ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 25, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series

Tycobbian Union

BSC Bucs Bump Ozarka Nats From Playoffs
The Pro Cup favorite Bay St. Clair Buccaneers just barely escaped the embarrassment of losing in the first round with a stirring comeback to capture the Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series from the tough third-seeded Ozarka Naturals... the Bucs had to win the last two games to win the series four games to three... it took a 6-run ninth-inning rally to win game six... and they won by the slimmest of margins in game seven.

Game seven was a classic duel played at Ozarka's Ellie Ewing Stadium... the Buccaneers pulled it out 2-1 with masterful pitching by ace Jody Gentry (2-0/0.35), who stopped the Naturals on one run and 8 hits over 8 and a third innings... Gentry called it a day after giving up a one-out single in the ninth... closer Don Sawyer came in and slammed the door by getting the final two outs... Ozarka starter Brady Bell matched goose eggs with Gentry until the fifth when 3B Teddy Nixon (.400) tagged him for a 2-run homer... it was Nixon's third homer in the series... Bell (0-2/3.32) worked into the seventh, struck out 12 and allowed 6 hits and a walk... in the eighth CF Ralph Bevis' double (.269) and George Jenkins' (.269) single accounted for the only run the Nats could generate.

Gentry had three stellar starts in the series. He got credit for two of the victories. Gentry got a no-decision in game one, won by the Buccaneers 2-1 in 10 innings. He hurled a 4-hit shutout in game four, winning 5-0, then sealed the series with a fine outing today in game seven. Ozarka (94-60) led the IPA in victories this season, while Bay St. Clair (92-62) came in third. The Cape Coral Hurricanes (93-61) were the runner-up in wins, but were seeded eighth and last in the Pro Cup playoff rankings. They fell to the Blue Lake Blue Sox (85-69) in first round action. In the Tycobbian Final 4 it will be number-one seed Bay St. Clair battling seventh-seeded Blue Lake.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, September 26, 2030

Pro Cup Trimmed To Four Teams
Several high seeds are gone after the first round of the Pro Cup playoffs. The Pro Cup favorite Bay St. Clair Buccaneers almost didn't make it. Valmara and Wynnamac survived in the Ruthlandian Union, while it was the Buccaneers and Blue Lake in the Tycobbian Union. The two, three, four and eight seeds have bit the dust. In RU Final 4 action it will be five seed Wynnamac opening up at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara, opposed by the sixth-seeded Vipers. Over in the TU Final 4 favored Bay St. Clair will host the the number seven seed Blue Lake Blue Sox at Shoreline Park. Both series will be best-of-seven.

In the RU it will be Wynnamac's pitching against the well-balanced Valmara Vipers. The Sundowners staff carried them past Colfax with a 2.57 ERA. Wynnamac hit only .186, yet still won. Valmara upended the number two seed Grand City with a .263 batting average and a 3.33 ERA. The playoff-seasoned Vipers are favored to take the Ruthlandian title. Valmara has made the postseason in 7 of the last 8 years and won the Pro Cup in 2026.

Bay St. Clair made a remarkable comeback to whip third seed Ozarka in seven games. The Bucs had to win the last two to advance and they did it by the skin of their teeth. Blue Lake had a far easier task and whipped eighth seed Cape Coral in six games. The Blue Sox won the series without 22-game winner Doug Kirkpatrick, who will be out until early October with a sore arm. Bay St. Clair got strong pitching against the Naturals, compiling a fine 2.42 ERA, but batted only .225. The Blue Sox hit .267 against the Hurricanes and logged a 3.60 ERA. The Bucs should be able to handle the Blue Sox this time around and should be headed to the Pro Cup Finals against Valmara.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 27, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Vipers Edge Sundowners 4-3 In Game 1
The Valmara Vipers opened up the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series with a late-inning comeback to edge the Wynnamac Sundownowers 4-3 in game one, played at War Memorial Stadium... Teddy Lem and Jerry Rembert teamed up in the victory... Lem (2-1/3.24) went the distance, holding the Sundowners to 3 runs and 6 hits... only one of the runs was earned as the Vipers committed 4 errors... Lem walked none and fanned 5... 1B Rembert cracked 2 into the stands to lead Valmara at the plate... behind 3-2 the Vipers rallied for 2 runs in the eighth, scoring on a passed ball and a sacrifice fly by Teddy Rudek (.320).

Killara Bardo (1-2/4.74) took the loss... he also pitched a complete game, allowing 8 hits, striking out 8 and walking 1... Wynnamac got 2 runs in the first, courtesy of 2 Viper miscues, to take a 2-0 lead... Rembert's first homer tied it 1-1 in the fourth... Sundowner 1B Giles Butler's (.200) 2-run homer sent them up 3-1 in the sixth... Valmara RF Gerry Kazmarek (.290) and CF Teddy Szymanski chimed in with 2 hits apiece to help Rembert out.

Tycobbian Union

Bucs Bop Blue Sox 3-2 In TU Final 4 Opener
Playing at home at Shoreline Park, Bay St. Clair got a nice outing from Ray McClendon and beat weak-hitting Blue Lake 3-2 in the opening game of the Tycobbian Final 4... McClendon even drove in the winning run... Bucs skipper Denny Coulon called on McClendon in place of ineffective John Karlsen and got the victory... McClendon (1-0/1.74), an 18-game winner in the regular season, had been shifted to bullpen duty in the postseason... he held Blue Lake to 2 runs and 8 hits in 8-plus innings... closer Don Sawyer came in with one out in the ninth with the tying run on first and got the final 2 outs... it was Sawyer third save of the postseason... the losing pitcher was Chris Landry (0-2/2.66), who went the route... Landry tossed a credible game, yielding only 2 earned runs on 6 hits with one walk and 8 Ks.

The Buccaneers took an early 2-0 lead in the last of the third, scoring on SS Eddy Hunt's (.257) RBI double and an error by pitcher Chris Landry... Blue Lake narrowed it to 2-1 with a run in the top of the fourth on Joe McGarrett's (.400) double... and evened it up with another one in the sixth when SS Joe Korman (.179) hit into a fielder's choice... Bay St. Clair got the winning score in the seventh on a two-out single by 3B Teddy Nixon (.393) and an RBI double by McClendon (.333).

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, September 28, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

W'Macs Waylay Valmara 11-3, Gain Split In Series
In game two of the Ruthlandian Final 4 at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara, Wynnamac demolished the hometown Vipers 11-3 to gain a split in the series... the Sundowners slammed 13 hits and got a good effort from Jason Meeks, who bent, but didn't break... Meeks (3-0/1.73) posted his third win of the postseason, giving up 10 hits, but just 3 runs... Meeks fanned 4 and walked none... SS Chris Banner, RF Kurt Wenzel and 1B Giles Butler paced the 'Macs attack... Banner (.600) slapped 3 hits and batted in 3 runs, Wenzel (.500) had 2 hits, including a 2-run homer and scored twice, and Butler (.241) went 2-for-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs... a 6-run explosion in the top of the third sent Wynnamac on its merry way.

Valmara starter Carroll Cain (1-1/3.27) caught the loss... he was battered for 6 runs and 6 hits in just 3 frames... at the plate the Vipers were led by CF Teddy Szymanski (.343) with 3-4.

Tycobbian Union

Joubert Blanks Bucs 5-0, Blue Sox Bang Out 12 Hits
The anemic bats of Blue Lake finally came alive with 12 hits to bang out a 5-0 triumph over Bay St. Clair at the Buccaneers' home diamond Shoreline Park to even up the Tycobbian Final 4 at one game each... the Blue Sox also got a marvelous mound performance from Derek Joubert (2-1/3.65), who fired a 5-hit shutout, walked only 2 batters and whiffed 8... offensively CF Chris Halley (.316) was a one-man wrecking crew with 4 hits and 3 RBIs... Halley had a homer and a triple... 3B Matt Thompson (.353) also contributed a 2-run roundtripper... until today's explosion Blue Lake was batting a lowly .200 in the playoffs.

Buccaneer starter Jody Gentry, who has been brilliant in three previous postseason starts, was slammed at will by the Blue Sox... Gentry (2-1/1.67) gave up all 5 runs and 11 hits in 6-plus innings... Gentry saw his playoff ERA shoot up from 0.35 to 1.67 this afternoon.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 29, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Marshall Masterpiece, W'Macs Win 3-0 In Game 3
The Granger Field fans went home happy... their Wynnamac Sundowners polished off Valmara 3-0 in game three of the Ruthlandian Final 4 to take a 2-1 edge in the series... it was a 5-hit masterpiece by Lon Marshall (2-1/0.69), who continued his excellent postseason after a mediocre 14-17 record during the season... Marshall posted 5 Ks and walked 2 in the shutout.

For 6 and a half innings Marshall and Viper starter Garry Gronek were locked up in a scoreless duel... then 3B Dorak Aranda and C Lee Leslie went to work... in the last of the seventh Aranda tripled and scored on Leslie's base hit... then they teamed up again in the next inning to make it 3-0 with RBI singles... Aranda (.278) and Leslie (.226) led the Sundowners with 2 hits each... in defeat Gronek (2-1/3.42) went the route, too, permitting 3 runs on 9 hits with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts.

Tycobbian Union

Blue Sox Bump Off Bucs 5-1 Behind Trakas
For the second game in a row the previously inept Blue Lake bats were blazing... and the Blue Sox pitching was impressive again behind Billy Trakas... Blue Lake plastered favored Bay St. Clair for 11 hits enroute to a 5-1 victory to put them ahead in the Tycobbian Final 4 by a count of two games to one... Trakas (2-0/3.27) checked the Buccaneers for 8 frames on 8 hits and surrendered only one run, while striking out 5 and walking just one batter... reliever Ed Graham worked a perfect ninth to finish off the Bucs... RF Boom-Boom Baker (.237) lived up to his name with 3-3, including a 2-run homer... Baker drove in 3 runs... he also had help from CF Chris Halley (.333), who had 2 hits and an RBI... Danny Darby (1-2/2.91) suffered the loss, though he only gave up 2 earned runs in his 6 innings... the Blue Sox got to him for 10 hits and 5 runs overall.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 30, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Vips Szymanski 3-Run HR Ties Series With W'Macs
At home at Granger Field, Wynnamac's Killara Bardo only made one mistake on the mound in game four and that cost him dearly - Valmara's Teddy Szymanski parked a 3-run homer into the stands in the top of the eighth and that was good enough for a 3-2 victory to even the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series at two games apiece... without it Wynnamac would have had a huge lead in the series.

In addition to Szymanski's (.326) late-inning heroics, Teddy Lem was as sharp as a tack as he hurled 8 strong innings, yielded only one run and 5 hits with 7 strikeouts and a walk... Lem left with a 3-1 lead... closer Ivan Guzek got in trouble in the ninth with 2 singles and an error, but he managed to shut down the Sundowners after they cut the score to 3-2 with an unearned run... the route-going Bardo (1-3/4.18) was the loser as he permitted all 3 runs on 8 hits, fanned 7 and issued only one base on balls... at the plate Wynnamac was led by LF Lil Hoss Burkhalter (.189), who slugged a solo shot in the sixth to snapped a scoreless tie, and by RF Tommy Lambright (.185), who singled in the last run in the ninth... the Sundowners had only 7 hits.

Tycobbian Union

McClendon Stops Sox 2-1, Bucs Tie Series
Despite an 18-9 regular-season record, Ray McClendon started the playoffs in the Bay St. Clair bullpen and did well... then manager Denny Coulon decided to return him to the starting rotation and McClendon has been outstanding with two standout starts against Blue Lake... the 30-year-old lefty stopped the Blue Sox 3-2 in game one and topped it today with a 2-1 victory in game four to even up the Tycobbian Union Final 4 at two games each... McClendon shut down Blue Lake on 3 hits and a run in 8 innings... closer Don Sawyer came in and put the Blue Sox down in the ninth and faced only 3 batters... It was Sawyer's 4th postseason save.

Both McClendon and loser Chris Landry were terrific... there was only one hit in the first four frames, a first-inng single by Bucs LF Kelly Lucas (.279)... Bay St. Clair broke through with 2 scores in the top of the fifth, helped out by 2 errors by the Blue Sox and an RBI triple by SS Eddy Hunt (.234)... C Roger Webb (.289) gave the Blue Lake its only run with an eighth-inning roundtripper... Landry (0-3/1.99) had a standout game with 11 strikeouts and no earned runs... he walked 3 and allowed only 4 hits in 8 innings.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 1, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Meeks Gives Wynnamac 3-2 Series Lead
In game five of the Ruthlandian Final 4, Jason Meeks gave the Wynnamac fans a lot to cheer about at Granger Field... Meeks drove in the go-ahead runs and also tossed a 7-1 victory over the Valmara Vipers to give the Sundowners a 3-2 lead in the series... one more win and Wynnamac is headed for the Pro Cup Finals against the Tycobbian champion... The Sundowners haven't been to the Finals since 2008, when they whipped the Denton City Redbirds for the IPA title.

Meeks busted up a 1-1 deadlock with a 2-run single in the bottom of the seventh... a few batters later LF Lil Hoss Burkhalter put the finishing touches on the Vipers with a grand slammer... that made it easy for Meeks (4-0/1.29), who went the distance, hurling a 4-hitter with 5 Ks and a walk for his 4th playoff victory... Meeks did not allow an earned run... J. B. Boutin got the start from manager Jet Kazmarek... Boutin did well for six frames, but was hammered hard in the seventh...in all Wynnamac got to him for 7 runs and 9 hits... Boutin (0-1/9.95) was the losing pitcher... Burkhalter (.220) and Meeks (.143) led the Sundowners at the plate with 2 hits apiece.

Tycobbian Union

Blue Sox Nick Bucs 2-1, Go Up In Series 3-2
Blue Lake continued to get remarkable pitching in game five of the Tycobbian Final 4... Derek Joubert continued his winning ways with a 2-1 triumph over Pro Cup favorite Bay St. Clair, stopping the Buccaneers on one run and 6 hits over his 8 and two-thirds innings... He blanked them in game one 5-0... Joubert (3-1/2.97) shut out the Bucs for 8 innings and got the first two outs in the ninth, but then needed the help of Gil Donahue, who came in and got the final out with the bases loaded... it was Donahue's second save in the playoffs... Blue Lake turned 3 double plays... the Blue Sox staff has surrendered only 7 runs in the series and now has a 3-2 edge.

Blue Lake took the lead in the opening frame when CF Chris Halley (.320) reached base on an infield error, went to third on a double by 3B Matt Thompson (.304) and scored when RF Boom-Boom Baker (.217) grounded out... the Blue Sox tallied another run in the seventh for a 2-0 lead... LF Eddie Nagen (.303) singled and went to second when the right fielder bobbled the ball... Nagen stole third and rode home on 2B Skipper Smith's (.294) double... Bay St. Clair got its only score in the top of the ninth... LF Kelly Lucas (.304) and 1B Terry Adams (.292) singled to place runners on second and third... Lucas scored on C Damon Klein's (.128) base hit... each club had 6 hits.

The Buccaneers committed 3 miscues with none of their runs earned... starter and loser Jody Gentry (2-2/1.37) deserved a better fate... he only permitted 6 hits, walked none and fanned 4 in his 7 innings.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 2, 2030

2030 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Vipers Alive! Gronek Blanks W'Macs 1-0
In a postseason pitching classic Valmara stayed alive in the Ruthlandian Final 4 on the arm of 22-year-old rookie right-hander Garry Gronek, who fired a 5-hit 1-0 victory over the Wynnamac Sundowners at War Memorial Stadium to even the series at three games each... game seven is tomorrow afternoon, again in Valmara.

Gronek struck out 4 and walked only 1... He only got in trouble in the seventh when the Sundowners put runners on first and third with two away... Gronek got out of it with no harm done... losing pitcher Lon Marshall (2-2/0.79) was superb, too... he worked a complete game, fanned 5 and walked one, while allowing only one run on 8 hits... the Vipers got their only run in the opening frame... 2B Alec Leclerc (.289) and RF Gerry Kazmarek (.320) opened the game with back-to-back singles, placing runners on the corners... LF Benny Hooper (.182) brought Leclerc in with a flyout to right.

Wynnamac manager Matt Donnelly will send his ace Killara Bardo to the mound in game seven. Bardo was 21-13 in the regular season, but is only 1-3 in the postseason with a 4.18 ERA... Valmara skipper Jet Kazmarek will give the assignment to his number one starter Teddy Lem, who was 21-14 this year with a 3.31 ERA. Lem has put up a 3-1 mark in the playoffs with a 2.73 ERA. He owns two wins over the Sundowners in this series, beating them 4-3 in game one and 3-2 in game four.

Tycobbian Union

Blue Lake Upsets BSC Bucs In TU Final 4
The party is over for Pro Cup favorite Bay St. Clair, but it will continue for seventh-seeded Blue Lake, who upset the Buccaneers in the Tycobbian Final 4, taking the series four games to two... the Blue Sox wrapped it up with a another fine mound performance... this time from Billy Trakas, who went all the way in a 5-2 win... Trakas (3-0/2.61) shackled the Bucs on 4 hits and limited them to 2 runs, only one earned... Trakas chalked up 7 strikeouts and issued one walk.

Led by 3B Matt Thompson's 4 hits, the Blue Sox collected 9 hits... they struck for 2 runs in the first frame, scoring one on LF Eddie Nagen's (.297) RBI single and another on a Buccaneer error... Blue Lake increased it to 3-0 in the top of the fifth, when Thompson (.360) drove in Skipper Smith (.289) with a single... Bay St. Clair finally got to Trakas in the bottom of the fifth on CF Chris Blanton's (.125) 2-run single, cutting the score to 3-2... but that's all they got... the Blue Sox put them away with 2 more in the top of the seventh, scoring on CF Chris Halley's (.315) sacrific fly and and RBI single by LF Boom-Boom Baker (.220).

The Bucs starter John Karlsen (0-2/6.23) suffered the loss, but only allowed 2 earned runs on 9 hits in 7 innings... Karlsen fanned 4 and walked no one.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 3, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Vipers Win 7th Game 4-2 Behind Lem
The Valmara Vipers are Pro Cup bound... they came back from a three games to two deficit to eliminate the Wynnamac Sundowners in seven games to capture the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series... Valmara ace Teddy Lem beat the Sundowners for the third time in the series... Lem (4-1/2.57) tamed them 4-2 in game seven... he was tagged for 9 hits, but gave up only 2 runs, struck out 5 and walked none... LF Billy Hooper rapped a crucial 2-run homer in the fifth inning that proved to be the margin of victory... Wynnamac's Killara Bardo (1-4/4.37) was the losing pitcher, though he only permitted 4 hits, but walked 5, while fanning 6 in his 7 innings.

The Vipers took the lead right off the bat with 2 runs in the first... 2B Alec Leclerc (.292) led off the game with a single, stole second and was doubled in by RF Gerry Kazmarek (.315)... Kazmarek moved to third on a groundout and then scored when Hooper (.188) bounced out to third... Hooper led the Vipers with 3 runs batted in... C Lee Leslie (.222) narrowed the score to 2-1 with a home run in the top of the fifth... Hooper came right back with his roundtripper in the last half of the frame to make it 4-1... the Sundowners got the final run in the seventh when 1B Giles Butler (.244) led off with a double, advanced to third on a grounder and rode home on Tommy Lambright's (.188) sac fly.

Valmara will meet the Blue Lake Blue Sox, the Tycobbian champion in the Pro Cup Finals... this will be the Vipers fourth trip to the Pro Cup Finals... they won it in 2026, knocking off the Mahaska Haymakers... Valmara lost in 2003 and 2023... the Vipers have played in the postseason 12 times overall in their history.

This will be the first time the Blue Sox have qualified for the IPA championship... they made the playoffs in 2001 and 2010, but were eliminated in the first round each time.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 4, 2030

Pro Cup Finals Start Tomorrow In Valmara
Game one of the IPA Pro Cup Finals is scheduled tomorrow afternoon at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara. The Vipers will host the Blue Lake Blue Sox. The series is a toss-up. Valmara is well-experienced in Pro Cup action and will be making its fourth appearance. This will be a first for the Blue Sox. Overall this is the Vipers' 12th postseason appearance. Valmara racked up its only Pro Cup title in 2026. The Blue Sox are novices with only three playoff appearances in their history. Until this season, they have never gotten past the first round. The Vipers will be in quest of a second Pro Cup, while it will be the Blue Sox first. Neither team was expected to get this far. The Vipers were seeded sixth, while the Blue Sox were rated the seventh best team in THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Pro Cup Poll.

Blue Lake manager Rick Hilliard got a big boost when his ace Doug Kirkpatrick came back from a month on the DL. Kirkpatrick (22-9/2.92) did not play in the first two rounds. He will make Blue Lake's fine starting rotation even better. Kirkpatrick will join Derek Joubert, Chris Landry and Billy Trakas, who paced the Blue Sox to a very impressive 2.25 team ERA so far in the playoffs. Hilliard hasn't decided on his rotation for the finals yet. It won't be an easy decision. Trakas is 3-0 in the postseason with a 2.61 ERA, Joubert 3-1 with a 2.97 ERA and Landry was 0-3, but with an excellent 1.99 ERA. During the regular season Trakas was 13-17 with a 3.24 ERA, Joubert 12-5 with a great 1.84 ERA and Landry was 15-13 with a 2.88 ERA.

On paper Blue Lake seems to have much superior pitching. Valmara skipper Jet Kazmarek will counter with the trio of Teddy Lem (21-14/3.31), rookie Garry Gronek (15-10/3.38) and Carroll Cain (15-12/3.27). In the postseason Lem is 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA, Gronek is 3-1 with a fine 2.48 ERA and Cain is 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA. The Blue Sox have a much better bullpen than the Vipers, too.

For Valmara to have a chance the offense must produce much better in the championship series. They have hit only .236 so far in playoffs. The Vipers batted .272 during the year. Valmara's best bats in the postseason are RF Gerry Kazmarek (.315), 2B Alec Leclerc (.292), 1B Jerry Rembert (.267) and CF Teddy Szymanski (.259). The Blue Sox have performed better in the playoffs with a .258 team BA, sparked by 3B Matt Thompson (.360), CF Chris Halley (.315), Eddie Nagen (.297), 2B Skipper Smith (.289) and C Roger Webb (.267). Both clubs are about even in power. Blue Lake has 11 homers, while Valmara has gone deep 9 times. Scoring-wise Blue Lake has tallied 45 runs in 12 games, while Valmara has totaled 42 in 13 games.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 5, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Final Series
(best-of-seven)

Blue Sox Sock Vipers 5-1 In Pro Cup Opener
It didn't matter at all that Blue Lake was playing on the road in Valmara... the Blue Sox rapped out 4 runs and 6 hits in the opening frame of the Pro Cup opener and never looked back in a 5-1 triumph over Valmara... Blue Sox 22-game winner Doug Kirkpatrick never missed a beat after missing a month with a sore arm... Kirkpatrick (1-0/1.00) lacked a little command, but held the Vipers to a run and 6 hits, walking 5 and fanning 3 in a complete-game performance.

Viper starter Garry Gronek (3-2/2.95) was battered in the first, but settled down and surrendered only one more run over the next 6 frames... the Blue Sox collected 9 hits and were led by C Roger Webb (.265) with 2 RBIs... LF Eddie Nagen (.293), 1B Herb Hull (.224) and 2B Skipper Smith (.286) drove in the other runs.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 6, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Final Series
(best-of-seven)

Lem Evens Series, Vipers Down Blue Sox 7-1
In game two of the IPA Pro Cup Finals, the Valmara Vipers got just what the doctor ordered, a masterful outing from ace Teddy Lem, who downed Blue Lake 7-1 for a split in the series... and some timely hitting, too... Lem (5-1/2.16) chalked up his 5th win of the playoffs, limiting the Blue Sox to one run and 8 hits, while walking none and striking out 4 in his 8 innings... old reliable Ivan Guzek worked a perfect ninth and struck out 2 of the 3 batters... Derek Joubert (3-2/3.72) took the loss as the Vipers slammed him for 6 runs and 6 hits in 5-plus innings... Joubert departed behind 6-1 after allowing 4 runs in the fourth and 2 in the fifth.

RF Gerry Kazmarek (.344) led Valmara with 3 hits, 2 runs and an RBI... 1B Jerry Rembert (.264) chipped in with 2 hits, 2 runs and an RBI... Viper C Floyd Randolph (.172) had the game's only homer, a solo shot in the eighth... both teams totaled 8 hits each... the Pro Cup Finals now switches to Blue Lake for games three, four and five.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 7, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Final Series
(best-of-seven)

Blue Lake Outduels Valmara 1-0 In 12 Innings
In one of the classic games in Pro Cup history, the Blue Lake Blue Sox outlasted the Valmara Vipers 1-0 in 12 innings at Harbor Stadium to take a 2-1 lead in the series... 5 Blue Sox hurlers combined to shut out the Vipers on 10 hits... game three came to an abrupt end in the twelfth, when RF Gerry Kazmarek botched a fly ball hit by CF Chris Halley for a two-base error... the next batter 3B Matt Thompson (.355) promptly cracked a game-winning base hit to end it... Gil Donahue (2-0/0.00) blanked Valmara in the top of the twelfth for the victory with the loss going to Chris Phillips 0-1/9.00), who also came on the last inning.

The Vipers did everything but win the game... they left 15 runners on and outhit Blue Lake 10 to 6... even had 4 double plays, but still didn't win... there were no extra base hits in the game... Halley (.288) and C Roger Webb (.281) led the winners with a pair of hits each... CF Teddy Szymanski (.269) with 3-6 and LF Reno DiBenedetto (.167) with 2-6 topped Valmara at the plate...

Billy Trakas started for Blue Lake, but had to leave in the third with an injury... Chris Landry worked through the sixth, striking out 6 batters... followed by Derek Joubert, who worked the seventh and eighth... Freddy Camp entered in the ninth and went through the eleventh... Valmara has standout pitching, too, with starter Carroll Cain stopping Blue Lake on 4 hits over 8 innings... and Ivan Guzek held them hitless in the ninth and tenth.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 8, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Finals
(best-of-seven)

Vipers Tie Series, Beat Blue Sox 5-2 In Game 4
In game four of the IPA Pro Cup Finals at Blue Lake's Harbor Stadium, Valmara rookie Garry Gronek did the unexpected - he beat Blue Sox ace and 22-game winner Doug Kirkpatrick 5-2 to tie up the series at two games apiece... Gronek (4-2/2.77) threw a lot of pitches, but managed to keep Blue Lake off the scoreboard except for 2 runs in the fourth... Gronek surrendered 7 hits in a route-going performance, walking 5 batters and striking out 6... Kirkpatrick (1-1/2.65), just off the DL, wasn't sharp...in the loss he was shelled for 10 hits and 5 runs in 8 innings with 7 Ks and 2 walks.

The Vipers got things rolling with a 2-run double by C Floyd Randolph in the top of the fourth... the Blue Sox got their only runs in the last of the fourth on a lead-off triple by 1B Herb Hull (.230) and a wild pitch... Kirkpatrick (.143) drove in the other run with a single... Valmara snapped a 2-2 tie with 2 runs in the top of the sixth... CF Teddy Szymanski (.264) tripled to start the inning, then scored on an error by 3B Matt Thompson for the lead run... later in the frame 1B Jerry Rembert scored on a fielder's choice by 3B Erek Wyszynski (.185) to make it 4-2... LF Benny Hooper (.226) singled in the final Viper run in the top of the seventh... Randolph (.182) paced Valmara with 3 RBIs... Rembert (.283) had 2 hits and scored twice.

Doctors told Blue Lake that pitcher Billy Trakas (13-17/3.24) will be out for a few days with a stiff neck, injured in game three... Trakas could miss his next start, scheduled for game six on Thursday afternoon in Valmara... rookie Derek Joubert (12-5/1.84) or Chris Landry (15-13/2.88) is the likely replacement according to manager Rick Hilliard.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 9, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Finals
(best-of-seven)

Vips Trip Blue Sox 6-4, Nab Pro Cup Lead
A big 4-run second inning paced the visiting Valmara Vipers to a 6-4 triumph over the Blue Lake Blue Sox in game five of the IPA Pro Cup Finals at Harbor Stadium... lousy defense played a huge part in the game as the Blue Sox committed 3 errors, giving up 5 undeserved runs and giving the Vipers a three games to two edge in the series... Valmara has won the last two games... one more victory for the Vipers and they are the 2030 champs.

Valmara starter Teddy Lem (6-1/2.37) posted his sixth postseason victory... it wasn't one of his better outing, but it was sufficient... Lem allowed 3 runs on 7 hits in his 7 innings... he gave up one walk and fanned 4... closer Ivan Guzek claimed his 4th playoff save, but surrendered one run and two hits in his two wrap-up innings... losing pitcher Willie Taskins (1-1/1.93) went 4 frames and was tagged for 6 hits and 6 runs, but only one was earned... Chris Landry and Derek Joubert finished up with 5 hitless innings between them... they totally shut down the Viper bats.

LF Benny Hooper (.239) led Valmara at the plate with 2 doubles and 2 runs batted in... 3B Erek Wyszynski (.191) pitched in with a solo home run... LF Eddie Nagen (.315) was the Blue Sox best bat with 2 hits, 2 runs and 2 RBIs... Nagen had a double and his 4th homer in the playoffs... CF Chris Halley (.284) added 2 hits, too... and RF Boom-Boom Baker (.188) got his 3rd roundtripper in the postseason.

In game six manager Jet Kazmarek will send Carroll Cain (15-12/3.52) to the hill to bring home the Pro Cup to Valmara for the second time in its history... Blue Sox skipper Rick Hilliard will likely go with Billy Trakas (13-17/3.24)... Cain is 1-1 in the playoffs with a 2.40 ERA, while Trakas is 3-0 with a 2.38 ERA... however Trakas will take the mound with a stiff neck and is not at 100%... the Vipers will have the home field advantage in game six and also in game seven, should it be necessary.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 10, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Finals
(best-of-seven)

Blue Lake Forces Game 7, Landry Whips Vips 2-0
If you're a baseball fan, it don't get any better than this... Blue Lake whipped Valmara on the road at War Memorial Stadium 2-0 and forced a seventh and final game in the IPA Pro Cup Finals... Chris Landry took over as an emergency starter and fired 7 shutout innings to derail the Vipers title aspirations and keep his Blue Sox in the running... Landry (1-3/1.36) subbed for the injured Billy Trakas and did a marvelous job, stopping Valmara on 4 hits over 7 innings with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts... closer Gil Donahue came in and completed the victory with 2 scoreless innings to register his 3rd save in the playoffs.

There wasn't much offense in the game... Viper starter Carroll Cain (1-2/2.08) worked a strong game, permitting only one earned run and 5 hits... Cain struck out 5 and walked only one in a complete-game... Blue Lake got a run in the top of the third when SS Joe Korman (.172) led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice, then scored on CF Chris Halley's (.282) double... in the fourth the Blue Sox added another run when LF Boom-Boom Baker (.181) reached second on a throwing error by SS Teddy Ruzek and was doubled in by C Roger Webb (.275).

Valmara got 7 hits in all and was led by CF Teddy Szymanski (.263) and 1B Jerry Rembert (.288) with 2 hits each... they stranded 10 baserunners.

In the series finale tomorrow afternoon at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara, the Vipers hope rookie Garry Gromek (15-10/3.38) can again get the best of Blue Sox ace and 22-game winner Doug Kirkpatrick... Gromek beat him 5-2 in game four.... in the playoffs this season Gromek is 4-2 with a 2.77 ERA in 6 starts, while Kirkpatrick is 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA in 2 starts... Kirkpatrick just returned from the DL a few days ago... Kirkpatrick registered a 5-1 victory in game one of the series.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 11, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Finals
(best-of-seven)

Blue Sox IPA Pro Cup Champ, Top Vips In 7 Games
A great ending to a magnificent season - after three decades of futility, the eighth-seeded Blue Lake Blue Sox did what seemed to be the impossible - for the first time in history, they are the IPA Pro Cup champion... the Blue Sox came back to win the final two games in back-to-back shutouts to cop the series four games to three from the Valmara Vipers... Blue Sox Doug Kirkpatrick got a late start in the Pro Cup playoffs because of injury, but he came through with two great wins in the Finals... Kirkpatrick (2-1/1.73) fired a 5-hit 2-0 shutout to capture the title.

Blue Lake got two singles from CF Chris Halley (.296) and 2B Skipper Smith (.234) and a flyout in the first frame to go up 1-0... 3B Matt Thompson (.290) got the RBI... the Blue Sox added another run in the top of the third when Kirkpatrick (.200) helped his own cause with a double, moved to third on a balk and scored when Eddie Nagen (.290) grounded out to second base... that's all the runs Kirkpatrick needed as he struck out 3 and issued no walks... Garry Gronek (4-3/2.91) caught the loss as he gave up 2 runs and 3 hits in 4 innings... the Blue Sox could manage only 6 hits off three Viper pitchers, who fanned 8 and walked just one.

Blue Lake manager Rick Hilliard glowingly told the press, "We don't have any superstars on our ball club, just a bunch of great guys that play together... all doing their part for the good of the team... but I will say our pitching staff really came through for us in the playoffs... first the starters filled in while Doug was injured and got us through the first two rounds and then Doug really came through for us in the Finals with two great performances... what a game he pitched today."

Valmara manager Jet Kazmarek said he was very disappointed with the Pro Cup loss. "You don't get very many shots at the gold ring and we let one get away. All we needed was one more win... just a split in the last two games... but we couldn't do it." Kazmarek, the greatest hitter in IPA history with a career .350 BA, said Blue Lake's pitching was truly remarkable. "They posted a 2.04 ERA against the best teams in the league in the playoffs. We have a pretty good hitting club, but they shut us out three times in the series and held us to one run in the other victory... now that is some kind of pitching. 1 through 8 the Blue Sox have excellent starters and relievers. There are no weak links on their staff.... We couldn't hit any of them."

[edog23]

Nice to see the Blue Sox finally make it to the top of mountain after all those years of futility. Let's hope they can stay up there for awhile and not be a one-trick pony. I'm glad you're still doing to the write-ups, Eugene. This league is still fun to read.

Erik

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by edog23

Nice to see the Blue Sox finally make it to the top of mountain after all those years of futility. Let's hope they can stay up there for awhile and not be a one-trick pony. I'm glad you're still doing to the write-ups, Eugene. This league is still fun to read.

Erik

Thank you, Erik, for being such a loyal follower. The Blue Sox have a great staff. Chris Landry is the oldest one on the staff at age 30. The only regular over 30 is catcher Roger Webb at 34. Blue Lake is a very young club. If they can pick up some bats, they could be a Dynasty.

I still enjoy the IPA. This was going to be the last season. I intended to start a smaller league with 12-16 teams with OOTP13, but have changed my mind. OOTP13's last update will probably be in July. I never use a new version until they get most of the kinks out of the way with the final patch.

I have decided to play through the 2050 season.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 12, 2030

Valmara's Lem Voted Pro Cup MVP
For the first time in IPA Pro Cup history the Most Valuable Player didn't come from the championship team. The honor went instead to Teddy Lem of the runner-up Valmara Vipers. Lem outpolled five players from the the Blue Lake Blue Sox. There was no clear-cut Most Valuable Player on the Blue Sox. It was truly a team effort. In a very close vote the IPA Baseball Writers Association selected Lem as the outstanding player in the Pro Cup playoffs this season. Lem lost his first postseason start and then rattled off six straight victories, including two in the Finals over Blue Lake. The 26-year-old Lem was 6-1 with a 2.37 ERA in 7 starting assignments. During the regular season Lem posted an impressive 21-14 mark with a 3.31 ERA. This year's Pro Cup MVP also picked up the award in 2026, when the Vipers won their first Pro Cup. That year Lem was 3-0 in 4 starts with a standout 1.76 ERA.

Blue Sox hurlers Doug Kirkpatrick and Billy Trakas were tied for second in the MVP balloting. Trakas got the Blue Sox to the Finals and was injured, while Kirkpatrick missed the first two rounds because of injury, but came back with a flourish and made his presence known in the Finals. The number four votegetter was LF Eddie Nagen, followed by 3B Matt Thompson and CF Chris Halley. No one else received any votes.

Trakas, a stylish 23-year-old southpaw, got the Blue Sox through the early rounds with a 3-0 record and a 2.38 ERA. Kirkpatrick won two of three starts in the Finals against Valmara, going 2-1 with a super 1.73 ERA. He won game seven in a great outing 2-0. Nagen was the batting leader for Blue Lake. He hit .290 in the postseason with 4 homers, 9 RBIs and 11 runs scored. Thompson batted .303 with one roundtripper, 11 RBIs and scored 5 times, while Halley sported a .296 batting average with one homer, 8 RBIs and 7 runs.