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Islandian Pro Alliance
Monday, June 4, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - North Division Blasters Rip All-Stars 7-4 At Mountain View Stadium in Colfax, the Blasters pounced on Elnora for a 7-0 lead after five and came away with a 7-4 decision. Light-hitting shortstop Tommy Stanley (.200) slammed two homers, scored three times and drove in four runs to pace Colfax's 11-hit offense. The top hitter for the All-Stars was center fielder Rusty Gilbert (.309) with 2-for-5 and a three-run homer. Southpaw Alex Castille (7-3 3.47) got credit for the victory, going seven innings and giving up four runs and eight hits with four Ks and two BBs. Reliever Pat Langlais (0-2 3.44) picked the his 5th save with two innings of work. He allowed no runs and four hits with two strikeouts. Elnora starter Sean Sykes (6-3 4.17) sustained the loss, being tagged for seven runs and nine hits, although only three were earned. He departed in the fifth frame. Colfax (27-19) is a half-game in front of second place Far Mountain (27-20) in the RU North Division. Elnora (19-29) is last, nine games out. Vigilantes Win 4th Straight, Edge FM 4-3 In Volusia, the Vigilantes rode the strong right arm of Johnny Szwak to triumph 4-3 in ten innings over the second place Far Mountain Redhawks. Szwak (2-1 3.23) set down 13 batters on strikes and tossed a complete game as he checked Far Mountain on seven hits and gave up five free passes. Szwak even scored the winning run by leading off with a single, was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, advanced to third on a ground out, then came home on Alex Luna's line drive single to right. Sonny Elliott (6-4 2.97) also went the route, permitting only six hits, fanned five and walked four in defeat. The Redhawks (27-20) suffered their fourth successive loss. Volusia (21-26) is fifth in the division and is 6.5 games out. A's Romp over Vipers 9-3 In Valmara, Glasco tore up the homestanding Vipers 9-3 at War Memorial Stadium. The Athletics laced 15 hits in the game and were led by second baseman Barry McCord (.292) with 3-for-5, three RBIs and two runs and left fielder Ox Beauvais (.366) with 2-for-5, two runs and two RBIs, including his 11th homer. Beauvais is leading the Ruthlandian Union with a .364 batting average. Also contributing were center fielder Chet Reynolds (.308) with 3-for-5, including a double, two runs and an RBI and shortstop Kyle Ballentine (.294) was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Portsider Bill Darby (2-0 2.20) went all the way for the win. He scattered ten hits effectively, struck out five and walked three. Valmara had many chances to cash in, but failed to do it. Second baseman Scott Kaminski (.409) was one of the few that did any damage. He unloaded a home run in the eighth. Paul Schoenfeld (3-5 4.98) was the losing pitcher. Glasco ripped him for six runs and nine hits by the time he went to the showers in the sixth. The A's (23-21) are in the third spot in the division standings, three games behind Colfax (27-19), while Valmara (22-24) is fourth, five games out. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Monday, June 4, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - South Division Nine Nips Sugar Valley 6-5 in Record Loss At Legends Field in Marston, the Nine let Sugar Valley come back and tie it up with two runs in the top of the ninth, but pulled it out in the bottom half to nip the Rattlers 6-5 and sent them to their ninth loss in a row, a new IPA record. Center fielder Tommy Reinhold (.302) doubled off losing pitcher Ron Benson to lead off the inning, was bunted to third by left fielder Ronnie Lee (.438) and scored on third baseman Roland Thomas' (.321) line single to left. Benson (6-5 2.81) was pressed into service by manager Gibson Bobkins. He is a normal starter and this was his first relief appearance this season. Closer Ken Bagby (2-2 2.93) got lucky -- he blew the save in the top of the ninth, but got the win. Second baseman Ken Green (.358) sparked the Nine with two hits, three RBIs and two runs, including his 6th roundtripper. First baseman Ken Arnold (.268) belted his 5th for the Rattlers, a two-run shot. First place Marston (27-19) has won its last four and is two games in front of second place Forest City (25-22). Sugar Valley (21-24) fell to fifth place in the standings, 5.5 games out. Westerners Stop 'Jacks Win String at 8 It had been quite awhile since second place Forest City tasted defeat. It finally came to an end after eight consecutive victories. The Lumberjacks ran into some strong pitching by Waleska starter Marv Chancellor and reliever Andre Marsiske, who combined to hold them to just four hits. The two clubs battled to a 2-2 draw after six innings and then the Westerners erupted for five runs in the seventh and eighth to take a 7-2 win. Key hits in the game were homers by right fielder Charley Williamson (.278) and left fielder Big Hoss Burkhalter (.313) and Freddie Shelton's (.313) pinch-hit 2-run single in the seventh to send Waleska up 4-2. They were never headed after that. Willamson cracked a two-run shot in the second to give them an early 2-0 margin, but J. T. Edmonds (.219) deadlocked it with a two-run double in the fourth. Burkhalter unloaded his 12th blast of the year in the eighth. It was good for two runs, his 44th and 45th RBIs, tops in the Ruthlandian Union. Chancellor (3-6 5.65) gained the victory with six very good innings. He allowed just four hits, fanned two and walked two. Marsiske (3-1 2.67) pitched three perfect innings for his fourth save. Loser Vinny Edelman (3-3 3.20) had a bad outing, yielding six runs and six hits in seven innings. Forest City (25-22) dropped to 2.5 games behind the first place Marston Nine (27-19). Waleska (23-24) is fourth and trail by 4.5 games. Diamonds Slip by Sunbirds 4-3 At Avalon Stadium in Claxton, the Diamonds took a close 4-3 decision from the Belair Beach Sunbirds. Pinchhitter Arnie Kruger (.226) plated left fielder Winky Rush (.272) with the winning run in the last of the eighth with a sacrifice fly. Pat Castellani (4-2 4.57) registered the win with an eight-inning outing. He spread out ten hits, fanned seven and allowed two bases on balls. Closer Earl Weber (3-1 2.59) tossed a perfect ninth for his 3rd save. Getting the loss was Troy Wilson (3-5 3.86). He lasted until the start of the eighth, permitted four runs on seven hits, walked five and whiffed three. The last walk was his downfall, it was the eventual winning run. Only one home run in the game. That went to Sunbird left fielder Nicky Swift (.333), who banged his TU-leading 17th roundtripper. Belair Beach outhit Claxton 10-8. Right fielder Matty McDermott (.339) collected 3-for-5 for the Sunbirds. Third baseman Keith Olsen (.315), right fielder Dixie Baker (.327) and Rush (.272) each drove in a run to pace the Diamonds. Claxton (21-27) is seven games out of first and in the RU South cellar, while Belair Beach (23-24) is tied with Waleska (23-24) for the third spot in the standings. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Monday, June 4, 2001 Tycobbian Union - East Division Z's Squeeze by Nats 2-1, Take Over Second Place At Ellie Ewing Stadium in Ozarka, the Naturals were stifled by young Keith Callahan 2-1 on a six-hitter. In a strong performance, Callahan (5-4 2.60), a 20-year-old righthander for the second place Luxora Zorros, had eight strikeouts and no walks to stop the first place Nats. Center fielder Rickey Alfonso (.258) hit a bases-loaded single to drive in two runs in the eighth to win it for the Z's. Yasuyuki Nakagawa (6-3 2.03) was as stingy as ever with runs, but took the loss. He gave up 10 hits, fanned five and walked two, but just didn't get the run support. Left fielder Ronnie Patterson (.260) accounted for the Nats lone score with his 9th roundtripper in the bottom of the sixth. The Z's (23-21) climbed to within a game of first place Ozarka (25-21) with only their second win in the last ten games. Luxora jumped ahead of third place Ginza (24-23) by a half-game in the very tight TU East race. Hurricanes Lash Ninjas 6-3 At Seaside Stadium in Cape Coral, the Hurricanes lashed out 15 base hits and got past the Ginza Ninjas 6-3. Left fielder Rod Kelly and right fielder Danny Mullins each had two hits and two-run homers to lead Cape Coral to victory. Both homers came during the four-run eighth inning off losing pitcher Alec Sasek (1-1 5.30). Hurricane starter Wally Robinson (7-3 2.73) hurled a solid game and was removed with one out in the eighth with the score 2-2. Robinson only gave up 4 hits, fanned seven and walked three. The victory went to closer Scotty Lohmeyer (1-2 3.66), but he had to survive a tough ninth with two hits and two walks. Lohmeyer got out of the inning with only one run scored against him. Catcher Kotsuya Noguchi (.360) rapped a solo homer in the seventh to tie the score. It was his 3rd this year. Ninja starting pitcher Vic Rousakis was lifted after six innings for a pinchhitter. He allowed eight hits, struck out six and walked two. With the defeat, Ginza (24-23) fell to third place in the TU East, a half-game behind Luxora (23-21). The top team in the division is Ozarka (25-21). 'Cats Rally for 4-3 Win over Stallions At Jock Ewing Stadium in South Fork, Hartsdale rallied to tie the game at 3-all in the ninth and then won it 4-3 in the eleventh on second baseman Terry Bellino's (.362) triple and first baseman Walt Long's (.259) RBI single. Reliever Adam Falkenbach (1-1 3.54) captured the win with three sparkling innings. He yielded only one hit and no runs. South Fork closer Glenn Turnbull (3-2 3.04) failed to hold a 3-2 lead in the ninth for starter Flint Battle (6-4 2.73) and notched the loss. Turnbull surrendered two runs and four hits in three innings of work. Battle hurled a sharp eight innings, holding the Hellcats to six hits and two runs. Bellino also had a double and scored twice to pace Hartsdale, along with catcher Kevin Haynie (.364) and left fielder Jay Luna (.279). They had a pair of hits each. Second baseman Bob Jones (.306) led the Stallions at bat with three hits, two runs and two RBIs, including his first homer of the season. In the tightest division in the Islandian Pro Alliance, fifth place Hartsdale (22-24) is now only three games behind leading Ozarka (25-21). South Fork (21-26) is back in the basement in the TU East, 4.5 games out. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Monday, June 4, 2001 Tycobbian Union - West Division Fairfax 5-3 Winner over Blue Lake In Blue Lake, Fairfax busted open a 2-2 tie with a pair of runs in the eighth frame on the way to a 5-3 triumph over the Blue Sox. The Frogs have now won five in a row and Blue Lake has dropped its last three contests. Left fielder Gator Brown's (.309) double and catcher Marv McCoy's (.351) single knocked in the go-ahead runs. Picking up the victory was Mel Murray (4-3 4.43) with a scoreless seventh. Gerry Fisher (3-1 4.08) allowed a run in the eighth, but closed out the save, his first of the season. The loser was Clint McPherson (0-2 4.15), who pitched into the eighth, gave up four runs and ten hits. Shortstop Warren Lee (.291) was 2-for-5 with two runs and first baseman Ernie Hutchinson (.304) had three hits and scored twice for the winning Frogs. Hutchinson hit a double and a triple. For the Blue Sox right fielder Fred Collins (.247) and second baseman Ken Bennett (.234) had solo home runs. Fairfax (32-14) has the best record in the IPA and holds the number one position in the TU West. Blue Lake (20-26) is in the fifth spot in the standings. Lynx Sink Bayview 4-3 For six innings the La Claire Lynx were shut out by Bayview's Jesus Carvajal on just two hits, but their bats came ablaze with two runs in the seventh and two more in the ninth to salvage a close 4-3 decision. Third baseman Kenny Hall (.241) tied it with a two-run shot and pinchhitter Artie Scott (.170) slammed the game-winner, also a two-run homer. Closer Monoto Kishata (2-3 3.47) worked the last three innings for the win. Kishata allowed a run on two hits and struck out two. Carvajal (5-2 3.38) absorbed his second loss of the year. The tall, skinny 6'10" lefty gave up seven hits, four runs, fanned six and walked three. La Claire (24-23) has won three games in succession, while Bayview (24-24) has lost its last five games. The Lynx are in second place, but 8.5 games behind Fairfax (32-14). The Vikings trail by nine games. Champs Win 8th Straight, Bucs Lose 8th In a game played at Shoreline Park in Bay St. Clair, Arlon nosed out the Buccaneers 4-3 for its 8th straight victory on center fielder Jerry Keller's (.332) two-run triple in the seventh inning. Bay St. Clair had the most hits 11 to 8, but came out on the short end of the scoreboard for the record 8th straight time. Righthander Ray Hunt (5-5 2.87) got the Bucs out when he had to and registered the win in a complete-game effort. Keller drove in three runs to spark the Champions with left fielder Kris Gervais (.274) connecting for two hits, including a solo homer. Sean Lawrence (2-4) was the loser, giving up four runs and eight hits with seven Ks and four bases on balls. Shortstop Chuck Hankins (.336) and second sacker Tony Mann (.342) slapped out three hits each to pace the Bucs. The win moved Arlon (24-23) into a tie for the runner-up spot in the TU West Division. Bay St. Clair (17-31) is in last place. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Tuesday, June 5, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - North Division Redhawks Back on Top in RU North At the Jailhouse in Volusia, the Far Mountain Redhawks needed a win to take over the top spot in the RU North Division from Colfax -- and they got it! -- a resounding 8-0 romp over the Vigilantes. Far Mountain is now a half-game in front of the Blasters in the pennant chase. Manager Alex Groveland got an outstanding effort from his little righthander John Luzzatti, who spun a five-hit shutout. The 35-year-old Luzzatti (3-2 3.10) gave up a walk and whiffed four batters. He even singled in two runs. The Redhawks jumped in front with six runs in the second inning off loser Hank Massey (2-8 4.91) and never looked back. Shortstop Joey Cannizzaro and left fielder Gerald Davis led the charge. Cannizzaro (.343) had three hits, scored twice and had two RBIs, while Davis (.262) went 2-for-5, drove in one and scored once. "John Luzzatti is really a good pitcher when he throws strikes early in the count," said his manager. "I went right after each hitter, trying to get ahead in the count," said Luzzatti. "I wanted them to swing the bats and keep my pitch count down. It worked. I felt strong the whole game, even in the last two innings." In season stats Luzzatti shows a 3-2 record in 11 games, 69.2 innings, 41 strikeouts and a 3.10 ERA. Far Mountain (28-20) broke a three-game skid to get back into first place. It was fifth place Volusia's (21-27) first loss in three games. Elnora Dumps Colfax 6-1, Blasters Fall to Second Elnora manager Zoggy White got double duty out of pitcher Troy Hudson in the 6-1 win over Colfax. Hudson limited the potent Blasters to just one run and eight hits and went 2-for-2 and doubled in two runs. The defeat cost Colfax the top spot in the RU North. Hudson did have some help. Second baseman Greg Foster (.343) hit his 7th home run, center fielder Rusty Gilbert (.313) had two doubles and first baseman Will Jackson (.222) drove in a pair of runs. New Colfax acquistion, rookie right fielder Wiley Reese (.571) had three hits in his second game with the team. The Blaster starter Flash Guidry (6-4 2.96) didn't fare very well as the All-Stars hit him around for four runs and six hits in five innings. Guidry was the losing pitcher. Colfax (27-20) falls to the runner-up position in the RU North, while Elnora (20-29) remains in last place. The Blasters dipped a half-game back of Far Mountain (28-20). Balfour Outduels Zalewski 2-0 For six innings there was nothing but goose eggs on the scoreboard at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara. Jesse Balfour of the Glasco Athletics and Zeke Zalewsk of the Vipers were really going at it in an old-fashioned pitchers' duel. Then one swing of the bat in the seventh by the A's third baseman Rick Adkins (.228) finally gave the lonely scoreboard operator something to do. Adkins parked one over the center field fence to make it 2-0 in favor of Glasco and Balfour made it stand up. The southpaw cruised throught the final three innings to collect the win. Balfour fired a four-hitter, fanned eight and walked only one in a strong performance. Valmara's Zalewski (6-3 1.77), who is second in the Ruthlandian Union with a 1.77 ERA, only allowed three hits and one earned run with six strikeouts and a walk. Atkins homer was the first one off of Zalewski this season. "Jesse was very efficient and he hit his spots," his manager McDuffie Hughes said. "He stayed down in the zone and stayed away from the middle of the plate." Thus far this season Balfour has posted a 4-4 record, started 11 games, struck out 58 batters in 69.2 innings and compiled an excellent 2.84 ERA. Third place Glasco (24-21) now trails first place Far Mountain by 2.5 games. Valmara (22-25) is in the fourth spot in the division standings and rests 5.5 games out. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Tuesday, June 5, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - South Division SV Finally Wins, Trounces Marston 12-6 The longest losing steak in the Islandian Pro Alliance came to a halt today in Marston. The Sugar Valley Rattlers trounced the Nine 12-6 to snap their nine-game slid. And they did it with a vengeance by lashing 16 hits. Everybody in the line-up including the pitcher got at least one base hit. Catcher Shotgun McFall (.370) led the club with three hits and two RBIs. Shortstop Flipper Bird (.242), third baseman Jorge Vargas (.345) and left fielder Cy Bartz (.281) all laced a pair of hits and drove in two runs. Right fielder Nick Price (.500) went 2-for-3 and scored three times. Vargas had the only Rattler homer, his 10th. Although it wasn't an artistic success, Tony Michelet (4-5 4.66) went the distance and allowed eight hits, Marston second baseman Ken Green (.358) slammed his 7th home run of the season and batted in three runs, while catcher Eddie Allen (.280) hit his 4th. Right fielder Chris Deangelo (.296) delivered two hits and two RBIs for the Nine. Loser Paul Azard (5-2 2.90) only lasted three innings and surrendered four runs and five hits. Rattler skipper Gibby Bobkins told reporters, "Maybe that will get the monkey off our backs and we can get back to playing like we did earlier in the season. Heck, we are only 4.5 games out. We still have over a 100 games to go and I think we will be in the playoffs at the end." Bay St. Clair held the old record of consecutive-game losses. They dropped six games in a row in early April and also lost six straight May 10-14. Sugar Valley (22-24) tumbled from first to fifth during the losing streak. Marston (27-20) is on top of the RU South. Lumberjacks Bahr-ly Beat Westerners 4-1 In Forest City, the Lumberjacks toppled Waleska 4-1 on an impressive mound performance by the slender lefty Herm Bahr and home runs by second baseman Jesse Wolf and third baseman Ricky Mitchell. Bahr (5-3 2.81) garnered his third straight win with a six-hitter, eight Ks and just one walk. The Lumberjacks only got six hits, but made the most of them. Wolf (.297) hit his 14th roundtripper and Mitchell (.196) slugged his 8th. Rusty Kraft (3-5 4.67) hurled a complete game in defeat, allowing only six hits. Forest City (26-22) gained a game on first place Marston (27-20) and is now just 1.5 games behind them. Waleska (23-25) is in fourth place. Sunbirds Drub Diamonds 9-2 In Claxton, it was no contest between visiting Belair Beach and the hometown Diamonds. It was all Belair Beach as they trounced them 9-2, hitting three homers in the process. The Ruthlandian Union home run leader, left fielder Nicky Swift (.341), pounded two more, giving him 19 on the year, and shortstop Danny Church (.283) cracked his 5th. Swift powered in five runs, giving him 44 RBIs this year, second to Big Hoss Burkhalter of Waleska, who has 45.. The Sunbirds got good pitching, too. 20-year-old Ken Frey (2-3 3.81) crafted the win, keeping Claxton hitters off-balanced and guessing throughout the game. They got nine hits, but not when runners were in scoring position. Dennis Scott (3-5 4.20) suffered the defeat, permitting five runs on six hits in four innings. Belair Beach (24-24) improved to the .500 mark and is in third place in the division, 3.5 games out of first. Claxton (21-28) is last, seven games behind. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Tuesday, June 5, 2001 Tyrobbian Union - East Division Nats Didriksen Blanks Luxora Sometimes even Tony Didriksen of Ozarka isn't sure which pitcher will show up when he takes the mound. "I've been good sometimes and bad sometimes," he said. This time he made the Luxora Zorros look bad 4-0. Didriksen tossed a 4-hit shutout against them, totaling five strikeouts and only giving up one walk. It was his second shutout of the season. Luxora gifted the Naturals with three unearned runs in the third and that was all they needed. Ozarka only got six hits and were led by left fielder Ronnie Patterson (.259), shortstop Gil Lantz (.230) and Didriksen (.250), all with one run batted in. Johnny Montel (4-4 3.47) fell victim to the shoddy support and allowed four runs and four hits in his five innings. Ozarka manager Joe Mac Carney told BNN, "It was a good win after two losses. It keep us in first place. I just hope our pitchers keep doing the job. We sure could use a little more hitting." Alejandro Rodrigo, skipper for the Zorros, said after the game, "I feel good about my team. We came in here and have split four games with the first place team so far. We just didn't hit today. When you don't hit, you don't win. But give Didriksen credit. He was in command today. He went in-and-out with the best of them...good movement, too." In 2001 thus far, Didriksen has tossed 80.2 innings in 12 starts, fanned 48 batters, walked 20 and put up a 3.35 ERA with 5 wins and 4 losses. The Naturals (26-21) are still atop the TU East standings. Third place Luxora (23-22) trails by two games. Ninja Ito Tosses 4-Hit Shutout Against Hurricanes The Cape Coral Hurricanes were almost helpless today in their 3-0 loss to Ginza hurler Toshiharu Ito. He kept them confused the entire ballgame and spun a 4-hit shutout. The victory enabled the Ninjas to pass Luxora and move up to second place in the TU East Division and only two games out of the lead. His manager, Huroko Uchiyama, humbly acknowledged in the clubhouse, "It looks like I should have moved him out of the bullpen sooner." This was Ito's first start after 14 relief appearances. Pacing the Ninjas to victory were shortstop Shinjiro Aoki (.290), who went 3-for-5 and scored twice, second baseman Scooter McDonald (.303) with three hits, and first baseman Kenshin Yamamoto (.288) with two RBIs. Katsuyuki Nagashima (1-5 2.84) hurled a creditable game. He allowed 10 hits, but only three runs in eight innings, fanned five and walked just one. First baseman Rodger Wooten (.314) was the Hurricanes only serious threat at the plate with three hits in four tries. The Cape Coral manager, Huggy Miller, said in the postgame interview, "Tip your hat to Ito. He kept us off balance all night." Ito said, "It just happened to be one of those games where even when I made mistakes, they either fouled them off or someone would make a fine defensive play. It was just one of those games that things went my way." He had no walks and 8 strikeouts in a strong performance. His record this year is 2-and-1 with 1 save and a 1.95 ERA. Ito has given up 24 hits in 32.1 innings with 35 strikeouts. Ginza (25-23) is now in second place in the division, while Cape Coral (23-24) is in the fourth spot, three games off the pace. Stallions Race by Hellcats 7-3 At Jock Ewing Stadium, the South Fork Stallions raced by Hartsdale 7-3. Leading the Stallions 11-hit attack were left fielder Gene Woodruff (.283) with a three-run homer and second baseman Bob Jones (.323) with a perfect 4-for-4 day, three runs and two RBIs. Booger Burchfield (3-4 3.99) went five-plus innings for the win, yielding three runs, none earned, and four hits. South Fork manager Lips Leon got a strong relief job from Kyle Moss (0-1 4.59), who blanked the Hellcats over the final three innings for his first save. Hartsdale was held in check most of the day and got only six hits. Glenn Mann (5-6 2.91) was the loser as he was shelled for four runs and nine hits in six innings. The Stallions (22-26) are in the TU East cellar, but now within a half-game of the fifth place Hellcats (22-26). South Fork is 4.5 games behind first place Ozarka (26-21). |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Tuesday, June 5, 2001 Tyrobbian Union - West Division Meredith Wins 7th, Frogs Batter Blue Lake 7-2 All he does is win games. Robby Meredith of the first place Fairfax Frogs is nothing fancy. He gives up hits, but is hard to score on. Meredith (7-0 2.56) register his 7th victory of the season with a 7-2 triumph over the Blue Lake Blue Sox at Harbor Stadium for their sixth in a row. He allowed ten hits, but was tough in the clutch. Meredith fanned four and issued only one walk. He has yet to lose a game this year. The Frogs backed him up with nine hits, six of them two-baggers. Third baseman Stan Cobb (.354) top the batters with three RBIs. First baseman Ernie Hutchinson (.312) had three hits, two RBIs and scored twice. Fairfax tagged Bennie West (5-5 2.37) with the defeat. He gave up six runs - only three earned - in three-plus innings in one of his poorest outing this season. The Blue Sox have now lost all four games of this series. The Frogs continue to roll with a sizzling 33-14 record. Blue Lake (20-27) is fifth in the TU West Division, a distant 13 games behind. Viks Victors in 12 Innings Over Lynx Walter Johanssen, skipper of the Bayview Vikings, got brilliant bullpen work today as his club ended its five-game spiral with twelve-inning 4-3 win over the La Claire Lynx, ending their win streak at three. The win enabled the Vikings to take over second place in the TU West. The Bayview heroes were relievers Buzzy Lewis and Paul Hood, who retired the last 15 batters in a row, and shortstop Shorty Richards (.264), who tripled and scored the game-winning run on pinchhitter Ed O'Neal's short fly to left field. Closer Lewis (1-2 3.41) held La Claire without a run over the last four innings for the victory. Monoto Kishata (2-4 3.54) suffered the loss, surrendering two runs and seven hits in four-plus frames. The Vikings outhit the Lynx 11-8. The two starters pitched well. Frank Lamoreaux (4-2 2.72) went the first seven and yielded only two runs on four hits. Only one run was earned. Frank Wells (4-3 3.97) started for Bayview and worked seven innings, allowing three runs and eight hits. Bayview (25-24) is number two in the division and a half-game in front of both Arlon (24-24) and La Claire (24-24). Fairfax (33-14) is 9 games ahead of the Vikings. Bucs Stop Champs 8-Game Win String Arlon has played standout baseball for the last eight games and they won them all. But today at Shoreline Park in Bay St. Clair, the best team was the Bucs, who smacked the Champions 7-1 and stopped them one short of the IPA mark for most consecutive wins. Give credit to Norm Gross, who rarely throws a bad ballgame. Gross (6-4 3.13) throttled red-hot Arlon on six hits with a variety of junkballs and also snapped Bay St. Clair's losing string at a record eight. He rarely gave them a good look and left 11 men on base. The Buccaneers gave him plenty of run support with three homers. Third baseman Bubba Tate (.360) jacked a three-run shot, and left fielder Charlie Moon (.266) and right fielder Andy Pettorini (.286) hoisted solo salvos. Woody Fitzgerald (1-1 2.84) was the loser, giving up two of the homers, four runs and three hits in four innings before hitting the showers. Arlon (24-24) is 9.5 games behind the top team, the Fairfax Frogs (33-14). Bay St. Clair (18-31) is down in the division dungeon, 16 games out. |
I have a project I have to spend a lot of time on in the next two weeks.
Will pick up the league at that time. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Wednesday, June 6, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - North Division FM's Lamoreaux Vanquishes V's 6-2 At Silver River Stadium in Volusia, Far Mountain's tall and skinny righthander Stan Lamoreaux took down the Vigilantes 6-2 on eight hits. Lamoreaux (3-1 1.88) won his third in four decisions and numbered six strikeouts and four walks. The only runs he gave up came on center fielder Alex Luna's (.259) two-run homer in the sixth. The Redhawks had 12 hits and were led by third baseman Johnny Strickland's (.264) two hits and two RBIs, left fielder Gerald Davis (.266) with two hits, two runs and an RBI and Royce Benson (.320) with three hits, including a triple, one run and one run batted in. Raul Sandoval (5-5 2.50) was pinned with the loss. The V's crafty southpaw was belted for four runs and seven hits in three innings. Sandoval blanked Far Mountain 1-0 in the first game of the series. Far Mountain (29-20) is in first place in the RU North Division, while Volusia (21-28) is fifth, eight games behind the Redhawks. Colfax Rips Elnora 8-2 In Colfax, the second place Blasters teed off on last place Elnora pitching for 14 hits and an easy 8-2 triumph to stay within a half-game of first place Far Mountain. First sacker Dennis Cole (.301) smacked two doubles among his four hits and had two RBIs to pace the Blasters. Cole is second in the Ruthlandian Union with 44 RBIs, tied with Nicky Swift of Belair Beach. Big Hoss Burkhalter of Waleska is on top with 45. Second baseman Tucker Hill (.341) had a triple in his three hits and scored three times. Shortstop Wayne O'Reilly (.215) and catcher Howie Peterson (.220) drove in a pair of runs each. Harry Manning (7-4 3.36) chalked up his seventh win of the campaign and allowed seven hits and two runs in seven innings, While Tyrone Gray (2-4 3.54) was dealt the defeat. Gray was ripped for thirteen hits and seven runs in six-plus innings. Colfax (28-20) is in the runner-up spot in the divison and is only one-half game out of first. Elnora (20-30) is in last place. Vipers O'Reilly's 13th Inning HR Beats Glasco 4-3 Manager J. Jackson Samuel got strong pitching and clutch hitting as his Valmara Vipers took a 13-inning clash with Glasco 4-3 on third baseman Rickey O'Reilly's walk-off homer. Todd Turner tossed the first nine and permitted three runs and five hits and was followed by the Vipers outstanding closer Danny Blauser (4-1 1.79), who allowed only one hit and fanned six in four innings for the victory. In his only inning, the A's Jeremiah McDonald (1-2 3.45) retired the first two batters and then served up O'Reilly's roundtripper and sustained the loss. O'Reilly (.280) and center fielder Jan Szymanski (.257) each had three hits in the game for the winners. Szymanski drove in two runs to give him 41 on the season. The Glasco Athletics (24-22) are third in the RU North standings, 3.5 games in back of Far Mountain (29-20) and Valmara (23-25) is 5.5 games behind in the fourth spot. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Wednesday, June 6, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - South Division Marston's Ledbetter Wins 9th, Stops Rattlers 5-2 He's just a big ole country boy, but Casey Ledbetter of the Marston Nine is one heck of a pitcher. Ledbetter is the first hurler in the IPA with nine wins. He just captured his ninth victory with a 5-2 win over Sugar Valley at Legends Field in Marston. Ledbetter (9-1 3.06) struck out ten Rattlers and gave up no earned runs as the Nine committed four errors behind him. He walked three and surrendered seven hits in eight-plus innings. The tiring Ledbetter got help from Kenny Bagby (2-2 2.86), who got the last two outs in the game. Pacing the Nine's offense were third baseman Roland Thomas (.328) and center fielder Tommy Reinhold (.299), both with two RBIs. Marston (28-20) is the top club in the RU South, while slumping Sugar Valley (22-25) has sunk down to fifth place and trail the Nine by 5.5 games. Westerners Romp Over Lumberjacks 8-2 In Riverside Stadium in Forest City, Waleska got a complete game from Smokey Joe Carter and laced 13 hits to romp over the Lumberjacks 8-2. Carter (7-5 3.00) scattered eight hits and was rarely in trouble. He fanned three and walked just one. Carter got plenty of bat support from center fielder Milt Carlson (.282), third baseman Yoshihide Nishida (.269) and catcher Mac Wilkins (.218). All of them cracked out three hits apiece with Nishida driving in three runs and Wilkins two. First baseman Freddie Shelton batted in three for the Westerners. Second baseman Jesse Wolf (.302) had two hits and two RBIs for the 'Jacks. Forest City starter Glenn Moore (5-2 2.52) took the loss, allowing four runs and six hits in five innings and left trailing 4-1. With the defeat second place Forest City (26-23) fell 2.5 games in back of first place Marston (28-20). Waleska improved to 24-25 and is ranked third in the RU South standings. Diamonds Edge Sunbirds 8-7 in 10 Innings At Avalon Stadium in Claxton, Marty McCluskey lined a single to left in the last of the tenth to bring home Keith Olsen with the game-winning run. That gave the Diamonds an 8-7 verdict over Belair Beach. Closer Earl Weber (4-1 2.42) collected the win with three runless innings of one-hit ball. Sunbird closer Lou Zanelli (5-3 2.30) absorbed the loss, yielding one hit, a run and a walk in his two-plus innings. Topping Claxton at bat were right fielder Dixie Baker (.328) with two hits and three RBIs, including his 16th home run, first baseman McCluskey (.282) with three hits and two RBIs, and second baseman Donny McCoy (.366) and shortstop Bobby Ritter (.316), each with three hits and two runs. Third baseman Olsen (.312) chipped in with two RBIs. Second baseman Rick Sullivan (.294) had a standout game for Belair Beach with three hits, including two doubles and a homer, and four RBIs. The Diamonds outhit the Sunbirds 15-10. The loss dropped Belair Beach (24-25) into a tie for third with Walesks (24-25). The Sunbirds and Westerners trail first place Marston by 4.5 games. Claxton (22-28) is dead last, seven games out of first place. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Wednesday, June 6, 2001 Tyrobbian Union - East Division Nats Squeeze by Zorros 3-2 in 10 Innings In Ozarka, the Naturals took a ten-inning 3-2 win over Luxora on center fielder Teddy Braun's (.290) two-out single that plated pinchhitter Poochie Kramer (.296) with the winning score. Slender righthander Donnie Young (3-2 3.84) worked all ten innings, gave up seven hits, fanned four and walked three. Losing pitcher Francisco Fernandes (4-5 3.45) also went all the way, giving up nine hits with four Ks and one base on balls. Ozarka was led at bat by third baseman Doug Cunningham (.233) and right fielder Denny Little (.205) with two hits and an RBI apiece. The Naturals (27-21) are on top of the TU East Division, while the Luxora Zorros (23-23) are in the third spot, three games behind them. Ninjas Matsumoto Shuts Out 'Canes 6-0 He's only 5'7" and 155 pounds, but 25-year-old righty Kojiro Matsumoto of the Ginza Ninjas has the stuff to make grown men cry. Matsumoto (7-1 3.36) toyed with Cape Coral and fashioned a four-hit 6-0 shutout at Seaside Stadium with two strikeouts and no walks. It was his first shutout this season. Leading the Ninjas at the plate were second baseman Scoop McDonald (.307) and center fielder Takashi Fujimoto (.268). Both of them had homers and drove in two runs. Owen Pruitt (3-4 3.99) was credited with the loss, only going four-plus innings and permitting five hits and five runs. Ginza (26-23) kept pace with the top team in the TU East, the Ozarka Naturals (27-21). The second place Ninjas are only 1.5 games behind. Cape Coral (23-25) dipped four games off the pace and are in fourth place. Stallions Outscore Hellcats 10-9 It was a hitfest at Jock Ewing Stadium in South Fork with the Stallions getting the best of the Hartsdale Hellcats 10-9. Leading the South Fork hit parade were right fielder Paul Giles (.283) and catcher Darryl Burnett (.277) with three RBIs each. Giles had three hits and slammed his 13th roundtripper and Burnett delivered two hits and his 2nd homer of the season. Second baseman Bob Jones (.319) added two RBIs for the winners. The Stallions rallied from a 7-6 deficit with a four-run eruption in the last of the eighth to take a 10-7 lead. The Hellcats almost caught them with two runs in the ninth. South Fork collected 14 hits, while Hartsdale had 13. The Hellcats were paced by catcher Gerry Wise (.167), who had two hits and three RBIs, including his first homer of the year. Center fielder Greg Reynolds (.242) had two hits and two RBIs, along with his fifth home run and a double. Reliever Ken Conner (3-1 2.51) notched the win and closer Gene Young (2-2 3.52) lost it, when he allowed four runs in the eighth. Billy Joe Gordon (0-3 3.03) got the last two outs on a game-ending double play with the tying run on first. He picked up his 5th save. The loss sent Hartsdale (22-26) into the division cellar, while South Fork (23-26) climbed up to fifth place. The Stallions are 4.5 games out of first place, while the Hellcats (22-26) are five games back. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Wednesday, June 6, 2001 Tyrobbian Union - West Division Frogs Take 7th Straight, Beat Blue Sox 6-4 In Blue Lake at Harbor Stadium, the sizzling first place Fairfax Frogs swept all five games of the series with the Blue Sox, winning today 6-4. Fairfax has now won its last seven games. Portsider Jimmy Dalton (5-3 3.97) picked up the win by tossing eight innings. Dalton surrendered seven hits and four runs, while ringing up four strikeouts and walking nobody. Closer Takehide Takahashi relieved him in the ninth with no outs after he gave up a homer and a single. Takahaski got credit for his 5th save, yielding no runs, one hit and a walk. Sparking the Frogs were second baseman Greg Inman (.267) with 3-for-4 and two RBIs and first baseman Ernie Hutchinson (.309) with a two-run double. Center fielder Louis Ward (.370) had two hits and scored twice for Fairfax. The top batter for the Blue Sox was center fielder Donnie Frazier (.305), who hammered his 10th home run in the ninth. First baseman Fred Taranto (.324) laced two hits and scored twice. The losing pitcher was Donnie Bullock (3-6 5.68), who was battered around for six hits and five runs before he departed in the second frame. Fairfax (34-14) is the top team in the TU West Division, while Blue Lake (20-28) holds the fifth spot in the standings and trails by 14 games. The Blue Sox have fallen in their last five games. Lynx Lynch Vikings 6-2 At Downtown Plaza Stadium in Bayview, the La Claire Lynx took advantage of wildness on the part of Denny Copeland to tally four times in the third frame on the way to a 6-2 triumph over the Vikings. The highlight of the inning was a three-run homer by shortstop Dirk Lindahl (.266). First baseman Dominic Valmont (.227) also hit one into the stands off Copeland in the fifth to send him to the showers. Right fielder Manny Paulauskas (.228) was 3-for-4 with two runs scored for the victors and center fielder Lucky Collins (.268) socked a pair of hits, including a triple, and scored twice. The winning pitcher was Pat Daniels (5-2 3.86), who went the distance, checking Bayview on six hits, striking out seven and walking four. Copeland (0-1 3.38) got the loss. He was ripped for five runs on five hits and four walks in four-plus innings. The victory pushed La Claire (25-24) into second place in the division, 9.5 games off the pace. Bayview's defeat (25-25) dumped them to third place, ten games behind leading Fairfax (34-14). Buccaneers Rally, Beat Champs in 9th In the bottom of the ninth, Charlie Moon beat the throw home and gave Bay St. Clair a 9-8 victory over Arlon at Shoreline Park. Second baseman Karl Detwiler's throw was not in time to get Moon on a grounder hit by Maury Smith. Reliever Rod Kelley (2-2 4.14) suffered the loss, allowing two hits and the winning run in his only inning. Closer Johnny Nikolsky (3-3 4.18) hurled two innings for the win and gave up one run and three hits, but his hitters saved it for him. It was not a good day for the pitching corps on either team. Both clubs swatted 14 hits apiece. The Buccaneers were led by third sacker Bobby Tracy (.333) with a perfect 3-for-3 day. Center fielder Nickie Friedrich (.310) had two hits and two RBIs, catcher Jake Singleton (.349) was 2-for-5 with two runs batted in, Moon (.270) and shortstop Chuck Hankins (.328) both scored twice and had two hits, and Smith (.355) scored three times. The top batters for Arlon were left fielder Matt Merrill (.304) with 3-for-4, three RBIs and two runs, center fielder Jerry Keller (.332) with two doubles and two RBIs, Detwiler (.305) with three hits and three runs scored, and third baseman Artie Berry (.252) with two RBIs. It was a costly defeat for the Arlon Champions (24-25) as they dropped to fourth place, 10.5 games out of first and a half-game behind Bayview (25-25). Bay St. Clair (19-31) won its second straight game and is still in the TU West cellar, 16 games in back of first place Fairfax (34-14). |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Thursday, June 7, 2001 No Games Today in the IPA It was an off-day in the IPA today with no games on the schedule. All the teams will be back in action tomorrow with the top two teams in two of the divisions doing battle against one another. In the RU North Division, first place Far Mountain will entertain second place Colfax for a four-game series. The Redhawks hold a scant half-game lead over the Blasters. Far Mountain has defeated Colfax 7 times in 11 games this season. In the TU East Division, the Ozarka Naturals, currently in the top spot, will host second place Ginza at Ellie Ewing Stadium. The Nats hold a 1.5-game edge over the Ninjas. The clubs will play a four-game set. Ozarka leads the season series 7-3. Islandian Pro Alliance Friday, June 8, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - North Division Redhawks Rip Colfax 15-5 in Series Opener Sky High Stadium in Far Mountain is the site of a four-game series between the top two clubs in the Ruthlandia Union North Division, the hometown Redhawks and the visiting Colfax Blasters. In game one, it was no contest -- first place Far Mountain mauled second place Colfax 15-5 to take a 1.5-game edge in the division. The Redhawks ripped 17 hits in the romp, led by first baseman Royce Benson (.330) with three hits, three runs and two RBIs, center fielder Hawk Gallagher (.281) with two hits, three runs and an RBI, shortstop Joey Cannizzaro (.342) had three hits, scored twice and drove in one run, catcher Dave Davis (.345) went 2-for-6 and drove in a pair of runs, right fielder Tommy Sonnier (.306) hit his 7th homer, had two hits, scored twice and drove in two, and left fielder Gerald Davis (.263) had two RBIs. First baseman Dennis Cole (.313) and Pat Lott (.256) was the best the Blasters had to offer. Cole collected his 14th home run, doubled and drove in two runs, while Lott had a double and two RBIs. Vic Vaux (5-2 3.27) cruised to the victory, gave up five runs and eleven hits, struck out six and walked one. The loser was Robbie Smith (1-3 4.20), who departed early in the second inning after allowing seven runs and six hits. Far Mountain (30-20) got a little breathing room with the victory and increased its lead to 1.5 games over runner-up Colfax (28-21). It was the Redhawks third successive win. Kivett in Command, V's Dump A's 6-1 What a find for the Volusia Vigilantes! Kit Kivett has been on the team less than two weeks and has already won four games. His latest win was 6-1 over Glasco at Athletics Field. The 34-year-old righthander limited the A's to just five hits and one run, while fanning five and allowing no walks. Kivett (4-0 1.29) has started four games and completed them all. Kivett (.286) even had a double and a triple in four at-bats. The V's collected 10 hits and were led by first baseman Alejandro Salazar (.278) and catcher Jojo Nunez (.316), both had two hits apiece. Glasco starter Ernie McCain (2-6 4.45) caught the loss, leaving in the fifth after permitting six runs and seven hits. The Athletics (24-23) are in third place and trail Far Mountain (30-20) by 4.5 games. The Vigilantes (22-28) are fith, eight games behind. Bart Pitches Vipers Past All-Stars 6-3 Southpaw Gerry Bart needed a good start to keep his spot in the starting rotation and he got it. Bart pitched Valmara past Elnora 6-3 in a game played today at War Memorial Stadium. Bart was touched for 11 hits by the All-Stars, but was strong with men on-base. Bart (3-4 5.40) had four strikeouts and only one walk in the game. The Vipers put together an 11-hit attack with left fielder Louie Sharp (.356) and first baseman Tony Goudeau (.273) socking three hits each and shortstop Mike Ellefsen (.297) banging a two-run homer, his 6th of the year. Elnora starter Carl Costas (3-7 3.41) was the loser. He injured his arm and was removed in the fifth inning after allowing four runs, only two earned, and six hits. Costas could be out about two weeks. First baseman Paul Kesler (.409) had three hits to pace Elnora and shortstop Johnny Zumwalt (.297) drove in a pair of runs. Fourth place Valmara (24-25) won its second straight game, while the last place All-Stars (20-31) fell for the second game in a row. The Vipers are 5.5 games off the pace, while Elnora trails Far Mountain (30-20) by 10.5 games. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Friday, June 8, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - South Division Pace Fires 3-Hit Shutout, Marston Blanks Waleska First place Marston blanked Waleska 5-0 as Nick Pace fired a sparkling three-hitter for his 7th win. Pace (7-5 3.52) walked none and had 9 strikeouts in a fine outing. The Westerners only got three singles and only one runner got past first base. Left fielder Ronnie Horn (.286), third baseman Roland Thomas (.333) and first baseman Johnny Berthold (.281) all registered two hits to spark the Nine. Berthold slugged his 15th roundtripper for Marston. Gary Hill (4-3 4.38) got the loss as Marston shelled him for all 11 hits and five runs in seven-plus innings. Nine manager Johnny Walters told BNN after the game, "This just might be the best-pitched game this season in the IPA. Nick was really brilliant today." Waleska's skipper, McGraw Johnson, concurred, "I know that was the best performance I've seen this year. Pace was in complete control. We were at his mercy." It was Marston's (29-20) second straight win. Waleska (24-26) is fourth in the division standings and are 5.5 games off the pace. Sunbirds Power Past 'Jacks 7-4 Belair Beach powered its way past Forest City 7-4 with the help of three home runs. First baseman Phil Gravelli (.333) was a one-man wrecking crew as he jacked two into the stands and was a perfect 4-for-4 today with four RBIs and three runs scored. Right fielder Matty McDermott (.345) also chipped in three hits for the Sunbirds, including his 8th homer of the year. On the mound, lefthander Carl Thompson (8-3 1.67) had to survive a 4-run fourth to capture his 8th win. He went the distance, surrendered eight hits and totaled five Ks and two bases on balls. Thompson tops the IPA with a brilliant 1.67 ERA and 87 strikeouts and is number two in wins. Only Marston's Casey Ledbetter (9-1 3.06) has more victories. Right fielder Benny Davis (.249) accounted for all of the Lumberjacks runs with a grand slam homer. It was home run number 11 for him. Gene Stuart (5-3 4.15) struggled, but lasted the whole game. The Sunbirds pounded him for 13 hits, but he stayed in the ballgame until the seventh, when Belair Beach scored three times and broke the 4-4 tie. The Sunbirds (25-25) hold the third spot in the RU South Division, 4.5 games in back of leading Marston (29-20), while Forest City (26-24) is in the runner-up position and trails by 3.5 games. Rattlers Stomp Claxton 11-5 On the road in Claxton, Sugar Valley's Paul Haines did it with the bat and on the hill. He went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs and tossed a complete game. Haines (1-3 3.92) gave up nine hits, whiffed six batters and walked a couple to gain his first win this season. Leading the Rattler offense was left fielder Cy Bartz (.295), who batted 4-for-4, scored four times and had four RBIs in a sensational hitting display. A big four-run eighth busted up a tight 5-4 game and gave Sugar Valley the game. Home runs by right fielder Artie Kruger (.231) and third baseman Keith Olsen (.316) led the Diamonds at bat. Zach Nuxhall (2-6 5.27) suffered the defeat, yielding seven runs on nine hits in seven innings of work. Sugar Valley (23-25) is fifth in the RU South race, 5.5 games out of first place. Claxton (22-29) is last in the division. The Rattlers are just a few percentage points out of fourth place behind Waleska (24-26) |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Friday, June 8, 2001 Tyrobbian Union - East Division Nats Take First Game of Series from Ninjas 9-2 In Ozarka at Ellie Ewing Stadium, the first place Naturals took a one-sided victory 9-2 over the second place Ginza Ninjas in the first game of an important four-game set. Ozarka showed their muscle with 14 hits and a solid mound performance by Luther Hatch. Propelling the offense was second baseman Duane Starr (.309) with two hits, including a homer, and four RBIs, first baseman Floyd Snow (.247) with 2-for-4 and two RBIs, and left fielder Ronnie Patterson (.263) and center fielder Teddy Braun (.298), both with 3-for-5 and three runs scored. Hatch (7-4 3.18) hurled a strong game as he stopped Ginza on six hits, struck out six and walked three. Kazuhiro Nakayama (5-7 2.78) tired late and was battered for eleven hits and six runs - four of them earned - but piled up ten strikeouts. The Naturals snapped a 2-2 tie in the seventh with four runs and then pulled away with three more in the eighth. Ozarka (28-21) improved its lead over the Ninjas (26-24) to 2.5 games in the TU East race. SF Edges Zorros 2-1 for 4th Straight Win In a battle of fine righthanders at De la Vega Stadium in Luxora, South Fork's Ken Olson got the best of Chris Pierce 2-1 in a tense pitcher's duel. Olson (4-5 3.14) held the Zorros to six hits, fanned five and walked none. Pierce (5-3 2.49) worked eight frames, allowed six hits, two runs, but only one was earned, struck out six and walked just one. Singles by center fielder Mike Yastrzemski (.263) and second baseman Bob Jones (.318) put runners on the corners and an error by shortstop Kris Baker (.244) led to the first run in the opening inning. Yastrzemski (.263) tripled in the third and rode home on Jones' (.318) single. Luxora got its only run in the fourth when left fielder Tommy Fortunato (.275) singled and was driven in on catcher Eric Richter's (.353) double. It was the Stallions (24-26) fourth consecutive triumph and Luxora's (23-24) fourth straight defeat. The Z's are four games behind Ozarka (28-21) and are in third place in the standings. South Fork is fourth, but just 4.5 games out of first. Hellcats Hammer Hurricanes 14-5 Hartsdale scored in every inning, lashed out 19 hits and battered Cape Coral 14-5 today at their home field, Pioneer Park. Right fielder Mel Poe (.239) paced the Hellcats with two homers, three runs scored and four driven in. Poe had a perfect day at the plate, going 3-for-3. Catcher Kevin Haynie (.415) had three hits and two RBIs, and left fielder Jay Luna (290) belted four hits, scored three times and had an RBI. Right fielder Eric Smith (.227) hit a three-run shot for the Hurricanes. Righthander Phil Reed (6-1 2.91) crafted the win, allowing eleven hits and five runs with five Ks and three walks. Kaz Hayagawa (4-7 4.50) got the loss and permitted six runs and seven hits in just two innings. The triumph enabled Hartsdale (23-26) to climb into a tie for fifth with Cape Coral (23-26) in the TU East Division. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Friday, June 8, 2001 Tyrobbian Union - West Division Bucs Snap Frogs Streak at 7 For whatever reason, last place Bay St. Clair wins at the friendly confines of Shoreline Park - even against first place Fairfax. The Buccaneers snapped the Frogs seven-game winning streak with their third win in a row, a 7-4 triumph. They trailed 3-2 going into the seventh, but rallied with four runs, sparked by back-to-back doubles by pinchhitter Shoichi Tanaka (.259), left fielder Charley Moon (.269) and shortstop Chuck Hankins (.336). Bay St. Clair is 15-11 at home and a miserable 5-20 on the road. Fairfax plays well everywhere. The Bucs Ben Crowley and Ken Kazak teamed up to beat the Frogs. Crowley (3-4 4.27) went the first seven innings, giving up ten hits and three runs, while Kazak (2-1 5.18) got his first save, despite giving up a run and three hits in two innings of work. Bay St. Clair was outhit 13-10, but got timely hits. They were sparked by second baseman Tony Mann (.340) with two RBIs. Hankins had two hits, three stolen bases, scored two runs and drove in one, right fielder Andy Pettorini (.306) had two hits and an RBI and Moon scored two and drove in one. Left fielder Gator Davis (.311) hit his 9th home run and center fielder Billy Echevarria (.257) delivered two hits and had two RBIs to pace Fairfax. The defeat went to Johnny Schluessler (3-5 4.39), who yielded six runs and eight hits over seven innings. Hankins tied the IPA mark for most stolen bases with three. He is the fifth player to accomplish the feat, along with Jet Kazmarek of Valmara, Gerald Davis of Far Mountain, Lonnie Howard of Elnora and Paco Benitez of Ozarka. Fairfax (34-15) continues to rule the roost in the TU West. Bay St. Clair (20-31) is last, 15 games behind. Vikings Sail by Champions 6-3 The big bat of 35-year-old Dwayne Coleman powered the second place Bayview Vikings past fourth place Arlon at Derby Downs 6-3. Coleman (.301) unleashed his 19th and 20th roundtripper and drove in five runs and almost single-handed won the game. Coleman now has 54 RBIs and is second to Greg Vincent of Fairfax in both homers and RBIs. Vincent has 22 roundtrippers and 57 RBIs. Viks manager Walter Johanssen got a good start from his soft-throwing lefthander Jesus Carvajal (6-2 3.35), who chalked up his 6th victory. He allowed eight hits, struck out six and walked only one, but weakened in the ninth, when he was tagged for two runs. With two outs and runners on first and second, Johanssen brought in his closer Buzzy Lewis (1-2 3.38), who closed it out for his IPA-leading 9th save. Craig Smith (6-4 3.35) sustained the loss, going five innings, giving up four runs and eight hits. He exited the game trailing 4-1. Right fielder Steve Barnett (.198) had a solo homer for the Champions. Bayview (26-25) slipped ahead of La Claire (25-25) in the battle for second place. The Vikings are nine games behind first place Fairfax (34-15). Arlon (24-26), which has been hot of late, is in the fourth spot in the TU West standings and are 10.5 games off the pace. Blue Sox Rally for 7-6 Win over Lynx Shaky fielding gifted Blue Lake with six runs and a narrow 7-6 verdict over La Claire at Capitol Park Stadium. The Blue Sox came back from a 4-2 deficit in the sixth and scored five unearned runs off loser Jerry Smith (6-6 3.79). Topping Blue Lake batters were left fielder Greg Boone (.299) and first baseman Fred Taranto (.332), each with 3-for-5 and a pair of RBIs. Manager Cobb Tyson used five pitchers in all with the victory going to Mickey Dwyer (1-1 4.34), who pitched a scoreless fifth, and the save went to closer Russ Courtney (3-2 4.01), who came on in the ninth and retired the only three batters he faced. Third baseman Luis Marquez (.318) and left fielder Rich Hart (.266) slugged homers for the Lynx. Manager Rip Calkin commented on the lack of defense by La Claire, "Three errors cost us six runs today. No team can win doing that." The defeat was costly for the Lynx (25-25) as they slipped to third place behind Bayview (26-25). The Vikings are 9 games behind the Fairfax Frogs (34-15), while La Claire is 9.5 games back. Blue Lake (21-28) is fifth in the division and trails by 13 games. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Saturday, June 9, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - North Division FM Wins Slugfest 8-7 Over Colfax In Far Mountain, Colfax squandered a 7-5 lead in the ninth and finally lost the game 8-7 in the tenth on Gerald Davis' two-out single. The two top clubs in the RU North went head-to-head in a slugfest. The first place Redhawks prevailed with 16 hits to the Blasters 13. Harry Buckley's ballclub was sizzling with the bats as three players had four hits apiece. Right fielder Tommy Sonnier (.321) was 4-for-5 with four RBIs and rapped his 8th homer this year. Catcher Dave Davis (.357) tallied 4-for-5 and drove in two runs. Center fielder Hawk Gallagher (.295) notched 4-for-5 and scored twice, including the winning run. Clem Rogers' crew was led by center fielder Tatsuya Sasaki (.273), who collected two hits, including a home run, scored two and batted in two. Third baseman Russ Farrell (.294) chipped in three hits and two RBIs. Vance Mitchell (3-0 1.38) of the Redhawks nailed down the victory with three hitless and scoreless innings and Colfax's stellar closer, Walt Sellers (1-2 1.77), was tagged with the loss. Far Mountain (31-20) registered its fourth straight win and is now 2.5 games ahead of runner-up Colfax (28-22). The teams have two more games left in this series, which will conclude with a doubleheader on Sunday. The Redhawks have taken the first two games. 7-Run Inning Seals Win for Vigilantes At Glasco, the Volusia Vigilantes went on a 7-run rampage in the fourth inning and held on to whip the Athletics 9-7. Center fielder Alex Luna (.268) had the big hit in the inning, a base-loaded double that drove in three runs. Winning pitcher Johnny Szwak (3-1 4.30) struggled with his control as he walked five in seven innings and allowed seven runs on six hits. Closer Ricky Moreno (3-1 2.22) was summoned in and he finished off the V's, who had cut the lead to two runs. Moreno claimed his 7th save with two scoreless frames and allowed only one hit. In the four-run sixth, third baseman Zach Byorvik (.254) had a bases-loaded blast, his 5th of the season. Right fielder Jose Valenzuela (.321) also had a two-run homer. Both of them came off Szwak. The third place Glasco A's (24-24) dipped 5.5 games off the pace of the division-leading Far Mountain Redhawks (31-20). They are now tied with Valmara (25-25). Volusia (23-28) is fifth, eight games out. Vipers Smash Elnora 12-3, Now Tied for Third The Vipers scored 12 unanswered runs and smashed Elnora 12-3 at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara. The Vipers piled up 18 hits and were headed by center fielder Jan Szymanski, shortstop Mike Ellefsen, right fielder Jet Kazmarek and first baseman Yank Jankowski. Szymanski (.258) walloped a three-run roundtripper, his 9th, Ellefsen(.317) had four hits, including his 7th home run, Kazmarek (.276) went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Jankowski (.279) drilled three hits, scored three times and plated a pair of runs. All that hitting made it easy for the four pitchers skipper J. Jackson Samuel used in the game. Starter Paul Schoenfeld (3-5 5.16) gave up three runs and seven hits in three innings and hit the showers early. Mickey Webb (1-0 5.19) won it with three-plus scoreless innings. He got help from Danny Rutigliano (0-1 6.08) and Andre Trepanier (2-2 4.23), who held the All-Stars scoreless the rest of the way. The triumph was Valmara's (25-25) third straight and moved them into a tie for third with Glasco (24-24). Elnora (20-32) plunged deeper into the RU North basement with its third successive defeat. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Saturday, June 9, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - South Division Vogler Twirls 2-Hitter Against Westerners The first place Marston Nine won their third game in succession with a sensational two-hitter by Ed Vogler and a strong show of power in a 5-1 victory over the Waleska Westereners. Vogler (3-2 3.78) was in complete command and had eight strikeouts and four walks in his route-going game. Center fielder Tommy Reinhold (.307) had a double, triple and home run to pace the Nine with right fielder Chris Deangelo (.289) and catcher Mo Chappell (.276) each going deep as well. Waleska starter Marv Chancellor (3-7 5.68) fanned 11 in six innings, but was hit hard by Marston. He gave up seven hits and four runs and got the loss. The Marston Nine (30-20) lead the RU South, while Waleska (24-27) is 6.5 games behind them in fourth place. Hill Hits Cycle, 'Jacks Crush Sunbirds 14-3 Forest City did everything right today at Bayside Park in Belair Beach. Left fielder Chuck Hill hit for the cycle, the Lumberjacks stroked 17 hits and Vinny Edelman tossed a strong game as they crushed the Sunbirds 14-3. It was the first time a player in the Islandian Pro Alliance hit a cycle. Hill (.356) hammered his 15th homer, had 4 hits, 5 RBIs and scored three times, right fielder Benny Davis (.254) got his 12th and first baseman J. T. Edmonds (.210) smacked his 6th. And Edelman (4-3 3.05) stopped Belair Beach on seven hits and he finished up with six Ks and two walks. Troy Wilson (3-6 4.48) lost it for the Sunbirds as he allowed seven runs and six hits in less than two innings. RU home run leader, Nicky Swift (.347), hit his 20th this season for Belair Beach. Swift also tops the league with 48 RBIs. Hill admitted to the press in the post-game interview, "Actually the first three hits were sort of lucky. But I knew what I needed to complete the cycle. And you know, I got exactly what I wanted. Lotta luck in hitting for the cycle." Forest City tied the IPA record for the most double plays in a regulation game with four. Arlon did it May 29 against Bay St. Clair. The record for most in an extra-inning game is also four, held by Far Mountain. The Redhawks did it in an eleven-inning contest against Colfax on May 18. The Lumberjacks (27-24) are in the second spot in the division and trail Marston (30-20) by 3.5 games. Belair Beach (25-26) is third, 5.5 games off the pace. Claxton Clips Rattlers in 11 Innings 8-7 At Avalon Stadium in Claxton, the Blasters clipped Sugar Valley 8-7 in 11 innings. Center fielder Wayne Wilson (.248) got on by an error by third baseman Jorge Vargas, advanced to third on shortstop Bobby Ritter's (.318) double and scored on second baseman Donny McCoy's (.361) sacrifice fly. Greg Neal (4-3 2.25) lost it for the Rattlers, yielding five hits and two runs in three-plus innings. Alex Vanzetti (3-1 2.03) continued to shine in relief for the Diamonds and got the victory, allowing no runs and one hit in four innings, and striking out four. Claxton numbered 15 hits to Sugar Valley's 9 with third baseman Keith Olsen (.328) going 4-for-5 and driving in one. Right fielder Dixie Baker (.328) hit his 17th home run and drove in three runs. Pinchhitter Vern Jennings (.254) tied the game 7-7 in the eighth with his 4th homer this season and sent the game into overtime. Rattler left fielder Cy Bartz (.294) knocked a three-run roundtripper and center fielder Freddie Vaux (.318) had two hits and two RBIs. Claxton led 6-3 after six, but trailed 7-6 after Sugar Valley rallied for four runs in the seventh. The Sugar Valley Rattlers (23-26) are fifth in the division. They are two percentage points behind fourth place Waleska (24-27). Claxton (23-29) is sixth and last in the RU South race, eight games in back of the top team, the Marston Nine (30-20). |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Saturday, June 9, 2001 Tycobbian Union - East Division Ninjas Even Series with Nats 4-2 The best clubs in the TU East have now split the first two games of the four-game series. Ginza got a standout performance from young righthander Vic Rousakis to top first place Ozarka 4-2. The second-place Ninjas collected nine hits off Yasuyuki Nakagawa (6-4 2.24) and did all of their scoring in the sixth inning. Left fielder Ronnie Graf's (.267) two-RBI single was the game-winner. Second baseman Scoop McDonald (.313) and third baseman Kaz Ojima (.327) drove in the other two runs in the inning. Rousakis (6-5 3.38) worked eight innings, held them to six hits, fanned eight and walked four. Closer Ken Watkins (3-2 2.63) claimed his 6th save by striking out two of the three hitters he faced in the ninth. Shortstop Gil Lantz (.233) and left fielder Ronnie Patterson (.264) had RBIs for the Naturals. First baseman Kenshin Yamamoto (.293) went 3-for-4 to pace the Ninjas. Ginza (27-24) narrowed the gap between them and the division's top team to 1.5 games. Ozarka is now 28-22 for the campaign. 7-Run Inning Gives SF 9-2 Victory Over Zorros The South Fork Stallions raced to an easy 9-2 shellacking of the Luxora Zorros and moved ahead of them into the third spot in the TU East race. The Stallions jolted the Z's with seven runs in the second inning with the big hit coming off the bat of right fielder Paul Giles (.282), a three-run homer, number 14 for the season. South Fork netted 13 hits in all with shortstop Bobby Riley (.280) going 3-for-5, catcher Darryl Burnett (.293) went 3-for-4, and third baseman Glenn Holliday (.220) and first baseman Alex Kesler (.228) swatted two hits apiece. Shortstop Kris Baker (.260) delivered three hits for Luxora. Righthander Flint Battle (7-4 2.66) notched his fourth consecutive victory, although he allowed ten hits. Battle totaled five strikeouts and walked just one. Taking the loss was Keith Callahan (5-5 2.75), who gave up the seven-run inning, although only two of them were earned. The Stallions (25-26) have now triumphed in the last four games and are just 3.5 games in back of first place Ozarka (28-22). The Z's (23-25) are now in fourth place and four games off the pace. Hurricanes Blow Away Hellcats 7-4 in 11 Innings Cape Coral looked listless for eight innings and trailed Hartsdale 4-1. Hellcat starter Danny Griffin limited them to just four hits and had fanned eight batters. At the start of the ninth, manager Zim Donner put in his bullpen ace, Gene Young - but to no avail. The Hurricanes scored three to even the score at 4-all. In the twelfth shortstop Bama Hartley (.282) sent Cape Coral ahead by doubling in two runs off losing pitcher Adam Falkenbach (1-2 4.79). Catcher Rick Clark (.328) followed with another double to win the game 7-4. Relievers Joey Martin (0-0 2.88) and Scotty Lohmeyer (2-2 3.32) each blanked Hartsdale for two innings with the victory going to Lohmeyer. The Hurricanes chalked up ten hits and were led by Hatfield with three hits, two runs and two RBIs and Clark with 3-for-4, two runs scored and an RBI. The Hellcats piled up 12 hits with second baseman Francisco Abreu (.290) and catcher Nick Griffin (.243) each belting out three hits. Griffin hit his 6th roundtripper, while third baseman Steve Ward (.340) hit his second in the stands. Fourth place Cape Coral (24-26) is one percentage point ahead of fifth place Luxora (23-25) and trails the division's top team, the Ozarka Naturals, by four games. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Saturday, June 9, 2001 Tycobbian Union - West Division Frogs Leslie Wins 9th Game 35-year-old lefty Jackie Leslie of Fairfax just keeps on winning. He captured his 7th straight victory by stopping Bay St. Clair 8-3 at Shoreline Park. That gave him his 9th win, which is tops in the Tyrobbian Union. Leslie (9-2 3.57) allowed eight hits, struck out four and issued no base on balls. He was backed up by the Frogs potent offense, which produced 11 hits today. Heading the hitters were right fielder Greg Vincent (.315) with two hits, three RBIs and his IPA-leading 23rd home run. He also leads in RBIs with 60. First baseman Ernie Hutchinson (.310) was 3-for-5 with his fourth homer. Third baseman Stan Cobb (.356) drove in two runs and scored twice for the winners. Sean Lawrence (2-5 4.69) copped the loss, pitching only two innings and giving up seven runs on seven hits. Casey Ledbetter (9-1 3.06) of the Marston Nine also has won nine games this season and leads the Ruthlandian Union. Fairfax (35-15) is the top club in the TU West and has no challengers in the first third of the season. The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (20-32) are a distant last in the division cellar, 16 games out. Viks Whip Arlon 4-3 in 11 Innings Second place Bayview won on the road 4-3 in 11 innings at Derby Downs in Arlon. Second sacker Alan Hansen (.357) tripled in third baseman Bob Klostermann (.267) to send the fourth place Champions down to defeat. Viking closer Buzzy Lewis (2-2 3.09) hurled three scoreless innings for the win, while Arlon's Jeff Nieman (5-1 1.62) dropped his first game of the season, yielding a run and two hits in the last three frames. Homers accounted for the other Bayview runs. Both came in the third with a two-run shot by first baseman Dwayne Coleman (.304) and a solo job by right fielder Dean Howell (.341). Coleman is running second to Fairfax slugger Greg Vincent in homers, trailing 23 to 21, and in RBIs, 60 to 56. Arlon was led by center fielder Jerry Keller (.332) with three hits and an RBI and catcher Smoke Zakharov (.211) with 2-for-4 and an RBI. The Vikings were outhit by the Champs in the game 14-12. Both clubs wasted their hits and stranded many runners. It was Bayview's second win in a row and Arlon's fourth straight defeat. Bayview (27-25) holds the runner-up spot to Fairfax (35-15) in the TU West standings, 9 games out, while Arlon (24-27) is fourth and trails by 11.5 games. Blue Sox Barely Bump Off Lynx 2-1 Behind McPherson Manager Tyson Cobb got an impressive outing from Clint McPherson, who shut the Luxora Lynx out for eight innings and beat them 2-1. McPherson (1-2 3.56) loaded the bases in the last inning, but surrendered only one run. The 31-year-old righthanded scattered nine hits for the victory, striking out five and walking one. Tony Nygaard (1-3 3.61) started and lost it for La Claire, giving up only six hits in eight innings, fanning seven and walking two. He was tagged for solo homers by third baseman Teddy Smith (.305) and shortstop Dandy Wilson (.258), one in the third frame and one in the seventh. Catcher Dennis Weiss (.272) plated the Lynx only run with a sac fly. La Claire (25-26) is in third place, now 10.5 games out of first place and Blue Lake (22-28) is fifth, 13 games behind. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Sunday, June 10, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - North Division Redhawks Outlast Colfax 2-1 in 13 Innings Skipper Alex Groveland's club is on another rampage and have won the last five games. In the opening game of a twinbill, both clubs got outstanding pitching in the Redhawks 2-1 victory over Colfax in 13 innings. It was the Blasters third defeat in succession. Three straight singles decided the game. Third baseman Al Nixon (.250) hit the game-winner and gave the loss to Walt Sellers (1-3 1.85) and gave the win to Vance Mitchell (4-0 1.06). Mitchell fanned five batters in four scoreless innings and allowed only one base hit. Sellers allowed one run and three hits in three-plus frames. Flash Guidry (6-4 2.79) started for Colfax and permitted one run and nine hits in eight-plus innings with nine Ks, while John Luzzatti (3-2 2.88) also worked eight-plus, yielded only five hits and a run. The Redhawks had 12 hits, while the Blasters only picked up six. Redhawks Sweep Four-Game Series from Colfax After trailing 7-3 after the first five innings, first place Far Mountain bats awoke and rallied to win 9-8 and sweep both games of the doubleheader from second place Colfax. The pair of victories gave them six victories in a row and raised the Redhawks to a 4.5 games lead on the Blasters in the RU North Division race. Third baseman Johnny Strickland was Johnny-on-the-spot again with a game-winning double in the bottom of the ninth that scored Tommy Sonnier (.314). Gator Davis (.256) had two hits and 4 RBIs. He got a two-run homer in the sixth. The two clubs together collected 26 hits with Far Mountain getting 14 to Colfax's 12. Center fielder Hawk Gallagher (.303) and Strickland (.280) had three hits apiece for the Redhawks and left fielder Blinky Brandon (.302) and right fielder Pat Lott (.270) had three hits each for the Blasters. First baseman Dennis Cole (.309) whacked his 15th homer, a three-run blast. He now has 50 RBIs for the season and ranks first in the Ruthlandian Union and is third in homers. Closer Doc Rutledge (6-1 2.38) took the mound in the ninth and survived a bases-loaded situation. He picked up up the victory, while Pat Langlais (0-3 4.35) only pitched the ninth and got nailed for the loss. Far Mountain (33-20) has won six in succession and separated themselves from the pack in the RU North with a 4.5-game lead. Colfax (28-24) is in second place in the division and has fallen in their last four games. The Redhawks took all four games of the series. Vipers Victorious in 11-Inning Opener Over Elnora Fine pitching prevailed for both sides in the opener of a twinbill between Elnora and Valmara at the Vipers home field, War Memorial Stadium. Valmara took advantage of Wally Tidwell's wildness to take a 4-3 victory in 11 innings. Tidwell loaded the bases with two walks and two outs and paved the way for third baseman Matt Mazurek (.237) to win the game with a line-drive single to right. However, it was Benny Bechtold that gave up the game-winning hit and pinned the loss on Tidwell (1-4 3.78). Notching the victory was Andre Trepanier (3-2 4.08) with a scoreless eleventh. Both clubs collected nine hits with first baseman Will Jackson (.230) hitting his 4th home run for Elnora and shortstop Mike Ellefsen (.315) getting his 8th for the Vipers. Elnora's starting pitcher Troy Hudson (4-3 4.12) suffered an arm injury and will miss three weeks. He strained his elbow ligament and only pitched two innings. Valmara Sweeps All-Stars for 5th Straight Valmara smashed Elnora 12-1 in the second game of the doubleheader to sweep the All-Stars and are a full game ahead of fourth place Glasco. Cellar-dwelling Elnora has now lost its last five games. Todd Turner tossed one of his best games of the season, taming the All-Stars on a six-hitter, walking none and striking out five. Leading the Vipers 13-hit offensive attack were second baseman Floyd Vinson (.340) and backup catcher Jerry Burkhardt (.273) with three RBIs each and center fielder Jan Szyanski (.258) and first sacker Yank Jankowski (.278) with two apiece. Ted Gray (2-5 4.19) toiled in defeat and was belted for seven runs and seven hits in just two innings. With the doubleheader win, Valmara (27-25) climbed two games over the .500 mark and now trails first place Far Mountain (33-20) by 5.5 games. Elnora (20-34) fell further into the division basement, 13.5 games out. V's Rally Late, Drop A's to Fourth Place In game one of a doubleheader, Volusia came back in the late innings to garner a 5-3 win over the Glasco A's. The Vigilantes tied it 3-3 in the sixth and won it with a two-run seventh on a triple by third baseman Alejandro Salazar. Southpaw Lenny Collins (3-2 3.16), recently restored to the starting rotation by manager Alfonso Feliz, went the distance, allowing three runs and eight hits, with six strikeouts and three walks. The V's Salazar (.291) had three hits and two RBIs and center fielder Alex Luna (.277) chased in a pair of runs with three base hits. Salazar had two doubles and a triple. Losing pitcher Jesse Balfour (4-5 3.09) also went the route, giving up a dozen hits, fanned eight and walked three. Glasco catcher Pete Kilgour (.257) had the only homer in the game. Glasco (24-25) dropped to fourth place with the first-game loss. Valmara (26-25) took over the third spot in the RU North Division, a game ahead of the A's. A's Win Nightcap 4-1, Split with Vigilantes Hard-throwing lefty Charles Darby got Glasco a 4-1 win today in the nightcap to get a split with the Volusia Vigilantes at Athletics Field. Darby (8-3 2.08) registered his 8th victory of the season, while giving up eight hits, fanning seven and walking only one. He outhurled Raul Sandoval (5-6 2.67) in a battle of two of the better southpaws in the IPA. At bat center fielder Chet Reynolds (.300) and second baseman Barry McCord (.296) led the Athletics with two hits and an RBI apiece. Reynolds had a double and a triple. Right fielder Jose Valenzuela (.320) and backup catcher Nick O'Neil (.288) both chipped in an RBI for the winners. Sandoval surrendered eight hits and all four runs with three Ks and two bases on balls. With the split of the doubleheader, Glasco (25-25) dropped to fourth place in the RU North standings and Volusia (24-29) is in the fifth spot. The Athletics are 6.5 games in back of first place Far Mountain (33-20) and Volusia is nine games out. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Sunday, June 10, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - South Division Marston Edges Waleska 3-2 in 10 Innings In a tight ten-inning tussle in Waleska, the visiting Marston Nine edged the Westerners 3-2. Marston broke up a 1-1 tie with two runs in the top of the tenth, when center fielder Tommy Reinhold (.307) singled with one out, then scored on a double by left fielder Ronnie Horn (.291). Third baseman Roland Thomas (.335) drove in the eventual winning run with a single. Waleska battled gamely in the bottom of the tenth, plating one run and getting the tying run on third, before Milt Wilson could retire the side. He got third baseman Yoshihide Nishida (.256) to ground out to short to end the game. Horn drove in two of the Nine's runs, while catcher Jody Hill (.188) homered for the Westerners. Both starters pitched outstanding games with Paul Azard (5-2 2.73) holding Waleska to three hits in seven innings and Rusty Kraft (3-5 4.31) stopping Marston on four hits over eight innnings. Wilson (0-2 3.68) was credited with his 4th save, but really was tested in the last inning, giving up one run, two hits and a walk. In a surprising move, manager Johnny Walters had outfielder Sam Dixon (1-0 0.00) pitch to one batter in the ninth. He got them out of a bases-loaded situation and got the win. Dixon has at times pitched in his career, but never in the IPA. Buddy Kennedy (1-4 4.30) suffered the loss as he surrendered two runs and three hits in his only inning. This was the only single game on the schedule today. Marston (31-20) has won four straight and is riding high atop the RU South Division. Waleska has dropped the last three games and are fifth in the division, 7.5 games out. Sunbirds Beat Lumberjacks in First Game 4-2 The Belair Beach Sunbirds got strong mound performances to win the first game of the doubleheader 4-2 against Forest City. Ken Frey (3-3 3.63) pitched into the eighth and allowed only two runs on six hits with six strikeouts. Closer Lou Zanelli (5-3 2.20) got the last four outs and fanned two of them for his 7th save. Topping the Sunbirds at bat were third baseman Mike Janocko (.308) with two hits and a homer, center fielder Pat Gilbert (.221) had two hits and an RBI, second baseman Rick Sullivan (.303) was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and catcher Dusty James (.200) drove in a run. Shortstop Pops Keller (.280) and second baseman Jesse Wolf (.303) drove in runs for the Lumberjacks. Starter Herm Bahr (5-4 3.21) lost it for Forest City, giving up all four runs and five hits in four innings. Belair Beach banged out 11 hits to the 'Jacks 6. The third place Sunbirds (26-26) now trail first place Marston by 5.5 games, while second place Forest City (27-25) is 4.5 games off the pace. FC, BB Divide Pair, 'Jacks Win Nightcap 4-1 Second place Forest City divided a pair of games with Belair Beach by taking the nightcap 4-1 behind righthander Glenn Moore. The Lumberjacks put together a three-run seventh to snap a 1-1 tie and send Terry Christian (1-2 4.78) down to defeat, although none of the four runs he allowerd were earned. The Sunbirds committed three costly errors in the game. Moore (6-2 2.33) worked a solid game, permitted only five hits, all singles, struck out four and issued three walks. Left fielder Chuck Hill (.347), second baseman Jesse Wolf (.302) and third baseman Jesse Pearson (.296) drove in runs for the winners. Both clubs were anemic with the bats. Each had only five hits. With the split Forest City (28-25) holds on to the runner-up position in the RU South and trail Marston (31-20) by four games. Belair Beach (26-27) is third and six games behind the Nine. Diamonds Take Opener 4-2 Over Rattlers Last place Claxton won the first of two with Sugar Valley 4-2 with some fine pitching by Dennis Scott, who went the route and checked the Rattlers on seven hits. Scott (4-5 3.95) whiffed eight and walked three. Southpaw Tony Michelet (4-6 4.64) also pitcher the entire game, but was done in by the three-run fourth. Michelet gave up nine hits, fanned six and walked just one batter. A walk to Donny McCoy (.361) and a double by Dixie Baker (.332) set the stage for a two-run two-bagger by left fielder Winky Rush (.281). Mike McCluskey's (.285) RBI single made it 3-1 in favor of the Diamonds. Keith Olsen's (.323) sac fly added another run in the fifth. Center fielder Freddie Vaux (.321) homered in the first for Sugar Valley and catcher Shotgun McFall (.359) doubled in the fifth for their last score. Claxton (24-29) has won the last two games and the Diamonds are getting close to escaping the cellar. They trail Marston (31-20) by eight games. The Rattlers (23-27) are fourth and 7.5 games behind. Rattlers Roll Over Diamonds 10-1, Split D'Header Sugar Valley rolled over Claxton 10-1 as Ron Benson breezed to an easy win for the split. Benson (7-6 2.81) gave up nine hits, but only one run, fanned seven and did not walk anyone in an excellent outing. The Rattlers backed him up with 11 hits and were paced by third baseman Jorge Vargas (.339), who slammed a three-run roundtripper for his 11th of the year, Benson (.176) had three hits and three RBIs, including a double, and left fielder Cy Bartz (.288) and first baseman Ken Arnold (.259) each knocked in two scores in the rout. Claxton only run came on a ninth-inning blast by first baseman Marty McCluskey (.289). Sugar Valley teed off on loser Tetsunori Nakashima (7-4 4.60) for five hits and five runs and KO'd him in the fifth. Nakashima walked five. The Rattlers (24-27) are in fourth place in the division, seven games in back of Marston (31-20). Claxton (24-30) is last and 8.5 games out. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Sunday, June 10, 2001 Tycobbian Union - East Division Nats Stun Ninjas, Win Opener 4-3 in 9th Shortstop Gil Lantz was the hero in the opener of a Sunday doubleheader between the two top clubs in the TU East. Lantz (.238) slammed a two-run double in the bottom of the ninth to give first place Ozarka a walk-off 4-3 victory over second-place Ginza. Starter Ted Didriksen (5-4 3.35) and closer Alex DiMaggio (6-2 1.80) teamed up to beat the Ninjas. Didriksen worked the first eight frames, permitted three runs on six hits and fanned six. However, the win went to DiMaggio. He sat down Ginza 1-2-3 in the ninth and struck out two of them. The Naturals outhit them 11 to 6. Lantz had a double and triple and drove in three runs. Third baseman Doug Cunningham (.238) went 2-for-4 and scored twice. First sacker Kenshin Yamamoto (.297) drilled a two-run homer for the Ninjas, number 8 for the season. Closer Ken Watkins (3-3 2.93) was the victim of the game-winning hit and was pinned with the loss. Ozarka (29-22) expanded their lead to 2.5 games over runner-up Ginza (27-25). Ninjas Divide DH with Nats, Win Nightcap 5-3 Four unearned runs in the fourth gifted Ginza with a 5-3 triumph over first place Ozarka and gained the split in the doubleheader at Ellie Ewing Stadium. Manager Huroko Uchiyama used three pitchers to whip the Nats with starter Kojiro Matsumoto (8-1 3.34) getting his 8th victory of the year. He only allowed two runs and three hits in six innings, but was constantly in trouble because of five bases on balls. Matsumoto struck out nine. Buddy Hart (2-3 4.30) came out of exile in the bullpen and gave Uchiyama two fine innings to nail down the verdict and get his first save. Donnie Young (3-3 3.76) was the losing pitcher. He was raked over the coals by the Ninjas, who hammered him for five runs and eight hits in three-plus innings, but only surrendered one earned run. Shortstop Shinjiro Aoki (.296) led the 11-hit parade for the Ninjas. He was 3-for-4, scored twice and drove in a pair of runs. Third baseman Doug Cunningham (.244) led the Naturals at bat, going 2-for-4. The showdown between first place Ozarka (29-23) and second place Ginza (28-25) ended up all even. They split the four-game series with two victories apiece. The Nats are still 1.5 games ahead in the pennant race. First Game Goes to Z's, Slip by Stallions 2-1 In the first game of the doubleheader at De la Vega Stadium in Luxora, the hometown Zorros squeezed by South Fork 2-1 in twelve innings and snapped a four-game losing spell. At the same time, Luxora ended the Stallions four-game winning streak. With two outs right fielder Pedro Vizquel (.305) doubled in pitcher Roberto Martinez (.200) with the winning run. Martinez had led off the twelfth with a double. That made closer Martinez (3-1 3.03) the winning pitcher. He went three innings, allowed no runs, three hits and faned three. Ken Conner (3-2 2.67) came on in the eleventh and failed to do the job, yielding three hits and a run in less than two innings. Booger Burchfield (3-4 3.60) twirled a terrific ten innings, limited the Zorros to just two hits, fanned four and allowed no walks. Johnny Montel of South Ford was superb as well, being touched for just three hits in nine innings, struck out seven and had zero walks. The Z's third baseman Rico Vina (.266) plated the first run of the game in the fith, when he grounded out to short. Third baseman Glenn Holliday (.220) put the Stallions only run on the scoreboard with a solo homer, when he tied the score at 1-all. He now has 8 this season. Stallions Split with Luxora Center fielder Mike Yastrzemski's clutch ninth-inning homer gave South Fork the victory and a split in the twinbill with the Luxora Zorros. The Stallions were one out from losing when Yastrzemski cracked a two-run shot off reliever Eddie Hoffman (0-2 4.01), who caught the loss. It was quite a pitchers' duel between Jerry Harrison and Francisco Fernandes. Harrison (5-3 3.74) left trailing 2-1 after eight innings. Fernandes (4-5 3.29) stopped South Fork on six hits through seven innings, but Hoffman couldn't win it for him. But Billy Joe Gordon (0-3 2.93) tossed a scoreless ninth and sealed the verdict for Harrison. It was Gordon's 6th save this season. Yastrzemski (.264) led the Stallions with 2-for-5 and two RBIs, while first baseman Paul Hallenbeck (.325) and center fielder Shotgun Boggs (.140) paced the Z's with solo homers. Luxora outhit South Fork 10-7, but left too many runners on. The Stallions (26-27) dipped to fourth place with the split, 3.5 games behind the TU East leader, the Ozarka Naturals (29-23). Cape Coral (26-26) swept a pair form Hartsdale (23-29) and edged a half-game in front of South Fork. Luxora (24-26) is fifth in the division, four games off the pace. Hurricanes Eked Out 3-2 Win Over Hellcats The first game of the doubleheader between Cape Coral and Hartsdale went to the Hurricanes 3-2. Right fielder Danny Mullins (.342) drove in center fielder Billy Abbott (.250) from third with game-winning single to give Glenn Mann (5-7 2.92) a tough loss. Katsuyuki Nagashima (2-5 2.72), who has suffered several well-pitched games, got the victory this time. Nagashima worked eight innings, allowed seven hits, two runs, fanned seven and walked only one in a fine performance. Scotty Lohmeyer (2-2 3.18) picked up his second save with a perfect ninth inning. Mann went the distance for Hartsdale, yielded ten hits, three runs with six Ks and two walks. Mullins had two hits and two RBIs top the Hurricanes hitters, while first baseman Rodger Wooten (.310) was 3-for-4. Shortstop Terry Bellino (.350) and second baseman Francisco Abreu (.294) drove in the runs for the Hellcats. Cape Coral lost center fielder James Middleton with a hand injury for one to two weeks. Manager Huggy Millers said they had signed outfielder Claude Kershaw to fill in his spot on the roster. Eric Smith will move into Middleton's place in the lineup and Kershaw will be his backup. Cape Coral Takes Two from Hartsdale At Pioneer Park in Hartsdale, Cape Coral copped both ends of the doubleheader, winning the nightcap 11-6. They have won three straight from the Hellcats. Thirteen hits, including four doubles and four homers made it easy for the Hurricanes. Center fielder Eric Smith (.232), left fielder Rod Kelly (.315), shortstop Bobo Hatfield (.280) and right fielder Danny Mullins (.316) all walloped homers. The Hellcats had fourteen hits, but couldn't match the Hurricane firepower. Only center fielder Greq Reynolds (.249) went deep for them. A five-run first got rid of Hartsdale starter Jim Sears (2-6 4.26) and a four-run fifth put Cape Coral ahead to stay 9-4. Owen Pruitt (4-4 4.21) wavered a bit, but still got credit for the victory. He tossed seven innings and gave up six runs on ten hits. Joey Martin (0-0 2.67) registered his first save as he held Hartsdale scoreless and struck out three in two innings of relief. With the sweep, the Hurricanes (26-26) moved ahead of South Fork (26-27) in the battle for third place in the division. Cape Coral is three back of first place Ozarka (29-23) and the Stallions are now fourth, 3.5 games off the pace. Last place Hartsdale (23-29) trails by six games. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Sunday, June 10, 2001 Tycobbian Union - West Division Frogs Win Opener, 6-3 Over Buccaneers Good hitting and good pitching is a hard combination to beat. That's why Fairfax is running away with the TU West. It was their second successive win over Bay St. Clair. The Frogs lashed 10 hits in whipping them 6-3 in the opener game of a twinbill at Shoreline Park. Manager Harry Buckley also got impressive mound work from his starter Robby Meredith and two relievers, Scotty Marshall and Takehidi Takahashi. Meredith (8-0 2.67) rang up his 8th victory, while giving up three runs and seven hits in six inning. He has yet to lose a game this season. Marshall (0-0 6.86) pitched a scoreless seventh and Takahashi (4-1 1.82) closed it out, not allowing a run over the last two frames. Five Frogs has two hits apiece with shortstop Warren Lee (.295) driving in two runs and third baseman Stan Cobb (.358) and second baseman Greg Inman (.278) plating one each. Cobb hit his 7th home run of the year and is tied for the batting lead with Eric Richter of Luxora. Both are sporting .358 batting averages. The Buccaneers were paced by first baseman Maury Smith (.352) with two hits and two RBIs and catcher Jake Singleton (.351) with 3-for-5 and a run batted in. Fairfax tagged Norm Gross (6-5 3.46) with loss and for six runs and nine hits in four-plus innings. Fairfax Beats Bucs Twice, Takes Second Game 7-6 The Fairfax Frogs took the twinbill from the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers, holding on to take the second game 7-6 after leading by 7-2 going into the eighth. Closer Takehide Takahashi (4-1 1.74) came in and shut the door by striking out four batters in the last two innings for his 7th save. Portsider Jimmy Dalton (6-3 4.25) got the victory despite being knocked out in the four-run eighth. Both ballclubs hit three roundtrippers each. Fairfax second baseman Scoop Estes (.293) hit a three-run shot, left fielder Gator Davis (.301) smacked a two-run homer and shortstop Warren Lee (.298) had a solo home run. For Bay St. Clair third baseman Bubba Tate (.337) blasted a three-run homer, first baseman Maury Smith (.360) got a two-run rip and left fielder Charley Moon (.267) cracked a solo shot. Smith went 3-for-4 and took over the top spot in the Tycobbian Union with a .360 batting average. The sweep gave the first place Frogs (37-15) three consecutive wins over last place Bucs (20-34). Arlon's Fitzgerald Blanks Viks 6-0 on 1-Hitter In game one of two, Arlon's Wally Fitzgerald came close to pitching the first no-hitter in IPA history, but fell short by one heartbreaking infield hit. Left fielder Glenn Burns (.312) hit a slow roller past the mound with two outs in the ninth that no one could handle. Second sacker Karl Detwiler got to it, but had no play. Fitzgerald (2-1 1.93) totaled nine strikeouts and walked four in his standout performance. Arlon rapped 13 hits in the 6-0 shutout over the Bayview Vikings at Derby Downs. Shortstop Bama Hartley (.286) and Matt Merrill (.313) led the Champions with three hits each and Jerry Keller (.329) drove in two runs with a double. The loser was Denny Copeland (0-2 4.97), who yielded four runs and six hits in two innings and went to the showing trailing 4-0. The only other one-hitter was thrown by Fairfax's Johnny Schluessler (3-5 4.39) on May 13, a 5-0 victory over La Claire. Viks Divide Twinbill, Beat Champs 4-3 in 2nd Game In the finale of the Sunday twinbill, Bayview took a close 4-3 triumph and divided the twinbill with the Arlon Champions. Third baseman Bob Klostermann's (.255) deep fly to center scored shortstop Shorty Richards from third with the decisive run. Shaky defense cost Arlon the game. A two-base error by third baseman Archie Berry (.246) and a passed ball put Richards into scoring position. It was a well-pitched game on both sides as each club had eight hits. Adrian Strom (5-3 4.02) garnered the victory. He gave up one run and three hits in three innings and struck out three in relief of starter Paul Hook, who fanned nine in just six frames, gave up 5 hits and two runs. Ace Howe (3-5 2.84), back starting after missing two weeks with a bad knee, allowed three runs and eight hits in seven innings with the defeat going to closer Jeff Nieman (5-2 1.57), who was the victim of the unearned run. Second baseman Alan Hansen (.355) had a pair of two-baggers for Bayview. He scored once and had an RBI. After the split, the second place Vikings (28-26) remained ten games in back of first place Fairfax (37-15). Arlon (25-28) is fourth in the TU West standings and are 12.5 games out. Blue Sox Bomb La Claire 10-2 in Opener Blue Lake's Bennie West was zeroed in and on target in the 10-2 massacre of the La Claire Lynx in the opening game of the doubleheader at Capitol Park Stadium. West (6-5 2.34) fired third strikes past a dozen Lynx to capture the win. He allowed eight hits and walked only two. The Blue Sox walloped a dozen hits and four homers off three pitchers and pegged the loss on Frank Lamoreaux (4-3 3.25), who surrendered four runs and six hits in three innings. Center fielder Donnie Frazier (.311) and third baseman Timmy Smith (.310) each slammed a pair of homers and drove in three runs for the winners. Frazier also scored four times. Lynx Rally to Split, Win Nightcap 6-5 Manager Rip Calkin's starter Pat Daniels (5-2 4.27) was trashed five runs in less than three innings and exited trailing 5-0. However, his relievers responded in grand fashion and blanked Blue Lake the rest of the game. The La Claire Lynx pecked away with single runs in the third, fifth and sixth, then rallied with three runs in the seventh to divide the doubleheader. In all they socked 17 hits, but left 14 men on base. The Blue Sox had 14 hits and stranded 10 runners. In the seventh, second baseman Sean Allen (.138) tied the game at 5-5 with a two-run homer and left fielder Rich Hart won it with a single. In his first starting assignment of the year, Derek Manetti (3-3 4.99) caught the loss. He permitted all six runs on twelve hits in six innings. Val Krumholtz (3-1 4.62) went four-plus innings for the win and fanned four, while allowing five hits and no runs. Nick Baumgartner (2-5 3.93) notched his 2nd save with two scoreless innings. Shortstop Dirk Lindahl (.285) and center fielder (.289) sparked La Claire with three hits apiece, while right fielder Fred Collins (.271) had a perfect 4-for-4 day for Blue Lake and Greg Boone (.300) slapped three hits. Second baseman Ken Bennett (.249) hit a three-run homer for the Blue Sox. The third place Lynx (26-27) are 11.5 games out of first place, while fifth place Blue Lake (23-29) is 14 games behind. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Monday, June 11, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - North Division A's Edge Redhawks 3-2 Glasco's skipper McDuffie Hughes promoted Duncan McFalls to a starting role and it paid off -- he stopped first place Far Mountain 3-2 on seven hits in his first start of the season. McFalls (2-0 3.14) struck out six and walked only two in a complete game. He outpitched Vic Vaux (5-3 3.30), who lost it. Vaux left trailing 3-2 in the eighth after allowing nine hits. The Athletics scored one in the first and two in the third, while Far Mountain tallied runs in the second and fifth. First baseman Francisco Robles (.269) went 3-for-4 and and left fielder Ox Beauvais (.345) 2-for-4 to pace Glasco, while shortstop Joey Cannizzaro (.319) had two hits for the Redhawks. Cannizzaro was injured while sliding into third and was removed from the game. Far Mountain (33-21) is in first place in the RU North Division and 5.5 games in front of third place Glasco (26-25). Ferrell's Grand Slam Tops Vipers 6-2 One swing of the bat gave Colfax a 6-2 victory at home over the Valmara Vipers. Third baseman Russ Ferrell (.287) unleased a grand slam in the last of the eighth off Gerry Bart (3-5 5.48) to make a winner of Robbie Smith (2-3 3.23). Smith allowed no earned runs and seven hits in going the distance. Bart yielded six runs and eight hits in defeat. Second baseman Tucker Hill (.349) led the Blasters with a 4-for-4 day. Colfax (29-24) edged closer to the division's top team, the Far Mountain Redhawks (33-21), and now are 3.5 games off the pace. Valmara (27-26) fell back to fourth place with the loss, 5.5 games behind, one percentage point out of third. V's Trounce All-Stars 11-1 Behind Kivett It has been an amazing start in the Islandian Pro Alliance for Kit Kivett of the Volusia Vigilantes. The 34-year-old righthander was signed two weeks ago to shore up a weak pitching staff and has done wonders for manager Alfonso Feliz. Kivett has proceeded to win all five starts and completed all five of them. His latest victim was the Elnora All-Stars. Kivett (5-0 1.23) trounced them 11-1 and allowed just six hits with five Ks and no walks. The V's supported him with 15 hits and were led by shortstop Scooter Perez (.357), who had a career day, going 5-for-5 with two homers and six RBIs. First baseman Alejandro Salazar (.298) also homered, drove in three runs and went 3-for-5. Taking the loss was reliever Kenny Harvey (0-1 8.36), who was ripped for four runs in the six-run second. Zoggy White, the Elnora skipper, had to use his closer Wally Tidwell as his starter. White's staff is totally depleted from yesterday's doubleheader. Tidwell worked two scoreless innings, but had to leave with back spasms. It went downhill from there. Volusia (25-29) is in the fifth spot in the RU North and eight games out of first. It was Elnora's (20-35) sixth straight defeat. The All-Stars are 13.5 games behind first place Far Mountain. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Monday, June 11, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - South Division 'Jacks Nip Nine with 2 Ninth-Inning HRs 7-6 First place Marston took a 6-5 lead in the top of the ninth against second place Forest City, but it didn't last long. Leftfielder Chuck Hill (.360) hit his 16th homer and right fielder Benny Davis (.257) got his 13th for the comeback 7-6 win over the Nine. Although outhit 15-13, the Lumberjacks has the most offensive punch. Center fielder Ryan Morse (.347) and second baseman Jesse Wolf (.309) sparked them with three hits each. Right fielder Chris Deangelo (.298) paced Marston with four hits. Reliever Nick Marceau (1-1 2.50) pulled in the win with a short one-out stint. Ken Bagby (2-3 3.23) was the losing pitcher. He surrendered the two game-deciding roundtrippers. Marston (31-21) is still on top in the RU South and is three games in front of runner-up Forest City (29-25). Rattlers Romp Over Sunbirds 8-2 In Sugar Valley, the Rattlers romped over Belair Beach 8-2 at Farmers Memorial Park. Paul Haines (2-3 3.64) got the win with an inning of help from Connie Erlichmann. Haines allowed nine hits and two runs in eight innings of work. Lefty Carl Thompson (8-4 2.04) lost it for the Sunbirds as the Rattlers pummeled him for five runs in the first three innings. Third baseman Jorge Vargas (.339) drove in five runs for Sugar Valley, including a three-run homer, his 12th of the year. Shortstop Flipper Bird (.240) also chipped in three hits and batted in two runs. Right fielder Matty McDermott (.356) led Belair Beach with 4 hits. The triumph enabled Sugar Valley (25-27) to deadlock Belair Beach (26-28) for the third spot in the division standings. Westerners Hold Off Claxton 4-3 Waleska only got seven hits in the game, but they made the most of them to beat Claxton 4-3 at Ellie Ewing Stadium. The Westerners took a 4-1 edge into the ninth and just barely escaped with a narrow victory. The Diamonds had 13 hits and wasted most of them. Smokey Joe Carter (8-5 2.80) spun a strong seven innings, giving up seven hits and only one unearned run, while striking out six and walking only one batter. Closer Buddy Kennedy (1-4 4.88) managed to save it, but came very close to blowing the game as he was tagged for two runs in the ninth. Shortstop Joey Giarussa (.182) homered for Waleska and right fielder Charley Williamson (.275) added two hits and two RBIs. The fifth place Westerners (25-28) are now 6.5 games in back of first place Marston (31-21) and Claxton (24-31) is last, 8.5 games behind. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Monday, June 11, 2001 Tycobbian Union - East Division Hurricanes Halt Naturals 8-3 The tight TU East race just got a little tighter as third place Cape Coral knocked off first place Ozarka 8-3. The Hurricanes closed the gap to just two games with their fourth win in a row. Winner Kaz Hayakawa (5-7 4.44) tossed seven innings and held the Nats to five hits and three runs with six strikeouts and only one walk. Reliever Gary Fountain (4-2 4.89) shut them down with no runs the last two frames. Cape Coral outgunned Ozarka 10-6 and were led by left fielder Rod Kelly (.324) with three hits, two runs and an RBI, New signee, center fielder Claude Kershaw (.500) had two hits and two RBIs in his first game, right fielder Billy Abbott (.262) scored four times and had two hits, and first baseman Rodger Wooten (.304) batted in a pair of scores. Center fielder Teddy Braun (.291) had a two-run homer for the Naturals, his 5th of the season. Losing pitcher Luther Hatch (7-5 3.46) had a terrible game and was racked for eight runs before being kayoed in the eighth. Ozarka (29-24) is now 1.5 games up on second place Ginza (28-26) and two games ahead of Cape Coral (27-26). Stallions Move Up with 6-1 Win Over Ninjas The Ginza Ninjas lost a golden opportunity to get within a half-game of the top spot in the TU East Division by succumbing 6-1 to the fourth place South Fork Stallions. Righthander Ken Olson (5-5 2.96) continued to give solid performances. He fanned six, walked one and checked the Ninjas on one run and nine hits. Third baseman Glenn Holliday (.221) and first baseman Alex Kesler (.233) led the well-balanced Stallion lineup with two hits apiece. Kazuhiro Nakayama (5-8 3.06) suffered the setback. He lasted only into the sixth and was rapped for five runs and seven hits. The top hitter for Ginza was catcher Toshiro Nomura (.306), who was 3-for-3. South Fork (27-27) has now risen to fourth place, only 2.5 games off the pace. Ginza is second and 1.5 games behind the top club, the Ozarka Naturals (29-24). Hellcats Top Zorros in 15-Innings 8-4 At De la Vega Stadium in Luxora, the Hartsdale Hellcats outlasted the Zorros 8-4 in 15 innings. First baseman Walt Long doubled in the winning run off losing pitcher Andy Stevens (2-2 3.78). Jackie Bond (2-1 4.46) claimed the victory with three scoreless innings. Long (.244) sparked the Hellcats with 3-for-7, scored twice and had two RBIs. Left fielder Jay Luna (.284) was 2-for-7, batted in two and scored once for the victors, while catcher Eric Richter (.366) and first baseman Paul Hallenbeck (.333) each went 4-for-7 for Luxora. The two ballclubs swatted 32 hits in all with the Z's getting 17 of them, the Hellcats 15. Hartsdale tied an IPA mark for most double plays in an extra-inning game with four. Far Mountain turned four on May 18 in a 14-inning loss to Colfax. Four is also the best mark for a regulation game and is held by the Arlon Champions, who set the record in a 4-1 win over Bay St. Clair on May 29. The Hellcats (24-29) may be in last place, but they trail Ozarka 929-24) by only five games, while Luxora (24-27) is just four games out in fifth place. |
Well done Eugene :)
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Looking forward to OOTP9. |
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You've certainly earned it, EC. Your dedication is phenomenal. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Monday, June 11, 2001 Tycobbian Union - West Division Frogs Win 4th Straight, Beat Champs 6-3 The Fairfax Frogs seem to be almost unbeatable. They just won their fourth in a row, a 6-3 decision over Arlon at the Frog Pond. Johnny Schluessler and three relievers combined for the victory. Scotty Marshall (1-0 6.75) got credit for the win for coming in and getting a key strikeout in the seventh inning. The Frogs were trailing 3-2 at the time, but came back in the bottom of the inning to score three times with pinchhitter Vince Cooper (.190) delivering a clutch two-run double to pave the way for the win. Gerry Fisher (3-1 3.66) worked a scoreless eight and Takehide Takahashi (4-1 1.69) nailed down the verdict with a perfect ninth for this 8th save. Craig Smith (6-5 3.21) took the loss, permitting five runs - only one earned - in his six-plus innings. Rightfielder Gregg Vincent (.322) had a double and a triple and drove in his 61st run, tops in the IPA. Fairfax (38-15) is unchallenged in the TU West race and has a monstrous 10-game lead over second place Bayview (29-26). Bayview Battles Back, Beats Blue Sox in 12 The Bayview Vikings battled back to beat Blue Lake 4-3 in 12 innings at home at Downtown Plaza Stadium. The Viks almost lost it in the tenth inning, but came back to tie it up after the Blue Sox had taken a 3-2 lead, then won it in the twelfth on first baseman Dwayne Coleman's (.303) RBI double. Mike Jardoin (3-3 6.39) pitched a scoreless inning for the victory, while Pete Henry (2-6 4,78) got hung with the loss in his first inning of relief. Six Bayview batters had two hits each in the 14-hit attack, while Blue Lake collected 11 hits and were paced by left fielder Greg Boone (.307) and third baseman Timmy Smith (.317) with three hits apiece. Both starting hurlers pitched well. Jay Clay (4-2 2.77) worked nine innings for the Blue Sox, struck out five and walked two and gave up eight hits. Jesus Carvajal (6-2 3.20) fired nine innings, fanned ten, walked one and surrendered eight hits as well. The exited with a 2-2 tie. Bayview (29-26) is in the second spot in the division standings, while Blue Lake (23-30) is in fifth place, 15 games off the pace. La Claire Tames Bucs 6-2, Smith Wins Jerrry Smith of La Claire finessed his way to a six-hit 6-2 victory over the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers. Smith (7-6 3.61), a crafty righthander, kept the Bucs off-balanced with an assortment of junkballs. He struck out two and walked two in a very good outing. And his teammates backed him up with 17 hits, too. Everybody in the lineup got at least one hit, including Smith, who had two. Left fielder Rich Hart (.279) and second baseman Darrell Boyce (.258) each rapped three hits and first baseman Luis Marquez (.317) got the game's only roundtripper. Buccaneer first baseman Maury Smith (.364) went 2-for-3 and doubled in his team's only two runs. Ben Crowley (3-5 4.70) had a nightmare start and gave up five runs and 13 hits and left in the fourth inning down 5-2. The Lynx evened their season record to 27-27 and are in third place, 11.5 games out of first and 1.5 games out of second place. Bay St. Clair (20-35) is in the throes of a dismal year and is 19 games behind. |
The Islandian Times
Monday, June 11, 2001 Coleman Voted Top Tycobbian Player Bayview's first baseman, 34-year-old Dwayne Coleman is this week's Star of the Week in the Tycobbian Union. The towering 6'8" Coleman lashed out a .435 batting average this past week to capture the honor. He had 10 hits, 3 homers and 9 RBIs. Coleman is hitting .301 for the season with 21 roundtrippers, 56 RBIs and has scored 44 times for the second place Vikings. He is running second to Fairfax's right fielder Greg Vincent in home runs and RBIs. Vincent leads with 23 homers and 61 RBIs. Sunbirds Swift Ruthlandian Player of the Week The Ruthlandian Union has selected 24-year-old Nicky Swift of the Belair Beach Sunbirds the Player of the Week. The slugging right fielder hit .462 (12-26) this past week, collected 13 RBIs, scored 9 runs and hit 4 homers. Thus far this season Swift had batted .339 with 20 home runs and 48 RBIs. He leads the RU in homers and is ranked in fourth in RBIs. Belair Beach is currently in third place in the RU South Division, six games off the pace. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Tuesday, June 12, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - North Division Darby-McCain Combine to Blank Redhawks 7-0 Glasco pitchers Bill Darby and Ernie McCain teamed up and blanked the first place Far Mountain Redhawks 7-0 on four hits. Darby (3-1 3.05) allowed only four singles in his seven innings of work. He fanned five and walked three before going out for a pinchhitter in the six-run seventh inning. McCain got the last six outs and struck out four batters. The losing pitcher was Sonny Elliott (6-5 3.18), who paved the way for his own downfall by dropping a pop fly in the seventh that opened the flood gates. That error led to five unearned runs. The Athletics walloped 15 hits and were sparked by second baseman Barry McCord (.297) with three hits. Four other A's had a pair of hits with left fielder Ox Beauvais (.350) and pinchhitter Lee McDougall (.235) driving in two runs apiece. It was Glasco's (27-25) fourth consecutive triumph and Far Mountain's (33-22) second defeat in a row. The A's are in a third place tie with Valmara (28-26) in the RU North standings and are 4.5 games behind the first place Redhawks. Vipers Top Blasters 6-5 Mr. Clutch came through again for Valmara. Center fielder Jan Szymanski snapped a 4-4 tie when he singled in two runs through a drawn-in infield in the top of the ninth. That made it 6-4 and the third place Vipers managed to hang on to beat the second place Colfax Blasters 6-5. Closer Danny Blauser (5-1 1.79) notched the victory despite giving up first baseman Dennis Cole's (.309) 15th homer in the last of the ninth. Walt Sellers (1-4 2.31) was bushwhacked by Valmara for four hits and two runs in the decisive inning and took the loss. The Vipers offense chalked up 14 hits and were led by Szymanski (.257) with two hits and three RBIs, running his total 49 RBIs this season, 4th best in the Ruthlandian Union. Left fielder Louis Sharp (.365) went 3-for-5 and raised his league-leading batting average to .365. Right fielder Jet Kazmarek (.290) also had three hits and stole his 26th base of the year, tops in the league. First baseman Matt Mazurek (.244) homered for the Vipers. The Blasters had nine hits and were paced by shortstop Josh Jackson (.297) with two hits and 2 RBIs. Valmara (28-26) remained tied with the Glasco Athletics (27-25) for third place, 4.5 games off the pace. Colfax (29-25) is in the runner-up spot and 3.5 games behind front-running Far Mountain (33-22). V's Deal All-Stars 7th Loss in a Row, 8-5 Strong hitting and adequate pitching paid dividends for Voluisa today in a game at Elnora. The Vigilantes slammed out 14 hits in the 8-5 victory and dealt the homestanding All-Stars a seventh straight loss. Left fielder Jesus Arroyo (.249) went 3-for-4 and batted in two runs and right fielder Lonnie Howard (.248) was 2-for-5 and drove in a pair of scores. Johnny Szwak (4-1 4.60) was the winning pitcher, although he allowed five runs and nine hits, but struck out ten. He departed with the score 8-5 in the eighth. Closer Ricky Moreno (3-1 2.08) finished Elnora off by getting the final five outs. It was his Ruthlandian Union-leading 8th save. Shortstop Johnny Zumwalt (.296) had two hits and two RBIs for the All-Stars, while left fielder Quincy Peterson and first baseman Will Jackson (.222) each homered. Starter Sean Sykes (6-5 4.98) was tagged with the loss, yielding seven runs in six-plus innings. Volusia (26-29) is in the fifth spot in the division, seven games off the pace. Elnora (20-36) is in the cellar, 13.5 games back. |
Good to see that Coleman is getting honors in Bay View for his hitting and that the Vikes are in second place. Eugene, in your opinion, who is the unsung hero for the Vikings so far this year?
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Hansen is hitting a quiet .356 from the lead-off spot with a .467 OBP and 19 SBs in 24 attempts, tops in the Tycobbian Union. He is second in the league with 45 runs scored, has walked 44 times with 15 doubles, 2 homers and 22 RBIs. He has played in 53 of Bayview's 55 games. Hansen is an outstanding second baseman with a .996 FA. He is only 22 years old. Hansen is third in batting average behind Eric Richter (.366), a very good catcher for the Luxora Zorros and Maury Smith (.364), a fine first baseman for Bay St. Clair. |
Coming up soon, I will do a summary of each ball club. listing the positives and negatives of the season so far.
That will be at the two-month mark of the season, about 10 days away in league time. It will be done around June 20th. I will also give the top five in each stat category. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Tuesday, June 12, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - South Division Marston's Pace Stops Lumberjacks 4-1 First place Marston evened the series between the two frontrunners in the RU South with a 4-1 victory over second place Forest City. Nick Pace (8-5 3.30) won his third staight game and pitched his third straight complete game. He gave up 10 hits, but was stingy with the runs. Pace struck out six and had perfect control, walking none. The Nine got all four of their runs in the seventh inning and snapped a scoreless tie. Second baseman Ken Green (.360) went 3-4 and drove in a run, while pitcher Pace (.118) doubled in two runs. The other run came across via a wild pitch. Vinny Edelman (4-4 3.20) suffered the loss, gave up all the runs on seven hits, fanned seven in eight innings and walked only one. Left fielder Chuck Hill (.353) had two hits and accounted for the 'Jack only run. Marston (32-21) expanded its lead over Forest City (29-26) to four games. Rattlers Jump to 3rd Spot in Division Playing the in the friendly confines of Farmers Memorial Park, Sugar Valley rattled the walls with three home runs to power past Belair Beach 7-5 today and move ahead of them into third place in the RU South standings. It was the third straight victory for Sugar Valley and Belair Beach's third consecutive defeat. Third sacker Jorge Vargas (.340) hit a grand slammer with catcher Shotgun McFall (.359) and right fielder Karl Dietz (.237) each banging a solo homer to spark the Rattlers. Catcher Denny Everhart (.235) led the Sunbirds at bat with a perfect 4-for-4 day with three RBIs. Both Everhart and third baseman Mike Janocko (.273) smashed one out of the park. Belair Beach had the most hits, 13-10, but still dropped the game. Harvey Hines (4-4 4.60) went into the seventh and chalked up the win with help from closer Gregg Neal. Hines permitted 13 hits and all five runs. Neal (4-3 2.15) retired all five batters he faced for his 6th save. Newcomer Sandy Kozicz (0-1 9.00) had inauspicious debut and caught the loss. He was slugged around for six runs and eight hits in six innings. Sugar Valley (26-27) is now third in the division and trails by six games. Belair Beach (26-29) is fifth and seven games behind the Marston Nine (32-21). Waleska Wallops Claxton 13-6 The Waleska Westerners went on a hitting rampage and slammed last place Claxton 13-6 at Westerner Field to slip ahead of Belair Beach into fourth place. Waleska cracked 15 hits with three players getting three hits each: first baseman Freddie Shelton (.305), center fielder Rick Vaughn (.275) and catcher Jody Hill (.207). Hill had a three-run clout and left fielder Big Hoss Burkhalter (.293) also drove in three runs. Starter Gary Hill (5-3 4.67) got credit for the win, but gave up a dozen hits and six runs in seven innings of work. Jack Wagner (2-0 4.94) tossed two runless innings in relief of Hill. Loser Pat Castellani (4-3 5.24) showered early after allowing eight runs in three-plus innings. With the win Waleska (26-28) leaped into fourth place, a half-game up on fifth place Belair Beach (26-29). The Claxton Diamonds (24-32) are dead last and 9.5 games out of first place. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Tuesday, June 12, 2001 Tycobbian Union - East Division CC Wins 5th Straight, Beats Nats 5-4 The third place Cape Coral Hurricanes are creating quite a storm in the TU East race. Manager Huggy Miller's club has won five games in a row, while first place Ozarka has lost three straight and seen its lead drop to a half-game. The Hurricanes held on today to whip the Naturals 5-4. They took a 5-2 edge into the ninth and almost didn't survive. Miller had to call on one of his starters to get the last out. And Katsuyuki Nagashima (2-5 2.7) did his job and got his first save and left runners on first and third at game's end. Wally Robinson (8-3 2.98) garnered his 8th victory, but struggled in the ninth. He allowed four runs and six hits, struck out seven and walked four. Right fielder Danny Mullins (.321) and catcher Rick Clark (.347) paced the 'Canes with two hits each. Clark had a two-run homer and Mullins had a solo shot. Losing pitcher Yasuyuki Nakagawa (6-5 2.61) was roughed up by Cape Coral for five runs and was knocked out in the sixth. Ozarka (29-25) is having trouble on the road and needs to get back home soon. The Naturals are 20-9 at Ellie Ewing Stadium, but 9-15 out of town. Cape Coral (28-26) is now only one game out of first. Ginza (29-26) is now in the runner-up spot and only a half-game behind. Ninjas Nip Stallions 2-1 Behind Rousakis Two of the better teams in the TU East had two of the better pitchers on the mound today at Ninja Stadium in Ginza. And as expected, it was a well-pitched game. Ginza's Vic Rousakis (7-5 3.15) outhurled South Fork's Flint Battle (7-5 2.66) and came out the winner 2-1. Now the Ninjas are only a half-game out of first place. Rousakis struck out nine and held the Stallions to just five hits and one run, while Battle went seven innings, gave up just two runs on five hits and fanned five. Three back-to-back singles gave Ginza its first run in the bottom of the fifth. Third baseman Toshiro Nomura (.308) drove it in. South Fork first baseman Glenn Holiday (.222) tied the score in the top of the seventh with a solo homer, his 9th of the year. The Ninjas won the game in the last of the seventh when first baseman Kenshin Yamamoto (.305) led off with a double, moved to third on a ground out, then scored on left fielder Ronnie Graf's (.267) grounder to short. Second place Ginza improved its record to 29-26 and trail the division-leading Ozarka Naturals by a scant half-game. South Fork (27-28) is in fourth place, just 2.5 games off the pace. Cape Coral is third, only one game behind. Hellcats Zap Zorros 10-7 It was a hitter's holiday at De la Vega Stadium in Luxora. The hometown Zorros and the visiting Hartsdale Hellcats wore out the pitchers to the tune of 32 hits and 17 runs. By the time the bats had cooled off Hartsdale outscored Luxora 10-7 and climbed up to fifth place, but only four games out of first in the tightly-bunch Tycobbian Union East. The Hellcats hammered out 18 hits and were topped by catcher Kevin Haynie (.434) with 4-5 and four RBIs and third baseman Whiz Weaver (.301) with 3-4, four runs and three RBIs. Weaver had two doubles and a triple. Leading the Z's at bat were second baseman Paco Benitez (.246) and first baseman Paul Hallenbeck (.332), who both drove in a pair of runs. Luxora totaled 14 hits with five players getting two apiece. Danny Griffin (5-7 3.38) was the winning pitcher, but he saw his ERA soar after being shelled for a dozen hits in seven innings and giving up six runs. Keith Callahan (5-6 3.13) had his poorest outing of the year and copped the loss. He was tagged for five runs and nine hits in three-plus innings. Hartsdale (25-29) is now out of the cellar and in fifth place, one percentage point ahead of sixth place Luxora (24-28). Both are only four games from first. It wouldn't take much for them to go from worst to first. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Tuesday, June 12, 2001 Tycobbian Union - West Division Frogs Thump Champions 7-1 The first place Fairfax Frogs made it look easy again, winning for the fifth time in a row. They belted Arlon 7-1 at the Frog Pond behind the impressive pitching of lefty Jackie Leslie (10-2 3.35), who notched his 10th victory, tops in the IPA, and a solid 11-hit offense. Leslie fanned nine, walked three and gave up only seven hits for his 8th consecutive win. Hitting-wise left fielder Gator Davis (.307) cracked two homers and batted in five runs. The defeat went to Ray Hunt (5-6 3.27), who exited in the three-run eighth after permitting six runs and ten hits. It was Arlon's third straight defeat. Fairfax (39-15) is in first place in the RU West Division, while Arlon (25-30) is in fourth place, 14.5 games behind the leader. Viks Win, Wells Blanks Blue Sox 6-0 Second place Bayview continued to roll with its third consecutive win by blanking Blue Lake 6-0. Frank Wells (5-3 3.56) tossed a fine seven-hitter, fanned five and gave up three bases on balls. He beat new signee Junior Zell (0-1 9.00), who lasted only three frames in his first start and surrendered three runs and six hits. The Vikings backed up Wells with a 10-hit attack, paced by left fielder Glenn Burns (.318) with three hits and a pair of RBIs and second baseman Alan Hansen (.360) with 2-3 and three runs scored. Bayview (30-26) is ten games out and in the second spot in the division. Blue Lake (23-31) suffered its third straight defeat and is in fifth place. Lynx Edge Bucs 1-0, Nygaard Fires 2-Hitter Tony Nygaard fired a brilliant two-hit shutout and beat Bay St. Clair 1-0 at Capitol Park Stadium in La Claire. Nygaard (2-3 3.12) had ten strikeouts and two walks in a sensational performance. A bases-loaded walked to shortstop Dirk Lindahl (.290) in the second frame was the only run of the game. Sean Lawrence (2-6 4.22) sustained the tough loss, allowing only four hits in seven innings, but he walked six and that cost him. He struck out five. It was the Lynx's fifth victory in a row and gave the Bucs their third straight loss. "I feel good physically," Nygaard told BNN after the game. "Everything's comfortable. You should pitch well when that's the case." It was anything but comfortable for Bay St. Clair. "Nygaard used his change-up very well, very effectively," the opposing manager said. "He threw it in hitter's counts." This year in 6 starts, Nygaard has recorded 2 wins and absorbed 3 losses. He has pitched 66.1 innings, allowed 50 hits, struck out 71 and has a 3.12 ERA. There were only six hits in the game, four by La Claire and two by the Buccaneers. That tied the IPA mark, currently held by six other clubs. On May 1 Waleska (4) and Belair Beach (2) only had six hits, on May 8 Blue Lake (4) and Arlon (2) tied it, and May 12 Glasco and Colfax equaled it. La Claire (28-27) is in third place and trails Fairfax (39-15) by 11.5 games. Bay St. Clair (20-36) is last in the division and 20 games out. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Wednesday, June 13, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - North Division A's Romp Over Redhawks 12-5 for 4th Straight Win Second place Glasco romped over first place Far Mountain 12-5 for its fourth straight victory. The Athletics blasted 15 hits in sending the Redhawks to a third consecutive defeat. Left fielder Ox Beauvais (.356), first baseman Francisco Robles (.281) and shortstop Kyle Ballentine (.277) all had three hits to lead the A's cause. Ballentine had the only homer in the game. Jesse Balfour (5-5 3.26) pitched well, striking out ten and holding Far Mountain to four runs before tiring and departing in the eighth. The loser was John Luzzatti (3-3 3.14), who was ripped hard for six runs -- three earned -- and left in the third inning. Catcher Dave Davis (.357) went 2-for-4 with a two-run double to pace the Redhawks. Glasco (28-25) is red-hot and is now within 3.5 games of the RU North lead. Far Mountain (33-23) heads the division. Zalewski Downs Colfax Blasters 6-2 It's a virtual three-way tie for second place in the RU North race with only a percentage point separating second place Glasco from the third place teams, Valmara and Colfax. The Vipers, with their tough lefthander Zarek Zalewski (7-3 1.79) on the hill, zipped by the Blasters 6-2. Zalewski hurled seven strong innings, surrendered six hits and one unearned run, while fanning five and walking only one. He has the best ERA in the IPA. Closer Danny Blauser (5-1 1.88) finished the game and allowed one run in two innings. Flash Guidry (6-5 2.78) left after seven frames trailing 5-1 and got credit for the defeat. Both clubs notched 8 hits each. Glasco (28-25) is now the runner-up to first place Far Mountain (33-23) with Colfax (29-26) and Valmara (29-26) right on their shirttails. All of them are 3.5 games out. Elnora's Gray Throws Shutout Elnora righthander Tyrone Gray (3-5 3.79) pitched a whale of a ballgame in blanking Volusia 2-0 at State Fair Park. He limited them to seven base hits, struck out nine and issued only one base on balls. It was Gray's second shutout this season. Left fielder Quincy Peterson (.291) was the difference as he jacked a two-run roundtripper in the sixth inning for the game's only scores. It was homer number 7 this season for Peterson. Lefty Lenny Collins (3-3 3.03) suffered a tough loss as he fanned nine All-Stars and went the distance, giving up 11 hits and walking four. Volusia (26-30) is fifth in the standings and seven games in back of the leading Redhawks (33-23), while Elnora 21-36) is deep in the basement. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Wednesday, June 13, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - South Division Redhawks Even Marston Series 9-3 Shoddy defense played a part in the Far Mountain 9-3 rout of the Marston Nine. The Redhawks picked up six unearned runs on three errors and evened the series at one game apiece between the top two ballclubs in the RU South. On the mound southpaw Herm Bahr (6-4 3.18) went the distance, struck out 11 batters and limited the Nine to just four hits. He gave up three runs in the second inning, but no more. A six-run third put the Lumberjacks over the top and pretty much decided the game. Second baseman Jesse Wolf (.311) led Forest City. He hit his 15th home run, had three hits, scored twice and drove home three runs, Third baseman Jesse Pearson (.306) also chipped in two RBIs. Ed Vogler (3-3 3.75) had an off day and took the loss, giving up seven runs in two-plus frames, but only one was earned. He fanned five and walked three before calling it a day. First baseman Chuck Barrett (.282) hit a two-run homer for the Nine. First place Marston's (32-22) lead has been cut to three games. Forest City (3-26) is in second place. Sunbirds Fly By Rattlers 7-2 with 5 HRs Five roundtrippers and a good performance from starter Ken Frey spurred Belair Beach to an easy 7-2 victory over Sugar Valley. Left fielder Nicky Swift (.347) launched two out of the park and drove in three runs. He leads the Ruthlandian Union with 22 homers. First baseman Phil Gravelli (.333) also hit two homers and drove in a pair of runs. The fifth was came off the bat of right fielder Matty McDermott (.355). Frey (4-3 3.42) registered the win, surrendering ten hits, but only two runs, whiffed eight hitters and walked no one. Tony Michelet (4-7 4.71) was the losing pitcher. The Sunbirds attacked Michelet (4-7 4.71) for five runs, three earned, and set him down in defeat. Both clubs swatted ten hits each. Belair Beach (27-29) is in third place, just one percentage point up on fourth place Sugar Valley (26-28). Fifth place Waleska (26-29) is in the mix, too. The Westerners trail by 6.5 games. Diamonds Power by Westerners 5-4 At Waleska, the Claxton Diamonds powered their way passed the Westerners 6-5 with two home runs. Sparking the Diamonds 12-hit attack was first baseman Marty McCluskey (.300) with 3-for-4, three RBIs , including a double and a homer. Center fielder Wayne Wilson (.270) had three hits and an RBI, including a roundtripper, right fielder Dixie Baker (.335) two hits and an RBI and left fielder Winky Rush (.283) with two hits, two runs and an RBI. Waleska countered with 13 hits and were paced by third baseman Ernie Fletcher (.239) with three hits, two runs and two RBIs, right fielder Rick Vaughn (.287) with three hits and second sacker (.265) with two hits and two runs. Dennis Scott (5-5 4.05) labored, but picked up the win. He allowed four runs and nine hits in seven innings of work. Saving it for him was Earl Weber (4-1 2.51), who surrendered a run and four hits in the last two innings. It was his 4th save of the season. Marv Chancellor (3-8 5.74) lost another one in a disappointing performance, permitting five runs in seven innings. Claxton (25-32) is in last place , 8.5 games off the pace of Marston (32-22). With the defeat Waleska (26-29) dropped to fifth place in the RU South Division. the Westerners are 6.5 games behind. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Wednesday, June 13, 2001 Tycobbian Union - East Division Ninjas Nab First Place, Edge SF 3-2 in 11 Innings At home at Ninja Stadium, Ginza edged the South Fork Stallions 3-2 in 11 innings to slip ahead of Cape Coral and Ozarka in the extremely tight TU East Division. Center fielder Takashi Fujimoto's sacrfice fly scored shortstop Shinjiro Aoki (.283) from third with the winning run. Aoki got a lead-off walk from loser Billy Joe Gordon (0-4 3.06), stole second and advanced to third on a ground out. Skipper Huroto Uchiyama got a superb pitching effort out of Toshiharu Ito (3-1 1.93), who worked all 11 innings, permitting eight hits and only one earned run. The crafty righthander walked four walks and had eight Ks. Fujimoto (.267) went 3-for-4 and drove in all three runs. Third baseman Glenn Holliday (.231) had three hits for the Stallions, one of them his 10th home run. Manager Lips DeRoche of the Stallions also got some very good pitching from his starter Booger Burchfield (3-4 3.27). He left with the score 2-2 after eight innings and gave up six hits and no earned runs. In the hitting departmen South Fork outhit Ginza 8-7. Ginza (30-26) moved a half-game ahead of both Ozarka (29-26) and Cape Coral (29-26) in the division, while the Stallions (27-29) fell three games back of the pack and fourth place. 'Canes on a 6-Game Roll, Tie Nats for 2nd Place The Cape Coral Hurricanes have won six games in succession. Ozarka was beaten 5-3 on left fielder Rod Kelly's (.332) two-run clout in the eighth inning, his 12th of the season. It was the Naturals fourth consecutive loss and put them in a tie for second place with the Hurricanes in the TU East race. Katsuyuki Nagashima (3-5 2.76) picked up the win despite giving up three home runs. The big portsider limited Ozarka to six hits, fanned seven batters and walked two and went all the way. There were five roundtrippers in the game. Besides Kelly's game-winner for Cape Coral, third baseman Roberto Betencourt (.206) went deep, while third baseman Doug Cunningham (.245), first baseman Floyd Snow (.242) and left fielder Ronnie Patterson (.264) drilled solo homers for the Nats. Tony Didriksen (5-5 3.38) tossed seven-plus innings and was tagged for five runs, only three of them earned, struck out three and issued a walk. The Hurricanes has 8 hits to 6 for Ozarka. Both Ozarka and Cape Coral have identical 29-26 mark for the season and are tied for the runner-up spot in the division. They trail the new leader, the Ginza Ninjas (30-26) by a half-game. Hartsdale Hammers Luxora 12-3 From top to bottom in the Tycobbian Union East Division only 4.5 games separate the teams in the closest race in the Islandian Pro Alliance. Fifth place Hartsdale is just 3.5 games out of first after notching its third straight triumph. The Hellcats hammered the last place Luxora Zorros for 18 hits in routing them 12-3. Glenn Mann (6-7 2.85) breezed to the win, surrendering three runs on nine hits, striking out five and issuing only one walk. Leading the list of Hartsdale hitters were right fielder Mel Poe (.243) with three hits and three RBIs, shortstop Terry Bellino (.352) with two hits, two RBIs and two runs, center fielder Grag Reynolds (.253) was 2-6 , scored three times and had an RBI, and second baseman Whiz Weaver (.308) had two hits and two RBIs. Poe and Reynolds both slugged their 7th home runs. Catching the loss was starter Johnny Montel (4-7 3.73). The Hellcats tore into him for seven runs in the first two innings and never looked back. Hartsdale is 26-29 on the year and Luxora is 24-29. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Wednesday, June 13, 2001 Tycobbian Union - West Division Champs Edge Frogs 2-1, First Loss for Meredith It took a lot to give Robby Meredith his first loss of the season. It took a strong start from Arlon lefthander Wally Fitzgerald and a fine finish by closer Jeff Nieman to come away with a 2-1 victory at the Frog Pond. The Champions snapped Fairfax's five-game win string and ended their own three-game loss streak. Fitzgerald (3-1 1.75) went eight innings, allowed only one and eight hits, fanned six and walked just one. Third baseman Stan Cobb's fourth inning homer was the only run he gave up. Jeff Nieman came in in the ninth and closed it out with two strikeouts and no runs. Meredith (8-1) struck out nine, but walked four in suffering his first loss. He allowed nine hits and both runs. Catcher Kelly Fox (.303) went 3-for-4 and singled in two runs in the seventh to win the game. Cobb (.361) led the Frogs with 3-for-3. First place Fairfax (39-16) is 13.5 games in front of fourth place Arlon (26-30). Bayview Beats Blue Sox with 9th Inning Rally Second place Bayview came back from a 4-1 deficit in the ninth to rally by Blue Lake 5-4 and send them to a fourth consecutive defeat. They had managed only three hits off Bennie West up to that point. Shortstop Scooter Richards rode home on left fielder Greg Boone's throwing error. Pinchhitter Daniel Wolfe singled to left to tie it up 4-4, but Boone threw it away trying to get Richards at home and cost the Blue Sox the game. Adrian Strom (6-3 3.86) was the winning pitcher as he tossed two scoreless innings. The loss went to West (6-6 2.49), who allowed seven hits in all, fanned six and walked three. Blue Lake shortstop Cy Orgeron (.245) has the only home run in the game. Richards (.257) had two hits for the Vikings and first baseman Dwayne Coleman (.302) scored twice. Hits-wise it was 9-8 in favor of Blue Lake. Bayview (31-26) has won the last four games and is in the runner-up spot in the TU West, nine games in back of Fairfax (39-16), while Blue Lake (23-32) is in fifth, 16 games out. Bucs Gross 4-Hits Lynx, Wins 4-1 "I wish I had several more like Norm Gross," Bay St. Clair manager Guy Rondre told BNN in his slight French accent. "We wouldn't be in last place, I gar-on-tee.". Gross (7-5 3.16), a short, stubby lefty, stopped La Claire's winning streak at five games and beat the Lynx 4-1 on four hits. He struck out seven and walked four. The Buccaneers backed up his strong pitching with 13 hits and were led by shortstop Chuck Hankins (.335) with 2-for-5 and two RBIs. He hit his 5th home run in the third inning, making it 2-1 and drove in another one in the eighth on a fielder's choice. The only run the Lynx got came in the first frame and it was unearned. Nailed with the loss was Frank Lamoreaux (4-4 3.36), who went the distance. Bay St. Clair (21-36) broke a three-game losing streak, but is still last, 19 games out. La Claire (28-28) is in the third spot in the division and is 11.5 game behind the front-running Fairfax Frogs (39-16). |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Thursday, June 14, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - North Division FM Snaps 3-Game Losing Streak, Tops A's 9-7 First place Far Mountain got on the right track and snapped its three-game losing streak by outslugging Glasco 9-7 at Athletics Field. Redhawks third baseman Johnny Strickland (.278) and catcher Dave Davis (.373) supplied the lumber to halt the A's win streak at four. Strickland homered and doubled and plated four runs, while Davis went 5-for-5, scored four and drove in two runs. It was Strickland's 10th home run and Davis' 6th on the year. Athletics first baseman Francisco Robles (.288) had two hits and four RBIs and right fielder Jose Valenzuela (.322) two hits and an RBI. They both hit roundtrippers. The expected pitching duel between Charles Darby and Stan Lamoreaux never materialized. Lamoreaux (4-1 3.71) won it but gave seven runs and was KO'ed in the ninth. Doc Rutledge (6-1 2.34) got the last three outs and his 7th save. Darby (8-4 2.10) lost it for Glasco, being shelled for seven runs in eight innings, but only two were earned. The A's almost came back. They were down 9-3 going into the ninth. But Rutledge shut the door. The Redhawks (34-23) lead the Ruthlandian Union North Division and are 4.5 games up on third place Glasco (28-26). The Athletics are one percentage point in front of Valmara (29-27). Blasters Back In 2nd Place, Bop Vipers 7-1 Lefthander Harry Manning hurled Colfax back into second place in the RU North with a 7-1 triumph over the Valmara Vipers at Mountain View Stadium. Manning (8-4 3.27) picked up his 8th victory with a six-hitter. Todd Turner (5-4 4.08) got chased in the fifth after allowing five runs and suffered the loss. The Blasters lived up to their name today with 14 hits and were triggered by second baseman Tucker Hill (.356) with 4-for-5 and three runs, first baseman Dennis Cole (.323) with 2-for-4 and two RBIs and third baseman Russ Farrell (.282) with two RBIs. The Vipers got the bad news today that shortstop Mike Ellefsen will be out the rest of the season and part of the next with a torn hamstring. He injured it sliding in yesterday's game. Ellefsen is hitting .312 with 8 homers, 23 RBIs and 23 runs scored this season. Manager J. Jackson Samuel said three players would vie for the position: Matt Muzurek (.236), Scotty Peterson (.256) and new signee, 35-year-old Cazzie Karunas. Colfax (30-26) is now 3.5 games behind the division leader, Far Mountain (34-23). Valmara (29-27) is now fourth and 4.5 games out of first. V's Vault Past All-Stars 10-3 with 3 HRs Three home runs and Raul Sandoval made it easy for the Volusia Vigilantes to vault past Elnora 10-3. Center fielder Jesus Arroyo (.253) ripped two roundtrippers and powered in four runs, while right fielder Dan Rogers (.269) had a two-run salvo in the V's 10-hit assault. Sandoval (6-6 2.70) was strong and steady as usual and pitched his 8th complete game, permitting eight hits with five Ks and three BBs. Sandoval (.178) even singled in two runs. Loser John Tinker (3-8 4.87), just restored to the starting rotation by manager Zoggy White, was treated roughly by Volusia, being pelted for six runs in less than two innings. Center fielder Rusty Gilbert of the Elnora All-Stars was injured while trying to make a catch in the first inning and will miss about a week. Gilbert was hitting .281 with 4 homers, 16 RBIs and 18 runs in 39 games. 25-year-old outfielder Sammy Marlaire has been signed to replace him on the roster. The Vigilantes (27-30) are fifth in the standings, seven games out, while Elnora (21-37) has the worst record in the IPA and are laboring deep in the cellar, 13.5 games behind. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Thursday, June 14, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - South Division Rattlers Benson Sets New IPA K Mark It was a recording-setting day for Sugar Valley's Ron Benson. He set a new IPA mark by striking out 15 Belair Beach Sunbirds. He just cruised through their lineup taming them 5-0 on just four singles. Benson (8-6 2.57) walked not one single batter in an outstanding mound performance. His teammates gave him good support with an 11-hit attack, headed by third baseman Jorge Vargas (.354), who had three hits, and second baseman Rudi Oliver (.340) with a two-run homer. "Ron was very efficient and he hit his spots," his manager Gibby Bobkins said. "He stayed down in the zone and stayed away from the middle of the plate." Taking the loss was Terry Christian (1-3 4.84), who gave up four runs and nine hits in seven innings. The previous record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game was held by Flash Guidry of the Colfax Blasters. He fanned 14 Glasco A's in an 8-1 victory on May 12. La Claire's Tony Nygaard also rung up 15 Blue Lake Blue Sox on May 31, but it took him 11 innings to do it. In 14 starts this season Benson has crafted a 8-6 record with a 2.57 ERA. Sugar Valley (27-28) is in the third spot in the division, six games off the pace. Belair Beach (27-30) is fourth and trails first place Marston (33-22) by seven games. Marston Mauls Lumberjacks 7-1, Azard Winner The Marston Nine busted open a close game with a four-run ninth to whip Forest City 7-1 and even the series at two games apiece. Paul Azard (6-2 2.52), a slender 6'5" southpaw, fired a fine game, limiting the Lumberjacks to six hits. He struck out three and had no walks. Glenn Moore (6-3 2.32) was the loser. He yielded seven hits and three runs in eight innings, leaving with the score 3-1. Moore fanned eight and issued only one walk. Shortstop Lennie Torricelli (.278) cleared the bases in the ninth with a double to lead the Nine with three RBIs. He had two hits and scored twice. Center fielder Tommy Reinhold (.303) homered in the first for Marston. Left fielder Chuck Hill (.347) hit his 17th homer for Forest City's only score. Marston outhit the 'Jacks 11 to 6. First place Marston (33-22) moved four games in front of second place Forest City (30-27) in the Ruthlandian Union South race. Nakashima Spins 1-0 Shutout Over Westerners At Westerner Field in Waleska the Claxton Diamonds got a sparkling performance from Tetsunori Nakashima, who shut out the hometown Westerner 1-0. Nakashima (8-4 4.23) notched his 8th win and finished up the game with five strikeouts and only two walks. He allowed nine hits in the game. Right fielder Dixie Baker saved the game with a diving catch to end the game in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded. Rusty Kraft almost matched Nakashima, but gave up an RBI single in the fifth to left fielder Winky Rush (.288) to score second baseman Donny McCoy (.354) with the only run of the game. Kraft (3-6 4.07) lost it, giving up ten hits, while striking out five and walking two. Claxton totaled 11 hits to Waleska's 9. Both teams stranded a lot of baserunners. The Diamonds left 11 on base, while Waleska left 10. Waleska (26-30) is just barely holding on the fifth place, a game ahead of Claxton (26-32). The Westerners are 7.5 games out of first and the Diamonds trail by 8.5 games. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Thursday, June 14, 2001 Tycobbian Union - East Division Nats Back on Top, Nudge CC 4-3 Ozarka is back on top of the TU East Division after they curtailed Cape Coral's winning steak at six games with a 4-3 triumph. At the same time the Naturals snapped a four-game losing spell. Ozarka slipped a half-game ahead of Ginza, when the Ninjas fell to South Fork today. Giant righthander Donnie Stone (4-3 3.69) rose to the occasion and checked the Hurricanes on three runs and seven hits before he tired in the ninth. He walked two batters with two outs and needed closer Alex DiMaggio (6-2 1.78) to get the last out. DiMaggio chalked up his 3rd save. Cape Coral starter Owen Pruitt (4-4 3.93) was breezing along with a 3-1 lead heading into the eighth. Ozarka erupted for three runs to go up 4-3 on third baseman Doug Cunningham's (.250) RBI single and shortstop Gil Lantz's (.229) two-run game-winning blast. Reliever Scotty Lohmeyer (2-3 3.00) served up the decisive home run and absorbed the loss. Lantz and Cunningham topped the Nats with two RBIs each. Cunningham hit his 16th homer and catcher Rick Clark (.341) cracked a two-run roundtripper for the 'Canes. Center fielder Teddy Braun (.300) went 3-5 to lead Ozarka, while shortstop Bobo Hatfield (.285) was 3-4 and first baseman Rodger Wooten (.299) was 2-4 for Cape Coral. Ozarka regained first place with a 30-26 mark and are a half-game in front of second place Ginza (30-27). The Sunbirds slipped to third (29-27), but only one game off the pace Stallions Gallop Past Ginza 5-2 At Ninja Stadium in Ginza, the South Fork Stallions dealt the Ninjas a severe loss 5-2 as Jerry Harrison went the distance. Harrison shut them down on seven singles to win for the 6th time this season and knocked them out of first place. The crafty lefthander struck out three and walked only one in a solid outing. Suffering the defeat was Ginza's fine diminutive 5'7" righthander Kojiro Matsumoto (8-2 3.32). He allowed four runs on six hits over six innings, only two earned. The Ninjas committed three errors. Matsumoto fanned five and issued one base on balls. South Fork third baseman Glenn Holliday walloped a three-run homer in the third inning, the first allowed by Matsumoto this year. Catcher Darryl Burnett and first baseman Rod Reed (.184) drove in the other two scores. The Ninjas shortstop Shinjiro Aoki (.291) paced them with three hits. Ginza (30-27) is now a half-game behind Ozarka (30-26) in the battle for the TU East lead. South Fork (28-29) is not far behind in fourth place, trailing by only 2.5 games. Zorros Zonk Hellcats 9-4 Manager Alejandro Rodrigo's Luxora Zorros broke out the bats to put an end to a 4-game slump and zonked Hartsdale 9-4. That also stopped the Hellcats win skein at three games. Third baseman Roberto Vina (.279) led the way with 2-3 and three RBIs, including his 7th homer. First baseman Paul Hallenbeck (.330) collected his 9th home run and batted in two runs and catcher Eric Richter (.365) was 3-5 with an RBI and scored twice. Z's second baseman Paco Benitez (.254) added three hits and scored two runs. Hartsdale center fielder Greg Reynolds (.257) knocked in two runs with two hits. Reynolds hit his 8th roundtripper. In the game Luxora had 14 hits and the Hellcats 11. Registering the win was starter Francisco Fernandes (5-5 3.42). He worked the first seven frames and yielded all four runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and a walk. Andy Stevens (2-2 3.20) closed it out with two runless innings. Despite the defeat Hartsdale (26-30) held on to fifth place by a percentage point. Luxora (25-29) is in last place. Both clubs are only four games out. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Thursday, June 14, 2001 Tycobbian Union - West Division Champs Gig Frogs Two Days in a Row At the Frog Pond, the Arlon Champions won for the second straight day, dropping the Fairfax Frogs 4-2. First baseman Brad Ray (.327) led the way with two hits and three RBIs to knock off the first place Frogs. Skipper Gary Louis' mound staff did their job, too. Ace Howe started and went into the seventh and was taken out when there were two rain delays. Howe (4-5 2.84) got the victory, permitted eight hits and two runs with seven Ks and four walks. Relievers Sean Dudek (1-4 5.24) retired his two batters in the seventh and Rod Kelley (2-2 4.09) wrapped up the game with a scoreless eighth and ninth, yielding a hit and fanning one. It was Kelley's 2nd save. Fairfax's lefty Jimmy Dalton (6-4 4.26) took the loss, going into the ninth, surrendering eleven hits and all four runs. The Champs had the edge in hits 11-9 over the Frogs. Fairfax (39-17) is still uncontested in the TU West Division. Arlon (27-30) is in fourth place, 12.5 games behind the Frogs. Vikings Bomb Blue Sox 9-4, 5th Straight Win The Bayview Vikings bombed Blue Lake 9-4 for their fifth win in succession and the Blue Sox fifth loss in a row. The Viks smacked 13 hits and ran up a 9-0 lead in the first four frames. First baseman Dwayne Coleman (.305) went 2-for-5 and drove in three runs to take over the RBI lead with 63 in the Tycobbian Union. Coleman also collected his 22nd home run, placing him second to Greg Vincent of Fairfax, who has 23. Vincent is now number two in RBIs with 62. Blue Sox second sacker Ken Bennett (.260) did the most damage with a three-run homer, number 8 this season for him. Paul Hood (3-2 3.00) went the route, holding Blue Lake to four runs and six hits with seven strikeouts and three walks. Derek Manetti (3-4 5.45) in his second start this year caught the loss by allowing six runs in two-plus innings. The Blue Sox played it loose in the field and committed three errors, costing them four runs and the ballgame. Bayview (32-26) is the number two team in the division, eight games in back of Fairfax (39-17). Blue Lake (23-33) is fifth in the standings, 16 games behind. Lindahl's 3-Run Smash Wins for Lynx La Claire Lynx shortstop Dirk Lindahl boomed a dramatic three-run homer in the last of the ninth to send Bay St. Clair to a sudden 8-6 defeat at Capitol Park Stadium. Manager Rip Calkin's Lynx rallied from 5-2 and 6-4 deficits to garner the win with a four-run ninth off losing pitcher Johnny Nikolsky (3-4 5.10) and gave the victory to Nick Baumgartner (3-5 3.88), who retired the Buccaneers in order in the top of the inning. Lindahl (.293) was 2-for-5 for the winners and scored twice, while catcher Dennis Weiss (.269) was 2-for-4 with two runs batted in. Weiss also homered, his 7th of the year. Bay St. Clair outgunned them 14 to 13, but still came up short in the run department. Shortstop Chuck Hankins (.343) had three hits and scored twice, third baseman Bubba Tate (.350) had three hits and center fielder Nickie Friedrich (.299) drove in a pair of runs with a double. The Lynx (29-28) moved over the .500 mark and are in third in the TU West, 10.5 behind, while the Buccaneers (21-37) are still deep in the cellar, 19 games out. |
Islandian Pro Alliance
Friday, June 15, 2001 Ruthlandian Union - North Division A's Down Redhawks Again, McFalls Beats Them 9-1 Glasco did it again. For the fourth time in five games they have beaten the first place Far Mountain Redhawks. And now the A's are in second place. This time it was righthander Duncas McFalls (3-0 2.63) turning in a strong effort and stopping them 9-1. McFalls had plenty of help, too. The Athletics pounded out 15 hits, while the Redhawks got 9. Left fielder Ox Beauvais (.362) hit his 12th homer, doubled and drove in two runs, going 3-for-4 and scored twice. Catcher Nick O'Neil (.281) had two hits and two RBIs. Four other A's collected two hits each and every regular had at least one hit. The IPA's leading hitter Dave Davis, catcher for Far Mountain, went 3-for-4 and ran his average up to .380. It was a long day for Vic Vaux (5-4 3.49), starter for the Redhawks. He was tagged with the loss after surrendering six runs in five-plus innings. Trailing 1-0, Glasco put up three runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth to waylay Far Mountain. Second place Glasco (29-26) cut Far Mountain's (34-24) margin to 3.5 games over the A's in the RU North Division. The Athletics are a skimpy one percentage point ahead of Valmara and Colfax, who have the same 30-27 record. Vipers Tie Blasters for Third Place At Colfax, the Valmara Vipers snapped a 3-all game with single runs in the seventh and ninth to edge the Blasters 5-3 and move into a tie with them for third place in the RU North race. Both clubs are one percentage point behind Glasco, which eased by them into the second spot in the standings. First baseman Yank Jankowski's (.290) 3rd homer of the season won it in the seventh. Right fielder Jet Kazmarek (.288) singled in an insurance run in the ninth. Gerry Bart (4-5 5.33) was the winning pitcher, teaming with Valmara's bullpen ace, Danny Blauser for the win. Bart worked seven innings, gave up three runs and seven hits, while Blauser (5-1 1.82) got his 4th save with two shutout innings. Southpaw Robbie Smith (2-4 3.19) went the route for Colfax, allowed five runs, three earned, nine hits, fanned five and walked three. First baseman Dennis Cole (.321) powered his 17th home run for the Blasters, who had 8 hits. Cole leads the Ruthlandian Union with 54 RBIs and is second in homers and runs . He has scored 49 times. Colfax and Valmara have identical 30-27 records this year. Today Glasco (29-26) moved up to second with a victory over Far Mountain. All three clubs are 3.5 games in back of the first place Redhawks. All-Stars Crush Vigilantes and Kivett 12-6 Elnora had their work cut out for them. They were facing unbeaten Kit Kivett, who had won all five of his games and went the distance in each one of them. He came into the game with a microscopic 1.73 ERA. Well... Surprise! Surprise! The All-Stars sent him home early, battering him for 12 hits and five runs in four-plus innings. Kivett (5-1 2.03) left trailing 5-2 and got his first loss this season. First baseman Will Jackson (.227) led the charge with two hits and five RBIs, including a grand slam. New center fielder Sammy Marlaire (.299) had a homer in his first game for Elnora. Second baseman Gil Foster (.341) went 3-4 and scored three times. Pinchhitter Harry Wight (.225) chipped in with a three-run double. All total, the All-Stars ravaged four Vigilante pitchers for 16 hits. Volusia got 12 off of Pat Savoie and Alonso Herrera. Savoie (1-0 1.57) hurled a very effective seven innings in his first start of the season. He stopped Volusia on two runs and seven hits, fanned nine and walked only one. Herrera (0-2 8.04) was ripped for four runs and five hits over the last two frames. Elnora (22-37) is in last place, 12.5 games off the pace. The Vigilantes (27-31) are in fifth place, seven games out. |
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