Professional Baseball League of Arizona

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ARIZONA SERIES: GAME 1

Josh Simpson started game one for Tucson. He struggled against Mesa on the regular season, going 1-2 with an ERA of 4.80. He allowed the first two batters to reach in singles. Ian Fraser scores on a Matt Bracken sacrifice fly later in the inning to give the Spiders the early lead.

The Turtles answered in the bottom of the 2nd off of Mesa starter Bobby Compton when Steve Stoddard came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Roy Lewis.

The Spiders jumped all over Simpson in the top of the 3rd. Jon Simon doubled to lead things off and Fraser doubled and moved him to 3rd. Aftet Jeff Beasley grounded into a fielder’s choice, back to back doubles by Bill Howard and Matt Bracken brought in three runs to give the Spiders a 4-1 lead.

The score stayed the same until the bottom of the 6th. Steve Guilfoyle walked to lead off the inning. Two outs later, Steve Stoddard launched a two run home run 410 ft into right center field and Mesa was back within one run.

Carlos Curiel came out of the bullpen to replace Compton in the bottom of the 8th. The first batter he faced was Ben McDaniel who reached base on an error. After Guilfoyle struck out, Elijah Leggett and Justin Blohm walked to load the bases. Curiel was replaced by Jonathon Jones, who got Steve Stoddard to line our to short and Jaylen Lucas to ground out, ending the inning without a run scoring.

Kyle Vault added a solo home run in the top of the 9th to put Mesa up by two.

Mesa won game 1 by a score of 5-3.

Bobby Compton got the win, pitching 7 innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits, with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.

Matt Bracken was 1-3 with 1 double and 3 RBI.

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ARIZONA SERIES: GAME 2

The Turtles were down by a game but they were feeling confident. After all, they had come back from down 3 games to 1 in the previous series to get here. Sure, Mesa was playing good baseball, but the players from Tucson knew they had a good ball club.

Tony Vasquez worked a 1-2-3 inning in the 1st an the Tucson crowd roared in appreciation.

Cody Francis got off to a solid start as well, allowing a two out double to Elijah Leggett but nothing else.

With one out in the top of the 2nd, Dan Brunet and George Luedtke both singled. Vasquez struck out Kyle Vault, but Aaron Boeck and Jon Simon hit back to back RBI singles to put Mesa in top.

Luedtke extended the lead for the Spiders with a leadoff home run in the 4th inning.

Tucson finally broke through in the bottom of the 5th. Roy Lewis, Andy Lepore, and Ben McDaniel hit three consecutive singles to load the bases. Steve Guilfoyle followed that up with a two run double. Wile Leggett was batting, Francis threw a wild pitch allowing the tying run to cross the plate. Two pitches later, Leggett singled to give Tucson the lead. Francis was finally able to get an out Blohm popped up in the infield but then he gave up two more singles to Stoddard and Lucas before being pulled from the game for reliever John Murphy who closed out the inning without further damage. The Turtles led 5-3.

The lead didn’t last long. Bill Howard singled to lead off the game and Tony Vasquez was taken out of the game and replaced by Xavier Blackwell. Luedtke was the first batter to face the new pitcher and sent the first pitch over the fence in left to tie the game at 5.

The Tucson offense continued to roll in the bottom of the 6th. Three of the first four batters singled, including Leggett’s RBI hit. With two out, Stoddard was walked to load the bases and Lucas walked to give Tucson a 7-5 lead.

Chris Lawrence came in to pitch the top of the 8th inning for Tucson. Bill Howard worked a walk to lead off the inning. Brunet tripled to drive him in and Luedtke drove him in with a single to tie the game at 7. Jon Simon doubled in a run to give Mesa the lead. With two out Matt Bracken provided some insurance with a two run double down the line in right.

Tucson was unable to find a way to come back and the Spiders has a 2-0 series lead.

George Luedtke went 4-4 with 1 walk, 2 home runs, 4 runs scored, and 4 RBI.

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ARIZONA SERIES: GAME 3

Mesa sent Roland Radtke to the mound and Tucson started Matt Bastow in game 3. Bastow had really struggled so far in the postseason but the Turtles needed him to be good if they were to avoid falling behind 3-0 in the series.

Both pitchers were very good early. There was only one base runner for either team through two innings.

With one out in the top of the 3rd, Tucson put together a threat. Andy Lepore, Ben McDaniel, and Steve Guilfoyle got three consecutive singles to load the bases. They were unable to score though, as Radtke was able to get a couple of well placed grounders that turned into fielder’s choices.

The Turtles finally were able to break through in the 5th. Elijah Leggett lined a single to right center to drive in one and Steve Stoddard singled to drive in two more.

Matt Bracken came to the plate with a man on in the 6th and slammed a home run to center to bring the Spiders back within one.

Stoddard led off the 8th with a 446 ft bomb to right center field, putting Mesa in the lead 4-2.

George Luedtke led off the bottom of the 9th with a single. Kyle Vault then reached on an error to get the tying run on base against reliever Gregg Sheridan. Aaron Boeck worked the count full and drew a walk. The bases were loaded with no outs.

Jin Simon stepped to the plate. He got ahead in the count 2-0 angot the fastball he was hoping for. He just missed it and lifted it high into shallow right field. Too shallow for Luedtke to try to tag up.

Next up was Ian Fraser.

He fouled the first pitch straight back.

He hit the next pitch on the ground to Lepore at short. He scooped it up and threw to second for one out. Sausser turned to throw to first. Fraser was running hard. The throw beat him to first and the Turtles had won the game.

The score was Turtles 4-Spiders 2. Mesa led the Arizona Series 2-1. Game 4 would be in Mesa.

Steve Stoddard went 3-5 with with 1 home run, 1 run, and 3 RBI.

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ARIZONA SERIES: GAME 4

Josh Simpson vs. Bobby Compton round two. Tucson didn’t want to fall behind 3 games to 1 again like they did in the conference championship series. If they did, at least they would have their comeback in the previous round to look to as inspiration, but they didn’t want to go there.

Simpson and Compton kept hitters at bay through the first 5 innings. There were a couple of men in scoring position, but it never really felt like either of them was sweating. At least not until the bottom of the 6th. Jon Simon came up to bat against Simpson to lead the inning off. Simpson got ahead of him with a fastball but then threw three straight pitches off the plate.

Justin Blohm came from behind the plate to talk to him. They laughed and Blohm went back to his crouch.

Simon took a big cut and missed at a slider he thought would be a fastball. Now he stepped out.

Simpson wound up and threw his hardest fastball of the night. Simon fouled it back.

Another fastball...another foul back.

Simpson went with the slider. Simon checked his swing. The umpire called it low and Simon headed to first.

Simpson took a deep breath as Ian Fraser came to the plate. Strike one.

Fraser was ready quickly. He swung and missed for strike two.

This time Fraser stepped out. He looked around and seemed to be talking to himself. He slapped his bat and got back into position.

Fraser hit the ball hard to left center field and took off running. The ball bounced around and avoided the first fielder to get near it. Fraser rounded third and headed home. The throw was not close. The Spiders had a 2-0 lead.

Bill Howard hit a towering home run two batters later to extend the lead to three.

Andy Sausser led of the top of the 7th with a double for Tucson. He moved to third on a groundout and Andy Lepore was able to drive him in with a single. Tucson could only get one that inning but it gave them hope.

The Turtles put two men on in the 8th but were unable to score.

Matt Teter came in to pitch in the bottom of the 8th and wasn’t able to keep the game close. Dan Burnett had an RBI single and Tucson went back to the pen for Xavier Blackwell. Luedtke singles to load the bases but Blackwell returns the next batter for the second out. He then walked in a run, allowed one to score on a wild pitch and gave up a run scoring single to Simon before getting the final out.

Ben McDaniel hit a two out double in the 9th but that was all the Turtles could manage.

The Mesa Spiders won game 4 by a score of 7-1 and took a 3-1 lead in the series.

Bobby Compton got the win, pitching 6 innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits, while walking 3 and striking out 4.

Bill Howard went 2-3 with 1 walk, 2 runs scored, 1 home run, and 1 RBI.

Ian Fraser went 1-5 with a two run home run.

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ARIZONA SERIES: GAME 5

The Turtles were in a familiar position, down 3-1 in a seven game series, needing to win three in a row to come out champions. Mesa was also in a familiar situation. The won the first round of the playoffs in 5 games.

The pitching matchup for game 5 was Tony Vasquez for Tucson and Cody Francis for Mesa.

Jaylen Lucas came to bat for the Turtles in the bottom of the 2nd inning by doubling on the first pitch. After Andy Sausser flied out, Roy Lewis lifted a fly ball just over the fence down the right field line to give Tucson a two run lead.

Tucson still led 2-0 going into the top of the 4th. Jeff Beasley reached base when Andy Lepore misplayed a ball at short to lead off the inning. Matt Bracken then tied the game with a long home run into right center field.

With two out in the bottom of the 4th, Lewis singled and Lepore doubled to put the Turtles back in the lead by one.

Vasquez was relieved by Paul Brennan in the top of the 6th. The first batter he faced was Jeff Beasley. With a 2-1 count, Beasley rapped a line drive into right center field for a double. Bracken singled, advancing Beasley to third. With that, Brennan was replaced by Gregg Sheridan. Bill Howard singled and drove in the tying run. Sheridan was able to get Dan Brunet to fly out to shallow center field. George Luedtke hit the ball hard to right center. It was caught but Bracken was able to score on the play, putting the Spiders ahead by one.

Mesa put the game, and the series away in the 7th inning. Travis Abramczyk walked and Simon singled. Fraser added to the lead with an RBI single. Then Beasley doubled in two more runs. Bracken was the next batter, and he homered to right center. Howard singled and then later scored on a single by Vault. When the inning was over, the score was 10-3.

Tucson never again mounted a serious rally and the game and series were over. Mesa won the first Arizona Series 4-1.

Matt Bracken was named the Arizona Series MVP.

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1912 Great Glove Winners:

SP-David Villavicencio of The Douglas Jackrabbits
C-Steve Duffy of the Douglas Jackrabbits
1B-Steve Stoddard of the Tucson Turtles
2B-John Bacon of the Tempe Bulldogs
3B-Larry Sykes if the Flagstaff Axemen
SS-Joe Frazier of the Prescott Timberwolves
LF-Adam Fallon of the Florence Flames
CF-Jaylin Smith of the Nogales Black Knights
RF-Tim Conrad of the Prescott Timberwolves

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Closer Isaiah Brennan of the Flagstaff Axemen won the Relief Pitcher of the Year Award.

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The following players were winners of the Platinum Stick Award:

C-Justin Blohm of the Tucson Turtles
1B-Chris Curtis of the Tempe Bulldogs
2B-Eddie Dollard of the Tucson Turtles
3B-Brian Raphael of the Nogales Black Knights
SS-Joe Frazier of the Prescott Timberwolves
LF-Matt Bracken of the Mesa Spiders
CF-Devin Carlson of the Phoenix Dust Devils
RF-Rich Tidwell of the Douglas Jackrabbits
DH-Justin Winterbottom of the Glendale Redbirds

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Starting Pitcher Josh Simpson of the Tucson Turtles won the 1912 Pitcher of the Year Award.

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CF Devon Carlson of the Phoenix Dust Devils was named the 1912 Professional Baseball League of Arizona Most Valuable Player.

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Before we prepare for the 1913 season, let’s look back at 1912 one last time.

I’d be curious to know if any of you who have been following along have a favorite moment from the 1912 season?

Jon Simon’s wall-off home run on opening day?

Robert Day’s unlikely 3 homer game?

Eddie Dollard’s 6-hit game?

Devon Carlson’s 2 homer performance in the All-Star game?

Danny Sosa’s game winning homer in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Championships?

Matt Bracken’s 3 run home run in game 2 of the Western Conference Championships completing the comeback?

Bobby Compton’s dominant game 4 performance in the Western Conference Championships?

Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Championships, highlighted by Justin Blohm’s 2 run double in the 8th that gave Tucson the lead for good?

George Luedtke’s 4-4 performance in game 2 of the Arizona Series, including 2 home runs and 4 RBI?

Something else?

For me, It’s the Bracken home run in game 2 of the ECC. I pictured that moment in my head as I read and wrote about it and the image keeps coming back to me.

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The first offseason-moving from 1912-1913

There were not really a lot of changes made in the offseason. There were a few players that decided the grind of a 120 game season was a bit more than they expected who retired after only one season.

There were a total of 50 players who retired after the 1912 season. The only player that made it into any of our 1912 stories who retired was Glendale 1B Kymani Sinclair.

There were only four trades in the offseason. All of them included either Tucson or Glendale. One of the trades was between Tucson and Glendale.

Tucson traded LF Roy Lewis and a 2B prospect Fred Fryer to Prescott for two relief pitchers, Frank Montenegro and Tim Harbin

Glendale traded 2B John Berrera to Florence for RP Mike Raymond and young SP Jason Peters.

Tucson traded backup catcher Bob Aguilar RF prospect Jason Vandercook to Gelndale for two relief pitchers, Danny Vaccaro and Ron Stewart.

Glendale trades their starting catcher JD Romagnoli and RP Matt Sweeney to Douglas in exchange for SP Josh Sheppard.

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After examining the changes made over the offseason, injured players returning to health, and young players ready to make an impact, the experts made some predictions about the 1913 season.

In the East, Flagstaff was viewed as the team to beat. Orlando Avila was still their best offensive player. Their top pitchers were expected to be Edgar Quintanilla, Kelvin Augustin, and closer Isaiah Brennan.

Tucson was still expected to be a playoff caliber team, led by 2B Eddie Dollard on offense and SP Josh Simpson.

Nogales was considered a team that could play much better in 1913. Players like Brian Raphael, Pete Surry, and Justin Schlimmer were expected to be impact batters for the ballclub.

Florence was expected to be about a .500 ball club with no players really standing out from the pack.

Douglas was viewed as a prime candidate to take a big step back, being picked to finish in last place a year after narrowly missing the Arizona Series. Scott Klein was expected to have a big year for the Jackrabbits.

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In the West, Tempe was viewed as an improved team with a chance to win the conference. Tyler Craig, Jon Garcia, and John Howard were considered some of the better pitchers in the league entering the season.

Mesa was still considered a strong contender as well. With Matt Bracken and Ian Fraser leading the offense, they also expected to get strong pitching from Bobby Compton once again.

Glendale was viewed as an improved team, and considered a serious playoff contender once again. The addition of Josh Sheppard was viewed as an excellent move.

Phoenix was considered to be a below average team despite reigning MVP Devin Carlson leading their offense.

Prescott was viewed as a team that could lose more than 80 games on the season. There were no players mentioned as possible stars when the team was discussed.

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April 30, 1913:

Let’s take a look at the league after the first month of the 1913 season.

Here are the Eastern Conference standings at the end of the day on April 30.

Nogales Black Knights: 14-6
Tucson Turtles: 13-7
Flagstaff Axemen: 13-7
Florence Flames: 10-10
Douglas Jackrabbits: 7-13

Nogales got off to a fantastic start. They were tabbed as an improved team, but this was more than most expected.

Tucson and Flagstaff were right where they were expected to be, playing very well out of the gate.

So far, Florence was playing the .500 ball they were predicted to play.

Douglas was also falling in line with the predictions. Falling from a playoff team to a team 6 games behind the second playoff spot after only one month was quite a drop-off.


Now for the Western Conference standings at the end of April.

Glendale Redbirds: 13-7
Prescott Timberwolves: 9-11
Tempe Bulldogs: 8-12
Mesa Spiders: 8-12
Phoenix Dust Devils: 5-15

Glendale played very well during April. They were trying to improve on last year’s second place finish and looked like they meant business.

The rest of the conference struggled during the first month. They were determined to have more than one .500 team in the west this year, but the early standings hinted at a similarly embarrassing situation to the previous season.

Prescott, Tempe, and Mesa all seemed to have trouble finding consistency.

Phoenix just looked awful in April. They dug themselves quite a hole early on.


April highlights:

April 7-Flagstaff Axemen vs Tucson Turtles

Kelvin Augustin pitches masterfully to lead the Axemen to victory. He pitched 8.1 innings, allowing only 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3.

April 17-Prescott Timberwolves at Tempe Bulldogs

Ben Lewis hit 3 home runs and drove in 6 runs as the Timberwolves won 8-5.
Lewis hit a 2 run homer in the 1st, a 3 run homer in the 3rd, and a solo homer in the 5th. In his final at-bat, he grounded out to 2nd.

April 19-Mesa Spiders at Tucson Turtles

Ian Fraser went 6-6 in a losing effort as Tucson came away with a 12-8 win.

Fraser walked to lead off the game and then singled in each of his next six at-bats. Fraser also stole a base in the game.

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May 31, 1913:

Now we’ll look at the standings after two months of the season.

Eastern Conference standings:

Nogales Black Knights: 24-17
Tucson Turtles: 24-17
Flagstaff Axemen: 21-20
Douglas Jackrabbits: 20-21
Florence Flames: 16-25

Nogales continued to okay well in May. Could they become the first team to go from worst to first in the PBLAZ? Only time would tell.

Tucson had a great May and picked up the game they needed to pull into a tie with Nogales.

Flagstaff fell off the pace a bit, having a sub .500 month at just 8-13.

Douglas has a strong month at 13-8, pulling into the thick of the race.

Florence struggled mightily in May, going 6-15.


Western Conference standings:

Glendale Redbirds: 29-12
Mesa Spiders: 20-21
Phoenix Dust Devils: 20-21
Tempe Bulldogs: 16-21
Prescott Timberwolves: 15-26

Glendale was even better in May than they were in April, with a record for the month of 16-5.

Mesa went 12 and 9 in May to pull back within striking distance of .500.

Phoenix was on fire in May, going 15-6 and digging their way out of the basement.

Tempe played near .500 ball in May, at 8-9.

Prescott fell apart in May, going 6-15. They needed to fix some things quickly.


May Highlights:

May 11, 1913: Nogales Black Knights at Tucson Turtles

Eddie Gambs went 3-5 with 2 walks, 4 runs scored, an 7 RBI as Nogales blasted Tucson 22-11. Gambs hit a 2 run home run in the 5th and a grand slam in the 6th.


May 25, 1913: Phoenix Dust Devils at Flagstaff Axemen

Edgar Quintanilla pitched a phenomenal game to lead the Axemen to a shutout victory. He pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just 3 hits while striking out 5.


May 31, 1913: Florence Flames at Nogales Black Knights

Brian Raphael went 3-4 with 3 runs scored, 6 runs batted in, and 3 home runs to lead Nodales to a 12-1 victory. Raphael hit solo homers in the 3rd and 6th innings, and a grand slam in the 7th.

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June 30, 1913:

Here are the standings after three months of the season.

Eastern Conference Standings:

Tucson Turtles 37-23
Douglas Jackrabbits 33-27 4 GB
Flagstaff Axemen 32-28 5 GB
Nogales Black Knights 28-32 9 GB
Florence Flames 25-35 12 GB


Tucson was 13-6 in the month, moving into sole possession of first place.

Douglas was also 13-6, moving above .500 for the first time during the season and into second place.

Flagstaff went 11-8, remaining in third place. Despite falling off a bit after April, they have still positioned themselves for a chance at a second half run.

Nogales fell apart in June, going 4-15. They fell out of first place for the first time during the season.

Florence went 9-10, struggling in their quest to get back to .500 or better.

Western Conference Standings;

Glendale Redbirds 34-25
Mesa Spiders 31-29 3.5 GB
Phoenix Dust Devils 30-30 4.5 GB
Prescott Timberwolves 25-35 9.5 GB
Tempe Bulldogs 24-35 10 GB

Glendale only went 5-13 in June, but because they had built a big lead, held only first place in the conference at the end of the month.

Mesa pulled above .500 and gained ground in the conference with an 11-8 record for the month.

Phoenix went 10-9 to reach an even .500 on the season.

Prescott went 10-9 but still lags far behind.

Tempe went 8-10 to fall into last place.


June 1913 highlights:

June 10, 1913-Tucson Turtles at Nogales Black Knights-The Turtles won a blowout game against Nogales by a score of 11-0. Tucson got an amazing pitching effort out of Frank Montenegro. He pitched a complete game shutout, while striking out 3 and allowing only one hit. He took a perfect game into the 9th inning but allowed a leadoff single in the final frame. He still faced the minimum in the game as the final batter of the game hit into a double play.

June 24, 1913-Mesa Spiders at Prescott Timberwolves-Bobby Compton pitched a masterful shutout to lead the Spiders to a 9-0 win. He pitched a complete game, allowing 4 hits and striking out 5.

June 25, 1913-Mesa Spiders at Prescott Timberwolves-Kyle Vault went 4-7 with 1 double, 2 home runs, 3 runs scored, and 9 RBI. He had a 2 run home run in the 1st, an RBI double in the 3rd, and a grand slam in the 8th inning. Mesa won the game 25-4.

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July 31, 1913

Lets take a look at the standings with only two months left in the season.

Eastern Conference Standings:

Tucson Turtles 48-31
Flagstaff Axemen 44-35 4 GB
Douglas Jackrabbits 40-39 8 GB
Nogales Black Knights 37-42 11 GB
Florence Flames 37-42 11 GB

Tucson stayed out in front with an 11-8 month.

Flagstaff pulled back into second place with a 12-7 July.

Douglas went 7-12 to fall back into third place after going 26-14 the previous two months.

Nogales continued to struggle after their rough June, going 9-10 in July.

Florence had Theo best month of the season at 12-7, closing the gap on Nogales.


Western Conference Standings:

Glendale Redbirds 44-35
Mesa Spiders 42-37 2 GB
Phoenix Dust Devils 38-41 6 GB
Tempe Bulldogs 34-45 10 GB
Prescott Timberwolves 31-48 13 GB

Glendale went 10-10 in July, allowing Mesa to pull a little closer.

Mesa went 11-8 and gained one and a half games in the standings.

Phoenix fell back below .500 with a July record of 8-11.

Tempe went 10-10 to pull ahead of Prescott who they previously trailed by a half game.

Prescott has a dismal 6-13 July to drop well behind in last place.


July Highlights:

July 1, 1913 All-Star Game

Tempe 1B Chris Curtis tripled with one out in the top of the 1st and scored on a single by Devin Carlson of Phoenix to give the West an early 1-0 lead.

Tempe’s John Bacon doubled to drive in another run for the West in the top of the 2nd.


Orlando Avila of the Flagstaff Axemen hit a solo home run in the 2nd inning to get the West on the board.

Chris Kelly of the Douglas Jackrabbits gave the East a 3-2 lead with a two run home run in the bottom of the 3rd.

The Eastern All-Stars benefited from two errors in the bottom of the 5th, allowing Elijah Leggett and Eddie Dollard of the Turtles to each drive in a run with a pair of singles.

That would be all the scoring in the game. The Eastern Conference All-Stars won 5-2.

Orlando Avila went 1-2 with a solo home run.

Chris Kelly, who was named the Player of the Game, went 2-2 with 1 single, 1 home run, 1 run scored, and 2 RBI.

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August 31, 1913:

Let’s look at the standing with one month left in the season.

Eastern Conference Standings:
Tucson Turtles 62-38
Flagstaff Axemen 53-47 9 GB
Douglas Jackrabbits 52-48 10 GB
Florence Flames 49-51 13 GB
Nogales Black Knights 43-57 19 GB

Tucson went 14-7 in August to put themselves in great position for the stretch run. Barring a total collapse, they should have home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs again this year.

Flagstaff went 9-12 in August, barely hanging onto 2nd place. Their struggles allowed Douglas to pull within one game of the Axemen with 20 games to play.

Douglas went 12-9, creating an opportunity for an exciting finish in the race for the second Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Florence went 12-9 but would need a great September and help to have a chance at making the postseason.

Nogales continued their tailspin, going 6-15 in August. The team and its fans were all struggling to figure out what went wrong with the team that sat atop the standings at the end of May. It was clear they were out of the playoff hunt entering the final month.

Western Conference Standings:

Glendale Redbirds 56-44
Mesa Spiders 56-44
Phoenix Dust Devils 49-51 7 GB
Tempe Bulldogs 43-57 13 GB
Prescott Timberwolves 37-63 19 GB

Glendale went 12-9 in August after struggling a bit the previous two months. It came at the right time, if they had lost one more game, they would have been in 2nd place instead of a tie for first.

Mesa went 14-7 in the month as they continued their strong play since struggling in April.

Phoenix went 11-10 to pull one game closer to .500 but their chances at a playoff berth were all but gone heading into September.

Tempe continued their subpar season with a 9-12 month. Their chances at a .500 season had faded away.

Prescott continued to have the worst record in the league going 6-15 in August.

August Highlights and Stats:

The race for the 1913 batting crown is a good one going into the final 20 games, with two players having a legitimate shot at coming out on top:
George Luedtke (MES) .372
Ryan Van Dorn (FLO) .366

The 1913 home run and RBI titles are also likely to come down to one of two players:
Mike Campion (DOU) 38/112
Matt Bracken (MES) 35/108

The ERA title is likely to go to Kelvin Augustin (FLA) at 2.46 with Tyler Craig (TEM) currently in second at 2.91.

Kelvin Augustin and Bobby Compton (MES) are tied for the league lead in pitcher wins at 14. The next closest player has 11.

Tyler Craig, 136, and Jason Pengra (FLO), 134, are the clear leaders in pitcher strikeouts, thirty ahead of the next closest player.

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September 1913:

We’re going to take a look at some key moments and achievements around the league during the final month of the 1913 season.

September 17, 1913: Glendale secures a playoff spot for the second straight year.


September 19, 1913: Ryan Van Dorn collected his 178th hit of the season, setting anew single season league record.


September 21, 1913: A win by Mesa or a loss by Phoenix would mean the end of the postseason hopes for the Dust Devils.

Mesa lost their game 15-7.

Phoenix did their best to hang on, scoring 5 runs in the first 4 innings. Glendale picked up four of their own in the 4th. Then, in the 7th, the Redbirds got a two run home run from Kevin Wade to pull into the lead. The Dust Devils tied the game in the 9th and sent the game into extra innings. Glendale was able to eliminate Phoenix in the 10th when SS Jai Norman drive in the winning run with a walk-off single.



September 23, 1913: Tucson secures a playoff spot for the second straight year.


September 27, 1913: Flagstaff secures playoff spot for the first time. Douglas is eliminated from the postseason.

September 28, 1913: On field fight has postseason implications.

Glendale Redbirds at Douglas Jackrabbits: Glendale jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but starter Josh Sheppard gave up two solo home runs in the 4th to tie the game. After giving up a two run blast in the 5th, Sheppard hit Kelvin Marin with the next pitch. Marin came racing out to the mound and the two players threw punches at each other as their teammates joined them on the field. After the game, it was announced that Marin would be suspended for 4 games and Sheppard would be suspended for 5. With only one regular season game remaining, Sheppard would have to miss the first four games of the playoffs.


September 29, 1913: Mike Campion set a new single season league record for home runs with 47.


September 29, 1913: On the final day of the season, Glendale clinched the Western Conference, and Tucson clinched the Eastern Conference, earning home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.


Regular Season Stat Leaders:

Batting Average: Ben Lewis of Prescott ended up with a league leading average of .367. Ryan Van Dorn was second at .366, and George Luedtke was third at .365.

Home Runs: Mike Campion of Douglas hit 47 home runs, 6 more than Matt Bracken in second.

RBI: Mike Campion drive in 133 runs, 3 more than Matt Bracken.

Stolen Bases: Ian Fraser of Mesa ended the season with 33 steals, 11 more than his teammate Jeff Beasley.

Batter WAR: Eddie Dollard of Tucson ended the season with a WAR of 5.8, 0.3 better than Mike Campion.

ERA: Kelvin Augustin of Flagstaff had an ERA of 2.84. No other player was under 3.

Pitcher Wins: Kelvin Augustin and Bobby Compton of Mesa each won 17 games.

Strikeouts: Jason Pengra of Florence ended the season with 166 strikeouts, 10 more than Tempe’s Tyler Craig.

Pitcher WAR: Kelvin Augustin and Tyler Craig both had a WAR of 6.1.

Saves: Jeremy Cline of Florence ended the season with 33 saves, 2 more than Carlos Curiel of Mesa.