THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 16, 2042

SF'S WILKERSON CHOSEN 2042 PRO CUP MVP
9-year veteran Jess Wilkerson was chosen the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player for 2042 for his impressive performance in this year's postseason playoffs. He paced the South Fork Stallions to a sweep of the Colfax Blasters, thus giving them their second Pro Cup trophy in the team's history.

The 33-year-old shortstop sparked the Stallions with a .400 batting average in 18 games with 6 doubles, 6 homers, 18 RBIs and 11 runs scored. During the regular season Wilkerson batted .299 with 23 homers and drove in 93 runs. Lifetime he is a .290 hitter.

In the voting conducted by The Islandian Times Wilkerson won by a good margin over teammate Chris Sorensen, who came in second. Sorensen was 4-1 in five starts in the playoffs with a 3.00 ERA. South Fork closer Gary Golden was third in the balloting. He chalked up four saves in five appearances in the postseason and didn't allow a single hit or walk in five innings of relief. Golden retired all 15 batters that he faced.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 17, 2042

IPA GOLD BAT WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The IPA announced its Golden Bat winners for 2042 today. The best batter in the Ruthlandian Union was Nioka Inkamara of the Wynnamac Sundowners, while the Tycobbian honor went to Rikky Van Dalen of the Cape Coral Hurricanes. It was the second time Inkamara has received the award and the first time for Van Dalen.

Ruthlandian Union Golden Bat:
1. Nioka Inkamara (Wynnamac): .329 BA, 49 HR, 141 RBI, 117 runs
Inkamara topped the IPA with 141 RBIs and was second in the RU with 49 HRs... the 25-year-old star RF paced the Sundowners to the Ruthlandian East Divsion title... his five-year career average is .309.

2. Bobby Gamble (Sugar Valley): .312 BA, 28 HR, 112 RBI, 120 runs, 26 SB
Gamble finished first in the RU with 120 runs and sparked his Rattlers to the third spot in the standings behind Wynnamac and Beechwood... the 29-year-old RF has already collected four Golden Bats in his exceptional career.

3. Nicky Farrugia (St. John): .338 BA, 35 HR, 102 RBI, 104 runs
Farrugia, age 33, led the Crusaders to the RU South pennant.. Farrugia was sixth in the batting race with a .338 average.

Tycobbian Union Golden Bat
1. Rikky Van Dalen (Cape Coral): .371 BA, 31 HR, 103 RBI, 125 runs, 19 SB
superstar Van Dalen was the number one hitter in the IPA with a .371 BA and 222 hits (tied with Gerry Sives of Colfax and John Velasco of Fairfax)... he led the IPA with 125 runs and came in fifth in the TU with 123 runs batted in... the Hurricanes wound up third in the TU South standings... Van Dalen has played in the league for seven seasons and boasts a .310 lifetime BA.

2. John Velasco (Fairfax): .349 BA, 22 HR, 118 RBI, 109 runs, 10 SB
the Frogs came in a close second to Hartsdale in the TU North race... the 36-year-old second baseman carries a .296 BA with 326 HRs for his 17 years in the IPA, all with Fairfax.

3. Adam Thurgood (North Hills): .344 BA, 40 HR, 119 RBI, 98 runs
Thurgood, age 31, led his Hawks to a third-place finish this year... the outfielder was fourth in the TU with a .344 average, third with 215 hits and ninth with 119 RBIs.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 18, 2042

TOP TWIRLERS NAMED IN IPA
The IPA named Scotty Price of Sligo and Jay Murphy of South Fork the top twirlers for the 2042 season. Price was picked as the best pitcher in the Ruthlandian Union and received this year's Golden Arm Award, while the Tycobbian Union gave its Golden Arm trophy to Murphy. Both recipients are first-time winners.

Ruthlandian Union Golden Arm:
1. Scotty Price (Sligo): (21-13/2.07)
Price paced the RU with a terrific 2.07 ERA and led the Rovers to a fourth-place finish this year in the RU West... in his seven-year career Price has posted a 106-67 mark with a standout 2.48 ERA... Price, age 31, was a reliever for his first three seasons and has 59 saves.

2. Jeremy Kirk (St. John): (21-14/2.59)
Kirk was one of the prime reasons the Crusaders won the pennant in the RU South... in his 11 years in the IPA Kirk is 196-134 with a fine 3.04 ERA... Kirk has won 20 games five times in his career... he is 29 years old.

3. Hot Dog Huxtable (LaGrange): (24-10/2.79)
the 27-year-old lefty chalked up 20 victories for the first time in his career and helped the Sports back into contention again... they were seventh in 2041 and leaped up to second this year... Huxtable tied for the Ruthlandian league lead with Sam Nathan of the Claxton Diamonds with 24 wins... they fourth overall in the IPA... Billy Hoover was first with a 26-11 mark for the Southport Sun Sox in the Tycobbian Union.

Tycobbian Union Golden Arm:
1. Jay Murphy (South Fork): (25-7/1.90)
Murphy was tied for second place, along with Jayson Hallstrom of Summerland for the most wins in the IPA... only Southport's Billy Hoover with 26 had more wins... South Fork won the TU East this season... Murphy easily led the IPA with a fabulous 1.90 ERA... this was the second straight season he won 20 games... lifetime the 27-year-old Murphy is 80-46 with an impressive 2.96 ERA in his five years in the league... he was a mediocre reliever in his first two seasons and notched 23 saves with a 16-22 mark..

2. Jayson Hallstrom (Summerland): (25-9/2.05)
Hallstrom was a very close second to Murphy in the voting... he tied him for second place in victories and placed second in ERA... the Sunsets wound up fourth in the TU South standings.

3. Billy Hoover (Southport): (26-11/2.16)
Coming in a very close third in the Golden Arm balloting Hoover was the IPA leader in wins with 26 and fourth in ERA with an exceptional 2.16... the Sun Sox had the most victoies in the IPA with 100 and won the TU South Division crown.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 19, 2042

BEST ROOKIES CHOSEN BY IPA
Picking were very sparse this season all across the Islandian Pro Alliance. There wasn't much of a rookie crop except for a couple of pitchers and a few batters. St. John's super newcomer Frank Long was chosen the Ruthlandian Rookie of the Year and San Alejo's splendid southpaw Will McKinney garnered the Tycobbian best freshman honor.

Ruthlandian Union Rookie of the Year Award:
1. Frank Long (St. John) (19-15/2.89)
the 22-year-old right-hander had a hand in the Crusaders' winning the RU South Division flag... he had 23 complete games, four shutouts and struck out 243 batters in 301 innings... Long easily won the award, far outdistancing his peers.

2. Troy McFarland (Eastshore): .269 BA, 22 HR, 80 RBI, 80 runs, 17 SB
RF McFarland was one of the few bright spots for the last place Elegants.

3. Mike Matthews (Beechwood): .247 BA, 12 HR, 51 RBI, 87 runs, 28 SB
Matthews is fleet of foot and handles the glove very well.

Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year Award:
1. Will McKinney (San Alejo): (24-10/2.63)
no contest in this league either as McKinney won all the first place votes with a super season... McKinney was a vital part of the Montaneros' second-place finish in the TU South race... this 100-mph left-hander led the IPA with 290 Ks in 314 innings, had 18 complete games and four shutouts.

2. Aldon Belew (Kenwood): .294 BA, 6 HR, 72 RBI, 65 runs
the first sacker played a role in the Wildcats winning their second TU West this year.

3. Ace Diamond (Colchester): .228 BA, 34 HR, 95 RBI, 69 runs
He didn't hit much for average, but first baseman Diamond produced quite a bit of offense with 34 homers and 95 RBIs to spark the Elites to a break-even season in the TU South... they came in seventh in the standings, but had a 77-77 record.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 20, 2042

IPA MVP AWARDS GO TO INKAMARA AND VAN DALEN
The IPA Golden Bat winners Nioka Inkamara of Wynnamac and Rikky Van Dalen of Cape Coral became double winners this year by also hauling in the much-coveted Most Valuable Player honors. The Ruthlandian Union also made Inkamara the league's MVP and the Tycobbian Union did likewise to Van Dalen. This was the first time the two very talented players were honored as MVPs.

Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player Award:
1. Nioka Inkamara (Wynnamac): .329 BA, 49 HR, 141 RBI, 117 runs
Inkamara put up valuable numbers that helped the Sundowners win the RU East Division for the first time in over a decade... he paced the IPA with 141 RBIs and was tied for second with 117 runs in the RU... after five years in the league Inkamara has compiled a strong .309 BA.

2. Nicky Farrugia (St. John): .338 BA, 35 HR, 102 RBI, 104 runs
the talented outfielder was a vital cog in St. John taking the RU South Division title... without his offensive output they wouldn't have won it... in his nine-year career Farrugia is sporting a tremendous .327 BA, which is currently ranked 10th best all-time in the IPA.

3. Bobby Gamble (Sugar Valley): .312 BA, 28 HR, 112 RBI, 120 runs, 26 SB
Gamble is the "Mr. Everything" in Rattler history with a .316 lifetime BA in 10 seasons, 4 Golden Bats and 2 MVPs... also a Golden Glover... the gifted outfielder was an important ingredient in Sugar Valley's third-place finish in the RU East... he came in third in the IPA in scoring runs with 120 this season... was tied for second with 39 doubles.

Tycobbia Union Most Valuable Player Award:
1. Rikky Van Dalen (Cape Coral): .371 BA, 31 HR, 123 RBI, 125 runs, 19 SB
It was a marvelous year for Van Dalen... he topped the IPA with a .371 BA, was a co-leader with 222 hits and led in runs scored with 125... and his Hurricanes came in third in the TU South... Van Dalen has hit a healthy .310 in his seven-season career.

2. Billy Hoover (Southport): (26-11/2.16)
He led the Sun Sox to their first pennant in 15 years... his 26 wins led the IPA... Hoover was fourth in the IPA with a 2.16 ERA... he also led the IPA with 8 shutouts and 30 complete games... at age 27 Hoover has been in the league for four years and has a 73-57 mark with a fine 2.94 ERA... this was his first 20-game season.

3. Jay Murphy (South Fork): (25-7/1.90)
Murphy was a vital link in the Stallions' second consecutive Tycobbian East title... he was tied for second in the IPA in victories with 25... led the IPA with a remarkable 1.90 ERA and Murphy was given the Golden Arm Award for his mound accomplishments, but he lost a close race to Van Dalen and Hoover for the prestigious MVP award.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 21, 2042

TOP IPA SKIPPERS ANNOUNCED FOR 2042
Two long-time skippers finally hauled in their first Manager of the Year trophies. Both winners have been at the helm for 41 years, the teams' complete history. No one else has ever managed either club. Matt Donnelly of Wynnamac and Charley Oscar of Southport were acclaimed the 2042 Managers of the Year. Donnelly was named the Ruthlandian skipper of the year and Oscar picked up the Tycobbian trophy.

Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year:
1. Matt Donnelly (Wynnamac):
Donnelly took the Sundowners from worst-to-first this season, going from 64-90 and 22 GB to the top spot in the RU East with an 89-65 mark... it was the first pennant for Wynnamac since 2030... in his career Donnelly has won one Pro Cup (2008) and six division titles.

2. Ilya Szabo (Colfax):
the Blasters rose up from second and 3 GB to first place in the RU West... the team record went from 87-67 to 93-61, the best in the RU this year.

3. Rusty Denicola (Kilkenny):
For the first time in the team's history, the Cats made the playoffs this year, ending a 41-year drought... Kilkenny climbed up from third place and 13 GB to first place with a 92-62 record.

4. Joe DeLucca (Volusia):
Hall-of-Famer DeLucca won his first pennant in seven seasons at the head of the Vigilantes... the V's shot up from 72-82 and seventh place (18 GB) to 92-62 and a very close second to Colfax in the RU West, losing out by just one game.

Tycobbian Union Manager of the Year:
1. Charley Oscar (Southport):
the Sun Sox picked up its first TU South pennant since 2028... they rose up from 67-87 and seventh place (30 GB) to the top spot with a 100-54 record, the best in the IPA this season... they were favored to win the Pro Cup this year, but were eliminated in the first round by Hartsdale.

2. Jud Turchin (Hartsdale):
the Hellcats were vastly better this year... they were sixth and 17 GB in 2041 with a 78-76 record... in 2042 they were a sparkling 92-62 and upset perennial powerhouse North Hills in the TU North, thus snapping the Hawks' eight-season domination of the division... Hartsdale last won the pennant in 2029.

3. Jack Elliott (High Mesa):
the greatest player in IPA history is now making a name for himself as a novice manager... his Cowboys jumped from 71-83 and sixth place (16 GB) to a very close runner-up spot in the TU East... they wound up 84-70 and were beaten out by Kenwood by just a game.

4. Aaron Hankins (Kenwood)
Hankins kept his Wildcat on top in the TU West for the second year in a row... they improved from 90-65 to 94-60 this season... just barely beating out High Mesa by one game.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 22, 2042

2042 ALL-DEFENSE TEAMS CHOSEN IN IPA
The supermen with the golden mitts have been selected in the IPA. The top defenders in the Ruthlandian Union and Tycobbian Union were announced by the IPA headquarters today. There were very few repeat winners this season. Third baseman Billy Christianson of the Rolling Hills Reds won his seventh Golden Glove, catcher Jaak Pajukivi of the Ozarka Naturals claimed his fourth trophy and first baseman Fred Phelps of the Chicopee Braves and center fielder Sogo Takagi of the Ginza Ninjas both were honored for the second time.

The only multiple winners in the Ruthlandian Union were first baseman Denny Simmons of the Sligo Rovers and right fielder Bobby Gamble of the Sugar Valley Rattlers. They were named for the second time in their careers to the Golden Glove team. Only two clubs had more than one representative. Sugar Valley of the Ruthlandian Union and Chicopee of the Tycobbian Union each has two players named to the top defensive team.

Tycobbian Golden Glove Team:
P Joey Santini (North Hills) (16-14/3.64) (.989 FA)
C Jaak Pajukivi (Ozarka) (.235/12/53/62) (.995 FA/3 PB/34.6% RTO)
1B Fred Phelps (Chicopee) (.257/17/58/75) (.995 FA)
2B Country Crowder (Kenwood) (.349/2/65/91) (.990 FA)
3B Billy Christianson (Rolling Hills) (.243/10/82/82) (.979 FA)
SS Warren McKenzie (White River) (.265/39/122/89) (.992 FA)
LF Jesse Shaw (Red Bluff) (.293/21/51/83) (.984 FA)
CF Sogo Takagi (Ginza) (.305/23/80/111) (.987 FA)
RF Denny Halverton (Chicopee) (.279/14/51/75) (.989 FA)

Ruthlandian Union Golden Glove Team:
P Lucian Kairis (Ancona) (11-20/5.12) (.985 FA)
C Antonio Dominguez (Valmara) (.264/15/64/59) (.998 FA/5 PB/32.7% RTO)
1B Denny Simmons (Sligo) (.322/24/96/94) (.997 FA)
2B Ted Macy (Belle Plaine) (.258/17/66/87) (.978 FA)
3B Jason Butler (Belair Beach) (.317/44/124/100) (.952 FA)
SS Antos Dacko (Valmara) (.274/9/44/60) (.967 FA)
LF Eldon Aldridge (Ancona) (.274/37/104/92) (.997 FA)
CF Carl Ramsey (Sugar Valley) (.262/29/112/83) (.993 FA)
RF Bobby Gamble (Sugar Valley) (.312/28/112/120) (.993 FA)

That puts a wrap on season number 2042... get set for season 2043 at a ballpark near you.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, June 21, 2043

TU STARS, RU STARS TANGLE IN ALL-STAR CLASSIC
The annual diamond classic known as the IPA All-Star Game is slated for this Wednesday afternoon in South Fork at Jock Ewing Stadium, the home of the defending Pro Cup champion. The Tycobbian Union All-Stars and Ruthlandian Union All-Stars have been selected in a vote conducted by The Islandian Times. Newspaper scribes, along with television and radio broadcasters were polled to determine the best of the best baseball players in the Islands. Three teams had three players each on the squads: Colfax and San Dimas of the Ruthlandian Union and Turon of the Tycobbian league.

Bayview slugger Jerry Culpepper was named for the 10th time in his career to the TU Stars... making his eighth appearance is Adam Thurgood of North Hills... this will be number seven for Corky DiNozzo of Kenwood, number five for Wayman Stetson of Denton City and Sogo Takagi of Ginza... and the fourth time for Jayson Hallstrom of Summerland.

For the Ruthlandian Stars Eastshore's Johnny Petrak and Sugar Valley's Bobby Gamble will be appearing for the eighth time in their careers... Chet Penn of Colfax is a seven-time participant... Claxton star Jojo DeLucca has been picked six times... and Nicky Farrugia of St. John and Cannon Johnson of Elnora are five-time selections.

Ruthlandian All-Stars:
SP Arnie Ayers (LaGrange) (16-2/1.68)
SP Joel Eaton (Grand City) (14-1/2.64)
SP Pat Meyers (Glasco) (14-4/3.43)
SP Jordy Raeburn (Fort Benton) (10-1/1.88)
SP Gil Arnaud (San Dimas) (10-6/2.86)
SP Teddy Twardzik (Valmara) (11-4/2.74)
SP Scotty Price (Sligo) (11-5/2.99)
CL Davey Hunter (Sligo) (3-3/1.21/12 saves)
C Cannon Johnson (Elnora) (.307/12/63/43)
C Antonio Dominguez (Valmara) (.263/12/60/33)
C Hermie Goetz (San Dimas) (.330/7/38/44)
1B Jojo DeLucca (Claxton) (.362/20/51/57)
1B Benny Hull (Grand City) (.327/17/60/38)
1B Kris Wilson (Volusia) (.367/14/53/43)
2B Klaus Stordahl (San Dimas) (.313/9/50/43)
2B Gerry Sives (Colfax) (.324/0/27/47)
3B Pete Bankston (Ranford) (.335/15/51/52)
3B Mark Delaney (Taranto) (.320/17/57/49)
3B Kristian McEly (Colfax) (.317/15/50/42)
SS Johnny Petrak (Eastshore) (.335/10/42/42)
SS John Rodgers (LaGrange) (.330/13/50/47)
SS Stan Mila (Marston) (.378/8/37/37)
LF Bobby Gamble (Sugar Valley) (.357/21/67/69)
LF Derrick Damon (Taranto) (.337/12/47/60)
LF Chet Penn (Colfax) (.315/9/55/43)
CF Kenny Mitzusaka (Valka) (.346/15/45/48)
CF Norm Antonioni (Middlefield) (.333/24/46/47)
RF Boo Boudreaux (Belle Plaine) (.342/15/51/46)
RF Preston Davies (Elnora) (.316/19/65/49)
RF Nicky Farrugia (St. John) (.308/15/50/49)

Tycobbian All-Stars:
SP Chris Sorensen (South Fork) (13-1/2.18)
SP Kyle Shepard (Summerland) (11-6/1.85)
SP Tekkan Nishikawa (Oxford) (9-4/2.38)
SP Van Johnson (Blue Lake) (13-4/2.74)
SP Francisco Salcido (Denton City) (12-5/2.69)
SP Nate Scottsdale (Turon) (12-3/3.20)
SP Jayson Hallstrom (Summerland) (10-7/2.53)
CL Razzy Richmond (Blue Lake) (5-3/2.78/10 saves)
C Corky DiNozzo (Kenwood) (.326/19/46/38)
C Filipe Zamora (San Alejo) (.333/11/55/42)
C Scott Courtney (Fairfax) (.327/12/46/31)
1B Robby Westin (Arlon) (.326/20/56/47)
1B Nick Fisher (Turon) (.313/14/64/47)
1B Wayman Stetson (Denton City) (.311/19/60/43)
2B Leemon O'Donovan (Red Bluff) (.323/20/51/49)
2B Pete Arnold (South Fork) (.357/3/37/51)
3B Jerry Culpepper (Bayview) (.295/28/73/51)
3B Craig Glennon (Southport) (.293/24/62/44)
3B Phil Lyons (La Claire) (.327/14/50/46)
SS Rafer Robertson (Turon) (.299/18/65/44)
SS Duffy Morrison (Ozarka) (.295/16/55/40)
SS Warren McKenzie (White River) (.272/19/63/42)
LF Billy Joe Hickman (White River) (.318/16/51/46)
LF Rikky Van Dalen (Cape Coral) (.289/14/42/53)
LF Adam Thurgood (North Hills) (.305/10/42/42)
CF Barney Lewis (Southport) (.304/17/45/42)
CF Sogo Takagi (Ginza) (.287/15/43/62)
RF Paolo Teixeira (San Alejo) (.331/22/54/61)
RF Mark Cameron (Arlon) (.333/18/54/49)
RF David Kelso (Red Bluff) (.268/25/58/51)

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, June 24, 2043

IPA 43RD ALL-STAR GAME AT JOCK EWING STADIUM IN SOUTH FORK

RU EDGES TU 6-5 IN 43RD ALL-STAR CLASSIC
Ruthlandia and Tycobbia went back-and-forth trading the lead in the 43rd All-Star Classic at Jock Ewing Stadium in South Fork before the RU Stars put away the TU Stars 6-5 with a two-run eighth inning... 3B Kristian McEly (Colfax) tied it up with a single and 1B Kris Wilson knocked in the deciding run with a sacrifice fly that scored McEly from third... SS John Rodgers (LaGrange) was chosen the game's MVP... Rodgers went 2-for-3, scored a run and drove one in for Ruthlandia... Teddy Twardzik (Valmara) pitched a perfect seventh for the victory, while the loss went to Francisco Salcido (Denton City), who was bashed for two runs and four hits in the fatal eighth.

Ruthlandian broke a two-game losing streak in the mid-summer classic... Tycobbia still has a wide lead in the series overall... they have won 28 of the games with only 15 losses.

Tycobbia took an early 3-0 lead with a single run in the first and two more in the third... Ruthlandia evened it up with three in the fourth and went ahead with another one in the fifth... Tycobbia regained the lead 5-4 with two in the sixth.

It was an exciting game with 25 hits in all... Ruthlandia had 14 and Tycobbia 11... no homers in the game... RF Paolo Teixeira (San Alejo) had two doubles and 2B Pete Arnold (South Fork) a triple for the TU Stars... 1B Jojo DeLucca (Volusia) and 3B Pete Bankston (Ranford) had doubles for the RU Stars... Bankston had two RBIs.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 21, 2043

VIPERS GET THE BEST OF BULLS AND SPORTS IN RU NORTH
The Valmara Vipers ended 12-years of frustration to capture the Ruthlandian North Division... they beat out Ranford and LaGrange by two games to take the pennant... the Glasco Athletics were five games back in fourth place and last year's champ stumbled and fell to the fifth spot this year, trailing by seven games... Valmara is not a particularly strong club and plays in one of the weaker divisions in the IPA... the Vipers are not expected to do much in the Pro Cup playoffs.

1. Valmara: rose up from fourth (17 GB) to first place... last pennant in 2031... only Pro Cup was in 2024... top players at the plate were CF Don Ritchie (.324/14/77/100), 1B Cain Greene (.295/23/93/73) and All-Star C Antonio Dominguez (.263/21/100/70)... top starters were All-Star Teddy Twardzik (16-15/2.59) and Zak Reeder (23-12/4.22)... best in the bullpen was Paul Holloway (5-5/2.31/11 saves)... the Vipers had a good first half and then just enough to win in the second half.

2. Ranford: moved up from fourth (19 GB) to a tie for second with LaGrange (2 GB)... the Bulls won the Pro Cup in 2040 and have made seven appearances in the postseason... last pennant was 2041... top players were Ralph Hawk (15-9/2.49) and Ronnie Schroeder (19-13/3.70) on the mound... star RF Dale Weston (.296/47/119/86), who tied for third in the IPA with 47 roundtrippers... along with All-Star Pete Bankston (.311/21/88/95) and 1B Joey Gompers (.259/28/97/86).

2. LaGrange: were second in 2042 (5 GB) and tied for second this year (2 GB)... last playoff appearance was in 2037... the Sports have won six flags in their history... All-Star Arnie Ayers (24-13/2.68) tied for third in wins in the IPA... he pretty much carried the club... offense wasn't much except for All-Star SS John Rodgers (.329/26/91/111) and star LF Vasco Aguilar (.295/31/100/73).

4. Glasco: the Athletics had a good chance to win it first pennant in over four decades, but blew it with a dismal 3-16 in September... they finished fourth, just five games off the pace... the A's have never won a Pro Cup and made the playoffs just twice in history... 23-year-old starter Pat Meyers (25-12/3.05) had a great season and made the All-Star team... Meyers led the RU with 25 wins and ranked second to Billy Hoover (27-11/2.83) of Southport, who topped the IPA with 27 victories... offensively only veteran CF Travis Houston (.298/22/86/90) had much of a year... Houston led the IPA with 45 doubles... young 2B Cliff Heminway (.297/13/82/65) was the only other decent bat in the lineup.

5. Kilkenny: the Cats had the pitching, but no hitting... they won the pennant just a year ago, but fell to fifth this year (7 GB)... Kilkenny has only made the playoffs one time in its history and has never won a Pro Cup... James Crockett (20-16/3.74) was the biggest winner... and Glen Caswell (18-15/2.62) was the most effective starter in a break-out year... RF Kevin McLaglen (.261/26/99/100) and 3B Jorge Collazo (.295/15/66/84) were the best of the lot at the plate.

6. Taranto: the Tars can go deep... they hit 212 homers (3rd) and could score runs, but the pitchers had problems with a 4.45 ERA (28th)... Taranto dropped from third place (10 GB) down to sixth this season (9 GB)... bat standouts were All-Star LF Derrick Damon (.328/18/80/113), All-Star 3B Mark Delaney (.302/41/118/102) and C Ryan Nelms (.302/49/117/81)... Nelms was the runner-up in homers to the IPA leader Craig Glennon of High Mesa in the Tycobbian Union... the 25-year-old Nelms led the Ruthlandian Union with 49 HRs... Delaney did very well, too, with 41 HRs, sixth in the RU... 1B Franco Zinacola (.275/25/75/59) and RF Gary Tramonte (.290/23/72/67) also chipped in with 25 and 23 homers... the best pitcher was 24-year-old starter Mario Martinelli (19-14/3.77)... in the pen Pablo Rivas (9-6/3.64/21 saves) was strong at times, but inconsistent.

7. Far Mountain: went from fifth in 2042 (18 GB) to seventh this year (11 GB)... the Redhawks won three Pro Cups back-to-back in 2011-2013 and were finalists in 2009 and 2038... the last RU North pennants were in 2038 and 2039... club pitching leaders are starters Ryan Kolb (16-14/3.57) and Curt Steinhauer (17-16/3.77)... and Fernando Sanches (11-10/2.68/20 saves) in the bullpen... the most reliable bats were RF Bert Richter (.292/32/100/115), who really sizzled this year... and LF Harman Silver (.303/19/78/74), the only other dependable batter.

8. Ancona: the Red Elephants continued to flounder, winding up in the RU North cellar for the third season in a row (12 GB)... Ancona hasn't made the playoffs in 20 years... they have won five pennants, but never a Pro Cup... however the Red Elephants did get to the Finals once, but fell in six games to powerful Turon in 2018... Ancona's best performers were talented 3B Tommy Richardson (.308/19/94/69), RF Walt Glenn (.308/2/53/89) and LF Eldon Aldridge (.273/27/87/81)... topping the staff were starters Steven Russell (19-14/3.92) and Lucian Kairis (12-12/4.59).

CL CRUSHERS HOLD OFF WALESKA IN RU SOUTH
In the Ruthlandian South Division the Crystal Lake Crushers held off the charging Waleska Westerners to collect their second flag in four seasons... going into July of the campaign Crystal Lake had an 11-game edge over Waleska... however, they managed to stave off the Westerners by four games... it was the eighth division title for the Crushers, who have won two Pro Cups, one in 2020 and one in 2022... third place went to Grand City six games behind in the race and fourth place to San Dimas, which trailed by eight games... last year's pennant winner San Dimas flopped to a distant sixth this season and 18 games behind.

1. Crystal Lake: last season the Crushers were 4 GB in fourth place... they won the pennant this year with a high-powered offense... the Crushers led the IPA with a .290 team BA and 874 runs... pitching-wise they weren't very good with a 4.27 ERA... leading the way were LF Kenny Gray (.327/24/88/68), 1B Daryl Brady (.329/17/80/67), 3B Marv Roy (.277/20/104/83), RF Paul Dillon (.324/13/91/98), C Del Peevy (.293/12/92/93) and 2B Jim Henley (.306/6/64/72)... leading the mound corps was Eddie Lane (11-9/2.82/14 saves), who split time between starting and relieving, finally starting after 11 seasons in the bullpen... Dave McCauley (18-14/3.93) was the club's big winner... Crystal Lake could do well in the playoffs with such fine hitting... all they need is to get some fairly good pitching.

2. Waleska: the Westerners improved from fifth place to second place... in 2042 they ended up six games out... they were a little better this year, falling only four games short... they were 35-43 at the halfway point and finished with a flourish at 49-27... Crystal Lake was more consistent with a 46-32 mark at the All-Star Game and a 42-34 record in the second half... Waleska has won three Pro Cups ('28, '37 and '39) and has been in the postseason on seven occasions... the Westerners are a good, all-around club with many holdovers from the Pro Cup years like vets Tony Haskell (22-10/3.39), Craig Nash (13-6/3.15) and Terry Richards (16-13/3.42) on the hill... and a batting order that features C Rodney Hanson (.320/8/57/74), 2B Joey Harris (.311/8/72/100), 3B Pete Furness (.294/17/80/71) and 1B Shayn Lambert (.285/14/67/68)... and CF Niles Gregory (.255/25/86/67) is still around to hit the longballs and drive in the runs at age 34.

3. Grand City: the Cybercats just put an end to a nine-year stretch of second-division finishes... they climbed up to a solid third place, just six games behind winning Crystal Lake... it's been a dozen years since the C'Cats have made the playoffs... they have been in the postseason only three times and haven't come close to a Pro Cup trophy... Grand City relies on good pitching to get by... offense is almost non-existent... All-Star Joel Eaton (23-7/3.22) was tied for fifth in victories in the IPA... only Southport's Billy Hoover (27-11/2.83), Pat Meyers (25-12/3.05) of Glasco, Arnie Ayers (24-13/2.68) of LaGrange and Van Johnson (24-11/2.87) of Blue Lake were bigger winners... All-Star 1B Benny Hull (.288/33/102/70) and C Iggy Van Dyck (.295/33/92/83) were threats at the plate with some help from RF Ryan Van Zahnt (.247/22/63/97).

4. San Dimas: the Rancheros slipped from third (2 GB) to fourth (8 GB) this year... they won the RU South just two years ago, but have not yet taken a Pro Cup... the Rancheros had two All-Star performers in C Hermie Goetz (.318/9/69/92) and 2B/CF Klaus Stordahl (.309/18/101/76), along with another .300 hitter 1B Austin Epps (.309/12/46/93)... another reliable bat was RF Denny Hendrix (.283/24/82/85)... on the hill Gil Arnaud (16-15/3.12) was an All-Star and the most effective hurler, but he had a rough second half with a 6-9 record... other dependable starters were Cerek Talaga (18-12/3.68) and Toby White (16-15/3.77).

5. Claxton: the Diamonds almost won the division last year, missing out by just one game to St. John... this year they fell back into the second division in fifth place, 16 games back in the race... pitching decline was the culprit as the 3.52 ERA jumped up to 4.22 (22nd)... the only starter with a winning record was Gilbert Clagsdale (19-11/3.28/7 saves)... offensively superstar All-Star 1B Jojo DeLucca (.348/33/112/107), who led the IPA with 226 hits and finished second with a .348 BA, beaten only by Volusia's Kris Wilson with a .358 BA... the only other genuine threat in the batting order was RF Foxy Fuchs (.287/34/94/90), who had a solid season.

6. St. John: the Crusaders had a poor season after winning the RU South last year... they plunged down to sixth, 18 GB...the club has notched seven pennants in its history... but has never won the IPA Pro Cup... the closest they ever came was in 2036, when they were runner-up to IPA champion North Hills... the bats tumbled from .278 to .267 and the team ERA went from 3.50 to 4.34... Frank Long (17-15/3.52) and longtime ace Jeremy Kirk (16-17/3.45) were the club leaders... at the plate only All-Star RF Nicky Farrugia (.277/25/95/86), 3B Marty Blankenship (.253/25/92/71) and SS Tab Allison (.295/11/51/101) put up good numbers.

7. Valka: for the 15th year in a row the Blackhawks were solidly nestled in the second division, 22 GB champ Crystal Lake... they have only made the playoffs four times... the last trip was in 2017... with no Pro Cups in the club's history... this year the top pitchers were Dave Gronkowski (16-15/4.11) and Miikael Arens (16-15/4.12)... leading the Blackhawk attack were superstar All-Star CF Kenny Mitsuzaka (.336/28/97/101) and star 1B Bobby Scott (.325/38/101/112)... not much in the batting order after them.

8. Belair Beach: on a terrible run with five last-place finishes in the last six seasons, the Sunbirds came in 22 GB and in the division basement... the BB's haven't played in the postseason since 2016 and they have not won a Pro Cup in their history... they did come close in 2014, dropping a seven-game set to titlist Kenwood... the starters were terrible this year with a 4.94 ERA (32nd), but the relief corps were great with a 2.41 ERA (2nd)... Kyle Gibson (12-3/0.75/8 saves) had a super season in the pen... with lot of help from Bryan Johnstone (5-3/2.08) and Tom Cook (2-2/1.90/5 saves)... superstud 3B Jason Butler (.301/42/109/97) was the club leader in BA, hits, doubles, homers, RBIs and run scored... CF Norm Ellis (.284/28/96/90) was rock-solid, too... other decent bats were 1B Shannon Stewart (.281/11/57/83) and RF Larry Cole (.282/19/59/79).

2043 Ruthlandian Union North and South Final Division Standings, Team batting, Team pitching, Team fielding

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 21, 2043

RATTLERS RALLY IN SEPT, RU EAST CHAMP
The Ruthlandian East Division was pretty much a five-team affair for most of the season... champ Sugar Valley raced away with the pennant with a strong 14-5 September to nip the Cold Creek Catamounts by a game, Elnora All-Stars by three and Wynnamac Sundowners and Eastshore Elegants by four games... the Sundowners were the defending division titleholder... the Catamounts and All-Stars went into the last month three games ahead of the Rattlers. Wynnamac and Elnora both notched 10-9 marks in September... according to the baseball experts the Rattlers could be a big factor in the Pro Cup playoffs this year.

1. Sugar Valley: the Rattlers returned to the top of the division with their 11th pennant in 43 years of IPA play... the last one came in 2038 when the team rang up 104 victories... this was the ninth straight season to finish in the first division as they moved up from third place in 2042 (7 GB)... a very good offense combined with solid pitching brought home the division title... the Rattlers have one of the best starting fours in the IPA with Jeremy Blanchard (20-11/3.15), Christopher Dunsberry (20-12/3.15), Davey Brennan (19-13/3.19) and Joe Snow (16-5/2.88)... the only holdback is a poor relief corps... Blanchard is 38 and has composed a 292-244 record in 17 seasons with a 3.36 ERA... gifted superstar and All-Star LF Bobby Gamble (.336/40/127/127) had a monster season leading the IPA with 127 runs and tied for second in RBIs with 127... he was sixth with a .336 BA... All-Star CF Carl Ramsey (.281/29/108/114) had a strong season, too... other contributors were RF Jeff Harvey (.301/22/106/85), 2B Richie Fry (.331/7/52/101) and SS Roger Hobbs (.285/20/56/104)... Sugar Valley also got 25 homers and 72 RBIs from C Delmer Campbell (.215), 23 homers and 76 runs from 1B James Milton (.275) and 16 HRs and 84 RBIs from 3B Kent Rasmus (.277)... seven of the regulars got double-digit homers.

2. Cold Creek: the Catamounts were fourth last year (7 GB) and almost won the pennant, but petered out in the last days of the season and lost by one game... from 2036 to 2041 they won five flags, but no Pro Cups... during that period Cold Creek had outstanding pitching... the pitching is still very good, but the offense is just average... ace J. J. Gillespie (20-11/2.48) is still around and won 20 games for the ninth time in his illustrious career... at age 38 Gillespie is 267-140 with a super-low 2.35 ERA, which is second best all-time in the IPA... only reliever Johnny Duncan is better with a 2.31 lifetime ERA... Duncan played for five teams from 2023 to 2037 with an overall record of 87-66 and 207 saves... Rob Hutchins (21-9/2.99) and Joey Baker (17-15/3.40/4 saves) were solid, too... the Catamounts had very little offensively... only RF Guy St. Laurent (.311/27/97/82) put up good numbers and he missed a third of the season with injury.

3. Elnora: the All-Stars can put runs on the scoreboard... they just need better pitching... this season they improved from fifth place (10 GB) to third place (3 GB)... it's been eight years since Elnora won the RU East (2035)... they won their only Pro Cup in 2033... overall they have made the postseason nine times... top mound performers were Dan Pitts (18-10/3.96), Stan Kivas (14-14/3.48) and rookie starter Slim Harding (11-6/3.54)... in the bullpen it was Jamie Pananga (5-4/2.60/16 saves)... offensively All-Star C Cannon Johnson (.320/28/125/98), All-Star RF Preston Davies (.293/30/105/92) and CF Clive Kenyon (.327/15/62/118) were standouts... Cannon came in tied for fifth in the IPA with 125 RBIs... Kenyon finished fourth with 118 runs.

4. Wynnamac: the Sundowners had a good shot to repeat in the RU East, but came up four games short in fourth place, tied with Eastshore... the club has chalked up six division titles... they won the pennant last year... in 2008 Wynnamac was the IPA champion... last year's MVP and Golden Bat winner RF Nioka Inkamara had another fine season... he made the All-Star team, hit .328 with 44 HRs, 122 RBIs and 105 runs... in the IPA Inkamara was 8th in homers and tied for 7th in RBIs... he got some help from CF Darrell Donnelly (.296/11/74/90), 3B Duane Hudson (.303/4/58/78) and 1B Jack Pope (.263/10/83/81)... All-Star Shirai Nakamura (20-14/3.35) and Geoff Hobart (17-14/3.99) were the top pitchers... in the bullpen Johnny Mitchell (8-2/1.90/15 saves) had a marvelous year.

4. Eastshore: the Elegants tied with Wynnamac for the fourth spot in the standings, just four games out of the top spot... they haven't made the playoffs for the last nine seasons... in all, Eastshore has been to the postseason seven times with two Pro Cups to show for it in back-to-back years in 2016 and 2017... the Elegants are just an average ballclub... Malcolm Tansbury (19-11/3.23) and Tommy Brown (17-10/3.69) led the starting rotation... in the bullpen Jody Friday (11-6/1.51/22 saves) was splendid... he tied for fourth in the IPA with 22 saves, topped only by Terry Baird of La Claire and Timmy Hickens of Ginza with 27... and Wes Christopher of Fairfax, who posted 23 saves... at the plate the club leaders were super All-Star SS Johnny Petrak (.324/23/100/88), who made the All-Star team for the eighth time in his great career... 37-year-old Petrak is a lifetime .316 hitter in 10 seasons... other top bats were RF Troy McFarland (.281/37/111/104) and CF Bevan Shuler (.272/30/80/119)... Shuler was third in the IPA with 119 runs scored, while McFarland was ninth in the RU with 111 RBIs.

6. Beechwood: the Bobcats slumped from second in 2042, 4 GB back, to sixth and 11 games off the pace... it's been almost two decades since they made the postseason... the last of three pennants was way back in 2027... Beechwood has yet to bring in a Pro Cup trophy... Jimmy Herman (18-12/3.05) was the only standout on the mound, while C Paul Jackson (.337/20/95/78) and SS Mel Smith (.290/15/69/80) were the only reliable threats at the plate.

7. Belle Plaine: for the ninth time in ten years the Musketeers were wallowed deep in the second division of the RU East, winding up this year in seventh place and 22 games behind champ Sugar Valley... the Muskies have won only one pennant in the club's history in 2008 and lost in the first round of the playoffs... Belle Plaine is just a bad ball club... Tyrone Marte (11-11/4.80) is the best starter... however Kurt Tandberg (8-6/2.49/15 saves) is a solid reliever... All-Star RF Boo Boudreaux (.336/34/107/95) is an outstanding ballplayer... he really is the only good bat in the lineup.

8 Marston: the Nine have made the first division only one time in the last 15 seasons and that was fourth place in 2038... they have made the postseason six times with no Pro Cups... Marston was seventh last year (22 GB), but slipped to last this year (25 GB)... they hit and score pretty well, but have no pitching except for starter Thomas Stuart (14-9/3.16)... the Nine have seven fairly decent bats, but not a lot of power... All-Star SS Stan Mila (.332/18/77/68) led with a .332 BA... 1B John Cosotto (.295/24/97/69) had the most homers with 24 and RBIs with 97... 2B Gary Armitage (.281/78/87) was the leader with 87 runs and 22 stolen bases... and CF Charley Gilmore chipped in with a .310 BA, 8 HR, 64 RBI, 75 runs... 3B Philip DeWey added a .299 BA, 21 HR, 52 RBI and 70 runs... and LF Marco Ameche hit .283 with 18 HR, 74 RBI and 62 runs.

V'S VICTORIOUS IN RU WEST
The Volusia Vigilantes had a battle on their hands in the Ruthlandian West until the All-Star break... the Sligo Rovers and the Middlefield Roosters pushed them hard in the first half, but neither could keep pace with the V's in the second half... Volusia won the pennant by seven games over the Roosters... third place went to the Rocky Rapids Snappers, who finished 13 games behind... while Sligo slipped to fourth place, winding up 16 games back in the race... last year's division champ Colfax was never a factor after a good showing in April... the Blasters came in a very disappointing seventh and trailed Volusia by 23 games.

1. Volusia: the Vigilantes were runner-up to Colfax last year, losing out by just one game... prior to this season the V's last won the division in '34 and '35... this will be their eighth playoff appearance... Volusia has won one Pro Cup... that came in the very first year of the IPA in 2001... the Vigilantes came close to another title in 2006 when they lost in the Finals to powerful Turon... they should be a contender this year with a good mix of pitching, hitting and defense... the starters are as good as anyone in the IPA with Drew Selby (20-12/2.58), Skeeter Millham (20-15/3.18), Raul Navarro (20-15/3.32) and Leandos Dizon (13-6/2.95/10 saves)... not a lot in the bullpen since Dizon became a starter... at the plate the V's could use some help, but they do have good power from All-Star 1B Kris Wilson (.358/26/93/84), SS Duane Blayney (.273/33/94/94), RF Lonny Womack (.265/27/83/83) and CF Cazzie Carvalho (.266/25/72/96).

2. Middlefield: the Roosters hung with the Vigilantes until mid-season then slowly slipped back in a second-half slump... they jumped from sixth to second this year... 20 GB in 2042 and just seven this season... Middlefield copped the pennant in 2041... they have made the postseason 10 times in their history with one Pro Cup in 2005... the Roosters feature good pitching and home runs... on the hill the standouts were Larry Wheelhouse (20-16/2.83), James Long (20-13/2.98) and Royce Richardson (18-13/4.17)... Ray Owens (4-5/2.13/20) stood out in the bullpen... he tied for eighth in the IPA with 20 saves... All-Star CF Norm Antonioni (.283/43/90/83), RF Alejandro Dominguez (.265/31/95/92), SS Jimmy Beach (.302/26/83/76), LF Yank Quinlan (.251/25/75/58), 3B Ike Gary (.271/23/75/88) and 1B Cliff Patterson (.289/22/73/60) all had over 20 homers... Antonioni was ranked 10th in the IPA with 43 roundtrippers.

3. Rocky Rapids: the Snappers have made the RU West first division for five years in a row... they came in third this season, trailing Volusia by 13 games... a poor 33-45 first half greatly hampered them... in the second half the Snappers were 46-30... they had too much ground to make up to catch the V's, who led them by 13 at the All-Star Game... Rocky Rapids has made the playoffs just four times, but does have a Pro Cup to show for it... they won it in 2019... the Snappers got by with good pitching, led by Buster Noland (19-7/3.36) and Jamie Taylor (19-13/2.82)... Randy Peters (14-16/3.32) was also a quality arm, but suffered at times from a lack of runs... four guys carried the club offensively: SS Marty Featherstone (.281/29/106/93), CF Buddy Hamilton (.281/24/107/68), RF Jose Ramos (.291/20/82/116) and 3B Duncan Musselwhite (.317/9/49/94).

4. Sligo: the Rovers were fourth last year (17 GB) and fourth this year (16 GB)... they ran a real tight race with Volusia until the halfway mark, but then fell out the race with a dismal second-half performance (31-45)... the Rovers trailed the V's by just one game at the All-Star Game... Sligo has a good starting foursome in All-Star Scotty Price (18-16/3.64), Buzz Bumgartner (15-10/3.05), Tom Pierson (15-10/3.73) and Randall Steele (16-19/3.59)... and they got pretty fair work from All-Star Davey Hunter (4-9/2.54/19 saves) and Patrick Tasser (0-1/2.66/8 saves)... Price and Hunter both went into tailspins after the All-Star hiatus... Sligo had very little in the batting order... 3B Denny Simmons (.323/15/77/82), C Don Tucker (.309/7/55/82) and LF Rudy Putnam (.307/16/70/61) all batted .300, but didn't hit with much power.

5. Fort Benton: the Defenders improved from eighth place (28 GB) to fifth in the standings (21 GB)... only once in its history has Fort Benton won the pennant... that's was in 2037... but they have been competitive in recent years, finishing in the RU West first division 14 times in the last 18 seasons... vets Augie Marquis (18-16/3.55), age 37, and All-Star Jordy Raeburn (17-10/2.81) were the only dependable starters... Marquis is 340-261 in 19 years with the club... He has an impressive 3.18 career ERA and is a likely future Hall-of-Famer... the main bats were RF Cayman Crittenden (.313/19/82/100), 3B Mitch Hamilton (.301/12/84/93), C Hunter Glenholmes (.288/8/62/86) and LF Randy Williams (.280/14/91/68).

6. Forest City: for the sixth successive season the Lumberjacks floundered in the second division... the were fifth last year (19 G B) and sixth this year (22 GB)... they have made the playoffs only four times in the team's history with no Pro Cup titles... 2013 was the last time the 'Jacks won the pennant... Rusty Howard (18-16/2.79) led the mound staff with 18 wins... Rich Barstow (16-19/3.30) also was effective, but didn't have a lot of run support... Forest City didn't hit for a lot of power... the only .300 hitters were RF Otto Glintmeyer (.312/17/82/71) and 1B Pistol Pete Picard (.311/23/79/75)... CF Carlo Velucci (.294/14/75/78) and C Bob Brisdon (.280/15/68/58) also had fairly good seasons.

7. Colfax: the Blasters won the RU West and made the Pro Cup Finals last year, but tumbled badly this year to seventh place (23 GB)... the pitchers let them down... Colfax has gone to the postseason 13 times in its history and won one Pro Cup (2010)... vets Nilos Andris (9-14/5.74), Bobby Porter (11-21/4.56) and Ryan Peterson (12-15/3.64), all mainstays in 2042, suffered declines... 20-game winner for the last two years, Ron Paige (5-6/4.85), was hurt in late May and missed the rest of the year... closer Jack Scanlon (6-5/2.36/14 saves) was the only quality pitcher this season... the Blaster bats still did well with All-Star LF Chet Penn (.325/28/116/94), RF Kevin Williams (.333/15/70/78), All-Star 3B Kristian McEly (.289/31/101/82) and All-Star 2B Gerry Sives (.310/3/51/103)... C Darrell Dillon (.302/23/60/70) also put up some decent stats.

8. Stoner: the Stars have had only one good season in the last decade, coming in third (3 GB) in 2040... Stoner had made the playoffs only three times in its existence, 2029 was the last time... for the last three years they have ended up near the bottom of the division... they were seventh in 2042 (23 GB) and were eighth this year (28 GB)... on the hill Brian Cole (13-13/3.75) and Sammy Slater (10-8/3.87/3 saves) were the best the Stars had to offer... only three regulars contributed much to the offense: 1B Richie Strickland (.306/23/99/89), 2B Don Cain (.306/24/88/80) and CF Emmett Tread (.281/7/47/81).

2043 Ruthlandian East and West Division Final Standings, Team Batting, Pitching and Fielding Statistics

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 22, 2043

HAWKS WIN 9TH FLAG IN 10 YRS
After a slight slump in 2042, the North Hills Hawks were flying high again with their ninth Tycobbian North division flag in ten years. Now the Hawks will be going after their fifth Pro Cup in the decade. After a sluggish beginning North Hills took command in the second half of the season. They had a tussle with White River and Blue Lake until the All-Star Game. The Hawks were up by one on the Rascals and three in front of the Blue Sox, but they pulled away in the hot days of Summer to whip White River by five games, Blue Lake by 11 and fourth place Fairfax by 16... last year's surprise winner Hartsdale was never in the race this year, winding up in fifth place and trailing by 21 games. According to the odds-makers North Hills has as good a chance at the Pro Cup as anyone. The Hawks will be a strong contender.

1. North Hills: the Hawks came in third last year (5 GB)... this year they won the title with some breathing room, ranking third with a .276 BA and fifth with a team ERA of 3.56... veteran starters David Michael (19-13/2.65), Tony Mack (19-8/3.24), Joey Santini (19-11/3.51) and Nelson Hooper (19-15/4.28) all won 19 games... the offense was better-than-average with All-Star LF Adam Thurgood (.295/32/112/88) and 3B Jim McDermott (.304/18/81/85) in the lead... the Hawks also play excellent defense with a .977 FA... North Hills led the IPA with 93 wins, one better than Southport of the TU South and Volusia of the RU West.

2. White River: the Rascals moved up from sixth and 19 GB to the runner-up position, just five games off the pace this year... they hung pretty tough in the race this year, leading in the first two months and stayed within striking distance in the second half of the season... it's been quite a while since the Rascals made the Pro Cup playoffs... the last time they took the division crown was in 2027... White River is still seeking its first Pro Cup... this year they featured a home-run attack, fairly good pitching and solid defense (.975 FA)... the Rascals hit .261 (18th) with 209 homers (3rd) and scored 794 runs (3rd-tied)... All-Star LF Billy Joe Hickman (.318/43/120/106) continued to improve and had a great season and tied for seventh in the TU with 43 homers and was sixth in RBIs with 120... All-Star SS Warren McKenzie (.273) also lent a hand with 36 HRs, 126 RBIs and 88 runs scored... he was fourth in the IPA in RBIs... rookie 1B Enrique Encarnacion (.284/21/76/81) also chipped in with some needed offense, along with 2B Kunta Burton (.267/7/62/103)... three pitchers carried the pitching staff: Jade Garner (20-10/3.82), Clem Warren (20-16/3.69) and Trenton Anderson (19-13/3.57).

3. Blue Lake: last season the Blue Sox were fourth and 7 GB... this year they were third and 11 GB... their last pennant was in 2030 when the Blue Sox captured their only Pro Cup... they had excellent pitching with a 3.16 ERA (2nd) and so-so bats, light on the power... All-Star Van Johnson (24-11/2.87) and vet Frankie Quinn (20-16-2.81) both won 20 games... at age 37 Quinn is 323/239 with an impressive 3.02 lifetime ERA... he has won 20 games 11 times... Johnson was tied for third in the IPA with 24 victories... only Southport's Billy Hoover (27-11/2.83) and Glasco's Pat Meyers (25-12/3.05) finished ahead of him... Sal Mays (15-16/3.26) was another very capable starter... in the bullpen All-Star closer Razzy Richmond (8-6/2.76/21 saves) excelled, ranking sixth in the IPA.

4. Fairfax: after two straight second-place finishes (3 GB and 4 GB), the Frogs were primed to win it all, but it didn't happen... they never really were in the running this year... the Frogs slumped to fourth and 16 GB... Fairfax hasn't been in the Pro Cup playoffs since 2033 and has never won a Pro Cup in its history... the Frogs were just an average team offensively and on the mound... bat leaders were CF Brad Johnston (.325/11/74/106), 3B Bobby Joe Daniel (.302/8/82/65), 2B John Velasco (.290/20/75/90) and All-Star C Scott Courtney (.300/26/87/66)... top starters were Shaun O'Riley (15-8/3.46) and veteran Harold Dorman (17-15/4.05).

5. Hartsdale: the Hellcats were one-year wonders... in three seasons they went from sixth (17 GB) to first, then back down to fifth (21 GB)... their seaon was over after a decent April... Hartsdale has never won a Pro Cup in its history... three starters were decent: Wayne Dawson (18-17/3.16), Gil Younger (15-15/3.40) and Perry Givens (15-18/3.67)... and closer Alfonso Cervera (4-5/2.97/17 saves) did his job well... 1B John Ford (.329/31/92/75) was the only reliable threat in the line-up.

6. Luxora: it was just another mediocre season for the Zorros... for the third year in a row they were near the bottom of the division... seventh in '41 (20 GB)and '41 (29 GB) and sixth this year (22 GB)... no pennant since 2031 and no Pro Cups in the club's history... but they have made the playoffs on 11 occasions... Doug Hansack (20-14/3.65) was the top pitcher... and ace Kent Halloran (11-17/3.47) is beginning to show his age at 37... in his 14-year career Halloran is 221-176 with a sparkling 2.57 ERA... the only bat of any note belonged to vet star 3B Todd Dubbins (.305/35/102/69).

7. Oxford: the Red Caps have been in the TU North cellar on near it the last six seasons... four times in last place and twice in seventh... they were eighth and 30 GB in 2042 and 23 out this year in seventh place... Oxford has been to the playoffs only five times, but has won a Pro Cup... the last pennant came in 2007, the year of the Pro Cup title... 25-year-old All-Star Tekkan Nishakawa (15-13/3.33) was the top pitcher, though he went 6-9 after the All-Star break... Oxford has very little in its batting order... LF Donny Braun led the team with a .276 BA and 81 RBIs... CF Calvin Marbury (.245) topped the team with 26 homers, tied with 3B Alonzo Norris (.252)... Braun was third with 23 roundtrippers... Marbury led the club with 104 runs with Norris number two with 91.

8. Mahaska: the Haymakers dropped from fifth to last this season... they were 16 GB in 2042 and 33 back this year... Mahaska has made the postseason just four times in its history and has never won a Pro Cup... the last pennant came in 2028... Sam Swain (15-12/3.45) had the best record, but Bobby Kelman (13-17/2.85) was the most effective... 1B Mark Graham (.286/22/65/64) was the club leader with a .286 BA... CF Bill Whittier (.257/27/82/94) was tops with 82 RBIs and 94 runs, but batted only .257... C James Boswell (.239/33/78/77) led with 33 HRs, but hit only .239.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 22, 2043

SUN SOX REPEAT IN TIGHT TU SOUTH
The Southport Sun Sox were repeat winners in the Tycobbian South Division this season, but it was a whole lot tougher than 2042. The Sun Sox rang up an IPA-high 100 victories last year and cruised to the title, but not this year. Southport had to battle tooth-and-nail this year with the San Alejo Montaneros and the Summerland Sunsets the entire season to secure the division flag. In a down-to-wire race the Sun Sox edged the Montaneros by one game and the Sunsets by two games. Fourth place went to Cape Coral, who trailed by 11 games.

1. Southport: the Sun Sox have only made four appearances in the Pro Cup playoffs in history... they have won the TU South for the last two seasons and are set to win their first-ever Pro Cup this year... they were the favorite last year, but got knocked off in first-round action... Southport is getting a lot of support to take it all this year... strong bats with excellent power and rock-solid pitching make them quite formidable in the postseason... All-Star 3B Craig Glennon (.290/51/127/104) had a fantastic year and paced the IPA with 51 HRs and 127 RBIs... 1B Eddy Douglas (.309/32/97/90) was another big bat, along with 2B James Long, who slugged 33 out of the park, drove in 84 runs and scored 88, but batted a sparse .255... CF Barney Lewis also chipped in with 24 roundtrippers, 73 RBIs and 75 runs, while batting .273... other dependable bats were C Vasilis Vlachos (.279/17/79/67) and SS Gonzalo Topez (.306/10/58/70)... on the hill it was ace Billy Hoover (27-11/2.83), who led the IPA for the second time in victories with 27... he won 26 last year... Johnny Swanson (18-16/3.02) and Gordon Forbes (17-10/3.79) also contributed good seasons... leading the strong bullpen were Hal Combs (4-6/2.78/13 saves) and Wayne Stewart (4-2/3.00/7 saves).

2. San Alejo: the Monties have run near the top of the division for the last dozen years, winning four pennants and one Pro Cup in 2032... but it's been six years since the last division title... they came very close this year, falling just one game short... in the IPA San Alejo ran second to Crystal Lake (RU South) in scoring runs... coupled with fairly good pitching, they ranked fourth in victories with 91... only North Hills (93), Southport (92) and Ruthlandia's Volusia (92) were better... the Montaneros batted .275 (5th), scored 832 runs (1st in the TU, 2nd in the IPA) and hit 182 HRs (9th) with a 3.62 ERA (7th)... 24-year-old standout RF Paolo Teixeira made the All-Star team, batted .312 and ranked fifth in the TU with 45 HRs and 122 RBIs... veteran star and All-Star C Filipe Zamora (.303/28/119/92) delivered another fine season at age 33... 2B Sal McAllister (.313/3/56/100) played very well offensively and defensively... LF Charlie Wilberforce (.283/18/78/88), 1B Bubby Blackwell (.308/6/60/58), CF Andrew Hicks (.317/17/49/77) and 3B Sancho Cruz (.256/18/68/69) were dependable bats as well... Matt Bell (21-10/2.82) and Will McKinney (21-11/3.60) were the top starters... Tommy Smith (17-14/4.29) and Benny Buckmaster (16-12/4.30) did their parts, too... the bullpen was a good one, too, led by Maxie Richter (6-5/2.03/11 saves).

3. Summerland: for the ninth time in 10 seasons the Sunsets finished in the top four of the TU South... they won pennants in 2040 and 2032, but haven't yet claimed a Pro Cup... Summerland was fourth last year (13 GB) and improved to a very close third, just two games back of leading Southport... the Sunset staff led the entire IPA, setting a new standard with a remarkable 2.65 team ERA... the old record was set by Crystal Lake of the Ruthlandian South in 2022... the super starters were All-Star Jayson Hallstrom (.20-14/2.37), Dutch De Boer (18-8/2.23), Billy King (20-18/3.00) and All-Star Kyle Shepard (17-13/3.07)... De Boer posted the best ERA in the IPA this year with a fine 2.23... the bullpen (2.03 ERA-1st) was even better than the starters, paced by Jacob Gillen (8-5/1.68/14 saves)... Summerland played good defense with a .976 FA, but really suffered at the plate with terrible hitting, ranking near the bottom in all categories... 1B Stan Terry led the club with 24 HRs, 73 RBIs and 89 runs, but batted just .248... the club leader in BA was LF Tony Vargas (.294/8/55/68), followed by RF Antonio Vasquez (.293/5/65/68) and CF Benny Pierce (.283/13/56/84)... what a shame - the great season wasted because of lousy hitting.

4. Cape Coral: the Hurricanes won the pennant just two years ago, fell to third (11 GB) in 2042 and slipped to fourth (11 GB) this season... they have made the postseason on eight occasions, but never came away with a Pro Cup... the 'Canes still have a strong attack, but have mediocre pitching... they possess a strong core of hitters in star RF William Snyder (.325/26/100/84), All-Star LF, 2042 Tycobbian MVP and Gold Bat winner Rikky Van Dalen (.304/24/84/117), 2B Kent Mantle (.311/27/92/84), 1B Stan Ferguson (.292/37/114/79) and CF Maxi Tselika (.284/20/65/101)... Benton McCall (21-12/3.51) and Stacy Boyle (16-13/3.92) topped the twirlers... at 36 ace Tommy Van Noord (14-16/3.52) suffered a losing season... young 25-year-old Pete Collins (4-4/2.92/16 saves) did a nice job as closer.

5. Arroyo Grande: for the ninth consecutive season the Suns wound up in the TU South second division, but they had a winning record at 78-76 (14 GB )... last year they were 79-75 (21 GB) in the sixth spot in the standings... the Suns have been a playoff team just four times... the most recent was 2023... they have never won a Pro Cup trophy... top pitchers were Enrique Lopez (18-11/3.35) and Fernando Campos (14-14/3.96)... Dwayne McMahon (14-19/3.38) had a better year than his record showed... Russ Simmons (5-4/2.89/10 saves) and Duane Russell (2-3/1.58/3 saves) were the best in the bullpen... the Suns didn't have much in the way of bats in the line-up... CF Kenny Wade (.304/18/46/52) had the best BA with .302... RF Gregorio Oliviera (.234/22/65/55) led the club with 22 HRs... 3B Antoine Masson (.245/15/76/59) topped the team with 76 RBIs and 1B Matt Moore (.275/19/70/88) was the leader with 88 runs.

6. Ginza: the Ninjas haven't made the postseason since 2031 and they have never won a Pro Cup... however Ginza did have a shot at one, but was swept by Volusia in the first Pro Cup Finals in 2001... the Ninjas improved a little this year, going from the cellar (28 GB) to sixth (17 GB)... they hung with the big boys in the early going with a 31-21 mark, good for a third-place tie with Summerland, just two games behind Southport (33-19) and a game back of San Alejo (32-20), but the Suns soon faded in the second half of the season... only Julian Bass (19-10/4.23) and Carlos Del Toro (10-9/4.72) had winning records among the starters... Timmy Hickens (4-8/3.06/27 saves) had an up-and-down season, but tied La Claire's Terry Baird for first place in the IPA with 27 saves... the only reliable threats at the plate were star SS Sam Essex (.284/33/106/69) and superstar All-Star CF Sogo Takagi (.287/29/85/108).

7. Colchester: for the seventh year in a row the Elites been stuck in the second division... the club has made the playoffs only four times with no Pro Cups in its history... Colchester was seventh last year (23 GB) and the same this year... the only fairly effective starter was Dave Lacoste (13-15/3.73)... the only good reliever was Robby Rice (4-4/2.57/7 saves... super slugger RF Blake Barrister sparked the team with 44 homers, good for eighth place in the IPA... Barrister added 113 RBIs and scored 91 runs, but batted a puny .232... in his nine years in the IPA the 30-year-old Barrister has hit 401 HRs with a .274 BA... 2B Jasper Matthews had 26 HRs with 81 RBIs, 80 runs and a .262 BA... 3B Joey Rogers (.281/7/71/78) led the team with a .281 BA, followed by LF Chet Porter (.277/13/70/82) with a .277 mark.

8. Turon: 2043 was not a good year for the proud Typhoons, who have made 15 appearances in the the playoffs, winning a record four Pro Cups in six tries and 13 pennants... for the second time in history they came in dead last in the TU South... it hadn't happened since 2029... they had a winning 80-74 record in 2042, but came in fifth (20 GB)... this season Turon tumbled to 67-87 (25 GB)... basically the pitching went to heck, rising up from 3.84 to 4.35 ERA... starters All-Star Nate Scottsdale (20-14/3/12) was the only effective starter with a little help from Clyde Engstrom (12-15/3.83)... along with veteran closer Ralph Fulton (3-5/2.45/12 saves) in the pen... All-Star SS Rafer Robertson (.294/38/125/98) and All-Star 1B Nick Fisher (.286/24/104/86) posted good numbers... CF Guido Gervasio hit well with a club best .316, but only had 11 HRs, 66 RBIs and 75 runs... 2B C. C. Kingsford (.301/15/78/70) and LF J. P. Trevenot (.283/21/69/72) also had sub-par seasons.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 22, 2043

STALLIONS WIN TIGHT 6-TEAM TU EAST RACE
Defending IPA Pro Cup champion South Fork won the Tycobbian East Division again in a very tight race. The Stallions outperformed five other clubs from pretty much start-to-finish. They topped the Red Bluff Red Sox and Hillsboro Blazers by a two-game margin, beat fourth place Tuckanarra and Ozarka by four and bested sixth place High Mesa by five games. It's doubtful that South Fork will be picked to win its second straight Pro Cup by the baseball experts. They won the second weakest division in the IPA in a less-than-impressive way. Nonetheless the Stallions will get their chance to repeat as the IPA champion. The well-balanced Stallions do everything pretty well, so don't write them off just because they were only 80-74 in the regular season and had one of the worst records of the postseason teams.


1. South Fork: the Stallions batted .271 (8th), scored 712 runs (15th), hit 156 homers (14th), play good defense (.975 FA) and posted a fairly good 3.63 ERA (8th)... they are pretty much the same club that won the Pro Cup last year... All-Star Chris Sorensen (22-12/2.68) was the staff leader with some help from Jay Murphy (15-14/3.01) and Big Murph McAlister (16-13/4.16)... Murphy came nowhere near his 2042 Golden Arm season when he was 25-7 with 1.90 ERA, but he is still a quality arm... the Stallions still have a good group of hitters in 3B Elton Jacoby (.314/28/92/93), who led the club with 28 HRs and 92 RBIs... All-Star 2B Pete Arnold (.331/4/50/99), the team leader with a .331 BA, 208 hits and 99 runs... Arnold finished fourth in the Tycobbian Union batting race, won by Corky DiNozzo of Kenwood, who hit .344... Arnold also ranked third in the IPA with 208 hits, beaten only by Claxton's Jojo DeLucca with 226 and Colfax's Gerry Sives with 210... four other reliable hitters were RF John Dunham (.281/17/64/83), last year's Pro Cup MVP SS Jess Wilkerson (.284/22/81/77), 1B Paul Sexton (.281/25/79/68) and CF Scotty O'Sullivan (.292/19/74/61).

2. Red Bluff: the Red Sox used lots of homers and good pitching to move up from fifth (12 GB) to a tie for second with Hillsboro (2 GB)... they hammered 220 home runs, ranking first in the IPA and compiled a 3.43 team ERA (4th)... and almost won their first pennant since 2009... the only Red Sox Pro Cup came in 2004... they had four players with 30 or more homers: All-Star RF David Kelso (.270/39/96/86), CF Ike Sweetwater (.274/37/95/100), All-Star 2B Leemon O'Donovan (.307/36/106/93) and 3B Fran Blanchard (.266/34/92/74)... on the mound Jud Cox (20-13/2.44) and Mickey Rosen (15-15/2.71) were two tough customers... the bullpen was led by Jack Wallace (4-2/1.72/8 saves)... Cox came in third in the IPA with a 2.44 ERA, topped only by Dutch De Boer (18-8/2.23) and Jayson Hallstrom (20-14/2.37), both starters for Summerland.

3. Hillsboro: they were sixth in 2042 (16 GB) and came in tied for second this year (2 GB)... for the first time in nine years the Blazers made the first division in the TU East and were in the running for the club's first playoff spot ever... the Blazers have never won a pennant or a Pro Cup... so this was one exciting season for the town... Hillsboro really played well in the second half of the year... they were nine games behind South Fork at the end of June and almost caught them... falling just two games short... the Blazers depended on fairly good pitching with a 3.90 ERA (13th) and home-run power with 191 HRs (5th-tied)... Ralph Quick (17-14/2.93) and Stever Cooper (18-12/3.30) were the top starters... Scott Watkins (7-4/2.20/10 saves) was the bullpen's best... 1B Ernie Moxley (.319/31/75/61) was the club leader with a .319 BA and 31 homers... CF Rick Willis (.277/28/87/94) led with 87 RBIs and 94 runs... other contributors were LF Jurrien Bellini (.234/28/78/81), RF Joe Jones (.204/24/77/62) and 3B Paul Butler (.270/18/66/93).

4. Tuckanarra: the Blue Jays were third in 2042 (4 GB)... this year they slipped to a tie for fourth (4 GB) with Ozarka... for 21 years in a row they have been a first division ballclub... the Tucks have been in the postseason a record 17 times and possess three Pro Cups in five tries, second to Turon's four in six attempts in IPA history... the last TU East pennant came five years ago... the last Pro Cup came in 2035... the Blue Jays are pretty much an average team now... Junior Bristow (16-11/4.14) was the only starter with a winning record... in the bullpen Jack Rogers (9-4/1.30/19 saves) had a phenomenal season... 275-game winner Jeff Buttrum (14-21/3.42) had a tough season at age 36... not much in the way of offense in the line-up... 2B Ricky Vincent (.315/4/59/93) paced the club with a .315 BA and 93 runs... C John Paul (.283/22/83/60) had the most homers with 22 and the most RBIs with 83.

4. Ozarka: the Nats kept their first-division string going at 10 years, but just barely, winding up tied for fourth with Tuckanarra and only one game ahead of sixth place High Mesa (5 GB)... the Nats have been to the postseason 15 times, but have never won a Pro Cup... the last pennant was recent (2040)... five times Ozarka made the Pro Cup Finals, but lost all of them... the last time they were there was way back in 2020... the Naturals have an average offense and poor pitching... two players pretty much were the offense... the club leaders were 3B Jimmy Woods (.324/26/116/80) and All-Star SS Duffy Morrison (.295/33/109/95)... Morrison had one of his best season at 35... leading the mound corps was Glen Jenkins (23-8/3.56), the only one with a winning record... Pedro Gonzales (3-3/2.42/18 saves) was the best in the bullpen... not too much quality after them.

6. High Mesa: the Cowboys came back-to-earth after last year's fine season when they were beaten out by one game by South Fork, the Pro Cup champ... the Cowpokes were still in the running much of the season this year, but faded to sixth in the final two months, but only five games behind leading South Fork... High Mesa has made the playoffs only twice in its history, 2002 and 2003... they won IPA Pro Cup in 2002... zilch since then... decent pitching and good firepower kept them in the race this year... the team ERA was 3.95 (18th) and the Cowboy attack slammed 197 HRs (4th)... 24-year-old Tee Bo Templet (17-6/3.55) had a break-out season in his fifth year with the club... he and vet Emil Nowak (16-16/3.89) were the biggest winners and most effective starters... three long-ballers carried the club: RF Clay Johnston (.288/47/111/90) led with 47 homers... 1B Johnny Tallis (.238/41/115/82) had 41 and SS Clifford Coleman (.267/36/102/90) walloped 36... Johnston tied for third in the IPA in home runs, topped only by Southport's Craig Glennon with 51 and Taranto's Ryan Nelms with 49.

7. East Point: the Panthers had another poor season, winding up near the bottom for the third year in a row... they were last in '42 (23 GB)... and in '41 (28 GB)... the Panthers have made the postseason only five times in the team's existence with no Pro Cups... once they got to the Finals in 2033 and dropped a tough seven-game series to Elnora... the last TU East flag came in 2039... East Point was a much better team this year... the pitching improved from a bad 4.40 ERA to an acceptable 3.80 ERA... the team BA went up a little from .236 to .248... the victories rose from 62-92 to 72-82... still they were in seventh place, but just eight games behind the division-winning South Fork Stallions... Ben Abramo (12-8/2.95) and Barney Benton (14-8/3.56) led the starters, while Tuck Tawney (3-8/2.68/13 saves) was the best reliever... the only reliable bat was RF Max Leibowitz, the club leader with a .310 BA, 28 HRs, 78 RBIs and 92 runs... not much in the batting order after him.

8. Midway: the Wolves were near the bottom of the division for the fourth season in a row... they were seventh last year (19 GB) and fell to eighth place this year (17 GB)... Midway has been to the postseason only three times in its history... 2027 was the last playoff appearance... in 2022 the Wolves were a Pro Cup finalist, but they were beaten by Crystal Lake in six games... they haven't ever won the IPA crown... the best performers at the plate were 37-year-old SS Jarred O'Neal (.254/15/84/80), 1B Jerry Kennison (.248/25/73/62) and 3B Hunk Allen (.299/21/79/52)... on the pitching staff only Charlie Chase (16-19/3.22) earned his pay.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 22, 2043

ARLON CLAIMS TU WEST
In the Tycobbian West Division the Arlon Champions turned it up the last two months and outdistanced three other contenders to reign supreme... the Champs won by four games over defending titleholder Kenwood and La Claire... in the fourth spot were the Denton City Redbirds, five games off the pace.

1. Arlon: in a surprise the Champions won the division for only the fourth time in history... Arlon was seventh in '41 (23.5 GB)and '42 (17 GB), but they rose up and took the title for the first time since 2039... the Champs have never won a Pro Cup, but did reach the Finals in 2039, losing out to Waleska in six games... a good offense put them over the top this season... they batted .269 (9th), were tied for third with 794 runs, hit 177 roundtrippers (10th)... on the hill not so good with a 4.31 team ERA (28th)... Arlon's top guns were All-Star 1B Robby Westin ((.334/38/115/107), All-Star RF Mark Cameron (.309/38/106/104), C Nick Shafer (.301/22/98/80) and CF Scotty Durham (.281/12/68/107)... fireballer Lanny Gray (13-11/3.95), Pat Stuyvesant (17-13/4.34) and Paul Sweet (14-11/4.50) were the main starters.... for Arlon to have any chance in the Pro Cup playoffs the pitching will have to do better than they did in the regular season.

2. Kenwood: the Wildcats had a good shot at a third straight pennant, but fizzled badly in the last weeks (19-28), tying for second with La Claire (4 GB)... they had the offense, led by superstar All-Star C Corky DiNozzo (.344/38/108/79), the Tycobbian batting champ... plus 2B Country Crowder (.321/4/62/88) and 1B Bert Henrich (.290/29/90/61)... and decent pitching with Clyde Myers (20-12/3.91) and Tommy Carter (14-10/2.92)... and very strong with the gloves (.978 FA)... Kenwood has one Pro Cup to its credit, won in 2014... they have been to the postseason only five times.

2. La Claire: the Lynx came in a distant third last year (21 GB), but improved to the runner-up spot this year (4 GB)... they have only been to the postseason four times in history and have not captured an IPA Pro Cup trophy... this season just a little above average as a team.... starters Nelson Stubbs (21-11/3.25) and Sato Ishii (19-7/3.41), along with super closer Terry Baird (7-2/1.88/27 saves) carried the club pretty much... Baird topped the IPA with 27 saves... the bat leaders were All-Star 3B Phil Lyons (.298/24/99/93), RF Hank Morton (.314/11/69/90), SS Donnie Nilsson (.296/6/54/84) and 2B Royce Hill (.282/12/92/71)... Lyons led the club with 187 hits, 24 HRS, 99 RBIs and 93 runs... Morton had the best BA at .314.

4. Denton City: the Redbirds have made the playoffs on nine occasions with no Pro Cups... but twice they reached the Finals (2005 and 2008)... Denton City last won the TU West in 2040... last year they were in second place (15 GB)... this year they were fourth (5 GB) with a winning record (80-74)... a slow 24-28 April and May hampered the club... the pitching was good with starters All-Star Francisco Salcido (20-12/2.60) and Harry Elliott (16-16/3.00)... at age 38 Salcido won 20 games for the fourth time in his 16 seasons with the club... overall he is 231-174 with a 3.45 ERA... the offense was pretty good with superstar All-Star 1B Wayman Stetson (.312/47/145/106)... Stetson topped the IPA in RBIs with 145 and was tied for third with 47 homers and seventh with 202 hits... other contributors were were SS Sammy Thornton (.326/6/71/88), LF Sadaharu Uchiyama (.300/12/74/80) and RF Pete Doyle (.272/15/58/107)... the defense is excellent with a .979 FA.

5. Rolling Hills: the Reds were fourth in '42 (22 GB) with a 72-82 record, but got better in '43 with a 77-77 mark, coming in fifth, but only 8 games out of first... they have made the playoffs 10 times and have won two Pro Cups (2029 and 2031)... the last TU West flag came in 2032... Rolling Hills is just an average ballclub except on defense, where they are excellent with a .979 FA... Matthew Christianson (16-16/3.02) was the only reliable starter... not much in the bullpen... at the plate 23-year-old star 1B Darwin Tard (.332/25/83/98) put up some very good numbers again... so did RF Jimbo Foxx with 33 homers, 107 RBIs and 78 runs, but the free swinger struck out 155 times and batted only .235.

6. Bayview: the Vikings were never a factor in the pennant chase... they finished 11 GB in sixth place... last season they were fifth (26 GB)... the Viks have been to the playoffs only six times and do not have a Pro Cup... the last pennant came in 2016... Bayview has never gone deep in the playoffs... they have a good offense led by super slugger 2B Jerry Culpepper, who was the club leader with 46 homers, 119 RBIs, 99 runs and 170 hits... Culpepper ranked sixth in the IPA in HRs and tenth in RBIs... he batted .304... SS Andreas Stokke was the other big bat in the line-up with 36 HRs, 91 RBIs and 84 runs, but he hit only .243... Johnny Young (16-16/3.64) and Bobby Knudsen (16-17/3.61) were the only dependable starters.

7. Bay St. Clair: it was an eighth straight year the Buccaneers wound up in the TU West second division, but they did improve from the awful 54-100 last place finish in '42 (40 GB), climbing up to 67-87 and seventh place (18 GB)... the Bucs have made 9 appearances in the playoffs, but not recently... 2030 was the last time... Bay St. Clair is still waiting on its first Pro Cup... they did make the Pro Cup Finals in 2015, but fell to Taranto in five games... 35-year-old Freddi Hahn (13-15/3.88) was the only reliable starter... 37-year-old closer Clark Van Vreeland (11-6/3.02/22 saves) was the most dependable reliever... Van Vreeland was tied for fourth in the IPA with 22 saves, beaten only by Terry Baird of La Claire with 27, Timmy Hickens of Ginza with 27 and Wes Christopher of Fairfax with 23... the Bucs didn't fare very well in the batter's box, lacking runs and home-run power, but they hit pretty well with a .265 BA (12th)... the club leaders were SS Edison Randall (.276/19/85/79), new RF Spade Weldon (.290/15/68/69), who came over from Tuckanarra in a July trade for pitcher Pete Cross (10-18/3.55), CF Gilbert Bauer (.283/20/71/86), RF Robby Palmer (.301/7/69/63) and C Johnny Martin (.313/9/60/70).

8. Chicopee: the Braves ended up in the cellar for the third time in four years (20 GB) and in the second division for the seventh year in a row... last year they were sixth (30 GB)... only three playoff appearances in the team's history... they came in back-to-back seasons 2034 to 2036... Chicopee has no Pro Cup trophies in its trophy case... the Braves are not very talented... Wes Pennington (15-11/3.66) led the club in wins... Paul Foster (13-21/4.05) was second... there was no reliever worth mentioning... not much at the plate either... RF Denny Halverton (.280/8/48/67) led the team with a .280 BA... CF Marty Hogart (.276/18/67/83) had the most homers with 18 and scored the most runs with 83... and C Augie Meaux (.259/12/72/48) was the club leader with 72 RBIs.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 22, 2043

SUN SOX PRO CUP PICK
Islandia is once again buzzing with baseball adulation, speculation and prognostication. It's time for the 2043 IPA Pro Cup playoffs - a time when everybody's fancy turns to baseball. Play begins tomorrow afternoon. Opening round action in the Ruthlandian Union pits Sugar Valley on the road at Volusia and Crystal Lake hosting Valmara... In Tycobbia, Southport will be at home against North Hills and the defending champion South Fork Stallions opening up out-of-town in Arlon. The Stallions won it all last year, sweeping the Colfax Blasters in four games.

And just who's going to take the crown this year? South Fork, Southport and Volusia are back for another try. Will it be one of the holdovers from last year or one of the newcomers? The defending champion South Fork Stallions made it back this year, but like last year, they are getting no respect. In a Pro Cup Preview poll conducted by The Islandian Times, the Stallions were rated no better than sixth in the postseason. The Southport Sun Sox, last year's favorite, have been picked again to win. Ranked number two in the voting were the Sugar Valley Rattlers, who are forecast to win the Ruthlandian title and play the Tycobbian champ Southport for the whole shebang.

The North Hills Hawks were selected third and given the best chance to defeat Southport in the Tycobbian Union League Championship Series. Volusia, ranked fourth, is expected to test Sugar Valley in the Ruthlandian LCS. The Crystal Lake Crushers came in at number five in the Pro Cup polling, followed by South Fork, Arlon and Valmara.

2043 Pro Cup Poll

1. Southport: the Sun Sox have only made four appearances in the Pro Cup playoffs in history... they have won the TU South for the last two seasons and are set to win their first-ever Pro Cup this year... they were the favorite last year, but got knocked off in first-round action by Hartsdale... Southport is getting a lot of support to take it all this year... strong bats with excellent power and rock-solid pitching make them quite formidable in the postseason... All-Star 3B Craig Glennon (.290/51/127/104) had a fantastic year and paced the IPA with 51 HRs and 127 RBIs... 1B Eddy Douglas (.309/32/97/90) was another big bat, along with 2B James Long, who slugged 33 out of the park, drove in 84 runs and scored 88, but batted a sparse .255... CF Barney Lewis also chipped in with 24 roundtrippers, 73 RBIs and 75 runs, while batting .273... other dependable bats were C Vasilis Vlachos (.279/17/79/67) and SS Gonzalo Topez (.306/10/58/70)... on the hill it was ace Billy Hoover (27-11/2.83), who led the IPA for the second time in victories with 27... he won 26 last year... Johnny Swanson (18-16/3.02) and Gordon Forbes (17-10/3.79) also contributed good seasons... leading the strong bullpen were Hal Combs (4-6/2.78/13 saves) and Wayne Stewart (4-2/3.00/7 saves).

2. Sugar Valley: the Rattlers returned to the top of the division with their 11th pennant in 43 years of IPA play... the last one came in 2038 when the team rang up 104 victories... this was the ninth straight season to finish in the first division as they moved up from third place in 2042 (7 GB)... a very good offense combined with solid pitching brought home the division title... the Rattlers have one of the best starting fours in the IPA with Jeremy Blanchard (20-11/3.15), Christopher Dunsberry (20-12/3.15), Davey Brennan (19-13/3.19) and Joe Snow (16-5/2.88)... the only holdback is a poor relief corps... Blanchard is 38 and has composed a 292-244 record in 17 seasons with a 3.36 ERA... gifted superstar and All-Star LF Bobby Gamble (.336/40/127/127) had a monster season leading the IPA with 127 runs and tied for second in RBIs with 127... he was sixth with a .336 BA... All-Star CF Carl Ramsey (.281/29/108/114) had a strong season, too... other contributors were RF Jeff Harvey (.301/22/106/85), 2B Richie Fry (.331/7/52/101) and SS Roger Hobbs (.285/20/56/104)... Sugar Valley also got 25 homers and 72 RBIs from C Delmer Campbell (.215), 23 homers and 76 runs from 1B James Milton (.275) and 16 HRs and 84 RBIs from 3B Kent Rasmus (.277)... seven of the regulars got double-digit homers.

3. North Hills: the Hawks came in third last year (5 GB)... this year they won the title with some breathing room, ranking third with a .276 BA and fifth with a team ERA of 3.56... now the Hawks are flying high again with their ninth division title in the last ten years... North Hills will going for their fifth Pro Cup in the last decade... veteran starters David Michael (19-13/2.65), Tony Mack (19-8/3.24), Joey Santini (19-11/3.51) and Nelson Hooper (19-15/4.28) all won 19 games... the offense was better-than-average with All-Star LF Adam Thurgood (.295/32/112/88) and 3B Jim McDermott (.304/18/81/85) in the lead... the Hawks also play excellent defense with a .977 FA... North Hills led the IPA with 93 wins, one better than Southport of the TU South and Volusia of the RU West.

4. Volusia: the Vigilantes were runner-up to Colfax last year, losing out by just one game... prior to this season the V's last won the division in '34 and '35... this will be their eighth playoff appearance... Volusia has won one Pro Cup... that came in the very first year of the IPA in 2001... the Vigilantes came close to another title in 2006 when they lost in the Finals to powerful Turon... they should be a contender this year with a good mix of pitching, hitting and defense... the starters are as good as anyone in the IPA with Drew Selby (20-12/2.58), Skeeter Millham (20-15/3.18), Raul Navarro (20-15/3.32) and Leandos Dizon (13-6/2.95/10 saves)... not a lot in the bullpen since Dizon became a starter... at the plate the V's could use some help, but they do have good power from All-Star 1B Kris Wilson (.358/26/93/84), SS Duane Blayney (.273/33/94/94), RF Lonny Womack (.265/27/83/83) and CF Cazzie Carvalho (.266/25/72/96).

5. Crystal Lake: last season the Crushers were 4 GB in fourth place... they won the pennant this year with a high-powered offense... the Crushers led the IPA with a .290 team BA and 874 runs... pitching-wise they weren't very good with a 4.27 ERA... leading the way were LF Kenny Gray (.327/24/88/68), 1B Daryl Brady (.329/17/80/67), 3B Marv Roy (.277/20/104/83), RF Paul Dillon (.324/13/91/98), C Del Peevy (.293/12/92/93) and 2B Jim Henley (.306/6/64/72)... leading the mound corps was Eddie Lane (11-9/2.82/14 saves), who split time between starting and relieving, finally starting after 11 seasons in the bullpen... Dave McCauley (18-14/3.93) was the club's big winner... Crystal Lake could do well in the playoffs with such fine hitting... all they need is to get some fairly good pitching.

6. South Fork: the Stallions batted .271 (8th), scored 712 runs (15th), hit 156 homers (14th), play good defense (.975 FA) and posted a fairly good 3.63 ERA (8th)... they are pretty much the same club that won the Pro Cup last year... who says they can't do it again?... All-Star Chris Sorensen (22-12/2.68) was the staff leader with some help from Jay Murphy (15-14/3.01) and Big Murph McAlister (16-13/4.16)... Murphy came nowhere near his 2042 Golden Arm season when he was 25-7 with 1.90 ERA, but he is still a quality arm... the Stallions still have a good group of hitters in 3B Elton Jacoby (.314/28/92/93), who led the club with 28 HRs and 92 RBIs... All-Star 2B Pete Arnold (.331/4/50/99), the team leader with a .331 BA, 208 hits and 99 runs... Arnold finished fourth in the Tycobbian Union batting race, won by Corky DiNozzo of Kenwood, who hit .344... Arnold also ranked third in the IPA with 208 hits, beaten only by Claxton's Jojo DeLucca with 226 and Colfax's Gerry Sives with 210... four other reliable hitters were RF John Dunham (.281/17/64/83), last year's Pro Cup MVP SS Jess Wilkerson (.284/22/81/77), 1B Paul Sexton (.281/25/79/68) and CF Scotty O'Sullivan (.292/19/74/61)... if Murphy and McAlister come up big on the hill, the Stallions could repeat as IPA champion.

7. Arlon: in a surprise the Champions won the division for only the fourth time in history... Arlon was seventh in '41 (23.5 GB)and '42 (17 GB), but they rose up and took the title for the first time since 2039... the Champs have never won a Pro Cup, but did reach the Finals in 2039, losing out to Waleska in six games... a good offense put them over the top this season... they batted .269 (9th), were tied for third with 794 runs, hit 177 roundtrippers (10th)... on the hill not so good with a 4.31 team ERA (28th)... Arlon's top guns were All-Star 1B Robby Westin ((.334/38/115/107), All-Star RF Mark Cameron (.309/38/106/104), C Nick Shafer (.301/22/98/80) and CF Scotty Durham (.281/12/68/107)... fireballer Lanny Gray (13-11/3.95), Pat Stuyvesant (17-13/4.34) and Paul Sweet (14-11/4.50) were the main starters.... for Arlon to have any chance in the Pro Cup playoffs the pitching will have to do better than they did in the regular season.

8. Valmara: rose up from fourth (17 GB) to first place... last pennant in 2031... only Pro Cup was in 2024... top players at the plate were CF Don Ritchie (.324/14/77/100), 1B Cain Greene (.295/23/93/73) and All-Star C Antonio Dominguez (.263/21/100/70)... top starters were All-Star Teddy Twardzik (16-15/2.59) and Zak Reeder (23-12/4.22)... best in the bullpen was Paul Holloway (5-5/2.31/11 saves)... the Vipers had a good first half and then just enough to win in the second half...Valmara is not a particularly strong club and plays in one of the weaker divisions in the IPA... the Vipers are not expected to do much in the Pro Cup playoffs.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 23, 2043

2042 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game One

Ruthlandian Union

RATTLERS WIN OPENER, DUNSBERRY BEATS V'S 4-2
In the first game of the Ruthlandian Division Series Sugar Valley got great pitching from Christopher Dunsberry to whip Volusia 4-2 on the road at the Jailhouse... Dunsberry (1-0) blanked the Vigilantes on two hits for eight innings, struck out eight and walked three... he outpitched the V's ace Drew Selby (0-1), who was touched for four runs on eight hits with four walks and six Ks... Selby hurled a complete game... Dunsberry gave the Rattlers a 4-0 lead after eight innings... Volusia roughed up reliever Joe Snow in the ninth for two runs and three hits.

Sugar Valley outhit Volusia 8 to 5 and was paced by RF Jeff Harvey with two hits and three RBIs... and by SS Roger Hobbs with four hits and two runs scored... 1B Kris Wilson and RF Lonny Womack led the losers with an RBI each.

VIPERS ROCK CRUSHERS 8-3 IN GAME ONE
In game one of the RU Division Series at Lakefront Park Valmara rocked hometown Crystal Lake for 12 hits en route to an 8-3 bashing, sparked by the solid pitching of Teddy Twardzik, who went the distance... He permitted 10 hits, but only three runs... a four-run fourth put them ahead 6-1 and paved the way for the victorious Vipers... Eddie Lane (0-1) took the drubbing, allowing six runs on four hits in his four innings.

SS Antos Dacko hit a two-run homer and 3B Ken Jensen drilled a two-run double for the Vipers... 2B Jim Henley led the Crushers with three hits and two RBIs.

Tycobbian Union

HAWKS WIN IN 15TH ON FERGUSON DOUBLE
In the first game of the Tycobbian Division Series at the Hawk's Nest, North Hills and Southport battled long and hard in a 15-inning thriller won by the Hawks 6-5 on Jimmy Jay Ferguson's two-run double... North Hills had to come back from a 2-0 deficit against 26-game winner Billy Hoover to pull it off... they tagged him for single runs in the eighth, ninth and tenth... the Hawks had to score a run in the last of the ninth to even the score at 2-all, in the bottom of the tenth to tie it up 3-3, another run in the last of the fourteenth to knot it at 4-4 and needed two to win it in the fifteenth in a fantastic finish.

Hoover worked into the tenth for the Sun Sox and gave up three runs on nine hits... David Michael tossed eight good innings for the Hawks and yielded just two runs on nine hits... neither starter got the decision... the win went Kyle Oliver (1-0), the fourth and final North Hills' hurler... he was tagged for a run in the top of the fifteenth, but Ferguson saved the day for him with his walk-off hit... Wayne Stewart (0-1) came on in the fifteenth with the score tied 5-5 and gave up the winning score for the loss.

Each club collected 15 hits... 3B Jim McDermott, CF Kris Anastas and RF Jimmy Jay Ferguson all contributed two doubles each to the Hawks' attack... CF Barney Lewis and RF Robert Martin both had solo homers for Southport.

SORENSEN SHARP, STALLIONS TOP ARLON 7-1
Two of the stars from last year's Pro Cup champion picked up where they left off, leading South Fork to a 7-1 victory over Arlon in the opening game of the TU Division Series... Chris Sorensen (1-0) went all the way stopping Arlon on just one run and five hits... and last year's Pro Cup MVP SS Jess Wilkerson belted four hits... Lanny Gray was the losing pitcher... he departed after seven and a third innings, trailing 6-1.

The Stallions snapped a 1-1 tie in the sixth on C Paul Richardson's two-run single... then wrapped up the win with three more in the eighth... 3B Elton Jacoby added three hits and two RBIs to the South Fork attack... and RF John Dunham chipped three hits and scored twice... 1B Robby Westin homered in the second for the Champs' only run.

A very special thanks to all of you that keep track of the IPA.
It has been inducted into the OOTPB Dynasty Hall of Fame.
Thanks to all of you who nominated it and voted for it.

Here is the link:

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...e-results.html

Sorry for the lack of reports the last few days.

It was computer problems.

All should be well now.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, September 24, 2043

2043 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game Two

Ruthlandian Union

SERIES EVEN, V'S RAP RATTLERS 9-5
In game two of the Ruthlandian Division Series at the Jailhouse in Volusia, the Vigilantes rapped Sugar Valley 9-5 to even it up at one game each... leading 5-4, the V's put two runs on the scoreboard in both the fifth and sixth frames to pull away... Charlie Farmer smacked a two-run homer and drive in three runs for Volusia... they collected 11 hits... LF Derek Jorstad (.286), CF Cazzie Carvalho (.375), 2B Carl Kendall (.400) and 3B Charlie Farmer (.500) scored two runs apiece... Carvalho, Kendall and C Tank Tarkanian (.286) all had two hits apiece... starter Leandos Dizon (1-0) got credit for the win, giving up only two earned runs and four hits in seven innings with 4 Ks and one walk.

Losing pitcher Jeremy Blanchard (0-1) was wild and wooly with six bases on balls... Volusia tagged him hard for seven runs and nine hits in just four-plus innings... 2B Richie Fry (.375) went 3-for-4 with three doubles and four RBIs... and 1B James Milton (.125) had a solo homer for the Rattlers.

VALMARA'S REEDER HALTS CRUSHERS 3-1
In the second game of the Ruthlandian Division Series at Crystal Lake, 23-game winner Zak Reeder halted Crystal Lake 3-1 to give the Valmara Vipers a 2-0 lead... in a sharp, route-going performance Reeder (1-0) struck out six, walked two and yielded only one run on seven hits... Reeder got the best of Dave McCauley (0-1), who allowed three runs on 11 hits, while also pitching a complete game.

SS Antos Dacko (.375) had two hits and two RBIs to spark the Vipers at the plate... LF Lech Nowakowski (.500) went 1-2 with two walks and two runs scored... 2B Jim Henley (.625) led the Crushers with two hits and an RBI.

Tycobbian Union

SF's MURPHY TOO TOUGH, TOPS ARLON 6-2 IN GAME 2
In game number two at Derby Downs in Arlon, Jay Murphy was on top of this game as he hurled defending Pro Cup champ South Fork to its second straight victory in the Tycobbian Division Series... Murphy (1-0) held Arlon to two runs and five hits in a 6-2 victory... the Stallions got homers from Scotty O'Sullivan and Glenn O'Reilly... O'Sullivan (.429) got a solo shot in the second and O'Reilly (.333) was good for three runs in the top of the fourth putting South Fork in front 4-0... O'Sullivan went 3-for-4 and scored three runs.

The Stallions picked up nine hits off losing pitcher Pat Stuyvesant (0-1), good for six runs... he fanned eight batters and walked two in a complete game... both Arlon scores came off of homers by RF Mark Cameron (.286) and 3B Jason Dixon (.200).

HAWKS WIN AGAIN, MACK MASTERS SOX 6-0
Tony Mack made it look easy in the second game of the TU Division Series with Southport, this year's pick to win the Pro Cup... Mack (1-0) blanked them for eight innings on eight hits, struck out seven and walked two for the 6-0 win and gave the Hawks a two-nothing edge in the best-of-seven series... reliever Jeff Owens worked a runless ninth for North Hills.

Loser Johnny Swanson (0-1) was blistered for 11 hits and six runs, while going the distance... RF Tennis Magee (.400) had two hits and three RBIs to lead the Hawks at bat... CF Kris Anastas (.625) added 3-for-3 and drove in a run... and 1B Oscar Pendleton (.364) was 2-for-4 with a run scored and one driven in... RF Chris Jones (.500) had three hits in defeat for Southport.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 25, 2043

2043 IPA PRO CUP DIVISION SERIES - Game Three

Ruthlandian Union

TARKANIAN SLAM GIVES VOLUSIA SERIES LEAD
Volusia took the series lead in the Ruthlandian Division Series two games to one on Tank Tarkanian's grand slam homer in the top of the eighth... the Vigilantes trailed Sugar Valley 7-4 on the road, but came away with a 9-7 triumph at Farmers Memorial Park.

The V's pelted Rattler pitching for 11 hits and were led by C Tarkanian (.364) with two hits and four RBIs... 3B Charlie Farmer (.500) also chipped in two hits, scored twice and batted in a run... SS Duane Blayney (.250) and 2B Carl Kendall (.375) also scored two runs apiece... Sugar Valley also collected 11 hits with SS Roger Hobbs (.643) getting four of them, LF Bobby Gamble (.300) posted three hits and two RBIs and CF Carl Ramsey (.222) poling a pair of roundtrippers and driving in 5 runs... Gamble chipped in another Rattler homer.

Will Thompson (1-0), the first of three Vigilante relievers, notched the win for Volusia, in spite of allowing two runs in his only inning... he benefitted greatly from Tarkanian game-winning blast... Afonso Tavora got the final four outs for the save... Hermie Walpole (0-1), the second of three Rattler reliever, suffered the defeat, giving up three runs in the eighth without getting an out.

VIPERS RALLY LATE FOR 8-6 VICTORY ON RITCHIE HR
At War Memorial Stadium in Valmara, the hometown Vipers came back from a 7-3 deficit to defeat Crystal Lake for the third day in a row... Don Ritchie belted a two-round homer in the last of the eighth to beat the Crushers 8-6, which gave the Vipers a big three games to none lead in the best-of-seven affair.

In relief Paul McKenzie (1-0) blanked Crystal Lake for four innings to get the win... Paul Holloway pitched a perfect ninth for the save... Crusher starter Ken Lawson (0-1) took the loss... Valmara mauled him for eight runs and eight hits in seven and two-thirds innings.

The Vipers were victorious despite being outhit 12-8 by the Crushers... CF Don Ritchie (.308) and RF Zarek Boczek (.364) both had two hits and two RBIs apiece... and pinchhitter Jacek Prusak had a crucial three-run double in the eighth... 1B Marv Roy (.364) and RF Pat Dillon (.231) paced Crystal Lake with homers... Roy had a three-run smash and Dillon a solo blast.

Tycobbian Union

HAWKS OVER SUN SOX 5-3 IN 11 INNINGS, NEAR SWEEP
For the first time in the Tycobbian Division Series, Southport was at home at Pleasure Beach Park, but it didn't help any... North Hills still prevailed for the third consecutive game, topping the Sun Sox 5-3 in 11 innings... the Hawks sent it to overtime in the eighth frame on Adam Thurgood's clout and then won it on a wild pitch three innings later.

Alex Peters (1-0) tossed two scoreless innings to get the win in relief of starter Joey Santini, who worked the first nine frames, permitting three runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and three walks... Southport's Gordon Forbes (0-1) pitched well until he tired in the 11th... Forbes surrendered five runs on 11 hits in his 10 innings, but couldn't get anybody out in the 11th... he fanned five and walked three.

North Hills socked 11 hits with 2B Tommy Vavas (.250), C Timmy Stevens (.333), 1B Oscar Pendleton (.375) and pitcher Santini (.667) each getting a pair of hits... topping the Sun Sox were CF Barney Lewis (.250) and SS Gonzalo Topez (.429) with two hits apiece.

STALLIONS WIN AGAIN, UP 3-0 IN SERIES
Defending Pro Cup champion South Fork took a giant step in the TU Division Series by winning its third game in a row over Arlon... game three went to the Stallions 4-2 behind the fine pitching of Big Murph McAlister, who stymied the Champions on two runs and three hits in eight sharp innings... McAlister (1-0) struck out four and walked six for the win... Gary Golden got the save by getting the last three outs in the ninth... Paul Sweet (0-1) was the losing pitcher... he went seven and two-thirds innings, allowed four runs on seven hits, while walking six and fanning three... the winning run came in on 3B Elton Jacoby's sac fly in the top of the fourth... Maury Yates (.286) singled in Jess Wilkerson in the last of the fifth for an insurance run.

South Fork had seven hits to Arlon's four... SS Jess Wilkerson (.417) drove in two runs to lead the Stallions... chipping in two hits each were CF Scotty O'Sullivan (.455) and RF John Dunham (.538)... 3B Jason Dixon (.125) and pitcher Paul Sweet (.000) drove in the Champions' only runs.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, September 26, 2043

2043 IPA PRO CUP DIVISION SERIES - Game Four

Ruthlandian Union

V'S SNEAK BY RATTLERS 7-6 IN 10 INNINGS
The Volusia Vigilantes swung the bats real well for the third successive game in the Ruthlandian Division Series smacking the Sugar Valley Rattlers 7-6 in 10 innings... the Vigilantes pushed their lead to three games to one and can wrap it up tomorrow... the V's had to bounce back from a 6-4 deficit after seven frames, scoring single runs in the eighth, ninth and tenth... Charlie Farmer (.385) singled in Kerry Keller (.167) with the game-winning score... the Vigilantes got superb relief work from Afonso Tavora and Skeeter Millham with three shutout innings... Tavora (1-0) shut down the Rattlers in the eighth and ninth for the win and Millham got the save with a 1-2-3 tenth... Dominico Renterias (0-1) blew the save and was stuck with the loss as he was sacked for two runs in two and one-third innings.

Volusia rattled the boards for 12 hits with everyone in the starting line-up getting at least one hit, led by SS Duane Blayney (.294) and 1B Kris Wilson (.188) with two runs batted in each... Blayney's ninth-inning homer tied the game at 6-all... CF Carl Ramsey (.231) and SS Roger Hobbs (.611) sparked Sugar Valley with 3-run homers, accounting for all their runs... the Rattlers totaled 10 hits in the game... it was Ramsey's third homer in four days... he has eight RBIs... Hobbs had been out-of-sight with 11 hits in 18 at-bats in the postseason.

VALMARA SWEEPS CRYSTAL LAKE, TWARDZIK WINS AGAIN
Valmara's ace Teddy Twardzik didn't dominate, but he pitched well enough to get the job done as Valmara swept Crystal Lake in four straight games... Twardzik (2-0/3.50) chalked up his second victory in the series and finished off the Crushers 7-4 in game four... he permitted four runs on 11 hits, going the distance... Twardzik also whipped them 8-3 in the opening game.

The Vipers backed up Twardzik with a 13-hit attack... 1B Caine Greene (.235) led the way with a two-run homer and got help from SS Antos Dacko (.357), who drove in three runs with a two-run double and a sacrifice fly... 3B Ken Jensen (.316) and CF Don Ritchie (.389) stood out with three hits apiece... the Crushers had 11 hits... SS Kory Sakaguchi (.364) drove in a pair of runs, while RF Pat Dillon (.235) and 1B Daryl Brady (.500) batted in one each... starter Eddie Lane (0-2/7.71) posted his second loss in the series as he was rocked for six runs and eight hits in five-plus frames.

Crystal Lake was a slight favorite in the series... manager Baby George was blunt about the loss, "Our pitching stunk to high heaven... the hitters, too... we deserved to be swept."

Winning skipper Vanya Vasylenko gave credit to both his hitters and pitchers. "When we needed hits, we got them... and when we needed outs, the pitchers got them... it really was a team effort... if we continue to play like this, we can win this thing." His club will meet the winner of the Volusia-Sugar Valley series for the Ruthlandian Union title and the right to challenge for the IPA Pro Cup... the Vigilantes are ahead 3-1 in the best-of-seven set.

Tycobbian Union

NH HAWKS FLY BY FAVORED SUN SOX IN A SWEEP
36-year-old right-hander David Michael finished off the Pro Cup favorite Southport 7-0 in game four of the TU Division Series... the North Hills Hawks won all four games and will now meet the winner of the South Fork Stallions and the Arlon Champions for the Tycobbian title... the Stallions are ahead in the series three to nothing.

Michael (1-0/1.06) surrendered nine hits, but no runs in game four... he walked four and fanned four, while working a complete game... Michael has won the Pro Cup MVP honor twice in his career, taking it in 2034 and 2038... the top winner in the IPA this season Billy Hoover (0-1/4.08) suffered the defeat... the Hawks shelled him for seven runs and 13 hits in eight-plus innings... they were paced by C Timmy Stevens (.400) with three hits... four other players notched a pair of hits each: 3B Jim McDermott (.333), 1B Oscar Pendleton (.381), CF Kris Anastas (.444) and SS Norris Henry (.231)... pitcher David Michael (.167) also helped his own cause with three RBIs... Sun Sox 1B Eddie Douglas (.333) went 3-for-3 in the loss and CF Barney Lewis (.333) was 2-for-3.

ARLON IS ALIVE! GRAY STOPS STALLIONS 10-0
Playing at home at Jock Ewing Stadum, defending Pro Cup titlist South Fork was poised to finish off Arlon in a four-game sweep, but it didn't happen... Lanny Gray, not only hurled a 10-0 shutout, but he also went ballistic with the bat, going 5-for-5 and driving in three runs... due to his heroics Arlon is still alive in the Tycobbian Division Series, but they still have a tough row o hoe... they trail the Stallions three games to one in the best-of-seven series.

Gray (1-1/3.31) limited South Fork to just five hits, struck out 8 batters and walked one in a razor-sharp outing... the Champs battered Chris Sorensen (1-1/3.60) for six runs and eight hits in just six innings... Sorensen was trailing 6-0 when he took to the showers... Sorensen had beaten Gray in the first game 7-1.

Leading the Arlon 13-hit attack was C Nick Shafer (.313) with 4-for-5 and five RBIs... Shafer's big blow was a grand slam homer in the fifth inning that snapped a scoreless tie... LF Charlie Hastings (.375) added two hits and two runs scored to the Arlon numbers.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 27, 2043

2043 IPA PRO CUP DIVISION SERIES - Game Five

Ruthlandian Union

VOLUSIA TROUNCES SV 9-3, WINS IN 5 GAMES
Number four-ranked Volusia didn't pay any attention to the Pro Cup rankings, they went out and beat second-rated Sugar Valley in five games to capture the Ruthlandian Division Series and advance to the RU League Championship Series against the eighth-ranked Valmara Vipers, who eliminated number five Crystal Lake in a four-game sweep.

The Vigilantes battered the Rattlers for 13 hits in a 9-3 rout in game five... and got decent mound work from Leandos Dizon (2-0/3.21) and reliever Skeeter Millham... Dizon allowed three runs on six hits in his seven innings for the win... Millham blanked them the final two frames... in another ineffective outing Jeremy Blanchard )-2/7.71) lost it... he was pounded for five runs and 10 hits in seven innings.

Volusia was led at the plate by C Tank Tarkanian (.350) and CF Cazzie Carvalho (.273), who slammed three-run homers and by 1B Kris Wilson (.286), who had three hits and drove in a pair of runs... Sugar Valley's best bats were LF Bobby Gamble (.278) and C Delmer Campbell (.150)... Gamble got a two-run homer and Campbell hit a singleton.

Tycobbian Union

ARLON TRIMS SF 8-5 IN 11, TRAILS 3-2 IN SERIES
In game five of the TU Division Series at South Fork, the Arlon Champions had their hitting shoes on for the second day in a row as they stung the Stallions 8-5 in 11 innings to get back in the series, cutting South Fork's lead to three games to two... Gilberto Cabral powered a three-run homer to win it... Mark Cameron had a three-run clout in the first for the Champs.

In all, Arlon collected 13 hits with SS Cabral (.200) having three of them... and RF Cameron (.263), LF Charlie Hastings (.364), C Nick Shafer (.318) and 2B Genji Kurashima (.143) all got two hits apiece... South Fork got 8 hits with LF Maury Yates (.364) leading the way with two hits and scoring three runs... 1B Paul Sexton (.211) swatted a two-run homer and Yates hit a one-run blast.

Reliever Danny May (1-0) chalked up the victory... he permitted a run and three hits in his two innings... the loser was Gary Golden (0-1), who was shellacked for four runs in one and two-thirds innings.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 28, 2043

2043 IPA PRO CUP DIVISION SERIES - Game Six

Tycobbian Union

SWEET VICTORY, CHAMPS FORCE STALLIONS TO 7TH GAME
Arlon won its third straight from defending Pro Cup champion South Fork to force a seventh-and-deciding game in the Tycobbian Division Series... Paul Sweet (1-1/2.70) hurled a stout game, stopping the Stallions on two runs and six hits in a 3-2 victory... Sweet fanned six batters and walked only two in going the distance... Big Murph McAlister (1-1/2.25) pitched well in defeat, permitting three runs on nine hits.

The winning scores came in the last of the seventh... Arlon trailed 2-1, when pitcher Sweet (.167) singled and moved to third on a double by LF Charlie Hastings (.400)... after a walk to CF Scotty Durham (.083) loaded the bases, C Nick Shafer (.320) tied it up 2-2 with a deep sac fly that scored Sweet... RF Mark Cameron (.261) then put the Champions ahead to stay with a line-drive single that scored Hastings from third.

LF Maury Yates (.333) gave South Fork an early 1-0 lead when he homered in the second frame... Arlon knotted it up in the fifth when a walk and an error placed runners on the corners... Hastings then singled in Jason Dixon (.211) from third... the Stallions took back the lead 2-1 in the top of the sixth on an RBI single by SS Jess Wilkerson (.261).

The series finale will also be played in Arlon at Derby Downs... Arlon will have Lanny Gray (1-1/3.31) on the hill, while Chris Sorensen (1-1/3.60) will get the starting assignment for South Fork... both hurlers are lefties... in the regular season Gray was 13-11 with a 3.95 ERA and Sorensen was 22-12 with a 2.68 ERA... they have split in the series thus far... Sorensen won 7-1 in the opener and Gray took game four 10-0.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 26, 2043

2043 IPA PRO CUP DIVISION SERIES - Game Seven

Tycobbian Union

STALLIONS WIN IN 7 ON SORENSEN'S SHUTOUT
Game seven of the Tycobbian Union Division Series at Derby Downs in Arlon was a magnifcent pitching duel between two splendid southpaws... in the end it was South Fork's Chris Sorensen, who prevailed 1-0 over Lanny Gray and the Arlon Champions... the winning run came after seven scoreless innings... in the top of the eighth Maury Yates singled with one out... Frank Stewart, a pinchrunner for Yates , stole second base and then scored when second baseman Genji Kurashima botched a groundball for an error.

Sorensen (2-1/2.25) struck out seven, three of them in the ninth, walked two and limited Arlon to just five hits... Gray (1-2/2.13) was brilliant in defeat, tying the Tycobbian playoff record for most strikeouts with 12... Gray gave up no earned runs, walked one and allowed five hits.

Manager Blackie Terranova, beaming with the crucial victory, told the press, "this was just too close for comfort... we needed a big game and Chris gave it to us... we started off the series well with three wins in a row... then they got hot and almost did the improbable... win four in a row." Terranova added, "You know, that nothing is easy in the postseason... each series is a super test... last year we had to win two 7-game series to get a crack at the title... so this is nothing new." The next test for the Stallions will be the powerful North Hills Hawks for the Tycobbian Union league title. South Fork is trying to repeat as IPA champion, while the Hawks are shooting for a fifth Pro Cup in ten years.

Rocco Belasario, the Arlon skipper, lamented the loss. "We just ran into a fine pitcher, who had a super day... otherwise my Champs would be playing for the league title next week... we came real close to knocking off a very fine team... I'm very proud of my boys... we've had a wonderful season."

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 2, 2043

IPA LCS BEGIN TOMORROW
The IPA Pro Cup field has been cut to four teams. Last year's champion South Fork Stallions are still in the hunt along with the North Hills Hawks, Volusia Vigilantes and the surprising Valmara Vipers. In the Tycobbian League Championship Series the Stallions, ranked sixth in the Pro Cup poll, will be at home against the Hawks, who were rated to have the third-best chance of winning the Pro Cup by the professional odds-makers. Playing for the Ruthlandian League title will be number four Volusia, hosting unheralded Valmara, the least likely team to take the Islandian title.

South Fork won the Pro Cup last year, but was given little chance by the prognosticators to haul in the trophy. Ditto for this year in spite of being the reigning champion. To repeat this year, the Stallions are going to have to get past powerful North Hills, who swept the top pick Southport in the Division Series. South Fork had a tough seven-game series with the number-seven ranked club, the Arlon Champions.

The Hawks looked invincible against the favored Southport Sun Sox, winning four straight games. They hit .298 as a team and had a fantastic 1.17 ERA. The three starters David Michael (1-0/1.06), Tony Mack (1-0/0.00) and Joey Santini (0-0/2.00) were all outstanding. South Fork's numbers against a weaker Arlon club didn't look good in comparison. The Stallions batted only .222 and posted a 3.38 ERA. However, their starters Chris Sorensen (2-1/2.25), Jay Murphy (1-0/3.86) and Big Murph McAlister (1-1/2.25) did well in the first round. It was at the plate and in the bullpen where the Stallions suffered. This looks like North Hills' year. They should prevail over South Fork in the Tycobbian League Championship Series and then go on to win the IPA Pro Cup, their fifth in the last ten years.

Battling for the Ruthlandian crown are Volusia and Valmara. The Vigilantes knocked off the number-two team Sugar Valley in five games in the first round action, while the Vipers KO'ed the number-five rated club, the Crystal Lake Crushers in four games. This could be a high-scoring series. Volusia batted .287 against Sugar Valley and outscored them 36 to 20. The V's pitching was fair with a 3.91 ERA. Valmara did even better with a .312 BA. On the mound they compiled a fair 3.50 ERA. The baseball gurus are giving a nod to the Vigilantes in the series because of slightly better starting pitching.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 3, 2043

2043 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game One

Ruthlandian Union

VIPERS NICK VIGILANTES 3-2 IN RU OPENER
Teddy Twardzik was too tough for Volusia to solve in the opener of the Ruthlandian Union League Championship Series at the Jailhouse... Twardzik (3-0) stopped the Vigilantes 3-2, tossing eight solid innings, giving up six hits and two runs with three Ks and three walks... the save went to Paul Holloway, who blanked the V's in the ninth, though they put two runners on with one away before Holloway fanned the final two batters... the Vipers remained unbeaten in the postseason... this was their fifth victory in a row and snapped Volusia winning streak at four games.

Drew Selby (0-2/3.60) had a good outing, yielding three runs on nine hits in a complete game... Selby whiffed five and walked two... the Vipers got to him for two runs in the top of the eighth for the win... CF Don Ritchie singled to lead off the inning... Cain Greene tripled him in to tie it up at 2-2... Zarek Boczek's deep fly ball plated the winning run.

Valmara took the lead in the first frame on a double by 2B John Banks (.235) and an RBI single by Don Ritchie (.435)... Volusia crashed two homers back-to-back in the last of the fourth... RF Lonny Womack and SS Floyd Naylor put them ahead 2-1.

CF Don Ritchie sparked Valmara at the plate with three singles...1B Cain Greene (.250), RF Zarek Boczek (.222) and Ritchie (.425) drove in their runs... Womack (.214) and Naylor (.500) led Volusia with two hits and an RBI each.

Tycobbian Union

HAWKS TAKE STALLIONS 4-3, MCDERMOTT HITS 2 HRS
Unbeaten North Hills also chalked up its fifth straight postseason win... in game one of the TU League Championship Series at the Hawk's Nest in North Hills, David Michael and Jim McDermott teamed up to give the hometown Hawks a 4-3 triumph over defending Pro Cup champ South Fork... McDermott smashed a three-run game-winner in the bottom of the fifth to send the Hawks off to a high-flying start in the best-of-seven series... he also homered in the fourth frame... Michael (2-0/1.73) went the distance, holding the Stallions to three runs on six hits, three of them for home runs... he walked one and struck out three... South Fork ace southpaw Chris Sorensen (2-2/2.81) also hurled a complete game, giving up four runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and two bases on balls.

3B McDermott (.381) topped the Hawks with two hits and four RBIs... this was his first homers of the postseason... 2B Pete Arnold (.111), 3B Elton Jacoby (.310) and C Paul Richardson (.176) all hit solo homers for the Stallions.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 4, 2043

2043 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game Two

Ruthlandian Union

VALMARA WINS 6TH STRAIGHT, WHIPS VOLUSIA 6-3
The red-hot Valmara Vipers are on a roll with six wins in a row in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs... the Vipers whipped Volusia 6-3 on the road and now have taken the first two games of the Ruthlandian LCS... but they had to rally in the late innings... trailing 3-1 after five innings, Valmara took the lead 4-3 with three runs in the top of the seventh... the Vips clipped the V's for 14 hits , sending Leandos Dizon (2-1/4.29) down to defeat... he surrendered 13 of them, good for five runs in seven innings... Zak Reeder (2-0/2.08) was the winner... he permitted 11 hits, but only three runs in eight and one-third innings... Paul Holloway picked up his third postseason save by getting the final two outs in the ninth.

Valmara got solo homers from CF Don Ritchie (.429), his second in the playoffs, and from LF Jacek Prusak (.333), his first... 3B Kris Jensen (.357) socked four hits for the Vipers and scored two runs, Ritchie had two hits, scored twice and drove in three runs, and 1B Cain Greene (.320) had three hits and two RBIs... leading the Vigilantes' 11-hit attack were SS Duane Blayney (.313) with three hits... chipping in with two hits apiece were 1B Kris Wilson (.276) and CF Cazzie Carvalho (.267)... Carvalho had a two-run double.

Volusia will now have to try to stave off elimination at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara, the site of the next three games.

Tycobbian Union

THURGOOD GIVES HAWKS 4-3 WIN IN 11 INNINGS
For the second day in a row at the Hawk's Nest, North Hills got the best of defending Pro Cup titleholder South Fork 4-3... Hawks' superstar Adam Thurgood's sacrifice fly scored Norris Henry from third base in the last of the 11th to send the Hawks in front in the best-of-seven set two games to none... North Hills won its sixth successive postseason game... the Hawks are unbeaten this year in the playoffs.

North Hills was behind 3-2 going into the seventh, when yesterday's hero 3B Jim McDermott (.385) singled in SS Norris Henry (.222) with the tying run... the Hawks hammered out 14 hits and were paced by C Timmy Stevens (.433) with 4-for-6... McDermott (.385), Jimmy Jay Ferguson (.238) and CF Kris Anastas (.370) also added two hits each... the Stallions picked up 10 hits with SS Jess Wilkerson (.229) hitting a two-run homer in the fifth to give them a short-lived lead... Wilkerson and CF Scotty O'Sullivan (.250) had two hits each, while LF Maury Yates (.346) went 3-for-4.

Starting pitchers Tony Mack for the Hawks and Jay Murphy for the Stallions kept their teams in the game... Mack worked eight innings, allowed three runs on nine hits and Murphy tossed seven frames and was tagged for 12 hits and three runs... neither figured in the decision... Alex Peters (2-0/1.13) struck out two of the three batters he faced in the 11th for the win... and Ryan Madison (0-1/2.70) caught the loss... Madison went three and a third innings, gave up one run, two hits, walked three and fanned three.

The series now heads to South Fork for the next three games, if they are needed.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 5, 2043

2043 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game Three

Ruthlandian Union

VALMARA EDGES VOLUSIA 2-1 IN 10 INNINGS
The Valmara Vipers continued their torrid postseason blitz, winning their seventh consecutive game, courtesy of Harold Hudson, who stopped Volusia on three hits over his eight innings in a 2-1 ten-inning squeaker... Valmara has the V's on the brink of elimination, with a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

With two outs in the last of the 10th, John Banks (.231) singled in pitcher Paul McKenzie (.500) from third with the winning score... after two poor starts, Hudson redeemed himself with a fine performance... he walked one and fanned four, but didn't get the decision... it went to McKenzie (2-0/0.00), who held the Vigilantes runless in the 10th and the 11th... loser Skeeter Millham (0-1/1.17) pitched impressively, too, going nine and two-third innings, giving up only four hits and one earned run.

Neither club did much offensively... Valmara had a slight 6-5 edge in hits... the Vipers scored first in the opening frame on a 3B Ken Jensen (.364) triple and a fielder's choice RBI by CF Don Ritchie (.406)... Volusia evened it at 1-all on LF Rico Valente's (.286) solo homer in the top of the second... that ended the scoring until the tenth.

Jensen had two hits to lead Valmara, while Valente (.286) and 2B Duane Blayney (.333) cracked two hits each for Volusia.

Tycobbian Union

SANTINI AND HAWKS STUMP STALLIONS AGAIN
North Hills continued to get good work on the hill with its third win in a row over last year's Pro Cup winner South Fork... Joey Santini quinched the Stallions 4-2, putting the Hawks one win away from the Tycobbian league title... the 35-year-old right-hander went all the way, holding South Fork to two runs on eight hits, striking out four and walking three batters... in his career Santini is 6-1 in the postseason with a 2.27 ERA in 8 starts and 24 appearances... the Hawks' defense stood out with three double plays behind Santini.

1B Oscar Pendleton (.393) and C Timmy Stevens (.412) provided the firepower at the plate... Pendleton slammed a 2-run roundtripper in the top of the second for a 2-0 lead... and Stevens added a 2-run shot in the sixth, putting the Hawks in front 4-0... in the last of the sixth the Stallions cut it to 4-2 on an RBI single by SS Jess Wilkerson (.231) and a deep sacrifice fly by CF Scotty O'Sullivan (.231).

Big Murph McAlister (1-2/2.88) did well except for the home runs... he also went the distance, permitted four runs on six hits, walked four and fanned three... the Stallions outhit the Hawks 8 to 6... RF John Dunham (.412), 1B Paul Sexton (.189) and LF Maury Yates (.367) all had two hits apiece... Pendleton paced the Hawks with two hits.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 6, 2043

2043 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game Four

Ruthlandian Union

VOILA! VIPERS SWEEP VIGILANTES!
After sweeping favored Volusia in four games for the Ruthlandian league title, Valmara is headed for the Pro Cup Finals for the first time in 12 years... the Vipers have not lost a game in this year's postseason, racking up eight victories in a row.

Teddy Twardzik tamed the Vigilantes 5-3 in game four at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara... in a rock-solid performance Twardzik (4-0/3.09) rang up his fourth win in the postseason, checking the V's on three runs and nine hits, striking out six and walking two in a complete game... he was helped out by Antos Dacko's three-run homer in the last of the fourth inning, giving the Vipers a 4-3 edge... Drew Selby (0-3/4.35) lost his third game in the playoffs... he was shelled for five runs in six innings.

Both clubs had nine hits apiece at the plate... SS Dacko (.367) led the winners with two hits and three RBIs... 1B Cain Greene (.333) went 3-for-4 and scored two runs for the Vipers... and C Antonio Dominguez (.267) went 2-for-4 and drove in a run.... 3B Charlie Farmer (.323) led Volusia with three hits and two runs scored... CF Cazzie Carvalho (.243) batted in two runs in defeat.

Valmara will now prepare for the Pro Cup Finals against North Hills or defending IPA champ South Fork... the Hawks have a 3-0 edge so far in the Tycobbian title series... this will be the Vipers' sixth trip to the Finals... they were last there in 2030 and 2031, but they lost out both times... Valmara has won only one Pro Cup in its history... that was in 2026 when they whipped Mahaska in four games.

Victorious manager Vanya Vasylenko starred for the Vipers in his playing days... Vasylenko was 304-261 in his career with a 3.45 ERA... He played from 2001 to 2020 and pitched in five playoffs with a 3-1 mark and a 4.07 ERA... 2026 was the days of Teddy Szymanski (.299 BA/230 HR), Sonny Oliver (.290 BA/348 HR), Teddy Lem (125-74/3.64 ERA), Clem Carmouche (184-146/3.00 ERA) and Billy Ray (255-181/3.08 ERA), who starred in the Pro Cup that season.

Vasylenko spoke with the press in the locker room and said, "The hitters got us past Crystal Lake in the first round and then it was the pitching that got us past Volusia... Twardzik, Reeder and Hudson really shut down the V's."

Joe De Lucca, skipper of the Vigilantes, agreed with Vasylenko, "If we had hit better, we could be going to the Finals... it was a close series in spite of the sweep... we contested every single game and could have won all of them."

Tycobbian Union

HAWKS SWEEP STALLIONS, WIN 5-1 IN GAME 4
For the fifth time in the last decade, the North Hills Hawks are in the Pro Cup Finals... they won the right by sweeping last year's IPA champ South Fork in four games... great pitching gave the Hawks the Tycobbian league title... they won game four 5-1 in 11 innings... like Valmara they are unbeaten in the postseason with eight straight wins.

Starters David Michael and Chris Sorensen couldn't have been any better... Michael (3-0/1.25) worked 10 innings for North Hills and got the win... he blanked the Stallions on four hits... Sorensen was sensational, too, shutting out the Hawks for 10 innings on five hits with nine Ks and three walks.

North Hills went to town on South Fork reliever Gary Golden (0-2) in the top of the 11th and ripped him for five runs... RF Adam Thurgood (.250) snapped the scoreless tie with a solo home run, then SS Norris Henry and pinchhitter Jimmy Jay Ferguson each cracked two-run doubles to pretty much cinch the victory... Stallion RF John Dunham (.410) got them on the scoreboard in the bottom of the 11th with a roundtripper off Jeff Owens, who relieved Michael.

Thurgood (.250) and 3B Jim McDermott (.375) paced the Hawks with two hits each, while Dunham (.410) and 3B Elton Jacoby (.333) had two hits apiece for the Stallions.

A jubilant Todd Simons will now take his Hawks to the Pro Cup Finals again... he already has four Pro Cups to his credit... one more and he will set a new mark for most Pro Cups by a manager... Simons is now tied with Turon's great skipper Ashton "Whitey" Richburn... another Pro Cup trophy will give the Hawks the franchise record, too... they currently have four and are tied with Turon.

Simons praised his superb starters David Mack (3-0/1.25), Tony Mack (1-0/1.69) and Joey Santini (1-0/2.00) and his hitters Timmy Stevens (.385), Jim McDermott (.375), Oscar Pendleton (.344), Kris Anastas (.333) and Adam Thurgood (.250). "My starters and bullpen have been remarkable down through years and even more remarkable in this postseason... can you believe the team ERA is 1.78 in the playoffs this year?... the bats have been solid, too... we always seem to get enough runs to win."

South Fork manager Blackie Terranova chimed in afterward at the press conference, first congratulating North Hills and then saying, "We thought we had a good chance to repeat this year... my Stallions gave it all they had, but it just wasn't enough... last year we had things go our way, but it didn't work out this year... Chris (Sorensen), Jay (Murphy) and Big Murph (McAlister) gave it their all... I'm very proud of them... and I'm very proud of our entire club... they are a special group of guys."

It looks like David versus Goliath in the Pro Cup Finals this season... unheralded Valmara will represent the Ruthlandian Union, while perennial power North Hills will be the Tycobbian representative... the Hawks had the best record in the IPA this year at 93-61... the Vipers had the poorest record of all the division winners... they were only 80-74 in the regular season... but they swept both series to get to the Pro Cup Finals... the Hawks also went unbeaten in this year's playoffs... this is the first time in IPA history that two team have made the Pro Cup Finals with unbeaten records.

Valmara and North Hills will try to be the fourth club in IPA history to go through the playoffs unbeaten... In 2012 Far Mountain of the Ruthlandian Union went 12-0... Eastshore (RU) did it in 2016... and Rocky Rapids (RU) also won 12 games in a row in 2019.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 7, 2043

HAWKS AND VIPERS VIE FOR IPA PRO CUP
Something's got to give in the opening game of the IPA Pro Cup Finals. Somebody will have to suffer its first defeat of the postseason. Both league champions came through unscathed in the first two rounds. Game one is slated for the Hawk's Nest in North Hills, where the Hawks will host upstart Valmara, the Cinderella club of this year's playoffs. North Hills will be trying to win a record fifth Pro Cup, while the Vipers will looking for their second one.

The Hawks have been to the big show four times and came away winners each time, capturing the title in 2034, 2036, 2038 and 2041. Valmara has been here on five occasions, but picked up its only crown in 2026. North Hills and Turon are tied for the most Pro Cups with four each. The Turon Typhoons have appeared a record six times in the IPA Finals.

North Hills looks like a prohibitive favorite with its great pitching, solid hitting and strong defense, but stats don't win the Pro Cup. Forecasts don't, either. Under-rated clubs have often won the Pro Cup. The Hawks had the best record in the IPA this year with a 93-61 mark, while the Vipers were just 80-74, the worst record of any of the playoff clubs.

The Hawks seem to have it all with a 3.56 ERA (5th), .276 BA (3rd), 721 runs (13th), 146 HRs (21st) and an impressive .977 fielding average. The Vipers compiled a .266 BA (17th), but scored quite well with 796 runs (4th). Valmara homered 151 times (14th), posted a decent 3.83 ERA (12th), but were only average with a .971 FA.

Going deeper into the numbers, North Hills plays well on the road (48-28) and at home (44-33) and hits lefties (29-17) and righties well (64-44). Valmara was 44-33 at home and 40-37 out-of-town, went 14-14 against southpaws and 70-56 against right-handers. The Hawks' starters are all right-handed, while two of the Vipers are portsiders. Valmara had two more left-handers in the bullpen and North Hills also has two lefty relievers.

PRO CUP FORECAST: NORTH HILLS IN SIX GAMES... super starters and strong defense are too much for Valmara.

TEAM LEADERBOARDS: (Hawks in Red and Black... Vipers in Blue and Green)

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 9, 2043

2043 IPA Pro Cup Final Series - Game One

VIPERS WIN 9TH STRAIGHT, STUN HAWKS 8-2 IN OPENER
In the opening game of the 2043 Pro Cup Series at the Hawk's Nest in North Hills, visiting Valmara stunned the favored Hawks 8-2 for their ninth straight victory in the playoffs this year... this snapped North Hills' eight-game winning streak in the postseason... for the first time in IPA history two teams came into the Finals unbeaten... the Vipers dominated the game with 14 hits and strong pitching by southpaw Teddy Twardzik, who went the distance for his fifth successive win in the playoffs.

Valmara broke open a close game with eight runs in the middle three frames, led by CF Don Ritchie (.375), 1B Cain Greene (.361) and C Antonio Dominguez (.294) with two RBIs each... everyone in the Viper line-up chalked up at least one hit... Twardzik (5-0/2.66) stopped the hard-hitting Hawks on five hits, fanned three and walked no one... in a terrible outing David Micheal (3-1/2.63) took his first loss in the postseason as he was slapped around for 12 hits and eight runs in just five innings.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 10, 2043

2043 IPA Pro Cup Final Series - Game Two

10 WINS IN A ROW FOR VALMARA
Everything is coming up roses for the sizzling Valmara Vipers in the playoffs this year... the Vipers pounded North Hills 9-3 in game two of the Pro Cup Series for their tenth triumph in a row... Valmara has yet to lose a postseason game this year... they smacked Hawks' pitching around again for 14 hits with 1B Cain Greene (.390) leading the way with three hits, four runs scored and two RBIs... Greene had the game's only homer, a solo shot... LF Lech Nowakowski (.417) also popped three hits and drove in two runs... Zak Reeder (3-0/1.90) also did his job on the hill, holding the Hawks to two runs and eight hits in six and one-third innings before giving way to Paul McKenzie, who finished up... Reeder fanned six and walked nobody.

North Hills got 11 hits, but they were too spread out... 2B Tommy Vavas (.213) got 3 of them... three others C Timmy Stevens (.404), CF Kris Anastas (.349) and SS Norris Henry (.250) got a pair of hits apiece... Tony Mack (1-1/4.29) was pummeled for seven runs and 10 hits in five innings... the Vipers led 7-2 when Mack left the game.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 11, 2042

2043 IPA Pro Cup Final Series - Game Three

HAWKS SMASH VIPERS 10-3, END STREAK AT 10
North Hills finally played like the Pro Cup favorite after two dismal displays of baseball in games one and two... the Hawks smashed Valmara 10-3 in the third game to put an end to their 10-game winning skein in the Pro Cup playoffs... backed by a 13-hit attack, Joey Santini (2-0/2.33) allowed the Vipers three runs and nine hits in a route-going, ragged performance... Santini walked six and struck out 3... Santini (.300) also helped himself in the batter's box, scoring three runs and hitting a home run... Valmara still has the edge in the best-of-seven series two games to one.

Leading the North Hills' hit parade were SS Tommy Vavas (.245) and 3B Jim McDermott (.341) with three hits and two RBIs each... McDermott is now the postseason leader with 12 RBIs... C Timmy Stevens (.404) socked two hits and batted in two runs... LF Adam Thurgood (.286) had two hits and scored twice... and 2B Chris Wilson (.167) collected a pair of hits, including a homer, and scored two runs... the Vipers were paced by 2B John Banks (.273) and SS Antos Dacko (.357) with two hits apiece... the top playoff producers for Valmara are Dacko and 1B Cain Greene (.356), both with 11 runs batted in... CF Don Ritchie (.362) is next on the club with 10.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 12, 2042

2043 IPA Pro Cup Final Series - Game Four

HAWKS ROAR BACK, MICHAEL BLANKS VIPERS 5-0
After three blowout games, strong pitching finally prevailed in the fourth game of the Pro Cup Finals... North Hills' David Michael (4-1/2.16) redeemed himself for a very poor showing in game one with a 5-0 shutout over the Valmara Vipers... He fired a four-hitter to even the best-of-seven series at two games each... the Vipers' Teddy Twardzik (5-1/3.12) fell in defeat for the first time this year's playoffs... the Hawks hammered him for five runs and 10 hits in his eight innings... Twardzik won the series' opener 8-2.

The Hawks teed off of Twardzik for five runs in the first three innings, sparked by LF Adam Thurgood (.296) and SS Tommy Vavas (.259) with two hits and two RBIs each... Thurgood got his third postseason roundtripper in the first, a two-run shot.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 13, 2042

2043 IPA Pro Cup Final Series - Game Five

VALMARA NIPS NORTH HILLS 5-4 IN GAME 5
After two consecutive losses at home in War Memorial Stadium, Valmara righted the ship with a hard-earned, 5-4 comeback victory over Pro Cup favorite North Hills in game five for a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven series... the Vipers trailed at one time 4-1, going into the last of the sixth... runs in the sixth and seventh narrowed the score to 4-3... Valmara won it with two runs in the eighth... a two-base error by second baseman Tommy Vavas scored the tying run... then Cain Greene delivered the winning run with an RBI single that scored Kris Jensen from second.

Gordon White got the win in relief of starter Zak Reeder... White (1-0/0.00) retired all six batters he faced in the seventh and eighth frames... Paul Holloway chalked up his fourth postseason save with a scoreless ninth... Tony Mack worked a complete game in defeat... he was tagged for five runs on nine hits, walked six and fanned four... Reeder went six innings, yielding four runs and seven hits with six walks and six Ks... he was behind 4-2 when he was taken out.

The Vipers outhit the Hawks 9 to 8... Valmara CF Don Ritchie (.339) and 1B Cain Greene (.346) poked a pair of hits each... 3B Kris Jensen (.295) and Greene scored two runs apiece... Jensen, Greene, C Antonio Dominguez (.260), LF Paul Anthony (.296) and RF Zarek Boczek (.200) all drove in a run for the winners... the top bats for the Hawks were C Timmy Stevens (.417) with three hits and LF Adam Thurgood (.310) with two... driving in runs for North Hills were Stevens, Thurgood, 3B Jim McDermott (.315) and CF Kris Anastas (.309)... Anastas hit the only roundtripper in the game, it was his second of the playoffs.

The series will return to North Hills and the Hawk's Nest for the final two games, if needed. Valmara needs only one more win in the two games to wrap up their second Pro Cup trophy. North Hills will have to win them both to win their record-setting fifth Pro Cup. The Vipers are unbeaten in six road games this postseason, while the Hawks are 4-2 at home.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES

Around the Town in the IPA

VALMARA VIPERS

Owner: Viper Offshore Services, headed by Capt. Stanislaw Lem, Ruthlandia Navy (ret)
President: J. Jackson Samuel
GM: Jet Kazmarek
Manager: Vanya Vasylenko

Valmara is located in the northeastern part of Valdar Island, a port town of 81,000 people on Valmara Bay, an excellent deep water harbor. A clash of a warm Valerian Ocean current and a cold Kelnyck Ocean provides for heavy early morning fogs and sometimes nasty rainy weather.

The town began as a small fishing village in the 1880s and pretty much remained that way until the late 1930s. Valmara has never been considered a pleasant place to live with rocky soil, thick ocean fogs and moss growing everywhere. If not for its wonderful port, no one in their right mind would live there. The harbor and the port have brought commerce and jobs.The prime industries of Valmara revolve around the sea, be it catching and processing fish, servicing deep-ocean oil rigs or supporting the ten-ship navy of Ruthlandia.

With the threat of world war on the horizon in 1938, the Ruthlandian government established Valdarian Military Academy, a college for cadets and midshipmen studying for future service in the Ruthlandian Navy.

During the Second World War, Ruthlandia was swept up in the maelstrom in the nation's first and only war. The nation sent a regiment of troops and a fighter squadron to England to aid the Allies. The Ruthlandian navy served proudly with the 2nd Polish Corps in the Italian campaign, especially at Monte Cassino. After the war, many Poles opted not to return to their Soviet-occupied nation and several hundred emigrated to Ruthlandia. Many of the ex-soldiers did not go far past Valmara when they got off the boat.

Over the next four decades, many Poles emigrated (or escaped) from behind the Iron Curtain to Ruthlandia. After two generations of migration and birth, more than half of the town is of Polish descent.

The Valmara Vipers are owned by Capt. Stanislaw Lem, RN (ret.) of Viper Offshore Services. He is not related to the noted author of the same name, which often causes non-native reporters much trouble. The owner likes to be called "The Captain" in public. Lem made a small fortune after his navy career operating ships and helicopters that serve offshore oil rigs. Thanks to the vast supply of petroleum offshore, his company's profits have gone through the roof. The Captain had no problem coming up with money to buy a franchise in the Islandian Pro Alliance, the first pro baseball league in the Islands history. Valmara plays in the Ruthlandian Baseball Union in the North Division.

The Valmara Vipers trace their history from the frigate Viper, which had a team in the Naval League in the 1940's. When the amateur league players became semi-pros in the 1950s and worked and played baseball for companies, the Vipers were sponsored by Marine Midland Bank. The Captain played baseball for his service team in the 1960s and was active in the industrial leagues as a sponsor in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Since Captain Lem had been the captain of the frigate Viper in the late 1960s, when it came to naming his IPA franchise, it was a no-brainer. The Valmara Vipers were born.

The Vipers play their games at historic old War Memorial Stadium. Amateur and industrial league teams have used it for years. It is dedicated to the memory of the 121 men from Ruthlandia killed in action in the Italian campaign during the Second World War. It is a old stadium built for football and soccer, but improvised and used for baseball since 1946. The Captain commissioned noted architectural company HOK to renew the old park into a suitable baseball park. He spared no expense in updating the old stadium with modern technology and conveniences. Yet it still retains the charm of an old stadium.

Game-Day Experience:

Like many successful immigrants, the people of Valmara have fiercely adopted the values of their new nation. Ruthlandia's flag is navy blue and green. In Valmara, it's just taken to a ridiculous extreme. The team’s colors are navy blue and green. So are the water towers, the dockyard cranes, the street signs and the new city hall.

Captain Lem wanted to build a new ballpark, but the city fathers persuaded him to just refurbish the old stadium in the old part of town to be an anchor for a new mixed residential-commercial district. Civic pride got the best of the Captain and he agreed to use War Memorial Stadium. The civic renewal project has been quite successful. Because there is little parking nearby, fans have to walk nearly a quarter mile to the park. On the way, they are treated to a dozen new restaurants, bars, and pubs. The integration into the neighborhood is considered to be charming. The revitalization project has brought a good deal of commerce and energy into the east side of town. The worst of the neighborhood was torn down. The city fathers have expanded the renovations and given the old town a new look.

Food:
Fans love to scarf down bigos (cabbage and meat stew) and rye bread at cafes adjacent to the ballpark. Inside the park, everyone loves perogis (potato and cheese dumplings). Several years ago, The Captain persuaded Mama Kolski's Restaurant (home of the best perogis in town) to open a stand at his new ballpark and it was a big hit.

Beer sales are strictly regulated by city ordinance to two beers per person. This is due to the locals’ love of pale lagers that are 9% alcohol. Also, for a strange unknown reason, draft Coors is a trendy choice.

Ambiance:
Music at the ballpark is best described as LOUD. The Captain installed a very modern, very powerful sound system at the refurbished stadium.

More than a decade ago, a sound system operator substituted the Village People's "In the Navy" for the traditional "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh inning stretch and started a new tradition. It was a college night at an industrial league game, with plenty of middies from Valdarian Military Academy on hand and many crewmembers from the frigates Viper and Foxx. It was a smash hit, no doubt fueled by a hot autumn evening, cold pale lager and the nine-run Viper lead. Since then, "In the Navy" has been played during the seventh inning stretch of every game save one -- the first game at the revamped War Memorial Stadium. The Captain hates the tune and thought with the public reopening that the club could stop playing that vile song. During the Vipers first exhibition game, the fans nearly rioted and the stadium's debut was marred with a near five-minute interruption of boos before play resumed. Wisely, The Captain made a quick command decision and allowed "In the Navy" to be played during the 8th inning break...and during every game since. Of course, the Captain saw to it that "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" was restored to its revered seventh-inning spot.

In the navy
Yes, you can sail the seven seas
In the navy
Yes, you can put your mind at ease
In the navy
Come on now, people, make a stand
In the navy, in the navy
Can't you see we need a hand
In the navy
Come on, protect the motherland
In the navy
Come on and join your fellow man
In the navy
Come on people, and make a stand
In the navy, in the navy, in the navy (in the navy)
(written by Henri Belolo, Jacques Morali, Victor Willis)

Mascot

The Captain (he considers himself a traditionalist) did not believe in having a mascot until he put his own money into the old ball park. At that point, he had to figure out how to attract every dollar possible from every fan possible. So Vippy and Vippa Viper came into being. They parade around the ballpark entertaining the fans and leading cheers, dances and songs. Viper fans are noted for hissing at the umpires and the opposing teams. The Captain sells a lot Vippy and Vippa apparel and memorabilia...even rents them out to for birthday parties at the stadium, when the team is on the road.

History

Baseball on Valdar Island had a late beginning. Due to the Island topography, climate and lack of mineral deposits it was not as desirable as the Ruthlandian mainland, so it was bypassed by the immigrants until about 1910, when the towns of Valmara, Ancona, Kilkenny, Taranto and Ranford sprang up. From 1910 to 1920, touring amateur baseball teams from the mainland would play games from time to time and the game was introduced slowly. But it did catch on. In a desire to assimilate with the rest of the country, where baseball was like a religion, the Valdarians took to the game with passion and fervor. Amateur baseball clubs and company-based teams began to organize in the 1920s. By the mid-1940's Valdar Island baseball was as good as the Mainland.

The team was first managed by J. Jackson Samuel, a run-of-the-mill industrial league player that became a legendary manager. Samuel broke Jay Loman's record for the most Silver Whale Cups, given to the best amateur team on Valdar Island. Loman was the manager of the Ancona Red Elephants in the 1920s and won nine straight Valdar Island League titles. Samuel won 12 during his amateur career.

Samuel retired and turned the reins over to one of the all-time great Vipers, Jet Kazmarek. who was a .350 career hitter in his 16 IPA seasons. Kazmarek was an 8-time All-Star and won the batting title 9 times. He is also the only .400 hitter in the annals of the league. Kazmarek batted an awesome .428 in 2002.

When Kazmarek decided to retire, he kept the job of General Manager and appointed Vanya Vasylenko to replace him as manager. Kazmarek and Vasylenko played together for many years in the early days of the IPA. Vasylenko pitched well for 20 years, from 2001 to 2020, chalking up a borderline Hall of Fame 304-261 mark with a 3.45 ERA. He has come fairly close to getting the votes necessary for induction, but his ERA and high number of losses are held against him.

War Memorial Stadium (1946)

Capacity: 9,595

Dimensions:
Left Field Line - 330
Left Field - 350
Left Center - 380
Center Field - 405
Right Center - 370
Right Field - 330
Right Field Line - 309

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES

Around the Town in the IPA

NORTH HILLS HAWKS

Owner: Hawk Steel
GM: Hub "Scroogie" Carlson
Manager: Todd Simons

North Hills, a modern and vibrant town with 71,000 population, is in the Appian Mountains in northeastern Tycobbia. It is situated on the important Appian River, which flows the length of the country north to south, passing Hartsdale, La Claire (the capital) and finally coming to an end at Bay St. Claire on the Kelnyck Ocean.

North Hills is rich in natural resources, forests and mining deposits (coal and iron ore). It is the home of Hawk Steel Corporation whose product is much in demand because of its very high quality and relatively inexpensive cost.

North Hills is a cosmopolitan town with a rich and diverse population. Immigrants from the coal and steel industries from the United States, England and Eastern Europe have forged a vibrant culture in the hills of North Tycobbia.

Hawk Steel is the owner of the local club, the North Hills Hawks, who play at The Hawk's Nest from which in the background you can see the majestic Appian Mountains. North Hillian fans love their baseball. And that’s all you get at The Hawks Nest. There are no in-game promotions or sideshows. They sing the National anthem, play ball, sing “Take me out to the ball game” during the seventh inning stretch, have a beer or soft drink, peanuts, crackerjacks, hamburger or hot dog, watch the ball game, cheer their Hawks to victory, then go home and get ready for another day at the mines or steel mills.

The Hawks are run by general manager Hub "Scroogie" Carlson, one of the best left-handed pitchers ever in Tycobbian amateur baseball circles. Carlson was known for his wicked screwball.

IPA Hall of Fame member, Todd Simons, manages North Hills. Simons, a catcher, batted .270 in his 24-year career, hit 323 homers with 1641 RBIs, 1726 runs scored and hold the all-time IPA mark for walks with 2682. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2036.

The Hawks Nest (1998)
Capacity: 6,965

Dimensions:
LF Line 338
LF 370
LCF 402
CF 395
RCF 402
RF 365
RF Line 335

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 14, 2042

2043 IPA Pro Cup Final Series - Game Six

VALMARA UPSETS NORTH HILLS IN PRO CUP FINALS
David met Goliath in the IPA Pro Cup Finals and the outcome was the same as in the original battle - unheralded Valmara knocked off favored IPA giant North Hills in six games to garner its second Pro Cup in the club's history... the Vipers nudged by the Hawks 6-5 in game six at the Hawk's Nest... this time around it seemed the bats got the best of some very good pitching... with another title North Hills would have set a new IPA record with five Pro Cups... they are currently tied with Turon of the Tycobbian Union with four IPA titles.

Valmara got an early 2-0 lead in the top of the third frame... CF Don Ritchie (.350) drove in the first run with a fielder's choice groundout... run number two was tripled in by 1B Cain Greene (.339)... but it didn't take North Hills very long to knot it up at 2-2 in the last of the third when C Timmy Stevens (.446) banged a two-run homer... the Vipers lashed out for three runs in the fifth to take a 5-2 lead... Ritchie (.350) singled in another run and RF Zarek Boczek (.209) crushed a two-run clout into the stands... the Hawks came back with one in the bottom of the inning, cutting the lead to 5-3... Stevens' (.446) RBI single scored SS Norris Henry (.256)... Valmara added a run in the sixth to make it 6-3... pitcher Harold Hudson (.286) doubled and then scored on an error by first baseman Oscar Pendleton (.241)... the Hawks made a last-ditch rally with two scores in the seventh bringing them within one run on 2B Tommy Vavas' (.254) two-run smash... they made a serious threat in the eighth with runners on first and third with one away, but a double play ended the inning... the Hawks got the tying run on first in the top of the ninth with two outs, but couldn't move it around.

Neither starter was effective... Harold Hudson (1-1/6.12) got the win, but surrendered 12 hits and five runs in his eight and two-thirds innings... Paul Holloway got the clinching out in the ninth for his fifth save of the playoffs... the loser was Joey Santini (2-1/3.18), who was whacked for 12 hits and six runs in seven frames.

Valmara was paced by 3B Kris Jensen (.318) with three hits, two runs and an RBI... Ritchie and Boczek drove in two runs each... and 2B John Banks had a pair of hits and scored a run... both teams had 12 hits... North Hills' top batsman was C Timmy Stevens with four hits and three RBIs... 2B Tommy Vavas (.254), RF Tennis Magee (.400) and SS Norris Henry (.256) all had two hits apiece... Vavas scored twice and batted in two runs... and Henry scored twice.

Winning skipper Vanya Vasylenko, all smiles and holding the Pro Cup above his head in celebration, gave his offense much of the credit for the title. "We averaged over five runs a game against the best pitchers in the IPA... at one time or the other everybody in the batting order came through for us... Greene, Ritchie, Dacko and Jensen were especially good."

Overall in the postseason the Vipers hit .289, while the pitchers posted a very good 3.33 ERA. Vasylenko later told reporters, "Don't forget to give credit to my mound staff, too... they stepped it up a level in the playoffs... we wouldn't have won without Twardzik and Reeder."

Cain Greene hit .339 during the playoffs and had a team high 13 RBIs... Don Ritchie led the club with a .350 BA and tied Caine for the most runs scored with 11, while driving in 12... Antos Dacko batted .327 with 11 RBIs and scored 8 times... and Kris Jensen put up a .318 mark, scored 9 and drove in 7.

On the mound Teddy Twardzik was 5-1 with a 3.12 ERA and Zak Reeder was 3-0 with a 2.73 ERA... Paul Holloway stood out in the bullpen with 5 saves in 5 appearances.

North Hills' manager Todd Simons complimented the Viper offense. "We just couldn't handle their batters... they were just too much for us... top to bottom in the line-up Valmara was a tough out."

For the playoffs the Hawks hit .276, scored over five runs a game and chalked up an impressive 2.76 ERA. The Hawks best pitchers were David Michael (4-1/2.16) and Joey Santini (2-1/3.18), along with reliever Alex Peters (2-0/0.90) in 4 relief efforts... at the plate Timmy Stevens sported a .446 batting average with 8 RBIs and 11 runs... Jim McDermott topped the team with 13 RBIs and batted .293... Adam Thurgood led the team with 3 homers, while batting .286... he scored 11 times and drove in 6 runs.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 15, 2043

VALMARA'S TWARDZIK VOTED PRO CUP MVP
After laboring several years in obscurity as a journeyman pitcher Valmara's Teddy Twardzik finally got a little notoriety. The 31-year-old hurler was selected the outstanding player in the playoffs and will receive the 2043 Pro Cup Most Valuable Player Award. Twardzik sparked the unheralded Vipers to the Island championship as they beat favored North Hills in six games. He is only 63-79 in his 7-year career with a 3.56 ERA.

Twardzik went 5-1 in his six postseason starts with a 3.12 ERA. He went the distance in four of the victories. During the regular season Twardzik was only only 16-15 in wins and losses, but he posted a fine 2.59 ERA, fourth best in the Ruthlandian Union.

Twardzik's biggest competiton for the MVP trophy was North Hills' fine catcher Timmy Stevens, who hit a sizzling .446 in the playoffs. Stevens had 7 doubles, a triple and 2 homers in 14 games with 11 runs scored and 8 driven in, collecting 29 hits in 65 at-bats.

Others receiving votes were all Valmara players. Center fielder Don Ritchie was a distant third in the poll. He led the Vipers at the plate with a .350 BA, 2 HRs, 12 RBIs and 11 runs. Fourth was teammate and first sacker Cain Greene (.339/2 HR/13 RBI/11 runs). Finishing fifth was shortstop Antos Dacko (.327 BA/2 HR/11 RBI/8 runs).

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 15, 2043

TOP RUTHLANDIAN PLAYERS PROCLAIMED

Ruthlandian Union Golden Bat Award
1. Bobby Gamble (Sugar Valley): (.336 BA/40 HR/127 RBI/127 runs)... led Rattlers to RU East title... fifth Golden Bat in his career... also won MVP honor for the third time... led IPA with 127 runs... came in second with 127 RBIs... lifetime .318 hitter with 373 HRs in 11 seasons... 8-time All-Star and twice Golden Glover.

2. Jojo DeLucca (Claxton): (.348 BA/33 HR/112 RBI/107 runs)... paced the IPA with 226 hits... second in the IPA with .348 BA... the only one better was Kris Wilson of Volusia at .358... the Diamonds came in fifth in the RU South... career .314 batter with 265 HRs in 9 seasons... 6-time All-Star and 3-time Gold Glover.

3. Nioka Inkamara (Wynnamac): (.328 BA/44 HR/122 RBI/105)... won Golden Bat and MVP last year... 3-time All-Star... .313 hitter in his six seasons with 210 homers... twice won Golden Bat... 2-time Gold Glover... won Rookie of the Year in 2039... Sundowners finished a strong fourth in the RU East, just four games off the pace.

Ruthlandian Union Golden Arm Award
1. Arnie Ayers (LaGrange): (24-13/2.68 ERA)... sparked Sports to close tie with Ranford Bulls for second place in RU North, just two games out of first... tied for third place in the IPA with 24 victories... lifetime is 85-55 with an impressive 2.90 ERA in 7 seasons... 28-year-old right-hander.

2. Pat Meyers (Glasco): (25-12/3.05 ERA)... the Athletics were fourth in the RU North, just five games behind... Meyers was second to IPA leader Billy Hoover (27-11) in wins... just 24 years old... 74-68 in five seasons with a 3.55 ERA.

3. Drew Selby (Volusia): (20-12/2.58 ERA)... helped Vigilantes capture RU West Division... came in sixth in IPA with 2.58 ERA... won 20 games for the third time in his career... Selby is 119-114 with a 3.20 ERA in his seven years in the IPA... ranked fifth in strikeouts in IPA with 263... Frank Long (St. John) was the leader with 299 Ks.

Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player Award
1. Bobby Gamble (Sugar Valley): (.336 BA/40 HR/127 RBI/127 runs)... won MVP for third time... led IPA with 127 runs... tied for second in RBIs with 127... sixth in IPA with a .336 BA.

2. Pat Meyers (Glasco): (25-12/3.05)... prime reason the A's came close to winning the RU North, only two games behind Valmara, who won the Pro Cup this year.

3. Jojo DeLucca (Claxton): (.348 BA/33 HR/112 RBI/107 runs)... the Diamonds were fifth the RU South... DeLucca was tops in the IPA with 226 hits.

Ruthlandian Union Rookie of the Year Award
1. Malcolm Tansbury (Eastshore): (19-11/3/23 ERA)... 24-year-old southpaw helped Elegants wind up in a fourth-place tie in the RU East, just four games out of first.

2. Kenny Gray (Crystal Lake): (.327 BA/24 HR/88 RBI/68 runs)... 23-year-old left-fielder helped Crushers win the RU South.

3. Del Holloway (Glasco): (.262 BA/13 HR/63 RBI/85 runs)... 21-year-old shortstop... productive bat and quality fielder aided Athletics in fourth place finish in RU North.

Ruthlandian Union Golden Glove Team
SP: Steven Russell (Ancona): (19-14/3.92 ERA) (1.000 FA)
C: Ted Jarzinski (Belle Plaine): (.248 BA/6 HR/41 RBI/44 runs) (.996 FA/3 PB/36.4% RTO)... won fourth Gold Glove.
1B Joey Gompers (Ranford) (.259/28/97/86 runs) (.995 FA)
2B Gerry Sives (Colfax): (.310/3/51/103) (.980 FA)
3B Marv Roy (Crystal Lake): (.277/20/100/83) (.961 FA)
SS John Rodgers (LaGrange): (.329/26/91/111) (.966 FA)
LF Chet Penn (Colfax): (.325/28/116/94) (.994 FA)... fifth Gold Glove
CF Kenny Mitzusaka (Valka): (.326/28/97/101) (.995 FA)... second Gold Glove
RF Walter Glenn (Ancona): (.308/2/53/89) (.994 FA)

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 16, 2043

IPA PICKS TYCOBBIA'S BEST

Tycobbian Union Golden Bat Award
1. Wayman Stetson (Denton City): (.312 BA/47 HR/145 RBI/106 runs)... IPA leader in RBIs with 145... tied for third place with 47 HRs... ranked seventh with 202 hits... led Redbirds to fourth place in the TU West, five games back of top team Arlon... Stetson, age 26, is a first-time winner of the Golden Bat honor... 5-time All-Star and a Golden Glover... career .315 BA in his 7 seasons with 260 HRs.

2. Pablo Teixeira (San Alejo): (.312/45/122/120)... led the Montaneros to the runner-up spot in the TU South, losing out to Southport by just one game... wound up seventh in the IPA with 45 homers, seventh in RBIs with 122 and second in runs with 120... the 24-year-old right fielder has been an All-Star twice... and carries a .297 BA in his five years in the league.

3. Robby Westin (Arlon): (.334/38/115/107)... prime reason the Champs won the TU West... finished 8th in the IPA with a .336 BA... a .309 lifetime batter... with 114 roundtrippers in four seasons.

Tycobbian Union Golden Arm Award
1. Billy Hoover (Southport): (27-11/2.83 ERA)... led the IPA for the second year in a row with 27 wins... won 26 last year... major reason Sun Sox took the TU South pennant... ranked 10th in Tycobbia with a 2.83 ERA... first time the 28-year-old righty has been selected as the best pitcher... Hoover also was named the Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player this year... he is 100-68 with a great 2.92 ERA in five seasons with the Sun Sox.

2. Chris Sorensen (South Fork): (22-12/2.68 ERA)... sparked the Stallions to another pennant in the TU East... led the IPA with 28 complete games... came in 6th in the Tycobbian Union with a 2.68 ERA... Sorensen, age 31, is a late bloomer... overall he is only 119-148 with a 3.81 ERA in 10 seasons with the Stallions... he helped South Fork win the 2042 Pro Cup and has compiled a fine 6-3 postseason record with a strong 2.57 ERA in 10 starts the last two years.

3. Van Johnson (Blue Lake): (24-11/2.87 ERA)... tied for third in the IPA with 24 victories... the Blue Sox were third in the TU North Division race... Johnson is a lefty, age 28... and is a modest 93-89 in his 10 IPA seasons... like Sorensen, Johnson has blossomed the last two seasons... he has spent quite a bit of his career in the bullpen and has posted 41 saves.

Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player Award
1. Billy Hoover (Southport) (27-11/2.83)... led the IPA for the second year in a row with 27 wins... won 26 last year... major reason Sun Sox took the TU South pennant... ranked 10th in Tycobbia with a 2.83 ERA... first time the 28-year-old righty has been selected as the best pitcher... Hoover also was named the Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player this year... he is 100-68 with a great 2.92 ERA in five seasons with the Sun Sox.

2. Wayman Stetson (Denton City): (.312 BA/47 HR/145 RBI/106 runs)... this year's Golden Bat winner... IPA leader in RBIs with 145... tied for third place with 47 HRs... ranked seventh with 202 hits... led Redbirds to fourth place in the TU West, five games back of top team Arlon... Stetson, age 26, is a first-time winner of the Golden Bat honor... 5-time All-Star and a Golden Glover... career .315 BA in his 7 seasons with 260 HRs.

3. Pablo Teixeira (San Alejo): (.312/45/122/120)... led the Montaneros to the runner-up spot in the TU South, losing out to Southport by just one game... wound up seventh in the IPA with 45 homers, seventh in RBIs with 122 and second in runs with 120... the 24-year-old right fielder has been an All-Star twice... and carries a .297 BA in his five years in the league.

Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year Award
1. Sam Swain (Mahaska): (15-12/3.45 ERA)... the 27-year-old right-hander had 10 complete games in 25 starts with 3 shutouts for the last place Haymakers in the TU North.

2. Enrique Encarnation (White River): (.284/21/76/81)... the 26-year-old first baseman helped the Rascals jump from sixth to second this season in the TU North.

3. Andrew Hicks (San Alejo): (.317/17/49/77)... a fine, new addition to the Montaneros line-up... the 23-year-old center fielder played a part in San Alejo's second place finish in the TU South... they lost out by one game to Southport.

Tycobbian Union Golden Glove Team
SP: Johnny Young (Bayview): (16-16/3.64 ERA) (1.000 FA)
C: Jaak Pajukivi (Ozarka) (.265 BA/13 HR/54 RBI/64 runs) (.993 FA/6 PB/39.3% RTO)
1B: Andy Pearson (Oxford): (.266/13/54/64) (.996 FA)
2B: Royce Hill (La Claire): (.282/12/92/71) (.987 FA)
3B: Jay Clarke (Denton City) (.239/8/56/48) (.975 FA)... only rookie to receive a Golden Glove this year
SS: Tom Milton (Tuckanarra) (.285/4/59/93) (.973 FA)... his second Golden Glove
LF: Jurrien Bellini (Hillsboro) (.234/28/78/81) (.988 FA)
CF: Darrell Nesbitt (Hartsdale) (.273/13/61/85) (.993)
RF: Jimbo Foxx (Rolling Hills) (.235/33/107/78) (.995 FA)... second Golden Glove