THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, September 19, 2047

2047 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - GAME 2

Ruthlandian Union

WHEELHOUSE EVENS SERIES WITH 1-0 JEWEL
In another magnificent display of super pitching Larry Wheelhouse evened up the Ruthlandian Division Championship Series with Marston at one game each with a splendid 1-0 shutout in game two... the 32-year-old left-hander limited the Nine to just five hits, walked three and whiffed five, while going the distance... Wheelhouse (1-0) even drove in the only run of the game with a two-out single in the top of the fourth inning... Rick Jackson scored the winning run.

The Marston starter John Newton (0-1) was outstanding, too... he only gave up one run on nine hits in eight innings, issued just two walks and had five strikeouts... Middlefield got 11 hits, but standed 14 runners... RF Sidney Conner (.364) and 3B Rick Jackson (.400) led the Roosters with two hits each.

REDHAWKS TRIM SUNBIRDS 7-5, SERIES TIED
Lousy defense burned Marston in game two of the RU DCS... the Nine committed four errors, gave up three unearned runs and fell to the Far Mountain Redhawks 7-5... the series is now tied at one game apiece... the Redhawks snapped a 5-5 deadlock in the last of the seventh when Jose Munoz made an errant pickoff throw that allowed Todd Purdom to score from third base... Munoz made three miscues in the game... an error by third baseman Bobby Teigen (.286) also gave Far Mountain an insurance run in the eighth.

Far Mountain also had questionable defense with a pair of errors that cost them three runs... Jonas Grover (1-0) was the winner... he worked eight innings, surrendering five runs on eight hits and totaled eight strikeouts and one walk... closer Fernando Sanches retired the Nine in order in the ninth for the save... Munoz (0-1) was banged around for seven runs on eight hits and took the loss.

Belair Beach blew a 5-0 lead after two and a half innings and allowed Far Mountain to rally for the victory... CF Todd Purdom (.500) sparked the Redhawks with two hits, two runs and an RBI... Purdom homered in the fourth... 1B Benjy Donahue (.750) pitched in with three hits, scored a run and batted one in... and RF Bert Richter (.333) cracked a two-run double... Far Mountain collected eight hits.

The Sunbirds also had eight hits with SS Laurens Vanderhoek (.500) getting two of them... C Robbie Coleman (.143) homered and scored twice... and 3B Bobby Teigen (.286) drove in a pair of runs... RF Shannon Stewart (.333) and 2B Kaoru Taniguchi (.375) each scored a run and had an RBI.

Tycobbian Union

SOUTHPORT SLIMS BY HELLCATS 4-3 IN 11 INNINGS
Southport bounced back from a 3-0 five-inning deficit to defeat defending Pro Cup champ Hartsdale for the second day in a row... the Sun Sox tied it up 3-3 in the last of the ninth on a homer by 3B Craig Glennon (.500) and won it 4-3 in the 11th when C Visalis Vlachos (.333) singled in SS Gonzalo Topez (.250) with the game-winner... closer Hal Combs (1-0) registered the win by getting the final four outs in relief of starter Johnny Swanson, who went nine and two-thirds innings, allowed three runs on seven hits... only two of them were earned.

Dave Payne (0-1) caught the loss as he was touched for four runs on six hits in his 10 innings... Both clubs had eight hits apiece... Glennon (.500), Topez (.250) and 1B Eddie Douglas (.375) numbered two hits each for the Sun Sox, while 1B Myrt Breland (833) paced the Hellcats with four base hits... Glennon has homered in both games of the series.

KELSO AND STEVENS' 3 HR TOO MUCH FOR WILDCATS
Game two of the Tycobbian Division Series at Red Bluff Park was a homer fest with five roundtrippers... David Kelso cracked two and Josh Stevens one to lead the Red Sox to a 4-3 triumph over the Kenwood Wildcats, who got a pair of dingers from Billy Nix and Ian Collingham... the series is now tied up at a game for each club... Mickey Rosen (1-0) fashioned the win, permitting three runs on eight hits, while striking out five and walking nobody... Rusty Bradford (0-1) went the route and was the loser... he was popped for four runs and six hits.

The Red Sox got the winning runs in the last of the sixth... trailing 3-1, 1B Stevens (.222) tied it with a two-run smash, then RF Kelso (.556) boomed the game-winner, his second of the game... Kelso had three RBIs and three hits...LF Collingham (.750) delivered three hits for Kenwood and Nix (.625) socked a pair... in the fourth Nix hit a two-run shot and Collingham got a solo blast.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 20, 2047

2047 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - GAME 3

Ruthlandian Union

MARSTON MAULS MIDDLEFIELD 8-2, UP 2-1 IN SERIES
Game three of the Ruthlandian Division Series went to the Marston Nine, who mauled Middlefield on the Roosters' home field 8-2 by smashing three roundtrippers and getting a standout mound performance from Kelly Long... the win gave the Nine a two to one edge in the best-of-seven series.

Long (1-0), the number three starter, went all the way, holding the hard-hitting Roosters to just two runs on five hits... Gary Armitage (.167) hammered a two-run homer in the first frame, Stan Mila (.400) added a solo shot in the fourth and Stan Davis (.625) went deep in the fifth... the Nine racked up 12 hits, led by Mila and Davis with three each.

Carroll Collier (0-1) was the loser... Marston ripped him for six runs and eight hits in just three innings... Collier was behind 6-0 when he went to the showers.

SUNBIRDS' ROY STOPS REDHAWKS 6-3 FOR SERIES LEAD
Ronnie Roy stepped it up a notch in his first ever postseason appearance... the chubby Belair Beach right-hander checked Far Mountain on five hits in a 6-3 victory to give the Sunbirds a two games to one edge in the series... Roy walked three and fanned four for the upset-minded Sunbirds, who have been given little chance to beat the Redhawks, who paced the IPA with 101 wins this season... starter Stan Smith (0-1) was the loser... he was battered for six runs and 11 hits and exited in the fifth inning.

Sparking the Belair Beach 13-hit attack were 1B Jason Butler (.385) with three hits, two runs and two RBIs, C Robbie Coleman (.300) with two hits, two RBIs and a run scored, and LF Andy Williams (.333/ with a pair of hits and two RBIs... Far Mountain only got five hits... led by 2B Rodger Hawkins (.154) and C Joel McDaniel (.250), each with one run driven in.

Tycobbian Union

HELLCATS YOUNGER STOPS SUN SOX 3-1
Defending IPA Pro Cup champion Hartsdale had their backs to the wall going into game three of the Tycobbian Division Series... the Hellcats had lost the first two games and were badly in need of a victory... they got it from Gil Younger, who rose to the occasion and stopped Southport 3-1, cutting their lead to two games to one.

Younger has been much maligned this year... after winning 28 games and the Tycobbian MVP trophy last season, Younger slipped to 16-18 this year... but today he was his old self, stopping the Sun Sox on one run and seven hits in eight and two-thirds innings... Younger (1-0) struck out nine and walked five for the win... Alfonso Cervera came in and got the last out for Younger... losing pitcher Brandon Delmore (0-1) worked a good game and went the distance for Southport, yielding only three runs and six hits with six Ks and two bases on balls.

Hartsdale got all of their runs in the first inning on RF Emilian Burgess' (.385) two-run single and an RBI groundout by 3B Greg Melton (.167)... 1B Eddie Douglas (.333) homered in the top of the sixth for Southport's only score... the Sun Sox had the advantage in hits 7 to 6.

WILDCATS WIN A WILD ONE 10-6, TAKE LEAD
The Red Bluff Red Sox were well on their way to winning game three of the Tycobbian Division Series with a 6-2 lead going into the last of the seventh, but then the Kenwood Wildcats tied it up 6-6 with a four-run rally and then crushed the Red Sox 10-6 with four more in the bottom of the eighth to win going away... now it's the Wildcats in the driver's seat with a two games to one edge... in the slugfest Kenwood collected 13 hits and Red Bluff got 12.

The big blow of the game was a three-run triple struck by 2B Country Crowder (.143) in the eighth that put Kenwood ahead 9-6... RF Dorsey Faircloth (.500) paced Kenwood with three hits and two RBIs and C Jesse Daniels (.273) got two hits, scored twice and batted in a run... SS Leemond O'Donovan (.286) scored three times and popped three hits for the Sun Sox... and 3B Fran Blanchard (.273) cracked three hits, too, and drove in run... 1B Josh Stevens (.231) chipped in with two runs batted in.

Not a heck of a lot of pitching in the game... Mike Jones, the second of three Wildcat hurlers, picked up the victory... Jones (1-0) worked a scoreless eighth... and Milt Cochrane cinched it with a runless ninth... reliever Sonny Wheat (0-1) went down to defeat... he took over in the eighth with the score tied at 6-all and was pelted painfully by the Wildcats.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, September 21, 2047

2047 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - GAME 4

Ruthlandian Union

LONG ZAPS NINE 3-0, ROOSTERS TIE SERIES
In game four of the Ruthlandian Division Championship Series at Middlefield Park, Rooster ace James Long was on top of his game as the veteran right-hander zapped the Marston Nine 3-0 on a five-hitter... Long (1-0/1.00) hurled a gem, striking out seven and walking none to even up the series at two games each... Middlefield had just enough offense to get by... Felix Delatte (0-1/2.65) only allowed three runs on seven hits with three Ks and a walk... he went all the way in defeat.

Middlefield was led at bat by RF Sidney Conner (.333) and SS Jimmy Beach (.294) each with two hits and an RBI... 2B Ike Gary (.267) scored two runs for the Roosters... Conner homered in the second inning, Beach singled in a score in the third and the final Rooster run came in on a wild pitch in the fifth... Long held Marston to just five singles... Long got in trouble only one time in the third when two singles put runners on first and third with two outs... but he got out of it without any damage being done.

FM'S STEINHAUER STUFFS SUNBIRDS 9-1, EVENS SERIES
Not only did Curt Steinhauer shine on the mound, the Far Mountain ace also took the bat in his own hand and drove in four runs in the Redhawks' 9-1 rout of the Belair Beach Sunbirds in game four of the Ruthlandian DCS... Steinhauer (1-0/0.60) evened the series at two games apiece by holding the Sunbirds to just one run in his eight innings on six hits... he was effectively wild with six walks in the game, but pretty much kept the Sunbirds off of the scoreboard.

Steinhauer (.500) sparked the Redhawks with three hits... 1B Norm Huffman (.375) also collected three hits and his brother LF Lew Huffman (.429) went 2-for-4, scored twice and batted in a run... Far Mountain smashed 13 hits in all... 2B Rodger Hawkins (.176) socked a two-run triple for the winners... the defeat went to Belair Beach starter Kevin Tolbert (0-1/1.50), who was undermined by poor defensive play... the Sunbirds committed three errors and allowed six unearned runs... CF Norm Ellis (.294) went deep for the Sunbirds' only score and he committed two of the errors.

Tycobbian Union

SUN SOX SOCK IT TO HELLCATS 13-5, TAKE 3-1 LEAD
The Southport Sun Sox have put the defending Pro Cup champion Hartsdale in a perilous predicament... in game four they socked it to the Hellcats 13-5 to take a huge three games to one edge in the Tycobbian Division Series... one more Southport victory and the season is over for Hartsdale and the IPA will get a new champion... it was shoddily played game with lots of runs, hits and errors... each team made three errors... in the end it was the Sun Sox bats that made the difference.

3B Craig Glennon (.294) clouted his third roundtripper of the series and drove in three runs and scored three times, while CF Barney Lewis (.188) got his second one and also batted in two runs and scored twice... 1B Eddie Douglas (.375) had two hits and three runs batted in... SS Gonzalo Topez went 4-for-5 and had two RBIs... and 2B Ricky Whitaker (.267) chipped in with two hits.

Billy Hoover (2-0/2.50) went the route, but gave up three runs in the opening inning, then settled down and put it into cruise control, backed up by 14 hits... Hoover fanned seven and walked three... only two of the runs were earned... Perry Givens (0-2/9.00) struggled again and took his second loss of the series... he permitted five hits and eight runs in just two innings... five of them unearned.

The Hellcats bashed out 10 hits, paced by RF Emilian Burgess (.500) with four hits and two runs... LF Danny Marks (.500) picked up two hits, one of them a solo homer... and CF Darrell Nesbitt (.375) went 2-for-4 and scored a run.

COX TAMES WILDCATS 3-2, RED SOX TIE SERIES
Red Bluff moved ahead 3-0 after six innings and managed to fend off Kenwood 3-2 in game four of the Tycobbian Division Series,which is now deadlocked at two games... Red Sox ace Jud Cox (1-1/2.08) hurled a complete game, stopping the Wildcats on five hits, and outpitched Tommy Carter (1-1/3.52), who gave up three runs and 11 hits in eight innings.

Leading the Red Sox at the plate with two hits apiece were SS Leemon O'Donovan (.333), 3B Fran Blanchard (.333) and C Ed Warren (.250)... Cox (.286) himself put Red Bluff in front with an RBI single in the top of the second... in the fourth RF David Kelso (.438) led off with a double, moved to third on a groundout and scored when CF Ike Sweetwater (.308) rolled out to first... Warren doubled in the last run in the sixth.

Kenwood got their first score in the last of the eighth on a triple by Ben Daniels and a double by Jesse Daniels, cutting the lead to 3-1... Ben Daniels doubled in the last Wildcat run in the ninth... that made the score 3-2... with two away and runners on second and third Jud Cox got the final out of the ball game on a routine fly to left field.

i haven't said it in quite a while and i don't get to read this as often as in the past, but i really enjoy this dynasty.

KUTGW :eatpop:

Two questions:

What's the story behind the Huffman brothers? How far did you go to manufacture this? Did they just happen to be on the same roster with the same surname? Or did you change one or both guys names?

And have you ever considered making uniforms for your teams? Perhaps even getting some of the modders to help you with it?

i guess that was more than two questions... :unsure:

Thanks for being a loyal follower of the IPA. I have always appreciated your comments. You are also one of the elite members of this forum and the OOTPB community. The Laseron Baseball Association was arguably one the greatest OOTPB Dynasty in my opinion. It, along with DreamTeams' Metro League, inspired me to do the IPA.

The Huffmans were my own creations...I just make sure they were born in the same town and resemble one another to a degree.

I have created offsprings for some of the managers and stars of the IPA. Most of the time, I let the game create their ratings. Sometimes they play well, sometimes they don't... Hall-of-Famer Joe DeLucca and his son, Jojo, will probably both be in the Hall of Fame. that's just how it played out. I did nothing to cause it.

Some of the more famous families in the IPA are the Hobbs in Waleska, the Holmes in Cold Creek, the Christiansons in Rolling Hills, Uchiyamas in Ginza, Donnellys in Wynnamac, Chandlers in Midway, Cronyns in White River, Kingsfords in Turon, Hankins in Kenwood and Nolands in Rocky Rapids. One team had triplets, Lynn, Glynn and Quinn Starr, who played and starred for the Tuckanarra Blue Jays from 2022 to 2036.

Since I have 64 teams, it really takes a lot of time to administer the league. Many of my towns in the IPA are ethnically-based and it is time-consuming to alter the rosters. I just haven't taken the time to have the great guys in Mods Forum create the uniforms. That's a lot to ask them to do. Since I intend to just play three more seasons, I didn't see any point in getting uniforms done. 50 seasons and the IPA will ride off into the sunset.

My next Dynasty will use OOTP15. I will only have 12-16 teams and will see if the Mod guys will do logos and uniforms for me. 12-16 teams will be a breeze to cover and administer after dealing with 64 teams for the last 7-8 years.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 22, 2047

2047 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - GAME 5

Ruthlandian Union

NINE NIPS ROOSTERS 4-2 IN 10 FOR SERIES LEAD
Game five of the Ruthlandian Division Championship Series went to the Marston Nine 4-2 in 10 innings... they now lead Middlefield three games to two in the best-of-seven affair.

In the top half of the 10th inning pinchhitter Alphonse Alexis (.000) lofted a deep fly ball to center field that scored Calvin Marbury (.286) from third base with the go-ahead run... the next batter Roger Krieger (1.000), also a pinchhitter, cracked an RBI single and added to the Marston margin... Kiki Vuk (2-0/1.50) got the win after blowing the save in the eighth... Thomas Stuart struck out two of the three batters he faced in the last of the 10th and logged the save... reliever Ray Owens (0-2/3.00) suffered his second loss in the series... he worked three innings and gave up two runs.

Marston managed eight hits off starter Larry Wheelhouse and Ray Owens... they tapped each of them for four hits... Wheelhouse permitted only two runs, struck out five and walked nine in an uneven effort... John Newton started for the Nine and went seven strong frames, giving up only one run, six hits, fanned four and walked just one... Newton held a 2-1 lead when he departed.

C Stan Davis (.538) hit his second homer of the postseason to pace the Nine, while CF Norman Antonioni (.294) smacked two out of the park for the Roosters.

REDHAWKS ROUT SUNBIRDS 14-2 IN GAME 5
Far Mountain ravaged Belair Beach for 16 hits in a 14-2 rout in game five of the Ruthlandian DCS for a 3-2 edge in the series... supported by three homers Josh Grover went all the way for the win, holding the Sunbirds to two runs on eight hits... Grover (2-0/2.12) notched his second win in the series, whiffed two and walked none in a solid performance.

RF Bert Richter (.364) poled two homers, scored four runs, got 3 hits and batted in 3 runs to lead the Redhawk hit parade... LF Terry Crawford (.273) added a two-run blast, two hits and scored three times... C Joel McDaniel (.308) drove in four runs with a pair of hits... 2B Rodger Hawkins (.238) scored four times, drove in three and had two hits... and CF Todd Purdom (.462) went 3-for-5 and scored two runs.

1B Jason Butler (.350) had two hits and two RBIs for the Sunbirds... loser Jose Munoz (0-2/6.55) had his second straight rocky outing... Far Mountain shelled him for eight runs and 10 hits in just three-plus innings.

Tycobbian Union

SUN SOX ELIMINATE HELLCATS IN 5 GAMES
In a stunning display of baseball Southport eliminated defending Pro Cup champion Hartsdale from the playoffs with a rousing 18-1 massacre in game five to win the series four games to one... the Sun Sox overwhelmed them with 18 hits and three roundtrippers, plus Johnny Swanson was tough on the hill... Swanson (1-0/1.45) permitted only one run on five hits, fanned six batters and walked only one.

Southport 3B Craig Glennon (.304) hit his fourth home run in the series and drove in four runs to spark the blowout... Glennon now has 10 RBIs in the postseason... LF Chris Jones (.389) also homered, doubled and had four RBIs and three runs scored... CF Barney Lewis (.235) got his third roundtripper in the series, a two-run salvo... RF Pat Kinney (.238) drilled three hits and batted in three runs... and SS Gonzalo Topez (.440) and C Visalis Vlachos (.348) collected three hits apiece.

Losing pitcher David Payne (0-2/7.30), the Hartsdale starter, was hammered again... this time the Sun Sox scorched him for seven runs in two-plus innings.

Southport's rookie skipper and IPA icon Lorne Evans told reporters, "We knew going into the season we had a good club... this is just the next step in the equation... we still have our work cut out for us... first we have to win the Tycobbian title to get the shot at the big one - the Pro Cup."

Evans added, "Getting past the defending IPA was a tough assignment... our bats were unbelievable the last two games." Evans was inducted into the IPA Hall of Fame in 2045 after an legendary career with the Sun Sox... he was an All-Star outfielder 12 times, won 5 Golden Bats and 2 Gold Gloves... 4 times Evans was named Tycobbian MVP (2027, 2028, 2030, 2034)... lifetime Evans batted .305 with 701 homers, 1836 RBIs, 2045 runs and 2928 hits in 19 seasons, 9 with Southport and 10 with Tuckanarra... he ranked fifth among the all-time greats in home runs... Evans led the Blue Jays to the IPA Pro Cup title in 2037.

Hartsdale manager Jud Turchin praised the Southport staff, "Hoover, Swanson and Delmore are outstanding... when you throw in the way the Sun Sox hit the ball in the series, it was lights out for us... we caught a very good team, playing very, very well... that's why we lost in five games."

RED SOX WALLOP WILDCATS 12-6, UP 3-2 IN SERIES
The bats were blazing in Kenwood, too... but it was heavy-hitting Red Bluff doing most of the damage as they walloped three homers and blasted the Wildcats 12-6 in game five of the Tycobbian Division Championship Series to take a 3-2 advantage in the best-of-seven series... Josh Stevens (.273) slammed his third home run in the postseason to lead the Red Sox... Jesse Shaw (.300) and Fran Blanchard (.421) also went deep for the winners, who totaled 12 hits.

The victory went to starter Mickey Rosen, who had a fair game... Rosen (2-0/3.45) allowed three runs and eight hits in six and two-thirds innings with six Ks and three walks... the bullpen shakily held on to the lead, thanks to great run support... Rosen left in the seventh leading 6-2 with all the Red Bluff runs coming in the fourth inning... after Kenwood cut it to 6-3 in the seventh, the Red Sox put them away with another six-run frame in the eighth... Wildcat starter Rusty Bradford (0-2/6.75) took it on the chin for the second time in the series as he was pelted for six runs in four innings.

Kenwood did well at the plate with 13 hits with RF Billy Nix (.615) getting two hits and driving in three runs... Nix homered in the third inning for an early 2-0 lead... it was his second homer in the playoffs... 2B Country Crowder (.227) rapped three hits and CF Warren Vickers (.286) and 1B Benjamin Nozak (.154) had two hits each

You will have no trouble getting whatever request you make filled. I'm sure I speak for all of us that any request that you make gets first priority.

'jus sayin'

;)

The Logo and Uniform Geniuses have been wonderful to me in the past. I'm sure they are more talented than ever and just as nice as always. I have always found that if you are patient and polite, the Modders will even take care of a picky old codger like me.

We have a very special group of people in the OOTPB Community. I have been blessed to know them. I was on the Beta Team for three or four years and they are a gifted and remarkable group of people, too. Most of them are computer whizzes. I was certainly not in their league and was quite computer challenged, but they patiently got me through all of the computer challenges I had to overcome to be a productive Beta Team member.

Not to be mauldin, but you guys are great.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 23, 2047

2047 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - GAME 6

Ruthlandian Union

ROOSTERS ALIVE, BEACH'S HOMER FORCES GAME 7
It took them 14 innings, but the Middlefield Roosters are still alive in the Ruthlandian DCS... the Roosters forced a seventh game when Jimmy Beach clubbed a dynamic three-run homer to tie the series up at three games each... his 14th-inning clout gave Middlefield the victory 8-5.

SS Jimmy Beach (.286) and 2B Ben Davis (.333) led the Roosters 13-hit assault... Beach had three hits and drove in four runs, while Davis had a three-run double... 3B Ike Gary (.280) and LF Alejandro Dominguez (.300) both had three hits... Marston garnered 11 hits and were paced by RF Charlie Gilmore (.217) with two hits and two RBIs, LF D'Wayne Dotson (.231) with three base hits and CF Calvin Marbury (.286) with two hits, two runs scored and a home run.

The two starters battled to a 4-4 draw... Middlefield's Carroll Collier (0-1/7.36) went eight innings, gave up four runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts... Marston's Thomas Stuart (0-0/3.38) worked into the ninth, yielding four runs on eight hits with four walks and eight Ks... the third Rooster Ricky Farris (1-0/2.08) claimed the win... he went the last two and two-thirds innings and held the Nine scoreless on one hit... the defeat went to the third Marston hurler Kelly Long (1-1/4.09), who was tagged for Beech's game-winning smash in the 14th.

FAR MOUNTAIN ADVANCES TO RU TITLE SERIES
25-game winning southpaw Stan Smith sent the Far Mountain Redhawks to the Ruthlandian title round with a 5-2 triumph over the Marston Nine in game six of the RU Division Championship Series... the Redhawks eliminated the Nine from the Pro Cup playoffs four games to two... Smith (1-1/4.73) allowed two runs on eight hits in his eight and two-thirds innings... closer Fernando Sanches (0-1/5.40) got the final out of the game and notched his second save of the series... losing pitcher Ronnie Roy (1-1/4.80) held a 2-1 lead going into the last of the seventh, but a four-run eruption by the Redhawks did him in... 2B Rance Hawkins (.250) tied it up with a sac fly, then back-to-back homers dealt the Nine a death knell... LF Terry Crawford (.267) slugged a two-run homer, followed by a one-run job by SS Sammy Prejean (.125)... Hawkins also homered for the Redhawks... SS Paul Walker (.333) accounted for all of Marston's scores with a two-run roundtripper in the second frame... RF Shannon Stewart (.292) had three hits, including two triples in defeat.

Far Mountain manager Don Nichols gave credit to his pitching staff and his hitters. "We didn't pitch too well in the first three games of the series, but it came around in the last three games... Curt, Grover and Stan really came through for us... and we also hit surprisingly well in the last three games."

Nichols, an IPA Hall-of-Famer, played shortstop for the Redbirds, when they captured three Pro Cups in a row in 2011, 2012 and 2013. He added, "This has been a great season... we played very well in the regular season and so far in the postseason... let's just hope we have what it takes to go all the way... these chances don't come around often." Since the glory years the Redhawks have been to the Pro Cup Finals just one time. That was in 2038 when they fell to North Hills in a four-game sweep.

Belair Beach skipper Bobby Meusel told the press, "The Redhawks won it... they stopped us cold in the final three games and they hit the cover off the ball... we just couldn't stop them."

Tycobbian Union

WARREN'S GRAND SLAM SEND WILDCATS HOME
It's every player's dream - a grand slam homer in the last of the ninth to win the game - well, it happened to Red Bluff's Ed Warren... he sent one soaring high, deep and out of the ballpark to give the Red Sox a 7-3 win over the Kenwood Wildcats in game six of their Tycobbian Division Series, giving Red Bluff the right to move on in the postseason and sending Kenwood home for the season... the Red Sox beat them four games to two in the series.

Warren told reporters, "The only time I've ever done that was in the backyard as a kid, daydreaming by myself."

Winning pitcher George Reynolds (1-0/3.94) and losing pitcher Gregg Campbell (0-1/7.47) dueled for eight innings to a 3-3 tie when Warren suddenly put an end to it... in a very good outing Reynolds held the Wildcats to three runs and four hits, fanned nine batters and walked four... Campbell surrendered seven runs on five hits, walked three and struck out three.

Warren (.211) scored twice and batted in four runs to lead the Red Sox... RF David Kelso (.391) also homered and scored twice... Kelso went deep three times in the series... 3B Fran Blanchard (.409) pitched in with two runs, too... and 2B Big Boy Payne (.167) drove in the other two runs for Red Bluff... C Josh Daniels (.250) went deep for Wildcats and drove in a pair of runs... RF Billy Nix (.563) plated the other Kenwood score.

"Good pitching and a four-run homer will win a lot of games," said winning manager Jim Schubert. Now he has to get ready for the Southport Sun Sox, who whipped the defending IPA champ Hartsdale in a five-game series. Red Bluff will play them for the Tycobbian League title and the right to advance to the Pro Cup Finals.

Kenwood manager Aaron Hankins speaking at the post-game interview said, "It's hard to beat 10 homers and three standout pitchers... everybody in the Red Sox lineup can hit homers... and Cox, Rosen and Reynolds know how to pitch... if the Red Sox keep hitting homers and getting very good pitching, this could be their Pro Cup year."

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 24, 2047

2047 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - GAME 7

Ruthlandian Union

LONG STRONG, ROOSTERS WIN 2-0, TAKE SERIES
The Middlefield-Marston Ruthlandian Division Championship Series came down to one game and two super pitchers... 23-game winner James Long outhurled 24-game winner Felix Delatte 2-0 in game seven to advance the Middlefield Roosters to the Ruthlandian Union Finals against the Far Mountain Redhawks.

Long (2-0/0.67) was almost flawless as he stopped the Nine on just four singles, fanned seven batters and gave up no walks... Long also blanked Marston 3-0 in game four... Delatte (0-2/2.49) was almost as good, giving up two runs on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts in eight and one-third innings.

The Roosters got both runs in the top of the fourth... RF Sidney Conner (.281) homered to lead off the frame... 2B Ike Gary's (.276) triple and LF Alejandro Dominguez's (.292) RBI single completed the scoring.

Middlefield manager Ricky Tinker gave glowing praise to his pitchers, "Marston did a good job on our offense... fortunately Long and Wheelhouse did a super job on the mound and pulled us through it."

Marston's rookie skipper Russ Woodward explained the loss, "Our pitching was great, but so was Middlefield's... offense was the difference in two very fine teams."

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 25, 2047

TOP 4 PICKS IN IPA LCS
It doesn't happen often, but so far in this postseason the baseball gurus have guessed right this year. The top four teams in the Pro Cup predictions have made it to the League Championship Series. Number one Red Bluff will be challenged by number four Southport for the Tycobbian Union league title and number two Middlefield tangles with number three Far Mountain for the Ruthlandian Union crown. Based on play in first-round action the field is still wide open for the IPA Pro Cup. The oddsmakers are giving the Red Sox a slight edge over the Sun Sox in the Tycobbian Union because of their home-run prowess. Red Bluff led the IPA with 250 roundtrippers in the regular season and 10 in the postseason thus far. The Redhawks got a slight nod from the experts in the Ruthlandian Union. They might have a little bit of an edge in scoring runs.

In the TU the Red Bluff Red Sox disposed of the Kenwood Wildcats in six games and the Southport Sun Sox eliminated last year's Pro Cup winner Hartsdale in a quick five-game set. This year's Pro Cup favorite, the Middlefield Roosters, had a tough time before they finally did in the Marston Nine in a seven-game series. Behind 3 games to two, the Roosters had to win the final two games to advance to the LCS. Far Mountain, which led the IPA with 101 victories, came back from a 2-1 deficit to whip underdog Belair Beach four games to two. The Redhawks won the last three games of the series.

Red Bluff was led at the plate in the Division Series by Fran Blanchard (.409), David Kelso (.391) and Leemon O'Donovan (.379)... homer-wise Kelso and Josh Stevens (.231) led with three each... Stevens topped the team with 7 RBIs, Big Boy Payne (.167) drove in 6 runs and Kelso and Blanchard had 5 apiece... Mickey Rosen (2-0/3.45), George Reynolds (1-0/3.94) and Jud Cox (1-1/2.08) lead the mound corps.

Southport will be a worthy foe for the Red Sox... the Sun Sox also hammered 10 homers in only five games in their series with Hartsdale, sparked by Craig Glennon (.304) with 4 home runs and 10 RBIs and Barney Lewis (.235) with 3 dingers and 7 runs batted in... average-wise it was Gonzalo Topez (.440), Chris Jones (.389), Eddy Douglas (.381) and Vasilis Vlachos (.348)... Jones had one homer and batted in 6 runs... top hurlers for the Sun Sox were Billy Hoover (2-0/2.50) and Johnny Swanson (1-0/1.45).

Far Mountain hit well in its series with Belair Beach... the Redhawks platoon a lot and its seems to work to their advantage... Todd Purdom (.438), Bert Richter (.429) and Benjy Donahue (.357) were the team leaders in batting average... FM hit 7 out of the park with Richter and Terry Crawford (.267) getting two each... Rance Hawkins (.250) drove in the most runs with 8... Richter, Crawford and Joel McDaniel (.313) tied with 5 apiece... on the mound starter Curt Steinhauer (1-0/0.60) and Jonas Glover (2-0/2.12) were excellent.

Marston pitching for the most part handled the Middlefield Roosters pretty well... they got 6 home runs with Sidney Conner (.281), Jimmy Beach (.281) and Norm Antonioni (.231) getting 2 each, but the Roosters didn't score a lot of runs... Alejandro Domingues (.292) had the best BA, followed by Beach and Conner... RBI-wise Beach had 6 and Conner 3... the Roosters, however, got superb starts from James Long (2-0/0.67) and Larry Wheelhouse (1-0/1.13)... and fine work in the bullpen from Ricky Farris (1-0/2.08)... pitching won the series for Middlefield.

Second-round action should be really exciting with two bang-up series between four strong ball clubs.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 27, 2047

2047 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - GAME 1

Ruthlandian Union

LONG STOPS REDHAWKS SHORT 5-2 IN LCS OPENER
Middlefield's hard-throwing right-hander James Long put the quietus on the Far Mountain bats in the opener of the Ruthlandian League Championship Series stopping them 5-2 on just seven hits... it was Long's (3-0/0.75) third victory in the postseason... he went the distance, walked only one and chalked up four strikeouts... Long also drove in the winning run with an RBI groundout when the Roosters snapped a 3-3 tie in the top of the fourth... they added single runs in the seventh and the eighth frames... Redhawk starter Curt Steinhauer (1-1/2.38) took the loss, going seven and two-thirds innings and allowing five runs on eight hits.

The Roosters were led by CF Norman Antonioni (.258) with a pair of hits and a pair of RBIs... LF Alejandro Dominguez (.286) got Middlefield's only homer, a solo shot in the second... Far Mountain SS Webster Ronstadt (.750) collected three hits, including a lead-off homer at the start of the game... Ronstadt also singled in the other Redhawk run in the third.

Tycobbian Union

RED SOX WIN GAME 1, COX TAMES SUN SOX 5-1
In game one of the Tycobbian League Championship Series Jud Cox tamed the Southport Sun Sox 5-1 at Red Bluff Park... Cox (2-1/1.42), a 22-game winner in the regular season, permitted only five hits, walked nobody and fanned seven in his eight innings... reliever Carson Jamara (0-0/0.00) worked a perfect ninth to nail down the win... losing pitcher Billy Hoover (2-1/3.51) was roughed up for five runs on nine hits in seven-plus innings... he racked up 22 victories this season.

The Red Sox's heavy hitters didn't get any homers, but they did bash five two-baggers and collected nine hits... CF Ike Sweetwater (.250) had two doubles and two RBIs... 1B Josh Stevens (.267) added two hits and an RBI for the winners... 3B Craig Glennon (.333) paced the losers with two hits.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, September 28, 2047

2047 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - GAME 2

Ruthlandian Union

ROOSTERS WIN 3-2 IN 12, TAKE FIRST 2 GAMES
Middlefield continued to get super pitching with a 3-2 triumph in 12 innings to take the first two games of the Ruthlandian LCS... Larry Wheelhouse and Ray Owens teamed up whip the Far Mountain Redhawks in game two... in a non-decision Wheelhouse (1-0/1.50) tossed eight solid frames and gave up two runs on eight hits with six Ks and four bases on balls, while Owens (1-2/2.03) copped the win with four scoreless frames, permitting just two hits... the Roosters had to battle back from a 2-1 deficit in the ninth to send the game into overtime... a one-out double by LF Alejandro Dominguez and an RBI double by pinchhitter Pudgy Howzer tied the score... Middlefield won it in the 12th when Jimmy Beach singled in Ike Gary with the winning score.

Far Mountain also got a good start from Josh Grover (2-0/2.08)... he went nine innings, yielding just two runs on nine hits, struck out five and issued no walks... closer Fernando Sanches (0-2/4.77) was tagged with the defeat, giving up one run and four hits in two and one-third innings.

The Roosters outhit the Redhawks 13 to 10... RF Sidney Conner (.317) and SS Jimmy Beach (.302) topped them with three hits apiece... and 3B Ike Gary (.278) and LF Alejandro Domingues (.294) chipped in two hits each... 2B Heinz Kohlmann (.385) lofted a home run in the seventh that gave Far Mountain the lead 2-1... Kohlmann and SS Warner Ronstadt (.625) had two hits apiece for the Redhawks.

Tycobbian Union

GLENNON'S HRS SALVAGE SPLIT, SUN SOX WIN IN 12TH
Using the longball as their main weapon, the Southport Sun Sox salvaged a split in the first two games of the Tycobbian LCS with a 6-4 victory in 12 innings at Red Bluff Park... Craig Glennon led the way with a pair of smashes that gave him six homers in the playoffs this year... Glennon's two-run clout in the top of the 12th won the game... closer Hal Combs (2-0/0.00) had a fine game, blanking the Sun Sox on three hits over the final four frames... the loss went to Carson Jamara (0-1/6.00), the victim of Glennon's game-winner.

Southport totaled 12 hits to 11 for the Red Sox... 3B Glennon (.364) and 1B Eddy Douglas (.355) socked three hits each for the Sun Sox... Glennon drove in three runs and now has 13 in the postseason... Douglas also went deep and batted in a pair of runs... Red Bluff 1B Josh Stevens (.278), SS Leemon O'Donovan (.361), RF David Kelso (.414) and CF Ike Sweetwater (.276) all collected two hits with Stevens getting the only roundtripper, a three-run blast in the third, when the Red Sox took a 4-2 lead... Stevens has four homers and 10 RBIs to lead his club in the postseason... Southport tied it up 4-4 with single runs in the fifth and seventh.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 29, 2047

2047 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - GAME 3

Ruthlandian Union

SMITH SLOWS DOWN ROOSTERS 3-2 IN GAME 3
Far Mountain's 25-game winner Stan Smith came up with another good effort to slow down the red-hot Middlefield Roosters 3-2 in game three of Ruthlandian LCS, thus snapping their four-game playoff-winning streak... the Roosters had racked up wins in the opening two games of the series and beaten Marston in the final two games of the first round... Smith (2-1/3.80) tossed eight innings, allowed just two runs on eight hits, fanned five and walked no one... closer Fernando Sanches (0-2/4.05) notched his third postseason save with a runless ninth... Bert Richter (.348) doubled in Sammy Prejean (.130) for the winning run in the top of the fifth... Carroll Collier (0-2/5.12) suffered the loss, going eight and one-third innings, surrendering three runs on nine hits, striking out three and walking three... Middlefield still leads the Redhawks two games to one in the best-of-seven series.

Far Mountain took the lead in the opening frame on a triple by SS Webster Ronstadt (.538) and a base hit by 2B Benjy Donahue (.364)... Middlefield knotted it up 1-all when 3B Ike Gary (.275) homered in the last of the first... the Redhawks retook the lead in the top of the third when CF Todd Purdom (.320) singled, stole second and went to third base on a wild throw by the catcher, then was singled in by 2B Rance Hawkins (.189)... the Roosters came right back and tied it 2-2 in the bottom half of the frame on a double by C Johnny McDonald (.136), who tagged up twice on fly balls, and scored on RF Sidney Conner (.318) sac fly.

Tycobbian Union

RED SOX POWER BY SUN SOX 6-1 IN GAME 3
In game three of the Tycobbian LCS strong pitching by George Reynolds and 11 hits powered Red Bluff by Southport 6-1... Reynolds (2-0/2.88) stumped the Sun Sox on five hits, fanned six and walked two in a complete game... Leemon O'Donovan and David Kelso backed him up with home runs... the loss went to Bruce Delmore (0-2/5.40), who worked seven innings and permitted six runs and 11 hits.

Leading the Red Sox charge was 2B Big Boy Payne (.250) with three nits and two runs... three players had two hits each: SS Leemon O'Donovan (.366), 3B Fran Blanchard (.343) and David Kelso (.424)... 3B Craig Glennon (.378) topped the Sun Sox with 2-for-4... and 2B Ricky Whitaker (.250) homered for their only score.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 30, 2047

2047 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - GAME 4

Ruthlandian Union

MCDANIEL CLOUT EVENS SERIES, FM 5-3 WINNER
In game four in Middlefield, Far Mountain copped its second straight victory in the Ruthlandian LCS to even it up at two games each in the best-of-seven series... the Redhawks rallied in the late innings to force overtime... Joel McDaniel crashed a two-run homer to defeat the Roosters 5-3 in 10 innings... starter Curt Steinhauer (2-1/2.56) hurled nine innings for the victory with relief help from Fernando Sanches (0-2/3.52), who got his fourth save in the playoffs by holding Middlefield scoreless in the last of the 10th... the third Rooster pitcher Ricky Farris (1-1/3.65) not only blew the save, but lost the game... he was slammed for three runs and five hits in three innings.

The Redhawks collected 12 hits and were sparked by C Joel McDaniel (.379) with 4-for-5, two runs and two RBIs... 2B Rance Hawkins (.220) also drove in two runs and registered a pair of hits... McDaniel and Hawkins both went deep... the Roosters had eight hits with roundtrippers by CF Norman Antonioni (.209) and SS Jimmy Beach (.308)... Antonioni hit a two-run salvo and Beach a solo shot.

Tycobbian Union

HOOVER HUMBLES RED SOX 2-0, SUN SOX KNOT SERIES
Under beautiful sunny skies at Pleasure Beach Park in Southport, Billy Hoover humbled the Red Bluff Red Sox 2-0 on a six-hit shutout to knot the Tycobbian LCS at two games apiece... Hoover (3-1/2.60) was in command, fanning two batters and walking none... he outpitched Jud Cox (2-2/1.11), who had beaten him in game one 5-1... Cox worked seven frames, yielding two runs on six hits.

Shoddy defense by the Red Sox gave the Sun Sox all the runs they needed in the third inning... none of the runs Cox gave up were earned... two throwing errors by right fielder David Kelso (.417) proved costly... CF Barney Lewis (.242) and C Visalis Vlachos (.244) drove in the Southport scores... the Sun Sox had 7 hits to 6 for the losers.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 1, 2047

2047 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - GAME 5

Ruthlandian Union

WHEELHOUSE BLANKS REDHAWKS, ROOSTERS WIN 3-0
Middlefield's super southpaw Larry Wheelhouse continued to dominate in the playoffs... he fired a three-hit shutout against the Far Mountain Redhawks in game five of the Ruthlandian League Championship Series, putting his Roosters up three games to two and within one victory of moving to the Pro Cup Finals... Wheelhouse (2-0/1.09) walked seven and struck out five... he has given the Roosters four strong starts in the postseason... RF Sidney Conner (.321) and SS Jimmy Beach (.304) provided the offense each with a solo homer... it was Conner's third in the playoffs and Beach's fourth... Josh Glover (2-1/2.12) pitched well in defeat, allowing three runs on eight hits with six Ks and one walk... he also went the route.

The series will now revert to Far Mountain for the final two games, if they are needed... Middlefield has won five of six in this postseason while playing out of town... Far Mountain is just 2-3 at home.

Tycobbian Union

SUN SOX POUND RED SOX 10-6 FOR SERIES LEAD
Known more for their mound work that their hitting prowess, Southport showed their muscles with a 10-6 shelling of the Red Bluff Red Sox in game five of the Tycobbian LCS at Pleasure Beach Park... the Sun Sox pounded them for 15 hits and took a three games to two edge in the series... all Southport needs is one win in the next two games to advance to the Pro Cup Finals... Red Bluff has the homefield advantage and the remaining games will be played at Red Bluff Park... the Red Sox are 3-2 at home in the playoffs, while the Sun Sox are 3-2 on the road.

The Sun Sox led 4-3 after five innings, then jolted the Red Sox for six more runs in the sixth... but they had to withstand a mild rally by Red Bluff, who got three runs in the ninth... Johnny Swanson (2-0/3.34) struggled late, but got the win... he went eight and one-third innings, gave up six runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts and four walks... closer Hal Combs (2-0/0.00) picked up his first save in the playoffs when he retired the last two batters in the game... Red Sox starter Mickey Rosen (2-1/5.20) was hit hard for seven runs and eight hits in just five frames... Rosen also was very wild with eight bases on balls.

C Visalis Vlachos (.273) delivered two hits and drove in three runs for Southport... he got the game's only homer... CF Barney Lewis (.289) and 2B Ricky Whitaker (.325) both had three hits... Lewis doubled twice and batted in three runs... everybody in the Sun Sox lineup got at least one hit... even pitcher Johnny Swanson (.133) got into the act with two runs batted in... RF Dennis Desmond (.444) paced Red Bluff with two hits and three RBIs and SS Leemon O'Donovan (.327) batted in a pair of scores.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 2, 2047

2047 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - GAME 6

Ruthlandian Union

ROOSTERS RULE RUTHLANDIA, TAKE LEAGUE TITLE
The postseason pollsters made Middlefield the favorite to win the Ruthlandian Union championship and they did it... the Roosters finished off the Far Mountain Redhawks 6-4 in game six at Sky High Stadium in Far Mountain and now head to the Pro Cup Finals against the Tycobbian champ... in the club's history the Roosters have won only one Pro Cup... that was long ago in 2005... they also lost to South Fork in the 2025 Pro Cup Finals.

The Roosters smacked 13 hits and got just enough pitching to get the job done... 1B Jorge Carpenter (.269) led the way at the plate with three hits and three RBIs... 2B Ike Gary (.269) added a homer and a triple, drove in a pair of runs and scored twice... and LF Alejandro Dominguez (.283) chipped in with one hit and two runs.

Chris Collier (1-2/4.44) started and went seven shaky innings, but came away with the victory... Collier was touched for three runs on nine hits, fanned seven and walked one... Collier exited with the score 5-3... Ricky Farris was the second Middlefield pitcher... he gave up a run in the eighth... closer Ray Owens (1-2/1.76) finished up for him, though he struggled, too... Owens permitted four hits and no runs in two innings... fortunately for the Roosters, the Redhawks stranded 13 baserunners... Stan Smith (2-2/4.03) caught the loss as he was bashed for 12 hits and six runs in seven-plus innings.

Far Mountain also numbered 13 hits, but just didn't come through in the clutch... both SS Warner Ronstadt (.500) and RF Bert Richter went 3-5 in the game... and CF Todd Purdom (.324) and 2B Rance Hawkins (.224) notched two hits each... Hawkins led with a double and a triple.

Middlefield skipper Ricky Tinker told reporters, "Great pitchers are tough to beat... and we've got two of the best in James Long and Larry Wheelhouse... they give us a chance to win every series we play."

In 5 starts in the postseason this year Long has posted a 3-0 mark with a super low 1.05 ERA... Wheelhouse is 2-0 in 4 starts with an outstanding 1.09 ERA.

Tinker also added, "Thank goodness for Beach, Conner and Gary... they have provided what little offense we managed so far."

SS Jimmy Beach has hit .328 in the playoffs with 4 home runs and 9 RBIs... RF Sidney Conner has batted .328 with 3 homers and 5 RBIs and 2B Ike Gary sports a .269 BA with 2 roundtrippers and 11 runs scored.

Losing manager Don Nichols bemoaned his lack of offense. "Hey, we have a pretty good lineup... there were two pretty good reasons we didn't hit well... their names are Long and Wheelhouse... they thoroughly shut us down."

Tycobbian Union

TYCOBBIAN CROWN TO SOUTHPORT
The Southport Sun Sox are the champion of the Tycobbian Union... they defeated the Pro Cup favored Red Bluff Red Sox in six games to gain the right to play for the IPA Pro Cup trophy, emblematic of baseball supremacy in the Islands... the Sun Sox eliminated the Red Sox 4-3 at Red Bluff Park... Barney Lewis slammed a pair of crucial homers for the victory... he hit a two-run blast in the top of the third for a 3-2 lead and then broke up a 3-3 tie in the sixth with a solo smash... Lewis now has five postseason roundtrippers... Lewis was the Pro Cup MVP in 2044 when he led Southport to its second Pro Cup title.... the Sun Sox also captured it in 2027.

Southport starter Brandon Delmore (1-2/4.30) labored but grittied out the win... he only allowed three hits and three runs in eight innings, but walked six, while striking out seven... Hal Combs (2-0/0.00) closed out the TU title game with a perfect 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth... George Reynolds (2-1/3.18) was the losing hurler... he went the distance, struck out seven, walked three batters and was tapped for four runs and nine hits.

CF Barney Lewis (.341) sparked Southport with three hits and four RBIs... he now has driven in a team high 15 runs in the playoffs... SS Ricky Whitaker (.333) and 1B Eddy Douglas (.372) each collected a pair of hits for the winners... CF Ike Sweetwater (.286) had a solo homer for the Red Sox... LF David Kelso (.386) and SS Leemon O'Donovan (.308) batted in the other runs.

Lorne Evans took over for longtime Southport manager Charley Oscar this year. "It's been an amazing year for me, my first year on the job... but it doesn't surprise me... the Sun Sox have a lot of talented and gifted players that make my job kind of cushy... we have a solid core of hitters in Barney (Lewis), Craig (Glennon), Vasilis (Vlachos) and Eddy (Douglas)... plus Billy Hoover, who is equal to anybody in the IPA on the mound... five of the last six years he has chalked up at 20 victories... and he is 13-7 in 21 postseason starts... Johnny Swanson and Brandon Delmore give us two more quality arms... our pitchers didn't have it easy... the Red Sox probably are the best hitting club in the IPA... but we outhomered them 7 to 4 and outscored them 24 to 21 in the series... our staff did a pretty creditable job, considering who they were playing."

Lewis leads the Sun Sox with 15 RBIs in the postseason... Glennon has 14 so far... Vlachos has driven in 8 runs and Douglas has 7... Glennon is tops with 6 homers and 12 runs... Lewis is second with 5 home runs and 11 runs scored...Douglas is tops with a .372 BA, followed by Lewis at .341, 2B Ricky Whitaker at .333, SS Gonzalo Topez with .311 and Glennon is batting .306... Hoover is 3-1 with a 2.60 ERA in four starts, while Swanson is 2-0 with a 3.34 in four starts... in 3 starts Delmore is 1-2 with a 4.30 ERA.

Red Bluff manager Jim Schubert said, "We did our best at the plate and on the hill... I feel bad for Jud Cox, who pitched his heart out, but he just didn't get any run support... in the postseason he was 2-2 with a 1.11 ERA... Cox only allowed three runs in 15 innings against Southport... overall, the Sun Sox really blistered the ball in the series and in the playoffs... they have hit 17 homers so far in 11 games... Middlefield will have their hands full."

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 3, 2047

MIDDLEFIELD SLIGHT PRO CUP FAVORITE
This year's Pro Cup Finals has all the makings of a donnybrook. Both Middlefield and Southport have crackerjack clubs with little difference between them. The 2047 edition of the IPA Pro Cup competition gets underway this Saturday afternoon at Middlefield Park, the home of the Roosters. The oddsmakers are still staying with Pro Cup favorite Middlefield, but not by a lot. They give the Roosters a slight edge because of their two fine starters, James Long (23-10/2.05) and Larry Wheelhouse (21-13/2.71). The Southport starters are not quite as strong as Middlefield, though Billy Hoover (22-14/1.79) can hold his own with anyone in the IPA.

Both clubs sport good firepower and solid hitters in abundance. All eight Middlefield regulars had 10 or more homers. Sidney Conner (.289 BA) paced the Roosters with 47 homers and 126 RBIs and got plenty of help from Norman Antonioni (.273 BA) with 39 roundtrippers and 88 RBIs. Average-wise Johnny McDonald topped the club with a .351 batting average, which was third best in the IPA. Jimmy Beach was the only other .300 hitter with a .305 BA. Southport was no slouch at the plate with Barney Lewis swatting 41 out of the park to top the team. Craig Glennon pitched in another 26 and Eddy Douglas and Vasilis Vlachos added 25 homers each. Pat Kinney led the club with a .321 BA with Douglas second at .301.

This will be the Sun Sox's third trip to the Pro Cup Finals in the last four seasons. Southport won the IPA crown in 2044, defeating Wynnamac in six games. Two years ago they lost to Sugar Valley in a six-game set. The Sun Sox still have most of the same personnel on their roster. Not a lot has changed. Southport also won the Pro Cup in 2027 when they swept Crystal Lake in four games.

Middlefield doesn't have a lot of Pro Cup experience. The Roosters won it in 2005, whipping Denton City in five games. They returned 20 years later and lost to South Fork in a stirring seven-game series, blowing a 3-2 lead. The Stallions rallied to take the title by winning the last two games.

Middlefield Roosters Fact Sheet

Southport Sun Sox Fact Sheet