ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, April 2, 2002

Ruthlandian Union

Well, the "oldtimers" did pretty well against the "noobies" (expansion teams) on the second day of play in the Islandian Pro Alliance. The second-year clubs captured 11 of the 16 games this time around, giving them an 18-16 lead in the head-to-head competition.

Costas Fires Brilliant 2-Hitter, All-Stars Nip V's
The Elnora All-Stars got a brilliant effort from Carl Costas, who struck out 10 Volusia Vigilantes and held them to just two base hits in a 2-1 triumph. Left fielder Winky Rush went deep for Volusia's only score in the fourth frame. Shortstop Scooter Perez doubled for the only other hit given up by Costas. The V's Tommy Betanzos was hard to hit, too, but a little on the wild side with seven bases on balls. Betanzos was touched for six hits and fanned six in defeat. Center fielder Rusty Gilbert accounted for both runs for the All-Stars. He homered in the fifth to even the score at 1-1 and then in the seventh scored the winning run on an error by shortstop Perez. The two clubs have now split the first two games of the series.

Darby and A's Edge Redhawks 2-1 in 10 Innings
Charles Darby of the Glasco Athletics and Sonny Elliott of the Far Mountain Redhawks went at it for 10 innings and when it was finally decided Darby came away with a 2-1 victory. Right fielder Buck Bucholtz made the difference with a 10th-inning home run. Darby stopped the Redhawks on six hits, walked nobody and whiffed three, while Elliott allowed nine hits, fanned four and walked one. Second baseman Steve Kaminski went downtown for Far Mountain in the fifth inning for the only run off Darby. This win gave Glasco a split in the series so far.

Ancona's Macaluso Blanks Marston 5-0
The Ancona Red Elephants racked up their first IPA victory with a 5-0 shutout over Marston at Legends Field. In a splendid performance Dennis Macaluso struck out four, walked four and stopped the Nine on just four hits. Both clubs have now won a game in the series. The Red Elephants busted open a close game with four runs in the eighth frame off losing pitcher Booger Burchfield. Ancona was led by catcher Dale Kerr with two hits and two RBIs and right fielder Gene Kanavos with two hits, an RBI and two runs scored.

Wilson Homers, Claxton Edges Belle Plaine in 11th
Claxton took its second straight victory at home, edging Belle Plaine 4-3 in 11 innings on center fielder Wayne Wilson's walk-off home run. Sammy Melton and Mike Grenier collaborated on the win. Melton worked into the ninth, when he faltered and allowed the Musketeers to score twice and send the game into overtime. Melton notched seven Ks, walked three and permitted three runs on seven hits. Closer Grenier got credit for the win with two and a third scoreless innings. He struck out three batters. Wilson sparked the win with 3 hits in 6 at-bats, scored twice and knocked in a run. First baseman Scott Theriot paced Belle Plaine with three hits and a run batted in. Reliever Roger Shearer registered the loss.

5 Catamount Pitchers Beat Ft. Benton 10-4
Fort Benton couldn't stand the prosperity. They jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opening frame and then stopped hitting. Cold Creek used five pitchers in the game and came back swinging with a big 7-run fifth inning to whip the Defenders 10-4. Center fielder Trip Holmes led the charge with a grand slam. First baseman Johnny Carducci also homered for the Catamounts and batted in four runs. Paige Saunders recorded the victory with three scoreless innings, while Don Heinsohn caught the loss by being slammed for ten runs in five innings. Right fielder Murph Lunsford topped Fort Benton with a two-run homer.

Wynnamac Rebounds, Stops Ranford 5-2
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday Ranford went on a rampage and set an IPA mark for the most runs in a game. They mauled Wynnamac 21-2. However it was a different story today, The Sundowners got some good pitching and came away with a 5-2 triumph. Dino Carravaggio captured the win as he held the Bulls to just one run in his five and one-third innings. Carravaggio fanned five, but walked five and had to leave after a rain delay. Relievers Billy Timms and John Greenwood came in and continued to hold off Ranford bats. Greenwood registered the save with two scoreless innings. Left fielder Rusty Gleason had a great day at the plate for the Sundowners with four hits and two RBIs, including a record-tying three doubles. Wynnamac rapped ten hits in the game and dealt the loss to Bull starter Chris Bernhoffer. They socked him for four runs in six innings.

Skipper Matt Donnelly told reporters in the clubhouse, "Thank goodness, we played better than yesterday. That was embarrassing. Really, really embarrassing."

Gleason tied the IPA doubles record, which he now shares with 8 other players: Alejandro Salazar and Scooter Perez of Volusia, Donnie McCoy and Marty McCluskey of Claxton, Scoop McDonald of Ginza, Jerry Keller of Arlon, Yoshihide Nishida of Waleska and Chris Deangelo of Marston.

Cybercats Tame Blackhawks 3-1
Manager Torry Joseph of Grand City got another well-pitched game as his Cybercats tamed Valka 3-1. Three hurlers teamed up to beat the Blackhawks. Rikki Coons claimed the win with five shutout innings. He was relieved with a 2-0 lead after developing a small blister on his throwing hand. Cal Ryder and Bill Berglund finished Valka off with Berglund picking up the save. Both clubs had nine hits each with shortstop Wynn Joslin collecting four of them for the Grand City and catcher Tyler Stokes rapping a homer for the Cybercats. Right fielder Jimmy Tremayne drove in the Blackhawks only run and was 3-for-4. Lefty Johnny Peterson tossed a good game in defeat, allowing only three runs, even though he gave up nine hits.

'Jacks Trim Bobcats 7-6
Forest City bolted to a 7-2 lead early and then held on and weathered a home run barrage to trim the Bobcats 7-6 at City Park Stadium in Beechwood. First baseman J. T. Edmonds and right fielder Benny Davis paced the Lumberjacks with two runs batted in each. Edmonds also tied the IPA record for most walks in a game with four. Catcher Alec DiBetta and right fielder Clifton Czako made it close with three home runs. DiBetta hit two of them and drove in three runs,while Czako hit a two-run blast. Glenn Moore garnered the victory for Forest City, but struggled. Moore allowed eleven hits and six runs in seven innings with seven Ks and a walk. Closer Timmy Brooks nailed down the save with two perfect innings of relief. Will Cadberry absorbed the loss as the 'Jacks jolted him for five runs in three innings. So far in the series each ballclub has taken a game.

Edmonds is now tied with Dennis Cole of Colfax for the most walks in a regulation nine-inning game with four. However, the most ever is five, set by teammate Chuck Hill of Forest City. He got the mark in an 11-inning 6-5 victory over Sugar Valley on May 8, 2001.

Kilkenny Upends Waleska 5-3
Playing on their home field at Smithwick Stadium, the Kilkenny Cats upended the Waleska Westerners for the second day in a row. Kilkenny whipped them 5-3 with the win going to starter Gavin Healy, who went seven and two-thirds innings, surrendering three runs and ten hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Closer Dean Brennan got Healy out of trouble in the eighth and then wrapped up the save with a perfect ninth. Brennan retired all four batters he faced. Only one homer in the game and that was by Waleska's left fielder Big Hoss Burkhalter. He had three hits including a solo roundtripper. Five different Cats drove in their runs.

Valmara Vipers Dump Stoner Stars 7-1
Valmara chalked up its first victory of the new season with an easy 7-1 decision over the Stoner Stars. It was a cold and rainy day with the temp around 30 and it took three Viper pitchers to get the win because of the rain delays. Todd Turner started and blanked the Stars for four innings, but was wild and walked three. Gary Wojcik tossed a scoreless fifth and Vance Mitchell worked the last four frames, yielding only one run. Wojcik got credit for the victory and Mitchell notched the save. Second baseman Floyd Vinson led the Vipers at bat with two hits, two RBIs and three runs scored. Vinson got his first homer of the season. First baseman Yank Jankowski also had two hits and two RBIs.

Roosters Slip Past Rattlers 6-5 in 11 Innings
Middlefield second baseman Alfredo Soriano lined a walk-off single to left in the last of the eleventh to beat Sugar Valley 6-5. It was the Rooster second straight victory in the opening series of the season. Center fielder Ty DeWitt slammed two homers, giving him three for the year. DeWitt drove in four runs to lead both teams. Sugar Valley outhit Middlefield 14 to 10 and were sparked by shortstop Flipper Bird, who homered and had 3 RBIs. But the Roosters got the victory with some outstanding bullpen work. Freddy Cooke, Will Strassmayer and Buford Slade shut out the Rattlers over the last five frames. Slade picked up the win. Gregg Neal was tagged with the defeat as he walked two and gave up two hits in a short stint.

LaGrange Homers 4 Times, Tops Taranto 6-4
LaGrange got the best of Taranto in the home run battle and topped the Tars 6-4 at the Palazzo di Sport. The Sports outhomered them four to two, led by catcher George Patin with a pair of homers and center fielder Bobby Joseph and left fielder Marc Jauvert with one each. All of them were with the bases empty. First baseman Georgie Hearn had a solo roundtripper and right fielder Bobby Pascarelli unloaded a three-run shot for Taranto. Tony Amick was the winning pitcher, going seven innings, striking out six and giving up four runs. Frank Beaudoin saved it for him with two scoreless innings. Chazzie DeBartolo suffered the loss. He was scorched for six runs in six innings. Taranto had the edge in hits 10 to 9. LaGrange broke a 4-4 tie with two runs in the sixth frame to win it.

Sunbirds Soar Over Rovers 4-2, Watson Winner
On the road in Sligo, the Belair Beach Sunbirds soared over the Sligo Rovers 4-2 on the right arm of Ray Watson, who limited them to just four hits in a route-going performance. Watson was on top of his game with six Ks and just one base on balls. He outpitched Otis Coughlan for Belair Beach's second consecutive victory this year. Coughlan tossed eight innings, allowed six hits and three runs. Second baseman Rick Sullivan tripled in two runs for the winners, while center fielder Waylon Moses hammered a two-run homer for the Rovers.

Blasters Pound St. John 10-6, Cole Homers Twice
The Colfax Blasters broke out the big bats today and pounded St. John 10-6 at Mountain View Stadium. Last year's RU Golden Bat winner, Dennis Cole, swatted his first two homers of the season, driving in three runs and third baseman Russ Farrell boomed a grand slammer as the Blasters ran up an early 8-3 lead in the first two innings. On the hill Robbie Smith was not at his best, but still had enough to go the distance and get the win. He permitted six runs and ten hits. Crusader starter Jason Burgess caught the defeat as Colfax ripped him for two homers and eight runs in less than two innings.

Colfax lost its left fielder Blinky Brandon for a week. He was hit on the hand by a pitch and suffered a dislocated finger. Cy Bartz will take his place in the line-up.

RR's Beckmann Halts Crushers 7-1 on 6 Hits
Rocky Rapids' Kirk Beckmann, a big rangy righthander, never gave Crystal Lake a chance. He was in complete control throughout the game, halting the Crushers on six hits, while striking out four and walking only one. The Snappers gave him plenty of bat support with a dozen hits, led by homers by right fielder Doug Holt and center fielder Terry Hecht. Taking the loss was Mack Harrell, who exited early, giving up four runs in the first two frames.

Eastshore Rallies for 6-5 Win Over San Dimas
The Eastshore Elegants rallied from a 4-0 deficit with three runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth to vault past San Dimas 6-5. It was the second straight one-run victory over the Rancheros. Right fielder Ron Dizon sparked the comeback win with his bat and his arm. Dizon homered, singled and drove across five runs and also threw out the tying run at home plate for the final out of the game. San Dimas took an early lead with four roundtrippers. First baseman Sancho Duran slugged two into the stands, while center fielder Pepe Maduro and second baseman Cyclone Cobb popped one each. Eastshore manager Killer Brewster got great help from his bullpen. Matt DeRosa and Ivar Jorgerson stopped the Rancheros on three hits and just one run over the last six frames. DeRosa took the victory and Jorgerson got the save. Loser Beau Juneau had an up-and-down outing. He fanned eight in six innings, but walked five and gave up five hits. However, Juneau only allowed three earned runs, San Dimas had eight hits in the game, while Eastshore only collected six.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, April 2, 2002

Tycobbian Union

Turon's Knox Shuts Out Blue Sox 4-0
The Turon Typhoons supporters had a lot to cheer about today in the 4-0 shutout victory over the Blue Lake Blue Sox. The Typhoons got a standout mound performance from righthander Ian Knox. He breezed through the Blue Lake line-up, tossing a six-hitter, striking out eight and giving up only two walks. Turon hitters stroked eleven base hits and were led by shortstop Clovis Jarreau with 3-for-4, including a home run. Left fielder Joe Wheeler also chipped in a home run and drove in a pair of scores. Jay Clay was the losing hurler as he was battered for ten hits and four runs over seven innngs. Turon and Blue Lake have split the first two games of the season.

Manager Cobb Tyson informed the press that right fielder Fred Collins injured his arm making a throw to third base today and will be out of action for about six weeks. Arvin Karnes was signed and added to the roster. Karnes will be used as a backup outfielder. Greg Boone will take over right field for the injured Collins.

Z's Tovares Blanks La Claire 3-0
Luxora took its second game in a row from La Claire, blanking the Lynx 3-0 on a six-hitter by Tito Tovares, a 6'5" righthander. He hurled a whale of a game, striking out 11 and walking no one. Tovares led the TU last season with a 1.96 ERA and is picking up where he left off last year. The Zorros got all of their runs in the fifth inning, when first baseman Paul Hallenbeck doubled in the first score of the game and left fielder Pedro Vizquel followed with a two-run two-bagger. Losing pitcher George Gentry departed after seven innings after allowing three runs on six hits. Gentry walked five and fanned four in the game.

Kenwood Downs Rolling Hills on Lassalle's 3-Run HR
Like they say, "It ain't over 'til it's over". Just ask Chet Kramer of the Rolling Hills Reds. He was cruising along with a three-hit shutout with eight strikeouts and a 3-0 lead when the roof fell in on him in the eighth inning. After the dust had settled Kenwood had come back with four runs and won the ball game 4-3. First baseman Louie Lassalle's three-run clout was the game-winning blow. Southpaw Kris Angelico worked eight innings for the win, permitted only four hits and three runs with four strikeouts. Closer Zane Page put the finishing touches on the game with a 1-2-3 ninth, fanning two of them. Rolling Hills scored all of its runs in the third on right fielder Jacob Wambleeska's RBI double and first baseman Sunshine Anaba's two-run homer, his second of the year.

South Fork Stomps High Mesa 10-2
South Fork got revenge for yesterday's 17-3 massacre and stomped the High Mesa Cowboys 10-2 today at Jock Ewing Stadium. The Stallions poured it on with 16 hits and three home runs to back up some fine pitching by Vince Bernini and Kyle Moss. South Fork got out of the chute with six runs in the first inning, highlighted by catcher Darryl Burnett's two-run shot. Second baseman Rick Tsoukalis and first baseman Keith Burke also homered later in the game. Center fielder Ronnie Lee topped the team with four hits. Bernini was the winner, working six innings with six strikeouts. He gave up two runs on eight hits. Kyle Moss came on in the seventh and completed the game for the save. Moss fanned three and allowed only one hit in the final three frames.

Big 9th Sinks Mahaska, Ginza Wins 8-2
Ginza pitcher Kojiro Matsumoto did it all today in an 8-2 triumph over the Mahaska Haymakers. Matsumoto surrendered nine hits, fanned four and walked one in holding Mahaska to two runs. He also went 2-3 with the bat and had three RBIs, including a big double in the 5-run ninth that clinched the game. The Ninjas lashed 14 hits all total to even the series at one game apiece. Buck Schroeder sustained the loss, allowing four runs in eight innings with four Ks and no bases on balls.

Arlon Trounced North Hills 9-2, Smith Wins It
Arlon outpitched, outhit and outfielded North Hills today, trouncing them 9-2. Craig Smith struck out seven, walked only one and held the Hawks to two runs and eight hits. Left fielder Matt Merrill homered and led the hit parade with 2-for-5, three RBIs and scored three times. The Champions fielded flawlessly, while North Hills committed three errors that cost them three runs. Losing pitcher Jaybird Jackson was knocked out in the fifth after allowing five runs. Center fielder Roy Stainbrook was one of the Hawks few bright spots with two home runs. The series is all even now as each team has won one game.

Summerland Prevails 8-6 Over White River
The Summerland Sunsets erupted for four runs in the top of the ninth to prevail 8-6 over the White River Rascals. Summerland hitters rang up 14 base knocks, including three roundtrippers by center fielder Stacey Zacker, left fielder Dennis Allsup and first baseman Coonie Coulon. Zacker numbered five RBIs, while Allsup got two and Coulon one. The Rascals were paced by two home runs and three RBIs by first baseman Al Joyner, who now has three roundtrippers. Roy Cochran unloaded deep for homer number two this season and plated two runs. Though he labored, Johnny Sundberg managed to get the win. White River tagged him for six runs in eight innings. Duncan Cade saved it for Sundberg by retiring the side in order in the ninth. The losing pitcher was closer Beau Bealieu, who came on in the ill-fated ninth and was bashed for two runs in two-thirds of an inning.

Hurricanes Salow Stops Chicopee on 3 Hits
For the second day in a row Cape Coral held Chicopee in check. This time it was Jeff Salow who stopped the Braves 3-1 on a three-hit performance. Salow struck out seven and issued only one base on balls in a fine outing. The Hurricanes put together 10 hits and were led by home runs by shortstop Kenny Hall and third baseman Hoshi Sato. Loser Johnny Falcon worked a good game for the Braves, allowing only two runs on eight hits in his eight innings. Chicopee's only run came on left fielder Orville Butler's solo homer.

Southport Scores Late, Beats Arroyo Grande 6-3
At home at Pleasure Beach Park, the Southport Sun Sox got the best of the Arroyo Grande Suns 6-3, winning their second game in succession. Johnny Ballard went all the way and checked the Suns on eight hits, fanning two and walking none. After giving up three runs in the second inning, Ballard settled down and blanked them the rest of the game. The Sun Sox rebounded with three runs in the seventh and two in the eighth to put Arroyo Grande away. Center fielder Angelo Lombardi led the hitters with a two-run roundtripper and left fielder Larry McDowell supplied a two-run triple. Taking the loss was Luc Juneau, who was tapped for four runs and six hits in seven innings. Seven walks were his downfall.

Viks Thump Hellcats, Hood Wins 8-1
It was a good all-around game for the Bayview Vikings. They hit well and pitched well in the easy 8-1 win over Hartsdale. The batters did their job to the tune of 10 hits with three home runs. Right fielder Dean Howell, third baseman Bob Klostermann and Dwayne Coleman each ripped one out. It was number two for Coleman this year. On the hill Paul Hood was masterful, stopping the Hellcats on six hits, walking none and fanning two. Jackie Bond was pinned with the loss, giving up five runs in four-plus innings. The clubs have split the first two games of the season.

Albrecht Homers, Bucs Nip Red Bluff 4-3 in 10
Bay St. Clair battled back at home in the late innings and walked off with a 4-3 ten-inning triumph over the Red Bluff Red Sox. Third baseman Ed Albrecht ended it with a lead-off homer and sent Kent Crowhurst down to defeat. Closer Chris Van Arden notched the win with a scoreless top of the tenth. Bay St. Clair used three pitchers and held the Red Sox to seven hits. Crowhurst went the route, gave up nine hits with five Ks and no walks. Second baseman Tony Mann went 3-for-4 for the Buccaneers. Bay St. Clair has won both games so far.

Oxford Ekes Out Win Over Tuckanarra 6-5
The Oxford Red Caps and manager Campy Roy got their first ever IPA victory by eking out a 6-5 win over Tuckanarra at Winchester Stadium. Right fielder Dante Vander Meer provided the game-winner on a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth. For the game Vander Meer cracked three hits, scored twice and batted in three runs. First baseman Timmy Binford also chipped in three hits, two RBIs and scored once for the Red Caps. Oxford racked up 13 hits to just five for the Blue Jays. Binford had the only home run in the game. Closer Charlie Moore chalked up the win with a scoreless inning of relief, while Aiden Dunkirk took the loss, giving up one run in two and two-thirds innings.

San Alejo Hits 4 HRs, Bomb Panthers 8-4
The San Alejo Montaneros bombed East Point 8-4 at the Casa de Beisbol. The Montaneros boomed four homers to even up the series at a game apiece. First baseman Francisco Garza supplied the game-winning hit with a three-run smash in the fifth to put them up 5-4. They got three solo homers in the seventh from third baseman Paola Huerta, left fielder Gregorio Rosales and right fielder Marcelino Zuniga. Huerta now has hit two on the season. East Point has a pair of homers with shortstop John Cottrell going deep for a second time this year and left fielder Tom Drenner getting his first. Lefthander Jaime Serrano pitched a complete game with six strikeouts and a walk, yielding nine hits. Jack Black was the losing pitcher, going five innings and surrendering five runs.

Chidzek Fans 12, Midway Edges Ozarka 3-2
Midway's Frank Chidzek, a big 6'6" portsider, dominated Ozarka today, striking out a dozen Nats and gaining a 3-2 victory. Chidzek allowed only five hits and walked just one in an outstanding stint. A three-run seventh gave him the win over Sid Hyder, who had shut the Wolves out until then. Third baseman Denny Alpert led off the inning with a homer, Little Johnny Yuma tripled to tie the score and shortstop Tommy Kawacatoose won it with an RBI single. Losing pitcher Hyder worked seven innings, permitted five hits and three runs with five Ks and four bases on balls. Ozarka first sacker Floyd Snow doubled in both runs in the fourth frame.

Frogs Rip 3 HRs, Leslie Stops Hillsboro 5-2
Jackie Leslie put the clamps on the Hillsboro Blazers today and beat them 5-2 with the help of three home runs from third baseman Stan Cobb. shortstop Warren Lee and left fielder Gator Davis. It was Davis' second this year. Leslie tossed seven and two-thirds innings, held Hillsboro to two runs and six hits and whiffed six of them. Leslie got help from his closer Takahide Takahashi, who got the final four outs for his first save this season. Blazer second baseman Tommy Emrick collected his second homer of the season to account one of their runs, while left fielder Alfonso Cervantes batted in the other with an RBI single. Marty Antonelli recorded the loss as the Frogs flailed him for five runs in six-plus innings.

Hoffman Handles Colchester, DC Redbirds Win 4-2
Joe Hoffman was steady and strong on the hill and led Denton City to a 4-2 triumph over the Colchester Elites at Heyward Field. Hoffman fired a complete game, finished up with two walks and five strikeouts and held the Elites to two runs and seven hits. Cris Willis belted in two runs for the winners with left fielder Lee Maddox and third baseman Kenny Sterling driving in the others. Sterling unloaded his second homer of the season. Getting tagged with the defeat was starter Ray Beckham, who went seven innings, allowed four runs, seven hits and fanned six. The Redbirds have won both games in the series.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, April 3, 2002

Ruthlandian Union

Noobies Are Ahead Head-To-Head
Who's the best? The Noobie expansion clubs or the original franchises? One of the big questions about expansion was whether or not the new clubs could compete with the older teams. So far they are more than holding their own, they have won 24 and lost 21 after three days of play. In today's action the noobies were 8 and 3 against the established teams.

Crushers Down Rovers on James' HR in 14th Inning
At Lakefront Park in Crystal Lake the Crushers and Sligo Rovers went at for fourteen innings when first baseman Johnny James (.385) put an end to it with a dramatic two-run homer to win 7-5 for the hometown team. There were five home runs overall with left fielder Ben Butler (.231) also getting one for Crystal Lake and the Rovers hitting three out, all in the seventh inning to tie the score at 5-5. They were hit by third baseman Rusty Ellis (.267), center fielder Waylon Moses (.333) and first baseman Shane Redford (.250). Sligo had the edge in base hits 12 to 8. Mack Harrell (1-1) chalked up the win with a scoreless 14th inning and the loss went to Paul Petrovsky (0-1), who just came on the 14th.

The Crushers got their first win of the season after two losses, while the Rovers dropped their third consecutive game.

Longmire Leads Crusaders Over Tars 5-4
St. John third sacker George Longmire ran Taranto ragged on the basepaths, hit a home run and scored the winning run on a two-base throwing error in the bottom of the eighth. The Crusaders beat the Tars 5-4 at Cathedral Stadium. Longmire hit his second homer of the season, had two hits, stole a record-tying three bases and scored three times. Closer Claudell Beacham (1-0) got credit for the victory with two scoreless innings. He fanned three of the seven batters he faced. Jerry Juban started and worked seven innings, permitting four runs on seven hits, while walking three and fanning six. Jimmie Mosley (0-1) pitched the entire game and sustained the loss. He only allowed five hits, struck out five and issued two bases on balls. Taranto center fielder Wayne Pounders had a two-run homer to pace the Tars.

This is the sixth time a player has stolen three bases in a game. It was done previously by Chuck Hankins of Bay St. Clair, Jet Kazmarek of Valmara, Gerald Davis of Far Mountain, Lonnie Howard of Elnora and Paco Benitez of Ozarka. The Crusaders are 2-1 on the year, while Taranto falls to 1-2.

Sunbirds and Lindgren Blank Middlefield 3-0
He's only 5'6", but fortunately for Tiny Lindgren, the IPA is not a basketball league. The Belair Beach righthander stood tall on the hill today at Bayside Park and blanked Middlefield 3-0. Lindgren fired third strikes past nine Roosters, walked two and allowed seven hits. Shortstop Danny Church gave him all the runs he needed with a two-run triple in the fourth inning. Right fielder Matty McDermott doubled in the third run in the seventh. Adam Wright suffered the defeat, allowing three runs on five hits in seven innings. He struck out seven batters and gave up four bases on balls.

The Sunbirds are unbeaten thus far this season, winning for the third time in a row. It was Middlefield's first loss after taking its first two games. This was the opener of a three-game series.

Hymel Handcuffs Elnora, LaGrange Wins 4-2
The left hand slants of Tris Hymel were too much for Elnora to handle as he handcuffed them on five hits in a 4-2 LaGrange victory. Hymel racked up five Ks and issued four walks, while going the route. Left fielder Marc Jauvert drove in two runs in the first frame with his second roundtripper this year. Catcher George Patin also drove in a pair of runs for the winners. Elnora's Pat Giles hit a solo home run, his first of the season. Kenny Kerr was the loser as he hurled five innings and was touched for all four runs.

The Sports improved to 2-1 on the year, while Elnora dipped to 1-2. There are two more games in the series.

Kilkenny Cats Skin Rattlers 8-4 in 15 Innings
Farmers Memorial Park in Middlefield was the scene of a 15-inning struggle finally won by the visiting Kilkenny Cats 8-4. Second baseman Ricky Flanagan got the game-winning hit that decided the game. He doubled in center fielder Kirk Pitzer from first base. Pitzer had led off with a single. Then the Cats added plenty of insurance with a three-run smash by right fielder Tee Boy Joubert. Mookie Flanagan, Ricky's older brother, retired the Rattlers in order to claim the victory. Kilkenny piled up 18 hits in the game and were sparked by Joubert with 5-7 and three RBIs. Manager Keiran McKenna got a splendid relief job by Keiran Kennedy. He came on in the seventh and held the Rattlers to one run and six hits in eight innings. Sugar Valley racked up 13 hits and had one home run by first baseman Ron Armstrong. Taking the loss was Paul Haines, who allowed four runs in his only inning.

Kilkenny has not lost a game yet in its inaugural season in the IPA. Sugar Valley has yet to win one in three tries.

Bobcats Whip Vigilantes 10-9 in Hit Fest
Beechwood and Volusia battled back and forth for the lead until the Bobcats bashed the Vigilantes for four runs in the seventh to take a 10-7 edge, then held off a ninth-inning rally to take the contest 10-9. Beechwood unleased 15 hits and two homers to subdue Volusia at the Jailhouse. Second baseman Augie Ippolito rapped three hits, score three times and batted in four. Ippolito got two more homers, giving him three this year. Left fielder L. J. Aldridge and catcher Hank Stewart added three hits and two RBIs to the Bobcat totals. Leading the V's 12-hit attack was second baseman Francisco Abreu with 4-for-4, three runs scored and a home run. Left fielder Winky Rush hit homer number two and center fielder Alex Luna recorded his first one this season. Calvin Quinn got the win, working into the seventh frame and giving up seven runs. Teddy Van Arsdale closed out the win, but staggered through a two-run ninth. Bobcat pitchers fanned 10 V's with Van Arsdale getting five in two and one-third innings. The third of five Volusia pitchers, Brian King, was ripped for four runs in the decisive seventh and took the loss.

Beechwood has won two of three games on the year, while Volusia falls to 1-2.

Grand City Hangs On, Noses Out Waleska 5-4
At Westerner Field in Waleska, the Grand City Cybercaps leaped out to a 5-0 lead, but just barely held on for a 5-4 victory as the Westerners came alive late to score four runs in the bottom of the ninth. Rob Martyn recorded the win. He blanked Waleska on five hits over the first six innings and fanned 11 batters. Reliever Dick Blessing continued to hold Waleska scoreless until he weakened in the ninth. Ivasca Marcelonis got the last two outs of the game for the save and left the tying run on third base. Right fielder Johnny Keitel homered and drove in two runs for the winners, while catcher Tyler Stokes delivered two hits and two RBIs. Waleska third baseman Yoshihide Nishida went 3-3 and had two runs batted in. Losing pitcher Gary Hill started and was shelled for five runs. He was knocked out in the seventh. Both ball teams had nine hits. Grand City hurlers piled up 14 Ks, while Waleska struck out 11.

This was Grand City's third straight triumph, they have yet to lose. It was Waleska's third successive defeat. The Westerners have yet to win a game this season.

FC's Marsh Strike Out 10 Ranford Bulls, Wins 4-2
At Riverside Stadium in Forest City, Johnny Marsh fanned 10 batters en route to a 4-2 decision over the Ranford Bulls. Marsh gave up nine hits and walked three, but left 11 runners stranded. The Lumberjacks left fielder Chuck Hill sparked the offense with a home run, double and four RBIs. Third baseman Pops Keller went 2-3 and scored twice. The loss went to Ranford's Jamie Phillips, who was tagged for four runs in six innings. Forest City won the game, but got only five hits in all. Hill's first roundtripper this season snapped a 2-2 tie and put the 'Jacks ahead to stay 4-2 in the sixth.

It was Forest City second straight triumph. The Lumberjacks are 2-1, while Ranford is 1-2 and has dropped two in a row.

Kokk Quells Cold Creek, Valka Triumphs 5-2
Valka skipper Jaan Kurus got some fine pitching for the third game in a row, but this time it produced a victory - the Blackhawks first ever in the IPA. Righthander Andrei Kokk fashioned an impressive seven-hit game and quelled the Cold Creek Catamounts 5-2 at Cybertel Field. Kokk issued two bases on balls and totaled six Ks. Still suffering from a lack of run support, the Blackhawks mustered eight hits today. Right fielder Jimmy Tremayne pounded a three-run smash in the opening frame to put them ahead 3-0. Left fielder Arkady Mironov added RBI single in the first to make it 4-0. First baseman Vadik Yeltsin finished off the day's scoring with an RBI triple in the fifth. The Catamounts got their only two runs on homers by left fielder Karl Yashin in the second inning and shortstop Chris Hale in the fifth. The Blackhawks got rid of starter Ronnie Hampton in a hurry, battering him for four runs in the first and dealing him the defeat.

Both Valka and Cold Creek have 1-2 records so far this season.

Claxton Edges Wynnamac 4-3, Third Win In A Row
At Granger Field in Wynnamac the home crowd saw righthander Tetsunori Nakashima spin a 4-3 win over the Sundowners, holding them to six hits, all singles. The Claxton Diamonds recovered from a 3-1 deficit in the fourth inning. Single runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth brought in the victory. The Diamonds are unbeaten in three games this season, while Wynnamac is 1-2. Left fielder Dan Molnar had a solo homer and an RBI single to account for two runs. Center fielder Wayne Wilson smacked two hits, scored twice and batted in a run for Claxton. Right fielder Dickie Hollister drove in two runs to lead the Sundowners. Jimmy Baldwin also went the route in defeat. He allowed four runs and eleven hits.

Marston's Ledbetter Stops Ft. Benton on 3-Hits
Before a big crowd at Old Fortress Park, Marston's Casey Ledbetter was in midseason form as he stopped Fort Benton on just three hits in a 7-2 triumph. Ledbetter had four walks and five Ks in the game. A four-run explosion in the eighth busted up a 2-2 deadlock. Pacing the Nine's 11-hit attack were second baseman Ken Green and center fielder Tommy Reinhold. Green drove in two runs with two hits and Reinhold scored twice, had two hits and an RBI. Although he fanned nine in seven innings and only gave up three earned runs, starter Leroy Hill took the loss. He allowed five runs on eight hits.

It was Fort Benton's initial loss of the season after two wins. Marston has the same 2-1 mark.

Musketeers Theriot Tops Redhawks with Grand Slam
It was Belle Plaine's first home game at Musketeer Field and it was a happy one. The Musketeers first baseman Scott Theriot chalked up the team's first IPA win in grand style with a grand slam in the sixth frame, giving them a 5-4 triumph over the visiting Far Mountain Redhawks. That ruined a fine outing by Bud Ford, who had shut them out cold until then. Lou Dozier got credit for the victory. He worked seven and a third innings, surrendering four runs and seven hits. However, Dozier had control problems with six walks, but did strike out six. Lefthander Paul Wessex came in and got the save with one and two-thirds scoreless innings. Wessex cut short Far Mountain's eighth-inning comeback. Belle Plaine outhit Far Mountain 9 to 8. The Redhawks were led at bat by third baseman Johnny Strickland and catcher Dave Davis. They both had two hits and an RBI in the game. Strickland homered and Davis had a triple.

Both teams stand at 1-2 on the season.

11-Run Inning Spells Doom For Stars, Ancona Wins
It was a game that had everything - good pitching, good hitting, thrills and chills, but you wouldn't think it by the final score. In its opening home game at Jay Loman Park, the Ancona Red Elephants demolished the Stoner Stars 14-3, but it was a tight for most of the game. George Agelakos came within one strikeout of the league record with 15 Ks. He nursed a 3-0 lead until the eighth inning when Stoner first baseman Garland Andre tied it up with a three-run clout. That must have made the Red Elephants mad. They scored at will in the last of the eighth, putting 11 runs on the scoreboard to win going away. Agelakos tried to set the strikeout record - he had to strike out the side in the ninth - but ran out of gas. After a hit, walk, two strikeouts and another walk, he just couldn't throw anymore. Agelakos had thrown 147 pitches and had to leave the game. He was exhausted. Spiros Savakis came in and got the final out. Ancona torched Stoner for 15 hits. First baseman Issie Manos bashed four hits, including two roundtrippers and a double, drove in seven runs and scored three times. Right fielder Gene Kanavos went 4-for-5 and scored three runs and catcher Dale Kerr was 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and one run batted in. Third baseman Dimitri Vrotsos added a solo homer. The losing pitcher was Dwight Ruckman, who was ripped for six runs in seven innings.

And would you believe, the 11 runs in an inning was not good enough to be a new record. The IPA mark for most runs in an inning occurred on May 3, 2001, when Elnora scored 13 runs in the third inning against the Valmara Vipers en route to an 18-8 victory. The game is the highest-scoring game in IPA history with a total of 26 runs. Ranford holds the record for most runs by a team. In the opening game of this season the Bulls crushed Wynnamac 21-2.

Ancona is now 2-1 on the season and Stoner is 1-2.

A's Rap 4 Homers, Nip Valmara 5-4
At home in the friendly confines of Athletics Field, the Glasco A's powered their way past Valmara 5-4 with four home runs. First baseman Maury Smith went deep twice, while right fielder Bucky Bucholtz and left fielder Ox Beauvais cashed in one time each. Smith and Beauvais hammered three hits apiece and scored twice. Smith batted in three runs in the game with Beauvais and Bucholtz driving in one each. Glasco had 9 hits to the Vipers 6. Jake Nyberg was the winning pitcher. He limited Valmara to just four hits and two runs in seven innings with six walks and seven strikeouts. Ray Cook relieved him in the eighth and was tagged for two runs in two innings, but still got the save. Jerry Yosarian lost it. He allowed five runs and exited in the sixth inning. The Vipers also hit a home run. Shortstop Matt Mazurek hit one out in the eighth inning.

Glasco's record is 2-1 with the victory, dropping Valmara to 1-2.

Elegants Alston's 11th-Inning Homer Beats Snappers
At Snapper Stadium in Rocky Rapids, two unbeaten ball clubs battled and Eastshore won it 6-4 on left fielder Darrel Alston's second home run of the game. Alston had three hits, three RBIs and scored twice. Center fielder Carl Hendriksen also belted a home run, scored twice and had two runs batted in for the Elegants. Brian Russell notched the victory by holding the Snappers runless in the ninth and tenth innings. Noel Cromwell saved the game for him with a 1-2-3 ninth. Kevin Fry delivered the home run ball to Alston and was pegged with the loss. Rocky Rapids had the most hits, 11 to 9, but left 11 men on base.

Eastshore has now won all three of its game this year. This was Rocky Rapids first defeat after two wins.

Colfax Nips San Dimas 5-4
At Ranchero Stadium, Colfax kept San Dimas winless with a 5-4 decision. The Blasters won it in the top of the seventh when second baseman Tucker Hill tripled and scored on center fielder Pat Lott's RBI single. Colfax finished up with nine hits to seven for the Rancheros. Shortstop Wayne O'Reilly hit a two-run homer and first baseman Dennis Cole had a solo shot to pace the Blasters. Shortstop Domingo Rios and left fielder Fernando Baldera went deep for San Dimas. Andy Haig, a 37-year-old rookie, registered the win for Colfax. Haig tossed seven innings, allowed four runs and seven hits with three walks and six Ks. Jim Dreyer came in from the bullpen in the eighth and carved out the save with two scoreless frames. Roberto Silvas sustained the loss, permitting one run and four hits in his two innings of work.

The Colfax Blasters upped their season record to 2-1, while San Dimas remained winless so far in its first year in the Islandian Pro Alliance. The Rancheros have been defeated in all three games they have played.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, April 3, 2002

Tycobbian Union

High Mesa Tops Luxora 6-4, Staggs Winner
The High Mesa Cowboys and Marlin Staggs survived three homers by Luxora at Queen Stadium to top the Zorros 6-4. Staggs worked a complete game, allowed six hits, fanned five and walked two. First baseman Tony Pollard supplied the offense with three runs batted in. Catcher Jay Fessler collected three hits, scored once and drove in one run. Luxora first baseman Paul Hallenbeck, third baseman Rico Vina and right fielder Lacey Tompkins cracked homers. It was Tompkins second this season. Going down to defeat was Eddie Hoffman, who was hit hard for six runs and eight hits in six innings.

Both teams have a 2-1 mark this season.

Turon Zips Frogs; Lemaire, McGuire Shut Them Out
At the Frog Pond in Fairfax... Turon's Jacques Lemaire and Barney McGuire combined to shut out the Frogs 3-0 on a two-hitter... Lemaire picked up the win, going six and a third innings when he had to be taken out because of long rain delays... Lemaire gave up both hits, fanned four and issued two walks... McGuire held Fairfax hitless over the last two and two-thirds innings... Right fielder Joe Wheeler had three hits for the Typhoons and center fielder Denny Wilcox went 2-for-4 and scored twice... Frog Shortstop Warren Lee singled in the third and center fielder Billy Echevarria doubled in the third for their only hits... Kaz Hayagawa took a tough loss, giving up no earned runs and six hits in seven innings... Turon got two unearned runs off of him.

Turon is now 2-1 on the year and Fairfax is 1-2.

Paul Too Strong for Hartsdale, Chicopee Wins 4-1
Hartsdale was home at Pioneer Park, but it didn't help any... Warren Paul, a big, strapping righthander for Chicopee, beat the Hellcats 4-1... Paul permitted nine hits, walked four and fanned seven in going the route... Paul and Hartsdale starter Tal Vaitkus were scoreless until the ninth, when left fielder Orville Butler laced a home run over the wall... It was Butler's second roundtripper... Paul had a two-run double in the inning... Vaitkus gave up eight hits, struck out seven and walked four in defeat... It was the Braves first win in the IPA.... Both Chicopee and Hartsdale are 1-2 this year.

Arredondo Spins 3-Hitter, SA Trims Ginza 3-1
At Ninja Stadium in Ginza the fans saw a fine pitching duel... San Alejo righthander Ernie Arredondo fired a splendid game, trimming Ginza 3-1 on just three hits... Arredondo had six Ks and walked only two... He outduelled Kazuhiro Nakayama, who gave up only five hits with five walks and five strikeouts... The Montaneros scored two in the seventh on an RBI double by shortstop Erico Pilar and a ground out by catcher Edmundo Franquez... Franquez also homered in the ninth... The Ninjas were held to just three singles... Shinjiro Aoki drove in their only run... The Montaneros are now 2-1 and Ginza is 1-2.

McCallum Halts Bayview 4-2
Tuckanarra hosted Bayview at Central Park Stadium... Sam McCallum went the distance in the 4-2 Blue Jay triumph... He allowed only one earned run, six hits, while fanning five and walking two... Tuckanarra lashed out 12 hits with second baseman Owen MacArthur delivering three of them and scoring twice... RBIs went to center fielder Monty Draycott, left fielder Corey Tavington, right fielder Gavin Munro and catcher Clint Hardesty... Bayview left fielder Glenn Burns went deep for the only homer in the game... Jerry Harrison was the loser... The Blue Jays slammed him for eleven hits and four runs in his six innings... Tuckanarra improved its record to 2-1, while the Bayview Vikings dipped to 1-2.

Colchester Clobbers Red Bluff 9-3, Henry Gets Win
The Colchester Elites traveled to Red Bluff Park to tangle with the Red Sox... They clobbered the hometown boys 9-3 with a 12-hit attack and some solid pitching by Barry Henry... Shortstop Eddy Ellis and right fielder Kenny Krantz hit solo shots... Ellis, Krantz and catcher Joey Siegfried each had two RBIs... Center fielder Eldon Hutchens and left fielder Tal Tarcijonas had three hits apiece... Henry went all the way, holding the Red Sox to six hits and allowing no earned runs... Henry had two walks and six Ks... Zeke Bowden suffered the defeat, giving up four runs in five-plus innings... Red Bluff left fielder Howard Fullerton had a two-run clout... The Elites are 1-2 so far this season, while Red Bluff has fallen in all three games.

Hawthorne Goes Distance, Whips Ozarka 5-2
It was the Oxford Red Caps and Ozarka Naturals at Ellie Ewing Field... The Red Caps used timely hits, coupled with wildness by Nats starter Yasuyuki Nakagawa to whip Ozarka 5-2... They also stole seven bases... Left fielder Austen Conover set a new IPA record with four... Shortstop Lavon England stole three... On the hill Wiley Hawthorne worked a solid game, checking the Naturals on six hits, while fanning seven and walking just one batter... At bat catcher Vic Beckmann and second sacker Adam Farinas both had two hits and an RBI... Center fielder Ike Plunkett rapped a solo homer... Losing pitcher Nakagawa had a poor outing and gave up four runs in four-plus innings with six bases on balls and four strikeouts... Oxford has a 2-1 mark thus far in the IPA... Ozarka has lost its three games.

The old record of three stolen bases was shared by four players: Jet Kazmarek of Valmara, Gerald Davis of Far Mountain, Lonnie Howard of Elnora and Paco Benitez of Ozarka. They all did it last year.

WR Rascals Rout DC Redbirds 11-3
It was a rout at White River Park with the Rascals slamming Denton City 11-3... 15 hits, five homers and fine pitching by Ted Tereshinski were too much for the Redbirds... Right fielder Dennis Bertrand whacked two out of the park and drove in five runs... First baseman Al Joyner connected for his fourth home run and left fielder Roy Cochran got his third... third baseman Josh Seabolt hit his first of the year... Tereshinski had seven Ks, walked two and allowed seven hits in a good performance... Kelly Cochran was nailed with the loss as the Rascals ravaged him for six runs in less than three innings... It was Denton City's first loss... the Redbirds had taken their first two games.... White River is also 2-1.

'Canes Robinson Fans 11 Hawks in 5-1 Victory
Cape Coral's big lefty, Wally Robinson, was sizzling on the mound today in a two-hitter against the North Hills Hawks at Seaside Stadium... Robinson whiffed 11 batters in a 5-1 victory and walked only one... Center fielder Roy Stainbrook got a first-inning triple and catcher Duke Hogan homered in the second for the only hits off of Robinson... Pacing the Hurricane hitters were third baseman Hoshi Sato and shortstop Bobo Hatfield with 2-4 and an RBI each... Right fielder Danny Mullins slugged a ninth-inning home run... Cape Coral got a total of nine hits... The defeat went to starter Ben Dewberry, who fanned eight, but gave up four runs and six hits in six innings... It was the unbeaten Hurricanes third consecutive triumph, while North Hills fell to 1-2 this season.

Carpenter and Summerland Burn Mahaska 5-1
Southpaw Jerry Carpenter had his good stuff today at Sunset Stadium in Summerland as he worked his magic on the visiting Mahaska Haymakers... Carpenter defeated them 5-1 and held them to five hits, while walking three and fanning seven in his eight innings of work... Ben Haley came in and got the last three outs... Sunset left fielder Dennis Alsup led the hitters with a home run and three runs batted in... It was his second of the season... Shortstop Tommy Westerveldt chipped in two hits and scored twice for the victors... Summerland totaled eight hits for the day... Mahaska had six hits... Gil Dunham was on the losing end of the score... They got to him for five runs in seven-plus innings... Dunham walked nobody and had six strikeouts... The Sunsets are 2-1 and the Haymakers are 1-2 in the season so far.

Champs Pappas Beats Southport 3-2 in 10
Pinchhitter Pete Pappas of the Arlon Champions delivered a tenth-inning single to score Bama Hartley from second base and put an end to Southport's two-game winning streak... The Champs slipped by the Sun Sox 3-2 with closer Jeff Nieman getting the victory... Nieman was outstanding with five Ks in two and two-thirds innings... He got out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the eighth with the score knotted up a 2-2... Arlon only got five hits, while Southport netted six... Both starters did well... Ace Howe for Arlon tossed seven and one-third innings, allowed six hits, fanned eight, but issued seven walks that kept him in constant trouble... Southport's Felipe Caballero went eight innings, whiffed nine and surrendered only three hits... The defeat went to Chris Cahill, who was tagged for the game-winning hit by Pappas... There were two homers in the game... First baseman Ronnie Staab cracked one for the Champions and third baseman Will Hudson clubbed one for the Sun Sox... Arlon and Southport sport 2-1 records.

Bucs Blast Blue Sox 8-0; Metcalf & Yaden Blank 'em
At Harbor Stadium in Blue Lake, it was no contest... Visiting Bay St. Clair got an easy 8-0 shutout from Kenny Metcalf and Don Yaden... They combined to stop the Blue Sox on three singles... Metcalf chunked seven innings and was stingy with the hits... He only gave up two, while fanning four batters and walking four... Yaden wrapped it up with two scoreless frames... Second baseman Tony Mann topped the Buccaneer batters with a 4-for-5 day... Shortstop Chuck Hankins and left fielder Charley Moon were both 2-for-5 with two RBIs... Hankins hammered his second roundtripper this season... The Bucs blistered losing pitcher Happy McManus for six runs in less than four innings... Bay St. Clair captured its third win in a row, while Blue Lake fell to 1-2.

Wildcats York Winner Over Arroyo Grande 4-2
The Arroyo Grande Suns' home opener at Capet Stadium was spoiled by Andrew York... The Kenwood Wildcat righthander stymied the Suns 4-2 on seven hits... York collected six Ks and walked only one... His teammates backed him up with 11 hits, sparked by shortstop Ned Chamberlain with three hits, including two doubles... Chamberlain scored once and drove in a run... Ron Tartaglia had a 2-1 lead until the sixth when back-to-back doubles by Chamberlain and first baseman Louie Lassalle tied the score and third baseman Caleb Curry drove in the go-ahead run with a ground out... Tartaglia was removed in the seventh after allowing four runs and nine hits... Center fielder Dante Brunet had a productive day with the bat... He led Arroyo Grande with a double and a home run... Kenwood moved its season record to 2-1... The Suns have dropped all three of their games.

SF's Holliday Homers Twice, Beats East Point 8-7
East Point blew a 7-4 lead after the seventh inning at home at Armed Forces Stadium today... South Fork rallied to win 8-7 in the ninth on third baseman Glenn Holliday's second homer of the game... He had three RBIs and tallied two runs for the Stallions... Center fielder Ronnie Lee added in two hits, scored twice and batted in a run... South Fork had four roundtrippers with first baseman Keith Burke and left fielder Lyle Lindsey also contributed four-baggers... It was number two for Burke... The East Point Panthers showed some power, too... Left fielder Tom Drenner had two-run shot, third baseman Rex Sokolov hit a three-run homer and catcher Tony Cadwell smacked a solo smash... The Stallions had the advantage in hits 11 to 8... Glenn Turnbull garnered the victory with a perfect ninth inning... Fred Traugott was the victim of the three-run ninth and absorbed the loss... It was South Fork's second triumph in three games and East Point's second loss in three games.

Nixon's 9th-Inning HR Beats La Claire 2-1
It was a splendid pitching battle at the Midtown Base Ball Grounds in Rolling Hills... The Reds pitcher Hondo Anoki bested La Claire's Tony Nygaard 2-1, winning it on Willie Mays Nixon's walk-off smash in the ninth... It was a heartbreaking defeat for Nygaard, who hurled a brilliant game, allowing only three hits, while striking out nine and walking only one... Anoki was also outstanding, yielding seven hits, fanning three and issuing just one base on balls... Rolling Hills first baseman Sunshine Anaba belted his third homer in three games... The Reds record to date is 2-1, while La Claire has yet to win this season, suffering three straight defeats.

Midway Powers Past Hillsboro with 4 Home Runs
It was a homer fest at Hanford Stadium in Hillsboro between the hometown Blazers and the Midway Wolves... When it was over the Wolves won the home run derby by the score of 11-7... Midway hit four out of the park and Hillsboro had three... Right fielder Flying Eagle Waywa, second baseman Little Johnny Yuma, shortstop Tommy Kawacatoose and catcher Paul Vishinsky all went deep for the Wolves... Catcher Bill Worthington had two home runs for the Blazers and left fielder Alfonso Cervantes one... Midway had 10 hits to 9 for Hillsboro... Big Jack Shikoba got credit for the victory... He surrendered six runs in his seven innings... Closer Tecumseh Ahanu notched his second save, but did give up a home run in two innings of work... Blazer starter Lacy Beecher caught the loss, giving up five runs in four innings... He was trailing 5-1 when he was knocked out of the game... The Wolves are 3-0, while Hillsboro is 1-2 on the season.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Thursday, April 4, 2002

Around the Town in the IPA
The Islandian Times is beginning a series of articles covering all of the towns in the Islandian Pro Alliance. Our baseball writers that cover the league will go and get a first-hand view of what it like to attend a game in each town. Coverage will also include a brief history of the town, its people, culture and industry.

We will spend the next month highlighting the towns in the IPA. Two towns will be featured each day, beginning with the Ancona Red Elephants and the Arroyo Grande Suns.

ANCONA RED ELEPHANTS

Owner: Golden Hill Insurance Company

President of the Board: Dimitrios Vakros

GM: Nick Yakis

Manager: Manny Mickens

Ancona, a town of 68,000 is situated on the west coast of Valdar Island, on the banks of Valdar Bay in the nation of Ruthlandia. In terms of topography, it is an area of mostly flat land with rocky soil, coupled with occasional stony bluffs and hills. It is a chilly, rainy and foggy climate, especially in the winter. Founded by Greek settlers in the late 1870s, who set up the town as a supply port for whaling and cargo ships. They named the town Ancona, because the harbor was shaped like an elbow. "Ancona" is similar in meaning to the Greek word "ankon" for elbow, which translated to "elbow". Ancona still has a thriving Greek community and they make up about a fourth of the town's residents.

When whaling began to decline around 1910, the town sought other revenue streams. The Ancona Whaling Cooperative expanded into maritime insurance and started the Golden Hill Insurance Company. By the late 1940s it had become the largest insurance company in Ruthlandia. The company motto stated, "Golden Hill, the safe place for you and yours".

Today Ancona industry and business is centered on insurance, banking and seafood processing.

Golden Hill Insurance also owns a IPA baseball franchise, the Ancona Red Elephants, who have an interesting history of their own. Originally founded by Jay Loman, an American emigre stock trader during the Roaring '20s. He was an alumnus of the University of Alabama and was a big fan of the Red Elephants athletic teams. So he named his company team the Red Elephants. Loman spent a fortune on his expensive hobby, building a new ballpark and going to the mainland to sign up the best players he could get, illegally paying his "amateurs" exorbitant salaries. Valdar Island was bypassed by many early immigrants because of its inhospitable topography. No one wanted to live there. Big salaries were the only way he could get the best players to come and play in the Valdar Island league. The Ancona Red Elephants were a very dominant team for a decade and were huge fan favorites in the local industrial league. They won the coveted Silver Whale Cup nine years in a row, which is given annually to the Valdar Island League Champion. Like many speculators, Loman lost everything in the Black Monday crash of 1929, including the Red Elephants, who were sold at auction and purchased by the Golden Hill Insurance Company.

Jay Loman Park still stands today and is considered a timeless classic, with its high-arching bleachers in left and right field offering excellent sightlines. Out beyond center field, the immense gold building that houses Golden Hill can be seen, along with some of the old historical buildings of the town, many of which date back to Ancona's whaling days.

The chief food attraction at the stadium is the Catch of the Day Special, a succulent fish and chips meal whose seafood component is never the same thing for two home games in a row. A hot cup of delicious seafood chowder goes good on a chilly Anconan afternoon at Jay Loman Park. Traditional ballpark fare is also available. You will also be entertained by Eddie and Ellie Elephant, the team's mascots. They lead the fans in dances, songs and cheers at each game. You will hear "The Elephant Trumpet" regularly at Elephant games and especially whenever Ancona hits a home run or wins a game.

Ree Ree Ree!
Elephants on parade!
Elephants on parade!

You think you can beat the best
But you're just like the rest
When pachyderm power strikes!
When pachyderm power strikes!

So goodbye ball! (if a homer)
So goodbye (opponent name)! (if a win)
Three cheers for the Elephants!
Three cheers for the Elephants!

Ree! Ree! Ree!

After the game, fans often go to The Mudbath, the unofficial Red Elephants sports bar to talk about the game, knock back a cold brew or two and listen to live music from a local band.

Speaking of local bands, there's a thriving music scene in Ancona and none is more popular than the world-famous Manatees, a multi-platinum album musical group who sings sea chanties and other traditional songs that hearken back to the city's initial whaling days. They, along with the rest of the local groups, are often found playing in the town's equally popular taverns, especially on cold winter nights.

The Ancona Red Elephants GM is Nick Yakis. He has been a player and manager for over 30 years in the Valdar Island League. And keeping everything in the family, Yakis hired his son-in-law, Manny Mickens, as manager. Mickens was a 16-year old phenom in his playing days in the company league. He was a centerfielder who could do it all on the diamond. After retiring as a player, Mickens was quite successful running the baseball program at Ancona University.

The Red Elephants play in the Ruthlandian Union North Division.

Jay Loman Park (1922)

Capacity: 9,849

Dimensions:
LF Line 332
LF Line 352
LCF 375
CF 415
RCF 375
RF 352
RF Line 332

Arlon Champions

Owner: Kobeer Sport and Athletic Apparel

GM/Manager: Gary Louis

Arlon, a town of 87,000 in the Caledonia River delta in southwestern Tycobbia, is located 50 miles north of Turon, a seaport on the Kelnyck Ocean. Arlon’s basic economy is cotton and textile manufacturing, but it is also noted for thoroughbred horse racing at Derby Downs, a magnificent racetrack that features the million-dollar derby each April and the Kobeer Marathon each July, both sponsored by Kobeer Sport and Athletic Apparel Company. Rich alluvial cotton fields stretch for miles outside the town and are the source of its prosperity.

Kobeer is also the proud owner of the Arlon Champions of the Islandian Pro Alliance and play in the Tycobbian Union West Division. The Champions were named after the tennis shoe, “The Champion”, that started the company on the way to being one of the premier sporting and athletic apparel corporations in the country. The Champs play at Derby Downs, the site of the $1,000,000 dollar Arlon Derby each April and one of the most splendid settings in all of baseball. Derby Downs ballpark dates from 1915 and is adjacent to Arlon Derby Downs, the beautiful racetrack, whose twin green towers can be seen out over the centerfield fence. Kobeer regularly has fan appreciation days with free jerseys, caps, sweat suits and shoes just for coming to a Champions game. And in keeping with that old south Tycobbian tradition, delicious mint juleps are served at the concession stands along with other southern delicacies like fried chicken, watermelon and sweet potato pie. Tycobbians of all types love to eat and imbibe almost as much as they love Champs baseball.

Arlon is managed by Gary "Iron Man" Louis, one of the finest gentlemen and most durable players to ever step on a baseball diamond. He was a first baseman for the Marston Nine during their glory years in company leagues and rarely missed a game in his playing career. He once played over 2,300 games in a row. Louis was a teammate of Herm "Baby" George, the most prolific home run hitter in the annals of Islandian baseball.

Derby Downs Park (1915)

Capacity: 10,983

Dimensions:
LF Line 330
LF 350
LCF 375
CF 402
RCF 375
RF 350
RF Line 330

[Eugene Church]

* Special thanks to Jestor. He wrote 95% of the Ancona town history.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Thursday, April 4, 2002

Ruthlandian Union

Sundowners Clip Claxton 6-3, Bristow Wins
The Wynnamac Sundowners evened their record to 2-2 with a 6-3 victory over Claxton at Granger Field. Liam Bristow, a little 32-year-old southpaw held the Diamonds in check on eight hits. Bristow finished up with four strikeouts and walked only one. Catcher Mick Quacken supplied the big blow of the game. He rapped a grand slam homer in the fourth inning to give Bristow all the runs he needed. It was Quacken's first hit this season. He is now 1 for 16 and hitting only .063 thus far this year. Claxton first baseman Marty McCluskey hit two solo roundtrippers and had three hits to pace his team. 19-year-old rookie Ernie Garland was the loser. He was KO'd in the five-run fourth after giving up four hits, walking three and striking out six. It was the Diamonds (3-1) first defeat this season.

Kilkenny Wins 4th Straight on Flanagan's Single
The Kilkenny Cats are on a tear. They have now won four straight games and are unbeaten so far... The Cats edged Sugar Valley 4-3 in a 12-inning contest... sending the Rattlers to their fourth defeat in a row... Center fielder Kirk Pitzer led off the twelfth with a triple, then scored the winning run on second baseman Ricky Flanagan's base hit... Skipper Kieran McKenna got some standout work from his closer Dean Brennan, who stopped Sugar Valley cold with three perfect innings... Brennan struck out five of the nine Rattlers he faced and notched the victory... Reliever Mike Wright was the loser, giving up one run and three hits in three innings... Pitzer paced the Cats with 3-5 and scored twice... Right fielder Tee Boy Joubert cracked his third homer this season and Flanagan drove in a pair of runs... Rattler third baseman Jorge Vargas and right fielder Tommy Sonnier both got their first homers of the year. Kilkenny had a huge advantage in hits, topping Sugar Valley 14 to 6.

Norris Homers, Elnora Slips Past LaGrange
Good relief pitching and shortstop Joe Norris' home run helped Elnora slip past LaGrange 5-4 today at Sports Stadium... Relievers Harry Dye and Taylor Gibbs held the Sports scoreless over the last four and two-thirds innings to set the stage for Norris to hit a game-winning bomb in the top of the eighth... Dye got credit for the win, while Gibbs picked up the save... The All-Stars were led by third baseman Ricky Franklin, who had two hits and two RBIs and got his first homer of the year... Elnora rookie first baseman Ricky Page had 3-5 and batted in two runs... LaGrange had 11 hits to 9 for Elnora... Right fielder Phil Lacroix pace the Sports with three RBIs and three hits, including two doubles... Loser Jack Ratelle was ripped for five runs in eight innings, but did have nine strikeouts... Both clubs are now 2-2 on the year.

Four In a Row for Sunbirds, Garrett Tosses Win
At Bayside Park in Belair Beach, the Sunbirds continued to get outstanding pitching and captured their fourth victory in a row... Marty Pedroza's crew has only given up three runs in four games to date... This time it was Dirk Garrett on the hill with a 3-1 win over the Middlefield Roosters... The lefty pitched into the ninth, allowed only one run on seven hits with seven Ks and two bases on balls... Closer Lou Zanelli did his job by getting the last two outs of the game and getting the save... At the plate center fielder Bobby Joe Morris slapped out three hits and scored twice, first baseman Phil Gravelli had two runs batted in and left fielder Nicky Swift drove in one run... The Sunbirds tagged Don Shaw with the defeat... They scored three runs off him in five innings... Middlefield now stands at 2-2.

St. John Squeezes Out Win Over Taranto 3-2
St. John manager Dickie Billings racked up his third win in four tries this season by squeezing by the Taranto Tars 3-2 at Cathedral Stadium... Adam Chiarra, Claudell Beachum and Richie Renaudin led the way... Chiarra was the winning pitcher, hurling eight and one-third innings, allowing two runs, just one earned,.. Chiarra got into trouble in the ninth when first baseman Georgie Hearn ripped him for a two-run homer, but Beachum strolled in from the bullpen and put out the fire... Beachum sat down the only two batters he faced for his first save this season... Crusader first sacker Renaudin delivered a two-run triple in the seventh for the eventual game-winning runs... A skinny righthander Vittorio Ferrari pitched well, surrendering just three runs and eight hits in going the distance in defeat... Taranto is starting off the season slowly and is 1-3 so far.

Bobcats Scratch Out Win Over Volusia 6-5
Manager Bret George of Beechwood has a fiery club... The Bobcats fought and scratched their way to a 6-5 triumph over the Volusia Vigilantes at the Jailhouse... Beechwood third baseman Gawain Harris and Volusia closer Ricky Moreno went at it with fisticuffs after Harris was hit by Moreno... It was right after left fielder L. J. Aldridge went deep on Moreno to make the score 6-4 in favor of the Bobcats... Both Harris and Moreno were ejected... The Vigilantes mounted a rally in the ninth and cut the margin to one run, but Frankie Lacaze came in from the bullpen and induced a double play ball to end the game with the tying run on first base... Larry Eaton registered the win as he labored into the ninth, permitting five runs and seven hits, while fanning seven and walking four... V's starter Kit Kivett got the loss... He was rapped hard for five runs in four innings... Second baseman Augie Ippolito continued to sparkle with the bat... He crashed his 4th homer this year, good for two runs... Center fielder Lonnie Snider contributed 2-4, scored twice and batted in a run with a triple... Volusia second baseman Francisco Abreu and shortstop Scooter Perez led their team with two hits and an RBI each... Beechwood is now 3-1 on the year, while last year's IPA champs are only 1-3.

Grand City Wipes Out Waleska 9-2
Waleska's owner, Jock Ewing, who lost out in the expansion fight to Gates Billingham, owner of the Grand City Cybercats, was quoted as saying, "We'll just have to kick some butts on the ball field."... That's exactly what has happened in the showdown between the two ball clubs - but its the Cybercats that have been doing all the butt kicking... For the second day in a row Billingham's club has whipped Ewing's team... This time they wiped them out 9-2, battering them for 12 hits... Grand City right fielder Johnny Keitel got his second roundtripper this year and center fielder Tyree Tucker hit his first... Second baseman Jim Farkas went 3-for-5, scored three times and drove in two runs... Tucker also had three hits, including two doubles, batted in three runs and scored twice... Waleska was held to two runs and seven hits by Kerry Loomis, who went the distance for the victory... Jack Wagner started and lost it for Waleska... He gave up four runs in five-plus innings... To make matters even worse, the Cybercats are unbeaten in four games, while Ewing's Westerners are winless in four games.

Ranford Cut Down the Lumberjacks 9-5
Ranford on the road in Forest City thumped the Lumberjacks 9-5 at Riverside Stadium... The Bulls unleased a 15-hit attack and were led by third baseman Robin O'Donoghue with three RBIs and first baseman Jordy John with 3-for-5 and a pair of runs batted in... John poled his first homer of the season... Jackie Hunter got credit for the victory... He allowed three runs - just one earned - in six innings... Hunter fanned six and walked just one... Vic Tselikas got the save, though he was roughed up for two runs in three innings... Forest City was led by center fielder Ryan Morse and third baseman Pops Keller with three hits apiece... Morse had a triple, homered and drove in two runs... Vince Edelman lost the game as he was tagged for four runs in two-plus innings... Ranford and Forest City are both 2-2 on the season.

Cold Creek Hot, Bomb Blackhawks 9-4
Cold Creek had a hot hand with the bats and they bombed Valka at Cybertel Park with four homers en route to a 9-4 thumping... Center fielder Trip Holmes hammered two of them with left fielder Karl Yashin and third baseman Harry Coogan getting the other two... Both Holmes and Yashin have three homers... The Catamounts cashed in bigtime with 15 hits... Coogan and second baseman Jeremy Moyer collected three apiece... The winning pitcher was Carl Herman... He went the distance and kept the Blackhawks in check most of the game, allowing four runs on nine hits with three walks and six Ks... Losing pitcher Ulo Illka suffered the defeat as he was bombarded for eight hits and five runs in five-plus frames... The triumph gave Cold Creek a 2-2 mark... Valka fell to 1-3.

Sligo Derails Crystal Lake 6-3
Sligo got its first IPA victory today at Lakefront Park in Crystal Lake behind the seven-hit pitching of Art Bukowski... The Rovers derailed the Crushers 6-3 with a 10-hit attack, led by left fielder Danny O'Shea, who slugged a three-run homer to highlight a five-run fifth inning... Left fielder Waylon Moses also pitched in with two hits, two RBIs and scored twice... Bukowski had seven strikeouts and three walks in complete-game effort... Left fielder Ben Butler collected his third roundtripper this season for Crystal Lake... The Crushers starter Bill Ehrhardt was ineffective... The Rovers ravaged him for eight hits and six runs in four-plus innings... Both Sligo and Crystal Lake are 1-3.

Bagby Fans 10, Stumps Defenders on 3-Hits
Marston righthander Kenny Bagby twirled a brilliant game, stumping the Fort Benton Defenders on three hits in a 6-1 decision... Bagby fanned 10 Defenders and walked three... The Nine wrapped up the game with four runs in the fifth frame... Second baseman Ken Green led the way with three hits, including a home run... Green drove in a pair of scores... Shortstop Leon Flynn did the only damage to Bagby with a solo home run... Marston rang up 13 hits... The loss went to Jimmy Stone, who was shellacked for six runs in five-plus innings... The Marston Nine ran their season record to 3-1, while Fort Benton dipped to 1-3.

Far Mountain Trims Belle Plaine 6-5
A two-run rally in the seventh inning gave Far Mountain a 6-5 comeback win over Belle Plaine at Musketeer Field... Right fielder Sid Cameron doubled in the tying run, was singled to third by catcher Dave Davis, then scored the winning run on a passed ball by catcher Pete Fourrier... Right fielder Karl Dietz had a two-run roundtripper for the victors... Dave Johnston notched the win, working seven innings and allowing five runs... Closer Mike McCabe retired six batters in succession for his first save of the season... Losing pitcher Zach Brunet was pelted for six runs in his seven innings, but three of them were not earned... Belle Plaine committed four errors in the game... Brunet had nine strikeouts... The Redhawks are even for the year with a 2-2 mark... The Musketeers are 1-3.

Ancona Topples Stoner Stars 8-5
At home at Jay Loman Park, the Ancona Red Elephants ran up an 8-0 lead at the end of seven innings, then held off a rally by the Stoner Stars... Ancona toppled them 8-5 with the victory going to righthander Marty Sellick... Sellick allowed only two earned runs, while giving up nine hits in eight and two-thirds innings... He tired badly in the late innings and needed help from closer Shannon Estes, who got the final out of the game... Both clubs notched nine hits with catcher Dale Kerr sparking the winners with three RBIs and three runs scored... Center fielder Dion Kopsas went 3-for-4 with a double and a triple... The Red Elephants have won three consecutive games and are 3-1 this season, while Stoner has dropped the last three and have fallen to 1-3.

Vipers Sneak By Glasco A's 5-4
Visiting Valmara sneaked by Glasco at Athletics Field 5-4... The Vipers won it in the ninth when left fielder Val Krol singled with two away, stole second and then rode home on Ricky O'Reilly's base hit... Reliever Gerry Wojcik got his second win this season, while the save went to Danny Blauser, who closed it out and picked his first save on the year... Center fielder Jan Szymanski went deep for the first time this year, drove in three runs and scored twice... Closer Ray Cook, who came on in the ninth was the loser... Both Valmara and Glasco are now 2-2.

Eastshore Cops 4th In a Row, Tucker WP
Manager Killer Brewster of the Eastshore Elegants was pleased with his pitcher Rickey Tucker, who went the distance in the 4-2 decision over Rocky Rapids at Snapper Stadium... Tucker fanned nine and held the Snappers to just four hits for the club's fourth straight victory... They have yet to lose a game this season... Center fielder Carl Hendriksen was the Elegants top bat with 3-4, including two doubles... Third baseman Bobby Sutton drove across the winning run with a single in the seventh inning to put Eastshore up 3-2... Reliever Norrie Wickham was the loser... Snapper third sacker Phil Cates had the only home run in the game, his second this season... Rocky Rapids fell to a 2-2 record for the year.

San Dimas Wins First Game, Edges Colfax 4-3
San Dimas made the home crowd happy at Ranchero Stadium with a tight 4-3 triumph over the Colfax Blasters... San Dimas took an early 4-1 lead after three innings and then held Colfax off the rest of the game... It was the Rancheros first-ever IPA victory... Winning pitcher Wayne Mallard stopped Colfax on five hits, while striking out 11... Cliff Pope clinched the verdict with a runless ninth in relief... two of the outs came on Ks... Pacing San Dimas at bat were right fielder Dale Roberson and third baseman Grover Crenshaw... They both scored a run and had three hits... Center fielder Pat Lott led the Blasters with 2-3 and a home run, number two for him this year... Colfax starter Jasper LaForge pitched the entire game in defeat, allowing nine hits and four runs with three strikeouts... The Blasters have a 2-2 mark this season, while San Dimas is now at 1-3.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Thursday, April 4, 2002

Tycobbian Union

Unbeaten Hurricanes Tame Hawks 4-2
Manager Huggy Miller of Cape Coral got a masterful outing from Max Darenhauer... The 24-year-old rookie righthander stopped North Hills 4-2 for the Hurricanes fourth win in succession this season... Darenhauer set down 10 Hawks on strikes, while walking four, giving up two runs and eight hits in eight innings... Miller called in his closer in the ninth and Tommy Archer did his job by whiffing two of the three batters in the inning... Shortstop Bobo Hatfield broke up a 2-2 tie in the eighth with an RBI single... Pinchhitter Rick Castle's sac fly made it 4-2... Third baseman Hoshi Sato belted his second homer in the fifth inning for the winners... Dooley O'Malley caught the loss... He worked seven innings, surrendered three runs - just two earned - on 10 hits... North Hills with famed screwballer Hub Carlson at the helm is now 1-3.

Frogs Slips By Turon 3-2, Cervenak Wins It
19-year-old rookie hurler Solly Cervenak certainly made an impression on his manager Harry Buckley and on the Turon Typhoons, too... Cervenak pitched like a veteran, beating Turon 3-2... The Typhoons only managed two runs and four hits off the youngster in his seven innings... He didn't allow an earned run... Cervanak walked only one and fanned five for the win... Bobby Ray Trent finished out the game for him, but gave up a home run to George Farley in the ninth... Frog third baseman Stan Cobb won it in the seventh with a two-run single... Fairfax won despite being held to just four hits... Scotty Boswell was the loser... He gave up all three runs and three hits in his six innings... Boswell had control problems with eight walks... He struck out nine batters... The Frogs evened up their season mark to 2-2, while North Hills dropped down to 1-3.

Ozarka Trips Up Oxford 4-3, Hatch Hurls Win
After losing its first three games, Ozarka finally broke the spell with a 4-3 triumph over Oxford at home at Ellie Ewing Stadium... Luther Hatch held the Red Caps in check on seven hits, while fanning eight and walking two... Nats center fielder Teddy Braun and second baseman Duane Starr led the batters with two hits and an RBI apiece... Braun had two doubles... Loser Boomer Belinsky also pitched a complete game, permitting five hits with only two earned runs... The Naturals are now 1-3 with Oxford all even at 2-2.

Bucs Unbeaten, Beat Blue Sox for 4th Straight
It's a new season and everything is coming up roses so far for the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers and manager Guy Rondre... The Bucs beat Blue Lake 6-2 on the road and are unbeaten this season... It was their fourth straight victory... Duncan McFalls limited the Blue Sox to just four hits as he went the distance, striking out nine and issuing five walks... Right fielder Nickie Friedrich led the way with two hits and three RBIs... Third baseman Ed Albrecht chipped with a two-run blast, his second this year... The Buccaneers ripped losing pitcher Mickey Dwyer for five runs in five-plus innings... Bay St. Clair is a perfect 4-0 in the standings, while Blue Lake sank to 1-3... The Blue Sox have lost their last three contests.

Tuckanarra Takes Bayview 5-2 Behind Crowe
At Central Park Stadium in Tuckanarra, Will Crowe and Frank Wells went toe-to-toe for eight innings in a 2-2 deadlock, then the Blue Jays erupted for three runs in the ninth to take a 5-2 victory over Bayview... Corey Tavington's double plated the go-ahead run... Crowe limited the Vikings to two runs and six hits, while walking two and fanning only one... Tuckanarra had 10 hits overall and were paced by left fielder Tavington with two doubles and two RBIs and center fielder Monty Draycott with his fourth homer of the year... Wells pitched the entire game and garnered the loss... He finished up with four Ks and a walk... The Blue Jays, skippered by Carlton Stevens, a great lefthander in his day, are 3-1 thus far this season... Bayview is 1-3.

Colchester Conks Red Bluff 8-3
Colchester knocked off Red Bluff 8-4 with three home runs to send the Red Sox down to a fourth consecutive loss... The Elites took a 6-4 lead in the sixth on an RBI double by Eldon Hutchens and a single by Kenny Krantz... Left fielder Tal Tarcijonas, shortstop Eddy Ellis and first baseman Niles Stanton unloaded longballs... Center fielder Hutchens scored three runs and had 3 hits... Right fielder Krantz had two hits... and second baseman Leland Curtis went 2-4 and scored a pair of runs for the winners... Dickie Pendarvis labored throughout the game, but managed to get win and a complete game... Pendarvis allowed eight hits and four runs, while walking four and striking out no one... Cloyd Harris caught the loss as Colchester slapped him for two runs in the sixth... Left fielder Howard Fullerton and right fielder Tony Scalise had solo homers for the Red Sox... The Elites are 2-2 after four games, while Red Bluff is 0-4.

Chicopee Outhits Hartsdale 11-8
There was plenty of offense at Pioneer Park in Hartsdale today as the visiting Chicopee Braves went on the warpath with three home runs and 16 hits to scorch the Hellcats 11-8... Right fielder Jason Black Fox and third baseman Ben McClendon sparked the attack with three RBIs each... Black Fox, McClendon and catcher Ivan Burkholder all homered in the game... Hartsdale also hammered 13 hits and three homers, two by first baseman Mac Faulkner and one by third baseman Whiz Weaver... Faulkner had four hits and batted in five runs... Big Feather Cheveyo was credited with the win with a save going to Johnny Whirlwind, one of the few effective pitchers in the slugfest... Whirlwind worked three innings and gave up only one run... The Braves battered Hellcat starter Mitch Yassen unmercilessly for seven runs and ten hits in three-plus innings... Chicopee's record is now evened at 2-2 with Hartsdale falling to 1-3.

Rascals Go 11 Innings to Nose Out DC Redbirds 6-5
At Douglas Denton Field in Denton City, the White River Rascals scored the winning run without the benefit of a hit to win 6-5 in 11 innings... a hit batsman, a dropped fly and two walks forced in the winning run... Wildman Tim O'Herlihy picked up the defeat with the victory going to Butch Beaulieu, who worked two and a third scoreless innings... Rascals first baseman Al Joyner and third baseman Josh Seabolt hit back-to-back homers and drove in two runs apiece... It was Joyner's 5th of the year and Seabolt's second... Shortstop Tony Cermak also had two RBIs... Redbird center fielder Cris Willis plated a pair of runs... White River raised its record to 3-1 and Denton City lowered its mark to 2-2.

Hillsboro Tops Midway 15-14, Teams Hit 13 Homers
It was a historic day in the IPA with a record-breaking 13 homers in the game at Hanford Stadium... When it ended Hillsboro had won a 15-14 victory over Midway in the highest-scoring game ever... The Blazers ripped 8 out of the park and the Wolves unloaded 5... Hillsboro had 17 hits, while Midway swatted 13... Right fielder Rowdy Marshall, left fielder Doogie Stanzel and third baseman Red Barbosa paced the Blazers with three RBI each... Stanzel and Barbosa had two homers each with catcher Bill Worthington, second baseman Tommy Emrick, Marshall and first baseman Audie Williamson all collecting one apiece... For the Wolves left fielder Gerry Alger rapped two roundtrippers and batted in six runs and first baseman Billy Ohitekah slammed two and drove in four runs... Third baseman Denny Alpert also homered... Reliever Cooper Rankin faced only one batter, got him out and received credit for the win... The defeat went to Johnny Hensley, who was pounded for four homers and five runs in just two-thirds of an inning... He was trailing 11-8 when he made his departure.

Fairfax and Claxton had the old record of 6 homers in a game by one team... Fairfax did it on July 15 last year and Claxton did it on April 28... The record for most homers in a game was 9, held by Sugar Valley (5) and Waleska (4) and set on August 19, 2001 in a 10-inning game... This game tied the IPA mark for most runs in a game by two teams... Marston (20) and Belair Beach (9) put 29 on the scoreboard last June 22... This was Midway's first defeat this season...The Wolves are 3-1... The Blazers are now 2-2.

Dilworth Pitches Mahaska Past Summerland 5-3
At Sunset Stadium in Summerland, Fergy Dilworth pitched the Mahaska Haymakers past the Sunsets 5-3... Dilworth tossed a complete game, holding Summerland to seven hits, while striking out five and giving up only one walk... The Haymakers rapped out 14 hits and were led by second baseman Kris Dragovich with two hits and two RBIs... First baseman Matt Raymond and shortstop Val Ivanenko also chipped in with three hits each... The loss went to Byron Hastings, who gave up all five runs on 13 hits in his seven innings... Both ball clubs are 2-2 on the year.

Sun Sox Belt 3 HRs, Dump Arlon 6-2
In a game played at Derby Downs in Arlon, the Southport Sun Sox put away the Champions 6-2 with a four-run fourth-inning outburst... The Sun Sox smacked out a dozen hits and three homers and were paced by center fielder Rich Crowley, right fielder Ben Dixon and catcher Alex Fourroux... They all three hit home runs with Crowley and Dixon getting three hits apiece... Fourroux and first baseman Pat Mystryk each had two hits and two RBIs... On the hill Roy Thomas excelled with seven good innings, permitting only one run and seven hits... Rod Kelley suffered the loss for Arlon as he was battered for five runs in four-plus innings... Southport improved to 3-1 this season, while Arlon is 2-2.

De Paz Dazzles with 2-Hitter, SA Stops Ninjas 5-1
San Alejo's 34-year-old righthander Gilberto De Paz dazzled the Ginza Ninjas at Ninja Stadium 5-1 on a two-hitter... De Paz allowed only two singles, fanned eight and issued two bases on balls... He was backed up by 10 hits with third baseman Paolo Huerta leading the way with 3-for-3, two RBIs and two runs scored. Huerta hit his third homer this year... Also hitting one out was first baseman Francisco Garza... He got his second this season... Emil Kreskas sustained the loss as the Montaneros drilled him for ten hits and five runs in eight innings... San Alejo is record is 3-1, while Ginza is now 1-3.

Suns Win First Game, Estrada Beats Wildcats 7-2
At the Casa de Beisbol the Arroyo Grande Suns captured their first win of the season with a 7-2 triumph over the Kenwood Wildcats... Alonso Estrada hurled a strong game, halting the Wildcats on five hits, while striking out seven batters and walking just one... The Suns piled up 13 hits off Kenwood pitching and were led by center fielder Dante Brunet, second baseman Lou Prejean and Estrada... They all had three hits each with Brunet getting a homer and scoring three times... Prejean drove in a pair of scores... Wildcat center fielder Arnold Wesley also went deep... Losing pitcher Garrick Hamilton was sent to the showers in the sixth after being battered for nine hits and six runs... Arroyo Grande is now 1-3 thus far this season and Kenwood is all ever at 2-2.

EP's Glasscock Humbles South Fork 6-2
The fans at Armed Forces Park saw a good mound performance by East Point southpaw Bill Glasscock, who humbled South Fork 8-2... He scattered eight hits in the game, fanned eight, while walking three... Ken Olson also went the distance and lost it as he allowed six runs and seven hits... The Panthers were sparked by third baseman Rex Sokolov, who had two hits, a two-run homer and batted in four runs... It was his third roundtripper... The Panthers and Stallions are each now 2-2 on the year.

Reds Win 5-1, Makya Tames Lynx
Righthander Tommy Makya of the Rolling Hills Reds was in midseason form with a 5-1 win over the La Claire Lynx at the Midtown Base Ball Grounds... Makya, who throws almost 100 mph, gave up no walks, had four strikeouts and stopped the Lynx on six hits... The Reds went ahead to stay in the last of the second when they scored three runs on a double, walk, two-base error and a ground out... Third baseman Big Jack Minninewah hit a home run and scored twice to lead the club... La Claire only gave up five hits in the game with the loss going to Pat Daniels... He gave up all five runs and four hits, but only two of them were earned... Rolling Hills is 3-1, while La Claire has been beaten in all four games this season.

Cowboys Win Wild One From Zorros 10-9
Playing at home the high-scoring High Mesa Cowboys won a wild one from the Luxora Zorros 10-9... The Cowboys had to come back from a 9-7 deficit in the bottom of the ninth and won on a walk-off wild pitch... The Z's outhit them 16 to 11, but High Mesa came through in the clutch... Center fielder Lex Neville slammed his second homer of the season, scored three times and batted in three to lead the Cowboys... Pinchhitters played a vital role, too... Virgil Carpenter delivered a two-run single and Matt Brennicke homered... Leading the Luxora offense were first baseman Paul Hallenbeck with four hits, right fielder Lacey Tompkins with three hits and third baseman Rico Vina and left fielder Pedro Vizquel with two hits and two RBIs apiece... Vina and Vizquel homered... Nick Plaisance was the last of five Cowboy pitchers and he notched the win... He came on in the ninth and put a stop to the Zorros 3-run inning... The loss went to Luxora's fine closer Roberto Martinez, who was ripped for five runs in just one and two-thirds innings... High Mesa moved it season mark to 3-1 and Luxora fell to 2-2.

Luxora tied the IPA record for most triples in a game with three... Vizquel, Tompkins and second baseman Pablo Santa Cruz each hit one... The Zorros now share the mark with four teams that accomplished it last year. Belair Beach did it on May 4, Glasco on June 2, Volusia on August 1 and Ozarka on August 13.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, April 5, 2001

Around the Town in the IPA

ARROYO GRANDE SUNS

Owner: Capet Manor Vineyards, Abelard Capet, President and CEO

GM/Manager: Jean-Luc Marchand

Arroyo Grande is a coastal town of 72,000 located on Arvonian Island, which is south of the main island that composes Tycobbia and Ruthlandia. Arvonian Island is politically part of Tycobbia.

When the first Portuguese sailors and settlers arrived to the region, they discovered a native people already there, who called themselves the Islans (Iz-lons) and spoke their own language, Islandean (Iz-lon-dee-an). The name of the town is from the Portuguese language and translates into English as Magnificient Spring.

As you might expect from the name, there is a stunning hot spring located in the town, with several tributaries appearing on the outskirts that provide the fountain for the many bath houses that are a major component of the town's tourism industry. Indeed, as the famous Tycobbian author Nicholas Appleby wrote upon visiting the main spring, "I stepped into those steaming, blissful waters and knew then that heaven exists not in the remote sky, but in the town of Arroyo Grande."

Another critical component to the economy is Capet Manor, a massive fruit farm and vineyard operation on the outskirts of town. Makers of the famed Capet Manor wines and juices, the estate has been owned by the Capet family since the early 1900s. They claim to be able to trace their lineage all the way back to the Capet dynasty of French kings. Abelard Capet is the current owner of both the Manor and the Arroyo Grande Suns.

It is almost a requirement that residents be multi-lingual. English, Islandean and French and Portugeuse are heard on the busy streets of Arroyo Grande. Arroyo Grande University, a private four-year college of 4,500 students, further affirms this, with their specialities in languages, literature, history, drama, and dance.

This lovely coastal town has more to offer than just academia, hot springs and something to drink. The white sand beaches are a delight to sunbathe on with the wonderful Southern Sea just a few steps away for swimming and boating. In the town itself, theatres and moviehouses abound, offering plays, ballets and movies ranging from the latest blockbuster hits to one of the fine independent films from Arroyo Grande's small, but high quality cadre of independent filmmakers.

And of course there are the Arroyo Grande Suns. The team plays in Capet Park, a grass field stadium that has one of the most beautiful backdrops in all of the Islands. In the distance are the sky-blue waters of the Southern Sea. Multitudes of gorgeous palm trees line the pretty boulevards and streets of the town.

An upper deck level that sits out in center field directly beneath the scoreboard is nicknamed the Sunspot and it's home to the most diehard Suns fans, who paint their faces orange and yellow, the team's colors, roaring and beating on their drums in celebration whenever there's a home team home run or rally.

The food at the stadium is a mixture of traditional ballpark fare and food unique to Arroyo Grande, such as native Islan dishes that include the popular rissora, a curry rice that washes down well with your favorite Capet Manor drink.

The Arroyo Grande Suns are skippered by Jean-Luc Marchand, who also doubles up as the general manager. Marchand was jouneyman catcher in the Arvonian industrial leagues, who became an outstanding manager after his playing days. Marchand also ran the Arroyo Grande University sports program as the athletic director and baseball coach.

Capet Stadium

Capacity: 9,849

Dimensions:

LF Line 340
LF 355
LCF 375
CF 400
RCF 375
RF 355
RF Line 340

[Eugene Church]

Another special thanks to Jestor, who wrote 95% of the Arroyo Grande town history.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, April 5, 2002

Around the Town in the IPA

BAY ST. CLAIR BUCCANEERS

Owner: Louis "Sugar Lips" Charles

GM/Manager: Guy Rondre (pronounced "Gee Ron-dray")

Bay St. Clair is a major port, tourist destination and petroleum and railroad center, located in southwestern Tycobbia on its namesake, Bay St. Clair, a great natural harbor. It is a town of 117,000 resting on the Appian River, which empties into the Kelnyck Ocean. The town was established in the 1850s by a group of American abolitionists from the North and the South, who saw the coming Civil War. They wanted to set up a country free from slavery and religious intolerance.

Offshore oil rigs in the Southern Sea provide a great boost to the local economy and a thriving petroleum business. Noxxe Oil Corporation is one of the nation's biggest and its home office is in Bay St. Clair.

Climate-wise winters are mild and summers hot in the bay area. Breathtakingly beautiful white beaches and luxurious hotels dot the coastline. Bay St. Clair has a multicultural heritage with French and Creole backgrounds. It is known for great music, exquisite cuisine and good times. Bon Temps ("Good Times" in French) is a lenten carnival, famous for parades, costumed balls and frivolity. Jazz funerals are a noted part of the town's culture.

Another important annual event and tourist lure is the Bay St. Clair Jazz and Music Heritage Foundation's "Jazzfest". This is ten days of jazz, blues, gospel and rock greats.

Bay St. Clair is also home of the Buccaneers baseball team of the Islandian Pro Alliance. The Bucs are in the Tycobbian Union's West Division. They are owned by jazz immortal, Louis "Sugar Lips" Charles. This Creole singer and trumpeteer loves his baseball just about as much as his music. He was one of the league creators along with Jock Ewing, Rob Jackson and John Banson.

The club plays at Shoreline Stadium, which looks out on the beautiful white beaches and blue-watered bay. A brass band, often led by "Sugar Lips", entertains the fans at all Buccaneers' games. At the seventh inning stretch, the band plays "When the Bucs Go Marching In". And when the opposing teams have to go to the bullpen for a relief pitcher, the band welcomes him with a funeral dirge, a sad and mournful song. When the game is decided in favor of the Bucs, they begin playing a lively Dixieland victory tune and parade around the stadium.

Concessions are great with wonderful Creole soul food, gumbo (seafood and okra soup), red beans and rice, jambalaya (seafood casserole), hot beignets (pronounced "ben-yays"), hot out-of-the-grease doughnuts, covered in powdered sugar, cafe au lait (chicory coffee with hot milk), pecan pralines (candy), snowballs, topped with sweet condensed milk, and the traditional hamburgers and hot dogs.

Bay St. Clair's GM and Manager is hometown boy, Guy Rondre, a fine southpaw in his industrial league days. He was known for a great fastball and was nicknamed "Lightning".

Shoreline Stadium (1940)

Capacity: 9,350

Dimensions:
LF Line 332
LF 360
LCF 388
CF 400
RCF 381
RF 350
RF Line 325

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, April 5, 2002

IPA Suspends Moreno and Harris
At yesterday's Bobcats-Vigilantes contest at City Park Stadium third baseman Gawain Harris of Beechwood took exception to what closer Ricky Moreno of Volusia said to him and tackled him. This led to an old-fashioned bench-clearing free-for-all between the two clubs. After the umpires restored order, they ejected both players. Today the league commissioner's office took action and suspended each player for 2 games, citing them for "inappropriate and aggressive conduct".

Beechwood won the game 6-5, while the fight was ruled a draw.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, April 5, 2002

Ruthlandian Union

Colfax and Guidry Stop San Dimas 2-1
Colfax took the rubber game of the three-game series by edging San Dimas 2-1 at Ranchero Stadium... Flash Guidry (1-1 1.59) fired an impressive game, holding the Rancheros to six hits, while fanning seven and walking none... He outhurled Josh Houston, who just didn't get any bat support... Houston (0-2 2.81) gave up seven hits, allowed no walks and struck out five... Second baseman Tucker Hill (.190) broke up a scoreless duel in the eighth with an RBI triple and scored the second run on a sacrifice fly ball by left fielder Rodney Rich (.250)... San Dimas second baseman Cyclone Cobb (.182) led off the ninth with a double and came around to score on right fielder Dale Roberson's (.211) base hit... A quick double play got Guidry out of trouble... The Colfax Blasters are 3-2 and San Dimas is 1-4.

Stoner Trips Up Ancona With a 4-Run 7th
It took a four-run rally in the seventh inning for the Stoner Stars trip up the Ancona Red Elephants at Jay Loman Park... First baseman Garland Andre (.263) led the Stars to victory with three hits, a homer (2) and four RBIs... third baseman Allen Black (.600) also added in two hits and two RBIs... Erich Schrader (2-0 3,00) copped his second win of the season... He allowed four runs in six innings and struck out eight... Georgie West (0-0 1.50) saved it for him by tossing three scoreless frames... Rip Bourikas (0-1 4.30) lost it, giving up six runs before he exited in the seventh... Right fielder Gene Kanavos (.409) paced the Red Elephants with two hits and two RBIs, including a home run (1)... Left fielder Drago Pantelos (.125) also tripled in two runs... Stoner outhit Ancona 12 to 7... The Stars are 2-3 on the year, while Ancona is 3-2... The Red Elephants took the series two games to one.

Sunbirds Slip By Roosters for 5th Win in a Row
Belair Beach continues to get amazing pitching as portsider Carl Thompson hurled them to their fifth win in a row... Thompson (2-0 0.50) was tagged for 10 hits by the Middlefield Roosters, but he beat them 2-1, striking out eight... The Sunbirds won it in the last of the ninth when first baseman Phil Gravelli (.316) tripled to lead off the inning and scored on second baseman Rick Sullivan's fly ball to deep right... Losing pitcher Curtis Smith had fine outing, allowed only five hits and two runs... Manager Marty Pedroza's mound staff has yielded only four runs in five games now... Middlefield is 2-3 this year as Belair Beach swept the three-game series.

Elnora Skims By LaGrange 3-2 in 10 Innings
Pat Savoie and Paul Giles were the heroes in Elnora's 3-2 ten-inning triumph over LaGrange at Sports Stadium... Savoie (1-1 3.38) stymied the Sports on seven hits and went the distance, striking out eight batters and giving up a pair of base on balls, while Giles (.316) doubled in second baseman Gil Foster (.125) with the winning run... Center fielder Rusty Gilbert (.273) and third baseman Richie Franklin (.222) also got in the act with homers... Both of them hit their second roundtrippers of the year... La Grange third baseman Jim Helwig (.250) drove in both of their runs... Barney Prohaska (0-1 4.80) started for the Sports and held the All-Stars to just two runs on seven hits in his nine innings... Prohaska fanned nine and walked only one... Riley Kincade (0-1 9.00) was pinned with the loss... Elnora improved to 3-2 on the season, while LaGrange falls to 2-3... The All-Stars took two of the three games in the series.

Benson Ends Rattlers 4-Game Losing Streak
Two streaks came to an end today at Farmers Memorial Stadium in Sugar Valley... Ron Benson put an end to Sugar Valley's four-game losing streak and also stopped the Kilkenny Cats' winning streak at four games... Benson (1-1 2.61) beat the Cats 5-4, struck out 10, walked three and held them to only four hits... Catcher Slingshot McFall (.350) led the Rattlers with two RBIs and second baseman Rudi Oliver (.318) and first baseman Ron Armstrong (.227) hit solo homers... It was Oliver's first of the season and number two for Armstrong... Kilkenny's first baseman Rowdy O'Leary (.280) drove in all of their runs with a double and a homer (1)... Sean O'Doherty (0-1 3.21) got the loss, going six innings and permitting four runs... The Cats are 4-1 now and Sugar Valley is 1-4.

V's Sandoval Sets Down Bobcats 5-2
Volusia took advantage of faulty fielding by Beechwood and whipped them 5-2 behind Raul Sandoval... The Bobcats committed three costly errors that gave the Vigilantes three runs... Sandoval (2-0 2.00) went all the way, struck out nine and walked one, while scattering nine hits... The V's racked up 10 hits and were sparked by second baseman Francisco Abreu (.474), who went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs... Abreu slammed his second home run of the season... Southpaw Joe Hahn (1-1 2.77) was the losing hurler although he only gave up two earned runs... Hahn was touched for five runs in his six-plus innings... The Vigilantes upped their season mark to 2-3... Beechwood dropped to 3-2.

Taranto Smacks St. John 8-1, Bianchi Goes Distance
Manager Tommaso Lazzorda's Taranto Tars put it all together today and smacked down the St. John Crusaders 8-1 behind Carlo Bianchi... Not only did the Tars get it done on the hill, they did it with the bat, too... Right fielder Bobby Pascarelli led the way with 3-for-5 and five RBIs, including his second homer so far this season... Taranto rapped out 11 hits in all... Bianchi had nine Ks, walked nobody and held the Crusaders to seven hits... A five-run eighth inning broke open a close game... Zach Simon (1-1 3.78) has an off day and was ripped for seven runs when he was KO'd in the eighth... Taranto is 2-3 on the season, while St. John is now 3-2.

'Jacks and Bahr Upend Ranford Bulls 8-4
Forest City lefthander Herm Bahr settled down after a rough beginning and he defeated the Ranford Bulls 8-4... The game was tied 4-4 at the end of four and Bahr blanked the Bulls the rest of the way... A four-run fifth ignited the Lumberjacks victory... Leading the 'Jacks 13-hit attack was first baseman J. T. Edmonds (.308) with a perfect day at bat, going 3-3 with two runs scored and two batted in... Edmonds also hit his first homer of the year... Second baseman Jesse Wolf (.381) and catcher Gerry Tucker (.167) also contributed a pair of RBIs each... Bahr (1-1 5.79) went the route, permitted six hits, fanned one and walked four... Forest City slammed losing pitcher Paul Dickey (1-1 6.59) for eight runs and 11 hits before he exited in the fifth frame... The Lumberjacks kicked their season mark up to 3-2, while Ranford dipped to 2-3.

Cold Creek Shoots Down Blackhawks 5-1
Lew MacAlester of Cold Creek may be 36-year-old, but he can still hum a baseball with the best of them - just ask the Valka Blackhawks. MacAlester (1-1 2.12) did just that in a 5-1 win over the Blackhawks at Cybertel Stadium... The Catamount lefty struck out six, walked three and allowed only one run and six hits... Third baseman Hank Coogan (.474) had two hits and scored twice to pace the club, including his second roundtripper of the year... Right fielder Joel Reed (.333) added two hits and two RBIs, including his second home run... Center fielder Trip Holmes (.364) also went 3-for-5 in the victory... Erik Sommers (0-2 4.80) took the loss, yielding five runs in six-plus innings... Cold Creek, piloted by town legend, T. Kelly Holmes, is 3-2 this season... Valka is 1-4.

Wilson Homers, Claxton Tops Wynnamac 6-4
Wayne Wilson did it again for the second time this week - the Claxton centerfielder smashed a two-run homer in the ninth inning to top Wynnamax 6-4... Wilson (.476) had a walk-off homer earlier in the week... The Diamonds fell behind early in the contest, trailing by 4-1 after the third inning, but slowly cut the margin down and tied it up by the eighth... Superb relief work saved the day... Carlo Funicello (0-0 1.59) and Tom Dahl totally shut down the Sundowners over the last six innings, holding them to just one hit and no runs... Dahl (1-0 0.00) chalked up the victory... Wynnamac closer Angus Conroy (0-1 18.00) got the loss when he gave up the game-winning homer... Claxton, with "The Old Perfesser" Stacy Engel at the helm, captured its fourth win in five starts, while Wynnamac fell to 2-3.

Fort Benton's Chiarra Cuts Down Marston 3-1
Fort Benton hasn't been scoring much this season, but when Tom Chiarra is on the mound, the Defenders don't need many runs... Chiarra checked Marston on five hits today at Old Fortress Stadium en route to a 3-1 triumph... It was his second win of the year... Chiarra (2-0 1.59) fanned six and issued no bases on balls in a very impressive outing... Right fielder Murph Lunsford (.235) gave him all the runs he needed in the opening frame when he singled in two runs... The loss went to Nick Pace (0-1 3.71), who went the distance, permitted three runs on nine hits, whiffed seven and allowed four walks... Fort Benton's record is 2-3 on the season and Marston is 3-2.

BP's Ambeau Blanks Far Mountain 4-0
Belle Plaine's Jack Ambeau is 37, but he can still throw 95 mph heat. Today the righthander easily handled the Far Mountain Redhawks and blanked them 4-0 on five hits... Ambeau (1-1 3.55) gave up only singles and completely shut them down, striking out 11 and walking only one batter... The Musketeers scored all of their runs in the second inning, highlighted by first baseman Scott Theriot's three-run home run... The losing pitcher was John Luzzatti (1-1 9.00), who surrendered all four runs and departed in the rough second inning... Both teams are now 2-3 in the standings.

Waleska Finally Wins, Slams Grand City 9-1
Coming into today's contest, Waleska had lost all four games this season and Grand City hadn't lost one. Smokey Joe Carter put a stop to both streaks. He went the distance and beat the Cybercats 9-1 at Westerner Field... Waleska's bats were booming, too, with left fielder Big Hoss Burkhalter (.350) rapping out three hits, driving in three runs and scoring twice... Big Hoss slugged his second home run this season... Center fielder Rick Vaughn also drove in two runs with his first homer... The Westerners piled up 11 hits in all... Carter (1-0 0.56) held Grand City to seven hits and sat down eight on strikes, while walking three... Waleska is now 1-4 and the Cybercats 4-1.

Vipers Vault Past A's on Mazurek's 3-Run HR
Two of the better pitchers in the IPA were on the mound at Athletics Field in Glasco... It was Valmara's Zeke Zalewski and Glasco's Jesse Balfour, who won 36 games between them last season... They battled to a 1-1 tie after six innings and then in the seventh Viper shortstop Matt Mazurek (.133) busted it up with a three-run blast... Valmara went on to win the game 5-1 with the victory going to Zalewski (1-1 2.87) and the loss to Balfour (0-2 9.90)... Zalewski restricted the A's to just four hits, walked two and struck out four in a route-going job... Balfour was hit hard for four runs and six hits when he left in the seventh inning... The Vipers improved to 3-2 this year with the Athletics dropping to 2-3.

Snappers Brown Sizzles, Shuts Out Elegants 5-0
Eastshore finally met their match this season. They suffered their first loss as Tom Brown of Rocky Rapids snapped the Elegants four-game winning streak with a superb 4-hit shutout... Brown (2-0 2.00) blanked them 5-0 in a sizzling performance with 11 Ks and only two walks... Eastshore could only manage 4 singles... The Snappers shelled Eastshore for 11 hits with roundtrippers by first baseman Stan Haddix (.238) and second baseman Timmy Peters (.316)... The defeat went to Justin Lloyd (1-1 4.15), who was slapped around for four runs and eight hits in just four innings... Eastshore now sports a 4-1 mark on the year, while Rocky Rapids is 3-2.

Crushers Roll Over Rovers 7-2, Giambi Winner
The Crystal Lake Crushers rolled over the Sligo Rovers 7-2 today at Lakefront Stadium. It was combination of strong pitching by righthander Rocky Giambi and solid hitting by third baseman Ray Picou (.222) with three RBIs and left fielder Ben Butler (.316) with a pair of runs batted in... Butler boomed his fourth homer of the year... Second baseman Ollie Jansson also starred with 3-for-4... He scored three times and batted in a run... Giambi (1-1 3.55) went the distance, limiting Sligo to four singles, fanning nine and walking none in a superlative outing... Ezzie Grant (0-2 4.73) toiled in defeat and was tagged for six runs in less than six innings... Crystal Lake is 3-2 and Sligo is just 1-4.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, April 5, 2002

Tycobbian Union

DC's Bishop Hurls First IPA No-Hitter
For the first time in IPA history a pitcher has pitched a no-hitter... It happened at Douglas Denton Field as Dale Bishop (1-0 2.25) of the Denton City Redbirds held the White River Rascals hitless in a 7-0 shutout victory... Bishop, a 34-year-old righthander, walked three batters, while striking out four... Bishop got plenty of run support as the Redbirds pelted White River pitching for 12 hits... Leading the attack was shortstop Trevor Tomlinson (.375), who went two for four, including a three-run homer... Third baseman Kenny Sterling also homered, his third of the season... Slats Bledsoe (1-1 5.93) was shackled with the loss as Denton City drilled him for six runs in three and two-thirds innings... Both teams now have 3-2 records.

Nats Didriksen Stops Oxford 5-2 On 4 Hits
In an impressive outing Tony Didriksen of Ozarka stopped the Oxford Red Caps on just four hits en route to a 5-2 victory... Didriksen (1-1 3.95) went the distance striking out eight and walking two... Leading the Naturals at bat were third baseman Doug Cunningham and first baseman Floyd Snow... Cunningham (.316) went three for four with a double and three RBIs... Snow (.350) was two for four with a two-run homer... Right fielder Dante Vander Meer (.286) went deep for Oxford's only two runs... Mark Bright suffered the defeat, allowing four runs in three innings... Both Ozarka and Oxford are 2-3 this year.

Blue Sox Rally, Beat Bucs 5-4 in 10 Innings
At Harbor Stadium in Blue Lake, the Blue Sox rallied from a two-run deficit in the bottom of the tenth to come back and beat Bay St. Clair 5-4 on catcher Curly Harris' RBI double... The loss ended the Buccaneers winning string at four... Bennie West (2-0 2.84) got the complete-game victory, pitching all ten innings... West whiffed eight and walked one, while giving up 11 hits... Reliever Don Yaden (0-1 3.38) pitched to only two batters, gave up two hits and the winning run... Harris (.235) topped Blue Lake with a double, homer (2) and two runs batted in... Second baseman Ken Bennett (.176) also had a home run for the winners... Center fielder Wayne Latham (.273) cracked a two-run clout for the Buccaneers, while left fielder Charley Moon collected a four-bagger, too... Bay St. Clair had the edge in hits 11 to 8... Bay St. Clair is now 4-1 on the season with Blue Lake at 2-3.

Tuckanarra Takes Bayview 4-3 On Tavington's Hit
Wildness by closer Buzzy Lewis opened the door for Tuckanarra to snatch a win away from the Bayview Vikings 4-3... Lewis (0-1 10.80) walked four batters in just one and two-thirds inning to pick up the loss... Lewis' two walks in the ninth put runners on first and second and set the stage for left fielder Corey Tavington (.471) to single in the winning run... Capturing the win was Coorain Janama (2-0 1.50), who went the distance, gave up six hits, fanned five and walked two... Center fielder Monty Draycott (.500) hit his 5th homer for the Blue Jays... Tuckanarra is 4-1 in the standings, while the Vikings fell to 1-4.

Scalise's Grand Slam Sends Red Sox Past Elites 9-5
At Red Bluff Park, Right fielder Tony Scalise clouted a grand slam to power the Red Sox past the Colchester Elites 9-5 in ten innings... Second baseman Brooks Cole (.421) and shortstop Vern Gable (.273) also chipped in roundtrippers for the winners... Closer Frosty Steiner (1-0 0.00) registered the win with two scoreless innings, while Mark D'Allessandro (0-1 10.80) took the loss in relief... He permitted four runs in three and one-third innings... Third baseman Bill Keese (.211) homered for Colchester and catcher Joey Siegfried (.278) batted in a pair of runs with two hits... The Red Sox had 10 hits to 9 for the Elites... The victory snapped a four-game losing skein by Red Bluff, who are 1-4... Colchester is 2-3.

Hellcats Trim Chicopee 3-2 on Turchin's Hit
Hartsdale got the win at home 3-2 over the Chicopee Braves when shortstop Jud Turchin delivered a clutch two-out hit in the bottom of the ninth... Phil Reed (2-0 2.04) chalked up the victory with a fine performance... Reed had seven Ks, walked only one, while giving up seven hits in a complete game... Wayne Blackwell (0-2 2.50) caught the loss for the Braves... He worked eight innings, allowed six hits, three runs, struck out five and issued four bases on balls... The winning hit came off closer Eyota Hakan, who almost got Chicopee off the hook in the last inning with a double play ball, but he was foiled by Turchin's hit... Both the Hellcats and the Braves are 2-3 this year.

Frogs Fight Back To Derail Turon 8-5
Trailing at home 5-1 in the sixth inning at the Frog Pond, Fairfax fought back to derail the Turon Typhoons 8-5... A bases-loaded pinch-hit triple by Rich Kelly (.222) tied the score and center fielder Billy Echevarria (.353) put them ahead to stay with an RBI single... The Frogs outhit the Typhoons 10-4 as they used four pitchers... Bobby Joe Trent (1-0 1.69) collected the win with one and one-third scoreless innings... The Fairfax relief corps blanked Turon over the last four and one-third innings with the save going to Takehide Takahashi (0-0 3.00)... It was his second of the year... Starter James Stuart (0-2) lost it... He was blasted for six runs in six innings... Fairfax improved to 3-2 on the year, while Turon dipped to 2-3.

Hillsboro Wins On Back-To-Back Homers
The Midway-Hillsboro game at Hanford Stadium had a stunning finish... The hometown Blazers were leading 8-6 going into the top of the ninth when the Wolves hit back-to-back-to-back home runs to go-ahead 9-8... Three home runs in a row... The disappointed Hillsboro fans were getting ready to head for the exits when all of a sudden right fielder Rawhide Marshall went deep with a 400-foot blast and tied it up again... and then just as the excited fans got back into their seats for extra inniings, shortstop Jerry Pontros went back-to-back for a game-winning roundtripper... All bedlam broke loose at that point... It was an unforgettable finish... The fans almost didn't believe what they just saw... There were seven homers in the game with Midway hitting four and the Blazers three... In addition to Marshall (.318) and Pontros (.471), third baseman Red Barbosa hit one out of the park... Barbosa (.526) went four for four and drove in six runs to lead Hillsboro with Pontos going 2-4 with three runs scored and three RBIs... The victory went to the Blazers' fifth pitcher, Junior Kirkwood (1-0), despite giving up a homer... Jason Baranski (0-1) was tagged with the loss... Left fielder Archie Greene (.200) homered twice for the Wolves and drove in five runs... Shortstop Tommy Kawatoose (.550) and right fielder Flying Eagle Waywa (.316) also had four-baggers... Both Hillsboro and Midway are now 3-2 this year.

Hawks and Swifton Blank Hurricanes 3-0
There's nothing to pitching in the IPA - at least for Bingo Swifton (2-0 0.00) of the North Hills Hawks... The 30-year-old righthander fired his second straight shutout, blanking Cape Coral 3-0 on six hits with seven Ks and just one base on balls... It was the Hurricanes first defeat of the season... North Hills got all of its runs on solo homers by center fielder Roy Stainbrook (.400), third baseman Darryl Peck (.308) and left fielder Kevin Schmidt (.294)... Stainbrook has hit 3 home runs so far... All of them came off losing pitcher Katsuyuki Nagashima (0-1 2.00), who gave up eight hits, struck out nine and walked two... North Hills ran it record to 2-3 with the win... The Hurricanes are 4-1.

Sunsets Eke Out 3-2 Win Over Haymakers
Good pitching and clutch hitting paved the way for Summerland to eke out a 3-2 victory over Mahaska at Sunset Stadium... Vernon Webb and Pete Van Dijk provided the pitching... Webb (1-0 3.00) notched the win with seven strong innings... He held the Haymakers to two runs on seven hits, while Van Dijk (0-1 2.70) worked two scoreless innings and retired six batters in a row for the save... Shortstop Tommy Westerveldt (.429) singled in the winning score in the seventh inning... Center fielder Stacey Zacker (.450) drove in the other two runs for the Sunsets... The loss went to Boomerang Hines (1-1 2.20), who allowed three runs and nine hits in seven and one-third innings... Mahaska third baseman Al Seedorf (.188) batted in both of their runs in the opening inning... Summerland, managed by Will Hackett is now 3-2, while the Haymakers are 2-3 and skippered by Rusty Tanussa.

Champs Gavagan Shuts Out Southport 3-0 on 2 Hits
Arlon's Connie Gavagan hurled a magnificent game shutting out the Southport Sun Sox 3-0 at Derby Downs... Gavagan (1-1 1.62) struck out 11 batters and breezed to a two-hit shutout... Third baseman Bubba Tate's (.294) two-run clout in the third gave him all the runs he needed... Loser Walt Corbin (1-1 1.69) deserved better as he allowed only one earned run in his seven innings... Corbin gave up six hits, fanned six and issued one walk... Both Arlon and Southport have 3-2 marks this season.

San Alejo Outlasts Ginza 7-5 in 18 Innings
San Alejo left fielder Gregorio Rosales (.320 put an end to a long day at work on the ballfield with an RBI double to put the Montaneros ahead 6-5 en route to a 7-5 triumph in an 18-inning affair... Third baseman Paolo Huerta (.471) also singled in an insurance run to seal the verdict... It was a field day for the pitchers who all total struck out 32 batters to tie the IPA mark... Ginza set a new team mark with 19 Ks, breaking the old record of 17... San Alejo fanned 13 hitters in all... It was not a good day for the batters as there were more strikeouts than hits... There were only 23 hits between the two teams... The Montaneros had the edge 12 to 11... San Alejo was led by right fielder Marcelino Zuniga (.250) and first baseman Francisco Garza (.182), who each had two-run homers... Left fielder Charlie Campbell (.217) topped the Ninjas with four hits, while third baseman Ken Mack (182) slammed a home run, the first of the season by Ginza... Felipe Branca (1-0 0.00) was outstanding in relief and captured the victory... He only gave up two hits in five innings... Juan-Carlos Otero (0-0 0.00) claimed his first save by setting the Ninjas down in order in the 18th inning.

Luxora and South Fork held the old record with 17 strikeouts in an extra-inning game. Luxora did it on July 20th, 2001 in a 12-inning win over Ozarka, while South Fork accomplished it on July 20, 2001 in its May 21, 2001 game against Cape Coral... Marston (16) and Belair Beach (16) also had 32 strikeouts in a 23-inning game on June 21, 2001.

Kenwood Crushes Arroyo Grande 11-4
At Capet Stadium in Arroyo Grande, the visiting Kenwood Wildcats crushed the Suns 11-4 with an 11-hit attack led by homers by right fielder Teddy Mays (.348) and left fielder Aydan Winthrop (.167)... On the hill the Wildcats got the job done with Tyrus Yokum and Lenny Czerniak... Yokum (1-1 2.57) worked the first seven innings, surrendered seven hits and four runs - just two of them earned - while fanning seven batters... Czerniak (0-0 0.00) blanked the Suns over the final two innings... Arroyo Grande played pitiful defense and committed five errors, giving up five unearned runs... Third baseman Matt Breitmayer tied a league mark with three... Breitmayer (.125) redeemed himself somewhat with home run... Eric Menard (0-2 4.66) was charged with the defeat as the Wildcats got to him for six runs before he departed in the third inning... However, only two of them were earned.

Breitmayer now has the dubious honor of having the IPA mark for most errors in a game... Catcher Dave Davis of Far Mountain, second baseman Ken Robbins of South Fork and third baseman Bubba Tate of Bay St. Clair now share the record with Breitmayer.

The Kenwood Wildcats piloted by former pitching great, Matty Christianson, are 3-2 this far... Arroyo Grande, with Jean-Luc Marchand at the helm, is only 1-4.

Stallions Steal 10-7 Victory From East Point
Shortstop John Cottrell committed a costly throwing error that opened the flood gates in the ninth enabling South Fork to score five runs and take the ballgame from East Point 10-7... It was Lyle Lindsey's (.143) two-run double that put the Stallions in front 8-7... pitcher Robby Rosario added to that with a two-run single to finish off the Panthers... Both clubs feasted off the pitching with South Fork getting 14 hits and East Point 15... Stallion third baseman Glenn Holliday (.286) and catcher Darryl Burnett (.353) led the way with home runs, while left fielder Tom Drenner and right fielder Eric Adler went deep for East Point... Rosario (1-0 0.00) picked up the win with two scoreless innings and three Ks... Darcy Cambridge (0-1) got the loss as he allowed five unearned run in two-thirds of an inning... South Fork is 3-2 in the standings... East Point fell to 2-3.

Lynx Orlando Blanks Rolling Hills On 3 Hits
Manager Rip Calkin got a sensational outing from Kimo Orlando as the La Claire Lynx righthander skunked the Rolling Hills Reds 5-0 on a three-hit shutout... Orlando (1-1 3.97) fanned six and walked none... The Lynx broke open a tight 1-0 game with four runs in the top of the eighth by bunching together six straight hits, sending Johnny Sakima (1-1 4.50) down to defeat... He was shelled for five runs and eleven hits in seven innings... It was La Claire's first victory this season after four losses... Rolling Hills is now 3-2.

Z's Callahan Collars Cowboys 8-0
Queen Ranch Stadium is a bandbox where homers regularly fly out of the ballpark... Shutouts are expected to be a rare thing here... But not today as Luxora's Keith Callahan horse-collared the High Mesa Cowboys 8-0, holding them to six hits... Callahan (2-0 1.00) had two walks and four Ks... Pacing the Zorros 11-hit offense were left fielder Pedro Vizquel (.500) with a two-run homer and first baseman Paul Hallenbeck (.550) and rookie center fielder Cristo Viamonte (.333) with solo roundtrippers... Starter and loser Isaac Willard (1-1 6.30) didn't make it out of the second inning... Willard walked three and was smacked for four runs and five hits... Both Luxora and High Mesa have 3-2 records this season.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, April 5, 2002

Around the Town in the IPA

BAYVIEW VIKINGS

Owner: Brent Steiner (Steiner Shipbuilding)

GM/Manager: Walter Johanssen

Bayview , a town of 105,000 on the western coast of Tycobbia. It is located on the White River, which emanates near White River in the Appian Mountains, runs southward to Mahaska in the western plains, then empties into Bay St. Clair. Bayview was established and inhabited by people of Scandanavian descent. Its primary industries are shipping, shipbuilding and fishing. It is a modern and prosperous town, filled with modest skyscrapers and has an energetic and well-educated workforce, which in recent years has drawn many service-oriented businesses. In the last few years the downtown area has been renovated and modernized by these service companies.

Part of these renovations included Downtown Plaza Stadium, a splendid new baseball facility for the homestanding Bayview Vikings, who play in the Tycobbian Union's West Division. It is the largest stadium capacity-wise in the Islands. Owner Brent Steiner made sure of that when he had it built in 1993. However, the stadium is a bandbox with the shortest fences in the Islandian Pro Alliance. Lack of real estate in the downtown area caused this to be. In the spirit of a town on the move, Bayviewers are treated to a real spectacle at every Viking game with plenty of promotions, contests, lucky scorecards and lucky ticket drawings. After every game there are music concerts, featuring well-known artists and bands. Many young fans attend Viking games just for the music and are turned into good baseball fans by it.

There is something special for all ages at a Bayview game. Their fans are big eaters and a trip to the concession stand is really something special. It is a smorgasboard of Scandinavian delicacies...salmon, meatballs, braised red cabbage, pickled herring, Svensk Skinke (swedish ham). And you can finish it off with flavorful traditional desserts like aebelskiver (pancake balls with powdered sugar and jam) or ris al mande (rice pudding...it is traditional to put an almond in the pudding and the person who gets it is the next one to get married). At Viking games, when you get an almond in your pudding, you get an official Bayview Viking baseball cap and jersey, which to many is a much better deal than getting married. Hot dogs, hamburgers, cokes and beer are also available.

The Vikings are owned by Brent Steiner, a very successful shipbuilder. He really loves his team and sometimes seems to spend more time building them than he does building ships. His GM and Manager is longtime great industrial league pitcher, Walter Johanssen, who was an outstanding righthanded pitcher. He was one the best ever in the company leagues.

Downtown Plaza Stadium (1993)

Capacity: 15,111

Dimensions:

LF Line 310
LF 335
LCF 365
CF 380
RCF 365
RF 335
RF Line 310

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, April 5, 2002

Around the Town in the IPA

BEECHWOOD BOBCATS

Owner: Bob Catlin

GM/Manager: Bret George

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beechwood Bobcats

City Park Stadium (1973)

Capacity: 9,350

Dimensions:

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

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Saturday, April 6, 2002

Ruthlandian Union

A's Skim By Red Elephants 3-2, Darby Winner
Portsider Charles Darby fanned 11 and as the Glasco Athletics skimmed by the Ancona Red Eleaphants at Athletics Field... Darby (2-0 1.42) went the route, walked none and allowed nine hits... First baseman Maury Smith (.364) sparked the A's with two for three and an RBI... Left fielder Ox Beauvais (.200) and third baseman Zach Byorvik (.158) also drove in a run each... Dennis Macaluso (1-1 0.56) went down to defeat in spite of pitching a fine game... Macaluso worked seven innings and gave up two runs on six hits with six strikeouts and four walks... Ancona third baseman Dimitri Vrotsos (.360) paced them with three hits and an RBI... Glasco and Ancona are even on the year at 3-3.

Valmara Edges Belle Plaine on Kazmarek's Double
Left fielder Jet Kazmarek (.269) collected four hits in Valmara's 6-5 victory over the Belle Plaine Musketeers at War Memorial Stadium... Kazmarek last hit was a double and it scored the winning run in the last of the 11th inning... Gerry Wojcik, working in relief, hauled in the win with five sparkling innings... He stopped the Muskies on two hits and fanned five... Closer Guy Mercier (0-1 1.42) suffered the defeat... The Vipers tagged Belle Plaine for 13 hits and were led by Kazmarek with four RBIs... He had a double and triple in the game... Shortstop Matt Muzurek (.300) also drilled four hits in the game... Catcher Yoshi Motsuzuki (.261) homered for the 3rd time this season and scored three times... Phil Devaux (.200) hammered in a pair of runs for Belle Plaine... The Vipers boosted their season record to 4-2, while the Musketeers are 2-4.

Defenders Defeat Stoner Stars on Crawford's Homer
Don Heinsohn just about did it all - he tripled in a run, he scored a run and he pitched the Fort Benton Defenders to a 3-2 win in 10 innings over the Stoner Stars... But he needed help from center fielder Teddy Crawford (.182), who smashed a tenth-inning homer to put away the Stars at Nonnac Stadium... Southpaw Mike Middendorf (0-2 1.80) suffered a tough defeat... He went all ten innings, allowed seven hits and fanned six... Heinsohn (1-1 6.60) held Stoner to six hits over his 10 innings... Third baseman Allen Black (.583) had a pair of hits to pace the Stars... He homered and scored twice... The Defenders improved their season record to 3-3, while Stoner is 2-4.

FM's Elliott Sinks Sundowners 3-1
Not much offense today at Sky High Stadium in Far Mountain, where Sonny Elliott hurled the Redhawks to a 3-1 triumph over the Wynnamac Sundowners... Elliott (1-1 1.42) went the distance, giving up only six hits, while walking three and whiffing five... He outpitched Dino Carravaggio (1-1 2.70), who also pitched a complete game... Carravaggio surrendered eight hits, walked two and had five strikeouts in defeat... The Redhawks are 3-3 on the year and Wynnamac is now 2-4 in the standings.

Valka Tops Marston With 3-Run 8th
On the road at Legends Field in Marston, Valka mounted a three-run comeback to top the Nine 6-5, highlighted by third baseman Buddy Petrisko's two-run homer... Petrisko (.273) had three hits in the game to pace the Blackhawks... First baseman Vadik Yeltsin (.182) added two hits and two RBIs to the 11-hit attack... Second baseman Ken Green (.320) doubled in a pair of runs for Marston... shortstop Don Nichols chipped in with two hits and two runs batted in... Roberto Peralta (1-0 1.80) worked three solid innings in relief to gain the victory... Peralta only gave up one hit and one run... Marston's closer Walt Sellers (1-1) took the loss as he was smacked for two runs in just two-thirds of an inning... Valka is 2-4 in the standings, while the Nine is even at 3-3.

RR's Beckmann Spins Shutout, 4-Hits Sligo
At Silver Mountain Park in Sligo, the Rovers hitting woes continued... Rocky Rapids righthander Kirk Beckmann toyed with them and spun a 7-0 shutout, yielding only four hits... Beckmann (2-0 0.50) finished the game with six Ks and three walks... Third baseman Phil Cates (.474) led the Snapper hitters with two doubles and two RBIs, along with catcher Dal Hampshire (.438), who added two hits and two RBIs... Rocky Rapids buried Otis Coughlan with eight hits and six runs, knocking him out of the box in the sixth... The Snappers up their season record to 4-2, while Sligo dropped to 1-5.

Waleska Wops Cold Creek on Burkhalter's HR
Big Hoss Burkhalter (.360) sent one soaring into the stands to give Waleska a 5-4 victory in 10 innings over the Cold Creek Catamounts... It was the slugging leftfielder's second homer in the game and fourth of the season... It gave lefty Lenny Milazzo (1-0 0.00) the win... Milazzo shut out Cold Creek the final two innings... The loss with to Jimmy Gustafson (0-1 2.25), who came on in the tenth... Waleska rookie catcher Carlos Trujillo (.185) drilled three hits and batted in a pair of runs... The Westerners are 2-4 and the Catamounts are 3-3.

Ranford Romps Over Volusia 6-3 Behind Bernhoffer
At Ranford County Stadium Ranford's Chris Bernhoffer hurled a complete game to whip Volusia 6-3... Bernhoffer (1-1 3.60) shut out the V's for the first eight innings, but weakened in the ninth... He struck out nine batters and held the Vigilantes to six hits... Third baseman Robin O'Donoghue drove in three runs to spark the victors... Tommy Betanzos (0-2 2.40) took the loss as he surrendered three runs on six hits in seven innings... The Bulls are 3-3, while the IPA defending champions, Volusia, are only 2-4 for the year.

Sugar Valley Slams Cybercats 9-6
At Entergy Park in Grand City, Sugar Valley racked up 14 hits to slam the Cybercats 9-6 today, led by shortstop Flipper Bird (.333), who rapped a double and a home run, scored three times and drove in three runs... Other contributors were left fielder Bruno DiPirro (.292) with a perfect 4-4 day and center fielder Freddie Vaux (.286) and second baseman Rudi Oliver (.320)... Vaux and Oliver batted in two runs apiece in the win... Righthander Val Watford (1-0 5.63) struggled, but gained the victory... He allowed six runs and 11 hits in his seven innings... Gregg Neal (0-1 0.84) saved it for Watford with two scoreless innings... The loss was charged to Rikki Coons (1-1 6.23), who was banged for six runs prior to departing in the fourth frame... Grand City did some hitting, too, with 12 hits... Shortstop Wynn Joslin (.409) homered and doubled to drive across two runs and second baseman Jim Farkas (.385) and right fielder Johnny Keitel (.333) cranked out three hits each... The Rattlers are 2-4 and the Cybercats 4-2 in the standings.

Beechwood Bobcats Nip LaGrange Sports 4-3
Beechwood picked up a 4-3 victory over the LaGrange Sports at City Park Stadium... The hometown Bobcats were led at bat by second baseman Augie Ippolito (.276) and first baseman Mark Burr (.174)... They each walloped a home run... It was number five for Ippolito... On the mound Will Cadbury (1-1 6.55) had to throw a lot of pitches, but he hung around for eight innings, giving up 10 hits and three runs, but left 12 baserunners on base... Cadbury fanned eight and gave up five bases on balls... Lance Moore (0-0 0.00) relieved the fatigued Cadbury in the ninth and retired the Sports in order, striking out two of them... The Beechwood Bobcats are 4-2 this season, while LaGrange is 2-4.

Taranto Rallies in 9th, Edges San Dimas 7-6
On a cold and rainy afternoon at the Palazzo di Sport, the Taranto Tars pulled out a 7-6 win over the San Dimas Rancheros... The winning run scored with two outs, when shortstop Domingo Rios lost his footing on the damp infield and allowed the winning run to score from third... Tars shortstop Joey Scarmazzo (.136) sparked the victory with three RBIs... There were six roundtrippers in the game, three by each club... Scarmazzo, first baseman Georgie Hearn (.320) and center fielder Wayne Pounders (.308) homered for Taranto, while shortstop Rios (.292), catcher John Wesley Ewing (.167) and second baseman Russ Russell (.333) each swatted a two-run homer for the Rancheros... Closer Dante Marino (1-0) got credit for the win, but gave up two runs in his two innings... Roberto Silvas, the fourth of five pitchers, took the loss... He was shelled for three runs and six hits in just two innings of work... Taranto is now 3-3 and San Dimas is a dismal 1-5.

Renaudin's 3-Run HR KOs Elnora 4-1 in 10th
St. John's clean-up hitter, Richie Renaudin (.190), really cleaned up today - he crushed a 3-run homer in the top of the tenth to KO the Elnora All-Stars 4-1 at State Fair Park... The Crusaders got a well-pitched game from starter Jason Burgess (1-1 5.06) and closer Claudell Beacham (1-0 0.00)... Burgess worked the first nine frames and gave up only one run on seven hits with five Ks and no walks, while Beachum sealed the win with a runless bottom of the tenth... it was Beacham's second save this season... Crusader left fielder Jake Dillon (.217) also homered in the ninth and sent the game into overtime... Elnora's only run came on shortstop Joe Norris' (.273) solo blast in the last of the eighth, which was the first run of the game... All-Star Carl Costas had a standout game... He held St. John to just four hits in nine innings and allowed only one run... Costas fanned nine and walked four... St. John, managed by Dickie Billings, improved to 4-2 on the year... Elnora is 3-3 and skippered by Zoggy White.

Middlefield Pounds Crystal Lake 7-1, Jacobs Winner
Middlefield's tall and rangy righthander, Ross Jacobs, did a number on the Crystal Lake Crushers today at Farmers Memorial Park... The 6'7" Jacobs (1-0 3.00) limited the Crushers to just four hits en route to a 7-1 triumph... He walked one and fanned four in an outstanding outing for manager Smitty Michaels... The Roosters rapped 11 hits and were paced by left fielder Cecil Clark (.318) with two hits, including a home run and four RBIs... The only run off Jacobs was a solo homer by center fielder Derren Price (.160)... Netting the loss was Mack Harrell (1-2), who was mauled for five runs in three-plus innings... Record-wise Middlefield is 3-3 and Crystal Lake is 2-4.

Colfax Puts the Blast On Eastshore 13-2
Ten runs in the last two innings more than did the job for Colfax as they blasted the Elegants 13-2 at Kraft Stadium in Eastshore... Winning pitcher Robbie Smith (2-0 3.50) was strong at bat and on the mound... Smith drove in three runs with a pair of hits to lead the Blasters... He also went all the way, held Eastshore to two runs, while spreading out 11 singles and striking out four batters... First baseman Dennis Cole (.421) hit his fourth and fifth roundtrippers this season, walked three times and scored four runs... Second baseman Tucker Hill (.269) and catcher Jeff Cook (.385) chipped in three hits each and drove in a pair of runs... Glen Anderson (0-1 6.52) was nailed with the defeat as he yielded four runs in seven innings... The Blasters and Elegants are both 4-2 this year.

Baker's Sac Fly Beats 'Jacks, Claxton Wins 4-3
Claxton right fielder Dixie Baker (.136) has started off slowly this season, but he beat Forest City 4-3 with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly today... Sammy Melton, a 21-year-old portsider, pitched into the ninth inning, gave up five hits and three runs, while striking out 11... Melton (1-0 3.18) registered the win with some help from closer Mike Grenier (1-0 0.00), who came in and closed out the game by retiring the final two hitters... Diamond second sacker Donny McCoy (.227) and right fielder Dan Molnar (.320) each had three hits... Chuck Hill (.263) went deep twice in the game and J. T. Edmonds (.313) hit one for the Lumberjacks... Forest City closer Timmy Brooks (0-1 3.00) was the losing pitcher as he allowed a run in the decisive eighth inning... Glenn Moore (1-0 4.50) started for the 'Jacks, toiled seven innings and permitted only one earned run, but left with the score even at 3-all... Claxton is 5-1 thus far, while Forest City is even at 3-3.

Sunbirds Win 6th Straight Game, Edge Cats 5-3
Catcher Denny Everhart (.300) broke the hearts of the Smithwick Stadium crowd in Kilkenny today with a two-run blast in the ninth inning to whip the hometown Cats 5-3... It was Belair Beach's first homer this season and its sixth straight win to start the season... Winner Ray Watson (2-0 2.50) twirled a fine game, stopping Kilkenny on five hits, while running up 10 Ks... Watson was whacked for homers by center fielder Kirk Pitzer (.345) and Tee Boy Joubert (.379)... It was number four for Joubert... Gavin Healy (1-1 4.32) was the loser... He fanned 13 Sunbirds, but yielded 11 hits... Belair Beach is off to a splendid 6-0 start....Kilkenny is doing well, too, at 4-2.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Saturday, April 6, 2002

Tycobbian Union

Ninjas Matsumoto Stops Stallions 3-1 on 3 Hits
Ginza's little righthander Kojiro Matsumoto fashioned a fine three-hit victory over the South Fork Stallions... Matsumoto (2-0 1.50) stopped them 3-1 for his second win of the season... Right fielder Takashi Fujimoto (.154), left fielder Charlie Campbell (.222) and rookie second baseman Katsuhiko Hamada (.120) led the Ninjas with an RBI apiece... Hamada got his on his first roundtripper of the year... South Fork starter Vince Bernini (1-1 3.21) did a creditable job in defeat... He fanned seven, walked one and gave up three runs on 11 hits... Ginza is 2-4 in the standings, while South Fork fell to 3-3.

Montaneros Win 5th Straight, Bop Summerland 5-1
At the Casa de Beisbol in San Alejo, the Mountaneros won their fifth straight game... Lefthander Jaime Serrano (2-0 2.50) crafted an impressive 5-1 victory over the Summerland Sunsets, holding them to just four hits and finishing up with only one walk and five Ks... Shortstop Erico Pilar (.400) paced the hitters with a two-run homer and two RBIs... Third baseman Paolo Huerta (.429) also had a solo home run, his fourth of the season... San Alejo totaled nine hits off two Sunset pitchers with the loss going to starter Johnny Sundberg (1-1 4.80), who surrendered seven hits and three runs in seven innings... The Montaneros are a splendid 5-1 thus far in the year... Summerland is now 3-3.

DC's Hoffman Best Mahaska's Schroeder 1-0
Two tough righthanders tangled at Heartland Stadium in Mahaska and they put up a lot of zeros on the scoreboard... The final score was 1-0 in favor of the Denton City Redbirds and Joe Hoffman (2-0 1.00), who bested Buck Schroeder (0-2 2.65) of the Haymakers... Hoffman blanked Mahaska on six hits and struck out six, while Schroeder allowed six hits and fanned five... The only run came in the sixth frame when second baseman Glen Throckmorton (.292) tripled, leading off the inning, and then scored the winning run on a single by left fielder Lee Maddox (.304)... The Redbirds have won four and dropped two this year, while Mahaska is 2-4.

Red Sox Destroy Rascals 11-2
It was woeful day at White River Stadium for the White River Rascals... They were destroyed by the Red Bluff Red Sox, who pounded out 20 hits off four shellshocked pitchers... Right fielder Tony Scalise, catcher Vito Belisario and left fielder Howard Fullerton led the hit brigade... Scalise (.375) homered, tripled, had four hits and drove in five runs, giving him 13 on the year... Belisario (.167) homered, tripled, had four hits and batted in four runs, while Fullerton (.375) had to settle for four hits, three runs scored and one RBI... It was a great day for Red Sox skipper Mack Connery as everything went his way... His pitcher, Kent Crowhurst, hurled a strong game, permitting only one earned run on seven hits, all singles... Red Bluff upped its record to 2-4 with White River dropping to 3-3... Taking the loss was starter Milt Roberts (0-1 7.59), who departed early in the third inning, trailing 4-0.

Crowley's Bomb Blows Away Hurricanes 3-1 in 11
It was a good day for center fielder Rich Crowley (.500)... He went three for five and drove in all three runs in a 3-1 Southport victory over Cape Coral, finishing off the game with a two-run 11th inning home run... Sun Sox starter Johnny Ballard (2-0 1.42) and Hurricane starter Jeff Salow (1-0 1.00) locked horns for nine innings in a tense 1-1 duel... Ballard pitched superbly and finally got the win... He hurled ten innings, allowed just four hits, while fanning eight and walking two... Salow avoided the defeat as he left after nine innings, gave up only six hits, fanned nine and walked four... The loss went to Cape Coral closer Tommy Archer (1-1 4.50), who was roughed up for two runs and four hits in his two innings... Both ballclubs are now 4-2 this season.

Frogs Down Buccaneers 8-4 For 3rd Win In a Row
The Fairfax Frogs took their third triumph in a row as they slashed 13 hits en route to an 8-4 victory over the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers... Left fielder Gator Davis (.174) and first baseman Ernie Hutchinson (.300) paved the way with two RBIs each and shortstop Warren Lee (.318) went 2-for-4 and scored three times... The Frogs leaped out to an early 6-0 margin after two innings and then just put it in cruise control, although the Bucs did mount somewhat of a comeback... Jackie Leslie (2-0 3.60) garnered his second straight win, but struggled and needed help from Ted Ellison (0-0 0.00) in the eighth... Leslie gave up four runs and 11 hits with six Ks and two bases on balls... Ellison had a great day and got Fairfax out of trouble... He came in with the score 7-3 and the bases loaded and only one out... Ellison did give up a run on a fielder's choice, but struck out the last batter to end the inning... Ellison even homered in the top of the ninth to make it 8-4, then pitched a perfect ninth for the save... Fairfax and Bay St. Clair have identical 4-2 records.

Oxford Holds On For 7-5 Win Over Hillsboro
At Winchester Stadium in Oxford, the Red Caps ran up a 6-0 lead after six innings, then held off Hillsboro as the Blazers staged a mini-surge, cutting it to 6-4 in the seventh inning... But Oxford won it 7-5 with an outrageous edge in hits... The Red Caps piled up 15 hits to only five for Hillsboro, stranding 11 runners on base during the game... Oxford hit three home runs and were led by first baseman Spunky Porter (.600), right fielder Dante Vander Meer (.280) and center fielder Ike Plunkett (.185), all with solo roundtrippers... Shortstop Lavon England (.240) socked four hits and scored twice and left fielder Austen Conover (.381) had three hits... The Blazers unloaded three homers, too... Catcher Bill Worthington (.368), left fielder Doogie Stanzel (.429) and first baseman Audie Williamson (.636) all collected home runs in vain... Hillsboro has now hit 21 homers in its six games... Owen Crosby (1-0 4.20) got the win, working seven innings, allowing three hits and four runs... Coming in and getting the save was Charley Martin (1-0 3.00)... He gave up a run in his two innings of relief... The loss was pinned on Marty Antonelli (0-2 7.36), who struck out 10 in just four and two-thirds innings, but gave up all three roundtrippers and four runs... Each team has a mark of 3-3 this season.

Farley Paces Turon 6-4 Win Over Midway With 2 HR
Little George Farley only stands 5'9", but he carries a big stick... Right fielder Farley (.294) paced the Turon Typhoons to a 6-4 win over the Midway Wolves at Typhoon Stadium with two home runs and four RBIs... Ian Knox (2-0 2.12) went eight innings for the victory, permitting four runs and 10 hits...Closer Keir McNamara got his first save with a scoreless ninth frame... Frankie Chidzik (1-1 4.50) sustained the loss, giving up six runs in five innings... Wolves left fielder Gerry Alger (.263) knocked his third roundtripper this year and batted in two runs... He has 13 RBIs... Both Turon and Midway are now 3-3.

Bayview Squeezes Out 3-2 Win Over Ozarka
Playing on the road at Ellie Ewing Stadium in Ozarka, Bayview squeezed out a narrow 3-2 triumph over the Naturals in 11 innings... Bad defense cost Ozarka dearly - they committed four errors and gave up two unearned runs, the last one costing them the game... On a routine play a ground ball skipped off third baseman Doug Cunningham's glove into left field allowing catcher Jerry Johnstone (.500) to score the winning run from second base... Losing pitcher Alex DiMaggio (0-1 1.80) was the victim of foul play and suffered the loss... He gave up two unearned runs in his three innings of work... Ken Fairchild (1-0 0.00) notched the victory with two scoreless innings... The Vikings got 9 hits in the game, while the Nats got 8... Both Bayview and Ozarka have 2-4 marks this season.

Braves Beat Blue Jays, Falcon Winner 4-1
Chicopee Brave pitcher Johnny Falcon made a lot of pitches and gave up a lot of hits, but he was tough when it counted as he stranded 14 runners in a 4-1 victory over Tuckanarra at Central Park Stadium... Falcon (1-1 1.59) gave up 10 hits, but only one run, striking out five and issuing only one base on balls... Leland Akana (0-1 5.40) was pinned with the defeat... He permitted three runs on eight hits in seven and one-third innings... Akana fanned seven and issued three walks... The Braves had nine hits in the game... Chicopee ran its record to 3-3, while the Blue Jays dipped to 4-2.

Hellcats Bond Blanks North Hills 5-0
Hartsdale's Jackie Bond was just mowing North Hills down with ease today at Pioneer Park... Bond blanked the Hawks on four hits and struck out eight in an outstanding mound performance... The Hellcats backed him up with an 11-hit attack and were sparked by catcher Jorge Rosado (.250) with 2 for 4 and three RBIs and first baseman Mac Faulkner (.333) with a pair of runs batted in... Rosado had the only homer in the contest, his first of the year... Jaybird Jackson (0-2 8.00) suffered through another bad outing and suffered the lost... He was battered for five runs in four-plus innings... Hartsdale improved its season mark to 3-3, while North Hills is at 2-4.

Rolling Hills Zaps Zorros 4-1 Behind Kramer
He's as skinny as a rail, but Chet Kramer can throw a baseball where he wants... Today at De la Vega Stadium in Luxora, Kramer (1-1 3.78) led the Rolling Hills Reds to a 7-3 triumph over the Zorros... He walked nobody and had four strikeouts, while scattering nine hits in the game... The Reds chalked up 11 hits and were led by center fielder Willie Mays Nixon (.250), left fielder Billy Gallion (.316) and catcher Donnie Woolridge (.235)... They all three went 2 for 4 and drove in two runs... Mays went deep for his second homer of the season... Z's left fielder Pedro Vizquel (.500) hit a two-run shot, number three for him... Tito Tovares (1-1 3.00) had a dismal day on the hill, yielding five runs in six innings and was pegged with the loss... The Reds are now 4-2 on the year and Luxora is 3-3.

EP's Black Stumps High Mesa Cowboys 6-2
The visiting East Point Panthers got a very good effort from Jack Black today at Queen Ranch Stadium... Black (1-1 4.50) stumped the hard-hitting High Mesa Cowboys by the score of 6-2 as he spread out nine hits, fanned four and walked one... The Panthers were led by third baseman Rex Sokolov (.408), who continued his hitting rampage with two home runs... Sokolov went 3-for-3 in the game, drove in three runs and scored twice... He has hit five roundtrippers so far this year and has driven in 13 runs... Catcher Tony Cadwell (.273) also chipped in three hits and two runs batted in... East Point racked up 11 hits, 10 off losing pitcher Johnny Ringo (0-2), who was stung for six runs in five innings... Both the East Point Panthers and the High Mesa Cowboys are even at 3-3 for the year.

Beckham Tames Blue Lake, Colchester Wins 6-1
It was a tight game at Heyward Field in Colchester until Bill Keese cleared the bases with a three-run double in the bottom of the eighth... Third baseman Keese (.217) turned a 2-1 Colchester lead into a 5-1 margin and an eventual 6-1 victory over the Blue Lake Blue Sox... Ray Beckham (1-1 2.25) hurled a complete game and tamed Blue Lake on five hits, struck out ten and walked just one... The Elites smoked Jay Clay (0-2 6.43) for nine hits and six runs in seven innings. They knocked him out in the four-run eighth and dealt him the loss... Colchester first baseman Niles Stanton (.375) sparked them with 4-4 and three RBIs... He had a two-run homer in the second frame to his club ahead 2-1... It was Stanton's third of the season... The Elites are 3-3 with the win, while Blue Lake is 2-4.

La Claire Nips Suns 5-4 on Guerrero's Bloop Single
He didn't hit it hard or far, but it served it purpose - center fielder Antonio Guerrero's (.240) blooper to left center decided the game and gave La Claire a 5-4 squeaker over Arroyo Grande at Capitol Park Stadium... The Lynx blew a lot of chances to break the game open as they left 12 baserunners on... La Claire outhit the Suns 12 to 6 with the victory going to closer Monoto Kishata (1-0 0.00), who came on in the eighth and pitched two scoreless innings... Miguel Aguilera (0-1) absorbed the defeat, giving up one run and four hits in one and one-third innings... This season the Lynx are 2-4 and the Suns are 1-5.

Arlon Beats Kenwood Late with 4-Run 8th
The Arlon Champions saved the best for last... They were trailing the Kenwood Wildcats 2-1 going into the last of the eighth, when lightning struck... The Champs rallied for four runs to beat the Wildcats 5-2 at Derby Downs... The big blows were struck by first baseman Jay Dunbar (.385) and shortstop Bama Hartley (.250)... Dunbar walloped a two-run triple and Hartley followed with a two-run homer... Craig Smith (1-0 1.69) and Jeff Nieman teamed up for the victory with Smith going the first seven innings... He held Kenwood to one earned run on seven hits with nine strikeouts... Nieman (2-0 0.00) got credit for the win with two scoreless innings... Kris Angelico (1-1 4.50) pitched the whole game for the Wildcats, allowed five runs on seven hits... The Champions are 4-2 in the standings, while Kenwood goes to 3-3.

[Eugene Church]

Since I added four towns to the original 60 in Islandia, I have updated the map of the country.

Eastshore, Southport, Taranto and High Mesa are the new towns.

Eastshore is on the east central coast of Ruthlandia, Taranto is on Valdar Island in Ruthlandia, Southport is on the south coast of Arvonian Island in Tycobbia and High Mesa is in the east central part of Tycobbia.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Sunday, April 7, 2002

Around the Town in the IPA

BELAIR BEACH SUNBIRDS

Owner: Jorge Trujillo

GM/Manager: Marty Pedrosa

Belair Beach is a cosmopolitan resort town of 121,000 with both English and Portuguese. It is a bilingual town. A mostly modern, thriving and exciting place to visit or to retire in. It is situated on the Green River delta, where that majestic and vital waterway, that begins in the north in the Appian Mountains near Far Mountain, runs the length of the country and finally empties into Belair Bay on the southwestern coast of Ruthlandia.

Originally settled by the Portuguese, later the Dutch and English, it was the first permanent settlement in the country. Primarily a port with shipping interests, shipbuilding, fishing, seafood processing as well as resort industries. An ideal tropical climate with miles and miles of white sandy beaches and the sparkling turquoise waters of Belair Bay and the Southern Sea make this a vacation paradise.

Luxurious hotels spring up amid the old Gaslight Quarter, where days of yesteryear come alive again as old-fashioned gas lamps glow along the wide brick walkways illuminating charming sidewalk cafes and coffeehouses. It is an entertainment district with a truly eclectic blend of food, fun and culture. Belair Beach is home to a plethora of museums and cultural events. It has the largest zoo and wildlife preserve in Ruthlandia and the Islands with some of the world's rarest animals, including giant pandas and koala bears.

It is also the home of the Belair Beach Sunbirds, named for the many tourists that vacation here year round . The Sunbirds play in the Ruthlandian Baseball Union in the South Division. They play their home games at modernistic Bayside Park, which looks out over the placid and peaceful harbor area. Ballpark concessions include the traditional hot dogs and cokes, but also the wonderful Portuguese dish of paella, a seafood casserole and exotic cocktail concoctions to go with the tapas, which can be described as Spanish hors d'oeuvres or appetizers. The Belair Beach management really pampers the hometown fans and the tourists.

The Sunbirds baseball team is owned by baseball aficionado and millionaire, Jorge Trujillo. Years ago his great grandfather was a Central American dictator, who loved his baseball and imported many U. S. players to play for his handpicked team. The Trujillos have been in exile for quite some time now. Trujillo helped finance the Islandian Pro Alliance with his friend, Jock Ewing of Waleska and some of his wealthy acquaintances. They were prime movers in getting the first pro league in the Islands on its feet.

The Belair Beach Sunbirds are directed by GM and Manager Marty Pedrosa, a famous fastballing righthander, who starred in the industrial leagues.

Bayside Park (1995)

Capacity: 12,040

LF Line 330
LF 365
LCF 375
CF 408
RCF 375
RF 365
RF Line 330