Saturday, October 8, 2067
TU TITLE SERIES: MONTIES VS RACERS -- RU TITLE SERIES: REDHAWKS VS NINE
One and done is the verdict for four of the IPA Division winners... say so long to Claxton (#1), White River (#3), Hillsboro (#7) and Sligo (#8) and their dreams of a Pro Cup trophy... and say hello to the survivors Rolling Hills (#2), Marston (#4), Far Mountain (#5) and San Alejo (#6), whose dreams might still come true... round two begins tomorrow... fighting for supremacy in the Tycobbian Union title series will be the San Alejo Montaneros and the Rolling Hills Racers at the Mid Town Base Ball Grounds... battling for the Ruthlandian Union title will be the Far Mountain Redhawks and the Marston Nine at Legends Field... both series will be the best-of-seven... the victors will clash in the Pro Cup Series for the Islandian Pro Alliance overall championship.
All four first-round winners are coming off rock-solid performances... Rolling Hills toppled Hillsboro in 6 games... San Alejo took 4 straight from favored White River... Far Mountain surprised Pro Cup favorite Claxton in 7 games... and Marston edged Sligo out in another 7-game affair.
2067 Tycobbian Union League Championship Series Preview
On paper, Rolling Hills is the best ballclub, primarily because of its awesome offense... the Racers are chocked full of potent bats and top guns... they hit .302 as a team this season... scored like crazy and averaged almost 6 runs a game... luckily for the other playoff teams, Rolling Hills has its flaws... no dominant pitchers or standout aces... the starting rotation is just fair... and the bullpen is questionable... defense is average (.977 FA)... the Racers are so good offensively, they can beat you with their bats alone... they simply outscore the opposition.
That's what's facing the San Alejo Montaneros... scary, ain't it?
In the first round against a fine White River team, the Monties really did a job on the Rascals pitching-wise... San Alejo depends mainly on its pitchers and strong defense (.982 FA) to win ballgames... they don't have a lot of offense in the batting order... just average offense and scoring... but the pitching is so good, they don't need it... White River was totally shut down... held to just 8 runs in 4 games... the Rascals only hit .208... the Montaneros posted a superb 1.54 ERA in the series... however, San Alejo will have to perk up the scoring against powerhouse Rolling Hills... the Monties hit only .231 against White River in round one... they have the pitching to cut down on the Racers attack, but they will have to put more runs on the scoreboard to whip Rolling Hills in the series... the pitchers can't do it all by themselves.
Tycobbian Union Title Series Outlook:
Rolling Hills is literally a team of All-Stars... the starting lineup has made the All-Star team 28 times... by contrast San Alejo's batting order has made the All-Star team just 5 times... 'nuff said... the key to the series will be the Rolling Hills hurlers... if they do pretty well, the Racers will win in 6 games... if not, San Alejo will win in 7.
