ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, June 20, 2031

Superstars Selected For IPA All-Star Game
The stars will be bursting forth this Wednesday afternoon at Harbor Stadium in Blue Lake, which will host the 31st edition of the Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star classic. The Tycobbian Stars hold a decided edge in the series with 20 victories in 30 games, but Ruthlandia has taken four of the last six clashes. Last year's Pro Cup-winning manager Rick Hilliard of Blue Lake will be at the helm of the TU All-Stars, while Valmara's Jet Kazmarek will handle the RU All-Stars.

The Ruthlandian Stars will be led by Russ Woodward, who has been selected 8 times to the elite squad. Loco Dillinger will be appearing in the classic for the 6th time, and Ivan Guzek, Derek Roman and Leevi Viri for the 4th time. Heading up the Tycobbian Stars will be Crash Davis. The Ginza star made the club for the 14th time. Errol Gaudet was picked for the 8th year, Dennis Hartwig for the 5th time, and Frank Blair, Jody Gentry, Lynn Starr, Jan Kessinger, Travis Tuttle and Lorne Evans for the 4th time in their careers.

Ruthlandian Union All-Stars
SP Aron Libertini (Sugar Valley) 12-2/2.20
SP Jakob Wagner (Far Mountain) 10-5/1.68
SP Freddy Pfeffer (Elnora) 11-5/2.60
SP Earl Perkins (Sligo) 10-2/2.15
SP Jay Barajas (San Dimas) 10-4/2.42
SP Alex Gillespie (LaGrange) 10-6/1.91
SP Augie Marquis (Fort Benton) 10-3/2.44
SP Ryan Janssen (LaGrange) 8-4/2.08
MR Zack Dowdle (Beechwood) 3-0/1.21/12 saves
MR Ivan Guzek (Valmara) 5-0/1.71/9 saves
C Lee Leslie (Wynnamac) .281/10/44/30/.995 FA/2 PB/61.5% RTO
C Derek Roman (Belle Plaine) .315/11/45/40/.992 FA/2 PB/30.4% RTO
C Kyle Hunt (Ranford) .332/4/26/33/.995 FA/2 PB/33.3% RTO
1B Mick Langston (Grand City) .308/20/47/49/.988 FA
1B Steve Daniels (Cold Creek) .305/11/48/32/.986 FA
1B Josh George (Crystal Lake) .294/11/44/45/.991 FA
2B Byron Johannsen (St. John) .349/4/37/39/.992 FA
2B Alec Leclerc (Valmara) .340/0/31/36/.988 FA
3B Eric Hollister (Middlefield) .303/15/47/30/.931 FA
3B Leevi Viri (Valka) .287/10/42/38/.964 FA
SS Cloyd Middleton (San Dimas) .327/0/20/27/.983 FA
SS Timmy Robinson (Crystal Lake) .314/11/41/38/.947 FA
LF Wes Marlowe (Grand City) .293/25/65/47/.979 FA
LF Loco Dillinger (Waleska) .312/21/52/50/.979 FA
LF Benny Hooper (Valmara) .315/17/62/44/.988 FA
CF Russ Woodward (Marston) .335/15/46/48/.989 FA
CF Shelby Glasscock (Belle Plaine) .320/17/44/54/1.000 FA
CF Scotty Lagrange (Eastshore) .326/15/48/42/.994 FA
CF Russell Watkins (LaGrange) .362/14/48/36/.979 FA
RF Pettis Pentleton (Elnora) .395/8/47/45/.979 FA
RF Gerry Kazmareki (Valmara) .329/1/30/45/.964 FA

Tycobbian Union All-Stars
SP Dixie Brooks (East Point) 11-4/2.58
SP Benny DeVito (Luxora) 11-6/2.03
SP Frank Blair (East Point) 11-6/2.35
SP Jody Gentry (Bay St. Clair) 10-3/2.39
SP Pat Kovacs (LaClaire) 10-6/2.45
SP Tom Pierson (Rolling Hills) 9-5/2.43
SP Quinn Starr (Tuckanarra) 10-6/2.47
SP Errol Gaudet (Rolling Hills) 10-5/2.65
CL Don Sawyer (Bay St. Clair) 4-2/1.06/11 saves
CL Matt Reeves (Chicopee) 4-2/1.42/10 saves
C Luis Alvarado (Southport) .294/11/33/34/.990 FA/3 PB/40% RTO
C Tony Brinkerhoff (Rolling Hills) .280/6/56/35/.986 FA/5 PB/26.8% RTO
C Crash Davis (Kenwood) .244/6/35/38/.993/3 PB/29.4% RTO
1B Garris Aiken (.301/17/41/46/.981 FA
1B Lynn Starr (.291/12/52/42/.993 FA
1B Billy Christianson (Rolling Hills) .344/3/20/58/.997 FA
2B Jan Kessinger (Kenwood) .381/1/28/38/.972 FA
2B Jose De Leon (Fairfax) .338/1/36/33/.982 FA
3B Bubby Blackwell (San Alejo ) .341/6/34/44/.875 FA
3B Pat Ellis (Red Bluff) .297/15/43/40/.878 FA
SS Jed Turchin (Tuckanarra) .307/8/33/34/.961 FA
SS John Velasco (Fairfax) .333/5/40/36/.966 FA
LF Boom-Boom Baker (Blue Lake) .315/11/36/42/.993 FA
LF Dennis Hartwig (Oxford) .319/16/42/30/.975 FA
CF Pasha Yablonski (Mahaska) .373/1/27/62/.971 FA
CF Jim Lewellan (Colchester) .290/18/49/43/.989 FA
CF Kelly Chamberlain (LaClaire) .307/9/47/40/.989 FA
RF Travis Tuttle (Mahaska) .354/17/45/44/.938 FA
RF Charlie Jensen (Chicopee) .318/18/44/45/.951 FA
RF Lorne Evans (Southport) .276/20/44/48/.957 FA

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, June 25, 2031

TU Stars Rule, Top RU Stars 7-2
The Tycobbian All-Stars made quick work of the Ruthlandian All-Stars in the 31st All-Star Classic played at Harbor Stadium in Blue Lake... The TU Stars routed them 7-2, led by the game's MVP CF Pasha Yablonski (Mahaska) with 3 hits and 3 RBIs, including a solo homer in the first frame... Tycobbia smacked 10 hits off 8 Ruthlandian hurlers, while allowing 7 hits... Frank Blair got the win, pitching a perfect third inning... RU starter Aron Libertini (Sugar Valley) took the loss... he was tagged for Yablonski's homer... the TU Stars battered Alex Gillespie (LaGrange) for 6 runs in the fifth to seal the verdict... RF Travis Tuttle (Mahaska) slammed a 2-run shot in the decisive inning... Tycobbia's triumph boosted its lead in the All-Star Series to 21-10 over Ruthlandia.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 22, 2031

2031 Ruthlandian North Final Standings

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 22, 2031

2031 Ruthlandian North Final Recap

Valmara Dominates RU North Again
For the eighth time in nine years the Valmara Vipers are again the class of the Ruthlandian North. The Vipers totally dominated the division this season winning by 21 games over second place LaGrange and Glasco. Fourth place belonged to the Kilkenny Cats, who finished 23 games off the pace. Valmara is expected to make another serious run for the Pro Cup crown. They won it in 2026 and were finalists last year and in 2023.

For the sixth year in succession Jet Kazmarek's club is the RU North winner... Valmara (99-55) coupled great pitching and solid hitting to lead all comers in the IPA with 99 victories... the Vipers batted .275 as a team, ranked fourth in scoring and paced the IPA with a superior 2.85 team ERA... top performers were Garry Gromek (21-17/2.76), Teddy Lem (17-9/2.74), Carroll Cain (17-13/3.22), Ivan Guzek (10-3/2.06/22 saves), LF Benny Hooper (.325/25/115/92), CF Reno DiBenedetto (.285/16/100/101), RF Gerry Kazmarek (.313/10/64/105), C Floyd Randolph (.295/20/97/64) and 1B Jerry Rembert (.264/25/72/77)... Valmara is just average on defense with a .972 FA.

The LaGrange Sports (78-76) were co-runners-up with the Glasco Athletics... manager Quincy Peterson had three fine starters in Ryan Janssen (20-12/2.41), who led the IPA with 311 strikeouts, Alex Gillespie (16-13/2.64) and Mike York (18-17/2.97), along with reliever/starter Walt Thurber (8-8/2.91/11 saves)... offense was supplied by CF Russell Watkins (.330/30/100/79), 1B Chris Charbonnier (.281/32/82/88) and RF Randall Hawson (.235/28/77/47).

Barry McCord finally got the Glasco A's (78-76) in gear by winding up with a winning record and a first-division finish for the first time in 9 seasons... his Athletics had good power with 181 homers (2nd) and scored 737 runs (3rd)... but not much on the hill with a 4.17 team ERA (29th)... Sam Gilmore (18-10/3.24) was the best starter... Glasco's best hitters were CF Shane Murphy (.291/25/77/107), 1B Wallace Buchanan (.286/26/89/75) and C Eddy Martin (.306/18/72/80).

The fourth-place Kilkenny Cats (76-78) were skippered by Rusty Denicola... the Cats featured a solid pitching corps with a 3.29 team ERA, but hit poorly with a .244 BA and ranked low in scoring (30th)... for the fifth time in his career Dave Whiteaker (22-13/2.38) racked up 20 wins... Dean Harris (13-9/2.50) was also effective... SS Johnny Gentry (.271/18/81/79) was the most productive batter... RF Jamie Turner (.257/22/78/64) and 1B Jesse Clayton (.258/23/60) also chipped in with a little power.

The Far Mountain Redhawks (71-83) were relegated to the fifth spot in the RU North standings and ended up far back, 28 games back... manager Don Nichols' club did a fine job on the hill with 3.22 team ERA (7th) with the likes of Jakob Wagner (15-13/2.45) and Keith Griggs (14-13/2.77)... closer Hans Becker (1-0/1.06) was also impressive... at the plate the Redhawks were anemic with a .250 BA (28th) and ranked last in scoring (32nd)... none of the everyday players had a good year.

Ancona (68-86) excelled in little with a .250 BA (27th) and a 3.82 ERA (23rd) to drop from third to sixth this year... the Red Elephants were 31 games behind pennant-winning Valmara... Gene Stinson (13-10/3.22) and Joey Meisner (11-9/3.89) were fairly good starters... ace Razzy Angelis (11-17/3.59) has a sub-par season... Angelis won 22 games last year... vets 3B Koora Nawajuk (.274/8/62/76) and SS Todd Nasso (.236/16/59/71) were the best of the lot in the batter's box.

The Ranford Bulls (66-88) came in seventh and trailed by 33 games under the leadership of Rick Fargnoli... the Bulls only had average offense (16th) and poor pitching 27th)... 1B Elton Graff (.319/12/73/68) and C Kyle Hunt (.317/9/71/74) were the bat leaders with .300 averages... 2B Terry Kerr (.286/19/99/74) topped the team in RBIs and homers... pitchers Angelo Coppolo (11-16/3.16) and Manny Mateo (13-14/3.13) was capable starters, but did not have winning marks.

It was a terrible season for the last place Taranto Tars (55-99), who were 44 games out of first place... the Tars set a team record for losses this year... manager Denny Radke had little to smile about with a .239 team BA (31st) and a 4.41 team ERA (31st)... RF Rhett Gentry was the only productive bat with 99 RBIs and 29 home runs, but he batted a dismal .235 for average... none of the starters had winning records... all of them lost 20 games... Paulie Pieroni (13-24/3.54) and Laz Tomassini (12-22/3.95) were the only ones under the 4.00 ERA mark.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 22, 2031

2031 Ruthlandian South Final Standings

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 22, 2031

2031 Ruthlandian South Final Recap

SD Rancheros Romp In RU South
The San Dimas Rancheros won the Ruthlandian South for only the second time in history. The last year they took the division pennant was way back in 2008. This season the Rancheros pulled away in the second half and won comfortably by 7 games over second place St. John. Third place went to the Grand City Cybercats and the Belair Beach Sunbirds, who were 9 games off the pace. The Cybercats were the RU South titlist last year.

Manager Wesley Pate guided division champ San Dimas (93-61) up from fourth in 2030 with standout mound work from Jay Barajas (23-10/2.68), Joaquin Lima (22-14/3.10) and Miguel Valdes (17-11/2.99) with quality help from Shannon White (13-10/3.47) and closer Hector Villa (5-6/2.24/25 saves)... Villa topped the RU with 25 saves... Pate only had an average offense (17th) with little power (32nd)... 2B Joey Harris (.314/10/76/81) was the team's top batter, followed by SS Cloyd Middleton (.299/3/58/67), 3B Gregg Mathis (.291/9/55/73) and CF Ramon Escobar (.279/10/76/88)... San Dimas was tied with St. John defensively with .977 FAs, ranked second in the RU.

The number two club was the St. John Crusaders (86-68) that rose up from fifth to second under the leadership of skipper Clayton Luck... the Crusaders hit well and scored well with a .273 BA and 711 runs (7th-tied), but possessed average pitchers with a 3.60 team ERA... the leader at the plate was SS Byron Johannsen (.327/10/86/91)... LF Joey Daigrepont provided 17 homers and 78 RBIs, while batting .268... 1B Johnny Zahn in a platoon role hit .347 with 5 homers and 48 RBIs... other quality bats were CF Brad Maddox (.277/2/56/77) and 3B Norm Murdoch (.292/3/72/66)... on the hill the threesome of Russell Larsen (24-13/3.11), Don Baillie (18-12/3.29) and Kazuki Hara (13-5/3.34) were prime starters.

Last year's flag winner Grand City (84-70) had firepower with 176 roundtrippers (3rd), but was just average with a .262 BA and 3.51 ERA... the sluggers were LF Wes Marlowe (.268/42/111/89), 1B Mick Langston (.321/30/89/84), CF Thomas Hall (.297/25/88/75) and RF Tyler LaFontaine (.289/23/77/77)... C Jumbo Carver (.316/6/55/84) also chipped in with some offense... Charley Chisholm (20-13/3.99) was the club's biggest winner... manager Wade Joslin also had 40-year-old Les Patterson (18-16/2.73) in his rotation... Patterson was picked up in a trade with Sligo... Quintin Tyler (18-14/3.52) and Sammy Cagle (12-9/3.99) were also dependable starters... Cagle missed 6 weeks with back problems.

For the first time in 5 years the Belair Beach Sunbirds (84-70) made the RU South first division, tying for fourth place, 9 games out of first... Jake Bungarooba's Sunbirds blossomed and climbed out of the cellar with a solid attack and fairly good pitching... Belair Beach batted .271 (10th), ranking fifth in runs and 13th in homers with 132... on the hill the team put up a 3.74 team ERA (20th)... star 1B Kees Draeger (.301/25/92/73) sparked the club offensively with help from 2B Edmund Derksen (.283/7/51/105), 3B James Cline (.296/14/79/81) and LF Rico Caballero (.310/3/60/71)... in the pitching depart Joel Gregg (15-9/3.22) stood out... the other starters were Jaime Pedroza (16-13/4.02) and Casey Grimm (18-13/4.14).

The Waleska Westerners (82-72) missed out on the first division for the first time in 10 years by coming in fifth, trailing by 11 games... IPA icon RF Roy Hobbs slowed down considerably at age 38 and played only parttime... nonetheless he hit .305 with 8 homers and 37 RBIs... Hobbs is a lifetime .345 hitter with 594 home runs and has passed the 2000 mark in runs and RBIs... rumor has it that longtime skipper McGraw Johnson may step down this year and Hobbs might replace him... Waleska dropped off at the plate and also on the mound this year... but LF Loco Dillinger (.333/43/114/114) still swings a mean bat and led the RU in homers and was ranked high in RBIs and runs scored... 1B Glenn Childress (.300/14/80/97), 3B Pawnee Cody (.304/16/73/53) and 2B Doug Melton (.306/5/64/67) were also productive for the Westerners... mound stalwarts Wild Bill Butler (13-10/3.13) and Terry Richards (16-13/3.32) were down a bit... last year they totaled 20 victories each... Eric Mayes lent a hand with a 14-11 mark and a 3.46 ERA... the bullpen was down as well... Jarred Laclair (11-9/3.79/17 saves) saw his ERA shoot up from 2.40 the previous year.

The Valka Blackhawks (78-76) faded in the second half and slumped to sixth place in the standings... manager Ron Landauer's squad finished 15 games back of San Dimas... they were within 3 games of the first place Rancheros at the All-Star break... Kristo Kivi (15-10/3.23) led the mound staff, while at the plate 3B Leevi Viru (.306/18/90/85) and 1B Mikk Kukk (.314/21/87/89) were the leaders.

The Claxton Diamonds (77-77) broke even for the year, yet wound up seventh in the competitive RU South and 16 games behind the division champion... just an average club, Claxton's best performers were Frddi Hahn (17-17/2.57), 1B Brad Jenkins (.327/10/65/63), 2B Gary Colton (.287/15/73/83) and RF Ivan Krause (.271/21/70/70).

It was not a good year for Baby George in Crystal Lake (69-85) where the Crushers had their worst season since 2016... George had a good run with 6 pennants in the last 11 years, but not this season... hitting was down from .287 to .270 (13th) and pitching was mediocre with a 3.97 team ERA (25th)... only 1B Josh George (.270/21/90/98), SS Timmy Robinson (.289/22/81/84) and LF Ryan Ray (.273/20/81/70) had respectable numbers in the lineup... ace T. D. Burnham dipped to 14-18 after winning 20 games in each of the last 2 seasons... likewise Arnie Cason had a subpar year going from 20-12 to 7-10.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 22, 2031

2031 Ruthlandian East Final Standings

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 22, 2031

2031 Ruthlandian East Final Recap

Elnora Easily Wins RU East
It was a 6-team race in the Ruthlandian East until the surprising Elnora All-Stars went on a second-half rampage and claimed the pennant with ease, winning by 11 games over the defending division champion Wynnamac Sundowners and Beechwood Bobcats, who deadlocked for the runner-up slot. The Sugar Valley Rattlers came in fourth and finished 14 games behind the All-Stars. This was Elnora's first flag since 2023 and the fourth overall in its history. They have been stuck in the second division for most of the last decade.

Last season was a fright for manager Leon Carter and his Elnora All-Stars (95-59) when they suddenly slipped to last place, mainly because of its pitching... this year the staff rebounded with a vengeance, improving from a poor 4.03 ERA to solid 3.42 ERA (12th), sparked by Lucien Vashon (22-10/3.18), Jeremy Sellers (22-11/3.09), Freddy Pfeffer (18-13/3.65) and 34-year-old Marv Elderson (12-8/3.89), who blossomed in a starting role after 8 years of mediocrity in the bullpen... the Elnora bats backed them up with a RU-leading .286 BA (1st) and ranked second in scoring, led by RF Pettis Pentleton (.353/15/98/111), who led the league in hitting, CF Travis Glass (.338/25/95/91), 1B Mel Long (.291/25/103/77) and 2B Matt Boyd (.314/13/85/76)... Look for the All-Stars to severely test the Valmara Vipers in the playoffs.

Last season's champ Wynnamac (84-70) faded in August and could not repeat... manager Matt Donnelly's bats went south on him this year, declining from .274 to .255 (25th), but his mound corps did their job well with a 3.18 team ERA (5th), especially the starters Lon Marshall (18-12/2.55), Jason Meeks (19-9/3.41) and Killara Bardo (14-14/2.39)... Both Marshall and Bardo suffered from a lack of run support... lack of good relief hampered the Sundowners, too... they ranked 28th in the bullpen with a 4.08 ERA... despite missing 40 games LF Lil Hoss Burkhalter still paced the team with 28 homers and 86 RBIs, while batting .262... C Lee Leslie helped out with 21 roundtrippers, 82 RBIs and a .267 BA... the rest of the Sundowners mainstays had off-years: 3B Dorak Aranda (.253/15/59/68), CF Allen Dundee (.253/23/74/73) and 1B Giles Butler (.277/20/56/65).

The Beechwood Bobcats (84-70) used their bats to tie for second place with Wynnamac, moving up from fourth place in 2030... Bret George's boys hit .279 (2nd) and topped the RU in scoring (767 runs)... the Bobcats were in the race until August, then dropped out of the running, winding up 11 games behind... veteran starters Ken Arby (21-10/2.96) and Maury Patterson (18-11/3.11) again stood out on the mound... and got strong help in the bullpen from Zack Dowdle (5-4/2.35/19 saves), who appeared in 67 games... at the plate it was LF Herb Douglas (.296/5/72/118), CF Howie Baldwin (.250/25/101/97), 1B Ron Griffin (.311/5/67/82), SS Thomas Laske (.322/5/53/55) and Jimmy Winters (.286/1/73/71) leading the way.

The Sugar Valley Rattlers (81-73) had a decent season in spite of falling from second place to the fourth spot this year, losing out to Elnora by 14 games... skipper Gibby Bobkins' club just doesn't hit for average, but does pack a wallop with 210 home runs (1st), tops in the IPA... but the .228 batting average is a killer... even with the homers the Rattlers ranked 25th in scoring... the Sugar Valley staff put up a 3.39 team ERA (11th)... better contact hitting would put the Rattlers near the top each year... RF Ray Ford is the club leader with a .268 mark... Ford had 33 home runs and 75 RBIs, CF Tyler White hit 33 with 83 RBIs, but had a terrible .212 BA, 1B Bucko Parks slammed 31 out of the park, drove in 78 with a .259 BA, 3B Johnny Doyle batted only .221, but collected 21 roundtrippers and 55 RBIs and SS Artie Morton drilled 20 homers, hit .235 and batted in 66 runs... 8 Rattlers had double-digit home runs... ace Aron Libertini had a marvelous 25-10 season with a 2.67 ERA... Benny McConnell had a good year with a 17-9 record and a 3.56 ERA... the 34-year-old McConnell reached the 200-win milestone this season and is 216-157 in his 13 seasons... Jeremy Blanchard posted a fine 3.20 ERA, but only had an 11-26 mark to show for it... and closer Dallas Casey (4-4/2.31/19 saves) did a good job in the bullpen... the Rattlers are the best defensive club in the division with a .976 FA.

Longtime manager Killer Brewster saw some improvement this year with his Eastshore Elegants (80-74), who wound up in the fifth spot in the RU East standings, trailing by 15 games... it's been 12 years since the Elegants' glory years when they won 4 consecutive flags and 2 Pro Cups from 2016 to 2019... Eastshore was sixth the last three seasons... the bats perked up this year with a .270 BA (14th), 136 homers (10th-tied) and ranked 11th in runs... on the hill the Elegants chalked up a 3.58 team ERA (15th)... offensively CF Scotty Lagrange had a great year despite missing more than a month of the season... Lagrange had 34 homers, 93 RBIs and scored 88 runs in only 119 games with a .326 BA... LF George Shepherd (.292/23/69/104) and SS Larry Romney (.288/11/71/72) were the other good sticks... Randy Boone, a 9-year vet, topped the pitchers with a 14-14 mark and a 3.07 ERA.

After two fine seasons when Danny Church first took the reins of the Marston Nine (72-82), the club has fallen on hard times and sunk into the second division the last four years... Marston came in sixth this season and were 23 games behind Elnora... the Nine batted .271 (11th), ranked 18th in runs and compiled a 3.93 team ERA (26th)... leading the Marston attack were superstud CF Russ Woodward (.313/28/97/92), still a star at age 37... other bat leaders were LF Ken Armstrong (.311/20/82/77), 3B George Varsh (.299/5/38/80), C Ron Marlowe (.295/19/81/68) and rookie SS Johnny Church (.282/9/62/85), the manager's 19-year-old son... Dennis Carravaggio (18-17/4.05) and Doug Hansack (15-19/3.47) are the most effective pitchers... Marston needs help on the mound to get back into contention.

20 years have gone past since the Cold Creek Catamounts (68-86) had a good team... 2012 was the last good year when they won the RU East pennant... the Catamounts are a perennial loser stuck mainly in the depths of the second division... occasionally they slip into fourth place, but no higher... manager Scoop Lemieux's team has ended up seventh for the last three years.... this year Cold Creek trailed by 27 games... Lemieux has solid pitching with a 3.26 team ERA (8th), but lacks offense, hitting only .256 (23rd) with 96 homers (26th) and ranked 29th in run scoring... starters Eddie Brasher (17-16/2.29) and Tommy Smith (14-17/3.19) are quality pitchers... relievers J. J. Gillespie (6-5/2.14/6 saves) and Bobby Reid (5-4/1.75/11 saves) have been quite effective, too... 1B Steve Daniels (.305/33/107/83), RF Carl Glick (.293/14/68/82) and free agent 2B Yancy Duvicque (.290/6/38/67) are the only proven hitters in the Catamounts lineup... Duvicque was previously with Turon in the Tycobbian Union.

The last place Belle Plaine Musketeers (67-87) ran a good race until mid-season - they were just 2 games out - then ran out of gas and plunged down to the cellar, ending up 28 games off the pace... manager Dave Torregrossa has a good-hitting club with a .273 BA (7th), 690 runs (12th-tied) and 139 home runs (8th), but fails miserably in the pitching department with a 4.27 ERA (30th)... only starter Johnny Davenport (16-11/3.03) and closer Mac Shaw (7-5/2.44/15 saves) are proficient pitchers... but the Muskies have three rock-solid hitters in CF Shelby Glasscock (.299/36/88/121), C Derek Roman (.309/23/92/85) and 1B Marty Blake (.314/20/77/78), still a stud at age 37 and 19 years in the league.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 22, 2031

2031 Ruthlandian East Final Standings

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 22, 2031

2031 Ruthlandian West Final Recap

Sligo Staves Off FB Defenders In RU West
It was pretty much a four-team race in the Ruthlandian West all season long with the Sligo Rovers beating back challenges by Fort Benton, Colfax and Volusia. The Rovers captured their third division flag in the last five seasons, staving off Fort Benton by 3 games, defending division champion Colfax by 6 games and fourth place Volusia by 8. Sligo has finished in the RU West first division for eight successive years.

Manager Eddie Keys got improvement in pitching and at the plate this year as his Sligo Rovers (86-68) claimed the RU West crown... Keys' mound staff was solid with a 3.36 ERA (10th) and his offense was sufficient with a .260 BA (19th) as the Rovers ranked 15th in scoring... defensively they were bad with a .966 FA... top pitchers were starters Earl Perkins (15-11/2.75), Bud Foster (13-11/2.60), Terry Bailey (16-13/3.36) and Lou Page (11-7/3.87), along with closer Andy Velasco (7-7/2.36/19 saves)... Sligo had no standout sticks... CF Darryl Collins (.283/22/71/82), 1B Maury Rice (.271/22/71/69) and 3B Howie Robertson (.276/2/56/82) were the most dependable.

A 12-17 July slump cost the Fort Benton Defenders (83-71) the division title this year... otherwise they were right up there with Sligo... skipper Robbie Brooks is still looking for his first flag in his 31 years at the helm... they have never made the Pro Cup playoffs... 2031 was his chance... the Defenders have a well-balanced club with a 3.17 team ERA (4th) and a .276 BA (3rd), but do have some difficulty putting runs on the scoreboard, ranking 15th... they only hit 91 homers (27th-tied)... top to bottom there are no weak links in Brooks' pitching corps... Fort Benton has five solid starters in Augie Marquis (19-8/2.88), Chris Calsworth (18-15/3.12), Matt Harmon (8-7/3.29), Frankie Quinn (13-19/3.38) and Edd Farmer (10-8/3.02)... Brooks has a quality bullpen, too, with a 3.08 ERA... the Defenders have four .300 hitters in the batting order, led by new acquisition SS Hans Gustavsen (.327/2/59/51), who batted .420 in 49 games after being traded by Claxton, RF Danny Riesner (.321/9/80/87), 3B Monty McMurtry (.315/6/35/104), C Leo LaRocca (.309/8/56/83) and LF Rob McMahon (.299/20/80/68)... if stats could win a pennant, you would think that Fort Benton would have been a shoo-in.

Last year's RU West winner, the Colfax Blasters (80-74), had a poor first half, playing .456 baseball (35-42), but manager Ilya Szabo got things going after the All-Star game and the club became a player for the pennant... but the Blasters came up 6 games short and came in third... Colfax had good offense, but were short on power and starting pitching... they hit .272 (8th) with only 95 roundtrippers (25th) and ranked 9th in scoring... the Blaster pitching was not strong enough with a 3.82 team ERA... heading up the Colfax attack were C Mitch Fullerton (.318/20/71/87), LF Hank Lunsford (.302/1/67/81), 1B Doug Kirkwood (.299/15/77/78), CF Hal Granders (.297/3/55/79) and 3B Vic Draper (.290/11/81/51)... only one starter Jon Cruise (17-17/3.44) managed a break-even record and posted an ERA under 4.00, but Szabo had three impressive relievers in Rudy Rosario (6-1/2.69/10 saves), Norb Harbison (10-7/2.50/9 saves) and Milton Garnett (7-2/2.88/1 save).

The fourth-place Volusia Vigilantes (78-76) were running neck-and-neck with Sligo and Fort Benton going into September, but the V's flopped miserably with a 5-15 mark and fell 8 games off the pace... but it was still a decent year for manager Alfonso Feliz as the club rose up from seventh the year before... strong pitching was the reason... the Vigilantes chalked up a 3.10 team ERA (3rd)... at the plate they were mediocre with a .256 BA (24th) and only 108 homers (22nd), while ranking 24th in run scored... all four starters were effective, but lacked run support... Jamie Gustafson (18-2.84), Cisco Almeida (15-16/2.98), Poochie Patrick (14-10/3.39) and Greg Moss (13-16/3.54) all deserved better... the only reliable bats belonged to CF Vasco Aguilar (.328/22/73/83), 1B Scott Rogers (.301/5/39/75) and SS Joao Rosales (.254/15/78/72).

The Stoner Stars (69-85) declined drastically this year, falling from second to a fifth-place tie with Forest City, 17 games out of first... just two years ago the Stars won the RU West crown... manager Benny Stern's club endured a huge hitting drought this year, dropping from .281 down to .257 (22nd)... the pitching suffered a bit as well, rising up from 3.41 to 3.62... Raul Hidalgo (18-11/3.19) was the only reliable starter... veteran Glenn Tackett, a 21-game winner the past two seasons, slumped to 10-15 with a 3.92 ERA... Stoner's top offensive performers were 1B Fletch Fowler (.336/18/85/66), CF Al Rispone (.285/17/74/84), RF Neil Mooney (.316/65/58) and 2B Dominic Gdowski (.297/10/54/52).

For the 19th year in a row the Forest City Lumberjacks (69-85) missed the playoffs... the 'Jacks tied for sixth place, finishing 17 games behind in the race... the only thing the Lumberjacks do well is play solid defense with a .978 FA... otherwise they are just a second-division ball club, batting only .258 (21st) with a poor 4.03 team ERA (28th)... skipper Joe Judlin had two fair starters in Rich Barstow (13-13/3.73) and Jeff Watford (14-11/3.96)... at the plate it was 2B Rog Clemens (.267/28/107/85) doing most of the damage with some help from 1B Steve Burns (.306/12/62/76).

For seven straight years now the Rocky Rapids Snappers (62-92) have been entrenched in the RU West second division... this year the Snappers were in last place with Middlefield and 24 games out under manager Junior Noland... they had the worst pitching in the IPA with a 4.51 ERA, combined with not much offense... the Snappers hit just .260 (20th) and ranked 20th in scoring... Matt Loudermilk (18-14/3.33) was the ace of the staff with little after him... the bullpen was even worse with a 4.74 ERA (32nd)... most of the offense was supplied by C Allie Blackwell (.328/15/67/76), 3B Kelvin Cassidy (.290/15/67/65), 1B Angelo Nardone (.264/23/74/67) and SS Tommy Noland (.279/12/68/58).

After winning four consecutive pennants from 2023 to 2026, the Middlefield Roosters (62-92) have now hit rock bottom, falling all the way to the cellar, 24 games back of Sligo... the Roosters still go deep, mainly because of the small band box they play in... they rapped 156 homers (5th), but didn't hit much for average... only .244 (30th) and ranked 28th in runs... not much pitching, either, with a 3.82 ERA (22nd)... Judson Davis (12-20/3.41) and Tyrus Cobb (14-17/4.01) were the best that manager Bailey Norcross had... however Norcross had two solid hitters in 3B Eric Hollister (.314/32/97/69) and 1B Rusty Reese (.275/28/83/74)... Hollister was a free agent, formerly with Kenwood in the Tycobbian Union.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 22, 2031

2031 Tycobbian North Final Standings

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 22, 2031

2031 Tycobbian North Final Recap

Zorros Zip To TU North Title
The pennant race in the Tycobbian North was only close for half the season. The Luxora Zorros took charge after the All-Star game and won the division handily by a whopping 13 games over the Fairfax Frogs, 16 better than the defending Pro Cup champion Blue Lake Blue Sox and 20 up on the Mahaska Haymakers. The second-half surge gave the Zorros the most wins in the TU. Luxora notched 96 victories, which was second to Valmara of the RU North, who paced the IPA with 99 wins. The Z's won their 8th division title and the first since 2022.

Strong pitching put Luxora (96-58) over the top this season... Manager Lacey Tompkins' hurlers compiled an impressive 3.08 team ERA (5th)... the Zorros finished second last year to Blue Lake in the TU North... good hitting in the second half of the season combined with the fine pitching to run away with the division... The Z's batted .256 (20th) with 138 home runs (12th) and ranked 11th in scoring runs... two 20-game twirlers Benny DeVito (22-14/2.29) and Fabio Medeiros (22-6/2.76) sparked the club... plus Valente Viero (16-15/2.76) and Tommy Ellefsen (13-7/3.83) were capable in the three and four spots in the rotation... relievers Kent Halloran (11-6/2.84/18 saves) and Toby White (6-3/1.98/13 saves) aided the cause, too... leading the Luxora attack were 1B Gerry Hathaway (.304/27/97/86), RF Roger Noble (.295/27/81/65), LF Carl Denton (.280/26/78/70) and CF Kevin Hanley (.283/15/
64/97)... the Zorros are expected to make some noise in the Pro Cup playoffs this year... Tompkins' team is clicking on all cylinders and ready to roll in the postseason.

A bad August took the Fairfax Frogs (83-71) out of the race... skipper Dane Wesner just didn't have the pitching to compete with Luxora, but he had some good bats... the Frogs batted .281 (2nd), scored well (4th) and had decent firepower with 111 roundtrippers (18th-tied)... but they were bad on the hill with a 3.95 team ERA (27th)... only Ricky Woods (19-16/3.43) and Joey Santini (15-15/3.52) had under 4.00 ERAs among the starters... Fairfax had two solid relievers in Lynwood Marshall (4-2/2.57/17 saves) and Manny Hunsinger (5-3/1.99/7 saves)... the bats were better with LF Max Leibowitz (.295/23/87/101), SS John Velasco (.326/15/87/82), CF Eric Kusek (.327/8/79/99) and 1B Ramon Escabedo (.287/18/81/73).

The third-place Blue Lake Blue Sox (80-74) fizzled badly the last two months of the season and will not get a chance to defend their Pro Cup title... poor hitting and offense were the culprits... Rick Hilliard's Blue Sox batted only .244 (30th), hit only 95 homers (29th-tied) and scored only 599 runs (28th)... however Blue Lake was something else on the mound with a super 2.82 team ERA (1st)... the guys that carried them to the Pro Cup title last year still did their jobs... Billy Trakas (15-14/2.68), Willie Taskins (18-16/2.72), Derek Joubert (17-14/2.82) and Chris Landry (12-11/3.26) were a formidable foursome... but the hitters were pathetic... only LF Boom-Boom Baker (.275/21/77/83), 3B Matt Thompson (.282/10/79/56) and Chris Halley (.292/5/44/72) had fair years... the rest of the regulars were of little use... not one single player had a strong season at the plate.

The fourth-place Mahaska Haymakers (76-78) made some strides this season, moving up from seventh place... Rusty Tanussa's Haymakers wound up 20 games off the pace... Mahaska's mound corps registered a fine 3.37 team ERA (11th) and especially stood out in the bullpen with a 2.65 ERA (4th)... Tanussa's top arms were Paco Morales (15-13/3.03), Maxim Petrosian (11-6/3.03) and James Allington (13-17/3.29)... Arno Vainmaa (11-5/3.20/3 saves) did well, too, splitting time between starting and relieving... closer Viktor Stravinsky (4-3/1.54/20 saves) stood out in the pen... though the Haymakers hit for a .264 BA (9th), they were light on power with 117 home runs (17th) and mediocre in scoring (23rd)... Mahaska was led at-bat by CF Pasha Yablonski (.335/5/53/119), RF Travis Tuttle (.306/27/87/69) and LF Johnny Yevtushenko (.292/17/79/55).

The Oxford Red Caps (73-81) and North Hills Hawks tied for fifth in the TU North standings and trailed winning Luxora by 23 games... Cameron Kamara's Oxford club hasn't been to the Pro Cup playoffs in 27 years, though the Red Caps made the postseason 5 times in the first 6 seasons of the IPA... they even won 4 pennants and a Pro Cup in 2007... Oxford has nothing to show for the rest of the years... they hit OK with a .264 BA (10th), scored well with 678 runs (12th), but ranked 22nd with a 3.68 ERA... Mario Lopez (18-14/3.38) is the only quality starter with a winning record... however LF Dennis Hartwig (.311/24/89/94) and 1B Kelly Sterling (.300/32/98/79) are standout hitters... 29-year-old Hartwig is a career .319 batter in his 9 IPA seasons, while 27-year-old Sterling has slammed 210 homers in his 6 years in the league.

The North Hills Hawks (73-81) last won the TU North in 2016 and have only two pennants in the team's history... manager Todd Simons has a modest ball club with a .256 BA (19th) and a 3.59 ERA (17th).... Sam Tate (20-17/2.96) and David Michael (16-9/3.19) are the staff aces... the 36-year-old Tate is 259-194 in his 16 seasons... he has posted a fine 3.02 career ERA... the Hawks have no standout sticks in the batting order... the best ones are just a little better-than-average hitters, led by CF Ronnie Guillaume (.294/16/69/76), 1B Bubby Harris (.301/10/67/52) and C Mikhail Romanovsky (.283/8/62/66).

After winning the pennant in 2029 the Hartsdale Hellcats (71-83) have slipped to 6th and 7th in the standings the last two seasons... the lackluster Hellcats batted .251 (23rd) this year and chalked up a 4.00 ERA (28th)... skipper Kendry Moulton doesn't have much to brag about... his top pitchers are 24-year-old Hank Cooke (9-5/2.44), who showed some great promise this year, and 25-year-old vet Lou Chylak (15-13/3.37)... 12-year vet 1B Johnny Scott (.295/25/96/87) is the only credible threat in the line-up... Scott at age 33 is a career .299 batter with 280 roundtrippers.

For the third season in a row the White River Rascals (66-88) have come in dead last in the Tycobbian North under renowned manager Mick Cronyn... the Rascals are the worst offensive club in the IPA with a .235 BA and rank last in scoring (32nd)... but on the hill they are pretty solid with a 3.40 team ERA (12th)... starter Davey Johnston (18-15/2.94) and closer Johnny Duncan (11-5/2.50/14 saves) are Cronyn's best pitchers, while rookie 1B Allan Ferris (.303/9/49/36) is his only credible batter.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 22, 2031

2031 Tycobbian North Final Standings

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 22, 2031

2031 Tycobbian South Final Recap

Ginza Grabs TU South In 3-Team Race
2031 was not a good year for the teams in the Tycobbian South. Only 3 of the them ended up winning records. Down the stretch it was a 3-team battle with the Ginza Ninjas edging out the Southport Sun Sox by a single game and the Colchester Elites by 3 games. Fourth place went to the Turon Typhoons and Summerland Sunsets, who each trailed by 8 games. The race wasn't decided until the last day of the season. Southport could have forced a playoff if they had won the last day.

Division champ Ginza (82-72) bounced back from a fifth-place 2030 season to take the crown... manager Huroko Uchiyama used home-run power primarily... his Ninjas cracked 169 roundtrippers (6th) and ranked fifth in runs with a .265 BA (8th)... pitching-wise Ginza was not impressive with a 3.83 team ERA (23rd)... the Ninjas featured a solid core of hitters with 1B Roger Lanier (.308/34/95/96), CF Cotton Cornwall (.278/31/108/97), 3B Johnny O'Rorke (.274/31/103/82) and LF Sadaharu Utchiyama (.305/15/72/93)... Lanier came to the Ninjas in June in a trade with St. John of the RU South... Ginza's pitching was suspect... Uchiyama's top starters were Harlan Wilson (18-12/4.19) and Andrei Schuler (16-15/3.66).

The Southport Sun Sox (81-73) continued their winning ways for the 12th time in 13 years with a second-place finish... like Ginza manager Charley Oscar depended on the longball... his Sun Sox slapped 185 (2nd) out of the park, while batting .260 and ranking 8th in runs... not so hot on the hill though with a 3.91 team ERA (26th)... IPA superstar RF Lorne Evans (.307/49/109/119) continued his yearly assault on pitchers as he topped the IPA in homers... a critical loss was CF Rick Cabrini (.336/7/37/52), who missed a third of the season with injury, going out in August... other run producers were 3B Ronny Frick (.292/19/74/66) and C Luis Alvarado (.285/25/64/83)... ace Don Pascioni (23-11/2.87) was the only sure bet on hill.

For the sixth season in succession the Colchester Elites (79-75) contended for the pennant, finally winding up in third place, losing out by just 3 games... the last postseason appearance was in 2007... Colchester only batted .250 (24th), but hit 144 homers (11th)... the Elites were only average in runs scored (17th) and in pitching with a 3.54 ERA (14th)... no regular hit above the .273 mark... the only dependabe bats were CF Jim Lewellan (.273/43/106/102) and RF Cleve Belton (.271/31/84/82)... on the hill Mackie McGinnity (19-13/3.06) and Dave Lacoste (17-14/2.86) stood out.

The Turon Typhoons (74-80) wiped out six years of second-division finishes with fourth place this season, but they still didn't have a winning record... skipper Alan Hansen still hasn't restored the magic of the past, when Turon was the dominant team in the IPA... in its history Turon has won 4 Pro Cups in 6 tries, claimed 11 pennants and played in 13 playoffs... the Typhoons tied with Summerland for the fourth spot... they were 8 games off the pace... the team dropped out of contention after mid-season... Turon hit well with a .267 BA, but were short on power with only 93 home runs (31st), while ranking 7th in scoring... the mound staff was less than average with 3.63 team ERA (20th)... James Newland (19-12/2.72) and Victor Suarez (15-17/3.18) were the best Hansen had in his rotation... 1B Michael Page (.285/26/96/69) was Turon's only heavy hitter... the 29-year-old vet is a career .301 batter with almost 300 homers in his 10 years with the club... other standouts were SS Fred Bird (.322/2/51/102) and CF Edwin Asher (.285/5/53/92).

The fourth-place Summerland Sunsets (74-80) have had little success in the IPA... manager Will Hackett has only made the playoff one time in the team's history... that was in 2005... the Sunsets have never won a pennant... in the early days of the IPA the league had wild cards... Hackett has solid pitching with a 3.21 team ERA, led by Scotty Ellison (13-12/2.74), Freddi Rossi (13-9/2.99) and Clive Coxford (14-14/3.05)... they just need some run support to compete with the teams ahead of them... star 1B Mandu Purula (.352/23/86/72) is an outstanding hitter with a lifetime .319 average in 12 seasons, but the 32-year-old vet has little help... the best of the rest are SS Jay Hagedorn (.317/5/40/68) and RF Stefan Noon (.246/19/81/72).

After a great division-winning rejuvenation year in 2030 the Cape Coral Hurricanes (73-81) had the wind taken out of their sails, were blown away this season and sank to sixth place, trailing by 9 games... the pitching staff and free agency losses let manager Flipper Bird down... 23-winner Randy Burns unexpectly fell to 5-12 with a sky-high 4.46 ERA... just an average year by Burns would have put the 'Canes in contention... Burns is normally good for 13 wins... the other starters held their own: Kris Bogaard (18-15/2.95), Izaak Booten (14-13/3.44) and Mike Rinaldi (9-7/3.09)... closer Curt Garrett (5-4/1.72/23 saves) enjoyed a fine year in the bullpen... Bird lost several fine players to free agency: C Tonio Libertore (.275/3/58/63) to Ancona of the RU North and RF Carl Denton (.280/26/78/70) to Luxora of the TU North... CF Dan Isenberg (.245/21/81/85) was the most productive returnee, but hit only .245 for average... 1B Sandy Coburn (.293/1/47/68) and RF Jan Krammer (.284/12/53/53) only had modest seasons.

The seventh-place San Alejo Montaneros (66-88) continued on the woeful path that they have trudged for 29 consecutive years... the Monties haven't made the postseason since 2003... San Alejo was a powerhouse in its first two IPA seasons as they won the pennant both years and racked up almost 100 victories in each of them... but it's been zilch since... things began to look good after they came in fourth last year with a fine 84-70 mark... but that didn't last long... San Alejo went right back to the bottom of the division, 16 games behind winning Ginza... skipper Alberto Herrera had a pretty good offense with a .271 BA (5th), ranked 10th in scoring and had good power with 134 home runs (14th), but not much in the way of pitching... the team ERA was a lofty 3.90 (25th)... Roland Oates (16-16/3.86) was the only decent starter, while closer Herb Stewart (7-2/2.08/21 saves) had an excellent season... the Monties were sparked at the plate by LF Orlando Ybarra (.310/18/92/82), 1B Rob Lewis (.328/23/76/59) and 2B Christo Columbo (.293/14/48/88).

The golden years for the Arroyo Grande Suns (64-90) were 2020 to 2024 when the club captured four division flags in five seasons... for the last four years the Suns have been deep in the second division, finishing last three times... manager Cyclone Cobb's club came in last this year, 18 games back... Arroyo Grande posted a poor .238 BA (31st), but can score fairly well... the Suns hit 182 homers (3rd) and ranked 16th in scoring runs... on the mound they compiled a poor 4.05 ERA (30th)... super slugger 1B Rusty Vizcarra (.258/29/100/63) is still a threat at age 32... Vizcarra is a career .284 hitter with 400 homers and 1234 RBIs... LF Rod Jacobs (.254/28/58/90) can also go deep... the top averages belong to CF Robbie Kiner (.287/5/49/75) and RF Steve Stroud (.295/14/57/71)... SS Valerio Cortes (.217/24/71/59), C Fank Jourdan (.258/20/70/52) and 2B Kenny Cable (.216/20/63/57) all can go long, but don't hit for average... longtime ace Cesar De Leon is still around at age 37 and holding his own with a 16-21 mark and a good 3.20 ERA, especially in the small confines of Capet Stadium... after 11 years De Leon is 178-153, third most wins in a Suns uniform.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 22, 2031

2031 Tycobbian North Final Standings

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 22, 2031

2031 Tycobbian East Final Recap

EP Panthers TU East Champs
For only the second time in its history East Point has won the Tycobbian East. The first time it happened was 23 years ago in 2008. The Panthers parlayed powerful pitching, home-run punch and good scoring to subdue the high-scoring Red Bluff Red Sox by 4 games and the South Fork Stallions by 7 games. Red Bluff couldn't keep pace with the Panthers in September and dropped back to second place. The Stallions faltered in August and September. East Point had an 8-game margin over fourth-place Tuckanarra. The Panthers will contend with Rolling Hills and Luxora for the TU title and the right to play for the IPA Pro Cup against the Ruthlandian Union champion. The Tycobbian Union looks like a 3-team tussle with Ginza of the TU South not likely to be much of a contender. Last year's pennant winner Ozarka, struggled in the cellar in the first half of the season and could only climb up to fifth place by season's end. The Naturals were 9 games behind in the race.

Manager Karol Zodoka has the East Point Panthers (89-65) revved up and ready to go in the Pro Cup playoffs, which starts up in three days... the Panthers scored 696 runs (9th), and socked 175 home runs (4th), but only batted .253 (22nd), while chalking up an impressive 3.05 team ERA (3rd)... Zodoka had 5 starters at various times during the season... heading up the rotation was Dixie Brooks (21-15/2.53), Frank Blair (17-16/3.11), Jack Bolden (8-5/3.07/12 saves), Stephen Edwards (15-8/3.11/11 saves) and Joe Foley (7-3/2.88)... Foley missed a year and came back in July to help fend off Red Bluff... Bolden and Edwards did double duty as starters and closers during the season... at the plate the Panthers were led by power-hitters 1B Tetsu Tanaka (.263/39/106/102) and CF Kenko Aoki (.275/35/89/87) with help from LF Wally Wright (.305/9/65/73).

It's been a while since the Red Bluff Red Sox (85-69) won a pennant... you have to go back to the early days of the IPA when the Red Sox were a strong force with 3 pennants and a Pro Cup trophy... that was back in the years 2002 to 2009... manager Jim Schubert almost pulled it off, but his club slumped in September and fell to second place after being neck-to-neck with East Point the entire season... stronger pitching would have done it for the Red Sox... they ranked only 21st with a 3.64 ERA, but put up some good offensive numbers with 203 roundtrippers (1st) and 771 runs (2nd), while hitting .257 (17th)... 9 Red Sox had 10 or more homers... top batters were 2B Leander Burks (.270/30/91/86), 1B Garris Aiken (.265/29/82/87), CF Ronnie Roussell (.304/22/78/57), SS Roland Campbell (.264/19/84/90) and CF Billy Barton (.311/12/49/94)... top hurlers were Tony Defazio (21-14/3.30), Terry Johnson (14-11/3/23) and Trini Corona (16-16/3.66)... one big shortcoming was the Red Bluff bullpen, which was not effective with a 4.12 ERA (29th).

The South Fork Stallions (82-72) wound up 7 games off the pace in third place... skipper DeRoche "Lips" Leon had some top-notch pitchers, but not enough offense... the Stallions registered a fine 3.06 ERA (4th), but batted only .249 (25th) and ranked only 25th in scoring, despite good power with 153 homers (9th)... Leon's prime starters were Duncan Welch (16-14/2.96) and Swifty Swift (15-10/3.35) with help from Gary Price (6-6/1.98)... in his 15 years Welch is 295-199 with a superb 2.58 ERA... excelling in the bullpen were Al Thompson (7-6/1.55/17 saves) and rookie Christopher Ewing (6-3/1.86/3 saves)... the Stallions lost their main stud RF Leon Bourque (.321/12/46/41) for the season in August... otherwise the South Fork's bats were disappointing... only newcomer CF Teddy Szymanski (.302/18/71/61) had good numbers... Szymanski came over in a trade with Valmara of the RU North... however 1B Dean Woods (.229/23/58/53), RF Patric Giles (.260/22/69/62), LF Corbett Brooks (.239/22/64/65) and C Mel Danley (.239/18/66/56) did go deep occasionally.

The longtime power Tuckanarra Blue Jays (81-73) slumped badly during the summer months and came in fourth in the standings... for the ninth year in a row manager Carlton "Lefty" Stevens has piloted his Tucks to a first-division finish... 5 times in the last 9 years the Blue Jays won the TU East flag and captured the IPA Holy Grail, the Pro Cup, in 2023 and 2024... Stevens lost two valuable players for half the season due to injury: his outstanding SS Jed Turchin (.312/10/41/41) and quality righthander Philip Marston (8-8 2.57)... the Blue Jays still had a solid mound staff with 33-year-old Glynn Starr (18-9/2.97), who reclaimed the magic of his first five years with a comeback season after four years of futility... along with his brother Quinn Starr (16-18/3.30) and relievers Matt Stevens (4-4/0.96/11 saves) and Joel Shepard (5-3/1.95/7 saves)... the other triplet sibling 1B Lynn Starr (.288/23/98/84) led the Blue Jays at-bat with support from CF Dusty Rogan (.293/16/99/85), 3B Eddie Darby (.281/9/45/64) and LF Ted Sabonis (.307/3/56/73).

Last year's TU East division winner Ozarka (80-74) slumbered in last place until mid-season and then snapped out of it, but it was too late, the damage has been done... Frank Kiffin's club had too many games to make up... the Nats still had strong pitching with a 3.14 team ERA (6th), but didn't have the scoring power, ranking 19th in runs in spite of a .266 BA (7th)... last season the Nats were 5th in run scoring... Ozarka also ranked near the bottom in homers with only 107 (26th)... Kiffin's top starters were Stan Carey (15-12/2.62), Marty Lane (12-11/3.06) and Denny Mills (15-11/3.27)... last year's 19-game winner Brady Bell slipped to a disappointng 12-18... Carey won 21 games last season, but dipped to 15 wins this year... Ozarka was led at the plate by RF Byron Glenn (.288/28/89/61), 1B George Jenkins (.275/21/73/69), CF Lonnie Gillespie (.310/3/57/83) and SS James Couch (.292/8/58/72).

Manager Cochise Chandler got slightly improved pitching this year from his sixth-place Midway Wolves (76-78), but was still 16 games out and never really in the pennant race... longtime ace Bobby Dorignac (15-15/2.66) is still as good as it gets in the IPA... in 11 seasons Dorignac is 209-134 with a 2.69 ERA... but the rest of the staff is short on talent... overall the Wolves compiled a 3.84 ERA (24th)... not too stong at the plate, either, with a .256 BA (18th), ranking 24th in scoring and 13th in homers with 136... 1B Jake Welsh (.290/30/88/67) and CF Lanky Mako (.277/11/64/88) were the best of the batters.

There hasn't been much success in the IPA for the High Mesa Cowboys (71-83) in the team's 30-year history... right off the bat the Cowpokes loomed large, winning the Pro Cup in the first season in 2002 and making the playoffs again in 2003... but since then High Mesa has not made the postseason, coming close only one time when the Cowboys were 95-59 and missed the pennant by one game... High Mesa was 18 games behind this season and came in seventh under Rolf Kellgren... ironically, the Cowboys stood out on the mound for a change, rather than being a high-powered offense... the pitching staff set a club record with a 3.30 team ERA (10th), which is unprecedented because of the small band box the team plays in... Queen Ranch Stadium has always been a homer haven with its short 306-foot dimensions in right and 312 in left... the power alleys are only 350 or so... Emil Kaltenborn was unbelievable with an 18-10 mark and a great 2.25 ERA... Kaltenborn led the TU in ERA and was a remarkable 12-4 at home with a 1.91 ERA... Roger Hart chipped in with a 17-15 record and a 3.86 ERA... offensively the Cowboys hit only .248 (27th), ranked 27th in scoring and hit 147 homers (10th)... 3B Freddy Franks (.262/19/67/79) and RF Randy Williams (.259/29/87/57) had the best numbers on the team.

The Hillsboro Blazers (70-84) are one of four clubs in the IPA to never make the postseason playoffs... the Kilkenny Cats and the Fort Benton Defenders of the Ruthlandian Union and the Chicopee Braves of the Tycobbian Union are the other perennial left-outs... this season the Blazers were last in the TU East, 19 games out... the team batted .245 (29th), ranked 26th in runs and collected 133 home runs (15th)... on the hill Hillsboro was average with a 3.62 ERA (19th)... manager Andy Jefferson doesn't have a lot of talent... his best hurlers are Gregg Hughes (12-12/2.26) and Jon French (17-15/3.71)... the best plate performers were 2B Jason DiMucci (.290/10/61/65), RF Bill Kelly (.256/16/83/78) and SS Dandy Meredith (.268/8/35/86).

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 22, 2031

2031 Tycobbian North Final Standings

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 22, 2031

2031 Tycobbian West Final Recap

RH Reds Romp In TU West
For the 7th time in 13 years the Rolling Hills Reds have taken the Tycobbian West division crown and they did it by a comfortable 7 games over runner-up Bay St. Clair, 8 games better than Kenwood in third place and by 11 over fourth-place La Claire. The TU West had 5 clubs over the .500 mark, including fifth-place Bayview, who fell 12 games short of the pennant. Bay St. Clair won the title last season.

Matty Christianson's Rolling Hills Reds (91-63) led the IPA with a .290 team batting average and 785 runs... however the Reds were just average in pitching with a 3.57 ERA... Christianson has an abundance of fine bats led by his son 1B Billy Christianson (.336/16/75/133), who easily topped the IPA in runs with 133... RF Scotty Yiska (.306/27/105/89) and CF Terry Wade (.319/6/71/64) also batted .300... C Tony Brinkerhoff drove in 113 runs with 13 roundtrippers and a .262 BA... 2B Derek Kristensen (.297/5/49/76), 3B Jeff Booker (.289/1/64/63) and SS Tony Ptacek (.272/6/37/33) were productive bats, too... part-time regulars 3B Buffy Kowalczyk (.330/6/46/31), LF Lonnie Chadwick (.323/10/42/52), RF Bobby McConnell (.352/2/20/24) and Billy Jones (.301/1/15/19) hit over .300 as well... on the mound Errol Gaudet (21-8/2.75) and Tom Pierson (21-7/2.54) had super seasons... the other two starters Kenny Leonard (10-6/3.79) and Buck Myers (15-12/3.80) had quality seasons, too... closer Maury Cantrell (8-2/2/43/16 saves) was effective in the bullpen... with its high-octane attack and two very capable starters like Gaudet and Pierson, Rolling Hills will be a vibrant challenger in the TU playoffs, along with East Point and Luxora.

The second-place Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (84-70) just didn't have the offense to subdue Rolling Hills and wound up 7 games off the pace... the Buccaneers took the TU West pennant last season, but failed to repeat, mainly due to a lack of offense... the Bucs batted only .254 (21st) and ranked 20th in scoring with 646 runs, but did pound 155 homers (8th)... but manager Denny Coulon possesses a strong core of hurlers with a very impressive 2.94 team ERA (2nd)... his most reliable were Jody Gentry (18-8/2.64) and Carlo Nardini (15-10/3.02) in the starting rotation, while closer Don Sawyer (11-5/1.06/26 saves) had a terrific season... the top Buccaneer run producers were CF Chris Blanton with 33 home runs, 82 RBIs and 82 runs, but hit only .241, RF Neil Lamont with 26 homers, 80 RBIs and 70 runs, while hitting just .230, and 1B Terry Adams cracked 26 roundtrippers, batted in 77 runs and scored 74, but hit just .256... 2B Eddy Hunt was solid at the plate with a .281 mark, 15 homers, 69 RBIs and 79 runs.

Aaron Hankins has a good offensive club in Kenwood (83-71), but lacks pitching... the Wildcats came in third place and trailed winning Rolling Hills by 8 games with a .280 BA (3rd), 758 runs (3rd) and 109 home runs (22nd-tied), while putting up a lofty 4.04 team ERA (29th)... Don Curtiss (21-13/3.54) was the only quality starter... leading the Kenwood attack was 2B Jan Kessinger (.357/1/58/67), who topped the IPA with a .357 BA... other contributors were standout RF Babe Hankins (.287/18/82/86) and CF Alonzo Venacio (.302/11/59/77)... C Crash Davis (.266/7/67/71) and 3B Rodney Harrison (.260/16/69/82) also chipped in.

The La Claire Lynx (80-74) has a much-improved ball club, in spite of the loss of star RF Carroll Candy (.327/12/44/48) in the second half of the season... manager Zeppy Deshotel guided them to a fourth-place finish, up from seventh in 2030... La Claire had two fine starters in Pat Kovacs (19-11/2.26) and Jeff Buttrum (19-11/2.99)... the team posted a quality 3.24 ERA (8th), but was only average at the plate with a .260 BA, 673 runs (14th) and 109 homers (22nd-tied)... dependable 2B Norm Petitjean (.266/21/94/77) was the most prolific bat, along with C Craig Peck (.299/6/51/75), CF Lonny Wright (.249/16/68/84), LF Kelly Chamberlain (.267/11/73/78), SS Jared O'Neal (.278/8/61/67) and 1B Jess Swain (.250/10/72/64).

For the ninth straight season the Bayview Vikings (79-75) missed the first division... Chaucey Quibedeaux's club ended up in fifth place by a scant game... 16 seasons have now come and gone without the Viks making the Pro Cup playoffs... a team 4.19 ERA (31st) is the prime hold-back... Bayview has a fairly good offense with a .263 BA (11th), with 710 runs (6th) and plenty of punch with 168 roundtrippers (7th)... 23-year-old LF Roy Ricks (.329/42/111/105) is a budding superstar... other talented players include 3B Todd Benson (.301/8/52/98) and CF Manny Suarez (.282/28/94/71)... despite a 14-19 record Vern Harstad was impressive with a 2.87 ERA.

The Denton City Redbirds (71-83) hung in the TU West pennant race until mid-year, then faded to sixth and 20 games out... it's been 17 long years since the Redbirds graced the postseason... skipper Trevor Tomlinson doesn't have much to brag about... his team batted only .248 (26th) and ranked 30th in scoring... on the hill his hurlers were average with a 3.62 ERA (18th)... Glenn Hamilton was very effective with a strong 2.49 ERA, but posted a 16-17 record... 2B Keith Ingram (.274/16/74/65) was the only decent bat in the line-up.

The seventh-place Chicopee Braves (68-86) and manager Ivan Burkholder suffered through another losing season as they wound up 23 games behind in the pennant race... the Braves have never made the Pro Cup playoffs in its 30 years of existence... lousy pitching really hurts the team... Chicopee ranks last in the Tycobbian Union with a 4.44 ERA, but has some firepower at the plate... Rick Beasley (12-9/2/61) and closer Matt Reeves (6-7/2.05/27 saves) are Burkholder's only effective pitchers... Reeves was the IPA saves leader with 27... the Braves batted .259 (14th), but went deep 173 times (5th) and ranked 13th with 674 runs... RF Charlie Jensen (.298/43/113/109) was one of the best batters in the IPA this year... and had some help from LF Sakima Shaman (.305/29/83/90) and 2B Kurt Gustavsen (.297/19/61/71).

The Arlon Champions (66-88) were cellar-dwellers this season under skipper Rocco Belasario... the Champs finished 25 games out of the running... it's been 12 years since Arlon was in the playoffs... it's hard to compete with a .246 team BA (28th) and 95 homers (29th-tied)... pitching is just adequate with a 3.58 team ERA (16th)... Frankie Lambert (10-10/3.08) is the best of the starting rotation... RF Carlos Quintana topped the team with 19 homers and 86 RBIs, but batted a pathetic .229... SS Alan Caine had the best batting average at .302 with 43 RBIs and 65 runs.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 24, 2031

IPA Pro Cup Preview, Vipers Favored
The yearly quest for the IPA Pro Cup begins tomorrow with a pair of opening round games in the Ruthlandian Union featuring San Dimas and Valmara in one Elite 8 matchup and Sligo and Elnora in the other. In Tycobbia it will be Rolling Hills hosting East Point and Luxora taking on Ginza. Baseball analysts are picking Valmara to win the RU, while it's a toss-up in the TU among Luxora and Rolling Hills. The pundits are giving the edge to the Vipers in the Pro Cup Finals. All series will be best-of-seven games.

Valmara is expected to make another serious run for the Pro Cup crown... they won it in 2026 and were finalists last year and in 2023... the defending Pro Cup champion Blue Lake Blue Sox failed to make the playoff this season... for the sixth year in succession Jet Kazmarek's club is the RU North winner... Valmara (99-55) coupled great pitching and solid hitting to lead all comers in the IPA with 99 victories... the Vipers batted .275 as a team, ranked fourth in scoring and paced the IPA with a superior 2.85 team ERA... top performers were Garry Gromek (21-17/2.76), Teddy Lem (17-9/2.74), Carroll Cain (17-13/3.22), Ivan Guzek (10-3/2.06/22 saves), LF Benny Hooper (.325/25/115/92), CF Reno DiBenedetto (.285/16/100/101), RF Gerry Kazmarek (.313/10/64/105), C Floyd Randolph (.295/20/97/64) and 1B Jerry Rembert (.264/25/72/77)... Valmara is just average on defense with a .972 FA.

The San Dimas Rancheros won the Ruthlandian South for only the second time in history... the last year they took the division pennant was way back in 2008... this season the Rancheros pulled away in the second half and won comfortably by 7 games over second place St. John. Manager Wesley Pate guided division champ San Dimas (93-61) up from fourth in 2030 with standout mound work from Jay Barajas (23-10/2.68), Joaquin Lima (22-14/3.10) and Miguel Valdes (17-11/2.99), plus quality help from Shannon White (13-10/3.47) and closer Hector Villa (5-6/2.24/25 saves)... Villa topped the RU with 25 saves... Pate only has an average offense (17th) with very little power... the team hit only 79 homers (32nd)... 2B Joey Harris (.314/10/76/81) was the team's top batter, followed by SS Cloyd Middleton (.299/3/58/67), 3B Gregg Mathis (.291/9/55/73) and CF Ramon Escobar (.279/10/76/88)... San Dimas was tied with St. John defensively with .977 FAs, ranked second in the RU. Last year Blue Lake won the IPA crown with strong pitching... San Dimas thinks they can do it this year.

The Elnora All-Stars went on a second-half rampage and claimed the RU East pennant with ease, winning by 11 games over the defending division champion Wynnamac Sundowners and Beechwood Bobcats, who deadlocked for the runner-up slot... this was Elnora's first flag since 2023 and the fourth overall in its history... they have been stuck in the second division for most of the last decade. Last season was a fright for manager Leon Carter and his All-Stars (95-59) when they suddenly slipped to last place, mainly because of its pitching... this year the staff rebounded with a vengeance, improving from a poor 4.03 ERA to solid 3.42 ERA (12th), sparked by Lucien Vashon (22-10/3.18), Jeremy Sellers (22-11/3.09), Freddy Pfeffer (18-13/3.65) and 34-year-old Marv Elderson (12-8/3.89), who blossomed in a starting role after 8 years of mediocrity in the bullpen... the Elnora bats backed them up with a RU-leading .286 BA (1st) and ranked second in scoring, led by RF Pettis Pentleton (.353/15/98/111), who led the league in hitting, CF Travis Glass (.338/25/95/91), 1B Mel Long (.291/25/103/77) and 2B Matt Boyd (.314/13/85/76)... Look for the All-Stars to severely test the Valmara Vipers in the playoffs.

The Sligo Rovers captured their third RU West division flag in the last five seasons, staving off Fort Benton by 3 games and defending division champion Colfax by 6 games... Sligo has finished in the RU West first division for eight successive years... manager Eddie Keys got improvement in pitching and at the plate this year as his Sligo Rovers (86-68) claimed the RU West crown... Keys' mound staff was solid with a 3.36 ERA (10th) and his offense was sufficient with a .260 BA (19th) as the Rovers ranked 15th in scoring... defensively they were bad with a .966 FA... top pitchers were starters Earl Perkins (15-11/2.75), Bud Foster (13-11/2.60), Terry Bailey (16-13/3.36) and Lou Page (11-7/3.87), along with closer Andy Velasco (7-7/2.36/19 saves)... Sligo had no standout sticks... CF Darryl Collins (.283/22/71/82), 1B Maury Rice (.271/22/71/69) and 3B Howie Robertson (.276/2/56/82) were the most dependable... no one give the Rovers a serious chance in the Pro Cup competition, although they have played very well for the final six weeks of the season, chalking up a 29-19 mark... so have Valmara (29-19), San Dimas (31-17) and Elnora (34-14).

Over in the Tycobbian Union the pennant race in the TU North was only close for half the season... the Luxora Zorros took charge after the All-Star game and won the division handily by a whopping 13 games over the Fairfax Frogs and 16 better than the defending Pro Cup champion Blue Lake Blue Sox... the second-half surge gave the Zorros the most wins in the TU... Luxora notched 96 victories, which was second to Valmara of the RU North, who paced the IPA with 99 wins... The Z's won their 8th division title and the first since 2022. Strong pitching put Luxora (96-58) over the top this season... Manager Lacey Tompkins' hurlers compiled an impressive 3.08 team ERA (5th)... the Zorros finished second last year to Blue Lake in the TU North... good hitting in the second half of the season combined with the fine pitching to run away with the division... The Z's batted .256 (20th) with 138 home runs (12th) and ranked 11th in scoring runs... two 20-game twirlers Benny DeVito (22-14/2.29) and Fabio Medeiros (22-6/2.76) sparked the club... plus Valente Viero (16-15/2.76) and Tommy Ellefsen (13-7/3.83) were capable in the three and four spots in the rotation... relievers Kent Halloran (11-6/2.84/18 saves) and Toby White (6-3/1.98/13 saves) aided the cause, too... leading the Luxora attack were 1B Gerry Hathaway (.304/27/97/86), RF Roger Noble (.295/27/81/65), LF Carl Denton (.280/26/78/70) and CF Kevin Hanley (.283/15/64/97)... the Zorros are expected to make some noise in the Pro Cup playoffs this year... Tompkins' team is clicking on all cylinders and ready to roll in the postseason.

2031 was not a good year for the teams in the Tycobbian South. Only 3 of the them ended up winning records... down the stretch it was a 3-team battle with the Ginza Ninjas edging out the Southport Sun Sox by a single game and the Colchester Elites by 3 games... the race wasn't decided until the last day of the season. Southport could have forced a playoff, if they had won the on the final day... division champ Ginza (82-72) bounced back from a fifth-place 2030 season to take the crown... manager Huroko Uchiyama used home-run power primarily... his Ninjas cracked 169 roundtrippers (6th) and ranked fifth in runs with a .265 BA (8th)... pitching-wise Ginza was not impressive with a 3.83 team ERA (23rd)... the Ninjas featured a solid core of hitters with 1B Roger Lanier (.308/34/95/96), CF Cotton Cornwall (.278/31/108/97), 3B Johnny O'Rorke (.274/31/103/82) and LF Sadaharu Utchiyama (.305/15/72/93)... Lanier came to the Ninjas in June in a trade with St. John of the RU South... Ginza's pitching is suspect... Uchiyama's top starters were Harlan Wilson (18-12/4.19) and Andrei Schuler (16-15/3.66)... the Ninjas are not likely to get very far in the postseason.

For only the second time in its history East Point has won the Tycobbian East... the first time it happened was 23 years ago in 2008... the Panthers parlayed powerful pitching, home-run punch and good scoring to subdue the high-scoring Red Bluff Red Sox by 4 games... manager Karol Zodoka has the East Point Panthers (89-65) revved up and ready to go in the Pro Cup playoffs, which starts up tomorrrow... the Panthers scored 696 runs (9th), and socked 175 home runs (4th), but only batted .253 (22nd), while chalking up an impressive 3.05 team ERA (3rd)... Zodoka had 5 starters at various times during the season... heading up the rotation was Dixie Brooks (21-15/2.53), Frank Blair (17-16/3.11), Jack Bolden (8-5/3.07/12 saves), Stephen Edwards (15-8/3.11/11 saves) and Joe Foley (7-3/2.88)... Foley missed a year and came back in July to help fend off Red Bluff... Bolden and Edwards did double duty as starters and closers during the season... at the plate the Panthers were led by power-hitters 1B Tetsu Tanaka (.263/39/106/102) and CF Kenko Aoki (.275/35/89/87) with help from LF Wally Wright (.305/9/65/73). The Panthers will contend with Rolling Hills and Luxora for the TU title and the right to play for the IPA Pro Cup against the Ruthlandian Union champion.

For the 7th time in 13 years the Rolling Hills Reds have taken the Tycobbian West division crown and they did it by a comfortable 7 games over runner-up Bay St. Clair... Matty Christianson's Reds (91-63) led the IPA with a .290 team batting average and 785 runs... however the Reds were just average in pitching with a 3.57 ERA... Christianson has an abundance of fine bats led by his son 1B Billy Christianson (.336/16/75/133), who easily topped the IPA in runs with 133... RF Scotty Yiska (.306/27/105/89) and CF Terry Wade (.319/6/71/64) also batted .300... C Tony Brinkerhoff drove in 113 runs with 13 roundtrippers and a .262 BA... 2B Derek Kristensen (.297/5/49/76), 3B Jeff Booker (.289/1/64/63) and SS Tony Ptacek (.272/6/37/33) were productive bats, too... part-time regulars 3B Buffy Kowalczyk (.330/6/46/31), LF Lonnie Chadwick (.323/10/42/52), RF Bobby McConnell (.352/2/20/24) and Billy Jones (.301/1/15/19) hit over .300 as well... on the mound Errol Gaudet (21-8/2.75) and Tom Pierson (21-7/2.54) had super seasons... the other two starters Kenny Leonard (10-6/3.79) and Buck Myers (15-12/3.80) had quality seasons, too... closer Maury Cantrell (8-2/2.43/16 saves) was effective in the bullpen... with its high-octane attack and two very capable starters like Gaudet and Pierson, Rolling Hills will be a vibrant challenger in the TU playoffs, along with East Point and Luxora. The Tycobbian Union looks like a 3-team tussle with Ginza of the TU South not likely to be much of a contender... the hottest TU teams going into the playoffs are Luxora and Ginza... The Zorros notched an 32-16 mark, while the Ninjas were 30-18 the last six weeks... Rolling Hills was 27-21 and East Point posted a 25-23 record.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES PRO CUP POLL:
1. Valmara Vipers (RU)
2. Luxora Zorros (TU)
3. Elnora All-Stars (RU)
4. San Dimas Rancheros (RU)
5. Rolling Hills Reds (TU)
6. East Point Panthers (TU)
7. Sligo Rovers (RU)
8. Ginza Ninjas (TU)

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 24, 2031

2031 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series
(best-of-seven games)

Ruthlandian Union

Sligo Slips By Elnora 2-0 In 11 Innings
Brilliant pitching and timely hits paced Sligo to a 2-0 victory in 11 innings over Elnora at State Fair Park in the Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 opening game... Bud Foster and Andy Velasco blanked the All-Stars on 7 hits... Foster tossed 9 innings and allowed all of the hits... he stuck out 4 and walked nobody, while Velasco (1-0) retired all 6 batters he faced to get the win... C George Arnick singled in the go-ahead run in the 11th and Dan Jackson's sacrifice fly got the insurance run in... Elnora starter and loser Freddy Pfeffer (0-1) hurled a strong game, striking out 8 in 10 and a third innings and permitting the 2 runs... Pfeffer walked only one batter... 2B Bo Clancy and 1B Maury Rice led the Rover bats with a pair of hits each... 2B Matt Boyd and CF Travis Glass had 2 hits each for the All-Stars.

Vipers Rally In Opener, Whip SD 5-2
Playing the RU Elite 8 opener at home at War Memorial Stadium, the Valmara Vipers erupted out of their slumber for 5 runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to rally by San Dimas 5-2... wildness by San Dimas starter Jay Barajas sunk the Rancheros... Barajas (0-1) went into the inning with a 2-0 lead and a 4-hit shutout, but walked in 3 runs... 2B Alec Leclerc finished him off with a 2-run single... overall Barajas gave up 7 hits, walked 4 and struck out 6... Viper winner Garry Gronek (1-0) held the Rancheros to 2 runs and 4 hits in his 7 inning for the win... Gronek walked just one and fanned 5... closer Ivan Guzek saved it for him with 2 scoreless frames... Leclerc and LF Benny Hooper sparked Valmara with 2 hits apiece... solo homers by 2B Joey Harris and 1B Billy Hawkins were all the runs San Dimas could muster.

Tycobbian Union

Zorros Zap Ninjas 8-4 In First Game
Home-run power and a gritty route-going performance by Benny DeVito got the Luxora Zorros off and running in the Tycobbian Union Elite 8 opening game at De la Vega Stadium... the Z's zapped the Ginza Ninjas 8-4 with the help of homers by LF Carl Denton and RF Roger Noble... DeVito was tagged for 4 runs in the first 4 frames, but survived... only 2 of them were earned as DeVito whiffed 5 and issued a walk... Ryuji Kaneko (0-1) suffered the loss... Kaneko was ripped hard for 6 runs and 9 hits in 6 innings... he trailed 6-4 when he departed the game... Luxora rapped 11 hits with Denton and C Vince Farentino leading the way with 3 RBIs each... RF Chuck Wilson collected 2 triples for the Ninjas and drove in a pair of runs.

Panthers Trim Reds 5-3 In TU Opener
Visiting East Point trimmed the Rolling Hills Reds 5-3 in game one of the TU Elite 8 Series at the ancient Midtown Base Ball Grounds... Frank Blair outpitched the Reds ace Errol Gaudet, holding them to 2 runs on 6 hits in 7 innings... Blair (1-0) notched the win with relief help from Jack Bolden, who gave up a run in his 2 innings... losing pitcher Gaudet was the victim of foul play by the Reds defense, which allowed 3 unearned runs on 2 errors... Gaudet (0-1) allowed 4 runs and 5 hits, struck out 9 and walked 3 in his 7 innings... the loss snapped his 11-game winning streak in the Pro Cup playoffs... SS Jug Slavin sparked the Panthers with 2 hits and 2 runs batted in... the teams tied with 7 hits each... Rolling Hills was led by LF Lonnie Chadwick with 2 hits and a homer.