ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Friday, September 24, 2017

2017 IPA Golden Gloves Awarded

Year's Best Gloves Selected by Ruthlandian Union
"Flashing the leather" and "good with the glove" are ways to describe players who help their teams by thwarting the opponent's offense. Today the most dependable glovemen in the Ruthlandian Union for 2017 were announced. Golden Glove Awards will be presented to these top-notch defenders:

Pitcher: Eddie Lasky (Valka Blackhawks) 1st time
Catcher: Hal Stevenson (Sugar Valley Rattlers) 5th time
First Baseman: Joel Williams (Rocky Rapids Snappers) 1st time
Second Baseman: Herb Buck (Crystal Lake Crushers) 1st time
Third Baseman: Jug Slavin (Grand City Cybercats) 2nd time
Shortstop: Lucas Badeaux (Rocky Rapids Snappers) 1st time
Left Fielder: Tony Piel (Glasco Athletics) 2nd time
Center Fielder: Russ Woodward (Marston Nine) 2nd time
Right Fielder: Lloyd Voss (Elnora All-Stars) 1st time

Top Fielders Honored by Tycobbian Union
Great glovemen can range far and wide to make a backhand stop or an over-the-shoulder catch -- and the best usually make it look easy. Today the winners of the Tycobbian Union Golden Glove Award for 2017 were announced. These awards for defensive excellence go to:

Pitcher: Tommy Ruffin (Chicopee Braves) 2nd time
Catcher: Jim Schubert (Red Bluff Red Sox) 4th time
First Baseman: Bill McCann (Southport Sun Sox) 1st time
Second Baseman: Joaquin Malagon (Luxora Zorros) 1st time
Third Baseman: Jose Aguilar (Red Bluff Red Sox) 3rd time
Shortstop: Patsy Bates (Colchester Elites) 1st time
Left Fielder: Jeff Elliott (Ginza Ninjas) 1st time
Center Fielder: Derek Ryckman (Cape Coral Hurricanes) 4th time
Right Fielder: Dane Wesner (Fairfax Frogs) 6th time

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Friday, September 24, 2017

Cowboys Elliott Takes 3rd Bat Title
High Mesa fans adore first baseman Jack Elliott -- and for good reason -- the Cowboys slugger completed a phenomenal season by winning the prestigious Triple Crown. He's the 3rd player in IPA history ever to do it. It was his third consecutive batting title. The 24-year-old Elliott led the Tycobbian Union in batting average, home runs and RBIs. Previous winners were Karol Zodoka of East Point in 2002 and Dane Wesner of Fairfax in 2010. "To win this honor is beyond belief," he said. "Just to lead in one of the categories is great. To lead in all three is unbelievable." No one will soon forget the mammoth numbers Eliott put up this season: a .360 average with 56 home runs and 149 runs batted in. It's the fifth year in a row the slugger has paced the league in home runs.

Chip Fiske Claims 2017 RU Batting Title
When it came to hitting in the Ruthlandian Union this season, none did it better than Chip Fiske of the Crystal Lake Crushers. He surpassed all his peers with a .379 average to take the 2017 batting crown. The 23-year-old right fielder had 214 hits, including 40 doubles, 9 triples and 12 home runs. Fiske participated in 146 games and also chipped in 82 RBIs and scored 102 times. It was Fiske's first RU batting title.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Friday, September 24, 2017

Snappers Chaney Top Twirler In IPA
Rocky Rapids 6' 6" right-hander Don Chaney topped the IPA with 26 victories and also paced the Ruthlandian Union with a 2.05 ERA. Chaney was 26-7 this season and led his Snappers to the RU West crown. Ozarka's Benny Osterman and South Fork's Blackie Terranova had the most wins in the Tycobbian Union. Osterman was 25-8, while Terranova posted a 25-10 mark. Southport's Bob Montgomery compiled the best ERA in the IRA and TU with a great 1.72 ERA and a 20-13 record.

[Eugene Church]

Sorry, I screwed up badly.

Hit the wrong button and simmed the playoffs in error.

I always play them out game-by-game.

I thought I could use the box scores to do the game recap, but the Almanac did not have them.

All I can do is give the basics of each game.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Saturday, September 25, 2017

2017 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series (best-of-seven)

Elegants Take 13th In A Row
Pro Cup favorite Eastshore got started on the right foot with a 7-2 triumph over tough Rocky Rapids in game one of the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series at Kraft Stadium in Eastshore... it was the defending Pro Cup champs' 13th straight postseason win... Eddie Lance (1-0) held the Snappers to 5 hits, fanned 6 and walked 2... the Elegants backed him up with 10 hits... Joe Anderson (0-1) lost it, giving up 7 runs in 6+ innings... Eastshore won the Pro Cup last year by going unbeaten in 12 games.... they swept all three series... the Elegants defeated Ozarka in the finals.

Valmara and Janicki KO Valka In Game 1
In the other RU match-up at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara, the Vipers got a great job from Tad Janicki (1-0), who whipped Valka 4-1 on 7 hits... Blackhawk starter Ricky Jost lost it... he left in the eighth after allowing 4 runs on 7 hits... Jost was wild and walked 7... Frank Favazzo got the save with a scoreless ninth... Valmara RF Lou Gdowski hit the only homer, a solo shot.

BSC Hapless Against Hutch, Ozarka Blanks Bucs 5-0
Over in the Tycobbian Elite 8, favored Ozarka took care of Bay St. Clair in the opener at Ellie Ewing Stadium... Howard Hutch (1-0) fired a 4-hit shutout at the Bucs and struck out 11 in the 5-0 victory... Hal Meissner (0-1) was the loser... he permitted 5 runs in 7 innings... C Frank Kiffin led the Nats 8-hit attack with a homer.

Pachino Outduels Farentino, Z's Beat Typhoons 2-1
At De la Vega Stadium in Luxora, the Zorros copped the first game of the series with a 2-1 decision over the Turon Typhoons... Pepe Pachino worked 8 innings and spread out 9 hits... closer Jay Brewer got the save with a perfect ninth... it was a tough loss for Ted Farentino, who went into the ninth and gave up only 2 runs on 6 hits... RF Jon Stafford's two-run roundtripper in the second frame gave the Z's all the runs they needed.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Sunday, September 26, 2017

2017 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series (best-of-seven)

14 Straight For Eastshore, Edge Snappers 4-3 In Game 2
The remarkable Eastshore Elegants just keep on keeping on with their 14th straight Pro Cup playoff victory... the Elegants snapped a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the ninth to go up 2-0 in the best-of-seven RU Elite 8 Series with the Rocky Rapids Snappers... Bix Hansen (1-0) went the distance, stopping them on 6 hits... Norrie Wickham caught the loss... he exited in the ninth after surrendering four runs and 7 hits.

Blackhawks Even Series, Blank Vipers Behind Jaanson
A tremendous pitching performance by Ivo Jaanson evened up the Elite 8 Series between Valka and Valmara... game two went to the Blackhawks 5-0 on a splendid 1-hitter by Jaanson, who struck out 9 and issued 5 bases on balls... CF Vic Brenner sparked Valka with two solo homers... LF Kurt Jankauskas and C Ted Lawson also homered for the victors... Greg Turchin was the losing pitcher... the Blackhawks tagged him for 4 runs in 3+ frames.

Bucs Tie Series Behind DeVree
It's all even after two games in the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series between powerful Ozarka and Bay St. Clair... both clubs are known for their hitting prowess, but it didn't show today at Ellie Ewing Stadium... 39-year-old vet Duke DeVree throttled the Nats 3-1 on just 4 hits... 3B Ryan Sanders and C Ted Fraser paced the Buccaneers with solo home runs... Reliever Wally Haren suffered the defeat... he came on with the score 1-1 in the eighth... single runs in the last two innings won it for Bay St. Clair.

Zorros Zap Turon 15-1 For Second Straight In Series
It was over early in Turon... visiting Luxora bolted to an 11-0 lead after the first two innings on the way to a 15-1 shellacking of the Typhoons... the Zorros racked up 13 hits, led by C Jim Thorpe Chandler with 2 hits and 4 RBIs... Thorpe had the only homer in the game... James Stuart gave up 9 runs in less than 2 innings for the loss.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 27, 2017

2017 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series (best-of-seven)

Elegants Win Again, Bomb Snappers 11-2
Eastshore is well on its way to defending its Pro Cup crown... the Elegants smashed Rocky Rapids 11-2 for its third win in the RU Elite 8 Series and the 15th consecutive playoff win over the last two years... Eastshore rattled the fences at Snapper Stadium for 16 base hits, while Melvin Key held the Snappers to 2 runs on 8 hits for the win... 26-game winner Don Chaney was battered for 8 runs in 4+ innings.

Valka Nips Valmara 5-4 In Game 3
The Valka Blackhawks took a one-game lead in the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series with a hard-earned 5-4 victory in 13 innings... southpaw reliever Robby Riley worked two scoreless frames for the win, while Jace Allardyce took the loss.

Bucs Battle Back, Beat Nats In 10th
Playing at home at Bayside Park against the mighty Ozarka Naturals, the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers battled back from a 5-2 deficit with 3 runs in the last of the seventh and then won game three in the tenth 6-5... the win gave the Bucs a 2-1 lead in the TU Elite 8 Series... Reliever Steve Richt notched the win with a runless tenth... Josh Carpenter was nailed with the loss after taking over in the last inning... Ozarka outhit the Bucs 10-9... the Naturals also outhomered them 3-1... 3B Andre Dumas slammed a pair and 1B Benny Rousseau hit one... 1B Gerry Fields went deep for the Buccaneers.

Typhoons Get Back In Series With Zorros
Favored Turon finally won a game in the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series with the Luxora Zorros and they did it the hard way on the road at De la Vega Stadium... the Typhoons trimmed the Z's 8-5 behind their ace Nicky Engstrom, who was not at his sharpest... Engstrom hurled 7 innings and was tagged for 2 unearned runs on 4 hits... he departed with a 6-2 lead, which grew to 8-2 until Luxora ripped his relief for 3 runs in the ninth... Luxora starter Tiago Torres was ineffective as he was shelled for 4 runs in the first 2 innings... the Typhoons piled up 14 hits, while the Zorros got only 7.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 27, 2017

2017 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series (best-of-seven)

Eastshore Sweeps Rocky Rapids
It's 16 wins in a row for the powerful Eastshore Elegants... they finished off the Rocky Rapids Snappers four games to none with a 7-5 win in game four despite giving up 3 homers to the Snappers... Al Froelich got credit for the win, but allowed 5 runs in 5 innings... the loser was Junior Noland, who was ripped for 7 runs in less than 5 frames... 2B Paul Shelton went 4-4 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs in defeat... teammate C Hank Bethel had a two-run blast... Rocky Rapids ran up a 4-2 lead after three innings, but were done in by the Elegants 4-run explosion in the top of the fifth... Paul Walker worked the ninth and blanked the Snappers for the save... Eastshore, the favorite to win it all again this year, will play the winner of the Valka-Valmara series.

Valka's Vainmaa Tames Valmara 6-1, Nears Series Win
The Valka Blackhawks are within one win of taking the Valmara Vipers in the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series... Arno Vainmaa had a strong outing and beat the Vipers 6-1... Vainmaa yielded 6 hits and went 8 innings... LF Kurt Jankauskas was a one-man show with 2 homers, 5 RBIs and 3 hits... Jankauskas slammed 4 out of the park in the series... losing pitcher Kolya Romanov was treated roughly... he permitted 6 runs in 7+ innings... Valmara has a tough row to hoe, needing to sweep the final three games in the series.

Roberts Evens TU Elite 8, Ozarka Tops Bucs 6-2
The Ozarka Naturals called on Veteran Eddie Roberts to even up the TU Elite 8 tussle with Bay St. Clair and he did... Roberts went all the way in a 6-2 victory, limiting the Buccaneers to just 2 runs on 8 hits with 5 Ks and 2 walks... 3B Andre Dumas hit his 3rd roundtripper in the series and drove in two runs... Bay St. Clair's talented 2B Bud Walker also homered... Bucs starter Benny Coates lost it... he was hit hard by the Nats for 6 runs in 6+ innings... Ozarka had a 12-8 advantage in hits.

Turon Gains Split, 9-2 Winner in Game 4
Rookie right-hander Shane Farmer didn't let the pressure of his first postseason start get to him... at age 35 he finally got his chance in the IPA and he made the most of it with a terrific 24-11 record... Farmer gained a split in the TU Elite 8 with a 9-2 win over the Luxora Zorros... Each team has now won twice in the best-of-seven series... Farmer permitted only 2 runs and 7 hits and defeated Octavio Mercado, who didn't get out of the third inning... the Typhoons pounded him for 5 runs and 6 hits... Turon 1B Clyde Kingsford and RF Dominick DiCaprio led the 10-hit attack with home runs.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 27, 2017

2017 IPA Elite 8 Series (best-of-seven)

Valka Eliminates Valmara In 5 Games
The Valka Blackhawks made quick work of the Valmara Vipers, eliminating them from the RU Elite 8 in 5 games... this time around Richie Jost (1-1) stumped Valmara on 2 hits and gained revenge for an opening-game loss to Tad Janicki (1-1)... the Blackhawks beat Janicki 4-1 as they tapped him for 4 runs and 6 hits in his 8 innings... all of the runs came in the bottom of the fourth on LF Alyosha Vyshnyakov's grand slammer... the Blackhawks will now try to slow down the rampaging Eastshore Elegants, who disposed of tough Rocky Rapids in a sweep... Valka will be a decided underdogs in the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series.

Bucs Overcome Nats 5-4 In Late Rally
The Ozarka Naturals have gotten more than they can handle so far with the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers... the Nats were expected to take the Tycobbian Union and oppose the Eastshore Elegants of the Ruthlandian Union for the Pro Cup title... Ozarka was favored to beat the Bucs and then the Turon Typhoons in the TU Final 4... but Bay St. Clair is not following the script... the Buccaneers rallied from a 4-2 score after 6 and half innings to overcome Ozarka 5-4 in 10 innings and move ahead 3 games to 2... 1B Gerry Fields knocked 2 homers and batted in 3 runs to lead Bay St. Clair to a victory Bayside Park... Fields now has 3 homers in the series... Hal Meissner (1-1) went 8 innings for the win, allowing 4 runs on 9 hits with the defeat going to Josh Carpenter (0-2)... Meissner withstood 3 homers by 2B Todd Chadwick, SS James Couch and 1B Benny Rousseau.

Luxora Closes In On TU Final 4
Pepe Pachino registered a big win for the Luxora Zorros... Pachino stopped Turon 4-3 to gain the upper hand in the TU Elite 8 Series... the Z's hold a 3-2 edge in the series and can wrap it up in game 6... Pachino (2-0) was touched for 10 hits, but gave up only 3 runs to the Typhoons, only one of them earned... he blanked Turon in his last 5 innings, then got help from closer Jay Brewer in the ninth for the win... C Jim Thorpe Chandler was the hitting star with 3 hits and 3 RBIs, including his second homer of the series... Luxora trailed 3-0 after 2 innings, but the Z's came back with a pair of runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to go up 4-3 and they managed to stave off the Typhoons... Both clubs collected 11 hits apiece.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Thursday, September 28, 2017

2017 IPA Elite 8 Series (Best-Of-Seven)

Bucs Bump Nats Out Of The Playoffs
Bay St. Clair came into the Tycobbian Elite 8 a slight underdog to the highly-touted Ozarka Naturals, but knew they had a good club, too... and just how good?... well, the Buccaneers knocked off the number two-rated team in the Pro Cup playoffs in six games, that's how good... Guy Rondre's Bucs wrapped up the series with an 8-6 victory on the road... Bay St. Clair erupted for 5 huge runs in the top of the ninth to break up a 3-3 tie... and the Buccaneers needed all of those runs as the Naturals rallied for 3 runs in the last of the ninth, but fell 2 runs short... Bay St. Clair lashed 16 hits off Nats pitching, while Ozarka got 9... Bucs CF Todd Bryant hit the game's only homer... BSC starter Duke DeVree (2-0) gained his second win in the series... DeVree held the Naturals to 3 runs and 8 hits in his 8 innings... Bobby Joe Belvin came in and put a stop to the Ozarka rally and got the save... Belvin got the last out of the game with the tying runs on base... loser Dennis Purcell (0-1) was routed in the ninth and gave up 8 runs and 15 hits.

Typhoons Trounce Z's, Tie Series At 3
Right on the brink of elimination, Turon remained alive in the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series with a resounding 12-5 triumph over Luxora at Typhoon Stadium that forced a seventh and deciding game... the Typhoons swatted 3 homers among 16 hits and got a credible outing from winner James Stuart, who shut out the Zorros for 8 innings before faltering in the ninth and allowing 5 runs... Stuart (1-1) surrendered 11 hits, fanned 4 and walked none... CF Mac McCurnan, RF Jack Brown and 1B Clyde Kingsford unloaded home runs... Elio Laurente (1-1) was the losing pitcher... Turon slammed him for 6 runs in 4+ innings.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Friday, September 29, 2017

2017 IPA Elite 8 Series (Best-Of-Seven)

Final 4 Teams Decided, Turon Trims Luxora 3-2
The favored Turon Typhoons had to come from behind in the seven-game series and they had to come from behind in the seventh game of the Tycobbian Elite 8 to whip the hard-fighting Luxora Zorros by the score of 3-2... The Z's had a 2-1 lead going into the bottom half of the 7th inning, but couldn't hold it... Turon scored single runs in the seventh and eighth frames against losing pitcher Tiago Torres (0-2), who permitted only 2 earned runs and 5 hits... Torres fanned 4 and issued 3 walks.. winning pitcher Nicky Engstrom was masterful... Engstrom (2-0) worked 8 strong innings, permitted 5 hits and 2 runs, struck out 6 and walked one... Merle Studebaker relieved him in the ninth and retired the Zorros in order for his first save of the series... Typhoon CF Mac McCurnan got his second home run of the series... Turon now heads for a showdown in the TU Final 4 with the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers, the conquerors of mighty Ozarka. In the Ruthlandian Final 4, heavily-favored Eastshore tangles with the Valka Blackhawks.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Saturday, September 30, 2017

2017 IPA Final 4 Series (Best-Of-Seven)

17 Straight For Eastshore
In the opening game of the Ruthlandian Final 4, the seemingly-unbeatable Eastshore Elegants whacked Valka 8-5 for an unprecedented 17th straight playoff victory... the defending Pro Cup crownbearer looks determined to repeat last year when they swept all three playoff series and ran off 12 wins in a row for the title... the Blackhawks didn't roll over and play dead, they had the lead 4-3 after 6 innings, but the Elegants took charge in the late innings... a 3-run eighth decided the game, giving them a 7-4 edge... Eastshore unleashed 16 hits and 2 home runs in support of Eddie Lance (2-0)... C Darrell Adams and RF Larry Lowe both went deep... RF Alyosha Vyshnyakov slammed a 2-run clout to give Valka the lead in the bottom of the sixth... Ivo Jaanson (1-1) was rocked for 6 runs and 9 hits to take the loss... he was knocked out in the decisive 8th... Lance went the distance for his second postseason victory this year... the Blackhawks got to him for 5 runs and 9 hits.

Turon Takes TU Opener 5-2 Over BSC Bucs
Postseason-proven Turon with 3 Pro Cup trophies took the first game of the Tycobbian Final 4 with a 5-2 win road win over Bay St. Clair at Shoreline Park... the Typhoons were outgunned 13 hits to 8, but 24-game winner Shane Farmer (2-0) managed to keep the Buccaneers off the scoreboard most of the game... Farmer allowed all 13 hits, but just 2 runs in his 8 innings... closer Merle Studebaker garnered his second playoff save with a scoreless ninth... LF Andy Porter and CF Mac McCurnan had home runs to lead the Typhoons... 19-game Chris Van Arden (0-1) left trailing 3-1 after 8 innings... he allowed 3 runs and 5 hits... Van Arden blanked Turon until the sixth when they took the lead 2-1 and never lost it.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 1, 2017

2017 IPA Final 4 Series (Best-Of-Seven)

18 And Counting, Elegants Romp 10-2 Over Blackhawks
Eastshore is on another fantastic postseason roll as they racked up a sixth win in a row this year and an astounding 18 straight over the last two years... the Elegants pounded Valka for 15 hits in game two for an easy 10-2 victory... Winner Bix Hansen (2-0) tossed a 5-hitter and went all the way, striking out 6 and walking only one... Eastshore beat the Blackhawks ace Eddie Lasky, an 18-game winner... they sent him to the shower with 5 runs in 3 innings.

Typhoons Triumph Again, Edge Bucs 4-3
Turon topped Bay St. Clair 4-3 in game two of the best-of-seven Tycobbian Final 4... Ted Farentino (1-2) got the best of Benny Coates (0-2)... Farentino worked a solid 8 innings, yielded 3 runs on 6 hits, struck out 3 and walked only 1... Coates permitted 4 runs and 10 hits in his 9 innings... Merle Studebaker pitched a runless ninth for his 3rd save in the postseason... Dominick DiCaprio belted a 2-run homer for Turon, while CF Todd Bryant had a 2-run shot for the Bucs... Bryant's was his 2nd in the playoffs and gave the Buccaneers the lead 2-0 in the fourth, but it was short-lived as DiCaprio sent the Typhoons in front in the seventh... it was also number two for him this year... the Typhoons have won four straight in the postseason.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 2, 2017

2017 IPA Final 4 Series (best-of-seven)

Elegants Roll On, 19 In A Row
Eastshore continued its assault on the Valka Blackhawks for the third game in a row, crushing them 10-3 in the Ruthlandian Final 4... one more victory will send Eastshore to the IPA Pro Cup Finals against the Tycobbian champ... the Elegants battered the Blackhawks for 4 homers and 14 hits... Melvin Key chalked up another win, checking Valka on 5 hits and 3 runs in a complete game... Key, a 19-game winner in the regular season, totaled 7 Ks and walked 3...Arno Vainmaa hardly got started when he was knocked out of the box in the third inning... Vainmaa was pelted for 6 runs and 6 hits... 3B George Alford sparked the runaway with 3 hits, 2 homers and 6 RBIs... Alford has 3 roundtrippers so far in the playoffs... C Darrell Adams had 3 hits, a homer and 2 RBIs and CF Royce Murdoch drilled a solo home run... C Thomas Lawson put one out for the Blackhawks.

Turon's Stuart Blanks Bucs 5-0 For 3rd Win
One more win will advance Turon to the Pro Cup Finals... playing at home at Typhoon Stadium, the Turon Typhoons moved closer by shutting out Bay St. Clair 5-0 behind the 3-hit pitching of James Stuart (2-1), who fanned 6 and walked 3... losing pitcher Hal Meissner pitched well except for the 4-run first... Meissner settled down and blanked the Typhoons for the next six innings... by then, it was too late... LF Andy Porter led Turon with a 3-run homer, his second in the postseason... the Typhoons collected 9 hits in all... Turon has won its last five games.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 3, 2017

2017 IPA Final 4 Series (best-of-seven)

Eastshore Sweeps Again For 20th Straight
Pro Cup, here comes the mighty Eastshore Elegants again... For the second year in a row the Elegants are sweeping everything in sight... They did it again, winning the all four games against the Valka Blackhawks for the Ruthlandian Final 4 championship... Over the last two years Eastshore has won an amazing 20 consecutive games in the Pro Cup playoffs... Now they are headed for a chance at their second Pro Cup title... like the other three games, game four was no contest... the Elegants drubbed Valka 11-2 and outscored the hapless Blackhawks 39-12 in the series... LF Stan Cuccinello led the 13-hit assault with 2 homers and 4 RBIs... 3B Bob Leach also homered and drove in 3 runs... Al Froelich (2-0) went 7 innings for the win, permitting 2 runs and 8 hits with 4 walks and 6 strikeouts... Richie Jost (1-2) couldn't even get past the first inning as he was tagged for 4 runs and the loss.

Turon Wins All Four Games, Pro-Cup Bound
The Turon Typhoons are on a modest 6-game winning streak, too... they defeated the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers in 4 successive games to haul in the Tycobbian Final 4 title and a spot in the IPA Pro Cup Finals... ace Nicky Engstrom wrapped up the series with a workman-like 6-1 victory... Engstrom (3-0) allowed 9 hits, but only one run, fanned 5 and walked no one... the Typhoons rang up 11 hits and were led by CF Mac McCurnan, RF Jack Brown and 1B Clyde Kingsford, all with home runs... loser Duke DeVree (2-1) took it on the chin to the tune of 6 runs in just 4 innings and suffered his first loss in the postseason this year.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Mighty Eastshore And Tough Turon In Pro Cup Finals
It should be a whale of an IPA Pro Cup Finals and an absolute fans' delight with the defending champion Eastshore Elegants back for its second win in a row, opposed by traditionally-playoff tough Turon, who has been the Island champion on 3 occasions. The Elegants come into the title series with an unbeaten record in its last 20 postseason games. They swept to the title last year with a 12-game sweep and have swept two series so far, beating Rocky Rapids and Valka. The Typhoons seem to play their best at playoff time as they have run off 8 wins in a row this year with wins over Luxora and Bay St. Clair. The 2017 IPA Pro Cup Finals gets underway tomorrow afternoon with the opening two games at Kraft Stadium in Eastshore.

The Elegants are big favorites, despite the absence of their ace pitcher Danny Siegfried (15-5 2.13), who was lost for the season in August. However, manager Killer Brewster still has a potent pitching rotation with Eddie Lance (23-11 3.63), Melvin Key (19-12 2.91) and Al Froelich (3.29). Bix Hansen (2-1 3.72) took Siegfried's spot on the staff and has done extremely well in the playoffs. Eastshore was 98-56, the best record in the IPA this season, while Turon was only 87-67. The Elegants hit .280 during the season with 189 home runs and compiled a strong 3.28 team ERA. Carrying the offensive load for Eastshore was 2B Gerry Garner (.300/37/96/98), RF Stan Cuccinello (.328/26/89/88), CF Larry Lowe (.304/6/59/95) and 3B George Alford (.235/28/86/81).

Turon skipper Ashton "Whitey" Richburn also has solid ball club with a .274 season batting average with 155 homers and a 3.78 ERA, but is not on par with Eastshore overall. The Typhoons strength lie with two 20-game winners and a strong closer. Nicky Engstrom (21-10 2.20) has won 20 games or more for each of his 8 seasons in the league and he gets a lot of help from rookie Shane Farmer (24-11 3.66). Bullpen ace Merle Studebaker (4-6) posted a brilliant 1.27 ERA in the regular season and had 26 saves. Studebaker gives Turon an advantage over Eastshore's bullpen, whose relievers struggled this year. Richburn depends on two players for his offense: Hall-of-Fame bound 1B Clyde Kingsford (.286/37/121/109) and his very talented CF Mac McCuran (.297/37/118/119). The keys to a Typhoon upset will be a starter and a couple of bats to step it up in the finals. Turon will be hard to sweep.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 5, 2017

2017 IPA Pro Cup Finals (Best-of-Seven)

Game One at Kraft Stadium in Eastshore

Turon Snaps Eastshore's 20-game Streak
Turon rookie Shane Farmer may be short on time in the IPA, but he is long on overall experience. The 35-year-old Farmer used all of his wiles to put a stop to Eastshore's amazing 20-game winning streak in the postseason with a 5-3 victory... the right-hander held the hard-hitting Elegants to 3 runs on 6 hits, fanned 5 and walked nobody in his 8 innings... closer Merle Studebaker notched his 4th save of the playoffs with a scoreless ninth... LF Andy Porter won the game with a 2-run ninth-inning homer to snap a 3-3 tie... In all, Porter drove in 3 of the Typhoon runs... Eddie Lance (2-1) suffered his first postseason loss this season as he went the distance, surrendered only 3 earned runs and 9 hits with 6 Ks and a walk... this was Turon 9th consecutive win in the playoffs this season... the Typhoons are unbeaten so far.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 6, 2017

2017 IPA Pro Cup Finals (Best-of-Seven)

Game Two at Kraft Stadium in Eastshore

Elegants Back On Track, Edge Typhoons 2-1 in Game 2
24-year-old Bix Hansen had a fine rookie season in 2013 with an 18-15 record, but it has all been downhill since... After a terrible 2016 season with an ERA over 8.00, Hansen was cut from the squad at the beginning of spring training and placed on the reserve roster, where he lingered in limbo until Eastshore lost its ace pitcher Danny Siegfried to injury in late September... That injury has been a salvation for Hansen as he has been outstanding in the postseason with 3 straight complete-game victories... the latest came in the 2-1 triumph over the Turon Typhoons, who were threatening to take a 2-game lead in the Pro Cup Finals... Hansen got the Elegants back on the win track with a masterfully-pitched game... Hansen, a soft-throwing righty, kept the Typhoons off-balanced all day long with his assortment of trash, holding them to 5 hits and a run, while striking out 5 and walking 3... RF Jack Brown's solo shot in the second inning was the only run off of Hansen... Typhoon closer Merle Studebaker (0-1) sustained the loss... two walks and a base hit by RF Stan Cuccinello cost him the game... Ted Farentino started for Turon... in a sharp outing, he worked into the ninth, allowing only one unearned run and 7 hits with 2 walks and 8 strikeouts.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 8, 2017

2017 IPA Pro Cup Finals (Best-of-Seven)

Game Three at Typhoon Stadium in Turon

Turon Trims Eastshore 5-2 In Game 3
Underdog Turon trimmed Eastshore 5-2 at Typhoon Stadium to go up in the IPA Pro Cup Finals two-games-to-one... the Typhoons got another standout mound performance from James Stuart (3-1), who gave up only 2 unearned runs and 5 hits in 8 innings... Merle Studebaker closed it out by blanking the Elegants in the ninth for his 5th postseason save... Turon mauled losing pitching Melvin Key (2-1) for 5 runs in the fourth inning... Key allowed 6 hits in 6 innings, but permitted no earned runs... Eastshore got its runs in the sixth... C Cody Moore and RF Jack Brown led the Typhoons at bat with 2 RBIs apiece.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 9, 2017

2017 IPA Pro Cup Finals (Best-of-Seven)

Game Four at Typhoon Stadium in Turon

Elegants Rally Late To Even Series
Game four was going badly for the Eastshore Elegants... the favored Elegants were on the verge of going down three-games-to-one to Turon in the IPA Pro Cup championship series, when the bats finally came alive and saved the day in the late innings... Trailing 5-2 against Typhoon ace Nicky Engstrom, Eastshore rallied for 3 runs in the top of the ninth against the Turon bullpen and won it in the tenth 6-5... reliever Paul Walker (1-0) blanked the Typhoons in the ninth and tenth for the win, striking out 4 batters... Freddi Spiegel (0-1) came on in the ninth and was the losing pitcher... Engstrom tossed another strong game, permitting only 2 runs and 7 hits in his 8 innings... Engstrom fanned 7 and issued 3 bases on balls...Turon got the best of Eastshore with a 13-11 edge in hits... Elegant PH Bob Leach got the critical hit, a 3-run double to tie the game at 5-5...Eastshore 2B Gerry Garner had the only homer in the game... CF Larry Lowe had two hits and scored twice for the victors... C Cody Moore collected three hits to lead Turon at the plate and 2B Andy Hansen contributed 2 hits.