Thursday, October 11, 2074
IPA FINAL 4 SLATE:
EASTSHORE @ CRYSTAL LAKE IN RUTHLANDIAN UNION
SUMMERLAND @ CHICOPEE IN TYCOBBIAN UNION
The Islandian Pro Alliance will kick off another round of the postseason playoffs this weekend... the 64 IPA teams have been chiseled down to the Final 4... Eastshore and Crystal Lake survived the cut in the Ruthlandian Union and Summerland and Chicopee tee it up in the Tycobbian Union... IPA Final 4 play begins this Saturday afternoon... the victors will advance to the Pro Cup Series for a chance to win the pot of gold -- the IPA Pro Cup... both series will be the best-of-seven.
Coming into postseason play the Oxford Red Caps were favored to win the Pro Cup this season, but the Red Caps kicked the bucket at the hands of the surprising Summerland Sunsets in first-round action, the #7 team... the remaining clubs are #2 Chicopee, #3 Eastshore and #4 Crystal Lake... in the Ruthlandian Union it's an evenly-matched series likely to go the full 7 games... most scribes are leaning toward the Cotton Kings over the Skippers... better starters will make the difference... Lucien Dillingham (13-7/2.90 ERA), Vinnie Harrington (15-7/3.14 ERA) and Ayasha Kanjorsky (14-8/3.27 ERA) are 3 solid starters for Eastshore... they were outstanding in the Taranto series... Lew McGrane (14-4/2.52 ERA) and two rookies, Noel Arboneaux (10-5/2.14 ERA) and Lloyd Mason (17-7/3.72 ERA), will do the hill honors for Crystal Lake... they did well against the Stoner Silver Sox in round one... give a slight edge to the more experienced Cotton Kings' staff... Eastshore also has a better relief corps.
In the Tycobbian Union, despite the upset of Oxford, most baseball prophets are picking the Chicopee Braves to finish off the upstart Summerland Sunsets in 6 games... superior pitching will put the Braves into the Pro Cup Finals for a chance to win their first Pro Cup in the team's lousy history... the Sunsets have only made 3 postseason appearances... Ray Weatherly (14-6/2.92 ERA), rookie Clancy Mahaffey (12-7/2.47 ERA) and Cris Samuels (12-10/3.52 ERA) were the key to beating Tuckanarra... the Sunsets are in the same boat... Summerland has never won the IPA Pro Cup, however the Sunsets have had a more successful history in the IPA... the baseball sentimentalists would like nothing better than for one of these teams to take the Holy Grail of Islandia this year... pundits love the underdogs... but the heart can only go so far in picking the winners... they fear Summerland starters Luc Cochrane (17-3/2.45 ERA), rookie Mort Cassidy (9-6/4.18 ERA) and Jason Irons (9-10/4.18 ERA) may not be able to handle the Braves' bats.
Crystal Lake is the best of the lot in Pro Cups with 3 (2020, 2022, 2058)... Eastshore had accumulated a pair of Pro Cups (2016, 2017)... Summerland and Chicopee have never won the Pro Cup... the Skippers also lead with 13 postseason appearances, the Cotton Kings have made it on 10 occasions... this is the 6th time the Sunsets have made the playoffs and only the 4th time for the Braves.
To win the Pro Cup, you have to have the pitching -- good pitching beats good hitting -- the team that gets the best pitching will win the IPA Pro Cup Trophy this year... being lucky sometimes helps, too.
Eastshore Home Page
Crystal Lake Home Page
Summerland Home Page
Chicopee Home Page
