ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

2014 Tycobbian Union Final Pitching Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 24, 2014

8 Teams Begin Quest For 2014 Pro Cup
The regular season set the stage and pruned down the number of title contenders. Now the clubs that made the cut will go at it on the diamond in the 2014 Islandian Pro Alliance playoffs. It's the first step in the race to win the Pro Cup Series trophy. The Elite 8 Series starts today with 8 clubs set to battle in the Elite 8 Series. All series will be best-of-seven.

The Far Mountain Redhawks are the defending IPA Pro Cup titleholder and are back again. Manager Alex Groveland is on a quest for his fourth straight Pro Cup and his Redhawks are the odds-on favorites to do it, but they will have to go through two strong clubs to get there. The Colfax Blasters and the Belair Beach Sunbirds will not be an easy task for Far Mountain. In the Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 the Redhawks will host tough Belair Beach and the Blasters will entertain the unheralded Marston Nine.

Over in the Tycobbian Union there is no clear-cut favorite. The Turon Typhoons are a veteran team with three Pro Cups, however the Midway Wolves, Kenwood Wildcats and Hartsdale Hellcats had to beat out some talented teams to win their division crowns. Turon played in the weakest division and was not really challenged in the regular season. The Typhoons will be at home against Hartsdale and Kenwood will travel to play Midway in the TU Elite 8.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Scribes and Broadcasters Pick Far Mountain In Pro Cup Poll
If the "folks in the know" know what they are talking about, the Far Mountain Redhawks will capture an unprecedented fourth Pro Cup in a row. In The Islandian Times annual Pro Cup poll Far Mountain was selected as the favorite to win it all again this year. The Redhawks are forecast to whip Colfax in the RU Final 4 and the Midway Wolves are expected to upend 3-time Pro Cup winners, the Turon Typhoons, in the TU Final 4. In a hotly-contested Pro Cup Finals Far Mountain is expected to prevail over the Wolves.

Pro Cup Poll

1. Far Mountain... Alex Groveland still has great starters with Boomerang Hines (22-11 2.41), Robby Kelly (21-10 2.56) and Woody Crawford (22-10 2.66) and a club that is loaded with experience, especially Pro Cup experience... 2B Duane Parsons (.310/25/110/85) and SS Don Nichols (.307/19/92/105) provide the offense... topped the IPA with a 96-58 record... 9th playoff appearance.

2. Colfax... Clem Rogers has two great starters in Ilya Szabo (23-8 1.75) and Jimmy Joe Cartner (25-8 2.56) combined with a fine relief corps... could dethrone Far Mountain if bats produce... best ones are CF Ryan Raines (.294/22/77/84), RF Paul Coniglio (.293/17/72/66), 2B Ilya Ivanchuk (.306/15/72/88) and LF Tony Tanaka (.265/18/67/100)... a close third in victories with a 94-60 record... The Blasters have one Pro Cup in their history... they defeated Turon in seven games in 2010.

3. Midway... first-time playoff team... starters could rival Redhawks... Cochise Chandler has some good ones... Motega Wolf (20-11 2.86), Sherm Jarvis (21-13 2.96) and Johnny Parker (12-9 2.87)... Strong bullpen with closer Dom Vilaggio (8-6 1.93), who had 34 saves... backed up by Lloyd Tatoke (6-0 2.33)... bats must produce for Wolves to win Pro Cup... CF Johnny Lee (.328/32/84/99) and LF Dylan Stevenson (.299/25/92/100) can't do it alone... led Tycobbian Union with a 94-60 mark.

4. Turon... Whitey Richburn still has a fine club with quality pitching and a strong attack... they are making postseason appearance number 9 this season... 1B Clyde Kingsford (.311/39/129/112) and CF Mac McCurnan (.292/28/114/109) carry a lot of clout in the line-up... Nicky Engstrom (24-10 2.44) can go toe-to-toe with anyone, but the Typhoons are not as deep at starting pitching as the other clubs... James Stuart (19-11 3.77) and Jacques Lemaire (17-8 3.64) always seem to step it up in the postseason... If they do, the Typhoons can compete with anybody... winning Pro Cups is a tradition in Turon... they have won 3 Pro Cups and almost a fourth one in 2010, when they blew a 3-1 lead and lost to Colfax.

5. Belair Beach... Marty Pedroza doesn't have a flashy ball club with a bunch of big names, but the Sunbirds score runs and pitch well... they were 95-59, the second-best record in the IPA... top pitchers are Nasty Naymick (19-11 3.21), Denny Whitaker (21-15 3.32) and Wally Green (19-5 3.67)... Closer Groot Tenbrook (5-4) carded 37 saves, tops in the TU, with a 2.76 ERA and just might be the Sunbirds MVP this year... best bats are LF Ron Dizon (.256/27/91/80) and CF Tom Bennett (.283/12/56/103)... 1B Denny Gray is now the full-time 1B... In 65 games he batted .299 with 14 homers and 47 RBIs.

6. Hartsdale... Zim Donner is top-heavy with hitters, but lacks pitching... All he has is starter Ronnie Jernigan (21-10 3.02) and closer Ben Clermont (5-5) with 29 saves and a 2.68 ERA... The Hellcats are really dangerous with the bats with 1B Tom Brabant (.333/36/116/101), SS Jud Turchin (.318/29/83/102), 3B Kendry Moulton (.302/34/104/86), RF Mac Faulkner (.294/24/76/94) and LF Woody Crow (.287/85/98)... as a team Hartsdale hit 191 homers (3rd-tied)... posted an 84-71 record... last playoff appearance was 2009.

7. Kenwood... not enough pitching and hitting to challenge this year... Aaron Hankins only has one quality starter in Connie Gavagan (18-13 3.05), but he has two excellent bullpen specialists... closer Rick Brickell (3-7) has saved 24 games with a 2.66 ERA, while middle reliever Sol Yakis is 10-2 with a 2.99 ERA in 52 relief appearances... The Wildcats depend on RF Dennis Riley (.320/19/87), 3B Brad Walker (.290/14/78), C Gene Verbick (.284/14/74) and LF Jimmy Brewer (.286/22/71) for run production... Kenwood hasn't been in the playoffs since 2002, its first season in the IPA... 86-68 is the best record in team history... made postseason only one previous time in 2002.

8. Marston... The Nine won more games this season than they ever have with an 87-67 mark, mainly with their hitting... Marston led the IPA with a .279 BA... Top batsmen were 3B Jimmy Holman (.337/33/120/93), CF Russ Woodward (.317/23/91/91), LF James Yardley (.294/30/94/67), RF Richie Mazzone (.306/18/72/102) and 1 B Pat Farris (.347/11/64/64)... Marston hasn't won a Pro Cup since 2001 and its been 8 years since they last played in the playoffs... Johnny Walters has two solid pitchers and a fine reliever... Hunk Sweitzer (22-5 2.91) had a career year... Zippy Hodge (20-17 3.08) is a very capable number two man... in the pen Bob Daniel (5-6) has stood out with 30 saves and a 2.67 ERA.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 24, 2014

2014 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series

Szabo Stumps Marston, Colfax Wins Opener 7-1
Ilya Szabo, Colfax's brilliant right-hander, picked up where he left off in the regular season with another fine outing. This time Szabo (1-0) stumped the Marston Nine 7-1 on a 5-hitter to take game one of the RU Elite 8 Series. Szabo was 23-8 this year and led the league with a 1.75 ERA. He struck out 11 and walked 3 in a complete game. The Blasters jumped on Hunk Sweitzer for 5 runs in 5 innings for an easy victory at home at Mountain View Stadium. Offensively 2B Ilya Ivanchuk and RF Paul Coniglio led the way with 2 hits and 2 RBIs each. Colfax had 9 hits in the game.

Sunbirds Slip By Redhawks 3-2 In 11 Innings
The teams with the best records in the RU are pitted against one another in the Elite 8 Series. Belair Beach chalked up 95 victories and Far Mountain piled up 96 during the regular season. In game one at Sky High Stadium the Sunbirds bested the Redhawks 3-2 in 11 innings. A pair of errors gave Belair Beach the game. 2B Duane Parsons and pitcher Jesse Hughes committed critical miscues in the eleventh to hand the Sunbirds the game.

Both clubs got excellent outings from starters Denny Whitaker and Boomerang Hines. Whitaker worked 9 frames for the Sunbirds, allowed 2 runs on 7 hits and Hines of the Redhawks pitched 9 innings and gave up 2 runs and 6 hits. Groot Tenbrook (1-0) earned the win with 2 perfect innings and 3 strikeouts, while Hughes (0-1) was the loser. He permitted 1 run and 2 hits in his 2 innings. Belair Beach had edge in hits 8-7.

Turon Takes 1st Game From Hartsdale 2-1
Outstanding pitching dominated the first game of the TU Elite 8 Series at Typhoon Stadium in Turon. Nicky Engstrom hurled the Typhoons to a tense 2-1 win over the Hellcats with the winning run scoring on a error by losing pitcher Ronnie Jernigan, who dropped a throw at first base in the last of the eighth and allowed C Cody Moore to score from third base. Engstrom fired 8 strong innings, fanned 8 batters and walked none. Closer Merle Studebaker finished off the Hellcats with a perfect ninth. The loss went to Jernigan (0-1), who only gave up 2 runs on 6 hits.

Wolves Wolf Whips Wildcats In Game One
Playing at home the Midway Wolves knocked off the Kenwood Wildcats 5-2 behind a sharp performance by 20-game winner Motega Wolf at Joe Wolf Stadium. Wolf (1-0) throttled them on 6 hits and 2 runs. Midway busted up a tight 3-2 game with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Todd Combs (0-1) went the distance in defeat and surrendered only 3 earned runs and 7 hits.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Thursday, September 25, 2014

2014 IPA Elite 8 Series

Hodge Stops Colfax, Marston Evens Series
The Marston Nine evened up the RU Elite 8 Series with a 5-2 triumph over the Colfax Blasters. The two clubs have now split the first two games of the best-of-seven series. Zippy Hodge (1-0) went the route scattering 9 hits for the victory, while Jimmy Joe Cartner (0-1) suffered the loss. Marston tagged him for 10 hits and 5 runs. The Nine were sparked by LF James Yardley with a double and a homer and 3 RBIs and CF Russ Woodward, who also went deep and had 2 hits. Leading by a 3-2 score, Marston put the game out of reach with two more runs in the seventh. C Joe Alexander paced Colfax with a solo home run and 3B Mike Janocko cracked 3 hits.

BB Sunbirds Stun FM 8-3 In Game 2
The Belair Beach Sunbirds apparently don't read the sports pages. Manager Marty Pedroza's team wasn't given much of a chance against defending IPA Pro Cup champion Far Mountain by the pollsters. However, for the second day in a row they have put away the Redhawks. This time the Sunbirds stunned them 8-3 and sent Robby Kelly down to defeat. Belair Beach racked up 14 hits and smacked 2 home runs in the rout. Kelly (0-1) was KO'd in the seventh after giving up 7 runs and 11 hits, only 3 of them were earned. Kelly exited on the losing end of a 7-1 score. Nasty Naymick (1-0) garnered the win as he held Far Mountain to 3 runs and 8 hits. Naymick had 5 Ks and walked 2. RF Billy Martz and C Little Jake Bungarooba led the onslaught with 3 hits each. Both of them had homers. Martz drove in 3 runs and Bungarooba had 2 RBIs.

Turon Tames Hellcats 6-3, Up By 2 Games
Playing like a team on a mission, the Turon Typhoons tamed Hartsdale 6-3 to go up 2-0 in the best-of-seven TU Elite 8 Series. The Typhoons pounded out 13 hits, led by LF Raphael Semmes with 4 for 4 and 2 runs and RF Andy Porter with 3 for 4 and 3 runs scored. Semmes had 2 triples, a double and a single, while Porter homered and had 2 singles. SS Roy Flanagan had 2 hits and 2 RBIs. Winning pitcher James Stuart (1-0) tossed 8 solid innings, yielding just 3 runs and 7 hits. Merle Studebaker worked a scoreless ninth for his second save. Tony Lane (0-1) caught the loss as he was tagged for all 13 hits and all 6 runs in 7 innings. SS Jud Turchin put Hartsdale up 3-2 in the fifth, but Turon rallied in the last 3 innings.

Wildcats Whack Wolves 7-3, Series Tied
The Kenwood Wildcats bombed Midway 7-3 to tie up the Elite 8 Series at a game apiece. The Wildcats cracked 14 hits, led by homers by CF Dennis Riley and SS Bob Snyder. Snyder's sealed the win with a 3-run blast in the ninth to up the Kenwood lead to 4 runs. Connie Gavagan notched the victory. He went into the fifth, allowed 5 hits and 3 runs. Gavagan led 4-3 when he departed. Relievers Tank Tucker, Rick Brickell and Glenn Stewart held Midway to just one hit and no runs over the last 4 innings. The loser was Sherm Jarvis (0-1), who was shelled for 10 hits and 4 runs in 7 innings. LF Dylan Stevenson had a two-run homer in defeat.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Friday, September 26, 2014

2014 IPA Elite 8 Series

5 HRs Power Colfax Past Marston 8-7
At Legends Field in Marston, the Colfax Blasters unloaded 5 homers to power past the Marston Nine 8-7 in 10 innings to move up 2 games to 1 in the RU Elite 8 Series... Colfax blew a 6-1 lead midway in the game and fell behind 7-6 after seven innings... 2B Ilya Ivanchuk had 2 home runs and 3 RBIs in the game... number two sent the game into extra innings in the top of the ninth... the game-winning run came when C Joe Alexander (.375) worked a walk to lead off the top of the tenth... Alex Ballard ran for Alexander and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt... Ballard attempted to steal third and scored on C Stan Pasek's wild throw... Ivanchuk (.400) led the Blasters 10-hit attack with 3 hits... CF Ryan Raines (.273) had 2 hits and 2 RBIs... and LF Tony Tanaka (.182) scored 3 times... Raines, Tanaka and Alexander each hammered homers... The Nine had 13 hits and were led by SS Danny Church (.250), C Pasek (.333) and 2B Scooter Perez (.125) with 2 runs batted in each... Dallas Somerville (1-0) picked up the win with 2 scoreless innings and Dennis Kretzmeier got the save with a perfect tenth... John Updike (0-1) took the loss... he came on in the tenth.

FM Redhawks Rip BB Sunbirds 10-3 In Game 3
The Far Mountain played like champions today and finally beat Belair Beach in the RU Elite 8 Series... the defending Pro Cup champs mauled the Sunbirds 10-3 behind a 4-home run and 13-hit barrage... still the Redhawks trail in the best-of-seven series 2 games to 1... CF Xavier Sosa (.400), 3B Beauregard Lee (.400), C Otis Ott (.154) and 2B Duane Parsons (.273) all had circuit blasts... Lee drove in 4 runs and Ott and Parsons had 2 RBIs each... Winning pitcher Woody Crawford (1-0) allowed 8 hits, struck out 6 and walked 4 in a complete game... Belair Beach starter Wally Green (0-1) sustained the loss... Green was battered for 5 runs in 3+ innings, but only 1 of the runs was earned... SS Ronnie Nossek (.250) pace the Sunbirds with 2 hits and 3 RBIs.

Typhoons Blow Away Hellcats 12-6
The bats were booming in Hartsdale, too... but it was the visiting Turon Typhoons who did the most damage with 4 roundtrippers and 14 hits in the 12-6 victory... It was Turon's third straight triumph in the series... one more win and the Typhoons will advance to the TU Final 4... 1B Clyde Kingsford (.286) clouted a pair of homers and batted in 4 runs... LF Raphael Semmes (.500) and C Cody Moore (.250) also homered and drove in 3 runs apiece... Turon starter Jacques Lemaire (1-0) chalked up the win... he went 8 innings, permitted 6 runs and 8 hits, 2 of the runs were not earned... the losing pitcher was Hartsdale starter Rip Arnold, who was tagged for 4 runs in 2 innings... Arnold went to the showers trailing 4-1... the Typhoons upped the lead to 8-4 after 5 frames... the Hellcats cut it to 8-6 in the eighth, but Turon put them away with a 4-run ninth... The Typhoons won despite committing 4 errors.

Kenwood Takes Series Lead, Shaw Stops Midway 3-1
Playing in the friendly confines of their home park, Olde Towne Grounds, the Kenwood Wildcats upended favored Midway 3-1 to go ahead in the TU Elite 8 Series two games to one... Sammy Shaw hurled an outstanding game, stopping the Wolves on just 4 hits... Shaw (1-0) walked 2 and fanned 5... Johnny Parker (0-1) pitched well in defeat, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits... both went the distance... CF Dennis Riley (.417), Bob Snyder (.083) and Shaw (.000) each plated a run to lead the winners... CF Johnny Lee (.500) homered for Midway's only score.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Saturday, September 27, 2014

2014 IPA Elite 8 Series

Colfax Nips Nine 3-2, Szabo Bests Sweitzer
On the road at Legends Stadium, the Colfax Blasters moved ever closer to the RU Final 4 with a 3-2 triumph over the Marston Nine... Colfax leads the Elite 8 Series three games to one and needs just one more win to wrap it up... Ilya Szabo turned in another fine performance and outdueled Hunk Sweitzer... Szabo (2-0 0.53) surrendered only 1 run on 7 hits in his 8 innings, struck out 4 and issued just 1 base on balls... In the ninth Dallas Somerville took over with a 3-1 lead and was fortunate to escaped with the save... the Nine got to Somerville for a run on 2 hits before he sealed the verdict... Sweitzer allowed 3 runs and 7 hits, fanned 5 and walked 6 in a spotty effort... 1B Erich Kleinschmidt (.538) led the Blasters with 4 hits and an RBI... LF Tony Tanaka (.188) and CF Ryan Raines (.267) drove in the other 2 runs... Marston 3B Jimmy Holman (.313) had 2 hits and scored twice to lead the Nine.

Sunbirds Win Again, Up 3-1 In Elite 8
It looks like the Belair Beach Sunbirds are better than many experts think... 95 regular season wins were no fluke as favored Far Mountain is finding out... Denny Whitaker pitched a whale of game to give the Sunbirds a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series... Whitaker whipped the Redhawks 4-2 with the help of a clutch 2-run game-winning single by 2B Denny Gessler (.500) in the last of the sixth inning... Losing pitcher Boomerang Hines held a 2-1 lead going into the inning, but was tagged for 3 runs... Whitaker worked 8 strong innings, yielded 7 hits and 2 runs... Hines (0-1 3.00) went 6, permitted 10 hits and 4 runs... LF Ron Dizon (.429) and 3B Derek Krohn (.176) each collected 3 hits and batted in a run... CF Xavier Sosa (.429) put Far Mountain ahead in the top of the fourth with a 2-run homer.

Turon Sweeps Hartsdale, 8-2 Winner In Game 4
The Hartsdale Hellcats were no match for the Turon Typhoons in the Tycobbian Union Elite 8... Turon only took four games to eliminate them from the Pro Cup playoffs... The Typhoons swept the series, winning game four 8-2 behind their ace Nicky Engstrom... Engstrom (2-0 1.06) silenced the big bats of the Hellcats on 6 hits and went the route for his second win of the series... He struck out 8 and walked only 1.. The hitting hero was 3B John Cottrell (.294), who led the 10-hit attack with 3-5 and 4 RBIs... Cottrell and 1B Clyde Kingsford each had 2-run homers... it was Kingsford's third in two days... C Cody Moore (.500) had a perfect day with 4-4 for the Typhoons... Turon will now advance to the TU Final 4 and meet the survivor of the Midway Wolves and the Kenwood Wildcats.

Wildcats Hang On, Edge Wolves 6-5
Kenwood's Todd Combs was sailing along with a 6-2 lead going into the top of the ninth when the Midway Wolves mounted an offensive and came close to tying the game, but they fell short and the Wildcats hung on for a 6-5 win... Underdog Kenwood now leads the TU Elite 8 Series three games to one in the best-of-seven affair... The Wildcats took a 2-0 lead in the last of the second and the Wolves tied it up 2-2 in the sixth on C Sammy Murphy's (.188) two-run shot, only to have Kenwood shell Motega Wolf for 4 runs in the last half of the frame for a 6-2 lead... Kenwood had the edge in hits 10-8 and were paced by 1B Xavier Rocha (.308), who had a 3-run double in the decisive inning... RF Dennis Riley (.438) and 3B Brad Walker (.235) chipped in with 2 hits apiece for the winners... Murphy led the Wolves with 3 hits... CF Johnny Lee (.400) made it close with a 2-run blast in the top of the ninth... It was Lee's second roundtripper in the series... Combs (1-1 4.32) copped the win, although he was tapped for all 5 runs on 7 hits... closer Rick Brickell got the final out for the save... Wolf (1-1 4.30) was the loser... He was belted for 6 runs in 5 and two-thirds innings.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Sunday, September 28, 2014

2013 IPA Elite 8 Series

FM Redhawks Nudge BB Sunbirds 4-3 To Extend Elite 8
The Far Mountain Redhawks Pro Cup streak is still going, but just barely... Far Mountain came back from a 3-1 fourth-inning deficit with 2 runs in the fifth and the winning score in the eighth to slip past Belair Beach 4-3 in crucial game five of the Elite 8 Series... in fact all of the games are crucial for the Redhawks, who will have to win games six and seven, too to extend their sensational postseason winning streak... Far Mountain has won the last 3 Pro Cups... Reliable Robby Kelly got the best of Nasty Naymick this time around... Kelly (1-1 3.07) held the Sunbirds to 3 runs and 6 hits in 8 innings, while Naymick (1-1 3.00) went the distance and permitted 4 runs and 8 hits... Jesse Hughes sat down the Sunbirds in order in the ninth for the save... FM 1B Fran Grzanka (.273) began the scoring with a solo home run in the first frame... Belair Beach tied it up in the 3rd on SS Ronnie Nossek's (.263) single... and 3B Zippy Parks (.500) and 2B Ray Mathews (.167) put the Sunbirds in front 3-1 in the fourth with RBI singles... The Redhawks rallied to knot it up again in the fifth on 3B Beauregard Lee's (.353) second homer of the series and Grzanka's triple... and RF Julian Zavala (.238) won it in the top of the eighth with a single.

Marston Stays Alive, Rallies Past Colfax 3-1 In Game 5
It's hard to win a baseball game when you go 7 innings without a hit, but the Marston Nine did just that... Colfax starter Jimmy Joe Cartner blanked them 1-0 for 7 innings and held them hitless, but the Nine erupted for four hits in the eighth to knock off the Blasters 3-1 and extend the RU Elite 8 Series another day... Colfax is still up 3-2 in the best-of-seven series... 3B Jimmy Holman (.316) busted up the no-hitter with a lead-off single in the bottom of the eighth and scored the tying run when C Stan Pasek (.250) tripled him in... Pinchhitter Waylon Wilkes (.400) put Marston ahead with an RBI single and RF Richie Mazzone (.227) added an insurance RBI single... The Nine's starting pitcher Zippy Hodge (2-0 1.06) was outstanding and notched the victory with 8 sharp innings... Hodge did not give up an earned run, allowed 7 hits, fanned 3 and walked none... Bob Daniel closed it out with a perfect ninth inning for the save.

Kenwood KO's Midway In Elite 8, Meets Turon In TU Final 4
Kenwood's Connie Gavagan twirled a 2-1 masterpiece to knock out the favored Midway Wolves in 5 games in the TU Elite 8 Series... Gavagan (2-0 2.70) stiffed the Wolves on 1 run and 5 hits in his 8 innings... Gavagan walked 3 and struck out 6, while Sherm Jarvis whiffed 9 and walked 2 in defeat... Hard-luck Jarvis only gave up 5 hits and no earned runs... Closer Rick Brickell picked up another save with a scoreless ninth... CF Dalton Walker (.417) scored twice and had 2 hits for the winners... In the opening frame Kenwood was gifted with the first run on a botched play in the outfield... RF Lou Sturge cost them the run... Midway 3B Bobby Carpenter's (.077) sac fly evened the score in top of the fourth... The Wildcats also got the winning run courtesy of another miscue in the fifth when Carpenter fumbled a ground ball and allowed Walker to score from third... Walker had tripled with one away... Kenwood will now take on powerful Turon in the Tycobbian Union Final 4.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 29, 2014

2014 IPA Elite 8 Series

Colfax Advances, Marston Season Over
Colfax got a strong outing from the unsung number three starter Roger Wright and eliminated the Marston Nine from the Pro Cup playoffs with a dramatic 3-2 triumph in game six of the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series... Over 8 innings Wright (1-0 5.02) stymied the Nine on 2 runs and 7 hits to advance the Blasters to the Final 4 against the winner of the Far Mountain-Belair Beach series... reliever Dallas Somerville got the save with a scoreless, but tense ninth... The Nine loaded the bases against him with one out, but Somerville got the final two outs with no damage done... A solo homer by SS Bob Klostermann (.150) gave Colfax the lead in the second... Marston gained the lead 2-1 in the seventh on an RBI single by 3B Jimmy Holman (.304) and a sac fly by SS Danny Church (.250)... Colfax came right back and evened it up in the last of the seventh on 2B Ilya Ivanchuk's (.400) RBI single... The Blasters got the winning score in the bottom of the eighth when RF Paul Coniglio (.286) tripled and scored on pinchhitter Ricky Rose's sacrifice fly...Colfax won despite being outhit 9-5 by Marston... In defeat Dennis Townsend pitched the entire game and did a fine job except for fits of wildness... Townsend walked 8 and fanned 3... The Blasters will battle the Far Mountain-Belair Beach winner in the RU Final 4.

FM Forces 7th Game, Redhawks Nip Sunbirds 1-0
The Far Mountain Redhawks are not going out without a fight... In a superbly-play game they forced a seventh game with a chilling 1-0 win over the Belair Beach Sunbirds in the RU Elite 8 Series at Sky High Stadium in Far Mountain... the winning run came in the second inning when a passed ball with the bases loaded allowed 2B Duane Parsons (.227) to score the only run of the game... both pitchers were magnificent... Winner Woody Crawford (2-0 1.50) stopped the Sunbirds on just 3 hits, while loser Wally Green (0-2 0.77) held the Redhawks to 4 hits, walked 2 and struck out 8... it might be more of the same tomorrow when each club will have its ace on the hill... Boomerang Hines (22-11 2.41) for Far Mountain and Denny Whitaker (21-15 3.32) for Belair Beach.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 30, 2014

2014 IPA Elite 8 Series

FM Reign Over, Belair Beach Wins Elite 8
All good things must come to an end... Far Mountain's tremendous run of three consecutive Pro Cup titles has ended at the hands of the inspired Belair Beach Sunbirds, who won a classic 2-1 masterpiece in the seventh game of the RU Elite 8 Series... Both starting pitchers went the distance and neither deserved to lose it... Sunbird Denny Whitaker (2-0 1.80) bested Redhawk Boomerang Hines (0-2 2.63) in a thrilling match... Far Mountain took the lead in the second frame on C Otis Ott's (.231) solo shot and Hines made it stand up until the fatal sixth... CF Billy Martz led off with a single and scored on C Little Jake Bungarooba's triple to knot the score at 1-all... Bungarooba was the goat yesterday when he blew the game on a passed ball, but he was the hero today... Bungarooba scored the winning on 1B Denny Gray high bounder to second base... closer Groot Tenbrook nailed down the game by shutting down the Redhawks in the ninth... Belair Beach has another tough task against the Colfax Blasters in the RU Final 4 Series.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 1, 2014

IPA Final 4s Start Today in Belair Beach And Turon
It's the round of four in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs. The Belair Beach Sunbirds will host the Colfax Blasters in the Ruthlandian Final 4 and the Turon Typhoons will entertain the Kenwood Wildcats in the Tycobbian Final 4. They will be a best-of-seven series with the winners pitted against one another for Islandian pro baseball supremacy.

Belair Beach gets the favorite role in the RU, while Turon gets the nod in the TU. The Sunbirds upset the powerful Far Mountain Redhawks, who had triumphed in the last three Pro Cups. Colfax knocked off the Marston Nine in the Elite 8 Series. The Typhoons, who have 3 Pro Cup titles, whipped Hartsdale to advance to the Final 4 and the Wildcats, making only its second postseason appearance, upended highly-rated Midway in the Elite 8.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 1, 2014

2014 IPA Final 4 Series

BB Sunbirds Win RU Opener 3-1 Over Colfax
In the first game of the Ruthlandian Final 4 at Bayside Park in Belair Beach, the hometown Sunbirds behind solid pitching by Nasty Naymick skimmed past Colfax 3-1... Winner Naymick (2-1 2.36) allowed 9 hits, but kept the Blasters at bay except for a ninth-inning threat... with one run in and the tying runs on second and third, closer Groot Tenbrook fanned the final batter for his 3rd postseason save... Naymick had 5 Ks and walked a couple of batters... In defeat Ilya Szabo (2-1 1.44) worked a good game, too... He struck out 7 and walked nobody, while giving up 3 runs in 8 innings... Belair Beach scored single runs in the second, fourth and eighth on RBIs by 3B Zippy Parks (.286), 1B Derek Krohn (.185) and C Little Jake Bungarooba (.313)... PH Kurt Vecchio (.333) knocked Colfax's only run.

Kenwood Clouts Turon 7-5 In Game 1
In Game 1 of the TU Final 4 on the road in Turon at Typhoon Stadium, Kenwood snapped a 2-2 tie in the top of the 9th with a 5-run outburst against Turon's terrific closer Merle Studebaker and then almost let the Typhoons get back in the game in the last of the ninth when they scored 3 times... 3B Brad Walker (.308) sparked the Wildcats with 4-5, 2 runs and 2 RBIs with support from LF Jimmy Brewer (.235) and 2B Duncan Renwick (.389), who both collected 2 hits and 2 RBIs... Kenwood had 13 hits in all... Studebaker (0-1) was tagged for all 5 runs in the ninth and suffered the loss... starters Sammy Shaw for Kenwood and Nicky Engstrom for Turon excelled... Shaw (2-0 1.06) got the win and worked 8 strong frames, yielded only 2 runs on 5 hits and Engstrom pitched into the eighth and surrendered two runs on six hits with 8 strikeouts and a walk... Wildcat closer Rick Brickell came in and got the final out of the game with the tying runs on second and third... it was Brickell 3rd save of the playoffs.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 1, 2014

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. 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.

[Eugene Church]

Bayside Park (1995)

Capacity: 12,040

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

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 2, 2014

2014 IPA Final 4 Series

Colfax Evens Final 4, Cartner Blanks BB 5-0
Pitching and Power proved to be the difference in game 2 of the Ruthlandian Union Final 4 Series... Jimmy Joe Cartner (1-2 2.77) spun a masterful 4-hit shutout and derailed the high-flying Belair Beach Sunbirds 5-0 to even up the series at one game apiece... CF Ryan Raines (.310) and 3B Mike Janocko (.276) hammered solo jobs and RF Paul Coniglio (.250) pounded a 3-run homer to back up Cartner, who went the distance, walked one and fanned 4... Wally Green (0-3 2.65) was the losing pitcher... the Blasters belted him for four runs in his 5+ innings.

Wildcats Top Turon Again, 6-5 In 11 Innings
In game 2 at Turon, Kenwood blew a 5-0 first-inning lead, but won a 6-5 thriller in 11 innings to go up two games in the Tycobbian Union Final 4... PH Mitchell Marsh (.667) singled in the winning score off Merle Studebaker (0-2), who lost for the second successive day... Rick Brickell (1-0) struck out 3 and got the victory with a scoreless tenth and Tank Tucker protected the lead with a runless eleventh and notched the save... the Wildcats stormed to a 5-run first inning against starter Jacques Lemaire, who settled down and shut them down without a run through the eighth, giving the Typhoons time to tie it up and send it into extra innings... None of the runs against Lemaire were earned... Wildcat starter Connie Gavagan worked 9 innings and permitted only 2 earned runs... Kenwood committed 4 errors to 2 for the Typhoons in a loosely-played game... Turon had the edge in hits 12-10, but went down to defeat... 1B Duncan Renwick (.381) led Kenwood with a 2-run triple in the opening frame... Turon's top bat was 3B John Cottrell (.320) with 2-5 and 3 RBIs.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 3, 2014

2014 IPA Final 4 Series

Sunbirds Salvage 8-7 Win In 11 Innings
In game 3 of the RU Final 4 at Colfax's Mountain View Stadium, Belair Beach won 8-7 in 11 innings to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series... an errant throw by catcher Joe Alexander on a steal of third allowed C Little Jake Bungarooba (.300) to come around to score the winning run... the Sunbirds unleased a 16-hit attack and ran up a 7-2 lead after 4 and a half innings, but allowed the Blasters to tie it up at 7-7 in the sixth... Colfax cracked 13 hits of their own... Sunbirds closer Groot Tenbrook (2-0) got the victory with 3 scoreless innings, while Bryan Vidmar (0-1), who relieved in the last inning, lost it on an unearned run... RF Billy Martz (.372) and 3B Zippy Parks (.409) paced Belair Beach with 4 hits each and a pair of RBIs apiece... RF Paul Coniglio (/273) was a one-man gang with 2 hits and 5 RBIs for Colfax, including a crucial 3-run blast in the seventh.

Turon Wins Game 3, Stuart Beats Kenwood 7-2
Turon traveled to Olde Towne Grounds in Kenwood for game 3 of the TU Final 4 and finally won a game against the underdog Wildcats... winning pitcher James Stuart bent, but didn't break to defeat the Wildcats 7-2 as he stranded 12 baserunners... Stuart (2-0 2.81) was touched for 11 hits in 8 innings, but he permitted only 2 runs... Jeb Pickett blanked Kenwood in the ninth... Stuart (.500) also had 2 hits and 2 runs batted in... 2B Alan Hansen (.379) chipped in 2 hits and 2 RBIs for the winners... starter Todd Combs (1-2 5.64) suffered the loss as he was battered for 6 runs in 5+ frames.

[Eugene Church]

Around the Town in the IPA

KENWOOD WILDCATS

Owner: Kenwood Farmers Co-op
GM/Manager: Aaron Hankins

Kenwood, a rustic and rural town of 50,000 located 25 miles off the Kelnyck Ocean in west central Tycobbia, is an agrarian area with little industry. Farms as far as the eye can see dot the landscape. Founded by English and Welsh settlers, life is like merry olde England of a century or two ago. Country inns and pubs with fine ales, fresh trout out of the crystal clear streams or a piece of juicy wild boar or game bird are always on the menu, and you can sample all of the homemade cheeses and wonderfully-fresh produce of the region. Corn, wheat, barley and other grains are the main crops; dairy, pork and chicken products are important to the economy, too.

Life is peaceful and sedate in Kenwood, where tradition is important. All new construction in the town has to be approved by the Planning Board. Modern architecture is not permitted in Olde Towne, as the central downtown area is known. All buildings must be designed circa 1850 and fit in with the historic décor of the existing buildings. Even the ballpark where the Kenwood Wildcats play is an old ballpark; the fans wouldn’t have it any other way. Olde Towne can be seen over the center field and right field fences and the new part of the town over the left field fence. Olde Towne has a wonderful old-fashioned soda shoppe where you can get homemade ice cream in flavors like orange-pineapple (with bits of pineapple and orange), grape (with real grapes), strawberry (with bits of strawberry), banana (with bits of banana) and vanilla, chocolate and fudge ripple, too. Cherry cokes, vanilla cokes, chocolate cokes and thick shakes, malts and hamburgers as well. It is a great place to meet after the ballgame.

Olde Towne Grounds is perfect for the Kenwoodians. They are old-fashioned at the ballpark, too, with only cold drinks, ale, hot dogs, hamburgers, peanuts and Crackerjacks and marvelous thick milk shakes made with delicious homemade ice cream at the concession stands. And in keeping with the oldtime flavor of Kenwood, there is live organ music to entertain the fans. Only three other parks boast an organ player; Ozarka, Hillsboro and Marston.

Olde Towne Grounds is is a quaint ballpark with an asymmetrical configuration. The left field line is 380', the same as it is to straightaway center. Right field is more realistic at 350'. It was built in 1911.

The Kenwood Wildcats are owned by the Kenwood Farmers Co-op and are managed and directed by one of the all-time great home run hitters and outfielders in Tycobbian industrial league history, Aaron Hankins.

[Eugene Church]

Olde Towne Grounds (1911)

Capacity: 6,115

Dimensions:
LF Line 380
LF 365
LCF 370
CF 380
RCF 365
RF 345
RF Line 350

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Time
Saturday, October 4, 2014

2014 IPA Final 4 Series

Series Tied At 2, Colfax Trims Belair Beach 3-2
A last-ditch ninth-inning rally propelled Colfax to a 3-2 squeaker over Belair Beach to square the RU Final 4 at two games each in the best-of-seven set... Nasty Naymick stopped the Blasters on 5 hits in 8 innings and left a 2-1 lead for super closer Groot Tenbrook, but he couldn't put them away... 1B Erich Kleinschmidt (.290) doubled to lead off the bottom of the ninth and scored the tying run on PH Kurt Vecchio's (.400) triple... Vecchio then scored on Tenbrook's wild pitch to end the game... Tenbrook (2-1 2.45) failed to get an out and was tagged with the loss... Dallas Somerville (2-0 1.00) blanked the Sunbirds over the last two frames for the victory... Ilya Szabo gave the Blasters a good start with 7 solid innings... Szabo permitted 2 runs and 6 hits in his 7 innings with 7 Ks and 5 BBs... Colfax broke the scoring ice on an RBI single by CF Ryan Raines (.297) in the fifth... Belair Beach rebounded with 2 in the top of the sixth to take the lead on RBI singles by RF Billy Martz (.383) and 1B Derek Krohn (.179)... but the Sunbirds couldn't hold it... Belair Beach had 8 hits and Colfax 7.

Typhoons Blow Away Wildcats With 7-run 9th
Kenwood's Sammy Shaw was sailing along with a 6-1 lead going into the top of the ninth... 3 more outs and his Wildcats would go up three games to one over the Turon Typhoons in the TU Final 4 - but it never happened - Turon shocked Kenwood with 7 runs and came away with an 8-6 win to even the series at 2 games apiece... SS Matt Madison (.400) made it 6-3 with a 2-run single, 2B Alan Hansen (.375) cut it to 6-5 with a 2-run double, LF Jack Brown (.333) tied it up at 6-6 with a RBI single and 1B Clyde Kingsford clouted a 2-run roundtripper to send Colfax in front 8-6... It was Kingsford's 4th postseason homer... Reliever Rick Brickell (1-1 4.50) caught the loss as he gave up the last two hits... Jeb Pickett (1-0 0.00) hurled two scoreless innings for the win with help from closer Merle Studebaker, who chalked up his 3rd save with a perfect ninth...2B Duncan Renwick (.367) topped the Sunbirds with 2 hits, 2 runs and an RBI, 3B Brad Walker (.275) drove in a pair and 1B Xavier Rocha (.250) had 2 hits and an RBI.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 5, 2014

2014 IPA Pro Cup Final 4 Series

Sunbirds Soar, Sock Blasters 8-1
The Colfax Blasters never had a chance in game 5 of the Ruthlandian Final 4... Belair Beach's Wally Green fired a 4-hitter and the Sunbirds socked 13 hits en route to an easy 8-1 triumph over Colfax... The Sunbirds lead the best-of-seven series 3-2... Green fanned 8 and walked 3, while going all the way... Green (.556) also went 4-for-4, scored 3 times and drove in 3 runs... RF Billy Martz (.412) and CF Tom Bennett (.275) each had 3 hits and 2 RBIs in the runaway... Jimmy Joe Cartner (1-3 3.78) caught the loss as he surrendered 6 runs and 11 hits in 7+ innings.

Wildcats Eke By Typhoons 2-1, Take Series Lead
Pitching dominated game 5 in the Tycobbian Final 4... Kenwood took a game lead in the series with a 2-1 win... There were only 9 hits in the game with Kenwood getting 5 and Turon 4... Tank Tucker (1-0) got the win with a scoreless 7th... Rick Brickell and Sol Yakis blanked the Typhoons in the last two frames... It was Yakis' first save in the playoffs... Jeb Pickett (1-1) was the loser, though he allowed no earned runs in his 2 innings... the winning score came in the 7th when 2B Duncan Renwick (.364) doubled, then scored on a wild throw by C Cody Moore, while he was stealing third... Wildcat starter Connie Gavagan and Typhoon starter Jacques Lemaire both pitched well... Gavagan worked 6 innings, allowed 4 hits and a run in the second, while Lemaire tossed 5 innings, permitted 4 hits and a run in the fourth frame... A long rain delay forced both of them out of the game.