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Nuka News Update
Reporting on the NWL, APL, NWLR, and BBL Leagues
by Evan Guy
1 July 2310
Victory, Dark Maintain Division Leads in NWL
The Victory Cave Crickets and Dark Bloodworms have maintained their division leads for the past month and both have the advantage heading into the last month and a half.
Victory continues to be the NWL's best pitching team with the least runs allowed (192) and the best Starters ERA (3.80). Their best starters have been their ace Tim Carty (5-1, 3.43) and their 3rd starter Chad Hartwig (6-1, 3.65). The Cave Crickets are also 4th in runs scored (228) with a lot of their hits (2nd in average at .316) coming on base knocks, not homers (8th at 24). 2B Due Crymes (.405/2/34) has carried the majority of those hits, leading the team in average and RBI.
Dark is 1st in all offensive categories but home runs where they are tied for 4th with 46. The Bloodworms are tops in runs scored (294) and average (.331). 3B Curt Toth (.387/11/41) appears to be the offensive MVP. Dark is also 3rd in runs allowed (223) and has the 2nd-best Starters ERA (3.89). The top two starters--Ed Homestead (7-3, 3.35) and Warren Gee (7-1, 3.66)--have led the pitching.
Victory Cave Crickets fans believe they've got a talented young star in Due Crymes.
He did nothing to dissuade that notion in June, as he hit .461 with 1 home run, 16 RBIs and 16 runs scored.
The end result was the second baseman being named the Nuka World League Batter of the Month.
This season Crymes is hitting at a .405 pace with 2 home runs, 34 RBIs and has scored 29 times.
June's best hurler was Steven Nebraska of Grape. He overwhelmed NWL hitters all month long and captured the Pitcher of the Month award as he collected a 5-1 record in 6 starts.
The 30-year-old Nebraska added 32 strikeouts in 51.2 innings and 10 walks to his season record and compiled a 3.48 ERA. Other clubs hit .290 against him.
This season Nebraska has compiled a 8-2 mark with a 3.32 ERA in 13 starts.
Nuka World League officials announced today that Tim Carty was presented June's Rookie of the Month trophy.
The Victory pitcher compiled a 2.73 ERA in 5 starts, logging a 4-1 record and 21 strikeouts in 26.1 innings.
So far this year Carty has a 5-1 record with a 3.43 ERA.
In the Amusement Park League, the Nuka Bottling Plant Pack leads in the North Division by seven games, and the Nuka Town Operators lead in the South Division by five games.
Not known for his offensive prowess, Jake Roth set the league afire in June and took home the Amusement Park League Batter of the Month award.
The Nuka Bottling Plant center fielder posted a steady .360 batting average, 8 home runs, 25 RBIs and 20 runs.
This year Roth has hit at a .380 clip with 60 RBIs, 18 home runs and 48 runs scored.
Car Aballo had an outstanding June -- so good that the Amusement Park League presented him with the Pitcher of the Month Award earlier today.
"There's no way to know where the Operators would be without Aballo," one fan is quoted as saying.
In June Aballo dominated the competition, running up a 5-0 record, a 1.02 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 44.1 innings.
So far this season Aballo has compiled a 7-4 record with a 1.69 ERA.
The NWLRL leaders are the Northpoint Reservoir Gulchers and Dunmore Ferris Wheels.
At only 20 years of age, Rat Race Lashari could very well have many more months like this last one during his career.
That would be great news for fans of the Junkyard Space Cadets, as June was one to remember for the third baseman and he has captured the NWL Rookie League Batter of the Month award.
On the month he hit .341 with 13 home runs, 31 RBIs and 22 runs scored.
This year Lashari has hit at a .335 clip with 62 hits, 21 home runs, 53 RBIs and 44 runs scored.
Asajj Ventress is the latest NWL Rookie League Pitcher of the Month trophy winner. The Red Rocket starter sparkled on the diamond time and again last month and finished June with an outstanding 4-0 record.
In 6 starts he tossed 36.1 innings, posted 23 strikeouts, and sported a 2.23 ERA.
So far this year Ventress has made 8 starts, tossed 49.2 innings, struck out 36 batters and walked 7. His record is 5-1 with a 2.36 ERA and he has limited opposing teams to a .238 batting average.
The Bay Path Voyagers ignited a huge celebration as they beat the Ol Sugartop Buckaroos 4-2 to win the Bradberton Boys Series.
Bay Path won the series 2-1, capturing the title for the 1st time.
"We stepped it up at the right time, and now we're the champs," said Bay Path manager Tony Rodriquez. "It's a great feeling."
The champs finished the regular season 28-14 and claimed first place in the East Division.
In the jubilant clubhouse after the decisive game, series MVP and shortstop Duke Dukes said the Voyagers have "great fans and they deserve this."
"I am so happy for our team right now," he said.
Vim! View
Veracious, Vivacious, Vainglorious Vision of the Vim! Leagues
by Vikky Vail
1 July 2310
Grand Hotel Leads, National Park Drops to Last
In the Vim! League, the Grand Hotel Atoms maintained their Harbor Division lead. Currently, they have a three-game edge over the Far Harbor Ghoul Whales. The Fog Division has fallen into chaos with the National Park Gulpers, leaders on June 1, now in 4th place, while the team that was in 2nd place, the Dalton Farm Fog Crawlers, are now in 3rd. The leaders are the Echo Lake Harbormen, but they cannot get too comfortable since they lead the Gulpers by just 3.5 games. This division is fun!
Echo Lake is no stranger to being atop this division, having won it two of the last three seasons. This season, the Harbormen are 1st in runs scored (301) and 4th in runs allowed (270). Everyone in the lineup has hit well, but three who have shined the brightest are the VL's leader in average, 2B Kody Downing (.429/6/34), C Chris Dominoes (.376/12/44), and 1B Jason Eisch (.311/11/34). For Downing, he is chasing the record for batting average in a season (.423) set by teammate Dominoes in 2305.
The Atoms are winning thanks to their pitching where they are 2nd in runs allowed (249) while 1st in Starters ERA (4.89) and Bullpen ERA (4.51). SPs Michael Acadiaman (5-3, 4.81) and Riff Tamson (7-3, 4.69) are the leaders. Rookie CL Sundown Velasquez (6 SV, 1.57) is the leader in the bullpen.
One of the more consistent batters in June, Echo Lake second baseman Kody Downing grabbed Vim! League Batter of the Month honors by hitting .505 with 47 hits in 93 at-bats.
He racked up 3 home runs and 22 RBIs, scored 19 runs.
This season Downing has 6 home runs and a .429 batting average.
It was a sensational June for Alex Ruder as he mystified, mesmerized and terrorized opposing batters to capture the Vim! League Pitcher of the Month trophy.
Ruder locked down a 4-1 mark in 5 starts last month, striking out 39 while walking 17 in 43.1 innings and posting a 2.49 ERA.
This year Ruder has fanned 78 in 95.1 innings and collected a 7-2 record with a 3.49 ERA.
Last month Sundown Velasquez strong-armed the Vim! League hitters and picked up 3 victories.
In addition Grand Hotel hurler also picked up the league's Rookie of the Month honors.
In June the 22-year-old Velasquez recorded a 3-0 won-lost mark with a 0.77 ERA and 8 strikeouts in 11.2 innings.
Looking at his pitching stats so far this season, Velasquez has 21 relief appearances, pitched 23 innings and fashioned a 5-0 record with a 1.57 ERA. He has recorded 6 saves, struck out 15 and allowed opposing clubs to hit .235 when he is on the hill.
In the Mount Desert Island League, one division is tight while the other one is not. In the Small Bertha Division, the Brooke's Head Behemoths lead the Nucleus Radchickens by a half game. In the Old Longfellow Division, the Haddock Cove Engineers lead by 11 games over the Eagle's Cove Harpooners.
Mack Triggerfinger has a lot going for him. The Cliff's Edge right fielder just broke into the majors this year and now the Mount Desert Island League has just picked him as its top hitter for June.
In 19 games last month this outstanding rookie batted .360 with 8 home runs, 26 RBIs and 19 runs scored.
Triggerfinger on the season is batting .360 with 8 home runs. His totals include 26 RBIs and 19 runs scored. He has played in 19 games.
Eagle's Cove's Brian Foxkiller solidified his position as a fine reliever, claiming the Mount Desert Island League Pitcher of the Month award for June.
Coming in from the bullpen 11 times he accumulated 6 saves and 19 strikeouts in 12.2 innings. He had a good month with a 3-1 record and a 2.84 ERA.
This season Foxkiller has 9 saves with a 3-4 mark and 4.24 ERA.
The Vim! Rookie League has tight races all around. In the Western Atlantic Division, the Kitteredge Rad Rabbits lead the Rock Point Barnacles by one game and the Glowing Grove Braniacs by two. In the Eastern Atlantic, the Longfellow Pips and MS Azalea Shipwrecks are tied, with the Fringe Cove Champions just three back.
Trent Daria is not used to being associated with Batter of the Month-caliber players, but today the Rock Point third baseman joined that select company when the VIM! Rookie League announced the results of June's voting.
Daria totaled 28 hits, 20 walks, 8 home runs, 25 RBIs and 22 runs scored last month to put together a .329 batting average and .463 on-base percentage.
Hitting .288 to date, Daria has 16 home runs and 49 RBIs. He has played in 52 games.
In June, when the name of Ario T'Loak appeared on the Rock Point lineup card it was a virtual lock on a victory. He started 6 times and chalked up 5 wins and 1 loss. With those stats it was also a virtual lock that he would be named the VIM! Rookie League Pitcher of the Month.
T'Loak shackled opposing batters on 27 base hits and a .239 batting average. He rang up 37 strikeouts in 30.1 innings of work, surrendered 17 walks and fashioned a sparkling 4.15 ERA.
To date this season T'Loak is 6-5 with 14 starts and an ERA of 5.21 with 85 strikeouts in 76 innings.
In the Maine Youth Leagues, sometimes the winner is the one who got the lucky bounces and the lucky calls, and sometimes the winner is just the one who played better.
It was the latter case in 2310, as the National Park Rangers topped the Diamond Cove Fort Knights 3-1 tonight at The Cove to win the Maine Youth Series. It was the 2nd title in franchise history.
"When you play for championships, you have to play better than the team in the other dugout. We did that in this series, and all year. Now we're the best team in baseball," said National Park reliever Tutu Warner, who was named series MVP.
The Rangers took the series 2-1. The new titleholders completed the regular season with a first-place finish in the Mount Desert Island Four and a 28-12 record.
National Park manager Rack Toetip grinned and nodded when asked to comment on Warner's words.
"Tutu said it best -- we played better than the other team," the skipper said.
Hometown officials announced they were already planning a "grand celebration" for the winners in the days to come.
