ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

2063 Tycobbian Union Division Championship Series - Game 3 (best-of-seven series)

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

Thursday, October 11, 2063

HELLCATS SWEEP, RACERS TIED, SOX AND GATORS HAVE UPPER HAND
It's all over but the crying in Summerland, where the favored Sunsets were upset by the Hartsdale Hellcats in a four-game sweep in the Tycobbian playoffs... surprising South Fork is now all even with powerful Rolling Hills, the Pro Cup favorite... two clubs have the upper hands in the Ruthlandian Union... LaGrange is up 3-1 on the Claxton Diamonds... and Colfax has taken three of four from the Elnora Clippers.

Hartsdale rallied past Summerland 7-4 in game four of the series and eliminated the Sunsets, the second choice to win the Pro Cup this year... Once again South Fork pitching prevailed over defending Pro Cup titleholder Rolling Hills 4-2... in two extra-inning thrillers, Colfax had to go 15 innings to whip Elnora 6-3... and the LaGrange Gators skimmed by Claxton 3-2 in 11 innings.

2063 Tycobbian Union Division Championship Series - Game 4 (best-of-seven series)

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

2063 Ruthlandian Union Division Championship Series - Game 4 (best-of-seven series)

[Eugene Church]

[Dark Horse]

Whoa! South Fork is threatening to mess up the plan!

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

Whoa! South Fork is threatening to mess up the plan!

Yep... the Stallions are playing tougher than expected.

I know I should be a neutral sports journalist and not favor any team, but I'm pulling for the Racers to win it all anyway.

I will probably jinx them like I did the Midway Wolves several years ago.

I'm liking Colfax, too... and maybe I should be pulling a little harder for the Hartsdale Hellcats, too.

[Eugene Church]

Friday, October 12, 2063

COLFAX CLIPS CLIPPERS, HEAD TO RU TITLE SERIES
The Colfax Black Sox put the clamps on the high-octane Elnora Clippers and captured the series four games to one... Claxton remained alive in the Ruthlandian DCS by drubbing favored LaGrange and extended the series to game six... Rolling Hills won the crucial fifth game and took the lead over South Fork in the Tycobbian Division Championship Series... the Hartsdale Hellcats already clinched a spot the TU title series, sweeping the Summerland Sunsets.

In yesterday action in the Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup playoffs, Colfax eliminated Elnora 2-0... Claxton staved off the LaGrange Gators 8-1... and Rolling Hills moved ahead in the series 3 games to two via a 4-3 victory in 10 innings.

2063 Ruthlandian Union Division Championship Series - Game 5 (best-of-seven series)

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

2063 Tycobbian Union Division Championship Series - Game 5 (best-of-seven series)

[Eugene Church]

Saturday, October 13, 2063

GATORS ADVANCE TO RU FINAL, RACERS FORCED TO 7TH GAME
And away the LaGrange Gators go... they will now head to the Ruthlandian Union League Championship Series opposed by the Colfax Black Sox... while there will be a seventh game in the Tycobbian Division Championship Series between the surprising South Fork Stallions who are pushing the current IPA champion Rolling Hills Racers to the seven-game limit.

LaGrange finished off the Claxton Diamonds 7-3 in game six and won the series four games to two... South Fork stopped the big bats of Rolling Hills 6-2 to tie the best-of-seven series at three games apiece.

2063 Ruthlandian Union Division Championship Series - Game 6 (best-of-seven series)

[Eugene Church]

2063 Tycobbian Union Division Championship Series - Game 6 (best-of-seven series)

[Eugene Church]

Sunday, October 14, 2063

SOUTH FORK SURPRISES ROLLING HILLS IN TU FIRST ROUND
It was not likely, but it happened... the underrated South Fork Stallions have beaten the odds and upset powerhouse Rolling Hills in seven games in the Tycobbian Union Division Championship Series... the Stallions galloped past the highly-rated Racers 5-3 in game seven on the road in Rolling Hills and now will take on another upstart, the Hartsdale Hellcats, in the Tycobbian Union League Championship Series... the Hellcats swept all four games from the number-two rated Summerland Sunsets in first-round playoff action.

Meeting in the Ruthlandian Union League Championship Series will be the number-three pick, the Colfax Black Sox and the LaGrange Gators... the Black Sox upended the Elnora Clippers in five games, while sixth-ranked LaGrange was the victor over eight-rated Claxton... the Gators took the series four games to two from the Diamonds.

2063 Tycobbian Union Division Championship Series - Game 7 (best-of-seven series)

[Eugene Church]

Sunday, October 14, 2063

RU, TU TITLE SERIES ON TAP
And then there were just four... Colfax, LaGrange, South Fork and Hartsdale.
The first round is over in the Islandian Pro Alliance postseason playoffs... the second round is for the Ruthlandian Union title and the Tycobbian Union title... three of the top teams were eliminated in the opening round, including last year's IPA Pro Cup champion Rolling Hills... you would think that would make it easier for the highest-ranked team, the Colfax Black Sox, to prevail... well, time will tell... we're going to have to play the games rather than just speculate about the outcome.

So, as any good journalist should do, I will just present the facts and let you make up your own minds.

Second-round action begins this Tuesday afternoon... in the Ruthlandian Union League Championship Series it will be the third-rated Colfax Black Sox (91-63) playing host to the LaGrange Gators (96-58) at The Swamp in LaGrange... the sixth-ranked Gators will have the homefield advantage throughout the IPA playoffs... over in the Tycobbian Union League Championship Series, the fifth choice to win the Pro Cup, the Hartsdale Hellcats (88-67), will open up on the road at Jock Ewing Stadium in South Fork against the number-seven pick, the South Fork Stallions (88-66).

The four finalists have not done very well in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs down through the years... all together they only have three Pro Cups between them... South Fork won it twice, in 2025 and in 2042... and Colfax captured its only trophy long, long ago in 2010... LaGrange and Hartsdale are seeking their first Pro Cup.

Based on how the teams played in the opening round, South Fork was the most impressive, defeating the defending Pro Cup titlist, the Rolling Hills Racers, in seven games... Hartsdale also stood out with its sweep of the second-best team in the Pro Cup poll, the Summerland Sunsets... Colfax beat a solid ballclub, the fourth-rated Elnora Clippers... and LaGrange beat the lowest-rated club, the Claxton Diamonds... by supposition and just making an educated guesstimate, that may get us down to South Fork winning the Tycobbian title and Colfax taking the Ruthlandian crown... and then, of course, it would be proper to pick the Stallions over the Black Sox in the Pro Cup Finals... South Fork appears to be the favorite to win the sacred and hallowed Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup this year.

And now, let's take a gander at the final four teams on paper and glean whatever the statistical factors will show us.

The South Fork staff certainly did the job against heavy-hitting and high-powered Rolling Hills... they shut them down extremely well... Hartsdale is not in the Racers' class offensively, but the Hellcats do have some capable run producers... and they have a very solid starting rotation, but not as good as the Stallions' starting foursome... this will not be a one-sided series... it should be quite competitive and hotly-contested... no obvious favorite... a toss-up series.

The South Fork offense may be better than it looks... they hit 7 homers against a good Rolling Hills' staff... Hartsdale may have better starters and better relievers than the Racers... the Hellcats just might be a better all-around offensive club than the Stallions... defensively, both clubs are about the same, just average with the gloves.

South Fork's top two starters did not fare well in the first-round games... Herm McClanahan and Christopher Hollie will have to do better to beat Hartsdale... and the big question is how will the number three and four starters, Rex Waller and Sam Black, do in the second round... Waller won two games, Black one and they both were outstanding.

The Stallions will have to get good series at the plate from their top guns, stars Bob Purkey and Rudy Maroney... and hope Royce Cain, Ernie Chambers, Rudy Gatlin and Artie Greer can help out, too.

South Fork Stallions Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Hartsdale Hellcats have a well-balanced ball club... throughout their batting order, they hit for average and have good power... Walt Ivy, Cooter Eldridge and Maury Donatello are solid threats at the plate... Nathan Ivy, Wilson Dunn, Leon Croyle and Al Wakefield are fairly reliable bats, too... it will take them all doing well to top South Fork.

The Hellcats' hurlers looked very impressive against Summerland... Phil Baylor, Tommy Johnson and Nigel Remington all had excellent starts... the so-so bullpen didn't get called on very much in the quick four-game sweep of the weak-hitting Sunsets... South Fork will be a different story... the Hartsdale relievers will have to be better than they were in the regular season to whip the Stallions... none of them stood out... they were all just mediocre at best.

My guess is that South Fork will win the series in seven games... better home-run power... better starting rotation... and maybe, the bullpen is a little bit better than the Hellcats.

Hartsdale Hellcats Team Statistics

[Dark Horse]

You know its possible.
Every post season it happens.
But every post season there is that one team. That looks invulnerable.
Their line up too deep; too powerful.
The starting rotation is exception. The bullpen is solid.
No way, they don't go all the way.
Who's gonna' stop them?
And then..

Congrats South Fork!
That's why we sim the games.

Still rooting for Colfax.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

You know its possible.
Every post season it happens.
But every post season there is that one team. That looks invulnerable.
Their line up too deep; too powerful.
The starting rotation is exception. The bullpen is solid.
No way, they don't go all the way.
Who's gonna' stop them?
And then..

Congrats South Fork!
That's why we sim the games.

Still rooting for Colfax.

I should be pulling for LaGrange and Hartsdale... they have never won a Pro Cup.

[Eugene Church]

The Colfax Black Sox are perhaps the best all-round ball club in the IPA postseason playoffs this year... the Sox feature good hitting, good scoring, good power, great pitching and excellent fielding... what more could you ask for?... perhaps, you could ask for the 2063 IPA Pro Cup, too?... but as you probably know, ask and you shall receive only works in the spiritial realms... not on the Islandian baseball diamonds.

The main strength of Colfax is its marvelous mound staff... four fine quality starters in Karl Kruger, Blaine Barkins, Terry Starr and Shorty Trahan... and the bullpen is blessed, too, with Tommy Birchfield, Terry Dubronik, Thom Harlin and Stan Fleming... that's not to disparage the offense, either... Lanny Waldrep, Bralen Josephson, Owen McElwain and Monty McDermott are rock-solid, too.

Colfax Black Sox Team Statistics