ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, August 1, 2039

ARLON RACES BY KENWOOD IN TU WEST
The Kenwood Wildcats went into July with a 3-game bulge over the Arlon Champions, went into a 13-16 spin and came out trailing by three games as the Champs rambled to a sparkling 19-10 record... there are no other challengers in the hunt... Bayview is in third and trails by 11 games and Rolling Hills is fourth, 13 games back in the pennant chase.

Arlon is looking for its first playoff slot since 2020... the Champs have outstanding pitching and adequate offense... everything points to them as the TU East winner... they have a solid starting four in Ronny Farnsworth (12-6/3/12), Lanny Gray (13-10/3.11), Emil Nowak (16-6/3.61) and Pat Stuyvesant (12-7/4.02)... Gray is leading the IPA with 200 Ks in 225 innings... the relief corps is impressive, too... All-Star LF Mark Cameron (.319/33/89/80) is having a super year and is third in the league in homers, RBIs and runs... All-Star C Nick Shafer has added 17 HRs, 63 RBIs and 52 runs, while batting .304... there isn't much after that in the batting order.

Kenwood was seventh last year and forecast for fifth in the preseason poll, but better pitching and hitting has had them in first place much of the season until the July slump... Glen Murray (15-9/3.16) and Robby Barnhill (9-3/2.91) have been the mound mainstays... Rusty Bradford is 14-4, but doesn't have a lot of quality starts and has been relegated to spot starting and the relief corps... reliever Artemus Hale (7-1/2.55/7 saves) is the bullpen ace... three players still carry the club... 2B Country Crowder (.339/4/41/57) has had a very impressive rookie season and is running second in the batting title race to the great Adam Thurgood of North Hills... Thurgood is hitting .340 thus far... superstud All-Star C Corky DiNozzo is batting .321 with 26 HRs, 74 RBIs and 54 runs... old reliable LF Harry Tashina has a .309 BA, 9 HRs, 48 RBIs and 62 runs... don't give up on the Wildcats, they could easily get back on the right track and back in the race.

The third place Bayview Vikings can score runs and boom the ball into the bleachers with regularity... the Viks are first in homers (175) in the IPA and third in scoring (581)... they had a great 19-10 July, but probably are too far behind to challenge this year, being 11 games out... slugging star All-Star 2B Jerry Culpepper (.298/38/84/74) is having another banner year with his IPA-leading 38 homers... other run producers are RF Roy Ricks (.310/19/49/73), SS Andreas Stokke (.271/18/51/58) and LF Derek Jorstad (.276/11/43/67)... Vance Codsworth (14-10/4.07) is the staff's biggest winner... with Christy Kane (10-11/3.26) and Karl Magga (9-8/3.73) the most effective.

The Rolling Hills Reds have a good offense (.271 BA-6th), but tainted pitching (4.18 ERA-24th)... the Reds got off to a fine start in the early going, but have since had losing records the last two months... July was only 13-16... star All-Star 3B Billy Christianson (.325/10/48/45) was lost for the season at the beginning of the month to a shoulder injury...rookie All-Star 1B Darwin Tard is one of the team leaders with a .300 BA, 18 HRs, 57 RBIs and 65 runs... RF Jimbo Foxx is another good bat in the line-up with a .290 BA, 21 HRs, 64 RBIs and 61 runs... Veteran CF Scotty Yiska (.307/16/49/38) is doing great in a platoon role... only two pitchers Matthew Christianson (14-7/3.17) and Whammer White (10-8/3.92) have been adequate... Rolling Hills is three games above .500 and in fourth place.

The Denton City Redbirds were selected the second-best team in the division during the preseason, but after four months they are in the fifth spot in the standings, one game under .500 and 15 games out of first... after good runs in May and June, they fell back to 13-16 last month... the Redbirds have a solid offense with a .270 BA (8th), 551 runs (3rd) and 139 HRs (5th), but only average pitching (3.84 ERA-16th)... the top bat is All-Star 1B Wayman Stetson (.309/32/89/67)... Stetson is ranked fourth in RBIs and sixth in homers in the IPA... he got some help from RF Pete Doyle (.287/19/70/76), SS Sammy Thornton (.298/6/28/70), C Felton Welch (.278/18/65/52), LF Sam Carson (.261/18/65/52) and 3B Rod Hunt (.250/22/63/65)... Denton City has a good set of starters: Francisco Salcido (13-11/3.61), Kevin Blevins (12-10/3.72), Troy McIntosh (11-12/3.29) and Stephen Edwards (7-7/3.14/6 saves)... however, the bullpen is lousy (4.54 ERA-30th).

For the third year in a row the Chicopee Braves will probably come in near the bottom of the division... they are in sixth place, 19 games back of first place Arlon... the Braves have average to good bats with a .265 BA (11th), 510 runs (14th) and 129 HRs (9th)... pitching is mediocre with a 4.05 team ERA (20th)... the best of the bats are star 3B Kurt Gustavsen (.330/23/68/66) and CF Big Jim Moran (.261/23/70/65)... the Braves also have a good core of regulars that pitch in with some productive hitting... vets Lou Gianakos (14-11/3.420 and Heyoka Chaska (11-8/3.43) are the most capable starters... a recent addition to the starting rotation rookie Pete Caravante (4-3/2.36) looks like a very good one after eight starts.

The La Claire Lynx won the pennants the last two years, but they have fallen on hard times in 2039... nothing has gone right for them on the hill or at the plate... they were 12-17 in July... the Lynx have dropped to seventh place and 22 games behind... Tony Rossi (12-11/4.20) leads the club in wins... Pat Kovacs (9-12/3.27) has the best ERA... and Terry Baird (5-5/1.70/13 saves) is the best in the bullpen... the bats are really bad... 1B Eddy Veevers (.301/8/46/45) and 2B Sam Norman (.290/15/41/49) has been pretty good, but not so the rest... CF Billy Holland is the club leader with 49 RBIs and 49 runs, but is batting only .255 with 11 HRs.

The last-place Bay St. Clair Buccaneers have had a rocky season as well... forecast for sixth, they have nestled safely in the TU West basement, 28 games out of first... the Bucs were 13-16 in the last month... they sport a .254 BA (21st) and a 4.35 ERA (27th)... the only productive batters are RF Cotton Cornwall (.314/23/65/48) and CF Gilbert Bauer (.299/16/62/51)... Pete Cross (7-3/2.55/7 saves) in the bullpen is the only pitcher worth mentioning.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, September 1, 2039

FOUR CLOSE FINISHES IN IPA
Half of the eight divisions in the Islandian Pro Alliance will go down-to-the-wire... there are only 17 games left on the schedule... in the Ruthlandian North the Far Mountain Redhawks have a seven-game edge over runners-up Ranford, LaGrange and Kilkenny. It's the same situation in the Ruthlandian South, where the Waleska Westerners are seven games up on second place St. John... however, the races in the East and West Divisions are still very much in question... Sugar Valley goes into September with a small two-game lead over Cold Creek in the RU East, while three clubs are still in the fight in the RU West... Sligo is up by three games over second place Fort Benton and four better than Volusia.

Far Mountain broke even for the month with a 14-14 mark in the RU North... Ranford (19-9) and LaGrange (17-11) had hot months and moved up in the standings... Kilkenny was 14-14... in July Waleska (16-12) improved its lead over second place St. John (15-13) in the RU South... in the RU East Cold Creek posted a strong 19-9 month to cut Sugar Valley lead to just two games... the Rattlers were a solid 16-12... in the RU West the Sligo Rovers put up a 17-11 mark for the month... and Fort Benton and Volusia were 16-12.

RUTHLANDIAN UNION STANDINGS

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, September 1, 2039

TYCOBBIAN RACES GO INTO SEPTEMBER
Over in the western part of Islandia in the Tycobbian North, the North Hills Hawks, the defending Pro Cup champion, seem to be safe with a 5-game margin over the Mahaska, although the Haymakers narrowed the gap in August with a fine 18-10 record to 15-13 for the Hawks.

Down in the TU South Turon is getting ready to wrap up its second straight flag with an eight-game lead over San Alejo... the Typhoons improved their lead with an 18-10 August to the Montaneros' 16-12.

But it's close in the other two divisions... Midway really has a battle on its hands with four teams within striking distance of first place... East Point is just one game behind, Tuckanarra, last year's division winner, is just two games off the pace... Ozarka is not out of it yet, trailing by just three games... preseason favorite Red Bluff has recovered from a slow start and gotten back in the race, now five games in back of Midway... the Wolves were 15-13 for the last month, East Point was 19-9, Tuckanarra 17-11, Ozarka went 16-12 and Red Bluff was a torrid 20-8.

It's just a two-team affair in the Tycobbian West this season... Kenwood rebounded from a bad July to take a one-game lead over Arlon... the Wildcats had to go 19-9 in August to overtake the Champions, who were 15-13.

TYCOBBIAN UNION STANDINGS

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, September 8, 2039

4 DIVISIONS UP IN THE AIR
With only 10 games left on the regular season schedule, four of the IPA divisions are still being decided... two in each league... Far Mountain (RU North), Waleska (RU South), North Hills (TU North) and Turon (TU South) are looking like winners, there are four other divisions that are tightly bunched and hotly contested.

Sugar Valley and Cold Creek might go down to the last day of play in the RU East... the Rattlers are just one game in front of the Catamounts... same story in the RU West with Sligo and Volusia... third Fort Benton has fallen 5 games back.

There's really a donnybrook taking place in the TU East with a three-way tie between defending champ Tuckanarra, Midway and East Point... fourth place Ozarka is four games back and still in the running... in the TU West Kenwood and Arlon are in a tie for the top spot.

RUTHLANDIAN UNION STANDINGS

[Eugene Church]

Tycobbian Union Standings

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 16, 2039

SEPTEMBER STRETCH DRIVE CONTINUES
As expected, four clubs have qualified for the Pro Cup playoffs... it will be the Far Mountain Redhawks representing the Ruthlandian North and the Waleska Westerners the RU South... going into the last three games of the season the RU East and West are still very much in doubt... Sugar Valley and Cold Creek are tied for the lead in the East race and Sligo and Volusia are both on top of the West... in what should be two very tough series, the Rattlers (92-59) will take on the St. John Crusaders (81-70) on the road and the Catamounts (92-59) go up against Far Mountain (87-64) at home... the Volusia Vigilantes and Sligo Rovers will have easier tasks... the V's (85-56) will be out of town against Forest City (68-83) and the Rovers (85-56) will travel to Ancona (76-75).

The pennant winners in the Tycobbian Union were the defending Pro Cup holder North Hills, who has cinched a sixth straight North Division title, and Turon, the champion in the South Division... four clubs are in a battle royal for the TU East title... Tuckanarra and East Point are in first place, one game ahead of Midway and two in front of Ozarka... the Blue Jays (81-70) will be in Hartsdale (79-72) for the final series of the campaign, the Panthers (81-70) tangle with Kenwood (92-59) on the road, the Wolves (80-71) will be entertained by Bayview (77-74) and the Naturals (79-72) will be in White River against the Rascals (77-74)... Arlon (94-57) has a two-game edge over Kenwood in the TU West and will host Denton City (77-74), while the Wildcats (92-59) will be at home against East Point (81-70).

RUTHLANDIAN UNION STANDINGS

[Eugene Church]

Tycobbian Union Standings

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 16, 2039

RUTHLANDIAN UNION

RATTLERS FALL TO CRUSADERS 9-4
At Cathedral Stadium in St. John, the Crusaders put a damper on Sugar Valley's pennant aspirations with a 9-4 thumping... the Crusaders cracked 14 hits in the thrashing... St. John trailed 3-0 going into the last of the fourth... they tallied three runs to tie it up, then finished off the Rattlers with three in the seventh and three more in the eighth.

Going into the last two games of the year Sugar Valley is tied with Cold Creek for the top spot in the Ruthlandian East... the Catamounts also lost today, dropping a 5-4 decision to Far Mountain.

REDHAWKS EDGE CATAMOUNTS 5-4
The Cold Creek Catamounts missed a golden opportunity to take the lead in the RU East... they blew a 4-2 lead in the eighth and lost to the Far Mountain Redhawks 5-4 at home at Holmes Field... Pete Heller (19-6/2.34) took the costly loss, yielding 9 hits and 5 runs in eight plus innings... only two of the runs were earned... they were beaten by Russell McIntosh (8-9/3.17), who held them to four runs on seven hits in his eight innings... Ryan Kolb (5-5/2.54) picked up his 18th save with a perfect ninth.

'JACKS STUMP V'S 3-2
On the road at the Jailhouse in Volusia, the Forest City Lumberjacks rode the right arm of Pat Veach (9-13/4.28) to a 3-2 victory over the Vigilantes, hurting the V's pennant hopes... fortunately Volusia's rival Sligo bit the dust, too, as they lost out to Ancona 7-1.

Forest City trailed 2-1 going into the top of the ninth when the rallied against reliever Skeeter Milham (5-5/4.00) for the winning run. Andrew Arryn (15-6/3.27) worked the first eight and one-third innings and left with the score 2-2 after permitting eight hits... Omar Cordero (3-9/4.13) got the save, his 19th of the year with a scoreless ninth.

FRASER STOPS SLIGO 7-1
Jock Fraser threw more than fastballs and curveballs at playoff-hopeful Sligo - Fraser threw a monkey wrench into their plans by stopping them 7-1 at Jay Loman Park in Ancona... a Rover victory would have given them a one-game lead over Volusia in the Ruthlandian West with just two games to play... instead Sligo is still tied with the Vigilantes, who dropped a game to Forest City 3-2.

Winning pitcher Fraser (13-14/4.47) tossed seven innings, gave up only one run on six hits, struck out four and walked two... he beat Gary Booth (11-12/3.91), who was battered for 10 hits and five run in five-plus innings.

TYCOBBIAN UNION

TUCKS TAKE TU EAST LEAD
Playing on the road in Hartsdale, the Tuckanarra Blue Jays took the top spot in the Tycobbian East by trouncing the Hellcats 12-3... Lorne Evans hit two homers and drove in four runs to lead the way... John Paul also drove in four runs in the 14-hit rout... Phillip Marston (7-8/5.01) went all the way in the crucial victory, which gave the Tucks a one-game lead over Midway and East Point in the battle for the division flag.

WOLVES WALLOP VIKS 12-2
The second place Midway Wolves kept within a game of first place Tuckanarra in the fervid Tycobbian East pennant race... they pounded six homers and walloped Bayview 12-2, led by Shaman Sakima's two roundtrippers and four RBIs... he now has 30 HRs for the season... on a rainy day in Bayview winner Carl Dreux (18-12/3.67) shut out the Vikings on three hits the first five innings... after a rain delay John Anderson (0-0/3.63) came on and worked the final four frames, allowing 2 runs and 5 hits... it was his first save of the season... Karl Magga (11-15/4.49) was the loser... he was tagged for five runs in five-plus innings... Magga departed with a 5-0 deficit.

PANTHERS FALL OUT OF FIRST PLACE IN TU EAST
The East Point Panthers were beaten 7-4 by the Kenwood Wildcats... with the defeat they fell out a first-place tie with Tuckanarra for the Tycobbian East lead... Kenwood's Freddy Gooch (20-12/4.15) notched his 20th win of the season... he was touched for four runs on seven hits in his seven and two-thirds innings... Rusty Bradford (15-6/4.10) finished up for him and logged his third save... Corky DiNozzo (.319) bashed two out of the park to pace the Wildcats... Shannon Magee (7-4/4.76) took the loss after giving up all seven runs in six-plus innings.

It was an important victory for the Wildcats, who are only one game out of first place in the TU West... they have to keep winning to have a chance to overtake the Arlon Champions, the current leader in the race.

NATS' HALSTAD STOPS RASCALS 8-0
A lot of things have to go their way, but if the Ozarka Naturals can win their final two games of the season and Tuckanarra loses theirs, the Nats might force a playoff with the Blue Jays for the Tycobbian East flag... Dirk Halstad (12-7/3.82) did his part by blanking White River 8-0 on seven hits... the Nats' bats backed him up with four roundtrippers... Mick Cronyn (6-4/3.35) was tagged for all the homers and suffered the loss... he worked the first five frames and gave up all of the runs.

DC'S BLEVINS BLANKS ARLON 3-0
The Arlon Champions' pennant hopes took a turn-for-the-worse when they ran into Denton City's Kevin Blevins, who throttled them 3-0 on nine hits... that allowed Kenwood to stay right on the heels of the first-place Champs, just one game off the TU West lead... Blevins walked three and fanned three for the win... Peter Shannon (2-5/2.14) took the loss, giving up three runs on seven hits in his seven-plus innings.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
September 17, 2039

RUTHLANDIAN UNION

CC 'CATS FIRST IN RU SOUTH
In a battle of aces, Cold Creek's top pitcher 23-game winner J. J. Gillespie got the best of Far Mountain's 25-game winner 7-0, enabling the Catamounts to move into first place of the Ruthlandian East all by themselves, a game up on the powerful Sugar Valley Rattlers with one game remaining on the schedule... Gillespie (23-9/2.64) was brilliant, holding the Redhawks, the champion of the RU North, to five hits, while striking out six and walking none... Chad Cummings (25-8/2.84) suffered the loss, surrendering four runs on eight hits in five-plus innings... the Catamounts collected 15 hits.

RATTLERS LOSE 4TH IN A ROW, DROP TO 2ND
It was a huge loss for the Sugar Valley Rattlers... for the second straight day St. John whipped them, making it four losses in a row and dropping them to second place, one game behind Cold Creek in the RU East pennant race with only one game to go... the man of the hour was Vito Sanfratello (19-13/3.42)... he hurled a 5-0 shutout, restricting the power-hitting and high-scoring Rattlers to just three hits... Sanfratello walked two batters and fanned eight... Christopher Dunsberry (17-12/2.93) was the loser, going seven innings and giving up five runs on 10 hits... tomorrow will be the tell-all day in the IPA... it could be headed for some single-game playoffs to determine who goes to the IPA Pro Cup playoffs.

SLIGO SLAMS ANCONA 14-2, NOW AHEAD IN WEST
All the Sligo Rovers need is one more win this season and they will win the RU West... a smashing 14-2 triumph over Ancona, coupled with Volusia's 7-5 loss to Forest City, gave the Rovers a one-game lead in the division... they blasted out 18 hits to overwhelm the Red Elephants, helping Tom Pierson (15-16/2.83) to an easy win.

LUMBERJACKS BEAT VIGILANTES AGAIN
For the second successive game the seventh-place Forest City Lumberjacks did a number on the Volusia Vigilantes... the 'Jacks rallied in the late innings for a 7-5 victory and knocked the V's out of first place in the Ruthlandian West... Bob Brisdon's (.306) two-run shot in the seventh inning off loser Drew Selby (24-13/2.94) was the game-winner... it was Brisdon's 28th homer of the season... it was a see-saw game with Forest City going up 4-0 in the second, falling behind 5-4 in the fifth and the winning it in the seventh.

TYCOBBIAN UNION

REDBIRDS BLANK CHAMPS AGAIN
For the second consecutive day the Denton City Redbirds shut out the Arlon Champions and put a crimp in their pennant drive... Troy McIntosh (17-15/3.13) was masterful in the 9-0 shutout, stopping them on seven hits with seven Ks and no walks... catching the loss was the IPA strikeout king Lanny Gray (16-15/3.38)... he went eight frames, struck out eight, but allowed four runs on eight hits... the Redbirds ripped five homers in the rout.

Luckily for Arlon, the second-place Kenwood Wildcats also lost and remained one game off the pace... the Wildcats were beaten 6-0 by the East Point Panthers, who are also battling for their life in the TU East... the win put East Point in a first-place tie with Tuckanarra.

PANTHERS TIE TUCKS FOR FIRST PLACE
Wily veteran Frank Blair fashioned a 6-0 victory over the Kenwood Wildcats to put the East Point Panthers into a first-place tie with the Tuckanarra Blue Jays in the Tycobbian East with only one more game left in the regular season... Blair (16-13/3.48) fired a six-hit shutout to do serious damage to playoff-hopeful Kenwood, who, with a win, could have moved up to a tie with Arlon for the lead in the TU West... Ben Abramo (11-20/3.75) was KO'ed in the seventh and took his 20th loss.

DAWSON WIN 23RD, BEATS TUCKS 3-2
What an unbelievable season for Wayne Dawson of the Hartsdale Hellcats... he chalked up his 23rd win of the year by beating Tuckanarra 3-2... the defeat dropped the Blue Jays into a two-way tie with East Point in the TU East... he beat Junior Bristow (16-18/3.12), the reigning Tycobbian MVP and Golden Arm winner... Dawson went eight innings, whiffed eight batters, walked two and limited the Tucks to two runs on just five hits... Bristow gave up 10 hits, but only three runs... he had six strikeouts and two walks.

BAYVIEW BOMBS MIDWAY 8-5
The Midway Wolves had a chance to make it a three-way tie in the TU East, but Bayview's slugging Jerry Culpepper (.312) boomed a pair of homers to sink them 8-5... Culpepper has 63 for the season and is within two of tying Jack Elliott for the all-time mark of 65, set in 2023 with the High Mesa Cowboys... Vance Codsworth (20-14/4.20) gained his 20th victory for the first time in his six seasons, while the loser was Cary Snead (15-16/3.28).

RASCALS RUIN NATS PLAYOFF HOPES
A victory today would have kept alive the Ozarka Naturals faint pennant hopes, but sadly the White River Rascals spoiled it with an 8-3 triumph... the Nats trail by two games now with only one more left in the season...Walt McKenzie's bat and Paul Sardini' pitching were too much for the Nats... McKenzie (.268) hit his 44th and 45th homers and drove in five runs... and Sardini (13-16/3.48) went the distance, permitting 11 hits, but only three runs... he had four strikeouts and walked no one... Ozarka's 20-game winner Glen Jenkins (20-14/3.35) was shelled for seven runs in less than two innings for the loss.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 18, 2039

RUTHLANDIAN UNION

RATTLERS FORCE PLAYOFF, TIES CC 'CATS
On the last day of the regular season Sugar Valley slipped by St. John on the road 5-4 in 11 innings to gain a share of first place with Cold Creek and force a one-game playoff tomorrow for the Ruthlandian East pennant and a place in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs.

The Rattlers ran up a 4-0 lead after seven innings behind the great pitching of Jeremy Blanchard (19-10/3.38), then they almost blew the game as the Crusaders rallied against Sugar Valley's bullpen to tie it 4-4 after nine innings... Bobby Gamble's 11th-inning homer saved the day and gave the Rattlers another day of life.

COLD CREEK LOSES 3-1, FACES PLAYOFF
All the Cold Creek Catamounts had to do on the last day of season was win and they would be the Ruthlandian East champion... but it was not to be... the Catamounts ran into a hot Dennis Sasek and he put them down 3-1, thus dropping Cold Creek into a tie with Sugar Valley for first place... now the two clubs will play a single-game tomorrow afternoon in Sugar Valley to determine the division title.

Sasek (16-16/3.31) held Cold Creek to seven hits and one run in his eight innings... Ryan Kolb (5-5/2.50) worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 19th save of the season... Rob Hutchins (13-11/2.56) was the losing pitcher... he allowed three runs on seven hits in seven innings with two walks and six Ks.

ROVERS ROLL OVER, TIED WITH VIGILANTES
It was an identical situation in the Ruthlandian West... Sligo just needed to win its final game and they would be the West Division winner... but the Rovers rolled over and were beaten 5-4 in 14 innings by the Ancona Red Elephants to fall into a tie for the top spot with Volusia... it will be a single-game playoff in Sligo to be played tomorrow afternoon... Tommy Richardson (.360) broke the game up with his 30th homer of the year in the top of the 14th.

V'S VICTORY FORCES PLAYOFF IN RU WEST
At the Jailhouse in Volusia the mood was doom and gloom heading into the last of the eighth... Forest City was in command with a 4-1 lead and Volusia's season would end if they didn't stage a comeback... the Vigilantes had to win the game to have any chance in the pennant race... what happened will be long remembered in Volusia... the V's mounted a remarkable comeback with three runs in the eight to tie the score at 4-4, then they wrapped up the win with a run in the ninth to remain alive in the pennant chase... if Volusia can whip Sligo tommorrow afternoon on the road, they will be crowned champion of the RU West and qualify for the postseason playoffs.

TYCOBBIAN UNION

PANTHERS PREVAIL IN TU EAST
Going into the last day of the year, three teams had a shot at the Tycobbian East title... when the dust and the fireworks cleared, it was the East Point Panthers that emerged as champion... Tuckanarra and Midway finished just one scant game behind in a hotly-contested race.

East Point came back from a 3-0 deficit after three innings to whip the Kenwood Wildcats 6-4... Johnny Moore (17-11/3.39) went seven frames for the win, gave up four runs and eight hits... Robby Barnhill (14-6/3.61) was the loser... he was tagged for five runs and nine hits in seven innings. It was a crucial loss for Kenwood as they had a chance to tie for first in the Tycobbian West with Arlon with a win and a loss by the Champions.

HELLCATS ELIMINATE TUCKS 3-2
The Tuckanarra Blue Jays had won the last five Tycobbian East titles and a win in the last game of the season would have given them a chance at a sixth straight pennant... but the Hartsdale Hellcats didn't play along... for the second consecutive game they whipped the Blue Jays 3-2 and ruined their season... Tuckanarra dropped into a second-place tie with Midway and East Point took the title.

Gil Younger (12-17/3.43) pitched the Hellcats to victory, going eight innings and holding the Blue Jays to two runs on six hits... Younger fanned six batters and walked three... Barney Hathaway tossed a scoreless ninth to nail down his fourth save... Bobby Reid (16-11/3.37) went all the way and lost it... he permitted three runs on six hits with four walks and five strikeouts.

MIDWAY MAULS BAYVIEW 8-4
A lot of things needed to fall Midway's way on the final day of the 2039 season for the Wolves to win the Tycobbian East flag... they needed to beat Bayview and they needed East Point and Tuckanarra to lose... that would put them in a position to win the pennant in a playoff... East Point put them out of business with a win.

Still the Wolves did all they could by blasting Bayview 8-4... Charlie Chase went the route, stopping the Vikings on six hits, struck out six and walked four... Christy Kane (14-17/3.46) suffered the loss, though he only gave up one earned run out the seven scored on him... the Viks shelled him for 10 hits in six-plus innings.

ARLON WINS TU WEST BY TWO GAMES
The Arlon Champions made sure they would win the Tycobbian West by defeating the Denton City Redbirds 7-5 in the final game of their season... that made it impossible for the Kenwood Wildcats to tie them... Kenwood began the day just one game behind in the race.

Ronny Farnsworth (21-8/2.64) put the finishing touches on a marvelous season stopping the Redbirds on three runs and eight hits... Farnsworth fanned six and walked two to tied down the title... Fernando Salcido (19-16/3.72) failed to get his 20th win... Arlon got to him for seven runs and 10 hits in his seven-plus innings.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 19, 2039

RUTHLANDIAN UNION SINGLE-GAME PLAYOFFS

SLIGO BEST IN THE WEST
154 games were not enough to separate Sligo and Volusia in the Ruthlandian West race... it took one more to break the tie... and the winner is: the Sligo Rovers... the Rovers piled up a substantial 7-3 lead after eight and half innings, then held on to whip the Volusia Vigilantes 7-5 in a single-game playoff for the the division flag.

CF Joe McGarrett (.304) and RF Pat Foreman led the Rovers' 10-hit attack... McGarrett went 2-for-5 and drive in three runs, while Foreman (.260) had three hits, scored twice and batted in a pair... Volusia was led by LF Kerry Keller (.261) with a two-run homer and RF Lonnie Womack with a two-run double... 1B Kris Wilson (.343) added five hits, scored two and batted in a run for the losers.

Randall Steele (25-8/3.25) notched the win in a rough outing... Steele allowed five runs on 8 hits in eight-plus innings... he fanned seven and walked four... Joey Hicks (9-12/4.15) relieved in the last of the night and got the final two outs and his 10th save of the year... loser Raul Navarro (13-18/3.21) was rapped for six runs on eight hits in seven frames.

HELLER HALTS RATTLERS 5-1, COLD CREEK TOP CATS IN EAST
All year long in the Ruthlandian East Cold Creek had the pitching and Sugar Valley had the bats... in the end Peter Heller's good pitching beat the Rattlers' good bats... Heller fired a 5-1 victory over Sugar Valley in the single-game playoff that decided the RU East... Heller stymied them on three hits, while the Catamounts were racking up 10... they broke it open with four runs in the eighth inning to snap a 1-1 tie... John-Michal Krikma singled in the game-winning score... Jeremy Hall singled in two more runs... and CF Ken Brennan completed the scoring with an RBI single... that was more than enought to send Cold Creek to the Pro Cup playoffs.

Heller (20-6/2.29) went the distance in a masterpiece performance, striking out six and allowing only one base on balls... Heller won 20 games for the first time in his 13-year career... Josh Wilkerson (15-8/3.26) did his best, but suffered the loss... he surrendered only two runs and six hits in seven and one-third innings with five Ks and five walks.

SS Jeremy Hall (.286) sparked the win with three hits and two runs batted in... C Arved Tarand (.294) collected three hits and scored a run... CF Ken Brennan (.303) added a pair of hits and an RBI and 1B John-Michal Krikma (.246) scored twice and batted in one... the Catamounts banged out 10 singles in all... CF Bobby Gamble (.310) hit his 36th homer for the Rattlers' only run.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 20, 2039

REDHAWKS EASY WINNER IN RU NORTH
Picked fourth in the preseason poll, Far Mountain surprised the experts and won the Ruthlandian North Division in a breeze by eight games over second-place Kilkenny, the favorite... Ranford came in third, trailing by nine... LaGrange and Ancona were tied for fourth and 11 games back... Far Mountain went all the way to the Pro Cup Finals last season, but was swept by IPA champ North Hills.

1. Far Mountain Redhawks: won with outstanding pitching and lousy bats... second straight division title.
Top Starters: Chad Cummings (25-8/2.84), Karl Nordheim (21-8/3.44) and Dennis Sasek (16-16/2.44)
Top Relievers: Ryan Kolb (5-5/2.50/19 saves), Russell McIntosh (8-9/3.17/5 saves)
Top Batters: RF Bert Richter (.277/23/85/84), LF Harlan Silver (.286/13/65/68)

2. Kilkenny Cats: strong pitching, weak offense... came in second last season, tied with LaGrange.
Top Starters: Dave Whitaker (21-15/2.03), James Crockett (18-18/3.20), Judson Davis (16-8/3.72), Dave Stratford (15-17/3.65) -- Whitaker led the IPA with a 2.03 ERA
Top Relievers: Joe Pierce (2-5/1.93/15 saves)
Top Batters: star 2B Leevi Viru (.278/21/96/61), 3B Jorge Collazo (.278/11/64/83)

3. Ranford Bulls: made first divsion for the first time in five seasons with solid starters and pretty fair bats... was seventh in 2038.
Top Starters: Frank Yosarian (20-11/3.52), Ronnie Schroeder (18-17/2.87), Ralph Hawk (16-16/3.08), Earl Cook (10-3/3.03/1 save)
Top Relievers: (none)
Top Batters: LF Dale Weston (.316/39/105/108)

4. LaGrange Sports: tied Kilkenny last year for the runner-up spot... better on paper than record... fine pitching and hitting stats, but were only two games over .500... had 169 HRS (8th).
Top Starters: Ryan Janssen (16-12/3.30/7 saves), Hot Dog Huxtable (15-12/3.41), Mike York (15-17/3.38) and Walt Thurber (12-17/3.22)
Top Relievers: (none)
Top Batters: CF Deron Barkley (.283/31/80/93), SS John Rodgers (.282/16/82/93), RF Charles Bacque (.312/16/65/81)

4. Ancona Red Elephants: sixth last year... second division club for last four years... came in tied for fourth this season... pitching improved.
Top Pitchers: Pablo Pilar (21-15/3.35), Lucian Kairis (16-7/3.21), Clyde Fairchild (13-14/3.75)
Top Relievers: Steven Russell (7-6/3.30/12 saves)
Top Batters: 3B Tommy Richardson (.360/30/132/87), C Gregg Straka (.300/4/52/70)... Richardson had a fantastic year... was second in the IPA in batting average (.360), in hits (220), third in doubles (39) and first in RBIs (132).

6. Valmara Vipers: wound up in sixth place and the second division for the seventh year in a row... lackluster pitching and hitting.
Top Starters: Harold Hudson (17-16/3.82)
Top Relivers: Clark Van Vreeland (8-6/2.40/15 saves)
Top Batters: LF Gary Peterson (.346/29/70/73)

7. Taranto Tars: fourth-straight year in the second division... mediocre pitching, not much at the plate except for HRs (179-4th) (due to the small part).
Top Starters: rookie Mario Martinelli (17-9/3.09)... Doug Hansack (16-14/3.76)
Top Relievers: (none)
Top Batters: 1B Mark Delaney (.265/33/98/81), CF Gary Tramonte (.309/30/71/71)

8. Glasco Athletics: fell to last place after three-year run in the first division of the RU North... average pitching, lacks scoring, but does hit with power (156 HRs-12th).
Top Starters: Basil Newchurch (15-15/3.26)
Top Relievers: Steven Derby (3-4/3.41/3 saves)
Top Batters: SS Terry Johnstone (.277/18/78/82), CF Travis Houston (.303/21/76/68), 1B Tim Jarvis (.280/12/60/86)

RUTHLANDIAN NORTH DIVISION

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 20, 2039

WALESKA IN A WALTZ
The Waleska Westerners took command of the Ruthlandian South after the All-Star Game and waltzed to the pennant, disposing of second place St. John by eight games, third place San Dimas by 10 games and fourth place Claxton by 12... the Westerners think they can win another Pro Cup... they whipped San Alejo in six games two years ago... Waleska is a better team this time around with even stronger pitching.

1. Waleska Westerners: the Westerners won their third pennant in five years with super pitching (2.99 ERA-2nd) and fairly good offense (13th).
Top Starters: Jeff Woodruff (22-14/2.94), Terry Richards (18-8/2.64), Craig Nash (18-12/2.91) and Tony Haskell (14-11/3.35)... except for Woodruff, the same bunch that won the Pro Cup in 2037.
Top Relievers: strong bullpen led by Vern Bass (1-7/2.62/14 saves)
Top Batters: RF Niles Gregory (.285/25/103/84), 1B Shayn Lambert (.313/15/60/72), 2B Joey Harris (.282/10/76/80) and CF Jon Lassiter (.287/3/30/74)

2. St. John Crusaders: wound up a distant second for the second year in a row... can score and can pitch.
Top Starters: Jeremy Kirk (17-9/2.54), Vito Sanfratello (19-13/3.42), Lou Page (12-8/3.30/2 saves)... they lost ace Kirk in early August with arm trouble.
Top Relievers: Big Tee Telemachus (6-3/2.35/1 save)
Top Batters: superstar RF Nicky Farrugia (.366/36/104/113) had a career year and led the IPA with a .366 BA... he was helped out by 3B Marty Blankenship (.280/25/88/56) and CF Art Kelley (.284/20/76/71)

3. San Dimas Rancheros: finished in the first division for seventh successive season... they did it with fine pitching and average bats.
Top Starters: Gil Arnaud (19-13/3.14), Duffy Davidson (15-12/3.39) and Toby White (16-12/3.55)
Top Relievers: good bullpen led by Seth Dawson (7-3/2.71/13 saves)
Top Batters: RF Denny Hendrix (.272/26/88/80), 1B Pat Sautier (.321/15/75/79), CF Klaus Stordahl (.276/27/80/91), 3B Leonard Purkey (.306/15/77/71)

4. Claxton Diamonds: won the pennant last year, but fizzled mightily at the plate this season and drooped to fourth... however, they did have improved pitching.
Top Starters: Abe Schiffman (19-16/3.35), Stan Yudesh (18-14/3.35)... Schiffman topped the RU with 262 Ks in 301 IP, second in IPA to Lanny Gray (16-15/3.38) of Arlon, who totaled 291.
Top Relievers: Gary Haskin (4-1/2.41/9 saves), A. C. Van Kleist (7-1/3.38/2 saves)
Top Batters: star 1B Jojo DeLucca (.300/29/97/100), 2B Gary Colton (.327/19/82/89), SS Stevie Wynn (.298/10/47/96), CF Ivan Krause (.255/26/81/55)

5. Crystal Lake Crushers: they haven't made the first division since winning the flag five years ago... good scoring (4th), but woeful on mound (4.33 ERA-29th).
Top Pitchers: Ken Lawson (15-18/3.86) had the best ERA, while Arnie Cason (18-16/4.54) chalked up the most wins.
Top Relievers: (none)
Top Batters: RF Paul Dillon (.320/11/54/64), C Stan Stanek (.274/20/90/81), SS Morten Jonassen (.300/6/77/81), rookie 3B Jim Henley (.303/3/59/63), rookie 1B Daryl Brady (.310/13/68/59)

6. Grand City Cybercats: lounged in the second division for the sixth consecutive year... mediocre ball club with average pitching, poor scoring, but has decent home-run power (157 HR-11th).
Top Starters: Kenny Morrow (15-18/3.13), who was third in the IPA with 260 strikeouts.
Top Relievers: Kent Douglas (9-4/2.03/20 saves)
Top Batters: budding star 1B Benny Hull (.314/44/123/94), C Iggy Van Dyck (.292/23/77/64)... Hull hit over 40 homers and drove in more than 100 runs for the second straight season.

7. Valka Blackhawks: near the bottom for the 11th year in a row... not much at the plate or on the hill, but does hit with power (175 HR-6th tied).
Top Starters: Ando Lintrop (13-12/3.56)
Top Relievers: Julien Rouse (6-5/1.79/17 saves), Miikael Arens (6-5/3.23/2 saves)
Top Batters: 1B Bobby Scott (.301/29/83/86), CF Kenny Mitzusaka (.301/20/82/67), SS Warren Block (.288/19/74/63)

8. Belair Beach Sunbirds: stuck in the basement for last two years... haven't been to the postseason since 2016... the Sunbirds do hit homers (175 HR-6th tied), but don't do much else.
Top Pitchers: Todd Clyman (15-21/3.83)
Top Relievers: Jody Younger (6-6/2.98/7 saves)
Top Batters: 26-year-old star 3B Jason Butler (.297/44/104/82) continued to carry the team for the sixth straight year... 32-year-old star CF Bobby Meusel (.270/21/63/76) was down for the second year, could be old age settling in... SS Johnny Wofford (.277/21/68/67) added a little pop in the line-up.

RUTHLANDIAN SOUTH DIVISION

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 20, 2039

CC 'CATS COP 3RD CROWN IN 4 YEARS
Well, the Cold Creek Catamounts did it again, but the hard way... they had to beat Sugar Valley 5-1 in a playoff to win the Ruthlandian East Division crown for the third time in the last four years... Elnora was quite a ways back 10 and a half games out in third place... coming in fourth was the Wynnamac Sundowners, Marston Nine and Eastshore Elegants, all 20 and a half games behind.

Cold Creek also defeated Sugar Valley in a playoff in 2036... in recent postseason play the Catamounts have had great pitching, but not enough offense... they lost out to IPA champ Waleska in 2037 and to St. John in 2036 in the IPA Final 4... this just might be the year of the Catamounts... Cold Creek is primed and ready to win it all this year and bring home its first Pro Cup.

1. COLD CREEK CATAMOUNTS: great pitching (2.80 ERA-1st), tops in the IPA... and fairly good hitting with a .265 BA (11th) and 743 runs (6th)... could be a Pro Cup year, if the bats produce.
Top Starters: Peter Heller (20-6/2.29/7 saves), J. J. Gillespie (23-9/2.64), Joey Baker (19-11/3.20) and Rob Huchins (13-11/2.56)
Top Relievers: Harvey Fullerton (4-6/1.17/5 saves) led a top-flight bullpen (2.16 ERA-1st).
Top Batters: RF Guy St. Laurent (.285/20/87/73), CF Ken Brennan (.303/8/65/89), SS Jeremy Hall (.286/3/63/98), C Arved Tarand (.294/8/68/44) 3B Rodney Marshall (.298/15/66/55)

2. Sugar Valley Rattlers: the hard-luck Rattlers have lost the pennant four times in the last five years in very close races, twice losing to Cold Creek in a playoff (2036 and 2039) and once by four games (2037)... and by a single game to Elnora (2035)... Sugar Valley won it in 2037... the Rattlers have always had a good hitting team with a .264 BA (13th), 828 runs (1st) and 193 HRs (2nd), this year they had improved pitching, too, with a 3.54 ERA (10th).
Top Starters: Christopher Dunsberry 917-12/2.93), Jeremy Blanchard (19-10/3.38), Juan Navarro (14-8/2.97)... lost Navarro in August... really hurt them down the stretch.
Top Relievers: weak bullpen with a 4.32 ERA.
Top Batters: superstar RF Bobby Gamble (.310/36/117/124), SS Roger Hobbs (.326/31/127/99), 2B Richie Strickland (.269/21/57/120), LF Tyler White (.250/34/104/91)... Gamble led the IPA with 124 runs with Strickland second with 120... Gamble was third with 44 stolen bases, while Strickland was ninth with 32... Hobbs was sixth in the IPA with 127 RBIs.

3. Elnora All-Stars: they have the second-best team BA in the IPA with .278, but aren't ranked high in scoring runs (715 runs-11th) with average power (139 HR-17th-tied)... average on the hill with a 3.83 ERA (16th)... bad June (8-18) cost them 10 games in the standings... they would have been right up with Cold Creek and Sugar Valley otherwise... it was their only losing month.
Top Starters: Jeremy Sellers (20-14/4.11) was the biggest winner... Stan Kivas 912-12/3.25) had the best ERA... Don Martz (18-11/3.69) was also reliable... Dan Pitts (15-20/3.52) had quite a few quality starts, too.
Top Relievers: (none)
Top Batters: C Cannon Johnson (.320/30/112/87), CF Clive Kenyon (.316/13/60/77), LF Keith Kalder (.287/19/77/77), 2B Akihiro Samurakami (.311/10/49/640, 1B Larry Mosley (.305/16/57/62)

4. Wynnamac Sundowners: good hitting and good scoring club with .270 BA (6th), 754 runs (3rd) and modest HR power (124/24th tied)... average pitching.
Top Starters: Ernie Hodges (20-14/3.46) topped the staff in wins... Geoff Hobart (14-14/3.73) was second... Arnie Frederick (10-8/3.07) had the best ERA.
Top Relievers: (none)
Top Batters: CF Darrell Donnelly (.334/18/123/100) had his best season... he was seventh in the IPA in BA (.334), second in stolen bases (42), and second in RBIs (123)... RF Nioka Inkamara (.270/28/92/83) had a very productive sophomore season... 1B Duane Hudson (.295/4/64/90) also had a respectable season.

4. Marston Nine: they haven't been much in contention since 2028, the last pennant-winning season... just a mediocre ball club.
Top Starters: Barry Sexton (17-16/2.91), Matt Reeves (.18-16/3.78)
Top Relievers: Webb Walden (5-3/2.25/19 saves)
Top Batters: SS Stan Mila (.322/19/104/75) was the only real threat in the batting order... in a platoon role 1B John Cosotto hit .330 with 20 homers and 61 RBIs in 87 games... 2B Lonnie Trekell had 20 homers and 72 RBIs with a .260 BA.

4. Eastshore Elegants: another mediocre season for the Elegants, who suffered a decline on the mound... they were adequate at the plate.
Top Starters: Ramon Contreras (16-18/4.01) had the most wins and the best ERA... Koy Clampett (15-15/4.33) was the only starter that didn't have a losing record.
Top Relievers: Kenny Chandler (7-4/2.21/13 saves) was the bullpen ace with help from Jody Friday (1-2/2.43/4 saves) and Delaney Moss (4-2/2.73/4 saves).
Top Batters: star CF Scotty Lagrange (.302/25/91/100), SS Johnny Petrak (.306/18/70/83), 1B Paul Reed (.303/20/85/75), 2B Marty O'Reilly (.300/23/72/55), C Kyle Hunt (.304/4/49/42)

7. Beechwood Bobcats: finish third last year with 90 wins... but the pitching went downhill this season, especially with the loss of Golden Arm winner Maury Patterson (26-8/2.35) at the beginning of the season... the best thing the Bobcats do is go deep (182 HR-3rd)... they rank ninth in scoring runs with 721.
Top Starters: John Mueller (13-9/3.77) and Jimmy Herman (14-13/3.39) were the only ones with a winning record.
Top Relievers: (none)
Top Batters: RF Eddie Wilson (.316/37/102/102) and 2B Cody Hanks (.306/33/108/96) were a great 1-2 punch in the batting order... they got help from SS Mel Smith (.296/21/73/116).

8. Belle Plaine Musketeers: they had another bad year, finishing in the cellar for the fourth time in six seasons... the Muskies don't hit much for average... they don't pitch very well... but they can hit homers with 177 for the year (5th).
Top Pitchers: Benny Lucas (12-15/4.13) had some quality starts
Top Relievers: rookie Lourenz Broussard (8-2/3.02/4 saves) did well in the pen.
Top Batters: RF Boo Boudreaux (.271/34/90/90), LF Noel Martin (.288/27/101/87) and 1B Mitch Mason (.270/24/64/67) were the main guys in the batting order.

RUTHLANDIAN EAST DIVISION

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 20, 2039

SLIGO EDGES VOLUSIA, WINS WEST IN PLAYOFF
The Ruthlandian West Division went extra innings to decide this year's champion... at the Jailhouse in Volusia, the Sligo Rovers defeated the Volusia Vigilantes 7-5 in a single-game playoff to capture their first flag since 2033... the V's came in second place, Fort Benton faded badly down the stretch and finished five and a half games behind... the Rocky Rapids Snappers came in fourth and trailed by seven and a half games... last year's winner Colfax came in fifth, losing out by eight and a half games.

1. SLIGO ROVERS: the Rovers had good pitching (3.32 ERA-5th) and can score runs (722 runs-8th), though they don't hit much for average (.256 BA-24th)... they make up for it with firepower (164 HR-9th)... the Rovers could be dangerous in the playoffs with their strong defense (.979 FA), good pitching and homer power.
Top Starters: Randall Steele (25-8/3.25), Scotty Price (19-12/2.53), Tom Pierson (15-16/2.83)
Top Relievers: (none)
Top Batters: leading the way offensively were CF Joe McGarrett (.304/29/94/101), 1B Denny Simmons (284/15/72/87) and SS Neil Mitchell (.279/22/69/85).

2. Volusia Vigilantes: pitching pretty much carried the club... 3.43 team ERA (8th)... bats could have been better... the V's hit only .256 (25th) with average power (143 HR-15th tied) and didn't score well (674 runs-26th)... did a great turnaround this year after three seasons near the bottom of the division.
Top Pitchers: Drew Selby (24-13/2.94) and rookie Andrew Arryn (15-6/3.27/3 saves) gave them two fine starters... Hector Vargas (15-17/3.62) and Raul Navarro (13-18/3.21) gave them a lot of quality starts, too.
Top Relievers: Skeeter Milham (5-5/3.97/14 saves)
Top Batters: 1B Kris Wilson (.343/26/98/87), CF Cazzie Carvalho (.280/20/78/101), 2B Charlie Farmer (.289/18/64/104), LF Kerry Keller (.261/23/80/68)

3. Fort Benton Defenders: the Defenders won their only pennant in 2037... since then they have come in third twice... they went 4-13 in September and blew any chance of winning the pennant... hit well for average with a .271 team BA (4th), score pretty well with 715 runs (11th-tied), but don't go deep often... only had 99 HRs (32nd)... starters are fairly good (3.53 ERA-10th)... strong bullpen with a 2.50 ERA (2nd).
Top Starters: Augie Marquis (24-12/2.28), Jordy Raeburn (15-17/2.94)
Top Reliever: Edd Farmer (10-4/3.53/12 saves)
Top Batters: C Hunter Glenholmes (.319/7/52/101), RF Cayman Crittenden (.292/16/95/96), 3B Mitch Hamilton (.285/2/61/91) , 1B Oscar Pendleton (.298/16/84/56), SS D. D. Badeaux (.296/8/51/70)

4. Rocky Rapids Snappers: for the first time in six years the Snappers worked their way into the first division... improved pitching did it (3.75 ERA-15th)... offense hit only .262 (17th), but did score runs (718-10th)... have decent power with 129 HRs (22nd).
Top Starters: Janek Zoldak (20-10/2.55) and Randy Peters (20-11/3.98) both won 20 games... and rookie Jamie Taylor (16-18/2.63) had 27 complete games and was very effective.
Top Relievers: (none) the bullpen was horrific with a 4.92 ERA (31st)
Top Batters: LF Buddy Hamilton (.261/25/91/87) led the club in HRs, RBIs and runs... top average was SS Nick Nova with .312 BA, 12 HRs, 60 RBIs and 80 runs... CF Crusher Derringer chipped in with a .303 average, 10 homers, 54 RBIs and 66 runs.

5. Colfax Blasters: after a good run of four years, which had two pennants and two second places, the Blasters fell off on the hill and at the plate and dropped in the standings to fifth place.
Top Starters: Bobby Porter (21-12/3.31) won 20 games for the second year in a row... Norm Harbison (17-17/3.73) dropped from 21-13 last year.
Top Relievers: Nilos Andris (5-1/2.72) did well in the bullpen and as spot starter.
Top Batters: 1B Samm Bolton (.311/8/59/78), 2B Kristian McEly (.253/26/98/70), LF Chet Penn (.313/19/79/73), C Mitch Fullerton (.286/19/58/76)

6. Middlefield Roosters: for the ninth time in ten seasons the Roosters came in under the .500 mark and wound up in sixth place... because they play in a bandbox they always hit a lot of homers and also give up a lot of homers... the Roosters racked up 238 homers to lead the Ruthlandian Union and placed second in the IPA behind Bayview with 251... they were number two in scoring with 776 runs... Sugar Valley was number one with 828 runs... the team ERA was 4.40 (30th).
Top Starters: James Long (18-16/3.60) and Larry Wheelhouse (16-11/3.81) had good seasons considering where they have to pitch.
Top Relievers: Ray Owens (4-4/2.72/18 saves) was solid in the bullpen
Top Batters: C Brad Alexander (.257/50/114/84) was the RU home-run leader with 50 and third best in the IPA behind Jerry Culpepper of Bayview with a near-record 63 and Mark Cameron of Arlon, who rapped 52... Hall-of-Famer Jack Elliott of High Mesa holds the all-time mark with 65 in 2021... CF Norm Antonioni (.249/34/66/78) added 34 homers, LF Wes Stanley (.238/29/78/68) had 29, 2B Matt Womack (.261/23/73/90) chipped in 23 and RF Alejandro Dominguez (.290/22/84/89) popped 22 out of the park.

7. Forest City Lumberjacks: the last good year the 'Jacks had was 2013, a pennant-winning season... they have rarely top the .500 mark since... average pitching, mediocre offense and decent power can only go so far.
Top Starters: Rich Barstow (18-12/3.46) and Walter Gibbons (15-16/3.07) led the staff.
Top Relievers: rookie Omar Cordero (3-9/3.98/20 saves) was inconsistent, but did collect 20 saves.
Top Batters: C Bob Brisdon (.303/28/87/74) and 1B Pistol Pete Picard (.281/23/76/56) were the most productive bats.

8. Stoner Stars: the Stars continued a string of five consecutive seasons in the RU West second division with an eighth-place finish... bad pitching and bad offense will do that.
Top Pitchers: Sammy Slater (14-12/4.24) was the only winning starter... although Michael Keller (13-18/3.19) was the most effective.
Top Relievers: (none) the bullpen was absolutely terrible with a 6.32 ERA (32nd).
Top Batters: 2B Don Cain (.332/17/73/79) is the top hitter with a .332 BA, ranking fifth in the RU and eighth in the IPA... C Barney Swindell (.275/23/85/80) had a good year... so did RF Amos Mars (.314/10/48/67).

RUTHLANDIAN WEST DIVISION

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 20, 2039

TYCOBBIAN NORTH DIVISION

HAWKS FLY HIGH AGAIN
Powerhouse and defending IPA champion North Hills had a hot second half and hauled in its sixth successive Tycobbian North Division title... one more next year and the Hawks will tie Ozarka for the most consecutive pennants in IPA history... the Naturals did it 2015 to 2021. At least until midseason, it was a tough battle with the Fairfax Frogs, who held a three-game lead at the halfway mark of the season... North Hills went a sizzling 22-7 in July to overtake Fairfax (14-15) and built its lead up to five games... the Frogs went on the fritz in the second half and finished up in a tie for fourth place, 16 games back of North Hills... seven of the eight teams in the division finished above the .500 mark.. the best showing in the IPA.

Mahaska came in second in the TU North, winding up six games behind the Hawks... Luxora was 15 games off the pace in third place... and Fairfax and Hartsdale end up in a draw for the fourth spot, 16 games out.

1. NORTH HILLS HAWKS: they had the best record in the IPA with 97 victories... the Hawks do everything well except hit for power... they only had 111 HRs (32nd)... 2.93 team ERA (2nd), which was third best in the IPA behind Cold Creek (2.80) of the RU East and Summerland (2.89) of the TU South... North Hills will be one of the favorites in the Pro Cup playoffs... they will be trying to repeat as IPA champion and win the Pro Cup for the third time in five seasons.
Top Starters: Tony Mack (23-10/2.22), Jeff Owens (19-13/3.00), Frankie Lambert (16-9/2.57) and David Michael (14-12/3.47)... could be the best foursome in the IPA.
Top Relievers: bullpen is solid, too, led by Kyle Oliver (6-4/2.63/7 saves) and Nelson Hooper (8-2/3.04/3 saves).
Top Batters: superstar LF Adam Thurgood (.314/39/117/86) with some help from 2B Tommy Vavas (.285/14/66/97) and platooned rookie standout CF Jimmy Jay Ferguson (.354/9/45/60)... the Hawks also have a fine bench of solid and reliable role players.

2. Mahaska Haymakers: it was another good season for the Haymakers, who came in second for the second year in a row... they had fine starting and relief pitching and productive bats with firepower... 3.26 ERA (5th), .259 BA (17th), 729 runs (10th) and 175 HRs (11th)... they were a factor in the race much of the year.
Top Starters: Mark Pennington (19-12/2.82), Darrell Geoffrey (20-11/3.68), Warren Heath (19-14/3.75) and Mackie McGinnity (17-10/3.35)
Top Relievers: Luke Cargill (4-6/2.30/13 saves) and Freddy Pfeffer (3-4/2.05/9 saves)
Top Batters: 2B Mikk Kukk (307/26/87/96), LF Bill Whittier (.279/23/94/98), SS Rocco Bertara (.275/10/50/90)

3. Luxora Zorros: finished third again this season... hit well for average (.266 BA-7th) and power (166 HR-15th), average scoring (715 runs-16th tied) and pitching (3.76 ERA-14th).
Top Starters: Kent Halloran (21-12/2.90), Roy Watson (19-11/3.52), rookie Joao Damaso (15-10/3.52)
Top Relievers: Fernando Sanches (3-4/1.16/31 saves) had a superb season and led the IPA by wide margin with 31 saves.
Top Batters: SS Joel Poche (.285/26/91/93), 3B Todd Dubbins (.302/24/75/73), LF Milt Powers (.272/21/87/74)

4. Fairfax Frogs: the Frogs played like champions the first half of the year, then tanked dismally in the second half... the four starters were sound (3.59 ERA-8th)... the bullpen outstanding (2.22 ERA-1st)... bats were good (.266 BA-8th), scoring good (726 runs-11th tied), but were weak in roundtrippers (111 HR-32nd).
Top Starters: Harold Dorman (18-16/3.23), Lee Rose (18-16/3.69), Steven McLeod (15-16/3.66) and Lucien Vachon (15-16/3.72)
Top Relievers: excellent bullpen sparked by Bruno Stratton (7-4/1.64/13 saves).
Top Batters: 2B John Velasco (.304/29/115/104) was the only real threat in the batting order.

4. Hartsdale Hellcats: much improved over the last four seasons when they were at or near the bottom of the division... mound corps gets the credit... yet the Hellcats could score with 739 runs (7th) and go deep with 171 homers (13th)... batted a decent .259 (18th)... team ERA was 3.63 (12th), much better than 4.61 in 2038.
Top Starters: Wayne Dawson (23-12/2.82) anchored the team with help from Freddie Whitaker (19-13/4.41) and rookie Jimmy Howard (10-7/3.77)... even rookie Gil Younger (12-17/3.43) gave them quality starts.
Top Relievers: rookie Alfonso Cervera (3-4/1.88/22 saves) also stood out in the pen.
Top Batters: SS Paul Wynn (.290/35/95/86) shouldered most of the offense with some help from 3B Greg Melton (.258/19/77/67) and 3B Robinson Alomar (.278/17/66/55).

6. Blue Lake Blue Sox: despite placing sixth in the standings, they were six games above .500... good starters, poor bullpen, fair bats, little power.
Top Starters: Sal Mays (20-12/2.89) and Frankie Quinn (20-16/3.14) carried the club... 33-year-old star Quinn won 20 games for the ninth time in his 13-year career... overall he is 252-175 with a 3.00 career ERA... it was the third time in four years for 23-year-old Mays... 34-year-old journeyman Andre Montrose (7-6/2.98) joined the club in July and lost his first three starts, but then finished like gangbusters with a 7-3 mark in his last 10 decisions... Burton Cook (14-13/3.99) also gave the Sox some quality starts.
Top Relievers: Todd Cook (1-2/1.88/6 saves) led the mediocre bullpen.
Top Batters: the only decent hitters in the line-up were 2B Egon Ojamaa (.275/29/100/91), LF Jack Ryan (.314/9/64/67) and 1B Elton Graff (.304/11/63/50).

7. White River Rascals: they have been a winning team the last three years, but have been stuck in the second division in the strong TU North... the Rascals were four games over .500, yet came in seventh... the best thing they do is hit homers (206-3rd)... pitching is only average with a 3.81 ERA (16th).
Top Starters: Trenton Anderson (20-12/3.45) and Clem Warren (16-12/3.98) were the biggest winners... 36-year-old vet star Paul Sardini (13-16/3.48) also gave them some quality starts... Sardini is 258-208 with a strong 2.91 ERA in his 17 seasons.
Top Batters: SS Warren McKenzie blossomed this year with 45 homers, sixth in the IPA, and third with 129 RBIs, while batting .269 and scoring 91 runs... star C Stevee Dee Daniels continued to hit the longball with 35 roundtrippers, 90 RBIs and 80 runs, but as usual, didn't hit for much in average, batting only .235... CF Buford Cross (.289/19/65/84) and 2B Kunta Burton (.301/4/40/84) also lent a hand with the offense.

8. Oxford Red Caps: they were seventh in 2038, got worse and fell into the cellar this season... the Red Caps do nothing well except hit homers, ranking 9th with 180... pitching is atrocious with a 4.90 team ERA (32nd)... Oxford hasn't made the postseason since the Pro Cup-winning 2007 season... they are just plain bad with the worst record in the IPA... the Red Caps lost 102 games.
Top Starters: Max D'Albini (16-16/4.91) and Johnny Lee Adams (14-20/4.56) were the best of the starters.
Top Relievers: Rusty Garland (5-9/3.62/9 saves)
Top Batters: 31-year-old star CF Dalton Ward, an 11-year man, went over the 300-homer milestone this season... he hit 46, fifth-best total in the IPA... Ward drove in 109 runs and scored 95... 2B Alonzo Norris (.305/29/84/99) and LF Donny Braun (.298/24/86/87) had productive years, too.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 20, 2039

TYPHOONS TU SOUTH CHAMP AGAIN
For the second successive year the Turon Typhoons have won the Tycobbian South Division... they pulled away in the second half and won again comfortably over runner-up San Alejo... Summerland came in third a distant 14 games behind and Cape Coral wound up 16 games off the pace in fourth place.

1. TURON TYPHOONS: they have a wealth of talent on the hill and in the batter's box and should be a tough team to beat in the Pro Cup playoffs.
Top Starters: three 20-game winners paced the pitching corps: Armin Boehm (24-11/3.26), Nate Scottsdale (24-8/3.11) and Clyde Engstrom (20-15/2.95)... team ERA was 3.20 (4th).
Top Relievers: one of the better bullpen in the IPA with Ralph Fulton (4-2/1.07/23 saves)... team compiled a 2.27 ERA (2nd).
Top Batters: four regulars batted .300 or better: SS C. C. Kingsford (.340/29/105/102), RF Guido Gervasio (.310/29/112/92), LF J. P. Trevenot (.301/25/74/74/111), 3B George Jordan (.315/20/72/82)... team ranked second in the TU with a .277 BA... Kingsford won the batting crown with a .340 average.

San Alejo Monteneros: it was another good year for the San Alejo Montaneros with strong pitching (3.02 ERA-3rd) and average offense (.258 BA-19th)... the Monties rung up 86 wins for the second year in a row.
Top Starters: team had four capable pitchers in Benny Buckmaster (22-10/2.52), Matt Bell (18-18/2.93), Tommy Smith (15-14/3.20) and Johnny Brown (13-12/3.44).
Top Relievers: bullpen was very good with a 2.52 ERA (4th)... led by Stu Nichols (2-0/1.48), Lupe Olmedo (5-2/2.05/4 saves) and Glen Porterfield (3-0/2.91/2 saves).
Top Batters: C Filipe Zamora (.289/24/91/66), CF Dusty Rogan (.263/23/89/90), LF Charlie Wilberforce (.314/17/62/74), SS Sal McAlister (.296/10/62/83), 1B Ted Hatch (.259/25/70/51)

3. Summerland Sunsets: excellent pitching backed up by weak bats... 2.89 team ERA (1st), second to Cold Creek of the Ruthlandian East for the IPA lead... only hit .248 (27th)... ranked near the bottom with 636 runs (29th) and homers with 133 (29th).
Top Starters: Johnny Young (20-11/2.73), Jayson Hallstrom (19-14/2.35), Freddi Rossi (13-17/2.80) and Dutch De Boer (11-13/3.20)
Top Relievers: Ron Shaddock (9-9/2.28/12 saves)
Top Batters: CF Antonio Vasquez (.283/6/65/83), SS Mark Brenneke (.274/13/50/91), RF Eamon O'Toole (.274/17/73/54), 2B Todd Cummins (.270/20/70/60), 3B Norm Murdoch (.277/3/35/77)

4. Cape Coral Hurricanes: came in fourth place for the second year in a row and third time in the last four... powerful attack, best in the IPA with a .281 BA (1st) and 848 runs (1st)... ranked fifth with 203 HRs... but the pitching is horrible with a 4.53 team ERA (30th).
Top Starters: Benton McCall (17-6/3.17), Tommy Van Noord (13-9/3.77/5 saves)
Top Relievers: (none) bullpen had a poor 4.38 ERA.
Top Batters:line-up has five .300 hitters: star RF William Snyder (.338/33/113/94), CF Max Tselika (.324/24/74/107), 1B Stan Ferguson (.311/30/111/69), LF Paul Law (.305/26/88/105), 3B Rikky Van Dalen (.303/27/93/118)

5. Southport Sun Soxx: the Soxx were a second-division club for the fifth year in succession... has pretty fair pitching with a 3.52 team ERA (9th), but lacks scoring (658 runs-24th), hitting (.248 BA-28th) and firepower (138 HR-26th tied).
Top Starters: has quality rotation featuring rookie Billy Hoover (16-15/2.88), Don Pascioni (12-12/3.56/2 saves) and Johnny Swanson (15-17/2.96), along with number-four starter Gordon Forbes (8-3/3.49).
Top Relievers: bullpen was led by Hal Combs (4-8/2.43/12 saves)
Top Batters: not much at the plate... most reliable were CF Barney Lewis (.279/33/92/84) and rookie 1B Eddy Douglas (.305/17/74/57).

6. Colchester Elites: after three years of properity, including a pennant in 2036, they have had three years of drought, finishing in the second division... the Elites have poor offense with a .247 BA (29th) and lackluster pitching with a 3.95 team ERA (21st).
Top Starters: Dave Lacoste (14-11/3.00), Eduardo Rivera (15-15/3.37)
Top Relievers: (none)
Top Batters: star RF Blake Barrister missed a month of the season, but still hit 37 homers, drove in 94 runs and scored 88 times, while batting .301... 3B Joey Rogers (.301/12/76/80) also had a good year... nothing worth mentioning in the batting order after them.

7. Ginza Ninjas: tied for last place in the TU South with Arroyo Grande... Ninjas have average bats and poor pitching.
Top Starters: Julian Bass (11-10/3/21) was the only starter with a winning record... the others had ERAs in the 4.00s and 5.00s.
Top Relievers: Timmy Hickens was only 3-11, but came up with 20 saves and a 2.91 ERA.
Top Batters: the best bats were rising star CF Sogo Takagi (.315/33/100/107), playing-manager LF Sadaharu Uchiyama (.307/10/68/100) and C Whip Harrell (.277/28/91/58).

7. Arroyo Grande Suns: another year near the bottom for the Suns... second straight year in the basement... bad hitting with a .242 BA (31st) and poor pitching with a 4.46 ERA (28th).
Top Starters: Fernando Campos (15-20/4.47) led the team in victories... Mateus Castro (8-21/3.90) had the best ERA.
Top Relievers: Cody Simmons (5-7/2.38/20 saves) stood out in the bullpen.
Top Batters: LF Rene Jesclard is the only productive hitter with 30 HRs, 77 RBIs and and 98 runs scored, but he batted only .256.

TYCOBBIAN SOUTH DIVISION

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 20, 2039

PANTHERS PREVAIL OVER TUCKS IN TU EAST
In a splendid four-team pennant race, the East Point Panthers clawed their way to the Tycobbian East Division crown, fighting the Tuckanarra Blue Jays, Midway Wolves and Ozarka Naturals tooth-and-nail down-the-stretch and finally slipping past all of them by the scantiest of margins - one game... the Panthers had to win their last two games, the Blue Jays lost both of theirs, and the Wolves split, giving the pennant to East Point... Fourth place went to the Ozarka, who was only three games out of the top spot... Tuckanarra had their five-year run as division champion snapped this season.

1. EAST POINT PANTHERS: they won a thrilling pennant race, but don't figure to do too well in the postseason... the Panthers only won 83 games, by far, the worse record of any divisional winner... East Point is just an average-hitting team (.250 BA-22nd) with good power (198 HR-6th), but has mediocre pitching (4.19 ERA-26th).
Top Starters: Johnny Moore (17-11/3.39), Frank Blair (16-13/3.58)... long-time ace Dixie Brooks (15-14/4.89) struggled this year.
Top Relievers: Tuck Tawney (5-1/2.32/11 saves) and Scotty Bentley (8-6/3.11/19 saves) give the Panthers a very good bullpen.
Top Batters: the power bats were SS Dean O'Donnell (.282/36/100/87), 1B Bert Henrich (.293/32/94/81), LF Sean Flynn (.255/22/56/66) and CF Andros Ciak (.292/21/58/55).

2. Tuckanarra Blue Jays: the Tucks faltered on the mound this year with its team ERA rising up from 3.33 to 3.83 (17th)... batting-wise they held their own with a .265 BA (10th), 771 runs (4th) and 165 HRs (16th).
Top Starters: Bobby Reid (16-11/3.37), Junior Bristow (16-18/3.12)... Bristow has his string of five straight seasons with 20 victories broken... this was the first time in his career he failed to do it... Jeff Buttrum (14-14/4.08) had a down year after going 23-12 last year.
Top Relievers: Jack Rogers (9-8/1.97/18 saves) was the best in the bullpen... he got help in long relief from Kyle Collins (2-2/2.83/2 saves).
Top Batters: 1B Andy Preston (.293/21/74/98) led the Blue Jays with a .293 BA... 3B Daniel Redd (.268/16/63/99) led them with 99 runs... and superstar LF Lorne Evans (.260/26/94/88) topped them with 26 HRs and 94 RBIs... Evans had a very rare off-season by hitting only .260... lifetime he has been a .305 batter.

3. Midway Wolves: they rebounded from three bad seasons in a row and almost won the pennant in a great turnaround... 64-90 to 82-72... improved pitching lowered the team ERA over a run a game... from 4.63 to 3.61 (11th)... offense was pretty good, too, with a .260 BA (14th), 738 runs (8th) and 147 HRs (23rd-tied).
Top Starters: fair foursome with Carl Dreux (18-12/3.67), rookie Charlie Chase (17-12/3.53), Bobby Boy Wolf (14-10/3.64) and Cary Snead (15-16/3.28).
Top Relievers: Taima Nodin (9-6/3.25/2 saves)
Top Batters: 2B Lou Flowers (.310/29/131/84) paced the TU with 131 RBIs and was second in the IPA to Tommy Richardson of Ancona, who had 132... 1B Shaman Sakima (.278/31/94/92) had a solid season and led the club with 31 homers... LF Bennett Cardwell (.330/19/78/88) paced the club with a .330 batting average, which was fourth in the Tycobbian Union... and CF Yancey Tanner (.302/2/55/102) was the club leader with 102 runs.

4. Ozarka Naturals: for the sixth consecutive year the Nats have made the first division... a lousy 8-21 record in May cost them the pennant... they hit well with a .266 BA (9th), scored well with 728 runs (11th-tied) with decent power (154 HR-20th)... on the hill they were unimpressive with a 4.16 ERA (24th).
Top Starters: Glen Jenkins (20-14/3.35) was the team ace with help from Teddy O'Shea (12-8/3.69/5 saves) and Dirk Halstad (12-7/3.35/2 saves).
Top Relievers: Billy Hill (8-4/1.99/9 saves) led the bullpen.
Top Batters: 3B Jimmy Woods (.306/27/90/81), SS Duffy Morrison (.282/24/83/90), CF Lonnie Gillespie (.275/10/67/83) and 1B Kent Harmon (.333/9/53/57)

5. Red Bluff Red Sox: the preseason favorite didn't play well until the second half of the season and by then it was too late... after being 13 games behind at mid-year, the Red Sox ended up just five games out of first... they didn't hit for average (.249 BA-25th)... only adequate in scoring runs (720-13th) and on the hill with a 3.91 ERA (19th), but they did go deep often with 222 homers (2nd), only Bayview (252) and Middlefield (238) were better in the IPA.
Top Starters: Jud Cox (22-8/2.84) and Tony Defazio (19-15/3.73) led the starting rotation.
Top Relievers: Paul Jarvis (4-1/2/12/1 save) was the only one that was really effective.
Top Batters: RF David Kelso (.289/39/94/72) topped the team in BA and roundtrippers... CF Ike Sweetwater (.285/35/100/95) was first in RBIs and tied for the lead in runs scored... LF Jesse Shaw (.285/25/76/95) tied Sweetwater for the lead in runs... 3B Fran Blanchard (.274/29/67/67) was third in homers.

6. South Fork Stallions: they started off badly, but got better the last month or so... still wound up in sixth place and in the second division for the fourth straight year... last playoff appearance was the Pro Cup season in 2025, the only time South Fork has ever won it... the Stallions had much better pitching and improved the record from 56-98 last year to 70-84 this year... team ERA was lowered from 4.82 to 3.76... offense still lackluster with a .250 BA (23rd) and 662 runs (23rd), but pretty good with 193 HRs (7th).
Top Starters: Mike Lambertini (15-12/3.20/3 saves), Roger Johnson (13-12/3.84) Big Murph McAlister (15-19/3.46) and Jay Murphy (10-16/3.86/8 saves).
Top Relievers: Billy Joe Clinton (2-2/2.01) was the most dependable.
Top Batters: top home-run leaders were 3B Elton Jacoby (.315/31/76/106) with 31, SS Jess Wilkerson (.250/30/100/77) with 30, CF Scotty O'Sullivan (.220/29/62/83) with 29, RF Keenan O'Dwyer (.275/22/57/72) with 22 and 1B Paul Sexton (.251/18/76/57) had 18.

7. Hillsboro Blazers: for the ninth time in 10 years the Blazers ended up in the second division... hapless Hillsboro has never made the playoffs... they have a poor offense and mediocre pitching.
Top Starters: Cazzie Reier (16-15/3.86) is the club ace with an occasional qualtiy performance... Ralph Quick (13-17/4.18) and Valdon Riley (10-12/4.16) are sometimes effective.
Top Relievers: Scott Watkins (7-7/2.42/18 saves) heads up the bullpen.
Top Batters: LF Jurrien Bellini (.266/38/101/97) led the club in almost everything: hits, homers, RBIs and runs... 1B Claude Kingston hit 30 homers, batted in 85 runs and scored 82 times, while batting at a .280 clip... CF Vince Jahn (.267/22/87/81) and C Brian Davis (.280/12/57/62) had decent seasons, too.

8. High Mesa Cowboys: after a surprising third place and a winning season last year, the Cowpokes reverted to form and were cellar-bound in 2039... 11 times in the past 13 years they have finished in the second division... both pitching (4.46 ERA-27th) and hitting (.232 BA-32nd) went to pot in 2039.
Top Starters: Russ Krolle (14-17/3.96) was the only decent starter.
Top Relievers: William Morris (3-7/2.83/10 saves) was the best reliever.
Top Batters: LF Clay Johnston led the club with a .286 BA, 47 homers, 99 RBIs and 88 runs... 1B Clifford Coleman chipped in with 30 roundtrippers, 82 RBIs and 78 runs, but batted only .258... and Corbett Brooks had 38 homers, 82 RBIs and 87 runs, but hit a pitiful .219.

TYCOBBIAN EAST DIVISION

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 20, 2039

ARLON SLIPS BY KENWOOD IN TU WEST
The Tycobbian West pennant race was in doubt going into the last day of the season... there was a chance of a first-place tie between the Arlon Champions and the Kenwood Wildcats... at day's end the Champs won and the Wildcats lost, giving the title to Arlon by two games... far back in the standings in a third-place tie were third place Rollings Hills and Denton City, 16 games out.

Pennant-winning Arlon came in second for the most wins in the IPA with 95, beaten out only by defending Pro Cup champion North Hills with 97 victories... Arlon has been to the playoffs only three times in the club's history in 2006, 2012 and 2020 and never got past the second round... this season the Champions have several talented pitchers and hitters, but that may not be enough to make them real contenders.

1. ARLON CHAMPIONS: after a decade of being in the second division, the tide turned in 2037 with a third-place finish, got better in 2038 with second place and culminated this year with the division title... the Champs strong point is its pitching... offensively they are so-so.
Top Starters: three 20-game winners and the IPA strikeout king lead the staff... Ronny Farnsworth (21-8/2.64), Emil Nowak (21-8/4.03), Pat Stuyvesant (20-9/3.66) and Lanny Gray ((16-15/3.38)... Gray fanned 291 batters in 314 innings to lead the league.
Top Relievers: Dale Greene (4-4/2.91/8 saves) and Peter Shannon (2-5/2.14/10 saves)
Top Batters: star RF Mark Cameron had a career year with 52 homers, 129 RBIs and 111 runs... Cameron batted .324 and was second in home runs in the IPA, third in RBIs and seventh in scoring runs... C Nick Shafer also pitched in with a .304 BA, 26 HRs, 93 RBIs and 73 runs... LF Charley Hastings missed half of the season, but is now back for the playoffs... he hit .307 in 75 games with 3 HRs, 21 RBIs, 62 runs and 29 SBs... not much else left in the line-up... this will hurt them in the playoffs.

2. Kenwood Wildcats: they rebounded from a bad seventh-place finish in 2038 with much better pitching and hitting... the Wildcats went from a 4.14 ERA to 3.61 (10th)... and from .261 to .274 (3rd) at the plate.
Top Starters: Glen Murray (19-13/3.12) and Robby Barnhill (14-6/3.61) were the most effective, but Freddy Gooch (20-12/4.15/5 saves) was the biggest winner.
Top Relievers: Artemus Hale (10-1/2.37/8 saves)
Top Batters: star C Corky DiNozzo (.318/36/101/81) was the biggest bat... with help from rookie 2B Country Crowder (.340/4/53/81) and LF Harry Tashina (.327/12/74/88).

3. Rolling Hills Reds: for the past seven seasons the once-powerful Reds have been stuck in a rut around the .500 mark... they got improved hitting this year and rose up from sixth place to third and wound up four games over .500 with good hitting (.270 BA-5th) and good power (174 HRs-12th), but not much pitching (4.08 ERA-22nd).
Top Starters: Matthew Christianson (20-11/2.99) and Whammer White (17-12/3.66)
Top Relievers: (none) the bullpen was bad with a 4.40 ERA (31st)
Top Batters: club leaders were RF Jimbo Foxx (.292/33/102/86), 1B Darvin Tard (.285/23/85/97), LF Trent Hutchins (.287/24/72/59), CF Scotty Yiska (.309/21/66/55) and 3B Billy Christenson (.325/10/48/55), who was lost in July to injury and missed half a season.

3. Denton City Redbirds: they tied for third this year after two years in fourth place... haven't made the postseason since 2013... the Redbirds hit very well with a .268 BA (6th), score well with 774 runs (3rd) and have firepower with 203 HRs (4th-tied)... on the hill they are average with a 3.76 ERA (15th)... but are bad in the bullpen with a 4.37 ERA (29th).
Top Starters: solid starters with Francisco Salcido (19-15/3.73), Troy McIntosh (17-15/3.13), Kevin Blevins (15-12/3.71) and Stephen Edwards (10-12/3.33).
Top Relievers: (none)
Top Batters: 1B Wayman Stetson led the club with 44 HRs and .317 BA, 3B Rod Hunt (.245) had 30 homers, C Felton Welch (.281) 28, LF Sam Carson (.264) 28, and RF Pete Doyle (.279) had 24... Stetson is tops with 120 RBIs, Welch had 96... Doyle scored 109 runs and Thornton 101.

5. Bayview Vikings: were third last year... dipped to fifth this year... Viks haven't made the playoffs since 2016... led IPA with 251 homers... league record is 260 by Arroyo Grande in 2005... were second in scoring with 803 runs... batted .261 (13th)... little park is conducive to lots of runs... 4.47 team ERA (29th).
Top Starters: Vance Codsworth (20-14/4.20) was the biggest winner... Christy Kane (14-17/3.46) had the best ERA.
Top Relievers: (none) bullpen was the worst in the Tycobbian Union with a 4.84 ERA (32nd).
Top Batters: star super slugger 2B Jerry Culpepper almost set a new record for homers with 63 (Jack Elliott holds it with 65 in 2021 for High Mesa)... Culpepper had a great year with a .312 BA, 128 RBIs (5th in IPA) and 118 runs (7th in IPA)... RF Roy Ricks added a .302 BA, 28 HRs, 74 RBIs and 90 runs... SS Andreas Stokke (.270/23/73/78) also chipped in with some offense.

6. La Claire Lynx: it was a disappointing year for the Lynx after two pennants in a row... suffered a decline at the plate and on the hill... dropping from a .266 BA to .250 (24th) and the ERA rose up from 3.68 to 3.91 (18th).
Top Starters: Tony Rossi (17-14/3.94) led the staff in wins... Nelson Stubbs (10-11/3.25) in ERA... while ace Pat Kovacs (12-17/3.27), a 25-game winner last year, slumped badly this year with only 12 victories.
Top Relievers: Terry Baird (8-9/1.91/21 saves)
Top Batters: only decent hitters were 2B Sam Norman (.283/21/55/69), 1B Eddy Veevers (.289/10/57/66) and CF Billy Holland (.251/19/69/72).

7. Chicopee Braves: since winning three consecutive pennants 2034-2036 with an explosive offense, the Braves have gone into a tailspin and fallen deep into the second division for the last three years... team average batting has decreased from .278 to .263 over the last six seasons... run-scoring way down, too... pitching ERA 2034-2036 was 3.70... the last three years it's been 4.19.
Top Starters: Heyoka Chaska (14-14/3.42), Lou Gianakos (14-13/3.52)
Top Relievers: Judd Hampton (4-4/3.35/5 saves)
Top Batters: star 3B Kurt Gustavsen (.326/25/80/78), CF Big Jim Moran (.270/31/97/91), RF Rich Nellis (.283/20/57/76), 2B Todd Goodwin (.296/18/68/56)... 32-year-old star LF Charley Kota (.266/21/56/70) had a sub-par year... he is a career .305 hitter.

8. Bay St. Clair Buccaneers: the Bucs came in last for the third year in a row... last won a pennant in 2030... have poor offense with only 616 runs (31st)... pitching isn't so good either with a 4.11 ERA (23rd).
Top Starters: John Karlsen (13-23/4.03) and Mac Shaw (10-17/3.91) were the best of a poor lot.
Top Relievers: Pete Cross (10-3/2.09/19 saves) was superb in the bullpen.
Top Batters: RF Cotton Cornwall (.302/29/90/72) had a solid season at age 34 and was the only real threat in the line-up... other minor contributors were CF Gilbert Bauer (.262/18/75/67) and SS Zip Lowery (.303/6/42/63).

TYCOBBIAN WEST DIVISION

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 21, 2039

FARRUGIA BAT KING IN RUTHLANDIA
Superstar Nicky Farrugia of the St. John Crusaders added to his laurels the Ruthlandian Union batting crown with a spectacular .366 batting average, the best in the IPA... he outhit Ancona's Tommy Richardson by six points and Volusia's Kris Wilson by 23 to win the honor... it's the first time Farrugia has won the award.

Lifetime Farrugia is a .320 hitter... he topped the IPA with 225 hits... the 30-year-old star outfielder also collected 30 doubles, 4 triples, 36 homers, 104 RBIs and scored 113 runs, while leading St. John to second place in the RU South.

30-year-old Richardson was a close runner-up with a .360 BA, 220 hits, 39 doubles, 3 triples, 30 HRs, 132 RBIs and 87 runs... the 30-year-old third baseman led the IPA in RBIs. Richardson won the batting crown in 2036 with a .349 BA... Ancona tied for fourth in the RU North this season.

Third in the batting race was 26-year-old first sacker Kris Wilson, who led Volusia to a second-place finish in the RU West... Wilson batted .340 with 196 hits, 36 doubles, 1 triple, 26 HRs, 98 RBIs and scored 87 runs.

KINGSFORD EDGES CROWDER FOR TU BAT TITLE
In the Tycobbian Union batting race, it got down to percentage points... Turon's C. C. Kingsford just barely got by Kenwood's Country Crowder by three-tenths of a point, winning .33987 to .33955... it was Kingsford's second time to win the batting title... the 25-year-old shortstop also copped it in 2037 with a .362 mark.

Kingsford, the son of Hall-of-Famer Clyde Kingsford, racked up 208 hits, 25 doubles, 6 triples and 29 homers with 105 RBIs and 102 runs, sparking the Typhoons to its second TU South pennant in a row... the six-year veteran has a career .325 BA.

Crowder is a rookie second baseman, just 23 years old... he had 182 hits, 18 doubles, 7 triples, 4 homers, 53 RBIs and 81 runs scored... Kenwood came in a very close second to Arlon in the Tycobbian West pennant race.

In the third spot was Cape Coral's veteran outfielder William Snyder, who posted another strong season with a .338 BA, 197 hits, 26 doubles, 2 triples, 33 home runs, 113 RBIs and scoring 94 runs... the Hurricanes finished fourth in the TU South.