THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 3, 2059

LEAGUE TITLES AT STAKE
Four IPA teams are one step closer to the their ultimate dream season... a season when they capture the highly-sought after Pro Cup trophy... the Valmara Vipers and Sligo Rovers are in the Ruthlandian Union title series, while the High Mesa Mustangs and Ginza Ninjas made the Tycobbian Union finals... if you go by what the baseball media is saying, Valmara, the number-two team in the Pro Cup poll, will take its series against the Rovers, the seventh pick in the voting... and number three High Mesa would be the choice over the Ninjas, the number-eight rated club... but if you go by statistics, they tell another story... at least in the Ruthlandian Union... Sligo has much better pitching than Valmara and looks to be the better of the two squads.

Sligo and High Mesa had the easier series in round one... the Rovers upset the number-one ranked Marston Nine, knocking them off four games to one... the Sligo staff proved to be the prime factor in the win over Marston... and High Mesa rolled over Denton City in five games, displaying all-around good play... strong pitching, solid bats and almost flawless defense... the Mustangs are playing like the best team in the Islandian Pro Alliance right now.

Valmara and Ginza had to go seven games to claim a spot in the league championships... the Vipers put away last year's Pro Cup winner Crystal Lake in a thriller and the Ninjas upended powerful Oxford in an upset... offense was the key in both of their victories.

Ruthlandian Union League Championship Series Outlook:
Against the mighty bats of Marston, Sligo got fabulous pitching from its starters Mickey Walsh (17-8/1.96), Jacky Harshman (16-8/1.96), Mitch Taylor (14-6/2.44) and Farrell Wedgeworth (8-6/3.05)... but closer Tiger Snodgrass was blistered for 12 runs in 9 innings... he will have to regain his regular season form against Valmara.

The Vipers have a high-class bunch of hitters and can really put runs on the scoreboard with the likes of Timmy Benford (.319/34 HR), Jud Gilbride (.240/28 HR), Semyon Tomczak (.297/22 HR) and Doc Pollins (.258/25 HR)... but its hurlers had a tough time with Crystal Lake... but, you know, everybody has trouble with the Skippers' attack... maybe Tony Joe Carnes (11-5/3.43), Lukasz Chojnacki (10-6/3.03) and Smoke Dillane (13-5/3.22) and Jiro Valastro (14-6/3.70) have enough in the tank to tame the lesser bats of the Rovers.

This should be another seven-game donnybrook... when the smoke clears... it will be Valmara heading to the Pro Cup Finals... the Vipers just have too much firepower.

Tycobbian Union League Championship Series Outlook:
People seem to be overlooking the Ginza Ninjas... the Karate Kids won 96 games in the regular season, second-best to Oxford's 97... and they shot down the Red Caps... but that didn't impress the scribes and broadcasters... now they are taking on highly-touted High Mesa, who really shined in eliminating Denton City in the first round... starters Weldon Herrington (15-10/2.55), Tuffy Hammel (11-4/3.15) and David Newell (1407/3.24) really sparkled on the hill against the Redbirds... so did superb closer Sandy Stevenson (6-5/2.32 ERA/31 saves/82 G)... and just look at this lineup: Kagetoki Miyazaki (.299/50 HR), Billy Putnam (.249/34 HR), Tracy McGriff (.242/23 HR) and Curly Yeats (.293/21 HR).

Ginza will counter all that with a really impressive starting foursome: Kurt Brophy (17-7/3.28), Yoshiro Makihara (17-11/2.56), Sparky Dane (8-4/2.88) and Franco Funicello (19-6/3.18)... add in an excellent closer in Abram Worth (7-5/2.29 ERA/35 saves/61 G) and you have the makings of a talented pitching corps... however, the Ninjas can't match the High Mesa arsenal with the likes of Gerry Glidden (.271/19 HR), Kentaro Koga (.218/18 HR), Hideki Nakano (.257/17 HR), Gideon Tracy (.302/17 HR) and Kuzuki Tamura (.262/11 HR)... the Mustangs will prevail in six or seven... unless Mr. Miyagi works his marvelous and mystical magic again.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 5, 2059

VIPERS, NINJAS WIN OPENERS IN IPA
Valmara got the best of Sligo 3-2 in the Ruthlandian Union LCS and upstart Ginza creamed favored High Mesa 10-3 in the Tycobbian Union finals.

2059 Ruthlandian Union League Championship Series - Game 1

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2059 Tycobbian Union League Championship Series - Game 1

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THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 6, 2059

VALMARA, GINZA HAVE UPPER HAND IN IPA
Game two of the League Championship Series also went to the Valmara Vipers and the Ginza Ninjas... the Vips squeezed past Sligo 1-0 and the Karate Kids did it again... they won a 16-inning barnburner from High Mesa 7-5... both clubs are in the captain's chair with 2-0 leads.

2059 Ruthlandian Union League Championship Series - Game 2

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2059 Tycobbian Union League Championship Series - Game 2

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THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 7, 2059

CINDERELLA ALIVE AND WELL IN THE IPA
The Karate Kids are at it again in Ginza... the Ninjas toppled High Mesa for the third day in a row and just might sweep the favored Mustangs in the Tycobbian title series... over in the Ruthlandian Union, Sligo stayed alive with a 10-7 pounding of the Valmara Vipers... the Rovers trail in that series two games to one.

2059 Ruthlandian Union League Championship Series - Game 3

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wedneday, October 8, 2059

VIPS, NINJAS IN COMMAND IN IPA
After four games in the IPA League Championship Series, the Valmara Vipers and Ginza Ninjas are sitting pretty on top of the world in Islandian baseball... both are up 3-1 in their series and need just one more triumph to advance to the Holy Grail of Baseball in the Islands... the coveted Pro Cup Series.

Valmara trounced Sligo yesterday afternoon 8-3... while Ginza lost a huge chance to sweep High Mesa and fell in 11 innings 4-3.

2059 Ruthlandian Union League Championship Series - Game 4

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THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 9, 2059

VALMARA-GINZA IPA PRO CUP SHOWDOWN
The smoke and dust has cleared over the IPA baseball diamonds for a little while... Valmara and Ginza won the league championships in grand style, lambasting Sligo and High Mesa in five games each... now the Vipers and the Ninjas will go at it in the Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series... a best-of-seven series for the baseball primacy in the Islands.

Valmara trounced Sligo 9-4 in game five to wrap up the Ruthlandian Union title series... and Ginza waylaid High Mesa 10-5 to nab the Tycobbian Union League Championship Series.

2059 Ruthlandian Union League Championship Series - Game 5

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They did it! The cinderella of the playoffs this year and they’re in the pro cup. Now they face there biggest challenge, the vipers. If they contribute to play the way they have so far in the playoffs, it will be a great series.