THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 22, 2038

2038 IPA Pro Cup Playoffs - IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

BLASTERS BLAST RATTLERS 8-2 IN OPENER
In game one on the road at Farmers Memorial Park in Sugar Valley, hard-hitting Colfax gained the upper hand with an 8-2 rout of the Rattlers, the Pro Cup favorite... the Blasters racked up 11 hits and a fine pitching performance from Norm Harbison (1-0), who gave up only one earned run and fanned 5 batters, beating Juan Navarro (0-1), who was ripped for 6 runs in 5 innings... CF Howie Snyder has 3 hits, including a homer to lead the Rattlers... Sugar Valley only got 7 hits... 1B Kristian McEly and C Mitch Fullerton homered for the winners.

FM REDHAWKS SMACK CLAXTON 5-2 IN GAME 1
In a very sharp outing Dennis Sasek stopped Claxton 5-2 at Avalon Stadium to give the Far Mountain Redhawks game one of the IPA Elite 8 Series... Sasek gave up 9 hits, but only 2 runs in a route-going performance... 3B Gene Holloway belted a home run for the Redhawks, who got only 7 hits... LF Harman Silver had 2 hits and scored twice... Stan Yudesh (0-1) was the losing pitcher... he left after 7 innings, allowing 5 runs and 6 hits.

Tycobbian Union

HAWKS EDGE TYPHOONS 2-1 IN 11 INNINGS
In game one at Typhoon Stadium in Turon, magnificent pitching prevailed with North Hills edging Turon 2-1... the winning score came in on an RBI groundout by CF Kris Anastas in the top of the 11th, scoring RF Gerry Rice from third base... David Michael (1-0) chalked up the win with 10-plus strong innings, yielding only one run and 7 hits... closer Joey Santini got the last two outs and the save, but he had to get out of a bases-loaded situation to do it... Clyde Engstrom worked 10 frames for Turon, struck out 9 and gave up one run on 7 hits... reliever Ralph Fulton (0-1) came on in the 11th and lost it... LF Adam Thurgood went deep for the Hawks... SS C. C. Kingsford collected 3 hits for the Typhoons.

LYNX RALLY PAST JAYS 8-6 IN FIRST GAME
It's beginning to look like the La Claire Lynx have Tuckanarra's number... last year they swept the heavily-favored Blue Jays in first-round action and this time around they KO's them 8-6 in a comeback rally to cop game one... the Tucks blew a 5-3 lead after six innings at home... 1B Stan Hynoski's 3-run blast in the eighth proved to be the game-winner.

The Lynx outhit the Jays 13-12... CF Jason Baker and SS Jarrod O'Neal led them with 3 hits each and 2 runs scored... RF Billy Holland also chipped in a 3-run homer... topping the Tucks bats were C Jon Paul and RF Lorne Evans with a solo homer apiece... Sven Bendixen (1-0) notched the win with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief... Blue Jay starter Junior Bristow (0-1) suffered the loss as he was battered for 7 runs in 7.2 innings.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, September 23, 2038

2038 IPA Pro Cup Playoffs - IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

COLFAX CRUSHES SV 8-2 AGAIN
For the second day in a row Colfax walloped Pro-Cup favored Sugar Valley 8-2 to take a huge 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series... Blaster starter Bobby Porter (1-0) halted the Rattlers on just 4 hits and a run in his 8 innings... yesterday Norb Harbison beat them by the same score... Jeremy Blanchard (0-1) picked up the loss as he permitted 5 runs and 5 hits in 7 innings.

C Mitch Fullerton (.429) and 1B Kristian McEly (.375) again hit homers and drove in a pair of runs to spark the Blasters... SS Gerry Sives (.333) added 2 RBIs to the cause... LF Tyler White (.125) and PH Kent Rasmus got solo roundtrippers in defeat... Colfax led 2-1 after five innings, them wrapped up the game with 3 in the sixth and 3 more in the ninth.

COLTON'S HR BEAT REDHAWKS 2-1, SERIES TIED
In the second game of the IPA Elite 8 Series between Claxton and Far Mountain, 2B Gary Colton (.250) broke up a brilliant pitching duel between Abe Schiffman and Frankie Moreland with a home-run clout in the last of the eighth to tie the series at one game each... Schiffman (1-0) and Moreland (0-1) both went the distance... Schiffman struck out 8, walked one, and surrendered only one run on 8 hits... Moreland only allowed 2 runs on 6 hits... 1B Jojo DeLucca (.500) and CF Ivan Krause (.500) had 2 hits each to pace the Diamonds, while the Redhawks' SS Dan Vance (.500) went 3-for-4.

Tycobbian Union

OWENS TOPS BOEHM 2-0, HAWKS WIN FIRST TWO
Game two of the series was another classic pitching duel as North Hills' Jeff Owens blanked Turon and Armin Boehm 2-0 on a 4-hitter to put the Hawks up two games to none... North Hills has given up only one run in the first two games... Owens (1-0) was outstanding with 8 Ks, no walks... Boehm (0-1) stood out, too, permitting only 2 runs on 5 hits with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks... three doubles in the eighth snapped the scoreless tie... 3B Jim McDermott (.286) led off the inning with a two-bagger and SS Norris Henry (.429) and C Mikhail Romanovsky (.143) both doubled in runs... SS Clyde Kingsford (.556) and C Gil Erwin (.500) sparked the Typhoons with 2 hits apiece... they were the only ones to get hits off of Owens.

TUCKS POWER BY LA CLAIRE 7-5, EVEN SERIES
Tuckanarra finally came alive and snapped a five-game postseason losing streak against the La Claire Lynx by powering past them 7-5 with the help of three homers by C Jon Paul (.600), RF Lorne Evans (.222) and 2B Nicky Weill (.714)... La Claire knocked off the Blue Jays in a four-game sweep last year and won game one this year.

Tuckanarra jumped ahead early with 4 runs in the first and 3 more in the third, then had to hold off the Lynx in the late innings... Weill (.714) led the Jays with 3 hits and 3RBIs... and LF Spade Weldon (.333) and 1B Andy Preston (.429) helped out with 2 hits each... 3B Rog Clemens (.125) was the Lynx's top bat with 3 runs batted in... Tucks' starter Bobby Reid (1-0) got credit for the victory, but he gave up 5 runs and 8 hits in 7-plus innings... reliever Jack Rogers notched the save by getting the last five outs, striking out three of them... Bruce Kinson (0-1) was tagged hard and got the loss... he allowed 7 runs in 2.2 innings... Tuckanarra's 3B Daniel Redd left the game with an arm injury... no word yet on how severe it was.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 24, 2038

2038 IPA Pro Cup Playoffs - IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

WOW! COLFAX WINS THIRD IN A ROW
The Colfax Blasters continued to pound the Sugar Valley Rattlers in game three of the IPA Elite 8 Series... for the third day in a row the Blasters blitzed the Rattlers 7-6 to go in front 3-0 in the best-of-seven affair... one more win and Colfax will eliminate the top-ranked club in the Pro Cup playoffs.

It was a seesaw game with the lead going back-and-forth until the last of the eighth... pinchhitter Bobby Coker singled and was driven in by Samm Bolton's triple off losing pitcher Davey Brennan (0-1) to break a 6-6 tie... Colfax again outgunned Sugar Valley at the plate with 14 hits, paced by C Mitch Fullerton (.455) with 2-4, 2 runs and 3 RBIs... 2B Kristian McEly (.417) with 2-4 and 2 RBIs... RF Hal Granders (.308) had 3 hits and scored twice for the winners.

Sugar Valley had 3 solo home runs by LF Tyler White (.182), 1B Carlo Velucci (.250) and CF Howie Snyder (.750) among their 11 hits... it was White's second of the series... Snyder had 3 of them and RF Bobby Gamble (.167) and Richie Strickland (.143) chipped in with 2 apiece... Randell Perkins (1-0) got the win, but struggled... he was rocked for 6 runs and 11 hits in his 8 innings.

REDHAWKS NIP DIAMONDS 3-2, LEAD SERIES
Far Mountain took the lead in the IPA Elite 8 Series with Claxton with a 3-2 triumph in game three... the Redhawks got a steller performance from 21-year-old southpaw Karl Nordheim (1-0), who stopped the Diamonds on 7 hits, while fanning 9 batters and walking no one... Eric Isenhart (0-1) did well for Claxton, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits... both of them went all the way.

Far Mountain took an early lead on John Burrell's (.111) RBI single in the bottom of the first... the Redhawks added another score in the fifth on a double by Gene Holloway (.500)... Stevie Wynn's (.100) roundtripper cut it to 2-1 in the top of the sixth... Duffy Day's (.182) RBI double made it 3-1 for the Redhawks in the eighth... Jonas Weiss (.400) made it a one-run game again in the top of the ninth with an RBI base hit.

Tycobbian Union

TYPHOONS BLOW AWAY HAWKS 11-0
After getting only one run in the first two games of the IPA Elite 8 Series, Turon tore into North Hills' pitching for 13 hits and massacred the Hawks 11-0 to get back on the right track... the Typhoons now trail by a game with North Hills up two games to one... Wes Brynnton was superb as he shut out the Hawks for 7.2 innings on just 2 hits... Brynnton (1-0) walked 2 and whiffed 5 batters for the win... though the game never was in doubt, he had help from Ralph Fulton and Ashton Engstrom, who got the final 4 outs... Turon shelled loser Frankie Lambert for 6 runs and 9 hits in 6-plus innings.

The Typhoons were led by 3B George Jordan (.154) and 1B Steve Burns (.375), who each cracked 2-run homers... Jordan had 3 RBIs, while Burns and PH Alec Crosetti (.250) drove in 2 apiece.

LYNX TAME TUCKS 6-4, TAKE LEAD IN SERIES
In game three of the series opportunistic La Claire took advantage of shoddy defense by Tuckanarra to knock them off 6-4 with the benefit of 5 unearned runs... a big 4-run fifth broke a 1-1 tie and put the Lynx over the top in the game and pushed their lead to two games to one in the best-of-seven series... a late Tuckanarra rally fell short.

La Claire got 9 hits, while the Blue Jays got 12... CF Jason Baker (.500), 3B Rog Clemens (.273) and 1B Stan Hynoski (.417) led the Lynx with 2 hits and an RBI apiece... 2B Nicky Weill (.636) was the Tucks' top bat with 2 hits, 2 runs and 2 RBIs... he got his second homer of the series... SS Eddie Darby (.364) and C Jon Paul (.500) both collected 2 hits and batted in a run for the Blue Jays.

Starter Tony Rossi (1-0) got credit for the victory, but was shaky... he struck out 8 in 7.1 innings, but allowed 4 runs and 11 hits... closer Terry Baird finished up for him and held the Blue Jays runless in his 1.2 innings... it was Baird's second save in the postseason.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, September 25, 2038

2038 IPA ELITE 8 SERIES


Ruthlandian Union

COLFAX UPSETS SV, SWEEPS RATTLERS
The Colfax Blasters continued it torrid second-half pace right into the IPA playoffs by sweeping the Pro Cup favorite Sugar Valley Rattlers... the Blasters made quick work of the Rattlers with surprisingly good pitching... young Ray Maxon (1-0) finished off Sugar Valley in grand style 2-1, holding their potent offense to just 4 hits... Maxon walked 4 and struck out 4 in a complete game, outpitching Josh Wilkerson (0-1), who permitted 2 runs, only one earned, 7 hits with 3 Ks and no walks... the game was scoreless until the ninth... Sugar Valley scored first when CF Bobby Gamble (.143) walked, stole second and third, then rode home of LF Tyler White's (.214) sac fly... Colfax came right back to win it in the bottom of the ninth on C Mitch Fullerton's (.400) RBI single and LF Chet Penn's (.313) game-winning double... Colfax was rated sixth in the Pro Cup poll.

The Blasters will now wait on the Far Mountain-Claxton winner.

NATHAN KNOTS SERIES, CLAXTON NUDGES FM 3-2
Playing on the road at Sky High Stadium in Far Mountain, the Claxton Diamonds knotted up the IPA Elite 8 Series at two games apiece with a 3-2 victory... winner Sam Nathan (1-0) fired 8 sharp innings, allowed only 2 unearned runs, fanned 6 and issued 4 walks... closer Mark Richter logged his first save this postseason with a perfect ninth inning... losing pitcher Chad Cummings (0-1) went the route and tossed a good game, too... he gave up only 2 earned runs, had 5 strikeouts and walked only one batter... the Diamonds scored 2 in the third and one in the sixth before the Redhawks tallied single runs in the seventh and eighth.

Claxton totaled 8 hits and were led by 2B Gerry Colton (.375) and RF Doug Mayberry (.222) with a couple of hits each... C Jaan Hoogendoorn (.133), 1B Jojo DeLucca (.267) and LF Foxy Fuchs (.200) drove in the runs... RF Gilbert Bauer (.067) and 3B Gene Holloway (.429) had RBIs for the Redhawks.

Tycobbian Union

HAWKS BEST TYPHOONS 4-3 IN 11, UP 3-1 IN SERIES
At home at the Hawk's Nest, North Hills bested Turon 4-3 in 11 innings to go ahead 3-1 in the best-of-seven Elite 8 Series... the Hawks had to come behind twice to pull out the win... C Mikhail Romanovsky (.133) sent the game into extra innings when he singled in 3B Jim McDermott (.250) from second base... SS Norris Henry (.455) singled in the winning run in the last of the 11th... Joey Santini (1-0), in relief of Tony Mack, got the win with 2 scoreless frames... Mack worked a solid 9 innings, yielded 3 runs on 8 hits... the defeat went to Turon starter Nate Scottsdale (0-1), who worked into the 11th, allowed 4 runs and 9 hits.

The Hawks led 2-0 after 2 innings... Turon tied it up in the third and went in front in the top of the ninth 3-2, but couldn't hold the lead... both clubs notched 10 hits each... North Hills' top bats were CF Kris Anastas (.278) with 3 for 4... Henry went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs and McDermott (.250) was 2-5 with an RBI... CF J. P. Trevenot (.250) paced the Typhoons at the plate with 2 RBIs... LF Dennis Kaiser (.231) added 2 hits and an RBI.

LA CLAIRE WALLOPS TUCKS 8-5, NOW LEAD 3-1
It's the same old story... underdog La Claire is putting it to the highly-heralded Tuckanarra Blue Jays for the second successive season in the IPA Elite 8 Series... the Lynx slammed 16 hits and walloped the Blue Jays 8-5 to capture their third triumph in four games... one more win and La Claire advances to the Tycobbian title round, while for the second year in a row favored Tuckanarra gets an abrupt heave-ho from the Pro Cup playoffs.

The Lynx lashed into the Tucks for a 8-0 lead after 7 innings and then survived a belated rally by the Blue Jays, who scored 5 times in the eighth... John Page (1-0) went all the way for the win... he permitted 5 runs on 9 hits with 4 walks and 3 Ks... Philip Marston (0-1) caught the loss... he was ripped for 15 hits and 8 runs in 6.2 innings.

Offensively La Claire was sparked by C Biggie Mondale (.800)... he had 3 hits and a 3-run homer... 1B Stan Hynoski (.500) also had 3 hits and drove in a pair of runs... RF Bob Balfour (.500) had 2 doubles, an RBI and a run scored... 2B Rog Clemens (.333) scored 3 times, batted in one and socked 2 hits... RF Lorne Evans (.294) and C John Paul (.538) provided all of the Blue Jays' runs... Evans had a grand slam and Paul a solo shot back-to-back in the eighth... both of them have gone deep three times each in the series.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, September 25, 2038

2038 IPA ELITE 8 SERIES

Ruthlandian Union

DIAMONDS DUMP REDHAWKS 9-6 IN GAME 5
The Claxton Diamonds glistened again on the road to take their second straight win from the Far Mountain Redhawks... the Diamonds belted 15 hits in a 9-6 thrashing to take a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven IPA Elite 8 Series... SS Stevie Wynn (.250) had 3 hits and 4 RBIs and 2B Gary Colton (.429) went 3-for 5 with 2 runs batted in to lead the Claxton offense... the Diamonds led 7-0 after four frames and then held off the Redhawks.

In an uneven outing Stan Yudash (1-1/4.30) chalked up the victory by going 7.2 innings, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits with 6 walks and 5 strikeouts... Dennis Sasek (1-1/3.21) lost the decision by giving up 7 runs on 11 hits in 5 innings... Far Mountain's LF Harman Silver (.263) and 1B John Burrell (.235) provided all of their runs via 3-run roundtrippers.

Tycobbian Union

HAWKS ADVANCE, KO TURON IN 5 GAMES
Both clubs are better known by their pitching, but today in game five of the IPA Elite 8 Series at the Hawk's Nest, the Hawks' bats beat off the Turon Typhoons 10-8 in a slugfest to eliminate them four games to one... LF Adam Thurgood blasted two homers to power North Hills into the TU title round against the La Claire Lynx, who sent Tuckanarra home for the year with a 4-1 victory in games.

The Hawks hammered out 12 hits in all with LF Thurgood (.200) getting 3 of them and batting in 5 runs... Thurgood now has 3 homers in the series... RF Gerry Rice (.235) drove in 2 runs for the winners... and 2B Tommy Vavas (.211) went 2-for-3, scored three and had an RBI... The Typhoons collected 12 hits with Kingsford (.435) having 4 of them, including a grand slammer and double... CF J. P. Trevenot (.350) had 3 and drove in a pair of runs... two others had 2 hits each, 2B Marty Gibson (.273) and 3B George Jordan (.182).

North Hills took the lead 5-3 in the last of the fifth, increased it to 8-3 with 3 in the seventh and padded it to 10-4 in the eighth, then beat back Turon's rally in the ninth... winner David Michael (2-0/1.47) deserved better... he was victimized by defensive lapses that cost him 2 unearned runs... Michael went 8 innings and surrendered 4 runs on 8 hits... Killer Kane gave up 4 runs in the top of the ninth before Joey Santini came in and quelled the uprising, getting his second save of the postseason... Clyde Engstrom (0-1/3.38) had a rough outing and pick the loss... he was mauled for 5 runs in 6 innings, departing with Hawks ahead 5-3.

NORMAN'S 3-RUN HR SENDS LYNX TO TU FINAL
Capitol Park Stadium went absolutely wild in the eighth inning when 2B Sam Norman (.250) crushed a 3-run home run to give the hometown La Claire Lynx a 6-4 victory over favored Tuckanarra in game five of the IPA Elite Series... for the second year in a row underdog La Claire got the best of the powerhouse Blue Jays and they will now take on the North Hills Hawks for the Tycobbian title and the right to advance to the ultimate - the IPA Pro Cup Finals.

Up until Norman's crucial clout, Junior Bristow seemed to have things going Tuckanarra's way... heading into the eighth Bristow had a 4-3 lead and just needed 6 more outs... but he didn't get them... Bristow (0-2/6.32) went the distance in defeat, allowed six runs with four of them earned... Pat Kovacs left after 6 innings trailing 4-3... he gave up 3 earned runs and 9 hits with 9 Ks... Sven Bendixen (2-0/0.00) got his second win in the series... he held the Tucks hitless and without a run in the seventh and eighth... closer Terry Baird (1.80) retired the Blue Jays in order in the ninth for this third save. Tuckanarra outhit La Claire 10-9... 2B Nicky Weill (.588) went 2-for-3 in game five and drove in all four Blue Jay scores... Weill had a fabulous series in defeat with 2 homers and 10 RBIs.

I will take a week or so off from the IPA.

I am going to begin a new project using OOTP14 in a few months, so I want to familiarize myself with it.

I plan to complete 50 years in the IPA and then retire it.

It's been a long ride! Your dynasty is one of those I have followed the longest as an example of a great fictional dynasty.

:ohmy:




:hello!!:

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 27, 2038

2038 IPA ELITE 8 SERIES

Ruthlandian Union

REDHAWKS EDGE DIAMONDS 4-3, FORCE SEVENTH GAME
On the road at Avalon Stadium in Claxton, Far Mountain staved off elimination in the IPA Elite 8 Series with a stirring 4-3 triumph over the Claxton Diamonds, thus forcing a definitive game seven... the Redhawks busted up a 1-1 pitchers' duel between Frankie Moreland and Vance White with 3 runs in the top of the ninth, then they had to withstand a Claxton rally... the teams are tied at three games apiece with the deciding game coming tomorrow afternoon in Claxton.

Dan Vance (.348) got things rolling for the Redhawks in the ninth with a lead-off double... he then scored on Kyle Ainslie's double... Lou Ranson (.286) added another run with an RBI single and Duffy Day (.238) finished the scoring with a sacrifice fly... the Diamonds mounted a last-ditch rally when Ivan Krause (.313) cracked a solo homer to narrow the lead to 4-2... a one-out walk to Jonas Weiss (.263) and Stevie Wynn's (.320) two-out two-bagger made it 4-3... Moreland bore down and fanned Jaan Hoogendoorn with the tying run on second base.

Frankie Moreland (1-1/2.65) notched the win... he went the route, gave up 3 runs on 8 hits, struck out 5 and walked 4... Vance White (0-1/4.00) took the loss, yielding 4 runs on 7 hits with 4 Ks and a pair of walks... RF Gilbert Bauer (.136) plated Far Mountain's first run with a sixth-inning homer... SS Stevie Wynn (.320) led the Diamonds with 3 hits and C Jaan Hoogendoorn (.167) chipped in with 2.

I'll still be around awhile with 12 more seasons to play to reach 50.

No worry, still have 12 seasons to play.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 27, 2038

2038 IPA ELITE 8 SERIES

Ruthlandian Union

UNDERDOG REDHAWKS KO CLAXTON 4-3 IN GAME 7
Seventh-ranked Far Mountain overcame the odds and KO'd powerful Claxton in the IPA Elite 8 Series, knocking them off 4-3 in game seven at Avalon Stadium... high-scoring Claxton was picked the second-best team in The Islandian Times Pro Cup predictions, but they were beaten four games to three by Far Mountain... the Redhawks built up a 4-2 lead after 4 innings and held on to win... Karl Nordheim (2-0/2.50) went the distance in the deciding game, allowed 3 runs on 7 hits, while striking out 5 and walking 4... Nordheim, a 20-game winner in the regular season, got the best of Abe Schiffman (1-1/2.50), who permitted 7 hits and 4 runs with 3 walks and 8 strikeouts... Schiffman was 17-9.

Far Mountain took the lead 2-0 in the top of the second on Duffy Day's (.250) RBI double and Karl Nordheim's (.125) single... the Diamonds quickly tied it at 2-all in the bottom half of the frame on a single by Andre Venturella (.250) and a 2-run blast by Jonas Weiss (.273)... in the fourth Gene Holloway's (.333) double, Wes Wernstedt's (.120) RBI triple and Lou Ranson's (.292) sac fly put the Redbirds ahead to stay... Wernstedt sparked Far Mountain with 2 hits and 2 runs, while Venturella and Schiffman (.333) got 2 hits each in defeat for Claxton.

According to winning manager Don Nichols the key was the fantastic pitching by his mound corps... they posted an impressive 2.80 ERA with 6 complete games... and held the hard-hitting Diamonds to a .254 BA... Claxton topped the IPA with 901 runs during the season, averaging almost 6 runs a games... Redhawks pitching limited them to 3.4 runs a game in the seven-game series... Far Mountain batted only .231 in the series, but won it anyway.

Claxton skipper Dixie Baker told reporters, "We just ran into a good staff on top of their game... the Redhawk starters are a tough foursome."

Far Mountain now moves on to the IPA Final 4 Series against the Colfax Blasters, who stunningly swept Pro Cup favorite Sugar Valley in four games in the opening round... Colfax ranked sixth in the Pro Cup poll.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 28, 2038

COLFAX, NORTH HILLS FAVORED IN RU AND TU TITLE SERIES
In the IPA Final 4 it will be the Colfax Blasters tangling with the Far Mountain Redhawks in the Ruthlandian championship series and the North Hills Hawks opposed by the La Claire Lynx in the Tycobbian title clash... both series will be best-of-seven and are slated to begin tomorrow afternoon with the winners matching up for the Islands' Pro Cup crown... by virtue of better regular-season records, Far Mountain and North Hills have the home-field advantage.

Colfax got the favorite's role in the Ruthlandian Union, while North Hills got the nod in the Tycobbian Union... the Blasters feature a solid-hitting club with good pitching... the experts give them the edge over pitching-rich, but weak-hitting Redhawks... the Hawks have a strong team with very good bats and standout pitching... the Lynx are a little above average in both respects... but don't count out Far Mountain and La Claire as they have already beaten highly-touted teams in first-round action... the Redhawks knocked off tough Claxton and La Claire surprised powerhouse Tuckanarra.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 1, 2038

2038 IPA FINAL 4 SERIES

Ruthlandian Union

BLASTERS BLANK REDHAWKS 2-0 IN FINAL 4 OPENER
In game one of the IPA Final 4 Series at Sky High Stadium in Far Mountain, Colfax hurlers Norm Harbison and Jack Scanlon teamed up for a 2-0 shutout... the hometown Redhawks only managed 6 hits in the game... Harbison (2-0/0.55) was the winner as he stopped them on 5 hits over 8 innings, fanned 7 and walked only 2 for his second straight postseason victory... Scanlon (0-0/0.00/2 saves) hurled a scoreless ninth for his second save in the playoffs... Chet Penn and Benny Reier provided the runs in the first and the sixth.

Redhawk starter Dennis Sasek (1-2/2.35) had a sharp outing, giving up only 2 runs on 8 hits, striking out 4 and walking 2 in a complete-game loss... LF Penn (.350) and 3B Reier (.278) paced Colfax with 2 hits apiece, while 1B John Burrell (.250) and LF Kyle Gottwald got 2 hits each for the Redhawks.

Tycobbian Union

LYNX EDGE HAWKS 2-1 IN 10 INNINGS
On the road at the Hawk's Nest in North Hills, La Claire got superb mound work to outduel favored North Hills 2-1 in 10 innings in the first game of the Tycobbian championship series... three Lynx pitchers were outstanding... Pat Kovacs held the Hawks to one run in six innings and Troy Berry and Terry Baird didn't give up a run in two innings each... Baird (1-0/1.29) got the win when Sam Norman (.250) walked to lead off the tenth... went to third on an error by pitcher David Michael on Jason Baker's (.381) groundball... Rog Clemens (.348) got the winning run in on a deep fly ball to left... Michael (2-1/1.27) caught the loss, but he allowed only one earned on 9 hits in 10 innings with 7 Ks and 4 walks.

8th-ranked La Claire outhit number four North Hills 9 to 8 with LF Rod Conklin (.263) getting 2 of them... the Hawks were led at the plate by 1B Ric Hamilton (.174) and 3B Jim McDermott (.292) with 2 hits each... both clubs scored in the second frame... a double by 1B Stan Hynoski (.375) and two singles by Conklin and Kovacs (.125) got the Lynx's first run in... and North Hills tied it up on singles by Hamilton and McDermott and a fielder's choice by C Mikhail Romanovsky (.174).

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 2, 2038

2038 IPA FINAL 4 SERIES

Ruthlandian Union

MORELAND EVENS SERIES, REDHAWKS WIN 6-2
Far Mountain got another impressive postseason performance from Frankie Moreland as the 36-year-old righthander stopped Colfax 6-2 in game two of the Ruthlandian Union Final 4 Series to even it up at one game apiece... Moreland (2-1/2.42) hurled a complete game and hung the loss on the Blasters holding them to just 7 hits... SS Dan Vance (.371) scored 3 times and collected 4 hits to lead the Redhawks at the plate... 3B Kyle Ainslie (.600) added in 4 hits and 2 RBIs... and LF Harlan Silver (.242) hammered a 2-run homer... Far Mountain racked up 13 hits in all.

Colfax 2B Kristian McEly (.364) hit his third roundtripper in the playoffs... he went 2-4 and drove in a pair of runs... LF Chet Penn (.375) and SS Gerry Sives (.348) collected 2 hits each for the Blasters... Bobby Porter (1-1/3.94) went all the way in defeat, permitting 13 hits and all 6 runs.

The Redhawks jumped ahead 3-0 in the opening frame and added single runs in the fifth, seventh and eighth... Colfax's only runs came in the eighth.

Tycobbian Union

ANASTAS' 2 HR, 6 RBI SPARK HAWKS TO 10-5 VICTORY
The North Hills Hawks were outhit in game two of the Tycobbian Final 4, but they weren't outgunned... CF Kris Anastas slugged a 2-run homer in the second inning and a grand slam in the third to spark the Hawks to a 10-5 decision over the La Claire Lynx to tie the series at one game each... North Hills overcame a 3-0 first-inning lead by La Claire with 9 runs in their first fourth innings... winning pitcher Jeff Owens (2-0/2.50) settled down after a rocky beginning, permitting 2 runs over the last eight innings... the Lynx got to him for 13 hits... he walked only one and struck out 4 batters.

Bruce Kinson (0-2/10.15) suffered the loss... he was shelled for 8 runs in 2-plus innings, though only 2 were earned... Hawks' 2B Kiril Ivonoski (.333) scored 2 runs and had 2 hits... RF Adam Thurgood (.214) chipped in 2 hits and 2 RBIs and SS Norris Henry (.455) went 2-for-4 and scored twice.

C Biggie Mondale (.700) led the Lynx with 3 hits... five others got 2 hits each: RF Billy Holland (.240), 3B Jarrod O'Neal (.276), 2B Rog Clemens (.357), CF Rod Fisher (.333), and SS Harmon Brewster (.375)... Clemens had a 2-run homer for La Claire.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 3, 2038

2038 IPA FINAL 4 SERIES

Ruthlandian Union

FM'S NORDHEIM SHUTS OUT COLFAX ON 4 HITS
In game three of the Ruthlandian title series in Colfax, Far Mountain got another masterful outing from 21-year-old southpaw Karl Nordheim (3-0/1.67), who shut out the Blasters 3-0 on a 4-hitter for his third straight postseason victory... this put the Redhawks up by a game in the best-of-seven set... Nordheim was 20-12 in the regular season.

Far Mountain only got 7 hits... loser Randell Perkins (1-1/5.06) worked 8 frames and gave up 3 runs on 6 hits, surrendering single runs in the second, sixth and seventh... 2B Johnny Kaufman (.500) paced the Redhawks with 3-4, a run and an RBI... and CF Wes Wernstedt (.189) had 2 hits and an RBI.

Tycobbian Union

LYNX TROUNCE HAWKS 11-4 IN 3RD GAME
The La Claire Lynx cracked open a close game midway through and won going away 11-4 to go ahead two games to one in the TU championship... Billy Holland's 3-run shot put the finishing touch on the victory in the bottom of the sixth.

Both clubs registered 12 hits each... John Page (2-0/4.59) garnered the win, working into the ninth inning... Page allowed 4 runs and 12 hits... Glenn Smith got the last out of the game for Page.

RF Billy Holland (.321) led the Lynx's hit parade with 3 hits, 3 runs and 4 RBIs... 1B Stan Hynoski (.364) had 2 doubles and 2 RBIs, 2B Sam Norman (.320) 3 hits and 2 runs scored... SS Jarrod O'Neal (.273) and C Weldon Waller (.318) added in 2 runs batted in apiece... Holland and Weldon went deep for the Lynx.

Leading the Hawks were RF Gerry Rice (.250) and 2B Kiril Ivonoski (.500), both with 3 hits... and 3B Jim McDermott (.323) with a pair of hits... plus CF Kris Anastas (.303) had a 2-run single... Frank Lambert (0-2/9.26) went 5 innings in the loss, being slapped around for 7 hits and 7 runs, while walking 5.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 4, 2038

2038 IPA FINAL 4 SERIES

Ruthlandian Union

REDHAWKS BLANK BLASTERS AGAIN, LEAD 3-1
Great pitching has put dark horse Far Mountain in the driver's seat in the Ruthlandian championship series... for the second day in a row the Redhawks whitewashed the hard-hitting Colfax Blasters... Chad Cummings and Paul Young teamed up to shut them out 2-0 in game four to give Far Mountain a three games to one advantage in the best-of-seven series... one more Redhawk triumph and it's on to the IPA Pro Cup Finals.

Cummings (1-1/1.06) tossed 8 impressive innings, fanned 2 and walked one, while giving up 6 base hits, all singles... Young got the save when he set down the Blasters in order in the ninth... Colfax starter Ray Maxon stood out, too, with a complete game... he limited the Redhawks to just 2 runs on 8 hits with 3 walks and 5 Ks... the high-potent Blasters' offense has only scored 4 runs in the 4 games so far and has been shut out in back-to-back games.

In the second frame singles by 1B John Burrell (.216) and Wes Wernstedt (.268) put runners on the corners with one out... the Redhawks took a 1-0 lead when C Lou Ranson (.237) hit into a fielder's choice... Ranson finished the scoring for the day with a solo homer in the fifth frame... Wernstedt had a perfect day at the plate with 4 hits in 4 at-bats... Colfax was led by SS Gerry Sives (.323) with 2 hits.

Tycobbian Union

HAWKS TIE SERIES 2-2, TOPS LYNX 5-3
In game four at Capitol Park Stadium in La Claire, the North Hills Hawks combined good pitching, good hitting and good defense to top the Lynx 5-3 and tie the Tycobbian title series at two games apiece... Tony Mack (1-0/3.00) was on top of his game as he went the distance, struck out 6, walked 3 and gave up 3 runs and 9 hits... Gerry Rice's 2-run clout in the top of the seventh snapped a 2-2 deadlock.

RF Rice (.257) led the Hawks' 11-hit attack with 2 RBIs and 2 runs... LF Adam Thurgood (.189) also had a 2-run roundtripper, his 4th in the playoffs... and 3B Jim McDermott (.361) went 3-for-5 with 2 singles and a triple... the Lynx collected 9 hits and were paced by C Biggie Mondale (.714) with 3-4 and an RBI... 1B Stan Hynoski (.361) had a home run for La Claire, his second in the postseason... and RF Billy Holland (.344) and 2B Sam Norman (.333) socked 2 hits each.

Righthander Tony Rossi (1-1/3.29) took the loss, permitting 3 runs - but only one earned - and 7 hits in 6.1 innings... Rossi whiffed 6 and isssued 3 bases on balls... he was trailing 3-2 when he departed in the seventh.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 5, 2038

2038 IPA FINAL 4 SERIES

Ruthlandian Union

REDHAWKS ADVANCE TO PRO CUP FINALS
It only took five games for Far Mountain to defeat favored Colfax in the Ruthlandian title series... the Redhawks outlasted the Blasters 6-5 in an extra-inning thriller that went 13 innings... back-to-back two-baggers by Gilbert Bauer and Kyle Ainslie produced the winning run... Far Mountain will be returning to the Pro Cup Finals for the first time in almost 30 years... they won the Pro Cup an unprecedented three times in a row from 2011 to 2013... this season is their first postseason appearance since 2025.

The Redhawks had a 15-13 hit advantage and were led by RF Kyle Gottwald (.500) and 3B Kyle Ainslie (.391), who each were 3-5 and drove in 2 runs... 2B Johnny Kaufman (.455) and C Lou Ranson (.256) both chipped in with 2 hits... the Blasters' best bats were LF Chet Penn (.342) with 3 hits and 3 RBIs and SS Gerry Sives (.378) with 4 hits and 2 runs scored... RF Paul Meadows (.500) also collected 2 hits.

Far Mountain leaped out to a 4-0 first-inning lead, only to have Colfax rebound with 3 in the bottom half of the inning... the Redhawks increased it to 5-3 in the top of the seventh and the Blasters cut it to 5-4 in the last of the seventh... Colfax scored a single run in the eighth to deadlock it at 5-5 and sent it to overtime.

From then on the Redhawks got splendid relief pitching as Keith Griggs and Kippy Wilhelm blanked the Blasters the rest of the game... Griggs tossed 3 innings and allowed 2 hits, while Wilhelm (1-0/0.00) chalked up the win with 2 scoreless innings, retiring all 6 men he faced... the loss went to Nilos Andris (0-1/6.75), who was tagged for 2 hits and a run in his 1.1 innings.

Far Mountain manager and IPA Hall-of-Famer Don Nichols is tremendously excited to be returning to the Pro Cup championship again after so many years. He was a standout shortstop for the three-time IPA title winners. "Winning the Pro Cup as a player three years in a row was a once-in-a-lifetime experience... I never dreamed I would return as a manager... I just hope we can keep playing good ball and bring the Pro Cup trophy back to Far Mountain again."

Tycobbian Union

MCDERMOTT'S 3-RUN HR PUTS HAWKS IN LEAD
Thanks to Jim McDermott's 3-run home-run smash in the top of the seventh North Hills now has a 3-2 edge in its Tycobbian title series with La Claire... until then, the Hawks' hopes were looking thin as they trailed 3-1 after 6 innings, held in check by the Lynx's ace Pat Kovacs... McDermott's clutch hit gave the Hawks a 4-3 lead in game five, played at Capitol Park Stadium in La Claire... in the same inning Norris Henry's double and Kiril Ivonoski's RBI single gave the Hawks an insurance run on the way to a 5-3 victory.

David Michael (3-1/1.73) continued to thrive in the playoffs with a solid outing... he worked 8 innings, fanned 5, walked none and allowed 3 runs on 7 hits... Joey Santini (1-0/0.00/3 saves) registered his third save with a perfect ninth... losing pitcher Kovacs (0-1/4.68) had a rough time as he was tagged for 8 hits and 5 runs in 7 innings... Kovacs posted 6 Ks and walked one.

The Hawks chalked up 8 hits to 7 for the Lynx... McDermott (.375) delivered 2 of them along with 3 runs batted in... Ivonoski (.353) and C Michael Romanovsky (.167) drove in a run apiece for the winner... 3B Rog Clemens (.297) had a 2-run homer for La Claire... RF Billy Holland (.333) had the other RBI.

NOTE: I thought you might enjoy a look back at previous highlights of the IPA.
The Far Mountain Redhawks haven't been to the Pro Cup Finals in almost 3 decades. This a review of their 2011 season.



YESTERYEAR IN THE IPA

Monday, September 19, 2011

FM Redhawks Win Struggle With Glasco and Taranto in RU North

The Far Mountain Redhawks outfought five teams to cop its third consecutive Ruthlandian North pennant. Alex Groveland's crew finished strong over the second half of the season and came from a fourth place tie and four games back after the All-Star hiatus. The Redhawks edged the second place Glasco Athletics by a game. The A's also had a good second half run as they rose up from a midseason fourth place tie with Far Mountain. Third place Taranto was strong the entire season, but came up two games short. Fourth place LaGrange and Ancona faltered in the late stages of the race and wound up five games off the pace. The Kilkenny Cats ended up in the sixth spot, 11 games out. Valmara was seventh and 14 games behind, while first half leader Ranford went into a tailspin and fell all the way to the basement, trailing by 17 games.

Superior pitching and solid hitting were the keys for both Far Mountain (3.39 ERA) and Glasco (3.35 ERA). LaGrange and Taranto had the firepower with 186 and 175 roundtrippers, but both came up way short with 3.99 and 4.67 ERAs respectively.

Far Mountain boasted three strong vets on the mound in Boomerang Hines (22-12 2.85), Robby Kelly (12-7 2.76) and Leroy Hill (18-18 2.62)... closer Erich Dumont (5-6 1.42) blossomed in the bullpen with 28 saves... 3B Duane Parsons (.273/22/103/87), C Otis Ott (.271/25/91/77) and SS Don Nichols (.287/12/81/109) provided the offense.

Friday, September 23, 2011

2011 Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series

Redhawks Romp 8-0, Knock Off Claxton in 4 Straight
The Claxton Diamonds ran into a buzzsaw and were sent packing from the Pro Cup playoffs by the red-hot Far Mountain Redhawks, who finished them off in 4 games... The Redhawks walloped 14 hits and backed up the shutout pitching of Boomerang Hines for an easy 8-0 triumph... Hines (2-0 1.00) tossed another fine game, holding the Diamonds to 6 hits... LF Phil Stewart (.467), SS Don Nichols (.316) and CF Xavier Sosa (.429) sparked the rout with 3 hits apiece with RF Lucky Collins (.571), C Otis Ott (.176) and Nichols driving in a pair of runs each... Collins had 7 RBIs in the series... Charlie Murphy (0-2 7.71) was tagged with the loss as he was battered for 5 runs on the first frame... Alex Groveland and Far Mountain will now advance to the RU Final 4 against the winner of the Colfax-Sugar Valley series.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

2011 Ruthlandian Union Final 4 Series

FM Bumps Colfax 6-0, Pro Cup Finalist
The Far Mountain Redhawks continued their torrid play and bumped Colfax, the defending Pro Cup champions, out of the playoffs... Far Mountain blanked the Blasters 6-0 on a 4-hit shutout by Leroy Hill to take the Ruthlandian Union Final 4 Series four games to one... The Redhawks now advance to the IPA Pro Cup title series against the Tycobbian champion... Hill (1-0 4.26) worked a terrific game, stopping Colfax on just 4 hits with 4 strikeouts and only one base on balls... Hill (.333) even got a home run, a 2-run shot in the eighth... Far Mountain bashed 11 hits off two Colfax hurlers... They had to beat Ilya Szabo (3-1 2.52), who has led the IPA in ERA the last two seasons and was unbeaten in the postseason this year... The Redhawks got to him for 4 runs on 8 hits in his 7 innings... LF Phil Stewart (.472) sparked FM with a perfect 4-for-4 day... CF Lucky Collins (.394) gave Far Mountain an early lead with a sacrifice fly in the second inning, 2B Keith Wasik (.379) made it 2-0 in the fourth with another sac fly and SS Don Nichols' (.326) single and C Otis Ott's (.250) flyball upped it to 4-0 in the fifth frame... The Redhawks were rated only 6th in the Islandian Times poll prior to the playoffs... Far Mountain will play the Fairfax-Ozarka survivor for this year's Pro Cup... The Redhawks have been to the IPA finals only one time in its history... They lost to Turon in 2009.

The elated winning skipper, Alex Groveland, gave credit to his standout pitching staff for the series win. "Boomerang Hines, Robby Kelly and Leroy Hill are the reason we're headed to the Pro Cup. They really outdid themselves in holding down Colfax, perhaps the best-hitting team in our league."

Colfax's deflated and defeated manager, Clem Rogers, said, "I thought we had a very good shot at another Pro Cup, but I was wrong. Far Mountain totally silenced our bats and our pitching didn't do very well either. Not only do the Redhawks pitch well, but the offense is quite capable, too. I think Far Mountain will get the Ruthlandian Union another Pro Cup."

Far Mountain dropped the first game of the Final 4 to Colfax 3-2 in 13 innings, but then ripped off four consecutive victories, winning 5-4 in 12 innings, 9-1, 5-0 and 6-0.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

2011 IPA Pro Cup Finals

FM Pro Cup Champs, Nips Nats 7-6 in 11 Innings
The IPA Pro Cup champions for 2011 are the Far Mountain Redhawks, who made an unbelievable comeback... Down 3 games to 1 to Ozarka after 4 games the Redhawks won the final 3 games of the series to cop the crown for the first time in club history... Far Mountain triumphed 7-6 in a hard-fought, seesaw affair that went 11 innings... LF Phil Stewart (.382) got aboard on a botched grounder by SS Nathan Ferrell, was sacrificed to second by CF Xavier Sosa (.343) and he scampered home on 3B Duane Parsons (.290) game-winning single... Boomerang Hines (5-1 1.11) got the win with 2 and two-thirds scoreless innings of relief... Hines, normally a starter, was pressed into service after only 2 days' rest... Phillip Britt (0-1 4.91) was tagged with the loss even though the only run he gave up was not earned... Britt had come on in the top of the 11th... The Nats racked up 16 hits in defeat to 13 for the winners.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Hines Acclaimed Pro Cup MVP
In close balloting good pitching won out on good hitting to decide the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player. Far Mountain's stylish southpaw Boomerang Hines led the Redhawks to their first Pro Cup title with a 5-1 record and a brilliant 1.11 ERA. Hines edged out teammates Xavier Sosa, Lucky Collins and Phil Stewart for the honor.

Hines made 6 starts and had 5 complete games with 2 shutouts. His only loss came in a 2-1 decision. Hines also contributed a critical win in relief in the 7th game. He worked 2 and two-thirds scoreless innings in the 11-inning victory.

CF Sosa had a marvelous postseason, too. He batted .343 with 6 homers, 20 RBIs and 12 runs scored. RF Lucky Collins hit .357 with 12 RBIs, 10 runs and 5 stolen bases and LF Stewart compiled a .382 batting average with 2 roundtrippers, 9 runs driven in and scored 16 times.

Ozarka's fine LF Vic Weinstein was fifth in the vote. Weinstein had a .373 average with a pair of home runs, 13 RBIs and 18 runs in the playoffs.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 6, 2038

2038 IPA FINAL 4 SERIES

Tycobbian Union

KINSON KEEPS LYNX ALIVE, TAMES HAWKS 1-0
After two miserable postseason starts, 21-game winner Bruce Kinson finally got his act together just in time to keep La Claire in the Tycobbian title chase with a brilliant 1-0 shutout over North Hills... Kinson evened the series at three games apiece... he outdueled another 20-game winner Jeff Owens... Kinson (1-2/3.77) stopped the Hawks on 6 hits, walked 2 and struck out 4... Owens (2-1/1.67) was super, too... he fanned 8, walked one and allowed only one unearned run and 5 hits... a costly error spoiled Owens outstanding outing.

La Claire got the game's only run in the top of the sixth... SS Jarrod O'Neal (.273) reached first when first baseman Ric Hamilton fumbled a groundball... Kinson (.200) singled O'Neal to third... and Darryl McIntosh (.154) got the run in with a sacrifice fly.

1B Stan Hynoski (.341) paced the Lynx with 2 hits, while Hamilton (.200) got 2 for the Hawks.

Game seven will be played tomorrow afternoon at the Hawk's Nest in North Hills... John Page (4-1/3.44) will be on the hill for La Claire and opposed by North Hills' Frankie Lambert (16-10/2.80)... Page has not been terribly effective in the postseason... he is 2-0, but has a high 4.59 ERA... Lambert has been creamed in the playoffs with an 0-2 mark and a horrific 9.26 ERA... Page beat Lambert 11-4 in game three.