3rd Place: Fort Benton Defenders (83-71) (9 GB)
Last Pennant: 2057
Pro Cups: None
It was going to be a good year for the perennial also-ran Defenders... Fort Benton has made the postseason playoffs only two times in its history... they have posted one of the worst won-lost record in IPA history (.469), but they were second in '64... things were looking good... in '65 the baseball critics picked them to wind up a close third, expecting them to make a good run for the RU West title and they did... they stayed close to the leaders until September, when Colfax (19-4) put them all away with a great month of baseball... Fort Benton has some rock-solid contact hitters (.279 BA) that can put runs on the scoreboard, despite the lack of home-run power... the Defenders also have a fine starting rotation, but not much in the bullpen... another negative and shortcoming is the defense is subpar (.976 FA)... a good closer and a good longball hitter would do wonders in Fort Benton.
