THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 20, 2028

Almeida, Sardini Snag IPA Golden Arm Trophies
The outstanding hurlers have been named for the 2028 season in the Islandian Pro Alliance and the awards went to first-time winners Cisco Almeida of the Volusia Vigilantes and Paul Sardini of the White River Rascals.

The Ruthlandian Union honoree Almeida compiled a 22-7 record and led the the league with a 2.52 ERA. Almeida paced Volusia to a fourth-place finish in the RU South race. The 21-year-old right-hander hurled 22 complete games and 4 shutouts.

Fort Benton's Frank Quinn was runner-up to Almeida. He was topped the IPA with 25 victories along with Tuckanarra's Quinn Starr. Overall Quinn was a vital part of the Defenders second-place finish in the RU South with a 25-13 mark and a 2.94 ERA. The 22-year-old Quinn had 25 complete games, which tied for the IPA lead.

Winding up in the third spot in the voting was Valka's Glenn Cadman, who posted a 23-9 record with a fine 2.95 ERA. The Blackhawks ended up second to Waleska in the RU South. The impressive 25-year-old righty has won 20 games in each of his three seasons in the IPA.

Taking the Tycobbian Union Golden Arm Award was White River's Paul Sartini, who had the best ERA in the IPA this year. Sardini chalked up a strong 2.12 ERA and a 23-7 record. Sardini is 25 and is a right-hander. He fired 3 shutouts and completed 17 games. Sardini sparked the Rascals to second place in the TU North standings.

Number two in the Golden Arm balloting was Richie Raeburn of the South Fork Stallions. The Stallions came in third in the TU East. Raeburn tied for the most complete games in the IPA with Frank Quinn of Fort Benton and Jamie Gustafson of Tuckanarra. They each racked up 25 complete games. For the season the 28-year-old Raeburn was 24-12 with a 2.13 ERA. He tossed 5 shutouts and tied for second in the IPA.

Tuckanarra's Quinn Starr finished third in the best-pitcher poll with a 25-10 mark, tied with Fort Benton's Frankie Quinn for the IPA lead in wins. Starr posted 22 complete games, 3 shutouts and an impressive 2.80 ERA. His Blue Jays easily won the TU East by 15 games.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 21, 2028

Sluggers Evans and Dillinger IPA MVPs
The mighty men of the IPA this year were Lorne Evans of the Southport Sun Sox and Loco Dillinger of the Waleska Westerners. They both led their clubs to very successful seasons and were acclaimed the Most Valuable Player in their respective leagues. Evans captured the honor for the second consecutive season in the Tycobbian Union and Dillinger picked up the award for the first time in his career.

The Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player was Southport Sun Sox Lorne Evans. The slugging right fielder is 23 years old and in his fourth season. Evans batted .325 with 55 roundtrippers and 120 runs batted in. He ranked first in the IPA with 165 runs and second in home runs. Evans was one of the main reasons the Sun Sox won their second TU South pennant in a row.

Mahaska's gifted right fielder Travis Tuttle sparked the Haymakers to the TU North divisional crown and came in second in the MVP vote. He also wound up second to Evans in the Golden Bat race, too. Tuttle led the TU with a sparkling .366 batting average, collected 39 homers, drove in 132 runs and scored 113. Tuttle is 28 with 6 years in the IPA and is a career .313 hitter.

Winding up third in the MVP vote was Tuckanarra's fine hurler Quinn Starr, who chalked up 25 victories and 10 losses on the year. The 30-year-old southpaw tied Frankie Quinn of Fort Benton for the most wins in the IPA this year. Starr compiled a 2.80 ERA with 22 complete games and 3 shutouts. His Blue Jays paced the IPA with 102 wins this year and easily took the TU East. In his 7 seasons Starr has run up a 148-95 mark with a 2.75 ERA. He also finished third in the Golden Arm balloting.

Dillinger was the Ruthlandian Union MVP and one of the main ingredients in Waleska winning the flag in the RU South. He also led the Westerners to their first-ever IPA Pro Cup. Dillinger, a 6-year veteran at age 28, topped the IPA with 56 homers (tied with Jim Lewellan of Colchester) and 154 RBIs. Dillinger hit at a .357 clip, fifth-best in the RU, and scored 132 runs. He plays left field, has made the All-Star team three times and is a lifetime .309 hitter.

Waleska teammate and this year's Golden Bat winner Roy Hobbs gave Dillinger the most competition for the MVP Award. Dillinger just barely edged him out. Hobbs had a super season in right field at age 35, winning a Golden Glove, hitting .359 with 36 home runs, scored 115 times and batted in 142 runs. Hobbs led the IPA with 226 hits this year and is a .347 batter in his 16 seasons in the the league.

Fort Benton's terrific twirler Frankie Quinn was a close third in the poll to the Waleska duo. Quinn is just a youngster, only in his second season in the IPA at 22. He fashioned a 25-13 record, which tied for the lead in the IPA with Quinn Starr of Tuckanarra. Quinn also was the runner-up in the Golden Arm balloting. He registered a 2.94 ERA with 25 complete games and tossed 2 shutouts. Quinn was first in the IPA in completed games, along with Richie Raeburn of South Fork and Jamie Gustafson of Tuckanarra.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 22, 2028

IPA Best Managers Chosen
The Islandian Pro Alliance announced its 2028 Managers of the Year today, bestowing the accolades on Tuckanarra's Carlton "Lefty" Stevens and LaGrange's Quincy Peterson. Veteran Stevens was selected the top Tycobbian Union skipper for the third time in his career. He also won it in 2013 and 2017. Matty Christianson of Rolling Hills has nabbed the best manager award four times in his career, while Stevens joins Alex Groveland of Far Mountain as the only 3-time honorees. Peterson won it in his rookie year at the helm of the Sports.

Stevens led Tuckanarra to the TU East pennant for the third season in a row, winning an IPA-high 102 games this season, up from a dismal seventh place the year before. The Blue Jays were 76-78 in 2027.

Stevens edged out La Claire Lynx first-year manager Zeppy Deshotel, who turned his club around from fifth place in 2027 to the top spot in the TU West this season, going from a 78-76 mark to a strong 94-60.

Third in the Manager of the Year poll was Charley Oscar of the Southport Sun Sox, who again won the TU South for the second successive season. The Sun Sox improved from 81-74 to 87-68, taking the division title by just one game each year in a one-game playoff.

Quincy Peterson, an IPA Hall-of-Fame player, guided his Sports up from last place to second place in the RU North to claim the Manager of the Year Award. LaGrange was a lousy 69-85 last year, but was a complete turnaround this season with an 88-66 record. The Sports were beaten out by the Pro Cup champion Waleska Westerners by just 2 games. LaGrange hadn't made the first division in 12 years.

The number two votegetter was Stoner's Benny Stern. His Stars rebounded from a poor 7th place in 2027 to third place this year. The club improved from 71-83 to 83-71.

Rounding out the voting in third place was Dave Torregrossa, who raised the Belle Plaine Musketeers from the fifth spot in the RU East to third place, improving them from 77-77 to 87-67.

IPA season number 29 coming up soon near a ballpark near you.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 19, 2029

29th All-Star Classic Tomorrow At Waleska
Tomorrow afternoon at Westerner Field in Waleska is the 29th edition of the Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star Game. The stars of the Ruthlandian and Tycobbian Unions will be shining bright. Heading up the RU Stars will be Roy Hobbs, who will making his 14th appearance in the mid-summer classic. Kees Draeger and Todd Nasso have made the squad 6 times, Loco Dillinger and Travis Glass for the 4th time, and Benny McConnell, Jarred Laclair, Ivan Guzek and Floyd Randolph are 3-time honorees. Leading the way for the TU Stars will be Flash Devlin, who is on the team for his 13th time. Appearing for the seventh time is Errol Gaudet, James Couch for his sixth game, Rusty Graves for the fourth time, and Lynn Starr and Cotton Cornwall for the third time in their careers. No rookies made the team this season. Tycobbia has a huge lead in the series with 19 wins in 28 games. However, Ruthlandia has captured 3 of the last 4 All-Star clashes.

RUTHLANDIAN ALL-STARS:
SP Benny McConnell (SV) (13-3/3.16) (3rd time selection)
SP Clem Carmouche (VLM) (11-4/2.09) (2nd time)
SP Johnny Davenport (BP) (11-4/2.54) (2nd time)
SP Johnny Sakelaris (TAR) (11-7/2.53) (2nd time)
SP Alex Gillespie (LAG) (10-6/2.25) (1st time)
SP Terry Richards (WLK) (11-5/3.13) (1st time)
SP Lou Page (SLI) (9-4/2.45) (1st time)
SP Killara Bardo (WYN) (9-2.2.24) (1st time)
CL Jarred Laclair (WLK) (1-1/1.55/11 saves) (3rd time)
CL Ivan Guzek (VLM) (1-2/1.44/8 saves) (3rd time)
C Floyd Randolph (VLM) (.338/12/49/29) .997 FA/0 PB/30.4% RTO (3rd time)
C Les Leslie (WYN) (.336/7/37/36) .997 FA/1 PB/39.4% RTO (1st time)
C George Arnick (FC) (.313/5/37/36) .989 FA/2 PB/38.5% RTO (1st time)
1B Josh George (CL) (.311/5/47/53) .990 FA (1st time)
1B Kees Draeger (BB) (.308/14/48/42) .985 FA (6th time)
1B Rob Lanier (STJ) (.330/10/35/49) .995 FA (1st time)
2B Gary Colton (CLX) (.324/10/44/44) .976 FA (2nd time)
2B Norm Murdoch (STO) (.297/6/34/39) .992 FA (1st time)
3B Carl Bentley (CL) (.352/7/43/40) .946 FA (1st time)
3B Leevi Viru (VLK) (.340/5/34/41) .975 FA (2nd time)
SS Todd Nasso (ANC) (.314/13/48/45) .987 FA (6th time)
SS Jose De Leon (WLK) (.325/7/45/40) .969 FA (2nd time)
LF Loco Dillinger (WLK) (.363/19/75/58) .981 FA (4th time)
LF Jock Jumonville (ELN) (.307/8/47/46) .981 FA (1st)
CF Travis Glass (ELN) (.338/13/39/49) .981 FA (4th time)
CF Herm Taylor (CL) (.327/3/40/52) .986 FA (2nd time)
RF Ivan Krause (CLX) (.345/12/52/54) 1.000 FA (2nd time)
RF Roy Hobbs (WLK) (.333/8/44/50) .973 FA (14th time)
RF Lindsay Deal (SV) (.279/15/65/37) .966 FA (1st time)


TYCOBBIAN ALL-STARS:
SP Ozzie Gatsby (SF) (10-3/2.43) (1st time selection)
SP Scotty Ellison (SUM) (10-4/2.50) (2nd time)
SP Frank Blair (EP) (12-6/2.61) (2nd time)
SP Ray McClendon (BSC) (11-5/3.01) (1st time)
SP Lou Chylak (HAR) (11-4/2.68) (1st time)
SP Hollis Pace (GIN) (11-5/2.92) (1st time)
SP Errol Gaudet (RH) (11-4/3.05) (7th time)
SP Tommy Wynn (BAY) (10-3/2.89) (1st time)
CL Jack Bolden (EP) (4-1/1.29/4 saves) (1st time)
CL Kelly Morton (OXF) (4-0/1.43/0 saves) (1st time)
C Tonio Libertore (CC) (.331/1/25/36) .997 FA/4 PB/28.8% RTO (1st time)
C Brian Hatcher (HIL) (.325/8/24/25) .996 FA/3 PB/33.3% RTO (1st time)
C Cruz Andrade (NH) (.300/4/30/34) .978 FA/2 PB/36.8% RTO (2nd time)
1B Mandu Purula (SUM) (.391/12/35/36) .993 FA (1st time)
1B Lynn Starr (TUC) (.357/14/65/51) .994 FA (3rd time)
1B Kerry Sterling (OXF) (.309/18/45/49) 1.000 FA (1st time)
2B Howard Winston (GIN) (.373/4/23/29) .994 FA (2nd time)
2B Yanni Kouris (SPT) (.353/3/29/33) .982 FA (1st time)
3B Flash Devlin (LC) (.319/15/56/46) .956 FA (13th time)
3B Rusty Graves (MDW) (.305/9/36/41) .916 FA (4th time)
SS James Couch (OZK) (.339/7/38/40) .981 FA (6th time)
SS Russ Van Kleek (GIN) (.345/9/33/39) .971 FA (2nd time)
SS Jed Turchin (TUC) (.329/4/40/40) .963 FA (1st time)
LF Jim Lewellen (CCH) (.278/19/54/53) 1.000 FA (1st time)
LF Sakima Shaman (CHI) (.310/13/51/43) .986 (1st time)
CF Cotton Cornwall (GIN) (.353/14/60/46) .987 FA (3rd time)
CF Chris Halley (BL) (.384/2/23/37) .986 FA (1st time)
RF Lorne Evans (SPT) (.326/13/45/47) .992 FA (2nd time)
RF Charlie Jensen (CHI) (.303/13/52/39) .990 FA (2nd time)
RF Corbett Brooks (RB) (.281/17/48/42) .994 FA (2nd time)

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, June 20th, 2029

TU Holds Off RU 7-6 In 29th All-Star Game
At Westerner Field in Waleska, the Tycobbian All-Stars smacked 13 hits, turned 3 double plays and came away with a 7-6 victory over the Ruthlandian Stars in the 29th renewal of the IPA All-Star Classic, giving them an overwhelming 20-9 edge in the star-studded series.

Ruthlandia took a 3-0 lead in the opening frame on LF Loco Dillinger's (Waleska) RBI single and a 2-run double by 1B Kees Draeger (Belair Beach), but couldn't hold on to it very long... Tycobbia came right back with 2 runs in the bottom of the first on Cotton Cornwall's (Ginza) 2-run bomb and 4 more in the second to take a 6-3 lead... 2B Howard Winston (Ginza) doubled in one, C Tonio Libertore (Cape Coral) doubled in a pair and LF Jim Lewellan (Colchester) finished off the inning by doubling in another score... the RU Stars came right back in the fourth frame and narrowed the score to 6-5 when loose defensive play cost the TU Stars 2 runs... after back-to-back errors by 3B Flash Devlin (La Claire)... 3B Leevi Viru (Valka) drove in one with a single and the second was plated when PH Lindsay Deal (Sugar Valley) hit into a double play... in the TU sixth a double by Mandu Purula (Summerland) and a single by C Brian Hatcher (Hillsboro) ran it up to 7-5... Ruthlandia closed out the scoring in the top of the seventh on a two-bagger by SS Jose De Leon (Waleska) and an RBI single by CF Herm Taylor (Crystal Lake).

The second pitcher for Tycobbia, Errol Gaudet (Rolling Hills) notched the victory with a scoreless second... Oxford's Kelly Morton got the save with a runless ninth... 3 twin killings help the TU cause... Clem Carmouche (Valmara) took the brunt of the beating and took the loss... Carmouche was slammed hard for 4 runs and 5 hits in just one-third of an inning... the RU Stars got 9 hits in defeat... only 2 players had more than one hit in the game... CF Jim Lewellan got a pair for the winners and 3B Leevi Viru collected 2 for Ruthlandia... Cornwall claimed the MVP Award with the game's only homer.

The Islandian Times
Thursday, June 21, 2029

Good Races Going In IPA At Mid-Season
There's lots to enjoy if you are a fan of IPA baseball in the Islands. Seven of the eight divisions have close races at mid-season. Only the defending champ Valmara Vipers of the Ruthlandian North have a solid lead at the halfway point. The Vipers are up by 7 games over Kilkenny, 9 games up on Ancona and 10 ahead of the Taranto Tars. Valmara seems to be headed toward a fourth straight division crown.

The closest race in the RU is in the RU South, where the current IPA Pro Cup champion Waleska Westerners have a scant 2-game edge over the Crystal Lake Crushers and Claxton Diamonds. Elnora and Wynnamac are within striking distance, 6 and 7 games off the pace respectively. It looks like the Westerners will have a fight on its hands to repeat as Islandian champion.

It's fairly tight in the RU East. The Belle Plaine Musketeers are 3 games ahead of runner-up Middlefield, 6 in front of third place Elnora and 7 better than the Wynnamac Sundowners in fourth place. Last year's division winner Marston is struggling 9 games out and is tied for the fifth spot in the standings.

The Sligo Rovers are shooting for a third sucessive RU West flag. The Rovers boast a 5-game edge over second place Forest City. The Stoner Stars and the Colfax Blasters are a distant 8 and 9 games off the pace. The Rovers have great pitching, but little in the way of offense. So far it has not hurt them.

Two of the pennant chases in the Tycobbian Union are a fan's dream. Just 2 games separate the top five clubs in the TU West. Denton City is deadlock with Arlon in the top spot with Rolling Hills and last year's flag-winner La Claire only one game back. Fifth place Bayview is bunched in there, too, just 2 games behind in the race.

The TU North has quite a battle going, too, with 7 teams within 5 games of each other. The Oxford Red Caps have the lead at mid-year, 2 games up on Luxora and Hartsdale. Fairfax and Blue Lake are tied for fourth, trailing by just 4 games. Last season's divisional winner Mahaska has slipped to a tie for sixth with North Hills. They are just 5 games behind.

Last season's Pro Cup runner-up, the Tuckanarra Blue Jays, ran away with the TU East last year, winning easily by a 15-game margin, but they have a challenger this year. The East Point Panthers are right on their tails, just a game behind. The only other club in the hunt is the Hillsboro Blazers, who are 6 games out and in third place.

The power in the TU South is the potent Southport Sun Sox. They are the favorites to win a third title in a row, but it is always quite a task in the hotly-contested South. The Sun Sox had to go overtime to win the division the last two years, knocking off Ginza and Arroyo Grande in single-game playoffs in 2028 and 2027. Southport is atop the division, but not by much. The always-tough Ginza Ninjas are breathing down their necks, just 3 games away. Third place Cape Coral and fourth place Summerland are playing good ball at the break. Both are playing over .500 baseball. The Hurricanes trail by 7 and the Sunsets by 8. Southport is known more for its strong pitching. However, this year they are hitting the cover off the ball and have the best record in the IPA, along with Valmara of the RU. They both have chalked up 46-27 records at the All-Star break. But Ginza is no patsy at the plate and will give the Sun Sox another big tussle for the title in the TU South.

And now the big question. Who is going to win the Pro Cup in 2029? Waleska and Southport both have done it recently and Tuckanarra has come close in 2028 and won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024. And don't look past the Valmara Vipers and the Crystal Lake Crushers. The Vipers and Crushers are the best they have been in the last few years. Valmara won it all in 2026 and Crystal Lake has great hitting, something they were missing when they won Pro Cups in 2020 and 2022. None of the other division leaders are expected to contend for the Pro Cup, although Sligo has super pitching and could be a factor in the postseason. You can win a few ballgames with a 2.65 team ERA. It should really be an exciting Pro Cup this season with five very strong teams going after it.

2029 IPA Pro Cup Prediction:
1. Southport
2. Waleska or Crystal Lake
3. Valmara
4. Tuckanarra
5. Sligo

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 21, 2029

13 IPA Greats Inducted Into HOF
Last year the Islandian Pro Alliance selected its 11 greatest players and place them into the Hall of Fame. This year 13 more elite players were inducted and added to their numbers. The players will be presented at the 29th IPA All-Star Game at Waleska tomorrow afternoon. The official induction will be held at the IPA Hall of Fame in Marston, Ruthlandia. The ceremony is scheduled for this weekend.

This year's Hall of Fame additions are Clyde Kingsford, Kendry Moulton, Alan Hansen, Harlan Roscoe, Dane Wesner, Zeppy Deshotel, Denny Coulon, Johnny Lee Harder, Jerry Meeks, Andre Dumas, Ted Farentino, Jose Aguilar and Pablo Santo Cruz.

Clyde Kingsford (2012-2025) was an outstanding first baseman for the Turon Typhoons. During his tenure he led them to one Pro Cup and 6 pennants. Kingsford played 14 seasons with a .319 batting average (tied for 4th all-time), 485 homers and batted in 1523 runs. He was the TU Rookie of the Year in 2012, Most Valuable Player in 2015 and a 7-time All-Star. In 76 postseason games Kingsford batted .291 with 17 roundtrippers and 55 runs batted in.

Hartsdale third baseman Kendry Moulton (2001-2024) made the postseason on five occasions. The Hellcats won 3 pennants during his career. Moulton made the TU All-Stars 7 times and won two Golden Gloves. Though he was short of statue, standing only 5-8 and weighing 167 pounds, Moulton packed some punch in his bat. Lifetime he hit .297 with 3347 hits (7th), 527 homers (6th), 1840 RBIs (4th) and scored 1706 runs. In 14 playoff games Moulton hit .373 with 2 homers, 7 RBIs and 4 runs scored. Recently Moulton was promoted to manager of the Hellcats after serving as Zim Donner's third-base coach since he retired in 2024

Alan Hansen (2002-2023) was a winner everywhere he played. He starred at second base for Bayview for his first 5 years, won two pennants and made the playoffs four times. Then Hansen signed with Turon as a free agent and played for 10 pennant winners and got two Pro Cup rings. Overall Hansen had a career .296 BA, 3554 hits (3rd), 2262 runs (1st), 2351 walks (2nd) and stole 725 bases (5th). He only struck out 554 times in over 12,000 at-bats. Hansen played in 135 postseason games, compiled a .309 batting average, had 159 hits, 31 doubles, scored 89 runs and stole 32 bases. He was chosen for the All-Star team four times and won a couple of Golden Gloves.

There's no telling how many games Denny Coulon (2001-2022) would have won if he had played for good teams his whole career. Over his fine career the 6-7, 250-pound right-hander posted a very impressive 2.96 ERA and a 342-324 record for a good Bay St. Clair club (7 years) and a poor Summerland team (15 years). Coulon ranks second in IPA history with 276 complete games. He only participated in the playoffs three times with one division title. Coulon was only 1-2 in 5 postseason starts with a lofty 4.86 ERA. Some voters didn't think Coulon was worthy of the Hall of Fame because of this 324 losses and poor postseason. Thank goodness they were astute enough to notice his 2.94 ERA and 342 victories. All-time Coulon is tied for third in lifetime wins and has the 11th-best ERA. From 2008 to 2022 the Summerland Sunsets only made the first division 3 times.

When it comes to Dane Wesner (2005-2023), the thought always comes to everybody's mind - what if the legendary Fairfax outfielder hadn't badly injured his shoulder in 2014? From 2008 to 2013, Wesner was absolutely the finest player in the IPA. He batted .331 to .383 during those seasons, won 2 Golden Bat trophies and 2 batting crowns, won 2 Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player Awards, was picked for the All-Star Game 6 straight years, honored with 3 Golden Gloves, topped the league in hits for 4 seasons, and home runs and RBIs twice. After the injury Wesner came back and was a fine player, but no longer the superstud. For his career Wesner sported a .311 batting average with 476 roundtrippers and 1550 RBIs. A marvelous outfielder with a great arm, Wesner won a total of 7 Golden Gloves. He led the Frogs to 2 pennants and hit .245 in 2 postseasons with one homer and 11 RBIs in 24 games. He is currently the skipper of the Frogs.

La Claire outfielder Zeppy Deshotel (2005-2022) never made the playoffs in his 18 years as a player with the Lynx, but he certainly put up Hall of Fame numbers. Deshotel was a 9-time All-Star with a .312 career average (12th-tied), 469 home runs (12th), 1699 RBIs (10th), scored 1744 times and stole 510 bases. In 2028. his rookie season at the helm of the Lynx, Deshotel led them to the TU West division title for the first time in the team's history.

Harlan Roscoe (2002-2021) played much of his standout career in obscurity with the Colchester Elites. Colchester only won one pennant and played in the postseason playoffs 3 times during his 18-year stay at first base. Roscoe hit at a .312 clip, tied for 12th in IPA history and ranked 5th with 1776 RBIs and 8th with 506 homers. In 2008, the 219-pound, skinny 6-6 slugger picked up the Tycobbian Golden Bat Award for being the batter of the year. Roscoe was selected an All-Star 4 times. He did quite well in his limited postseason experience with a .333 BA, 6 HR, 18 RBI and 13 runs in only 17 games.

A Golden Glover and 5-time All-Star first baseman Johnny Lee Harder (2005-2027) performed admirably for several clubs. He played his first 15 seasons with the Ancona Red Elephants, 6 years with the Sligo Rovers and his final 2 with Belle Plaine. Lifetime Harder chalked up a .293 average with 3371 hits (7th), 1756 RBIs (8th) and 426 homers. Ancona won 2 pennants while he was there and Sligo took 2 division titles and won the Pro Cup in 2021. In 56 postseason games Harder hit .282 with 6 roundtrippers, 33 runs batted in and 24 runs.

7th on the all-time win list is Wynnamac's short, stubby southpaw Jerry Meeks (2008-2028), who notched an excellent 313-214 mark over 21 seasons with the Sundowners. Meeks was the Ruthlandian Most Valuable Player and Golden Arm winner in 2013. He was twice an All-Star. Wynnamac won the IPA Pro Cup in his rookie season in 2008, though Meeks did not play a major role, winding up 6-11 for the year with an ERA over 5.00. The Sundowners won 4 RU East flags during Meeks' career. In 9 playoff games and 8 starts the stylish lefty was 3-4 with a 4.17 ERA.

Ozarka third baseman Andre Dumas (2015-2025) got a late start in the IPA, joining the Naturals at age 26. He only played 11 seasons, but they were very good ones. The Nats won 7 TU East crowns during his time there. Dumas was awarded the TU Rookie of the Year in 2015 and was chosen to the All-Star squad 4 times. Dumas is tied for sixth with a sparkling .318 batting average. For his first 8 seasons he averaged 39 home runs and drove in 116 runs each year. Dumas was even better in the playoffs with a .326 BA, 20 homers, 54 RBIs and 60 runs in 84 games.

Jose Aguilar (2005-2026) was a slick-fielding shortstop that could go deep at the plate fairly often. Playing for the Red Bluff Red Sox for almost all of his career he was selected to the Tycobbian All-Stars 7 times and won 3 Golden Gloves. Overall Aguilar batted .294 with 321 home runs, 1440 RBIs and scored 1998 times (7th) with 3291 hits (13th) and 491 stolen bases. The Red Sox only made the postseason twice while he was there. Aguilar stood out with a .333 BA in 14 games with 5 runs batted in and 4 runs scored. He also stole 5 bases.

For most of his career Pablo Santa Cruz (2002-2023) was a winner. He sparked the Luxora Zorros to 7 division pennants and 10 playoff appearances. Santa Cruz was a 2-time TU All-Star with a .282 BA, 3364 hits (9th), 1990 runs (8th), 540 stolen bases (14th), 181 homers and 1321 RBIs. In the postseason Santa Cruz struggled with a .229 average, but did score 34 runs and swipe 15 bases in 74 games.

He was 6-5 and kind of lanky. He didn't overpower the hitters, but Ted Farentino (2001-2023) could nibble you to death on the corners and make you hit his pitch. Farentino did this for four clubs and 23 years. That's why he is in the IPA Hall of Fame. Farentino won 337 games and lost 276 in his lengthy career with a 3.71 ERA. Many Hall of Fame voters thought he lost too many games and had too high of an ERA to be inducted, but Farentino deservedly got enough votes to make it this year. For his first 14 years Farentino was a fairly successful journeyman. Most of his success came from 2015 to 2023 in Turon. After several good seasons he made a wise decision few players make - to go out on top. Farentino finally retired at age 42 after a 16-11 mark with a fine 3.18 ERA. He was also 21-5 the year before. Farentino was in the playoffs 8 times, made 30 starts and relieved 5 times and was a marvelous 12-8 with a 2.97 ERA. He went unbeaten in 2016 with a 3-0 record and a 1.91 ERA and also in 2018 with a 5-0 mark and a 2.57 ERA. He was voted the Pro Cup MVP when Turon took the trophy in 2018.

I thought I would re-post the first group of Hall-of-Famers for your perusal.

Yesterday in the IPA

The Islandian Times
Sunday, April 4, 2027

IPA Announces First-Year HOF Inductees
After 26 great years of play the Islandian Baseball Writers Association announced the first 11 players to be enshrined into the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall-of-Fame. The historic first class includes pitchers Cody Burg, Mila Mohoski, Titus Bristow and Ilya Szabo and position players Phil Gravelli, Jet Kazmarek, Mike Luzzatti, Rocco Belasario, Hal Stevenson, Don Nichols and Quincy Peterson. The new Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame will be housed in the birthplace of Islandian baseball, Marston.

Burg In IPA HOF
The IBWA has put the crowning touch on Cody Burg's outstanding baseball career. They selected the great mound superstar for the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame today. He modestly gave credit to "better than average pitching skills and lots of three-run homers" for making it possible for him to move up into the legendary class of baseball players -- but the sportswriters, his teammates and peers knew differently.

In reality Burg was a craftsman, an artist. He was a perfectionist. He painted a ballgame stroke by stroke and when he got through pitching a game, it was a masterpiece. Burg sparked the Cape Coral Hurricanes to 4 pennants and 7 playoff appearances in his 21-year career (2001-2021). The talented right-hander is the all-time IPA leader in victories and strikeouts. He won the Tycobbian Union MVP in 2014 and 3 Golden Arm Awards (2004, 2005, 2014), plus he was an 8-time All-Star.

By the time he retired at age 39, Burg fashioned an impressive record of 369-264, had an ERA of 2.79, struck out 5250 batters and held opposing teams to a .227 batting average. Burg made 787 mound appearances and worked 5880 innings in his career. Burg was even more brilliant in the playoffs with a 9-2 record and a 1.54 ERA in 15 starts.

Gravelli Enters Hall Of Fame
Phil Gravelli, the great first baseman and consummate professional, was inducted into the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame today. He played for 25 years (2001-2025) with Belair Beach and Crystal Lake, was a 12-time All-Star, twice a Golden Glove winner and the Ruthlandian Union MVP and RU Golden Bat recipient in 2007. Gravelli led his teams to 2 Pro Cups, 5 pennants and 7 playoffs. Crystal Lake won the IPA Pro Cup in 2020 and 2022. In addition, he holds 4 all-time IPA records. At the induction ceremony, he grew misty-eyed as he recalled the highlights of his playing career: his first base hit, his first home run, and -- humorously -- the first time he was thrown out at home plate. Gravelli says he barged through his third base coach's stop sign. As he returned to the dugout, his manager simply glared at him. "His eyes just burned a hole right through me. If looks could kill, I wouldn't be here today," he chuckled. More often than not, Gravelli pleased his managers and coaches during his superb career.

His all-time numbers show Gravelli as the IPA leader in games, hits, homers, and RBIs. He compiled a .315 batting average and collected 4260 hits, 726 home runs and 2493 RBIs. In all, he played in 3628 games. In 65 postseason games Gravelli was even more productive with a .340 batting average, 7 homers and 44 runs batted in. Gravelli retired from baseball at the age of 42.

Szabo Newest Hall-Of-Famer
Today was a historic day that Ilya Szabo will never forget. The superb pitcher was enshrined into the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame alongside the great baseball immortals of the past. He was the third player inducted. Szabo is ranked seventh in all-time wins in IPA history with 327. He played 20 years (2002-2021) for Colfax and paced the Blasters to the 2010 Pro Cup, 7 division crowns and 8 postseason appearances. Colfax set an IPA record for most wins in a season in 2010 with a remarkable 107-47 record. That year Szabo topped the IPA with a magnificent 27-4 mark and a ridiculously low 1.79 ERA. Szabo retired in 2021, still a quality pitcher. He went 18-17 with a 3.76 ERA for a fifth place club that finished under the .500 mark. Szabo twice was selected the Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player in 2010 and 2014. Four times in his career Szabo won the prestigious RU Golden Arm Award, in 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2015. He was also named to the RU All-Star squad 9 times.

Szabo was introduced by his former manager, Clem Rogers, who said, "He was the best I have seen in my lifetime. Ilya was a fabulous pitcher. The key to his success was that he threw the ball as far from the bat and as close to the plate as possible."

The talented pitcher retired from baseball at 42, but not before he amassed 327 victories. In his illustrious career, Ilya Szabo was 327-210 with a 2.57 ERA. He made 765 mound appearances and struck out 3162 in 5261 innings with an amazing 2.54 career ERA, third best in IPA history after Southport's Bob Montgomery, who posted a .254 ERA and Luxora's Tiago Torres with a 2.55 ERA. He was ranked ninth in strikeouts and number two in shutouts with 53. Only fellow Hall-of Famer Titus Bristow of Tuckanarra had more with 60 shutouts. Szabo was also very effective in the Pro Cup playoffs with a standout 14-8 mark in 25 games with a 2.44 ERA. He is second to Denton City's Hall-of-Famer Mila Mohoski for most playoff victories. Mohoski is the leader with a 16-11 record in 31 starts and a 3.07 ERA.

Szabo brought down the house with his closing remarks: "This is really a sad day for me. I've never had a job. I've always played baseball. I guess I'll have to go to work now."

Luzzatti Gets Call From Hall
Mike Luzzatti of the Claxton Diamonds played baseball a long time and he played it well from 2006 to 2025. Then at the age of 41, he called it a career. In recognition of his outstanding accomplishments, Luzzatti has been voted into the IPA Hall of Fame.

"There is so much to love about this game," the newest honoree said during his induction speech at the Islandian Pro Alliance Baseball Hall of Fame in Marston. "I couldn't imagine anything greater than my first major league game. Then I hit my first home run. Then the other landmarks came. But nothing tops today... to think that I made it to the Hall of Fame."

The legendary first baseman put up some impressive numbers and is sixth on the IPA all-time home run list. Luzzatti played in 2614 games, compiled a .316 batting average, hit 562 home runs, drove in 1698 runs and scored 1670 times during his career. Luzzatti performed quite well in the postseason with a .327 BA, 7 home runs and 27 RBIs, while playing in 40 games.

Mohoski Takes Place Among IPA Greats
The latest member of the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame is Mila Mohoski (2002-2021), who excelled for 20 years with the Red Bluff Red Sox and Denton City Redbirds, registering 353 wins, second best in IPA history. Only HOF-er Cory Burg with 369 victories has won more games. However, Mohoski has won the most postseason games with 16 victories.

Mohoski starred for the Red Sox for 5 years, leading them to the playoffs three times and one division title. He was also a vital force in the 2004 Pro Cup championship year. Mohoski was the Pro Cup Most Valuable Player that year with a 4-1 record and a 1.80 ERA. The stylish southpaw won the deciding game of the series. Mohoski was the 2004 Golden Arm winner, too. In addition he was acclaimed the Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player for the 2004 regular season. Twice in his career Mohoski was an All-Star.

Mohoski spent the rest of his career with Denton City, playing 16 years for the Redbirds. They won 5 division pennants during his stay. Overall Mohoski was 353-267 with a 3.19 ERA. In the playoffs he was 16-11 in 31 starts and compiled a 3.07 ERA.

Nichols Joins HOF Immortals
The Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame just added a fine shortstop and hitter to its number. The newest member of baseball's most elite group is Don Nichols, who recently retired at the age of 43 in 2024. Nichols (2001-2024) played for 24 seasons, 7 with the Marston Nine and 17 for the Far Mountain Redhawks. His teams won 3 Gold Cups, made the postseason 5 times and copped 3 division crowns. Nichols was an 11-time All-Star, 2-time Golden Glover and in 2018 took the Ruthlandian Union MVP Award and the Golden Bat. In his career he was near the top in all-time IPA stats, ranking 6th in games (3253), 2nd in hits (3760), 7th in RBIs (1773), 3rd in runs (2164) and 7th in stolen bases (668).

"I always knew I was good enough to play, but the Hall of Fame was one of the few things I never even dreamed of," said Nichols at his induction ceremony. "For me to focus a lot on the individual, that's not the way I learned to play the game. Baseball is a team game. You win as a team, you lose as team. You also do so many things together, but it is not an 'I' thing."

During his illustrious career, Nichols had 386 home runs among his 3760 hits, while batting .310. He played in 3253 games, scored 2164 runs and knocked in 1773 runs.

Kazmarek Enters IPA Hall of Fame
The only batter in IPA history to hit .400 is Hall of Fame bound - outfielder Jet Kazmarek, the number two hitter in IPA history with a fantastic lifetime .350 average, has found a new home.

"He simply produced - game after game after game. That's what I loved about him." Those sentiments were expressed by Jet Kazmarek's manager J. Samuel Jackson when the gifted left fielder's Hall of Fame selection was inducted yesterday. Kazmarek played for Valmara in his first 6 seasons in the IPA and 10 years in Arroyo Grande. Alltogether his teams made the playoffs 5 times.

Kazmarek stood only 5 feet and 6 inches high, but he stood real tall in the batter's box, playing from 2001 to 2016. He won the RU Golden Bat Award in 2002 with a stunning .428 batting average and captured the RU Most Valuable Player trophy twice, in 2002 and 2003. 9 times Kazmarek won the league batting crown and was an 8-time All-Star. He also topped the league in thefts on 5 occasions, stealing 822 bases in his 16-year career with Valmara and Arroyo Grande. Only Arlon's Hall of Famer Rocco Belasario with 1023 finished ahead of him. Kazmarek's 215 three-baggers are the most in IPA history, leading the league 8 seasons.

The newest Hall of Famer assessed his career in these words: "I did my best to contribute to the team -- in the field, at the plate, in the dugout. I didn't care about personal numbers. I just went out there to win."

Kazmarek played in 2191 games with a .350 career batting average and 2746 hits. He also scored 1522 runs and drove in 1207 runs with 186 home runs. Kazmarek retired from baseball in 2016, when he was 41. He is now the manager of the Valmara Vipers. Since taking over from Jackson in 2017, Kazmarek has led the Vipers to 4 RU North pennants and to the Pro Cup title last season.

Tucks Bristow Enshrined In IPA Hall Of Fame
Titus Bristow has just become immortal -- the star pitcher has just been inducted into the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame. What a fabulous career he has had. Bristow's lifetime record shows a 342-258 won-lost mark, an ERA of 2.75 and 60 shutouts. In 741 game appearances he fanned 2041 batters in 5434 innings and held opposing hitters to a .256 average. The stubby, little 5 foot 6 inch right-hander wound up 4th in all-time IPA wins and first in shutouts. The 6-time All-Star led the Blue Jays to 6 postseason appearances and 2 division flags. Bristow played from 2002 to 2020 and was the Tycobbian Most Valuable Player and Golden Arm winner in 2006 with a superb 27-7 record and a 1.73 ERA.

His name will now be added to the list of legends at the Hall of Fame in Marston. Bristow was 38, when he retired from baseball. He closed out his career with a 22-14 record for a sixth place club. That's how good the diminutive junkballer was.

At the enshrinement ceremony Carlton "Lefty" Stevens, his Blue Jay manager, commented on what it was like to hit against the new Hall of Famer. "When you think it's a ball, it's a strike. When you swing at what you think is a strike, it's in the dirt. He was a remarkable pitcher.

Bristow was well-known for winning ballgames and for pitching inside.
"Show me a guy who can't pitch inside and I'll show you a loser."
Writers once asked him on Mother's Day, if he would brush back his mother.
He curtly replied, "Only if she was diggin' in."

Peterson Enshrined in HOF
The best of the best, that is an apt description of baseball superstar Quincy Peterson, who starred in the IPA from 2001 to 2021, performing mainly with LaGrange and Elnora. The talented outfielder was inducted into the IPA Hall of Fame today at ceremonies in Marston. Peterson was honored 6 times as an All-Star and gathered in 4 Golden Glove Awards. The latest Hall-of-Famer participated in 5 Pro Cup playoffs in his career and was on 3 pennant winners.

Peterson retired at the age of 44 with a .294 career batting average. He mainly played left fielder, participated in 3087 games, rang up 3514 hits, 589 doubles, 565 home runs and batted in 1956 runs. Peterson was 5th in all-time hits, 4th in roundtrippers, 3rd in runs batted in, 9th in doubles and 10th in triples. Peterson was even tougher in the postseason, batting .343 with 13 homers, 38 RBIs and scoring 30 runs in only 41 games. However, he never got a Pro Cup ring.

"From the first time I saw him play, I knew he had the potential to be one of the best," Quincy Peterson's first manager Zoggy White said, "and the more I saw him play, the more certain I was that he would reach that potential."

White, along with Foxy Jimison, Peterson's longtime skipper at LaGrange were there at his enshrinement in the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame. It was a celebration of the career of one of the shining stars of his generation. His teammates loved him and opposing fans loved to hate him, but respect followed him everywhere, as evidenced by the large crowd at the ceremony.

The man of the moment was overcome with emotion when he finally took his turn at the podium to speak. "This is one of the greatest moments of my life and to share it with all of you here is... simply amazing. I would just like to thank my family and all my teammates for their support during my journey here. Individual honor was never my goal, winning was, but this is more than I could have ever dreamed."

Stevenson Now Hall of Famer
Sugar Valley's Hal Stevenson, a standout catcher throughout his Islandian Pro Alliance career, has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Stevenson was gifted at the plate and with the mitt. He is number four on the IPA career homer list with 567. The Rattler superstar was a 12-time All-Star and hauled in 8 Golden Gloves from 2001 to 2024. He sparked the Rattlers to 8 division pennants and to the postseason 9 times. Stevenson played in one Pro Cup Final. Sugar Valley was beaten by the Red Bluff Red Sox in 2004. In 2013 Stevenson was honored with the Golden Bat Award. That year Stevenson topped the Ruthlandian Union with 49 home runs and 134 runs batted in, while batting at a .311 clip.

During the induction ceremony, he credited the coaches, who taught him to play the game and the teammates, who taught him to be a professional. However, the most important influence, Stevenson said, was his father. "Pops never gave up on me," he said, "no matter how often I felt like giving up on myself".

In his 2466-game career, Stevenson hit .287 with 2503 hits, 567 home runs, 1574 runs scored and 1758 RBIs. He wrapped up his career at the age of 40.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 18, 2029

2029 Ruthlandian North Final Recap

Valmara Wins 4th RU North In A Row
For the fourth consecutive season and ninth time overall, the Valmara Vipers (89-65) won the Ruthlandian North. Manager Jet Kazmarek has a solid ballclub with fine pitching and hitting... They cruised through the division this year, sparked by pitchers Carroll Cain (21-12), Teddy Lem (19-12/2.90), Chris Phillips (18-10/2.82) and Clem Carmouche (16-16/3.17)... top hitters were CF Teddy Szymanski (.292/21/87), rookie 3B Amos Gallagher (.296/11/60), LF Sonny Oliver (.272/16/79) and All-Star C Floyd Randolph (.264/23/87)... No one really challenged the Vipers this season... they led the division the entire season.

First-year skipper Rusty Denicola turned it around for the Kilkenny Cats (82-72), who climbed up from seventh place last year to the runner-up spot this year... Superb pitching did it... the Cats staff posted a brilliant 2.67 team ERA, tops in the IPA... weak hitting (.236/30th) hampered Kilkenny in its battle with Valmara... Dave Whitaker (21-15/2.39), Christy Lane (16-13/2.61), James Crockett (15-13/2.75) and Dean Harris (16-16/2.62) were a most formidable rotation... Denicola really had no hitting threats to speak of... vet 1B Garris Aiken (.273/22/61) and RF Dan Jackson (.275/17/60) were just fair batters.

The third-place LaGrange Sports (80-74) fought Valmara tooth-and-nail last year, losing out by just 2 games, but this year they couldn't stay with them, winding up 9 games off the pace... manager Quincy Peterson had two strong starters in Alex Gillepie (20-14/2.73) and Ryan Janssen (19-12/2.39) and an impressive closer in Walt Thurber (9-2/1.76/13 saves), but little besides them... at the plate the Sports were less than average with the likes of CF Russell Watkins (.282/25/72), 1B Chris Charbonnier (.296/24/75) and RF Augie Marshall (.255/23/73).

This year IPA Hall-of-Fame shortstop Don Nichols took the reins of the Far Mountain Redhawks (77-77) from longtime skipper Alex Groveland and managed a break-even season, ending up in the fourth spot in the RU North, 12 games off the pace... the Redhawks had a good mound corps with starters Jakob Wagner (18-16/2.78) and Jeff Cooper (16-15/3.00) and bullpen ace Hans Becker (8-5/3.09), but the offense was seriously lacking, ranking next-to-last in the RU... you know your team is in trouble when your top hitters, RF Roy Driskoll (.261/12/70) and CF Donnie Lee David (.263/6/47) batted in the low .260s and the club's home-run leader C John Armstrong (.259) had only 13 roundtrippers.

After 11 straight seasons in the first division, Manny Mickens' Ancona Red Elephants (75-79) were down for the second successive year and finished in fifth place, 14 games behind pennant-winning Valmara... Razzy Angelis (17-13/3.48) and Vince Arndt (16-13/4.20) were the best on a mediocre staff... vets All-Star SS Todd Nasso (.258/27/83) and 1B Alekos Kotas (.258/21/68) showed a little power, but didn't hit much for average... new free agent from Tuckanarra 3B Koora Nawajuk (.253/12/80) did not pan out well and put up disappointing stats.

The Taranto Tars (74-80) have spent much of the last decade in the second division... Tommaso Lazzorda called it a career this year and brought Denny Radke in as manager... the Tars got a little improvement on the hill, yet still came in sixth, trailing by 15 games... of the starters only Tazio Domiano (16-11/3.36) excelled... reliever/spot starter Laz Tomassini (10-5/2.91/13 saves) did well, too... All-Star Johnny Sakelaris (15-21/3.34), Rod Bailey (15-18/3.58) and Paulie Pieroni (12-20/3.69) pitched pretty well, but suffered badly from poor run support... 2B Greg Murphy (.295/10/55) had the top average on the club, while 1B Val Lupoli (.229/21/75) and LF Nicky Cannon (.270/18/45) supplied what little power the Tars had.

The seventh-place Glasco Athletics (67-87) have only made the first division once in its last 15 seasons... that was in 2022, 7 years ago... the long-suffering A's last RU North flag came decades ago in 2002... new manager Barry McCord didn't fair any better than his predessessors as he guided Glasco to another near-the-bottom finish, 22 games out of first... however, progress was made this year as the pitching corps greatly improved, especially in the bullpen... starters Rusty Carlyle (13-20/3.28) and Sam Gilmore (7-10/3.16) were effective, but their records didn't show it... C Eddy Martin (.318/26/82) and CF Shane Murphy (.289/18/72) were Glasco's best bets at the plate.

Rick Fargnoli is still the skipper for the Ranford Bulls (66-88), who tumbled from third place in 2028 to the RU North cellar this year... the Bulls don't score well and they don't have much pitching... only Angelo Coppolo (15-17/3.02) is a standout pitcher... Ranford's top bats belonged to SS Terry Kerr (.294/16/71), 1B Elton Graff (.279/12/81), C Kyle Hunt (.286/4/74) and LF Percy Whitehead (.317/6/64).

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 18, 2029

2029 Ruthlandian South Final Recap

Crushers Upset Westerners For RU South Flag
Crystal Lake (93-61) surged past last year's Pro Cup champion Waleska in the second half of the season to capture its sixth Ruthlandian South title in the last 10 years... The Crushers overtook the Westerners in the last two months and won going away by 6 games... Herman "Baby" George has quite a team this season, maybe his best... Crystal Lake had the best record in the IPA and the best-hitting bunch in the IPA with a .289 mark... plus the Crushers had some fine pitching, too... Standouts were All-Star 1B Josh George (.324/19/100), All-Star CF Herm Taylor (.356/8/81), and All-Star 3B Carl Bentley (.296/14/80)... Taylor posted the highest batting average in the league this year... it's the second time he took the batting crown... other contributors were RF Sterling Hall (.326/6/51) and SS Timmy Robinson (.274/14/84)... on the mound it was T. D. Burnham (21-10/3.09), Duncan Welch (19-14/3.23) and Arnie Cason (18-14/2.78) leading the way.

Second place Waleska (87-67) just didn't have the pitching to keep up with Crystal Lake, despite having three 20-game winners and four All-Stars... however, McGraw Johnson's high-scoring Westerners could go toe-to-toe at the plate with the Crushers, batting .285 (2nd) and topping the IPA with 802 runs (1st)... All-Star LF Loco Dillinger (.344/41/141) had another wonderful year, leading the IPA in homers and RBIs and coming in second in batting average... He also got plenty of help from future Hall-of-Fame and All-Star CF Roy Hobbs (.325/20/96) and 1B Glenn Christian (.306/19/90)... SS Jose De Leon (.269/9/80) also was an All-Star, along with closer Jarred Laclair (2-5/2.32/20 saves)... CF Wilson James batted .310 with 111 runs, 9 home runs and 66 RBIs... on the hill Wild Bill Butler (20-8/3.73), Paco Morales (20-14/3.42) and Terry Richards (20-15/3.27) had fine seasons, too.

The Claxton Diamonds (86-68) improved from fifth to third this year, faded down the stretch and lost out by 7 games... still it was a good year for manager Dixie Baker... All-Star RF Ivan Krause (.303/24/96), All-Star Gary Colton (.291/23/91) and 1B Brad Jenkins (.317/13/95) led the offense, while Jarno Berkman (21-12/3.72), Jerry Smith (18-13/3.65), Freddi Hahn (16-12/3.75) and Jack Vogel (14-14/2.90) stood out on the mound.

Wesley Pate got his San Dimas Rancheros (79-75) off to a rousing start with an 18-6 record in April, but they then floundered the rest of year and ended up in fourth place, 14 games behind... the Rancheros had two good starters with Joaquin Lima (19-13/3.16) and Shannon White (15-14/3.37)... and Hector Villa (5-6/2.11/14 saves) pitched well out of the bullpen... but San Dimas didn't hit very well with a .258 BA (20th)... LF Andre Venturella (.290/9/53) and 1B Lloyd Kelly (.290/8/56) were the only decent hitters on the club.

The so-so St. John Crusaders (77-77) wound up fifth this season under skipper Clayton Luck and trailed by 16 games... top performers in the batter's box were SS Byron Johannsen (.325/14/72), LF Joey Daigrepont (.291/12/96) and rookie 2B Larry Burnett (.281/6/87)... top pitchers were Dave Carnera (15-11/2.68) and closer Nelson Hawthorne (3-5/2.21/12 saves).

The Valka Blackhawks (74-80) were contenders in the previous two years, but fell on hard times in 2029 and dipped to a sixth-place tie and 19 games off the pace... manager Ron Landauer had pretty fair hitting with a .274 team BA (4th) and were 9th in scoring, but had only average pitching (3.66 ERA/20th)... All-Star 3B Leevi Viru (.316/12/77) topped the team's hitters, along with 1B Andy Preston (.301/9/82), SS Olari Ojastu (.285/15/71) and CF Tonu Viks (.285/15/65)... Blackhawk starters did fairly well, headed up by Glenn Cadman (20-18/3.81), Nicky Palermo (17-15/3.47), Kristo Kivi (17-16/3.60) and Vanni Lakos (10-7/3.21).

For the third consecutive year the Grand City Cybercats (74-80) have wallowed deep in the second division of the RU South, finishing up tied for sixth place with Valka... Wade Joslin's club possesses average hitting (.259/18th) and poor pitching (3.89 ERA/29th)... CF Thomas Hall (.269/23/90) and 1B Mick Langston (.278/14/89) are the best run producers, while Ronald Bullard (19-16/4.32) and Danny Denver (12-20/4.04) are quality arms.

The Belair Beach Sunbirds (63-91) and rookie manager Little Jake Bungarooba suffered a woeful year, spending most of the season in the cellar... it's the Sunbirds fourth year in a row to be in the bottom rungs of the standings... they were a dismal 30 games out of first... Bungarooba had terrible pitching with a 4.79 team ERA, by far the worst in the IPA... the only talent on the Sunbirds are All-Star 1B Kees Draeger (.304/30/99) and C Deman Kooken (.339/15/72).

Eugene, Happy New Year and thanks for your great dynasty reports.....I don't check them as often as I might but have just spotted Loco Dillinger in the All-Star team....great name and I'll keep my eye on him!!
Just wondered if you use the "League Development" option or do you keep the offensive/pitching balance the same over the years.

Thanks for checking out the IPA.

I like the name Loco Dillinger, too. I create a lot of my players' names.
I created my own name database to control the names in my league. In general, the game used to generate too many goofy last names. I don't know if it is still the case. Maybe it has been fixed by now.

Sorry, my ignorance, but I don't know what the "League Development" option is. I guess I try to keep it basically the same each year. I want the batting leaders to hit 40-60 homers, 40-50 doubles, 10-15 triples a year and the league batting average to be around .260. I want the strikeout leader to be 250-300 Ks year, ERA leaders 2.00-2.50 each year. I just chose 1955 as the year to base my league on and just let the game develop. I occasionally adjusted the league modifiers to keep it in sync with 1950s baseball. It went well until I converted to another version. I played OOTP9 until the 2028 season, converted to OOTP12 and all heck broke loose. I had to adjust the league modifiers drastically to keep from having way too many home runs and strikeouts. I adjusted it monthly to keep the stats in line. The 2029 season seems to be statistically OK, but run scoring is down a bit.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 18, 2029

2029 Ruthlandian East Final Recap

Sweet Season For Sugar Valley In RU East
After three bad seasons in a row, the Sugar Valley Rattlers (88-66) finally found some pitching and garnered the Ruthlandian East flag for the 8th time in history. The Rattlers rose up from fifth place and 19 games out to the division crown, whipping second place Wynnamac by 5 games. They took control in July after Belle Plaine had led at mid-season. Longtime skipper Gibby Bobkins has an impressive pitching corps with starters All-Star Benny McConnell (22-12/3.37), Jeremy Blanchard (19-11/3.01) and Aron Libertini (21-15/3.36)... in the bullpen Dallas Casey (8-5/2.56/17 saves) was effective, too... the team ERA was a fine 3.28... Sugar Valley also led the RU with 166 homers... the Rattlers hit only .242 (28th), but went deep fairly often, led by 1B Dean Woods (.261/32/86) and All-Star RF Lindsay Deal (.264/29/108).

The Wynnamac Sundowners (83-71) have been tough contenders in the RU East for the last five seasons... Matt Donnelly's club just waited too late to make its move this year and came up 5 games short... the Sundowners have solid starters, but lack relievers... All-Star Killara Bardo (22-9/2.56), Lon Marshall (15-16/2.86) and Jason Meeks (13-16) are quality hurlers and keep the club in the game... Donnelly's starters compiled a very good 3.27 team ERA (7th), they just need help from the bullpen, which chalked up a poor 4.32 ERA (32nd)... on the offensive side of the ledger, Wynnamac is better than average with a .270 mark (9th), paced by LF Lil Hoss Burkhalter (.283/20/67), 3B Dorak Aranda (.285/17/68), All-Star C Lee Leslie (.302/16/68) and CF Tommy Lambright (.280/15/85).

The third-place Elnora All-Stars (81-73) were usually within striking distance of first place this year and ended up 7 games out... former star catcher Leon Carter guided them up from 17 games behind and fourth place in 2028... better pitching (3.52/14th) and solid hitting (.275/3rd) did the job this season... Jeremy Sellers (12-6/2.33), Freddy Pfeffer (17-10/3.24) and Lucien Vachon (18-16/3.31) formed a formidable starting rotation... and Carter has six .300 hitters on his lineup card: 1B Mel Long (.315/18/113), CF Travis Glass (.307/20/76), RF Pettis Pentleton (.309/5/49), 2B Matt Boyd (.310/10/62) and C Rudi Lange (.310/2/55)... however All-Star LF Jock Jumonville (.281/16/85) was Elnora's best overall threat at the plate.

The top dog at the All-Star break was the Belle Plaine Musketeers (80-74), who had a 3-game edge over Sugar Valley, but they couldn't maintain it in the second half... manager Dave Torregrossa's Muskies fizzled in the summer and September and slipped to fourth place, trailing by 8 games... the shame of it is Belle Plaine is a good all-around team with a .272 team BA (6th) and a 3.25 team ERA (6th)... they just played in a good division with a bunch of good ballclubs... All-Star Johnny Davenport (19-11/2.59), Earl Lacroix (20-9/3.11) and Leonard James (15-15/3.18) can pitch with the best of them... and 3B Tyler Verret (.311/21/83), LF Owen Newman (.279/15/68), C Derek Roman (.310/14/70) and RF Leon Bourque (.290/11/63) are pretty fair country hitters.

Last year's RU East champ Marston (79-74) was another team that got a late start and couldn't catch up, but the Nine was a fine team the final six weeks of the season, totaling a 28-16 record... overall Marston under second-year skipper Danny Church fell to fifth place and 9 games off the pace... the Nine just didn't hit as well this season, though the pitching was better... In 2028 they hit .276, but dropped to .262 this season... only 2B Lonnie Trekell (.277/29/100) and CF Russ Woodward (.290/23/78) had good years with the bats... on the hill Marston registered a strong 3.07 team ERA (4th), topped by Ronald Schmitt (13-8/2.40), Ryan Ledbetter (19-16/3.28), Doug Hansack (16-12/3.17) and Jack Tunstall (11-18/3.17).

For the second straight year Killer Brewster had a mediocre sixth-place club in Eastshore (76-78), finishing up 12 games behind in the race... this in spite of better pitching and hitting... the RU East was a tough division this year... Randy Boone (21-15/3.39) and Don Klingenberg (15-19/2.87) paced the pitching with CF Scotty Lagrange (.319/15/74) and SS Larry Romney (.285/17/95) the batting leaders.

The Cold Creek Catamounts (70-84) were cellar-dwellers in 2027 and 2028 and just a little better in 2029 with a seventh-place spot in the standings... new manager Scott Lemieux's club wound up 18 games back, much-improved over last year's 32 games out... most of the credit goes to the bullpen, which ranked 8th with a 2.98 ERA, sparked by closer Bobby Reid (6-4/2.49/17 saves), J. J. Gillespie (4-2/2.06/3 saves) and Pete Heller (1-2/2.47)... the starting rotation was decent with Norman Hill (18-17/3.66), Eddie Brasher (16-18/3.60) and Tommy Smith (15-19/3.66)... the team hit only .252 (23rd) with LF Carl Glick (.281/15/55), 3B Mike Houston (.275/10/70) and 1B Steve Daniels (.270/17/68) providing most of the impotent offense.

Former powerhouse Beechwood (63-91) suffered the indignity of its second year in a row in the basement... just two seasons ago the Bobcats were one of the better teams in the IPA racking up pennants in 2026 and 2027... since then, the mound staff has gone to pot for manager Bret George... young Ken Arby (16-14/2.42) is still an outstanding hurler, Bill Curtis (11-21/3.34) still is effective, but Maury Patterson (13-17/3.84) doesn't seem to be the same outstanding pitcher he was in championship seasons when he went 26-8 and 26-11 in back-to-back years... Patterson received the RU Golden Arm in 2026... Beechwood batted just .241 (29th)... the top producers for average were LF Jojo Davis (.313/2/46) and 1B Travis Wagner (.306/3/56) with 3B Hector Cuellar (.266/12/89) and IPA icon CF Vic Valenti (.254/17/76) the RBI guys... after 17 seasons, 37-year-old Valenti is slowing down a bit and showing his age... 17-year veteran Valenti is a career .317 hitter and has averaged 30 homers and 100 RBIs a year.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 18, 2029

2029 Ruthlandian West Final Recap

Stars Sweep By Rovers In RU West
The Sligo Rovers had their way in the Ruthlandian West during the opening half of the season and looked like they would breeze to a third pennant in a row, but it didn't happen... the Rovers slumped badly in August and allowed the Stoner Stars (85-69) to sweep by them and come away with the division crown, edging Sligo by 2 games... the Rovers led the Stars by 8 games at the All-Star hiatus... Stoner hit its way to the title with a .272 BA (7th), ranking third in scoring... manager Benny Stern had just enough pitching to get the job done... the Stars staff only posted a 3.84 team ERA (26th)... Stern had a solid core of hitters, no great ones, but lots of good ones like All-Star 3B Jeff Henderson (.296/20/90) RF Neil Mooney (.310/19/69), 1B Fletch Fowler (.288/16/75) and All-Star 2B Norm Murdoch (.286/9/69)... free agent vet Glenn Tackett (21-13/3.00) was the ace in his first season with help from Raul Hidalgo (19-13/3.10)... closer Darrell Geoffrey (10-5/1.45/12 saves) had an excellent year, too.

The second-place Sligo Rovers (83-71) offense didn't carry its load... Eddie Keys' club hit a lowly .236 (31st) and finished 30th in scoring... things were so bad Darryl Collins led the club with 13 homers, 74 RBIs and a .274 batting average... but it was entirely another case on the hill, where the Rovers rotation was outstanding with a 3.07 team ERA (2nd)... Keys had four good starters in Les Patterson (19-15/3.28), All-Star Lou Page (17-14/3.14), Earl Perkins (16-13/2.86) and Terry Bailey (15-16/2.94).

Under new skipper Joe Judlin the Forest City Lumberjacks (80-74) made a big turnaround in 2029, rising up from deep in the cellar the previous year (66-88) up to third place, just 5 games off the pace... Hitting rose from .237 to .259 and the team ERA lowered from 4.58 to 3.66... leading the offense was All-Star George Arnick (.294/11/70), 2B Jackie Jackson (.277/10/57), CF Ron McGuire (.269/17/70) and 3B Rog Clemens (.275/12/86)... pitching-wise the club was led by vet Andy Velasco (19-11/3.35), rookie Jimmy Willard (20-16/3.38) and Norm Dawson (18-14/3.84).

Manager Bailey Norcross has very little hitting in Middlefield (79-74), but the Roosters managed to come in fourth in the RU West standings, only 6 games behind winning Stoner, mainly because of the mound corps, which put up a good 3.27 team ERA (8th)... Tyrus Cobb (19-8/2.52) had a standout season before missing out on his last 5 starts with strained triceps... Neither were very potent at the plate, but 3B Stu Butterworth (.247/11/50) led the team in batting average and LF Floyd McClellan (.235/22/69) was tops in homers and runs batted in.

Robbie Brooks thought his Fort Benton Defenders (72-82) was a team on the rise after close fourth-place and second-place finishes the previous seasons... It looked like the Defenders were poise to contend for the division title this year... however the Defenders slipped back to fifth place and trailed the leader by 13 games... they never were in a challenging position... Brooks has some good bats in his lineup... they batted .273 (5th) and ranked 9th in runs... 1B Ernie O'Day (.313/26/84) and CF Vince Boylan (.266/18/80) were the best run producers... and on the mound it was Frankie Quinn (20-15/3.29) and Augie Marquis (16-16/3.41).

The sixth-place Volusia Vigilantes (71-83) wound up 14 games behind in the race with average hitting and mediocre pitching... Alfonso Feliz just doesn't have a lot of talent... CF Vasco Aguilar (.281/18/92) had a good season, while 2B Valerio Cortes (.249/16/75) and SS Joao Rosales (.276/11/67) both had fair years... the V's do have one standout player, last year's RU Golden Arm winner, Cisco Almeida (18-16/3.48), but he struggled this season, yet still did pretty well.

There is some talent in Colfax (68-86)... skipper Ilya Szabo hasn't got enough to right the ship yet as the Blasters dropped to seventh this season and ended up 17 games out... Smoky Rogers (18-12/3.16) is a top-notch pitcher and C Mitch Fullerton (.296/28/89), RF Glen Smith (.304/10/75) and 1B Doug Kirkwood (.293/12/74) are some good sticks.

For the past five years the Rocky Rapids Snappers (63-91) have been in the doldrums of the second division in the RU West... Junior Noland replaced his dad Ryan as manager, but didn't make any progress... the Snappers were last in the RU West for the third time in four years... his best performers were Matt Loudermilk (18-12/2.75), who really had strong season, especially with such a poor team... 8-year veteran 1B Angelo Nardone (.297/31/88) and third-year C Allie Blackwell (.301/10/73).

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 18, 2029

2029 Tycobbian North Final Recap

Hellcats Nips Frogs In TU North Playoff
A season-long struggle between the Hartsdale Hellcats and the Fairfax Frogs finally came to an end in a single-game playoff for the Tycobbian North regular-season crown... The Hellcats got a magnificent 15-strikeout performance from Hank Cooke and a 2-1 triumph over the Frogs to make the Pro Cup playoffs for the first time in 15 years.

2029 was a very special year for Kendry Moulton, the new skipper of the Hartsdale Hellcats (85-70)... not only was he inducted into the IPA Hall of Fame, Moulton guided the Hellcats to the pennant... Hartsdale depended on a fine group of pitchers to capture the TU North title... All-Star Lou Chylak (22-11/2.52), Art Reese (17-14/2.47) and Hank Cooke (18-12/3.14) were responsible for a great 3.07 team ERA (2nd)... and 1B Johnny Scott (.295/20/77) and RF Fred Wasikowski (.271/13/77) led the anemic offense... the Hellcats won the pennant with a red-hot August and September.

The Fairfax Frogs (84-71) made great strides this year, climbing up from last place the year before... Fairfax also had an excellent final two months... it took a great pitching performance to deprive Dane Wesner's boys of the division flag... the Frogs hit well with a .264 batting average (13th) and were somewhat suspect on the hill with a 3.81 ERA (23rd)... Wesner had a solid lineup with CF Eric Kusek (.313/11/78), rookie C Brian Davis (.312/11/55), 2B John Velasco (.303/13/73), RF Randall Crawford (.289/16/75) and rookie 3B Woody Jackson (.296/13/58)... Joey Santini (20-14/3.49) and Eric Mayes (18-11/4.08) paced the pitchers... closer Zack Dowdle (8-4/2.19/20 saves) stood out in the bullpen.

It was a good and consistent season for the third place Luxora Zorros (80-74)... the Z's wound up just 4 and a half games out of first place... manager Lacey Tompkins got them up from sixth place the year before... Luxora was better in all aspects of the game... really improved bats with a .264 team BA (14th) and slightly improved on the mound with a 3.51 team ERA (10th)... 1B Gerry Hathaway (.320/17/60) and LF Forest Orr (.316/11/59) were the top bats with support from CF Kevin Hanley (.291/23/69) and RF Roger Noble (.255/21/69)... starters Tommy Ellefson (15-14/3.64) and Valente Viero (15-15/3.48) were reliable... bullpen ace Kent White (6-3/1.39/16 saves) had a very impressive season.

This year Todd Simons took control of the North Hills Hawks (76-78) and brought them out of 7th place in the standings up to number four, 8 and a half games back in the race... it's been 13 years since the Hawks won the TU North... so things are looking up for them... CF Ronnie Guillaume (.342/8/76/) was by far the best batter on the squad, followed by All-Star C Cruz Andrade (.294/14/71) and LF Clyde Chalmers (.295/3/42)... as a team North Hills hit for a better-than-average .264 (11th)... the Hawks were just average on the mound with a 3.66 ERA (16th)... the starting four were fairly steady, led by Terry Costanza (18-14/3/51), David Michael (17-14/3.91), Kerry Hoffman (13-10/3.37) and Andy Dahlberg (13-19/3.59).

The first half of the 2029 season was excellent for the Oxford Red Caps (74-80) with new manager Cameron Kamara at the helm... the Red Caps led the TU North at the midpoint by 2 games, but it didn't last as they went into a summertime swoon and fell to fifth place, 10 and a half games off the pace... same spot as last year... the Red Caps had average hitting (.260-16th) and were so-so on the hill with a 3.83 ERA (24th)... carrying the offensive load were All-Star 1B Kerry Sterling (.289/34/88) and longtime star LF Dennis Hartwig (.298/26/99)... Kenny Gorham (15-12/3.38) was the only hurler with a winning mark among the starters.

Rusty Lanussa in Mahaska (73-81) had a nightmare season and dropped from first place down to the sixth spot, 11 and a half games behind champ Hartsdale... James Allington (15-12/3.59) and Arno Vainmaa (15-16/2.97) were quality arms for the Haymakers, while LF Johnny Yevtushenko (.308/22/90) and RF Travis Tuttle (.292/20/63) were decent bats.

The seventh-place Blue Lake Blue Sox (70-84) haven't been in the postseason since 2010... Rick Hilliard took command as skipper this season and did not fare very well, finishing up 14 and a half games behind... rookie Willie Taskins (16-15/2.96) was the only solid starter... the only reliable hitter was All-Star CF Chris Halley (.332/3/49)... what little power the Blue Sox had came from rookie RF Boom-Boom Baker (.244/17/70), rookie Herb Hull (.275/14/61) and vet 3B Skipper Smith (.280/14/73).

After winning four division flags in 8 years and almost winning two other times, the White River Rascals (66-88) plunged to the basement, 18 and a half game behind... Mick Cronyn has pretty fair pitching with Paul Sardini (17-16/2.91), who was the TU Golden Arm winner last year, along with Jon French (9-13/3.10), who gave him some good starts.... veteran star 1B Marty Blake (.292/21/57) still can hit at age 35, but he has little help.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 18, 2029

2029 Tycobbian South Final Recap

Ginza Scuttles Southport In TU South
For the fourth time in the last seven seasons the Ginza Ninjas have corraled the Tycobbian South division trophy... Huroko Uchiyama's powerhouse may be ready to seriously challenge for the Pro Cup this year... the Ninjas roared past the strong Southport Sun Sox in August and prevailed by 5 games... the Sun Sox led by 3 games at midseason and were tied in the standings with the Ninjas going into the final two months of the season... the Colchester Elites might have been the best team in the division in the second half of the year, but they floundered badly in the opening half and trailed by 14 games at the All-Star Game... the Elites finished up 7 games behind Ginza in third place.

The Ginza Ninjas (91-63) chalked up the best record in the Tycobbian Union by combining excellent hitting, scoring and pitching... the Ninjas batted .281 (2nd), topped the TU in scoring with 749 runs and posted a fine 3.19 team ERA (5th)... manager Uchiyama had four All-Stars on his club... All-Star Cotton Cornwall (.337/25/107), All-Star SS Russell Van Kleek (.320/21/79) and All-Star 2B Howard Winston (.33/5/52) led the hitters, along with standout 1B Johnny O'Rorke (.296/27/86) and RF Sadaharu Uchiyama (.306/11/63)... All-Star hurler Hollis Pace (21-10/2.79) paced the mound staff with help from a great free agent pickup Loris Plooster (18-11/2.73) and Ryuji Kaneko (18-10/3.93)... Ginza's bullpen was outstanding, too, with a 2.59 ERA (2nd), led by Frank Beard (5-5/2.63/10 saves) and Ken Kichida (7-2/2.05/8 saves).

The Southport Sun Sox (86-68) played well until August when they went into a slump and staggered home with a poor 17-27 mark... down the stretch Charley Oscar's pitching failed him... his hitting also suffered some, too... at mid-year the Sun Sox looked like the team to take this season's Pro Cup... Don Pascioni (23-9/2.71) had a super year and Bob Bondy (18-12/3.91) was effective, but others in the rotation did not perform well... Al Laclair (11-9/4.36) won the fewest games in his career and Ronnie Galus (12-18/3.90), a 23-game winner in 2028, had an off-year, too... All-Star LF Lorne Evans (.310/34/93), LF Cody Dougherty (.299/16/95), 1B Kyle Ross (.286/14/97) and CF Rick Cabrini (.283/7/49) carried the club offensively... All-Star 2B Yanni Kouris (.284/6/54) and 3B Sam Cousins (.264/17/71) had good years, too.

New manager Patsy Bates got his Colchester Elites (84-70) going in the last half of the year... the Elites wound up third, 7 games off the pace... Bates had a good offense, ranked third in homers and seventh in scoring with pretty fair pitching (3.40-8th)... All-Star CF Jim Lewellan (.288/36/97) and RF Cleve Belton (.274/29/102) sparked the offense, while on the hill, it was Mackie McGinnity (23-7/2.98), Mike Kierkegaard (16-12/3.37) and Mac Flowers (11-10/2.93) leading the rotation.

Flipper Bird took charge of the Cape Coral Hurricanes (80-74) from longtime skipper Huggy Miller and they responded well in his second season with a fourth-place finish, up from seventh last year... it is the first time in four seasons the Hurricanes made the first division... the 'Canes hit well, but only had average pitching (3.69-17th)... they batted .274 (4th) and scored 647 runs (16th)... RF Jan Kammer (.300/21/105), CF Dan Isenberg (.323/12/42) and All-Star C Tonio Libertore (.298/1/45) were the top sticks... Kris Bogaard (16-13/2.97) and closer Kenny Nikas (6-5/2.11/12 saves) were the top hurlers... Nikas came this year from Ancona of the RU via free agency.

The Summerland Sunsets (78-76) were 13 games back in the pennant race and wound up in fifth place... manager Will Hackett had a good pitching corps with a 3.18 team ERA (4th), but lacked offense, winding up with a .253 BA (22nd) and ranking 27th in scoring with only 596 runs... Clive Coxford (17-15/2.65) and All-Star Scotty Ellison (16-13/2.36) were strong starters, but suffered from run support... Ron McDonald (14-13/3.68) was also a quality arm most of the time... top gun at the plate was All-Star 1B Mandu Purula, who flirted with .400 the first half, but tailed off to only .319 with 19 homers and 64 RBIs.

As usual, the sixth-place Arroyo Grande Suns (75-79) could go deep and score runs, but they couldn't always outscore the opposition... consequently Cyclone Cobb's club came in 16 games out of first place this year... the Sun sluggers batted .258 (18th), ranked tenth in runs with 673 and first in homers with 153... pitching-wise they were 3.87 (26th) with fair starters and a good bullpen... RF Robbie Kiner (.313/5/64) and LF Rod Jacobs (.292/24/62) had the top averages, while 1B Rusty Vizcarra (.233/25/72), CF Johnny Eichhorn (.255/20/47), C Frank Jourdan (.258/20/68) and 3B Vince Shepherd (.254/19/73) hit the longball, but not much for average... on the mound Royce Coleman stood tall with a 2.93 ERA, but was only 12-12 for the year... Cesar De Leon was the ace at 20-14 with a 3.44 ERA... Chico Huerta (16-15/4.30) was effective at times, but Guy Gigere (13/20/5.59) has an atrocious season.

Alberto Herrera's San Alejo Montaneros (73-81) were in seventh place, 18 games back in the pennant chase... bright spots on the team include 25-year-old starter Roy Burchfield (7-2/2.56) and 27-year-old reliever Mario Aragon (3-5/2.91/16 saves)... Burchfield was activated only in August and really did well the rest of the way... the best bats in the lineup were 1B Ramon Escabedo (.294/27/105) and 3B Bubby Blackwell (.319/9/72).

One of the best franchises in IPA history, the Turon Typhoons (72-82), who have made the playoffs 13 times and come away with a record 4 Pro Cups, have fallen to rock bottom in the last four years... the once-proud Typhoons finished dead last in the TU South this year and trailed division champ Ginza by 19 games... first-year manager Alan Hansen managed some improvement this season, mainly on the mound, but still had the worst season in the club's history... Turon has good hitters that hit for average (.269/7th), but ranked only 23rd with 607 runs... the Typhoons don't have much power, hitting only 86 (27th) out of the park... starting pitching is fair with a 3.67 ERA and solid in the bullpen with a 2.78 ERA... veteran 1B Michael Page (.314/25/63) is the best bat in the lineup... Victor Suarez (18-14/3.34), James Newland (15-12/3.57) and Sal Quattrone (15-17/3/21) were capable starters... Hansen's first year as skipper didn't go as well as he would have liked, but it was a great year for him nonetheless - Hansen was elected to the IPA Hall of Fame this season... Hansen was a fine second baseman in the league for from 2002 to 2023, batted an overall .296, played on 12 pennant winners and won 2 Pro Cup rings.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 18, 2029

2029 Tycobbian East Final Recap

Tucks Reign Supreme Again In TU East
It's becoming almost routine for the Tuckanarra Blue Jays in the Tycobbian East division... for the fifth time in the last seven seasons the Tucks reigned supreme as they won in easy fashion by 9 games... East Point was the only contender and that lasted only until midseason... the Panthers were just a game off the pace at the All-Star break, but they dropped back in the pack in the second half and ended up 9 games behind and tied for second place with Hillsboro... no other team was in sight... last year Tuckanarra was 102-52 and won the pennant going away by 15 games.

Carlton "Lefty" Stevens' club didn't break the 100 mark this year, but he still had a very good one... the Tuckanarra Blue Jays (90-64) have a fine, all-around team with a .271 BA (5th), 732 runs (2nd) and a 3.10 team ERA (3rd)... at 31 All-Star 1B Lynn Starr (.335/27/126) keeps getting better with age... All-Star SS Jed Turchin (.308/12/90) lent a lot of support, too... along with fine 2B Eddie Darby (.287/10/63)... on the mound Stevens has five quality starters in Sam Tate (19-11/3.04), Philip Marston (16-11/3.60), Jamie Gustafson (16-15/2.72), Quinn Starr (14-8/3.11) and Croc Wedgedale (11-6/2.65)... and Matt Stevens (10-4/2.00/14 saves) is an impressive closer... the Blue Jays will be in the thick of things in the Pro Cup playoffs - a team to be watched.

The East Point Panthers (81-73) faded in the second half and fell back into a tie with Hillsboro... skipper Karol Zodoka has some good pitching with All-Star Frank Blair (21-16/2.52) and Dixie Brooks (17-15/2.86) as well as an All-Star closer Jack Bolden (6-3/1.88/14 saves)... but his Panthers failed miserably at the plate with a pathetic .240 average (31st) and didn't score well (19th), but did have some punch with 126 homers (10th)... CF Kenko Aoki didn't hit for average, but did go deep 25 times... he finished with 92 RBIs, but batted just .227... 2B Tetsu Tanaka had 18 home runs, 80 RBIs and hit .263... 3B Jug Slavin totaled 18 roundtrippers, 64 runs batted in with a .271 BA... LF Wally Wright led the team with a .309 mark, 7 homers and 49 RBIs.

With a new manager, Andy Jefferson, the Hillsboro Blazers (81-73) were just 6 games out and in the third spot in the standings at the halfway point, but they were just an average club the rest of the season and they finished 9 games back, deadlocked with East Point... the Blazers had a standout staff that compiled a 3.02 team ERA, which topped the TU... Gregg Hughes (19-12/2.14) was the IPA leader in ERA... Marty Anderson (12-7/2.85) was very effective, too... closer Duke Mahoney (4-6/2.15/17) was solid in the bullpen... except for decent power, the offense didn't do too much with a .251 BA (25th) and ranked 31st with 585 runs... the Blazers did hit 119 home runs (14th)... All-Star C Brian Hatcher (.287/12/43), 3B Bobby Denton (.319/15/69), 1B Larry Guichard (.271/13/61), LF Paul Green (.245/27/62), 2B Jason DiMucci (.272/6/70) and Biggy Washington (.216/18/58) supplied what little offense the team had.

Manager Cochise Chandler had good hitting and anemic pitching in Midway (75-79) as his Wolves wound up in fourth place, 15 games out... the Wolves batted .270 (6th), ranked 11th with 670 runs and knocked 116 out of the park (15th)... pitching was another story with an atrocious 4.31 ERA (32nd), last in the entire TU... Midway's top bats were 1B Jake Welsh (.296/23/82), All-Star 3B Rusty Graves (.306/15/70) and RF Eduardo Villanueva (.304/9/53)... Bobby Dorignac (16-19/3.81) was the Wolves only decent pitcher.

Frank Kiffin piloted the Ozarka Naturals (73-81) to a fifth-place finish in his rookie year, up from a dismal eighth last season... the Nats trailed first place Tuckanarra by 17... the rise in the standings was primarily because of improvement on the mound... Ozarka had four very capable arms with Denny Mills (16-15/3.10), Marty Lane (13-13/3.17), Stan Carey (14-10/2.85) and rookie reliever Brady Bell (7-6/1.79/16 saves)... batting leaders were All-Star SS James Couch (.308/13/67), RF Byron Glenn (.284/24/86), 3B Nick Rembert (.288/11/79) and 1B George Jenkins (.323/10/51)... the Naturals hit for a .265 average (10th), but ranked 20th in scoring with 617 runs and posted a 3.53 team ERA (12th).

It was not a pleasant season for Deroche "Lips" Leon and the South Fork Stallions (70-84), who spiraled downward from 3rd place to 6th place this year, winding up 20 games out in the pennant race... lack of offense (.243/28th) and average pitching (3.62/15th) did them in... they ranked 27th in scoring with 596 runs... All-Star pitcher Ozz Gatsby (21-12/2.45) had a great season and Richie Raeburn (15-17/3.24) was effective... C Mel Danley (.264/20/76), LF Pat Giles (.234/21/62) and CF Shelby Glasscock (.230/18/73) were the main run producers.

Coming in seventh this season were the High Mesa Cowboys (66-88)... manager Rolf Kellgren brought them in 24 games out of first as the Cowpokes suffered down in the second division for the third successive year... the only thing High Mesa did was hit homers... they walloped 142 roundtrippers to tie for 4th, hit just .233 (32nd) and ranked 30th with only 589 runs... on the hill the Cowboys staff chalked up an inferior 3.91 ERA (27th)... Roger Hart (17-15/2.98) was solid and steady... and Fonzie Winkler (15-17/3.29) pitched well, too... RF Bill Andrews (.220/3/95) was the biggest run producer with help from 3B Freddy Franks (.277/19/52) and 36-year-old aging superstar 1B Jack Elliott (.245/18/69).

The Red Bluff Red Sox (61-93) ran their second division streak to 8 seasons... the Red Sox were 29 games behind... with mediocre hitting (.243 (29th), scoring (594 runs-29th) and pitching (4.13-30th)... and not much power either with 114 homers (17th)... skipper Jim Schubert only had one solid starter and that was Tony Defazio (16-14/2.82) and a few credible batters in All-Star RF Corbett Brooks (.254/31/95), 1B Leander Burks (.247/22/85) and CF Billy Barton (.281/5/33).

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 18, 2029

2029 Tycobbian West Final Recap

RH Reds Survive In Tough TU West
Three teams, Rolling Hills, Arlon and La Claire stayed closely-bunched throughout the season in the the hotly-contested Tycobbian West this year... and Chicopee made it interesting with a second-half splurge... the Rolling Hills Reds finally emerged the winner by 2 games over defending champion La Claire, Arlon and Chicopee... Arlon and Denton City slightly led at the midpoint of the season, but the Redbirds faded to a fifth-place tie in the end.

It was the fourth flag in five years for manager Matty Christianson's Rolling Hills Reds (83-71)... The Reds hit well with a .277 BA (3rd), scored well with 706 runs (5th) and were solid on the hill with a 3.34 team ERA (7th)... LF Pat Webb (.311/21/104), 1B Billy Chrisianson (.300/15/94) and LF Skip Greene (.284/11/61) supplied most of the offense, while All-Star Errol Gaudet (21-13/3.38) and Johnny Brown (17-10/2.86) led the starting pitchers... and Bobby Morris (6-3/2.45/14 saves), Buck Myers (4-4/2.75) and Alfonso Gonzales (2-0/2.29) paced the strong bullpen.

Last year's TU West division winner, the La Claire Lynx (81-73) with new Hall-of-Famer Zeppy Deshotel at the helm, came close to a second straight pennant, but fell 2 games shy... Deshotel's Lynx were pretty good at the plate with a .268 BA (9th), 691 runs (6th) and 136 home runs (7th)... and just fair in the pitching department with a 3.77 team ERA (20th)... superstar 3B Flash Devlin reached the 3000-mark in hits this season and registered another All-Star season for the 13th time with a .298 BA, 26 HR and 89 RBI... other contributors were LF Carroll Candy (.288/19/84), 1B Jess Swain (.291/17/79), SS Jarred O'Neal (.284/15/60) and 2B Norman Petitjean (.276/14/80)... Deshotel's top pitchers were Pat Kovacs (18-14/2.88), along with Jules Delhomme (17-12/3.68), Jeff Buttram (15-12/3.81) and Alvar Vickers (17-14/3.88).

The Arlon Champions (81-73) were lodged in a three-way draw for second place with Chicopee and La Claire... Rocco Belasario's Champs just hit so-so with a .255 average (21th), scored OK with 645 runs (17th) and didn't have a whole lot of pop with 106 homers (19th)... pitching-wise they chalked up a respectable 3.57 team ERA (13th)... Raydon Burks (18-9/3.54) topped the twirlers... the top bats were RF Carlos Quintana (.233/23/85) and 1B Artie Anderson (.249/20/79), although neither hit for much average.

After a year in the second division, the Chicopee Braves (81-73) rebounded back near the top under new manager Ivan Burkholder... the Braves had power this year with 150 roundtrippers (2nd), hit .264 (12th) and ranked 4th with 727 runs... however, Burkholder's mound staff was subpar with a mediocre 4.00 ERA (28th)... All-Star LF Sakima Shaman (.325/31/116), 1B Big Sam Takota (.306/25/106) and RF Charlie Jensen (.269/20/86) sparked the potent offense, while Wahkan Kwahu (17-12/3.540 was the ace of the pitching corps with some help from closer Matt Reeves (5-5/3.39/21 saves)... Reeves tied with Middlefield's Chip Smith for the most saves in the IPA.

The Kenwood Wildcats (76-78) tied for fifth with the Denton City Redbirds, both trailed by 7 games... Aaron Hankins' Wildcats led the Tycobbian Union with a .283 team batting average (1st), but they had little power with only 83 homers (29th) and wound up with 696 runs (9th)... Kenwood didn't have a lot on the rubber and compiled a 4.06 team ERA... Hankins had three .300 batters: SS Jeff Lang (.335/9/91), CF Matthew Hankins (.333/8/61) and C Gary Thompson (.305/8/54)... power was supplied by 3B Eric Hollister (.287/15/77), RF Babe Hankins (.284/14/81) and 3B Freddie Herbert (.295/11/62)... Claude Watson (20-10/3.16) was the biggest winner on the hill.

The Denton City Redbirds (76-78) were flying high for a while in Trevor Tomlinson's first year as manager... He had them in a first-place tie with Arlon at the All-Star break, but it didn't last... last year the Redbirds were a dismal eighth in the standings with a poor .235 BA and a terrible 5.02 ERA... this year they inproved up to .255 (20th) in the batter's box and down to 3.77 on the hill (21st)... Dan Antonioni (17-13/3.38) and Glenn Hamilton (19-18/3.55) led the pitchers, while RF Don Smithers (.249/14/61) and SS Keith Ingram (.275/12/75) were the top run producers.

After two good second-place finishes in 2026 and 2027, the Bay St. Claire Buccaneers (75-79) have dipped to seventh the last two seasons... new IPA Hall-of-Famer Denny Coulon brought the club in next-to-last, but only 8 games off the pace... the most talented performers for the Bucs were pitcher Ray McClendon (18-15/3.36), closer Marv Thomas (7-2/2.35/12 saves), 2B Terry Adams (.290/20/82), 1B Jerry Todd (.272/23/76) and CF Chris Blanton (.249/29/76 ).

For the seven successive seasons the Bayview Vikings (68-86) have been humbled and made their home in the second division... this year they tumbled way down to last place, 15 games behind the pennant winner... manager Chancey Quibedeaux had decent pitching with All-Star Tommy Wynn (15-12/3.35), Vern Harstad (19-18/3.39) and Daniel Shields (16-15/3.52)... overall the staff ERA was 3.74 (19th)... at the plate the Viks put up a .252 BA (24th) and scored 607 runs (23rd-tied), but hit with some authority with 140 homers (8th)... Bayview's best bats were LF Roy Ricks (.297/17/61), RF Wayne Kenney (.257/23/84) and OF Manny Suarez (.275/17/54).

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 19, 2029

Taylor of Crystal Lake Earns RU Batting Crown
The 2029 Ruthlandian Union batting title went to Herm Taylor. A key contributor for Crystal Lake this year, he hit .356. His 212 hits included 44 doubles, 12 triples and 8 home runs. The Crushers center fielder also scored 102 runs and knocked in 81 while playing in 133 games. Taylor was one of the prime factors in the Crushers winning the RU South this season and whipping the defending Pro Cup champion Waleska Westerners. Taylor also won the bat title in 2024 with a .355 mark. The 7-year veteran is a lifetime .327 hitter.

Runner-up in the batting race was Waleska's super slugger Loco Dillinger, who almost won the Triple Crown. Dillinger paced the IPA with 41 homers and 141 RBIs, while hitting .344. Belair Beach catcher Deman Kooken came in third with a .339 BA in 122 games.

Guillaume Is TU Swing King
Ronnie Guillaume will look back at the 2029 season and smile proudly. The North Hills Hawks center fielder rapped out 179 hits and put up a .342 average. That was good enough to take this year's batting honors in the Tycobbian Union. The 24-year-old Guillaume ended the regular season with 59 doubles, 5 triples, 8 home runs, while scoring 84 times and driving in 76 runs. He led the IPA in doubles, breaking Bruno DiPirro's mark set in 2002, when he hit 58 for the Sugar Valley Rattlers. Guillaume has played in the IPA for four years and compiled a .297 average.

Number two in the batting race was Ginza's fine center fielder Cotton Cornwall, who batted .337 with 25 home runs and 107 RBIs in 145 games. Tied for the third spot were Tuckanarra first baseman Lynn Starr and Kenwood shortstop Jeff Lang, who both hit .335 for average. Starr had 27 roundtrippers, 126 RBIs, scored 110 runs and played in 154 games. Lang collected 9 homers and 91 runs batted in, while playing in 145 contests.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 19, 2029

2029 Islandian Pro Alliance Final Standings

2029 Tycobbian Union Final Pitching Statistics

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 19, 2029

Pro Cup Elite 8 Begins Tomorrow, Crystal Lake and Ginza Favored
The 29th edition of the Pro Cup playoffs commences tomorrow afternoon at four cities around the Islands. In the Ruthlandian Elite 8 the favored Crystal Lake Crushers will play host to the Valmara Vipers at Lakefront Park, while the Stoner Stars will travel to Sugar Valley to engage the Rattlers at Farmers Memorial Stadium. To the west in Tycobbia it will be the Ginza Ninjas going up against the Hartsdale Hellcats at Ninja Stadium. In Tuckanarra, the hometown Blue Jays will tangle with the Rolling Hills Reds at Central Park Stadium. The Ninjas are the TU favorite to take on Crystal Lake in the Pro Cup Finals. Prognosticators are forecasting a Crusher victory.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Pro Cup Poll:
1. Crystal Lake Crushers - RU (93-61) - strong bats and starters, questionable bullpen and defense
2. Ginza Ninjas - TU (91-63) - rock solid team, great bullpen, good starters, hits very well, fields very well
3. Tuckanarra Blue Jays - TU (90-64) - no real weakness except defense, fine starters and relievers, can score runs
4. Valmara Vipers - RU (89-65) - very good starters, excellent bullpen and defense, lackluster offense
5. Rolling Hills Reds - TU (83-71) - hits and scores well, very strong pen, excellent defense, question mark is starters
6. Hartsdale Hellcats - TU (85-70) - standout starters and defense, average bullpen, not much offense at all
7. Sugar Valley Rattlers - RU (88-66) - outstanding defense, very good power, good starters and pen, only average scoring, anemic hitting
8. Stoner Stars - RU (85-69) - hits and scores well, very good defense, but mediocre pitching

Best Team BA:
1. Crystal Lake - RU (.287)
2. Ginza - TU (.281)
3. Rolling Hills - RU (.277)
4. Stoner - RU (.272)

Most Team HR:
1. Sugar Valley - RU (166)
2. Ginza - TU (133)
3. Valmara - RU (113)
4. Stoner - RU (100)

Most Team Runs:
1. Crystal Lake - RU (776)
2. Ginza - TU (749)
3. Tuckanarra - TU (732)
4. Stoner - RU (722)

Best Team OBP:
1. Crystal Lake - RU (.343)
2. Ginza - TU (.338)
3. Rolling Hills - TU (.333)
4. Tuckanarra - TU (.331)

Best Team ERA:
1. Valmara - RU (3.05)
2. Hartsdale - TU (3.07)
3. Tuckanarra - TU (3.10)
4. Ginza - TU (3.19)

Best Team Starter ERA:
1. Hartsdale - TU (2.99)
2. Tuckanarra - TU (3.09)
3. Valmara - RU (3.12)
4. Crystal Lake - RU (3.27)
4. Sugar Valley - RU (3.27)

Best Team Bullpen ERA:
1. Ginza - TU (2.59)
2. Rolling Hills - TU (2.61)
3. Valmara - RU (2.64)
4. Tuckanarra - TU (3.16)

Best Team Fielding Average:
1. Sugar Valley - RU (.983)
1. Ginza - TU (.983)
3. Hartsdale - TU (.982)
3. Rolling Hills - TU (.982)
3. Valmara - RU (.982)

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, September 20, 2029

2029 Islandian Pro Alliance Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Rattlers Outhomers Stars 8-7 In RU Elite 8 Opener
In a home-run fest at tiny Farmers Memorial Stadium, the hometown Sugar Valley Rattlers outhomered the Stoner Stars in the opening game of the 2029 Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series... the Rattlers, who led the league with 166 roundtrippers, ripped 5 more today to overpower the Stars 8-7... the Stars hammered 3 out of the park in a losing effort.

3B Johnny Doyle slugged a 3-run salvo in the last of the ninth to rally the Rattlers to victory... Stoner has gone ahead 7-5 in the top half of the inning... Sugar Valley was outhit 13 to 12, but the homers made the difference... 2B Fran Dixon belted a 2-run homer and and 3 others connected on solo shots: 1B Dean Woods, RF Lindsay Deal and LF Tyler White... Dixon led the Rattlers with 3 base hits... he also had 2 doubles... the Stars were sparked by 1B Fletch Fowler with 3 hits and 3 RBIs... RF Neil Mooney with 3 hits and 2 RBIs... and 3B Jeff Henderson with 3 hits... Fowler, Mooney and CF Al Rispone all had home runs.

Each club used two pitchers in the game with the victory going to Rattler reliever Dallas Casey (1-0), who blew the save by giving up 3 runs in the top of the ninth... Casey couldn't protect the 5-4 lead... he allowed 5 hits and 3 runs in his 2 innings... the lost went to Stoner reliever Darrell Geoffrey (0-1), who failed to get an out in the bottom of the ninth and blew the save and the game.

Cain Cans Crushers 2-0, Vipers Win Game One
In game one of the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series at Lakefront Park in Crystal Lake, Valmara's stylish southpaw Carroll Cain blanked the Crushers 2-0 on a splendid 6-hitter... Cain (1-0) fanned 3 and walked just one to outpitch Arnie Cason (0-1)... Cason worked into the eighth and gave up 2 runs on 8 hits with 4 Ks and 4 walks... the Vipers went ahead in the top of the second when LF Sonny Oliver led off with a double and was driven in by a single by 3B Amos Gallagher... in the sixth a walk to 1B Ron Freiberg and a triple by Cain scored the other Valmara run... Valmara picked up 9 hits in all... 2 double plays helped in the win... in the ninth RF Gerry Kazmarek ended the game by throwing out a runner trying to tag up at third on a flyball... Crystal Lake was missing its leading hitter, CF Herm Taylor, because of a bad hamstring... Taylor led the IPA with a .354 BA this season... he's expected back in a few days.

Valmara pushed Pro Cup champ Waleska to the hilt in last year's Elite 8 Series before succumbing four games to two... could be they may be just as tough on this year's Pro Cup favorite Crystal Lake.

Tycobbian Union

Ninjas Explode Late In 6-1 Win Over Hellcats
The Ginza Ninjas could do nothing with Hartsdale's ace Les Chylak for the first 6 innings of the Tycobbian Elite 8 opening game at Ninja Stadium... Chylak held them in the palm of his hand, stopping them 1-0 on just 3 hits... but that quickly ended in the seventh-inning 4-run explosion... Ginza sent Chylak to the showers with 2 more scores in the eighth.

Ninja starter and winning pitcher Hollis Pace (1-0) put in a fine performance as he held the Hellcats to just one run and 6 hits in 7 inninngs... Pace walked just 2 and struck out 4... Chylak (0-1) lost it as he was tagged for 6 runs and 10 hits in 7-plus frames... Ginza had 11 hits in all, led by 2 hits apiece by RF Sadaharu Uchiyama, SS Russ Van Kleek, C Crash Davis and 2B Howard Winston... Hartsdale got 7 off 4 Ninja pitchers.

Tucks Trim Reds 3-2 In 10 In First Game
Tuckanarra playing at home took game one of the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series 3-2 with some fine pitching from Sam Tate and some clutch hitting by pinchhitter Bill Moody, who singled in the winning run in the tenth frame... Tate (1-0) worked all 10 innings, allowed 10 hits, but just a pair of runs... Tate whiffed 4 Reds and walked only one batter... Errol Gaudet started for Rolling Hills and hurled a strong game... He departed with the score 2-2 after 8 innings... Gaudet permitted 8 hits, struck out 3 and walked no one... closer Bobby Morris (0-1) lost it... he worked a scoreless ninth, but was slammed for 3 straight hits in the tenth to decide the game.

The Blue Jays collected 11 hits to 10 for the Reds... Rolling Hills racked up 2 runs in the top of the second when C Tony Brinkerhoff singled and RF Pat Webb doubled to place runners on second and third... SS Jeff Booker and 2B Buffy Kowalczyk got runs in with sac flies... Tuckanarra 1B Lynn Staff evened it up at 2-2 with a homer in the sixth... Starr, SS Jed Turchin and RF Dunstan Lane sparked the Blue Jays with 2 hits each, while Brinkerhoff and 3B Billy Jones drilled 3 hits apiece for the Reds.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 21, 2029

2029 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

SV's McConnell Hurls 2- Hitter, Rattlers Up 2-0
In game two of the Ruthlandian Elite 8 at Sugar Valley, Rattler right-hander Benny McConnell hurled a brilliant 2-hit shutout to stop Stoner 4-0... it was Sugar Valley's second win in a row in the best-of-seven series... McConnell only gave us a single in the first and another single in the sixth... McConnell (1-0) walked 3 and fanned 5 in a sharp performance... the Rattlers only got 7 hits themselves... they scored on CF Al Daniels' (.500) solo homer in the third... C Silvio Salas (.429) doubled in the second run in the fifth... and in the sixth 2B Fran Dixon (.444) tripled in run number three and Jan Kissinger (.125) plated the final score with a single... Raul Hidalgo (0-1) also went the distance in defeat... he surrendered 4 runs on 7 hits with 6 strikeouts and no walks.

The Stars will try to get back into the series at home... the series now switches to Stoner for games three and four, and five, if necessary.

Crushers Even Series, Top Vipers 6-5 in Game 2
It's all even after the first two games of the RU Elite 8 Series between Crystal Lake and Valmara... the Crushers won 6-5 behind a complete game by T. D. Burnham, two 2-run homers by C Tommy Trent (.143) and SS Timmy Robinson (.143) and 4 double plays... Burnham (1-0) won ugly, giving up 11 hits to the Vipers... he struck out 5 and issued 3 bases on balls... LF Rich Ray (.500) singled with the bases loaded in the seventh to send the Crushers up by a 6-3 margin... Valmara made it close with 2 runs in the eighth... RF Gerry Kazmarek (.556) led the Vipers with 2 doubles and a single, driving in 3 runs... C Floyd Randolph (.222) had 2 hits, including a home run... Randolph had 2 runs batted in... starter Chris Phillips (0-1) suffered the loss... he allowed 4 runs and 5 hits in 6 innings... Phillips left trailing 4-3.

Games three, four and five will be played at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara, beginning tomorrow afternoon.

Tycobbian Union

Ginza Wins Again, Plooster Whips Hellcats 5-3
For the second successive day Ginza whipped Hartsdale at Ninja Stadium... Loris Plooster settled down after giving up 3 runs in the first two frames to whip the Hellcats 5-3... Hartsdale jumped off to an early 3-0 lead... Plooster (1-0) permitted 3 runs and 9 hits and went the route... the Ninjas backed him up with 11 hits, paced by RF Sadaharu Uchiyama (.500) with 3 hits and 2 RBIs... Uchiyama slammed 2 doubles... CF Cotton Cornwall (.250) added a solo homer... Hartsdale 1B Johnny Scott (.143) went deep for them... Art Reese (0-1) took the loss as he was battered for 5 runs and 9 hits in his 4 innings.

Hartsdale's Pioneer Park will host the series for games three and four, and also game five, if needed.

Reds Knot Series, Brown Beats Blue Jays 6-3
The Rolling Hills Reds won game two on the road to knot the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series at a game apiece... Johnny Brown (1-0) sparkled on the mound as he held Tuckanarra to 6 hits and 3 runs... Brown whiffed 6 and walked a pair and tossed a complete game... the Reds smacked 15 hits with C Tony Brinkerhoff (.875) leading the way with 4 hits and 3 RBIs... Brinkerhoff is 7-8 so far in the series... LF Pat Webb (.333) chipped in with 2 hits and 2 RBIs... Webb had a solo homer in the ninth... LF Rod McCarthy (.500) went 2-4 and drove in all 3 runs for the losers... McCarthy drilled a 2-run shot in the eighth inning narrowing the Reds lead to 5-3.

The series now heads to Rolling Hills for the next three games.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, September 22, 2029

2029 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Relievers Stand Out In Stoner 6-5 Victory
Manager Benny Stern got strong bullpen work and that's just what the doctor ordered for the Stoner Stars, who finally won a game in the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series with the Sugar Valley Rattlers... the Stars salvaged game three 6-5 as three relievers came to the rescue with 4 scoreless innings... the Rattlers ran up a 5-2 lead after 5 frames and looked like they were headed for a third straight win, but they couldn't dent the scoreboard again... Lou Neuman, Ben Murphy and Jody Younger nailed down the victory... Younger (1-0) worked the ninth for the win... Stoner snapped a 5-5 tie in the last of the ninth when LF Kevin Fisher (.545) led off the inning with a double, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a game-winning single by 1B Fletch Fowler (.385).

The Stars collected 13 hits, led by Fisher with 3-4 and 2 runs scored... five other Stars had 2 hits apiece... SS Benny Webster (.200) topped the team with 3 RBIs... RF Lindsay Deal (.417) had a great game in defeat as he hammered 2 homers and batted in all 5 Rattler runs... closer Dallas Casey (1-1) took the mound in the ninth and took the loss... none of the starters were effective... Sugar Valley's Aron Libertini was shelled for 5 runs and 11 hits in 8 innings and Stoner's Travis Wallace was treated roughly as he permitted 5 runs and 5 hits in 5 innings.

Game 3 To Crushers, Go Up 2-1 In Series
13-year veteran Duncan Welch put the Crystal Lake Crushers ahead with a 6-3 triumph over the Valmara Vipers at War Memorial Stadium... that gave the Crushers a two games to one advantage in the RU Elite 8 Series... Welch (1-0), the 35-year-old portsider, fanned 10 in a standout performance, walked just 2 and limited the Vipers to just 6 hits and 3 runs... Welch is now 17-4 in the postseason in his career... RF Sterling Hall (.385) led the Crushers at the plate with 3-for-5 and 2 RBIs... Crystal Lake led 4-0 after 4 innings and 6-1 after 5 and a half innings... Valmara rallied for 2 runs in the last of the sixth to complete the scoring... Teddy Lem (0-1) caught the loss in a bad outing... Lem was slammed for 8 hits and 6 runs in his 5-plus frames.

Tycobbian Union

Ninjas Halt Hellcats 6-4, Near Sweep
Visiting Ginza moved closer to sweeping the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series from Hartsdale with comeback 6-4 victory at Pioneer Park... it was the Ninjas third consecutive win in the best-of-seven series... Trailing by 3-0 after 4 innings, Ginza erupted for 2 in the fifth and 3 more in the sixth to knock off the Hellcats... SS Russ Van Kleek (.636) sparked the Ninjas 11-hit barrage with 4 hits in 5 at-bats... Van Kleek had 2 doubles and scored 3 times... 1B Johnny O'Rorke (.100) scored 2 runs and hit a solo homer... and 3B Taro Mori (.273) drove in a pair of runs... Hartsdale rapped out 12 hits, but left 11 runners on base... CF Fred Wasikowski (.583) led Hartsdale with 4 hits and SS Lynn Lundy (.167) had 2 hits and scored twice.

Ryuji Kaneko (1-0) notched the win for the Ninjas though he departed early after permitting 3 runs and 8 hits in his 5 frames - however only one was earned... relievers Bud Van Buren and Fred Beard held Hartsdale to only one run over the final 4 frames with Beard getting the save... the loss went to Hellcats starter Hank Cooke (0-1), who was blistered for 5 runs and 7 hits in 6 innings... Cooke went to the showers behind 5-3.

Hollis Pace (21-10), the first-game winner, will try to close out the series tomorrow afternoon, opposed by first-game loser Les Chylak (22-11)... Pace beat him 6-1 in the opening game.

Tucks Hold Off Reds 5-3, Take 2-1 Lead
Tuckanarra took a 5-0 lead over Rolling Hills in the first 4 frames, then held on for a 5-3 win and a 2-1 lead in the TU Elite 8 Series... left-hander Quinn Starr survived a 3-run fourth for the victory... he shut the Reds down without a run over the last 5 innings... overall the crafty Starr (1-0) gave up only 6 hits and didn't give up an earned run... the Blue Jays peppered the Reds for 8 hits with RF Dunstan Lane (.625) collecting 3 hits, including 2 doubles, and batting in 2 runs... 2B Eddie Darby (.231) and LF Ted Sabonis (.333) added 2 hits and 2 runs each... SS Jeff Booker (.417) led the way for the Reds with a single and a triple and 2 runs driven in... starter Buck Myers was hung with the defeat... Myers (0-1) worked 4 innings and surrendered 5 runs and 7 hits.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 23, 2029

2029 IPA Elite 8 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Tackett Tames Rattlers 4-2, Stars Tie Series
After four games the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series is deadlocked at 2 games each for Sugar Valley and Stoner... in a solid outing the Stars Glenn Tackett tamed the Rattlers 4-2 to even up the series... Tackett (1-0/3.71) was touched for 10 hits, but stranded 10 batters, fanned 8 and walked one.

Stoner went ahead 3-0 on a 2-run clout by 3B Jeff Henderson (.500) in the fourth frame and an RBI single by 2B Norm Murdoch (.063) in the sixth... that was all the runs Tackett needed... Sugar Valley made it a game with 2 runs in the seventh on an RBI triple by SS Jan Kessinger (.235) and an RBI single by Dean Woods (.267)... the Stars finished up the scoring in the bottom of the seventh on a single by Kevin Fisher (.538), who stole second and went to third on a bad throw, then rode home on a wild pitch... Stoner had 9 hits and were led by Henderson's 2 hits and 2 RBIs and 1B Fletch Fowler's (.412) 2 hits and 2 runs scored... Kessinger paced the Rattlers with 3-5... Loser Jeremy Blanchard (0-1/4.61) pitched into the seventh, allowed 4 runs and 9 hits with 6 Ks and 3 walks.

Valmara Evens Series, Cain Stymies CL 7-1
It was all Carroll Cain in game four of the RU Elite 8 Series played at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara... Cain hurled the hometown Vipers past Crystal Lake 7-1, limiting them to just 5 hits and a run in his 8 innings... Cain (2-0/0.53) was sharp with 7 strikeouts and only one base on balls... closer Ivan Guzek finished up with a runless ninth... it was Cain second win in the series as he blanked the Crushers in game one... The Viper victory evened the best-of-seven series at 2 games each.

Cain and Crystal Lake starter Arnie Cason were locked up in a 2-1 duel until Valmara busted it up with 3 runs in the seventh and 2 more in the eighth... Arnie Cason (0-2/2.70) held his own but was the losing pitcher... he left the scene behind 2-1 after 6 frames, gave up only 5 hits and fanned 5... Valmara went to town on his two relievers, who were blasted for 5 runs and 6 hits in just 2 innings... Viper CF Teddy Szymanski (.500) led the 11-hit attack with 4 RBIs and 2 hits... Szymanski poled a 3-run homer in the seventh to send Valmara on its way to the win... 2B Pete Hicks (.429) tripled in the Crushers only run in the top of the seventh.

Tycobbian Union

Hellcats Hang In, Chylak Stops Ninjas 6-2
The Hartsdale Hellcats were desparate for a win and Les Chylak got it for them... the Hellcat ace stopped Ginza 6-2 to keep them alive in the Tycobbian Elite 8... the Ninjas won the first three contests and could have wrapped up the series today... still it will be a miracle if Hartsdale can come back with 4 straight triumphs... Chylak (1-1/3.21) checked Ginza on 2 runs and 6 hits in his 6-plus frames... Hellcat relievers Donovan Lee and Maury West retired the last 6 Ninja batters in order to nail down the verdict... Hollis Pace (1-1/4.85), 21-game winner, suffered the defeat as he gave up 6 runs and 6 hits in 6 innings.

Hartsdale's big bats were 1B Johnny Scott (.286) and Cris Wallace (.250)... both of them drove in 3 runs and had 2 hits each... Wallace had 2 doubles and Scott a single and a homer... Ginza only managed 6 hits in defeat.

Reds Knot Series, Gaudet Beats Blue Jays 5-3
At ancient Midtown Base Ball Grounds in Rolling Hills, the Reds Errol Gaudet came through with a clutch performance to tie up the TU Elite 8 at 2 games each with a 5-3 decision... Gaudet (1-0/1.29) tossed 6 strong innings and limited Tuckanarra to one unearned run and 7 hits... 3 relievers came to his rescue and managed to hold off the Blue Jays over the last 3 frames... Tommy Pierson (0.00) and Bobby Morris (2.25) held the Blue Jays scoreless in the seventh and eighth, while McGraw Christianson (9.00) was tapped for a run in the ninth... Sam Tate (1-1/3.00) went the distance for the Tucks, but struggled... the Reds pummeled him for 14 hits, but managed only 4 earned runs.

At the plate it was 2B Buffy Kowalczyk (.500) leading the way for Rolling Hills with 3 hits and a pair of runs batted in... he got added support from SS Jeff Booker (.438) with 2 hits and 2 runs and 1B Billy Christianson (.200) with 3 hits and an RBI... SS Jed Turchin (.353) had a single and a 2-run homer for the Blue Jays and RF Dunstan Lane (.636) delivered 2 hits and an RBI.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 24, 2029

2029 IPA Elite 8 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Rattlers Wiggle By Stars 3-2 For Series Lead
In a tight pitchers' duel at Nonnac Stadium in Stoner, visiting Sugar Valley got the best of the Stars 3-2 behind the fine pitching of Benny McDonnell (2-0/1.06), who racked up his second victory in the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series... McConnell fired 8 strong innings and permitted 2 runs and 8 hits with 3 strikeouts and a walk... Dallas Casey (9.82 ERA) closed it out for the save with a scoreless ninth... Raul Hidalgo went the route for the Stars, gave up 3 runs and 8 hits with 7 strikeouts and 3 walks... the win gave Sugar Valley a 3-2 edge in the series, which switches to Sugar Valley for game six, and if needed, game seven... Travis Wallace (13-12) will get the call for Stoner, while it will be Aron Libertini (21-15) for the Rattlers.

Stoner scored first on a second-inning bomb by 1B Fletch Fowler (.429), it was his second of the series... 2B Fran Dixon (.381) countered that with a 2-run roundtripper for the Rattlers in the fourth frame... it was his second time to go deep... Hidalgo (.200) got the second run in for the Stars in the fifth on a sacrifice fly to make it 2-all... CF Al Daniels (.267) got the winning run in in the top of the sixth on a deep flyball... Stoner had the advantage with 9 hits to 8 for Sugar Valley.

Vipers Victorious 6-3, Up 3-2 On CL Crushers
The Valmara Vipers are now within reach of eliminating the Pro Cup favorite, the Crystal Lake Crushers in the RU Elite 8... the Vipers were victors at home 6-3 and now enjoy a 3 games to 2 advantage... winning pitcher Chris Phillips (1-1/4.85) got even with T. D. Burnham (1-1/5.29), who had beaten him in game two... Phillips hurled 7 frames, allowed 4 and 3 runs, fanned 5 and issued one walk... while Burnham was burned for 6 runs and 11 hits in 8 innings... Burnham walked 4 and struck out 8 in a lackluster start... Tom Greenwood (5.40 ERA) and Pavel Volkov (0.00 ERA) set down 6 in a row to finish off the Crushers in the eighth and ninth.

SS Timmy Robinson (.200) got the Crushers rolling with a solo homer in the second frame, only to have Phillips (.667) tie it for the Vipers with a single in the fifth... C Tommy Trent's (.125) 2-run two-bagger sent Crystal Lake in front 3-1, but the lead didn't last long... Valmara bolted for 4 runs in the last of the seventh to seal the fate of the Crushers... CF Teddy Szymanski (.500) topped them with 2 hits and 2 runs... SS Teddy Rudek (.278) chalked up 2 hits and scored one time and LF Sonny Oliver (.375) notched 2 hits and batted across a run.

If necessary, the final two games are set to be played in Crystal Lake. Game six is tomorrow afternoon with Duncan Welch (19-14) on the hill for the Crushers and Teddy Lem (19-12) for the Vipers. Welch whipped Lem 6-3 in game three.

Tycobbian Union

Reds Trim Tucks 6-5, Take Series Lead 3-2
Playing at home at Midtown Base Ball Grounds, Rolling Hills took the lead in the Tycobbian Union Elite 8 with a narrow 6-5 triumph over Tuckanarra... the Reds now have a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven series.

Both clubs collected 11 hits each... leading the Reds were SS Tony Ptacek (.286), C Tony Brinkerhoff (.526) and 2B Derek Kristensen (.333), all with 2 hits each... Ptacek scored twice, batted in 2 runs and popped 2 doubles... topping the Blue Jays bats were C Trevor Dowd (.222) and pitcher Jamie Gustafson (.667) with 2 runs batted in apiece.

It was a rocky start for both starters, Johnny Brown of Rolling Hills and Jamie Gustafson of Tucknarra... loser Gustafson (0-2/8.18) was gone after three innings... he was hammered for 5 runs and 8 hits and exited trailing 5-3... winner Brown (2-0/4.24) was tagged for 4 runs in the first 4 frames, but held the Blue Jays at bay, giving up only one run in the next 4 innings... Brown departed after 8 innings, permitted 5 runs and 10 hits, struck out 7 and walked 2... Bobby Morris (1.80 ERA) chalked up the save with a runless ninth.

The series returns to Tuckanarra tomorrow afternoon for the final 2 games... the Blue Jays will have to win both games to move on to the next round, the TU Final 4... Rolling Hills will try to wrap up the series with Tom Pierson (11-15) or McGraw Christianson (0-0) on the hill, opposed by Quinn Starr (14-8) for Tuckanarra... Starr hurled the Blue Jays to a 5-3 win in game three.

Hartsdale Stay Alive With 8-5 Win Over Ginza
At home at Pioneer Park, Hartsdale staved off elimination with an 8-5 victory over Ginza, cutting the Ninjas lead to three games to two in the TU Elite 8... the Hellcats snapped a 5-5 tie in the eighth, scoring the winning run on a wild pitch.

Winning pitcher Art Reese (1-1/6.23) labored early as he was knocked around for 4 runs in the first 3 innings, but Reese got his second wind and finished the game, holding Ginza to one run over the next 6 frames... Reese walked 7, allowed 10 hits and struck out 5 in a gritty performance... Loris Plooster (1-1/5.29) suffered the loss as he surrendered 8 runs and 9 hits in his 8 innings.

C Clyde Dotson (.500) sparked Hartsdale with 2 hits and 3 RBIs... 2B Neil Wills (.211) had 2 hits, 2 runs batted in and scored 3... LF Nicky Carpenter (.333) scored twice and pitcher Reese (.400) doubled in a pair of runs... 3B Taro Mori (.389) had a perfect 3-for-3 day and drove in 3 for Ginza... CF Cotton Cornwall (.263) also drilled 3 hits with 2 doubles and a single.

The Ninjas will try again to finish off the Hellcats in game six at Ninja Stadium... if necessary game seven will also be there... tomorrow's starters are Ryuji Kaneko (18-10) for Ginza and Hank Cooke (18-12) for the Hellcats... Kaneko beat Cooke 6-4 in game three.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 25, 2029

2029 IPA Elite 8 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Stars Force 7th Game, Nip Rattlers 5-4
It was looking bad for the Stoner Stars in game six of the Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series at Farmers Memorial Park in Sugar Valley... for the first 5 innings Sugar Valley's Aron Libertini shut them out on just 2 hits and held a 2-0 lead... Libertini was getting very close to ending the Stars season, when they suddenly busted out with 2 runs in the sixth to tie the score and 3 more in the seventh to take a 5-2 lead... fortunately Stoner managed to hold on and win 5-4, forcing a game seven in the series.

The Rattlers scored 2 runs in the opening frame on an throwing error by catcher P. J. Blake and an RBI groundout by 1B Dean Woods (.227)... the Stars struck for two quick runs in the top of the sixth on a double by LF Kevin Fisher (.421), followed by a 2-run clout by 2B Norm Murdoch (.125)... Stoner went in front 5-2 on a triple by 3B Jeff Henderson (.455), intentional walk to RF Neil Mooney (.333) and an RBI double by SS Benny Webster (.227) and a 2-run double by catcher P. J. Blake (.217)... Sugar Valley closed it to 5-4 when Lindsay Deal (.292) singled and rode home on 3B Johnny Doyle's (.238) 2-run shot... it was Doyle's second homer in the series.

Stars starter Travis Wallace (1-0/4.85) notched the win with 8 solid innings... Wallace only allowed 4 hits and 2 earned runs in his stint... he walked 4 and fanned 8... Darrell Geoffrey retired the Rattlers in order in the ninth for the save... Libertini (0-1/6.00) took the loss, going 7 innings and giving up 7 hits and 5 runs.

Vipers Upset Favored Crushers 12-2, Win Elite 8
Everything went right for the underdog Valmara Vipers in game six of the RU Elite 8 and everything went wrong for the Pro Cup favorite, the Crystal Lake Crushers... Valmara piled up 16 hits... held the Crushers to 7... and crushed them 12-2 to take the series four games to two... CF Reno DeBenedetto (.400) led the attack with 3-6 and 4 RBIs with help from LF Benny Hooper (.286), who was 2-4 with 3 RBIs... DeBenedetto and Hooper homered in the game.

Teddy Lem (1-1/4.28) struggled at times with his control, but got credit for the victory... Lem permitted only 2 runs -one earned - and 7 hits in 7 innings... he walked 6 and struck out 5... Ivan Guzek worked the last two innings and held the Crushers without a run... longtime Crystal Lake star Duncan Welch (1-1/5.52) didn't have it today and was pounded hard for 11 hits and 7 runs... he lasted only into the fifth.

Valmara will get a few days off to get ready for the winner of the Stoner-Sugar Valley series in the Ruthlandian Union championship.

Ginza Winza in 6 Games, Finish Off Hellcats 7-1
Fine pitching and four homers were enough to put the Ginza Ninjas over the top in the Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series... Ryuji Kaneko (2-0/1.38) was sharp for 8 innings in the 7-1 victory over the Hartsdale Hellcats at Ninja Stadium...Kaneko limited the Hellcats to just one run and 7 hits, struck out 4 and walked 2... Kazuki Hara closed it out for him with a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out 2 of the batters... Hank Cooke (0-2/6.75) was the loser as he was slammed for 7 runs and 10 hits in 7-plus frames.

SS Russ Van Kleek (.458), LF Hideo Kojima (.222), C Crash Davis (.333) and PH Kurt Holstein powered the win with home runs.

The Ninjas now await the winner of the other TU Elite 8... It will be Rolling Hills or Tuckanarra in the Final 4.

Tucks' Starr Stumps Reds 6-2, Game 7 Tomorrow
8-year veteran Quinn Starr crafted a 6-2 win over the Rolling Hills Reds to propel the Tuckanarra Blue Jays into a game seven finale against the Ginza Ninjas... Tuckanarra tied the TU Elite 8 Series at 3 games each... in a clutch outing, junkballer Starr gave up 10 hits and only one run in a complete-game performance, while walking 2 and fanning 2... the Tucks supported him with 12 hits, led by SS Jed Turchin (.346) with 2 hits and 3 RBIs... and 2B Eddie Darby (.200) with 2 hits and 2 runs scored... Starr (.286) even got into the act with a home run.

It was another futile day for Rolling Hills starter Buck Myers (0-2/9.00), who caught his second loss of the series... Myers was ripped for 6 runs on 11 hits in his 6 innings... C Tony Brinkerhoff (.522) smacked 2 hits in defeat and drove in 2 runs.

Both teams' aces are set to go in tomorrow's seventh game in Tuckanarra... Errol Gaudet (21-13) will get the start for the Reds, while it will be Sam Tate (19-11) on the mound for the Blue Jays.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 26, 2029

2029 IPA Elite 8 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Tackett Too Tough, Stars Win Game 7
In game seven of the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series, Glenn Tackett did it all... He not only hurled the Stoner Stars to a 2-0 shutout victory over the Sugar Valley Rattlers, Tackett also drove in both runs with a crucial, game-winning 2-run double in the seventh inning... Stoner advances to the RU Final 4, taking on the Valmara Vipers, who knocked out the Pro Cup favorite, the Crystal Lake Crushers.

Tackett (2-0/2.52), a soft-balling lefty, mesmerized the Rattlers on 4 hits, struck out 4 and walked 2 in 8 sharp innings... closer Darrell Geoffrey retired Sugar Valley in order in the ninth for his second save in the series... Jeremy Blanchard was almost equal to Tackett... Blanchard (0-2/2.78) limited the Stars to just 4 hits and allowed no earned runs... he walked 4 and struck out 4 in a fine performance.

Tycobbian Union

RH Reds Roll Over Tucks 11-1 In Game 7
What a game for Rolling Hills... the Reds really rolled in game seven of the Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series, smashing Tuckanarra 11-1 on the Blue Jays home field... 17 hits and a flawless mound performance by veteran Errol Gaudet decimated Tuckanarra and eliminated them from the Pro Cup playoffs... Rolling Hills will now move on to the TU Final 4 against powerful Ginza.

The Reds racked up 4 doubles, 3 triples and 2 homers in the rout, led by 2 RBIs each from RF Pat Webb (.367), C Tony Brinkerhoff (.500), CF Victor Koenig (.091) and 2B Buffy Kowalczyk (.389)... both Koenig and Brinkerhoff went deep... Gaudet (2-0/0.79) restricted the Blue Jays to one unearned run on 7 hits, walked no one and fanned 4... Tuckanarra starter Sam Tate (1-2/5.16) took the brunt of the beating, giving up 7 runs and 9 hits in 4-plus innings.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 28, 2029

Ginza, Valmara Favored In IPA Final 4
The Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup playoffs are down to four teams. The second-seeded Ginza Ninjas, fourth-seeded Valmara Vipers, fifth-seeded Rolling Hills Reds and eight-seeded Stoner Stars have made the cut. Valmara upset the number-one seed Crystal Lake, Ginza whipped the sixth seed Hartsdale, Rolling Hills upended third-seeded Tuckanarra and Stoner knocked off the number seven seed Sugar Valley. All of the Elite 8 Series were hotly-contested with two of them going the full seven games and two of them being decided in six games.

In the Tycobbian Union Final 4 Ginza is forecast to whip Rolling Hills and Valmara is rated better than Stoner in the Ruthlandian Union championship series. The Ninjas host the Reds at Ninja Stadium tomorrow afternoon in game one, while the Vipers will welcome the Stars to War Memorial Stadium.

Ginza is led by two outstanding starters: Hollis Pace (21-10/2.79) and Loris Plooster (18-11/2.73) and a slew of solid hitters: Johnny O'Rorke (.296/27/86/85), Cotton Cornwall (.337/25/107/87), Russ Van Kleek (.320/21/79/78) and Sadaharu Uchiyama (.306/11/63/97). Young Johnny Brown (17-10/2.86) and veteran Errol Gaudet (21-13/3.38) are Rolling Hills best hurlers. The Reds best batters are Pat Webb (.311/21/104/73) and Billy Christianson (.300/15/94/106). The Ninjas are expected to be in the Pro Cup Finals against the Valmara Vipers.

Valmara has the edge over Stoner on the mound with three strong starters in Carroll Cain (21-12/2.90), Chris Phillips (18-10/2.82) and Teddy Lem (19-12/2.97). At the plate the Vipers top guns are Teddy Szymanski (.292/21/87/79) and Floyd Randolph (.264/23/87/66). Stoner has the superior bats with Jeff Henderson (.296/20/90/63), Kevin Fisher (.297/7/67/92), Neil Mooney (.310/19/69/72), Fletch Fowler (.288/16/75/60) and Al Rispone (.286/10/58/84). On the hill the Stars possess two solid starters with Glenn Tackett (21-13/3.00) and Raul Hidalgo (19-13/3.10).

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, September 29, 2029

2029 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Stars Tackett Shines In Opener, Beats Vipers 6-2
Both underdogs won the openers in the IPA Final 4s... in the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series, Stoner's Glenn Tackett (3-0/2.12) breezed through the Valmara Vipers on the road at War Memorial Stadium 6-2, holding them to 7 hits and one earned run... the Stars blasted out 12 hits and were paced by CF Al Rispone (.250) with 3 hits and 2 RBIs, SS Benny Wallace (.233) with a double and a triple, 2 runs and an RBI and LF Marty Berrigan (.667) with 2-3 and 2 runs... Carroll Cain (2-1/1.44) caught the loss, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits with 2 walks and 7 Ks... SS Teddy Rudek (.333) drove in all of the Vipers' runs and had 2 base hits.

Reds Nip Ninjas 5-4 In Final 4 Opener
Rolling Hills nipped Ginza 5-4 with a 3-run outburst in the top of the seventh that snapped a 2-2 tie... winner Errol Gaudet (3-0/1.47) scattered 10 hits and permitted 2 runs in his 8 innings... giving the loss to Hollis Pace (1-2/4.95)... Pace was touched for 5 runs and 8 hits in 7 frames... Bobby Morris (1.50) got his second save of the postseason, though he gave up an unearned run in the last of the ninth... Gaudet (.455) and CF Scotty Yiska (.387) both had 2 RBIs to spark the Reds, along with 1B Billy Christianson (.161), who homered... Rolling Hills had 9 hits in all...

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 30, 2029

2029 IPA Pro Cup Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Henderson HR Tops Vipers, Stars Win 1-0 in Game 2
Stoner's Raul Hidalgo and Valmara's Chris Phillips locked horns in a great pitching duel in game two of the Ruthlandian Union Final 4 Series... they went at it goose egg by goose egg for 6 innings, when it was finally broken up by 3B Jeff Henderson (.400) on a seventh-inning smash to give the Stoner Stars a 1-0 victory... the eighth-seeded Stars now have surprisingly won the first two games of the series from the fourth-seeded Valmara Vipers... Hidalgo (1-2/2.42) tossed a 7-hit shutout, fanning 4 Vipers and walking 3... Phillips (1-2/3.43) worked 8 innings, allowed 5 hits, struck out 6 and walked nobody.

Tycobbian Union

Ginza Rallies, Whips Rolling Hills 6-5 In 11th
After two games in the Tycobbian Union Final 4, Ginza and Rolling Hills have traded one-run games... Ginza took this one 6-5 in 11 innings when Taro Mori (.400) walloped a 2-out pinch-hit triple and scored on 2B Howard Winston's (.300) base hit... reliever Frank Beard (1-0/0.00) sealed the win by holding the Reds to just one hit and no runs over the final 2 frames... Loris Plooster went the first 9, surrendering 5 runs on 7 hits with 7 strikeouts and 4 bases on balls... Bobby Morris (0-2/2.57) chalked up the defeat, when he was tagged for the winning hit in the eleventh.

The Ninjas had the advantage in hits 11 to 8, led by LF Sadaharu Uchiyama (.368), who had 3 hits and got the two-out game-tying single in the bottom of the ninth to send it into extra innings... SS Russ Van Kleek (.419) added in 2 runs and an RBI... 1B Billy Christianson (.200) topped the Reds with 2-4 and 2 runs batted in... Chrisitianson socked a homer and a double in defeat.

The game went back-and-forth... Rolling Hills had a 2-0 lead in the second inning... only to lose it in the bottom half 3-2... the Ninjas made it 4-2 in the third... with the Reds tying it up 4-4 in the fifth... SS Tony Ptacek (.143) put Rolling Hills in front 5-4 briefly with a sacrifice fly in the eighth only to have Ginza tie the score in the ninth.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 1, 2029

2029 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Blake's Blast Puts Stars Up 3-0 In RU Final 4
The Stoner Stars are rapidly becoming a miraculous story... the unheralded Stars have done it again... catcher P. J. Blake (.270) ripped a 3-run roundtripper in the bottom of the eighth to give Stoner a 7-4 victory over stunned Valmara in game three of the Ruthlandian Final 4 and a huge 3-0 lead in the series... the Stars were ranked the worst team in the Pro Cup playoffs this year and look at them, just one win away from the Finals.

1B Fletch Fowler (.297) also had a 3-run homer in the fifth to give Stoner a 4-0 lead... the Vipers got back in the game with 4 runs in the top of the seventh on 2B Alec Leclerc's (.216) 2-run single and LF Sonny Oliver's (.375) 2-run double.

Hard-throwing right-hander Travis Wallace (2-0/4.71) toughed out the 4-run inning for the win... he surrendered 4 runs and 8 hits in 8 innings, struck out 6 and walked 3... Darrell Geoffrey got his third postseason save with a perfect ninth... it was a bad outing for losing pitcher Teddy Lem (1-2/5.95), who was battered for 10 hits and 7 runs in 7-plus frames... the Stars outhit the Vipers 11 to 8.

Kaneko Hurls 3-Hitter, Ginza Whips Reds 3-1
Ginza's number three pitcher is 24-year-old Ryuji Kaneko, but he is pitching like an ace in the playoffs this year... Kaneko stopped Rolling Hills on 3 hits in a 3-1 win in game three of the Tycobbian Union Final 4 and put the Ninjas in the driver's seat with a 2-1 lead.

Kaneko has been splendid so far with a 3-0 record and a sparkling 1.29 ERA in 3 postseason starts... Kaneko walked just one and whiffed 3 batters in his 8 innings... Ken Kichida came on in the ninth and retired the Reds in order for his first save in the playoffs this year... losing pitcher Buck Myers (0-3/8.31) had another rocky effort... he worked 3 innings and gave up 2 runs... the Reds went to the bullpen early in an attempt to salvage the game, but they got nothing from their bats and went down to defeat... McGraw Christianson may have earned a spot in the starting rotation as he stood out with 5 innings of one-run ball in relief... permitting 5 hits with 3 strikeouts and no bases on balls.

The Ninjas 9-hit offense was sparked by RF Sadaharu Uchiyama (.429) with 4-for-4, 2 runs and an RBI... one of Uchiyama's hits was a lead-off home run to start the game... 3B Taro Mori (.357) and LF Jiro Yamazaki (.286) batted in the other two runs... Yamazaki did it with a sac fly in the third, while Mori did it with a ninth-inning single... Rolling Hills CF Scotty Yiska (.325) spoiled Kaneko's shutout with a fourth-inning homer.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 2, 2029

2029 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Cain Spanks Stars 7-0, Vipers Survive
On the verge of being swept, Valmara was desparate for a win in game four of the Ruthlandian Final 4 and they got it... the Vipers pounded Glenn Tackett for 7 runs in the second inning and got a great job from Carroll Cain on the mound and walked away with a 7-0 victory.

In razor-sharp fashion Cain (3-1/1.06) scattered 8 hits, fanned 4 and issued only 2 free passes... leading the Vipers 13-hit attack were RF Gerry Kazmarek (.300) and 2B Alec Leclerc (.244), who both collected 2 hits and batted across 2 runs... C Floyd Randolph (.200) and LF Benny Hooper (.316) also chipped in with 2 hits apiece... Tackett (3-1/3.79) suffered his first loss in the postseason... Valmara shelled him for 7 runs and 7 hits in one and two-thirds innings.

Tycobbian Union

Reds Even Up Series, Gaudet Wins 6-4
Like Valmara, Rolling Hills got all the runs they needed in one inning to whip Ginza 6-4 in game four of the Tycobbian Union Final 4 at Midtown Base Ball Grounds in Rolling Hills and even up the series at two games each... 11 Reds went to the plate in the second frame and 7 of them got base hits... when the smoke cleared Rolling Hills had run up a 6-1 lead and that was good enough... Errol Gaudet (4-0/1.88) chalked up his fourth straight win in the playoffs by weathering 10 hits and 3 runs in 7 and two-thirds innings with one walk and 4 Ks... Bobby Morris (3.24) came in in the eighth and got his third save, but was somewhat shaky as he allowed a run on 3 hits in an inning and a third... Ginza starter and loser Hollis Pace (1-3/7.06) was hit hard for 6 runs and 8 hits in just one and two-thirds innings... Pace, a 21-game winner, has not been effective in the playoffs.

Rolling Hills garnered 10 hits and were led by RF Bobby McConnell (.292) with 2 hits and 2 RBIs... LF Pat Webb (.333) and 2B Derek Kristensen (.364) also collected 2 hits each... the Ninjas wasted a lot hits - they had 13 in all... three Reds double plays played a big role in the win... RF Sadaharu Uchiyama (.447) paced the Ninjas with 3-5, including a homer and a double... Uchiyama scored twice and batted in 2 runs... 3B Kurt Holstein (.538) and 2B Howard Winston (.316) added in 2 hits apiece.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 3, 2029

2029 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

It's Over! Stoner Shocks Valmara In 5 Games
Nobody gave them much of a chance against Valmara, but the Stoner Stars still shocked them in five games in the Ruthlandian Final 4... the eighth-seeded Stars finished off the fourth-seeded Vipers 6-4 in game five at home at Nonnac Stadium, coming back from a late-inning 4-2 deficit... in the bottom of the seventh back-to-back RBI doubles by LF Kevin Fisher (.343) and 2B Norm Murdoch (.178) tied the game up at 4-4, then the winning run came in on an error by 1B Ron Freiberg.

Winning pitcher Raul Hidalgo (2-2/2.57) survived 12 hits, managing to get out of several jams... in a complete game, Hidalgo was touched for only 4 runs, walked only 2 and whiffed 5 Vipers... Chris Phillips (1-3/3.86) got hung with the loss, allowing 5 runs and 8 hits in 7 innings... Phillips was behind 5-4 when he departed.

Stoner had 10 hits and was led at the plate by Fisher, catcher P. J. Blake (.273) and SS Benny Webster (.262), all with 2 hits each... Fisher had 3 RBIs, highlighted by a 2-run homer in the third frame ... topping the Vipers were 2B Alec Leclerc (.283) with 3 base hits... four players chipped in with a pair of hits apiece: 3B Amos Gallagher (.364), C Floyd Randolph (.220), RF Gerry Kazmarek (.324) and Phillips (.500)

Reds Gain Upper Hand, Rout Ninjas 11-5 In Game 5
Like they say, "It ain't over, til it's over"... Ginza had everything its way for the first 6 and a half innings... the Ninjas built up a 6-0 lead, but it quickly went to the wayside when Rolling Hills exploded for 8 runs in the bottom of the seventh, then added 3 more in the eighth to overwhelm them 11-6, despite being outhit 19 to 15... the game five win gave the Reds a 3-2 edge in the Tycobbian Union Final 4... the winner will play the Ruthlandian champ, the Stoner Stars, who amazed everyone by qualifying for the Pro Cup Finals.

C Tony Brinkerhoff (.444) smacked 3 hits, scored 2 runs and batted in one to lead the Reds... four players had 2 hits each: CF Scotty Yiska (.300), RF Bobby McConnell (.310), 2B Derek Kristensen (.385) and 3B Jeff Booker (.333)... Yiska and Kristensen drove in 2 runs apiece... Ginza's best bats were 3B Kurt Holstein (.611) and LF Jiro Yamazaki (.382), both with 4 hits in 5 tries.

It really wasn't a good day to be on the mound with a grand total of 34 hits... Reliever Sal Jordan (1-0) faced only one batter and got credit for the win... Jordan got the last out in the top of the seventh... Ninja starter and loser Louis Plooster (1-2/4.96) was pelted for 11 hits and 8 runs in his 6 and two-thirds innings.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 4, 2029

2029 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Tycobbian Union

Ginza Ties Reds, 7th Game Tomorrow
The Ginza Ninjas are still in the running in the Tycobbian Final 4... playing game six in the friendly confines of Ninja Stadium they forced a seventh and deciding game with a 5-2 triumph over the Rolling Hills Reds... Ryuji Kanedo continued his postseason brilliance with a sterling performance... in the Pro Cup playoffs Kanedo is 4-0 with a super-low 1.29 ERA... the 24-year-old right-hander tossed 7 innings and yielded just one run and 7 hits with 5 strikeouts and no walks... two relievers Ken Kichita and Bud Van Buren finished up for him... Kichita faced 3 batters in the eighth and struck out 2 of them... After Kichita gave up a base hit, Van Buren came in a got the third out in the inning... though he was tagged for 2 hits and a run in the ninth Van Buren got the save... McGraw Christianson (0-1/3.77) went the route and lost, yielding just 5 hits, but allowing 5 runs... he fanned 6 and issued a couple of walks.

The Ninjas drew first blood in the last of the third via an unearned run... Kaneko (.100) singled in the first run of the game, driving RF Hideo Kojima (.235) from third after he was safe on an error by 1B Johnny O'Rorke... the Reds evened the score in the top of the fourth when singles by 1B Billy Christianson (.196) and LF Pat Webb (.321) put runners on the corners... Christianson scored when C Tony Brinkerhoff (.417) hit into a twin-kill... in the fifth Ginza snapped the tie on Kojima's solo homer and Sadaharu Uchiyama's (.426) 2-run double, increasing the lead to 4-1... the Ninjas added another run in the eighth on 3B Kurt Holstein's (.591) bases-empty home run... the Reds got the last run on 2 walks and an RBI double by SS Tony Ptacek (.148).

Holstein had 2 hits and 2 runs to lead the Ninjas at the plate... Rolling Hills had 9 hits with CF Scotty Yiska (.315), Christianson and 2B Derek Kristensen (.414) each collecting 2 hits.

Two 21-game winners will go to the mound in tomorrow's series finale... Errol Gaudet (21-13/3.38) will start for the visiting Reds and Hollis Pace (21-13/2.79) will be on the hill for the hometown Ninjas... Pace has been atrocious in the Pro Cup playoffs with a 1-3 record and a lousy 7.06 ERA, Gaudet has been superb with a 4-0 mark and 1.88 ERA.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 5, 2029

2029 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Tycobbian Union

Reds Upset Favored Ninjas, 6-2 Win in Game 7
Thank goodness for Errol Gaudet... the 35-year-old ace of the Rolling Hills Reds hurled the game of his life when he whipped the favored Ginza Ninjas 6-2 in the decisive seventh game in the Tycobbian Union Final 4 and sent the Reds into the Pro Cup championship against the Stoner Stars of the Ruthlandian Union... Gaudet (5-0/1.91) racked up another victory, holding the Ninjas to 2 runs and 6 hits in 8 and two-thirds innings... Gaudet fanned 3 batters and walked just one... and needed a little bit of help from Alfonso Gonzales, who wrapped up the league crown by nailing down the save in the ninth.

The Reds battered Ninja pitching for 12 hits and were led by SS Tony Ptacek (.200) with 2 hits, a triple and a 2-run homer, 2 runs scored and 3 RBIs... 3B Jeff Booker (.321) scored twice and popped 2 hits... CF Scotty Yiska (.322) also hit one out for the Reds... LF Jiro Yamazaki (.385) and CF Cotton Cornwall (.229) paced Ginza with a pair of hits each... Hollis Pace and Errol Gaudet matched zeros for 4 frames... then Pace weakened and gave up 3 runs in the next 2 innings... Pace (1-4/6.67) left in the sixth after permitting 3 runs on 6 hits... he struck out 7 and walked 2 in defeat.

The 2029 IPA Pro Cup Series is slated to start next Tuesday in Stoner at Nonnac Park. The Stars have the homefield advantage and will host the first two games of the best-of-seven series. Then it will shift to Rolling Hills for games three-five, and if necessary, return to Stoner for the final two games.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 8, 2029

Stars And Reds Meet For Island Crown
Two unsung, unheralded and unexpected teams are in the Pro Cup Finals this year. Rolling Hills was the 5th seed in THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Pro Cup poll, while Stoner was rated last and seeded 8th. Most baseball analysts see this title series as a toss-up.

Scouting:
Rolling Hills Reds - TU (83-71) - hits and scores well, very strong pen, excellent defense, question mark is starters.

As a team the Reds batted .302 in the playoffs with 8 homers and scored 71 runs in 12 games, finishing with an 8-6 record in the first two rounds, winning both series 4 games to 3. On the hill Rolling Hills had a 3.22 team ERA and gave up 9 homers.

Errol Gaudet (5-0/1.91) and Johnny Brown (2-0/3.78) are the Reds top postseason pitchers so far. At the top of Rolling Hills postseason hit parade are C Tony Brinkerhoff with a .404 BA, 9 RBIs and 12 runs scored, along with CF Scotty Yiska with a .322 BA, 8 RBIs and 7 runs. LF Pat Webb chipped in with a .304 BA, 5 RBIs and scored 10 times.

Scouting:
Stoner Stars - RU (85-69) - hits and scores well, very good defense, but mediocre pitching.

The Stars hit .265 for average in the playoffs, scored 43 runs and had 10 home runs, posting an 8-4 mark with a 3.31 ERA. Stoner won both its preliminary series by four to two margins. Glenn Tackett (3-1/3.79) and Raul Hidalgo (2-2/2.57) are the best pitchers. Top bats belong to 3B Jeff Henderson (.348/2/4/6) and LF Kevin Fisher (.343/1/3/8). 1B Fletch Fowler has hit 3 homers with 8 RBIs and 7 runs scored, while batting .267 for average.

Forecast:
Rolling Hills in six games... too much hitting and pitching.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 9, 2029

2029 IPA Pro Cup Final Series
(best-of-seven)

Reds Edge Stars 2-1, Gaudet Wins Pro Cup Opener
Favored Rolling Hills captured the Pro Cup opening game 2-1 on the road behind the superlative pitching of Errol Gaudet (6-0/1.77)... he continued his postseason brilliance with his sixth victory, stopping the Stoner Stars on 3 hits, while fanning 3 and walking just one... Gaudet outdueled Raul Hidalgo (2-3/2.45), who was outstanding, too... Hidalgo struck out 10 Reds and walked none, while permitting 6 hits.

Rolling Hills struck first in the opening frame when 1B Billy Christianson (.233) was tripled in by LF Pat Webb (.305)... RF Neil Mooney (.289) evened it for the Stars in the last of the fifth with a solo homer... the Reds won it in the ninth on another single by Christianson and a triple by 2B Derek Kristensen (.389)... Christianson led the Reds at the plate with 2 hits and 2 runs scored.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 10, 2029

2029 IPA Pro Cup Final Series
(best-of-seven)

Reds Win Again, Outshine Stars 2-1 Again
For the second successive game the Rolling Hills Reds again tamed the Stoner Stars 2-1 in game two of the IPA Pro Cup Finals to take a two games to none lead in the series... the Reds got another excellent mound performance from left-hander Johnny Brown, who halted the Stars on just 4 hits to cop his third playoff victory without a loss so far... for the second straight day Stoner got a masterful mound outing, this time from Glenn Tackett (3-2/3.43)... he was only tapped for 2 runs on 7 hits with no walks and 2 Ks.

Reds 2B Buffy Kowalczyk (.425) got the ball rolling with a triple in the top of the third... Johnny Brown's (.231) deep liner brought Kowalczyk home to snap the scoreless tie... Rolling Hills tallied the eventual winning run on CF Scotty Yiska's (.313) one-run smash in the fifth... it was Yiska's third roundtripper this postseason... Stoner got close in the seventh when Greg Bruce (.077) walked, stole second and came across on SS Benny Webster's (.245) base hit.

Game three is set for Rolling Hills' home field, Midtown Base Ball Grounds. If necessary, games four and five will be played there, too.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 11, 2029

2029 IPA Pro Cup Final Series
(best-of-seven)

Reds Near Sweep, Sock Stars 7-5 In Game 3
Playing at home and hosting its first-ever Pro Cup game, Rolling Hills ripped Stoner for 7 runs in the fourth inning and then held on for a 7-5 triumph to take a huge 3-0 lead in the IPA Pro Cup Finals... one more win for the Reds and they will claim the first Pro Cup in the team's history.

The Reds took advantage of Travis Wallace's wildness to do big damage in the decisive inning... Wallace walked 4 and forced in the first run of the game... 3B Jeff Booker (.288) got the RBI... then he hit SS Tony Ptacek (.188), plating another run... pitcher McGraw Christianson (.333) singled in run number 3... the big hit of the inning was delivered by RF Bobby McConnell (.283), a bases-loaded double, that made it 6-0... but the Reds weren't finished yet... 1B Billy Chrisianson's (.239) two-bagger plated run number 7 and put Rolling Hills far ahead at 7-1.

Two doubles by Paul Sundquist and Norm Murdoch cut the lead to 7-2 in the top of the fifth... in a late rally, the Stars got even closer with 3 in the eighth on 3B Jeff Henderson's (.309) 2-run homer and back-to-back doubles by Greg Bruce (.235) and Benny Webster (.245)... but that was as close as they could get... Bobby Morris (0-2/2.53) relieved starter McGraw Christianson in the eighth and got the last 4 outs for his 4th save in the playoffs... in a shaky outing Christianson (1-1/4.50) notched the win, going 7 and two-thirds innings, giving up 5 runs on 9 hits, walking 4 and striking out 8... Wallace (2-1/6.57) lost it as he was knocked out after 3 and two-thirds innings... Wallace walked 4 and was shelled for 7 runs on 5 hits... Stoner's bullpen did well, holding the Reds scoreless on one hit after the fatal fourth frame.

The Stars outhit the Reds 10 to 6, led by LF Marty Berrigan (.533) and RF Greg Bruce (.235), each with 3 hits... while McConnell and McGraw Christianson got 2 hits apiece to pace Rolling Hills.

In game four tomorrow afternoon in Rolling Hills, first-game starters Errol Gaudet (21-13/3.38) and Raul Hidalgo (19-13/3.10) go back it again. Gaudet led the Reds to a 2-1 win in the first encounter. Gaudet is 6-0 with a brilliant 1.77 ERA in 7 postseason starts... Hidalgo is 2-3 with a 2.45 ERA in 5 playoff starting assignments, all complete games.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 12, 2029

2029 IPA Pro Cup Final Series
(best-of-seven)

Rolling Hills Sweep Stoner In Pro Cup
Dominant pitching and timely hitting combined to bring the Rolling Hills Reds their first Pro Cup in history and they did it in grand style, going unbeaten in the Finals... the Reds swept Stoner in four straight... finishing the Stars off 6-3 in game four at historic Midtown Base Ball Grounds in Rolling Hills.

The Reds ace Errol Gaudet set an IPA Pro Cup record with his 7th postseason victory... Gaudet (7-0/1.71) stopped Stoner on one run and 6 hits in his 7 innings, fanning 3 and issuing no walks... He turned it over to his bullpen with a 5-1 lead... Tom Pierson was the only effective reliever out of three... Pierson came on in the ninth after Alfonso Gonzales and Bobby Morris were tagged for 2 runs and 4 hits in the eighth... Pierson blanked the Stars in the ninth and got his first save of this postseason.

Rolling Hills racked up 12 hits in the win, led by RF Bobby McConnell (.294) with a homer and a double... McConnell hit a 2-run blast in the 4-run first, which the Stars never recovered from... 3B Jeff Booker (.314) added in 3 hits for the Reds... topping the Stars were 2B Norm Murdoch (.224) with 3-5 and RF Neil Mooney (.286) with 2 RBIs.

Reds manager Matty Christianson was estatic after winning his first Pro Cup. "Gaudet was beyond compare in the playoffs... what a postseason he had...Errol carried us pitching-wise... offensively it was everybody... we had a different hero everyday... it was a great team effort."

Losing skipper Benny Stern lamented, "Our offense was no match for the Reds pitching... Gaudet and Brown were outstanding in the Finals against us... we just ran up against a fine team... but I'm not gonna hang my head in shame... my Stars had a super run and with a few well-placed hits in the first three games we could still be playing... it really hurt to lose 2-1, 2-1 and 7-5."

THE ISLANDIAN TIME
Sunday, October 14, 2029

Gaudet Unanimous Choice For Pro Cup MVP
No doubt about it, Rolling Hills 35-year-old ace Errol Gaudet is this year's IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player. The lanky 6 foot 5 inch soft-throwing right-hander sparked the Reds to their first Pro Cup crown in history and broke the record for playoff wins with a 7-0 record and a brilliant 1.77 ERA in 8 starts. Duncan Welch of Eastshore and Skeets Hobart of Wynnamac held the old record with 6-0. Welch did it in 2022 and Hobart in 2008. Gaudet got all the first place votes and was elected unanimously. During the regular season Gaudet was 21-13 with a 3.38 ERA. An 11-year IPA veteran, he has posted a career 217-127 mark and a splendid 2.80 ERA.

Four of Gaudet's teammates received votes in The Islandian Times MVP poll. Right fielder Bobby McConnell was a distant second in the balloting. McConnell batted .294 in the playoffs and led the Reds with 10 RBIs. Third baseman Jeff Booker came in third with a .314 batting average, 9 RBIs and 8 runs scored. Number four was catcher Tony Brinkerhoff with a .324 BA, 12 runs scored and 9 runs batted in. Finishing fifth was center fielder Scotty Yiska, who hit .284, drove in 9 runs and scored 9 times.