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Tuesday, May 1, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union TBU West Division Champs Smith Snaps Lynx 9-game Win Streak Craig Smith (2-0) of Arlon didn't let Rich Hart's third-inning 3-run homer get to him. After that he blanked first place La Claire over the next six innings for a 7-3 triumph and ended their nine-game winning skein. Smith gave up 3 runs and 6 hits in all, while hurling a complete game. He whiffed 6 and issued only one walk. Smith was backed by 4 home runs and 11 hits. CF Jerry Keller evened the score at 3-3 with a three-run shot in the fourth frame, LF Matt Merrill made it 5-3 with a 2-run salvo in the fifth, RF Steve Barnett increased it 6-3 in the eighth and SS Bama Hartley finished it off with a solo home run in the ninth. Pat Daniels (1-1) started for La Claire and was credited with the defeat. He was hit hard and allowed 9 hits and 5 runs in 7 innings. The Lynx (9-2) suffered only their second loss this year and still are in first place in the TBU West Division. Arlon's record is now 5-6. The Champs are tied for third with the Blue Lake Blue Sox (5-6). Bucs Beat Frogs in 13th Fairfax and Bay St. Clair battled long and hard for 13 innings, when catcher Jake Singleton finally decided it with a two-out double that scored Tony Mann from second base to win it 3-2. It came off losing pitcher Johnny Schuessler (0-2), who had just come on in relief at the start of the thirteenth. Norm Gross (1-2) got the victory with a scoreless inning. The Buccaneers Gary Robinson was magnificent in the game, working 11 innings and holding the Frogs to 2 runs and only 5 hits with 7 Ks and no walks. Jimmy Dalton, the Fairfax starter, also hurled a strong game, stopping Bay St. Clair on one run and 5 hits through seven frames with 5 strikeouts and 3 bases on balls. Gerry Fisher stood out for the Frogs, too. He held the Buccaneers without a run from the ninth through the twelfth. 2B Tony Mann sparked BSC at bat, going 4-for-6 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored. Singleton was 3-7 with a pair of RBIs. RF Gregg Vincent was the only bright spot for the Frogs as he hit his IPA-leading 7th home run of the season. Bay St. Clair (3-8) is still in last place in the TBU West, while the Fairfax Frogs (7-4) are in the number two slot, 2 games behind first place La Claire. Blue Sox Sock It to Viks 7-2 Solid hitting and solid pitching is a hard combination to beat. Blue Lake banged out 10 hits in a 7-2 victory over Bayview at Harbor Stadium. The Blue Sox got a good outing from righthander Donnie Bullock, who restricted the Vikings to just 2 runs and 6 hits in 8 innings. He tired in the ninth and Russ Courtney got the final three outs. 1B Fred Taranto led Blue Lake with 3-4, including a pair of doubles and 3 RBIs. It was not a good day for Bayview starter Mike Jardoin (0-1). He left trailing in the fourth 5-0, after surrendering 5 hits and all the runs. It was Blue Lake's (5-6) third consecutive win over the Buccaneers (4-7). The Blue Sox are tied for third with Arlon (5-6) in the TBU West. |
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Tuesday, May 1, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union TBU East Division 'Canes Blow Past SF Both clubs played loose with the baseball, but division leader Cape Coral came out the winner 6-4 over the South Fork Stallions despite 3 errors. It was their fourth victory in a row and the Stallions fifth straight defeat. Hurricane starter Gary Fountain (2-0) notched his second win of the young season. He took a 6-2 lead into the ninth and exited quickly after Paul Giles smashed a 2-run homer. Katsuyuki Nagashima gained his second save by getting the final two outs of the game. The Stallions also committed 3 miscues, but it cost them only one run. 2B Andy Anderson had the big bat with 2 hits, including a solo roundtripper and 3 RBIs. Teammate Erik Smith was a perfect 3-for-3 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs. Giles paced South Fork with his home run and 3 RBIs. It was his fourth homer this season. Fountain scattered 9 hits in the game with only 2 of the 4 runs earned, fanned 7 and walked 2 to pick up the victory, Flint Battle (2-1) lost it, while giving up 4 runs and 6 hits in 6 innings of work. He struck out 5 and walked only 1. The Hurricanes improved to 7-4 this season and are a game in front of second place Hartsdale, Luxora and Ginza, who are all 6-5. South Fork is in last place in the TBU East Division at 3-8. Fernandes Whitewashes Hellcats Big 6-6 Francisco Fernandes of Luxora worked his magic on Hartsdale and shut them out 2-0 on a 6-hit job. The lanky lefty had his stuff today and finished with 4 strikeouts and 2 walks. 3B Rico Vina ripped a two-run double in the fifth inning for the game's only scores. Jim Sears (1-1) pitched very well in defeat, giving up only 2 runs and 7 hits in 7 innings. Vina (2-4), Pedro Vizquel (2-3) and Tom Fortunato (3-4) paced the Z's 10-hit attack. The Hellcats and Zorros are 6-5 and tied with Ginza for second place. Nats Nuke Ninjas 7-0 Two homers in the first got Ozarka off and running on the way to a 7-0 triumph over the Ginza Ninjas. LF Ronnie Patterson began the game with a lead-off homer, then 2B Duane Starr followed it up with a 2-run shot, putting the Naturals ahead to stay. A four-run seventh finished off Ginza. Not only did Ozarka shine with the bats, but Tony Didriksen (1-1) sparkled on the mound with a 7-hit shutout. He threw only 98 pitches, fanned 4 and walked only 1 in a super performance. CF Teddy Braun led the Nats 11-hit attack with 3-for-5 and 2 runs, Starr was 2-for-4 and 3B Doug Cunningham went 2-4, drove in a run and scored once. Ozarka (5-6) is in the fifth spot in the TBU East standings, while Ginza is in a three-way deadlock for second. |
It's great to see the Blue Sox are on the roll. Also, these write ups are fun to read. Good stuff Eugene.
Erik |
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Glad you like the write-ups. The game recap inside the game really is a great positive for dynasty writers and great for the news stories, too. I cut and paste the game recaps here for then Dynasty report. I will give monthly summaries of the league stats, individual and team. I am still searching for the best way to write the Dynasty. |
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Wednesday, May 2, 2001 Ruthlandian Baseball Union RBU North Division A's Metcalf Blanks Redhawks on 5 Hits The Athletics have taken over first place in the RBU North. Glasco's Kenny Metcalf (2-1) spun a nice 4-0 shutout over Far Mountain, allowing on 5 hits with 6 strikeouts and just one walk. The Athletics hammered 3 out of the park with RF Jose Valenzuela, 1B Francisco Robles and SS Zach Byorvik all providing the longball. Pat Brown (0-3) lost his third game of the year, being peppered for all three homers and all the runs. He was relieved in the sixth. The victory gave Glasco (9-3) a one-game lead over Valmara (8-4). It was the A's third win in a row. Far Mountain (5-7) is now tied for fourth place with Elnora (5-7). All-Stars Knock Vipers Out of First The Elnora All-Stars whipped Valmara 6-2 behind lefthander John Tinker (1-1). The loss dropped the Vipers into second place in the RBU North Division, one game behind Glasco. Tinker was tagged for 9 hits, walked 3 and fanned 5, but rose to the occasion, when Valmara got into scoring position. 2B Gil Foster provided 3 hits, 2 runs and 2 RBIs for the winners, including his 4th homer of the season. RF Art Atkins also chipped in with 3 hits and scored 3 times. Valmara starter Paul Schoenfeld (0-1) never got in the groove - in 6 innings he was tagged for 6 hits and 5 runs. Schoenfeld absorbed the loss. The Vipers dropped the last two contests to Elnora. Colfax Sneaks by Volusia 6-5 The Blasters won a close 6-5 decision from Volusia at Mountain View Stadium in Colfax today. Walt Sellers stopped a budding Vigilante rally in the ninth after he allowed them to cut the lead to just one run. After he surrendered a two-run homer to Jojo Nunez, Sellers settled down and retired the next three batters to get the save. SS Warren O'Reilly got the big blow of the ballgame, when he crashed a three-run blast in the 4-run fifth. The winning pitcher was Greg Forest (1-1), who almost went the route, but stumbled in the ninth and needed help. He tossed 8 innings, gave up 9 hits and 4 runs with 4 Ks and 1 BB. Leo Flores got the loss for Volusia as he yielded 5 runs and 7 hits in 6 innings. The Blasters (6-6) have won two straight from Volusia (3-9) and pushed the Vigilantes deeper in the RBU North cellar. Colfax is now in third place and trail the division leader Glasco by three games. |
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Wednesday, May 2, 2001 Ruthlandian Baseball Union RBU South Division Rattlers Edge Diamonds 4-2 The Sugar Valley Rattlers were outhit on the road 11 to 9, but they were not outscored and came away with a 4-2 victory over the Claxton Diamonds at Avalon Stadium. Junkballer Harvey Hines (1-1) gives up a lot of hits, but not many runs. He hurled a complete game and struck out two batters and walked two in the win. He outpitched Dennis Scott (0-1), who was making his initial start this season. Scott gave up 9 hits, fanned 3 and walked 2 in the loss. Sugar Valley benefited from three solo home runs. LF Cy Bartz, RF Karl Dietz and 1B Ken Arnold all collected their second roundtrippers to spark the Rattlers. Sugar Valley (8-4) is on top of the RBU South race, 1.5 games in front of second place Marston (7-6) and Waleska (7-6). Claxton (4-8) is four games back in last place. Nine Nips 'Jacks in 13th The Marston Nine kept coming back all day long against Forest City at Legends Field. They came back from 4-0 with a big 4-run frame in the sixth. And they came back in the bottom of the ninth to tie it again at 5-5. Then Marston won it in the last of the thirteenth 6-5. They won it off of reliever Herm Bahr (1-3) when Tommy Reinhold's grounder took a bad hop and bounced over second baseman Jesse Wolf's head into right field to score Lennie Torricelli from third base. The winning pitcher was Ed Vogler (1-1), who didn't allow a run in his 4 innings of relief. Marston center fielder Reinhold was the big hero of the day with 4 hits and 5 RBIs, including a grand slam in the sixth. LF Chuck Hill drilled 4 hits for the Lumberjacks, scored twice and sent 2 runs across. He hit a pair of home runs, giving him 7 for the season, tied for the best in the IPA. This was the second longest game in IPA history. The record is 14 set by Arlon and Fairfax on April 29th, 2001. Marston (7-6) is tied for the second spot in the RBU South standings with Waleska, while Forest City (6-6) is in the fourth spot in the division. Westerners Edge Sunbirds 5-4 in 11 Innings Waleska's 6-6 RF Big Hoss Burkhalter rapped a game-winning single to best Belair Beach 5-4 in 11 innings. That gave the loss to Lyndon Yarbrough (0-1) and the win to Andrei Marsiske (1-0), both had come on in the game's last inning. Burkhalter was the Westerners top gun with 2 RBIs, while SS Kip Sanders and 1B Freddie Shelton each went 2-for-5, scored one and drove in one. For the Sunbirds Matty McDermott and Nicky Swift did the most damage with home runs. The Waleska Westeners (7-6) are tied for the third spot in the RBU South Division with the Marston Nine. The Sunbirds (5-7) are in fifth place. |
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Wednesday, May 2, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union TBU East Division Hellcats and 'Canes Tied for First The Hartsdale Hellcats edged the Luxora Zorros 4-3 behind some outstanding pitching by Roger Graves (1-2). He stifled the Z's on just 2 hits until weakening in the ninth. With two outs and a 4-1 lead he gave up a single to Pedro Vizquel and a 2-run homer to Paul Hallenbeck, then gave way to Gene Young who closed it out. He retired the dangerous Roberto Vina on a routine grounder to get his second save. Vina had homered earlier in the game. Eddie Castillo garnered the loss, permitting 4 runs and 8 hits in 7 innings. He had 4 strikeouts with just one walk. The Hellcats are 7-5 and tied for first place in the TBU East with the Cape Coral Hurricanes, while the Luxora Zorros dipped to 6-6 and a second place tie with Ginza and Ozarka. Stallions Stall Hurricanes in Extra Innings Cape Coral manager Zoggy White was not too happy with his club's 6-4 loss in extra innings to the South Fork Stallions. The Hurricanes took a 3-1 margin into the top of the ninth and couldn't hold it, then lost it in the tenth. Pinchhitter Gene Woodruff wielded the big stick with a 3-run double to make 4-3 in favor of the Stallions. Cape Coral managed to tie it with the help of a crucial throwing error by center fielder Eddie Isaksen. Isaksen redeemed himself with single in the tenth. With one out he moved to second on a walk and then came around to score on catcher Ronnie Blair's bloop single. South Fork added an insurance run on Mac Stewart's ground out. Reliever Glenn Turnbull (2-0) pitched the last two frames for the win, while Scotty Lohmeyer was tagged with the loss. In all the two clubs committed 8 errors, 4 apiece. This ties the IPA mark set by Glasco (2) and Far Mountain (6) on April 27, 2001. The Redhawks hold the record for the most by one team. The Hurricanes are now 7-5 in the TBU East and deadlocked with Hartsdale for the top spot. The Stallions are still last in the division with a 4-8 mark. Ozarka Nudges by Ninjas 7-5 Ozarka outdid Ginza 7-5 with late-inning rallies to move up into a tie for third place in the TBU East. Trailing 5-4 going into the last of the seventh, the Naturals put one run on the board to tie it and then followed it up with 2 in the eighth to win it. C Billy Gibson supplied the winning blow with a two-run homer off losing pitcher Toshiharu Ito (0-1), who failed to hold on to the lead. Yasuyuki Nakagawa (2-0) picked up the victory by retiring the side in order in the last two innings. Ozarka is now 6-6 and in a three-way tie for the number two spot in the TBU East Division with Ginza and Luxora. |
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Wednesday, May 2, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union TBU West Division Lynx Easily Beat Champions Righthander Jerry Smith (3-0) notched his third successive win by dumping Arlon 8-1 in a game played at Capitol Park Stadium in La Claire. Smith dazzled the Champs on just 3 hits, fanned 6 and walked 4. Leading the Lynx attack was 2B Darrell Boyce, who went 3-4 with a homer, double and 5 RBIs. Pete Edgar (0-2) suffered the loss for Arlon, allowing 5 hits and 6 runs and departed in the fifth inning. La Claire (10-2) is the top team in the TBU West, while Arlon (5-7) is in the third spot in the standings, tied with the Blue Lake Blue Sox and the Bayview Vikings. Bucs Beat Frogs with 5-run 9th Shoreline Park in Bay St. Claire was a hitter's paradise today as the homestanding Buccaneers rebounded in the late innings for an 11-9 victory over the Fairfax Frogs. After falling behind 9-3 in the sixth, the Bucs rallied for 3 in the seventh and 5 in the ninth to surprise the Frogs and delight their fans. C Jake Singleton delivered a dramatic 3-run walk-off smash off loser Johnny Schuessler (0-3) to win it. Bay St. Clair collected 10 hits in all, led by Singleton's 2-for-5 and 3 RBIs. 2B Tony Mann was 2-5 with a home run and 4 RBIs, 3B Bubba Tate had a 2-run roundtripper and LF Charley Moon rapped out 3-4 and scored 3 times. Denny Coulon and Johnny Nikolsky supplied good relief for skipper Guy Rondre as they held Fairfax hitless over the last three frames. Nikolsky (1-1) picked up the win. The Frogs also had a good day at the plate with 13 hits. 3B Stan Cobb and RF Gregg Vincent both were 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs. Cobb (3rd), Vincent (8th) and LF Gator Brown (3rd) provided home runs. Vincent is the home run leader in the IPA. With the defeat Fairfax (7-5) fell three games behind the TBU West leader, the La Claire Lynx (10-2). Bay St. Claire (4-8) is pulling up the rear in last place. Vikings Rip Blue Sox Bayview combined some good hitting with some decent pitching and finished off Blue Lake 8-4 at Harbor Stadium today. 1B Dwayne Coleman walloped his 6th homer of the campaign, collecting 3 hits in 4 at-bats with 3 RBIs, SS Shorty Richards chipped in with 3-for-5, 2 RBIs and scored twice and 2B Alan Hansen went 2-for 3 with a double, 2 runs and 2 RBIs. On the hill Charley Andrews (1-1) labored at times but still managed to get the win. Lewis exited with the score 6-4. He permitted 4 runs and 6 hits before he was relieved in the seventh by Buzzy Lewis. The save went to Lewis, who gave up no runs in 2+ innings. It was his second of the year. Pete Henry (1-2) caught the loss. The Viks flailed him for 5 runs and 7 hits in just over 4 innings. Bayview (5-7) moved up in the TBU West and is now tied for third with the Blue Sox and Arlon. All of them trail first place La Claire by 5 games. |
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Thursday, May 3, 2001 Ruthlandian Baseball Union RBU North Division Redhawks Take Close One from A's 5-4 Trailing 4-3 going into the last of the eighth, Far Mountain won a tight victory 5-4 over first place Glasco. In all, the Redhawks rapped 4 homers with the last one by 3B Johnny Strickland deciding the outcome. It was his 6th one this season and came off losing pitcher Ray Cook (0-1), who had just come on in the eighth inning in relief of starter Charles Darby. RF Tommy Sonnier hit two of the roundtrippers and LF Joe Leroux got the other one. Vic Vaux (2-0) registered the win with help from Doc Rutledge, who loaded the bases in the ninth, but got out of it with no damage done for his third save. Vaux tossed 8 innings, allowed 10 hits and 4 runs. He struck out 5 and walked 2. The A's got 11 hits in all, but could not come through in the clutch. The Athletics still retain first place in the RBU Northern race with a 9-4 mark, one game up on the Valmara Vipers (8-5) and two in front of the Colfax Blasters (7-6). Far Mountain (6-7) is tied for fourth with Elnora (6-7). Elnora Wins Rout, 18-8 over Valmara It was the biggest offensive day in IPA history - most runs by two teams (26) - most runs in an inning (13) - and most hits by two teams (33). And when the balls stopped flying around War Memorial Stadium, Elnora had mauled Valmara 18-8. The All-Stars accounted for 19 hits and the Vipers 14 in the hitfest. Topping Elnora was C Todd Simons, who was 3-5 with 5 RBIs, SS Richie Franklin 2-4 and 4 RBIs, 3B Tomas Ventura 2-4 and 4 RBIs and 1B Will Jackson 1-4 with 3 RBIs. Ventura had a grand slammer, while Franklin and Jackson both blasted 3-run homers in the rout. The pitchers took the day off. Ted Gray (1-2) got credit for the victory, but was knocked around for 11 hits and 6 runs in 6+ innings. Chuck Kowalczyk (1-2) started and lost it as he was ripped for 7 runs and 6 hits in 2 innings. The old record for most runs by two teams was 22 in Valmara's 19-3 triumph over Elnora on April 24, hits by two clubs was 31 by Claxton (19) and Sugar Valley (12) in the Diamonds 14-6 win on April 22 and the biggest inning was 9 runs by Glasco in their 16-5 victory over Far Mountain on April 27. The All-Stars improved to 6-7, tying them with Far Mountain for the fourth spot in the RBU North. Second place Valmara slumped to 8-5 and is one game behind the division leader Glasco (9-4). Colfax Takes Tight 3-2 Game from V's The Colfax Blasters didn't do too much blasting -- they were outhit 9 to 3 by Volusia -- but they still won the ballgame 3-2 over the Vigilantes. Harry Manning (2-0) and Jim Dreyer combined for the victory. Manning was the winner as he went the first eight innings, permitted 9 hits and 2 runs. Dreyer picked up his first save with a scoreless ninth. Volusia's Hank Massey (1-2) pitched a strong game and surrendered only 1 earned run in a route-going performance. He whiffed 4 and walked just 2 in defeat. RF Pat Lott of Colfax knocked in the winning score with a deep sacrifice fly in the sixth frame. Colfax (7-6) is in the third spot in the RBU North standings and the Vigilantes (3-10) are deep in the division basement. The Blasters are two games behind Glasco (9-4) and one behind second place Valmara (8-5). |
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Thursday, May 3, 2001 Ruthlandian Baseball Union RBU South Division Diamonds Nakashima Stops Rattlers Tetsunori Nakashima (3-1) was in top form as the Colfax righthander checked first place Sugar Valley 3-2 on a four-hitter. In a fine outing he had 9 strikeouts and walked only 1. Ricky Fox (1-1) got nicked with the loss, allowing 3 runs and 10 hits in just 6 innings. LF Juan Barajas, SS Bobby Ritter and 3B Keith Olsen had two hits apiece to pace the Diamonds. 3B Jorge Vargas had his 3rd roundtripper of the year to lead the Rattlers. Sugar Valley (8-5) retains the top position in the RBU South, while Colfax (5-8) is still last. The Diamonds are deadlocked with Belair Beach (5-8). Marston Blanks FC 5-0 Nick Pace didn't give Forest City much to hit today at Legends Field in Marston. The Nine's wild and wooly righthander only allowed 2 hits in eight innings and blanked the Lumberjacks 5-0 with the help of reliever Kenny Bagby, who tossed a scoreless ninth. Pace (2-2) continued to be plagued by control problems as he walked 9 batters, but he is proving to be tough to hit. His manager, Johnny Walters, said Pace is trying to be too fine with his pitches. He said his stuff is good enough to get people out. He just needs to throw more strikes. Forest City's tough lefty Buddy Hutchinson (1-2) was the loser, yielding all 5 runs on 10 hits. A 4-run eight knocked him out of the box. Marston was led at bat by 1B Chuck Barrett, who belted 2 hits in 4 tries and drove in 3 runs and C Eddie Allen, who contributed a two-run homer. The Nine (8-6) crept to withing a half-game of the top spot in the RBU South Division with the win, while fourth place Forest City (6-7) fell below .500. Westerners Win 4th Straight Waleska is on a roll. The Westerners just won their fourth staight game to move into a tie for second place in the RBU South. 24-year-old Gary Hill (1-0) turned in a good performance to beat Belair Beach 4-2 at Westerner Field. Hill stayed around until two outs in the eighth. Up to then he had quelled the Sunbirds on 6 hits and had a 3-2 lead. Buddy Kennedy got the save by getting the last five outs. Waleska beat a tough customer in Carl Thompson (2-2), who was tagged for 3 runs in the second, but then put the Westerners down in the next 4 frames with no runs. Thompson allowed 4 hits and 3 runs in 6 innings. C Jordy Hill batted in one run for Waleska and Gary Hill doubled in two more in the second inning. RF Nicky Swift led Belair Beach at bat with a 2-run home run, his 5th this year. Waleska (8-6) is now tied for second place with Marston (8-6), just a half-game back of first place Sugar Valley. Belair Beach (5-8) tumbled into a last place tie with the Claxton Diamonds (5-8). It was the Sunbirds fifth consecutive defeat. |
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Thursday, May 3, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union TBU East Division Ninjas in 4-Way Tie in TBU East It's a logjam in the TBU East Division race with Ginza, Cape Coral, Hartsdale and Luxora all tied for the top spot. Ginza scored twice in the ninth to edge past the Ozarka Naturals 6-4 at Ellie Ewing Stadium. Three walks by loser Jackie Cunningham (0-1) forced across the winning run and an error allowed another score. Ken Watkins (1-0) got credit for the victory with 2 scoreless innings. 1B Kenshin Yamamoto went 2-for-5 with his 3rd homer of the year. He drove in 3 runs and scored twice to pace the Ninja offense. All of the co-leaders have 7-6 records. Ozarka (6-7) is in second place, just one game behind. Last place belongs to the South Fork Stallions (5-8). Z's Callahan Cages Hellcats, Luxora tied for First The Zorros are now in a 4-way deadlock for the top spot in the TBU East. All because of a young righthander pitcher. He may only be 20-year-old, but Luxora's Keith Callahan pitched like a vet -- he authored a 9-2 win over the Hartsdale Hellcats and struck out 9 in the process. Callahan (1-1) stopped the Hellcats on 6 hits and issued only one walk. The Zorros gave him good run support, too. RF Claudio Ordonez, 1B Paul Hallenbeck and C Eric Richter all had 2 hits in the game. Ordonez and Hallenbeck both drove in a pair of runs. Hallenbeck did it with a double and a triple. The loss went to starter Danny Griffin (2-2), who departed in the sixth after permitting 5 hits and 7 runs, only 2 of them earned. Hartdale committed 3 errors. Both Luxora and Hartsdale are 7-6 this year and tied with the Ginza Ninjas and Cape Coral Hurricanes for first place in the division. Stallions Slip by Hurricanes 5-3 South Fork put on a 3-run rally in the eighth inning to overtake Cape Coral 5-3 and create a four-way tie for first place in the super tight TBU East. And it was winning pitcher Jerry Harrison, who tied the game at 3-3 with an RBI single. 2B Bob Jones then won it by driving in the final two scores with a single. Harrison (1-1) pitched a solid game. He was touched for 7 hits, fanned 4 and walked only one batter. The Hurricanes got a good 6 innings from starter Kaz Hayagawa, who allowed only 2 runs on 7 hits. But Cody Burg (0-1) gave it away and blew the save in the fatal eighth. He was ripped for 3 runs on 4 hits in his two innings. LF Mac Stewart belted a home run for the Stallions, while 1B Roger Wooten got one for Cape Coral. |
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Thursday, May 3, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union TBU West Division Zakharov's HR Topples Lynx Smoke Zakharov clubbed a 3-run homer in the top of the sixth to lead Arlon over first place La Claire 4-3. That was all the runs Ray Hunt (2-1) needed to notch his second victory. He went the distance and held the Lynx to 6 hits, while fanning 3 and walking just one. Nick Pilsner (0-1) was pinned with the loss as he doled out 4 runs and 6 hits in 7 innings of work. Catcher Dennis Weiss had a solo homer for La Claire. The Lynx are still the top team in the TBU West with a mark of 10-3, while Arlon (6-7) is now in third place along with the Bayview Vikings (6-7). Frogs Flogs Bucs 7-2 The Fairfax Frogs got a little closer to first place in the TBU West with a 7-2 comeback win over last place Bay St. Clair. Three homers did the damage - 3B Stan Cobb (4th) hit a solo shot in the fourth, the IPA HR leader Gregg Vincent (9th) belted a 2-run blast in the seventh for a 3-2 lead and RF Gator Davis (4th) finished off the Buccaneers in the eighth with a grand slam. 1B Vincent also is the IPA leader with 21 RBIs. Bay St. Clair had a dozen hits, but couldn't cash in on Robby Meredith (1-0), who seemed to pitch better with men on base. Meredith walked two and had two strikeouts in the game. Ted Jorgerson (0-3) held the Frogs to one run in the first six frames, but then faltered in the seventh and eighth. He allowed 6 runs and 8 hits in defeat. Fairfax (8-5) trails first place La Claire (10-3) by two games. Bay St. Clair (4-9) is wallowing in the basement 6 games off the pace. Viks Shut Out Blue Sox 8-0 It was a rainy day at Harbor Stadium in Blue Lake and a blue, blue day for the Blue Sox, who were blanked 8-0 by Bayview. Adrian Strom (1-1) and Paul Hood combined for the 3-hit shutout. Strom went into the sixth, but his arm tightened up in the chilly rain and Paul Hood came in from the bullpen. Strom struck out 2, walked 4 and permitted only 2 hits. Hood came on with two outs in the sixth and gave up only one hit the rest of the way. It was his first save this year. LF Glenn Burns and SS Shorty Richards sparked the Vikings at bat with a pair of hits and 2 RBIs each. Travis Gallagher (0-2) took the loss. He was rapped for 6 runs and 8 hits in 4+ innings. Bayview (6-7) is tied with Arlon for the third spot in the TBU West Division and trail first place La Claire by four games. With the defeat Blue Lake (5-8) dropped back to fifth. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Friday, May 4, 2001 Ruthlandian Baseball Union RBU North Division Beauvais' HR Wins in 10th Big Ox Beauvais came through in the clutch for Glasco. He got the only hit off of Mike McCabe (0-1) in his 3-inning relief stint, but it was enough to for a 5-4 10-inning victory over the Far Mountain Redhawks. RF Beauvais crushed his 5th homer of the campaign. Winning pitcher Jeremiah McDonald (1-0) put down the Redhawks without a hit in his two-inning outing. Beauvais collected 3-for-5 and drove in two runs. CF Hawk Gallagher led Far Mountain with 2 hits and 2 RBIs. Starters Ernie McCain, Glasco's big 6-6 righthander, and the Redhawks Sonny Elliott were effective. McCain tossed 8 innings, allowed 7 hits and 4 runs (3 earned) with 7 Ks and only one walk. Elliott went 7, surrendered 6 hits and 4 runs, but only 2 earned. The first place Athletics are now 10-4 this season, while the Redhawks slip to 6-8 and a tie for fourth place with Elnora in the RBU North. Zalewski Fires Second Straight Shutout Valmara's 34-year-old Zarek Zalewski (3-0) is making life miserable for RBU batters. He blanked Colfax in his last outing, now he has beaten the Elnora All-Stars 5-0. Zalewski gave up 9 hits, but no runs. He fanned 4 and walked only one in another fine performance. The Vipers could only get 3 hits off Elnora pitching, but they got 9 walks. A walk and two errors brought in the first run in the sixth. All-Star starter Carl Costas (1-3) stopped Valmara on just one hit in his 6 innings, but was the losing pitcher. He totaled 5 strikeouts and 5 walks. Wildness by reliever Stevie Howard led to a 4-run outburst in the seventh by the Vipers to put away the victory. Valmara (9-5) broke a three-game losing streak and are in second place, just a game behind the Glasco Athletics. Elnora (6-8) had won the last three. The All-Stars (6-8) are in a tie with Far Mountain for fourth place in the RBU North. V's Win on Salazar's Homer Colfax's Flash Guidry was well on his way to a 3-1 victory, when Volusia's Alejandro Salazar suddenly put a stop to it -- the V's third sacker walloped his 5th roundtripper, a 3-run game-winning shot in the ninth to take the game 4-3. Salazar drove in all 4 runs. Lefty Raul Sandoval (2-2) pitched well and picked up the win. He tossed 8 good innings, permitted 8 hits and 3 runs, only 1 earned with 4 strikeouts and no walks. Guidry (1-3) suffered another tough loss, yielded 10 hits, while fanning 8 and issuing 3 bases on balls. RF Pat Lott paced the Blasters with 2-for-4 and 2 RBIs. The last place Vigilantes (4-10) broke a three-game losing streak against Colfax (7-7). The Blasters are in third place, 3 games behind the RBU North leader Glasco. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Friday, May 4, 2001 Ruthlandian Baseball Union RBU South Division Rattlers Benson Throws 3-Hitter Against Diamonds Ron Benson of the Sugar Valley Rattlers was in command in the 5-1 win over the Claxton Diamonds. Benson (3-1) registered his 3rd win this season with a strong 3-hitter. The Rattler righthander struck out 6 and walked nobody. Only 3B Keith Olsen got to him with a solo homer in the seventh. CF Freddie Vaux led the bats for Sugar Valley with 2 hits and 2 RBIs. 2B Timmy Bell chipped in a solo roundtripper. Claxton's Bill Wallace (0-1) pitched well and gave up 3 runs on 8 hits in 8 innings. Wallace was shackled with the loss. Sugar Valley (9-5) retained the top spot in the RBU South Division, while Claxton (5-9) continued to be in the cellar, 4 games back. FC Homers Subdue Marston 5-4 The Marston Nine jumped out to a 4-0 lead after 4 innings, but it all came to naught when Forest City littered Legends Field with home runs and the Lumberjacks came out winners 5-4. 1B Kurt Vecchio cut it to 4-1 with a solo job in the fifth. Then the firepower really began in the sixth, when SS Pops Keller and RF Benny Davis hit 2-run shots to put them ahead to stay. Forest City got 5 shutout innings in relief from Herm Bahr (2-3) and Glenn Moore. Bahr got the win, Moore got the save. Bob Lowe hurled a complete game and was the loser. He gave up 9 hits, walked none and struck out 6. Lowe was burned by the longball. The Nine's best hitter was 1B Johnny Berthold with 3 doubles and 2 RBIs. The Lumberjacks (7-7) are now even at .500 and are in fourth place in the RBU South race, 2 games in back of first place Sugar Valley. Marston (8-7) is tied for second with Waleska (8-7), one and a half games out of first. Sunbirds Finally Win, Sink Westerners 10-2 Belair Beach's six-game nightmare is over now. 7 hits and 9 walks were converted into an easy 10-2 triumph by the Sunbirds over Waleska. RF Nicky Swift spearheaded the 'Birds attack with his 6th home run, 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored. 1B Nickie Gulina and CF Matty McDermott also batted in 2 runs apiece. Dirk Garrett (1-3) pitched well for Belair Beach. Back spasms forced him out in the seventh with an 8-1 lead. Garrett permitted 5 hits and fanned two in a solid effort. Marv Chancellor was nailed with the defeat, allowing 5 runs, 4 hits and 4 walks in 2+ innings. LF Charley Williamson (4th) and 3B Yoshihide Nishida (3rd) slugged solo homers for the Westerners. Waleska had won four in a row. The Westerners (7-7) are in fourth place in the RBU South standings. Belair Beach (6-8) is in fifth place. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Friday, May 4, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union TBU East Division 'Cats Mann Masters Z's 4-1 Little Glenn Mann fired a 4-1 victory over Luxora at Pioneer Park in Hartsdale today to move to the top of the heap in the TBU East Division. Mann (2-1) only allowed 4 hits and fanned 5. The only run he gave up was a home run by 3B Rico Vina, who got his 4th of the year. Topping the Hellcats 9-hit attack were 2B Francisco Abreu, CF Greg Reynolds, LF Jesus Guzman and SS Terry Bellino, all of them racked up a pair of hits. Abreu had two RBIs. Southpaw Johnny Montel (1-3) took the loss. He was banged around for 8 hits and 4 runs in the first four innings. The Hartsdale Hellcats (8-6) are now the TBU East Division co-leader and tied with the Cape Coral Hurricanes. The Luxora Zorros (7-7) fell back into a third place tie with the Ginza Ninjas and the Ozarka Naturals, trailing by one game in the standings. CC Squeezes by Stallions 3-2 Cape Coral squeezed by South Fork 3-2 as their big lefty Wally Robinson (3-1) had a fine outing. He held the Stallions to just 5 hits and struck out 5 to net his 3rd victory of the season. With one out in the last of the ninth CF Antonio Guerrero doubled and then was driven home with the winning score on another double by pinchhitter Eric Smith. Jamie Kelly had just come on in relief and absorbed the loss. South Fork got good work from starter Ken Olson, who went the first 6 innings, gave up 6 hits and 2 runs, while fanning 5 and walking only one. Reliever Ken Conner also performed well with a scoreless seventh and eighth. Hurricane 3B Hoshi Sato delivered the game's only home run, his first this year. Cape Coral (8-6) is the TBU East co-leader with Hartsdale (8-6). South Fork (5-9) is sixth and last in the division, 3 games out. Nats Hatch Sets Strikeout Record Luther Hatch was firing on all cylinders today at Ellie Ewing Stadium in Ozarka. The little righthander struck out 13 Ginza Ninjas in a 2-1 victory. That is a new IPA mark for the most strikeouts in a game. Hatch harnessed the Ninjas on 6 hits and issued only one walk in an outstanding performance. Back-to-back roundtrippers in the second inning by 1B Doug Cunningham and SS Gil Lantz provided the margin of victory. Vic Rousakis (1-2) tossed a good game, too, yielding only 2 runs and 5 hits in 6 innings, while striking out 4 and allowing 2 walks. Ozarka managed only 5 hits in all. Carl Thompson of Belair Beach and Wally Robinson of Cape Coral shared the old mark of 12 strikeouts. Thompson did it in a 10-inning game against Forest City on April 25th, while Robinson accomplished it in a regulation 9 innings against Ozarka on April 29th. Ozarka (7-7) is now in a three-way tie with Ginza (7-7) and Luxora (7-7) for third in the TBU East. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Friday, May 4, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union TBU West Division Howe Too Tough for Lynx Ace Howe of Arlon was razor-sharp today in the 3-1 victory at Capitol Park Stadium in La Claire. The Champs big righthander was stingy with the hits and runs, allowing only 5 hits and one run for his first win of the season. Howe whiffed 8 Lynx and walked only two in a route-going performance. He outpitched Nickie Baumgartner (1-2), who also had a nice outing, permitting 8 hits and 3 runs in 8 innings with 4 Ks and only one base on balls. CF Jerry Keller swatted 3 hits for Arlon and 2B Karl Detwiler contributed a pair. The La Claire Lynx (10-4) still are on top in the TBU West Division by two games over the Fairfax Frogs (8-6), while the Arlon Champions (7-7) are in a third-place tie with the Bayview Vikings (7-7). Bucs Gross Out Frogs 5-2 Bay St. Clair southpaw Norm Gross (2-2) was in good form as whipped second place Fairfax 5-2. Gross sent 10 Frogs down via the strikeout, while allowing only 6 hits and 2 walks in an impressive effort. A 5-run fifth highlighted the game at Shoreline Park. 3B Bubba Tate and 1B Maury Smith had 2 RBIs each and CF Skeeter Hall got the other one. LF Gator Davis drove in both of the Frogs runs. The losing pitcher was starter Jimmy Dalton (1-1), who had a dismal day and was tagged for 5 runs and 7 hits in his 5+ innings, In spite of the victory, Bay St. Clair (5-9) is still last in the TBU West, while Fairfax (8-6) is the number two club, two games behind first place La Claire. Vikings Wells Tames Blue Lake The Bayview Vikings got the best of the Blue Lake Blue Sox 4-1 today at Harbor Stadium and the primary reason was righthander Frank Wells. The crafty righthander picked up his 3rd successive win by holding the Blue Sox to 6 hits and one run over 8 innings. He ran out of gas and needed Fred Snow's help in the ninth to wrap up the contest. The Viks were paced by RF Gerry Mason, who went 3-for-3 and banged in a pair of runs. SS Shorty Richards also aided the cause with his first roundtripper of the season. Big 6-5 Bennie West (2-2) stood out for Blue Lake as he checked Bayview on 2 runs and 7 hits over seven frames with one walk and 5 Ks. The Vikings have now taken three in a row in the series. Bayview (7-7) is tied for the third spot in the TBU West with the Arlon Champions. The Buccaneers (5-9) are last in the division. |
I will occasionally include a Town history of one of the teams in the IPA, detailing its geographical location, business and industry and also describe the ownership and stadium atmosphere to get you more immersed in the Islandian Pro Alliance.
I chose Marston first because it had the first organized game in the Islands. MARSTON NINE Owner: Abe Doubleday of Doubleday Sporting Goods GM/Mgr: Johnny Walters Marston has a population of 95,000 and is situated on the Central Plains in East Central Ruthlandia approximately 75 miles from the Valerian Ocean. Its main industry is sporting goods equipment, sportswear and fashions. The Doubleday Family has a monopoly on sporting goods equipment and a branch of the family resides in Marston. Grain processing plants are in abundance in the "Breadbasket of Ruthlandia". Marston is famous as the site of the first organized baseball game in the Islands in the late 1890's. The first amateur club and the first industrial league team were formed here, both known as the Marston Nine. They played at Legends Field (circa 1903), which is the second oldest ballpark in Ruthlandia (Waleska is the oldest - 1902) and is built on the actual site of the first organized game. In fact, home plate is in the exact same spot as the original home plate for the first game. Every ninth seat in the stadium is painted red in honor of those two early Marston Nines. The other seats are painted black. Marston's colors are red and black. The Marston Nine plays in the Ruthlandian Baseball Union's South Division and are owned and operated by the Doubleday family, headed by the board president, Abe Doubleday. They are distant relatives of the creator of American baseball, Abner Doubleday. A special feature of Legends Field is the Ruthlandian Baseball Hall of Fame. It is located in the stadium and houses memorabilia from the country's amateur and industrial league past. The Marstonians sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at the traditional seventh-inning stretch, but they also have the ninth-inning stretch, when they give the home team a standing ovation, win or lose. If they win, the fans are treated to an exciting fireworks display, all accompanied by live organ music. Live organ music is played throughout the game, a tradition still practiced in only one other town, Ozarka in Tycobbia. Marston fans are among the most knowledgeable and intense in the Islands. They watch every pitch and are mesmerized by the action on the field.It is a tradition at Legends Field to throw back any ball hit in the stands by the opposing teams. No self-respecting Niner fan would want to get a souvenir baseball that way. Every Sunday is Niner Day at Legends Field and every ninth fan through the turnstiles is given a free pass (or “Annie Oakley”) to a game in the next homestand. At the concessions stand nothing special is served -- nothing but baseball basics like peanuts, crackerjacks, popcorn, soda pop, cotton candy, ice cream, hot dogs and hamburgers. It is a family town and a family-oriented ballpark -- no alcoholic beverages are served. The great and legendary righthanded pitcher of company leagues, Johnny Walters is the manager of the Marston Nine. LEGENDS FIELD (1903) CAPACITY: 12,500 LF Line 320 LF 345 LCF 385 CF 375 RCF 405 RF 380 RF Line 345 |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Saturday, May 5, 2001 Ruthlandian Baseball Union RBU North Division Vipers Share RBU Lead with A's The Vipers are back in first place. Valmara pitchers Todd Turner and Danny Blauser combined to stop Elnora 7-3 this afternoon at War Memorial Stadium. Turner (2-2) won by going 6 innings and checking the All-Stars on 5 hits and allowing 2 runs. He struck out 8 and issued only two walks. Reliever Danny Blauser notched his first save with 3 solid innings. He surrendered a pair of hits and one unearned run. The Viper batters were led by C Yoshi Motsuzuki and LF Louis Sharp. Both plated 2 runs apiece. Sean Sykes (2-1) took the loss and was tagged for 4 runs, only 2 earned, and 7 hits with 5 Ks. He exited in the seventh frame. Valmara (10-5) climbed up into the top spot of the RBU North Division. The Vipers are tied with the Glasco Athletics (10-5). The All-Stars are fifth, four games off the pace of the co-leaders. Strickland HR Beat A's in 10th Redhawk third sacker Johnny Strickland is proving to be a clutch hitter this season. He clubbed a walk-off homer in the tenth off Glasco closer Ray Cook to claim the 2-1 victory for Far Mountain. It was his 6th roundtripper. Jesse Balfour and Denny Arthur locked up in a good pitcher's duel. The A's Balfour worked 7 innings, gave up 6 hits and only one run, while Arthur went 8 innings for the Redhawks and was even tougher. He restricted Glasco to just 3 hits and a single run. Vincent Moore (1-0) garnered the win with a scoreless tenth. Cook (0-2) got the loss for Glasco. The Athletics only run came from LF Ox Beauvais, who homered in the second frame. The defeat dropped Glasco (10-5) into a first place tie with the Valmara Vipers (10-5) in the RBU North race. Far Mountain is fourth and trails by 3 games. Colfax Hangs On to Win Opener 8-6 A 7-run second inning is all the Colfax Blasters needed to defeat Volusia 8-6 in the first game of two at Mountain View Stadium. The Blasters took an early 7-1 lead and then hung on for the victory. Southpaw Alex Castille (3-0) wasn't very effective, but still managed to get his 3rd win, despite being battered for 6 runs and 9 hits in 7 innings. Castille had 7 Ks and 3 BBs. Reliever Jim Dreyer nailed his second save for Colfax. Pee Wee Cruz (1-3) was dealt the defeat as he was the victim of the big inning. 1B Dennis Cole and Castille both drove in a pair of runs for the winners, while SS Warren O'Reilly and LF Blinky Brandon both had 2 hits. SS Scooter Perez smacked 3 hits in 4 tries and scored twice for the Vigilantes and RF Lonnie Howard had 2-for-3 with a home run and 3 RBIs. Blasters Take a Pair from V's Colfax took both ends of a doubleheader from the Volusia Vigilantes. The Blasters laced 13 hits to win the nightcap 8-3. On the hill Greg Forrest (2-1) pitched well and allowed only one earned run and 6 hits with 5 strikeouts and 5 walks. Leo Flores (0-4) suffered the defeat and departed in the third inning after giving up 6 runs and 5 hits. CF Tatsuya Sasaki and 3B Russ Ferrell paced the Blasters with a pair of hits and 2 RBIs each. LF Blinky Brandon and 1B Dennis Cole also added 2 hits apiece. Colfax (9-7) has moved up to the third spot in the RBU North standings and are now two games behind the co-leading Glasco Athletics (10-5) and Valmara Vipers (10-5). Volusia (4-12) is six and a half games out in last place. RBU South Division Marston Closes in On First Place in RBU South 6'5" Casey Ledbetter stood tall on the mound in more ways than one today at Legends Field in Marston. He hurled the Nine to a 4-2 triumph over Forest City. Ledbetter (3-1) captured his 3rd victory in this young season by holding the Lumberjacks to 7 hits, while fanning 5 and walking just 2 batters. CF Tommy Reinhold and LF Ronnie Horn slapped in 2 runs apiece to lead the way. Marston (9-7) inched closer to the top spot in the RBU South. They are only a half game behind first place Sugar Valley (9-6). Diamonds Nip Rattlers in 10 Last place Claxton came back twice to beat first place Sugar Valley 7-6 in ten innings at Avalon Stadium. Stacy Engel's crew trailed 5-0 after four innings and 6-5 going into the last of the tenth. A bases-loaded walk to PH Arnie Kruger tied it, then CF Juan Barajas drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly. The Diamonds sixth pitcher Zach Nuxhall (1-1) picked up the win, while the Rattlers third pitcher of the day Jay Washington was pinned with the loss. Claxton outhit Sugar Valley 14 to 10 and were led by RF Vern Jennings with 4-5 and a 3-run homer. 3B Jorge Vargas collected 3 hits, scored twice and drove in 2 for the Rattlers. Sugar Valley falls to 9-6 on the year and Claxton is 6-9. Sunbirds Fly By Westerners 6-3 It was nothing fancy, but Troy Wilson got the job done. He sparked Belair Beach to a 6-3 victory over Waleska in the first game of a doubleheader. Wilson (2-1) allowed 9 hits, struck out 5 and walked 3. The Sunbirds pounded out 12 hits and were led by SS Danny Church and 1B Nickie Gulina, both with 2-for-5 and 2 RBIs. 3B Yoshihide Nishida was the Westerners best bat with 2-4 and 3 RBIs, including his 4th home run and a double. Rusty Kraft (1-2) permitted 4 runs and 6 hits in just 3 innings and caught the loss. Sunbirds Sweep Two from Waleska Manager Marty Pedrosa of the Belair Beach Sunbirds got some more good pitching in game two and whipped the Waleska Westerners 3-2 to sweep the twinbill. 6'10" Slim Mosley only allowed 2 hits and one run in 7 innings to improve his record to 2-1 on the season. Ken Frey came on in relief of Lou Zanelli, who walked two with one out in the ninth. Frey retired both batters he faced with no damage and captured his first save. RF Matty McDermott drove in all of the Sunbird scores with a double and a home run among his 3 hits. Smokey Joe Carter (2-3) lost it for Waleska as he was touched for 2 runs and 5 hits in seven solid innings of work. The double wins moved Belair Beach (8-8) into the third spot in the RBU South, while Waleska (8-9) fell to fourth place. The Sunbirds have won the last three games from the Westerners and are just one and half games out of first. Waleska is two games behind. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Saturday, May 5, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union TBU East Division 'Canes Fountain Fires 2-Hitter In the first game of a twinbill Cape Coral's Gary Fountain fired a brilliant 2-hitter to defeat South Fork and Flint Battle 2-1 at Seaside Stadium. Fountain (3-0) fanned 9 and walked only one in an outstanding performance. His only mistake was a home run ball to LF Paul Giles in the fourth. Battle only mistake was a 2-run shot by 1B Rodger Wooten in the bottom of the fourth. Battle allowed 8 hits and had 3 Ks and one walk. The Hurricanes (9-6) are atop the TBU East, while the Stallions (5-10) are last. Pruitt Stops SF in CC Sweep Cape Coral also took the nightcap 2-1 to sweep the South Fork Stallions. The Hurricanes received a fine effort from Owen Pruitt (2-0). The 31-year-old portsider checked South Fork on 6 hits, struck out 4 and walked 2. Booger Burchfield (0-2) was impressive, too. Cape Coral only managed 4 hits and one earned run off him in 7 innings. The Hurricanes only collected 5 hits in all. Cape Coral won the game in the fifth on a hit and an error to put runners on second and third. Pruitt lofted a sac fly to left and tied it up at 1-1, then an RBI-grounder by Roberto Betancourt drove in the decisive run. Two singles and a passed ball got the Stallions only score in the opening inning. The twin wins put Cape Coral into the top position in the TBU East Division. South Fork (5-11) sunk deeper into the division basement. Z's and 'Cats in Longest Game Hartsdale outlasted Luxora 7-6 in 15 innings in the longest game in IPA history. The triumph enabled the Hellcats to stay a close second in the TBU East with Cape Coral. Leading off in the 15th Todd Seals got new life on an error by third baseman Rico Vina. Pinchrunner Pat Turner then stole second base and came around to score the game-winner on Steve Ward's liner past the shortstop. Phil Reed (3-0) registered the win and Eddie Hoffman (0-1) suffered the loss. The previous mark for the longest game was the Arlon-Fairfax battle on April 29. It went 14 innings and was won by the Frogs 8-7. The Z's outhit Hartsdale 18 to 12 as Claudio Ordonez cracked 3 hits, including a homer and a double, and 3 RBIs. Paul Hallenbeck had a double and home run in his 3 hits and Shotgun Boggs got 3 hits as well. But the Hellcats made better use of their hits. They were paced by Terry Bellino with 3-6 and 2 RBIs and Seals, who went 3-for-7 and drove in a run. Hero Ward was 2-for-6 with 2 RBIs. The Cape Coral Hurricanes (10-6) are leading the way so far in the TBU East with the Hellcats (9-6) second, a scant half game behind. Luxora (7-8) is tied for fourth place the Ginza Ninjas (7-8). Naturals Slip by Ninjas 5-3 Ozarka righthander Ted Didriksen (2-1) hurled solid game in his 5-3 victory over Ginza at Ellie Ewing Stadium. He fanned 3 and walked none, while stopping the Ninjas on 7 hits. 2B Duane Starr delivered the winning blow, an eighth-inng double and 3B Doug Cunningham added in a RBI-single to give the Nats a little cushion. The loser was Ken Watkins (1-1), who was treated roughly. He gave us two hits and a walk in the decisive inning. Ginza's best batter was shortstop Shinjiro Aoki with a pair of hits in 4 tries, including a double and a triple. He scored once and drove in a run. Ozarka (8-7) moved up to the third spot in the TBU East race and Ginza (7-8) dropped into a tie with the Luxora Zorros (7-8) for fourth. TBU West Division Marquez Homer Wins It for Lynx In the opening game of a doubleheader, Luis Marquez of La Claire ruined a splendid effort by Arlon's Craig Smith with a game-winning 2-run smash in the last of the eighth to give the Lynx a 3-2 victory. La Claire was gifted with all three runs as all of them were unearned. A crucial error by shortstop Bama Hartley ended up costing the Champions the game. Smith was rolling along with a 2-0 lead until Marquez's mighty blast. Smith (2-1) allowed 7 hits in 8 innings, struck out 8 and walked just one batter. The winning pitcher was Pat Daniels (2-1), who went 8 innings before going out for a pinchhitter. He scattered 8 hits and fanned four. Lynx closer Monoto Kishata got his third save with a 1-2-3 ninth. Champs Get Split with Lynx 7-1 Arlon's power was just too much for first place La Claire in the second game of a twinbill played at Capitol Park Stadium. Three homers gave the Champions a 7-1 win and a split in the twinbill. LF Matt Merrill slugged a solo shot and CF Jerry Keller and RF Steve Barnett belted 2-run roundtrippers. Arlon Manager Gary Louis got a fine relief outing from Rod Kelley (1-1). He relieved starter Sean Dudek in the fourth with the score 2-1 and Kelley proceeded to blank the Lynx on one hit over the last 5 innings. Dudek strained a back muscle and had to be taken out. Val Krumholtz (2-1) picked up the loss as the Champs battered him for 8 hits and 5 runs in just four innings. Arlon (8-8) is third in the RBU West, 3 games behind the Lynx (11-5). Frogs Destroy Buccaneers 14-2 The Fairfax Frogs certainly made it easy for pitcher Mel Murray. They rattled the boards for 18 hits in the 14-2 rampage over the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers. And Murray (2-1) backed that up with a strong outing. He held the Bucs to 5 hits, walked two and fanned two, while going the distance. The Fairfax scoring machine was led by 2B Greg Inman with 3-5, a homer, double and 5 RBIs, SS Warren Lee with a 3-run roundtripper, 1B Ernie Hutchinson with 2-5, a double and 2 RBIs and RF Gregg Vincent, who was 3-5 and scored 3 times. Gary Robinson (1-2) had his worst outing of the year and sustained the loss, giving up 6 runs and 10 hits in 6+ innings. The Frogs (9-6) are in second place in the TBU West and hapless Bay St. Clair (5-10) is in last place 5.5 games behind first place La Claire (11-5). Bayview's Bennett Beats Blue Sox with HR Blue Lake trailed just about the whole game, but got it together in the late innings and won the first game of a twinbill 8-7 in 11 innings from the Bayview Vikings. The Blue Sox trailed 4-1 after 4 innings and 7-4 going to their last at bat. A three-run ninth tied the score, highlighted by Donnie Frazier's 2-run homer. Ken Bennett ended it in the eleventh with a solo salvo off losing pitcher Manny Tettelbach (0-3). Derek Manetti (1-0) got Blue Lake out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the inning and was the winner. The Blue Sox had a dozen hits in the game, led by Frazier's two home runs and 3 RBIs. Curly Harris also bashed a pair of solo roundtrippers. The Vikings feasted all day long off and peppered out 18 hits. Bob Klostermann was 4-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs, Alan Hansen 3-for-7 with two RBIs and Phil Kanaan 3-for-6 and two runs scored. Blue Sox Sweep Bayview Vikings What a day for Blue Lake second baseman Ken Bennett. He got the winning hit in both games as the Blue Sox took two from Bayview. This time it was a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth that gave Blue Lake a 6-5 victory. Bennett drove in 3 runs in all with a 2-for-5 day. RF Gerry Mason and 1B Dwayne Coleman kept it close with two-run homers for Bayview. It was number 7 for Coleman. Derek Manetti (2-0) won both games in relief, while Buzzy Lewis (0-1) took the loss. Blue Lake (7-9) snapped a three-game losing streak and are now tied for fourth place with Bayview (7-9) in the TBU East standings. |
I think the Blue Sox should just play on Sundays. It looks like they are 4 and 1 on that day. Either that they just need to play more doubleheaders during the week. I love this league.
Erik |
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I am now going to summarize the first weeks of the season. The teams have now played three series. |
Islandian Times
Sunday, May 6, 2001 The Islands have always been enamoured with the game of baseball for the past 100 years. And now the obsession is even worse -- we have our own professional baseball league -- the Islandian Pro Alliance. We are now just in the third week of play and the Islands are abuzz with baseball more than ever. All the clubs are playing to full ballparks and the caliber of play is mesmerizing. The new pro teams are quickly replacing the industrial teams as fan favorites. And who is the best team in the IPA? We at the Islandian Times will try to access that. We are now beginning a series where we will analyze each of the four divisions. The Ruthlandian Baseball Union has two divisions, the RBU North and the RBU South. Here are the standings: Ruthlandian Baseball Union North Division Team Won-Lost GB Glasco Athletics 10-5 -- Valmara Vipers 10-5 -- Colfax Blasters 9-7 1.5 Far Mountain Redhawks 7-8 3 Elnora All-Stars 6-9 4 Volusia Vigilantes 4-12 6.5 The Glasco Athletics (10-5) so far are the class of the North Division on paper. The A's are tied with Valmara for the top spot and are managed by McDuffie Hughes and he has put together quite a pitching staff. You name the category and they are first. His pitching corps is far and away the best in the division with a brilliant 2.13 ERA. Colfax is the closest at 3.28 with Valmara at 3.73. The Athletic relievers are even better than the starters and have put a superb 0.96 ERA. Top pitchers: Starters Charles Darby (2-0 1.44) and Jesse Balfour (2-1 1.21), both lefthanders. Righthanded reliever Jeremiah McDonald (1-0 0.00) has not allowed a run in 13 innings and 6 relief appearances. Glasco is only average when it comes to hitting with a .269 batting average, ranking third behind Elnora .291 and Colfax .270. But they do have power with 19 homers, number one in the division. Top hitters: LF Ox Beauvais (.429/6 HR/14 RBI) RF Jose Valenzuela (.408/1 HR/6 RBI) C Scotty McPherson (.325/0 HR/8 RBI) 2B Barry McCord (.298/2 HR/8 RBI) Glasco is third in fielding with a .980 average. Valmara is tops with a .989 FA and Volusia is second with a .980 FA. Defense: Only 2B Barry McCord is an excellent gloveman, the rest of the lineup is only average. In the outfield, less than average with Beauvais and Valenzuela in the lineup only because of their hitting prowess. Hughes told the Times that top to bottom his has the best pitching in the North Division and said his hitting has been sufficient. Given a choice Hughes said pitching is the key to having a good season. But the A's might have some good competition in the RBU North co-leader, the Valmara Vipers (10-5). Everyone is looking forward to their first series in about two weeks. The Vipers are skippered by J. Jackson Samuel and they top the league in scoring, despite hitting only .256 with 9 home runs, rated next to last in those categories. Top hitters: LF Louis Sharp (.352/0 HR/6 RBI) C Yoshi Motsuzuki (.277/1 HR/6 RBI) CF Jan Szymanski (.245/3 HR/13 RBI) Top pitchers: Valmara is a distance third with a 3.73 ERA. Samuel has only one, maybe two reliable starters and two fine relievers. Pitching may be the Vipers Achilles' heel. Righthander Zarek Zalewski (3-0 0.49) may be one of the best pitchers in the Islands. Southpaw starter Gerry Bart (1-0 1.00) shows promise. LHP Danny Blauser (2-0 0.50) has stood out in middle relief and closer Andre Trepagnier (1-0 2.61) has done his job well, too. Defense: Thus far Valmara is leading the RBU North with a great .989 FA, but looking at their lineup, they seem to be playing over their heads. Only shortstop Matt Mazurek is a strong defensive player. The rest are at best average. Solid pitching and good hitting are the strong points of the third place Colfax Blasters (9-7), who are managed by one of Islandia's all-time great pitchers, Clem Rogers. Top pitchers: Rogers has two fine starters in righthander Flash Guidry (1-3 2.06) and portsider Harry Manning (2-0 1.59). In the bullpen righthanders Jim Dreyer (0-0 1.42) and Walt Sellers (0-0 1.80) and lefthander Robbie Smith (0-1 3.18) have pitched well. Rogers says he needs a closer. Pat Langlais (0-1 7.20) has struggled so far. The Blasters are second in hitting to Elnora (.291) with a .270 mark and a close second in runs scored to Valmara. Colfax is severely lacking in home run power and ranks last with only 6 this season. Top hitters: 2B Tucker Hill (.353/0 HR/6 RBI) C Howie Peterson (.350/0 HR/9 RBI) 3B Russ Ferrell (.348/0 HR/5 RBI) CF Blinky Brandon (.290/0 HR/5 RBI) RF Pat Lott (.275/0 HR/13 RBI) 1B Dennis Cole (.264/4 HR/12 RBI) Defense: Colfax is fourth in fielding with a .978 average. But there are no Golden Glovers on the squad. Outfielders Pat Lott and Tatsuya Suzaki are above average in range, arm and defensive skill. The Blasters defense could use some improvement. The fourth place Far Mountain Redhawks (7-8) have had only mediocre success this season. Skipper Alex Groveland is an all-time great pitcher and has always had much success in company and industrial league play, both as a player and a manager. He is well-known for molding a mound staff and developing pitchers. Groveland told the Times that this staff has good possibilities, but he needs a couple more good pitchers to round out the staff. He said good pitchers are hard to find these days because of the new pro league. There isn't enough to go around. The teams that can develop their own will be the ones to prosper. The Redhawks are in the middle of the pack in pitching (4.10 ERA) and hitting (.253/12 HR) and dead last in defense (.962). It is a wonder they have won as many games as they have with such poor defense. Top hitters: 1B Royce Benson (.371/0 HR/3 RBI) CF Hawk Gallagher (.311/0 HJR/6 RBI) SS Al Nixon (.283/0 HR/8 RBI) 3B Johnny Strickland (.262/6 HR/12 RBI) Top pitchers: Groveland only has righthanders on the roster, headed by starters Sonny Elliott (2-1 1.91), John Luzzatti (0-1 3.27) and Denny Arthur (1-2 4.18). In the bullpen middle reliever Mike McCabe (0-1 1.29) and closer Doc Rutledge (1-0 1.42) have been superb. Rutledge has logged 3 saves on the year. Groveland forecast good things from Vic Vaux (2-0 4.64), who has shown good promise in several outings this year. Defense: The pitiful .962 fielding average speaks for itself. Far Mountain has much to do in this important area of the game. Shortstop and catcher have been a big problem. Shoring up those two positions would go along way to making them a much better defensive club. Groveland's best glove is CF Hawk Gallagher, who is Gold Glove material. Shortstop Artie Montgomery may be in the lineup soon, just to get his good glove in the game. Groveland told Times reporters that good defense can do wonder for a mound staff. The Elnora All-Stars (6-9) are piloted by manager Zoggy White and he told reporters, if his pitching was half as good as his hitting, his fifth place club would be in first place. Elnora is batting a lofty .291, 21 points better than the second place team. But those great numbers are counter-balanced by a sky-high 5.18 ERA, next to last in the RBU North. The All-Stars can score, but so can the opposition. Top Hitters: 2B Gil Foster (.491/4 HR/12 RBI) RF Art Atkins (.458/1 HR/6 RBI) C Todd Simons (.300/0 HR/8 RBI) LF Quincey Peterson (.270/3 HR/12 RBI) SS Richie Franklin (.283/1 HR/7 RBI) Top Pitchers: White only has three dependable pitchers, all starters. Two of them are lefties, Carl Costas (1-3 3.81) and Sean Sykes (2-1 4.13). Tyrone Gray (1-2 4.08) is a righthander. Once he goes to the bullpen, it is all over. There is no way a 7.68 ERA can hold on to many leads. Defense: Only Far Mountain (.962) is worst in this category than Elnora (.975). The Redhawks have out-errored the All-Stars 23 to 15. 2B Gil Foster (.969 FA) and RF Art Atkins (.967 FA) can hit, but they might give up more runs than they produce. Shortstop Richie Franklin has a poor .929 fielding average. There doesn't seem to be many Gold Gloves for Elnora this year. The worst ballclub in the IPA might just be the Volusia Vigilantes (4-12). They have the worst ERA (5.73) in the RBU North, also in the entire IPA. Their .246 batting average is last in the division and the third worst in the IPA. The only place where the V's excel is defense with a fine .983 fielding average, second best behind Valmara's outstanding .989. Top pitchers: Manager Alfonso Feliz has only two decent pitchers, both starters. Righthander Hank Massey (1-2 3.91) and southpaw Raul Sandoval (2-2 3.62). Top hitters: SS Scooter Perez (.338/0 HR/3 RBI) C Jojo Nunez (.302/2 HR/5 RBI) CF Alex Luna (.297/0 HR/3 RBI) 3B Alejandro Salazar (.273/5 HR/14 RBI) Defense: Shortstop Scooter Perez looks like a Gold Glover with his .987 fielding average. 3B Alejandro Salazar had played very well and is fielding .983. Outfielders Domingo DeLeon and Alex Luna have played errorless ball this season and could be in the running for postseason defensive awards, But the overall outlook for the Volusia Vigilantes is not very good. They look very comfortable in last place in the RBU North Division. |
The Islandian Times
Sunday, May 6, 2001 Ruthlandian Baseball Union South Division Team Won-Lost GB Sugar Valley Rattlers 9-6 -- Marston Nine 9-7 .5 Belair Beach 8-8 1.5 Waleska Westerners 8-9 2 Forest City Lumberjacks 7-8 2 Claxton Diamonds 6-9 3 The Sugar Valley Rattlers (9-6) are the highest-scoring team in the hit-happy RBU South and also in the IPA with a .296 team batting average. Manager Gibson Bobkins has quite a potent lineup. He has seven hitters batting over .300. Rated second in batting are the last place Claxton Diamonds at .295 and the second place Marston Nine is third with a .293 mark. His pitching staff is rated fourth in the division with 4.65 ERA. Forest City is the best with a 3.54 ERA, followed by Belair Beach with a 4.05 ERA and Marston is third with a 4.51 ERA. Top pitchers: Bobkins, one of the greatest righthanders of all-time in the industrial leagues, has two capable starters in Harvey Hines (1-1 2.14) and Ron Benson (3-1 2.33) with Gregg Neal (1-1 1.54) in the bullpen. All are righthanders. Top hitters: C Slingshot McFall (.435/1 HR/5 RBI) 2B Rudi Oliver (.375/2 HR/10 RBI) 2B Timmy Bell (.357/1 HR/9 RBI) 3B Jorge Vargas (.339/3 HR/11 RBI) CF Freddie Vaux (.323/3 HR/11 RBI) 1B Ken Arnold (.308/2 HR/9 RBI) RF Karl Dietz (.303/2 HR/7 RBI) SS Flipper Bird (.291/1 HR/5 RBI) Defense: The Rattlers are number two in defense with a .980 fielding average. Marston is first at .983 with Belair Beach and Forest City tied for third place with a .977 fielding average. Shortstop Flipper Bird is one of the best in the IPA on the defensive side of the ball. Sugar Valley has one of the top receiving corps, too. Slingshot McFall and Hal Stevenson are both outstanding. All of them could contend for the Golden Glove Awards. The Marston Nine (9-7) are right on Sugar Valley's heels in second place. Both the Nine and the Rattlers fit the same mold -- great hitting and spotty pitching. Johnny Walters, a legendary pitcher and skipper in amateur baseball is Marston's head man. His club is batting .293 (3rd), but is having a tough time on the mound with a 4.51 ERA (3rd). The Nine is leading the RBU South in defense with a .983 fielding average. Top hitters: 2B Ken Green (.460/2 HR/10 RBI) RF Chris Deangelo (/3452 HR/4 RBI) SS Lennie Torricelli (.323/1 HR/5 RBI) C Eddie Allen (.308/2 HR/3 RBI) C Mo Chappell (.300/0 HR/9 RBI) CF Tommy Reinhold (.290/2 HR/14 RBI) 1B Johnny Berthold (.259/2 HR/9 RBI) Top pitchers: Walters has two fine relievers in Milt Wilson (0-0 1.23) and Phil Azard (0-0 1.29). Both throw from the leftside. Righthanders Bob Lowe (1-2 3.81) and Nick Pace (2-2 3.51) are his best starters. One major problem is the home run ball. Marston is rated last in this category with 25 given up so far. Defense: Marston is strong up the middle with good catching, middle infielders and center field. Allen, Chappell, Torricelli, Gibson and Reinhold have all performed very well. They are a big part of the .983 fielding average. The third place Belair Beach Sunbirds (8-8) are in the middle of the standings and middle of the pack in most categories. They are hitting only .256, but are second in homers with 20. Forest City is on top with 25. Manager Marty Pedrosa's mound corps is rated number two after Forest City. The Lumberjacks have a 3.54 ERA,while the Sunbirds come in with a 4.01 ERA. Over the long haul Pedrosa thinks pitching will be the crucial element in how his team does. Top pitchers: Belair Beach may have one of the best hurlers in the IPA in lefty Carl Thompson (2-2 1.97). He has 31 strikeouts in 32 innings and has struck out 10 or more twice this season. Another southpaw Troy Wilson (2-1 3.86) has pitched well, too. Pedrosa's outstanding finisher is Lou Zanelli (1-0 0.82), a righthander, who has a pair of saves. Top hitters: CF Matty McDermott (.369/4 HR/12 RBI) C Denny Everhart (.362/4 HR/13 RBI) SS Danny Church (.351/3 HR/12 RBI) RF Nicky Swift (.293/6 HR/10 RBI) If the Sunbirds get some offensive help from the rest of the lineup, they could be serious contenders for the RBU North crown. Defense: Belair Beach is only an average team defensively with a .977 team fielding percentage, good enough for the fourth spot in that category. Center fielder Matty McDermott may be the best defender the Sunbirds have and he is only average when compared to his peers. The Waleska Westerners (8-9) are in fourth place in the RBU North standings. Skipper McGraw Johnson is one of the best, but so far his team has just not been consistent. They are batting only .256 (5th) and have a 5.05 ERA, which is last in the division. The Westerners are also fifth in fielding with a .976 percentage. Top pitchers: Johnson has a pair of good starters and two good relievers. All are righthanders. Smokey Joe Carter (2-3 3.32) and Gary Hill (1-0 3.45) have been solid in the starting rotation, while Buddy Kennedy (0-0 0.00) and Andrei Marsiske (1-0 3.86) have looked good in relief roles. Top hitters: RF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.300/3 HR/13 RBI) 3B Yoshihide Nishida (.281/4 HR/10 RBI) LF Charley Williamson (.269/4 HR/6 RBI) Defense: Waleska is an average defensive ballclub, rated fifth in the division with a .976 fielding average. Marston at .983 is ranked first with Sugar Valley second at .980. 2B Wiz Taylor could be a Golden Glover at season's end. Manager Robbie Jackson's Forest City Lumberjacks (7-8) have the power and the pitching to do well in the RBU South, but as of yet, they can't come together on the same day. It is hard to understand why the 'Jacks are fifth, when you look at their stats. They are the best on the hill with a 3.54 ERA. Belair Beach is a distant second with a 4.05 ERA. Forest City is the best in home runs with 25. Belair Beach is number two with a total of 20. Jackson's team is tied with Marston for second in runs scored with 83. Sugar Valley is the leader with 93. Top pitchers: Forest City has several good starters in RHP Buddy Hutchinson (1-2 2.73) and LHP Brian Charles (2-1 4.03). In the bullpen corps Glenn Moore (0-0 1.23), Herm Bahr (2-3 3.27) and Nick Marceau (0-0 3.38) have been effective, while closer Timmy Brooks (0-0 3.00) has been adequate. Top hitters: LF Chuck Hill (.368/7 HR/17 RBI) CF Ryan Morse (.361/3 HR/9 RBI) RF Benny Davis (.274/4 HR/9 RBI) SS Pops Keller (.259/2 HR/10 RBI) Defense: The Lumberjacks are only average when it comes to defense. They are tied for third with Belair Beach with a .977 fielding percentage. Marston is the leader at .983 and Sugar Valley is second with a .980 mark. Forest City had no candidates for Golden Glove honors this year. When you closely examine them, defense may be the reason they are not higher in the standings. The last place Claxton Diamonds (6-9) are under the tutelage of the wise old manager, Stacy Engel. In the offense-oriented RBU South, his squad is ranked second with a sizzling .295 batting average, outdistanced only by the Sugar Valley Rattlers with a .296 team batting average. However they are next to last with a mediocre 4.79 ERA and an even worse .963 fielding average. Top hitters: 2B Donny McCoy (.410/2 HR/10 RBI) SS Bobby Ritter (.369/1 HR/8 RBI) LF Winky Rush (.356/1 HR/9 RBI) CF Vern Jennings (.355/3 HR/7 RBI) RF Dixie Baker (.321/5 HR/11 RBI) Top pitchers: Engel has only one decent starter and that is Tetsunori Nakashima (3-1 4.15). But he does have some good middle relievers in lefthander Chris Gallagher (0-1 1.93) and righthanders Alex Vanzetti (0-0 2.08) and Earl Weber (0-1 2.84). Defense: Claxton is a disaster on defense with a terrible .963 fielding average. Shortstop Bobby Ritter is the only good man with a glove, ranking high with a .988 fielding percentage and in assists, too. If the Diamonds could defend as well as they hit, they would be a much better club. It looks like it will be a very long first season for the Claxton Diamonds and their skipper, the Old Perfesser. |
The Islandian Times
Sunday, May 6,2001 Branch two of the Islandian Pro Alliance is in Tycobbia and consists one league, the Tycobbian Baseball Union, with two divisions, the TBU East and the TBU West. There is no inter-divisional play. Tycobbian Baseball Union East Division Team Won-Lost GB Cape Coral Hurricanes 10-6 -- Hartsdale Hellcats 9-6 .5 Ozarka Naturals 8-7 1.5 Ginza Ninjas 7-8 2.5 Luxora Zorros 7-8 2.5 South Fork Stallions 5-11 5 The Cape Coral Hurricanes (10-6) are piloted by Huggy Miller, one of the best manager in Islandian baseball annals. Miller has got them off and running and ahead of the pack in the early season. The Hurricanes are in first place in the TBU East race. Miller's ballclub seems to be doing most things well. They have the best pitching staff, the best hitting and hit with power. Cape Coral tops the division with a 3.30 ERA, while last place South Fork is second with a 3.34 ERA and fourth place Luxora comes in third with a 3.65 ERA. In the batting average department, the 'Canes are on top with a .267 average, followed by Hartsdale at .266 and Ginza with .258. Pitching seems to dominate in the TBU East. Cape Coral's one weakness is fielding as they have a .968 fielding average and are fifth in the division. Ozarka is the best in this category with a .984 fielding percentage and South Fork is second at .978. Top pitchers: Miller's starting rotation is strong with Gary Fountain (3-1 2.51), Owen Pruitt (2-0 1.71), Kaz Hayakawa (2-0 3.00) and Wally Robinson (3-1 3.56). His bullpen is doing their job well, too. Southpaw closer Katsuyuki Nagashima (0-1 2.57) has two saves and middle relievers Scotty Lohmeyer (0-1 3.18) and Cody Burg (0-1 3.86) have been dependable in their roles. Top hitters: CF James Middleton (.435/1 HR/7 RBI) LF Rod Kelly (.352/3 HR/13 RBI) 2B Roberto Betancourt (.341/5 HR/14 RBI) SS Bobo Hatfield (.324/0 HR/1 RBI) CF Eric Smith (.324/2 HR/7 RBI) 1B Rodger Wooten (.254/4 HR/13 RBI) Defense: Cape Coral had no outstanding defenders. Most of the players are average and below. They have earned their .968 fielding average. Feisty Zim Donner is the manager of the second place Hartsdale Hellcats (9-6) and pitching seems to be their forte with a 3.96 team ERA. The Hellcats are only an average club when it comes to hitting. They are batting .266, but are lacking power and run-scoring ability. They are only a little better than Cape Coral with a .970 fielding average. Top pitchers: The Hellcats starters have done well. Gary Mann (2-1 3.03), Danny Griffin (2-2 3.04) and Jim Sears (1-1 3.30) are all righthanders. Closer Gene Young (0-0 0.77) has two saves and middle reliever Phil Reed (3-0 1.86) has been impressive, too. Top hitters: RF Jay Luna (.383/0 HR/5 RBI) CF Greg Reynolds (.297/0 HR/6 RBI) 3B Whiz Weaver (.264/2 HR/10 RBI) 2B Francisco Abreu (.250/6 HR/17 RBI) Defense: Hartsdale has only average defenders. None are truly outstanding. Team fielding average is .970. Ginza is number one at .984 and South Fork is second at .978. The Ozarka Naturals (8-7) don't stand out much in stats, but they are in third place and skippered by Joe Mack Carney, one of the legendary managers in the industrial leagues. They are third with a .253 batting average, but they can hit the longball and are tied for first with Cape Coral with 20 each. The Nats pitching is horrible with a 5.02 ERA, by far the worst in the East Division. And the fielding is not much better at a .968 fielding percentage. Top hitters: CF Teddy Braun (.340/1 HR/5 RBI) 3B Duane Starr (.328/3 HR/8 RBI) 1B Fred Snow (.300/1 HR/9 RBI) 3B Doug Cunningham (.255/4 HR/11 RBI) Top pitchers: In spite of their horrid team ERA, Ozarka does have some talented pitchers. Carney's relievers have pitched very well and are headed by closer Yasuyuki Nakagawa (2-0 1.80), Jackie Cunningham (0-1 1.93) and Alex DiMaggio (0-0 1.13). Two of his starters, Luther Hatch (3-1 3.56) and Ted Didriksen (2-1 3.60), have pitched creditably. Defense: Shortstop Gil Lantz and center fielder Teddy Braun have been outstanding this year and may be in the running for the Gold Glove Awards. The Ginza Ninjas (7-8) are tied for the fourth spot in the TBU East with Luxora. The Ninja mound corps has a better than average 3.85 ERA. But Ginza has problems putting runs on the scoreboard with a .258 batting average and not a whole of power. However, manager Huroko Uchiyama had a fine defensive club. The Ninjas top the division with a .983 fielding average. Top pitchers: All of Uchiyama's starters are righthanders. His best hurlers are Vic Rousakis (1-2 3.68), Buddy Hart (1-1 3.71) and Toshiya Tamura (1-0 3.75). Top hitters: RF Charlie Campbell (.340/3 HR/11 RBI) SS Shinjiro Aoki (.328/0 HR/6 RBI) CF Takashi Fujimoto (.327/4 HR/10) 1B Kenshin Yamamoto (.250/3 HR/10 RBI) Defense: CF Takashi Fujimoto and SS Shinjiro Aoki have anchored a fine defense for Ginza this season and they could compete for postseason defensive honors. The fourth place Luxora Zorros (7-8) have struggled with the bats this season (.240 BA) and shined on the mound (3.65 ERA). The Zorros are managed by Rodrigo Alejandro, arguably the greatest home run hitter in industrial league play. He told the press he has been pleased with his starting rotation, but much troubled by his lack of hitting. Luxora has been lousy on defense, too. The Z's are last in the division with a very poor .963 fielding average. Top pitchers: Luxora has three righthanders and one lefthander in its pitching rotation. Alejandro's best twirlers are Chris Pierce (1-0 1.50), Keith Callahan (1-1 2.61), Eddie Castillo (0-2 3.75) and his lone portsider, Francisco Fernandes (1-1 3.30). His bullpen specialist is Roberto Martinez (1-0 2.87). Top hitters: C Eric Richter (.365/1 HR/8 RBI) RF Pedro Vizquel (.309/1 HR/8 RBI) CF Tom Fortunato (.286/1 HR/9 RBI) 1B Paul Hallenbeck (.267/3 HR/9 RBI) 3B Rico Vina (.254/4 HR/7 RBI) Defense: The Zorros have some excellent defenders, but none of them can hit. Alejandro has said he may go with defense, if things don't improve in the next few weeks. He told the press to look for changes soon. Rafael Lemos could be the new shortstop and Shotgun Boggs might be in center field. Both are truly fine with the glove. Duroche "Lips" Leon is the skipper of the last place South Fork Stallions (5-11) and it is rumored around the league that he has suddenly turned into a nice guy this season. He is rarely at a loss for words. Lips is famous for saying, "Nice guys finish last". But this year he has not had much to say -- except -- How can you win when your team is hitting a pathetic .219? But the Stallions have a good mound staff. They have the second best ERA at 3.34, just behind Cape Coral with a 3.30 ERA. South Fork also comes in second in fielding with a .978 percentage. The Ginza Ninjas are the best in the TBU East Division with a .984 fielding average. Top pitchers: All of the five Stallion starters have ERAs under 4.00, headed by Booger Burchfield (0-2 3.28), Flint Battle (2-2 3.30), Ken Olson (0-2 3.49) and the only lefty on the squad, Jerry Harrison (1-0 3.50). Leon's relief corps has been truly special. Closer Glenn Turnbull (2-0 1.00) and long man Ken Conner have both been remarkable. Top hitters: 2B Bob Jones (.349/0 HR/4 RBI) LF Mac Stewart (.294/3 HR/7 RBI) RF Paul Giles (.246/4 HR/11 RBI) Defense: South Fork has two stalwarts at catcher and shortstop, Darryl Burnett and Bobby Riley. Most of the other spots are manned by quality defenders, too. |
The Islandian Times
Sunday, May 6, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union West Division Team Won-Lost GB La Claire Lynx 11-5 -- Fairfax Frogs 9-6 1.5 Arlon Champions 8-8 3 Bayview Vikings 7-9 4 Blue Lake Blue Sox 7-9 4 Bay St. Clair Buccaneers 5-10 5.5 Former shortstop great, Rip Calkin, is proud of his La Claire Lynx (11-5). Calkin is the manager of the top team in the Tycobbian Baseball Alliance West Division. La Claire is doing it with hitting, pitching and defense. They are batting .266 as a team, but trail Bay St. Clair (.287), Fairfax (.283) and Bayview (.275) in that category. Yet they have outscored them all. The Lynx (3.56) are a close second to Arlon (3.51) in team ERA. And they have the best defensive club in the division with an eye-opening .989 fielding percentage. Top pitchers: On the hill Calkin's crew has sparkled as well, but mainly in the bullpen. Jerry Smith (3-0 2.63) has been the best starter and Nick Baumgartner (1-2 3.95) has been acceptable. But it is in the relief corps where the Lynx have really prospered. Closer Monoto Kishata (0-0 0.00) has three saves, while middle relievers Frank Lamoreaux (2-0 0.87), Tony Nygaard (0-0 3.00), Andy Murray (1-0 3.12) and Nick Pilsner (0-1 3.86) have also gotten the job done. Top hitters 3B Luis Marquez (.368/3 HR/13 RBI) 2B Darrell Boyce (.333/2 HR/13 RBI) LF Rich Hart (.305/6 HR/18 RBI) Defense: C Dennis Weiss, 2B Darrell Boyce, 3B Luis Marquez and CF Lucky Collins have played like Gold Glovers so far this season. SS Dirk Lindahl and LF Rich Hart have also played very well. The strong point of the second place Fairfax Frogs (9-6) is their offense with a .283 batting average and 20 roundtrippers. Only lowly Bay St. Clair (.287) is outhitting them and Arlon is tied for the most homers. Manager Harry Buckley is hoping the mound staff can get it together and start carrying their load. The Frogs are a distant third with a 4.28 ERA. Arlon (3.51) and La Claire (.356) both have better team ERAs. Fairfax is also third in fielding with a .979 percentage and trail La Claire (.989) and Bayview (.980). Top pitchers: Fairfax's pitching rotation consists of southpaws Jimmy Dalton (1-1 3.32) and Jack Leslie (2-1 4.66) and righties Robbie Meredith (1-0 3.86) and Mel Murray (2-1 4.43). Buckley has two fine relievers in closer Takehide Takahashi (1-0 1.93), who has saved two games, and middle reliever Gerry Fisher (2-0 1.00). Top hitters: 3B Stan Cobb (.403/4 HR/14 RBI) LF Gator Davis (.302/4 HR/10 RBI) SS Warren Lee (.297/2 HR/7 RBI) RF Gregg Vincent (.297/9 HR/21 RBI) Defense: The Frogs have quite a few average gloves, but no one who is truly outstanding. Gary Louis is managing the third place Arlon Champions (8-8) in their inaugural season in the IPA. The Champs have the worst batting average (.252), but are doing quite well on the mound (3.51) with the best ERA in the TBU West. Arlon is doing quite well in the power department, too. They are tied with Fairfax with 20 homers each. Arlon is an average team fielding-wise with a .979 fielding average. Top pitchers: The Champs boast a quality mound corps with starters Craig Smith (2-1 3.09), Ray Hunt (2-1 2.49), Ace Howe (1-1 3.21) and closer Jeff Nieman (2-0 0.00). Louis also has good middle relief from Sean Dudek (0-0 1.38), lefthander Rod Kelley (1-1 3.60) and Jim Davis (0-0 3.00). Top hitters: CF Jerry Keller (.383/6 HR/18 RBI) 2B Karl Detwiler (.319/1 HR/4 RBI) LF Matt Merrill (.288/3 HR/7 RBI) Defense: C Smoke Zakharov is the only player on the Arlon roster with Gold Glove potential. But the Champions do have some a little better than average. The Bayview Vikings (7-9) are in a fourth-place tie with the Blue Lake Blue Sox and they are a very good offensive ballclub. The Viks are batting .275 and are a close third to La Claire (92) and Fairfax (86) in the race for the most runs scored. Bayview has put 85 runs on the scoreboard so far this season. The Vikings play good defense and have posted a .980 fielding average in the division and are ranked second to La Claire (.989). Top pitchers: Skipper Walter Johanssen's most effective hurlers have been closer Buzzy Lewis (0-1 2.38) and starters Frank Wells (3-0 2.62) and Adrian Strom (1-1 3.45). Johanssen was one of the best righthanded pitchers ever in Islandian amateur circles. He is making personal projects of Fred Snow (1-0 4.38) and Charley Andrews (1-1 4.43). Johanssen told The Times he sees better days ahead for Bayview. Top hitters: 2B Alan Hansen (371/0 HR/8 RbI) 1B Dennis Cole (.349/7 HR/16 RBI) CF Phil Kanaan (.297/1 HR/3 RBI) SS Shorty Richards (.290/1 HR/9 RBI) LF Glenn Burns (.274/0 HR/12 RBI) Defense: SS Shorty Richards and LF Glenn Burns have shots at the Golden Glove Award because of their impressive defensive work this season. The Blue Lake Blue Sox (7-9) have had a mediocre season so far under the leadership of manager Cobb Tyson. They are tied for fourth with Bayview. Tyson is an intense competitor, who hates to lose. He told the press he has never been a loser and he doesn't intend to start here. Tyson was the best contact hitter in Islandian history. No one had a higher career batting average in the amateur leagues. The Blue Sox are batting only .259 and are ranked next-to-last in the division, but are among the leaders in home runs with 18 and are third behind the Fairfax Frogs and the Arlon Champions, who have hit 20 roundtrippers. Tyson's pitching is pretty atrocious, too. Blue Lake has a 5.08 ERA. Only last place Bay St. Clair is worse. The Blue Sox are just average on defense with a .975 fielding percentage. Top pitchers: Bennie West (2-2 1.95) is a fine hurler, but that is all Blue Lake has. Everyone else has a 4.50 or higher ERA. Top hitters: CF Donnie Frazier (.396/3 HR/11 RBI) 1B Fred Taranto (.390/3 HR/9 RBI) SS Cy Orgeron (.306/2 HR/4 RBI) Defense: 1B Fred Taranto, SS Cy Orgeron and CF Donnie Frazier are all having Golden Glove years and could be in the running for the award. It looks like a long season for manager Guy Rondre and the cellar-dwelling Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (5-10) in the TBU West. The Bucs are hitting the ball at a .287 clip, but have connected for just 5 home runs. They get a lot of hits, but not many runs. And it gets worse when you look at the Bay St. Clair team ERA. It is an astronomical 5.10. And when it comes to fielding, the Bucs are not very good at defense either with an anemic .966 fielding average. Top pitchers: Rondre doesn't have much in the way of effective pitchers. Starter Gary Robinson (1-2 3.68) and long relief Adam Lundgren (0-0 2.79) are his only dependable ones. Top hitters: 2B Tony Mann (.410/1 HR/6 RBI) C Jake Singleton (.340/1 HR/9 RBI) 3B Bubba Tate (.333/1 HR/9 RBI) LF Charley Moon (.326/1 HR/8 RBI) Defense: The Bucs have no potential Gold Glove Award winner as their dismal .966 fielding percentage indicates. |
The Islandian Times
Sunday, May 6, 2001 League Leaders Ruthlandian Baseball Union North-South Divisions Batting Average: Gil Foster (Elnora) .491 Ken Green (Marston) .460 Art Atkins (Elnora) .458 Slingshot McFall (Sugar Valley) .435 Ox Beauvais (Glasco) .429 Hits: Ken Green (Marston) 29 Gil Foster (Elnora) 27 Donnie McCoy (Claxton) 25 Ox Beauvais (Glasco) 24 Tucker Hill (Colfax) 24 Matty McDermott (Belair Beach) 24 Bobby Ritter (Claxton) 24 Doubles: Denny Everhart (Belair Beach) 9 Scotty McPherson (Marston) 9 Ken Green (Marston) 8 Matt Mazurek (Valmara) 8 Triples: Pat Lott (Colfax) 3 Home Runs: Chuck Hill (Forest City) 7 Ox Beauvais (Glasco) 6 Johnny Strickland (Far Mountain) 6 Nicky Swift (Belair Beach) 6 RBIs: Chuck Hill (Forest City) 17 Ox Beauvais (Glasco) 14 Tommy Reinhold (Marston) 14 Alejandro Salazar (Volusia) 14 Runs: Dennis Cole (Colfax) 17 Chuck Hill (Forest City) 16 Ryan Morse (Forest City) 16 Stolen Bases: Jan Kazmarek (Valmara) 7 Lonnie Howard (Volusia) 6 Scooter Perez (Volusia) 6 Tommy Reinhold (Marston) 6 Gerald Davis (Far Mountain) 5 Bases on Balls: Dennis Cole (Colfax) 15 Gil Foster (Elnora) 14 Louis Sharp (Valmara) 14 Floyd Vinson (Valmara) 14 Wins: Ron Benson (Sugar Valley) 3-1 Alex Castille (Colfax) 3-0 Ronnie Lee (Marston) 3-1 Tetsunori Nakashima (Claxton) 3-1 Zarek Zalewski (Valmara) 3-0 Saves: Doc Rutledge (Far Mountain) 3 Jim Dreyer (Colfax) 2 Stevie Howard (Elnora) 2 Andrei Marsiske (Waleska) 2 Gregg Neal (Sugar Valley) 2 Lou Zanelli (Belair Beach) 2 Shutouts: Charles Darby (Glasco) 2 Zarek Zalewski (Valmara) 2 ERA: Zarek Zalewski (Valmara) 0.49 Danny Blauser (Valmara) 0.50 Jesse Balfour (Glasco) 1.21 Charles Darby (Glasco) 1.44 Harry Manning (Colfax) 1.59 Strikeouts: Flash Guidry (Colfax) 32 Carl Thompson (Belair Beach) 31 Raul Sandoval (Volusia) 24 Ron Benson (Sugar Valley) 22 Zarek Zalewski (Valmara) 21 |
The Islandian Times
Sunday, May 6, 2001 League Leaders Tycobbian Baseball Union East-West Divisions League Leaders Batting Average: Tony Mann (Bay St. Clair) .410 Stan Cobb (Fairfax) .403 Donnie Frazier (Blue Lake) .396 Fred Taranto (Blue Lake) .390 Jerry Keller (Arlon) .383 Hits: Stan Cobb (Fairfax) 25 Tony Mann (Bay St. Clair) 25 Karl Detwiler (Arlon) 23 Jerry Keller (Arlon) 23 Alan Hansen (Bayview) 23 Fred Taranto (Blue Lake) 23 Doubles: Phil Kanaan (Bayview) 7 Jay Luna (Hartsdale) 7 Fred Taranto (Blue Lake) 7 Earl Conley (Ginza) 6 Paul Hallenbeck (Luxora) 6 Alan Hansen (Bayview) 6 Shorty Richards (Bayview) 6 Pedro Vizquel (Luxora) 6 Triples: Rich Hart (La Claire) 3 Shinjiro Aoki (Ginza) 2 Paul Hallenbeck (Luxora) 2 Hot Rod Patrick (Bay St. Clair) 2 Gregg Vincent (Fairfax) 2 Home Runs: Gregg Vincent (Fairfax) 9 Dwayne Coleman (Bayview) 7 Francisco Abreu (Hartsdale) 6 Rich Hart (La Claire) 6 Jerry Keller (Arlon) 6 RBIs: Gregg Vincent (Fairfax) 21 Rod Hart (La Claire) 18 Jerry Keller (Arlon) 18 Francisco Abreu (Hartsdale) 17 Dwayne Coleman (Bayview) 16 Runs: Rod Hart (La Claire) 16 Jerry Keller (Arlon) 16 Dwayne Coleman (Bayview) 15 Francisco Abreu (Hartsdale) 14 Teddy Braun (Ozarka) 14 Alan Hansen (Bayview) 14 George Lyons (Arlon) 14 Gregg Vincent (Fairfax) 14 Stolen Bases: Greg Reynolds (Hartsdale) 7 Shinjiro Aoki (Ginza) 6 Tom Fortunato (Luxora) 6 Paco Benitez (Luxora) 5 Shotgun Boggs (Luxora) 5 Fred Collins (Blue Lake) 5 Ronnie Patterson (Ozarka) 5 Bases on Balls: Pedro Vizquel (Luxora) 18 Billy Abbott (Cape Coral) 14 Donnie Frazier (Blue Lake) 14 Wins: Gary Fountain (Cape Coral) 3-0 Luther Hatch (Ozarka) 3-1 Phil Reed (Hartsdale) 3-0 Wally Robinson (Cape Coral) 3-1 Jerry Smith (La Claire) 3-0 Frank Wells (Bayview) 3-0 Saves: Monoto Kishata (La Claire) 3 Buzzy Lewis (Bayview) 2 Katsuyuki Nagashima (Cape Coral) 2 Takehide Takahashi (Fairfax) 2 Gene Young (Hartsdale) 2 Shutouts: Ted Didriksen (Ozarka) 1 Francisco Fernandes (Luxora) 1 Vic Rousakis (Ginza) 1 Ray Hart (Arlon) 1 ERA: Owen Pruitt (Cape Coral) 1.71 Bennie West (Blue Lake) 1.95 Kojiro Matsumoto (Ginza) 2.05 Ray Hart (Arlon) 2.49 Gary Fountain (Cape Coral) 2.51 Strikeouts: Craig Smith (Arlon) 27 Gary Fountain (Cape Coral) 26 Wally Robinson (Cape Coral) 26 Vic Rousakis (Ginza) 25 Kazuhiro Nakayama (Ginza) 23 |
La Claire Lynx
Tycobbian Baseball Union West Division Owner/GM/Manager: Rip Calkin La Claire is the capital of Tycobbia and its largest town with a population of 120,000, second largest in the Islands. It is located in the central section of the country on the meandering Appian River, which cuts through two thirds of the country, flowing from the Appian Mountains in the north near North Hills, southward to Hartsdale, through the capital, then down to Bay St. Clair and empties into the bay there. The town was established in the 1850s by a group of American abolitionists from the North and the South, who saw the coming Civil War. They wanted to set up a country free from slavery and religious intolerance. La Claire is an enchanting town of the old, mixed with the new. The State Capitol and governmental offices are in the center of Capitol Park, which is the center of the town. Lush greenery is everywhere, with the new modern section at the edge of town, which houses the movers and shakers of Tycobbia's business, financial, banking and automotive worlds. La Claire is also home to the La Claire Lynx of the Islandian Pro Alliance. The Lynx play in the Tycobbian Baseball Union West Division. The club plays at Capitol Park Stadium, a charming old ballpark constructed in 1923. Spectators get a spectacular view of the State Capitol over the right field fence and can see the new developing part of town in the distance beyond the left field fence. Most of the food and drink at the ballpark are typical, except for the “Dippy Dogs”, a gourmet wiener, dipped in a maize/corn batter and fried. It is unique to State Capitol Park and is especially tasty, when the meal includes a refreshing cup of freshly-squeezed pink lemonade. Before and after a Lynx game, fans can enjoy the fine restaurants, diners and shops on the shore of the Appian River. Movie theaters, old-fashioned soda fountains, concert halls and fashionable night clubs are in abundance, too. All within easy walking distance. Rip Calkin, famed shortstop in his industrial league career, noted for rarely missing a game, owns and manages the Lynx. Capitol Park Stadium (1923) Capacity: 13,557 Dimensions: LF Line 330 LF 350 LCF 374 CF 400 RCF 374 RF 350 RF Line 334 |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Sunday, May 6, 2001 Ruthlandian Baseball Union RBU North Division A's Whip Blasters 6-4 Bill Darby gave Glasco just what the doctor ordered -- some good relief pitching. He blanked Colfax from the fifth inning on to lead the Athletics to a 6-4 win. Darby (1-0) came on for struggling starter Arnie McFalls, who gave up 4 runs and 6 hits in the first four frames. Darby allowed only one hit the rest of the way, fanned four and walked just one. Harry Manning (2-1) took the loss, permitting 5 runs and 7 hits in only four innings. CF Chet Reynolds and 3B Rick Atkins had two hits and an RBI each to pace the A's. LF Ox Beauvais jolted his 7th homer of the year for Glasco. Glasco (11-5) claimed first place in the RBU North, while Colfax is in the third spot, 2.5 games out. Valmara (10-6) dropped out a first place tie with a loss to Far Mountain (8-8). Redhawks Crush Vipers Dave Davis and his Far Mountain teammates had a field day as they bashed Valmara for 16 hits in an easy 9-3 triumph. Davis had a perfect day at the plate with 5 hits in 5 tries. He hammered two home runs and a double to drive in 5 runs. He is the fourth player to get 5 hits in a game. 35-year-old John Luzzatti (1-1) collected the win with some help from closer Doc Rutledge. Luzzatti was relieved in the eighth after giving up 3 runs and 5 hits. Paul Schoenfeld (0-2) absorbed the loss and was whacked for 4 runs and 7 hits in just 5 innings. The Vipers (10-6) are now in second place in the RBU North, a game behind first place Glasco (11-5). Far Mountain (8-8) moved up to .500 and is in fourth place. V's Knock Off All-Stars The last place Vigilantes got a complete game from Hank Massey and defeated Elnora 5-1 at Silver River Stadium in Volusia. Massey (2-2) throttled the All-Stars on 6 hits, while fanning 7 and walking 5. Loser John Tinker (1-2) gave up 4 runs and 9 hits in 7 innings with only 2 of them earned. The V's rapped out 11 hits overall with Scooter Perez, Jesus Arroyo and Chaco Rivera each getting 2 hits. Volusia (5-12) is still in the RBU North basement, while Elnora (6-10) is in fifth place. It was the All-Stars third consecutive defeat. RBU South Division SV's Hines Stops Lumberjacks 9-2 Harvey Hines (2-1) doesn't walk many, doesn't strike out many and doesn't allow many runs, either. But he wins games. Today the Sugar Valley hurler dumped Forest City 9-2 as he scattered 10 hits and finished the game with 2 strikeouts and 2 walks. The Rattlers backed him up a double, three triples and two homers. LF Karl Dietz and C Paul Bailey each slammed 2-run homers and CF Freddie Vaux added in 2 more RBIs with a triple and a sac fly. Hines yielded roundtrippers to 2B Jesse Wolf and LF Chuck Hill. It was Hill's 8th this season. Vinny Edelman (0-1) netted the defeat as Sugar Valley KO'ed him after three innings, ripping him for 5 hits and 6 runs. The Rattlers (10-6) are on top of the RBU South. The fifth place Lumberjacks (7-9) trail them by 3 games. Sunbirds Squeak by Marston Erik Kesler was the whole show for Belair Beach. The Sunbird left fielder drove in all of the runs in a 5-3 victory over the Marston Nine for their fourth straight win. He had a 3-run homer and two doubles in the game. Lefty Carl Thompson (3-2) notched the win by holding Marston to 3 runs in 8 innings. Lou Zanelli came on in the ninth to finish it out and garnered his 3rd save of the year. Closer Milt Wilson (0-1) entered the game with the score tied at 3-all in the eighth and chalked up the loss, when Kesler belted a game-winning 2-run double off of him. Marston 1B Johnny Berthold got his 3rd homer of the season off Thompson in the sixth. Belair Beach (9-8) is now in second place in the RBU South, tied with Marston (9-8). Both are 1.5 games in back of division leader Sugar Valley. Waleska Edges Claxton 5-4 It wasn't pretty, but Gary Hill of Waleska persevered and beat Claxton 5-4, holding them scoreless the last four innings. Hill checked the Diamonds on 5 hits, fanned 4 and walked 3, while tossing a complete game. Wildness had a lot to do with Dennis Scott's (0-2) downfall. The Claxton starter walked 7 and had to be taken out in the fifth, trailing 5-2. Homers played a big part in the game. Each club unloaded two solo shots each. 1B Freddie Shelton and C Mac Wilkins hit them for the Westerners and 1B Matty McCluskey and RF Arnie Kruger connected for the Diamonds. Waleska (9-9) snapped a three-game losing skein and is in the fourth spot in the RBU South Division, two games out of first. Claxton (6-10) is in last place and trails by four games. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Sunday, May 6, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union TBU East Division Hurricanes Zip by Z's 6-4 First place Cape Coral got a good performance from Kaz Hayagawa in the 6-4 win at De la Vega Stadium in Luxora. It was the Hurricanes fourth victory in a row. Hayagawa (3-0) tossed 8 innings, surrendered 7 hits and 4 runs, only 2 earned. Losing pitcher Eddie Castillo (0-3) exited in the seventh after permitting 6 runs and 7 hits. He was plagued by wildness. Castillo walked 8 batters. 1B Rodger Wooten put the Hurricanes ahead to stay with a 2-run homer in the seventh. CF Antonio Guerrero laced 3 hits in 4 at-bats and had 2 RBIs. Tom Fortunato did the most damage for the Zorros with a solo home run. Katsuyuki Nagashima had a rocky ninth -- he loaded the bases -- but got out of it with no harm done. It was his 3rd save this season. The win gave first place Cape Coral an 11-6 mark on the year, while the Z's (7-9) suffered their third successive setback to fall 3.5 games off the pace. Ray Hurls Nats Past 'Cats Ozarka wrapped up their third consecutive victory by whipping Hartsdale 5-3 and moving into a tie for the second spot in the division. Righthander Louie Ray (2-1) went the distance, struck out 7, walked no one, while permitting 9 hits. 3B Doug Cunningham socked two homers and drove in 3 runs and 1B Fred Snow doubled in the other two. Roger Graves (1-3) took the loss for the Hellcats and was knocked out in the sixth after yielding 5 runs. The Naturals were up 5-1, when in the ninth 1B Todd Seals made it close with a two-run shot. The triumph put Ozarka (9-7) in a second-place tie with Hartsdale (9-7) in the TBU East. The two clubs trail division-leading Cape Coral by 1.5 games. Ninjas Nip Stallions The Ginza Ninjas got a comeback 5-4 win over the South Fork Stallions by scoring 2 in the eighth and dealt them a fourth straight loss. 3B Kaz Ojima tied it with a double, then 2B Scoop McDonald punched in the game-winner with a single. Reliever Alex Sasek (1-0) got credit for the victory by holding the Stallions runless in his 2+ innings. He came in for the laboring Kojiro Matsumoto in the seventh. Matsumoto was tagged for 4 runs and 6 hits before his departure. Control was the culprit. He walked 7 batters. Sloppy defense hurt him as the Ninjas gave the Stallions 3 unearned runs. Jamie Kelly (0-2) suffered the loss for South Fork. He allowed 5 runs and 9 hits in his 7 innings. RF Charlie Campbell had a base-clearing bases-loaded double in the third for Ginza. CF Gene Woodruff drilled two hits for the Stallions and had 2 RBIs. Ginza (8-8) is 2.5 games behind the TBU East's top team, the Cape Coral Hurricanes (11-6). The Ninjas are in fourth place in the standings. South Fork (5-12) is in last place. TBU West Division Lynx Top Bucs 6-3 Bay St. Clair jumped out early 3-1, but couldn't hold on. The Bucs faded in the late innings and first place La Claire took command and the game 6-3. The Lynx tallied two in the eighth and two more in the ninth to nail it down. Frank Lamoreaux (3-0) got his third victory of the season with three scoreless innings. He relieved starter Nick Pilsner, who left in the sixth trailing 3-2. Lefthander Sean Lawrence (0-1) lost it. He went 8 innings, allowed 7 hits and 4 runs, fanned 6 and walked 3. Lawrence only surrendered two earned runs. Darrell Boyce plated the winning runs with a 2-run single in the seventh. Rich Hart also have a pair of RBIs for La Claire. Maury Smith had 2 hits and 2 RBIs for the Buccaneers. The Lynx improved to 12-5 and are on top of the TBU West race. Bay St. Clair is still stuck in the cellar with a 5-11 mark. Bayview Bombs Fairfax Dwayne Coleman is a giant of a man -- he stands 6'8" tall -- and he swings a mean bat. Just ask the Fairfax Frogs. Coleman smashed two homers and drove in 5 runs to pace Bayview to an easy romp over the second place Frogs 15-7. The huge Viking first baseman now is tied with Fairfax's right fielder Gregg Vincent for the home run lead in the TBU with 9. His last one was a grand slammer in the 9-run seventh inning. The win went to starter Jesus Carvajal (1-1), who departed in the seventh leading 7-4. Buzzy Lewis got his third save, but he gave up 3 runs in 2 innings. Jack Leslie (2-2) lost it for Fairfax. LF Glenn Burns chipped in 3 RBIs for Bayview and 2B Alan Hansen went 3-for-4 and scored twice. The Vikings (8-9) have won three in a row and are now in fourth place, 4 games in back of first place La Claire (12-5). Fairfax (9-7) is in second place, 2.5 game behind the leader. Champs Stomp Sox Wow! What a day for the Arlon Champions and Jerry Keller. The Champs stomped Blue Lake 16-3 as Keller led the hit parade by going 6-for-6, including 2 roundtrippers and three doubles. Keller drove in 7 runs and scored 4 times in the best batting performance in IPA history. Arlon piled up 20 hits in the thrashing. Manager Cobb Tyson of the Blue Sox did not speak to reporters after the game, but it is rumored he had a few choice words for his ballclub. Cobb closed the clubhouse to the reporters. Third place Arlon (9-8) remained three games behind first place La Claire (12-5), while the fifth place Blue Sox (7-10) trail by 5 games. |
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Islandian Pro Alliance
Monday, May 7, 2001 Ruthlandian Baseball Union RBU North Division FM Slips by Vipers in Extra Innings It was a battle royale as Far Mountain and Valmara seesawed back and forth until the Redhawks were finally victorious in the tenth inning 9-8. CF Hawk Gallagher plated RF Gerald Davis from second with an RBI single to decide it. Vincent Moore picked up the win with a scoreless inning of relief, Andre Trepagnier(1-1) was stuck with the loss. It was the Redhawks third consecutive triumph. Both clubs hit the ball hard with 14 hits apiece. They tied the mark for most home runs in a game with seven. Far Mountain unloaded three of them, while the Vipers hit four. 3B Johnny Stickland, Gerald Davis and LF Joe Leroux all connected. Strickland and Leroux each drove in three runs. Rickey O'Reilly hit two for Valmara and had 4 RBIs. C Yoshi Motsuzuki and 2B Floyd Vinson also homered. Cape Coral and Hartsdale hit seven between them on April 24. The most by one team is held by Claxton. The Diamonds slammed six against Sugar Valley on April 22. Far Mountain is now 9-8 on the year and tied for third place with Colfax. while Valmara slipped to 10-7 and sits in the second spot in the RBU North, trailing first place Glasco (11-5) by 1.5 games. Glasco and Colfax had the day off. Late Scores Win It for V's The Volusia Vigilantes came from a 3-0 deficit over the last three innings to edge Elnora 4-3. SS Scooter Perez blasted a game-winning double in the last of the ninth to win it. Reliever Ricky Moreno (1-0) collected the victory with two scoreless innings, while Wally Tidwell (0-1) blew a save and was tagged with the loss. The V's won despite being outhit 14 to 7. It was the All-Stars (6-11) fourth defeat in a row. Elnora is in fifth place in the RBU North. Volusia (6-12) is in last place, 6 games behind the division-leading Glasco Athletics (11-5). RBU South Division Hutchinson Fires 5-Hitter at Rattlers Lefthander Buddy Hutchinson (2-2) fashioned a 5-1 victory over first place Sugar Valley at Riverside Stadium in Forest City. He struck out six, walked none and limited the Rattlers to just five hits. LF Chuck Hill and 2B Joe Wolf poled homers. Hill's was a 3-run shot and Wolf's a solo job. The Lumberjacks jumped on Tony Michelet (1-2) for four runs in the third inning to pin the loss on him. Forest City (8-9) sits in fifth place, while Sugar Valley (10-7) is still in the top spot in the RBU South Division. Second place Marston (9-8) and Belair Beach (9-8) were not scheduled today. Diamonds Shine in 8-7 Win over Westerners Claxton turned an easy win into a tough one as they just barely hung on to beat Waleska 8-7. Skipper Stacy Engel almost went too long with his starter Tetsunori Nagashima. The Diamonds took an 8-2 lead into the ninth and almost didn't survive the 5-run uprising. Nakashima (4-1) allowed 8 hits and 7 runs with six strikeouts and two walks for his 4th win of the year. With the tying run on third, Alex Vanzetti came in from the bullpen and got the last out for his first save. RF Dixie Baker led the Claxton charge with 4 RBIs and 3 runs scored. He was a perfect 4-for-4 with two homers and a double. 3B Keith Olsen added two hits and two RBIs, including a roundtripper. RF Big Hoss Burkhalter and CF Rick Vaughn both cracked home runs for the Westerners. The Diamonds are 7-10 and in last place in the RBU South, 3 games out of first place. Fifth place Waleska dropped to 8-9 and two games behind Sugar Valley (10-7). TBU East Division Ozarka Skins the Hellcats 3-0 Naturals manager Joe Mack Carney promoted Yasuyuki Nakagawa to the starting rotation and it immediately paid diviidends -- The chubby righthander shut out Hartsdale 3-0 on just three hits for their fourth straight victory. The crafty Nakagawa (3-0) only fanned one and walked three as he confused the Hellcats throughout the game. Losing pitcher Danny Griffin (2-3) only made one mistake and it cost him the game -- he served up a three-run homer to 3B Doug Cunningham in the fifth inning. It was Cunningham's 7th roundtripper. Ozarka (10-7) gained a half-game on the idle Cape Coral Hurricanes (11-6), who are in first place in the TBU East. The Naturals trail them by one game. Hartsdale (9-7) is in the third spot in the standings, 1.5 games off the pace. SF Take Ginza in 10 Innings 3-2 In a very well-pitched game South Fork got the best of Ginza 3-2 in ten innings and ended a four-game losing streak. However, the Ninjas lost it because of two walks, a hitsbatsman and a bunt single. Reliever Alex Sasek forced in the winning run when he walked 3B Glenn Holliday with the bases loaded. He also gave up a bunt single to fill the bases, just prior to the walk. Up until the last inning the pitching had been masterful. Stallion closer Glenn Turnbull (3-0) got the win with a 1-2-3 inning, while Ninja starter Kazuhiro Nakayama (1-3) was the loser, Nakayama allowed three runs on nine hits, fanned three and walked just one, but wildness in the tenth was his downfall. Ken Olson started for South Fork and went seven strong innings, gave up only two runs and six hits. Ken Conner worked a scoreless eighth and ninth and then yielded the mound to Turnbull. It was South Fork's sixth win in eighteen games and Ginza's ninth loss. The Ninjas have won eight times. TBU West Division Lynx Nose Out Bucs Dominic Valmont's sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth gave first place La Claire a hard-earned 4-3 decision over last place Bay St. Clair. The winning pitcher was Jerry Smith (4-0), who copped his 4th win of the season. Smith fired eight solid innings, yielded eight hits and three runs. The Lynx's went to their fine closer Monoto Kishata to get the last three outs. It was his fourth save, but the Buccaneers mounted a threat and had the tying and winning runs on base, before he closed it out. Both clubs had ten hits in the game. La Claire's left fielder Rich Hart boomed his 7th homer in the fourth frame putting the Lynx up 3-1. Bay St. Clair knotted it up with runs in the seventh and eighth. 2B Tony Mann and PH Stan Denton drove in the runs. Reliever Ben Crowley (1-1) pitched the ninth and caught the loss. La Claire (13-5) has the best record in the IPA and is the top team in the TBU West. The Buccaneers (5-12) have lost their last three and are in last place. Viks Rally Late, Top Frogs in 11 Bayview's Glenn Burns doubled home the go-ahead run in the eleventh to beat the Fairfax Frogs 5-4. Strong relief pitching save the day for the Vikings. Four pitchers combined to hold the Frogs scoreless the last three innings. Adrian Strom (2-1), normally a starter, was pressed into service by manager Walter Johanssen and notched the win. Takehide Takahashi (1-1) not only blew a save, but he got stuck with the loss, too. He gave up three runs in three innings and failed to hold a 4-2 lead in the ninth. Leading the Bayview 13-hit attack were shortstop Shorty Richards with 3-for-5 and two RBIs and first baseman Dwayne Coleman with two RBIs. Fairfax slipped into a second place tie with the Arlon Champions, both are 9-8 this season and trail the TBU West leader La Claire by 3.5 games. Bayview is in third, 4 games off the pace. Arlon and Blue Lake took the day off. The Blue Sox (7-10) are in fifth place and are 5.5 games in back of La Claire. |
I forgot to post the Players of the Week.
The Islandian Times April 30, 2001 Tycobbian Names #1 Player Cape Coral second baseman Roberto Betancourt won the TBU Player of the Week Award. He racked up 10 hits in 25 at-bats with 5 home runs and 11 RBIs for the week. Betancourt set an IPA record for 3 homers and 8 RBIs in a game in the 13-7 thrashing of Ozarka. So far this season he is hitting .313. Ruthlandian Union Announces Week's Top Player Belair Beach's catcher Denny Everhart hit everything in sight and was voted the RBU Player of the Week. he batted .522 for the week (12-23) with 4 home runs, 10 RBIs and 6 runs scored. Everhart is batting .362 this season. May 7, 2001 Week's #1 Player Honored by TBU Gregg Vincent, Fairfax's slugging first sacker, captured the TBU Player of the Week Award with a .364 batting average (12-33). His stats for the week included 4 roundtrippers, 9 RBIs and 8 runs scored. Thus far this year Vincent has hit at a .290 clip with 20 hits, 9 homers and 22 RBIs. Red-hot Rampage Reaps RBU Reward The RBU Player of the Week honors went to Elnora's hard-hitting second baseman, Gil Foster. He compiled a .500 batting average (13-26) with 2 homers, 5 RBIs and scored 9 times. Overall in 2001, Foster has hit .491 with 4 home runs and 13 RBIs. He has played in 16 games and scored 14 runs. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Tuesday, May 8, 2001 Ruthlandian Baseball Union RBU North Division Colfax Tightens RBU North Race In a big battle of RBU North contenders the third place Colfax Blasters broke open a tight game with a three-run ninth to beat first place Glasco 6-2. Flash Guidry (2-3) the division's top strikeout artist, fanned 7, walked only one and spread out 10 hits to defeat the A's. Lefty Charles Darby (2-1) was the loser as he allowed 9 hits and 3 runs in seven innings of work. His relief, Jeremiah McDonald, was jolted for a trio of runs in the ninth. The big blow of the inning was a two-run blast by Dennis Cole, his 5th of the year. Colfax unleashed 13 hits and were paced by LF Blinky Brandon with 3-for-5 and 3 RBIs, 2B Tucker Hill 4-for-5, including 2 doubles with 2 runs scored and an RBI and CF Tatsuya Sasaki, who went 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles. Glasco (11-6) is still in first with Valmara (11-7) and Colfax (10-8) close by. Zalewski Wins 4th Straight Two of the best hurlers in the IPA were pitted against one another today at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara. Zarek Zalewski was on the hill for the homestanding Vipers and Sonny Elliott for the Far Mountain Redhawks. Zalewski (4-0) was just too good. He fanned 7 batters and blanked the Redhawks 3-0 on just four hits for his 4th victory of the season. Elliott tossed a good game and in seven innnings allowed three runs and eight hits in defeat. Floyd Vinson, Jan Kazmarek and Jan Szymanski each drove in a run with Kazmarek's coming on a homer. Zalewski completely overwhelmed Far Mountain and snapped their three-game win skein. The Redhawks got into scoring position only twice in the contest. The Vipers (11-7) inched up to within a half-game of first place Glasco (11-6), while Far Mountain (9-9) dropped to the fourth spot and 2.5 games back in the tight RBU North Division. V's Outslug All-Stars It was a wild game at Silver River Stadium in Volusia. The hometown Vigilantes shot out to a 7-0 lead after five innings, Elnora rallied and evened it up at 7-7 after seven, then Volusia exploded in the eighth to make it 11-7 and they just barely hung on when the All-Stars came back with three in the ninth, But they fell short and lost it 11-10 to the V's. The teams set a new IPA mark for most doubles in a game with 9. Volusia has 6 and Elnora had 3. The old mark was 7. LF Jesus Arroyo led the slugfest with three hits and four RBIs, including a double and a home run. Scooter Perez hammered out four hits in 5 tries with 3 of them doubles. Perez tied the doubles record. He scored twice and drove in two. Lonnie Howard also had a pair of RBIs for the Vigilantes. Johnny Zumwalt went 4-for-5 for the All-Stars, while Harry Wright and Will Jackson each drove in three runs. There wasn't much pitching to speak of, but somebody had to get the win and somebody had to get the loss. Lenny Collins (1-0) was the winner and Stevie Howard (0-1) lost it. The triumph moved Volusia (7-12) out of last place in the RBU South, a half-game in front of Elnora (6-12), who was beaten for the fifth time in a row. RBU South Division Marston Moves into First Place Tie The winner of the game knew they would move up into a first place tie with the Sugar Valley Rattlers. And when the dust cleared from the diamond at Bayside Park in Belair Beach, the Marston Nine walked off the field with a 7-4 victory. Nick Pace (3-2) was the winning pitcher in spite of walking six batters. He only gave up four hits in seven innings and only two runs and left with a 6-2 lead. His relief Kenny Bagby got into trouble and was jolted around for two runs in the eighth until Milt Wilson came in and saved it. Johnny Berthold sparked the Nine offense with a homer, sac fly and 3 RBIs and Eddie Allen had three hits and two RBIs. The Sunbirds Dirk Garrett (1-4) absorbed the loss. Marston pounded him for 6 runs and 8 hits before he exited in the sixth. Nicky Swift clouted his 7th home run for Belair Beach. Marston (10-8) is now the RBU South co-leader with Sugar Valley (10-8) and the Sunbirds (9-9) are in a second place tie with Forest City, a game out of first. 'Jacks Edge Rattlers in 11 Forest City scored five unanswered times to rally for a 6-5 extra-inning win over Sugar Valley. The Lumberjacks recovered from a 5-1 deficit after four innings to win in the eleventh. Closer Gregg Neal (1-2) walked Chuck Hill with the bases loaded to send the first place Rattlers down to defeat. It was the fifth walk in the game for Hill, a new IPA mark. In all, Sugar Valley issued 11 walks, which toppled the old record set by Far Mountain on April 27. Hill and Benny Davis paced Forest City with 2 RBIs apiece. Davis got his on a two-run homer, number 5 on the year. Ricky Mitchell also slammed one for the 'Jacks. Cy Bartz doubled in two runs for Sugar Valley and pitcher Ron Benson slapped a two-run homer. Forest City got excellent relief work from Herm Bahr, Glenn Moore and winning pitcher Timmy Brooks (1-0). They held the Rattlers to just one hit over the last 7 innings. Sugar Valley is still atop the RBU South and tied with Marston, both have a 10-8 mark. Forest City evened their record at 9-9, just one game out of first place. Westerners Eke Out 11-Inning Win The Waleska Westerners made the tightly-bunched RBU South even tighter with an 11-inning win over Claxton at Avalon Stadium. Manager McGraw Johnson's ballclub is tied for second with Forest City and Belair Beach, just one game out of first. 1B Freddie Shelton was the hero with a game-winning two-run double off loser Chris Gallagher (0-2). That gave Andrei Marsiske (2-0) the victory. Shelton led Waleska with three RBIs and LF Charley Williamson rapped a two-run roundtripper. The Diamonds outhit the Westerners 16 to 12 with LF Winky Rush heading the list with three doubles and two RBIs and 2B Donny McCoy chalked up three hits, including a pair of doubles and two RBIs. Waleska (10-10) is tied with the Forest City Lumberjacks (9-9) and Belair Beach Sunbirds (9-9) for second place, one game in back of Sugar Valley (10-8) and Marston (10-8). |
You've got a fine league going, Eugene. I'm enjoying following along. Keep up the great work.
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Thanks for the nice words. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Tuesday, May 8, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union TBU East Division CC's Robinson Too Much for Z's 37-year-old vet Wally Robinson of Cape Coral pitched another jewel as he three-hit the Luxora Zorros 4-1. Robinson (4-1) snagged his fourth win of the year and finished up with 6 strikeouts and a pair of walks. It was the Hurricanes fifth straight victory and the Z's fourth consecutive defeat. On the losing side of the ledger was youngster Keith Callahan (1-2). The 20-year-old righthander had a decent outing, yielding 4 runs and 6 hits in 8 innings. Callahan walked only one and whiffed 6. Home runs cost him the game as first baseman Rodger Wooten, left fielder Rich Kelly and second baseman Roberto Betancourt accounted for all the runs. Cape Coral (12-6) remains in first place in the TBU East with Luxora (7-10) in the fifth spot, four game behind the leader. Hellcats No Match for Hatch Ozarka is on a roll. The Naturals have won five in a row with their latest victim being the Hartsdale Hellcats. Luther Hatch (4-1) whipped them 6-2 on a solid 6-hitter. Hatch chalked up his fourth win this season and had 6 strikeouts and one walk. Ozarka walloped three homers off loser Glenn Mann (2-2), who gave up only 4 hits, but was tagged for 4 runs in six innings. Second baseman Duane Starr, left fielder Ronnie Patterson and shortstop Gil Lantz all belted roundtrippers. In a lost cause second baseman Francisco Abreu got his 7th homer this year. The Naturals (11-7) kept pace with first place Cape Coral (12-6) in the TBU East Division and trail them by only one game. The Hellcats (9-8) are 2.5 games out and are in the third spot in the standings. Holliday Grand Slam Hammers Ninjas It has been a frustrating season for South Fork third sacker Glenn Holliday -- but not today -- he did what he is paid to do -- drive in runs. Holliday is batting only .234, but sent one into orbit with the bases full of South Fork Stallions to whack Ginza 6-2 today at Jock Ewing Stadium. He hit it off losing pitcher Vic Rousakis, who had a dismal day, giving up 4 hits and 6 runs in just 2 innings. The winner for the Stallions was Flint Battle (3-2). He stopped the Ninjas on 7 hits and went the route. Ginza (8-10) is in fourth place in the TBU East, four games out of first place, while South Fork (7-12) is still in last place. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Tuesday, May 8, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union TBU West Division West Brilliant, Fans 13 Champs Blue Lake's Bennie West (3-2) made chumps out of the Arlon Champs today at Derby Downs. He fanned 13 of them and held them to just two hits in a brilliant 2-0 shutout. The only runs in the game came in the top of the first when center fielder Donnie Frazier pounded a two-run homer. Arlon's Ace Howe (1-2) toiled 8 innings and only allowed four hits. He struck out six and walked two in a fine, but losing performance. "You know what he's going to throw. You know what to expect. And you still can't hit it," the Arlon skipper told reporters after the shutout loss. "He just had a real deceiving fastball today and he was throwing it for strikes." West tied the record for the most strikeouts in a game. He and Ozarka's Luther Hatch now share the IPA record with 13. He also matched the mark for fewest hits allowed. Gary Fountain of Cape Coral also held South Fork to just two hits on May 5th. Currently West has a record of 3-2 with 31 strikeouts and 10 walks in 41.1 innings and a 1.52 ERA. The Blue Sox (8-10) are in the fifth spot in the TBU West and Arlon (9-9) is third. The Champions trail first place La Claire by 3.5 games. Bucs Upend Lynx 5-1 First place La Claire ran into some good pitching from Bay St. Clair's Norm Gross and bit the dust 5-1. Gross (3-2) fired a strong game, holding the Lynx to six hits with six strikeouts and just one base on balls to end the Bucs three-game losing streak. Shortstop Chuck Hankins led the Buccaneers with a 3-for-4 day, including a homer, triple and four RBIs. The losing pitcher was starter Nickie Baumgartner (1-3). He went seven innings and allowed seven hits and three runs. Even with the loss, La Claire (13-6) still has a good lead in the TBU West Division. The Lynx are up by 2.5 games over second place Fairfax. Bay St. Clair (6-12) is in the basement and 6.5 games out. Frogs Blast Vikings Behind Dalton Four homers, 14 hits and dandy pitching by Jimmy Dalton was more than enough for Fairfax to beat the Bayview Vikings 9-2. Dalton (2-1) chunked a nice five-hitter and chalked up five strikeouts and three walks. He was also well-supported by right fielder Gregg Vincent, who went 3-5 with his 10th homer and 2 RBIs, while shortstop Warren Lee was 3-5 with his 3rd homer and 2 RBIs. Center fielder Billy Echevarria and catcher Rich Kelly chipped in their first roundtrippers of the season. The Vikings only punch came from first sacker Duane Coleman. He cracked two more out of the park to give him an IPA-high of 11 home runs. Loser Mike Jardoin (0-2) didn't last long, gave up five runs and six hits and left in the third inning. The Frogs (10-8) picked up a game on first place La Claire (13-6) and are 2.5 games off the pace. Bayview (9-10) is fourth in the TBU West standings, four games behind. |
The Islandian Times
Wednesday, May 9, 2001 GLASCO ATHLETICS Owner: Great Aberdeen Granite Company GM/Manager: McDuffie Hughes Glasco is a seaport town of 81,000 on the northwest coast of Ruthlandia, resting on a peninsula jutting out into Valdar Bay. It is known for offshore oil, shipping, shipbuilding, seafood and granite industries. Glasco was settled by Scots and is a prosperous cosmopolitan community. It is a historical old town with a beautiful skyline with centuries old granite structures, replete with quaint stone bridges and gates and numerous canals and waterways. Granite has been quarried in the area for well over a hundred years. A unique aspect of Glasco is the Heritage Trail, a painted green and blue line (colors taken from the town’s coat of arms) on ancient brick sidewalks that connects all the history of the town and serves as a walking tour. Historical markers retrace all the important events in the town’s history. One can see the past and the present on the Heritage Trail. Glasco’s gaslight district is known for its premier dining, shopping and entertainment. It is also home of the Glasco Athletics. The A’s have a long history of amateur baseball sponsored many years by the Aberdeen Granite Company. Now the professional ball club is owned by the Great Aberdeen Granite Company and plays in the Ruthlandia Baseball Union North Division of the Islandian Pro Alliance. Glasco plays at beautiful Athletics Field overlooking scenic Valdar Bay. It is one of the newest parks in the Islands, finished just in time for the 2001 inaugural IPA season. The right field wall is made of solid granite, and the team’s green and blue colors are proudly taken from the town's coat of arms. When the Glasconians take the seventh inning stretch, they begin with kilted Highlanders playing the traditional “Take me out to the ballgame” on bagpipes and end up by singing it all in unison with a wee bit of a Scottish brogue. Traditional ballpark fare and epicurean dishes are served at the concessions stands. Scottish delicacies like haggis (it’s great until you find out what’s in it) and hotch-potch (a sumptuous stew) are offered, along with many fine Scottish ales. And if Scottish dishes are not your cup of tea, traditional baseball foods and drink are provided, too. McDuffie Hughes is the GM and manager of the Glasco Athletics. He was a fine outfielder for the Aberdeen Granites, one of the premier industrial teams in Ruthlandia. He played for the company, then after his playing days were over, managed the team. And still does, now that they have gone pro. Athletics Field (2000) Capacity: 9,500 Dimensions: LF Line 327 LF 350 LCF 375 CF 405 RCF 370 RF 350 RF Line 330 |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Wednesday, May 9, 2001 Ruthlandian Baseball Union RBU North Division A's Clip Colfax 3-2 Kenny Metcalf came to the rescue of starter Ernie McCain in the Glasco 3-2 victory over Colfax at Athletics Field. He tossed two innings of hitless ball to nail down the save, his first of the season. McCain (2-0) got credit for the win. He pitched into the seventh, yielding nine hits and both runs. Alex Castille (3-1) caught the loss for the Blasters, although he deserved better. Castille hurled seven innings and allowed only one earned run and left trailing 3-1. Right fielder Jose Valenzuela and second baseman Barry McCord each had two hits and two RBIs for the Athletics. Glasco (12-6) protected their narrow half-game lead over second place Valmara (12-7). The A's are on top of the RBU North standings, while Colfax (10-9) held on to third place, 2.5 games behind. Vipers Rout Redhawks The Valmara Vipers went on a 16-hit rampage and routed the Far Mountain Redhawks 10-3, snapping their three-game winning streak. Todd Turner (3-2) went the distance for the win, scattering 9 hits and striking out 7. First baseman Yank Jankowski ripped a grand slam and drove in 5 runs to spark the Vipers. Shortstop Mike Ellefsen banged out 3 hits in 4 at-bats with two RBIs and two runs scored. Left fielder Louis Sharp also contributed 3 hits. Valmara tied the IPA record with three triples in the game. Belair Beach set the record on May 4. The Redhawks turned three double plays to tie the league record. There were five in the game and this also tied the league mark. The Vipers (12-7) are in second place in the RBU North and Far Mountain (9-10) is sitting in fourth place. Elnora Nips Volusia V's Third baseman Richie Franklin walloped a tie-breaking two-run homer in the eighth inning off Lenny Collins to spark the Elnora All-Stars to 7-5 victory over Volusia. Sean Sykes (3-1) walked away a winner with the help of closer Wally Tidwell, who clamped down on the Vigilantes and retired them in order in the last two frames for his initial save of the season. The All-Stars outhit the V's nine to seven. Franklin, second baseman Gil Foster and catcher Todd Simons all pushed across two runs. Chaco Rivera, second sacker for Volusia, had three RBIs. The losing pitcher was Lenny Collins (1-1). The Elnora All-Stars (7-12) put an end to their five-game losing streak and pushed Volusia (7-13) into the cellar. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Wesnesday, May 9, 2001 Ruthlandian Baseball Union RBU South Division Lumberjacks Cut Down Sugar Valley Forest City pounded Sugar Valley 9-5 at Riverside Stadium. Leading the hit barrage was second sacker Jesse Wolf with six RBIs and three hits, including a pair of roundtrippers. Wolf has hit 6 this year. Also contributing to the rout was center fielder Ryan Morse with three hits and four runs scored and left fielder Chuck Hill with three hits. Catcher Paul Bailey clouted a three-run homer for the Rattlers. Gene Stuart (2-1) tossed a complete game, but it was rough going for the first five innings. He surrendered five runs in five innings, but settled down and blanked Sugar Valley the rest of the game. Overall Stuart permitted nine hits, fanned five and walked only one. Phil Howard (1-1) was the loser. The Lumberjacks got rid of him with a five-run first. Forest City and Sugar Valley have identical 10-9 records. They are in a four-way deadlock for first place in the RBU South with Marston (10-9) and Belair Beach (10-9) with Waleska (11-10) only two percentage points behind. Sunbirds Takes 10-Inning Thriller from Marston It was the pitchers time to shine at Bayside Park in Belair Beach in the Sunbirds 1-0 ten-inning victory over Marston. Belair Beach only had 6 hits, while Marston only got 5. The game was finally decided when right fielder Matty McDermott worked a walk off losing pitcher Milt Wilson (0-2) with two away in the bottom of the tenth. McDermott then stole second base and came around to score the winning run on a single by left fielder Nicky Swift. Closer Lou Zanelli (2-0) gained the win with a scoreless inning. Sunbird starter Troy Wilson fired nine excellent innings, allowing only 5 hits, while striking out 6 and walking one. He was matched by Marston's Bob Lowe, Kenny Bagby and Phil Azard. Lowe went out with an injury in the fifth. He will be out eight weeks with ligament damage. That's a big loss for manager Johnny Walters and the Marston Nine. Bagby and Azard hurled hitless ball through the ninth. Lowe is 1-2 with a 3.27 ERA in four starts this season. He has also relieved twice. Belair Beach's win made it a four-way tie for the top spot in the crowded RBU South race. The Sunbirds, Marston, Sugar Valley and Forest City all have 10-9 records. Waleska Wallops Claxton Waleska came on strong in the late innings to whip the Claxton Diamonds 7-3. Trailing 3-1 going into the seventh frame, the Westerners scored 6 times in the last three innings to move into a virtual five-way tie for the top spot in the RBU South Division. Smokey Joe Carter (3-3) had a solid outing. He fanned four, walked none and scattered 9 hits. Pinchhitter Big Hoss Burkhalter evened the score at 3-all with a seventh inning single. First baseman Freddie Shelton moved Waleksa ahead 4-3 with a double in the eighth and right fielder Charley Williamson bashed a three-run homer in the ninth. Philip Britt ((0-1) suffered the loss by giving up 4 runs in 3 innings. Waleska improved to 11-10 on the season and is in second place by a few percentage points. The Westerners trail the co-leaders Sugar Valley, Marston, Forest City and Belair Beach. All of them have 10-9 marks. Claxton is last in the division at 7-12. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Wednesday, May 9, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union TBU East Division Ozarka Zaps Hellcats 13-3 18 hits, six doubles, two home runs and some fine pitching parlayed into a 13-3 runaway win for the Ozarka Naturals over the Hartsdale Hellcats at Ellie Ewing Stadium. The Nats are now tied with Cape Coral for the TBU East lead. Ted Didriksen (3-1) went the distance, restricted the Hellcats to just four hits and fanned five. And second baseman Duane Starr, third baseman Doug Cunningham, right fielder Denny Little and center fielder Teddy Braun supplied the firepower. Starr and Little delivered four RBIs each, Cunningham batted in three and left fielder Ronnie Patterson had two. Cunningham whacked a three-run shot and Little hit a two-run homer. Todd Seals and Mel Poe homered for Hartsdale in defeat. Jim Sears (1-2) caught the loss as he was racked for six runs in three innings. Ozarka has now won six successive games and is 12-7 this season, while Hartsdale has dropped four straight and is third with a 9-9 mark. Z's Squeeze by CC Fifth place Luxora finally won a game and first place Cape Coral finally lost one. The Zorros stopped a four-game drought with a narrow 4-3 triumph over the Hurricanes, who lost for the first time in six games. The defeat, however, put Cape Coral in a first place tie with Ozarka. Pinchhitter Claudio Ordonez delivered a clutch two-run single in the last of the eighth and made a loser out of Katsuyuki Nagashima (0-2). The victory went to closer Roberto Martinez (2-0), who relieved starter Johnny Montel in the eighth. Chris Pierce set down Cape Coral in the ninth for his first save. First baseman Paul Hallenbeck had the other two RBIs for the Z's with a first inning twobagger. Luxora's Montel hurled seven innings, allowed seven hits, three runs, struck out three and issued one base on balls. Cape Coral's starting pitcher Gary Fountain only gave up two runs and three hits in seven innings. He struck out five and walked five. Fountain departed with a 3-2 lead, but Nagashima blew it. The Hurricanes (12-7) are still in the top spot in the TBU East Division standings, but are now tied with Ozarka (12-7), while the Zorros (8-10) trail in fifth place, 3.5 games off the pace. SF Hangs On, Nips Ninjas 8-7 The South Fork Stallions found out that a 7-0 lead is not as safe as you think. They just barely hung on to nip the Ginza Ninjas 8-7 at Jock Ewing Stadium for their third straight victory. It took a fine relief job by Billy Joe Gordon to put a halt to the Ginza comeback. He came on in the sixth for the struggling Booger Burchfield and held the Ninjas to just one run. It was Gordon's first save. South Fork leaped out with five runs in the first off loser Buddy Hart (1-2). Hart didn't last an inning. Left fielder Paul Giles had a great day at the plate with two homers and five RBIs to top the Stallions attack. Pacing Ginza was pinchhitter Earl Conley, third baseman Toshiro Nomura and right fielder Charley Campbell. They each slugged home runs. Ninja center fielder Takashi Fujimoto rapped out two hits and drove in two runs. It was the Ninjas third loss in a row. Ginza (8-11) is in fifth place in the TBU East, four games behind first place Cape Coral and Ozarka. South Fork is last with an 8-12 record. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Wednesday, May 9, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union TBU West Division Bucs Robinson Blanks Lynx Bay St. Clair southpaw Gary Robinson spun a 6-hit shutout against La Claire, whipping them 4-0. It was the Bucs second win in a row. In an outstanding effort Robinson (2-2) had his way with the league-leading Lynx. He was rarely in trouble and finished up with six strikeouts and no walks. Second baseman Tony Mann belted a two-run homer and catcher Jake Singleton and third baseman Bobby Tracy drove in the other two scores. Pat Daniels (2-2) was the losing pitcher. He left after five innings and was responsible for all four runs. La Claire (13-7) is still in first place in the TBU West and the Buccaneers (7-12) are still in the cellar. Viks Outscore Frogs 9-8 Bayview built us a nice 9-4 lead after seven innings, but then had to hold on for dear life as the Fairfax Frogs rallied and made it close. The Vikings didn't cave in and were victorious 9-8. And the main reason they won was because of the bat of center fielder Phil Kanaan, who went 4-for-4 with two homers, a double and seven RBIs, a career day for him. First baseman Gregg Vincent and shortstop Warren Lee made it close for the Frogs. Vincent hit two roundtrippers and drove in four runs and Lee drilled a home run and a double to drive in a pair of runs. Both teams could have used a little pitching today. Fairfax (10-9) is in the second spot in the division, while Bayview (10-10) is third. Sox Slip by Champs 6-4 Donnie Bullock kept Arlon at bay for seven innings and then Russ Courtney finished them off. Blue Lake slipped by the Arlon Champions 6-4 at Derby Downs Park. Bullock, a 6'4" lefty, had baffling stuff and stopped the Champs on just two hits, both homers, but issued five walks. Still he limited them to just three runs in seven innings. Courtney worked the last two innings to get his second save and gave up a hit and no runs. Pete Edgar (0-3) absorbed the loss as he was ripped for four runs and eight hits in six innings. The Blue Sox banged out 11 hits and were sparked by right fielder Fred Collins with 2-for-5, including a double, home run and three RBIs, Second baseman Dandy Wilson chipped in two doubles and two RBIs. For Arlon center fielder Jerry Keller got his 9th roundtripper and catcher Smoke Zakharov hit his third. Blue Lake and Arlon both are 9-10 for the season and are tied for fourth place in the TBU West Division, 3.5 games behind the first place La Claire Lynx. |
A special thanks to Raideroo for writing an excellent town history for Valmara.
The Islandian Times Wednesday, May 9, 2001 Valmara Vipers Owner: Viper Offshore Services, headed by Capt. Stanislaw Lem, Ruthlandia Navy (ret) GM/Mgr: J. Jackson Samuel Valmara is located in the northeastern part of Valdar Island, a port town of 81,000 people on Valmara Bay, an excellent deep water harbor. A clash of a warm Valerian Ocean current and a cold Kelnyck Ocean provides for heavy early morning fogs. Valmara is noted for the Valdarian Military Academy, a college for about three hundred cadets and midshipmen studying for future service in the Ruthlandian Navy. Valmara has never been considered a pleasant place to live, with rocky soil, thick ocean fogs, and moss growing everywhere. If not for its wonderful port, no one in their right mind would live there. The harbor and the port have brought commerce and jobs. The prime industries of Valmara revolve around the sea, be it catching and processing fish, servicing deep ocean oil rigs, or supporting the four-ship navy of Ruthlandia. Valmara was a very driftwood kind of town up through the year 1945. The end of World War II changed this forever. During the Second World War, Ruthlandia was swept up in the maelstrom in the nations first and only war. The nation sent a regiment and fighter squadron to Italy, where they served with the 2nd Polish Corps at Monte Cassino. After the war, many Poles opted not to return to their Soviet-occupied nation, and several hundred emigrated to Ruthlandia. Many of the ex-soldiers did not go far past Valmara when they got off the boat. Over the next four decades, 10 or 20 Polish families a year would emigrate (or escape) from behind the Iron Curtain to Ruthlandia. After two generations of migration and birth, more than half of the town is of Polish descent. The Valmara Vipers are owned by Capt. Stanislaw Lem, RN (ret.) of Viper Offshore Services. He is not related to the noted author of the same name, which often causes non-native reporters much trouble. The owner likes to be called "The Captain" in public. Lem made a small fortune after his navy career operating ships and helicopters that serve offshore oil rigs. Thanks to the recent spike of oil prices, his company's profits have gone through the roof. The Captain had no problem coming up with money to buy a franchise in the Islandian Pro Alliance, the first pro baseball league in the Islands history. Valmara plays in the Ruthlandian Baseball Union in the North Division. The Valmara Vipers will play their games at historic old War Memorial Stadium. Amateur and industrial league teams have used it for years. It is dedicated to the memory of the 121 men from Ruthlandia killed in action in the Italian campaign during the Second World War. It is a old stadium built for football and soccer, but improvised and used for baseball since 1946. The Captain commissioned noted architectural company HOK to renew the old park into a suitable baseball park. He spared no expense in updating the old stadium with modern technology and conveniences. Yet it still retains the charm of an old stadium. War Memorial Stadium has heavy, salt air winds that blow in for most of the spring summer, which tends to favor pitchers at times. Game day Experience: Like many successful immigrants, the people of Valmara have fiercely adopted the values of their new nation. Valmara's flag is navy blue and green. In Valmara, it's just taken to a ridiculous extreme. The team’s colors are navy blue and green. So are the water towers, the dockyard cranes, the street signs and the new city hall. Captain Lem wanted to build a new ballpark, but the city fathers persuaded him to just refurbish the old stadium in the old part of town to be an anchor for a new mixed residential-commercial district. Civic pride got the best of the Captain and he agreed to use War Memorial Stadium. The civic renewal project has paid off in spades. Because there is little parking nearby, fans have to walk nearly a quarter mile to the park. On the way, they are treated to a dozen new restaurants, bars, and pubs. The integration into the neighborhood is considered to be charming. The revitalization project has brought a good deal of commerce and energy into the east side of town. The worst of the neighborhood was torn down. The city fathers have expanded the renovations and giving the old town a new look. Food: Fans love to scarf down bigos and rye bread at cafes adjacent to the ballpark. Inside the park, everyone loves perogis. Several years ago, The Captain persuaded Mama Kolski's Restaurant (home of the best perogis in town) to open a stand at his new ballpark and it was a big hit. Beer sales are strictly regulated by city ordinance to two beers per person. This is due to the locals’ love of pale lagers that are 9% alcohol. Also, for a strange unknown reason, draft Coors is a trendy choice. Ambiance: Music at the ballpark is best described as LOUD. The Captain had a very modern, very powerful sound system at the refurbished stadium. More than a decade ago, a sound system operator substituted the Village People's "In the Navy" for the traditional "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh inning stretch and started a new tradition. It was a college night at an industrial league game, with plenty of middies from Valdarian Military Academy on hand and many crewmembers from the frigates Viper and Foxx. It was a smash hit, no doubt fuelled by a hot autumn evening, cold pale lager and the nine-run Viper lead. Since then, "In the Navy" has been played during the seventh inning stretch of every game save one -- the first game at the revamped War Memorial Stadium. The Captain hates the tune and thought with the public reopening that the club could stop playing that vile song. During the Vipers first exhibition game this year, the fans nearly rioted and the stadium's debut was marred with a near five minute interruption of boos before play resumed. Wisely, The Captain made a quick command decision and allowed "In the Navy" to be played during the 8th inning break...and during every game since. Of course, the Captain saw to it that "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" was restored to its revered seventh inning spot. In the navy Yes, you can sail the seven seas In the navy Yes, you can put your mind at ease In the navy Come on now, people, make a stand In the navy, in the navy Can't you see we need a hand In the navy Come on, protect the motherland In the navy Come on and join your fellow man In the navy Come on people, and make a stand In the navy, in the navy, in the navy (in the navy) Mascot The Captain (he considers himself a traditionalist) did not believe in having a mascot until he put his own money into the old ball park. At that point, he had to figure out how to attract every dollar possible from every fan possible. So Vippy and Vippa Viper came into being. They parade around the ballpark entertaining the fans and leading cheers, dances and songs. Viper fans are noted for hissing at the umpires and the opposing teams. The Captain sells a lot Vippy and Vippa apparel and memorabilia...even rents them out to for birthday parties at the stadium, when the team is on the road. History Baseball on Valdar Island had a late beginning. Due to the Island topography, climate and lack of mineral deposits was not as desirable as the Ruthlandian mainland, so it was bypassed by the immigrants until about 1910, when the towns of Valmara, Ancona, Kilkenny and Ranford sprang up. From 1910 to 1920, touring amateur baseball teams from the mainland would play games from time to time and the game was introduced slowly. But it did catch on. In a desire to assimilate with the rest of the country, where baseball was like a religion, the Valdarians took to the game with passion and fervor. Amateur baseball clubs and company-based teams began to organize in the 1920s. By the mid-1940's the Valdar Island baseball was as good as the Mainland. The Valmara Vipers trace their history from the frigate Viper, which had a team in the Naval League in the 1940's. When the amateur league players became semi-pros in the 1950s and worked and played baseball for companies, the Vipers were sponsored by Marine Midland Bank. The Captain played baseball for his service team in the 1960s and was active in the industrial leagues as a sponsor in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Since Captain Lem had been the captain of the frigate Viper in the late 1960s, when it came to naming his IPA franchise, it was a no-brainer. The Valmara Vipers were born. War Memorial Stadium (1946) Capacity: 9,595 Dimensions: LF Line 330 LF 350 LCF 380 CF 400 RCF 370 RF 330 RF Line 309 |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Thursday, May 10, 2001 Ruthlandian Baseball Union RBU North Division Schoenfeld Puts Vipers on Top in RBU North Valmara's Paul Schoenfeld (1-2) stood high on the hill in more ways than one. The 6'5" righthander throttled Far Mountain 2-1 on just four hits and struck out a career high 11. The only run he gave up was on Shirai Kobayashi's 3rd roundtripper. John Luzzatti (1-2) lost it, but tossed a solid game. He surrendered seven hits in six innings and allowed both runs, only one of which was earned. The winning run scored when first baseman Josh Swift dropped an infield fly in the sixth. The other Viper run came in on Jan Szymanski's fielder's choice in the fifth. It was Valmara's third consecutive victory over Far Mountain (9-11). Coupled with Glasco's defeat by Colfax, that put the Vipers (13-7) into first place in the RBU North, a half-game ahead of the Athletics. The Redhawks are fourth and trail by four. Blasters Nose Out Glasco The game went down to the wire and the Colfax Blasters came up with the big play at the right time to nose out Glasco 5-4. The A's loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but couldn't pull it out. They had their clean-up hitter up, big Ox Beauvais, to face closer Pat Langlois and he hit a hard shot to shortstop Wayne O'Reilly, who snagged it, stepped on second and threw to first to complete the double play and send Colfax home the winner. The Blasters had led at one time 5-0 as they got a good outing from winning pitcher Greg Forrest (3-1), who allowed only two runs in six innings. Forrest walked one and fanned four, but tired at that point and was taken out by manager Clem Rogers. Langlois got his second save of the year. Jesse Balfour (2-2) was tagged with the loss. He surrendered four runs in five innings with no walks and six strikeouts. The A's outhit Colfax 10 to 6 in the contest. The eventual winning run came in the sixth on O'Reilly's solo homer. Third baseman Rick Atlkins and shortstop Zach Byorvik each hit two-run homers to account for all of Glasco's scores. With the loss, the Athletics (12-7) slipped to second in the RBU North, a half-game behind Valmara (13-7). Colfax (11-9) is holding down the third spot, just two games back. Tinker Toys with Vigilantes Southpaw John Tinker (2-2) got a good 4-0 lead early and made it stand up as the Elnora All-Stars beat the Volusia Vigilantes 6-3. He allowed nine hits, but was strong with runners on base. The All-Stars put up four runs in the opening frame against loser Hank Massey (2-3), who left after three innings. Rusty Gilbert singled in the first one, Rick Tsoukalis doubled in two more and Paul Kesler plated the last one. That was all Elnora needed. Kesler got a solo homer in the ninth for his second RBI of the game. Chaco Rivera was the V's top hitter with a home run and a sac fly to drive in two runs. Elnora (8-12) remains in fifth place in the RBU North, while Volusia (7-14) is in last place. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Thursday, May 10, 2001 Ruthlandian Baseball Union RBU South Division Nine Nudges Sunbirds in 14th Both teams were running out of pitchers and players -- a total of 40 had been used -- when Marston slipped past Belair Beach 6-5 in fourteen innings to stay tied with Sugar Valley for the top spot in the RBU South. They got to Slim Mosley (2-2) for two runs in the top of the fourteen, when Chuck Barrett slugged a solo homer, Ken Green doubled and then scored on Roland Thomas' single to send the Nine ahead 6-4. The Sunbirds made a valiant try in the last of the fourteenth, but fell one run short. Two bases on balls by Nick Price kept them alive. Alex Frisard made it 6-5 with an RBI-single off Jorge Bonilla. Then Matty McDermott ended the game when he grounded out to short. Frisard and Dom Corbelli each had three hits for Colfax with Frisard driving in a run and scoring twice, while Corbelli had a pair of RBIs. The top two teams in the division, Marston and Sugar Valley, have identical 11-9 marks and lead runner-up Waleska (12-10) by just a few percentage points and fourth place Belair Beach (10-10) and Forest City (10-10) by a scant game. Sugar Valley Slips Past Lumberjacks 3-1 Sugar Valley finally got the best of Forest City after three straight losses with a hard-earned 3-1 triumph. Harvey Hines (3-1) secured the win with a six-hitter, fanning three and walking three in the process. Working in relief, Nick Marceau (0-1) lost it in the ninth, when he gave up a two-out triple to Ken Arnold and an RBI single to pinchhitter Freddie Vaux. With Cy Bartz at the plate, Vaux stole second and then scored on his single. Gregg Neal picked up his third save with a scoreless ninth. The 'Jacks starting pitcher Vince Edelman hurled an impressive seven innings and allowed only one run and four hits. In the super-tight RBU South, the Rattlers (11-9) are deadlocked with Marston (11-9) for the top spot in the division, while Forest City (10-10) and Belair Beach (10-10) are fourth, only one game off the pace. Westerners Win Third Straight over Diamonds The Westerners took the contest 5-4 with the help of shoddy play by the Diamonds, who committed two costly errors. Claxton gave Waleska the game in the ninth with an unearned run. Freddie Shelton got new life on throwing error by third sacker Mac Smith. With Shelton on second, Johnny McNeil singled in the game-winner off losing pitcher Chris Gallagher (0-3). Winning pitcher Buddy Kennedy (1-0) was superb again in relief. Waleska's closer has yet to allow a run in 13 innings. Shelton, the Westerners first baseman, smacked a three-run shot in the opening frame, while Winky Rush and Dixie Baker had solo roundtrippers for Claxton. Waleska (12-10) inched closer to the top of the RBU South. The Westerners are just percentage points out of first behind the Sugar Valley Rattlers (11-9) and the Marston Nine (11-9). Claxton (7-13) is having a rocky start this season and are in the basement, four games back. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Thursday, May 10, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union TBU East Division 'Canes Takes Z's 4-3 in 11 After trailing 3-0 Luxora after five innings, Cape Coral creeped back to win it in eleven innings 4-3. First baseman Rodger Wooten drilled a double off losing pitcher Roberto Martinez (2-1) to score James Middleston from third. Doug Lyons (1-2) tossed two scoreless innings for the victory. It was a well-pitched game as starters Owen Pruitt (Hurricanes) and Francisco Fernandes (Luxora) both worked eight innings. Fernandes departed in the ninth, when he gave up a lead-off triple to pinchhitter Bobo Hatfield. Martinez came in from the bullpen and wild-pitched the tying run in. He pitched well and gave up only one run in three inning and struck out four batters. There were two homers in the game. Right fielder Tom Fortunato jacked out his 3rd for the Z's -- it was a two-run shot in the first inning. Left fielder Rod Kelly collected his 6th of the season in the eighth to bring Cape Coral within one run, 3-2. The Hurricanes (13-7) are back leading the TBU East with a game lead over second place Ozarka. Luxora (8-11) is in the fifth spot in the division standings and trail Cape Coral by 4.5 games. Hellcats Snap Nats 6-Game Win Streak All things, both good and bad, must come to an end as Hartsdale put an end to Ozarka's six-game winning streak 5-2 and at the same time stopped their four-game losing streak. The Hellcats used a trio of pitchers to do it. Phil Reed (4-0) got credit for the victory and held the Naturals to just one hit and no runs over the first five frames, but was taken out in the sixth because of pain in his lower back. Roger Graves retired the side in the sixth and left for a pinchhitter and closer Gene Young got his third save, despite giving up a two-run triple to Teddy Braun in the eighth. Ozarka's Louie Ray suffered the defeat, allowing five runs and eight hits, before being knocked out in the four-run seventh. Right fielder Marty Poe paced the Hellcats at bat with three RBIs and his third roundtripper. Third baseman Whiz Weaver also had a two-run home run, number three for him on the year. The defeat dropped Ozarka (12-8) down to second place, one game behind TBU East leader, the Cape Coral Hurricanes (13-7). Third place Hartsdale is now 10-10 and three games out of first. Ninjas Upend Stallions The Ginza Ninjas put a stop to their three-game losing streak at Jock Ewing Stadium in South Fork. They upended the Stallions 7-3 behind the strong outing of Kojiro Matsumoto (3-0). He stymied them on two runs and four hits in seven innings for his third successive victory. Ginza cranked out a 15-hit attack, led by left fielder Ronnie Graf (3-5) and catcher Katsuya Noguchi (3-5), both with a home run, two runs scored and an RBI. First baseman Kenshin Yamamoto was 2-for-5 with a two-run blast. Leading 4-3, the Ninjas broke the game open in the ninth with three runs off Ken Conner. Starter Jerry Harrison (1-2) was tagged with the loss. He yielded three runs in five innings. South Fork only had five hits in the game. Ginza (9-11) is in fourth place in the TBU East race, while the Stallions (8-13) are still in the cellar. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Thursday, May 10, 2001 Tycobbian Baseball Union TBU West Division Lynk Defeat Bucs 5-3 The top club in the TBU West put together timely hitting and good bullpen pitching to break its brief two-game losing skein. The La Claire Lynx got by the cellar-dwelling Bay St. Clair Buccaneers 5-3 today. Closer Monoto Kishata nailed down his IPA-leading fifth save with three perfect innings. He came on for the tiring Nick Pilsner in the seventh. Pilsner struck out seven, but also walked seven. He was touched for three runs and five hits. The Lynx racked up five runs and seven hits off loser Sean Lawrence, sending him on an early exit in the fifth. A four-run fourth did the most damage. La Claire second baseman Darrell Boyce led manager Rip Calkin's crew with a homer and two RBIs. Catcher Dennis Weiss added three hits and batted in two runs. The Lynx are now 14-7 and have the best record in the IPA divisions. Bay St. Clair (7-13) is last in the TBU West. Frogs Boom Past Vikings It was a free-swinging day at Downtown Plaza Stadium in Bayview where visiting Fairfax got the best of it 11-7. The Frogs battered four Viking pitchers for 15 hits, including five homers and four doubles. Third baseman Stan Cobb hit two of them and batted in four runs, right fielder Gregg Vincent had two roundtrippers and three RBIs and catcher Larry Novikov hit one, too. Vincent leads the IPA with 14 home runs and 31 RBIs, while Cobb has 6 homers. Lefthander Jackie Leslie (3-2) labored, but picked up the win. He left in the eighth after permitting six runs and nine hits. Adrian Strom (2-2) was shelled for seven runs and nine hits and went to the shower in the fourth. Bay St. Clair first baseman Keith Burke went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs. He got his first homer this season. Second place Fairfax upped their record to 11-9 in the TBU West division, 2.5 games off the pace of first place La Claire. Bayview (10-11) is fourth. Sox Clay 4-Hits Champs For the third day in succession Blue Lake knocked off the Arlon at Derby Downs Park. Big Jay Clay (2-1) crafted a fine four-hitter and beat the Champions 8-1. Except for one home run by second baseman Nicky Sweet, he hurled an almost flawless game, striking out four and walking just one. The Blue Sox backed him up with 16 hits, sparked by shortstop Cy Orgeron with a three-run homer and four RBIs. Third baseman Dave Reed went 3-for-5 and put one in the stands, too. Five other players had two hits apiece, including Clay. Craig Smith (2-2) was charged with the loss as Blue Lake got to him for four runs and seven hits in five innings. The Blue Sox (10-10) are on a roll and have climbed up to third place in the TBU West. Arlon (9-11)has dropped to fifth in the standings. |
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