DAILY DOWN-THE-STRETCH DIVISION RECAPS
Thursday, September 11, 2057
Ruthlandian East Division and Ruthlandian West Division

ELNORA, OXFORD CINCH DIVISION FLAGS
We are getting down to the nitty-gritty in the pennant races in the Islandian Pro Alliance... the Elnora All-Stars and Oxford Red Caps are the latest additions to the Pro Cup playoffs... they joined Valmara and Turon as the lastest division champions... four races have been decided with four more to go... the RU South and West are still up in the air in the Ruthlandian Union... over in the Tycobbian Union no winner has been decided in the TU East and TU West... it looks like it could go down to the last few games of the season... they are 5 games left on the schedule.

CRUSADERS FALLS TO TARS, STILL 2 UP IN RU SOUTH
The St. John Crusaders (84-65) and the Crystal Lake Skippers (82-67) are nip-and-tuck in the Ruthlandian South... the Crusaders are up by two games with five games to go... both of the contenders lost yesterday... St. John took it on the chin from the Taranto Tars 9-1... Valerio Rossi (16-15/2.70) was in grand form and put the Crusaders away in easy fashion and the Tars got 15 hits and a couple of longballs from Lenny Buisson (.301/47 HR/100 RBI) and rookie 1B Buddy Lark (.315/28 HR/67 RBI)... Teddy Howell (14-11/3.34) took the battering, lasting just three innings... fortunately for the Crusaders, Crystal Lake also lost and didn't gain any ground.

St. John has a tough row to hoe... two more games against Taranto (76-73)... then they close out the year with three games with the Wynnamac Sundowners(79-70)… both are solid clubs.

DAILY DOWN-THE-STRETCH DIVISION RECAPS
Thursday, September 11, 2057
Ruthlandian South Division

SKIPPERS FALL TO CATS
Crystal Lake (82-67) has the easier schedule and will have to take advantage of it... they still trail first place St. John (84-65) by two games in the RU South... two games to make up in five is a tough task... the Skippers failed yesterday on the road in Kilkenny, losing 8-3... the Cats broke it open with five runs in the sixth, highlighted by homers by Butch Sheppard and pinchhitter Flip Devereaux... Devereaux's was a grand slam... Jamie Ayers (16-10/3.49) was the winner, while Tony Calamari (9-4/2.69) suffered the loss... Mel Brouwer accounted for all of the Skippers' runs with a three-run smash.

DAILY DOWN-THE-STRETCH DIVISION RECAPS
Thursday, September 11, 2057
Ruthlandian West Division

DEFENDERS, ROOSTERS BOTH WIN IN RU WEST
Just keep winning and you might have a good chance at the postseason... that's what the RU West challengers did yesterday... first place Fort Benton knocked off Waleska 6-2 and Middlefield edged Volusia 2-1... the Defenders maintained its two-game edge on the Roosters... Noel Blissard (19-11/3.98) came up with a sharp performance, stopping the Westerners on six hits and two runs in eight frames... Marlin Hazard (.337/4 HR/40 RBI) put the game out of reach with a three-run pinch-hit blast in the top of the ninth... after two more games at Westerner Field in Waleski (78-71), Fort Benton will close out the regular season with three more at home against Kilkenny (76-73).

DAILY DOWN-THE-STRETCH DIVISION RECAPS
Thursday, September 11, 2057
Ruthlandian West Division

LONG LIFTS ROOSTERS OVER V'S IN RU WEST
The all-time leading hurler in the IPA, 37-year-old James Long, has won 405 games to date... the latest was a 2-1 duel with Volusia's Lonny Rinehart, enabling Middlefield (82-67) to remain two games back of first place Fort Benton (84-65) in the Ruthlandian West... Long (24-10/2.60) only gave up one run in eight innings, while Rinehart (19-17/2.98) allowed only two in his nine innings... both Rooster runs came on homers by Stan Radzikowski (.250/24 HR/83 RBI) and rookie Luke Glenn (.293/4 HR/16 RBI)... Middlefield's opponents the final five games will be Volusia (2) at home... and on the road in Rocky Rapids (3)... the Vigilantes are 75-74... the Snappers are 73-76.

DAILY DOWN-THE-STRETCH DIVISION RECAPS
Thursday, September 11, 2057
Ruthlandian East Division

ALL-STARS CLAIM RU EAST CROWN
All they needed to claim the Ruthlandian East title during the final six games of the year was one more win... or one more loss by Wynnamac (79-70)... the Elnora All-Stars (85-64) took matters in their own hands and whipped the Glasco Athletics 3-1 on the road to capture the RU East pennant and a spot in the Pro Cup playoffs... Matt Mackowiak (18-13/3.64) outpitched Monte France (17-17/3.16) in the clinching game, holding the A's to just one run and five hits in eight innings... but the All-Stars were losing 1-0 going into the top of the ninth, when pinchhitter Pedro Abreu (.302/2 HR/30 RBI) delivered the biggest hit of his career, a base-clearing three-run triple... this is Elnora's first division flag since 2035.

DAILY DOWN-THE-STRETCH DIVISION RECAPS
Thursday, September 11, 2057
Tycobbian West Division

RED CAPS RAISE PENNANT IN TU WEST
Three years have past since the Oxford Red Caps (85-64) raised the division flag over their home park... just like Elnora needed just one victory in the last six games to wrap up the title and secure a spot in the postseason playoffs, Oxford did it themselves, topping the Summerland Sunsets 6-3 behind the solid mound performance of Maury Statler (25-10/3.03), a 25-game winner this season... firing a complete game Stadler struck out seven, walked four, and permitted three runs on six hits... the Red Caps' top guns, Buddy Blackford (.284/41 HR/113 RBI) and Roland Latimer (.248/33 HR/85 RBI) rose to the occasion, too, and belted roundtrippers... with the victory the Luxora Zorros (78-71) were eliminated from the race... with only five games left in the season the Z's cannot catch Oxford and will have to settle for second place if they can outplay the North Hills Hawks (78-71) down-the-stretch.

DAILY DOWN-THE-STRETCH DIVISION RECAPS
Thursday, September 11, 2057
Tycobbian East Division and Tycobbian West Division

M'WAY, RB, RH, DC ALL JAMMED AT THE TOP
There are still super-duper races going on in the Tycobbian Union... the Midway Wolves (85-64) and Red Bluff Red Sox (85-64) are deadlocked atop the Tycobbian East Division... and there's a third challenger, the High Mesa Mustangs (83-76), lurking just two games out... and the Rolling Hills Red (91-58) and Denton City Redbirds (91-58) are tied for first place in the Tycobbian West Division.

All three contenders in the TU East dropped games... Midway (85-64) was whipped by the Kenwood Wildcats (77-72), Red Bluff (85-64) fell to the Southport Sun Sox (74-75) and High Mesa lost a 12-8 slugfest with the Fairfax Frogs (69-80)... the Wildcats whipped the Wolves 7-4, getting a good lead with a three-run homer by Kenny Battles (.270/5 HR/33 RBI) and a gutsy outing by Mickey Maughan (16-10/3.70), who went the distance and survived with the help of three double plays... Midway loser Yank Atchley (11-7/3.02) deserved a better fate... he was victimized by four unearned runs in his seven innings... Norishige Ito (.333/46 HR/141 RBI) cracked a three-run homer in defeat.

Midway's last five games will be two in Kenwood and three at home against weak San Alejo (59-90).

DAILY DOWN-THE-STRETCH DIVISION RECAPS
Thursday, September 11, 2057
Tycobbian East Division

RED BLUFF FALLS TO SUN SOX, TIED FOR TU EAST LEAD
It's all even again in the Tycobbian East ... Red Bluff (85-64) fell to Southport 6-1 and dropped back into a tie for first place with the Midway Wolves (85-64)... the Sun Sox (74-75) got a good start from Champ Shafer (19-14/2.79), who stopped the Red Sox on one run and five hits in eight innings... Duane Sturgeon (22-11/2.76) did well until the ninth, when Southport went to town on him and upped the lead to five runs... Red Bluff winds up the IPA season with two more games at home against the Sun Sox (74-75) and three out of town in Mahaska (70-79).

DAILY DOWN-THE-STRETCH DIVISION RECAPS
Thursday, September 11, 2057
Tycobbian East Division

FROGS POUND, PLAGUE MUSTANGS
With rookie 22-game winner Weldon Herrington (22-9/2.85) on the hill, the High Mesa Mustangs (83-66) had a golden opportunity to get within one game of first place in the logjammed Tycobbian East Division with Midway (85-64) and Red Bluff (85-64), but they lost a shootout with Fairfax 12-8... the Frogs pounded out 17 hits, sparked by Javis Tyler (.304/19 HR/68 RBI) with five RBIs, Brent Berry (.220/7 HR/35 RBI) and Mike Mitchell (.304/9 HR/67 RBI)... Kagetoki Miyazaki (.292/39 HR/103 RBI) led the Mustangs at the plate with his 39th roundtripper and three ribbies... High Mesa has two more clashes with Fairfax (69-80) at the Frog's Pond... and then will entertain playoff-bound Oxford (85-64) in the last three games of the year.

DAILY DOWN-THE-STRETCH DIVISION RECAPS
Thursday, September 11, 2057
Tycobbian West Division

REDS WIN, REDBIRDS LOSE, TU WEST TIED
Rolling Hills and Denton City tied the knot again... the Reds nipped the Cape Coral Hurricanes in a thriller 3-2, while the Redbirds bit the dust 7-1 at the hands of the Arlon Champions... the Tycobbian West Division is deadlocked with just five games remaining to be played... both clubs have identical 91-58 records.

Rolling Hills got impressive pitching from Tommy Otis (20-14/3.10) and Matty Mosby (6-8/2.57/27 saves/50 G)... Otis started and tossed eight innings, limiting the Hurricanes to just two runs on six hits... Mosby got the win with two flawless frames... but he needed a clutch RBI single by 2B Dustin Thibodeau (.290/16 HR/91 RBI) to finish off Cape Coral in the 10th inning... rookie SS Teddy Stonich (.310/39 HR/119 RBI) clouted his 39th home run for the Reds... Edgardo Arriaza (18-12/3.20) pitched all 10 innings in the tough loss.

DAILY DOWN-THE-STRETCH DIVISION RECAPS
Thursday, September 11, 2057
Tycobbian West Division

ARLON DUMPS DENTON CITY INTO 2-WAY TIE
It was a costly defeat for Denton City... the Redbirds had a chance to hold on to first place in the TU West and stay one game in front of Rolling Hills, but Arlon's Ty Coffee (17-12/3.32), the crafty six-year veteran, had a big say in the matter... Coffee went the distance, halting the Redbirds 7-1 on six hits... while the Champions were racking up 13 hits off of Carl Coons (21-13/2.56) and his relief Randall Neighbors... 2B Mel Hawkes (.278/11 HR/46 RBI) homered for the winners... Denton City (91-58) has two more games with Arlon (74-75) at home, then the Redbirds will close out the regular campaign on the road in North Hills (78-71).

DAILY DOWN-TO-THE-WIRE RECAPS
THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 12, 2057

TENSE DUELS IN 4 IPA DIVISIONS
Four clubs have qualified for the IPA Pro Cup playoffs, but the other four divisions are still up-in-the-air and going down-to-wire... only four games are left in the regular season... in the Ruthlandian South, St. John is in front of Crystal Lake by two games... in the RU West in a three-team race, Fort Benton got some breathing room and improved to a three-game edge on last year's Pro Cup champion Middlefield and four games better than third place Sligo... over in the Tycobbian East, it's a three-way battle with Midway ahead of Red Bluff by a game and two up on third place High Mesa... and in the TU West, Denton City took a one-game lead over Rolling Hills.

CRUSADERS COME BACK TO WHIP TARS
In yesterday's action in the IPA in the RU South Division, both contenders were victorious, St. John (85-65) is still ahead by two games over Crystal Lake (83-67)... St. John just barely nipped Taranto 4-3 in 10 innings and put an end to its four-game losing skid, but they had to pull all stops to do it... the Crusaders had to overcome four errors and come back from a 3-0 deficit early in the ballgame... four double plays and 12 hits brought home the win... LF Ron Silas (.267/39 RBI) doubled in the winning score... the Tars (76-74) had many chances to blow the game open, but left 11 runners on base... Tom Smithson (15-13/3.43) and reliever Gibby Pritchell (5-5/2.73 ERA/0 saves/20 G) combined for the victory... Smithson did not allow an earned run in his eight innings.

DAILY DOWN-TO-THE-WIRE RECAPS
THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 12, 2057

PITTS 1-HITTER KEEPS SKIPS CLOSE
The Crystal Lake Skippers (83-67) had a much easier time with the Kilkenny Cats (76-74), sounding whipping them 9-1 on a one-hitter by Merle Pitts (18-13/2.93)... LF Zippy Coburn (.318/22 HR/97 RBI) had four hits, including a home run, to pace the Skippers at the plate... SS Gib Conlan (.271/23 HR/96 RBI) added two hits and two RBIs to the team's totals... Crystal Lake still trails St. John (85-65) by two games with just four more to go.

DAILY DOWN-TO-THE-WIRE RECAPS
THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 12, 2057

V'S HURT ROOSTERS CHANCES IN RU WEST
This was no time to lose a game, but the reigning Pro Cup titleholder took a hard fall in the playoff race... Volusia (76-74) edged Middlefield 7-6 and sent them skidding to three games behind first place Fort Benton (85-65) in the RU West pennant chase... Kees Tenbrook (.254/5 HR/57 RBI) and Lando Vila (.288/10 HR/37 RBI) belted two-run homers in the victory... the Vigilantes built up a 6-1 lead, but blew it... the Roosters (82-68) tied it up 6-6 in the eighth, but lost it in the ninth... Middlefield has lost seven of its last nine games.

DAILY DOWN-TO-THE-WIRE RECAPS
THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 12, 2057

HICKS GIVE DEFENDERS BIG LEAD IN RU WEST
The Fort Benton Defenders needed a big game from hurler Gil Hicks (17-16/3.85) and he came through for them, along with 38-year-old closer Randy Rinehart (5-4/3.09 ERA/24 saves/45 G)... the tandem teamed up for a tight 3-2 triumph over the Waleska Westerners (78-72)... it was the Defenders third win in a row... it took 12 hits and five double plays to do it... Marlon Hazard (.343/4 HR/41 RBI) went 3-5 and drove in a run... Eamon Hooper (.287/12 HR/77 RBI) socked two doubles and batted in a run... and Sam Arnett (.261/4 HR/68 RBI) chimed in with another RBI two-bagger... now Fort Benton (85-65) has a three-game margin over the Middlefield Roosters (82-68) in the fight for the RU West Division crown and a spot in the Pro Cup playoffs... only four games remain on the regular-season schedule.

DAILY DOWN-TO-THE-WIRE RECAPS
THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 12, 2057

ROVERS HANG IN RU WEST RACE
The Sligo Rovers (81-69) are really a longshot for the RU West title, but they are still hanging in the hunt, beating the Colfax Blasters 5-3... the Rovers trail first place Fort Benton (85-65) by four games with only four games to play... all it takes is a win by the Defenders or a defeat for the Rovers and they will be eliminated from the race.

Sligo got a quality performance from Ayden Evans (8-9/2.93) yesterday... he went the route and held the Blasters (67-83) to five hits... the Rovers snapped a 3-3 deadlock in the seventh and tacked on another run in the eighth... three errors took their toll on losing pitcher Terry Dubrovnik (12-15/3.89)… also going the distance he only allowed two earned runs.