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The Islandian Times
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
2018 IPA Mid-Season Recaps
Ranford (42-31) has been the big surprise in the RU North, rising up from seventh place last season... As expected Ancona (40-33), Far Mountain (40-33) and Taranto (37-36) are title contenders... last year's winner Valmara (36-37) has fallen to fifth place, but is only 6 games back... Glasco (29-44), Kilkenny (28-45) and LaGrange (27-46) are totally out of the race.
It looks to be a 4-team race in the RU South with the defending champ Valka (33-40) dropping down to a tie for fifth... Crystal Lake (45-28) has the lead at the halfway point... Belair Beach (40-33) is second, 5 games behind... Claxton (38-35) is third, 7 games out... Grand City (37-36) is 8 games off the pace in fourth place... San Dimas (33-40) and Waleska (33-40) are tied for fifth with Valka... St. John (31-42) is last and trails by 14.
In the RU East, Pro Cup champion Eastshore (43-30) has its hands full this season... the Elegants have been close, but just recently knocked the Marston Nine out of the top spot... Marston (42-31) is just a game out of first, Beechwood (40-33) is tied for third with Elnora (40-33), only 3 behind and Sugar Valley (38-35) is fifth, 5 games in back, but still close enough to challenge... Cold Creek (34-39) is sixth, followed by seventh place Wynnamac (30-43) and last place Belle Plaine (27-46).
Rocky Rapids (47-26) is rocking again this year and has a big 7-game edge in the RU West over revitalized Middlefield (40-33) and Sligo (40-33) in second place... Fort Benton (39-34) is in the fourth spot... long-time power Colfax (36-37) continued to decline again this season and has now dipped to below .500 and into fifth place, 11 games off the pace... same thing for Volusia (36-37), who is tied with the Blasters... Forest City (35-38) is seventh in the standings and Stoner (32-41) is way down in the basement, 15 games out.
Luxora (45-28) took the TU North title last year and is likely to repeat... the Zorros already lead at mid-season by 7 games over Hartsdale (38-35)... the Hellcats are the only club close in the pennant chase... Fairfax (34-39) and Mahaska (33-40) are third and fourth, but way under the .500 mark... White River (31-42) is fifth, North Hills (30-43) and Oxford (30-43) are in a sixth-place tie and cellar-dwelling Blue Lake (23-50) has fallen completely out of sight with a terrible season and are 22 games out.
Turon (52-21) could win 100 games this season... the Typhoons are mad at losing the Pro Cup last season to Eastshore and are whipping everything in sight... Turon has piled up a 10-game bulge at the All-Star break... Arroyo Grande (42-31) and Colchester (42-31) are tied for the runner-up spot in the TU South... fourth place belongs to Southport (38-35), who are 14 games behind... Cape Coral (36-37) is fifth, Ginza (35-38) sixth, Summerland (34-39) seventh and San Alejo (27-46) is eighth.
Over in the TU East, Ozarka (48-25) is still the superior team and will again be one of the Pro Cup favorites... Tuckanarra (43-30) is hanging close, trailing by 5 games and in second place... Hillsboro (41-32) is putting together two good back-to-back seasons... the Blazers are third, 7 games off the pace... fourth place South Fork (40-33) is another quality ball club in the strongest division in the IPA with 6 teams above .500... High Mesa (39-34) and Midway (39-34) are deadlocked for the fifth spot, while East Point (28-45) and Red Bluff (28-45) both pull up the rear in the cellar, 20 games behind.
There's a great 6-team race going on in the TU West... Arlon (41-32) and Chicopee (41-32) are the co-leaders with last season's pennant winner Bay St. Clair (40-33) and Bayview (40-33) right on their heels in third place, a scant game behind them... fifth place Rolling Hills (37-36) is only 4 games off the lead... with North Hills (30-43) and Oxford (30-43) tied for sixth and 15 games off the pace...Denton City (27-46) is playing poorly again for the third successive season and will probably end up last in the standings again.
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