South Fork's bats vs. Valka's arms :eatpop:

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Saturday, October 21, 2073

SOUTH FORK SHOCKS VALKA IN PRO CUP OPENER
The South Fork Stallions won a shocker at home yesterday afternoon rallying past the Valka Blackhawks 7-6 in the last 2 innings... South Fork now takes the lead in the best-of-five Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series one game to none... game two is also slated for J.R. Ewing Stadium.

2073 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series - Game 1 Stars of the Game

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Instant Classic :eatpop:

Wow, what a great game!

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Sunday, October 22, 2073

STALLIONS MAKE A BIG MOVE TOWARD IPA PRO CUP TROPHY, WIN FIRST 2 GAMES
It took 14 long, hard and intense innings, however the South Fork Stallions finally got a run and defeated the scrappy Valka Blackhawks 3-2 in game two of the best-of-five Pro Cup Series... South Fork is hoping to win its 3rd IPA Pro Cup Trophy, while Valka is in quest of its very first one... South Fork won both games on their home diamond... Valka will be the site of the game three, and if necessary, game four, too... should it be needed, game five will be back at Jock Ewing Stadium in South Fork.

2073 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series - Game 2 Stars of the Game
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:eatpop:This series may be an instant classic too. Need Valka to win 2 to force Game 5.

The first 2 were nip-and-tuck and pressure-filled.

Looking forward to Game 3 - South Fork must be anxious to close this out quickly. I wish I could watch along with you. But you're such a good sportswriter, you do an excellent job of capturing the essence and emotions of each game.

Yes, that was another Instant Classic.

Valka is coming home now. Let's see how it plays out there. :eatpop:

Thank you for your nice comments.

Really appreciate you and Dark Horse being such loyal followers and posters.

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Monday, October 22, 2073

SOUTH FORK SWEEPS VALKA, NABS 3RD IPA PRO CUP
In 2042 the South Fork Stallions raced to victory and won the club's second Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Trophy... 31 years later, the Stallions did it again, winning their 3rd Pro Cup... South Fork is the 2073 IPA champion... they defeated the Valka Blackhawks in three straight hotly-contested game to nab the coveted award... the Stallions finished off the scrappy Blackhawks 5-3 in the third game of the best-of-five series... though the Blackhawks tried valiantly this season, Valka still hasn't ever won a Pro Cup.

South Fork also swept in 4 games in the best-of-seven series in 2042, led by pitcher Jay Murphy, the Tycobbian Union Golden Arm that season with a 25-7 record and a super low 1.90 ERA... in the playoffs Murphy was 5-3 with a 3.98 ERA in 8 starts... he won 2 games in the Pro Cup Finals... Murphy is the current skipper of the Stallions... Murphy remembered that golden year of 2042... "It was the bats that would that won Pro Cup... not my pitching."

2073 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series - Game 3 Stars of the Game

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Monday, October 23, 2073

SOUTH FORK'S MEISNER ACCLAIMED MVP IN IPA PLAYOFFS
So many South Fork players deserved credit for winning the Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Trophy... it's really and truly was a team effort, but only one player really stood out... that was 37-year-old superstar pitcher Mark Meisner... the 17-year veteran was acclaimed the top performer in the 2073 IPA Pro Cup playoffs by The Islandian Times in a poll of the major sportswriters and broadcasters across the Islands... it was a special award coming in the twilight of his great career... he may be nearing retirement, but Meisner is still King of the Hill... he strutted his stuff again this year... Meisner outpolled his teammates and pitching cohorts Ramsey Crowe and Slinger Sowers as well as position players Mal Galbreath, Charlie Hayden and Jarrod Logan for the best postseason player honor.

Meisner posted 3 important victories in the postseason and lost only one game with a 1.93 ERA in 5 starts... he beat Turon 5-1 in round one and topped White River twice in round two, 4-1 and 3-1... his only defeat came as the hands of Turon 2-1.

Crowe was big part of the South Fork Pro Cup run... he made 5 relief appearances in the playoffs with a 2-0 mark and a 1.46 ERA in 12 innings of pitching... Sowers also played a vital role, too... he came on in relief 4 times, worked 8 innings and did not allow a run... no one batter stood out in the postseason... it really was a team effort... in 12 games left fielder Mal Galbreath led the club with 16 hits and a .320 BA, drove in 5 runs and scored 8 times... center fielder Charlie Hayden contributed 13 hits for a .310 BA with 4 ribbies and 4 runs... and catcher Jarrod Logan swatted 13 hits, batted .295 and had 7 RBIs and scored 5 runs.

Mark Meisner spent his first 14 seasons with the Claxton Diamonds in the Ruthlandian Union... he led them to an upset win in the 2064 Pro Cup Series when Claxton eclipsed powerhouse Rolling Hills in 7 games... the Diamonds also forced the Racers to 7 games before losing in the 2069 Pro Cup Series... Meisner came to South Fork in a trade in 2071... he had a solid season this year with a 16-9 record and a 3.31 ERA... lifetime Meisner is 202-93 with a splendid 2.57 ERA... he should be a shoo-in for the IPA Hall of Fame.

*

Congratulations to South Fork! I see that they won in 2042 and 2073. What year was their first championship?

jg2977, here are the recaps of the 2025 season and each round of the playoffs.
South Fork was managed by the outspoken and sometimes controversial Deloche "Lips" Leon... notice he predicted the Stallions would win the Pro Cup after upsetting Pro Cup favorite Rolling Hills Reds in the first round.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 22, 2025

2025 Tycobbian East Final Recap

South Fork Shocks Tucks, Wins TU East
It was a shocker in the Tycobbian East this season... The South Fork Stallions have always been perennial also-rans... 23 years without a pennant... no postseason since 2002... after a sixth-place finish last season, no one expected it to change in 2025 either... most everybody thought it be pretty much the same this year... everybody but the Stallions... They stunned the heavily-favored Tuckanarra Blue Jays with a fantastic second-half run to win the TU East by 3 games... the strong Midway Wolves came in third and 6 games back with Hillsboro fourth in the standings, 10 games out of first... six teams wound up .500 or better in the very strong TU East.

1st - South Fork Stallions (96-58)... sixth last year (69-85)... Deloche "Lips" Leon had a lot to talk about this year as his South Fork Stallions won more games than anybody in the IPA... an influx of 5 rookies made the difference... they started off slowly and trailed Midway by 6 games in May and 5 games in June... Pro Cup champ Tuckanarra took over and led them by 9 in July... but the Stallions went an astounding 44-13 the next two months to go up by 2 games over the Blue Jays by September... South Fork is a well-balanced ball club with a .261 BA (5th), 3rd in scoring and 12th with 136 roundtrippers... on the mound they had a 3.14 team ERA (4th)... they are just average defensively with a .971 FA... Gary Price (22-14 2.95) and rookie Bill Massey (21-10 2.99) sparked the rotation with help from two more freshmen Jim Tettelbach (17-12 3.63) and Ozz Gatsby (19-9 3.73)... solid vet LF Patric Giles led the team with 28 homers, 94 RBIs and 114 runs, while hitting .291... 1B Teddy Nixon added a .307 BA, 10 home runs, 64 RBIs and 77 runs... rookies SS Kurt Pankewitz (.267/11/68/66) and 3B Mark Barker (.287/7/45/53) also contributed with their bats and gloves... South Fork's triumph was no fluke... Tuckanarra and Midway never gave up, they were just outplayed.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Tettelbach Brilliant, SF Wins Series
"Hey, we won 96 games... we didn't get lucky."... That was manager Duroche "Lips" Leon's comments after his South Fork Stallions whipped the favored Rolling Hills Reds and captured the TU Elite 8 Series by a 4-2 margin... "We didn't care what the so-called experts said... we expected to win this series... and we did... and we also expect to win the Pro Cup."... Rolling Hills was rated the top seed in the Pro Cup playoffs, while the Stallions were ranked only fourth in The Islandian Times poll... In the sixth-and-deciding game at Jock Ewing Stadium in South Fork, Leon got a great performance from his number three starter Jim Tettelbach, who fired a 1-hit shutout for 8 innings and beat the Reds 1-0 with the help of closer Tommy Galloway... Galloway sat down the Reds in the ninth for his second save of the series... the winning run came in the fourth inning when LF Patric Giles (.261) hit a 435-homer off losing pitcher McGraw Christianson... Christianson (0-2 3.94) was magnificent in defeat, yielding only 4 hits, struck out 4 and walked only one... The Stallions will now go up against the fifth seeded Ginza Ninjas for the Tycobbian title.

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 6, 2025

SF Stallions Race By Ginza In 5 Games
After losing the opening game in the Tycobbian championship series, the South Fork Stallions reeled off four victories in a row to wipe out the Ginza Ninjas... Now South Fork will battle Middlefield, the RU champ, for the Islands' Pro Cup... They lost in the second round in 2001... and in the TU Final 4 in 2002... haven't been in the playoffs since... and have never played in the Pro Cup Finals.

Game 5 went to the Stallions 4-2 behind the solid pitching of rookie left-hander Bill Massey (4-0 1.86)... He tossed 8 innings, held the Ninjas to 2 runs on 8 hits with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts... Ricky Raeburn closed it out with a perfect ninth for the save... Harlan Wilson (0-1 4.00) took the loss in his first start of the postseason... Wilson allowed 4 runs and 7 hits in 7 innings, walking 6 and fanning 4.

South Fork had 9 hits to 8 for the Ninjas... RBIs by RF Robby Michael (.256), LF Patric Giles (.225), CF Shelby Glasscock (.227) and 2B Norris Nettles (.314) gave the Stallions a 4-0 lead after 6 and a half innings... CF Lyle McCann (.333) doubled in Ginza's only runs in the seventh.

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 16, 2025

2025 IPA Pro Cup Series

What a Relief, South Fork Wins First Pro Cup
Great relief work in the seventh game of the Pro Cup Finals paved the way for South Fork's first-ever Pro Cup victory... three Stallion relievers stopped Middlefield cold, blanking them over the final 6 innings on one hit, striking out 9 and walking only one... that gave South Fork a chance to rally from a massive 6-run deficit after 3 innings... they slowly pecked away and shaved it to 6-4 after 7 innings and then delivered the coup de grace - a 5-run explosion in the eighth, putting them ahead to stay 9-6... the big blow of the game was when PH Lou Boone crashed a 3-run triple to put South Fork ahead 7-6.

Winning skipper Lips Leon exclaimed excitedly at the press conference, "Wow, that was a wild and crazy game and a wild and crazy series... to come back from a 6-0 score in game seven is fantastic... thank heavens we hit the ball today... We won the series, but got outscored... how about that!"... Both clubs averaged almost 6 runs a game with Middlefield having the edge 42-41.

Just like they were the entire season, the Stallion bullpen was fabulous... Kyle Preston worked four hitless innings and fanned 4... winning pitcher Ricky Raeburn (2-0 1.98) struck out all 3 batters in his only inning and closer Tom Galloway got his 7th save with a scoreless ninth... Galloway allowed one hit and whiffed 2 batters... Working on 2 days' rest Danny Denver ran out of gas in the late innings and lost it... Denver (2-3 4.12) was tagged for 7 runs and 8 hits in 7 innings... the Stallions outhit the Roosters 12 to 9... RF Robby Michael (.296) had 3 hits, including a home run... he drove in 2 runs... 3B Ray Hershberger (.324) also batted in a pair of runs with 2 hits.... 1B Keith Yashin (.329) had a 3-run double to pace the Roosters.

Losing manager Bailey Norcross was disappointed, but not down. "The Roosters had a great season... we won our division for the third year in a row and we went all the way to the finals of the Pro Cup... we whipped two fine teams in Wynnamac and Crystal Lake and we came pretty darn close to whipping another fine team... we had our chance... we were up three games to two... we just didn't do it... South Fork did... congratulations to Lips and his boys."

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 17, 2025

SF's Tettelbach 2025 Pro Cup MVP
A 20-year-old rookie right-hander named Jim Tettelbach was honored as the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player today by The Islandian Times. Tettelbach was the prime reason why the South Fork Stallions won the IPA Pro Cup for the first time in history. He was superb in the playoffs with a 4-0 record and a sparkling 1.06 ERA. Tettelbach whipped Middlefield twice in the Finals, 6-2 in game two and 6-3 in game five. He also defeated Ginza 2-0 in the TU Final 4 and Rolling Hills 1-0 in the Elite 8. During the regular season Tettelbach recorded a 17-12 mark with a 3.63 ERA.

Stallion teammate Patric Giles was a distant second in the voting. Giles, a veteran left fielder, had a fine postseason with a .313 batting average, 2 homers, 13 RBIs and 16 runs scored. Number three in the balloting was South Fork closer Tommy Galloway, who didn't allow a run in 8 relief appearances and stood out with 7 saves. Also receiving some support were two Middlefield Roosters, left fielder Floyd McClellan and first sacker Keith Yashin. McClellan batted .348 with 5 homers, 11 RBIs and 17 runs scored, while Yashin hit 5 roundtrippers, drove in 15 runs and scored 15 times with a .329 average.

Thanks for the history lesson. What a great playoff run by South Fork, and it sounds like an all-time classic Pro Cup Final.

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Saturday, October 28, 2073

2073 IPA KINGS OF SWINGS AND KINGS OF FLINGS AWARD WINNERS
It's awards time in the Islandian Pro Alliance... a time when standout individual achievements are honored for the year 2073... the Kings of Swings are Stefan Skarzynski of Valmara, the Ruthlandian Union Golden Bat, and Carroll Ezzell of South Fork, the Tycobbian Union Golden Bat... Nabbing the KIngs of Flings trophies were Tavish Fitzroy of Colfax, the RU Golden Arm , and Rico Alessi of Oxford, the TU Golden Arm... acclaimed as the top newcomers in the league were Cold Creek's Dude Gurley, the RU Rookie of the Year, and Mac Langdon of Chicopee, the TU Rookie of the Year.

Also announced was the Ruthlandian Union and Tycobbian Union Golden Glove Teams.

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2073 RUTHLANDIAN UNION GOLDEN GLOVE TEAM

Pitcher: Tim Cayton - Volusia Vigilantes (1.000 FA/28 games) (17-3/3.53 ERA) (age 26)
Catcher: Wally Westbrooks - Sligo Rovers (.991 FA/122 games) (.246 BA/8 HR/63 RBI/53 R) (age 29)
First Baseman: Vernon Buckner (Belle Plaine Musketeers) (.996 FA/152 games) (.278 BA/9 HR/78 RBI/64 R) (2-time Golden Glover) (age 29)
Second Baseman: John Boy Worthington (Ranford Bulls) (.985 FA/146 games) (.281 BA/8 HR/72 RBI/65 R/17 SB) (age 26)
Third Baseman: Andrew Woodfolk (Claxton Diamonds) (.974 FA/147 games) (.202 BA/15 HR/67 RBI/55 R) (4-time Golden Glover) (age 29)
Shortstop: Ollie Daggs (Eastshore Cotton Kings) (.975 FA/148 games) (.290 BA/16 HR/66 RBI/127 R/38 SB) (2-time Golden Glover) (age 28)
Left Fielder: Jamie Glisson (Wynnamac Sundowners) (.983 FA/140 games) (.316 BA/11 HR/78 RBI/81 R/39 SB) (2-time Golden Glover) (age 25)
Center Fielder: Markko Petrov (Valka Blackhawks) (.984 FA/148 games) (.296 BA/10 HR/86 RBI/83 R/35 SB) (2-time Golden Glover) (age 24)
Right Fielder: Deke Cronin (Ranford Bulls) (.990 FA/138 games) (.274 BA/20 HR/82 RBI/98 R/55 SB) (2-time Golden Glover) (age 25)

2073 TYCOBBIAN UNION GOLDEN GLOVE TEAM

Pitcher: Miguel Navarro (Arroyo Grande Suns) (1.000 FA/32 games) (10-16/3.79 ERA) (age 28)
Catcher: Tory Akins (Rolling Hills Racers) (.996 FA/130 games) (.228 BA/1 HR/41 RBI/33 R) (age 27)
First Baseman: Jake Glazer (South Fork Stallions) (.996 FA/154 games) (.262 BA/15 HR/83 RBI/74 R/43 SB) (age 28)
Second Baseman: Oliver Mackay (Chicopee Braves (.982 FA/151 games) (.269 BA/4 HR/66 RBI/67 R/21 AB) (2-time Golden Glover) (age 26)
Third Baseman: Zak Smalley (Bayview Vikings) (.965 FA/154 games) (.285 BA/19 HR/93 RBI/79 R/1 SB) (age 30)
Shortstop: Ryan Huff (Turon Typhoons) (.980 FA/145 games) (.247 BA/9 HR/63 RBI/58 R/5 SB) (age 28)
Left Fielder: Lonny Garrett (Tuckanarra Tiger Cats) (.988 FA/150 games) (.308 BA/8 HR/78 RBI/88 R/41 SB) (age 29)
Center Fielder: Buddy Long (High Mesa Cowboys) (.988 FA/150 games) (.231 BA/23 HR/75 RBI/102 R/51 SB) (age 26)
Right Fielder: Ollie Pierre (Oxford Red Caps) (.997 FA/149 games) (.292 BA/15 HR/58 RBI/102 R/48 SB) (2-time Golden Glover) (age 29)