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Eugene Church · 10-27-2023, 06:18 PM

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Saturday, october 2, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

CL Crushes Beechwood 8-2 In Game 1
The Crystal Lake Crushers don't think there are 3 teams in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs better than them... the fourth seed made a huge statement in game one of the Ruthlandian Final 4 with a rousing 8-2 shellacking of favored Beechwood, the second rated team... the Crushers blasted one of the best pitchers in the IPA for 7 runs and 11 hits in 5 innings... 28-game winner Ken Arby (2-2 2.51) went down hard today in one his worst outing of the year... Crystal Lake piled up 14 hits in all, breaking up a tight 2-1 contest with 5 runs in the sixth frame... Leading the way were 1B Josh George (.321), 2B Pete Hicks (.269) and LF Glenn Winters (.368), all with 3 hits apiece... George and RF Teddy Dietrich (.278) had 2 RBIs each... T. D. Burnham didn't pitch a pretty game, but he won... Burnham (3-0 2.00) walked 9, but only gave up 4 hits and 2 runs.

Tycobbian Union

Gaudet Tops Laclair 2-1 In Opener, Reds Edge Sox
In game one of the Tycobbian Final 4 Series at Midtown Base Ball Grounds, the Rolling Hills Reds continued to get great pitching and won for the fifth straight time in the postseason... they have yet to taste defeat this year in the Pro Cup playoffs... Errol Gaudet (3-0 1.38) had to be good today to beat the Southport Sun Sox with Al Laclair (1-2 3.21) on the hill... Gaudet edged Laclair 2-1, yielding only 6 hits with 5 strikeouts and no walks... Laclair allowed 11 hits, but only 2 runs... homers accounted for all the runs in the game... Southport CF Rick Cabrini (.486) led off the game by going deep, but that was it for the Sun Sox... LF Pat Webb (.381) pounded a 2-run clout in the third frame that proved to be the game-winner... Webb led the Reds with 3-for-4 and Cabrini went 3-for-4 for the Sun Sox.

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 3, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Bobcats Tie Series, Rally Past CL 5-3
Beechwood needed a win in game two of the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series and got it... the Bobcats rallied for 4 runs in the fourth to overtake Crystal Lake 5-2 en route to a 5-3 victory... LF Miron Burczyk (.286) slugged a 2-run homer to highlight the rally... C Marty Bailey (.143) also went deep for the winners... Beechwood starter Maury Patterson (3-0 3.38) was good enough for the win, striking out 9 in 7 innings and giving up 3 runs on 6 hits... relievers Ken DeGraw and Dennis Moody saved it for him with 2 scoreless frames... Duncan Welch (1-1 2.86) took the loss, hampered by poor defense... Welch allowed 5 runs, but only 2 of them were earned... Welch surrendered 4 hits in 6 innings... Crystal Lake was led at the plate by CF Herm Taylor (.367) with 2 hits and 2 runs batted in... 3B Carl Bentley (.375) had 2 doubles and an RBI.

Sun Sox Knot Series, Galus Stumps Reds In Game 2
The red-hot Rolling Hills Reds were cooled off today in game two of the Tycobbian Final 4 Series 4-1 by Ronnie Galus, who stumped them on 6 hits... the Reds had a 5-game postseason string busted by the right-hander... Galus was in command with 6 Ks and no walks... He outpitched Sal Jordan (0-1 0.53), who went the distance and deserved a better fate... only one of the 4 runs was earned... Jordan gave up 7 hits, walked 5 and fanned 6... in the top of the second, a walk to LF Alton Queeg (.000) and a triple by Jason Hinton (.208) put Southport on the scoreboard first... they added 3 more in the third on a sacrifice fly by 1B Kyle Ross (.233) and RBI singles by SS Scoop Adams (.121) and C Luis Alvarado (.135)... RF Bobby McConnell (.440) paced Rolling Hills with 2 hits and drove in its only score in the last of the third.

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 4, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

CL Clips Bobcats 5-1, Grabs Final 4 Lead
The Crystal Lake Crushers are playing the devil's advocate this season in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs... after upsetting last year's champs Valmara in round one, they are at it again... the Crushers parlayed strong pitching and timely hitting into a 5-1 victory over favored Beechwood in game three of the Ruthlandian Final 4... that gave them a two games to one lead in the best-of-seven series... winning pitcher Arnie Cason (1-0 1.42) blanked the Bobcats on 6 hits in the first 6 frames, while fanning 5 and walking 2... Cason left with a 5-0 lead... Herm Gladsbury and Keith Hunter saved it for Cason, striking out 5 over the final 3 frames... Hunter gave up a solo homer in the ninth to 1B Tommy Tate (.222)... 2B Pete Hicks (.294) paced the Crushers with 3 hits, including a solo home run... 1B Josh George (.306) had 2 hits, scored twice and drove in a run... and RF Teddy Dietrich (.231) drove in a pair of runs... Beechwood starter Roy Pitts (0-2 4.26) suffered the loss, allowing 5 runs and 8 hits in 6 innings.

Tycobbian Union

Sun Sox Stun RH Reds 5-1, Take Series Lead
Maybe the Southport Sun Sox are hard of hearing... maybe they haven't heard how good the Rolling Hills Reds are... in game three of the Tycobbian Final 4 the Sun Sox stunned the Reds 5-1 to take a 2-1 lead in the series... Southport got great relief work from Mel Underwood and Jesse Martin after starter Dan Pascioni went out in the third inning with an arm injury... Pascioni permitted a run and 2 hits in 2 and two-thirds innings... Underwood stopped the Reds cold on 1 hit in his 5 and two-thirds innings... Underwood (1-0) notched the win, struck out 6 and walked just one... Martin blanked the Reds in the ninth... loser Kenny Leonard (1-1 0.66) was touched for 5 runs and 6 hits in 6 innings, but 4 errors cost him 4 unearned runs... Southport snapped a 1-1 tie with a pair of runs in the fourth on 2B Sam Cousins' (.250) triple and 3B Jason Hinton's (.214) single... the Sun Sox increased it to 5-1 in the fifth on SS Scoop Adams' (.139) sac fly and Cousins' RBI single... Cousins and CF Rick Cabrini (.465) topped the Southport bats with 2 hits each.

The Islandian Times
Tueday, october 5, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Burnham Brilliant, CL Nips Bobcats Arby 1-0
Ken Arby, who will probably win the RU Golden Arm Award this year, and T. D. Burnham, a 21-game winner, locked up in a spectacular pitching duel in game four of the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series... Burnham was brilliant and beat Arby again... this time it was 1-0 and gave the upstart Crystal Lake Crushers a gigantic three games to one edge in the series over Beechwood... Burnham (4-0 1.54) tossed 8 shutout innings, limiting the Bobcats to 4 hits, striking out 8 and walking 6... Keith Hunter notched his second postseason save by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth... Arby (2-3 2.54) was great, too... he held the Crushers to 5 hits and blanked them for 7 innings... Crystal Lake got the game's only score when SS Jimmy Conroy (.267) singled in the bottom of the eighth and was driven in by LF Glenn Winters' (.310) game-winning triple.

Tycobbian Union

Reds Rip Sun Sox 7-1 in Game 4, Series Even
Rolling Hills ripped Southport on the road 7-1 to even the Tycobbian Final 4 at two games apiece... the Reds smashed 15 hits to back up Errol Gaudet's sharp pitching... Gaudet (4-0 1.29) went the route, fanned 2, walked one and permitted 7 hits and just one run... Rolling Hills jumped on losing pitcher Al Laclair (1-3 4.17) from the git-go, pouncing on him for 4 runs in the first inning and 5 runs and 10 hits in his 3 innings... 2B Jeff Booker (.379) led the Reds with a 3-run triple among his 2 hits, LF Pat Webb (.344) had 2 hits, including a homer, and scored twice... 1B Billy Christianson (.240) also had 2 hits and scored twice.

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 6, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

CL Whips Bobcats 8-6, Wins RU Final 4
The favorites are falling fast in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs... for the second consecutive round Crystal Lake has handily disposed of higher-seeded opponents... the Crushers spanked second seed Beechwood 8-6 in game five and won the RU Final 4 Series four games to one to qualify for a shot at the grandest title of them all - the Pro Cup champion... the game started well for the Bobcats as they jumped off to a 2-0 lead in the first on CF Vic Valenti's 4th postseason clout, but it didn't last long... Crystal Lake torched starting pitcher Maury Patterson for 6 runs in the opening inning and raised it to 8-2 after 3 frames, then held off the Bobcats, who scored 3 runs in the last two innings... the Crushers belted 14 hits and were sparked by SS Jimmy Conroy (.294) with 2 hits and 3 RBIs and C Tommy Trent (.158) and 2B Pete Hicks (.256), who batted in two runs each... Beechwood rapped 11 hits and were led by Valenti (.233), 2B Stan Tipton (.191) and 3B Skipper Smith (.255) with 2 hits apiece.

Crystal Lake's starter Duncan Welch hit Miron Burczyk after Valenti's homer... Burczyk charged the mound, mild fisticuffs ensued and both were toss from the game... Roger Bishop came on in relief and held Beechwood to 2 runs and 5 hits over the next 7 innings, but he didn't get the victory... Ross Birchford (1-0 0.00) got the last out in the first after the fight and got credit for the win... Patterson (3-1 5.47) lost it, going just two-thirds of an inning and was tagged for 6 runs and 5 hits... Crystal Lake is bound now for the Pro Cup Finals... the Crushers will play the Tycobbian Final 4 winner... underdog Southport and the Pro Cup favorite Rolling Hills are tied after four games.

Tycobbian Union

Sun Sox Sneak By Reds 4-3 in Game 5, Up By One
It just might be the Year of the Underdog in IPA Pro Cup circles... the seventh-seed Southport Sun Sox staved off Pro Cup number one seed Rolling Hills numerous times in game five and sneaked away with a 4-3 triumph... the Reds had the advantage in hits 11 to 7, but couldn't produce in the clutch, leaving 12 runners on base and also hit into 4 double plays... now Southport is in command three games to two in the TU Final 4... one more victory and the Sun Sox will be in the Pro Cup Finals against another underdog - the Crystal Lake Crushers.

Ronnie Galus (3-0 1.44) wasn't great, but he was stingy with runs, allowing only 2 in 8 innings, though Galus was tagged for 9 hits... Galus fanned 6 and walked 3... closer Joel Shepard took over for him in the ninth with a 4-2 lead and gave up 1 run on 2 hits before getting the final 2 outs... the Sun Sox tallied single runs in the first, second and fifth off starter Sal Jordan... the Reds were held scoreless by Galus until the eighth when they narrowed it to 3-2... Southport upped the margin to 4-2 in the bottom of the inning... Jordan (0-2 1.08) pitched well in defeat, gave only 7 hits and 2 earned runs, while going the distance... LF Alton Queeg (.214) led Southport with 3 hits... SS Scoop Adams (.205) chipped a pair of hits for the winners... Reds RF Bobby McConnell (.410) garnered 3 hits to pace them with 2B Jeff Booker chipping in 2 hits.

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 7, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Tycobbian Union

Southport Wins TU, Bumps Reds Off In 6 Games
Another IPA giant has fallen... the Pro Cup favored Rolling Hills Reds were upset by the seventh-seeded club, the Southport Sun Sox in the Tycobbian Union Final 4 Series... the Sun Sox won the series in six games, finishing off the Reds 3-0 on the road... little-used starter Bob Bundy (1-0 0.00) replaced the injured Dan Pascioni in game six and pitched superbly, shutting out the Reds on 6 hits in 8 innings, striking out 6 and walking one... closer Joel Shepard relieved Bondy in the ninth and finished off the Reds in spite of 2 hits... Bondy made only 11 starts during the year, finishing up just 3-5 with a sky-high 5.26 ERA... Pascioni suffered the injury in game three last Monday, but will likely be ready for the Pro Cup.

Kenny Leonard (1-2 1.59) tossed a good game, surrendering 3 runs and 6 hits in a complete-game outing... the Sun Sox got to him for a gift run in the first on four bases on balls... a walk to LF Alton Queeg (.176) forced in a run... the game stayed 1-0 until Southport added 2 more in the top of the ninth on 3B Jason Hinton's (.243) RBI double and a sacrifice fly by CF Rick Cabrini (.375).

This year's Pro Cup Finals will be a battle between two unheralded teams: the Tycobbian champ Southport was ranked seventh in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll and the Ruthlandian champ Crystal Lake was the number four seed... the best-of-seven series will begin this Sunday at Crystal Lake... the Crushers have the home field advantage... they were 83-71 during the regular season, while the Sun Sox were 81-74... this year's finalists have the second-worst records in Pro Cup history... only Volusia (78-72) and Ginza (81-69) in the 2001 Pro Cup have had poorer records.

10-27-2023, 06:18 PM	#9743
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 36,047	YESTERDAY IN THE IPA *The Islandian Times* Saturday, october 2, 2027 2027 IPA Final 4 Series Ruthlandian Union CL Crushes Beechwood 8-2 In Game 1 The Crystal Lake Crushers don't think there are 3 teams in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs better than them... the fourth seed made a huge statement in game one of the Ruthlandian Final 4 with a rousing 8-2 shellacking of favored Beechwood, the second rated team... the Crushers blasted one of the best pitchers in the IPA for 7 runs and 11 hits in 5 innings... 28-game winner Ken Arby (2-2 2.51) went down hard today in one his worst outing of the year... Crystal Lake piled up 14 hits in all, breaking up a tight 2-1 contest with 5 runs in the sixth frame... Leading the way were 1B Josh George (.321), 2B Pete Hicks (.269) and LF Glenn Winters (.368), all with 3 hits apiece... George and RF Teddy Dietrich (.278) had 2 RBIs each... T. D. Burnham didn't pitch a pretty game, but he won... Burnham (3-0 2.00) walked 9, but only gave up 4 hits and 2 runs. Tycobbian Union Gaudet Tops Laclair 2-1 In Opener, Reds Edge Sox In game one of the Tycobbian Final 4 Series at Midtown Base Ball Grounds, the Rolling Hills Reds continued to get great pitching and won for the fifth straight time in the postseason... they have yet to taste defeat this year in the Pro Cup playoffs... Errol Gaudet (3-0 1.38) had to be good today to beat the Southport Sun Sox with Al Laclair (1-2 3.21) on the hill... Gaudet edged Laclair 2-1, yielding only 6 hits with 5 strikeouts and no walks... Laclair allowed 11 hits, but only 2 runs... homers accounted for all the runs in the game... Southport CF Rick Cabrini (.486) led off the game by going deep, but that was it for the Sun Sox... LF Pat Webb (.381) pounded a 2-run clout in the third frame that proved to be the game-winner... Webb led the Reds with 3-for-4 and Cabrini went 3-for-4 for the Sun Sox. *The Islandian Times* Sunday, October 3, 2027 2027 IPA Final 4 Series Ruthlandian Union Bobcats Tie Series, Rally Past CL 5-3 Beechwood needed a win in game two of the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series and got it... the Bobcats rallied for 4 runs in the fourth to overtake Crystal Lake 5-2 en route to a 5-3 victory... LF Miron Burczyk (.286) slugged a 2-run homer to highlight the rally... C Marty Bailey (.143) also went deep for the winners... Beechwood starter Maury Patterson (3-0 3.38) was good enough for the win, striking out 9 in 7 innings and giving up 3 runs on 6 hits... relievers Ken DeGraw and Dennis Moody saved it for him with 2 scoreless frames... Duncan Welch (1-1 2.86) took the loss, hampered by poor defense... Welch allowed 5 runs, but only 2 of them were earned... Welch surrendered 4 hits in 6 innings... Crystal Lake was led at the plate by CF Herm Taylor (.367) with 2 hits and 2 runs batted in... 3B Carl Bentley (.375) had 2 doubles and an RBI. Sun Sox Knot Series, Galus Stumps Reds In Game 2 The red-hot Rolling Hills Reds were cooled off today in game two of the Tycobbian Final 4 Series 4-1 by Ronnie Galus, who stumped them on 6 hits... the Reds had a 5-game postseason string busted by the right-hander... Galus was in command with 6 Ks and no walks... He outpitched Sal Jordan (0-1 0.53), who went the distance and deserved a better fate... only one of the 4 runs was earned... Jordan gave up 7 hits, walked 5 and fanned 6... in the top of the second, a walk to LF Alton Queeg (.000) and a triple by Jason Hinton (.208) put Southport on the scoreboard first... they added 3 more in the third on a sacrifice fly by 1B Kyle Ross (.233) and RBI singles by SS Scoop Adams (.121) and C Luis Alvarado (.135)... RF Bobby McConnell (.440) paced Rolling Hills with 2 hits and drove in its only score in the last of the third. *The Islandian Times* Monday, October 4, 2027 2027 IPA Final 4 Series Ruthlandian Union CL Clips Bobcats 5-1, Grabs Final 4 Lead The Crystal Lake Crushers are playing the devil's advocate this season in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs... after upsetting last year's champs Valmara in round one, they are at it again... the Crushers parlayed strong pitching and timely hitting into a 5-1 victory over favored Beechwood in game three of the Ruthlandian Final 4... that gave them a two games to one lead in the best-of-seven series... winning pitcher Arnie Cason (1-0 1.42) blanked the Bobcats on 6 hits in the first 6 frames, while fanning 5 and walking 2... Cason left with a 5-0 lead... Herm Gladsbury and Keith Hunter saved it for Cason, striking out 5 over the final 3 frames... Hunter gave up a solo homer in the ninth to 1B Tommy Tate (.222)... 2B Pete Hicks (.294) paced the Crushers with 3 hits, including a solo home run... 1B Josh George (.306) had 2 hits, scored twice and drove in a run... and RF Teddy Dietrich (.231) drove in a pair of runs... Beechwood starter Roy Pitts (0-2 4.26) suffered the loss, allowing 5 runs and 8 hits in 6 innings. Tycobbian Union Sun Sox Stun RH Reds 5-1, Take Series Lead Maybe the Southport Sun Sox are hard of hearing... maybe they haven't heard how good the Rolling Hills Reds are... in game three of the Tycobbian Final 4 the Sun Sox stunned the Reds 5-1 to take a 2-1 lead in the series... Southport got great relief work from Mel Underwood and Jesse Martin after starter Dan Pascioni went out in the third inning with an arm injury... Pascioni permitted a run and 2 hits in 2 and two-thirds innings... Underwood stopped the Reds cold on 1 hit in his 5 and two-thirds innings... Underwood (1-0) notched the win, struck out 6 and walked just one... Martin blanked the Reds in the ninth... loser Kenny Leonard (1-1 0.66) was touched for 5 runs and 6 hits in 6 innings, but 4 errors cost him 4 unearned runs... Southport snapped a 1-1 tie with a pair of runs in the fourth on 2B Sam Cousins' (.250) triple and 3B Jason Hinton's (.214) single... the Sun Sox increased it to 5-1 in the fifth on SS Scoop Adams' (.139) sac fly and Cousins' RBI single... Cousins and CF Rick Cabrini (.465) topped the Southport bats with 2 hits each. *The Islandian Times* Tueday, october 5, 2027 2027 IPA Final 4 Series Ruthlandian Union Burnham Brilliant, CL Nips Bobcats Arby 1-0 Ken Arby, who will probably win the RU Golden Arm Award this year, and T. D. Burnham, a 21-game winner, locked up in a spectacular pitching duel in game four of the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series... Burnham was brilliant and beat Arby again... this time it was 1-0 and gave the upstart Crystal Lake Crushers a gigantic three games to one edge in the series over Beechwood... Burnham (4-0 1.54) tossed 8 shutout innings, limiting the Bobcats to 4 hits, striking out 8 and walking 6... Keith Hunter notched his second postseason save by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth... Arby (2-3 2.54) was great, too... he held the Crushers to 5 hits and blanked them for 7 innings... Crystal Lake got the game's only score when SS Jimmy Conroy (.267) singled in the bottom of the eighth and was driven in by LF Glenn Winters' (.310) game-winning triple. Tycobbian Union Reds Rip Sun Sox 7-1 in Game 4, Series Even Rolling Hills ripped Southport on the road 7-1 to even the Tycobbian Final 4 at two games apiece... the Reds smashed 15 hits to back up Errol Gaudet's sharp pitching... Gaudet (4-0 1.29) went the route, fanned 2, walked one and permitted 7 hits and just one run... Rolling Hills jumped on losing pitcher Al Laclair (1-3 4.17) from the git-go, pouncing on him for 4 runs in the first inning and 5 runs and 10 hits in his 3 innings... 2B Jeff Booker (.379) led the Reds with a 3-run triple among his 2 hits, LF Pat Webb (.344) had 2 hits, including a homer, and scored twice... 1B Billy Christianson (.240) also had 2 hits and scored twice. *The Islandian Times* Wednesday, October 6, 2027 2027 IPA Final 4 Series Ruthlandian Union CL Whips Bobcats 8-6, Wins RU Final 4 The favorites are falling fast in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs... for the second consecutive round Crystal Lake has handily disposed of higher-seeded opponents... the Crushers spanked second seed Beechwood 8-6 in game five and won the RU Final 4 Series four games to one to qualify for a shot at the grandest title of them all - the Pro Cup champion... the game started well for the Bobcats as they jumped off to a 2-0 lead in the first on CF Vic Valenti's 4th postseason clout, but it didn't last long... Crystal Lake torched starting pitcher Maury Patterson for 6 runs in the opening inning and raised it to 8-2 after 3 frames, then held off the Bobcats, who scored 3 runs in the last two innings... the Crushers belted 14 hits and were sparked by SS Jimmy Conroy (.294) with 2 hits and 3 RBIs and C Tommy Trent (.158) and 2B Pete Hicks (.256), who batted in two runs each... Beechwood rapped 11 hits and were led by Valenti (.233), 2B Stan Tipton (.191) and 3B Skipper Smith (.255) with 2 hits apiece. Crystal Lake's starter Duncan Welch hit Miron Burczyk after Valenti's homer... Burczyk charged the mound, mild fisticuffs ensued and both were toss from the game... Roger Bishop came on in relief and held Beechwood to 2 runs and 5 hits over the next 7 innings, but he didn't get the victory... Ross Birchford (1-0 0.00) got the last out in the first after the fight and got credit for the win... Patterson (3-1 5.47) lost it, going just two-thirds of an inning and was tagged for 6 runs and 5 hits... Crystal Lake is bound now for the Pro Cup Finals... the Crushers will play the Tycobbian Final 4 winner... underdog Southport and the Pro Cup favorite Rolling Hills are tied after four games. Tycobbian Union Sun Sox Sneak By Reds 4-3 in Game 5, Up By One It just might be the Year of the Underdog in IPA Pro Cup circles... the seventh-seed Southport Sun Sox staved off Pro Cup number one seed Rolling Hills numerous times in game five and sneaked away with a 4-3 triumph... the Reds had the advantage in hits 11 to 7, but couldn't produce in the clutch, leaving 12 runners on base and also hit into 4 double plays... now Southport is in command three games to two in the TU Final 4... one more victory and the Sun Sox will be in the Pro Cup Finals against another underdog - the Crystal Lake Crushers. Ronnie Galus (3-0 1.44) wasn't great, but he was stingy with runs, allowing only 2 in 8 innings, though Galus was tagged for 9 hits... Galus fanned 6 and walked 3... closer Joel Shepard took over for him in the ninth with a 4-2 lead and gave up 1 run on 2 hits before getting the final 2 outs... the Sun Sox tallied single runs in the first, second and fifth off starter Sal Jordan... the Reds were held scoreless by Galus until the eighth when they narrowed it to 3-2... Southport upped the margin to 4-2 in the bottom of the inning... Jordan (0-2 1.08) pitched well in defeat, gave only 7 hits and 2 earned runs, while going the distance... LF Alton Queeg (.214) led Southport with 3 hits... SS Scoop Adams (.205) chipped a pair of hits for the winners... Reds RF Bobby McConnell (.410) garnered 3 hits to pace them with 2B Jeff Booker chipping in 2 hits. *The Islandian Times* Thursday, October 7, 2027 2027 IPA Final 4 Series Tycobbian Union Southport Wins TU, Bumps Reds Off In 6 Games Another IPA giant has fallen... the Pro Cup favored Rolling Hills Reds were upset by the seventh-seeded club, the Southport Sun Sox in the Tycobbian Union Final 4 Series... the Sun Sox won the series in six games, finishing off the Reds 3-0 on the road... little-used starter Bob Bundy (1-0 0.00) replaced the injured Dan Pascioni in game six and pitched superbly, shutting out the Reds on 6 hits in 8 innings, striking out 6 and walking one... closer Joel Shepard relieved Bondy in the ninth and finished off the Reds in spite of 2 hits... Bondy made only 11 starts during the year, finishing up just 3-5 with a sky-high 5.26 ERA... Pascioni suffered the injury in game three last Monday, but will likely be ready for the Pro Cup. Kenny Leonard (1-2 1.59) tossed a good game, surrendering 3 runs and 6 hits in a complete-game outing... the Sun Sox got to him for a gift run in the first on four bases on balls... a walk to LF Alton Queeg (.176) forced in a run... the game stayed 1-0 until Southport added 2 more in the top of the ninth on 3B Jason Hinton's (.243) RBI double and a sacrifice fly by CF Rick Cabrini (.375). This year's Pro Cup Finals will be a battle between two unheralded teams: the Tycobbian champ Southport was ranked seventh in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll and the Ruthlandian champ Crystal Lake was the number four seed... the best-of-seven series will begin this Sunday at Crystal Lake... the Crushers have the home field advantage... they were 83-71 during the regular season, while the Sun Sox were 81-74... this year's finalists have the second-worst records in Pro Cup history... only Volusia (78-72) and Ginza (81-69) in the 2001 Pro Cup have had poorer records.