[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Sunday, April 29, 2001

Tycobbian Baseball Union

TBU East Division

Ninjas Nab First Game from Stallions 6-5
Toshiharu Ito saved the day for the Ginza Ninjas in the opening game of a doubleheader. He protected Kazuhiro Nakayama's 6-4 lead and salvaged a narrow 6-5 triumph over South Fork. Ito hurled 3+ innings, permitted 2 hits and 1 run. 3B Glenn Holliday did the only damage with a solo shot in the top of the ninth. Nakayama (1-2) got credit for the win and surrendered 4 runs and 8 hits in 5+ innings. CF Takashi Fujimoto paced the Ninja attack with 3 hits in 4 tries, 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored. He hit a triple and home run. SS Shinjiro Aoki was 2-4 with an RBI and scored a pair of runs. For the Stallions 1B Alex Kesler tagged 2 hits and drove in 2.
Ken Olson (0-2) lost for the second time this year, yielding 5 runs in 4 innings.

Rousakis Blanks SF on 4 Hits, Ninjas Sweep
In a doubleheader sweep of South Fork Vic Rousakis was on target in the nightcap. The Ginza righthander shut them out 4-0 on just 4 hits for his first win this year. He fired 8 strikeouts and walked only 1 in a superlative outing. Southpaw Jerry Hairston (0-1) was the loser, allowing all 4 runs on 10 hits in his 7 innings of work. LF Earl Conley and 1B Kenshin Yamamoto clubbed solo roundtrippers for the Ninjas.
Ginza has now won four straight games and is tied with Cape Coral and Hartsdale for first place in the TBU East race. All of them are 6-4 this season. The Stallions have lost four straight and have fallen to sixth place with a 3-7 mark.

'Canes Robinson Ties K Mark
It wasn't a thing of beauty, but a win is a win -- Just ask Wally Robinson. In the first game of a doubleheader the chunky southpaw for Cape Coral went the distance in an 8-5 win over Ozarka. He was touched for 8 hits, but struck out 12 and walked only one. Robinson is now tied with Carl Thompson of the Belair Beach Sunbirds for the most strikeouts in a single game. RF Rod Kelly got his 3rd roundtripper this season and drove in 2 runs to led the Hurricanes, while LF James Middleton chipped in 2 more RBIs. Pacing the Naturals were C Billy Gibson and RF Ronnie Patterson, both had 2 hits each, including home runs. Luke Hatch (2-1) had a rough outing and lost for the first time this year. He was belted for 6 runs in 3 innings.

CC Sweeps Ozarka
The nightcap was no contest -- Cape Coral crushed Ozarka 13-3 to take both ends of a twinbill at Seaside Stadium and remained in a first place tie for the TBU East Division lead. RF Rod Kelly led the hit parade with 2-4 and 6 RBIs and backup catcher Rick Clark and 1B Rodger Wooten added 2 RBIs each. Lefthander Owen Pruitt (1-0) did a creditable job in his first start of the season. He scattered 8 hits and went all the way for the win. RF Roger Bradley and 1B Poochie Kramer did the most damage for the Naturals as each hit solo shots off Pruitt.
Donnie Young (0-1) took the loss, his first decision of the year. He was whacked for 5 runs in the fourth inning.
The Hurricanes picked up their third victory in a row over the Naturals and are on top of the division standings with Ginza and Hartsdale with 6-4 records. Ozarka is fifth at 4-6 and trail by two games.

Hartsdale Wallops Zorros 8-2 in Opener
Francisco Abreu supplied the hitting and Danny Griffin the pitching in Hartsdale's 8-2 romp over the Luxora Zorros at De la Vega Stadium. Second baseman Abreu smacked 2 home runs, scored 3 times and knocked in 6 in an impressive hitting display. Griffin improved his record to 2-1 with 7 innings of shutout ball, stopping the Z's on 7 hits. He tired in the eighth and needed bullpen help from Adam Falkenbach, who surrrendered a 2-run roundtripper to LF Pedro Vizquel in the last of the ninth. Hellcat CF Greg Reynolds had 3 hits and 2 RBIs. Starter Keith Callahan (0-1) suffered the defeat as he gave up 4 runs and 7 hits in 6 innings.

Montel Outduels Mann in Game Two
In the second game of the twinbill Luxora gained a split with a 2-1 triumph over Hartsdale. Johnny Montel (1-2), a 24-year-old lefty, went the distance and scattered 9 hits with 6 Ks and 2 BBs. It was a very tough defeat for Glenn Mann (1-1), who permitted only 3 hits and 1 earned run. Pedro Vizquel delivered the winning blow when he doubled in Claudio Ordonez from first base in the last of the eighth. Ordonez had gained life on an error by first sacker Todd Seals, who dropped a throw. Rico Vina homered in the fifth to tie the score at 1-1. Back-to-back doubles by Greg Reynolds and Jay Luna to start the game got the Hellcats their only run of the game.
There is now a three-way deadlock for the top spot in the RBU East. Hartsdale, Ginza and Cape Coral all have 6-4 records. Luxora is one game back at 5-5.

TBU West Division

Bucs Give Away Opener to Lynx 9-5
First place La Claire took advantage 7 errors by Bay St. Clair and took the opening game of a twinbill 9-5. The Lynx were gifted with 5 unearned runs. Val Krumholtz (2-0) threw a lot of pitches in his seven innings of work, but came out with his second victory of the season. He allowed 7 hits and 4 runs, struck out 5 and walked 4. Frank Lamoreaux tossed the last two innings and gave up the other run. LF Rich Hart led the La Claire offense with a 2-run homer and 3 RBIs. CF Lucky Collins helped out with a 2-run double. The Lynx only got 7 hits, but 5 walks and the record-setting 7 errors was enough to get the job done. 3B Bubba Tate committed 3 of the miscues. He is now tied with Far Mountain's catcher Dave Davis for the most errors in a game by a player. Far Mountain held the old team record with 6 errors, committed on April 27. The record for most errors by both teams is 8, held by Far Mountain and Glasco.
Tate and SS Chuck Hankins topped the Bucs at bat with 2 RBIs apiece.
Norm Gross (0-2) lost the game, yielding 6 runs, 3 hits and 3 walks in 1+ inning. He left with the score 6-2 in favor of La Claire. Only 2 runs were earned.

Lynx Takes Pair, Edges Bucs 5-4
The TBU West leader took both games of the twinbill. Closer Monoto Kishata of La Claire earned his money in game two with Bay St. Clair. He came in with the Lynx holding a scant 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth and runners on first and second with only one out. He proceeded to get the final two outs of the inning with no damage. In the ninth he struck out the side to nail down the verdict. Nickie Baumgartner (1-1) chalked up the victory, giving up 3 runs (2 earned), 5 hits, while walking nobody and fanning 3. Kishata got credit for his second save on the year.
Cleanup hitter for La Claire LF Rich Hart went 3-for-4 with an RBI. 3B Bubba Tate paced the Buccaneers with 2 RBIs.
The Lynx (9-1) have the best record in the IPA, having won nine games in a row, while Bay St. Clair (2-8) is down in the cellar, already 7 games behind in the race. The Bucs have dropped six consecutive games, which sets a record for the new pro league.

Frogs Squeeze by Champs in IPA's Longest Game
In the longest game in the short IPA history, Stan Cobb's walk-off double decided a 14-inning thriller in the opening game of a doubleheader between Fairfax and Arlon. Both clubs had fought back several times to tie the game up. Cobb's hit made the Frogs an 8-7 winner over the Champions. SS Warren Lee and 2B Greg Inman whacked out 3 hits apiece to spark Fairfax, while Cobb, RF Gregg Vincent and LF Gator Davis contributed 2 RBIs each.
The starting pitchers did well. Arlon's Ace Howe tossed 7 innings and gave up only 2 runs on 7 hits, while Robby Meredith went 8 for the Frogs, struck out 10 and allowed 4 runs and 4 hits. Johnny Schuessler and Takehida Takahashi tossed 5 shutout innings for Fairfax with the victory going to Takahashi. Jeff Nieman stood out for the Champions as he hurled 2-hit ball over 4 innings. The loss went to Erik Fitrakis (0-2), who came on in the fourteenth and was tagged for Cobb's game-winning hit.

Fairfax Wins Pair From Arlon
Game two was also a tight game and Fairfax took another one-run battle from the Arlon Champs. The Frogs were victorious in the nightcap 6-5 in a game played on their home grounds. Fairfax outhit Arlon 13 to 7 and was paced by 3B Stan Cobb with 2-5 and 2 RBIs, SS Warren Lee 2-5 with 2 runs scored and one batted in and RF Gregg Vincent 2-4, including a solo homer and a triple. CF Billy Echevarria went 3-4 and scored once, while 2B Greg Inman was 2-3 and scored once. 2B Karl Detwiler hit a 2-run roundtripper and had 3 RBIs in all to top the Champions.
Jackie Leslie (2-1) got the win by going 8 innings. He allowed 6 hits and 5 runs, only 3 of them earned, walked only one and fanned 8 batters. Nicky D'Artois pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save of the year. The loser was Ray Hunt (1-1), who suffered through a bad day, giving up 8 hits and 6 runs before he exited in the fourth. However, he only gave up 3 earned runs. Rod Kelley came in and blanked the Frogs the rest of the game.
With the twinbill sweep Fairfax (7-3) has now won their last four games and have moved up to second place in the TBU West, two games behind first place La Claire (9-1). Arlon slipped to 4-6 and now rests in a three-way tie for the third spot with Bayview and Blue Lake.

Blue Lake Bumps Off Bayview in Opener
Blue Lake's big, tall righthander Bennie West stopped Bayview 6-3 to capture the first game of the Sunday twinbill. West (2-1) checked the Vikings on 7 hits, fanned 2 and walked 3. RF Pete Lane was the Blue Sox top batter with a 2-for-4 day, 2 RBIs and a home run. LF Greg Boone and CF Donnie Frazier both had 2 hits and drove in one run. Bayview's 1B Dwayne Coleman clouted his 5th roundtripper this season and is tied for the IPA lead.
Paul Hood (0-1) caught the loss. He allowed 3 runs in less than an inning.

Blue Sox Win a Pair from Vikings
Blue Lake got good efforts from Jay Clay (1-0) and Russ Courtney on the hill to knock off Bayview 4-2 and win both ends of the doubleheader at Downtown Plaza Stadium. Clay (1-1) notched the victory, working into the seventh and permitted only 2 runs and six hits. Russ Courtney relieved him and held the Vikings runless the rest of the game to get his first save of the year. SS Speedy Warren belted a 2-run shot to put Blue Lake up 4-2 in the 6th. Adrian Strom got credit for the loss, yielding 4 runs and 6 hits in 6 innings. He fanned 6 and walked two.
Victories in the last two games of the 5-game series put the Blue Sox (4-6) in a three-way tie for third place in the TBU West race with Bayview (4-6) and Arlon (4-6). All of them trail first place La Claire (9-1) by 5 games.