SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2083
EAST POINT FINALLY WINS 1ST PRO CUP AFTER 82 YEARS IN IPA
It was really a long, long, long time coming but the East Point Panthers finally attained perfection in the Islandian Pro Alliance. The Panthers captured their very first Pro Cup Trophy in its 82nd season in the IPA. Superb pitching and just enough offense carried them past the Volusia Vigilantes in six games. Kent Burleigh and Jorgy Neal joined forces to blank the V's 2-0 in game six played before the home crowd at Armed Forces Park in East Point. Shortstop John Bircher delivered the vital 2-run base hit in the last of the 4th frame that provided the winning margin. Burleigh fired 5 scoreless innings and fanned 4 batters. Neal went 4 scoreless frames and whiffed 3 batters. Volusia only managed 7 hits in the game. The Vigilantes only threated twice in the game, leaving two runners on each time.
Johnny Moore, in his 18th year at the helm of the Panthers, couldn't contain his joy at the press conference, shouting out the phrase, "We did it! We did it!" over and over. Overjoyed and out of breath he finally calmed down a little bit, saying it was his wonderful pitching staff that finally brought home the cherished Pro Cup to East Point. "They only allowed some of the best-hitting teams in the IPA a 2.30 ERA in 17 postseason games. Check out the sensational ERAs of my starters". Stats show that Burleigh had a 2.84 ERA in 5 starts, Abercrombie 1.65 ERA in 4 starts, Satterlee 1.50 ERA in 4 starts and Berghoff 2.37 ERA in 4 starts. The bullpen really did a superlative job, too. Neal had a 2.45 ERA in 10 games and 22 innings and Wible posted a 2.30 ERA in 9 games and 16 innings".
Volusia skipper Brock Josephson said his club "handled the pitchers well in the first two rounds, but East Point was at another level in the Pro Cup Finals."
Moore also gave credit to his batters. "Kerek, Prudhomme, Bircher and Ruskin gave us a lot of timely and crucial hits in the Pro Cup Finals and all during the playoffs. So did Marchand and McPherson."
