Wednesday, October 13, 2088
TOP-RANKED POWERS LA CLAIRE AND HARTSDALE ON THE EVE OF DESTRUCTION
It's going to take a couple of miracles for Pro Cup favorite La Claire and highly-regarded Hartsdale to get past the first round in the IPA playoffs. And just in case you don't know it, miracles very rarely happen in postseason baseball in the Islands. These two Tycobbian Union powerhouses are down 3-0 in best-of-seven series. Only 5 times in 87 years has a team managed to do this. The last 3-0 miracle comeback was in 2080 when White River rallied against East Point. Two overlooked ballclubs Summerland and Ozarka have so far accomplished the highly improbable. The Sunsets have dealt the current Pro Cup champion La Claire Lynx three straight defeats and the Ozarka Naturals have done the same thing to the Hartsdale Hellcats.
Competition has been better in the Ruthlandian Union where Forest City and Belle Plaine are up 2-1 in their series against Belair Beach and La Grange.
Tycobbian Union First Round Series
SUMMERLAND SHOCKS LA CLAIRE 3RD TIME IN A ROW AND NEARS SWEEP
Defending Pro Cup champ La Claire went into the 8th frame with a 3-2 edge, but they couldn't stop the determined Summerland Sunsets, who rallied for a 4-3 triumph and captured their third victory in a row in the best-of-seven series. Bok de Korver tied the score up with a double and Dutch Verlander drilled the go-ahead single to bring home the win. Losing pitcher Roger Arenado (16-10/2.82 ERA) started and did very well until the ill-fated 8th. Overall he gave up 4 runs in his 7 innings with 5 walks and 6 strikeouts. Three Summerland hurlers combined for the win. Cees De Groot (14-12/2.59 ERA) tossed 7 solid frames, yielding 3 runs on 6 hits with one walk and 4 Ks. His bullpen came in and finished the job. Jaime Osorio (4-2/3.03 ERA/3 saves/44 games) got the win with a runless 8th and Rik Boone (2-8/3.13 ERA/20 saves/62 games) notched the save with a scoreless 9th. The Sunsets got 8 hits in the game, while the Lynx only mustered 7. La Claire's best bat was Sonny Zambello with 2 for 3 and 3 runs scored. Game four will also be in Summerland.
NATS ROOKIE PASSMAN SHUTS DOWN HELLCATS FOR 3-0 SERIES LEAD
Ozarka's 19-year-old pitcher Ron Passman (14-13/2.76 ERA) had a strong outing and defeated the Hartsdale Hellcats 4-2 to give the Naturals a 3-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series. The Nats are just one win away from eliminating the favored Hellcats. Passman held Hartsdale to 6 hits, fanned 7 batters and walked only one in a route-going performance. He outhurled Willie Ditchburn (18-5/2.38 ERA), who worked a fair game, allowing 3 runs and 9 hits in 6 innings. Ozarka cracked 12 hits in the game, led by Ernie Packenham with 3 hits. Banger Barnhill and Tommy Kingston each contributed a pair of hits. Gerrit Troost and Jorah Hladki belted solo roundtrippers to pace the Hellcats. The Naturals will try to wrap up the series in game four, also at Ellie Ewing Stadium in Ozarka.
Ruthlandian Union First Round Series
36-YEAR-OLD VET POIROT STAVES OFF FIREBIRDS IN GAME 3, GETS SUNBIRDS BACK IN THE SERIES
It took a 14-year grizzled veteran portsider Felix Poirot (8-6/3.60 ERA) to cool off the sizzling Forest Hill Firebirds. He gutted out a complete game and got his Belair Beach Sunbirds back in the postseason picture with a 5-4 victory in the third game of the series on his homefield Bayside Park. Poirot bent, but didn't break, permitting 4 runs on 9 hits, while walking 4 batters and whiffing 3. The Sunbirds broke up a 2-2 duel with Thomas Tate (18-8/3.18 ERA) in the last of the 7th when Lucky Hayden doubled in 2 runs and Jermaine La Rocque bashed an RBI base hit to put them ahead to stay. Poirot survived 3 solo homers, 2 by Clete Ward and one by Willie Collingham. It was Ward's 3rd clout of the series. Dutch Van Donk smacked 2 hits, a triple and a homer and drove in 3 runs to pace the Sunbirds. Mees Achthoven also rapped a pair of hits. In spite of the loss, Forest City outhit Belair Beach 9 to 7. Tate sustained the loss, working 6 and one-third innings, giving up 5 runs and 7 hits with 4 walks and 4 strikeouts. Game four and five will be played in Belair Beach.
BELLE PLAINE'S GIROUD WINS GEM FROM LAGRANGE'S HAYWORTH, BUT MUSKIES STILL TRAIL 2-1 IN SERIES
It was nip-and-tuck between Marcel Giroud (11-10/3.65 ERA) and Cale Hayworth (13-9/3.27 ERA) until the bottom of the 6th frame when Belle Plaine took charge on Callum Hayford's bases-loaded game-winning fly ball. Winning pitcher Giroud tossed 7 and two-thirds innings, surrendering only one run on Tommy Cantrell's second-inning blast. Giroud sat down 8 on strikes, walked 2 batters and gave up 5 hits. Johnny Koonce (12-5/4.15 ERA) was perfect in relief, retiring all 4 batters he faced, fanning 2 of them. Hayworth took the loss, but only allowed one earned run in 6 innings and 4 hits. Claude Mayeux led off the game and sent one soaring out of the park for the Musketeers. The Gators prevailed in the first two games of the best-of-seven series. The Muskies are back in the series but still trail two games to one with games four and five at their home ballpark Musketeer Field.
