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The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Ruthlandian Union 2004 Elite 8 Series
Moreno Stops SV 3-1, V's Alive and Kickin'
The Volusia Vigilantes were on the brink of elimination. They needed a win today to stay in the playoffs and they got it. Veteran righthander Ricky Moreno, who has won many crucial contests during his four-year IPA career, did it again. Moreno stopped the Sugar Valley Rattlers 3-1 to keep the V's Pro Cup hopes alive. Moreno (1-0 2.40) went the distance, giving up seven hits to the high-flying Rattlers, who seemed unstoppable in the first two games of the Elite 8 series.
Moreno and Sugar Valley starter Jay Washington were locked in a scoreless affair until the sixth when two other postseason pros, 1B Francisco Abreu (.269) and RF Jesus Arroyo (.429), collected RBI singles to put Volusia in front 2-0. The Rattlers rallied for a run in the seventh on RF Frank Horak's (.440) base hit. The Vigilantes got an insurance run off closer Hec Skurgan in the eighth on Abreu's RBI triple. The Jailhouse Gang had 10 hits in all, led by Abreu and SS Scooter Perez (.346) with three each. Washington (1-1 1.80) suffered the loss, but pitched a solid game. He fanned five, walked none and gave up two runs on eight hits in seven innings.
Two 20-game winners will be on the hill tomorrow in game four. Anthony Glaser (20-13 3.70) will pitch for Sugar Valley and Carl Schmitz (24-10 2.54) will go for Volusia. Glaser has been great in the playoffs with a 2-0 record and a 2.81 ERA. Schmitz is 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA in the postseason.
Ranford Rips Valmara 7-1, Still Trail In Elite 8
There was no tomorrow if Ranford lost today in game three of the IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series with the Valmara Vipers. The Bulls needed a win in the worst way and Chris Bernhoffer provided it. The 28-year-old portsider fired a masterpiece at War Memorial Stadium, shackling the home town Vipers on just three hits and beating them 7-1. In Bernhoffer's (3-0 1.00) third playoff victory he walked one and had six Ks.
Ranford only got eight hits, but made them count. C Walt Horvath (.348) clouted a three-run homer and 3B Colin Fairclough hit a solo job to pace the Bulls. Andre Trepanier (0-2 7.15) had another dismal start and was the losing pitcher. Trepanier was slammed for four runs and five hits in four-plus frames. Reliever Danny Blauser (2-0 2.57) pitch well for the Vipers, except for the three-run blast in the eighth. Blauser surrendered three runs on three hits and fanned five in four-plus innings.
Ranford CF Bobby Keegan (.304) injured his back while diving for a ball in the outfield and had to be taken out of the game. Tommy Reiner (.500) took his place in the line-up.
The opposing hurlers in game four will be Bud Enright (0-2 6.55) for the Bulls and Vanya Vasylenko (1-0 3.75) for Valmara. Enright has had a rocky postseason, but won 24 games in the regular season. Manager Page Satcher is hoping he will regain that form. Vasylenko was 17-8 for the year with a 2.76 ERA.
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