[Eugene Church]

2088 Tycobbian North Season Review

HELLCATS HOT AUGUST WINS THE TU NORTH
Last year's powerhouse victor and this year's slight preseason favorite Fairfax was the choice to repeat in the Tycobbian North. The Frogs decimated everybody in sight last year, winning the division by 14 games. They were picked to sweep through the playoffs, too, and bring home the IPA Pro Cup Trophy for the first time. But that never transpired. Fairfax flopped badly in the first round and was soundly thrashed by Tuckanarra in a one-sided first-round series. This season the Frogs were supposed to win a tight race with the Mahaska Haymakers with Hartsdale and Oxford also in the running, too. Instead it was Hartsdale that led wire-to-wire. The Hellcats started off very well and had themselves a 6-game margin over Fairfax by June 1 and 8 up on Mahaska. Oxford was a very distant fourth, 10 games back. The Frogs and the Haymakers challenged at midseason and closed the gap to one and 5 games respectively. The Hellcats got blazing hot in August and went 20-7 to created a massive 9-game edge over Fairfax (15-12) and 12-game lead over Mahaska (11-16) going into September. Hartsdale coasted the rest of the way and eventually topped the Frogs by 6 games and the Haymakers by 11. Oxford wound up in the fourth position 12 games off the pace. The Hellcats are rock-solid all-around with a fine attack with good power, strong pitching and excellent defense. Hartsdale should go far in the postseason. They captured Pro Cups in 2046 and 2063. Number 3 this year is not out of the question.