[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2041

CC 'CATS WIN THIRD STRAIGHT RU EAST
For the third straight year and fifth time in six seasons the Cold Creek Catamounts have chalked up anothe Ruthlandian East Division flag... it was quite a race with the Belle Plaine Musketeers, who faded in the final six weeks... the 'Cats overcame them by three games with a 26-17 record in August and September, while the Muskies could only manage a 21-23 record... Sugar Valley surged in the second half, but fell four games short.

1. Cold Creek (86-68): for the first time in seven years the Catamounts failed to win at least 90 games... but they still prevailed with good pitching, good offense and standout defense (.978 FA)... All-Star superstar J. J. Gillespie (22-12/2.72) is still the ace... at age 36 he won 20 games for the seventh time in his brilliant career... however 35-year-old Joey Baker (18-18/3.71) and Rob Hutchins (14-12/3.65) were down a bit from last year... Baker was 20-8 in 2040 and Hutchins was 17-11... the offense was more than adequate, but didn't have much power... the Catamounts hit only 109 homers (31st-tied), but ranked sixth with a .274 BA and tied for fourth with 774 runs... 35-year-old CF Guy St. Laurent was the club leader with a .313 BA, 25 HRs, 90 RBIs, 92 runs and 16 SBs... SS Jeremy Hall (.307/7/79/82) and LF Jimmy Howell (.305/5/57/64) both had fairly good years.

2. Belle Plaine (83-71) (3 GB): it was a great turnaround season for the long-suffering Musketeers, who have been seventh or last for the past seven years... their last postseason appearance was in 2009... they have yet to claim a Pro Cup trophy... the Muskies feature good bats with power, but not much in the way of pitching except for two quality starters in All-Star Alex Gillespie (21-11/3.76) and Benny Lucas (17-15/4.19)... the team ERA is a sky-high 4.71 (32nd)... Cameron Akers (11-5/2.88/19 saves) was very good in the bullpen, along with Kurt Tandberg (4-1/1.58/8 saves)... Belle Plaine had some productive hitters in star CF Noel Martin (.321/24/78/95), star RF Boo Boudreaux (.310/30/96/101) and LF Larry Mills (.307/17/100/81)... other reliable bats were 1B Mitch Mason (.275/26/85/70), 3B Carl Lund (.231/25/59/43) and 2B Kit Ritter (.296/15/71/59).

3. Sugar Valley (82-72) (4 GB): for the seventh year in a row the Rattlers have placed in the top three teams in the division with one pennant in 2038 when they won 104 games... they have won nine pennants in the team's history, but never have hauled in a Pro Cup, though the Rattlers made the finals twice in 2004 and 2024... Sugar Valley led the RU with 816 runs and were third in homers with 191... solid pitching, too... they play in a hitters' ballpark... average defense (.974 FA)... All-Star Christopher Dunsberry (18-14/2.47), Jeremy Blanchard (18-14/3.89), Davey Brennan (15-14/3.90) and Josh Wilkerson (14-14/4.00) are a solid set of starters... gifted superstar RF Bobby Gamble (.320/36/123/121/26 SB) led the club in BA, HRs, RBIs, runs and stolen bases... with lots of help from star SS Roger Hobbs (.304/26/91/91/21 SB) and star LF Tyler White (.270/35/94/79)... young C Delmer Campbell had a fine year with a .283 BA, 27 HRs, 101 RBIs and 67 runs... so did 22-year-old 2B Richie Fry with a .316 BA, 6 HR, 63 RBIs and 85 runs... young 1B James Milton did well with 24 HRs, 75 RBIs and 61 runs in 113 games, while batting .261.

4. Eastshore (77-77) (9 GB): after three years in the second division, the Elites sneaked back into the first division in fourth place... it's been eight seasons since they graced the playoffs... Eastshore has won five pennants and two Pro Cups in its history... the Pro Cup years were 2016 and 2017... this season they led the division at the All-Star break, but went into a second-half funk and faded out of the pennant race... the Elegants are just an average club with power... 163 HRs (5th)... the big guns are All-Star SS Johnny Petrak (.321/29/94/86) and superstar RF Scotty Lagrange (.295/27/77/79)... other dependable players were 3B Abner Bronstein (.293/7/52/70/18 SB) and CF Bevan Shuler (.232/15/54/95), who led the IPA with 45 SBs... 37-year-old Koy Clampett (18-14/3.87) was the most effective starter with some help from Teddy Noble (15-16/4.02), Danny Gamble (14-17/3.98) and Ramon Contreras (18-14/4.94)... Kenny Chandler (3-3/2.37/16 saves) was the best in the bullpen.

5. Beechwood (75-79) (11 GB): for the past eight years the Bobcats have alternated between the first division and the second division... this was the year for the second division... last year they were 94-60 and finished second to Cold Creek... the pitching and hitting went south this year and the record tumbled to 75-79 and fifth place in the standings... the team ERA rose from 3.57 to 4.29... and the BA went down from .281 to .269... the Bobcats still have some pop with 218 HRs (2nd)... Beechwood has won only three pennants in its history and no Pro Cups... they haven't been to the postseason since 2027... the mound leader was Larry Carmen (17-8/3.42/3 saves)... last year's 20-game winner Jimmy Herman dipped to 12-19 with a 4.09 ERA... veteran Ken Arby, 262-211 in his career, was 15-12 at age 34, but his ERA rose up to a gaudy 4.45... at the plate it was two All-Stars, who led the way: 2B Cody Hanks (.336/23/84/73) and C Paul Jackson (.290/21/70/66)... talented RF Eddie Wilson (.301/39/95/93) topped the team in homers, RBIs and runs... young 1B Corky Callahan (.300/29/72/83) showed some very good potential, too, with 29 homers.

6. Elnora (74-80) (12 GB): after two good years in third and fourth place, the All-Stars fell back to sixth place... they have collected seven RU East pennants in the team's history with one Pro Cup, captured in 2033... Elnora can still hit with a .280 BA (2nd), score (772 runs-6th) and go deep with 150 HRs (12th-tied), but the mound corps went into the tank this season with a lofty 4.28 ERA (24th)... budding superstar and All-Star LF Enos Conrad had a great year... the 25-year-old led the IPA with a .391 average and 217 hits... that's the third-highest batting average in league history... Conrad had 27 homers, 96 RBIs, 116 runs and 102 walks... he also got some strong help from All-Star C Cannon Jackson (.314/28/104/78) and reliable vets 2B Akihiro Samurakami (.305/10/73/84) and CF Clive Kenyon (.319/11/38/71)... 37-year-old star and 226-game winner Jeremy Sellers (17-10/3.81) topped the staff... veterans Dan Pitts (14-15/3.63) and Stan Kivas (12-18/3.77) also gave the All-Stars some quality starts, too... the bullpen was lacking with a 4.47 ERA (30th).

7. Marston (72-82) (14 GB): for the 12th time in 13 seasons the Nine find themselves in the RU East second division... Marston has never won a Pro Cup and only three pennants in its history... the last division crown came in 2028... they rank in the bottom third in batting (.258) and pitching (4.30)... Jean-Noel Waldron (17-14/4.01) and Kris Delaney (11-10/4.00) are the most dependable starters... Barry Sexton (2-4/1.85/10 saves) is the most reliable in the bullpen... All-Star SS Stan Mila (.300/14/87/82), 1B John Cosotto (.285/24/90/57) and RF Alan Bailey (.290/7/60/80) are the only productive batters.

8. Wynnamac (64-90) (22 GB): the Sundowners had their worst season since 2017 when they endured a 59-95 year... they have won five pennants and one Pro Cup (2008)... average at the plate with a .266 BA (19th), but bad on the mound with a 4.66 ERA (31st)... budding superstar and All-Star RF Nioka Inkamara hit 48 homers for the second year in a row, drove in 130 runs and scored 104 runs... he ranked fifth in the IPA in homers and RBIs... CF Darrell Donnelly, son of manager Matt Donnelly, is a very fine player as well with a .296 BA, 15 HRs, 87 RBIs, 99 runs and 27 SBs... 3B Duane Hudson is a solid hitter, too, with a .276 BA, 5 HRs, 52 RBIs, 93 runs and 17 SBs... 26-year-old Shirai Nakamura (15-15/3.77) was the only quality starter and 21-year-old Johnny Mitchell (6-7/2.97/21 saves) was the best in the bullpen... Mitchell was the RU Rookie of the Year last year.