Friday, November 2, 2091
2091 IPA PRO CUP SERIES - GAME 6 AT CAPITOL PARK STADIUM IN LA CLAIRE
LA CLAIRE TAMES LAGRANGE IN 6 GAMES -- WINS 3RD IPA PRO CUP IN 5 YEARS
The mighty La Claire Lynx are a budding baseball dynasty. For the second season in a row and the third time in 5 years the Lynx are Pro Cup champion in the Islandian Pro Alliance. La Claire lambasted the LaGrange Gators 10-3 in the sixth game of the series and prevailed four games to two. The La Claire attack gave Shuggie Garsett (2-0/2.55 ERA) an 8-0 cushion in the first frame and he breezed to victory, going 8 innings and holding the Gators to 3 runs, despite being tapped for 12 hits. LaGrange outhit La Claire 13 to 10, but left 12 baserunners on. Losing pitcher Jules Le Royer (1-2/3.09 ERA) was battered for 6 runs in the first frame by Lynx's lineup.
Sparking the Pro Cup champion offense was Judah Pickens (.239 BA/2 HR/7 RBI) with 2 hits and 3 RBIs, including a 2-run roundtripper. Gino Manda (.339 BA/1 HR/8 RBI) and Lyn Holman (.230 BA/5 RBI) both added 2 hits and 2 runs batted in. No doubt about it --- La Claire was favored over LaGrange and they proved it on the diamond, dominating at the plate and on the mound.
Top to bottom in the batting order La Claire manager Jonny Bacon's underrated bats did the job and on the hill his vaunted hurlers did, too. LaGrange skipper Antoine Robicheaux just didn't have the talent to match the Lynx. La Claire outscored LaGrange 30-18, outhomered them 9-3 and outpitched them, too. The Gators won 2 of the first 3 games, then went to pieces and dropped the final 3 games in convincing fashion. La Claire was clearly the best team.
Bacon bragged on his team, saying, "We don't have a bunch of stars and superstar hitters, but they sure do know how to win. We didn't have a single .300 hitter in the regular season. However, we do have some pretty good pitchers."
Robicheaux said one of the key elements in the series was "the ability to hit with runners in scoring position. La Claire pitchers were really tough with men on base. I can't believe we left so many men on base."
In spite of being the reigning Pro Cup holder, La Claire was rated the third-best team in the Pro Cup playoffs behind #1 South Fork and #2 Forest City.
