ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Beechwood And Ozarka Favorites In Final 4 Showdowns
Four talented teams have survived the first round of the IPA Pro Cup playoffs. Two of them were expected to make it to the Final 4s, two of them had to beat favored teams to get here. Mighty Ozarka, rated the best team in the Islands, powered and pitched its way past a tougher-than-expected Arlon, an eighth seed. Seventh-seed Luxora had to get by the strong third-ranked Arroyo Grande Suns to get a shot at knocking off the Naturals. Fourth-seeded Beechwood won as forecast over the defending Pro Cup champs, the fifth-ranked Rocky Rapids Snappers, while number six Crystal Lake surprised powerful Ancona, the number-two ranked team.

The Luxora Zorros have a massive task in the Tycobbian Final 4. Powerhouse Ozarka combines excellent pitching with excellent hitting and firepower - the Naturals don't seem to have a weakness. Still the Z's think they have a chance. They defeated a very fine Arroyo Grande club, a club very similar to Ozarka. And they took 4 of the 6 regular-season games with Ozarka. The Nats will have the home-field advantage with the first two games slated for Ellie Ewing Stadium. Games six and seven, if needed, will also be played there.

The Crystal Lake Crushers had to beat the best team in Ruthlandia in the first round and they did it with their bats, which was totally unexpected. The Crushers were not very good hitting the ball in the regular season, but they blisterered Ancona pitching for a .320 batting average in the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series. They will have to continue to put lots of runs on the scoreboard to overcome the Beechwood Bobcats, who not only can score with the best of them, they also have outstanding pitching. The Bobcats won the regular-season series four games to two. The RU Final 4 opens up tomorrow afternoon in Beechwood at City Park Stadium.

Ozarka and Beechwood get the nod from the baseball experts. Not only do they hit well, but have a fine mound staff, too. It will be the Naturals and Bobcats in this year Pro Cup Finals.

[Eugene Church]

Map Of Islandia

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Around The Town In The IPA

Beechwood Bobcats
Owner: Bob Catlin
GM/Manager: Bret George

Beechwood is an agrarian town of 118,000 just south of the Central Plains on the east coast of Ruthlandia near the Valerian Ocean. The town was settled by a group of American abolitionists from the North and the South, who foresaw the coming Civil War and decided to emigrate to Ruthlandia, a country free from the rigors of slavery and religious intolerance.

Scenic harbors, pristine beaches with white sand, beautiful golf courses, plantation homes with formal gardens of bygone days and miles and miles of cottonfields are ever present. Massive colonial mansions along tree-lined and brick-paved streets in the old historic district. Honeysuckle and jasmine fragrances in the air with blooms of azaleas and camellias everywhere. The mild climate makes Beechwood a wonderful town for tourists and vacationers. At night wrought iron gas street lights illuminate the downtown area know as the Old City Market, which is filled with fine department stores, upscale and posh hotels, nostalgic in the architecture of yesteryear and food for all tastes and budgets.

Beechwood is also the home of the Beechwood Bobcats of the Islandian Pro Alliance. They are named after their fine owner, Bob Catlin, one of the most respected baseball men throughout the Islands and one of baseball's best people. An outstanding ballplayer in his day, Catlin began playing ball for one of the company teams in the area, eventually went to work for them, rose in its ranks, ended up owning the company, and now own a team in the IPA.

The Bobcats play at City Park Stadium. It is known for its fine food specialities like crab soup and oyster pie. And of course, peanuts, crackerjacks, cotton candy, popcorn, snowballs (made especially creamy with rich condensed milk), hot dogs, hamburgers, finger-licking good southern fried chicken, cokes and beer are at the concession stands, too.

Bob Catlin, the Bobcats owner, is an accomplished clarinet player and often sits in with the Bobcats, a Dixieland band that entertains at all Beechwood games.

Bret George, an outstanding hitter and third baseman in industrial league circles, is the Bobcats' GM and Manager.

Beechwood Bobcats

City Park Stadium (1973)
Capacity: 8,500

Dimensions:
LF LINE 330
LF 345
LCF 375
CF 402
RCF 375
RF 345
RF LINE 330

[Eugene Church]

City Park Stadium

[Eugene Church]

Around the Town In The IPA

CRYSTAL LAKE CRUSHERS

Owner: John William Flood III, Casino Enterprises
GM/Manager: Herman "Baby" George

Crystal Lake is the largest lake in Ruthlandia, situated in the southeastern corner of the country. The town, Crystal Lake, is located on a spit of land at the southwestern corner of the lake from which it got its name. Crystal Lake is south of Valka and just 25 miles across the lake. Belair Beach, San Dimas and Grand City are also close by. Crystal Lake is a polyglot town of 77,000 people who march to the beat of a different drummer.

Crystal Lake is best known for its liberal politics. Think of San Francisco in the United States for a comparable culture. Environmentalists, Jesus Freaks, Rock 'n' Roll enthusiasts in a fairly free society. Locals claim they are not liberal, they are libertarians. Critics counter that residents aren't libertarians, they are libertines. European tourists compare the town to Amsterdam, but not quite as notoriously liberal.

The lowlands around the town are more properly classified as bogs. Glacial activity 10,000 years ago scooped out what would become Crystal Lake and dumped quite a moraine when retreating, forming the land that was settled in the late 1800's. The area never really did grown because of the swampy terrain.

That's all changed. Crystal Lake was a planned town and came into being in the early 1920s when John William Flood began developing it. It was intended to be a summer resort getaway for the wealthy to escape the dog days of summer before the invention of air conditioning. It is laid out on a grid with north-south streets given names based on trees in alphabetical order (Aspen, Birch, Cedar...) and east-west streets given numbers (First, Second, Third...) and called avenues. Crystal Lake has always been a footloose and fun-loving town. 80 years ago, during the brief Ruthlandian prohibition experiment, they ran speakeasys and night clubs. 50 years ago, they built casinos. Present day Crystal Lake is a little Las Vegas.

Getting around Crystal Lake is pretty easy to do. The town was built around an electric traction trolley system that takes people everywhere. The town never adapted to the automobile, which is practically prohibited by ordinance today. It is a biker and walking society, that espouses pollution-free air, exercise and health.

The baseball team has been in business in some form for 70 years. The team name comes from a 1921 letter from the team owner to his manager on his vision for building the club.

John William Flood wrote to the first ballfield manager Andy Capson: "I don't like watching a bunch of dandies or young boys prancing around the basepaths like thieving fools. Bunting is for the birds. I want to see men crush the ball."

Hence, the Crushers were born.

John William Flood III owns the team now. He makes his money in the casino business and is rather diffident about day-to-day baseball operations. Since he's in his late 60's, he has been concerned about his legacy. He's been examining the Green Bay Packers business model closely and is seriously considering willing the club to the people of Crystal Lake.

The Floods have always been shady characters. John Williams Flood II was considered a scamp, regularly testing the will of the ABA commissioner in the days of the company leagues. John Williams Flood III is too busy developing real estate to break the rules like his ancestors did. The team has a somewhat unsavory reputation that is no longer deserved because of what happened more than three generations ago.

The famed slugger, Herman "Baby" George, the most prolific home run hitter in the annals of Islandian amateur leagues, is the manager of the Crystal Lake Crushers. When it comes to hitting a baseball, Baby George is "Mr. Baseball" in the Islands. There has never been anyone quite like him. George is a bon vivant and literally in a class by himself. George began as a pitcher and was a very good one, but his hitting prowess soon converted him into a fulltime position player. He holds the all-time career homer mark in the industrial league. He turned out to be a pretty darn good manager, too. And the fans love him in Crystal Lake for his savoie-faire attitude.

The Crystal Lake Crusher amateur and industrial teams played in John William Flood Stadium in the 1920s. The name was shortened to JWF Stadium by the press and the public over the years. A new ballpark, Lakeshore Stadium, was built in 1985 by the town council. Lakeshore Stadium is located right at the water's edge on Crystal Lake. Occasionally a player will hit one over the right center field fence into the beautiful blue waters. Fans get a magnificent view of the lake. On game days, the best way to get to the ball park is by taking The Traction to the stadium or by sailing up to the marina.

The food is typical baseball fare that tries to cater to both tourists and to the whole Earth Day crowd. The hot dog is a foot long kosher dog served on a dark brown wheat roll. The beers are local microbrews and all claim to be genetically-modified organism free. Manager Baby George is known to enjoy several hot dogs and a few refreshments during the game.

Lakesore Stadium (1985)
Capacity: 10,500

Dimensions:

Left Field Line - 340'
Left Field - 370'
Left Center - 405'
Center Field - 400'
Right Center - 381'
Right Field - 370'
Right Field Line - 340'

[Eugene Church]

Lakeshore Stadium

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 30, 2020

2020 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of seven)

Rutlandiand Union

Bobcats Bop Crushers 5-3 In RU Opener
In the opening game of the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series at City Park Stadium in Beechwood, the Bobcats 27-year-old pitching whiz Billy Ray stifled Crystal Lake 5-3... the short, stubby right-hander with a 95-mph fastball held the Crushers to 2 runs and 4 hits in 8 innings... he fanned 7 and walked just one... Ray left the game with a 5-2 lead... closer Jeff Lyons was touched for a run in the ninth, but got his 3rd save in the postseason... 2B Darrell Woods (.190) sparked the Bobcats with a 2-run homer in the second frame and SS Ace Parker (.423) had 2 hits and 3 RBIs... Parker drove in one run in the second and 2 more in the fourth to put Beechwood up 5-1... the Bobcats collected 8 hits, all off starter and loser Ralph McCullough (0-1 9.95) off... McCullough, a 23-game winner in the regular season has struggled mightily in the playoffs... Crystal Lake could get only 5 hits, but 2 of them went yard... C Eddie Robertson (.345) and 2B Greg Murphy (.258) hit solo shots in the fifth and ninth innings.

Tycobbian Union

Z's Torres Tops Nats Osterman 4-3 In First Game
Two of the best hurlers in the IPA tangled today in the first game of the Tycobbian Final 4 Series at De la Vega Stadium in Luxora...Luxora's 25-game winner Tiago Torres got the best of Ozarka's 21-game winner Benny Osterman 4-3... Torres was ripped hard in the top of the fourth for 3 runs, but toughed it out and blanked the hard-hitting Naturals the rest of the game... in a complete game, Torres (2-1 1.67) allowed 6 hits, whiffed 8 and walked 4... LF Jon Stafford (.267) hit the game-winner, a two-out RBI single in the last of the ninth... Ostermann kept Ozarka in the game, leaving with the score tied at 3-all after 8 innings... Osterman permitted 7 hits, fanned 7 and walked 3... Howard Hutch (0-1) relieved him in the ninth and lost it... the Zorros cracked 9 hits, while the Naturals got only 6... the Z's got two runs on wild pitches... Osterman had 3 in the game.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 1, 2020

2020 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of seven)

Rutlandian Union

CL Clips Bobcats 2-1 On Murphy's HR
It was a dismal day for Crystal Lake until Greg Murphy walloped a 2-run homer in the top of the ninth to beat the Beechwood Bobcats and Marty Panko 2-1 to split the first two games of the RU Final 4... Panko had a magnificent 2-hit shutout going into the last inning, but only had a 1-0 lead... winning pitcher Duncan Welch (3-1 3.38) notched the victory with a fine 8-inning outing, yielding only 1 run on 7 hits with 4 Ks and 2 walks... Jeff Jernigan closed out the game for his first save this postseason... Jernigan sat down the Bobcats in order... losing pitcher Panko only allowed 4 hits in all with 3 strikeouts and 4 bases on balls... Beechwood got its only run in the fourth on 3B Maury Charles' (.357) lead-off double... he advanced to third on a ground-out and came across on C Billy Gorham's (.267) single... in the ninth frame, CF Andy McGee (.273) got things rolling for the Crushers with a lead-off double and scored on Murphy's (.257) game-winning blast.

Tycobbian Union

Ozarka Zaps Zorros 10-3, Series Even
In game two of the Tycobbian Final 4 at De la Vega Stadium in Luxora, the powerful Ozarka Naturals unloaded some heavy lumber to zap the Z's 10-3 and even up the series at a game apiece... the Nats clouted 3 roundtrippers and 14 hits off four Luxora pitchers... in addition Yuka Nawajuk (2-0 1.67) restricted the Zorros to 5 hits and 3 runs, just one earned, in another strong postseason performance... RF Ken Mayberry (.286), C Frank Kiffin (.286) and 1B Benny Rousseau (.351) whacked homers to lead the offense... 3B Andre Dumas (.351) also added 3 hits and scored twice... Julio Higuera (1-1 3.04), who has done so well in the playoffs, lost for the first time 3 starts... Higuera was roughed up for 9 hits and 4 runs in 6+ innings... He went to the showers trailing 4-0... Higuera is one of the key elements for Luxora to have a chance in the Final 4 with Ozarka... either he or number three starter Steve Aaron has to step it up to beat the Naturals... Zorro ace Tiago Torres can't do it all by himself... Aaron get his shot tomorrow afternoon in game three... Aaron was 14-12 with a 3.59 ERA in the regular season... Eddie Roberts (18-3 2.44) will be on the hill for the Nats.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 2, 2020

2020 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Crushers Homer Past Bobcats 6-3
In game three of the Ruthlandian Final 4 Crystal Lake blasted its way past Beechwood 6-3 with 3 homers and rode the good left arm of Vic Bauer to victory and a 2-1 lead in the series... Bauer (1-1 3.52) struck out 11 batters, walked 3 and held the Bobcats to 3 runs and 5 hits, shutting them out until the ninth... 2B Greg Murphy (.256), C Eddie Robertson (.343) and 3B Herb Buck (.214) unloaded home runs to led the Crushers... Each club could manage only 5 hits each... the loss went to Stephen Ladd (0-1 6.75), who was rocked for 6 runs and 5 hits in 4 innings.

Tycobbian Union

Luxora Grabs Series Lead 5-4
After splitting the first two games in Luxora, the Zorros grabbed a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Tycobbian Final 4 by skimming by Ozarka 5-4 at Ellie Ewing Stadium... The Zorros could only get 6 hits off three Nats pitcher, but that was enough... the Z's took the lead 4-3 in the seventh on RF Rick Shaffner's (.294) 2-run swat, then held on... Steve Aaron (2-1 4.50) came through for Luxora, holding the Naturals to 4 runs in 8 innings... Aaron allowed 9 hits, struck out 5 and walked 2... 2 of the runs were not earned... Jay Brewer worked a scoreless ninth for the save... 3B Andre Dumas gave Ozarka a brief 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth with a solo homer... Howard Hutch (0-2) relieved starter Eddie Roberts in the seventh, blew the save and took the loss, giving up 3 runs in 1 and two-thirds innings... Ozarka had a 10-6 hit advantage... Dumas (.390) went 3-4 and scored twice, while SS James Couch (.343) had 2 hits and 2 RBIs in defeat.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 3, 2020

2020 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of seven)

Ruthlandian Union

CL's McCullough Stops Bobcats 4-0
Ralph McCullough was beaming today after the Crystal Lake right-hander blanked the Beechwood Bobcats 4-0 on 6 hits at Trumpy Donald Stadium to take a huge step toward the Pro Cup Finals... the Crushers took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series... McCullough (1-1 5.82) has been terrible in three of his five postseason starts after winning 23 games in the regular season... but he came through today in the crucial fourth game of the RU Final 4 Series with a superb performance, fanning 7 and walking 3... plus McCullough had to beat the Beechwood ace, Billy Ray... Ray (2-1 1.36) went the distance and only surrendered 2 earned runs on 7 hits in losing for the first time in this year's playoffs... 1B Phil Gravelli (.314) doubled in the first Crystal Lake run in the first inning... the Crushers increased it to 4-0 in the second frame on RF Jed Franks' (.259) sac fly, CF Andy McGee's (.268) ground-out and 2B Greg Murphy's (.262) base hit.

Tycobbian Union

Nats Even Final 4, KO Zorros 6-3
In game four of the TU Final 4 in Ozarka, the Naturals bolted ahead with 4 runs in the eighth inning against Tiago Torres to whip Luxora 6-3 and even up the series at two victories each... Trailing 3-2 the Nats tied it up on SS James Couch's (.368) sacrifice fly, then went ahead on C Frank Kiffin's (.313) RBI single... Kiffin leads the Naturals with 11 RBIs in the playoffs and Couch had driven in 10... 2B Todd Chadwich's (.167) triple and CF Tony Genassi's (.250) single completed the scoring... Benny Osterman (2-1 1.91) hurled a solid game to defeat 25-game winner Torres... Osterman struck out 8 in 8 innings, permitting 3 runs and 7 hits, walking only 2... closer Josh Carpenter pitched a perfect 1-2-3 ninth for the save... Torres (2-2 2.6) lost it as he was ripped for 5 runs and 9 hits in his 7+ frames... 1B Jim Gurney (.306) paced the Zorros with 3 hits... CF Francisco Ortega (.205) added 2 hits and 2 runs batted in.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 4, 2020

2020 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Crushers In Pro Cup, Bobcats Out
Pro Cup, here comes the Crystal Lake Crushers... They made it look easy in game five of the Ruthlandian Final 4 with an 8-2 triumph over the favored Beechwood Bobcats... Baby George's boys eliminated the Bobcats four games to one and will now head to the IPA Pro Cup against the Tycobbian Union champion... Crystal Lake crashed 3 homers and 13 hits, led by its all-time great 1B Phil Gravelli (.359), who pounded out 3 hits and drove in 5 runs... his grand slammer in the second inning was the big blow of the game... 3B Herb Buck (.240) and SS Jimmy Bell (.205) also went deep... Buck also scored 3 times and posted 3 hits... the Crushers superlative southpaw Duncan Welch (4-1 3.07) fired a 5-hitter, whiffing 8 Bobcats and walking 2... Beechwood's fine 22-year-old rookie left-hander Marty Panko (2-2 4.73) did not fare well... Crystal Lake battered him for 6 runs in less than 2 innings.

Tycobbian Union

Ozarka Wins 3-2 Squeaker, Up 3-2 In Series
In a tense pitching duel at Ellie Ewing Stadium in Ozarka, the hometown Naturals won a squeaker from Luxora 3-2 as Yuka Nawajuk bested Julio Higuera... Ozarka now has the edge in the Tycobbian Final 4 three games to two... the victor will gain a spot opposite the Ruthlandian champion Crystal Lake in the Pro Cup Finals... Nawajuk (3-0 1.80) has been brilliant this postseason... today the 10-year veteran struck out 10 Zorros, walked one and limited them to just 2 runs and 6 hits in 8 innings... Nawajuk also knocked in the winning run in the fourth with a single... closer Josh Carpenter came on in the ninth and retired the Z's in order... Luxora took an early lead on a 2-run two-bagger by SS Joaquin Malagon (.303) in the second inning... that gave Malagon 12 RBIs in the playoffs... however, Ozarka quickly tied it up in the third frame, when 3B Andre Dumas (.396) walloped a 2-run roundtripper... in the fourth C Frank Kiffin (.371) doubled to lead off the inning, moved to third on a ground-out and was driven in by Nawajuk (.250)... both Nawajuk and Higuera threw goose eggs the rest of the way... Higuera (1-2 3.13) tossed a solid game, allowing 9 hits and 3 runs.

[edog23]

Go Crushers!!

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by edog23

Go Crushers!!

It has been a fine season for them so far.

I'm glad your team is in the Pro Cup Finals.

Thanks for following this league.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 5, 2020

2020 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of seven)

Tycobbian Union

Ozarka Zonks Zorros In 6 Games
Playing true-to-form the Ozarka Naturals, the favorite to win this year's Pro Cup, rapped out 12 hits and rallied from a 3-0 deficit to edge Luxora 5-4 in game six to win the Tycobbian Final 4 and win a spot in the Pro Cup Finals against Crystal Lake, the Ruthlandian winner... the Zorros jumped on starter Eddie Roberts for 3 runs in the second inning... C Jim Thorpe Chandler (.298) homered to start the inning... SS Joaquin Malagon (.306) singled and moved to third on a double by 3B Robby Christianson (.375)... they scored on ground-outs by 1B Jim Gurney (.279) and pitcher Steve Aaron (.333)... Ozarka got a run in the top of the third, when RF Ken Mayberry (.216) singled, was bunted to second, moved to third on a wild pitch and came in on an error by third baseman Christianson... The Nats moved ahead 4-3 with a 3-run fifth... with two away CF Jose Ordonez (.360) belted one in the stands... 3B Andre Dumas (.377) and 1B Benny Rousseau (.420) singled and SS James Couch (.333) was walked to load the bases... C Frank Kiffin (.359) gave Ozarka the lead with a 2-run single... Luxora came right back and knotted it up a 4-4... Steve Aaron singled, was sacrificed to second and came around to score on a throwing error by 3B Dumas... Ozarka scored the game-winner in the sixth... Mayberry was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a wild pitch and was singled in by Ordonez... Roberts (3-1 3.55) registered the victory... he was tagged for 4 runs and 6 hits in his 7 frames... Roberts walked one and fanned 6... Josh Carpenter, Howard Hutch and Wayne Gates saved it for him with 2 and two-third scoreless innings... it was Gates second save in the postseason... Steve Aaron (2-2 4.85) was the losing pitcher... he was slapped around for 11 hits and 5 runs in 6 innings... Rousseau led the Nats with a perfect 4-for-4 day and Ordonez was 3-for-4... Kiffin has batted in 13 runs in the playoffs so far.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 6, 2020

2020 IPA Pro Cup Series

Ozarka Big Favorite Over CL In Pro Cup Finals

The champions of the Tycobbian Union, the mighty Ozarka Naturals, have been installed by the odds-makers as a heavy favorite to win the 2020 IPA Pro Cup over the Crystal Lake Crushers, champions of the Ruthlandian Union. It's a best-of-seven series and it will begin tomorrow afternoon in Ozarka at Ellie Ewing Stadium. Ozarka was seeded number one in the playoffs this year, while Crystal Lake was rated sixth-best. The Naturals are making their fifth appearance in the Pro Cup Finals. They have never won a Pro Cup. They were beaten out by Rocky Rapids last year. This is the Crushers very first postseason experience. Prior to this year, they had never made the playoffs in the previous 19 seasons.

Ozarka (93-61), managed by Joe Mac Carney, was the top dog in just about all statistical categories this season, ranking first with .294 team BA and 3.23 team ERA. Underdog Crystal Lake (87-67) hit only .248 (30th), but had a very fine 3.38 team ERA (5th). Both clubs played excellent defense. Ozarka had a .977 FA and ranked 4th in the TU, while the Crushers were second in the RU also with a .977 mark. Pitching will be the key for Crushers skipper Herman "Baby" George. Talking to the press George said, "This is nothing new. We were given no chance against Ancona in round one and little chance in round two against Beechwood, but hey, we're here and we didn't do it with mirrors. If my mound corps can stop the Nats bats, we can win this thing. We need Welch, McCullough, Bauer and Jernigan to be at their best."

Asked for a prediction about the series, Carney stated, "I like our chances, but anything can happen in a short series. Baby has two very fine pitchers in Welch and McCullough and we are not going to take anything for granted. Crystal Lake has to be a very good team, otherwise they wouldn't be here. Luck won't get you this far. You have to play good baseball."

Ozarka's starting rotation will consist of Yuka Nawajuk (23-9 3.30), Benny Osterman (21-11 2.38) and Eddie Roberts (18-3 2.44). Crystal Lake is planning to use Duncan Welch (24-12 2.00), Ralph McCullough (23-11 3.16) and Vic Bauer (18-13 3.45) as its starters. Carney will depend on Josh Carpenter (6-7 2.70) in the closing role. George has had bullpen problems this year, but closer Jeff Jernigan (2-9 4.39) and Roger Bishop (1-2 2.96) have done very well in the postseason and haven't allowed a run in 8 appearances.

The Naturals have a killer line-up featuring six .300 hitters in the its batting order: Ken Mayberry (.328/5/49/102), Benny Rousseau (.318/40/97/100), Andre Dumas (.310/36/117/99), SS James Couch (.305/15/82/90), CF Ryoma Nakayama (.306/7/54/85) and platooners Todd Chadwick (.330/8/53/52) and Teddy Tate (.317/4/38/25). And they have continued to bang the ball in the postseason. Rousseau is batting .421 with 2 homers and 9 RBIs, Dumas is at .377 with 2 home runs. 12 runs scored and has driven in 4, Jose Ordonez has hit .360 with 3 roundtrippers, 10 RBIs and 10 runs, Couch is hitting at a .333 pace with 3 homers, 10 RBIs and has scored 9 times. Frank Kiffin is the team leader with 13 RBIs, .359 BA and 2 home runs.

The Crushers are quite pale in comparison. All-time great 36-year-old Phil Gravelli (.345/22/94/91) has to do it all for them. The IPA career leader in home runs (652), hits (3619) and RBIs (2173) will have to get a lot of help from Greg Murphy (.304/8/68/64), Herb Buck (.217/17/53/117) and Eddie Robertson (.230/13/56/48) to upset Ozarka. So far they have done the job in the playoffs. Gravelli, a 20-year vet, is hitting .359 with one homer and 10 RBIs, Robertson is batting .326 with 3 home runs and 7 RBIs, Murphy has a .277 BA with 3 roundtrippers and 9 RBIs and Buck has 3 homers and 6 runs batted in, but is hitting only .240 for average.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 7, 2020

2020 IPA Pro Cup Series
(best-of seven)

Welch Too Tough, CL Ekes By Ozarka In Opener
Uh Oh! It just might be a series after all... the underdog Crystal Lake Crushers got a beautiful performance from their ace Duncan Welch as he stopped the heavy-hitting and heavily-favored Ozarka Naturals in the opening game of the 2020 IPA Pro Cup Finals... the Crushers eked by the Nats 3-2 on the road at Ellie Ewing Stadium.

Greg Murphy's two-run clout in the top of the sixth turned out to be the game-winner... Welch and Benny Osterman put nothing but zeroes on the scoreboard for the first four and a half innings... Ozarka scored first in the bottom of the fifth, when 2B Todd Chadwick (.300) tripled in C Frank Kiffin (.349)... Crystal Lake finally got in business in the top of the sixth, when 3B Herb Buck (.236) and CF Andy McGee (.271) singled and stole third and second base, respectively... 1B Phil Gravelli (.349) evened the score wheh Buck scored on his ground-out... then clean-up man Murphy boomed his homer to give the Crushers a 3-1 margin... the Naturals made it 3-2 in the last of the seventh on three singles and a bases-loaded walk to RF Ken Mayberry (.204).

Welch (5-1 2.76) went 8 strong innings, held the Nats to 6 hits and one earned run, struck out 5 and walked 2... closer Jeff Jernigan netted his second save of the postseason with a scoreless ninth... Osterman (2-2 2.14) hurled a fine game, too... He went the distance and gave up 9 hits and 3 runs with 2 walks and 7 Ks... Murphy (.314) led the Crushers with 3-for-4, while Chadwick had a double and triple for the Naturals... Ozarka collected 7 hits.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 8, 2020

2020 IPA Pro Cup Series
(best-of seven)

Crushers Win Again, McCullough Beats Nats 5-3
What a story is unfolding in the Pro Cup this year... unheralded Crystal Lake got excellent pitching in game two and again whipped highly-favored Ozarka 5-3... Ralph McCullough scattered 10 singles and didn't allow an earned run in his 8 innings... McCullough (2-1 4.25) went to the shower with a 5-3 lead and closer Jeff Jernigan saved it for him by retiring the Nats in order... Yuka Nawajuk (3-1 2.51) lost for the first time in the postseason in a lackluster outing... the light-hitting Crushers got to Nawajuk for 5 runs and 8 hits in 8 innings.

Crystal Lake scored in the first frame on 1B Phil Gravelli's (.362) single and a triple by 2B Greg Murphy (.315)... Ozarka deadlocked in the third at 1-1 on singles by 3B Andre Dumas (.403) and 1B Benny Rousseau (.421), putting runners on second and third... another base hit by SS James Couch (.340) tied the score... back-to-back doubles in the fourth by RF Jed Franks (.239) and C Eddie Robertson (.306) upped the Crushers lead to 4-1... Franks drove in two runs and Robertson one... Ozarka chopped the lead to 4-3 in the sixth when Rousseau and Couch singled to put runners on the corners... Rousseau scored when SS Jimmy Bell misplayed C Frank Kiffin's (.362) groundball... a sacrifice moved the runners up to second and third and 2B Teddy Tate (.256) got Couch in with a sacrifice fly... Crystal Lake finished the scoring for the day when McCullough (.222) doubled and advanced to third on a ground-out, then scored on CF Andy McGee's (.269) sacrifice fly.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 9, 2020

2020 IPA Pro Cup Finals
(best-of-seven series)

Roberts Halt Crushers In Game 3, Nats Win 6-1
Top-seeded Ozarka finally found a way to slow down the surprising Crystal Lake Crushers - Eddie Roberts - the 31-year-old right-hander halted the sixth-seeded Crushers 6-1 in game three of the IPA Pro Cup Finals, holding them to just 6 hits and one run... Heavy-underdog Crystal Lake had upset Ozarka in the first two games... Roberts (4-1 3.06) struck out 7 and walked one in a complete-game outing to get favored Ozarka back in the Pro Cup competition... the win cut Crystal Lake's lead to two-games-to-one in the best-of-seven series.

The Naturals lambasted the Crushers for 13 hits, sparked by RF Ken Mayberry (.219), who collected 3 hits and scored twice... 5 Nats had 2 hits apiece: 3B Andre Dumas (.409), 1B Benny Rousseau (.426), SS James Couch (.351), C Frank Kiffin (.380) and 2B Todd Chadwick (.357)... Chadwick had a double and a triple for the winners... Vic Bauer (1-2 4.20) suffered the defeat, going 7 innings and allowing 5 runs and 10 hits... 1B Phil Gravelli's (.360) solo homer supplied Crystal Lake's only run.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 10, 2020

2020 IPA Pro Cup Series
(best-of seven)

Welch Whitewashes Nats, CL Closes In On Pro Cup
Duncan Welch did it again... Crystal Lake's ace southpaw whipped the tough Ozarka Naturals for the second time in the series, blanking them 6-0 on a 5-hitter in game four of the Pro Cup Finals, striking out 6 with 2 walks... playing at home at Trumpy Donald Stadium, the Crushers took a huge step toward its first Pro Cup championship... Crystal Lake now has a 3-1 advantage in the series and can wrap up its first Pro Cup title tomorrow afternoon. It will be played on the Crushers home grounds.

What a year it has been for Welch... He is 6-1 with 2.33 ERA in the playoffs... during the season Welch led the IPA with a superb 2.00 ERA and posted a 24-12 won-loss mark... Welch again got the best of Benny Osterman (2-3 2.39), who was slapped around for 10 hits and 6 runs in his 7 innings... however, only 3 of them were earned... Ozarka committed 4 errors in the game... Welch won game one 3-2.

SS Jimmy Bell (.228) and C Eddie Robertson (.309) led the Crushers with a couple of RBIs each... Robertson, 1B Phil Gravelli (.364) and 3B Herb Buck (.239) socked 2 hits apiece... Ralph McCullough (2-1 4.25) will try to nailed down the Pro Cup tomorrow afternoon... Yuka Nawajuk (3-1 2.51) will try to keep the Nats Pro Cup aspirations alive... McCullough defeated Nawajuk 5-3 in game two.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 11, 2020

2020 IPA Pro Cup Series
(best-of seven)

CL Crushers Are IPA Champs
In one of the biggest upsets in IPA history, the unsung sixth-seeded Crystal Lake Crushers stunned the heavily-favored number-one ranked Ozarka Naturals four-games-to-one to capture their first Pro Cup trophy... Ralph McCullough hurled the Crushers to a convincing 8-3 triumph over the Nats in game five at Trumpy Donald Stadium in Crystal Lake... McCullough (3-1 3.96) won his second game of the series... he bent, but didn't break, scattering 10 hits in a route-going effort, helped by four double plays by the Crusher infield... a 6-run fourth inning cinched the victory, highlighted by LF Michael Melchiore's (.232) grand-slam homer... the victim was Nats starter Yuka Nawajuk (3-2 2.68), who allowed 8 runs in 4 frames, but permitted only 2 earned runs... shoddy defense cost Ozarka dearly as they committed 3 errors... 3B Herb Buck (.250) added 2 hits and 2 runs batted in to the Crystal Lake 9-hit attack.

Manager Herman "Baby" George told the press after the game, "Everybody on the club contributed at one time or another, but McCullough and Welch consistently carried us during the season and also during the Pro Cup playoffs. We don't have a lot of big bats and big names, but we got a lot of big hearts. I'm mighty proud of all of them. They certainly made me look good."

A very disappointed Ozarka skipper, Joe Mac Carney, congratulated the Crushers, stating "McCullough and Welch can play on my team anytime. They certainly had our number. Crystal Lake is a fine ball club and certainly outplayed us." This was the fifth time Ozarka has lost in the finals.