ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

2028 Ruthlandian West Mid-Season Recap

Roosters, Stars And Rovers Jammed Up In RU West
It's another heck of a race in the hectic Ruthlandian West with three teams in a logjam at the top. Halfway through the season the Middlefield Roosters have a slim one-game edge over the second place Sligo Rovers and the resurgent Stoner Stars. The Colfax Blasters are within striking distance in fourth place, just 5 games out. The Fort Benton Defenders are still alive in fifth and trail by only 6 games. Stoner has made the biggest jump, leaping up from seventh in 2027. Superior firepower is keeping Middlefield in the lead so far. The Roosters rank number one in the RU with 133 homers, topped only by High Mesa in the TU East with 161. They both are on pace to beat the IPA all-time mark of 260 by Arroyo Grande in 2005.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 20, 2028

2028 Tycobbian Union Mid-Season Standings

[Eugene Church]

2028 Tycobbian North Mid-Season Recap

Wide Open Race In TU North
From top to bottom only 6 games separate the teams in the congested Tycobbian North. This is the hottest-contested division in the IPA this season. It's a wide open race with everybody still in the hunt at mid-season. The Hartsdale Hellcats are in front by a game over second place North Hills. Luxora and Fairfax are deadlocked in the third spot, just 2 games off the pace. Tied for fifth and only 3 games back are last year's champ White River Rascals and Oxford Red Caps. Mahaska is 5 games behind in seventh place and in last place are the Blue Lake Blue Sox, who trail by just 6 games. It's anybody's ballgame in the TU North this year.

[Eugene Church]

2028 Tycobbian South Mid-Season Recap

6-Team Battle Royal In TU South
It's a free-for-all this season in the Tycobbian South with 6 clubs in the mix, led by first place Colchester with a slim one-game edge over runner-ups Summerland and San Alejo. Last year's pennant chase was just as exciting as only 7 and a half games separated the division champion Southport from cellar-dwelling Summerland. The Ginza Ninjas are just 2 games back in fourth place, followed by the Turon Typhoons in the fifth spot, trailing by 4. The Southport Sun Sox, the defending Pro Cup titleholder, has slipped to sixth, but is only 5 games off the pace. No neeed to count them out just yet. Arroyo Grande is seventh in the pennant race and 9 games behind with Cape Coral last and 10 games in back of first place Colchester.

[Eugene Church]

2028 Tycobbian East Mid-Season Recap

Tucks In Charge In TU East
The Tycobbian East had quite a race last season with as many as 7 clubs challenging. But not this year. The Tuckanarra Blue Jays are the top team this year with a 4-game lead over second place East Point. The Tucks are in search of their 4th division title in the last 6 years. The South Fork Stallions are 5 games behind the Blue Jays and in third place in the standings. Last year's TU East champ is down this season. The Midway Wolves are 8 games back and in fourth. The rest of the division will probably have to be satisfied with a second-division finish. High Mesa is fifth and 12 games off the pace. Hillsboro is 17 games behind in sixth, Red Bluff is seventh and 18 back and once-powerful Ozarka is in the basement and trails by 22.

[Eugene Church]

2028 Tycobbian West Mid-Season Recap

LC Lynx 8-Game Ahead In TU West
Not much of a race in the Tycobbian West this season. The La Claire Lynx have made shambles of it with a gaudy 8-game bulge over last year's runaway winner Rolling Hills. Arlon is in third place and 9 games out of first with the Bayview Vikings coming in fourth, 14 games behind. Fifth place belongs to the Kenwood Wildcats, who trail by 15. Chicopee is sixth and 16 games to the rear, followed by Denton City 22 games out in seventh and Bay St. Clair is in last place, 24 games off the pace.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 20, 2028

2028 Ruthlandian Union Mid-Season Stats Leaders
Batting Average:
Leevi Viru (Valka) .365
Jojo Davis (Beechwood) .347
Pettis Pentleton (Elnora) .346
Loco Dillinger (Waleska) .341
Roy Hobbs (Waleska) .340

Home Runs:
Loco Dillinger (Waleska) 33
Mick Langston (Grand City) 28
Ivan Krause (Claxton) 25
Wes Marlowe (Grand City) 23
Owen Newman (Belle Plaine) 23

RBIs:
Mick Langston (Grand City) 75
Loco Dillinger (Waleska) 72
Jeff Henderson (Stoner) 72
Darryl Collins (Sligo) 64
Wes Marlowe (Grand City) 60

Runs:
Mick Langston (Grand City) 66
Thomas Hall (Grand City) 58
Hal Granders (Colfax) 54
Kent Harmon (Belle Plaine) 53
Roy Hobbs (Waleska) 52
Al Rispone (Stoner) 52
Leevi Viru (Valka) 52

Stolen Bases:
Alec Leclerc (Valmara) 34
Hal Granders (Colfax) 33
John Charboneau (Rocky Rapids) 29
Leonard Mason (Beechwood) 23
Kylie Ballendine (Wynnamac) 22

Wins:
Joaquin Lima (San Dimas) 12-6/2.78
Earl Perkins (Sligo) 12-2/1.68
Frankie Quinn (Fort Benton) 12-7/2.63
Cisco Almeida (Volusia) 11-4/2.27
Vince Arndt (Ancona) 11-6/4.60
Billy Ray (Valmara) 11-8/3.90
Miguel Valdes (San Dimas) 11-6/3.08

ERA:
Earl Perkins (Sligo) 12-2/1.68
Lon Marshall (Wynnamac) 10-6/2.07
Wild Bill Butler (Waleska) 10-6/2.25
Cisco Almeida (Volusia) 11-4/2.27
Jason Meeks (Wynnamac) 10-8/2.31

Saves:
Bobby Daniel (Marston) 1-2/2.59/16 saves
Ivan Guzek (Valmara) 1-0/1.16/16 saves
Kenny Nikas (Ancona) 1-1/0.40/15 saves
Darrell Geoffrey (Stoner) 3-4/3.89/14 saves
Doug Archibald (Fort Benton) 0-2/4.13/13 saves

Strikeouts:
Manny Mateo (Ranford) 4-10/5.15/164 K
Frankie Quinn (Fort Benton) 12-7/2.63/164 K
Miguel Valdes (San Dimas) 11-6/3.08/164 K
Walter Noland (Rocky Rapids) 8-9/3.37/163 K
Maury Patterson (Beechwood) 8-5/3.16/160 K

2028 Tycobbian Union Mid-Season Stats Leaders:
Batting Average:
Michael Page (Turon) .352
Wes Kenney (Bayview) .346
Jesus Hernandez (Kenwood) .343
Travis Tuttle (Mahaska) .341
Babe Hankins (Kenwood) .340

Home Runs:
Lorne Evans (Southport) 31
Randall Hawson (High Mesa) 31
Jack Elliott (High Mesa) 28
Bill Andrews (High Mesa) 27
Kenji Aoki (East Point) 26
Jim Lewellen (Colchester) 26

RBIs:
Pat Webb (Rolling Hills) 64
Travis Tuttle (Mahaska) 63
Jack Elliott (High Mesa) 62
Lorne Evans (Southport) 60
Jim Lewellen (Colchester) 60

Runs:
Jim Lewellan (Colchester) 64
Lorne Evans (Southport) 62
Tetsu Tanaka (East Point) 54
Carlos Manuel (Colchester) 52
Ramon Escabedo (San Alejo) 50

Stolen Bases:
Del Anderson (Hartsdale) 33
Pasha Yablonski (Mahaska) 31
Alton Dale (Fairfax) 28
Biggy Washington (Hillsboro) 27
Paul Green (Hillsboro) 26

Wins:
Jamie Gustafson (Tuckanarra) 13-5/1.71
Pat Kovacs (La Claire) 13-4/2.84
Frank Blair (East Point) 12-3/2.55
Johnny Brown (Rolling Hills) 12-5/3.18
Errol Gaudet (Rolling Hills) 12-5 2.97
Richie Raeburn (South Fork) 12-5/1.37
Paul Sardini (White River) 12-2/1.74

ERA:
Richie Raeburn (South Fork) 12-5/1.37
Gregg Hughes (Hillsboro) 5-1/1.62
Jamie Gustafson (Tuckanarra) 13-5/1.71
Paul Sardini (White River) 12-2/1.74
Bobby Dorignac (Midway) 10-4/1.88

Saves:
Augie Dreyer (North Hills) 1-1/1.66/16 saves
Kurt Jelesko (Oxford) 3-4/3.14/16 saves
J. D. McDermott (East Point) 1-1/3.47/16 saves
Gene O'Reilly (Tuckanarra) 2-1/3.97/16 saves
Buddy Palmer (Arlon) 2-1/0.63/16 saves

Strikeouts:
Pat Kovacs (La Claire) 13-4/2.84/183 K
Roger Hart (High Mesa) 10-6/3.67/177 K
Jack Phillips (Red Bluff) 8-9/4.16/174 K
Emil Kaltenborn (High Mesa) 11-4/2.74/173 K
Paul Sardini (White River) 12-2/1.74/169 K

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, June 21, 2028

TU Stars Win In 10, Nip RU Stars 4-3
In the 28th edition of the IPA All-Star Game played at Pleasure Beach Park in Southport, the Tycobbian All-Stars nipped the Ruthlandian All-Stars 4-3 in 10 innings... The TU Stars snapped Ruthlandia's three-game winning streak in the series... Tycobbia upped it record to 19-9 in the All-Star Classics.

SS Russ Van Kleek (Ginza) knocked in the winning score with a single, scoring CF Shannon Farmer (Ozarka) from third base... Farmer was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning... Miguel Valdes (San Dimas) was the losing pitching... Valdes worked the last two frames and was tapped for 2 hits and a run... Pat Kovacs (La Claire) got the last 4 outs for the TU Stars for the victory... Both clubs collected 10 hits each... The game's MVP Award went to Belair Beach's 1B Kees Draeger, who slapped a pair of hits and drove in a pair of runs in defeat.

Ruthlandia took the lead in the first inning on a triple by CF Darryl Collins (Sligo) and an RBI single by RF Roy Hobbs (Waleska)... CF Cotton Cornwall (Ginza) tied it up in the third with a solo homer... it stayed that way until Tycobbia got 2 runs in the seventh to go ahead 3-1... wildness by Wild Bill Butler (Waleska) forced in the tiebreaker when he hit RF Lorne Evans (Southport) with the bases loaded and Shannon Farmer (Ozarka) got an RBI base hit... Ruthlandia battled back with a run in the seventh when MVP Kees Draeger (Belair Beach) singled in a run to cut Tycobbia's lead to 3-2... Draeger also sent it into extra innings with a two-out single in the ninth.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 12, 2028

IPA Season Down To Last Week
In the Ruthlandian Union three of the four divisions are still in doubt... only the Waleska Westerners in the RU South have cinched a spot in the playoffs... Valmara is in a tough battle with LaGrange in the RU North... the Vipers have a slim 2-game margin over the Sports with 6 games left on the schedule... There's a super-tight race in the RU East where Marston is up by just a game over Wynnamac... and Belle Plaine is only 3 games back in third... in the RU West Sligo has a little breathing room over Fort Benton, who trails by 3 games and Stoner, who is 4 games off the pace.

Over in the Tycobbian Union two division races are up in the air... Tuckanarra has already bagged a spot in the Pro Cup playoffs with the TU East flag... the Blue Jays are 14 games ahead of East Point going into the last week... in the TU West the La Claire Lynx are looking good with a 6-game edge over second place Kenwood... their magic number is down to one... Ginza seems safe in the TU South with a 5-game lead over Southport and Colchester... the Ninjas magic number is 2... There a donnybrook going on in the TU North... heading the final week of the regular season with only 6 games remaining, Mahaska and Hartsdale are deadlocked in first place and White River is just a game back... four other clubs, Blue Lake, Oxford, North Hills and Luxora still have mathematical chances at the division title... they trail by 4 to 6 games.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 19, 2028

2028 IPA Final Standings

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 20, 2028

IPA Pro Cup Playoffs Begin Friday
After a torrid finish to the 2028 regular season the IPA is now getting ready for its "second season" - the Pro Cup playoffs, which gets underway with the Elite 8 Series this Friday.

The Ruthlandian Union will be represented by Valmara, Waleska, Marston and Sligo, while the playoff participants from the Tycobbian Union will be Mahaska, Southport, Tuckanarra and La Claire. The Southport Sun Sox are back again to defend their Pro Cup title and will try to win back-to-back crowns.

Ruthlandian Union

In the RU North, Valmara won its third consecutive pennant and fifth in six seasons. The Vipers held off the surprising LaGrange Sports in September to capture another title by 2 games. The Vipers were 11-5 down the home stretch and held off the Sports. LaGrange matched the 11-5 mark in the last weeks of the regular season. The Sports rose up out of the basement this season and finished in second place.

The Waleska Westerners have been close the last three years to winning the RU South. They finally reached the top this year, pulling away in the second half and beating Valka and last year's division winner Crystal Lake by 8 games.

Over in the RU East, the Marston Nine turned it on in the last two months to soar past Wynnamac and Belle Plaine by 4 games. The Nine was 30-15 in August and September, while the Sundowners and Musketeers were just a little above .500 with 23-22 marks.

The Sligo Rovers repeated as the RU West winner. The Rovers outlasted six challengers in the final two months of the season. Sligo nipped Fort Benton by 2 games and Stoner by 4. The Rovers played well in September with a 10-6 record, while the Defenders and Stars dipped to 7-9. Volusia, Middlefield and Colfax all faded in the second half of the year. The Vigilantes and Roosters ended up 8 games off the pace and the Blasters were 10 games out.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 19, 2028

Tycobbian Union Final Standings

[Eugene Church]

Tycobbian Union

The Tycobbian North was really hard-fought with 7 teams in the hunt at various times during the season. The last week saw three teams fighting tooth-and-nail for the flag. It was finally decided in a playoff game. The Mahaska Haymakers hammered the defending champ White River Rascals 12-5 for the title. The Hartsdale Hellcats, which led going into September fizzled near the end and fell to third place, but only one and a half games back. The Haymakers went 7-3 in the final 10 games, while the Rascals could only manage a 4-6 mark and the Hellcats slumped to just 3-7.

In the TU South, the current Pro Cup titlist Southport won a stirring battle with the Ginza Ninjas and picked up its second straight division championship with a strong stretch drive. The Sun Sox came on like gangbusters in September racking up a 14-3 record, while the Ninjas totally collapsed with a 5-12 mark. Southport tied them on the final day of the regular season and then smacked them 11-5 in the playoff game. The third place Summerland Sunsets and Colchester Elites also ran good races, but came up 4 and a half games short in September.

The Tuckanarra Blue Jays were the best team in the Tycobbian Union with a 102-52 record, tops in the IPA. The Tucks nabbed their fourth TU East pennant in the last six seasons, running away with it by 15 games over runner-up East Point.

The Tycobbian West had the Cinderella club in the league, the La Claire Lynx, who roared from fifth place and 26 games back in 2027 to the division champ this year, a wonderful turnaround for a team that had never, ever won a pennant or even made the playoffs in its 28-year history. La Claire has been so bad it has only made the first division 4 times. The Lynx whipped the Kenwood Wildcats by 5 games and the defending division winner Rolling Hills by 10 games. It was truly a magical year in La Claire!

[Eugene Church]

2028 Ruthlandian Union Final Batting Stats

[Eugene Church]

2028 Ruthlandian Union Final Pitching Stats

[Eugene Church]

2028 Tycobbian Union Final Batting Stats

[Eugene Church]

2028 Tycobbian Union Final Pitching Stats

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 19, 2028

2028 Ruthlandian North Final Recap

Valmara Wins Another RU North Crown
Winning pennants is nothing new to the vaunted Valmara Vipers, who swept to a third successive Ruthlandian North pennant... the Vipers made it 5 division crowns in the last 6 seasons, but it wasn't easy this time around... the unlikely challenger was the LaGrange Sports... the Sports were a last-place team last season, but greatly improved to second place this season... Valmara just barely beat them back by a slim 2 games.

First place Valmara (90-64), skippered by Jet Kazmarek, was sparked by CF Teddy Szymanski (.309/31/116/97), All-Star C Floyd Randolph (.260/36/105/88), LF Sonny Oliver (.292/21/86/92) and 2B Alec Laclerc (.279/1/53/109)... not very strong on the mound, the Vipers best hurler was Carroll Cain (21-7/3.33)... Teddy Lem (19-14/4.42) and Billy Ray (19-17/4.77) chalked up a lot of wins, but had high ERAs.

The surprise team in the league was the LaGrange Sports (88-66), who almost pulled off a great upset with some strong starters... leading manager Quincy Peterson's rotation was Niles Wooten (19-10/2.88) and Mike York (18-13/3.04)... Alex Gillespie (17-14/3.34) was a solid starter, too... the Sports had the second-best team ERA with a 3.32 ERA... at the plate they were average with a .260 BA and 130 homers, led by RF Russell Watkins (.306/26/104/99), 1B Chris Charbonnier (.306/30/84/79) and 3B Mitch Pope (.261/22/92/68).

No one else was close in the RU North... third place Ranford (73-81) finished 17 games behind Valmara... Jimmy Travis (19-11/3.59) was skipper Rick Fargnoli's top pitcher... All-Star C Kyle Hunt (.312/17/80/91) paced the Bulls offense with help from 1B Elton Graff (.297/18/94/86), RF Richard Lott (.284/18/71/94), SS Terry Kerr (.290/16/79/74) and CF Thomas Strickland (.276/18/80/53).

Fourth in the RU North standings were the Far Mountain Redhawks (71-83)... Alex Groveland had fairly good pitching headed up by Jakob Wagner (17-15/2.59)... RF Roy Dristoll (.280/21/83/67) was the most reliable bat.

The Ancona Red Elephants (70-84) slumped badly this year and fell to fifth place, 20 games out... Manny Mickens had pitching woes... only starter Razzy Angelis (16-16/3.66) had a decent season... All-Star closer Kenny Nikas chalked up 21 saves and a terrific 1.17 ERA with a 3-2 record... 36-year-old All-Star LF Kenny Willard sparkled again with a .336 BA, 33 HR, 99 RBI and 111 runs... veterans 1B Alekos Kotas chipped in with 26 HR and 97 RBIs, while batting at a .292 clip... SS Todd Nasso added 34 roundtrippers and 108 RBIs, but batted only .245.

The Taranto Tars (67-87) wound up 23 games off the pace in sixth... manager Tommaso Lazzorda had a mediocre ball club again this year... his Tars have not been in the postseason since 2019 and lacked pitching and hitting... All-Star 2B Greg Murphy was the most productive performer with 19 homers, 93 runs and 63 RBIs... SS Gregg Ross (.251/16/86) and 3B Cody Wilson (.257/22/86/73) also helped out a little.

The seventh-place Kilkenny Cats (63-91) missed the playoffs for the 27th year in a row and trailed by 27 games games... Kevin McPhail had two capable starters in 6-year vet Dave Whitaker (16-17/2.88) and young Dean Harris (15-16/2.93), but little else on the hill... All-Star SS Johnny Gentry tailed off after a good first half... Gentry hit only .254 with 19 homers and 64 RBIs... CF Ronnie Roussell topped the team with a .275 batting average, while hitting 30 homers and driving in 76 runs... 1B Garris Aiken smacked 32 home runs with 75 RBIs and scored 86 runs, but batted just .246.

The Glasco Athletics (59-95) hit with power, but still ended up in the cellar, 31 games back... the A's went deep 184 times (3rd)... manager Charles Darby's top guns were CF Randall Hawson with 41 homers, C Eddie Martin with 31 home runs and 1B Wallace Buchanan with 30... LF Shane Murphy and Buchanan led the club with .308 averages... SS Skippy Shearer collected 19 homers, drove in 83 and hit .279... and RF Warren Steele hit 19 out of the park, while hitting .280... the Glasco pitching corps was pretty pathetic with a 4.83 ERA (29th).

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 19, 2028

2028 Ruthlandian South Final Recap

Waleska Wins RU South In Second-Half Surge
The cream rises to the top... that's what happened in the Ruthlandian South this season... The Waleska Westerners were engaged in a tight, 4-team race at mid-year, but put it into high gear and easily took the division crown for the second time in five years, winning by 8 games over the Valka Blackhawks and last season's champ Crystal Lake Crushers... the first-half leader, the San Dimas Rancheros fell apart in the second half and dropped down to sixth... St. John and Claxton came in tied for fourth place and ended up 10 games off the pace.

McGraw Johnson piloted his Waleska Westerners (92-62) to the best record in the Ruthlandian Union with a powerful offense... the Westerners led most offensive categories with a .280 BA and 879 runs... and ranked second in power numbers with 189 homers... Waleska's mound staff was only average with a 4.11 team ERA (17th)... Johnson's lineup was filled with fine hitters, led by superstars RF Roy Hobbs (.359/36/142/125) and LF Loco Dillinger (.357/56/154/132)... Dillinger topped the IPA in homers and RBIs and the RU in runs... Both Dillinger and Hobbs made the All-Star team... other solid bats were 3B Yahto Sisika (.297/23/94/111), CF Wilson James (.299/11/64/119) and SS Jose De Leon (.281/6/85/61)... the only standout pitcher was All-Star Wild Bill Butler, who was 23-10 with a 2.97 ERA... rookie Terry Richards (15-12/4.04) and Cliff Dyer (17-12/4.67) were the best of the rest.

The Valka Blackhawks (84-70) and the Crystal Lake Crushers were tied for the runner-up spot... the Blackhawks under manager Ron Landauer had a fine season and were a very similar club to Waleska, but just didn't have quite the firepower of the pennant winner... Valka had the third-best hitting club with a .280 mark, but only 21st with 139 roundtrippers... and the Blackhawks ranked 8th in scoring with 756 runs... pitching-wise they were 19th with a 4.16 ERA... topping the batting order were All-Star 3B Leevi Viru (.367/21/100/96), RF Tonu Viks (.336/20/76/88), SS Olari Ojastu (.297/19/86/85) and C Don Pontros (.302/17/88/69)... Viks missed 50 games due to injury, but had a fine year... ace Glenn Cadman won 20 games for the third successive season... Cadman carried the club with a 23-9 record and a 2.95 ERA.

Last year's division winner Crystal Lake (80-74) dilly-dallied until the All-Star game, but finally got it together and rampaged through the final two months with an awesom 34-11 record... the Crushers just had too much ground to make up after being 32-41 and in last place, 9 games out at the break... the pitching was poor in the first half, but T. D. Burnham (19-11/3.19), Duncan Welch (19-15/3.33) and Arnie Cason (14-4/2.62) rebounded in the second half... Baby George's top hitters were LF Herm Taylor (.341/3/64/94), 1B Josh George (.307/25/105/111) and 2B Carl Bentley (.312/15/90/85).

Deadlocked for fourth in the RU South were the St. John Crusaders (82-72) and improved Claxton Diamonds... they were 10 games off the pace... skipper Clayton Luck had a well-balanced club with a .263 team batting average (12th) and ranked 13th in scoring runs with 716... not a lot of power with only 113 HRs (28th)... on the hill the Crusaders posted a 3.70 team ERA (4th)... Luck had a solid core of hitters, paced by All-Star SS Byron Johannsen (.330/8/57/101), 1B Roger Lanier (.319/17/77/95), 3B Ross Whittier (.301/12/95/55) and RF Joey Daigrepont (.266/21/107/91)... on the mound Roland Oates (20-11/3.18) and Nelson Hawthorne (13-9/2.78) led the way... ace Don Baillie had a disappointing season with a 15-21 mark and a high 4.45 ERA... 24-year-old Baillie was 56-36 with a 2.86 ERA in his first 3 years in the league.

Former Diamond standout Dixie Baker pumped new life into Claxton (82-72) in his rookie season at the helm... the Diamonds were 7th the year before with a 65-89 mark... improved hitting and pitching can do wonders for a team... Jarno Berkman (18-13/3.66) paced the pitchers with help from Freddi Hahn (15-14/3.87)... the best bats belonged to All-Star RF Ivan Krause (.303/39/115/109), All-Star 2B Gary Colton (.288/20/91/82) and LF George McKay (.264/23/96/80).

The San Dimas Rancheros (77-77) were riding high in the saddle at mid-season and were in first place by a slim margin over Waleska, St. John and Valka, but slipped to the sixth spot in the standings at season's end and a distant 15 games behind first place Waleska... Wesley Pate's Rancheros had better-than-average pitching with a 3.75 team ERA (8th) and average hitting with a .259 BA (16th) and 125 home runs (25th)... vet Shannon White (17-13/3.08) was the team's best hurler... youngsters Joaquin Lima (20-16/3.39) and Miguel Valdes (16-15/3.93) both made the All-Star team, but slipped in the second half... Lima was was 12-5 with a 2.65 ERA at the All-Star break and Valdes was 10-6 with a 3.06 ERA... at the plate All-Star 3B Hector Cuellar (.313/27/83/76), 1B Lloyd Kelly (.322/11/49/79) and RF Ray Ford (.273/28/102/82) were the main sticks.

Bad pitching doomed the Belair Beach Sunbirds (74-80) to a seventh-place finish, 18 games behind in the pennant chase... Marty Pedroza's staff put up a lousy 4.89 team ERA (30th)... superstar and All-Star 1B Kees Draeger (.306/37/109/89) had his typically fine season with a little help from 2B Edmund Derksen (.292/9/57/88)... the Sunbirds best hurlers were Jaime Pedroza (16-14/4.81), Loris Plooster (15-7/4.25) and Rob Thrasher (15-17/3.29).

The last place Grand City Cybercats (72-82) were the number one team with a .284 BA, second in runs with 839 and tied for seventh in homers with 171, but an absolute nightmare on the mound with a 4.92 team ERA (31st)... this made for a very exciting season for manager Wade Joslin... All-Star 1B Mick Langston was the main threat with a .301 BA, 44 homers, 123 RBIs and 113 runs, but he had plenty of help from LF Wes Marlowe with 36 home runs, 115 RBIs, 113 runs and a .273 BA and CF Thomas Hall with 34 roundtrippers, 101 runs, 77 RBIs and a .277 average... add in SS Jared Lundquist (.308/1/52/91), 2B Liam Cadbury (.290/15/79/81) and 3B Travis Wagner (.307/8/77/47) and you have a powerful scoring machine... the Cybercats just didn't have the pitching to go along with a fine attack... Danny Denver (15-12/4.63) and Clyde Fairchild (10-10/4.41) were the most capable starters.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 19, 2028

2028 Ruthlandian East Final Recap

Marston Cops RU East Flag
The Marston Nine made a magnificent recovery in the second half to capture the RU East for the first time since 2015... Marston rallied from fourth place and 8 games down at mid-season to surge in front of Wynnamac, Belle Plaine and Elnora... the Sundowners and Musketeers tied for second place and were beaten by 4 games, while the All-Stars were vanquished by 13 games... last year's division champion Beechwood Bobcats had a miserable season and sunk all the way down to seventh place.

Manager Danny Church's Marston Nine (91-63) hit very well with a .276 BA (6th), scored well with 760 runs (7th) and had some power with 157 homers (15th-tied)... they pitched well, too, with a 3.72 ERA (6th), especially in the bullpen where they compiled a 2.95 ERA (2nd)... Marston had a potent attack with 1B Shelby Lansbury (.300/19/96/104), 2B Lonnie Trekell (.289/36/109/91), CF Russ Woodward (.277/23/86/95), SS Doyle McCandlish (.310/0/40/87) and C Ron Marlowe (.257/23/92/69)... 3B George Varsh (.303/8/47/62) and LF Carlton Curtis (.310/17/68/64) wielded reliable bats, too... on the hill two 20-game winners Denny Carravaggio (20-13/3.550 and Ronald Schmitt (20-15/4.08) led the way with help from Jack Tunstall (10-7 2.95) and Doug Hansack (13-13/4.13)... Bobby Daniel (5-3/2.82) paced the bullpen with 17 saves... middle reliever Ryan Ledbetter sparkled with a perfect 12-0 mark with a 3.06 ERA.

The second place Wynnamac Sundowners (87-67) had a fine ball club with a .273 BA (8th), 772 runs (6th) and 180 homers (5th)... on the hill Matt Donnelly's team posted a 3.72 ERA (6th)... four .300 hitters sparked the batting order, headed up by LF Lil Hoss Burkhalter (.318/37/112/92), RF Nick Baldini (.326/13/68/79), C Lee Leslie (.311/13/66/91) and 2B Garlin Delk (.315/16/71/67)... the power guys were 3B Dorak Aranda (.269/33/100/95) and 1B Giles Butler (.275/27/86/85)... Wynnamac's top arms were Killara Bardo (20-13/3.72), Lon Marshall (17-16/3.01) and Jason Meeks (17-16/3.27).

The Belle Plaine Musketeers (87-67), skippered by Dave Torregrossa, tied Wynnamac for the runner-up spot, both 4 games off the pace... the Muskies thrived at the plate with a .279 BA (4th), scored 810 runs (4th) and ripped 183 longballs (4th)... 6 players had 20 or more roundtrippers... 5 of them hit .300... two of them made the All-Star team: LF Owen Newman (.337/42/110/103) and 1B Kent Harmon (.311/28/92/101)... C Derek Roman (.302/25/81/102), RF Leon Bourque (.303/22/95/95), 3B Tyler Verret (.301/21/75/81) and 2B Tony Polochak (.263/21/73/63) also were productive bats for the Muskies... Lamont Cramer (20-12/3.78) was Torregrossa's top hurler... Earl Lacroix (18-9 4.31) also racked up a lot of wins, helped out by the fine offense... 35-year-old closer Fabian Moreau (5-6/2.88) chalked up 12 saves and finished the season with 301 career saves.

The Elnora All-Stars (78-76) sneaked into fourth place, the first time in 5 years they managed to make the first division... manager Leon Carter's club could pepper the scoreboard... the All-Stars batted .272 (9th), scored 753 runs (9th) and cracked 171 out of the park (7th-tied)... Elnora's shortcoming was on the mound with a lousy 4.31 team ERA (24th)... CF Travis Glass (.329/36/100/101), RF Pettis Pentleton (.365/13/57/107) and 3B Jeff Matthews (.290/17/72/84) powered the attack... 1B Mel Long (.259/25/87/68) and LF Jock Jumonville (.241/23/85/89) also lent support with home-run output... Freddy Pfeffer (19-11/3.71) was Carter's only dependable starter.

Winding up in a fifth-place deadlock were the Sugar Valley Rattlers (72-82) and the Eastshore Elegants, both trailing by 19 games... about the only thing the Rattlers did well was go deep... they hammered 174 home runs (6th)... also had a good offense with 727 scores (11th)... pitching-wise, not so good with a 4.20 team ERA (20th)... heading up the Sugar Valley bats was 1B Dean Woods, one of the best players in the IPA... despite missing 6 weeks of the season with an injury, Woods batted .315 with 34 homers, 105 RBIs and scored 69 times in just 103 games... other solid performers were RF Lindsay Deal (.285/21/96/78) and 3B Johnny Doyle, who hit only .212 for the year, but belted 25 home runs and drove in 93 runs... and LF Tyler White with 29 roundtrippers, 87 RBIs and 84 runs, but he hit only .224 for the season.

The Eastshore Elegants (72-82) were a bad-hitting club with a .237 BA (29th) and ranked 29th in offense with just 636 runs... Killer Brewster's boys were only average on the hill with a 4.01 team ERA... vets Melvin Keys (17-16/3.51) and Randy Boone (13-15/3.14) led the rotation... 22-year-old rookie left-hander Don Klingenberg (13-13/4.13) showed good at times... vet CF Larry Lowe (.281/12/58/87) was the team's top bat... RF Ivan Borkowski topped the team with 27 homers, but batted only .259 for average.

In 2026 and 2027 the Beechwood Bobcats (63-91) racked up 98 victories in each year and easily won the RU East division crowns and they were expected to do it again this year, but it didn't happen, they spiraled badly down to 7th place and 28 games back... Brett George saw his pitching staff crumble from a brilliant 2.57 two seasons ago and 2.96 last year up to a horrific 4.97 this year (32th)... the Bobcats didn't do much at the plate either with a .245 BA (25th)... however they did wallop 163 home runs (13th)... Ken Arby, last year's RU MVP and Golden Arm pitcher had to suffer through a 10-13 year with a 3.08 ERA... Arby missed 10 starts due to injury... Maury Patterson was down, too, with a 14-15 mark and a 3.77 ERA... Arby was 28-8 in 2027 and Patterson was 26-11... RF Jojo Davis and superstar CF Vic Valenti were the only threats in the lineup... Davis topped the IPA and RU with a .382 BA, while Valenti slammed 43 homers, hit .289, batted in 114 and scored 97 runs.

The Cold Creek Catamounts (59-95) had an awful year, finishing up last in the RU East for the second consecutive season and the sixth time since 2019... however, the 'Cats packed some power with 171 home runs (7th-tied), but hit only .248 (23rd) and was even worse with 661 runs (27th)... not a lot of pitching either with a 4.62 team ERA (28th)... starter Tommy Smith was the only respectable pitcher with a 16-17 record and a 3.62 ERA... 1B Steve Daniels paced the club with a .310 BA, 33 home runs, 85 RBIs and 91 runs... CF Carl Denton clouted 37 home runs and batted in 96 runs, but hit just .222 for average.