals. He said, "Not only do they hit the cover off the ball, they have tremendous pitching, too. Colfax is a very talented ball club. The Ruthlandian Union will be very well represented in the Pro Cup this year."

Tycobbian Union

Monties Maul Reds 9-1, Lead Series 3-2
The punchless San Alejo Montaneros picked a great time to break out the bats and batter the current Pro Cup champ Rolling Hills - the Monties torch them 9-1 in game five of the TU Final 4 with a 14-hit attack... it was a double-barreled assault with Herb Stewart (3-0/0.51) firing a 5-hitter and putting San Alejo ahead three games to two in the best-of-seven affair... Stewart has been brilliant in 4 postseason starts with 3 wins and a terrific 0.51 ERA... just one more victory and the Montaneros will get a shot at the first Pro Cup in the club's history... 6 runs in the first two innings really told the story... Rolling Hills never was in the game from the get-go... Losing pitcher Maury Cantrell (1-2/2.79) was blasted for 6 runs and 8 hits in just 3 innings.

Everybody in the San Alejo lineup had at least one hit except for Stewart... SS Jeff Woodruff (.053) and CF Jaime Chacon (.364) homered and drove in 2 runs apiece... RF Leland Stone (.412) also batted in 2 runs and had 2 hits... 7 players in the batting order collected a pair of hits each.

The two clubs will now travel back to San Alejo for game six at the Casa de Beisbol... and game seven, if necessary... Rolling Hills manager Matty Christianson will send Derek Wilmer to the mound in game six... the Montaneros' skipper Alberto Herrera will counter with Clete Lawson... primarily a reliever during the season Wilmer was 8-9 in 11 starts with a 3.35 ERA, while Lawson was 18-12 with an impressive 2.94 ERA... it will be Wilmer's first postseason appearance in his 10-year career... Lawson is 1-1 in 3 playoff starts this year with a 3.98 ERA... Christianson is hoping for the best... he is still searching for a number three starter since losing two of his main pitchers Tom Pierson (21-7/2.54) during Spring Training and Bobby Morris (18-10/3.47) to injury in the first playoff game. Rolling Hills has its ace Buck Myers (20-6/3.11) ready for game seven... Herrera has his best available in the series finale, should it go that far... Ollie Olivares (19-13/2.60) will be his game seven starter.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 6, 2032

2032 IPA Pro Cup Final 4 Series - Game 6

Tycobbian Union

Reds Force 7th Game, Unheralded Wilmer Wins 5-4
Rolling Hills remained in the running for its second successive Pro Cup with a heart-thumping 5-4 victory over the San Alejo Montaneros in game six of the TU Final 4 at the Casa de Beisbol... reliever McGraw Christianson induced a game-ending double-play ball with the bases loaded to protect the win for Derek Wilmer, a little-used starter, who pitched the game of his life to deadlock the series at three games each... the unheralded Wilmer (1-0/3.24) hurled a strong game until he got in trouble in the ninth... Wilmer checked San Alejo on 4 runs and 8 hits in 8 and one-third innings... Clete Lawson (1-2/4.28) was the loser... he surrendered 5 runs on 10 hits in 7 innings... Wilmer was 8-9 on the year with a 3.35 ERA in 44 games, mainly as a reliever... Wilmer made 11 starts.

The two clubs traded the lead several times with Rolling Hills going ahead 1-0 in the second on C Tony Brinkerhoff's (.231) triple and a sac fly by 1B Waylon Pugh (.103)... the Reds added another run in the fourth on a triple by RF Matt Sundberg (.316) and Brinkerhoff's groundout.

The Monties got their first run of the day in the fourth on a solo shot by RF Orlanda Ybarra (.353) cutting the margin to 2-1... in the fifth San Alejo tied it 2-2 on a double by C Dan Hicks (.255), who scampered to third on deep fly to center and scored on an error by 2B Derek Kristensen.

In the sixth the Reds again took the lead 3-2 on singles by LF Scotty Yiska (.385) and Matt Sundberg... when Sundberg attempted to steal second, 2B Douglas Dickey dropped the throw for an error, permitting Yiska to score from third... Rolling Hills scored twice in the seventh, making it 5-2... one run came in on a wild pitch with the bases loaded and the other on Yiska's base hit.

San Alejo made a last-ditch effort in the ninth, but fell one run short... singles by 1B Rob Lewis (.273) and CF Jaime Chacon (.346) placed runners on first and third with no outs... SS Jeff Crandell (.296) made it 5-3 with a sac fly... Dan Hicks' single and a walk to PH Omar Rojas (.259) loaded the bases... that's when Wilmer was pulled and McGraw Christianson came on... he hit Dwight Dickey (.222) with a pitch to narrow the score to 5-4, but Orlanda Ybarra hit into a 6-2-3 double play to end the game.

The stage is set for an epic finish tomorrow afternoon again at the Casa de Beisbol... game seven will feature the number one starters on both teams... Buck Myers (20-6/3.11) will work for the Reds and Ollie Olivares (19-13/2.60) will take the hill for the Montaneros.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 7, 2032

2032 IPA Pro Cup Final 4 Series - Game 7

Tycobbian Union

Olivares Sparks San Alejo To TU Title
The city of San Alejo is celebrating its wonderful win over the defending Pro Cup champion Rolling Hills today at the Casa de Beisbol... their Montaneros won game seven 4-0 and they are now headed for the Pro Cup Finals for the first time in team history against Ruthlandian powerhouse Colfax.

The man of the moment was 30-year-old right-hander Ollie Olivares, who stopped Rolling Hills on just 2 singles in 8 innings in the grand finale seventh game of the Tycobbian Final 4 Series... Olivares (3-2/1.32) was outstanding with 8 strikeouts and only one walk... reliever Pablo Pilar got the final three outs in the ninth... Olivares outdueled the Reds ace Buck Myers, who went all the way in defeat... Myers (3-1/1.47) was touched for 10 hits and 4 runs, while fanning 5 and walking none.

SS Jeff Crandall (.323) paced San Alejo at the plate with 2 hits and 2 RBIs... 1B Rob Lewis (.308) also had 2 hits and scored 2 runs... C Dan Hicks (.275) collected 2 doubles and batted in a run and 2B Dwight Dickey (.245) posted 2 hits and drove in one run.

Jubilant manager Alberto Herrera was almost at a loss for words at the post-game press conference... Herrera with tears of joy in his eyes said, "This is a great day of joy in San Alejo... the fans have waited so long for this day... 30 years is a long time to wait... finally we will get our chance at the Pro Cup... winning the Tycobbian title is special... but what we really are shooting for is the Pro Cup."

Rolling Hills skipper Matty Christianson had nothing but praise for the Montaneros and also for his Reds... "It was a great series... San Alejo has a fine ball club with great pitching and timely hitters... unfortunately we ran into a tremendous pitcher today and Olivares put us away... I'm extremely proud of my Reds... it was a great season for us... I'm just disapointed it ended here... Pro Cups in back-to-back years would have really been something."

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 8, 2032

Colfax Slight Favorite Over San Alejo In Pro Cup
The Colfax Blasters look invincible this year in the Pro Cup playoffs. Colfax led the IPA in victories with 105. They have run roughshod over the Elnora All-Stars, the top-seeded team, and also the very capable LaGrange Sports to capture the Ruthlandian Union title. Colfax disposed of Elnora in a sweep, then won four of five over Lagrange. The Blasters overwhelmed them with a .320 BA and a 1.78 ERA.

However, Colfax will have to contend with the San Alejo Montaneros, who possesses the top mound corps in the IPA. As good as Elnora and LaGrange were on the hill, the Monties are a step up from them. But San Alejo doesn't hit anywhere near as good as the All-Stars and the Sports. The outlook is not good for the Montaneros. Colfax pitching might be just as good as San Alejo, while the bats are far superior to the Montaneros.

San Alejo slipped by third-seed Fairfax in six games and had to fight tooth-and-nail to get past defending Pro Cup champion Rolling Hills in seven games. The Monties posted a remarkable 1.69 ERA against the top-two hitting clubs in the Tycobbian Union, but hit only .258 against average pitching. On the surface it appears that no one will beat powerhouse Colfax this season. The Blasters seem to have it all. The experts are forecasting a Colfax Pro Cup victory in five or six games.

Colfax manager Ilya Szabo boasts two outstanding starters in Rudy Rosario (22-9/2.44) and Randell Perkins (12-2/2.96), plus another solid arm in Milton Garnett (20-12/3.41). In the bullpen Szabo has a quality closer in Konrad Koch (5-1/2.12). The Blasters have no weak sisters in the batting order, which is headed up by SS Dino Manale (.343) and C Mitch Fullerton (.351) and a host of reliable bats.

San Alejo will have to be at its very best to overcome Colfax. The key to the series will be how well the Monties hit. Manager Alberto Herrera has super pitching with Ollie Olivares (19-13/2.60), Herb Stewart (18-14/2.90), Clete Lawson (18-12/2.94) and Mario Aragon (12-7/2.77) as starters. Herrera has mentioned replacing Lawson with Aragon in the Finals as Lawson has struggled some in the playoffs with a 1-2 record and a 4.28 ERA in 4 starts. In the postseason Aragon has pitched flawlessly in 3 relief appearances. Johnny Brown (14-8/2.36/12 saves) split the season between starting and the bullpen. In the postseason he has been the primary closer with help from John Kaltenbach (2-1/2.62) and Pablo Pilar (3-1/2.29).

The best Montaneros batters are 2B Dwight Dickey with a .343 BA and LF Adrian Otero with 25 homers and 86 RBIs. However except for Dickey, no one else is anywhere near the .300 mark. Otero batted .255 during the regular season. As a team San Alejo has good power with 146 homers (10th).

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 10, 2032

2032 IPA Pro Cup Final Series - Game 1
(best-of-seven)

Colfax Trims San Alejo 5-3 In Pro Cup Opener
Solid pitching and solid hitting enabled favored Colfax to take the opening game of the 2032 Pro Cup at Mountain View Stadium... Rudy Rosario racked up his 5th postseason victory 5-3 over San Alejo... Rosario (5-0/1.82) bent, but didn't break... he allowed 9 hits, but only 3 runs in his 8 innings... Rosario chalked up 5 Ks and walked only one... Konrad Koch notched his 3rd playoff save by striking out 2 of the 3 batters he faced in the ninth... Colfax took the lead for good with a 3-run eighth inning, highlighted by 1B Doug Kirkwood's (.480) RBI single that tied the score at 3-3, followed by Samm Bolton's (.310) game-winning 2-run single... Bolton leads the club with 13 RBIs in the postseason... Kirkwood has 7... Colfax outhit San Alejo 11-9 in the opener... the Blasters were paced by SS Dino Manale (.326), Kirkwood and Dean Hardy (.417) each with 2 hits apiece... Manale and LF Hank Lunsford (.368) also batted in runs... it was number 8 for Lunsford, second best on the club.

Herb Stewart took a 3-2 into the last of the eighth, but couldn't hold off the Blaster bats... Stewart (3-1/1.47) was tagged for 11 hits and 5 runs, while going the distance... he fanned 5 and walked 2... 1B Rob Lewis (.367) had a good day in defeat for the Montaneros with 3-4, including a solo homer and a double... it was his second roundtripper in the postseason... SS Jeff Crandall (.343) had 2 hits and an RBI... and Stewart (.125) drove in the other run with a double.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 11, 2032

2032 IPA Pro Cup Final Series - Game 2
(best-of-seven)

Monties Pound 5 HRs, Even Pro Cup Series
Everything went Colfax's way in game one of the IPA Pro Cup Finals, but everything went San Alejo's way in the second game... the Montaneros pounded 5 homers and got great pitching in the 7-0 shutout... Ollie Olivares (4-2/1.13) hurled a strong 7 innings to claim the win... Olivares allowed only 2 hits, struck out 2 and walked 2... he got 2 shutout innings from closer Johnny Brown to seal the verdict... 3B Bubby Blackwell (.273) and 1B Omar Rojas (.281) both hammered 2 homers each and batted in 3 runs apiece... SS Joey Woodruff (.250) had a perfect day at the plate with 4 hits in 4 at-bats... Woodruff also had a home run.

Losing pitcher Randell Perkins (2-2/3.16) was the victim of 4 of the clouts as he was mauled for 6 runs in 5-plus frames... game three is set for the Casa de Beisbol in San Alejo tomorrow afternoon.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 12, 2032

2032 IPA Pro Cup Final Series - Game 3
(best-of-seven)

Colfax Holds Off Monties 5-4, Lead Pro Cup 2-1
Playing on the road in San Alejo at the Casa de Beisbol, the Colfax Blasters rallied with 3 runs in the top of the sixth to take a 5-3 lead in game three of the IPA Pro Cup Finals, then managed to hold on for a 5-4 decision over the Montaneros... that gave the Blasters a 2-1 edge in the series.

In a gritty outing Milton Garnett (3-0/2.77) gave Colfax a 2-run lead after permitting 3 runs on 6 hits in 8 innings... Garnett walked 7 and fanned 4 in a rough start, but got the win... closer Konrad Koch picked up his 4th postseason save, but did surrender a solo homer in the ninth... Mario Aragon (0-1/3.97) started for the Monties and tossed 8 innings in defeat, yielding 5 runs on 8 hits.

Colfax got runs in the third and fourth on SS Dino Manale's base hit and CF Samm Bolton's solo smash... San Alejo tied it 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double by 2B Dwight Dickey (.279) and a wild pitch... back-to-back doubles by LF Adrian Otero (.190) and CF Jaime Chacon (.333) put the Monties in front 3-2 in the fifth... then Colfax erupted for 3 runs to shoot ahead 5-3 on Bolton's (.306) RBI double, C Mitch Fullerton's (.233) sac fly and 1B Kris Bernhoffer's (.154) two-bagger... San Alejo completed the scoring in the last of the ninth on 3B Bubby Blackwell's (.288) solo homer... it was Blackwell's 3rd roundtripper in the playoffs.

The Blasters collected 9 hits to the Montaneros 7... SS Dino Manale (.365) led the way with 3-5, while Bolton had 2 hits and 2 RBIs... Blackwell paced San Alejo with a pair of hits.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 13, 2032

2032 IPA Pro Cup Final Series - Game 4
(best-of-seven)

San Alejo Rallies Past Colfax, Ties Series At 2-2
Gloom gave way to glee when the silent bats of San Alejo awoke from their slumber and plastered 7 huge runs on the Casa de Beisbol scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth frame to rally from a 5-1 deficit and take a 9-6 victory over Colfax in game four of the IPA Pro Cup Finals... Dwight Dickey and Jeff Crandall both drilled 2-run doubles to put the Montaneros ahead in the game 7-5 and Bubby Blackwell made it 8-5 with an RBI triple... the win tied the best-of-seven series at two games each.

2B Dickey (.303) sparked the Monties with 2 doubles, a single and 2 RBIs... Blackwell (.302) had 2 hits and 2 RBIs and SS Crandall (.295) drove in a pair of scores... the Montaneros were outhit by the Blasters 13 to 11... Colfax was led by RF Hal Granders (.305), who went 4-for-5, scored twice and batted in a run... SS Dino Manale (.386) had 2 hits and an RBI... and 1B Doug Kirkwood (.438) clubbed his second playoff home run and scored 2 times.

Both starters had difficulty... Herb Stewart (4-1/1.65) was the winner... he permitted 5 runs - only 2 earned - in 6 innings... Stewart departed trailing 5-1, but the Monties pulled it out with a splendid comeback... relievers Clete Lawson (3.99) and Johnny Brown (1.23) finished up for Stewart, giving up 1 run over the final 3 innings... Rudy Rosario (5-1/3.18) suffered his first postseason loss and saw his ERA soar when he was battered for 8 runs on 7 hits in 5-plus innings.

The IPA Pro Cup Finals will continue tomorrow afternoon with game five at the Casa de Beisbol in San Alejo... game six will be held in Colfax with game seven also there, if needed.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 14, 2032

2032 IPA Pro Cup Final Series - Game 5
(best-of-seven)

Colfax Nears Title, Wins Game Five 2-1
The Colfax Blasters drew within a game of the team's second Pro Cup in history... they nosed out San Alejo in game five on the road 2-1 in 10 innings... Dale Hardy doubled in the winning run to give Colfax a 3-2 edge in the IPA Pro Cup Finals... one more triumph will give them the Islands' premier baseball crown... the Blasters last won it in 2010, when they defeated Turon in seven games.

Starters Randell Perkins and Ollie Olivares matched zeros until San Alejo 3B Bubby Blackwell (.303) snapped the tie with his fourth postseason homer in the last of the seventh... however reliever Johnny Brown couldn't finish the Blasters off... 1B Lou Wilhoit tied the score at 1-1 with an RBI single in the top of the eighth... Brown (0-1/2.61) was the loser as he was pummeled for 6 hits and 2 runs in 3 innings, while the win went to Colfax closer Konrad Koch (1-0/1.23), who blanked the Montaneros the last two frames... Colfax collected 10 hits in the game... San Alejo got 8.

Colfax will try to wrap the Finals up tomorrow afternoon at home at Mountain View Stadium. Each club will go with its number-three man in the starting rotations... Colfax's Milton Garnett (20-12/3.41) will take on San Alejo's Mario Aragon (12-7/2.77) in game six. Thus far this postseason Garnett is the better of the two with a 3-0 mark and a fine 2.77 ERA... Aragon is 0-1 with a 3.96 ERA... Aragon has relieved 3 times and started once... he was a 5-4 loser in game three... Garnett won that game.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 15, 2032

2032 IPA Pro Cup Final Series - Game 6
(best-of-seven)

San Alejo Hangs On 5-4, Forces 7th Game
Everything pointed to another Colfax victory in game six of the IPA Pro Cup Finals and another Pro Cup crown for them... the Blasters are at home at Mountain View Stadium where they have won over 70% of the games this year and they had an unbeaten pitcher on the mound... but it didn't pan out that way... the celebration plans had to be postponed for at least another day... San Alejo built up a 5-1 lead in the first four innings with the help of homers by Orlando Ybarra and Mario Aragon, then hung on to win 5-4 behind the pitching of Aragon and closer Johnny Brown, thus forcing a seventh and deciding game in this year's Pro Cup Finals.

Aragon went 8 innings, struck out 4, walked 2 and allowed 4 runs on 9 hits, then turned it over to closer Johnny Brown, who redeemed himself from a game five loss with a scoreless ninth for his second save in the playoffs... Aragon (1-1/3.72) got the win... Milton Garnett (3-1/3.55) lost for the first time in the postseason... he gave up 5 runs on 9 hits in 7 innings with 2 walks and 4 Ks.

Both the Monties and Blasters collected 9 hits each... Mario Aragon (.500), RF Orlando Ybarra (.259), LF Adrian Otero (.182) and 3B Bubby Blackwell (.314) led the Montaneros at the plate... Aragon and Blackwell had 2 hits each... Aragon and Ybarra homered... Otero doubled in 2 runs... and Blackwell also doubled in a run... CF Samm Bolton (.323) continued to blister postseason pitching with 3-4 and 3 RBIs, giving him 19 in the playoffs, far and away the best in the Pro Cup competition this year... 2B Dale Hardy (.415) and LF Hank Lunsford (.321) both went 2-for-4 for the Blasters.

The top twirlers for both clubs will toe the rubber in tomorrow's Pro Cup seventh-game finale... it will be Rudy Rosario for Colfax and Herb Stewart for San Alejo... Rosario was 22-9 for the season with a terrific 2.44 ERA... he is 5-1 in the postseason with a 3.18 ERA... Stewart was 18-14 with a 2.90 ERA during the year and 4-1 and a superb 1.65 ERA in the playoffs... they have split two games so far in the series and neither has been especially effective.

Wow! Nice series.

i hope the All Star Game didn't determine home field advantange ;)

Yes, it really is a good series.

Colfax looked to be a much better team on paper, but San Alejo is hanging in there.

I always give home field advantage to the team with the best season record... first tiebreaker is head-to-head competition in the regular season... once I get to the Pro Cup Finals, if the teams have the same number of victories in the regular season, I would probably break the tie by whoever had the the best winning percentage in the playoffs... if they are still tied, I would add up the winning percentages of their playoff opponents... if they were still tied, I would just flip a coin.

I don't like the All-Star game determining the World Series home field advantage.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 16, 2032

2032 IPA Pro Cup Final Series - Game 7
(best-of-seven)

San Alejo Crowned IPA Pro Cup Champs
31 years of frustration finally ended today for the San Alejo Montaneros, the new IPA Pro Cup champion... the Monties won a classic pitchers' duel 2-1 in 10 innings to defeat favored Colfax in game seven of the IPA Pro Cup Finals for the first Islands' championship in the team's history... Herb Stewart went all the way in a masterful performance, holding the potent Blasters to one run on 8 hits... Stewart (5-1/1.53) struck out 4 and walked one in the crucial extra-inning win over Colfax ace Rudy Rosario (5-2/2.96), who worked into the tenth before he tired and took the loss... Rosario gave up only 2 runs and 8 hits.

San Alejo had to come back from a 3-2 deficit in games to win the title. Both of them were tense nail-biters and were decided by one run... San Alejo went into the Pro Cup playoffs as the fourth seed and ended up whipping Colfax, Fairfax and Rolling Hills, the second, third and fifth seeds to take the IPA crown... Colfax was the number-two seeded club... they had to get past number-one seed Elnora and number seven LaGrange to reach the Finals.

With one away in the top of the tenth Montaneros SS Jeff Crandall (.308) singled and 3B Bubby Blackwell walked (.297)... that's when Rosario was replaced by Norm Harbison, who promptly walked LF Adrian Otero (.186) to fill the bases... CF Jaime Chacon (.310) lined out to left field, but the speedy Crandall tagged up at third and scored the winning run.

San Alejo took the lead in the second frame on RF Orlando Ybarra's (.254) solo homer, his fourth blast in the postseason.... Colfax knotted it up in the seventh on a pair of doubles by RF Hank Lunsford (.339) and 1B Doug Kirkwood (.386)... Each team racked up 8 hits apiece with Crandall leading the Montaneros with 3 hits... three Blasters had 2 hits each: Lunsford, Kirkwood and 2B Dale Hardy (.421).

Jubilant San Alejo skipper Alberto Herrera told the press at the trophy ceremony, "Stewart and Olivares were magnificent the whole year... we would not have won without them... my Monties weren't the best-hitting team, but we could scrounge up enough runs to win... at one time or another in the playoffs, somebody would come through at crunch time... we were a special team... we had to beat three fine teams to win the Pro Cup... Fairfax, Rolling Hills and Colfax are as good as it gets in the IPA and we beat them all... any one of them could have been the champ... fortunately we got the right hit at the right time and won it."

Losing manager Ilya Szabo congratulated the new IPA Pro Cup champion, "The Montaneros did what they had to do... always rising to the occasion... standout pitching and good power is a good formula for success... that's what San Alejo had... they are a scrappy ball club with strong pitching and timely hitting... it's hard to believe that we had 6 regulars bat over .300 in the playoffs and had three solid starters and a fine bullpen, but didn't win... San Alejo proved that you win on the field, not on paper."

In the playoffs San Alejo compiled a 12-8 record with a terrific 2.04 team ERA and 19 home runs, averaging 3.8 runs per game offensively... Colfax was 11-5 in the postseason with a .304 team BA, only 5 homers, a 2.85 team ERA and they scored almost 5 runs a game.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 17, 2032

San Alejo Ace Stewart Selected Pro Cup MVP
What a year it has been for Herb Stewart, the 27-year-old right-hander for the San Alejo Montaneros! First he made a successful transition from the bullpen to a starting role. Secondly, Stewart helped the Monties win the Tycobbian South with an 18-14 record. And most of all, he sparked them to the first IPA Pro Cup in the club's history. The Montaneros went over three decades without ever winning the Islands' baseball crown. In a tremendous outing Stewart won the seventh game of the series 2-1 in 10 innings. Now Stewart has another thing to celebrate - he's the Pro Cup Most Valuable Player after going 5-1 in 8 postseason starts with a great 1.53 ERA. Stewart was an unanimous selection and received all the first-place votes in The Islandian Times MVP poll.

His teammate Ollie Olivares was the second-highest votegetter. He chalked up a 4-2 mark in 7 starts with a brilliant 0.98 ERA. The only defeats Olivares suffered were by scores of 2-0 and 2-1. Number three in the poll was Colfax's fine center fielder Samm Bolton, who topped all players in the postseason with 19 RBIs. Bolton batted .303, had 6 doubles and 2 homers, and scored 11 runs in 16 games.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 18, 2032

IPA Picks Top Rooks For 2032
It's been an exciting year for all newcomers into the Islandian Pro Alliance. And even more exciting for the first-year players who excelled above their peers. Waleska's fine new 23-year-old right fielder Niles Gregory stepped into the lineup and from day one proved his worth. Today the IPA awarded Gregory the Ruthlandian Rookie of the Year trophy as he beat out shortstop Teddy Grantham of the Grand City Cybercats and 2B Thomas Rutherford of the Kilkenny Cats. The top Tycobbian rookie was Chicopee left fielder Charlie Kota, who bested two pitchers for the honor. Rance Raymond of La Claire came in second in the voting with Glen Jenkins of Ozarka third.

In 140 games Gregory posted a .327 BA in his freshman season with 19 homers, 97 RBIs, stole 22 bases and scored 103 runs. He helped the Westerners to a second-place finish in the RU South. Grantham hit .331 in 146 games with 27 roundtrippers, batted in 91 runs and scored 86 times with 22 stolen bases. Grand City came in fourth in the RU South. Rutherford's Cats finished fifth in the RU North standings. He was in 145 games and notched a .303 BA with 180 hits, 8 home runs, 52 RBIs, 80 runs and 29 SBs.

At age 25 Kota compiled a .317 mark for the Braves and sparked the team's rise from seventh to third in the TU West. Kota collected 26 HRs, 93 RBIs and scored 89 runs, while participating in 144 games. Raymond chalked up an 18-14 record with a 2.79 ERA for the second place Lynx, while Jenkins went 13-6 with a 2.84 ERA for fourth place Ozarka.