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Islandian Pro Alliance
Tuesday, June 12, 2001
Tycobbian Union - East Division
CC Wins 5th Straight, Beats Nats 5-4
The third place Cape Coral Hurricanes are creating quite a storm in the TU East race. Manager Huggy Miller's club has won five games in a row, while first place Ozarka has lost three straight and seen its lead drop to a half-game. The Hurricanes held on today to whip the Naturals 5-4. They took a 5-2 edge into the ninth and almost didn't survive. Miller had to call on one of his starters to get the last out. And Katsuyuki Nagashima (2-5 2.7) did his job and got his first save and left runners on first and third at game's end. Wally Robinson (8-3 2.98) garnered his 8th victory, but struggled in the ninth. He allowed four runs and six hits, struck out seven and walked four. Right fielder Danny Mullins (.321) and catcher Rick Clark (.347) paced the 'Canes with two hits each. Clark had a two-run homer and Mullins had a solo shot. Losing pitcher Yasuyuki Nakagawa (6-5 2.61) was roughed up by Cape Coral for five runs and was knocked out in the sixth.
Ozarka (29-25) is having trouble on the road and needs to get back home soon. The Naturals are 20-9 at Ellie Ewing Stadium, but 9-15 out of town. Cape Coral (28-26) is now only one game out of first. Ginza (29-26) is now in the runner-up spot and only a half-game behind.
Ninjas Nip Stallions 2-1 Behind Rousakis
Two of the better teams in the TU East had two of the better pitchers on the mound today at Ninja Stadium in Ginza. And as expected, it was a well-pitched game. Ginza's Vic Rousakis (7-5 3.15) outhurled South Fork's Flint Battle (7-5 2.66) and came out the winner 2-1. Now the Ninjas are only a half-game out of first place. Rousakis struck out nine and held the Stallions to just five hits and one run, while Battle went seven innings, gave up just two runs on five hits and fanned five. Three back-to-back singles gave Ginza its first run in the bottom of the fifth. Third baseman Toshiro Nomura (.308) drove it in. South Fork first baseman Glenn Holiday (.222) tied the score in the top of the seventh with a solo homer, his 9th of the year. The Ninjas won the game in the last of the seventh when first baseman Kenshin Yamamoto (.305) led off with a double, moved to third on a ground out, then scored on left fielder Ronnie Graf's (.267) grounder to short.
Second place Ginza improved its record to 29-26 and trail the division-leading Ozarka Naturals by a scant half-game. South Fork (27-28) is in fourth place, just 2.5 games off the pace. Cape Coral is third, only one game behind.
Hellcats Zap Zorros 10-7
It was a hitter's holiday at De la Vega Stadium in Luxora. The hometown Zorros and the visiting Hartsdale Hellcats wore out the pitchers to the tune of 32 hits and 17 runs. By the time the bats had cooled off Hartsdale outscored Luxora 10-7 and climbed up to fifth place, but only four games out of first in the tightly-bunch Tycobbian Union East. The Hellcats hammered out 18 hits and were topped by catcher Kevin Haynie (.434) with 4-5 and four RBIs and third baseman Whiz Weaver (.301) with 3-4, four runs and three RBIs. Weaver had two doubles and a triple. Leading the Z's at bat were second baseman Paco Benitez (.246) and first baseman Paul Hallenbeck (.332), who both drove in a pair of runs. Luxora totaled 14 hits with five players getting two apiece. Danny Griffin (5-7 3.38) was the winning pitcher, but he saw his ERA soar after being shelled for a dozen hits in seven innings and giving up six runs. Keith Callahan (5-6 3.13) had his poorest outing of the year and copped the loss. He was tagged for five runs and nine hits in three-plus innings.
Hartsdale (25-29) is now out of the cellar and in fifth place, one percentage point ahead of sixth place Luxora (24-28). Both are only four games from first. It wouldn't take much for them to go from worst to first.
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