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THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, September 25, 2050
2050 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 5
Ruthlandian Union
ROOSTERS WIN SERIES FROM RATTLERS IN 5
The Middlefield Roosters have something to crow about... they eliminated favored Sugar Valley from the playoffs in just five games... the Roosters wrapped up the Ruthlandian Division Championship Series with a 3-2 decision... they whipped the Rattlers in a 14-inning marathon when Cullen Winslow forced in the deciding run with a bases-loaded walk to Ike Gary (.250)... now Middlefield will advance to the RU League Championship Series against powerful Valmara, the defending Pro Cup titlist... the victor will get a shot at the IPA championship in the Pro Cup Finals.
Sugar Valley, ranked third in the Pro Cup predictions, scored the first run of the game in the top of the third... 3B Smokey Nix (.190) singled and was doubled in by 1B Roger Hobbs (.333)... Middlefield, rated sixth in Pro Cup poll, rallied and took a 2-1 lead in the last of the fifth on an RBI single by 1B Cliff Patterson (.333) and a sac fly by CF Johnny Wyatt (.056)... Hobbs sent the game into overtime with a homer in the eighth frame.
Both starting pitchers were sharp... Carroll Collier worked 10 innings for the Roosters, allowing only two runs on five hits with five Ks and a walk... Joe Snow went nine and one-third innings for the Rattlers, permitting only two runs on six hits... the win went to Ricky Farris (1-0/0.00/1 save), who twirled four scoreless frames, yielding three hits and striking out three batters with no walks... Winslow (1-1/4.50) lost it.
Each team posted eight hits with Roger Hobbs getting two for Sugar Valley and Cliff Patterson and SS Jimmy Beach (.333) popping a pair for Middlefield.
Middlefield manager Ricky Tinker was on cloud nine, telling the press, "This was a wonderful win over an outstanding team... our pitchers were really good to stop the Rattlers... we only used four pitchers in the five games... and got three complete games... but this is just the first step of three big ones to win the Pro Cup... and that's what we're playing for."
He added, "The Roosters lost a heartbreaker to Southport in '47... and pushed Sugar Valley to seven games in '45... the year the Rattlers won the title... so we know what it takes to win... and this year we have the team to do it."
The Sugar Valley skipper Bobby Gamble said, "We just didn't hit the ball... we hit under .200 for the series... so give credit to the Rooster pitchers... they were tough customers."
Tycobbian Union
SUN SOX SKIM BY RASCALS IN 13, UP 3-2 IN SERIES
Southport and White River battled long and hard for 13 innings at Pleasure Beach Park and when the dust cleared on the diamond, the hometown Sun Sox salvaged a 5-4 victory to take a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven Tycobbian DCS... Ross Good singled with the bases loaded and plated Ricky Whitaker with the winning score... closer Troy Hill (1-0/0.00) blanked the Rascals over the final four frames for the win with the defeat going to Todd Cole (0-2/3.38), who worked three innings and allowed one run... he walked the lead-off batter in the 13th and was relieved by Clem Warren (0-0/0.00), who was tagged for the winning hit.
Southport got 13 hits in the game, led by CF Russ Good (.286) with three hits and two RBIs... LF Tony Patrano (.409) with three hits and two RBIs... and 2B Owen Wallace (.350) with three hits and a run scored... White River also collected 13 hits... RF Ryne Hyland (.304) paced them with two hits and three RBIs... 3B Kenny Yarbrough (.370) went 3-7 with a run... and two other players contributed two hits apiece: SS Kenta Burton (.429) and 1B Ruben Reaves (.182).
CRANMORE'S SLAM SAVES THE DAY FOR BUCS
Trailing by three games to one in the Tycobbian Division Series... one game from elimination from the playoffs... and trailing 5-4 going into the top of the ninth... Bay St. Clair needed a win and they got it, courtesy of Hersh Cranmore's 345-foot grand slammer that sunk the East Point Panthers 8-5 in game five at Armed Forces Stadium... it was Cranmore's second homer in the series... despite giving up the tying run in the eighth, Ian Abercrombie (1-0/1.80) picked up the win... Cadillac Bogart (0-0/0.00/2 saves) preserved the victory and got his second save in the series... starter Ralph Wallace (1-1/3.78) took the crushing loss... the Buccaneers battered him for eight runs and 11 hits in eight and two-thirds innings.
C Hersh Cranmore (.211) led Bay St. Clair with two hits and four RBIs... LF Stan Kovalenko (.286) went 3-for-5, scored a run and drove one in... SS Pip Blaylock (.160) slapped two hits and scored twice... and RF Butch Thornhill (.190) had a solo homer, his third in the playoffs... the Bucs socked 11 hits.
East Point walloped 13 hits with 1B Alvaro Cavacos (.316) getting two of them, hitting a two-run homer and batting in three runs and scoring twice...Cavacos has two roundtrippers in the postseason... four other players chipped in with two hits each: RF Doug Dennhardt (.353), C Kenny Bailey (.238), 3B Jake O'Grady (.211) and 2B Thomas Crawford (.250).
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