ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 21, 2015

2015 Ruthlandian North Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 21, 2015

2015 Ruthlandian North Final Recap

Taranto Dethrones Far Mountain In RU North
For the first time in 7 years the Far Mountain Redhawks failed to prevail in the Ruthlandian North... in a two-team pennant race the Taranto Tars (93-61) held them off in the last month of the season to win by a 3-game margin... Tommaso Lazzorda's wrecking crew led the league in hitting, homers and scoring and had just enough pitching to outlast powerful Far Mountain, who has won the last six division titles... Taranto also played well on defense with a good .976 FA... The Tars potent line-up included RF Augie Marshall (.323 BA), who led the RU with 47 home runs and 131 runs batted in... other top Tar bats were LF Arnie Kennedy (.309 BA/34 HR/106 RBI/115 R), CF Miles Rogers (.365 BA/20 HR/73 RBI/72 R) and 1B Pietro Skrmetta (.302 BA/15 HR/71 RBI/103 R)... Taranto top twirlers were Jimmy Mosley (16-4 2.98), who missed 7 weeks in the season with a bad back, but is now back and ready for the playoffs... and Vito Incardona (13-7 3.26)... The Tars won the most games in the league.

Alex Groveland's Redhawks ran a good race, but just couldn't catch Taranto... Far Mountain (90-64) had the best pitching in the RU North with a fine 3.48 ERA and hit well with good power, but came up 3 games short... The Redhawks hit .269 (6th), rapped 173 out of the park (2nd) and scored 757 runs (6th)... Far Mountain was good with the gloves. too, with a .976 FA... Groveland had four steady starters in his rotation with the sensational rookie Bryan Frazier (21-11 3.12), Woody Crawford (15-10 3.30), Rich Burton (14-11 3.22) and Robby Kelly (14-11 4.04)... Erich Dumont (5-7 2.59) stood out in the bullpen with 22 saves... The retirement of ace Boomerang Hines hurt the Redhawks a lot, although freshman Frazier was a huge find... rock solid vets C Otis Ott (.294 BA/40 HR/107 RBI/87 R), 2B Duane Parsons (.275 BA/25 HR/98 RBI/89 R) and SS Don Nichols (.296 BA/20 HR/81 RBIs/109 R) still provides the Far Mountain offense.

No one else in the Ruthlandian North contended this year... Glasco (82-72) was third, 11 games off the pace... The A's best performers were starter Nicky Perrier (17-9 2.92), closer Jack Hatcher (5-6 1.90) with 28 saves and 1B Wayne Harris (.291 BA/26 Hr/115 RBI/98 R).

The Kilkenny Cats (74-80) were fourth, 19 games behind... top players were pitcher Sidney McFarland (17-14 3.42), 3B Johnny Madigan (.299 BA/3 HR/49 RBI/100 R/46 SB) and CF Kevin McPhail (.310 BA/11 HR/74 RBI/91 R/19 SB).

Fifth place Valmara (73-81) suffered from a lack of hitting... a .244 BA (30th) and 102 homers (31st) won't get you very far in the IPA... the Vipers boast no hitters, but do have two fine pitchers in Sean Svensen (20-14 2.48) and veteran star Vanya Vasylenko (12-19 2.98).

The sixth place LaGrange Sports (72-82) are just a mediocre ball club... they were 21 games out of first... 37-year-old Pablo Orantes (19-16 3.55) was the Sports best hurler... One of the IPA's all-time best players LF Quincy Peterson (.294 BA/32 HR/110 RBI/100 R) is still a standout at age 38... Peterson has 420 homers in his 15 seasons and could go over the 1500 milestone in both RBIs and runs next season... 1B Bill Nance contributed a .310 average with 22 home runs, 96 RBIs and 83 runs.

Not much talent in Ranford (66-88)... the Bulls wound up 27 back and in seventh place in the RU North... terrible hitting (.239 BA-32nd) and mediocre pitching are the prime reasons... Ranford has one quality pitcher and one quality hitter... 25-year-old Archie Young (16-11 3.52) and 3B Vic Scalzi (.297 BA/32 HR/102 RBI) both show promise for the future.

The Ancona Red Elephants (65-89) ended up in the RU North cellar and trailed first place Taranto by 28 games... but Ancona does have a little talent... closer John Sharpe is as good a reliever as you can find in the IPA... Sharpe was 7-2 with a remarkable 0.69 ERA and posted 24 saves for a bad ball team... RF Louie DiMucci (.300 BA/30 HR/98 RBI) was Ancona's main run producers... two other quality players endured off-years... LF Kenny Willard (.277 BA/20 HR/81 RBI) and 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.274 BA/19 HR/75 RBI) did not put up good numbers this season as they have done in the past... but both are young enough to rebound next year... Harder is 30 and Willard only 23... DiMucci is 29 and Sharpe is just 30.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 21, 2015

2015 Ruthlandian South Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 21, 2015

2015 Ruthlandian South Final Recap

Claxton Takes Charge, Wins RU South
The Claxton Diamonds really shined in the sunny months of July and August and won the Ruthlandian South by 6 games over defending division crownbearer, the Belair Beach Sunbirds. Waleska and San Dimas followed in third and fourth place, 7 and 9 games back.

Stacy Engel's Claxton Diamonds (88-66) took charge in the second half and overtook the early leader Belair Beach, who faltered in the second half... the Diamonds featured fine hitting with a .268 BA (7th), firepower with 157 home runs (5th), adequate scoring (12th-tied), fairly good pitching with a 3.76 ERA (12th) and strong defense with a .978 FA... Charlie Murphy (23-12 3.23) led the pitching rotation with solid help from Ernie van Riebeeck (18-9 3.34) and Carlo Funicello (21-15 4.03)... van Riebeeck came out of nowhere after 4 nondescript seasons with the club... at the plate 1B Mike Luzzatti again stood tall with 43 homers, 110 RBIs and 103 runs scored... the 31-year-old Luzzatti topped the 1000 mark in RBIs and runs scored this season... He is a lifetime .316 hitter... in his 10th season C Allen Lemay (.343 BA/19 HR/88 RBI) had a career year at age 28... SS Bobby Bayas (.296 BA/8 HR/60 RBI/95 R) had one of his best years at 33.

The Belair Beach Sunbirds (82-72) blew a 5-game lead after the All-Star Game... Marty Pedroza saw his club dip below .500 in the second half of the year... Pedroza had hopes of building on last year's Pro Cup showing and winning it this year... The Sunbirds were runner-up to Pro Cup winner Kenwood in 2014... Slim Mosley (21-13 3.29) and Denny Whitaker (19-14 3.35) did their part, but other starters Wally Green (11-10 4.11) and Nasty Naymick (11-11 4.40) didn't perform this season... closer Groot Tenbrook (2-11 4.17) had a dismal year, too... Pacing the Sunbird offense were 1B Derek Krohn (.260 BA/28 HR/113 RBI), LF Ron Dizon (.270 BA/33 HR/105 RBI), RF Tom Bennett (.265 BA/10 HR/71 RBI/107 R/37 SB) and C Little Jake Bungarooba (.316 BA/13 HR/71 RBI/86 R).

The third place Waleska Westerners (81-73) were powered by superstar CF Roy Hobbs, who was third in the RU with a .365 BA... Hobbs homered 42 times, batted in 125 and scored 124 times in another great season... other top contributors were RF Kippy Doyle (.292 BA/22 HR/85 RBI) and 2B DePaul Lebat (.287 BA/12 HR/53 RBI/116 R)... Lebat also led the RU with 49 SBs... Waleska batted .273 (2nd) as a team with 136 roundtrippers (15th) and were tied for 8th in scoring runs... pitching-wise the Westerners compiled an average 3.90 ERA (17th)... on the hill Sammy Grimaldi (20-10 3.79) was a surprising 20-game winner, going 10-2 in the last half of the season... Jerry Chambers (16-14 3.19) and Lindon Shaw (18-14 3.89) were effective starters, too.

Fourth in the RU South were the San Dimas Rancheros (79-75), who let their bats do the talking... the Rancheros hit .271 (4th) with 158 home runs (4th) and were 4th in scoring, but they didn't say much when it came to pitching... San Dimas posted a poor 4.45 team ERA (30th)... manager Paco Banderos' only strong arm was the brilliant closer Raul Marroquin, who finished 4-2 on the year with 31 saves and a superb 1.24 ERA... Banderos had a strong batting order with the likes of RF Norm Owens (.302 BA/23 HR/105 RBI/79 R), LF Andre Drexel (.309 BA/25 HR/97 RBI/94 R), 1B Ron Armstrong (.296 BA/24 HR/96 RBI/95 R), SS Greg Lawrence (.288 BA/24 HR/89 RBI/86 R) and CF Rickey Alfonso (.286 BA/17 HR/59 RBI/111).

If the fifth place Valka Blackhawks (75-79) ever find any hitters, they could do some damage in the RU South pennant race and finish up much higher than 13 games off the pace... skipper Jaan Kurus has some quality arms that put up a solid 3.58 team ERA (7th), led by starters Eddie Lasky (17-13 3.00), rookie Arno Vainmaa (16-14 2.70) and Erke Tonisson (17-16 3.87), along with closer Robby Riley (5-4 2.12), who notched 24 saves... The Blackhawk batters hit only .241 (31st), but did go deep 169 times (3rd)... RF Alyosha Vishnyakov had 31 homers and 90 RBIs, but just a .243 BA... LF Kurt Jankauskas smacked 27 out of the yard, batted in 84 and scored 91, while hitting .268 for average.

Sixth place Grand City (73-81) was 15 games behind in the standings with an average hitting team (.259 BA) and a less-than-average 4.12 ERA (27th)... the Cybercats top players are starters Denny Yarrow (18-13 3.30) and Brent Sturgis (17-14 3.96) and position players RF Ricky Rich (.305 BA/21 HR/95 RBI/83 R) and 3B Jug Slavin (.341 BA/19 HR/95 RBI/85 R).

The seventh place St. John Crusaders (67-87) have a couple of good players, little else... Best pitcher is Teddy Garson (18-16 3.53) and the best batter is 3B Vinny Sardisco (.305 BA/20 HR/90 RBI).

Pulling up the rear in the RU South cellar are the Crystal Lake Crushers (64-90)... Tony Tipton (17-16 3.30) tops the pitchers and IPA great 1B Phil Gravelli (.328 BA/25 HR/105 RBI) and budding superstar RF Chip Fiske (.372 BA/12 HR/72 RBI/109 R/34 SB) are the big bats... Gravelli just past the 500 homer milestone and is the IPA career leader in home runs, RBIs and hits... Fiske wound up number two behind RU batting average leader Vic Valenti of Beechwood, who batted .383 for the year.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 21, 2015

2015 Ruthlandian East Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 21, 2015

2015 Ruthlandian East Final Recap

Marston Romps In Second Half, Wins Again In RU East
The Marston Nine had critical injuries in the first half of the Ruthlandian East pennant chase, but rallied to overcome them with a torrid second half to easily win its second successive pennant. Marston mauled all the opposition and easily outdistanced Beechwood by 12 games, Elnora by 13 and Eastshore by 15. Beechwood had led Elnora by 4 games at the mid-season All-Star break and had a 6-game edge over Marston.

Manager Johnny Walters lost two of his starters early in the season, when Zippy Hodge (20-17) and ace Hunk Sweitzer (22-5) sustained injuries... Hodge missed the whole year, while Sweitzer miss half of the year... They had combined for 42 victories last season... Marston (92-62) regrouped with journeyman southpaw Roberto Conception (25-8 3.43), who had a sensational year... and two rookies Dennis Townsend (20-13 3.40) and Adam Ford (11-9 3.68)... closer Bobby Daniel was crucial, too... Daniel was 4-5 with a superb 2.17 ERA and 30 saves... Sweitzer returned after the All-Star game and posted a 12-8 record with a 2.43 ERA... that when the Nine began to blitz by everybody with a marvelous 53-18 mark the rest of the year... Marston had some good bats, too... CF Russ Woodward (.317 BA/31 HR/107 RBI/100 R), 3B Jimmy Holman (.298 BA/27 HR/115 RBI/80 R), SS Danny Church (.307 BA/9 HR/65 RBI/91 R) and RF Richie Mazzone (.262 BA/15 HR/62 RBI/108 R) supplied the offense.

The runner-up Beechwood Bobcats (80-74) went into a deep second-half funk and played under .500 baseball (25-46) after leading at mid-year... manager Bret George's prime problem was his lousy bullpen (5.67 ERA)... His starters kept the Bobcats in the game, but the relievers couldn't hold any leads... Terry Kuznetsov (17-13 2.98), Dek Jumonville (17-12 3.49) and Knucks Nomellini (18-13 3.84) provided consistently solid starts... Beechwood's best bats were CF Vic Valenti, who led the RU with a sizzling .383 batting average... Valenti also homered 45 times, drove in 120 runs and scored 119... and 3B Darrell Woods with 20 roundtrippers and 99 RBIs... Woods only hit at a .261 clip.

The Elnora All-Stars (79-75) came in third and had the same problem as Beechwood - poor relievers (4.89 ERA)... Zoggy White had four capable starters in Taylor Gibbs (15-17 2.84), Stevie Howard (17-16 3.95), Robby Meredith (10-6 3.37) and Matty Wilkerson (13-11 3.84), but the bullpen couldn't get anybody out... Elnora had decent offense, led by C Leon Carter (.292 BA/23 HR/90 RBI/92 R), LF Denny Sawyer (.283 BA/22 HR/84 RBI/87 R) and RF Lloyd Voss (.331 BA/10 HR/74 RBI/93 R).

Fourth in the standings were the Eastshore Elegants (77-77), who rose up from seventh place a year ago... Manager Killer Brewster improve his pitching this season... The Elegants led the division and were 4th overall with a solid 3.42 team ERA... Heading up the staff were Al Froelich (22-13 3.20), impressive rookie Melvin Key (14-6 2.65) and Eddie Lance (14-18 3.02)... closer Rod Wright (5-6) also stood out with 31 saves and an excellent 2.65 ERA... Brewster was short on hitting with a .252 team batting average (23rd) and only 121 homers (22nd-tied)... Eastshore's top hitters were LF Stan Cuccinello (.310 BA/28 HR/97 RBI/93 R) and 3B Bob Leach (.251 BA/23 HR/81 RBI).

The Cold Creek Catamounts (76-78) placed fifth in the RU East this season, 16 games off the pace of champion Marston... T. Kelly Holmes' Catamounts were sub-par in all aspects of the game, batted only .246 (29th) with a 4.15 ERA (28th) and little power... Cold Creek hit only 113 homers (28th)... but Holmes had at least 5 quality ballplayers in his grandson CF Trip Holmes (.316 BA/32 HR/95 RBI/124 R/17 SB), RF Emile Stosha (.318 BA/19 HR/90 RBI/92 R/30 SB), 1B Terry Sauer (.268 BA/18 HR/94 RBI/75 R) and pitchers Marc Matherne (20-14 3.35) and relief specialist Shannon Robinson (5-7 1.98) with 32 saves... Robinson was second in the league in saves... only Dallas Somerville of the Colfax Blasters with 35 was better.

Matt Donnelly's Wynnamac Sundowners (70-84) fell on hard times this year and dropped from third down to sixth... the disappointing Sundowners wound up 22 games behind because of weak pitching and hitting... they won the pennant just two seasons back... this year ended a string of 7 consecutive seasons in the first division... Wynnamac's top hurler is Jerry Meeks (18-11 2.86)... top batters are CF Clive Farnham (.284 BA/25 HR/111 RBI/88 R) and LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.310 BA/27 HR/110 RBI/99 R)... the 37-year old Burkhalter is one of the IPA greats with over 400 homers and 1500 RBIs... He is hitting .290 in his 15-year career.

The seventh place Belle Plaine Musketeers (68-86) also took quite a tumble this year, falling from a strong second in 2014 to near the basement, 24 games out... Boo Ladrieux has decent pitching with a 3.70 team ERA (10th), but is woefully weak at the plate with only 75 home runs (32nd) and a .247 BA (27th)... Brad Anderson has a terrific year with a 22-10 record and a 2.77 ERA... Jorge Bonilla was dependabe with a 15-15 mark and a 3.17 ERA... poor bat support undoubtedly cost both Anderson and Bonilla some victories... the Muskies only had one good hitter... that was LF Juan Mendez (.306 BA/5 HR/62 RBI/94 R).

In the early years of the IPA the Sugar Valley Rattlers (67-87) were one of the premier franchises, but not so since 2007... Gibson Bobkins has 5 pennants flying in the ball park, but the Rattlers have finished no higher than seventh the last four seasons... and for the second year in a row they are last... this year Sugar Valley trailed the division winner by 25 games... Very poor pitching is at the core of the problem... the Rattlers were ranked 31st with a 4.58 ERA... Ed Clavell (16-16 3.48) is Bobkins' best... good pitchers are non-existent once you get past Clavell... Sugar Valley hits with some power... the Rattlers went deep 155 times (6th), but batted only .258 (18th)... C Hal Stevenson is one of the all-time best in the IPA... the 32-year-old Stevenson batted .321 with 45 homers, 120 RBIs and 102 runs to lead the club... RF Kent Swain added a .291 BA with 24 home runs, 91 RBIs and scored 95 times.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 21, 2015

2015 Ruthlandian West Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 21, 2015

2015 Ruthlandian West Final Recap

Colfax Skims By Volusia and Rocky Rapids For RU West Flag
It took great pitching for Colfax to capture the 2015 Ruthlandian West flag in one of the tightest races around the Islands. The Blasters mound corps were the "best in the West" and the best in the entire IPA, too. Colfax just barely nipped the tough Volusia Vigilantes by 2 games and the feisty Rocky Rapids Snappers by 5 games. Fort Benton took fourth and were 9 games off the pace.

Colfax (91-63) and manager Clem Rogers nabbed back-to-back division crowns this season, giving them 6 in the last 8 years... Fantastic pitching brought home the RU West trophy again this year... it was even better than last year... Rogers' rotation registered an extraordinary 2.84 ERA (1st) and was led by two 20-game winners, Ilya Szabo (23-12 1.99) and Rodger Wright (23-9 2.39) and closer Dallas Somerville (6-2), who chalked up 35 saves to lead the league with a brilliant 1.55 ERA... Colfax suffered in the batter's box with an anemic .247 average (28th) and had trouble scoring (28th)... Only CF Ryan Raines hit with any regularity... Raines batted .302 BA with 29 homers, 94 runs batted in and 92 scored.

Year in and year out the Volusia Vigilantes ((89-65) are a contender... manager Alfonso Feliz guided the V's to a victory in the first IPA Pro Cup in 2001 and to the playoffs the first six years in the league, but Volusia hasn't been in the postseason since 2006, mainly because of the dominance of the Colfax Blasters... two years ago the Vigilantes came up 1 game short, last year 3 games back and this year just 2 games behind the winner... Volusia is a well-rounded club with a 3.37 ERA (3rd), .272 BA (3rd), 148 homers (9th) and 791 runs (2nd)... Feliz's staff had four capable starters: Alejandro Rio (16-5 2.83), Todd Wolfe (16-14 3.07), Gerry Hersh (16-16 3.55) and Tanner Jacobs (19-15 3.72)... and four quality hitters... slugging CF Joe DeLucca (.328 BA/24 HR/97 RBI/90 R), who missed the last month of the season with a torn shoulder... the loss of DeLucca really hurt the V's chances to overtake Colfax... other top players were SS Vince Wilson (.305 BA/30 HR/102 RBI/95 R), 1B Rafael Garza (.345 BA/15 HR/87 RBI/106 R) and RF Briscoe Crowder (.294 BA/14 HR/73 RBI/88 R).

Skipper Ryan Noland has his Rocky Rapids Snappers (86-68) headed in the right direction with a third-place finish this season, only 5 games back... the Snappers have never played in the postseason, but hung close on the tails of Colfax and Volusia the entire year with adequate hitting and excellent pitching... they posted a .261 BA (14th) with 138 homers (14th) with 710 runs (17th) and a strong 3.18 ERA (2nd)... Noland has two 20-game winners... Don Chaney (26-12 2.36) led the IPA with 26 wins... and his son, Junior Noland (22-13 2.94)... closer Earl Pitts (2-3) was outstanding with a super 1.37 ERA and 24 saves... Rocky Rapids line-up is stocked with fine hitters: 38-year-old LF Scott Camden (.325 BA/40 HR/104 RBI/114 R) is headed for the IPA Hall of Fame and had his best season ever... 9-time All-Star C Hank Bethel (.287 BA/22 HR/94 RBI/77 R) continues to do it year after year and is only 32 years old... along with solid performers 3B Paul Shelton (.260 BA/24 HR/98 RBI/87 R), CF Carl Johnson (.282 BA/23 HR/81 RBI/89 R) and SS Cooter Bermudez (.283 BA/5 HR/47 RBI/97 R).

The Fort Benton Defenders (82-72) also have never been in the Pro Cup playoffs, but Robbie Brooks over the past few seasons has built a pretty good ball club that wound up fourth in the RU West this year and trailed Colfax by 9 games... the Defenders top players are pitchers Hec Skurgan (19-11 4.02) and Cal Walger (14-11 3.64)... and position players CF Ryan Smith (.319 BA/21 HR/110 RBI/109 R), LF Forest Cummings (.283 BA/24 HR/89 RBI/85 R) and 3B Bobby Josker (.285 BA/13 HR/74 RBI/105 R).

Forest City (76-78) was a surprise pennant winner in 2013, going from seventh to first, but Rob Jackson's club failed miserably and fell to last place in 2014... this season they rebounded a bit and climbed up to the fifth spot, tied with Sligo, 15 games out... the Lumberjacks still have three veterans on the mound: Al Thibaut (14-14 3.20), Paul Crews (16-17 3.17) and Ernie Hill (21-12 4.35)... Hill benefited from great run support... 21-year-old closer Andy Velasco blossomed in his second season with a 7-7 record, a 2.57 ERA and 28 saves... Leading the offense were two fine vets: LF Joe Judlin (.309 BA/29 HR/113 RBI/90 R) and 1B Andy Doiron (.310 BA/17 HR/91 RBI/90 R).

After winning the division crown in 2012, the only year the Sligo Rovers (76-78) have made the playoffs, they have slowly dipped down to the second division... this year the Rovers tied with Forest City for fifth place... manager Eddie Keys needs help on the hill to get back into the running... Sligo's only consistent hurler was Luka Abromowitz (16-12 3.20)... vets Jasper LaForge (14-14 3.88) and Vinnie Rastelli (14-18 4.17) had sub-par seasons... 15-year veteran and future HOF-er LF Fred Collins (.333 BA/25 HR/74 RBI/106 R) did a fine job as he always does... young CF Chris Michel (.311 BA/12 HR/72 RBI/94 R) had a good season, too.

It's been quite a spell since the Stoner Stars (72-82) have had any success in the RU West... Willie Dickens' Stars won the title in 2007 and it's been all downhill ever since... this year Stoner again wound up near the bottom in seventh place, 19 games behind first place Colfax... Dickens just doesn't have the ballplayers... his best are pitchers Billy Chapel (13-19 3.62) and Dave Pierre (14-14 3.31)... Stoner's best position player is LF Mike Jaffe, who hit .324 with 35 roundtrippers, 109 RBIs and scored 98 runs.

The glory days of the Middlefield Roosters (59-95) are long gone... skipper Smitty Michaels' club prospered in its first five seasons, winning the Pro Cup in 2005 and making the postseason all five years with two RU West pennants... the Roosters have not had anything to crow about since... they ended up dead last and a whopping 32 games out of first place... Middlefield has decent bats, but terrible pitching with an outrageously high 5.38 ERA... Michaels only has one top-notch talent... that's 2B Jim Rose (.331 BA/35 HR/117 RBI/114 R)... 1B Ricky Tinker (.310 BA/23 HR/88 RBI/87 R) and rookie starter Fred Dean (15-14 3.83) both had creditable seasons.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 21, 2015

2015 Tycobbian North Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 23, 2015

2015 Tycobbian North Final Recap

Mahaska Top Team In TU North
Granted the Tycobbian North may be the weakest division in the IPA, but Mahaska could care less - the Haymakers copped their first pennant in the club's history and made the playoffs for the first time since 2002, when Mahaska finished in fourth place. The top four teams qualified for the postseason that year. The Haymakers took charge in the race in the second half of the season and won by 7 games over second place Oxford, 8 games better than third place Fairfax and White River, who tied for that spot.

Mahaska (83-71) was the only team in the TU North to finish above the .500 mark... Rusty Tanussa depended on his pitchers to win the crown... Third-year man Joey Wallace had a sensational season with a 23-9 mark and a very strong 2.05 ERA... Another key man was 39-year-old Yuri Dozhenko (11-1 3.10), who was inserted into the starting rotation in August and he responded with 8 wins and no losses to solidify the pennant... the Haymakers had a fine 3.22 team ERA (3rd)... Mahaska didn't have much offense... top hitters were LF Dalton Leeds (.333 BA/15 HR/83 RBI/84 R) and C Bucky O'Brian (.305 BA/22 HR/73 RBI/73 R).

Campy Roy's Oxford Red Caps (76-78) came in second, the best they have done since taking the flag in 2007... the Red Caps won the division four times in the first six years, but have not approached that success since... Roy needs more mound power to go with his firepower... Oxford will never win with a 4.60 team ERA (30th)... Del Anderson (16-16 3.91) and Emerson Carnell (15-15 4.35) were the best pitchers Roy had to offer... But the Red Caps has some solid bats in 3B Carl Graeme (.277 BA/36 HR/108 RBI/91 R), 1B Eddy Dowler (.311 BA/17 HR/91 RBI/87 R), CF Ron Berry (.311 BA/11 HR/67 RBI/100 R), RF Ozzie Takach (.273 BA/20 HR/76 RBI/93 R) and LF Mack Spencer (.283 BA/27 HR/63 RBI/92 R).

The Fairfax Frogs (75-79) and White River Rascals deadlocked for third, winding up 8 games off the pace... Harry Buckley's best performers in Fairfax were starters Ken Hill (18-17 2.99), Kaz Hayagawa (15-12 3.78) and Joe Hampton (15-14 3.39), along with RF Dane Wesner (.299 BA/18 HR/94 RBI/79 R), who was slow rebounding from an injury... Wesner perked it up in the second half and looked a little like his old self... a normal year for him is at least 30 homers, 110 RBIs, 100 runs and a .337 batting average... other offensive contributors were long-time 1B Chancey Quibedeaux (.279 BA/16 HR/75 RBI/90 R) and 3B Robby Franklin (.272 BA/23 HR/83 RBI/68 R).

White River (75-79) has never made the postseason in its 14-year IPA history... it has never been higher than third in the standings and has been over .500 only twice... So a third-place finish is relatively good for John Grandison's Rascals... Randison has good pitching with a 3.64 team ERA (10th), led by two quality arms: Joe Hudson (17-12 2.80) and Milt Roberts (14-10 3.22)... Mick Cronyn (15-13 3.93) was also effective... Offensively White River boasts one of the best bats in the IPA in 1B Marty Blake (.327 BA/45 HR/128 RBI/110 R)... unexpectedly 38-year-old journeyman RF Johnny Stratton put up career numbers this year by hitting .330 with 30 homers, 83 RBIs and 90 runs... overall the Rascals only hit .256 (20th) as a team.

The fifth place Luxora Zorros (73-81) are a so-so club and haven't made the postseason since 2008 when they won their second division title... manager Alejandro Rodrigo's Z's have no power and mediocre hitting with average pitching... Luxora's top players are closer Connie Jahnke (8-6 2.04) with 29 saves, LF Gene Watson (.290 BA/21 HR/104 RBI/79 R) and 1B Billy Whitley (.289 BA/13 HR/75 RBI/102 R).

This season the defending champion Hartsdale Hellcats (72-82) took quite a tumble and fell from the top spot in the TU North to a sixth place tie with North Hills, 11 games behind in the race... blamed mainly on the hitters as several players had down years and did not produce as in the past... star 1B Tom Brabant (.318 BA/39 HR/112 RBI/91 R) is prolific with the bat... 3B Kendry Moulton (.322 BA/32 HR/80 RBI/87 R) had a good season... and SS Jud Turchin (.271 BA/20 HR/74 RBI/91 R) only had a decent year, not up to his usual output... Turchin is a lifetime .308 hitter... skipper Zim Donner still has pretty fair pitching with a 3.55 team ERA (8th)... leading the rotation were Ronnie Jernigan (14-16 2.74), Tony Lane (15-18 3.11) and Don Weill (16-11 3.91)... closer Ben Clermont (2-5) posted 29 saves with a fine 2.70 ERA.

Another team that took a drastic drop in the standings this year was the North Hills Hawks (72-82)... they plunged from second a year ago to a tie for sixth in 2015... Hub Carlson just doesn't have the talent... he had only one quality pitcher and two dependable bats... Tyrone Barlow was 14-8 with a solid 3.37 ERA... RF Brodie Blackburn batted .300 with 10 homers, 54 RBIs, 99 runs and 42 stolen bases... and C Todd Simons had a .314 batting average with 13 roundtrippers, 77 RBIs and 81 R.

Last place belonged to the Blue Lake Blue Sox (71-83), who were 12 games behind the leader... Cobb Tyson's ball club slipped from fourth place to the cellar in just one year... a decline in pitching caused the fall... starters Nick Walker (15-20 3.96) and Justin Eckhardt (11-21 3.69) both had poor years... the Blue Sox most productive performers were C Justin Kucks (.329 BA/89 RBI/74 R) and SS Loren Babcock (.262 BA/26 HR/72 RBI/101 R).

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 21, 2015

2015 Tycobbian South Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 21, 2015

2015 Tycobbian South Final Recap

Hurricanes Hang On, Edge Typhoons In TU South
After a close 6-team race at the halfway mark in the Tycobbian South, the Cape Coral Hurricanes and the Turon Typhoons left the other teams in their wakes as it came down to a two-team affair with the Hurricanes hanging on to win by a single game over Turon. Cape Coral has now captured 4 pennants in all, the Typhoons have garnered 7 in the last 10 years. Arroyo Grande had a rare good year and came in third, trailing by 8 games. The Ginza Ninjas were fourth and 11 games off the pace.

Cape Coral (90-64) and Turon were the evenly-matched mirror images of one another and it finally came down to the last 5 games of the season... the 'Canes had a 3-game lead, but held on as the Typhoons got as close a game. Turon won its last five games, but it wasn't enough... Cape Coral rose up to the challenge and took its final three contests. Both clubs have good pitching, fair power, productive hitting and scoring... however, defense may have been a big factor in the race as the Hurricanes had an excellent .979 FA to .968 for the Typhoons... Turon committed 194 errors compared to just 121 for Cape Coral.

Cape Coral's Huggy Miller had three strong pitchers in his rotation, led by Cory Burg (18-13 2.54), Tank Tucker (22-10 3.12) and rookie sensation Ray Salisbury (22-11 3.29)... Tucker was obtained in a trade with Kenwood at the beginning of August and he chalked up a super 8-1 mark with 2.87 ERA the rest of the way and was a vital element in the 'Canes pennant... bullpen ace Bobby Maas had a rocky year with a 5-10 record, but recorded 31 saves and a 3.07 ERA... batting-wise Cape Coral didn't hit for very much average, but they scored enough to win, paced by CF Derek Ryckman (.251 BA/22 HR/92 RBI/87 R), 1B Glenn Armstrong (.259 BA/20 Hr/72 RBI/60 R), 2B Lonnie Moon (.297 BA/11 HR/72 RBI/86 R) and 3B Flipper Bird (.254 BA/18 HR/65 RBI/98 R).

The Turon Typhoons (89-65) finished strong but fell short by one game... manager Whitey Richburn had four solid starters in his starting foursome... Nicky Engstrom (24-12 1.96) was his ace, who has won at least 20 games in each of his first six seasons... no other IPA pitcher can claim that feat... other quality arms included James Stuart (20-11 3.75), Ted Farentino (17-15 3.47) and Jeb Pickett (14-10 3.48)... Farentino was obtained in a trade with Hillsboro... He was 8-3 with a 2.36 ERA in 13 starts for the Typhoons... superstar 1B Clyde Kingsford (.321 BA/45 HR/140 RBI/104 R) had another king-sized season... with help from CF Mac McCurnan (.292 BA/24 HR/85 RBI/105 R) and C Cory Moore (.290 BA/10 HR/81 RBI/47 R).

For the first time in its 14-year history the Arroyo Grande Suns (82-72) enjoyed a winning record, sparked by a .279 team BA (2nd), 206 homers (4th) and 779 runs on the scoreboard (3rd)... even the 4.21 team ERA didn't look too bad considering how small Capet Stadium is... Jean-Luc Marchand's Suns have never played in the postseason... top batters were 1B Sherm Miles (.314 BA/40 HR/116 RBI/90 R), RF Buddy Bechtel (.324 BA/40 HR/104 RBI/109 R/28 SB), SS Andy Pearson (.332 BA/30 HR/103 RBI/97 R) and 2B Randy Warren (.307 BA/8 HR/50 RBI/94 R)... For a change, Marchand even had a pitcher with fine stats... second-year player Ernie Matthews put up a standout 21-13 record with a 3.46 ERA... young southpaw closer Ron Hughes showed promise with a 2.45 ERA and 15 saves after taking over the duty in the middle of July.

The Ginza Ninjas (79-75) were fourth the standings, 11 games behind winning Cape Coral... Huroko Uchiyama has a slightly-above average ball club with good fielding (.977 FA)... the Ninjas have four capable starters in Carl Trebek (22-15 2.77), Joji Azuma (17-13 3.70), Felipe Branco (17-16 3.90) and Al Myers (16-20 3.93)... it was Trebek's best season ever... closer Kakuzo Harimoto (2-3) also excelled with a great 1.62 ERA and 17 saves... Ginza's bat leaders were C Crash Davis (.302 BA/30 HR/92 RBI/82 R), CF Chazzie Lombardo (.314 BA/14 HR/80 RBI/76 R), 1B Coonie Coulon (.270 BA/17 HR/87 RBI/63 R) and RF Jack Vorland (.281 BA/18 HR/84 RBI/83 R).

With Will Hackett at the helm, the Summerland Sunsets (77-77) broke even for the year and ended up fifth in the TU South, 13 games back in the race... on the hill 35-year-old Denny Coulon (23-13 2.58) was outstanding... the 15-year-old veteran has a 241-201 lifetime record and a sparkling 2.93 ERA... Coulon is still young enough to have a shot at the 300-win milestone... Pat Dreux (17-14 3.55) had a good year, too... CF Jim Garrison (.282 BA/34 HR/100 RBI/79 R) and 2B Don Hanks (.333 BA/21 HR/89 RBI/82 R) led the hitters.

Nothing special about the other ball clubs... The Southport Sun Sox (73-81) were sixth in the division, 17 games out... the pitchers were plagued by poor run support... however Neil Howell (16-17 2.96) and Keith Callahan (18-20 3.47) made the best of it... closer Danny Fontaine (6-4) pitched very well with a 1.67 ERA... Fontaine got better as the year progress... Big Stick Takala (.278 BA/30 HR/81 RBI/79 R) was manager Charley Oscar's best batter.

The Colchester Elites (65-89) slumped badly this season and set a team record low for wins as Uncle Robbie Wilbertson's crew wound up 25 games out of first and fell from second in 2014 to seventh place... this was the team's worst season ever... the only bright spots were all-time IPA great 1B Harlan Roscoe (.293 BA/38 HR/109 RBI/89 R) and C Tommy Booker (.267 BA/35 HR/97 RBI/74 R)... Roscoe is 35 years old with a shot at 500 career homers... Roscoe has hit 427 in his 14 seasons... on the mound Shannon Hayden was the leader with a 12-14 mark and a 3.11 ERA... closer Don Richard (4-7) carded 27 saves with an impressive 2.22 ERA.

The last place San Alejo Montaneros (59-95) would be in the running for the worst team in the IPA... the Montaneros are really horrible with the bats, hitting only .225 (32nd)... the best hitter manager Lando Peceda has is 1B Dominique Poirot, who batted only .264 with 13 homers, 55 RBIs and 57 runs scored... San Alejo does possess two quality pitchers in 40-year-old Daniel Fitzmorris (14-10 3.30) and 22-year-old Iggy Cobos (15-17 3.48).

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 21, 2015

2015 Tycobbian East Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 21, 2015

2015 Tycobbian East Final Recap

Ozarka Staves Off Tuckanarra In TU East
Rookie power put the Ozarka Naturals in the Tycobbian East driver's seat early in the race and they never relinquished it. The Nats topped the IPA with 99 victories and still just managed to stave off the tough and talented Tuckanarra Blue Jays by just 3 games. All the other clubs in the division were out of the running early and never offered any challenge. Defending champ Midway was a distant third, 17 games behind and the High Mesa Cowboys were fourth, 24 games out of first.

Ozarka (99-55) had a splendid season, driven by five new rookies and several solid old pros... never in IPA history has a club had such a remarkable rookie class... the Nats led the TU with an awesome .289 BA (1st) and were ranked highly in scoring with 763 runs (5th) and 173 long balls (7th)... Ozarka also topped the TU with a 3.12 ERA (1st)... defensively the Naturals were average with a .972 FA... vet starters Eddie Roberts (18-10 3.44) and Dennis Purcell (12-5 2.97) were joined by terrific newcomers Wayne Gates (23-9 3.05) and Benny Osterman (20-13 2.65) to give Joe Mac Carney a very strong pitching rotation... add three standout rookie batters to the line-up, along with old reliable 2B Todd Chadwick and you have a potent attack... Chadwick (.322 BA/23 HR/89 RBI/86 R) had his usual good output and was coupled with 3B Andre Dupas (.344 BA/44 HR/124 RBI/104 R and 1B Benny Rousseau (.325 BA/34 HR/102 RBI/77 R), who had impressive rookie seasons... freshman C Frank Kiffin (.314 BA/13 HR/64 RBI/86 R) contributed another productive bat.

Manager Carlton "Lefty" Stevens managed to keep his Tuckanarra Blue Jays (96-58) in the hunt, though he trailed by 7 games at mid-season... the lost of one of his primary starters, veteran Roy Spence, for 7 weeks hit the club hard, but they came back strong in the latter half of the year and almost caught Ozarka... the Blue Jays boast a strong attack with a .277 BA (3rd) and 809 runs (1st)... and good pitching with a 3.41 team ERA (4th)... Spence (16-3) led the staff, though he missed 16 starts with rotator problems... all-time great Titus Bristow (17-12 2.99) continued to stand out... Bristow has a HOF-like 273-156 record in his 14-year career... #3 starter Yuka Nawajuk (16-10 3.77) also put up good numbers... in the bullpen closer Stephen Eubarinja (8-5) had a super year with 31 saves and a fine 2.14 ERA... Tuckanarra boasts good bats, too... 1B Erik Vayda had his best season at age 35 with a .315 BA, 129 RBIs, 16 homers and 97 runs scored... 21-year-old RF Danny Redd's best seasons are ahead of him... Redd batted .324 with 15 home runs, 96 RBIs and 118 runs... slick-fielding SS Rocky Fuqua is getting better with age... the 35-year-old Fuqua had a career year with a .317 mark, 14 homers, 79 RBIs and 119 runs... LF Earl O'Brien chipped in a .291 BA, 7 HRs, 52 RBIs and scored 127 times... the Blue Jays have averaged 95 wins over the past three seasons and only have one pennant to show for it... they finished second the other two times... The TU East is perhaps the best division in the IPA.

The defending division champion Midway Wolves (82-72) failed to repeat... They slumped in the first half of the year, but came back strong to wind up third... manager Cochise Chandler's club was 17 games off the pace... A bad bullpen is his problem... the Wolves relievers posted a very poor 4.58 ERA (25th)... top players are pitcher Motega Wolf (20-9 2.53), 1B Gerry Jordan (.299 BA/33 HR/93 RBI/81 R) and CF Johnny Lee (.299 BA/32 Hr/86 RBI/88 R)... LF Derek Stevenson walloped 33 out of the park, but only hit for a .244 BA.

Fourth place High Mesa (75-79) has a high-powered offense, led by the tremendously gifted 1B Jack Elliott, who posted another great season with 56 homers, 135 RBIs, scored 139 times and batted a lofty .363... Elliott holds the all-time home run record with 61, hit in his rookie year in 2013... Cowboy manager Frisky Franks has two solid pitchers in young Frankie Walsh (19-13 3.41) and veteran Kent Wells (16-13 3.67).

The Red Bluff Red Sox (74-80) really shined on defense with a .980 FA, hit well with a .272 BA (6th), but suffer on the mound with a very poor 4.60 ERA (31st)... that's why Mack Connery's crew wound up tied for 5th with South Fork and 25 games back in the race... Top player is slugging 1B Tommy Klegg , who hit .300 with 48 roundtrippers, 139 RBIs and scored 101 runs... Klegg has 396 homers in 11 IPA seasons and almost 1200 RBIs... closer Ted Goetz chalked up a 7-6 record with 32 saves, but posted a 3.72 ERA.

Duroche "Lips" Leon has a mediocre team in South Fork (74-80)... the Stallions best performers are starter Blackie Terranova (22-13 3.52), rookie closer Woody Price (6-3), who had a great 1.38 ERA and 20 saves and 1B Joe Peters (.289 BA/27 HR/104 RBI/97 R).

The downtrodden East Point Panthers (61-93) and Hillsboro Blazers (61-93) are short on everything and fought each the entire season to see who could stay out of the TU East cellar - to no avail - they both finish at the bottom of division, a huge 38 games behind pennant-winning Ozarka... East Point's best player is 2B Jesse Goodwin, who stroked 33 homers, but suffered an off-year average-wise with a .260 BA... Hillsboro has two quality players in pitcher Tom Edgar (16-13 2.99) and 1B Andy Jefferson, who swatted 41 homers, drove in 95 runs and hit for a .289
BA.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 21, 2015

2015 Tycobbian West Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 21, 2015

2015 Tycobbian West Final Recap

BSC Bucs Win TU West, Chicopee And Arlon Fold
In a pressure-cooker finish the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers got hot the last week of the season and won the Tycobbian West for the second time. They last won it in 2002. The Bucs took the title by winning its last four games of the season, while Chicopee flopped and lost its final four games, blowing a 2-game lead with just four to go. The Arlon Champions came in a close third, 3 games off the pace and Bayview and defending Pro Cup titleholder Kenwood tied for the fourth spot in the standings, just 7 games out. Top to bottom the TU West was filled with quality teams. It was the most competitive division in the IPA.

Guy Rondre's Bay St. Clair Bucs (86-68) pretty much hit their way to the pennant with a .273 BA (5th), 761 runs (8th-tied) and 174 roundtrippers (6th)... Rondre had just enough pitching to win by an eyelash over Chicopee... the Buccaneers compiled a 4.16 ERA (24th)... they were solid on defense, too, with a fine .976 FA... four .300 hitters paced the attack: 1B Gerry Fields (.332 BA/46 HR/133 RBI/97 R), SS Jimmy Sawyer (.307 BA/30 HR/92 RBI/96 R), LF Bruno DiPirro (.307 BA/9 HR/52 RBI/104 R) and 2B Bud Walker (.314 BA/8 HR/47 RBI/101 R/31 SB)... Chris Van Arden (11-6 3.13) and Lloyd Weber (19-12 4.02) led the pitching staff.

The Chicopee Braves (84-70) hit the skids when it mattered most - when the division flag was up for grabs... Harry Fleetfoot's Braves collapsed and dropped the last six games and ended up 2 games behind winning Bay St. Clair... Chicopee relied almost entirely on its mound corps... the Braves had a strong 3.16 team ERA (2nd), but had trouble scoring with a .256 BA (21st) and only 85 homers (31st)... 37-year-old ace Desmond Quartermain particularly suffered... Quartermain had a spectacular 2.09 ERA, yet finished with a 15-17 record... 37-year-old Tommy Ruffin stood out with a 20-12 mark and a 3.24 ERA... 23-year-old Scotty Simmons notched a fine 15-9 record with an impressive 2.54 ERA... in the bullpen Rich Taylor (8-5) saved 27 games and had a 2.37 ERA... at the plate LF Big Boy Gianata (.260 BA) had 11 homers and 87 RBIs, RF Matty McDermott scored 91 runs, batted .274, had 50 RBIs and stole 43 bases... the home run leader was C Ivan Burkholder with just 16... Burkholder batted in 73 runs and scored 70 times.

Arlon also faded in the final days of season, dropping four of its last six games... Gary Louis and his third place Arlon Champions (83-71) stayed close with a solid pitching rotation that consisted of Tony Zaretti (19-8 3.25), who had his best season by far at age 35 and 15 years in the league... 38-year-old journeyman Happy McManus (16-13 3.42) has his best season after 15 years in the league... 34-yer-old Charley Gordon (12-8 3.50) has his best year, too... and long-time ace Armando Cruz (16-18 3.67) pitched well at age 33... Louis lost his closer Johnny Rabelais during the stretch drive due to injury... the normally reliable Rabelais had an off-year with a poor 0-7 record and a high 3.74 ERA, but did register 28 saves... Supplying most of the offense was the talented LF and veteran star Rocco Belasario (.304 BA/31 HR/108 RBI/103 R), along with youngster RF Scott Connor (.308 BA/25 HR/67 RBI/103 R).

The defending IPA Pro Cup champion Kenwood Wildcats (79-75) suffered a dismal season after the euphoria of the 2014 title run... Aaron Hankins' club just didn't hit like they did last season and dipped to a fourth place tie with Bayview, 7 games back... starters Sammy Shaw (17-12 3.52), Connie Gavagan (14-20 3.10) and Todd Combs (15-16 3.33) pitched well enough, but the relievers and batters let them down... closer Rick Brickell (2-5) saved 25 games, but saw his ERA balloon from 2.66 last year to 4.05 this year... LF Dennis Riley (.302 BA/29 HR/111 RBI/83 R) had no help this year... Riley had to carry the club on his shoulders alone... the Wildcats hit .270 last season and only .246 (30th) this year... Kenwood is still one of the best fielding clubs in the IPA with an outstanding .981 FA.

Walter Johanssen got improved pitching and the Bayview Vikings (79-75) jumped from seventh last year to a tie for fourth this year... Bayview always can score runs because of the friendly fences at Downtown Plaza Stadium, but this year the batters got some help from the pitchers, who lowered the team ERA from 4.50 in 2014 to 4.05 (20th) this season... the Viks best arms were Rick Prichard (15-14 3.03) and Norm Roy (15-15 3.51)... and Georgie Fambreau (19-9 4.34), who had his best year since winning 20 games in 2010... Bayview's batting order was full of fine hitters... at 27 LF Davey Krueger (.311 BA/48 HR/110 RBI/101 R) is rapidly building a good case for being one of the better hitters in the IPA... giving him lots of help were 3B Kris Benson (.312 BA/32 HR/94 RBI/85 R), RF Tommy Ruffin (.259 BA/27 HR/101 RBI/73 R) and 1B Stan Haddix (.310 BA/24 HR/73 RBI/96 R).

Perennial power and 6-time division champion Denton City (76-78) fell below .500 for the first time since 2002 and plunged from second place in 2014 down to sixth in 2015... the Redbirds finished 10 games behind in the pennant race... a bad 4.38 team ERA (28th) was the culprit for skipper Ford Whiteman... all-time ace 35-year-old Mila Mohoski (21-12 2.99) still is a potent force on the hill and is second in the IPA with 266 victories in his 14 years... only Cody Burg of Cape Coral has more with 270... young Jeff Russell (17-11 3.75) did well in his third season and still shows good promise... three batters provide most of the Redbirds runs: long-time star 3B Jay Petit (.313 BA/19 HR/86 RBI/91 R)... Petit has over 1000 RBIs and 1000 runs in his 13-year career... reliable and dependable 14-year vet LF Rod MacCormack (.272 BA/25 HR/89 RBI/91 R), who has gone over the 1200 mark in runs scored and batted in almost 1100... and solid 1B Maury Duncan (.289 BA/23 HR/88 RBI/74 R)... 23-year-old C Pete Gibbs (.301 BA/17 HR/71 RBI) provides another good bat and fine defense.

Manager Matty Christianson's Rolling Hills Reds (74-80) came in seventh this season, but only 12 games back of the leader... the Reds haven't been in the postseason since their first two years in the IPA in 2002 and 2003 when the top two and top four clubs of each division were allowed in... Rolling Hills has never won the division title... Christianson's top players are pitchers Sal Jordan (17-15 2.86) and J. R. Beresford (16-15 3.41)... his top position players 3B Clay Hoffman (.293 BA/38 HR/102 RBI/77 R) and CF Donnie Lewis (.314 BA/5 HR/52 RBI/98 R).

The LaClaire Lynx (70-84) of Rip Calkin have never made the playoffs in the team's 15-year history... for the fourth time in the last six seasons they came in last... the Lynx were seventh the other two years... Calkin's crew hit well with a .262 BA (12th) and 170 homers (8th), but were pathetic in the pitching department with a 4.39 ERA (29th)... 40-year-old Doug Lyons (19-13 3.54) was LaClaire's only quality pitcher... the Lynx's top bats belonged to 22-year-old 3B Flash Devlin (.318 BA/34 HR/110 RBI/101 R), who has HOF potential... long-time super stud CF Zeppy Deshotel (.291 BA/22 HR/89 RBI/96 R), who has a good chance at being a Hall-of-Famer... Deshotel is a lifetime .307 hitter with 1100 runs scored and almost 1100 RBIs in his 11 years in the IPA... and 33-year-old RF Taro Nakanishi, who only hit .255, but cracked 27 out of the park and drove in 100 runs.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 22, 2015

2015 Pro Cup Playoffs Start Tomorrow, TU's Ozarka Favored
Powerful Ozarka of the Tycobbian Union got the nod over heavy-hitting Taranto of the Ruthlandian Union in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll. Baseball experts chose the Naturals over the Tars because of superior pitching. Both clubs have heavy timber and can score runs. Ozarka led the IPA with a .289 team batting average and it also ranked high with a 3.12 ERA. Taranto batted .275 to led the RU, but only posted a 4.06 ERA (26th).

In the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series, which get underway tomorrow at 4 locations around the Islands, Ozarka will host the hard-hitting Bay St. Clair Buccaneers at Ellie Ewing Stadium. It will be Mahaska at home against the visiting Cape Coral Hurricanes. Over in the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Taranto will be at home at the Palazzo di Sport, entertaining the Claxton Diamonds. The other Elite 8 match-up will be Colfax and Marston at Legends Field in Marston.

The baseball prognosticators are at odds on what it takes to win the IPA Pro Cup. Does good pitching really beat good hitting? If that theory prevails Colfax will whip Marston and Claxton will knock off Taranto in the RU. Colfax has marvelous pitching with a 2.84 team ERA that easily topped everybody in both leagues. Claxton has the pitching edge over Taranto. The Diamonds put up a 3.76 ERA (12th) to the Tars mediocre 4.06 EAR (26th). Colfax wasn't given much support in the poll because of its poor offense. The Blasters batted only .247 (28th) and had difficulty scoring. They ranked 28th in runs. The forecast calls for Taranto and Colfax to play for the Ruthlandian Union title in the Final 4.

In The Islandian Times poll, Ozarka will beat Bay St. Clair in the Elite 8 because the Nats hit as well as they pitch. The Bucs can score, but are weak on the mound with a 4.16 ERA (24th). The Cape Coral Hurricanes are expected to defeat the Mahaska Haymakers because of better hitting. The 'Canes hit .265 (9th) to the Haymakers .257 (15th). Mahaska has slightly better pitching 3.22 ERA (3rd) to 3.46 ERA (6th) for Cape Coral. If the poll is accurate it will be Ozarka and Cape Coral in the Tycobbian Final 4.

The Islandian Times Pro Cup Poll

1. Ozarka (99-55)/.289 BA (1st)/763 runs (5th)/173 HR (7th)/3.12 ERA (1st)/.972 FA
2. Taranto (93-61)/.275 BA (1st)/885 runs (1st)/219 HR (1st)/4.06 ERA (26th)/.976 FA
3. Cape Coral (90-64)/.265 BA (9th)/732 runs (13th)/142 HR/21st)/3.46 ERA (6th)/.979 FA
4. Colfax (91-63)/.247 BA (28th)/648 runs (28th)/113 HR/(17th-tied)/2.84 ERA (1st)/.972 FA
5. Marston (92-62)/.269 BA (5th)/742 runs (10th)/129 HR/19th-tied)/3.51 EERA (6th)/.976 FA
6. Mahaska (83-71)/.257 BA (15th)/692 runs (18th)/128 HR (24th)/3.22 EERA (3rd)/.973 FA
7. Claxton (88-66)/.268 BA/7th)/734 runs (13th)/157 HR (5th)/3.76 ERA (12th)/.978 FA
8. Bay St. Clair (86-68)/.273 BA (5th)/761 runs (8th-tied)/174 HR (6th)/4.16 ERA (24th)/.976 FA

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 22, 2015

2015 Ruthlandian Pro Cup Elite 8 Series

Taranto Trounces Claxton In RU Elite 8
At the Palazzo di Sport in Taranto, the hometown Tars trounced Claxton 7-1 with a 12-hit attack and strong pitching by Vito Incardona, who held the Diamonds to just 3 hits, while fanning 7 and issuing 3 free passes... Taranto rocked Charlie Murphy (0-1) for 4 runs in the sixth to cinch the game... LF Arnie Kennedy and CF Miles Rogers led the Tars at the plate with 2 RBIs apiece... Kennedy's came on a first-inning two-run homer... C Denny Radke added 3 hits and scored twice for the winners.

Holman's Hit Gives Marston Victory In Elite 8 Opener
Playing at home at Legends Field, the Marston Nine won the Ruthlandian Union Elite opener 5-4 on 3B Jimmy Holman's RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning... Colfax took the lead 4-2 in the top half of the frame, but loser Rodger Wright couldn't hold it... Hunk Sweitzer (1-0) took the win and Bob Daniel got the save with a runless ninth.

2015 Tycobbian Pro Cup Elite 8 Series

Mahaska Wins Marathon Opener In 20th
On the road the Mahaska Haymakers edged Cape Coral 4-2 in a 20-inning marathon to take game one in the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series...in a magnificently played game with outstanding pitching on both sides, Mahaska finally subdued the Hurricanes with 2 runs in the top of the 20th... CF Lou Allen tripled to lead off the inning and scored on SS Tony Gibbs base hit... Gibbs later scored on RF Ross Burke's sac fly... reliever Andrei Czyz got the win with 8 superb innings... He held Cape Coral to just 2 hits and struck out 7... Zane Robinson (0-1) was the losing pitcher... He allowed 3 runs and 5 hits in his 5 frames... starters Cody Burg and Joey Wallace were both brilliant... Burg pitched into the 11th for the Hurricanes and stopped the Haymakers on 5 hits and a run, while striking out 13... Wallace worked 9 innings for Mahaska, yielded 1 run on 6 hits and whiffed 7... the Haymakers outhit Cape Coral 14-9.

Nats Edge Bucs 4-2 On Rousseau's Blast
Ozarka rookie 1B Benny Rousseau broke up a 2-2 piching duel between Benny Osterman and Chris Van Arden with a two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth of the first game of the TU Elite 8 Series against the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers... closer Eddie Roberts (1-0) claimed the 4-2 victory despite being tagged for a one in the top of the inning... the Naturals walloped 3 homers in the game... 2B Todd Chadwick made it 1-0 in the second and rookie 3B Andre Dumas upped it to 2 runs in the fourth with another solo shot... C Vince Herbert hit one out for the Bucs to narrow it to 2-1 in the eighth... LF Bruno DiPirro's triple and 3B Ryan Sanders' sacrifice fly evened the score in the ninth... Ozarka was held to 5 hits, while Bay St. Clair got 7.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 23, 2015

2015 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Tars Trim Diamonds 5-4, Take First Two Games
In Taranto, the Tars won for the second straight day and now they have a two-game lead in the best-of-seven Elite 8 Series... Taranto trimmed the Claxton Diamonds 5-4 on SS Aron Aiello's two-run double in the decisive eighth inning... Reliever Chris Hall (1-0) picked up the win with a scoreless inning in the eighth with the save going to Anthony Zinacola, who blanked the Diamonds in the ninth... Jimmy Mosley started for Taranto and left trailing 4-3 after permitting 4 runs and 5 hits in his 7 innings... 2B Ed Miles smacked a two-run homer in the opening frame for Taranto and C Denny Radke added a solo shot in the sixth... 1B Mike Luzzatti and SS Bobby Bayas homered in defeat for Claxton... Ernie van Riebeeck (0-1) caught the loss, going the route and giving up 5 runs and 8 hits in his 7 innings.

Marston Mauls Colfax 10-6, Up 2 Games
The Marston Nine clobbered Colfax 10-6 for their second win in a row in the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series, a best-of-seven affair... The Nine pounded out 13 hits and beat one of the finest pitchers in the IPA... Ilya Szabo (0-1) was shelled for 5 runs in 7 innings for the loss... Marston slammed 3 homers and were led by CF Russ Woodward, who hit one of them and drove in 6 runs... C Stan Pasek and LF James Yardley got the other two home runs... Roberto Conception went the route for the win, but was rocked for 5 runs in the ninth... Conception gave up 6 runs on 7 hits, but only 2 runs were earned... SS Paul Amundsen led Colfax with a 3-run homer.

Tycobbian Union

Bucs Even Elite 8 Series, Weber Blanks Nats 1-0
Wily veteran Lloyd Weber and talented rookie Wayne Gates tangled in a tense duel at Ellie Ewing Stadium in Ozarka with the old man getting a slight nod in the 1-0 Bay St. Clair victory... Weber (1-0) scattered 9 hits in the shutout, walked nobody and struck out two, while young Gates surrendered only 5 hits and a run in defeat... The Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series is now all even at a game apiece... It was decided in the top of the third when Buccaneer 2B Bud Walker led off with a double, tagged up and went to third on a deep fly ball, then scored the only run of the game on 1B Gerry Fields' infield single.

Dozhenko Stops 'Canes 5-2, Mahaska Wins 2nd Game
39-year-old Yuri Dozhenko has had a lackluster IPA career, but he has really stood out this year for Mahaska with an 11-1 record... Today Dozhenko really stood tall on the mound with a fine 5-2 triumph over the Cape Coral Hurricanes to give the Haymakers a 2-0 lead in the TU Elite 8 Series... In his first ever postseason game, Dozhenko (1-0) held the Hurricanes to just 2 runs on 7 hits in 8 innings, fanned 5 and walked none in a strong performance... Reliever Ray Simpson finished the game with a scoreless ninth... Dozhenko outhurled Tank Tucker (0-1), who went the distance and allowed 5 runs and 6 hits...Mahaska was outhit 9 to 6 by Cape Coral... the Hurricanes took the lead in the second inning on 2 solo shots by C Todd Boyd and 1B Avery Womack, but lost the lead in the fifth when the Haymakers scored 3 times, highlighted by SS Erico Pilar's 2-run two-bagger that put them ahead to stay.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 23, 2015

2015 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Marston Dumps Colfax 6-0 For 3rd In A Row
The Marston Nine could be headed for a sweep in its RU Elite 8 Series with the Colfax Blasters... Marston racked up its third consecutive victory in the best-of-seven set, when Dennis Townsend (1-0) blanked Colfax 6-0 on a 5-hitter... Townsend won 20 games in the regular season... The Nine battered Jimmy Joe Cartner (0-1) for a dozen hits and were sparked by RF Richie Mazzone (.500) with 4 hits and 4 RBIs, including a 2-run homer... 2B Galen Gilmore (.273) had 2 hits and 2 runs batted in for the winners.

Taranto Tears Up Claxton, Nears Sweep
The Taranto Tars showed their muscles today by slamming Claxton 10-2... The Tars have taken all three games so far in the best-of-seven RU Elite 8... one more win and Taranto will advance to the Final 4, step two in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs... Taranto blasted out 16 hits, including homers by Wayne Pounders and Denny Radke... Radke (.667) had 3 hits and 5 RBIs and Pounders (.231) had a pair of hits and 2 RBIs... RF Augie Marshall (.333) also chipped 2 hits, scored 3 times and batted in a run... manager Tommaso Lazzorda also got a fine outing from Chazzie DiBartolo (1-0), who held the Diamonds to 2 runs and 7 hits and went all the way... Carlo Funicello (0-1) lost it for Claxton... he gave up 8 runs in just 3 innings... 1B Mike Luzzatti (.400) and SS Donnie Pilsner (.400) both homered for the only Diamond scores.

Tycobbian Union

Haymakers Make It 3 Straight Over Hurricanes
So far it's been a one-sided series between Mahaska and Cape Coral in the TU Elite 8 with the Haymakers sweeping all three games... the latest came on the Haymakers home grounds Heartland Stadium... Mahaska romped 7-2 with 12 hits and a solid effort from Johnny Picou on the hill... Picou (1-0) pitched the entire game and allowed 8 hits and just 2 runs... The Haymaker bats were led by LF Dalton Leeds (.462) with 3 hits and 2 RBIs, C Bucky O'Brian (.294) with 3 hits, 2 runs and an RBI and SS Monte Davis (.286), who scored 3 times with a hit and 3 walks... Rookie standout Ray Salisbury (0-1) was ineffective and took the loss... Salisbury was rapped for 11 hits and 6 runs in 6 innings... Salisbury was a 22-game winner this season... Picou was only 14-18.

Nats Zap Bucs 8-3, Lead Series By 1 Game
Ozarka zapped Bay St. Clair 8-3 to gain a one-game advantage in the best-of-seven series... the Naturals are on top two games to one... winning pitcher Dennis Purcell (1-0) was a bit wild with 6 walks, but he managed to hold off the Buccaneers except the 3-run sixth when they narrowed the score to 5-3... He settled down and blanked them over the final 3 frames... Purcell yielded only 3 hits in his 8 and two-thirds innings... Wayne Haren came in and got the last out... Offensively rookie C Frank Kiffin was almost the whole show with 5 RBIs and 3 hits... Kiffin (.308) and rookie CF Ryoma Nakayama (.286) both knocked home runs... Kiffin's was a grand slam in the third and Nakayama got a solo blast in the eighth... Bobby Joe Belvin (0-1) toiled in defeat as he was roughed up for 5 runs in 5 innings.