Fallout: New Vegas' Mojave Baseball League

[StLee]

Final Standings



July Awards



League Leaders

Batting Leaders



Pitching Leaders



News and Notes

7.4.89 – Player injury

Jeff Glover may want to stay away from irradiated zones. Despite rumors that Glover may be having a somewhat disgusting affair with a ghoul, it won’t help his pecker if he gets it chomped off.

The Tops reliever was attacked by an evolved centaur and is recovering for the remainder of the season in a clinic in Jacobstown.

Evolved centaurs have not been seen much in the Mojave recently thanks to the efforts of Radiation King to clean up irradiated zones. However, there are still plenty of pockets of wastes in the wilderness.

Glover has a reputation of being accustomed to the ghoul life. Speculation was he was on the hunt for some lovin’ and that got him into a tight spot when he did not find ghouls but a pocket of centaurs. Thankfully, Glover’s efforts did help to wipe out that group of centaurs, so there is a positive ending. In the meantime, Glover finishes with a 5.11 ERA in nine appearances for the Mutants.

It is also ironic that a Mutants’ player was attacked by known pets of Mutants.

7.6.89 – Player fight

Nellis Air Force Base’s Brad Moore and Boulder City’s Harry Adams each pitched a hell of a game yesterday. The two players combined to pitch 14 innings and give up a combined two runs in the Atomic Wranglers’ 2-0 victory.

Unfortunately, Moore’s frustration in the loss carried over to the post-game handshake, leading to an altercation between the two pitchers.

Due to their transgressions, Moore will sit the next five games, while Adams will get a two-game boot. Overall, neither suspension will really matter since both players are starting pitchers. Still, the fight goes on their permanent record. For Moore, it’s his second career suspension for fighting with the first coming in 2287 when he pitched for Tops. He may be subject to more severe penalties if he is cited for a third offense.

7.12.89 – Jeff MacTause news

MacTause Stops Westside Cold: Jeff MacTause of the Freeside Kings really did a job on the Sarsaparillas today at Westside Ballpark, shutting them out 12-0. MacTause frustrated Westside hitters throughout the game, surrendering 3 hits. He struck out 5 and walked 0 in picking up the victory.

This season MacTause has a 5-5 record with a 2.00 ERA.

7.16.89 – Player fight

Due to some work being done at Primm Community Field, Primm and Westside had to share a bullpen for the game. That sharing happened to cause more than one problem, including pre-game fisticuffs between the two teams’ bullpen catchers.

The Outlaws’ Evan Pryor and the Sarsaparillas’ Thomas Hastings will now be suspended four games and one game, respectively, for their transgressions.
For Pryor, it’s his second suspension in a month for fighting.

7.16.89 – Player suspension (Chem use)

On the same day that Primm lost catcher Evan Pryor due to fighting, the Outlaws also lost reliever Matt Wiley one game for using coyote tobacco chew.

7.17.89 – Team achievement

Bob Jackson pitched seven scoreless innings and the Goodsprings Lucky 38s won their division for the third straight season, defeating South Vegas 3-0. The Vault Boys were the only other team to win the division when both teams were in the same division.

The Lucky 38s (55-30) clinched the Bear Division crown over Tops (39-46). Currently, Goodsprings trails North Vegas (62-23) and South Vegas (56-29) for the best record in the Mojave Baseball League.

7.18.89 – Team achievement

North Vegas could not get it done on the field, losing their division-clinching opportunity against Ultra Luxe, 3-2. However, Primm’s two-out, ninth-inning rally helped the Outlaws defeat Freeside, 2-1, and clinch the Star Division for the Radscorpions.

Currently, North Vegas is 62-24 and has a five game lead over South Vegas for the best record in the Mojave Baseball League.

7.21.9 – Player suspension (chem use)

Goodsprings ace Jim Jones must have been having a particular craving. Today Jones was caught with ant nectar and a positive test confirmed he will be out for the next three games, delaying his next start.

Jones is 10-5 with a 2.61 ERA for the Bear Division champs. He was the Mojave Series MVP and Mojave Hardcore Mode Postseason Award winner in 2288.

7.23.89 – Player fight

A pre-game argument turned into a fight between two players for North Vegas and Tops. Tops’ Alex Elliott took the first swing at the Radscorpions’ Squirrel And, leading to the two players wrestling on the ground near the first base dugout.

After being separated, the two players were immediately sent to their lockers. And was dismissed for the game, and Elliott was given an additional five games for six total for starting the fight.

7.23.89 – Jimmy LaRue news

Number 156 by LaRue Puts Name Atop Hit List: He did it! Jimmy LaRue smacked hit number 156 in a game at Red Rock Canyon Auxiliary Field today to break the record for the most hits in a season, held previously by Mike Duncan. The Goodsprings Lucky 38s star got a tremendous standing ovation from the fans. Speaking after the game Jimmy LaRue told reporters, "It was a great moment in my life. Times like that don't come around that much. I shall always remember it."

Jimmy LaRue grounded out in the 1st, singled in the 4th and singled in the 6th.

In the 2289 season LaRue is hitting .417 with 4 home runs.

7.24.89 – Team achievement

South Vegas was the last team to do it, but the Vault Boys’ 9-6 victory at Westside earned them the Aradesh Division crown.

South Vegas (60-31) had a ten-game lead with ten to go before the victory made the division crown over Ultra Luxe (49-42) official. The White Gloves are now battling for the wild card spot, currently held by Freeside (51-40).

7.29.89 – Jimmy LaRue news

LaRue Wins MBL Player of the Week: Jimmy LaRue has the tools to stick in this league for many years. The 23-year-old center fielder of the Goodsprings Lucky 38s had a pretty hot bat in the Mojave Baseball League over the past seven days and won the Player of the Week honors.

LaRue batted .545 with 12 hits in 22 at-bats, 1 home run and 4 RBIs.

In 2289 LaRue has hit at a .422 clip with 166 hits, 5 home runs, 56 RBIs and has scored 69 times.

7.29.89 – Jeff MacTause news

MacTause Shuts out Sarsaparillas: In an outstanding outing, Jeff MacTause tamed Westside on a 2-hit shutout. The Freeside hurler went the distance, finishing with 8 strikeouts and 1 walk in the 10-0 win.

"He had a lot of first pitch strikes and kept us off balance with a lot of off-speed stuff," according to the Westside manager. "We just didn't get too many balls squared up today."

To date this year MacTause has compiled a 7-5 mark with a 1.74 ERA in 21 starts.

7.31.89 – Player news

Primm minor leaguer John Collier has been solid in his two seasons with the Mojave Express. He came to the Mojave from New Mexican territory to try his hand at baseball. At first, teams were not very interested in him, but Primm gave him a tryout and eventually signed him.

Collier surprised a lot of people by being a solid reliever and sometimes starter. In 31 games pitched, he started 10 games, compiling a 7-5 record and a 4.31 ERA. It is still unknown how far he could progress, but the young pitcher seemed to have a shot at making it to the major league team.

However, like all stories in the Mojave, this one turns strange. Last week, the mysterious computer hacker poet, Le Penseur, was revealed to be Collier. For the last two years, network computers on the RNC have been having poems suddenly popping up when people were visiting RNC screens, including the Mojave Baseball League’s screen.

Instead of being angry, though, people began to consider Le Penseur to be a cult icon of the Mojave. He was the people’s poet. Now that Collier is revealed to be the formerly anonymous penman, he has felt overwhelmed. Thus Collier has decided to leave baseball for now and focus on writing. It is unknown when he will return, if ever.

7.31.89 – Team achievement

It took ten innings to do it, but North Vegas clinched the top seed in the 2289 Mojave Baseball League playoffs by defeating Nellis Air Force Base 8-7.

The Radscorpions (70-26) have been dominant all season and beat out Goodsprings (64-32) and South Vegas (64-32) for the top spot. The Lucky 38s and Vault Boys are now battling for the second seed in the playoffs.

8.2.89 – Tom Nelson news

Nelson Dominates, Whitewashes Dinosaurs: "He was kind of teasing them with his off-speed stuff, and his fastball was moving everywhere," the South Vegas skipper said after Tom Nelson shut out the Novac Dinosaurs 9-0 on a 4-hit masterpiece.

Nelson registered 7 strikeouts and issued 1 walk in a gem of a performance.

"We just didn't swing the bats very well...or he just pitched good, whichever way you want to look at it," said the Novac manager after the defeat.

This year Nelson has compiled a 12-3 record with a 2.03 ERA in 21 starts.

8.3.89 – Team achievements

Freeside locked up the final playoff spot with its 3-1 victory over Nellis Air Force Base.

Jeff MacTause pitched another gem of a game, allowing just one earned run in seven innings to clinch the wild card spot for the Kings (55-44) with just a game to play in the regular season.

Freeside edged out Ultra Luxe (53-46) for the wild card spot.

In other news, Goodsprings (67-32) clinched the second seed in the playoffs, thanks to their 7-0 shutout of Tops coupled with South Vegas’ 4-2 loss to Novac.

With the playoffs seeds set, the Vault Boys (65-34) will play at Goodsprings and Freeside will play at North Vegas to begin the playoffs.

[Tyke]

Another terrific season for the L38s, with LaRue leading the way once again. Some positive pitching also, with the emergence of young David Martin, but I sincerely hope that Ant Nectar isn't going to become an issue for Jones. Bring on the play-off action!

[StLee]

Originally Posted by Tyke

Another terrific season for the L38s, with LaRue leading the way once again. Some positive pitching also, with the emergence of young David Martin, but I sincerely hope that Ant Nectar isn't going to become an issue for Jones. Bring on the play-off action!

I don't have all the statistical data in front of me, but I would say the chance of Martin becoming an ant nectar addict is less than 0.0001%.

[StLee]

[With the wildcard, I noticed it follows the MLB rules that divisional opponents cannot play before the championship series. In my universe, I would prefer that not to be the case. C'est la vie, I suppose. I would prefer the playoff matchups be Freeside at North Vegas and South Vegas at Goodsprings. Instead, since Freeside and North Vegas are in the same division, the matchups are Freeside at Goodsprings and South Vegas at North Vegas. Regardless, there will be some good matchups. Can Goodsprings beat MacTause? How will the juggernauts that are the Radscorpions do against the team that beat them (then known as Vault-Tec) in the championship in 2286?]

[StLee]

First Round Preview

The 2289 North Vegas Radscorpions featured one of the most dominant pitching staffs in MBL history. The top four starters—Rich Richmond, Nate Camp, Wilfred Buckley, and Lee Burke—combined to go 52-14 with below a 3.00 ERA. In fact, the Radscorpions’ team ERA of 2.47 was better than any other team by 58 points (South Vegas finished second with a 3.05 team ERA). North Vegas led in pitching in almost all team categories.

On top of the outstanding pitching performances, North Vegas finished second in team batting average (.269), second in home runs (101), second in runs scored (498), third in hits (931), third in OBP (.343), second in slugging percentage (.416), and first in steals (159). Goodsprings led most of the offensive categories.

Weldon Brown looks to have displaced George O’Kill as the offensive leader, though O’Kill has been no punkganger. Brown had a .285 average with a league-leading 34 home runs. He also finished second in the league with 75 RBI. O’Kill batted .266 with 24 home runs (6th in the league) and 72 RBI (3rd in the league).

South Vegas may not have been as good, but the Vault Boys are still a very good team. Like North Vegas, South Vegas has a good combination of hitting and pitching results. The Vault Boys were right in the mix as league leaders in many team categories.

Offensively, you can’t talk about the Vault Boys’ performance without mentioning rising star James Sexton. The South Vegas left fielder finished second in batting average (.378), first in on-base percentage (.500), second in hits (139), sixth in doubles (26), and tied for second in runs (76). Third baseman Duane Antqueen also added great pop to the lineup. He batted .323 with a team-leading 18 home runs and 69 RBI despite not being very good against right-handed pitchers. Shortstop Joseph Dillon added a .289 average with 18 homers and 52 RBI.

Orlando Stephens and Tom Nelson led the way for the South Vegas pitching staff. Stephens had a 14-3 record (2nd most wins) with a 2.84 ERA. Nelson went 12-3 with a 2.03 ERA (2nd in league). Robert Cooper also added an impressive record of 11-2 with a 2.74 ERA. On the not-so-bright side, Donnell Dugood finished 5-8 with a 4.79 ERA. He may not see action in the postseason unless it is as a reliever or spot starter.

In the season series, South Vegas gave North Vegas more trouble than most teams. The Radscorpions held a 5-3 advantage in the season series, but that included the Vault Boys winning three of the last four games in North Vegas.

In the first series from May 23 until May 26, North Vegas went into South Vegas and swept the series 4-0. South Vegas later returned the favor, in a way, winning the July 4-7 series three games to one, including a dramatic 14-inning victory on an Angel Serrano home run.

Because South Vegas is pretty good, North Vegas cannot expect to run away with an easy series win. Our prediction is for the Radscorpions to get revenge from the 2286 Mojave Series and take this one in six games.

[StLee]

First Round Preview

Goodsprings returns to the playoffs to defend its title. Freeside returns to the playoffs for the first time since the debut season of the Mojave Baseball League. Both teams met in the first-ever MBL playoffs series, where the two teams were then known as Lucky 38 and King’s School of Impersonation. Lucky 38 swept the series 3-0.

This season, Freeside enters the playoffs as a major underdog, mostly because the Lucky 38s are seasoned veterans in the post season, having been to the Mojave Series three of the previous four seasons.

Offensively, Goodsprings has a major advantage with a runs per game average of 5.5 (1st in MBL) to the Kings’ 3.6 (9th in MBL). The Lucky 38s led the league in hits (1004), as well. Though they did not lead the league in any of the extra base hits categories, Goodsprings still was among the leaders in all.

For Goodsprings, offense begins with Jimmy LaRue. The outstanding hitter batted a league high .427 to go with six home runs and 61 RBI. First baseman Jesus Martinez cleaned up well, batting .314 with 26 homers (4th in MBL) and 99 RBI (tops in the MBL). Java Stirfry proved to be a good hitter late in the lineup, knocking 16 dingers with 67 RBI.

Jim Seaman was by far the best offensive player for the Kings, winning the club triple crown with a .328 batting average, 17 home runs, and 64 RBI. Catcher Ronald Draper was the next best offensive player with a .291 average, 7 home runs, and 43 RBI.

Freeside has the advantage in pitching, especially with the help of club ace MacTause. The Kings finished second in runs per game (3.3), third in team ERA (3.12), second in hits allowed (759), and second in team WHIP (1.14).

Goodsprings was not far behind in many categories, finishing fifth in runs per game (3.9), fifth in team ERA (3.57), and fourth in team WHIP (1.23).

When talking about Freeside’s pitching, Jeff MacTause is the man. The potential Lead Dealer Pitcher Award candidate finished with a MBL best 1.72 ERA and 151 strikeouts. Despite his superior performances, though, low run support resulted in MacTause only having an 8-5 record on the season. The second pitcher on the team also racked up a great season. Marshall Shaw finished 12-6 with a 2.41 ERA. Doug King led the MBL in saves with 33 and had an impressive 1.93 ERA. Reliever Ron Frazier was money off the bench with a 1.19 ERA.

The Lucky 38s’ ace, Jim Jones, continued to be a leader on the mound. He finished with a 12-5 record and team-leading 2.32 ERA. David Martin, Bob Jackson, and Miguel Santos each added 11 more wins, and Donald Bush was 9-4 with a 3.32 ERA as the #3 pitcher. Willie Miller was not impenetrable as the closer, but he did finish with 31 saves (2nd in MBL) and a 3.61 ERA.

Overall, the key to this series probably comes down to the huge differences in offensive production. Despite Freeside’s MacTause being perhaps the best pitcher in the league, he does not have much going on around him. Should he give up three or more runs, the Kings probably lose. With that said, our prediction is for another sweep between the two teams and an easy 4-0 series win for the Lucky 38s.

[Tyke]

He's no Tom Effing Jones, but Java Stirfry is growing in my affection!

[StLee]

Eighth-Inning Rally Propels North Vegas

South Vegas took a 4-3 lead in the eighth, but North Vegas rallied with two runs in the bottom of the inning to claim a 5-4 victory.

Weldon Brown led off the inning with a single for the Radscorpions. Bill Cole then singled to put runners at first and third. With one out, Nelson Kirby walked to load the bases. Norris Carr then hit into an RBI fielder's choice to tie the game with two outs. Jaime Rios then followed with an RBI single to give North Vegas the lead for good.

The Vault Boys took the lead in the top of the eighth on an RBI single by MC Mack Walt Williams to drive in Kevin Zimmerman and Joseph Dillon.

North Vegas grabbed the first lead of the game in the second inning. Just like the eighth, Brown led off with a single. Cole then doubled to put runners at second and third with no outs. Kirby and Stephen Sparks then followed with RBI ground outs to give the Radscorpions a 2-0 lead.

The Vault Boys finally got on the board in the fourth inning. James Sexton led off the inning with a solo home run to deep left center field. After Dillon was hit by a Nate Camp pitch, Angel Serrano tripled him home to tie the game, 2-2.

However, the tie did not last long. In the bottom of the inning, the Radscorpions retook the lead. With one out, Sparks hit an RBI single to score Arthur Glass, who had earlier reached on a fielder's choice.

Camp was named the game's MVP despite the no decision. He pitched seven innings, giving up two earned runs on two hits--both in the fourth inning--with three walks and nine strikeouts.

Dave Davis, who pitched the eighth inning for North Vegas, earned the win. Basket Zapp got the save.

Tom Nelson was the starter for South Vegas. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts in six innings. Closer John Rock was the losing pitcher.

[StLee]

Shaw Stymies 38s, Freeside Wins

Marshall Shaw's last trip to the postseason was anything but memorable. In his first and only start with the King's School of Impersonation, he was shellacked for six runs in six innings pitched.

The opposite case came true in his second postseason start. Shaw gave up just one run on three hits in eight innings, holding down Goodsprings in Freeside's 2-1 series-opening victory.

The Kings took the lead in the top of the second. Ronald Draper singled to lead off, and Tim Bradley walked. Ed Wolf then hit an RBI double for a 1-0 lead before Goodsprings starter David Martin was able to escape the inning by striking out the side, two coming with the bases loaded.

In the eighth inning, Freeside's best offensive weapon, left fielder Jim Seaman, hit a one-out solo home run to give the Kings a 2-0 lead.

Goodsprings finally got on the board in the bottom of the eighth. Perry Ferguson and Alex Raines both walked. With two outs and the runners at second and third, Mike Duncan singled in Ferguson, but Raines had to hold up at third because of the hard hit. With Dennis Shaft up with a chance to tie the game, Kings' catcher Jay Gardner picked off Duncan at first, ending the inning and the Lucky 38s' best threat.

Martin suffered the loss for Goodsprings despite pitching a decent game. He gave up two earned runs on eight hits with three walks and nine strikeouts in 7.1 innings.

Doug King picked up the save by pitching a perfect ninth inning.

Seaman and Draper were the only players with multiple hits in the game.

[StLee]

Quick recap

Dugood Does Good, Dominates Radscorpions

Donnell Dugood gave up one earned run and struck out 10 batters in eight innings to help South Vegas even the series with North Vegas, 4-1.

The Radscorpions' Wilfred Buckley did not fare as well, giving up three earned runs on seven hits in just three innings of work.

[StLee]

Quick recap:

Lucky 38s Survive, Even Series

Goodsprings jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but watched that lead evaporate in the seventh inning before claiming victory in the 11th in a 4-3 win over Freeside. The series is now even heading to Freeside.

Jimmy LaRue led off the bottom of the eleventh with his MBL record second triple of the game. With one out and the bases loaded on intentional walks, Perry Ferguson drew a walk to end the ball game.

The Kings erased a 3-0 deficit in the seventh. Tim Bradley tripled to lead off the inning. Ed Wolf then reached on a sacrifice bunt attempt, stranding Bradley at third. Backup shortstop Jose De La Torre then became an unlikely offensive hero by blasting a three-run, game-tying home run. He had hit only one career home run in the MBL before his postseason heroics.

The Lucky 38s' Jesus Martinez added a two-run home run in the sixth inning off all-MBL pitcher Jeff MacTause.

Both MacTause and Donald Bush gave up three earned runs in the no decision. Willie Miller earned the victory for Goodsprings, while Jorge Alonzo was the losing pitcher.

[Tyke]

I know they cut it fine in the end, but it's good to come away with a win against MacTause.

[StLee]

Quick recap:

Ninth Inning Ends Scoreless Game

A scoreless game turned into a ninth-inning rally as the North Vegas Radscorpions defeated South Vegas 2-0 in Game Three of their first-round match up.

With a pitcher's duel between Radscorpions' starter Rich Richmond and Vault Boys' starter Orlando Stephens, it took the teams' bullpens to help decide the final.

Richmond gave up seven hits in 6.2 innings with a walk and seven strikeouts before giving way to John Mulvaney due to fatigue. Mulvaney finished the inning before Gary Clark came on to pitch the eighth, earning him the win after North Vegas' two-run ninth. Basket Zapp pitched the final inning for the save.

For South Vegas, Orlando Stephen gave up just two hits, walked one, and struck out seven in seven innings. John Rock pitched a great eighth inning, but could not record an out to earn the loss in the ninth inning.

The winning rally happened in the top of the ninth. Squirrel And led off the inning with a double off Rock. After a wild pitch moved And to third, Ernest Emmons walked. George O'Kill then singled in And and Emmons advanced to third. Ricardo Rodriguez then came on in relief for Rock. With one out and the bases loaded after an intentional walk, North Vegas' Arthur Glass hit a sacrifice fly to score Emmons for the 2-0 final.

[StLee]

Freeside Looks Strong, Kings Take Series Lead

Freeside's Paul Strong has not done much in the Mojave Baseball League since his pro debut on May 1 of this season. However, the former Tops first-round pick became a sensation in Game Three of the playoffs when his three-run blast in the seventh inning boosted the Kings to a 5-2 victory over Goodsprings.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Jerry Corbett doubled off the Lucky 38s' Jim Jones. Chris Bitter was then intentionally walked, followed by a ground out by Jose De La Torre. With two outs and a full count, Strong took a hooking curve over the right field fence at Old Mormon Fort Field for the three-run lead and the final runs in the game.

Jones suffered the loss for Goodsprings, allowing five earned runs on six hits with a walk and nine strikeouts in seven innings. All five runs given up were via home run.

Jorge Alonzo, who pitched only the seventh inning and gave up the tying run, earned the victory for the Kings. Ellis Wood, the starting pitcher, allowed one earned run on 10 hits with two walks and five strikeouts in six innings in the no decision. Doug King earned his second save of the series.

The Kings struck first in the game. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Jim Seaman took a Jones pitch over the center field wall.

Goodsprings got on the board in the third. Jones led off with a single. With two outs and Stu Vanstone on after reaching on a fielder's choice, Jimmy LaRue singled to advance Vanstone to third base. Jesus Martinez then hit an RBI single to knot up the game, 1-1.

However, Freeside immediately answered to take back the lead. De La Torre took the third pitch he saw over the right center field fence for a 2-1 Kings' advantage.

The Lucky 38s again tied the game in the seventh, though they could play the what-if game for that inning. Mike Duncan led off with a single to chase starer Wood. With one out, Duncan attempted a steal from second to third but was nailed pretty easily. LaRue then singled for what would have been the tying RBI. After LaRue stole second, Martinez hit his second RBI single to make the game 2-2.

Despite outhitting Freeside 12-6, Goodsprings could not manufacture runs. The Kings, however, blasted their way to the victory, something they did not do much of in the regular season.

[Tyke]

Getting 12 hits, against 6 by your opponents, but losing the game 2-5, can't be a good thing! Time to get the act together.

[StLee]

Serrano Homers Twice, Vault Boys Win

Angel Serrano hit a two-run home run in the first and added a solo shot in the sixth to help lead South Vegas to a 5-3 victory over North Vegas and an even series after four games.

Tom Nelson earned the victory, pitching seven innings. He gave up three earned runs on eight hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

Nate Camp was the losing pitcher for the Radscorpions. He allowed four earned runs on nine hits with a walk in five innings.

[StLee]

Freeside Rallies in Ninth, Holds 3-1 Series Lead

Goodsprings had held the Freeside bats in check for the first eight innings in a pitcher's duel. That all unraveled, though, when the Kings score two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to take a 2-1 victory and stand a victory away from winning the opening series.

Willie Miller came on in relief for the Lucky 38s for the ninth inning, and he quickly got the first two batters out. Jim Seaman, the Kings' top offensive weapon, then got the rally going with a two-out single. Former top rookie Joel Bowles followed with an RBI triple to tie the game, 1-1. Ronald Draper then singled in Bowles for the surprising victory.

David Martin of Goodsprings had pitched an excellent game, giving up only four hits and striking out 12 in seven innings of work. However, he was held to a no decision thanks to the Kings' rally.

Freeside's Marshall Shaw was equally effective in the no decision. He gave up only one earned run on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts in eight innings. Matt Palmer pitched the ninth inning for the victory.

The two teams play the last game of the series in Freeside tomorrow. If the Kings pull out the victory, they will move on to the Mojave Series.

[Tyke]

Shame such a good pitching performance by Martin went to waste. It's now or never guys!

[StLee]

Big Innings Lift Radscorpions

Big offensive outputs in the third and fifth innings gave North Vegas a big lead, allowing it to hold on for a 9-5 victory and a 3-2 series lead over South Vegas. The series now shifts back to North Vegas.

Trailing 1-0 in the top of the third, the Radscorpions began their first rally. Starting pitcher Wilfred Buckley led off with a single, followed by an Ernest Emmons single. With one out, Vault Boys' starting pitcher Donnell Dugood walked two straight batters to tie the game, 1-1. Bill Cole then hit a sacrifice fly to score Nelson Kirby from third. Leading 2-1, Squirrel And delivered a two-RBI double to give the Radscorpions a 4-1 advantage.

In the fifth inning, North Vegas pretty much put the game away. Hunter Harris came on in relief for Dugood, who allowed four earned runs in just three innings. Unfortunately for the Vault Boys, Harris fared no better. George O'Kill doubled to lead off. With one out, Cole singled in O'Kill and advanced to second on the throw home. And then tripled in Cole for a 6-1 lead. Following a walk, Stephen Sparks hit a sacrifice fly to score And and give the Radscorpions a 7-1 lead going into the bottom of the fifth.

South Vegas never started pushing back until the seventh inning. After Weldon Brown homered in the top of the seventh for an 8-1 North Vegas lead, the Vault Boys cut into that lead in the bottom of the inning. Anthony Savage walked to lead off the inning, followed by a single for MC Mack Walt Williams. With one out, Nelson Johnson went deep for a three-run blast, chasing Buckley from the game.

Each team scored a run in the ninth for the final 9-5 score.

Buckley earned the win for the Radscorpions by allowing four earned runs on eight hits with three walks and two strikeouts in 6.1 innings. Basket Zapp pitched the final two-thirds of the ninth innings to earn the save.

Dugood was the losing pitcher. In addition to the four earned runs he gave up, he allowed six hits and walked two.

Weldon Brown, the regular season home run champ, was the game's MVP. He went 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBI, three runs scored, and a walk.

Kevin Zimmerman was the top offensive performer for South Vegas. He finished 3 for 5 with a double and an RBI.

[StLee]

38s Win in Ten

Long after the starting pitchers finished their masterful performances, the bullpens were forced to decide game five of the opening series between Freeside and Goodsprings. And they did a hell of a job, too.

The Lucky 38s prevailed, though, hitting their way to victory in 10 innings, 3-1. The series no returns to Goodsprings for the sixth and possibly seventh game with the Kings leading the series three games to two.

In the top of the tenth, closer Doug King got the nod for Freeside. With one out, Perry Ferguson and Java Stirfry got back-to-back singles. With two outs, pinch hitter Antonio Gutierrez kept the inning alive with a soft single to short right field. Leadoff hitter Stu Vanstone then found a gap, doubling in Ferguson and Stirfry for the 3-1 advantage.

Both teams had trouble finding offensive production throughout the rest of the game. The Lucky 38s scored first in the top of the fourth when Jesus Martinez hit a solo home run off starter Jeff MacTause.

Freeside scored its only run in uncanny fashion. MacTause led off the fifth with a single. With two outs and MacTause on second, Jim Seaman singled, but MacTause had to hold up at third base. With the next batter up, Goodsprings starting pitcher Donald Bush committed a balk allowing MacTause to score from third. Balks are rarely called in the Mojave Baseball League, so it was a surprising and somewhat controversial call at the time.

Bush was the game's MVP due to his outstanding pitching performance in a game where neither offense could get going. Bush allowed one run on six hits with three walks and nine strikeouts in 6.1 innings. He also added a sacrifice bunt at the plate. Willie Miller earned the victory by pitching a scoreless ninth inning. Greg Greer earned the save with a scoreless tenth.

MacTause also pitched well in the no decision. He allowed one earned run on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts in six innings. King was the losing pitcher.