The Islandian Times

Saturday, September 15, 2001

Bayview's Hansen Top TU Hitter
The 2001 Tycobbian Union batting title went to Alan Hansen. A key contributor for Bayview this year, he hit .371. His 206 hits led the league and included 29 doubles, 9 triples and 1 home run. The 22-year-old Viking second baseman also topped the league with 129 runs and knocked in 51 while playing in 144 games. Hansen also finished second in stolen bases with 64.

Perez Hits .374 To Earn RU Bat Crown
Scooter Perez of the Volusia Vigilantes capped a fine season by winning the Ruthlandian Union batting crown. He outpaced all others with his .374 average. For the season, the Vigilantes 25-year-old shortstop played in 141 games, collected 214 hits, 8 home runs, scored 105 times and knocked in 45 runs. Perez regarded himself as "lucky" to avoid any lengthy slumps. "The hits kept coming," he said, "all year long."

The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 16, 2001

South Fork, Forest City Favored in IPA Playoffs
The Baseball News Network has picked South Fork of the TU East as the favorites in the first Islandian Cup Series, which begins play today with four Elite 8 games. The baseball journalists give the Stallions the edge because they have a very strong pitching corps and have been playing very well the last six weeks. Rating the teams is difficult because they do not play each other during the regular season. Games are only inter-divisional. Division champions got the home field advantage over the wild card teams in the IPA first round games.

Here is how BNN rated the playoff teams:

1. South Fork (1st TU East)
2. Forest City (2nd RU South)
3. Blue Lake (2nd TU West)
4. Marston (1st RU South)
5. Far Mountain (1st RU North)
6. Volusia (2nd RU North)
7. Ginza (2nd TU East)
8. Fairfax (1st TU West)

Two of the best clubs in the Islandian Pro Alliance will be first round foes in the Elite 8 playoff series. Top-ranked South Fork will play host to the tough Blue Lake Blue Sox at Jock Ewing Stadium. The Blue Sox are rated the third-best team by BNN. The Stallions have an outstanding mound staff with a 2.90 team ERA, by far the best in the IPA, headed by starters Flint Battle (20-11 2.71), Vince Bernini (12-6 2.48) and Ken Conner (15-8 2.63). But it doesn't stop there. Skipper Duroche "Lips" Leon's bullpen is just as strong with Ken Olson (16-14 2.93), Billy Joe Gordon (4-6 2.43 7 saves) and closer Glenn Turnbull (7-5 2.66 13 saves). Olson started during the season, but will be used in middle relief in the playoffs as Leon will go with a three-man rotation. South Fork has a quality line-up with Glenn Holliday (.283/36 HR/97 RBI), Art Atkins (.313/14 HR/62 RBI/80 R), Ronnie Lee (.309/4 HR/41 RBI/69 R) and Keith Burke (.287/12 HR/47 RBI/69 R). They don't have to score a whole lot of runs with the mound staff they have, but they can if need be.

Manager Cobb Tyson of the third-ranked Blue Sox will try to counter that with a potent batting order and a solid pitching rotation. Just look at this batting order: Doyle Osbourne (.343/4 HR/26 RBI/37 R), Cy Orgeron (.278/12 HR/48 RBI/58 R), Ken Bennett (.287)/25 HR/98 RBI), Donnie Frazier (.281/20 HR/86 RBI), Fred Taranto (.278/20 HR/71 RBI), Fred Collins (.288/11 HR/40 RBI/59 R), Timmy Smith (.290/11 HR/58 RBI) and Curly Smith (.241/11 HR/50 RBI). Blue Lake's home run power might be able to upset the favored Stallions. In addition Tyson has one of the best fielding clubs (.980) in the IPA to go with his good pitching. He has three very good starters in Bennie West (19-10 2.87), Jay Clay (16-7 3.10) and late season acqusition Happy McManus (5-3 2.56) to go with closer Russ Courtney (6-4 2.31 20 saves) and two good middle relievers, Neil Krogstad (5-7 3.16) and Paddy O'Rourke (2-0 1.80). It will be no great surprise if Blue Lake knocks off the South Fork Stallions. This is the premier match-up in the first round of playoff action. One of these clubs will probably be in the finals.

The Forest City Lumberjacks are rated the second-best club in the playoffs and will host the Far Mountain Redhawks in the first round at Riverside Stadium. The 'Jacks were runners-up to Marston in the RU South, but beat the Nine 18 times out of 30 games this year. Manager Robbie Jackson's crew has plenty of firepower and topped the IPA with 173 homers this season. Jackson boast a bunch of fine batsmen in Chuck Hill (.339/36 HR/118 RBI/109 R), Jesse Wolf (.293/32 HR/107 RBI/100 R), J. T. Edmonds (.304/21 HR/84 RBI) and Ryan Morse (.338/13 HR/64 RBI/104 R). He has adequate pitching. Herm Bahr (16-7 3.50) and Glenn Moore (17-13 3.85) are quality, but inconsistent starters. Recent roster add, Johnny Marsh (1-0 0.82) hurled a one-hitter in his only start in the last days of the season. If he can perform well, it will certainly give the Redhawks a big boost. In middle relief Groveland will have Knucks Nomellini (6-2 3.38), Vinny Edelman (13-14) and Brian Charles (8-8 3.93), all three were in the starting rotation at various times this season. At closer will be Timmy Brooks (5-6 2.00 13 saves). Forest City can win a lot of games by just outslugging the opposition.

Don't be surprised if Alex Groveland's Redhawks pull a mild upset in the opening round. They were the number five pick in the BNN poll and have four excellent hurlers, two starters in Sonny Elliott (18-13 2.86) and John Luzzatti (19-9 3.30) and two relievers in Mike McCabe (6-5 2.33 11 saves) and Doc Randolph (7-7 2.82 14 saves). Far Mountain can score runs, but they have to scrap for them.They only hit 94 roundtrippers during the regular campaign, but led the RU North in scoring with 705 runs. They can put some runs on the scoreboard with Dave Davis (.355/9 HR/81 RBI), Johnny Strickland (.274/19 HR/86 RBI/77 R), Royce Benson (.306/10 HR/64 RBI/86 R/47 SB), Hawk Gallagher (.292/7 HR/59 RBI/102 R/52 SB) and Karl Dietz (.237/26 HR/82 RBI). At mid-season Joey Cannizzaro (.328/6 HR/36 RBI/48 R/16 SB) added some punch to the line-up and in the last six weeks Sid Cameron (.350/1 HR/25 RBI/31 R/18 SB) earned a starting role. Far Mountain compiled a .266 batting average and led the IPA with 220 stolen bases.

The Marston Nine, the RU South champs, are piloted by Johnny Walters and they finished fourth in the BNN poll. Walters has the second-best pitching staff in the IPA, compiling a 3.44 ERA on the season. Pacing Walters' hill corps is his ace Nick Pace (21-13 2.90). Booger Burchfield (11-12 3.09) has also given him some quality starts since being obtained in a trade at the All-Star break. He is 8-6 with a 2.90 ERA for Marston. Casey Ledbetter (15-14 3.55) had been hot and cold this year, but still a good starter. The Nine will depend on them in the playoffs. The relievers also sport a superb 2.84 ERA. Kenny Bagby (7-3 3.16), Jorge Bonilla (4-0 2.63), Vinnie Gardner (3-4 3.26) and Walt Sellers (6-6 2.95) have piled up 30 saves this year. Marston also hit .275 and is one of the best-hitting clubs in the league with good power, finishing second to Forest City with 134 home runs. Sparking the Nine's attack this season has been Roland Thomas (.359/5 HR/83 RBI), Tommy Reinhold (.313/12 HR/52 RBI/93 R/53 SB), Ken Green (.306/14 HR/74 RBI/84 R), Ronnie Horn (.295/20 HR/66 R/89 R/20 SB) and recent signee, Kerby Jost (.287/7 HR/28 RBI/26 R), who played in 41 games. However, defense is sometimes a problem. Marston was one of the lowest-rated team with a poor .973 fielding average.

The Nine will be at home at Legends Field against the Volusia Vigilantes, who were voted sixth in the playoff poll. The V's came out second to Far Mountain in the RU North. In the playoffs, manager Alfonso Feliz will have as starters Raul Sandoval (18-15 3.15), Lenny Collins (15-11 3.81) and newcomer Tommy Betanzos (3-2 1.99), who just joined the team three weeks ago. The V's bullpen has been quite capable with Brian King (5-7 2.54) and Manny Seguin (3-2 3.13) in long relief. Closer Ricky Moreno (5-5 1.76) has been outstanding and leads the IPA with 26 saves. They have compiled a very respectable 3.73 ERA. Feliz also has decent hitters that put up a .270 batting mark in the season. Topping the Volusia line-up card is the number two hitter in the IPA, Scooter Perez (.374/8 HR/ 45 RBI/105 R/62 SB), Alejandro Salazar (.285/19 HR/82 RBI/79 R), Fernando Abreu (.274/26 HR/85 RBI/87 R), Winky Rush (.285/13 HR/75 RBI/70 R), Alex Luna (.282/9 HR/76 RBI/67 R) and Jesus Arroyo (.290/12 HR/75 RBI). Marston's pitching, hitting and power looks too strong for Volusia.

The final match-up in the Elite 8 pits the Ginza Ninjas and the Fairfax Frogs. The Ninjas will be on the road at the Frog Pond. Ginza was picked seventh in the poll, while Fairfax came in eighth and last. the Ninjas were second to the South Fork Stallions in the TU East and even won 19 of the 30 regular season contests, but they faded at the end of the season, while the Stallions turned it up a notch. Ginza could be dangerous with three fine starters in Kojiro Matsumoto (19-11 3.00), Toshiharu Ito (17-8 2.74) and Kazuhiro Nakayama (13-13 2.68). Manager Huroko Uchiyama has three potent bats, too. Kenshin Yamamoto (.308/23 HR/89 RBI), Charley Campbell (.291/19 HR/ 88 RBI/70 R) and Takashi Fujimoto (.286/23 HR/78 RBI) are no slouches with the sticks.

Fairfax was the best club in the IPA for most of the season, when they lost one of the top sluggers in the league. Gregg Vincent (.326/38 HR/106 RBI) missed the last 30 games of the season and the Frogs went from the best team to just an average team. Manager Harry Buckley's almost squandered a 12-game lead in the tailspin, but they managed to win the TU West in a one-game playoff with the red-hot Blue Lake Blue Sox. Vincent will not be available for the playoff as he is recovering from a severe ankle injury. Buckley will depend on one solid pitcher Robbie Meredith (15-9 2.92) and the talented closer Tadehide Takahashi (11-7 1.43 18 saves) to upend the Ninjas. Despite the loss of Vincent, Fairfax still has Gator Davis (.269/28 HR/98 RBI), Stan Cobb (.300/14 HR/81 RBI), Warren Lee (.316/12 HR/65 RBI) and newcomer Cecil Parmenter (.322/9 HR/40 RBI). Parmenter only played a third of the season. The Frogs batted .275 for the year, tied with Marston for the IPA best team batting average, and hit 138 roundtrippers to finish number two to Forest City.

The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 16, 2001

Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Playoffs

Redhawks Take Opener from Lumberjacks 4-1
In the IPA Elite 8 playoffs at Sky High Stadium in Far Mountain, the Redhawks took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Sonny Elliot (1-0 1.00) held the heavy-hitting Forest City Lumberjacks to five hits en route to a 4-1 victory. He only gave up one run via left fielder Chuck Hill's (.250) solo homer in the first inning. Far Mountain collected eight hits in the game and were paced by third baseman Johnny Strickland (.500) with two RBIs on a double and a single. Center fielder Hawk Gallagher (.500) slammed homer and a double and scored twice. Herm Bahr (0-1 4.50) suffered the setback, going six innings and allowing three runs.

V's Nudge Nine 3-2 in Series Opener
At Legends Field in Marston, the home town Nine were defeated 3-2 in the first game of the Elite 8 series by the visiting Volusia Vigilantes. Winning pitcher Raul Sandoval (1-0 2.25) worked eight strong innings, gave up only two runs on eight hits, fanned five and issued a pair of walks. Ricky Moreno (0-0 0.00) closed out the victory with a perfect 1-2-3 ninth. First baseman Alejandro Salazar (.500) drove in all three runs with a two-run homer in the first inning and a double in the ninth. Left fielder Winky Rush (.500) had two hits and scored twice for the Vigilantes. Second baseman Ken Green (.250) and pinchhitter Johnny Berthold (1.000) each batted in a run for Marston. Nick Pace (0-1 2.57) pitched well, but lost it for the Nine. He gave up two runs and six hits in seven innings with five Ks. Marston played lousy defense and committed four errors in the game.

Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Playoffs

Frogs Rally Late, Slam Ninjas 8-4 in First Game
At the Frog Pond in Fairfax, the Frogs rallied with a six-run eighth inning to slam the Ginza Ninjas 8-4 in the first game of the Elite 8 series. Up until then Kojiro Matsumoto had held them to two runs and three hits and seemed to be on the way to an opening-game triumph, but then Fairfax ripped him and two successors for eight hits and six runs. Matsumoto (0-1 6.43) was charged with the defeat after surrendering five runs and six hits in seven innings. Ted Ellison picked up the win with a scoreless eighth inning. Closer Takehide Takahashi (0-0 0.00) put the Ninjas out of their misery in the ninth to nail down the verdict. Fairfax and Ginza both had 11 hits in the game. The Frogs shortstop Warren Lee (.667) was 2-for-3 and drove in two runs and second baseman Cecil Parmenter (.500) was 2-for-4 and batted in two runs with two doubles. Catcher Marv McCoy (.667) drove in a run, had two hits and scored twice.

Blue Sox Edge Stallions in Game One 4-3 in 10
Good old-fashioned fundamentals gave Blue Lake a one-game lead in the best-of-seven Elite 8 Series and a 4-3 triumph over South Fork in ten innings. The Blue Sox manufactured a run when right fielder Doyle Osborne singled with one out in the top of the tenth off reliever Glenn Turnbull. Osborne advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and then raced across with the winning score on second baseman Ken Bennett's (.500) base hit. Starter Bennie West (1-0 3.00) notched the win with nine fine innings, yielding three runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and a walk. Closer Russ Courtney (0-0 0.00) put down the Stallions in the ninth for the save. Glenn Turnbull (0-1 9.00) caught the loss, allowing one run and two hits in the decisive inning. South Fork outhit the Blue Sox 8 to 6 and had two homers. Third baseman Glenn Holliday (.400) got his in the second inning and center fielder Ronnie Lee hit his in the third. Both were with the bases empty. Bennett (.500) had two hits and drove in two runs to lead Blue Lake, while Osborne (.400) got two hits, scored twice and batted in a run.

The Islandian Times

Monday, September 17, 2001

Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Playoffs

Redhawks Win Again, Luzzatti Tames 'Jacks 6-1
Two down and two to go in the best-of-seven series. John Luzzatti twirled a six-hitter to tame Forest City 6-1 for Far Mountain's second straight victory over the Lumberjacks in the Elite 8 playoff series at Sky High Stadium. The Redhawks only got seven hits in the game, but it was plenty enough. Left fielder Karl Dietz (.125) homered and drove in a pair of runs and right fielder Sam Cameron (.250) chased in two with a single and an RBI ground out. Glenn Moore (0-1 6.35) lost it, allowing five runs in five-plus innings.

Marston Routs Volusia 10-5, Evens Series
The Marston bats came alive as the Nine routed Volusia 10-5 to even the Elite 8 series at one game apiece. Playing at home at Legends Field, Marston slammed 12 hits off four Vigilante pitchers, sparked by right fielder Kirby Jost (.250) and second baseman Ken Green (.286) with three RBIs each. Left fielder Ronnie Horn (.625) chipped in two runs batted in, too. Horn and Green both homered. Booger Burchfield (1-0 6.00) got the victory, but was hit around a bit, giving up nine hits and four runs in six innings. Jorge Bonilla (0-0 3.00) picked up the save by holding Volusia to one run and three hits in three innings. Lenny Collins (0-1 21.16) got the start and the loss. He was shelled for seven runs in less than two innings. The Vigilantes committed three errors and gifted Marston with six unearned runs. Volusia had a dozen hits, too, and were paced by left fielder Winky Rush (.625) and second baseman Francisco Abreu (.571), both had three hits each.

Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Playoffs

Frogs Leslie Fires One-Hitter, Whips Ninjas Again
Jackie Leslie fired a one-hitter as Fairfax edged Ginza 2-1 at the Frog Pond to go up two games to none in the Elite 8 Playoffs. Leslie almost got the first no-hitter in IPA history, but a lead-off double by Takashi Fujimota (.333) broke it up. Leslie needed help from bullpen ace, Takehide Takahashi (0-0 0.00), to finish off the Ninjas. Takahashi got the last three outs, inducing first baseman Kenshin Yamamoto (.250) to hit into a double play and retired catcher Hank Mitchell (.222) on a deep fly ball to right. Leslie (1-0 0.00) walked four and struck out four, outpitching Toshiharu Ito (0-1 1.17). Ito permitted six hits and two runs, only one earned, in seven and two-thirds innings. The Frogs got eight hits and were paced by left fielder Gator Davis (.333), who homered in the second inning to give Fairfax and early lead. The Frogs tallied their second run in the sixth when third baseman Stan Cobb (.333) singled and moved up to second on a ground out. Cobb then scored on Ito's throwing error.

SF Fights Back, Beats Blue Lake 10-9 in 10
It was a slugfest at Jock Ewing Stadium in South Fork as 29 hits rattled around the ballpark in the Stallions 10-9 comeback victory over the Blue Lake Blue Sox. There were seven roundtrippers hit, but the game was decided by a little popfly single that nobody called for. Three Blue Sox players let it fall to the ground to even the Elite 8 series at a game apiece. The Stallions jump out to a 5-1 lead after two innings, but saw Blue Lake recover and take an 8-5 lead after seven and a half innings. South Fork knotted it up 8-8 with three in the last of the eighth, only to see the Blue Sox regain it again with a run in the top of the tenth. Russ Courtney's (0-1 10.80) wildness cost them dearly as he walked two to load the bases. Second baseman Rick Tsoukalis (.143) tied the score at 9-9 with a deep sacrifice fly. That set the stage for catcher Darryl Burnett (.143) to hit a routine fly ball to short center that no one caught. Glenn Turnbull (1-1 9.00) got the win today despite giving up a run and two hits in an inning of work. South Fork was led at bat by right fielder Art Atkins (.333) with three hits and five RBIs and first baseman Keith Burke (.300) with two hits, three RBIs and three runs scored. Both of them hit three-run homers. Center fielder Ronnie Lee (.400) went 3-for-5 and scored three runs for the Stallions. The Blue Sox hammered 15 hits and 5 homers, but came up short by a run. Right fielder Fred Collins (.333) and catcher Curly Harris (.333) both slugged two-run shots, while second baseman Ken Bennett (.333), first baseman Fred Taranto (.333) and left fielder Doyle Osborne (.364) hit solo homers.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 18, 2001

Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Playoffs

Redhawks Rout Lumberjacks 7-1, Up 3-0
Far Mountain is well on its way to knocking off Forest City in the Elite 8 Series after a 7-1 rout at Riverside Stadium. The Redhawks won their third game in a row in the best-of-seven series. One more win and they will advance to the Final 4. Far Mountain laced 13 hits off five Lumberjack pitchers, led by third baseman Johnny Strickland (.455), who unloaded a three-run homer and drove in four runs. Right fielder Sid Cameron (.385) went 2-for-4 and scored twice, while left fielder Karl Dietz (.250) also homered. Winning pitcher Bud Ford (1-0 1.00) went the distance and allowed eleven hits, but was tough in the pinches, stranding 10 baserunners in all. Ford whiffed eight Lumberjacks and issued just one walk.

Nine Squeezes Out 3-2 Win, Lead V's 2 games to one
The Marston Nine took a 2-1 edge in the Elite 8 playoffs by squeezing out a 3-2 victory over the Volusia Vigilantes at Silver River Stadium. Marston got a superb pitching effort from Casey Ledbetter (1-0 1.13), who stopped the V's on just five hits and one run in his eight innings. Ledbetter struck out seven and walked three before giving way to Vinnie Gardner (0-0 9.00). Gardner got credit for the save, but had trouble disposing of Volusia. In the ninth he permitted two hits and a run before retiring the side. Catcher Mo Chappell (.100) drove in the first run of the game in the second inning with a sacrifice fly. Vigilante second baseman Francisco Abreu (.545) tied it up at 1-1 with a third-inning double. The Nine took the lead for good on shortstop Don Nichols' (.364) two-run double in the sixth inning. In the ninth catcher Jojo Nunez (.300) batted in Volusia's last run with a sacrifice fly. Tommy Betanzos (0-1 4.50) took the loss, allowing three runs on nine hits in six innings.


Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Playoffs

Frogs Win 3rd Straight, Beat Ninjas 3-2 in 11
It took 11 innings at Ninja Stadium in Ginza before the Fairfax Frogs subdued the Ninjas 3-2 to capture their third straight game in the best-of-seven Elite 8 Series. Losing pitcher Emil Kreskas (0-1 3.86) gave up the deciding run when he threw two wild pitches in the top of the 11th allowing second baseman Cecil Parmenter to score after his one-out double. Kaz Hayagawa (0-0 2.00) and closer Takehide Takahashi (1-0 0.00) combined to beat Ginza with Hayagawa going the first nine innings, allowing eight hits and two runs with five strikeouts. Takahashi got the victory with two scoreless innings. Right fielder Takashi Fujimoto (.364) homered in the first frame to put the Ninjas ahead 2-0. The Frogs tied it up in the fourth when Parmenter (.333) had an RBI double and first baseman Ernie Cunningham (.077) an RBI single. Kazuhiro Nakayama (0-0 2.08) started and worked into the ninth. He gave up two runs on seven hits, while striking out five and issuing only one walk. Kreskas hurled the last two and one-third frames and caught the loss.

SF Trims Blue Sox 4-2, Lead Series by a Game
The South Fork Stallions went on the road and trimmed Blue Lake at Harbor Stadium 4-2 to take a 2 games to one lead in the Elite 8 best-of-seven playoff series. Ken Conner and Robby Rosario teamed up to top the Blue Sox. Conner (1-0 2.57) notched the win with seven sparkling innings of three-hit ball. Conner allowed two runs, fanned four and walked two. Rosario (0-0 0.00) blanked them in the eight and ninth by retiring all six batters in order for the save. Happy McManus (0-1 2.57) tossed seven innings and left losing 3-2. He permitted three runs on six hits with two of them earned. Blue Lake jumped out 2-0 in the opening inning on second baseman Ken Bennett's (.308) RBI single and center fielder Donnie Frazier's (.333) RBI double. The Stallions cut it to 2-1 in the second when second baseman Rick Tsoukalis (.167) scored on a sac fly by first baseman Keith Burke (.231). In the fifth South Fork took the lead 3-2 on an RBI single by shortstop Bobby Riley (.556) and an RBI triple by center fielder Ronnie Lee (.333). In the top of the eighth pinchhitter Ken Robbins (.667) drove left fielder Lyle Lindsey (.231) with a single to make it 4-2. The Stallions had 10 hits in the game.

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 20, 2001

Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Playoffs

Far Mountain Sweeps Forest City in 4 Games
The Far Mountain Redhawks dominated the Forest City hitters and swept the Lumberjacks four games to none to move on to the Final 4. They edged them 3-2 in ten innings to wrap up the series. Catcher Dave Davis (.333) won it with his second homer in the game. It came off Knucks Nomellini (0-1 3.60), who pitched the last two innings. Sonny Elliott (2-0 1.50) won his second game in the playoffs, holding Forest City to just six hits in nine innings. He fanned eight and walked three. Closer Mike McCabe (0-0 0.00) pitched a perfect ninth to seal the win for Elliott. Elliott and Herm Bahr (0-1 3.46) both had shutouts through five innings. In the sixth Davis broke the ice with a solo homer. Then, after two were out, Redhawk left fielder Karl Dietz walked, went to second on a balk and was doubled in by second baseman Steve Kaminski (.273), putting Far Mountain up 2-0. In the last of the ninth the game was sent into extra innings by second baseman Jesse Wolf's (.267) two-run homer.

Now Manager Alex Groveland's Redhawks will have to wait for the winner of the Marston-Volusia series to play out before they know who they will be playing in the Final 4 semi-final series. The two clubs are now tied at 2-2 in a best-of-seven series.

Sandoval Flirts with No-Hitter, V's Even Series
Volusia's Raul Sandoval flirted with the first no-hitter in IPA history. The 32-year-old lefty held the Vigilantes hitless before allowing three runs on four hits in the top of the eighth. The V's still prevailed 8-3 over the Marston Nine to even up the Elite Series at two games apiece. Sandoval (2-0 2.12) got his second win in the series, going the distance with four Ks and two bases on balls. Volusia shelled Nick Pace (0-2 6.00) for four runs in the opening frame, highlighted by second baseman Francisco Abreu's (.571) three-run homer. V's center fielder Alex Luna (.250) tripled in three more in the fifth, while catcher Jojo Nunez (.357) doubled in a run in the first and the fifth. Volusia outhit Marston 10 to 4 to easily defeat the Nine.

Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Playoffs

Lindsey Homers, SF KO's Blue Sox 1-0 in 12 Innings
In a splendidly-pitched game the South Fork Stallions skimmed by Blue Lake 1-0 on left fielder Lyle Lindsey's (.222) twelfth-inning home run. That gave the Stallions a 3-1 edge over the Blue Sox in the best-of-seven Elite 8 Series. Robby Rosario (1-0 0.00) pitched the last two innings for the win, while Paddy O'Rourke (0-1 2.70) surrendered the game-winning blast and suffered the loss. There were only 15 hits in the game, seven for South Fork and eight for Blue Lake. Stallion starter Flint Battle (0-0 1.59) continued his playoff brilliance. He held the Blue Sox to six hits and shut out the Blue Sox for ten innings, while Bennie West (1-0 1.50) blanked South Fork on five hits over nine innings. West fanned eight and walked two in another masterful performance.

Matsumoto Stops Frogs 9-2, Keeps Ninjas Alive
The Ginza Ninjas are down, but not out, thanks to Kojiro Matsumoto. He kept the Ninjas alive in the Elite 8 Series with a 9-2 victory over the Fairfax Frogs. Matsumoto fashioned a 4-hitter to stave off elimination. The Frogs still have a commanding three games to one lead in the best-of-seven series. Ginza cranked out 12 hits and were led by third baseman Kaz Ojima (.333), who went 4-for-5 and hit for the cycle. Ojima had three RBIs and scored twice in the runaway win. Other contributors were second baseman Scoop McDonald (.200) and left fielder Charlie Campbell (.222). McDonald hit a two-run double and Campbell slammed a solo home run. The Ninjas ripped losing pitcher Robbie Meredith (0-1 6.35) for five runs and eight hits in five-plus innings.

The Islandian Times

Friday, September 21, 2001

Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Playoffs

V's Go Up 3 Games to 2, Nip Nine 3-2 on Rush's Hit
Playing at home in the friendly confines of the Jailhouse, the Volusia Vigilantes took the series lead three games to two by nipping Marston 3-2 on left fielder Winky Rush's (.444) eighth-inning single. Southpaw Lenny Collins (1-1 5.59) hurled a strong game, checking the Nine on five hits and holding them to two runs. Reliever Bob Lowe (0-1 5.40) was tagged with the loss. He allowed four hits and the winning run in his inning and two-thirds. In the ninth closer Ricky Moreno (0-0 0.000) fanned two of the three batters for the save. Marston took a first-inning lead when center fielder Tommy Reinhold (.350) walked and was tripled in by second baseman Ken Green (.211). The Vigilantes matched them with a run in the last of the first. Catcher's interference, an infield error and a walk loaded the bases. The tying run came in on a double-play groundout. Faulty fielding played a part in the next inning when a single and an infield error put runners on first and second. Scooter Perez (.200) singled to make it 2-1 in favor of the V's. Marston evened the score at 2-all on a triple by right fielder Kerby Jost (.158) and an RBI single by first baseman Chuck Barrett (.313).

Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Playoffs

Ninjas Win 1-0 in 10 Over Frogs, Trail 3-2 Now
The Ginza Ninjas won their second straight game in the Elite 8 playoffs to cut Fairfax's lead in the best-of-seven series to three games to two. The Ninjas won in ten innings 1-0 when first baseman Kenshin Yamamoto (.250) singled in third baseman Kaz Ojima (.318) from third base with the winning run. Reliever Gerry Hersh (1-0 0.00) got the victory with a scoreless 10th inning in relief of starter Toshiharu Ito (0-1 0.54), who had a standout game, allowing no runs and five hits in his nine innings. Ito struck out five and walked just one batter. Fairfax's famed reliever Takehide Takahashi (1-1 1.93) pitched the tenth and gave up the winning run. Jackie Leslie (1-0 0.00) again had a sensational game, allowing only four hits and no runs over nine innings. Leslie pitched a one-hit shutout in his first playoff start and now has permitted only four hits and no runs in 17 innings. The Frogs outhit Ginza 7 to 5.

Wild Pitch Decides Game, Blue Sox Edge SF 1-0
At Harbor Stadium in Blue Lake, the Blue Sox remained alive in the Elite 8 with a 1-0 triumph over South Fork. The win narrowed the Stallions lead to three games to two in the best-of-seven series. Blue Lake scored the only run of the game in the last of the ninth. With two away shortstop Cy Orgeron (.158) singled and was doubled to third by second baseman Ken Bennett (.318). That set the stage for the winning run to come in on Vince Benini's wild pitch. Winner Jay Clay worked a very impressive game, blanking South Fork on seven hits with eight Ks and three walks. Bernini (0-1 4.30) suffered the heartbreaking setback. He permitted just four hits, fanned eight and gave up no walks.

The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 23, 2001

Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Playoffs

Volusia Advances, Whips Marston 4 Games to 2
The Volusia Vigilantes defeated the Marston Nine 5-2 in game six of the Elite Series and will advance to the Final 4 against the Far Mountain Redhawks. The V's won the series four games to two. Tommy Betanzos (1-1 2.40) copped the deciding game with a fine performance. He stopped Marston on five hits and went the route, striking out five and issuing two walks. Only one of the runs was earned. The Vigilantes pelted losing pitcher Casey Ledbetter (1-1 3.29) for nine hits and five runs in five innings and were sparked by left fielder Winky Rush (.478) with three hits, three runs scored and one RBI. Volusia tallied single runs in the first two frames to go up 2-0. Marston cut it to 2-1 in the fourth, only to have the V's pull away with one in the fifth and two more in the sixth to make it 5-1. Shortstop Scooter Perez (.217), first baseman Alejandro Salazar (.231), right fielder Jesus Arroyo (.292) and center fielder Alex Luna (.174) chipped in one RBI apiece for the winners. First baseman Chuck Barrett (.316) homered in defeat.

The Vigilantes will move to the next round and play an old division foe, the Far Mountain Redhawks, who swept Forest City in four games. The RU North Division winner finished the regular season 16-14 against Volusia.

Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Playoffs

Stallions Clip Blue Lake 5-4, Head to Final 4
South Fork is headed for the Final 4 after disposing of the Blue Lake Blue Sox 5-4 in game six of the Elite 8 Series. The Stallions smashed 15 hits to take the series four games to two at Jock Ewing Stadium. After Blue Sox center fielder Donnie Frazier (.250) belted a two-run homer to tie it up 4-4 in the top of the ninth, South Fork rebounded and wrapped up the series on third baseman Glenn Holliday's bases-loaded single. Ken Conner (2-0 3.38) toughed it out and went the distance, yielding four runs on eight hits and striking out 8 batters. It was his second win in the playoffs. Russ Courtney (0-2 13.50) gave up the game-winning run for the loss. Center fielder Ronnie Lee (.333) and Holliday (.286) both had three base hits to pace the Stallions. Shortstop Bobby Riley (.400) smacked two hits and drove in two runs. Riley hit a two-run roundtripper in the sixth to put South Fork ahead 3-2. First baseman Fred Taranto (.280) also walloped a two-run homer for the Blue Sox.

The Stallions now await a Final 4 showdown with the winner of the Ginza-Fairfax series.

Ginza Even Series 3-3, Buries Frogs 11-0
The Ginza Ninjas buried Fairfax at the Frog Pond 11-0 to even up their Elite 8 playoff series at three games each. It was the Ninjas third triumph in a row. The Ninjas socked 15 hits in the rout with first baseman Kenshin Yamamoto (.250) batting in three runs, right fielder Takashi Fujimoto (.292) knocking in a pair and catcher Howie Mitchell (.269) driving in two runs. Third baseman Kaz Ojima (.385) and left fielder Charlie Campbell (.269) each contributed three hits and scored twice in the decisive victory. Not only did they hit, but they got an outstanding mound job from Kazuhiro Nakayama (1-0 1.02), who whitewashed the Frogs on nine hits, stranding ten runners on base. Kaz Hayagawa (0-1 6.55) was bombarded for six runs in just two innings of work for the loss.

The series finale will be tomorrow in Fairfax with Kojiro Matsumoto on the hill for Ginza and Robbie Meredith starting for the Frogs. Matsumoto is 1-1 in the postseason with a 3.94 ERA, while Meredith has struggled with an 0-1 mark and a lofty 6.35 ERA.

The Islandian Times

Monday, September 24, 2001

Ginza Beats Fairfax 4-3 in Game 7, Makes Final 4
The tough Ginza Ninjas trailed Fairfax three games to none, but didn't give up. The Ninjas turned it around and won the last four games to take the Elite 8 Series and move on to the Final 4. They took game seven 4-3 on Kaz Ojima's solo home run in the top of the ninth. Starter Kaz Matsumoto worked a solid seven innings holding Fairfax to two runs and six hits. None of the runs were earned. He departed with the scored knotted at 2-2. Emil Kreskas (1-1 4.15) got the win, but gave up a run in the eighth to blow a 3-2 lead. Ginza piled up 12 hits to 9 for the Frogs, sparked by Ojima (.452) with 4 hits, two runs scored and an RBI. First baseman Kenshin Yamamoto (.286) and left fielder Charlie Campbell (.300) chipped in with two hits and an RBI apiece. Fairfax took an early 2-0 lead in the second on Louis Ward's (.320) two-run triple. The Ninjas evened the score at 2-2 in the fifth, took the lead again 3-2 in the top of the eighth, only to see the Frogs tie it up again in the bottom of the inning on left fielder Gator Davis' (.261) single. Fairfax used four pitchers with the loss going to Ted Ellison (1-1 5.40), who gave up the game-winning home run.

Ginza will now do battle with on old enemy, the South Fork Stallions. South Fork won the Tycobbian Union East Division by five games over the second place Ninjas. They will meet in the Final 4 Series for the right to play for the Islandian Pro Cup, emblematic of the top professional team in Islandia. Ginza won the season series 19-11.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 25, 2001

Ruthlandian Union Final 4 Playoffs

Redhawks Favored Over Vigilantes in Ruthlandian Final 4
According the BNN experts great pitching and home run power got Far Mountain to the Final 4 Series against the Volusia Vigilantes. That is why the baseball prognosticators are picking the Redhawks to defeat the V's and advance into the championship round for the IPA Pro Cup.

Far Mountain's pitching was almost beyond belief against Forest City. They held the heavy-hitting Lumberjacks to five runs in the four-game sweep with three complete games. Sonny Elliott won two games, 3-2 and 4-1, finishing with a 1.50 ERA. John Luzzatti was 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA as he tossed a 6-1 victory. Bud Ford won his only start, beating Forest City 7-1. All are righties.

The Redhawks did the job with the bats, too. They hammered six homers and were led by third baseman Johnny Strickland, who hit .333 and drove in 7 runs, catcher Dave Davis with 2 homers and a .333 batting average and left fielder Karl Dietz with a .267 average and a pair of roundtrippers.

Far Mountain had the edge in the season series 16-14 and will be favored in the Final 4. Volusia doesn't have the depth in the starting rotation that FM's Johnny Walters has. Raul Sandoval is the best manager Alfonso Feliz has to offer. Sandoval tossed two victories in the Marston series, topping the Nine 3-2 and 8-3. Sandoval was 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA. Tommy Betanzos was 1-1 with a 2.40 ERA. He lost to Marston 3-2, but defeated them in a rematch 5-2. Lenny Collins will be the number three man in the rotation. He was also 1-1 against the Nine with a sky-high 5.59 ERA. Collins suffered a 10-5 defeat, but won his second start 3-2. Collins is a lefthander, while Betanzos is right-handed. In the bullpen the edge goes to the V's with closer Ricky Moreno. In the regular season he was 1-2 with 5 saves against the Redhawks with a microscopic 0.93 ERA in 12 relief appearances. Mike McCabe has the closer duties for Far Mountain. He appeared in 9 games against Volusia and finished with 2-2 record and a 3.29 ERA with 2 saves.

However, the V's can hit the ball well with the likes of second baseman Francisco Abreu with a .500 average and 5 RBIs in the playoffs thus far, left fielder Winky Rush with a .478 mark, 9 runs scored and 3 RBIs, and first baseman Alejandro Salazar with a .231 batting average and 5 RBIs. Power-wise Volusia only hit 2 homers in the Marston series.

The best-of-seven series opens tomorrow at Sky High Stadium in Far Mountain. John Luzzatti, a 35-year-old righthander will start for the Redhawks and will be opposed by the Vigilantes Raul Sandoval, a 32-year-old southpaw. Luzzatti was 5-1 against Volusia during the regular season with an impressive 1.88 ERA in 8 starts, while Sandoval compiled a 4-4 mark with an excellent 2.21 ERA in 8 starting assignments against Far Mountain.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 25, 2001

Tycobbian Union Final 4 Playoffs

South Fork Picked to Beat Ginza in Tycobbian Final 4
According the BNN poll, the South Fork Stallions are a slight favorite to whip the Ginza Ninjas in the Tycobbian Union Final 4. The baseball journalists cite South Fork has the edge in hitting. From top to bottom in skipper Deroche "Lips" Leon's line-up he has a solid hitter, while manager Huroko Uchiyama of the Ninjas depends mainly upon three batters to supply the offense. Both clubs have fine pitching staffs with the Stallions having a little more depth. There is not much difference in them. South Fork's hitting and power will probably give them the edge over Ginza. The Stallions are favored despite the fact that Ginza won 19 of the 30 regular season games. The Ninjas were the underdog to the Fairfax Frogs, but won the series four games to three. But South Fork had the best record in the IPA over the last 3 months of the season.

South Fork's top hitters in the playoffs have been shortstop Bobby Riley with a .400 average, 1 home run, 3 RBIs and 4 runs scored; center fielder Ronnie Lee with a .333 batting average, 1 homer, 3 RBIs and 7 runs scored; first baseman Keith Burke with a .320 average, 1 homer, 4 RBIs and 3 runs scored; and right fielder Art Atkins, who has hit .269, but with 6 RBIs and one home run. All total the Stallions hit 6 roundtrippers against the Blue Lake Blue Sox in the six-game series.

On the hill Leon has Flint Battle, who went 0-0 against the Blue Sox with a splendid 1.59 ERA. He started in a 4-3 loss and hurled ten brilliant innings in a game the Stallions eventually won 1-0 in 12 innings. Ken Conner won two games in the playoffs so far. He beat Blue Lake 4-2 and 5-4. Conner's postseason ERA is 3.38 in two starts. Vince Bernini is the third man in the rotation. He is 0-1 in the playoffs with a 4.30 ERA. In his last start Bernini dropped a 1-0 decision and allowed only four hits. When Leon has to go to his relief corps he has one of the best in the IPA, headed by Glenn Turnbull, although he did not have a good series against the Blue Sox. In two games and two innings he had a 9.00 ERA and no record. However Robby Rosario was outstanding with a 1-0 record and 0.00 ERA in 5 innings and three relief appearances.

Uchiyama has three superb starters in Kaz Matsumoto, Toshiharu Ito and Kazuhiro Nakayama. In two games Nakayama was 1-0 with a splendid 1.02 ERA. He lost his first playoff game 3-2, but came back and won his second 11-0. Toshihiro Ito was even better with an 0-1 record and 0.54 ERA. He didn't get the win in a 1-0 ten-inning victory and got the loss in a 2-1 game. Matsumoto went 1-0 with a 2.74 ERA in 4-3 (no decision) and 9-2 victories.The Ninja relief corps is almost as good as South Fork and is led by closer Ken Watkins. However he was shelled in his one relief appearance in the post-season.

Batting-wise Ginza has first baseman Kenshin Yamamoto, who is hitting .286 in the playoffs with a club high 6 RBIs. Left fielder Takashi Fujimoto carries a .241 average, but has driven in 5 runs with one home run and scored 6 times. Right fielder Charlie Campbell has a .300 batting average with 3 RBIs, one homer and has scored 5 runs. However, Uchiyama's biggest bat has been third baseman Kaz Ojima with a .452 average, 2 homers, 4 RBIs and 8 runs scored. Ojima hit only .251 during the regular campaign with 6 homers.

In the opening game of the Final 4 Series tomorrow at South Fork's Jock Ewing Stadium, Lips Leon will go with Flint Battle, a 33-year-old righthander, who was 4-2 against Ginza in 7 starts with a 4.47 ERA. Uchiyama will give the start to the 25-year-old righthander Toshiharu Ito. He was great against the Stallions in the regular season, going 5-1 with a fine 2.20 ERA. Ito pitched in 10 games and made 6 starts against South Fork.

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, September 26, 2001

Tycobbian Union Final 4 Playoffs

Stallions Win Opener 2-1 Over Ninjas in 11 Innings
South Fork, playing at home at Jock Ewing Stadium, nipped the Ginza Ninjas 2-1 in 11 innings to take a one-game lead in the best-of-seven Final 4 Series. The 33-year-old Flint Battle (1-0 1.29) was sensational, going all 11 innings and limiting Ginza to just four singles. It was Battle's first playoff win after two no-decisions in first round action. Three back-to-back singles won the game. With one out and closer Ken Watkins on the hill, catcher Darryl Burnett (.259) singled. Lips Leon inserted Mike Yastrzemski as a pinchrunner for the slow-footed Burnett. Left fielder Lyle Lindsay (.276) smacked a single and advanced Yastrzemski to third base. Shortstop Bobby Riley (.360) then won the game with line shot to center field. Watkins (0-1 36.00) suffered the loss in relief of Toshharu Ito (0-1 0.68), who equalled Battle for 10 innings, yielding only one run on six hits with seven Ks and 4 bases on balls.

Ruthlandian Union Final 4 Playoffs

Far Mountain and Luzzatti Blank Vigilantes 1-0
In the opener of the Final 4 Series Far Mountain continued to get outstanding pitching. John Luzzatti (2-0 0.50) tossed a 1-0 shutout, blanking the Volusia Vigilantes on five hits. It was the Redhawks fifth straight victory in the playoffs. They have yet to lose and have given up only 5 runs in five games. Second baseman Steve Kaminski (.308) went deep for the game's only run in the last of the eighth. Losing pitcher Raul Sandoval (2-1 1.80) went the distance and fired a five-hitter as well, while fanning nine Redhawks. Luzzatti issued no walks and struck out three in the win.

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 27, 2001

Tycobbian Union Final 4 Playoffs

South Fork Slams Ginza 8-2, Leads Final Four 2-0
South Fork slammed out 12 hits to trash the Ginza Ninjas 8-2 for the Stallions second consecutive win in the Final 4 playoffs. Second baseman Rick Tsoukalis (.294) lashed three hits and drove in three runs to spark South Fork to a 2-0 lead in the series. Catcher Darryl Burnett (.290) and left fielder Lyle Lindsey (.273) each chipped in two RBIs, too. Three runs in the first and third paved the way for an easy victory for manager Deroche "Lips" Leon's crew. The Stallions lost their starting pitching for 1-2 weeks with arm trouble. Vince Bernini had to be taken out in the third inning after he has retired all seven batters he faced. Reliever Kyle Moss (1-0 1.42) came to the rescue and chalked up the win. The 24-year-old righthander went the rest of the way, holding the Ninjas to two runs and four hits in six and a third innings.

South Fork general manager Finley Charles said Bernini's roster slot would be taken by Bobby Petrov, a 30-year-old righthander. Manager Leon said Ken Olson or Robby Rosario would move from middle relief to Bernini's place in the starting rotation. Olson was 16-14 during the regular season with a 2.93 ERA. He and Rosario have been in the bullpen in the playoffs. Olson has not been used in the playoffs, while Rosario has stood out with a 1-0 record and five scoreless innings in three relief appearances.

Ruthlandian Union Final 4 Playoffs

V's Snap Redhawks Playoff Streak at 5 Games
The Volusia Vigilantes put an end to Far Mountain's unbeaten playoff record. Tommy Betanzos (2-1 1.88) and the V's snapped the Redhawks victory string at five games with a 4-1 triumph. That tied up the Final 4 Series at one game apiece. Betanzos pitched a complete game, scattering eight hits in the process. He fanned three and walked none in a solid outing. Third baseman Shane Wells' (.179) second-inning single put Volusia up 2-0. Far Mountain got its only run of the game in the bottom of the inning when shortstop Joey Cannizzaro (.286) bunted for a single, stole second and rode home on left fielder Karl Dietz's (.273) base hit. Wells added another run in the fourth with a single and first baseman Alejandro Salazar (.206) finished up the scoring with his second homer of the playoffs in the fifth. Wells drove in three runs to pace Volusia. Sonny Elliott (2-1 2.74) had a disappointing day and took the loss. He allowed four runs in five innings. Both ballclubs had 8 hits in the game.

The Islandian Times

Saturday, September 29, 2001

Ruthlandian Union Final 4 Playoffs

Volusia Wins 4-3 in 11, Leads FM 2-1 in Series
Volusia surprised Far Mountain 4-3 in 11 innings at the V's home field, the Jailhouse, to go up two games to one in the Final 4 series. Second baseman Francisco Abreu (.441) tied the score at 3-3 with an eighth-inning homer, his second of the playoffs. Then he doubled in the winning run in the last of the 12th. That gave Abreu 8 RBIs in the postseason. Closer Ricky Moreno (1-0 0.00) notched the victory with five scoreless innings. Moreno struck out 9 and allowed 5 hits with two walks. Vigilante pitching struck out 18 Redhawks in the game with starter Lenny Collins also fanning 9. Collins went six and two-thirds innings, allowed six hits and three runs, but only one was earned. Volusia collected 12 hits in the game, while Far Mountain picked up 11. Abreu had two hits and three RBIs to pace the V's with right fielder Jesus Arroyo (.343) going 3-for-5 and tripling in a run. Catcher Dave Davis (.296) and second baseman Steve Kaminski (.227) had RBIs for the Redhawks. Dave Johnson (0-1 27.03) caught the loss, pitching to only 4 batters in the last inning.


Tycobbian Union Final 4 Playoffs

Matsumoto Blanks Stallions, Ginza Trails 2-1
Ginza's Kaz Matsumoto outpitched South Fork's Ken Conner in game three of the Final 4 Series at Ninja Stadium. Matsumoto (2-1 1.97) blanked the Stallions 2-0 on a six-hitter to narrow the series to 2-1 in favor of the Stallions. The Ninjas scored in the second inning when first baseman Kenshin Yamamoto (.256) singled and reached second on an error by left fielder Lyle Lindsey. He misplayed it. Yamamoto moved to third on a groundout, then crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by center fielder Nick Winters (.303). Ginza got it final run in the sixth on right fielder Takashi Fujimoto's (.205) second playoff home run. Conner (2-1 3.27) was tagged with the loss. He permitted two runs and five hits over six innings with 5 Ks.

The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 30, 2001

Ruthlandian Union Final 4 Playoffs

V's Squeak by FM 3-2, Lead 3-1 in Final 4
They did it again! The Volusia Vigilantes knocked off the Far Mountain Redhawks 3-2 at the Jailhouse. That's three wins in a row and put them ahead three games to one in the Final 4 Series. One more victory and the V's will be in the IPA Pro Cup Series, playing for the league title. Volusia's splendid southpaw, Raul Sandoval (3-1 1.32) hurled another outstanding game, whipping John Luzzatti, another superb pitcher. Sandoval allowed no earned runs, seven hits, fanned five and walked three. Luzzatti (2-1 1.04) surrendered only two earned runs, fanned five, walked one and gave up six hits in defeat. His big sin was giving up homers to first baseman Alejandro Salazar (.256) and second baseman Francisco Abreu (.447). Abreu's came in the sixth and ended up being the game-winner. Both Salazar and Abreu have three homers so far in the playoffs. Salazar's solo roundtripper led off the fourth inning and put the Vigilantes up 1-0. Later on in the inning the V's scored again on an error by second baseman Steve Kaminski. Far Mountain rallied in the top of the fifth with two runs to tie the score at 2-2. One run came in on a dropped popfly by Sandoval and the other on a ground out.

Ito, Ninjas Even Series, Ginza Tops Stallions 5-1
Ginza got another win at Ninja Stadium to even up the Final 4 Series with South Fork at two games apiece. Toshiharu Ito (1-1 0.76) finally got his first win the the postseason with a 5-1 triumph. Ito only allowed one run on seven hits, fanned five, while walking only one. Flint Battle (1-1 2.14) sustained the loss. He gave up two runs in the opening inning. The first run came in on a throwing error by catcher Darryl Burnett, when he threw it into left field trying to get Shinjiro Aoki (.116) at third. Charlie Campbell (.250) followed with an RBI single, making it 2-0. In the fifth frame catcher Howie Mitchell (.261) doubled in two runs and second baseman Scoop McDonald (.216) drove in another one with a sac fly. In all, Battle was battered for five runs in five-plus innings. South Fork got its only run in the ninth on a lead-off triple by third baseman Glenn Holliday (.256) and an RBI grounder by catcher Darryl Burnett (.263).

The Islandian Times

Monday, October 1, 2001

Ruthlandian Union Final 4 Playoffs

V's Victorious, Islandian Pro Cup Bound
The Far Mountain Redhawks ran into a hornet's nest at the Jailhouse in Volusia. The Vigilantes won the Final 4 Series four games to one, eliminating Far Mountain in game five 5-3 behind some good pitching by Tommy Betanzos (3-1 2.20), the big 6'6" righthander. Betanzos allowed three runs on six hits in eight and two-thirds innings. He fanned seven and walked two, before giving way to closer Ricky Moreno (1-0 0.00), who got the final out with a runner on second base and the tying run at home plate. It was Moreno's third save in the playoffs. He has yet to give up a run in 4 appearances and 7 innings. Moreno has fanned 12. Right fielder Jesus Arroyo (.317) put the V's in front in the opening inning with a two-run double. Third baseman Bennie Anderson (.286) singled with one away in the second inning, advanced to second on a bunt and scored on a single by shortstop Scooter Perez (.364) to make it 3-0 in favor of Volusia. In the fourth Far Mountain retaliated with a pair of runs. First baseman Royce Benson (.351) had an RBI double, stole third and came home on a ground out by right fielder Sid Cameron (.128). That narrowed the score to 3-2. Catcher Jojo Nunez's (.211) roundtripper made it 4-2 Volusia in the last of the fourth. The Redhawks came back again with a run in the top of the fifth when shortstop Joey Cannizzaro (.333) doubled, stole third and rode in on second baseman Steve Kaminski's (.286) sacrifice fly. The Vigilantes added the final run in the seventh on Perez's lead-off double and left fielder Winky Rush's (.310) RBI single. Perez had three hits to lead V's, while Cannizzaro's two hits topped the Redhawks. Sonny Elliott (2-2 3.60) took the loss as he was tagged hard for nine hits and five runs in seven innings.

The surprising seventh-seeded Vigilantes will now move into the IPA championshio finals. They will play the winner of Ginza and South Fork for the Islandian Pro Cup.

Tycobbian Union Final 4 Playoffs

Ninjas Take Game Lead in Final 4, SF Falls 6-5
Ginza captured its third consecutive victory over the South Fork Stallions at Ninja Stadium to slip ahead of them three games to two in the Final 4 Series. The Ninjas were down 5-2 and down to their last six outs when they rallied and beat South Fork 6-5 on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth. With one out and the bases loaded Robby Rosario (1-0 0.00) unleashed a wild pitch that gave the game to Ginza. In the eighth inning center fielder Nick Winters (.275) struck the big blow of the game when he slugged a three-run homer off Ken Olson to tie the scored at 5-5. Olson (0-1 6.48) was the losing pitcher. He gave up six runs and 13 hits in eight and one-third innings. Gerry Hersh (2-0 3.00) got credit for the win for the Ninjas. He worked two innings and allowed a run. Ginza outhit South Fork 13 to 9 with right fielder Charlie Campbell (.286) going 3-for-5 and pinchhitter Earl Conley connecting for a two-run clout in the fifth inning. Sparking the Stallions were shortstop Bobby Riley (.324) with two hits and two RBIs and catcher Darryl Burnett (.268) with a solo homer.

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, October 3, 2001

Tycobbian Union Final Four

Ginza Crushes South Fork 11-4, Wins Series
The Ginza Ninjas wrapped up the Final 4 Series four games to two by crushing the favored South Fork Stallions 11-4 at Jock Ewing Stadium. They will now go up against the Volusia Vigilantes in the Islandian Pro Cup Series. The Ninja hitters shelled South Fork pitching for 16 hits in the finale, headed by shortstop Shinjiro Aoki's (.154) grand slam homer in the second inning that got them off and running. Left fielder Charlie Campbell (.333) went 4-for-5 and drove in three runs. Catcher Howie Mitchell (.278) had three hits and two RBIs and even winning pitcher Kaz Matsumoto (.235) got into the act with two hits and two RBIs. Matsumoto (3-1 2.20) went the route, gave up eight hits and four runs with nine strikeouts and two walks. Third baseman Glenn Holliday (.280) and shortstop Bobby Riley (.341) each batted in a pair of runs for the Stallions. The loss went to Ken Conner (2-2 4.94), who was pounded for five runs in less than two innings. South Fork's vaunted mound staff never lived up to expectations.

The BNN writers picked Ginza as the sixth-best club in the playoffs. They looked the part in the first three games of the playoffs. Ginza lost them all and was within one game of elimination. The Ninjas bounced back from a 3-0 deficit and took the Elite 8 round from division-winning Fairfax, winning the last four games. And in the Final 4 they had to beat the overall favorite, the South Fork Stallions. Now Ginza will go for the IPA's biggest prize, the overall league championship, and play the Volusia Vigilantes for the Islandian Pro Cup.

The V's were not highly-rated either. The BNN experts picked them as the seventh-best team in their poll. In the opening round Volusia topped the RU South Division champ, the fourth-ranked Marston Nine, 4 games to 2 by taking the last three games of the series. In the Final 4 the Vigilantes ran up against a red-hot Far Mountain Redhawk team, rated the fifth best in the BNN poll and fresh off a sweep of the number two pick, the Forest City Lumberjacks. But Volusia prevailed 4 games to 2 to move ahead to the IPA Pro Cup Series.

The Islandian Times

Thursday, October 4, 2001

Islandian Pro Cup Series

Volusia Slightly Favored Over Ginza in Pro Cup Series
The Islandian Pro Cup is the ultimate quest in the Island baseball circles. 24 professional teams began playing in April for the chance to add the coveted Cup to their trophy cases. 22 clubs have been eliminated and we are now down to just two - the Volusia Vigilantes of the Ruthlandian Union North Division and the Ginza Ninjas of the Tycobbian Union East Division. The two ballclubs both finished runner-ups in their divisions. The V's and the Ninjas have earned their spots in the championship series with hard-earned triumphs in two tough rounds of playoffs. Both clubs were underdogs going into the playoffs and not expected to go far, but both have shown a comeback spirit and a determination to win. They deserve to be here.

Volusia and Ginza have defied the baseball odds as they were ranked sixth and seventh respectively in a playoff poll by BNN. Both clubs had to beat two division champions to make the finals. Now the Vigilantes and Ninjas will go up against one another and it looks like a toss-up with Volusia getting a slight nod from the baseball experts.

On paper the teams are pretty evenly matched. One major thing stands out - Volusia has the best closer in the IPA in Ricky Moreno. He makes the difference in close games. In the regular season the 30-year-old righthander was 5-5 with a great 1.76 ERA in 50 relief appearances. Moreno led the IPA in saves with 26. He continued to stand out in the playoffs with a 1-0 mark and 3 saves in 4 games. He gave up no runs in 7 innings and struck out 12 batters. Ginza's closer Ken Watkins, a portsider, was 4-8 in the regular season with a fine 2.24 ERA and 15 saves in 46 games. However, due to the strong starting performances, he hasn't been used much in the postseason. He has been disappointing, giving up 6 hits and 4 runs in just one inning of work in two appearances. Watkins will definitely have to improve on that in the Pro Cup playoffs.

It looks like a trade-off in starting rotations. Vigilante manager Alfonso Feliz will send Raul Sandoval (18-15 3.15), Tommy Betanzos (3-2 1.99) and Lenny Collins (15-11 3.81) to the mound. Sandoval and Collins are lefties, while Ninja skipper Huroko Uchiyama will counter with all righthanders, Toshiharu Ito (17-6 2.74), Kojiro Matsumoto (19-11 3.00) and Kazuhiro Nakayama (13-13 2.68).

In the playoffs Volusia's Sandoval is 3-1 with a brilliant 1.32 ERA in 4 starts, Betanzos 3-1 and 2.20 in 4 starts and Collins 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in 3 starts. Ginza's starting trio did equally well in the postseason thus far with Ito 1-1 in 4 starts and a sensational 0.76 ERA, Matsumoto 3-1 and 2.70 in 5 starts and Nakayama 1-1 in 4 starts with a 3.96 ERA.

The Vigilantes have the edge in hitting with six players providing the offense in the regular season: Scooter Perez (.374/8 HR/45 RBI), Francisco Abreu (.274/26 HR/85RBI), Alejandro Salazar (.285/19 HR/82 RBI), Winky Rush (.285/13 HR/75 RBI), Jesus Arroyo (.290/12 HR/75 RBI) and Alex Luna (.282/9 HR/76 RBI).

In the playoffs Abreu has been tremendous, hitting .429 with 3 homers, 9 RBIs and 9 runs. Perez carries a .364 average with 7 runs scored, Alejandro Salazar has 3 roundtrippers and 7 RBIs and Jesus Arroyo is batting .317 with 6 RBIs.

The V's have held their playoff opponents to three runs or less in 10 of the 11 playoff games, while the Ninjas did it in only 8 of 13 games.

During the regular campaign Ginza Skipper Uchiyama had only three dependable hitters in Kenshin Yamamoto (.308/23 HR/89 RBI), Charlie Campbell (.291/19 HR/88 RBI) and Takashi Fujimoto (.286/23 HR/78 RBI). They carried the ballclub.

In the postseason so far, it has vastly improved. Kaz Ojima is leading the batters with a .351 average, 2 homers, 5 RBIs and 10 runs scored. Campbell is hitting .333 with one homer, 7 RBIs and 8 runs scored, Fujimoto is at the .250 mark, but has two home runs, 6 RBIs and scored 11 times and Yamamoto has 6 RBIs with a .220 batting average. Other productive contributors are Howie Mitchell with a .278 mark and 7 RBIs and Nick Winters at .289 with one homer, 6 RBIs and 6 runs scored. Uchiyama is getting offense from just about the entire line-up.

The Vigilantes have an 8-3 postseason record, while the Ninjas were 8-5. However, Ginza will get the home field advantage because of a better regular season mark. The Ninjas were 81-69 to the V's 78-72. The Ninjas (60-52) also play better against righthanders than Volusia (42-45). All of Ginza prime pitchers are righthanded. There is only one lefty on the squad. Two of Volusia's three starters are southpaws. This might be a crucial and deciding factor.

It looks like a great series is lined up for the Islandian Pro Cup and it gets underway tomorrow at Ninja Stadium in Ginza. It will southpaw Raul Sandoval (18-15 3.15) of the Vigilantes up against righthander Toshiharu Ito (17-6 2.74) for the Ninjas.

The Islandian Times

Friday, October 5, 2001

Islandian Pro Cup Series - Game One

V's Win 3-2 Over Ninjas in Pro Cup Opener
In the Islandian Pro Cup opener the pitching was great, the defense was great and Volusia triumphed 3-2 in 10 innings over the hometown Ginza Ninjas. Pitcher Ricky Moreno (.500) was outstanding on the mound and with the bat, too. He led off the 10th with a double and scored the winning run on a single by left fielder Winky Rush (.319). Moreno (2-0 0.00) got it done on the hill as well with four scoreless innings, extending his scoreless innings in the playoffs to 11. He only gave up one hit and got the win. Toshiharu Ito (1-2 0.99) was masterful in defeat, hurling all ten innings. Ito was tagged for 10 hits, but only surrendered two earned runs. He struck out five and walked only one. Both clubs played fine defense and turned three double plays apiece. Raul Sandoval (3-1 1.58) started the game for the V's and worked six innings, yielding two runs on seven hits. The Vigilantes had the advantage in hits 10 to 9 with first baseman Alejandro Salazar (.269) getting three of them and Winky Rush two of them. Rush led with two RBIs.

Ginza took the early lead 1-0 in the third inning. Center fielder Nick Winters (.286) singled, advanced to second on a ground out, then scored on shortstop Shinjiro Aoki's (.161) single. Volusia knotted it up 1-1 in the fourth on right fielder Jesus Arroyo's (.311) RBI ground out. In the sixth frame the Ninjas jumped ahead again 2-1 on two walks and two singles with catcher Howie Mitchell (.293) getting an RBI single. The V's made it 2-2 in the eighth on shortstop Scooter Perez's (.347) lead-off triple and Winky Rush's (.319) ground out to short.

Game two will be tomorrow at Ninja Stadium with Tommy Betanzos (3-1 2.20) on the hill for Volusia and Kaz Matsumoto (3-1 2.20) doing the chores for the Ninjas.

The Islandian Times

Saturday, October 6, 2001

Islandian Pro Cup Series - Game Two

V's Betanzos Stops Ginza 4-2 in Game 2
Volusia won its second straight on the road - again it was with dominant pitching. The Vigilantes trimmed Ginza 4-2 at Ninja Stadium to take a 2-0 lead in the Islandian Pro Cup Series. This time it was Tommy Betanzos (4-1 2.21) spinning the win. He went eight innings, allowed two runs and seven hits before being relieved by closer Ricky Moreno (2-0 0.00), who came in with a runner on first in the ninth with no outs and proceeded to make quick work of Ginza and get his fourth save in this year's playoffs. Moreno faced two batters and got the last three outs, the last two on a double play. Pacing Volusia at bat were second baseman Francisco Abreu (.388) with two RBIs and catcher Jojo Nunez (.244) with three hits. The defeat went to Kojiro Matsumoto (3-2 2.68), who was rapped for 11 hits and four runs in six innings.

The V's scored first in the opening inning on Abreu's single, only to be tied up in the bottom of the inning when shortstop Shinjiro Aoki (.167) singled, went to second on a faulty pickoff throw, stole third and scored on a sac fly by right fielder Takashi Fujimoto (.276). Volusia jumped ahead to stay with two runs in the fourth. Left fielder Winky Rush (.314) singled, advanced to third on first baseman Alejandro Salazar's (.286) double. Rush scored on Abreu's ground out and Salazar came in on right fielder Jesus Arroyo's (.306) base hit. They added another run to make it 4-1 in the fourth. Catcher Jojo Nunez doubled, went to third on a fly ball, then scored on a wild pitch. The Ninjas got their last run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by catcher Howie Mitchell (.279).

The teams will take a day off for travel and then continue the series on Monday in Volusia at the Jailhouse. Lenny Collins (1-1 3.86) will start for the Vigilantes, while it will be Kazuhiro Nakayama (1-1 3.96) on the mound for Ginza.