Sunday, October 22, 2084
TOP DOGS, SUNBIRDS AND RACERS MEET FOR TOP PRIZE - PRO CUP
Belair Beach and Rolling Hills were among the top choices to capture the 2084 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup this year. They have emerged as the two best teams in the playoffs and they will soon do battle for the Pro Cup Trophy, presented annually to the top baseball team in Islandia. Belair Beach, the #1 pick, nabbed the Ruthlandian Union Title Series from 6th-ranked Fort Benton four games to two and #3 Rolling Hills was pushed to the 7-game limit for the Tycobbian Union crown, skimming past the Hartsdale Hellcats four games to three. The IPA Pro Cup Series starts Tuesday afternoon in Belair Beach at Bayside Park. The Sunbirds are seeking their second Pro Cup, while the Racers will try to add #11 to their cherished stash.
Thanks to some sensational pitching by Gardiner Palmquist and a solo homer by Forest Whitehead, the favored Belair Beach Sunbirds escaped with a 1-0 victory in game one in Belair Beach. Palmquist outpitched Fort Benton's Noah Faircloth, who went 22-2 in the regular season with a sparkling 2.71 ERA. Palmquist was 18-5 with a fine 2.85 ERA.
The Cannons came right back the second game and gained a split on John Harding's 3-run triple in the 11th inning, giving them a 5-1 win. Strong pitching by Fort Benton starter Gordy Francis and reliever Vance Voland paced the Cannons. Sunbird starter Seth Calimaris also stood out with 6 shutout innings. It was the Sunbirds bullpen that faltered in the fatal 11th frame, lambasted for 4 runs.
Belair Beach took charge on the road at Old Fortress Park in Fort Benton. In the second game the Sunbirds, sparked by Bruno Lutz and Yianni Kostakos, blistered the Cannons 8-4. Lutz slammed a 3-run homer and Kostakos cracked 3 hits. Delmer Keel was banged around for 4 runs in the first 2 frames, then he settled down and blanked Fort Benton the rest of the way.
Belair Beach went up three games to one in game four. Larry Gabrielson and Georgie Adams combined for a 4-2 win. Winner Gabrielson went 6 innings and allowed 2 runs. Adams shut out the Cannons over the last 3 frames. Dutch Van Donk hit one out of the park for the Sunbirds. Pinch hitter Percy Donahue put Belair Beach ahead to stay with an RBI single in the 7th inning.
On the verge of elimination in the fifth game, Fort Benton played a great game, blasting Belair Beach and its ace Gardiner Palmquist 11-0, ripping 16 hits, paced by Olev Kotli with 4 hits, 3 RBIs by Trace Lansing and 2 each by Jerry Hurt and pitch hitter Quentin Hewes. The Sunbirds never had a chance.
Forgetting all about the terrible carnage of the day before, in game six Belair Beach outlasted Fort Benton in a 14-inning fight-to-the-last victory to win the series and advance to the Pro Cup Series against the Tycobbian Union champion. Trailing 5-2 after 6 innings, the Sunbirds mounted a tremendous rally to take the lead 7-5 going into the 9th. Then the Cannons rallied to tie it up on Trace Lansing's 2-run shot, forcing extra innings. Both clubs got excellent relief pitching. Jim Brockington held Fort Benton scoreless in the 10th, 11th and 12th. Winning pitcher Eric Kyeldsen finished the Cannons off with 2 runless innings. The losing pitcher Vance Voland shut out the Sunbirds for his first 3 frames. It all came to a dramatic end when Yianni Kostakos led off the last of the 14th inning with a solo swat. Dutch Van Donk sparked Belair Beach with 4 hits, including his 3rd roundtripper of the postseason. Dwight Hogan kept the Cannons in the game with 2 hits, one of them a 2-run clout.
