ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 17, 2018

2018 Ruthlandian South Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 17, 2018

2018 Ruthlandian South Final Recap

Claxton Beats Back Crystal Lake In RU South Stretch Drive
The pennant wasn't decide until the final day of the season... The Claxton Diamonds came on strong in the final half of the Ruthlandian South to overtake the Crystal Lake Crushers by one game... Last year's division winner Valka got it together after the All-Star break, but never could close the gap, finishing 5 games off the pace in third place... The Grand City Cybercats were fourth and trailed by 6 games... Belair Beach wound up fifth for the second straight season and 9 games behind... Waleska was sixth and 14 games out... St. John followed in the seventh slot in the standings, 21 games back... with San Dimas in last place and 26 games behind champion Claxton.

Claxton's Stacy Engel depended on his offense this season, along with better pitching for success... the Diamonds were second best in scoring, number four with 166 homers, while batting a healthy .270 at the plate... Engel's staff went from being terrible to just mediocre... Claxton's surprise ace was 38-year-old Kaz Hayagawa (20-14 3.43), who was obtained in the off-season from Fairfax of the TU North... RF K. C. Moerdijk had a very good year with 35 homers, 120 RBIs, 112 runs, 33 SBs and a .284 batting average... other strong contributors were LF George McKay (.297/25/101/98), 1B Mike Luzzatti (.293/22/89/104) and C Allen Lemay (.318/18/90/76)... Claxton opens up with RU North champ Ancona in first round postseason action... neither is expected to get by Eastshore or Rocky Rapids in the Final 4 round.

Baby George in Crystal Lake got some fine mound work out of his two 24-year-old youngsters Ralph McCullough (20-14 2.76) and Duncan Welch (17-14 2.83) and was either leading or near the top of the standings the entire year... at mid-season the Crushers held a 5-game lead, but couldn't hold off the Claxton Diamonds... George also got good work out of vets Rocky Trahan (14-11 3.87) and closer Jeff Jernigan (5-5) with 25 saves and a 2.63 ERA... Crystal Lake's top bats were all-time great 1B Phil Gravelli (.330/29/113/87), 2B Herb Buck (.272/11/60/111) and CF Joe McBride (.257/26/90)... a perked-up offense could send the Crushers over the top next season.

Valka floundered around in the first half, but then manager Andrei Kokk righted the ship and brought it in third, losing by 5 games, after falling 12 games behind in the race at mid-year... the Blackhawks suffered severely with a horrible .233 BA (32nd), but did go deep 173 times (2nd)... Kokk has four adequate starters in Eddie Lasky (17-15 3.09), Richie Jost (13-14 3.03), Arno Vainmaa (16-16 3.59) and Ivo Jaanson (14-15 3.62)... with any kind of hitting at all, the Blackhawks could have won the division again.... LF Karl Jankauskas hit 28 homers, RF Alyosha Vyshnyakov clouted 28, 3B Aino Vaba had 27 and C Thomas Lawson walloped 22, but none of the them hit over .260.

Wade Joslin at Grand City for his second season has some solid pitchers, the Cybercats hit well for average, but lack the long-ball... Randy Andrews led the staff with a marvelous 23-9 record and 2.38 ERA... helped out by rookie Luis Perez (15-19 3.19) and journeyman Jimbo Stearns (16-14 4.24)... in the bullpen Ralph Teague (4-3) led the way with 26 saves and a brilliant 1.05 ERA... Joslin had three .300 hitters in CF Nick Baldini (.333/10/56/115), SS Jim Mellencamp (.316/2/51/86) and superb 3B Jug Slavin (.309/16/91/71), along with RF Ricky Rich (.294/10/90/73)... scoring runs held Grand City down in the standings... the Cybercats were fourth and 6 games behind.

Long-time leader in the RU South Belair Beach had another down year, winding up fifth and 9 games out, mainly due to poor hitting and little power... Marty Pedroza has adequate arms in his starting rotation, headed up by Dennis Whitaker (20-12 3.32), Maaten Van Vranken (14-9 3.66) and Rik Flippen (17-21 3.47)... rookie closer Willy Mesko (1-4) posted 23 saves and a 2.36 ERA and showed good potential... the problem is a poor offense... a .248 BA (28th) and 114 homers (23rd-tied) will not get you very high in the division.

McGraw Johnson has very little talent in Waleska except for pitcher Connie Ehrlichmann (20-15 3.85) and super CF Roy Hobbs (.340/36/117/108)... the Westerners came in sixth this season, 14 games off the pace.

The St. John Crusaders has to endure another bad season... skipper Dickie Billings' club was seventh, 21 games away from first... top performers are pitchers Pat Long (13-7 3.04) and Teddy Garson (16-13 4.03) and position players 3B Vinny Sardisco (.339/22/72/89) and RF Johnny Celestine (.270/25/90/62).

The San Dimas Rancheros, managed by Paco Banderos dropped from 7th to 8th this year... Weak hitting and little pitching are the culprits... 40-year-old Rudy Nasquez (18-17 3.97) was the only pitcher of note... and 2B Hank Maddox (.288/13/75/95) and SS Greg Lawrence (.287/23/81/89) led the Rancheros at the plate.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 17, 2018

2018 Ruthlandian East Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 17, 2018

2018 Ruthlandian East Final Recap

Eastshore And Marston Battle To The Wire In RU East, Elegants Win
What a two-team race it was in the Ruthlandian East... Eastshore and Marston seesawed back-and-forth the entire season with very few games separating them... Marston had a 3-game lead going into September, but the defending Pro Cup champ Eastshore pulled it out by a single game with a 13-2 record, while the Nine was 9-6... the Elegants took 3 of the last 4 games and Marston lost 3 of the final 4 in a crushing flop... all of the other clubs finished well behind the two front-runners... Beechwood was third, 11 games off the pace... Sugar Valley was fourth, 17 games back... Elnora was fifth and 21 games out... Cold Creek ended up sixth and trailed by 28... Wynnamac was 31 games behind in seventh and Belle Plaine came in last, 36 games back.

Eastshore Manager Killer Brewster has a dynamite pitching staff with starters Danny Siegfried (22-9 2.69), Melvin Key (17-16 2.60), Bix Hansen (8-2 2.84) and Al Froelich (17-11 3.61)... also closer Paul Walker (3-4) had an outstanding season with 30 saves and a strong 2.23 ERA... the Elegants offense is led by LF Stan Cuccinello (.298/32/118/85) , 2B Gerry Garner (.280/34/98/77) and RF Larry Lowe (.319/11/61/86)... Brewster thinks his Elegants can take a third consecutive Pro Cup trophy home... but he has a difficult task in getting by Rocky Rapids in the Elite 8 Series... the Snappers will be one of the better teams in the IPA playoffs.

Johnny Walters and his Marston Nine gave Eastshore a stiff test, but they just couldn't put the Elegants away... in the end Eastshore took the RU East flag by one game... the Elegants won 97 games, the most in the RU, while Marston wound up with 96 wins, which was second best... Walters had strong pitching, but only adequate offense... 20-game winners Roberto Conception (23-11 3.16) and Aaron Thomas (20-12 2.73) topped the twirlers with lots of help from Ronnie Flynn (18-14 2.87) and Dennis Townsend (15-11 3.84)... in the bullpen Bobby Daniel (5-3) excelled with a 1.77 ERA and 32 saves... Walters only had one big bat... that belonged to CF Russ Woodward, who batted .342 with 34 roundtrippers, 123 RBIs and 102 runs scored... Woodward is one of the prime stars in the IPA and is only 24 years of age.

The third-place Beechwood Bobcats led by skipper Bret George, featured good pitching and a suspect offense... the Bobcats had two 20-game winners, paced by Billy Ray (20-8 2.84) and Terry Kuznetsov (21-11 3.33)... the only real bat in the batting order was star CF Vic Valenti (.337/29/102/99), one of the finest all-around players in the IPA... Beechwood hugged close until the All-Star Game, only 3 games back, but faded to 11 games out in the second half.

Fourth in the RU East standings were the Sugar Valley Rattlers... Gibby Bobkins turned them around a little bit this year with improved pitching, but it was not enough to contend... they were fifth and within 5 games of the top at mid-year, but slumped badly in the second half... the Rattlers wound up 17 games out of first... Bobkins' only standout performers are SS Glenn Christian (.286/36/120/100) and long-time All-Star C Hal Stevenson (.309/29/81/95).

The Elnora All-Stars with Sam Malone at the controls finished a very distant fifth in the race, 21 games in back of Eastshore... Malone only had average pitching and hitting, but had them tied with Beechwood for third at the halfway point, just 3 games out, only to run out of gas in the second half... Jim Tarzetti led the mound corps with a 16-11 mark and a 3.58 ERA... closer Woody Haynes (6-7) saved 27 games and posted a strong 2.38 ERA... Elnora's bat leaders were perennial All-Star C Leon Carter, who batted .318 with 30 home runs, 101 RBIs and 96 runs scored, along with RF Lloyd Voss with a .323 average, but only 12 homers, 58 RBIs and 79 runs... Voss is a great contact hitter, but with little power.

Since winning the RU East pennant in 2012, the Cold Creek Catamounts have slipped down the ladder each season... this year manager Trip Holmes fell to the sixth spot and 28 games behind... it was such a bad season Holmes even benched himself after 17 fine years in CF... Holmes hit only .189 this season at age 39... Cold Creek's top players are CF Emile Stosha (.291/21/91/98), starter Benny Greer (17-15 4.09) and closer Shannon Robinson (3-6), who had 22 saves with a 2.52 ERA.

The Wynnamac Sundowners and manager Matt Donnelly's last good season was 2013 when they won the division flag... it has been downhill since... this season the Sundowners were next-to-the-bottom, 31 games out of the lead... but Wynnamac does have one of the better pitchers in the IPA in 32-year-old Jerry Meeks, who was 19-13 with a 2.34 ERA for a bad ball club... overall southpaw Meeks is 160-100 with a fine 2.78 career ERA... 1B Pete Simmons is Donnelly's best batsman... Simmons batted .307 with 13 homers and 80 RBIs.

Even with a new manager, the Belle Plaine Musketeers are still just a bad ball club with lousy hitting and only mediocre pitching... skipper Lou Dozier only has a few bright spots on the roster... 19-year-old rookie phenon LF Jim Beauregard knocked 30 home runs, drove in 103 runs and batted .324 in a great freshman season... SS Scott Hammill (.283/17/85/85) is also a solid pro and only 26... in the bullpen the Muskies have an excellent closer in 25-year-old Fabian Moreau (3-6), who chalked up 28 saves with an outstanding 1.53 ERA.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 17, 2018

2018 Ruthlandian West Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 17, 2018

2018 Ruthlandian West Final Recap

RR Snappers Roll To 2nd Straight RU West Crown
For the second successive season the Rocky Rapids Snappers have captured the Ruthlandian West pennant by a fairly-wide margin... the Snappers easily won the title by 9 games over Forest City and Sligo... fourth place went to Fort Benton, who were 14 games back... resurgent Middlefield claimed fifth with its best season in years... the Roosters were 14 games behind... Volusia experienced its worst season in its history - sixth place and 18 games off the pace... it was another tough year for Colfax, which came in seventh, trailing by 21... and Stoner dropped back into its also-ran past with a last-place finish, 25 games behind winning Rocky Rapids.

Rocky Rapids won 94 games under manager Ryan Noland and is headed for a showdown with the defending IPA champion Eastshore Elegants in the RU Elite 8 Series... the Snappers were swept last season in the first round and are itching to redeem themselves... and they may just do it... Noland has a splendid ball club with outstanding hitting (1st) and pitching (3rd), near the top in both categories... Rocky Rapids ranks 4th in scoring and 8th in homers... Noland has three superb starters... the ace is his son, Junior Noland (23-10 2.57), along with Joe Anderson (21-13 2.62) and Don Chaney (18-15 3.12)... Milt Baker (4-3) stood out in the bullpen with 35 saves and a 2.22 ERA... Baker tied for the most saves in the IPA... at the plate the Snappers have good punch with fine 3B Paul Shelton (.277/37/139/99), legendary C Hank Bethel (.323/15/92/75), LF Rob Barton (.322/13/69/104) and 14-year veteran CF Carl Johnson (.291/24/72/96)... it's doubtful Eastshore will sweep the Snappers this year... many scribes say Noland has the best all-around team in the IPA.

The Sligo Rovers and Forest City Lumberjacks moved up in the standings this season on the strength of better pitching... the Rovers moved up from 5th to a tie for 2nd, while the Lumberjacks climbed from 7th to 2nd... Sligo was led on the hill by Les Patterson (21-12 2.32) and Ralph Odakota (15-8 3.29)... offensively it was 3B Manny Alou (.291/38/125/105) and SS Vic Carlin (.261/31/113/100) leading the way.

Rob Jackson at Forest City had three quality arms... Tommy Zenon (22-7 2.64) sparked the team with a great season and had help from starters Ricky Hoffman (17-14 3.43) and Paul Crews (12-7 3.82), along with a solid closer in Andy Velasco (5-4), who compiled an astronomically-low 0.87 ERA and posted 34 saves... the Lumberjacks only offensive force was 14-year star LF Joe Judlin with 41 homers, 94 RBIs, 105 runs scored and a .315 batting average.

Smitty Michaels got massive improvement in his Middlefield Roosters as they rose up from the cellar to fifth place... good pitching did wonders for the Roosters... Joe Schneider (22-8 2.19) had an outstanding sophomore year and led the RU in ERA, which is remarkable considering how small Middlefield Park is... Frank Dean also contributed a 19-15 record with a solid 3.52 ERA in a hitter's paradise... Middlefield didn't do it all with pitching, it still is blessed with some fine batsmen like RF Vic Ivarsson (.332/33/104/1-2), CF Chuck Larkin (.304/49/113/104), 3B Stu Butterworth (.285/39/94/80) and SS Jim Rose (.286/29/71/117)... a better foursome would be hard to find in the IPA... The Roosters led the RU with 214 homers... Larkin tied Jack Elliott of High Mesa for the home-run lead in the IPA this season... they each belted 49 out of the park.

It was a tough year for manager Alfonso Feliz, who saw his proud Volusia Vigilantes endure the worst season in its history... the V's fell to sixth place, the lowest the team has ever been... Volusia no longer has standout pitching... Sixto Moreno (15-10 3.69) and vet Gerry Hersh (16-17 3.30) are Feliz's best moundsmen... Volusia's terrific young CF Joe DeLucca (.338/30/114/103) continued to assault RU pitchers... fine C Ismael Gomez chipped in with a .316 BA, 27 roundtrippers, 77 RBIs and scored 100 times in his second year in the league.

Clem Rogers at Colfax has seen his once-unrivaled staff fall into disrepute... consequently the Blasters have wound up near the bottom for the second straight year, dropping from 6th to 7th this season... However, Colfax still had a pair of solid hurlers.. 16-year vet and all-time IPA great Ilya Szabo was 17-13 with an impressive 2.53 ERA at age 39... Szabo is 285-160 in his career... young Cliff James is still a fine pitcher despite his 14-17 mark this year... James posted a solid 3.19 ERA... he just needs better run support... Colfax rank near the bottom in scoring with a .249 BA... top hitters are 26-year-old LF Billy Garrett, who blossomed with 32 homers and 89 RBIs after being traded from Kilkenny, and vet C Joe Alexander with 29 home runs and 88 RBIs.

Benny Stern didn't do well as he did with a fourth-place finish in 2017... his Stoner Stars plunged into the cellar this year... the Stars are not much offensively, but do possess some quality hurlers... Stern's best are Billy Chapel (18-15 3.74), Don Patterson (15-18 3.61) and Charley Norton (17-20 2.55)... Norton was a workhorse the entire season and suffered greatly from a lack of runs... LF Mike Jaffe (.306/28/105/96) is a fine young hitter, who put up good numbers for the sixth year in a row... the 24-year-old Jaffe is a lifetime .326 hitter... 19-year-old C Rob Stern, following in the footsteps of his father, batted .336 in his second season with 7 homers, 47 RBIs and scored 79 runs... good things are expected from the younger Stern in the coming seasons.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 17, 2018

2018 Tycobbian North Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 17, 2018

2018 Tycobbian North Final Recap

Luxora Wins 2nd TU North In A Row
The Luxora Zorros pretty much has their way again in the Tycobbian North, winning by 5 games over second-place Mahaska and 14 games over third place Fairfax and Hartsdale... heading the second division were the Oxford Red Caps, 22 games back in the race... White River was sixth 24 games behind... North Hills was seventh and 33 games off the pace... and Blue Lake lost over 100 games and finished in the basement 41 games behind Luxora.

Manager Cristo Viamonte brought home another division flag to Luxora, his second one in a row... it was the Zorros fourth title overall... Viamonte had the best team ERA in the TU this season with an impressive 3.24 ERA... his ace Tiago Torres had a sensational season with a 25-6 record and an IPA-leading 1.57 ERA... Torres set a new IPA mark for the lowest ERA... closer Jay Brewer (5-3) was a top-notch closer with 28 saves and a 2.34 ERA... Luxora was only adequate at the plate with a .254 BA and not much power... This will pose a problem in the postseason... top hitters are RF Jon Stafford (.290/29/117/87), C Jim Thorpe Chandler (.268/21/77/73) and vet 3B Pablo Santa Clara (.313/7/68/98).

Rudy Tanussa's Mahaska Haymakers had a poor first half and it cost them a chance at the pennant... the Haymakers were 12 games back at the All-Star Game, but made up a lot of ground and finished just 5 games behind Luxora... Mahaska has three fine starters in Yuri Dozhenko (20-15 3.36), Joey Wallace (17-7 3.10), and Johnny Picou (15-12 3.42), along with an excellent closer Ivan Belakov (3-3), who rang up 35 saves to top the IPA, along with Milt Baker of Rocky Rapids... Belakov posted a standout 1.73 ERA, too... Tanussa's weakness is at the plate, where he has only two quality hitters in C Bucky O'Brian (.320/15/77/77) and RF Ross Burke (.308/27/102/92)... The Haymakers hit only 89 roundtrippers, the fewest in the IPA.

Fairfax and Hartsdale tied for third and were 14 games back... the Frogs featured two fine starters... veterans Joe Hampton (21-14 2.79) and Ken Hill (18-15 2.38) led manager Harry Buckley's staff... Fairfax wasn't much with the bats... only RF Dane Wesner (.298/25/81) had a decent season.

The Hartsdale Hellcats were led by Bobo Boisseau (20-13 3.47) and closer Virgil Bowden (5-2), who took over the closing role in the last half of the year and copped 11 saves with a very strong 2.08 ERA... skipper Zim Donner had some good bats with power, sparked by aging vets 3B Kendry Moulton (.315/28/77/88), SS Jud Turchin (.290/24/83/89), 1B Tom Brabant (.291/22/79/66) and rookie CF Alec Unruh (.298/19/50/86)... the Hellcats hit 166 homers this year and rated 7th in the league.

Campy Roy's Oxford Red Caps wound up fifth, a modest improvement over last year's seventh-place finish... the Red Caps were 22 games out... Roy's best pitchers were 40-year-old Guy Mercier (16-18 3.35), who returned to the IPA after a 13-year absence, 26-year-old Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn (16-19 3.82) and new closer Rick Hunt (9-2 2.37), who put up 8 saves after taking over in the last half of the year... Oxford only has one solid hitter... 14-year IPA vet 1B Eddy Dowler led the club with a .287 BA, 21 homers, 78 RBIs and scored 87 runs.

The sixth-place White River Rascals wound up 24 games out of first... manager John Randison's best players were his superstud 1B Marty Blake, who racked up 46 home runs, 125 RBIs, scored 112 runs and hit .332 and veteran pitcher Joe Hudson with a 17-16 record and a solid 3.29 ERA.

Not a lot of talent in North Hills, where the Hub Carlson guided the Hawks to a dismal seventh-place finish, trailing by 33 games... closer Ben Garland (7-7) had a good season with 20 saves and a 2.58 ERA... North Hills suffered from poor pitching and poor hitting... long-time C Todd Simons paced the Hawks with 18 homers, 80 RBIs and 80 runs.

Cobb Tyson is afflicted with the worst team in the IPA... the Blue Lake Blue Sox had the worst record in the league this season with a 50-104 mark... CF Justin Kucks is the only decent player on the team and he batted only .269, but had 25 homers and 93 RBIs.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 17, 2018

2018 Tycobbian South Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 17, 2018

2018 Tycobbian South Final Recap

Typhoons Blow Away TU South
For the third year in a row the mighty Turon Typhoons have overwhelmed the Tycobbian South... Whitey Richburn's crew won 102 games and had the best record in the IPA... the Typhoons won by whopping 17 games over runner-up Arroyo Grande... Turon is blessed with outstanding pitching and solid hitting, ranking in the top three in most categories... Shane Farmer had a fantastic season with a 29-3 record, setting a new IPA standard for most victories, topping Ernie Watkins 28 wins in 2006, when he was playing for Rocky Rapids... the 36-year-old Farmer got a late start in the IPA and has played only 2 years, but he has certainly made his presence known... Farmer was 24-11 last year... the Typhoons long-time ace Nicky Engstrom was his usual self with a 2.59 ERA, but he failed to win 20 games for the first time in his 8-year career... Engstrom was 18-13 this season... Richburn has two other capable starters in veterans Ted Farentino (18-13 3.72) and James Stuart (14-5 3.80)... closer Merle Studebaker (4-7) was inconsistent, but saved 34 games and posted a 3.32 ERA... at the plate Turon's top sticks were the heralded 5-time All-Star 1B Clyde Kingsford (.338/44/143/114), who led the IPA in RBIs, talented CF Mac McCurnan (.304/32/89/123/37 SB) and gifted newcomer RF Dominick DiCaprio (.297/29/107/76)... Richburn has Turon primed for another strong run at the IPA Pro Cup... this could be the year of the Typhoons... Turon has appeared in 5 Pro Cup Finals, won 3 times and and almost won the other two times, losing in 7 games both times... They were edged out last year four-games-to-three by the Pro Cup champion Eastshore Elegants, who came back from a 3-2 deficit to take the title. In 2010 the Typhoons blew a 3-1 lead and fell to the Colfax Blasters.

Despite finishing far behind Turon, it was a fine season for the Arroyo Grande Suns with its best year ever with an 85-69 record... manager Cyclone Cobb parlayed good starting pitchers and a great closer into a very successful campaign... coupled with 198 home runs (2nd)... rookie Sixto Zamora (19-11 3.38), vet Miguel Aguilera (18-14 3.93) and second-year man Earl O'Reilly (13-13 2.61) were a fine rotation... closer Jason Patrick (7-2) had a standout season with 32 saves and a microscopic 0.78 ERA... offensively the Suns were led by sophomore C Gary Troxell (.325/43/117/95), who was even better than his outstanding Rookie of the Year season... Troxel hit 48 points higher and increased his homer and RBI output... and super gloveman SS Andy Pearson (.315/17/61/98) also provided some bat support.

Charley Oscar led his Southport Sun Sox to a third place spot in the standings... they were 7th last year... the Sun Sox finished 10 games above .500... 82-72 is the best mark the team has ever achieved in the club's 17-year history... Southport depended on two fine starters in Bob Montgomery (23-9 2.23) and Wilcy Lord (17-13 3.29), along with superb closer Danny Fontaine (4-7), who registered 27 saves with a very impressive 1.84 ERA... Oscar needs much more offense to compete for the top spot... the Sun Sox have only two quality hitters in 1B Bill McCann (.284/24/96) and CF Walt Muller (.302/20/79)... Southport has a long, long way to go.

It was not a good year for Uncle Robbie Wilbertson and the Colchester Elites, who slipped below .500 and into fourth place... the Elites were 26 games off the pace... Wilbertson's best hurlers were Jon McGinn (17-15 3.68), Don Green (13-13 3.65) and strong closer Don Richard (5-7), who chalked up 28 saves with an excellent 1.68 ERA... Colchester had a weak offense... only 38-year-old 1B Harlan Roscoe (.330/18/83) provided much in the way of production... it looks like Roscoe is finally slowing down after 17 fine seasons in the league... his power numbers are down quite a bit.

One of the better TU South franchises, the Cape Coral Hurricanes, have fallen on hard times with lackluster pitching and hitting... this year the Hurricanes were 28 games behind Turon in fifth place... just two years ago skipper Marty Pedroza led them to a very strong second to Turon and the 'Canes won the division in 2015... last year they slid down to fourth... even the all-time IPA leader in victories and strikeouts Cody Burg is feeling the pain... Burg was a poor 13-21 this season with a very mortal 3.66 ERA... Burg is 323-212 in his 18 years with a great 2.66 career ERA... only closer Bobby Maas (4-2) has remained a prime-time player with 33 saves and a brilliant 1.53 ERA... As a team Cape Coral batted only .251 (23rd) and compiled a so-so 3.91 team ERA (23rd)... vet Tank Tucker was Pedroza's biggest winner with a 15-21 mark and a 3.88 ERA... his best bat belonged to 1B Dick Walker, who hit .293 with 19 homers and 73 RBIs... the Hurricanes are certainly not the quality year-to-year contender of a few years ago.

The Summerland Sunsets just simply couldn't hit and wound up in sixth place, 33 games back in the race... Will Hackett's club hit only .245... however, the Sunset staff was a good one with Ryan McGhee (15-13 3.37) and Sparky DeWey (15-17 3.64)... it was an especially painful season for 18-year veteran Denny Coulon, who pitched 18 complete games, compiled a very strong 2.48 ERA, yet had only a 9-23 mark to show for it... Coulon is 283-258 lifetime with a stout 2.90 ERA... Rarely in his 18-year career has Coulon has the fortune to play for a strong contender... He played his first 7 seasons in Bay St. Clair, who had some good clubs, but has since languished in obscurity in Summerland... bullpen ace Leon Mullin is a big plus... Mullin was 4-4 with 30 saves and a very good 2.42 ERA... Hackett does have one truly fine ballplayer in LF Vann Kelder, who smacked 40 homers, drove in 104 runs and scored 106 times in his second season... however, Kelder is already 35 and probably doesn't have many more years left.

The Ginza Ninjas took a quite a jolt this year and fell all the down to seventh place in the TU South, 34 games behind... lousy hitting did it... the Ninjas batted only .248 and ranked 31st in run scoring... manager Huroko Uchiyama had fair pitching, headed up by his ace Joji Azuma (17-15 2.55), who put up 18 complete games... in the batter's box old reliable C Crash Davis always puts up quality numbers... this year he again led the team with a sparkling .321 BA, 25 homers and 83 runs batted in... the 24-year-old Davis has made the TU All-Star team all 6 years he has been in the IPA.

For the fifth year in succession the poor San Alejo Montaneros were doomed to the cellar, winding up way, way back and 43 games behind pennant-winning Turon... manager Marcellino Zuniga ranked near the bottom with a pathetic .243 BA (31st)... the Montaneros didn't have much pitching either... starter Chad Gilmore (9-21 3.28) and closer Robby Franks (4-6 2.68) were Zuniga's only quality arms... Franks had 16 saves... San Alejo's best bats are only mediocre... 2B Ron Felker (.273/20/68/97) and 1B Dominique Poirot (.265/20/78/89) provided the little offense the Montaneros had.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 17, 2018

2018 Tycobbian East Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 17, 2018

2018 Tycobbian East Final Recap

Ozarka Nats Dominate TU East Again, Nab 4th Straight Flag
Will it be the Year of the Naturals?... Will Ozarka finally win a Pro Cup?... Manager Joe Mac Carney has gone on record that this is his best club ever, saying they are the best club in the IPA's strongest division... 6 teams finished over the .500 mark this season... the Naturals were 101-53 and easily won the Tycobbian East for the fourth year in a row by 9 games over the Tuckanarra Blue Jays... Ozarka dominates the division with a lofty .293 BA (1st)... is number one in scoring and boasts good power with 177 homers... Carney is very strong on the hill, too... the Naturals team ERA was 3.24 (2nd)... Carney's line-up is chocked full of talented hitters, led by 1B Benny Rousseau (.321/43/128/107), 3B Andre Dumas (.331/34/98/111), CF Ryoma Nakayamna (.323/11/80/90), C Frank Kiffin (.334/12/64/89), RF Ken Mayberry (.307/8/49/81) and 2B Todd Chadwick (.288/20/86/89)... pitching-wise, his staff is just as good as the batting order with 22-year-old ace Benny Osterman (22-12 2.44), who has won 20 games in each of his four years in the IPA... Howard Hutch (19-12 2.44) blossomed this season and struck out 314 batters, second best in the IPA... third-year man Ted Cardinale (17-6 2.85) also stepped it up and became a very strong starter... Ozarka also got former ace Wayne Gates back after being out for 13 months... Gates returned in September and was 1-1 and 3.71 in two starts... He will be available for the playoffs... Gates is 63-29 is his three seasons, twice winning 20 games... Bullpen specialist Josh Carpenter (5-2) was outstanding with 27 saves and a splendid 1.91 ERA... on paper, the Naturals are as fine a club as has stepped onto an IPA diamond... they certainly will be a severe test for anybody in the Pro Cup playoffs... along with Turon, Eastshore and Rocky Rapids.

Carlton "Lefty" Stevens and his tough Tuckanarra Blue Jays have the misfortune in being in the same division with Ozarka... Stevens has one of the top teams in the Tycobbian Union, but the best it can do is finish second to the Naturals... the Blue Jays hung around until mid-season, only 5 games behind, but couldn't keep up with Ozarka's torrid pace in the second half of the year and wound up 9 games out... Stevens can compete with the Nats on the mound, but not at the plate... Tuckanarra has three 20-game winners, led by Titus Bristow (31-13 2.43), Yuka Nawajuk (20-13 2.86) and Roy Spence (21-8 3.45)... in addition to a terrific closer Archie Desmond (5-3), who raked in 32 saves and posted a super-low 1.43 ERA... the Tucks are short-handed when it come to offense... Stevens only has two standout sticks in the line-up with 1B Erik Vayda (.332/24/121/97) and RF Danny Redd (.349/21/79/109)... 38-year-old Vayda seems to get better with age and had his best season in his 14-year career.

The South Fork Stallions are a quality ball club under manager Duroche "Lips" Leon, coming in third for the third year in a row... the Stallions ended up 14 games off the pace... Leon has better-than-average batting and pitching... Blackie Terranova (21-8 2.83) and Sean Swensen (18-9 2.66) are both strong starters... his good bats are 1B Joe Peters, who had a sensational season with a .362 BA, 35 homers, 121 RBIs and 100 runs... Peters was runner-up to Jack Elliott of High Mesa for the bat crown... RF Robby Michael (.318/26/102/111)... and CF Glenn McLaughlin (.280/9/53/101).

Since taking over two years ago, Rawhide Marshall has righted the Hillsboro Blazers with two successive fourth-place finishes... in the past the club was always near the bottom... this year the Blazers were 18 games out of the top spot... Hillsboro has some solid hurlers in its starting rotation with Tom Edgar (18-10 2.71), Chris Dean (18-15 3.11), Yank Yoland (16-8 3.49) and Pat Buettner (17-15 3.89)... the Blazers could use some bats... Marshall top performers are 1B Andy Jefferson (.289/33/97/64), CF Bob Graham (.297/13/72/111) and C Gil Giroux (.319/20/69/78).

The fifth-place Midway Wolves had a productive year, finishing over .500 for the eighth consecutive season under skipper Cochise Chandler... the Wolves were 20 in back of Ozarka, but 8 games over .500... pitchers Motega Wolf (20-12 2.81) and Warren Pollard (22-13 3.84), along with 3B Gerry Jordan (.288/32/99) carried the club... the Wolves have good firepower and smacked 182 out of the ballpark.

The High Mesa Cowboys topped the IPA with 220 homers, but ended up sixth in a very strong division... the Cowpokes were 80-74 with Frisky Franks at the helm... High Mesa has the best player in the IPA leading the charge... 1B Jack Elliott missed a month of the season, but still put up gigantic numbers... Elliott led the IPA with a .369 average and 49 homers (tied with Middlefield's Chuck Larkin)... he also scored 122 times and batted across 110 runs... RF Darrel Alston and SS Stephen Andrews did their part, too... Alston walloped 40 home runs, batted in 102 runs and hit .300... Andrews compiled a .332 mark with 23 roundtrippers, 89 RBIs and 83 runs scored... Franks got good efforts from two starters... Scotty Snyder was 15-9 with a fine 2.51 ERA and Ronald Ward was 18-12 and a 3.05 ERA.

Bucky Frizzell and his Red Bluff Red Sox continued to linger in the lower rungs of the TU East with a seventh-place finish, trailing by 30 games... its the fourth year straight the Red Sox wound up in the second division... Grady Daggs (16-15 3.87) and Paul Nelson (14-14) were the top mound performers and 3B Jose Aguilar (.320/20/82/98) and RF Ron van Riebe (.304/23/92/75) led Red Bluff at the plate.

For the ninth successive season the hapless East Point Panthers slumbered in the lower reaches of the TU East... 7 of the last 9 years the Panthers have owned last place... the other two times they were next-to-last... Rex Sokolov took over three seasons ago, but has had little success... Bingo Long (14-17 3.55) is his only quality pitcher... offensively East Point's top producers are CF Sozi Akiyama (.308/27/100/109), SS Gil Rayfor (.326/6/56/102) and LF Ted Dupre (.288/27/88/79).

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 17, 2018

2018 Tycobbian West Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 17, 2018

2018 Tycobbian West Final Recap

Bucs Bag 3 TU West Flags in 4 Years
The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers triumphed for the third time in four seasons in the Tycobbian West... The Bucs fought off a 4-team challenge... Manager Guy Rondre's Buccaneers beat Arlon by 4 games, pulling away in the final week of the season... Bayview was third and 6 games back... Chicopee came in fourth and trailed by 7... and Rolling Hills was fifth and 8 games off the pace.

Bay St. Clair relied on solid pitching, hitting and fielding to claim the title, led by starters Hal Meissner (20-10 3.65) and Benny Coates (17-13 3.04), along with a good closer Steve Richt (5-7), who chalked up 30 saves and a 2.73 ERA... at the plate the best Buccaneers were CF Bill Howell (.314/2/55/101), 2B Bud Walker (.298/6/57/91), SS Jimmy Sawyer (.274/25/101/85) and LF Bruno DiPirro (.292/9/89/71)... Bay St. Clair didn't rank high in offensive stats except for a 4th-place finish in scoring... They hit only .259 (16th), but were 8th with a 3.45 team ERA... the Buccaneers handle the gloves well with a .977 FA... the baseball gurus don't expect the Bucs to get past the Pro Cup first round, citing a lack of talent compared to the other postseason participants.

Second place Arlon got a surge in hitting this year and moved up in the standings from fourth to number two... LF Rocco Belasario sparked the Champs with a career year... Belasario batted .340 with 35 homers, 109 RBIs, scored 129 times and stole 80 bases... 1B Rod MacCormack rekindled his career with Arlon after 15 seasons with Denton City... 36-year-old MacCormack cracked 20 home runs, drove in 93 and scored 88... Denton City gave up on him and traded him in early 2017... CF Chucky Gilton had a decent year with a .280 average, 12 homers and 89 RBIs... skipper Gary Louis had several good starters in Charley Gordon (20-14 3.41), Happy McManus (15-12 3.13) and Hubie Croft (20-14).

Walter Johanssen's Bayview Vikings wound up third this year, 6 games off the pace... The Viks were hampered by a lack of hitting this year... only 3B Karl Benson (.302/29/91/86) put up decent numbers... Johanssen main strength was his pitching corps, staffed by a solid trio of Rick Pritchard (18-10 3.32), Harald Turi (16-13 3.46) and Georgie Fambreau (17-12 3.74)... Bayview has the best defense in the TU with a .978 FA.

The Chicopee Braves under manager Harry Fleetfoot ended up fourth in the race, 7 games behind, after being tied with Arlon at the halfway point in the season... the Braves were woefully weak in the batter's box with just a .244 batting average, ranking low in all offensive categories... Chicopee best performers at the plate were LF Paul Wanageeska with a .287 BA, 13 HR, 87 RBIs, 106 runs and 46 stolen bases and C Ivan Burkholder with a .304 average, 18 roundtrippers and 70 runs batted in... the mound staff carried the Braves this season with vets starters Desmond Quartermain (17-16 3.06) and Tommy Riddle (19-15 3.71)... young 24-year-old closer Tom Greenwood was a huge force, too... Greenwood was 5-1 with 32 saves and an superlative 1.49 ERA... the Braves improved from seventh place last year.

Matty Christianson's Rolling Hills Reds were a better team this season victory-wise, but they dropped in the standings... 80 wins was good only for a fifth-place finish in the TU West... the Reds were 8 games out of first... a small core of talented players carried Rolling Hills... top pitchers were Sal Jordan with a 20-16 mark and a 2.60 ERA... Jordan completed 20 of his starts... Shane Hooper was 17-12 with a 3.09 ERA... closer Alfonso Gonzales posted 28 saves with a 4-5 record and 2.94 ERA... Christianson has two fine bats in CF Donnie Lewis (.336/11/90/110) and 3B Clay Hoffman (.323/35/118/77).

Aaron Hankins has not had a good club in Kenwood since the pennant-winning 2014 season, a year the Wildcats surprised everybody in the Islands by claiming the Pro Cup... this season Kenwood wallowed in sixth place, 12 games off the pace, not quite reaching the .500 mark... Hankins has poor hitting and only fair pitching... you know your club is in trouble when its most productive hitter bats has a .231 BA... CF Vince Palmer led the Wildcats with 18 homers, 75 RBIs and 99 runs... on the hill it was Sammy Shaw (22-10 2.87) and closer Jody Gentry (6-6) with a great 1.61 ERA and 19 saves.

The LaClaire Lynx have been in the second-division doldrums for the ninth straight year, winding up in seventh place, 23 games back... skipper Rip Calkin has the worst pitching in the TU with a sky-high 4.75 ERA... what little success the Lynx has is due to two fantastic hitters... LF Zeppy Deshotel and 3B Flash Devlin are pretty much the whole team... Deshotel. a 9-time All-Star with a .313 lifetime batting average, over 400 homers and almost 1500 RBIs and 1500 runs scored... At 35 Deshotel batted .335 with 39 home runs, 118 RBIs and scored 113 times, while the 25-year-old Devlin, a 4-time All-Star and a .333 career hitter, slugged 44 out of the park, batted in 115 runs and scored 140 times... Devlin led the IPA in runs scored... LaClaire smacked 196 homers this season and ranked 3rd in the TU.

The once-proud Denton City Redbirds with 6 TU West flags in its history has really sunk to the bottom of the division... this was the third successive season the Redbirds found themselves in last place, finishing 24 games behind division winner Bay St. Clair... manager Ford Whiteman still has a few quality arms in 40-year-old Pete Henry (11-11 3.15) and 39-year-old Mila Mohoski (11-17 2.99)... plus 27-year-old closer Rich Hopkins, who was 7-12 with a 2.31 ERA and 22 saves... C Pete Gibbs is the best bat with a .321 BA, 14 HR, 57 RBI and 74 runs... Vet CF Todd Bryant paced the club with 19 home runs, 77 RBIs and 83 runs, but batted only .251 for an average.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 17, 2018

Eastshore Favored In Pro Cup
It won't be easy, but according to The Islandian Times annual Pro Cup poll, the Eastshore Elegants are favored to win their third consecutive IPA Pro Cup. The Elegants got the nod over several talented and hungry ballclubs. Last year's runner-up Turon was the number two choice. The Typhoons fell victim to Eastshore last season, when the Elegants came back from a 3-2 deficit. Both Eastshore and Turon could fall prey to powerful Rocky Rapids and Ozarka. The odds-makers ranked all four teams pretty much even. Anyone of them could win it all. None of the other clubs are expected to contend for the crown. Bay St. Clair was rated fifth-most likely to win the Pro Cup, followed by Luxora, Ancona and Claxton.

Best Team Record: Turon (102-52)
Best Team Batting Average: Ozarka (.293)
Most Home Runs: Ozarka (177)
Most Runs: Ozarka (834)
Best Team ERA: Eastshore (2.98)
Best Starters ERA: Rocky Rapids (3.10)
Best Bullpen ERA: Eastshore (2.10)
Best Team Defense: Bay St. Clair (.977)

1. Eastshore Elegants (97-67)
.265 BA
161 HR
740 Runs
3.13 ERA (Starters)
2.10 ERA (Bullpen)
.969 FA

2. Turon Typhoons (102-52)
.276 BA
164 HR
809 Runs
3.20 ERA (Starters)
3.87 ERA (Bullpen)
.969 FA

3. Ozarka Naturals (101-53)
.293 BA
177 HR
834 Runs
3.36 ERA (Starters)
2.73 ERA (Bullpen)
.974 FA

4. Rocky Rapids (96-60)
.277 BA
149 HR
775 Runs
3.10 ERA (Starters)
3.23 ERA (Bullpen)
.968 FA

5. Bay St. Clair (88-66)
.259 BA
123 HR
754 Runs
3.56 ERA (Starters)
2.90 ERA (Bullpen)
.977 FA

6. Luxora Zorros (91-63)
.254 BA
102 HR
689 Runs
3.15 ERA (Starters)
3.51 ERA (Bullpen)
.975 FA

7. Ancona Red Elephants (87-67)
.265 BA
149 HR
772 Runs
3.86 ERA (Starters)
3.25 ERA (Bullpen)
.973 FA

8. Claxton Diamonds (85-69)
.270 BA
166 HR
821 Runs
4.37 ERA (Starters)
3.23 ERA (Bullpen)
.974 FA

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 18, 2018

2018 IPA Pro Cup

Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series

Siegfried Blanks Snappers, Eastshore Takes Elite 8 Opener
Defending IPA Pro Cup titlist Eastshore took the opening game of the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series with Rocky Rapids as Danny Siegfried fired a 2-0 shutout, stopping the Snappers on just 5 hits... Siegfried (1-0) fanned 5 and walked two... Junior Noland (0-1) caught the loss, but pitched very well, holding the Elegants to just 6 hits and 2 runs... Eastshore got both of its runs in the bottom of the second on SS Bob Leach's RBI single and C Darrell Adams' sacrifice fly... Leach led the Elegants with a 3-for-3 day... CF Carl Johnson and RF Tiger Noland each got 2 hits for the Snappers.

Dukas Dumps Diamonds 6-2, Ancona Wins First Game
At Ancona's Jay Loman Park, Clete Dukas fashioned a strong 4-hitter as Ancona dumped Claxton 6-2 in the first game of the best-of-seven RU Elite 8 Series... 1B Johnny Lee Harder hammered a crucial 2-run homer in the 3-run seventh to break up a close 3-2 game... Harder's clout gave the Red Elephants a 6-2 cushion... Kaz Hayakawa (0-1) was the losing pitcher... Ancona battered him for 6 runs in his 6+ innings... they kayoed him in the seventh... the Red Elephants collected 10 hits in all with 3 homers... besides Harder, 3B Alex Brazzi and CF Ken Rutledge went deep, all off Hayagawa.

Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series

Torres Tames Turon In Game 1
Highly-touted Turon ran into a fine pitcher in game one of the TU Elite 8 Series at Typhoon Stadium... Luxora's 25-game winner Tiago Torres (1-0) was too much for the Typhoons... the 31-year-old lefty tamed them on 7 hits and 3 runs and outpitched Turon's ace Nicky Engstrom... Torres totaled 5 Ks and 2 walks... Zorro closer Jay Brewer finished them off with a runless ninth to save the game for Torres... C Jim Thorpe Chandler had 3 hits and scored two runs to lead the Z's at the plate... 2B Billy Whitney added 2 hits and batted in 2 runs... Luxora ran up a 4-1 lead against loser Engstrom (0-1), who allowed only 2 earned runs, fanned 5 and walked 4 in an uneven performance for him... the Zorros outhit the Typhoons 8-7... C Augie Comasco paced Turon with 2 runs batted in.

Nats Nab Opener, Osterman Stops Bucs 6-2
The powerful Ozarka Naturals strutted to a 6-2 decision over Bay St. Clair in the first game of the TU Elite 8 Series played at Ellie Ewing Stadium in Ozarka... last year in the playoffs the Buccaneers upset Ozarka in the first round... the Nats rocketed 14 hits off Buccaneer pitching and got a solid outing from their ace Benny Osterman, though he was touched for 9 hits, but Osterman only gave up 2 runs in going the route... 2B Todd Chadwick and LF Jose Ordonez topped Ozarka with 3 hits apiece.

[Eugene Church]

Map of Islandia

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Around The Town In The IPA

Ancona Red Elephants

Owner: Golden Hill Insurance Company
President of the Board: Dimitrios Vakros
GM: Nick Yakis
Manager: Manny Mickens

Ancona, a town of 68,000 is situated on the west coast of Valdar Island, on the banks of Valdar Bay in the nation of Ruthlandia. In terms of topography, it is an area of mostly flat land with rocky soil, coupled with occasional stony bluffs and hills. It is a chilly, rainy and foggy climate, especially in the winter. Founded by Greek settlers in the late 1870s, who set up the town as a supply port for whaling and cargo ships. They named the town Ancona, because the harbor was shaped like an elbow. "Ancona" is similar in meaning to the Greek word "ankon" for elbow. Ancona still has a thriving Greek community and they make up about a fourth of the town's residents.

When whaling began to decline around 1910, the town sought other revenue streams. The Ancona Whaling Cooperative expanded into maritime insurance and started the Golden Hill Insurance Company. By the late 1940s it had become the largest insurance company in Ruthlandia. The company motto stated, "Golden Hill, the safe place for you and yours".

The company also owns a IPA baseball franchise, the Ancona Red Elephants, who have an interesting history of their own. Originally founded by Jay Loman, an American emigre stock trader during the Roaring '20s. He was an alumnus of the University of Alabama and was a big fan of the Red Elephants athletic teams. So he named his company team the Red Elephants. Loman spent a fortune on his expensive hobby, building a new ballpark and going to the mainland to sign up the best players he could get, illegally paying his "amateurs" exorbitant salaries. Valdar Island was bypassed by many early immigrants because of its inhospitable topography. No one wanted to live there. Big salaries were the only way he could get the best players to come and play in the Valdar Island league. The Ancona Red Elephants were a very dominant team for a decade and were huge fan favorites in the local industrial league. They won the coveted Silver Whale Cup nine years in a row, which is given annually to the Valdar Island League Champion. Like many speculators, Loman lost everything in the Black Monday crash of 1929, including the Red Elephants, who were sold at auction and purchased by the Golden Hill Insurance Company.

Jay Loman Park still stands today and is considered a timeless classic, with its high-arching bleachers in left and right field offering excellent sightlines. Out beyond center field, the immense gold building that houses Golden Hill can be seen, along with some of the old historical buildings of the town, many of which date back to Ancona's whaling days.

The chief food attraction at the stadium is the Catch of the Day Special, a succulent fish and chips meal whose seafood component is never the same thing for two home games in a row. A hot cup of delicious seafood chowder goes good on a chilly Anconan afternoon at Jay Loman Park. Traditional ballpark fare is also available. You will also be entertained by Eddie and Ellie Elephant, the team's mascots. They lead the fans in dances, songs and cheers at each game. You will hear "The Elephant Trumpet" regularly at Elephant games and especially whenever Ancona hits a home run or wins a game.

Ree Ree Ree!
Elephants on parade!
Elephants on parade!

You think you can beat the best
But you're just like the rest
When pachyderm power strikes!
When pachyderm power strikes!

So goodbye ball! (if a homer)
So goodbye (opponent name)! (if a win)
Three cheers for the Elephants!
Three cheers for the Elephants!

Ree! Ree! Ree!

After the game, fans often go to The Mudbath, the unofficial Red Elephants sports bar to talk about the game, knock back a cold brew or two and listen to live music from a local band.

Speaking of local bands, there's a thriving music scene in Ancona and none is more popular than the world-famous Manatees, a multi-platinum album musical group who sings sea chanties and other traditional songs that hearken back to the city's initial whaling days. They, along with the rest of the local groups, are often found playing in the town's equally popular taverns, especially on cold winter nights.

The Ancona Red Elephants GM is Nick Yakis. He has been a player and manager for over 30 years in the Valdar Island League. And keeping everything in the family, Yakis hired his son-in-law, Manny Mickens, as manager. Mickens was a 16-year old phenom in his playing days in the company league. He was a centerfielder who could do it all on the diamond. After retiring as a player, Mickens was quite successful running the baseball program at Ancona University.

Jay Loman Park (1922)

Capacity: 8,899

LF Line 332
LF Line 352
LCF 375
CF 415
RCF 375
RF 352
RF Line 332

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 19, 2018

2018 IPA Pro Cup Playoffs

Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series

Snappers Even Series, Anderson Downs Elegants 5-2
Rocky Rapids lanky left-hander Joe Anderson and first baseman Joel Williams teamed up to even up the RU Elite 8 Series with mighty Eastshore at one game each... Anderson (1-0) put down the Elegants 5-2, limiting them to just 2 runs on 6 hits in 8 sharp innings... and Williams drilled 3 hits and drove in 3 runs, snapping a 2-2 tie in the top of the eighth with an RBI single and really put Eastshore away with a 2-run double in the ninth... Milt Baker saved it for Anderson by retiring the Elegants in the ninth... last year's Pro Cup MVP Bix Hansen worked a good game, but faltered in the late innings... loser Hansen allowed 3 runs on 7 hits with 6 Ks and 4 bases on balls... 3B Bob Leach batted in both of Eastshore's runs.

Claxton Gains Split, Edges Ancona 6-5 in 13
Manager Manny Mickens got magnificent mound work from his bullpen to outlast Ancona 6-5 in 13 innings to gain a split in the RU Elite Series... both clubs have won a game... after Ancona tied the score at 5-5 with 3 runs in the fifth, four Diamond relievers blanked the Red Elephants on 2 hits over the final 8 innings with Davey Baldwin (1-0) getting the win... PH Don Cussons plated the winning run with a sacrifice fly... Lynwood Marshall (0-1) was the losing pitcher... he gave up a run in his 2 innings... the Red Elephants had 9 hits to 8 for the Diamonds... there were 6 homers in the game, 3 for each team... 3B Eric Carducci, RF K. C. Moerdijk and LF George McKay went deep for the victors, while RF Louie DiMucci, LF Kenny Willard and CF Ken Rutledge homered for Ancona.

Zorros Zap Turon 10-5, Up By 2 Games
Can you believe it? Luxora has copped the first two games of the TU Elite 8 Series with heavily-favored Turon... Turon's Shane Farmer was a fantastic 29-3 during the regular season and set a new standard for wins in the IPA, but it didn't make any difference to the Luxora Zorros, they just went to work early and teed off on Farmer (0-1) for 8 runs in 6+ innings on the way to a 10-5 shellacking... it was Farmer's first postseasonn loss... last year he was unbeaten in 4 games... RF Jon Stafford, 1B Robby Christianson, 2B Billy Whitney and SP Steve Aaron led the 12-hit attack with 2 RBIs apiece... C Jim Thorpe Chandler was 3-for-5 and scored twice with a home run... Aaron went the distance, yielding 7 hits and 5 runs with 5 strikeouts and a couple of walks... trailing 10-2, the Typhoons finally got to him with 3 runs in the ninth... C Cody Moore drove in 4 runs with a pair of hits for Turon and LF Andy Porter had 2 hits, including a homer.

Bucs Belt Nats 6-1, Series Tied, Coates Winner
Ben Coates fired a 3-hitter and Bay St. Clair bats came alive as they belted Ozarka 6-1 to tie the TU Elite Series at a game each... Coates didn't allow an earned run in the complete game... the Bucs got 11 hits with 1B Gerry Fields and RF Alejandro Feliciano both driving in a pair of runs... Fields got the only home run... the loss went Ted Cardinale, who was ripped for 5 runs before departing in the eighth, trailing by 5-0.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Thursday, September 20, 2018

2018 IPA Pro Cup Playoffs

Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series

Snappers Slip By Elegants 4-2, Lead Series
All the experts were saying it was a "pick 'em" series between the two-time Pro Cup champs Eastshore and up-and-coming Rocky Rapids... so far the Snappers have gotten the best of it with a two games to one lead in the RU Elite 8 Series... playing at home for the first time in this series, Rocky Rapids slipped past Eastshore 4-2 with Don Chaney going 8 strong innings for the victory... Chaney (1-0) permitted 7 hits and both runs... the save went to Milt Baker for a scoreless ninth... it was Baker's second save in the series... C Hank Bethel had 3 of the Snappers 9 hits... the Elegants got 8 hits and were paced by LF Stan Cuccinello and 3B George Alford with 2 each... Melvin Key (0-1) went the distance in defeat and gave up only 2 earned runs.

Ancona Explodes Late, Whips Claxton 7-3
On the road at Claxton's beautiful Avalon Stadium, the Ancona Red Elephants exploded for 5 runs in the top of the eighth to snap a 2-2 tie in game three of the RU Elite 8 Series... Ancona now has a game edge in the best-of-seven affair... 1B Johnny Lee Harder and C Ricky Utterbach each rapped 2-run singles in the big frame... Dave Blair (1-0) posted the victory with help from Lynwood Marshall... Blair permitted 3 runs and 7 hits in his 8 innings, while Marshall saved it with a runless ninth... Ernie van Riebeeck (0-1) suffered the loss, but only gave up one earned run... all of the runs in the decisive 8th were not earned... van Riebeeck allowed only 4 hits in 7+ frames... LF George McKay slammed his 3rd roundtripper in the series, but to no avail... CF Rich van Heerden was the Diamonds top bat with 3 hits and 2 RBIs.

Typhoons Win Game 3 In 2-1 Squeaker
Turon's manager Whitey Ashburn breathed a sigh of relief as his Turon Typhoons finally won a game in the TU Elite 8 Series with Luxora... the Typhoons dropped the first two games and were in dire need of a victory... Ted Farentino gave it to them with a strong 8-inning performance to squeak by the Zorros 2-1 at De la Vega Stadium in Luxora... Farentino (1-0) gave up 8 hits, but only 1 run... closer Merle Studebaker pitched a perfect ninth for the save, striking out 2... Octavio Mercado (0-1) pitched a whale of game for the Z's, holding Turon to just 4 hits... however wildness in the second inning cost him the game... Mercado forced in the eventual winning run by walking CF Mac McCurnan with the bases loaded... Mercado walked 5 in the games and fanned 4... McCurnan drove in both Typhoon scores... he also homered in the opening inning.

Bucs Sink Nats With 5-Run Ninth
In an unbelievable finish, the hometown Bay St. Clair Buccaneers saved the best for last and shocked the Ozarka Naturals 5-4 for a two-to-one lead in the TU Elite 8 showdown... Nats starter Howard Hutch went into the last inning with a pretty safe 4-0 lead, but couldn't hold it... the Bucs blasted him and reliever Josh Carpenter (0-1) for 5 runs and the win... PH Orlando Mercado hit a walk-off 3-run double to decide it... Ozarka had the advantage in hits 11 to 10... 1B Benny Rousseau had a 2-run home-run shot in the first inning to spark the Naturals.