ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 20, 2045

IPA TOP SKIPPERS PROCLAIMED
What a super year for Southport's Charley Oscar and Glasco's Charles Darby. They were both honored as the top skippers in the Islandian Pro Alliance in 2045. Oscar won it for the third time in the past four seasons, while Darby was named for the first time. Rolling Hills' Matty Christianson is the all-time leader with four Manager of the Year trophies. Oscar is now tied with Far Mountain's Alex Groveland, Cold Creek's Scoop Lemieux and Tuckanarra's Carlton "Lefty" Stevens for second place with three awards each.

Oscar edged out Red Bluff manager Jim Schubert for the Tycobbian Manager of the Year. No other Tycobbian manager received any votes in the poll. Oscar guided Southport to its second successive division title, easily capturing the tough TU South by 6 games, while Schubert paced his Red Sox to another title in the TU East. The Red Sox ran away with the flag by 14 games. Both clubs were 95-59 during the season and posted the best records in the league.

Charles Darby had a fabulous year in Glasco, sparking the A's to the most wins in the IPA with 100 victories to slip by Valmara in the Ruthlandian North. The Athletics improved from 82-72 in 2044 when they came in fourth and 11 games behind. This was the first time in over 40 years Glasco made the playoffs. Other votegetters were Ricky Tinker of Middlefield and Dixie Baker of Claxton. Tinker brought the Roosters home first in the RU West with a 95-59 mark, much better than 80-74 the previous year. Baker's Diamonds rose up from fourth place with an 80-74 record to 93-61 and first place.

[Eugene Church]

That's a wrap on season 45 in the IPA.

Season 46 is coming up soon at a stadium near you.

Thanks to all of you regulars who faithfully follow it.

I appreciate each of you very much.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, April 1, 2046

IPA'S 46TH SEASON ON THE HORIZON
Here we go again... The 46th year of Islandian Pro Alliance baseball will get underway tomorrow all across the Islands... here's what the baseball analysts are forecasting: a majority of last year's powers will do well again... Pro Cup champ Sugar Valley will win the RU East again, but will be challenged by Marston, Elnora and Wynnamac... Middlefield and Rocky Rapids will battle it out again in the RU West with the Snappers rated the top team in the RU... LaGrange, Valmara and Ranford are the best bets in the RU North... last year's division winner 100-game winner Glasco may have trouble repeating... the surprise team could be Waleska in the RU South... they are a big favorite to romp past last year's champ Claxton.

Heavy-hitting Red Bluff is picked to be the best team in the IPA and should dominate and repeat in the Tycobbian East... the Hartsdale Hellcats are the choice to handily win the TU North, despite the presence of traditional powerhouse North Hills, last season's winner... in the TU West, Arlon gets the nod over Bayview, Rolling Hills and last year's division champ Kenwood... it should be another battle royal in the TU South between Southport, San Alejo, Summerland and Cape Coral.

It the prognosticators are correct, the Pro Cup Finals should feature the Red Bluff Red Sox and Rocky Rapids Snappers with the title going to the Red Sox.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, May 1, 2046

RUTHLANDIAN UNION

2-TEAM RACE IN RU NORTH, VIPERS AND A'S VIE
It's just a two-team race in the Ruthlandian North after the first month of play... last year's champ Glasco (18-9) and runner-up Valmara (18-9) are going at it again... they are deadlocked for the division lead at the end of April with Taranto (12-15) and LaGrange (12-15) trailing by 6 games... the Vipers have a strong attack (.287 BA) and good pitching (3.97 ERA), while the A's have potent pitching (2.85 ERA), they suffer from lack of scoring (106 runs) at the plate.

CYBERCATS TOP RU SOUTH IN APRIL
Fresh off a second-place finish last year in the Ruthlandian South, the Grand City Cybercats are making some noise in the early going... the C'Cats had an impressive month and have shot ahead of San Dimas by 3 games and last year' champ Claxton by 5 games... Waleska, the critics' choice, has slumbered out of the gate so far and is in a four-team tie third, 5 games off the pace... Grand City (3.13 ERA), Waleska (2.94 ERA) and Claxton (3.17 ERA) are good on the mound, while San Dimas packs the punch at the plate (.271 BA), but is very short on pitching (4.38 ERA).

RATTLERS, ELEGANTS, BOBCATS TIED IN RU EAST
Defending Pro Cup champion Sugar Valley (18-9) picked up where it left off last season and has shot out of the gate in good fashion, but so has the Eastshore Elegants (18-9) and Beechwood Bobcats (18-9)... the teams are in a three-way tie for first place in the Ruthlandian East with Elnora (14-13) and Belle Plaine (14-13) not too far behind... the Rattlers had a great month on the mound (2.48 ERA) and at the plate (39 homers)... they are still the cream of the crop in Ruthlandian baseball circles... the Elegants can stay with them offensively (34 HRs), but can't compare on the hill... the Bobcats possess a fine staff (2.73 ERA), but suffered badly with the bats.

RR SNAPPERS GRAB RU WEST LEAD
The Rocky Rapids Snappers (20-7) had it all in the first month of play... great bats (.285 BA) and great pitching (2.48 ERA) with 27 roundtrippers... they posted the best record in the IPA and have a 4-game margin over second place Sligo (16-11), 5 better than third place Forest City (15-12) and 6 ahead of their biggest competitor Middlefield (14-13), last year's division titlist... Volusia (14-13) is tied with the Roosters in fourth place... thus far Sligo (2.68 ERA) and Forest City (2.80 ERA) have hung close to Rocky Rapids with standout pitching... the Roosters have been sluggish on the scoreboard, but still top the division with 33 HRs, tied with Volusia.

TYCOBBIAN UNION

HELLCATS, FROGS TOPS IN TU NORTH
Offense is the name of the game in the Tycobbian North Division... starting May the Hartsdale Hellcats (19-8) and Fairfax Frogs (19-8) are a game up on the third place and defending division champ North Hills Hawks (18-9), 4 ahead of fourth place Oxford (15-12) and 5 in front of fifth place Blue Lake (14-13)... the Hellcats are hitting .281 with 31 HRs and 141 runs... the Frogs .292 BA with 141 runs... the Hawks are batting .289 with 150 runs... Oxford tops them all with 36 HRs and has scored 141 runs... Blue Lake is hitting .270 with 141 runs... North Hills is still solid on the mound with a standout 2.74 ERA... Hartsdale is strong, too, with a 2.89 ERA... Fairfax (3.42 ERA) and Oxford (3.53 ERA) are pretty good on the hill, too.

3 CLUBS BATTLE IN TYCOBBIAN SOUTH
Three clubs are off to a good start in the strong Tycobbian South Division, but one of them is not the Southport Sun Sox, who have won the last four pennants... the Sun Sox (9-18) had a horrible April and are deep in the cellar, already 10 games out in the race... as expected the Summerland Sunsets (19-8) are flourishing in first place, 2 games better than the hard-hitting Ginza Ninjas (17-10) and 3 games ahead of third place San Alejo (16-11)... Summerland has superior pitching with a ridiculously low 2.33 ERA, however, they have great difficulty putting runs on the scoreboard (101 runs)... the Ninjas are batting .270 with 31 HRs and 134 runs, but are only average (3.61 ERA) on the mound... San Alejo is a well-rounded club with a standout staff (2.48 ERA) and and adequate offense (.270 BA).

TUCKS, BLAZERS ATOP TU EAST
All the pollsters said the Red Bluff Red Sox would make shambles of the Tycobbian East Division again this year for the third consecutive season... while that might end up being correct, Tuckanarra and Hillsboro are not going along with the experts at this point... the Blue Jays (16-11) and Blazers (16-11) are tied after the opening month of the season and they have a one-game edge over the powerful Red Sox (15-12), who are third in the race... Hillsboro has never made the playoffs in its history... they are rated a .500 club at best... the High Mesa Cowboys (14-13) are expected to be contenders and are currently just 2 games behind in the fourth spot... pitching has dominated thus far... the Red Sox lead with a terrific 2.38 ERA... the Blue Jays have an impressive 2.87 ERA... and the Cowpokes have a very good 3.06 ERA... the Blazers are only average with a 3.59 ERA... none of the clubs have shown much offense... even Red Bluff that set an IPA all-time mark with 283 homers last year are down considerably this season... the Red Sox have gone deep only 24 times and have scored only 109 runs.

KENWOOD AGAIN LEAD TIGHT RACE IN TU WEST
The Kenwood Wildcats are going for their fifth Tycobbian West flag in the last six seasons... even though the baseball gurus didn't rate them highly in the preseason predictions, the Wildcats (17-10) are right where they have been in recent years, right on top of the division standings... Rolling Hills (15-12) is second, 2 games off the pace... Arlon (14-13), the favorite, is 3 games out in third... and Bay St. Clair (13-14) is fourth, trailing by 4 games... actually, the race is still wide open as La Claire (12-15) and Chicopee (12-15) are just 5 games behind and tied for the fifth spot in the standings... Kenwood is far and away the HR leader in the IPA with 49 in April... the Wildcats (3.41 ERA) also have fairly good pitching to go with it... Rolling Hills (2.83) has the best staff in the division, but lacks hitting and scoring... Arlon's pitching corps is fairly good with a 3.50 ERA, but the offense isn't much with a poor .241 BA and only 19 HRs.

IPA STANDINGS AT THE END OF APRIL

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, June 1, 2046

A'S LEAD RU NORTH, 3 GAMES UP ON BULLS
After the first two months of play, the defending division champion Glasco (33-23) has the lead in the Ruthlandian North by three games over the Ranford Bulls (30-26)... the Athletics had a so-so 15-14 May, while the Bulls were red-hot at 19-10 and climbed up from fifth place to second... Valmara (29-27) had a dismal month and fell out of a first-place tie with an 11-18 mark, falling to third place and four games behind... LaGrange (28-28) and Far Mountain (28-28) are tied for fourth place and trail by 5 games... both of them played well in May with 16-13 and 17-12 records respectively.

Top Team BA: Valmara .278, Ancona .265, Glasco .263, LaGrange .263
Top Team Scoring: LaGrange 269, Valmara 260, Glasco 251
Top Team HR: LaGrange and Taranto 62, Ranford 54
Best Team ERA: Far Mountain 3.14, Glasco 3.24, Valmara 3.25
Best Team FA: Kilkenny .979 FA, Taranto .974 FA

TEAMS BEST PERFORMERS:
1. Glasco: Benny McDaniel (8-2/3.14), Manny Berrera (5-4/2.69), C Jarrah Eubarinja (.333), 2B Del Holloway (.358), CF John Rumford (.298 BA/26 RBI), SS Joseph Baxter (.258 BA/ 26 RBI), rookie 1B John Carlton (.277 BA/9 HR/24 RBI)

2. Ranford: Ralph Hawk (7-5/2.04), 3B Joey Gompers (.273/12/29/33), LF Dale Weston (.234/12/26/27), CF Micah McDade (.280/4/18/29)

3. Valmara: Primo Sirak (7-4/2.69), Teddy Twardzik (5-8/2.84), Paul Holloway (4-0/0.52/4 saves), CF Don Ritchie (.303/1/39/39), SS Jorge Aparicio (.317/0/15/39), 2B Ken Jensen (.348/2/22/32), 1B Cain Greene (.256/8/32/25)

4. LaGrange: Arnie Ayers (8-6/1.80), Johnny Stoneham (5-4/2/62), Carl Nelson (3-2/1.91/5 saves), Noel Cataron (2-2/2.27/3 saves), SS John Rodgers (.258/10/37/31), CF Robbie McGregor (.274/9/24/30)

4. Far Mountain: Ryan Kolb (4-6/2.42), Curt Steinhauer (6-4/2.72), Jonas Grover (5-5/3.07), RF Harman Silver (.256/9/28/25), 3B Norm Huffman (.316/4/22/19), LF Terry Crawford (.279/7/22/26), C Joel McDaniel (.312/1/11/17)

6. Taranto: Pablo Rivas (6-7/2.88), C Ryan Nelms (.273/13/30/25), 3B Mark Delaney (.221/15/31/33), RF Derrick Damon (.319/7/27/33), LF Howard McCord (.342/7/27/25)

7. Kilkenny: Ciaran Cullen (8-4/2.46), 3B Jorge Collazo (.308/4/24/24)

8. Ancona: LF Eldon Aldridge (.267/15/41/34), 3B Rick Richards (.327/3/29/30), C Gregg Straka (.314/5/23/34), RF Walter Glenn (.325/2/27/33)

FAVORITES SURGE IN RU SOUTH
Two prime contenders Claxton and Waleska started off slowly in April, but picked up steam in May and played like winners... last year's Ruthlandian South winner Claxton (33-23) surged with a 20-9 record to take over the top spot by two games over Waleska (31-26) ... the Westerners went 18-11 for the month... Claxton and Waleska were tied for fifth (5 GB) at the end of April... San Dimas (30-26) held on to third with a 15-14 mark and are 3 games back in the race... April's leader Grand City (29-27) came back down to earth with an 11-18 record and fell from first to fourth (4 GB)... Valka (28-28) has broken even so far and is in fifth place, 5 GB... the Blackhawks registered a 15-14 record in May.

TOP TEAM BA: Crystal Lake (.271), Waleska (.268), Claxton (.263)
TOP TEAM SCORING: San Dimas (271), Claxton (268), Crystal Lake (248)
TOP TEAM HR: San Dimas (54), Grand City (50), Valka (50)
BEST TEAM ERA: Waleska (3.18), Valka (3.19), Claxton (3.29), Grand City (3.45)
BEST TEAM DEFENSE: Claxton (.978 FA), Valka (.977 FA), St. John (.977 FA)

TEAMS TOP PERFORMERS:

1. Claxton: Stan Yudash (11-3/2.89), Abe Schiffman (6-3/2.86), Eddie Dizon (6-6/3.20), LF Foxy Fuchs (.304/12/39/29), SS Stevie Wynn (.359/5/31/23), CF Bob Best (.305/2/24/23)

2. Waleska: Jeff Woodruff (7-4/2.55), Niles Nielsen (9-2/3.28), 3B Pete Furness (.274/10/37/28), SS Pete Hudson (.311/1/23/20)

3. San Dimas: Toby White (7-4/3.42), Georgie Walker (3-3/2.28/9 saves), 3B Leonard Purkey (.333/4/26/20), 1B Ken Kirby (.260/11/29/32), C Hermie Goetz (.264/4/21/31)

4. Grand City: Kenny Morrow (5-7/2.83), Kent Douglas (5-1/1.56/4 saves), 1B Benny Hull (.333/18/38/35)

5. Valka: Ivo Lipik (9-4/3.03), Tyrone Marte (7-4/3.17), CF Kenny Mitzusaka (.302/10/29/28), RF Rich Henson (.286/11/27/25), LF Neil Richard (.320/6/24/19)

6. St. John: Frank Long (7-6/3.29), Jeremy Kirk (6-6/3.32), SS Herbie Gruen (.258/8/31/27), 2B Tab Allison (.265/2/27/27), 3B Marty Blankenship (.252/8/17/26)

7. Crystal Lake: Eddie Lane (7-7/2.67), C Del Peevy (.322/2/31/25), SS Ernie Addison (.345/1/25/26), 1B Daryl Brady (.311/5/20/27)

8. Belair Beach: Jose Munoz (8-5/3.28), 3B Jason Butler (.267/12/33/36), RF Norm Ellis (.269/11/26/26)

RATTLERS LEAD TIGHT RACE IN RU EAST
Nobody seems to want to take charge in the Ruthlandian East... "You take it, I don't want it" seems to be the motto... of the top five clubs only fourth place Wynnamac (28-28) posted a winning record last month... the Sundowners were 17-12 last month... the top five teams are separated by just five games... first place and defending IPA champion Sugar Valley (32-24) went 14-15, runner-up Eastshore (31-25) was 13-16, third place Beechwood (30-26) dipped to 12-17 and fifth place Elnora (27-29) came in at 13-16.

TOP TEAM BA: Belle Plaine (.284), Eastshore (.277), Marston (.273), Wynnamac (.269)
TOP TEAM SCORING: Eastshore (282), Belle Plaine (279), Sugar Valley (276),
TOP TEAM HR: Sugar Valley (80), Eastshore (61), Marston (61), Beechwood (55)
BEST TEAM ERA: Sugar Valley (2.92), Cold Creek (3.14), Beechwood (3.49), Wynnamac (3.69)
BEST TEAM DEFENSE: Beechwood (.982 FA). Cold Creek (.976 FA), Sugar Valley (.974 FA), Wynnamac (.974 FA)

TEAMS TOP PERFORMERS:

1. Sugar Valley: Cullen Winslow (10-3/2.10), Antonio Cedeno (9-3/2.10), Joe Snow (5-4/2.92), LF Bobby Gamble (.335/16/45/41), SS Roger Hobbs (.289/16/35/48), CF Carl Ramsey (.299/14/47/38)

2. Eastshore: Malcolm Tansbury (5-4/2.98), Jody Friday (7-1/1.45/4 saves), 2B Johnny Petrak (.324/8/35/35), RF Troy McFarland (.273/21/57/54), LF Bevan Shuler (.287/11/35/39), 3B Abner Bronstein (.350/2/9/27)

3. Beechwood: Jimmy Herman (7-5/1.91), Larry Carmen (7-4/3.38), 2B Mike Matthews (.273/7/38/34)

4. Wynnamac: Sammy Hayes (7-6/2.33), Shirai Nakamura (6-7/3.09), Johnny Mitchell (3-2/2.10/5 saves), CF Darrell Donnelly (.340/5/27/36), SS Dale Fisher (.315/7/25/36), RF Nioka Inkamara (.286/13/30/36)

5. Elnora: Stan Kivas (9-4/2.65), Dan Pitts (5-9/2.89), LF Enos Conrad (.343/5/21/30), 2B Marley Macomber (.330/9/36/29), C Cannon Johnson (.259/11/33/30)

6. Belle Plaine: Phil Lacey (8-4/3.54), 1B Chuck Gregory (.323/14/36/33), 3B Kale Woodard (.335/2/19/22), SS Danny Fitzgerald (.316/5/20/23), 2B Mac Lord (.280/2/24/33), CF Roy Myers (.296/7/19/29)

7. Marston: Thomas Stuart (5-5/3.74), Kelly Long (3-2/3.10), Kiki Vuk (4-4/2.31/5 saves), 2B Gary Armitage (.321/10/28/37), SS Stan Mila (.304/8/23/25), 3B Harvey Creighton (.282/6/27/28)

8. Cold Creek: Sammy Wright (6-7/2.79), Rob Hutchins (4-6/1.99), 3B Joe Cochrane (.294/9/35/30)

ROCKY RAPIDS RUNAWAY IN RU WEST
It looks like the pennant race is over in the Ruthlandian West after only two months... Rocky Rapids (40-16) has raced to 10-game lead over runner-up Forest City (30-26) and 11 ahead of Stoner (29-27), Sligo (29-27) and last year's champ Middlefield (29-27)... the Snappers have racked up the best record in the IPA, tied with Summerland of the Tycobbian South.

TOP TEAM BA: Rocky Rapids (.290), Volusia (.268), Forest City (.268), Colfax (.262), Sligo (.262)
TOP TEAM SCORING: Rocky Rapids (327), Volusia (273), Sligo (259), Colfax (253)
TOP TEAM HR: Middlefield (66), Rocky Rapids (64), Volusia (60), Forest City (56)
BEST TEAM ERA: Sligo (2.94), Forest City (2.95), Rocky Rapids (3.34), Middlefield (3.38)
BEST TEAM DEFENSE: Middlefield (.984 FA), Stoner (.981 FA), Fort Benton (.975 FA), Rocky Rapids (.973 FA)

TOP TEAM PERFORMERS:

1. Rocky Rapids: Jamie Taylor (12-2/1.56), Buster Noland (7-1/2.71), Robby Barnhill (10-1/3.61), RF Jose Ramos (.336/7/38/43), 3B Duncan Musselwhite (.339/2.18/50), C Carney Kirkpatrick (.337/6/37/31), 2B Marty Featherstone (.292/12/37/51), LF Buddy Hamilton (.317/17/59/43), 1B Masaharu Kawasaki (.304/8/36/25)

2. Forest City: Omar Cordero (9-4/2.04), Rusty Howard (7-6/2.37), John McKee (5-4/2.90), 2B Donnie Watkins (.404/7/27/38), C Bob Brisdon (.364/7/31/23), 1B Pistol Pete Picard (.336/12/33/26)

3. Stoner: Earl Marley (8-4/3.59), Mel Glosterman (7-3/3.63), Brian Cole (6-6/3.67), Billy Horton (2-5/2.90/12 saves), LF Emmett Tread (.314/10/34/40), SS Clayton Warfield (.306/3/20/20)

4. Sligo: Freddy Avery (8-6/3.11), Buzz Bumgartner (6-5/2.54), Art Hacker (8-6/3.39) and Randall Steele (4-6/3.14), 1B Denny Simmons (.327/8/30/34), CF Pat Tyrrell (.307/0/19/24), RF Brad Oliver (.288/3/22/27)

5. Middlefield: Carroll Collier (8-4/1.78), James Long (4-5/2.53), C Johnny McDonald (.324/2/14/22), 1B Cliff Patterson (.297/6/22/26), LF Alejandro Dominguez (.265/8/23/28), SS Jimmy Beach (.258/7/21/23), RF Sid Conner (.245/11/25/24), CF Norman Antonioni (.15/11/23/19)

6. Volusia: Skeeter Millham (6-4/3.08), Drew Selby (3-8/2.98), CF Cazzie Carvalho (.320/4/35/32), C George Ruffino (.294/10/40/28), SS Duane Blayney (.280/10/23/31), 1B Kris Wilson (.282/10/32/37)

7. Colfax: Jorgen Krogstad (6-6/3.83), CF Robb Maddux (.299/5/28/35), 3B Hoot Glanville (.304/6/22/24), RF Kevin Williams (.351/1/11/23)

8. Fort Benton: Phil Krieger (6-6/3.18), Jordy Raeburn (6-7/3.61), RF Cayman Crittenden (.340/11/37/26), C Varnell Larrimore (.296/5/28/25), CF Dwight Beatty (.315/4/18/12)

RUTHLANDIAN UNION STANDINGS MAY 31, 2046

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, June 1, 2046

HAWKS HAVE HANDS FULL IN TU NORTH
The Tycobbian North has been dominated by the North Hills Hawks (35-21) for more than a decade... 12 times in 13 years they have won the pennant... currently the Hawks are in the running for their fourth flag in a row, but it looks like it will be a tough race... Hartsdale (34-22) and Fairfax 34-22) are right on their tails, just a game behind... Blue Lake (32-24) is only 3 games out in fourth... Oxford (29-27) and White River (28-28) are within striking distance in fifth and sixth place, respectively... only Luxora (25-31) and Mahaska (20-36) seem to be out of the race... Blue Lake (18-11) had the best May, followed closely by North Hills (17-12), and White River (17-12)... Hartsdale and Fairfax were both 15-14... as per usual the Hawks have stong pitching and a good offense... the Hellcats carry some big sticks with solid mound work... while the Frogs are hitting the cover off the ball with a .295 team BA, but its pitching is less than average... the Rascals could be the spoilers in the race with good pitching and good bats.

TOP TEAM BA: Fairfax (.295), Hartsdale (.272), North Hills (.270), Luxora (.259)
TOP TEAM SCORING: Hartsdale (296), Blue Lake (292), Fairfax (280), Oxford (274)
TOP TEAM HR: Mahaska (68), White River (67), Oxford (64), Hartsdale (63)
BEST TEAM ERA: North Hills (2.81), White River (3.25), Hartsdale (3.25), Oxford (.3.45)
BEST TEAM DEFENSE: Hartsdale (.982 FA), Luxora (.976 FA), White River (.975 FA), Mahaska (.974 FA)

TEAM LEADERS:

North Hills: David Michael (9-5/2.62), Alex Peters (7-5/2.51), Tony Mack (9-3/3.34), Kyle Oliver (7-3/3.00), 3B Ric Hamilton (.322/5/21/24), 1B Oscar Pendleton (.328/6/27/22), 2B Jim McDermott (.296/4/29/23), SS Tommy Vavas (.286/5/20/41), LF Ryan Webbe (.299/10/29/31)

Hartsdale: Gil Younger (12-2/2.32), Dave Payne (6-4/2.81), Perry Givens (8-4/3.01), RF Emilian Burgess (.325/6/27/38), C Frank Penn (.330/4/29/22), SS Robinson Alomar (.304/13/35/30), 2B Myrt Breland (.301/4/25/24), 1B John Ford (.268/9/36/28)

Fairfax: Harold Dorman (8-5/2.59), Terry Sawyer (6-4/2.89/5 saves), 3B Daniel Pierce (.328/1/32/36), CF Trent Russell (.314/6/31/32), LF Brad Johnston (.330/6/23/34), 2B John Velasco (.296/11/51/36), C Scott Courtney (.292/8/27/26), SS Demont Beauchamp (.336/1/20/27)

Blue Lake: Van Johnson (7-3/3.08), Sal Mays (6-6/3.23), Greg Mortimer (6-5/3.44), Razzy Richmond (3-2/2.98/5 saves), LF Jack Ryan (.362/1/20/31), C Juan Luis Barcelona (.277/8/35/34), 1B Mel Morrison (.294/9/33/24), 3B Matt Thompson (.260/5/34/30)

Oxford: Rudy Mellancamp (6-6/2.56), Tekkan Nashikawa (7-4/2.37), Ralph Mosby (8-4/3.88), RF Kevin Carter (.289/16/46/38), C Jayson French (.331/4/23/20), SS Dan Zalewski (.287/4/21/30)

White River: Nicky Palmer (7-1/2.49), Norman Wilkie (4-6/2.69), Carlo Grimaldi (3-2/1.89/5 saves), LF Billy Joe Hickman (.245/19/36/35), 1B Ralph Cashman (.213/11/30/25)

Luxora: Victor Spears (6-7/3.39), 1B Joel Poche (.323/6/34/29), RF Emil Pasek (.318/6/23/30), CF Danny Dudley (.303/4/28/23), LF Derrek Jackson (.319/9/30/28), 3B Tiago Chaves (.262/11/29/27)

Mahaska: Lowell Grandison (3-2/2.66/4 saves), SS Rocco Bertara (.291/8/29/38), CF Bill Whittier (.301/8/28/33), C James Boswell (.215/13/31/20), 1B Roger Lewis (.254/11/34/22)

SUNSETS AND MONTIES THRIVE IN TU SOUTH
Year-in and year-out for the last decade Summerland and San Alejo have been contenders in the Tycobbian South Division... this year they may bring home the elusive division pennant, which has gone to Southport for the past four seasons... both the Sunsets and the Montaneros boast outstanding pitching and have been hot as blazes in the first two months of the season, while the Sun Sox didn't do well in April... right now the Sunsets are three games in front of the Monties with the Sun Sox tied for third with Ginza and nine games back... Summerland and San Alejo had great months with 21-8 records... Southport was even hotter at 22-7... Ginza was 14-15... the Tycobbian South looks like the toughest division in the IPA with six teams at .500 or better... Cape Coral (30-26) trails by 10 games and is in the fifth spot, while Turon (28-28) is sixth and 12 games off the pace.

TOP TEAM BA: Cape Coral (.279), Ginza (.265), San Alejo (.263) and Summerland (.258)
TOP TEAM SCORING: Cape Coral (273), Southport (260), Ginza (259), Summerland (256)
TOP TEAM HR: Turon (69), Cape Coral (63), Ginza (54), San Alejo (49)
BEST TEAM ERA: Summerland (2.30), San Alejo (2.60), Southport (3.50), Ginza (3.67)
BEST TEAM DEFENSE: Ginza (.980 FA), Arroyo Grande (.977 FA), Turon (.977 FA), San Alejo (.977 FA)

TEAM LEADERS:

Summerland: Dutch DeBoer (11-1/1.84), Jayson Hallstrom (9-2/1.69), Jacob Gillen (7-4/2.13), Pete Ashley (7-3/2.64/6 saves), Billy King (4-5/2.84), RF Rick Mayes (.305/8/30/34), 1B Kenny Douglas (.316/9/39/38), 3B Alex Abbotson (.280/11/36/37), CF Antonio Vasquez (.315/2/22/22)

San Alejo: Benny Buckmaster (10-3/1.84), Matt Bell (8-2/2.03), Will McKinney (8-5/1/59), 1B Sal McAlister (.353/3/21/32), LF Charlie Wilberforce (.327/11/31/29), RF Paulo Teixeira (.268/13/43/31)

Southport: Billy Hoover (6-5/2.48), Cade Brockton (8-4/3.60), Gordon Forbes (6-5/3.69), 1B Eddie Douglas (.348/11/32/33), 3B Craig Glennon (.274/9/24/19), SS Gonzalo Topez (.287/1/27/22), LF Chris Jones (.277/1/15/33)

Ginza: Tokuji Takahara (5-3/1.49/2 saves), Charley Waskins (7-1/3.56), Carlos Del Toro (6-5/3.70), Timmy Hitchens (4-3/2.10/8 saves), 1B Jiro Yamamura (.347/3/18/42), CF Sogo Takagi (.313/6/29/29), SS Sam Essex (.226/11/40/29)

Cape Coral: Vernon Marks (9-4/2.95), RF William Snyder (.313/11/37/33), 2B Lou Panko (.335/6/30/29), 3B Kent Mantle (.306/10/23/30), 1B Scott Ferguson (.311/7/35/18), LF Rikky Van Dalen (.294/6/30/39)

Turon: Izzy Beasley (8-4/2.53), Nate Stocksdale (6-6/3.04), 1B Nick Fisher (.351/15/41/35), SS Rafer Robertson (.303/14/37/26), CF Guido Gervasio (.286/4/21/29), 2B C. C. Kingsford (.265/10/26/21)

Arroyo Grande: Anthony Lombardi (8-5/3.47), RF Wilfredo Acosta (.269/5/25/24), 3B Russ Henredon (.269/4/30/19), LF Alfred Novikoff (.274/4/18/27)

Colchester: Dave Lacoste (8-4/2.85), Benny White (8-6/3.57), 1B Norm Murdoch (.306/0/19/24), CF Jebbie Shaw (.336/5/21/26), RF Teddy Drackley (.264/8/30/29)

RED SOX HAVE SLIGHT LEAD IN TU EAST
The Tycobbian East is not going according to Hoyle this year... heavily-favored Red Bluff (33-23) is in first place, but not by a lot... Tuckanarra (31-25) is only 2 games out... South Fork (29-27) is just 4 back... Hillsboro (28-28) is 5 off the pace and High Mesa (27-29) is only 6 games behind in fifth place... the Red Sox took the divison lead with an 18-11 mark in May... South Fork (17-12) prospered, too... while Tuckanarra was only 15-14...

TOP TEAM BA: Tuckanarra (.272), Midway (.259), Red Bluff (.255), Ozarka (.255)
TOP TEAM SCORING: Hillsboro (59), Red Bluff (246), Midway (244), South Fork (244)
TOP TEAM HR: Red Bluff (77), Hillsboro (59), High Mesa (53), south Fork (52)
BEST TEAM ERA: Red Bluff (2.66), South Fork (2.88), Tuckanarra (3.05), High Mesa (3.54)
BEST TEAM DEFENSE: High Mesa (.975 FA), Red Bluff (.974 FA), East Point (.972 FA), Tuckanarra (.972 FA)

TEAM LEADERS:

Red Bluff: Jud Cox (11-2/1.55), Mickey Rosen (8-3/2.03), George Reynolds (7-5/2.49), RF David Kelso (.314/17/40/31), 3B Fran Blanchard (.328/12/38/28), 1B Josh Stevens (.296/8/24/28), LF Jesse Shaw (.285/9/23/29)

Tuckanarra: Ozzie Leslie (6-7/2.18), Dickie Pittman (5-4/2.42), Cameron Brothers (5-1/2.70), Jack Rogers (6-3/2.45/4 saves), RF Jimmy Markovich (.318/2/18/27), CF Ben Henderson (.326/1/18/22), 1B Rodger Parsons (.307/5/24/23), 2B Ricky Vincent (.304/1/20/27), C Wally McMain (.305/0/20/11)

South Fork: Jay Murphy (6-5/2.16), Chris Sorensen (8-6/2.46), Big Murph McAlister (6-3/2.65), CF Scotty O'Sullivan (.292/8/33/23), 2B Elton Jacoby (.285/5/21/37), 3B Jess Wilkerson (.264/8/33/30), RF Rick Carlton (.379/6/27/19), SS Pete Arnold (.282/3/23/28), RF Kyle Gottwald (.292/4/22/12)

Hillsboro: Jamie Lee Bradley (6-4/2.63), Steve Cooper (7-7/3.13), Bailey Bilbow (3-0/2.23/6 saves), 1B Ernie Moxley (.338/21/57/37), 2B Scotty McNeill (.311/3/36/29)

High Mesa: Tee Bo Templet (4-0/2.79), Emil Nowak (7-6/3.18), Lucius Quarles (3-7/3.12), William Morris (3-0/0.59/2 saves), LF Clay Johnston (.238/13/36/28)

East Point: Barney Benton (4-5/2.71), Kenneth Lawson (3-0/2.33/2 saves), RF Augie Elizondo (.308/2/14/23), 1B Jack Gorham (.265/10/23/23)

Ozarka: Glen Jenkins (6-5/3.49), Gene White (1-0/1.20), C Paul Beasley (.322/6/24/11), 2B Duffy Morrison (.297/6/23/26), RF Keith Crider (.310/5/20/20)

Midway: Charlie Chase (5-8/3.36), Sam Lewis (3-1/1.05/1 save), LF Justin Morrison (.299/7/39/36), CF Hector Pena (.295/1/26/32), SS Paul Butler (.304/4/24/35).

KENWOOD PULLS AWAY IN TU WEST
For four of the last five years the Kenwood Wildcats have ruled the Tycobbian West... it's only June, but they have already pulled away from the pack, compiling a splendid 20-9 mark in May... the Wildcats (37-19) are eight games ahead of second place Rolling Hills (29-27), nine up on Arlon and 10 in front of Bay St. Clair, the fourth place club... Kenwood is the highest scoring team in the IPA with a solid group of starters and relievers... they may be hard to catch... the Reds, Champions and Buccaneers were all just 14-15 for the month.

TOP TEAM BA: Kenwood (.273), La Claire (.268), Rolling Hills (.262), Bayview (.258)
TOP TEAM SCORING: Kenwood (310), Bayview (273), La Claire (244), Arlon (243)
TOP TEAM HR: Kenwood (87), Bayview (78), Arlon (51), Bay St. Clair (43)
BEST TEAM ERA: Kenwood (3.03), Rolling Hills (3.21), Arlon (.3.45), Chicopee (3.54)
BEST TEAM DEFENSE: Denton City (.979 FA), Bay St.Clair (.973 FA), Arlon (.973 FA), Kenwood (.973 FA)

TEAM LEADERS:

Kenwood: Tommy Carter (9-4/2.53), Freddy Gooch (7-4/3.33), Clyde Myers (7-5/3.33), Gregg Campbell (4-4/3.30), Rusty Bradford (5-1/3.07/6 saves), Mike Jones (2-1/2.13/5 saves), 1B Bert Henrich (.326/20/44/43), C Corky DiNozzo (.346/16/41/32), 3B Country Crowder (.326/1/20/45), SS Ben Daniels (.300/11/29/27), RF Dorsey Faircloth (.296/10/33/29), LF Warren Vickers (.285/5/27/24)

Rolling Hills: Matthew Christianson (10-3/1.90), Johnny Howard (6-7/3.24), Steve Adams (5-6/3.09), 1B Darwin Tard (.304/10/29/34), RF Jimbo Foxx (.259/8/28/29)

Arlon: Lanny Gray (5-6/2.38), Pat Stuyvesant (6-5/3/15), Mack Blair (3-2/2.68/6 saves), 3B Mark Cameron (.330/13/44/41), C Nick Shafer (.296/6/28/21), CF Jim Cherry (.296/2/12/29)

Bay St. Clair: Dion Hawkins (10-3/3.04), Clyde Gordon (5-5/2.93), 3B Dan Modrak (.270/10/23/27), SS Edison Randall (.275/5/18/30), CF Sasha Ilyushin (.279/4/24/22)

Bayview: Jerome Dean (4-1/3.72/1 save), Johnny Young (4-7/3.45), 3B Jerry Culpepper (.266/19/52/420, SS Andreas Stokke (.259/19/43/40), LF Ivar Nilssen (.276/12/34/33)

La Claire: Bruce Kinson (8-4/3.69), Nelson Stubbs (6-6/3.86), Terry Baird (2-3/2.94/7 saves), CF Donny Griffith (.318/8/33/30), SS Royce Hill (.309/4/14/27), UIF Zane Law (.308/4/25/22), LF Hank Morton (.311/3/24/23), 1B Doug Stewart (.330/2/24/30), RF Rob Fisher (.277/6/25/21)

Denton City: Jimmy Ellerbee (6-6/3.86), Mel Coley (5-7/3.44), 1B Wayman Stetson (.271/12/27/23)

Chicopee: Tony Dazzi (6-7/2.82), Josh Dougherty (3-9/2.19), Paul Foster (5-6/3.87), 1B Sam Patrick (.254/9/24/29), SS Jud Williams (.285/2/12/24), RF Denny Halverton (.274/2/24/23)

TYCOBBIAN UNION STANDINGS, MAY 31, 2046

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, June 18, 2046

ISLAND ALL-STARS BATTLE IN SUGAR VALLEY
The IPA Mid-Summer classic is scheduled for for this Wednesday afternoon at Farmers Memorial Park, home of the IPA Pro Cup champion Sugar Valley Rattlers. The Tycobbian All-Stars and the Ruthlandian All-Stars will engage for the 46th time with Tycobbia having a decided edge in the annual series. The TU Stars have a 29-16 advantage so far.

The Rocky Rapids Snappers and the Sugar Valley Rattlers have five players each on the RU Stars, while the Summerland Sunsets and Hartsdale Hellcats top Tycobbia with three players each. Bayview's superstar Jerry Culpepper is making his 13th appearance in the All-Star Game. Kenwood's standout catcher Corky DiNozzo has been picked 9 times, second baseman John Velasco of Fairfax 7 times, pitcher Jayson Hallstrom of Summerland 6 times and center fielder Sogo Takagi of Ginza has been chosen for the sixth time. Heading up the Ruthlandian All-Stars is Sugar Valley left fielder Bobby Gamble, who made the squad for the 11th time, Elnora catcher Cannon Johnson has made the club 7 times, Sugar Valley shortstop Roger Hobbs has been named 5 times with three players selected for the fourth time: first baseman Benny Hull of Grand City, third baseman Denny Simmons of Sligo and CF Kenny Mitsuzaka of Valka.

RUTHLANDIAN ALL-STARS:
SP Jamie Taylor (Rocky Rapids) (16-3/1.93) 3-time All-Star
SP Antonio Cedeno (Sugar Valley) (12-5/2.09)
SP Cullen Winslow (Sugar Valley) (12-5/2.09)
SP Chris Collier (Middlefield) (11-5/1.48) 2-time All-Star
SP Omar Cordero (Forest City) (11-6/2.35)
SP Ralph Hawk (Ranford) (10-7/2.21)
CL Jody Friday (Eastshore) (9-1/1.77/6 saves)
CL Noah Mannon (Ranford) (9-1/1.67/3 saves)
C Jarrah Eubarinja (Glasco) (.324/1/26/34)
C Cannon Johnson (Elnora) (.283/15/42/43) 7-time All-Star
C Johnny McDonald (Middlefield) (.314/5/19/38)
1B Benny Hull (Grand City) (.325/24/55/44) 4-time All-Star
1B Kris Wilson (Volusia) (.312/19/53/53) 2-time All-Star
2B Ken Jensen (Valmara) (.374/4/32/48)
2B Donnie Watkins (Forest City) (.403/9/39/50)
2B Marty Featherstone (Rocky Rapids) (.311/19/58/64) 3-time All-Star
3B Denny Simmons (Sligo) (.335/8/33/44) 4-time All-Star
3B Rick Richards (Ancona) (.337/4/36/30)
SS John Rodgers (LaGrange) (.278/11/44/43) 3-time All-Star
SS Roger Hobbs (Sugar Valley) (.282/18/40/56) 5-time All-Star
LF Bud Hamilton (Rocky Rapids) (.307/20/67/50)
LF Bobby Gamble (Sugar Valley) (.323/19/54/57) 11-time All-Star
CF Chris Ramsey (Sugar Valley) (.289/16/57/47) 3-time All-Star
CF Kenny Mitzusaka (Valka) (.325/14/47/40) 4-time All-Star
CF Don Ritchie (Valmara) (.289/2/50/48)
RF Jose Ramos (Rocky Rapids) (.340/11/49/58)
RF Todd McFarland (Eastshore) (.271/22/62/62) 2-time All-Star

TYCOBBIAN ALL-STARS:
SP Gil Younger (Hartsdale) (14-5/2.53)
SP Matty Christianson (Rolling Hills) (14-4/2.03) 2-time All-Star
SP Jud Cox (Red Bluff) (14-3/1.76) 3-time All-Star
SP Dutch De Boer (Summerland) (11-3/1.80)
SP Will McKinney (San Alejo) (11-6/1.78) 2-time All-Star
SP Jayston Hallstrom (Summerland) (11-3/1.79) 6-time All-Star
CL Pete Ashley (Summerland) (10-3/1.91/8 saves)
CL Rusty Bradford (Kenwood) (10-1/1.91/8 saves) 2-time All-Star
C Corky DiNozzo (Kenwood) (.327/20/56/39) 9-time All-Star
C Frank Penn (Hartsdale) (.322/4/40/26)
C Juan Luis Barcelona (Blue Lake) (.293/10/46/44)
1B Ernie Moxley (Hillsboro) (.336/29/80/50)
1B Nick Fisher (Turon) (.351/19/55/48) 2-time All-Star
2B John Velasco (Fairfax) (.317/14/58/43) 7-time All-Star
2B Scotty McNeill (Hillsboro) (.311/4/47/41)
3B Jerry Culpepper (Bayview) (.292/23/60/50) 13-time All-Star
3B Fran Blanchard (Red Bluff) (.312/17/50/41) 2-time All-Star
SS Rocco Bertara (Mahaska) (.316/10/37/54)
SS Rafer Robertson (Turon) (.312/18/49/35) 2-time All-Star
SS Andreas Stokke (Bayview) (.284/24/57/58)
LF Justin Morrison (Midway) (.311/9/57/49)
LF Brad Johnston (Fairfax) (.318/8/33/42) 2-time All-Star
CF Sogo Takagi (Ginza) (.323/8/40/45) 6-time All-Star
CF Hector Pena (Midway) (.307/6/44/49)
RF David Kelso (Red Bluff) (.319/24/55/40) 4-time All-Star
RF Mark Cameron (Arlon) (.314/16/50/46) 3-time All-Star
RF Elilian Burgess (Hartsdale) (.317/9/36/54)

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, June 20, 2046

2046 IPA ALL-STAR GAME AT FARMERS MEMORIAL PARK IN SUGAR VALLEY

TU STARS TORCH RUTHLANDIA 8-3
When it comes to All-Star Game the Tycobbian Union seems to always have Ruthlandia's number... for the second year in a row the TU All-Stars were victorious as they torched the RU Stars 8-3 at Farmers Memorial Park in Sugar Valley... the game's MVP trophy went to Justin Morrison (Midway), who slammed a 3-run homer to lead the way... Sogo Takagi (Ginza) also had a 2-run single for the winners... the TU Stars outhit Ruthlandia 9 to 8.

The win went to Jayson Hallstrom (Summerland)... he worked the third and fourth frames and gave up one run on three hits... the loss went to Chris Collier (Middlefield), who was slammed for four runs and four hits in the third inning... Tycobbia tacked three more runs on the scoreboard in the fourth frame against Antonio Cedeno (Sugar Valley) to clinched the game... Cullen Winslow (Sugar Valley) was one bright spot for the RU Stars... he blanked Tycobbia on one hit in the fifth, sixth and seventh, striking out three... Donnie Watkins (Forest City) and Jose Ramos (Rocky Rapids) led the Ruthlandian All-Stars with two hits each.

Tycobbia improved its record in the All-Star Classic to 30 wins and only 16 losses.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, July 1, 2046

A'S PAD LEAD IN RU NORTH TO 6 GAMES
June was a very good month for the first place Glasco Athletics (53-29) in the Ruthlandian North Division... the A's went on a 20-6 splurge and built up a 6-game margin over runner-up Valmara (47-35), 7 ahead of third place Ranford (46-36) and 10 in front of fourth place LaGrange (43-39)... Glasco is the current IPA champion and is looking to repeat.

TEAM BA: VALMARA .279, GLASCO .273, LAGRANGE .269, TARANTO .257
TEAM SCORING: GLASCO 408, VALMARA 404, LAGRANGE 391, TARANTO 347
TEAM HR: TARANTO 89, LAGRANGE 87, RANFORD 86, VALMARA 65
TEAM ERA: GLASCO 2.92, FAR MOUNTAIN 3.07, VALMARA 3.41, LAGRANGE 3.46
TEAM DEFENSE: LAGRANGE .976 FA, KILKENNY .976 FA, TARANTO .976 FA, GLASCO .975 FA

1. GLASCO LEADERS:
PITCHERS:
BENNY MCDANIEL (11-4/3.10), EVAN WALSH (8-2/2.48/2 SAVES), PAT MEYERS (10-8/2.83), MANNY BERRERA (9-5/2.53), KEN MCLIN (7-1/1.45/8 SAVES)
BATTERS:
1B DEL HOLLOWAY (.371/4/20/33), C JARRAH EUBARINJA (.329/1/30/37), SS JOSEPH BAXTER (.307/5/45/46), CF JOHN RUMFORD (.299/6/43/38), 1B JOHN CARLTON (.295/15/39/40), 3B BILLY STROUD (.294/2/29/28)

2. VALMARA LEADERS:
PITCHERS:
PRIMO SIRAK (13-4/1.99), TEDDY TWARDZIK (10-10/3.17), PAUL HOLLOWAY (5-0/1.66/9 SAVES)
BATTERS:
2B KEN JENSEN (.368/4/37/56), RF PAUL MCMAHON (.350/3/22/15), LF JACEK PRUSAK (.328/8/36/21), SS JORGE APARICIO (.325/2/28/52)

3. RANFORD LEADERS:
PITCHERS:
RALPH HAWK (11-8/2.40), NOAH MANNON (9-2/1.59/4 SAVES)
BATTERS:
LF DALE WESTON (.275/19/39/49), 3B JOEY GOMPERS (.254/17/41/49), SS HARLEY FREEMAN (.295/8/31/24), CF JAMIE HOLCOMB (.297/11/29/29)

4. LAGRANGE LEADERS:
PITCHERS:
ARNIE AYERS (10-9/2.00), JOHNNY STONEHAM (7-5/3.24)
BATTERS:
SS JOHN RODGERS (.287/15/58/50), CF ROBBIE MCGREGOR (.283/12/41/43), 1B CLAYTON JUSTICE (.321/10/33/20)

5. FAR MOUNTAIN LEADERS:
PITCHERS: RYAN KOLB (8-9/2.35) CURT STEINHAUER (7-7/3.45), STAN SMITH (10-7/3.90), FERNANDO SANCHES (4-4/2.38/8 SAVES)
BATTERS:
CF LEW HUFFMAN (.318/8/26/27), 3B NORM HUFFMAN (.309/6/29/28), RF HARLAN SILVER (.266/11/36/31)

6. TARANTO LEADERS:
PITCHERS:
PABLO RIVAS (9-11/3.59)
BATTERS:
RF DERRICK DAMON (.320/8/36/48), 3B MARK DELANEY (.213/22/56/45), C RYAN NELMS (.264/19/48/34), LF HOWARD MCCORD (.288/11/38/32)

7. KILKENNY LEADERS:
PITCHERS: CIARAN CULLEN (8-9/3.37), ANDY MAYFIELD (4-2/2.77/8 SAVES)
BATTERS:
SS SAM NORMAN (.278/10/30/36), 3B JORGE COLLAZO (.292/4/28/32)

8. ANCONA LEADERS:
PITCHERS:
DARLON MCDUGAN (8-9/3.93), LAKOTA COBOS (3-3/1.76/8 SAVES)
BATTERS:
LF ELDON ALDRIDGE (.269/22/57/47), 3B RICK RICHARDS (.331/4/39/43), RF WALTER GLENN (.305/2/34/41), C GREGG STRAKA (.285/7/28/46)

RUTHLANDIAN NORTH DIVISION STANDINGS JUNE 30, 2046

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, July 1, 2046

SAN DIMAS TOP DOG IN RU SOUTH
June was a good month for the San Dimas Rancheros (45-37), who took over the top rung of the Ruthlandian South with a 15-11 mark... last month's leader and defending division champ Claxton (44-38) slipped to second place, trailing by a game... the Diamonds dipped to 11-15 for the month... the Waleska Westerners are third, just two games off the pace... they slipped to 12-14 in June... Valka (43-39) is tied for third after going 15-11... the St. John Crusaders (42-40) also played well recently with a 15-11 mark... they are only 3 games out in the race... after a good April, Grand City (39-43) continued to declne down to sixth with a 10-16 record... Crystal Lake (37-45) is in seventh, 8 games behind... the Crushers broke even at 13-13 last month... Belair Beach (32-50) looks like cellar dwellers this year... the Sunbirds were a lousy 8-18 in June... the RU South pennant race appears to be wide open still... Waleska was the preseason favorite.

TEAM BA: CRYSTAL LAKE .275, WALESKA .269, ST. JOHN .262, VALKA .260
TEAM SCORING: SAN DIMAS 378, CLAXTON 372, WALESKA 361, CRYSTAL LAKE 360
TEAM HR: SAN DIMAS 74, BELAIR BEACH 72, VALKA 71, GRAND CITY 70
TEAM ERA: WALESKA 3.19, VALKA 3.26, GRAND CITY 3.43, CLAXTON 3.56, SAN DIMAS 3.64
TEAM DEFENSE: CLAXTON .978 FA, ST. JOHN .976 FA, VALKA .974 FA, SAN DIMAS .973 FA

1. SAN DIMAS LEADERS
PITCHERS: GIL ARNAUD (10-4/2.97), TOBY WHITE (10-8/3.51), CEREK TALAGA (9-7/3.89)
BATTERS: 3B LEONARD PURKEY (.368/5/40/35), C HERMIE GOETZ (.278/7/34/47)

2. CLAXTON
PITCHERS: ABE SCHIFFMAN (10-6/2.98), STAN YUDASH (13-8/3.26)
BATTERS: 3B RICK CLAYBURNE (.300/1/34/37), LF FOXY FUCHS (.264/13/44/36), 1B JOJO DELUCCA (.247/9/54/47), STEVIE WYNN (.310/7/37/29), 2B RICH EMERY (.264/13/46/42)

3. WALESKA
PITCHERS: ROY SCHAEFER (7-7/2.95), TONY HASKELL (10-8/3.15), NILES NIELSEN (11-4/3.59), JEFF WOODRUFF (7-9/3.20)
BATTERS: 3B PETE FURNESS (.252/16/50/42), CF KENNY HARDY (.312/8/26/49), 1B ROB RICE (.314/8/35/31), C JIMMY BUTLER (.310/5/36/25), SS PETE HUDSON (.286/1/33/26)

3. VALKA
PITCHERS: MATVEY KAZAK (12-9/2.93), IVO LIPIK (12-5/3.08), TYRONE MARTE (10-5/3.09), MIIKAEL ARENS (4-1/2.23/7 SAVES)
BATTERS: CF KENNY MITZUSAKA (.322/14/49/45), 1B JESS EVANS (.275/13/37/37), RF RICH HENSON (.288/12/34/41)

5. ST. JOHN
PITCHERS: JEREMY KIRK (10-8/3.35), LELAND VALM (9-11/3.59)
BATTERS: SS HERBIE GRUEN (.272/10/43/42), 3B MARTY BLANKENSHIP (.276/10/24/38), RF NICKY FARRUGIA (.290/7/28/18), LF ROBERTO CAMPOS (.291/5/35/39)

6. GRAND CITY
PITCHERS: JOEL EATON (9-10/3.45), KENNY MORROW (6-11/3.16)
BATTERS: 1B BENNY HULL (.309/24/57/45), C IGGY VAN DYCK (.263/14/37/38), RF RYAN VAN ZANT (.251/12/31/45)

7. CRYSTAL LAKE
PITCHERS: EDDIE LANE (8-11/3.73), JOSH CROSBY (7-1/2.58/4 SAVES)
BATTERS: 1B DARYL BRADY (.309/8/38/39), RF PAT DILLON (.280/7/36/37), C DEL PEEVY (.325/2/45/36), LF JEFF MURPHEE (.317/2/27/36), SS ERNIE ADDISON (.300/1/30/35), CF JESSE WALKER (.305/0/17/28)

8. BELAIR BEACH:
PITCHERS: JOSE MUNOZ (9-9/3.58), TOM COOK (2-4/2.80/10 SAVES)
BATTERS: RF NORM ELLIS (.316/16/45/47), 1B SHANNON STEWART (.322/8/41/41), 3B JASON BUTLER (.264/14/46/50)

RUTHLANDIAN SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS JUNE 30, 2046

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, July 1, 2046

RATTLERS GET A LITTLE ROOM IN RU EAST
Defending IPA Pro Cup champion Sugar Valley(49-33) chalked up a 17-9 mark in June to open up a little breathing room in the Ruthlandian East pennant chase... the Rattlers now have a five-game edge over number two Eastshore (44-38) and eight games better than third place Cold Creek (41-41) and Beechwood (41-41)... Eastshore went 13-13 during the month, Cold Creek climbed up from last place to third with an 18-8 record, while Beechwood was only 11-15... two teams are tied for fifth in the standings... Wynnamac (39-43) was 11-15 and Elnora 12-14 (39-43), while seventh place Marston (38-44) came in at 15-11... last place Belle Plaine (35-47) was the worst of the lot at 10-16 last month... Sugar Valley may be beginning to show its muscles and take charge in the Ruthlandian East... it's always tough to repeat as IPA champion, but the Rattlers should make a good run at it with its pitching, scoring and home-run prowess.

TEAM BA: BELLE PLAINE .278, MARSTON .276, EASTSHORE .265, SUGAR VALLEY .260
TEAM SCORING: SUGAR VALLEY 412, MARSTON 395, BELLE PLAINE 390, EASTSHORE 375
TEAM HR: SUGAR VALLEY 107, MARSTON 86, BEECHWOOD 79, BELLE PLAINE 78
TEAM ERA: SUGAR VALLEY 2.92, COLD CREEK 2.97, WYNNAMAC 3.47, BEECHWOOD 3.61
TEAM DEFENSE: BEECHWOOD .979 FA, COLD CREEK .976 FA, WYNNAMAC .974 FA, SUGAR VALLEY .973 FA

1. SUGAR VALLEY LEADERS
PITCHERS:
ANTONIO CEDENO (14-4/2.03), JOE SNOW (10-4/2.44), CULLEN WINSLOW (1307/2.52)
BATTERS:
LF BOBBY GAMBLE (.322/23/62/68), CF CARL RAMSEY (.291/19/67/58), SS ROGER HOBBS (.280/21/47/64), 2B RICHIE FRY (.292/5/46/40)

2. EASTSHORE LEADERS
PITCHERS:
MALCOLM TANSBURY (7-7/2.91), TOMMY BROWN (11-7/4.11), JODY FRIDAY (9-1/1.66/7 SAVES)
BATTERS:
2B JOHNNY PETRAK (.309/11/50/48), LF BEVAN SHULER (.290/18/56/65), RF TROY MCFARLAND (.279/23/67/68)

3. COLD CREEK LEADERS
PITCHERS:
SAMMY WRIGHT (11-9/2.59), RIKU TAKAHASHI (8-1/3.10), ROB HUTCHINS (9-8/1.94)
BATTERS:
3B JOE COCHRANE (.303/12/53/45), 1B BRADLEY BRIM (.324/7/42/34)

3. BEECHWOOD LEADERS
PITCHERS: JIMMY HERMAN (9-9/2.33), LARRY CARMEN (10-7/3.63), FREDDY MANALE (8-1/1.80)
BATTERS:
CF KEITH KALDER (.282/8/37/30), 2B MIKE MATTHEWS (.261/9/45/47), 1B CORKY CALLAHAN (.257/19/44/34), RF EDDIE WILSON (.236/12/33/40)

5. WYNNAMAC LEADERS
PITCHERS:
SAMMY HAYES (11-9/2.25), SHIRAI NAKAMURA (9-11/2.72), JOHNNY MITCHELL (4-3/2.11/7 SAVES)
BATTERS: RF NIOKA INKAMARA (.288/17/40/50), SS DALE FISHER (.282/8/32/42), CF DARRELL DONNELLY (.305/6/36/49)

5. ELNORA LEADERS
PITCHERS:
STAN KIVAS (12-6/3.00), SLIM HARDING (7-7/3.47), JAMIE PANANGA (2-1/2.52/8 SAVES)
BATTERS:
LF ENOS CONRAD (.340/7/34/47), RF PRESTON DAVIES (.289/18/55/52), C CANNON JOHNSON (.272/15/48/48), 2B MARLEY MACOMBER (.327/12/52/37), 1B JOEY HAGBURN (.303/5/29/29)

5. MARSTON LEADERS
PITCHERS:
THOMAS STUART (9-7/3.27), KELLY LONG (5-2/3.41), KIKI VUK (4-6/2.54/7 SAVES)
BATTERS:
SS STAN MILA (.306/14/47/36), 2B GARY ARMITAGE (.333/13/39/57), CF CALVIN MARBURY (.245/11/45/43), LF CHARLEY GILMORE (.326/3/27/30)

8. BELLE PLAINE LEADERS
PITCHERS:
PHIL LACEY (9-8/3.94), KURT TANDBERG (5-1/3.08/7 SAVES)
BATTERS:
1B CHUCK GREGORY (.286/17/46/42), C NUKE BORG (.320/5/35/24), CF ROY MYERS (.281/9/29/33)

2046 RUTHLANDIAN EAST STANDINGS ON MAY 31

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, July 1, 2046

SNAPPERS STILL DOMINANT IN RU WEST
After three months of play in the Ruthlandian West, Rocky Rapids (53-29) still has a comfortable eight-game bulge over second place and last year's champ Middlefield (45-37) and are 11 up on third place Stoner (42-40) and Forest City (42-40)... none of the teams in the division had a good month except for Middlefield, who showed signs of getting back into the hunt with a 16-10 record... the Snappers broke even at 13-13, same thing for Stoner, while Forest City was 12-14... Rocky Rapids could make some waves in the playoffs this year with its sound pitching and strong attack.

TEAM BA: ROCKY RAPIDS .284, SLIGO .268, VOLUSIA .264, FOREST CITY .261
TEAM SCORING: ROCKY RAPIDS 439, VOLUSIA 384, COLFAX 373, SLIGO 372
TEAM HR: MIDDLEFIELD 114, VOLUSIA 93, ROCKY RAPIDS 90, FOREST CITY 79
TEAM ERA: FOREST CITY 2.90, MIDDLEFIEDL 3.25, ROCKY RAPIDS 3.31, SLIGO 3.38
TEAM DEFENSE: MIDDLEFIELD .982 FA, STONER .978 FA, COLFAX .974 FA, SLIGO .970 FA

1. ROCKY RAPIDS LEADERS
PITCHERS:
JAMIE TAYLOR (17-3/1.91), BUSTER NOLAND (9-5/3.05), ROBBY BARNHILL (11-7/3.25)
BATTERS:
2B MARTY FEATHERSTONE (.306/20/61/67), LF BUDDY HAMILTON (.318/20/68/52), RF JOSE RAMOS (.341/11/52/62), 1B MASAHARU KAWASAKI (.287/12/51/35), C CARNEY KIRKPATRICK (.317/8/42/40), 3B DUNCAN MUSSELWHITE (.334/3/24/70)

2. MIDDLEFIELD LEADERS
PITCHERS:
CARROLL COLLIER (12-6/1.71), JAMES LONG (7-6/2.52)
BATTERS:
RF SIDNEY CONNER (.270/23/49/44), C JOHNNY MCDONALD (.304/5/20/43), LF DOMINIQUE SORRELL (.320/10/25/18), 1B CLIFF PATTERSON (.292/9/33/38), CF NORMAN ANTONIONI (.253/17/43/29), LF ALEJANDRO DONINGUEZ (.260/11/34/41)

3. STONER LEADERS
PITCHERS:
MEL GLOSTERMAN (10-5/3.22), EARL MARLEY (11-6/3.48), BILLY HORTON (4-6/3.42/12 SAVES)
BATTERS:
LF EMMETT TREAD (.302/12/46/51), 2B JAMES BELASARIO (.274/2.20/41), 1B RICHIE STRICKLAND (.267/6/35/37)

3. FOREST CITY LEADERS
PITCHERS:
RUSTY HOWARD (10-7/2.17), OMAR CORDERO (11-9/2.71), JOHN MCKEE (8-6/3.38), WALTER GIBBONS (6-9/3.28)
BATTERS:
2B DONNIE WATKINS (.389/9/41/51), 1B PISTOL PETE PICARD (.294/15/41/36), C BOB BRISDON (.310/9/43/32)

5. VOLUSIA LEADERS
PITCHERS:
LEANDOS DIZON (10-6/4.05)
BATTERS:
CF CAZZIE CARVALHO (.330/6/42/46), 1B KRIS WILSON (.291/20/57/55), SS DUANE BLAYNEY (.281/16/36/49), C GEORGE RUFFINO (.287/13/53/36)

6. SLIGO LEADERS
PITCHERS:
RANDALL STEELE (9-7/2.76), BUZZ BUMGARTNER (9-8/3.35), ART HACKER (9-9/3.94)
BATTERS:
1B ALBERT EAVES (.309/3/34/34), 2B ANDY HEWITT (.272/8/43/28), RF BRAD OLIVER (.278/4/27/31)

7. COLFAX LEADERS
PITCHERS:
ROLLIE ABBOTT (10-11/3.95)
BATTERS:
CF ROBB MADDUX (.315/8/45/52), 2B HOOT GLANVILLE (.296/9/29/38), C DARRELL DILLON (.268/13/55/36)

8. FORT BENTON LEADERS
PITCHERS:
PHIL KRIEGER (8-10/3.86), JORDY RAEBURN (8-11/4.14)
BATTERS:
RF CAYMAN CRITTENDEN (.330/13/45/39), C VARNELL LARRIMORE (.293/6/41/33)

2046 RUTHLANDIAN WEST STANDINGS ON MAY 31

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, July 1, 2046

HELLCATS OVERTAKE HAWKS IN TU NORTH
The Hartsdale Hellcats (52-30) went on an 18-8 tear in June to overtake the North Hills Hawks (50-32) by two games in the Tycobbian North Division... the Hawks were 15-11... Fairfax (46-36) and Blue Lake (44-38) both floundered with 12-14 marks and fell back to six and eight games off the pace in third and fourth place... the fifth place White River Rascals were the only other club to post a winning record last month with a 15-11 record and trails by nine games... the Tycobbian North is boiling down to a two-team affair between well-balanced Hartsdale and good all-around North Hills... the Hawks have won 11 times in the last 12 seasons... also won 4 Pro Cups in that time.

TEAM BA: FAIRFAX .287, NORTH HILLS .276, HARTSDALE .273, BLUE LAKE .257
TEAM SCORING: HARTSDALE 429, BLUE LAKE 411, NORTH HILLS 394, FAIRFAX 389
TEAM HR: MAHASKA 98, WHITE RIVER 96, HARTSDALE 95, OXFORD 91
TEAM ERA: NORTH HILLS 3.10, WHITE RIVER 3.24, HARTSDALE 3.33, BLUE LAKE 3.60
TEAM DEFENSE: HARTSDALE .983 FA, WHITE RIVER .977 FA, LUXORA .976 FA, FAIRFAX .975 FA

1. HARTSDALE LEADERS
PITCHERS:
GIL YOUNGER (16-5/2.38), DAVE PAYNE (10-5/3.00), PERRY GIVENS (13-5/3.15), ALFONSO CERVERA (1-2/3.88/14 SAVES)
BATTERS:
SS ROBINSON ALOMAR (.287/17/48/41), RF EMILIAN BURGESS (.311/10/43/58), C FRANK PENN (.337/4/43/33), 2B MYRT BRELAND (.303/5/33/34), CF DARRELL NESBITT (.306/6/32/52), 1B JOHN FORD (.253/14/48/39)

2. NORTH HILLS LEADERS
PITCHERS: ALEX PETERS (11-8/2.92), DAVID MICHAEL (12-7/3.17), TONY MACK (14-5/3.19), KYLE OLIVER (9-5/3.29), AKIO ICHIKAWA (2-3/3.07/9 SAVES)
BATTERS:
HUGE LOSS FOR HAWKS: LF ADAM THURGOOD (.320/8/32/21) WAS INJURED IN MAY... MAY MISS REST OF YEAR... LF RYAN WEBBE (.335/13/46/52), 1B OSCAR PENDLETON (.332/11/41/41), SS TOMMY VAVAS (.288/8/32/58), 2B JIM MCDERMOTT (.303/7/47/42), 3B RIC HAMILTON (.289/5/36/32)

3. FAIRFAX LEADERS
PITCHERS:
HAROLD DORMAN (10-9/2.76), TERRY SAWYER (7-4/2.49/8 SAVES)
BATTERS:
2B JOHN VELASCO (.308/15/60/48), LF BRAD JOHNSTON (.327/11/40/49), RF TERRENCE YEOMAN (.302/5/34/36), 3B DANIEL PIERCE (.306/2/43/47), C SCOTT COURTNEY (.276/10/45/36), CF TRENT RUSSELL (.280/7/38/42)

4. BLUE LAKE LEADERS
PITCHERS:
VAN JOHNSON (10-6/3.14), FRANKIE QUINN (12-8/3.83), RAZZY RICHMOND (5-3/2.95/6 SAVES)... QUINN IS NOW SECOND ALL-TIME WITH 376 VICTORIES... TOPPED ONLY BY NICKY ENGSTROM WITH 387... QUINN PAST CODY BURG (369) THIS YEAR
BATTERS:
C JUAN LUIS BARCELONA (.310/12/54/51), 2B KENJI HASHIMOTO (.283/11/40/46), 1B MEL MORRISON (.297/13/46/32), 3B MATT THOMPSON (.261/7/47/42)

5. WHITE RIVER LEADERS
PITCHERS:
NICKY PALMER (11-4/2.44), CARLO GRIMALDI (5-3/1.97/8 SAVES)
BATTERS:
CF BILLY JOE HICKMAN (.259/24/56/47), 3B RYAN BYRD (.267/15/41/31)

6. OXFORD LEADERS
PITCHERS:
TEKKAN NISHIKAWA (11-7/2.55) RALPH MOSBY (11-7/4.00) RUDY MELLANCAMP (8-11/2.69)
BATTERS:
RF KEVIN CARTER (.293/24/65/49), 3B ALONZO NORRIS (.267/12/34/48), C JAYSON FRENCH (.312/7/30/28), LF JOEL WEBB (.278/9/35/35)

7. LUXORA LEADERS
PITCHERS:
LORENZO ALONSO (7-8/4.01)
BATTERS:
LF DERREK JACKSON (.301/11/40/33), RF EMIL PASEK (.331/9/33/44), 1B JOEL POCHE (.283/6/43/35)

8. MAHASKA LEADERS
PITCHERS:
PHILLIPPE PICHON (4-5/3.14)
BATTERS:
CF BILL WHITTIER (.313/15/42/45), SS ROCCO BERTARA (.309/10/40/57), 2B ANGUS MCKEAG (.309/10/36/37)

2046 TYCOBBIAN NORTH STANDINGS ON JUNE 30

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, July 1, 2046

SUNSETS ON TOP IN 3-TEAM TU SOUTH RACE
Summerland's (56-26) magnificent mound staff has had them on top of the Tycobbian South the entire season, but they still haven't created a comfortable cushion even with a microscopic 2.28 team ERA, which is the lowest in IPA history... the San Alejo Montaneros (54-28) and last year's division champ Southport Sun Sox (53-29) are clinging very close... the Monties are second and only two games back, while the fast-charging Sun Sox are now only three games of the pace, after trailing by 10 games at the end of April... the Sunsets were a strong 16-10 in June... San Alejo was 17-9 and Southport a fantastic 22-4... six teams in the Tycobbian South have winning records... Turon (45-37) and Cape Coral (45-37) are tied for fifth and trail by 11 games... Ginza (44-38) is sixth, 12 games behind... the big question is: can Summerland and San Alejo keep pace with Southport, which is 44-11 the last two months... whichever team wins the pennant will be a powerful force in the Pro Cup competition... Summerland lacks scoring... San Alejo has good bats and strong pitching, while Southport has a much better offensive attack, but they are nowhere near as good on the hill.

TEAM BA: CAPE CORAL .274, GINZA .267, SOUTHPORT .265, TURON .264, SAN ALEJO .263, SUMMERLAND .262
TEAM SCORING: SOUTHPORT 420, TURON 410, GINZA 405, CAPE CORAL 377, SAN ALEJO 371, SUMMERLAND 362
TEAM HR: TURON 113, CAPE CORAL 106, SOUTHPORT 83, GINZA 83, SAN ALEJO 74
TEAM ERA: SUMMERLAND 2.28, SAN ALEJO 2.80, SOUTHPORT 3.41, CAPE CORAL .3.74, ARROYO GRANDE 3.94, GINZA 3.94
TEAM DEFENSE: GINZA .978 FA, ARROYO GRANDE .976 FA, TURON .976 FA, CAPE CORAL .975 FA, SUMMERLAND .974 FA, SAN ALEJO .974 FA, SOUTHPORT .974 FA

1. SUMMERLAND LEADERS
PITCHERS:
JAYSON HALLSTROM (13-3/1.66), JACOB GILLEN (12-4/1.94), DUTCH DE BOER (12-4/2.38), PETE ASHLEY (12-3/1.74/8 SAVES)
BATTERS:
1B KENNY DOUGLAS (.337/11/51/49), 3B ALEX ABBOTSON (.266/12/51/51), RF RICK MAYES (.287/9/34/43), CF ANTONIO VASQUEZ (.315/3/40/38), LF TONY VARGAS (.288/3/31/37)

2. SAN ALEJO LEADERS
PITCHERS:
WILL MCKINNEY (12-6/1.88), MATT BELL (12-4/2.12), BENNY BUCKMASTER (14-5/2.47), MICKEY CRONYN (7-3/3.24)
BATTERS:
RF CHARLIE WILBERFORCE (.314/18/55/45), 1B SAL MCALISTER (.340/5/37/48), 3B CALLUM GAINSBOROUGH (.247/5/33/50)

3. SOUTHPORT LEADERS
PITCHERS:
BILLY HOOVER (11-5/2.28), JOHNNY SWANSON (10-8/3.54), GORDON FORBES (11-6/3.94), CADE BROCKTON (13-5/3.95), HAL COMBS (5-4/3.86/13 SAVES)
BATTERS:
1B EDDY DOUGLAS (.356/20/54/51), 3B CRAIG GLENNON (.298/16/43/35), CF BARNEY LEWIS (.224/13/46/42), LF CHRIS JONES (.297/3/26/56)

4. TURON LEADERS
PITCHERS:
TOM FULLER (7-1/2.60), IZZY BEASLEY (11-7/3.54), NATE SCOTTSDALE 99-9/3.75)
BATTERS:
1B NICK FISHER (.345/21/61/58), SS RAFER ROBERTSON (.311/18/49/41), CF GUIDO GERVASIO (.297/12/42/49), 2B C. C. KINGSFORD (.266/16/41/37)

4. CAPE CORAL LEADERS
PITCHERS:
VERNON MARKS (13-7/3.10), BENTON MCCALL (9-9/3.78)
BATTERS:
RF WILLIAM SNYDER (.326/19/53/48), LF RIKKY VAN DALEN (.325/13/43/53), 2B LOU PANKO (.346/12/41/39)

6. GINZA LEADERS
PITCHERS:
TOKUJI TAKAHARA (9-5/2.52/2 SAVES), CHARLEY WASKINS (9-4/3.84), TIMMY HITCHENS (5-3/2.85/10 SAVES)
BATTERS:
CF SOGO TAKAGI (.306/9/44/49), 1B JIRO YAMAMURA (.335/6/28/64), 2B KYLE ESTES (.292/10/43/46), RF ICHIRO KAZUMI (.288/9/41/37), SS SAM ESSEX (.237/13/52/42)

7. ARROYO GRANDE LEADERS
PITCHERS:
ANTHONY LOMBARDI (10-9/3.75)
BATTERS:
CF KENNY WADE (.292/8/19/38), RF WILFREDO ACOSTA (.260/8/37/36), SS RUSS HENREDON (.257/5/38/30)

8. COLCHESTER LEADERS
PITCHERS:
DAVE LACOSTE (9-8/3.47), BENNY WHITE (9-12/3.66)
BATTERS:
RF TEDDY DRACKLEY (.271/13/46/39), 3B JOEY ROGERS (.294/6/33/46), CF JEBBIE SHAW (.293/7/29/28)

2046 TYCOBBIAN SOUTH STANDINGS ON JUNE 30

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, July 1, 2046

RED SOX PAD TU EAST LEAD TO 4
Homers and hurlers are still the first place Red Bluff Red Sox's (48-34) modus operandi... the Red Sox are the reigning division champion for two years in a row... they managed to put a little more space between them and runner-up Tuckanarra (44-38) in the Tycobbian East race with a 15-11 mark during the month... the Blue Jays slipped to 13-13 and now trail by four games... South Fork (43-39) and Hillsboro (43-39) are five games out and deadlocked for the third spot in the division...the Stallions had a decent 14-12 month, while the Blazers were 15-11... Red Bluff leads the IPA in homers with 134, but are nowhere near their record-breaking pace of 283 last season... however the mound corps has stepped it up to the IPA elite status this year with a 2.97 team ERA... excellent pitching and good firepower are two good ingredients for a Pro Cup.

TEAM BA: MIDWAY .270, TUCKANARRA .269, HILLSBORO .259, SOUTH FORK .253, RED BLUFF .251
TEAM SCORING: MIDWAY 405, HILLSBORO 381, RED BLUFF 379, HIGH MESA 374, SOUTH FORK 372
TEAM HR: RED BLUFF 134, HILLSBORO 95, HIGH MESA 90, SOUTH FORK 76, MIDWAY 72
TEAM ERA: RED BLUFF 2.97, SOUTH FORK 3.02, TUCKANARRA 3.26, HILLSBORO 3.69, HIGH MESA 3.70
TEAM DEFENSE: HIGH MESA .974 FA, RED BLUFF .973 FA, EAST POINT .972 FA, HILLSBORO .971 FA

1. RED BLUFF LEADERS
PITCHERS:
JUD COX (15-4/1.81), MICKEY ROSEN (11-7/2.72), GEORGE REYNOLDS (10-8/2.85), JACK WALLACE (7-4/3.48)
BATTERS: RF DAVID KELSO (.324/26/59/45), 1B JOSH STEVENS (.320/23/44/51), 3B FRAN BLANCHARD (.315/22/56/48), CF IKE SWEETWATER (.270/14/43/35), LF JESSE SHAW (.286/13/35/40)

2. TUCKANARRA LEADERS
PITCHERS:
DICKIE PITTMAN (8-5/2.44), CAMERON BROTHERS (8-3/3.51), OZZIE LESLIE (7-11/2.69), JACK ROGERS (8-4/1.85/6 SAVES)
BATTERS:
1B RODGER PARSONS (.319/6/36/37), 2B RICKY VINCENT (.318/3/30/43), C WALLY MCMAIN (.296/5/35/25)

3. SOUTH FORK LEADERS
PITCHERS: JAY MURPHY (10-7/2.37), CHRIS SORENSEN (10-11/2.65), BUG MURPH MCALISTER (9-5/3.38)
BATTERS:
CF SCOTTY O'SULLIVAN (.281/12/52/30), CF RICK CARLTON (.328/7/34/30), SS PETE ARNOLD (.284/8/35/49), RF KYLE GOTTWALD (.298/8/33/22)

3. HILLSBORO LEADERS
PITCHERS:
JAMIE LEE BRADLEY (9-6/2.23), STEVE COOPER (11-9/3.11), BAILEY BILBOW (7-3/2.85/6 SAVES)
BATTERS:
1B ERNIE MOXLEY (.325/32/87/54), 2B SCOTTY MCNEILL (.307/4/48/45), C HARRY MCGUIRE (.280/10/38/34), 3B TODD BENNETT (.293/7/24/53)

5. HIGH MESA LEADERS
PITCHERS:
LUCIUS QUARLES (8-7/3.03), EMIL NOWAK (10-9/3.45), WILLIAM MORRIS (3-1/1.02/4 SAVES)
BATTERS:
1B JOHNNY TALLIS (.275/15/48/35), LF CLAY JOHNSTON (.223/20/53/43)

6. MIDWAY LEADERS
PITCHERS:
CHARLIE CHASE (8-10/3.44), SAM LEWIS (5-2/2.35/4 SAVES)
BATTERS:
LF JUSTIN MORRISON (.317/10/63/56), CF HECTOR PENA (.291/7/48/56), SS PAUL BUTLER (.294/5/35/52)

7. EAST POINT LEADERS
PITCHERS:
BARNEY BENTON (6-9/3.45), ALBERT SHARPTON (9-5/4.19)
BATTERS:
1B JACK GORHAM (.262/18/40/33), RF AUGIE ELIZONDO (.304/5/18/37)

8. OZARKA LEADERS
PITCHERS:
GLEN JENKINS (6-12/3.56), GENE WHITE (1-1/2.09/O SAVES)
BATTERS:
2B DUFFY MORRISON (.291/9/29/33), C PAUL BEASLEY (.293/10/34/18), 3B ARTIE CLAYTON (.252/17/47/38), RF KEITH CRIDER (.290/7/26/30), SS WILLIAM CLARK (.298/1/22/36)

2046 TYCOBBIAN EAST STANDINGS ON JUNE 30

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, July 1, 2046

WILDCATS TERRORIZE TYCOBBIAN WEST
Forget it... the race is over in the Tycobbian West Division this year... the Kenwood Wildcats (55-27) have terrorized it to the tune of a humongous 12-game lead going into July... 12 games up on second place Arlon (43-39), 16 ahead of third place Bay St. Clair (39-43) and 18 in front of fourth place Rolling Hills (37-45)... the Wildcats are headed for their fifth division crown in six years and should be one of the main contenders for the Pro Cup trophy... Kenwood's 55 wins is surpassed only by Summerland's 57 victories in the IPA this season... the Wildcats have dominated the TU West with an excellent offense and superb pitching... they are the highest-scoring team in the IPA with 428 runs and second to Red Bluff with 119 homers... the Red Sox are the leader with 134... the team's 2.97 ERA is one of the best in the IPA, too... Wildcat fans are very hopeful for the second Pro Cup in the team's history... the first one came in 2014.

TEAM BA: KENWOOD .271, LA CLAIRE .269, BAYVIEW .265, CHICOPEE .251, ROLLING HILLS .250, BAY ST. CLAIR .241
TEAM SCORING: KENWOOD 438, BAYVIEW 396, LA CLAIRE 362, ARLON 345, ROLLING HILLS 317
TEAM HR: KENWOOD 119, BAYVIEW 114, ARLON 81, DENTON CITY 61, BAY ST. CLAIR 60, ROLLING HILLS 60
TEAM ERA: KENWOOD 2.97, ROLLING HILLS 3.29, ARLON 3.43, CHICOPEE 3.65, DENTON CITY 3.82, BAY ST. CLAIR 3.92
TEAM DEFENSE: DENTON CITY .977 FA, BAY ST. CLAIR .976 FA, BAYVIEW .973 FA, ARLON .972 FA, KENWOOD .971 FA

1. KENWOOD LEADERS
PITCHERS: RUSTY BRADFORD (11-1/2.42), GREGG CAMPBELL (10-4/2.70), TOMMY CARTER 11-6/2.78), CLYDE MYERS (8-8/3.44), FREDDY GOOCH (10-6/3.83), MIKE JONES (2-2/2.00/8 SAVES)
BATTERS:
C CORKY DINOZZO (.328/23/57/47), 1B BERT HENRICH (.329/20/46/47), 3B COUNTRY CROWDER (.306/2/29/52), LF WARREN VICKERS (.300/7/38/42), CF DORSEY FAIRCLOTH (.295/13/41/36), SS BEN DANIELS (.285/19/47/42), RF BILLY NIX (.284/12/29/33)

2. ARLON LEADERS
PITCHERS:
LANNY GRAY (8-9/2.30), PAT STUYVESANT (10-7/3.31), MACK BLAIR (6-3/2.22/9 SAVES)
BATTERS:
RF MARK CAMERSON (.305/17/53/47), C NICK SHAFER (.260/10/43/28), LF JON ACREE (.246/13/31/39)

3. BAY ST. CLAIR LEADERS
PITCHERS:
DION HAWKINS (13-5/3.51), CLYDE GORDON (6-8/2.99)
BATTERS:
SS EDISON RANDALL (.288/7/31/40), LF SPADE WELDON (.306/7/26/18), 3B DAN MODRAK (.225/12/27/34), 1B JOEL WILKERSON (.209/10/23/35), LF MAXIE KRUEGER (.312/4/26/16)

4. ROLLING HILLS LEADERS
PITCHERS:
MATTY CHRISTIANSON (14-5/2.51), JOHNNY HOWARD (7-11/2.99), STEVE ADAMS (5-10/3.01), BENNY YOUNG (2-2/3.03/11 SAVES)
BATTERS: 1B DARWIN TARD (.300/12/36/47), C KYLE EDWARDS (.319/4/15/36), 3B GENE WINSTON (.280/4/30/31), RF JIMBO FOXX (.225/12/39/39), CF ORIN PHILLIPS (.249/10/30/38)

5. LA CLAIRE LEADERS
PITCHERS:
NELSON STUBBS (12-7/2.88), BRUCE KINSON (13-5/3.93), TERRY BAIRD (2-4/2.53/8 SAVES)
BATTERS:
2B ROYCE HILL (.320/6/32/40), RF ROB FISHER (.313/9/36/37), LF HANK MORTON (.312/4/35/33), 1B DOUG STEWART (.305/3/33/40), 3B DONNIE NILSSON (.287/5/27/48), SS ZANE LAW (.282/4/28/34), CF DONNY GRIFFITH (.264/10/42/41)

6. CHICOPEE LEADERS
PITCHERS:
TONY DAZZI (11-9/2.86), PAUL FOSTER (8-6/3.27), JOSH DOUGHERTY (5-13/2.88)
BATTERS:
RF DENNY HALVERTON (.285/4/39/35), SS JUD WILLIAMS (.288/2/27/37), 1B SAM PATRICK (.279/13/42/39)

6. BAYVIEW LEADERS
PITCHERS:
JOHNNY YOUNG (7-10/3.51) BOBBY KNUDSEN (9-11/4.11)
BATTERS:
3B JERRY CULPEPPER (.291/29/71/57), SS ANDREAS STOKKE (.277/24/60/60), C DENNY NYLUND (.317/6/32/26), LF IVAR NILSSEN (.261/16/47/46), 2B ZACK MASN (.335/4/13/27), RF SIMEON TURCOTTE (.303/2/16/21)

8. DENTON CITY LEADERS
PITCHERS:
MEL COLEY (8-11/3.13), HARRY ELLIOTT (9-13/3.57)
BATTERS:
1B WAYMAN STETSON (.301/19/39/37)

2046 TYCOBBIAN WEST STANDINGS ON JUNE 30

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, August 1, 2046

RACE TIGHTENS IN RU NORTH, A'S STILL LEAD
The pennant race in the Ruthlandian North tightened up during July with Valmara, Ranford and LaGrange all closing the gap with first place Glasco... the Athletics (67-43) still have the lead, but it's been shaved to an uncomfortable two games over Valmara, five ahead of Ranford and seven better than LaGrange... the A's were 14-14 in the month with the Vipers going 18-10, the Bulls were 16-12 and the Sports 17-11... Glasco, the defending champ, had a 6-game edge going into the month.

HOT RACE IN RU SOUTH, WALESKA AND VALKA TIED
At the two-thirds mark of the season, the Ruthlandian South is all knotted up with the Waleska Westerners (58-52) and the Valka Blackhawks (58-52) tied for the top spot with last year's division winner Claxton Diamonds (57-53) in hot pursuit, just a game out of first... the St. John Crusaders (56-54) are just two games off the pace in the fourth spot... and the San Dimas Rancheros (54-56) only four games behind... the Rancheros were on top at the start of July, but plummeted to fifth with a terrible 9-19 record... the Westerners and Blackhawks registered 15-13 marks... the Diamonds fell from second to third with a 13-15 chart for July, while the Crusaders broke even at 14-14... the hunt for the pennant is still wide open as no one has taken charge yet... the flag winner is not expected to do much in the postseason... the RU South is not very strong this season.

PRO CUP CHAMP RATTLERS ROLLING IN RU EAST
The current IPA champ Sugar Valley just keeps on rolling in the Ruthlandian East... the Rattlers (68-42) are seeking their third division flag in four years... they posted a fine 19-9 in July to improve to a seven-game margin over runner-up Eastshore (61-49)... Sugar Valley has the most victories in the Ruthlandian Union and fourth best in the IPA behind Hartsdale's 72 in the Tycobbian North, and Summerland and San Alejo's 69 in the TU South... the second place Elegants had a good 17-11 in the month, but slipped two more game back... the Elnora All-Stars (57-53) had a strong 18-10 mark and moved up from sixth to third in the standings, but trail by 11 games... Beechwood (55-55) dropped back to fourth with a 14-14 month, 13 games out of first... Wynnamac (54-56) remained in fifth place with a 15-13 mark, 14 games behind... Cold Creek (54-56) tumbled from a third-place tie to a fifth-place tie, going 13-15 for the month.

SNAPPERS STILL BEST IN THE WEST
Not much change in the Ruthlandian West... the Rocky Rapids Snappers (67-43) maintained its confortable eight-game edge over last season's champ Middlefield (59-51)... both clubs chalked up 14-14 records in July... Stoner (57-53) is third, trailing by 10 games... Volusia, Sligo and Forest City are all tied for fourth with 56-54 mark, 11 games out of first... the Snappers are the best in the RU West and should be a tough ball club in the postseason... the Middlefield Roosters are not likely to catch them this year... July was good for the Sligo Rovers (17-11), the Volusia Vigilanted (16-12) and the Stoner Stars (15-13).

2046 RUTHLANDIAN UNION STANDINGS ON JULY 31

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, August 1, 2046

HELLCATS IN CHARGE IN TU NORTH
The Hartsdale Hellcats (72-38) took charge of the Tycobbian North with a sensational 20-8 record in July... the Hellcats put a lot of distance between them and the other contenders with the best record in the IPA... eight games now separate them and the perennial pennant-winning North Hills Hawks (64-46), who were 14-14 for the month... the Hawks have won 11 of the past 12 division crowns... the Blue Lake Blue Sox (60-50) rose up to third place in the standings with a 16-12 mark, passing up the Fairfax Frogs (59-51), who posted a 13-15 record... the Blue Sox are 12 games behind the Hellcats and the Frogs are 13 games out... White River (57-53) is still in the running for a first-divsion slot, but trails by 15 games... the Rascals were 14-14 for the month... Hartsdale is poised for a strong run at the Pro Cup this season... they have never won the trophy.

HUGE 3-TEAM TUSSLE IN TU SOUTH
It's quite a race in the toughest division in the IPA - the Tycobbian South - with six squads way over the .500 mark... the Summerland Sunsets (69-41) and San Alejo Montaneros (69-41) are running neck-and-neck for first place... with third place Southport (68-42), the defending champion, just one game off the pace... Ginza (62-48) and Turon (62-48) are tied for fourth and are 7 games off the lead... the pennant battle got even closer in July as the Sunsets had a tough month with a 13-15 mark, while the Monties and last year's division-winning Sun Sox were both 15-13... Turon and Ginza are tied for fourth and are playing the best ball right now... the Typhoons registered a 17-11 record with the Ninjas even better at 18-10 in July... all of the three primary contenders will do well in the playoffs in a survival-of-fittest stretch drive... Southport has won the TU South flag the last four years and hauled in its first Pro in 2044... Summerland's last division crown came in 2040... San Alejo last won the pennant in 2037 with its only Pro Cup in 2032... the Sunsets are still seeking their first IPA title.

RED SOX AND BLUE JAYS SQUARE OFF IN TU EAST
No one changed spots in the standings in July in the Tycobbian East... but the race got tougher for leader Red Bluff (62-48)... Tuckanarra (61-49) put up a 17-11 mark for the month to narrow the Red Sox lead to just one game... Red Bluff slumbered to a 14-14 record... the third and fourth place clubs South Fork (57-53) and Hillsboro (56-54) are still very much in the hunt, just five games and six games behind the Red Sox... the Stallions were only 14-14 last month, while the Blazers were 13-15... the TU South winner will be one of the lesser lights in the Pro Cup ratings.

KENWOOD ROMPS IN TU WEST
The Tycobbian East is not strong overall, but does have a very good contender for the IPA Pro Cup crown - the Kenwood Wildcats (68-42), who are romping through the division this year... the Wildcats are up by 11 games over runner-up Arlon (57-53) and are showing no signs giving anyone else a shot at the division flag, in spite of a mediocre 13-15 record in July... Arlon was only 14-14... in third place are the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (53-57), a sub .500 team... fourth place belongs to Rollings Hills (51-59)... the Bucs and the Reds were only 14-14 for the month... the entire division remained static in July with all the clubs holding their spots in the standings.

2046 TYCOBBIAN UNION STANDINGS ON JULY 31

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, September 1, 2046

3 IPA RACES STILL IN DOUBT
Most of the IPA division leaders have safe leads going into the final weeks of the 2046 campaign... but three of them are still up in the air and in doubt... defending Pro Cup champion Sugar Valley (82-57) and Rocky Rapids (84-55) have solid leads in the Ruthlandian East and West Divisions... the Rattlers are nine games up on runner-up Eastshore (73-66) and the Snappers top Middlefield (76-63) and Forest City (76-63) by eight games in the RU West... over in the Tycobbian Union Hartsdale (88-51), Kenwood (83-56) and Red Bluff (83-56) look like winners... the Hellcats are 11 games ahead of second place Blue Lake (77-62) in the TU North... the Wildcats are nine games better than Arlon in the TU West... and the Red Sox have an eight-game edge over Tuckanarra (75-64) in the TU East.

In the Ruthlandian North the jury is still out... Valmara (86-53) surged past last year's division winner Glasco (85-54) with a great August, racking up a very impressive 21-8 record to take a one-game lead going into September... the Athletics went 18-11... it's a three-team battle in the RU South with Waleska (76-63) holding a slim one-game lead over second place Claxton (75-64)... the Diamonds are the reigning division champ... the Valka Blackhawks (72-67) are also still in contention, just four games out of first in third place... the Vipers rolled to an 18-11 mark in August, same as the Diamonds, while the Blackhawks fell back with a 14-15 record... going into last month Valka was tied with the Westerners for first place.

Only one race is still going in the Tycobbian Union, but it's a very good one with four clubs vying for the TU South flag... the Summerland Sunsets (86-53) are on top with a two-game edge over runner-up and defending division champion Southport Sun Sox (84-55), three up on the third place San Alejo Montaneros (83-56) and four better than the fast-closing Turon Typhoons (82-57)... for the month the Sunsets were 17-12, the Sun Sox 16-13, the Monties 14-15 and the Typhoons a sizzling 20-9... there are 15 games left on the schedule this year.

2046 IPA STANDINGS ON AUGUST 31

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 17, 2046

IPA PRO CUP PLAYOFFS SLATED FOR WEDNESDAY
With the close of the regular season, the IPA "second season" is slated to begin this Wednesday at four sites around the Islands... eight division winners have qualified for the Pro Cup playoffs... in the Ruthlandian Union the Valmara Vipers (95-59) and Claxton Diamonds (93-61) won their divisions in close encounters... the Vipers dethroned last year's RU North winner Glasco by two games, while the Diamonds captured the RU South for the second season in succession, nipping Waleska and Valka by three games... the current Pro Cup champion Sugar Valley Rattlers (93-61) easily repeated in the Ruthlandian East with a 12-game bulge over runner-up Eastshore (81-73)... Rocky Rapids (94-60) was the best in the West as they knocked off last year's winner Middlefield (89-65) by five games... In the Tycobbian portion of the Pro Cup playoffs, it will be three runaway flag winners... Hartsdale (98-56) had a very easy time in the TU North, whipping Blue Lake (83-71) by a whopping 15 games... defending champ North Hills (81-73) dropped to a distant third this year after winning 11 times in the last 13 seasons... the Red Bluff Red Sox (93-61) raced to an 11-game win over Tuckanarra (82-72) in the TU East... it was the Red Sox's second straight division crown... Kenwood (92-62) swept the Tycobbian West by 10 games over Arlon (82-72)... and Summerland (94-60) fended off last year's pennant winner Southport by a single game... the division title was decided on the final day of the season... the Sunsets topped Oxford 8-6, while the Sun Sox were beaten 2-1 by Blue Lake.

In the Ruthlandian Division Series Rocky Rapids will open up at home against the Sugar Valley Rattlers, the reigning Pro Cup trophy holder in a best-of-seven series... in the other match-up it's Valmara hosting the Claxton Diamonds... In the Tycobbian Union Summerland will be on the road against the Hartsdale Hellcats and Kenwood will travel to play the Red Sox in Red Bluff... last season in the Pro Cup Finals Sugar Valley bested the Southport Sun Sox in six games.

The baseball scribes are forecasting another wide-open battle for the IPA crown with seven clubs given an equal shot at coming away with the Pro Cup trophy... Claxton was the only team given little chance by the oddsmakers of being the Island champion.

2046 IPA FINAL STANDINGS ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16