#1 University Point Deathclaws (67-41) vs #3 Atom Cats (64-44)
Season Series: University Point 8, Atom 4
May 10-12 @Atom: Atom 7-1, UP 6-0, UP 10-2
June 21-23 @UP: Atom 6-1, Atom 6-4, UP 9-1
June 28-30 @Atom: UP 2-1, UP 3-2, UP 12-2
August 30-September 1 @UP: UP 16-1, UP 3-2, Atom 4-1
University Point Home Page
Atom Home Page
Game 1 Matchup
Analysis
Just two weeks ago, University Point and Atom were playing for the Minutemen League pennant and the #1 overall seed. That series ended shortly, with the Deathclaws clinching the league and #1 seed with a 16-1 win on August 30. On the season, the Claws have had the advantage over the coolest team in the land, winning 8 out of 12. Most importantly, Atom's ace, Scruffy Taguchi finished 0-2 with a 3.27 ERA on the season versus University Point.
The Claws seem to match well offensively against Atom's starting pitching. In addition to Taguchi mentioned below, the person the Deathclaws bombarded the most was SP Jeff Rickshaw (7-13, 5.03), who was 0-2 with a 14.62 ERA in his starts. University Point is probably saddened that they will not get to face Rickshaw, at least not as a starter, but several players saw success versus the Cats. The best success was by 2B Jason Harris (.370/5/15) with 17 hits in 46 at-bats. Others who had 30-plus at-bats and hit well were CF Jukebox Luttrell (.333/1/12), RF Tomas Jones (.327/1/8), LF Kory Richardson (.298/2/10), SS Aaron Nukacola (.295/1/4), and 1B Barker Cocoa (.278/0/5). It is notable that he power-hitting Claws notched few home runs overall, minus Harris who hit nearly a third of his season total, versus Atom.
Pitching was a bit torn in its success for University Point. Ace Phlip Wallace threw the most innings (29.2), notching a 2-1 record and a 2.72 ERA. SP Ronnie Messenger went 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 14.2 innings. Rookie SP Wilson Beachball who may not start in this series was 1-2 with a 4.76 ERA in 22.2 innings. SP Lennie Landslide, who is expected to take up Beachball's slot as a starter, was 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in just one start and 5.2 innings. SP Bobby Van Marter, who will likely start Game 1 due to pitcher fatigue was 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in his lone start, an 8.2-inning affair, where he allowed one run on six hits.
While the Claws' offense seemed to all hover around .300 against the Cats, the boys from the coast did not bat as well against their league mates. In fact, only three starters batted over .200 against the Deathclaws with SS Jake Doucette (.268/2/5) leading the charge. 3B Justin Daros (.263/1/1) and LF Jeremy Schoolboy (.214/0/3) were the others. Potential 2301 Nuka-Hitter Award winner 1B Will Ashfire hit four homers, but his average was atrocious against University Point (.163/4/9).
We mentioned above the struggles of Atom's pitching, but one starter stood out in Deedee Martinson. In 16.2 innings pitched, he was 2-1 with a 1.62 ERA, collectively stopping the University Point offense from thriving. Pete Pembroke, the likely starter in Game 1, was 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 24.0 innings.
Prediction
Baseball is not always predictable, but University Point was a screw in the Cats' paw throughout the season. If everything remains the same, we expect the Deathclaws to have an easier time in this series than they did versus the Vault 81 Dwellers. Our prediction is that the Claws take this one in five, 4 games to 1.