Wednesday, October 24, 2091
CAN LA CLAIRE REPEAT AS PRO CUP CHAMP? ONLY LAGRANGE STANDS IN THE WAY
The reigning kings of the Islandian Pro Alliance, the La Claire Lynx are on the verge of hitting the jackpot again and could ring up back-to-back Pro Cup championships. However, there is a very good team standing in their way --- the Ruthlandian Union champion --- the rock-solid LaGrange Gators. #3 La Claire swept past the #5 Hartsdale Hellcats in 5 games to garner their second straight Tycobbian Union title, while the #6 Gators were upsetting the #2 Forest City Firebirds in a thrilling 7-game series. LaGrange did it the hard way, rallying from a huge 3-1 deficit to advance to the Pro Cup Series. Oddsmakers are calling it a tossup series --- either team could win it all.
2091 Tycobbian Union Title Series Recap
LYNX HURLERS TOTALLY SHUT DOWN HELLCATS HITTERS
La Claire eliminated the Hartsdale Hellcats in 5 quick games. They made the hard-hitting Hellcats look like helpless pussycats at the plate, holding them to just 11 runs overall. Hartsdale took the opener 2-1, but it was Katy bar the door the rest of the way. La Claire rattled off four in a row behind some standout starting pitching. The Lynx wrapped it up with victories 2-1, 4-2, 9-3 and 5-3. Strong pitching and home-run power did it. La Claire slammed 7 out of the park in the series. Hartsdale only managed to swat one roundtripper.
Game One in La Claire: Hellcat winning hurler Dandy Debusshere (2-0/1.69 ERA) bested losing Lynx pitcher Don Bartels (1-2/2.40 ERA) 2-1 with the help of 3 innings of relief from Kurt Schnell. The Lynx only got 8 hits, while the Hellcats were limited to 6. Second basema Scottie Deutsch singled in a run in the 1st frame and pinch hitter Richie Penniman drove in the second Hellcats run on a base hit in the 8th, while shortstop Lyn Holman doubled in the Lynx only score in the last of the 8th inning.
Game Two in La Claire: In game two Hartsdale had lots of chances to go up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. They lost 2-1 in spite of 10 hits, stranding 12 runners on base. La Claire evened the series at one game apiece. Clayton Benedix (0-1/1.29 ERA) and relievers Erich Richthofen (1-1/5.59 ERA/2 saves) and winner Paul Unruh (1-0/0.00 ERA/3 games) combined for the victory, edging out Bennie Frey (0-0/0.84 ERA), Mitch Womack (0-1/3.55 ERA) and loser Kurt Schnell (1-1/8.40 ERA/1 save). There wasn't a lot of offense. La Claire took the lead in the 2nd inning when catcher Gino Manda doubled in second baseman Rick Wall from first. He led off the inning with a single. Hartsdale knotted the score 1-1 in the sixth. Left fielder Delton Gunn and first baseman Jorah Hladki singled to open the inning, putting runners on the corners. right fielder Calvin Mannon flew out to right field and plated Gunn. The score remained deadlock until the bottom of the 9th when shortstop Lyn Holman played the hero and won it with a soaring home run.
Game Three in Hartsdale: La Claire won its second straight game on the road for a 2-1 edge in the series. This time the score was 4-2. The Lynx got standout pitching once again from Shuggie Garsett (1-0/2.66 ERA) and two relievers, winner Paul Unruh (2-0/0.00 ERA) and Erich Richthofen (1-1/5.59 ERA/2 saves). The Hellcat bullpen blew it in the 9th when La Claire lashed 3 homers by David Glascock, Howie Ellenberger and Bill Gallagher and put 4 scores on the scoreboard. Starter Javon Harbin (0-1/2.77 ERA) blanked the Lynx for the first 8 innings. Mitch Womack (1-1/3.60 ERA) lost it, slammed for 3 of the runs and 2 roundtrippers. Jorah Hladki and David Fraisse drove in runs for the Hellcats.
Game Four in Hartsdale: No contest. Third win in a row for the Lynx. La Claire hammered the Hellcats 9-3 with 3 homers and 12 hits. Roger Arenado (3-0/1.85 ERA/3 starts/24 IP) went all the way for the win. David Glascock, Howie Ellenberger and Rick Wall all went deep. Ellenberger drove in 4 runs, Glascock 3 and Wall and Bill Gallagher one each in the victory. La Claire is up 3 games to one. Darren Peabody (1-1/4.82 ERA) was pinned with the defeat, lasted only 4 innings and gave up 5 runs.
Game Five in Hartsdale: La Claire wrapped up the series in 5 games with a big 9th-inning rally. The Hartsdale bullpen blew another one. La Claire trailed 3-2 going into their last at bat, but won it 5-3 on Bill Gallagher's 3-run blast off losing pitcher Kurt Schnell. Both starters, Don Bartels (1 run) for the Lynx and Dandy DeBusshere (2 runs) for the Hellcats were excellent. Neither bullpen did well, but Erich Richthofen (1-1/5.59 ERA) picked up an unexpected victory and Kurt Schnell (1-2/8.49 ERA) sustained a sudden loss. Calvin Mannon smacked a 3-run roundtripper for the losing Hellcats.
Center fielder Bill Gallagher (.389 BA/6 RBI), David Glascock (.350 BA/4 RBI) and Howie Ellenberger (.263 BA/5 RBI) all had 2 homers in the series to spark the La Claire attack. All four starters, Shuggie Garsett (1.29 ERA), Clayton Benedix (1.50 ERA), Don Bartels (1.80 ERA) and Roger Arenado (3.00 ERA) pitched well for the Lynx. So did reliever Paul Unruh (2-0/0.00 ERA).
Hartsdale starters Dandy Debusshere (1-0/0.69 ERA), Javon Harvin (1.12 ERA) and Bennie Frye (1.80 ERA) held their own and kept them in the series. However, the bats were totally impotent. They just didn't hit with runners in scoring position.
2091 Ruthlandian Union Title Series Recap
STRONG STAFF AND HR POWER PACE GATORS PAST FIREBIRDS FOR RU TITLE
The LaGrange Gators used the same formula used by La Claire to upset the high-powered Forest City Firebirds in a stirring 7-game comeback series. The Gators did the almost impossible, coming back after being down three games to one. Overall, LaGrange survived the series with strong pitching and longball power. They outhomered the potent Firebirds 10 to 5 to take the Ruthlandian Union Title Series four games to three.
Game One at Forest City: On the Firebirds home diamond, the visiting Gators got past Forest City 4-1 in the first game of the best-of-seven series. It was the stellar pitching of starter Jules Le Royer, James Forest (1-0/0.00 ERA) and Julius Hauer that got the job done in the opener. A miscue in the 6th frame gave La Claire the lead 2-1. Robert Zamora put the finishing touches on the win with a 2-run clout in the 8th. Charley Gray provided the other score in the first inning with a solo shot. FC starter Matty O'Mara (0-1/2.79 ERA) lost the opening game, but spun 7 solid innings, yielding just one earned run on 4 hits.
Game Two at Forest City: The Firebirds evened up the series with a clutch 10-inning triumph over the Gators 7-6 on center fielder Clete Ward's game-winning homer. Milt Moncriffe also provided a 3-run blast. LaGrange led 6-5 midway through the game, but the Forest City bullpen shut them out the final 5 frames. Relievers Andre Durbin, closer Curt Leininger and winning pitcher Shannon Slate (1-0/4.50 ERA) came to starter Robbie Matthews' rescue. LaGrange first sacker Evon Layton and right fielder Robert Zamora led the offense with homers and 3 ribbies apiece. Otis Marshall (0-1/2.70 ERA), the last of four hurlers for the Gators, lost it when he surrendered Ward's wallop in the 10th.
Game Three at LaGrange: The series switched venues to the Swamp. On the road Forest City got excellent pitching from Thomas Tate and Curt Leininger (2-0/0.69 ERA), who stopped the Gators 4-2 in the third game of the series, giving the Firebirds a 2-1 edge. Tate tossed 7 innings, allowed just 2 runs on 7 hits, but Leininger chalked up the win with 2 scoreless frames. The Firebirds snapped a 2-2 tie in the top of the 9th on third baseman Jim Raver's two-run base hit. Andre Dujardin started on the hill for the Gators. He worked into the 7th, gave up 2 runs on 7 hits, then was relieved by Otis Marshall (0-2/5.06 ERA), who suffered the defeat. Marshall also lost game two.
Game Four at LaGrange: The Forest City bats picked up some steam and won their third in a row for a three games to one edge. The Firebirds bested the Gators 6-4 in another 10th-inning thriller decided on left fielder Willie Collingham's 2-run dinger. Shannon Slate (2-0/3.38 ERA) won again in relief with 2 scoreless innings. Julius Hauer (0-2/2.13 ERA) took the loss, giving up Collingham's clout. Forest City was sparked at the plate by Collingham with 2 hits, 3 runs and 3 RBIs, Milt Moncrief with 2 hits and 2 ribbies and Jim Raver with 3 for 5 and an a run batted in. Robert Zamora and Charley Gray were best for the Gators with 2 hits each, including solo swats.
Game Five at LaGrange: Trailing 3-1 in the series, the fifth game began great for LaGrange when they jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first frame. Then it turned bad for the Gators when they lost starting pitcher Jules Dufour to injury in the second frame. But lo and behold, reliever James Forest (2-0/0.00 ERA) protected the LaGrange 3-1 lead for the next 5 and one-third glorious innings and his relief Maurice Crandall did even better by retiring all 6 men he faced the last 2 innings to nail down the victory and stave off elimination. They were still trailing 3-2, but the Gators were back in business. Evon Layton put LaGrange up 2-0 in the opening inning with a 2-run single and Lanny Lang made it 3-0 with an RBI base hit. Forest and Crandall made those runs stand up and kept the Gators alive in the best-of-seven series.
Game Six in Forest City: Returning to the friendly confines of Riverside Stadium, the Firebirds went to town early determined to wrap up the RU Title and head to the IPA Pro Cup Finals. Ahead 5-2 at the end of 6 innings, the Forest City defense gave way and let LaGrange tie it up 5-5. Then it became a bullpen game and the Gators won it 6-5 behind the marvelous relief work of Julius Hauer (1-2/1.72 ERA). He sat down six straight batters and struck out 4 of them. Evon Layton's went deep off closer Curt Leininger (2-1/2.08 ERA) in the top of the 8th to decide the game, tie the series at 3-3 and force a dramatic 7th-game finale for the Ruthlandian Union title and a spot in the Pro Cup Series. Heading up the Gators' attack was pinch hitter Dmitri Tsoukalas with a pair of ribbies. Layton, Lenny Lang and Charley Gray drove in the other scores. Sparking the Firecats at the plate were Brodie Northern with a 3-run home run and Jim Raver with a 2-run two-bagger.
Game 7 at Forest City: It was a rousing finish to the RU Title Series. Forest City's Thomas Tate and LaGrange's Andre Dujardin went toe-to-toe for 7 innings with Tate holding a 2-1 edge. Just six more outs and Forest City will finally once and for all get rid of the pesky LaGrange Gators and finally advance to the IPA Pro Cup Series. That's when the big boomin' bats of the Gators really came alive and feasted on the Firebird bullpen. LaGrange lashed out with 5 unearned runs and won the Ruthlandian Union title with a 6-2 win in the seventh-game finale. Poor Shannon Slate (2-1/4.32 ERA) gave up the two death blows. The Gators came back from a 3-1 deficit and beat the proud and favored Firebirds at home, copping the series four games to three. Yeah buddy, baseball don't get any better than this! LaGrange fifth starter, Otis Marshall, working in the bullpen in the postseason, pitched splendidly and retired all 6 Firebirds he faced in the last 2 frames and gave the win to Dujardin (3-0/1.91 ERA). He earned it with 7 strong innings, permitting 2 runs on 8 hits.
Home-run power and powerful pitching propelled LaGrange to the Ruthlandian Union crown, led by shortstop Charley Gray (.367 BA/3 HR/4 RBI), right fielder Ricardo Zamora (.292 BA/3 HR/6 RBI), first baseman Evon Layton (.286 BA/2 HR/6 RBI) and second baseman Lenny Lang (.300 BA/1 HR/4 RBI). Standing out for the mound corps were the bullpen James Forest (2-0/0.00/3 games/8 IP), Julius Hauer (1-1/2.08 ERA/1 save/4 games/6 IP) and Maurice Crandall (0-0/3.86 ERA/1 save/4 games/7 IP), along with 2 starters Andre Dujardin (1-0/2.70 ERA/2 starts/13 IP) and Jules Le Royer (0-0/2.70 ERA/2 starts/10 IP). Postseason bullpenner Otis Marshall (0-2/3.24 ERA/one save/5 games) was hit-and-miss in the playoffs so far, but his superlative performance in game seven was critical in the series.
Forest City played a great series and easily could be headed to the Pro Cup Series against the La Claire Lynx of the Tycobbian Union. They had some star performers, too, like third baseman Jim Raver (.433 BA/13 hits/5 RBI) and left fielder Willie Collingham (.280 BA/2 HR/7 RBI). Mound standouts include Thomas Tate (0-0/1.93 ERA/2 starts/14 innings) and Matty O'Mara (0-2/2.57 ERA/2 starts).
