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Islandian Pro Alliance
Friday, July 6, 2001
Tycobbian Union - West Division
Blue Sox Barely Beat Frogs, 3rd in a Row
Big Jay Clay is one tough customer when he's on the hill. The 6'5" Blue Lake righthander beat first place Fairfax 3-2 at the Frog Pond for the team's second straight over the Frogs. Clay (9-3 2.67) pitched into the eighth and held Fairfax to two runs and seven hits. Clay had one walk and six strikeouts in a strong outing. Russ Courtney (5-2 3.02) came to his rescue and finished off the threatening Frogs. He came on with one out and a runner on first. Courtney gave up a single to put runners on first and second, but then slammed the door and got his 9th save. Clay outpitched Robbie Meredith (10-3 2.69) for his fifth consecutive victory. Meredith gave up three runs in the fifth, only one of them earned, when right fielder Fred Collins came around to score on a bad throw by the catcher on a steal of third and center fielder Donnie Frazier (.292) hit his 14th roundtripper with left fielder Greg Boone (.303) aboard. Meredith allowed nine hits, fanned six and walked nobody. The Blue Sox banged 11 hits to 8 for the Frogs. Shortstop Warren Lee (.317) and left fielder Gator Davis drove in the Fairfax runs, while first baseman Ernie Hutchinson (.266) had three hits in three at-bats.
Despite a third straight defeat, Fairfax (51-28) still enjoys a huge lead in the TU West standings. Blue Lake (37-41) is 13.5 games off the pace and in fifth place.
4 in a Row, Bucs Get by Bayview 4-3
At Shoreline Park in Bay St. Clair, the Buccaneers captured their fourth successive victory as they got by the second place Bayview Vikings 4-3. Catcher Jake Singleton (.320) singled in right fielder Jose Valenzuela (.304) with the decisive run in the bottom of the eighth. Closer Chris Van Arden (2-0 1.13) blew the save by giving up a two-run triple to center fielder Phil Kanaan (.304) in the top of the eighth to tie it 3-3. But Van Arden got the win, striking out three and walking one in his two innings. No runs were charged to him. Van Arden stranded Kanaan at third with a strikeout and a double play ball to end the inning. Frank Wells (7-6 3.96) caught the loss, working into the eighth and allowing four runs and eight hits. Wells walked none and fanned six. Left fielder Charley Moon (.277) led the Bucs with three hits and two runs batted in, right fielder Dean Howell (.307) and third baseman Bob Klostermann (.272) had two hits apiece for the Vikings.
Second place Bayview (43-38) dropped its third straight decision and trails the TU West's best team, the Fairfax Frogs, by 9 games. Bay St. Claire (31-49) is in the basement and 20.5 games out.
Arlon Demolishes La Claire 9-1, Smith Wins 10th
At Derby Downs in Arlon, Craig Smith registered his 10th victory of the year with a convincing 9-1 win over La Claire. Smith (10-5 2.76) struck out nine and walked only two, while scattering eight hits for his fourth win in a row. He was backed up by home runs by second baseman Karl Detwiler (.308) and third baseman Al Mathews (.186). Detwiler had a grand slam in the fifth and Mathews hits a solo job in the sixth. Tony Nygaard (2-6 3.56) had another rocky start and lost his third successive decision. He was slapped around for five runs and five hits in four and a third innings. First baseman Francisco Robles (.278) accounted for the Lynx lone run with his 4th homer of the season.
The two clubs are back deadlocked for the third spot in the standings. Both Arlon and La Claire have identical 38-41 records and are 13 games behind first place Fairfax (51-28).
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