ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS) - Page 209

Eugene Church · 04-25-2014, 05:19 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, September 28, 2045

A'S-RATTLERS, SUN SOX-RED SOX VIE IN LCS SAT
This Saturday it's the IPA League Championship Series... and not even Hollywood could have scripted it better... the IPA still has the number one and number two clubs still in the running for the Pro Cup crown... and last year's champ is still in the quest... the Glasco Athletics, ranked first in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll, hosts the number six Sugar Valley Rattlers in the Ruthlandian League Championship Series... last year's winner, the Southport Sun Sox, picked fourth in the poll, entertains the record-setting, homer-happy Red Bluff Red Sox for the Tycobbian title... the Red Sox were the fourth choice to take the Pro Cup trophy this year.

All four clubs played well in first-round action... Glasco whipped number-seven pick Claxton in six games... Sugar Valley upended number three Middlefield in an exciting seven-game series... Southport demolished number five North Hills in five games... and Red Bluff took a thriller from eighth-ranked Kenwood in seven games.

Glasco has solid pitching and solid bats... Sugar Valley has home-run power... Southport has sensational pitching... and Red Bluff has record-setting firepower... the oddsmakers are going with the Athletics over the Rattlers and the Sun Sox are favored to take the Red Sox.

Eugene Church · 04-25-2014, 06:07 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, September 30, 2045

2045 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 1

Ruthlandian Union

RATTLERS STRIKE FIRST, WIN OPENER 5-3 OVER A'S
Held in check by Benny McDaniel 3-1 for six innings, Sugar Valley broke loose in the late innings to subdue favored Glasco 5-3 in the Ruthlandian League Championship Series at Athletics Field... Kent Rasmus walloped a 2-run homer in the seventh to tie it up 3-3, then delivered the death knell with a 2-run two-bagger in the eighth... Davey Brennan (3-0/1.90) hurled another fine game... in his 8 innings Brennan gave up 10 hits, but just 3 runs... Sammy Hughes (0-0/0.00) worked the ninth and retired the A's in order for his second save of the postseason... McDaniel (1-1/1.57) was the losing pitcher, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits in his 8 frames... 2 of them were unearned.

3B Rasmus (.303) had 2 hits and batted in 4 runs to lead Sugar Valley... 2B Richie Fry (.200) homered for the Rattlers in the first inning... CF John Rumford (.300) accounted for all of the A's runs with a 3-run smash in the fifth inning.

SUN SOX HOLD OFF RED SOX 7-5 IN OPENER
Southport pitchers only gave up 6 runs in five games in the Division Series... game one of the LCS was quite a bit different... power-laden Red Bluff put 5 runs on the scoreboard, but the Sun Sox still outdid them 7-5 at Red Bluff Park... Billy Hoover was coasting along with a 7-1 lead going into the ninth, when he was stung for Josh Stevens' 3-run blast... but the Sun Sox held on to win... reliever Hal Combs got the third and final out with the tying runs on base... Southport is trying to repeat as IPA champion... they defeated the Wynnamac Sundowners in seven games last season.

Southport collected 12 hits, led by SS Gonzalo Topez (.458) with a perfect 4-for-4 day, 3 runs and 2 RBIs... LF Chris Jones (.304) smacked a 2-run triple... Stevens (.333) paced the Red Sox with 2 hits, a homer and a triple... RF David Kelso (.294) and CF Ike Sweetwater added 3 hits each to their 11-hit attack... the Sun Sox stranded 13 runners and the Red Sox left 10 aboard.

Hoover (2-1/2.03) got the win, but was rocked for 11 hits and 5 runs... Jud Cox (2-2/2.10) lost it... he was touched for 3 runs and 7 hits in 5 and two-thirds innings... neither reliever George Reynolds, nor Laine Logan were effective for the Red Sox... they allowed 4 runs and 5 hits in 3-plus innings

Eugene Church · 04-26-2014, 12:55 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 1, 2045

2045 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 2

Ruthlandian Union

MEYERS MASTERS RATTLERS 3-2, A'S TIE SERIES 1-1
Speed made the difference in game two of the Ruthlandian LCS... John Rumford stole two bases in the 10th inning and scored the winning run on an ill-fated pickoff throw by Antonio Cedeno... Pro Cup favorite Glasco tied the series at one game apiece on a masterful performance by Pat Meyers, who stopped Sugar Valley 3-2... Meyers (1-1/3.29) tossed 9 innings, yielded just 2 runs on 6 hits, but didn't get the decision... it went to Ken McLIn (1-0/0.00)... he sat the Rattlers down in order in the tenth... Cedeno pitched a complete game, surrendered only one earned run, but lost it... in an unsteady outing he gave up 5 hits, walked 7 and fanned 9... he was effectively wild, so to speak.

LF Bobby Gamble (.412) got Sugar Valley started in the opening frame with a 2-run homer, but that was it for the day for the Rattlers... in the last of the fifth 3 walks and an error allowed the Athletics to tie the score at 2-2... Cedeno forced one run when he walked Les Masterson (.143) with the bases full and was tagged for an RBI single by LF Bobby Luwin (.357).

Tycobbian Union

SWANSON SHINES, SUN SOX WIN AGAIN OVER RED SOX
After taking a day off in game one when they allowed 5 runs, defending Pro Cup champion Southport's superb pitching returned in game two of the Tycobbian League Championship Series as they whipped Red Bluff for the second game in a row at Red Bluff Park... southpaw Johnny Swanson (3-0/0.33) was brilliant again with his second shutout in three postseason starts this year... Swanson shined in a 3-0 victory over the heavy-hitting Red Bluff Red Sox, holding them to just 6 hits, all singles... the Red Sox hammered an IPA all-time record of 283 homers this year... Red Bluff got a quality start from Mickey Rosen (0-3/4.18)... he only permitted 2 earned runs on 7 hits, while striking out 6 and walking one.

Southport took the lead 2-0 in the top of the second... 3 singles loaded the bases with no outs... Swanson (.111) plated a run when he hit into a double play... the second score came in on a miscue by shortstop Leemon O'Donovan... the Sun Sox's final run came in the seventh... 3B Ricky Whitaker (.400) doubled to lead off the frame and eventually rode home on 2B Owen Wallace's (.296) deep fly ball.

Eugene Church · 04-26-2014, 05:53 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 2, 2045

2045 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 3

Ruthlandian Union

A'S STUN RATTLERS 8-7 IN GAME 3
Everything was going Sugar Valley's way until the top of the eighth inning, when everything went wrong... Glasco stormed back from a 5-1 deficit with 7 runs to take an 8-5 lead, then had to hold on as the Rattlers rallied to make it close... the Athletics escaped with a slim 8-7 victory in game three of the Ruthlandian League Championship Series played at Farmers Memorial Park in Sugar Valley... the A's lead the series two games to one.

RF Travis Houston (.250) and pinchhitter Rene Jesclard had the key hits in the big inning... they both bashed 3-run homers... Houston is having a great postseason with 5 homers and 11 RBIs... A's CF John Rumford (.325) had 3 hits, including his 3rd roundtripper... Glasco had hit 14 homers in the playoffs... RF Jeff Harvey paced the Rattlers with 2 RBIs and 3 hits, including a homer and a double... Sugar Valley collected 10 hits to 9 for the A's.

Glasco starter Basil Newchurch (2-0/3.38) labored but got the win... he gave up 5 runs in 7 innings on 7 hits... reliever Ken McLin (1-0/1.74) chalked up his second postseason save, but struggled... he surrendered 2 runs and 3 hits in his 2 innings... the Rattlers had the winning runs on second and third when McLin retired cleanup hitter CF Carl Ramsey (.297).

Losing pitcher Joe Snow (0-3/5.56) held Glasco to 3 hits and one run through seven frames, but was shelled in the eighth for 5 hits and 6 runs.

Tycobbian Union

SUN SOX SHOCK RED SOX ON LONG'S GRAND SLAM
Game three of the Tycobbian LCS was a game for the ages... it was a tense battle for 8 innings, tied at 3-3... then it took a turn toward the miraculous... Josh Stevens boomed a grand slammer to put Red Bluff seemingly in front to stay 7-3... only to have Southport mount an impossible comeback with 5 runs for a fantastic 8-7 win, culminating with James Long's miracle grand slam homer to give the Sun Sox a third consecutive victory in the best-of seven affair... Southport lost the opening game of the Division Series, but has rolled to seven straight wins since then... one more win over Red Bluff in the LCS and the Sun Sox will get a golden chance to repeat as IPA champion.

Starters Jack Wallace (2-0/2.22) for Red Bluff and Cade Brockton (1-0/2.16) for Southport kept things under control for the first 8 frames... Wallace was touched for 3 runs on 7 hits in his 8 innings, while Brockton allowed 3 runs on 6 hits in his 7 and two-thirds innings... then the bullpens took over and both of them tried to lose it... the Red Sox clobbered Hal Combs for 4 runs on 2 hits in the top of the ninth and seemed almost certain to get their first win the series... but no... Ayden Carmack (0-1) was even worse as he was slammed for 5 runs and 3 hits by the Sun Sox to take the crushing loss.

The Sun Sox had the advantage in hits 10 to 9... Southport CF Barney Lewis (.152) sparked them with 3 hits... LF Chris Jones (.300) drove in a pair of runs and scored twice... SS Gonzalo Topez (.452) was 1-for-3 and scored 3 times... Stevens (.310) had a double and the grand slam and drove in 5 runs for the Red Sox... he now has 3 homers in the playoffs and 11 RBIs... 3B Fran Blanchard (.289) got his third roundtripper in the playoffs and had 2 hits.

Eugene Church · 04-26-2014, 09:54 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 3, 2045

2045 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 4

Ruthlandian Union

RATTLERS EVEN UP SERIES, BRENNAN BLANKS A'S
Sugar Valley and Glasco have split the first four games of the Ruthlandian LCS... in game four the Rattlers' Davey Brennan (4-0/1.38) was sensational with a 1-0 shutout... he fired a 3-hitter for his fourth straight triumph in the playoffs... he was aided by three double plays... superstar Bobby Gamble supplied a game-winning homer in the seventh inning... it was Gamble's second circuit clout of the postseason... Benny McDaniel (1-2/1.45) took a tough loss, going the distance and giving up only one run on 7 hits.

Gamble (.415) and C Delmer Campbell (.225) led the winners with 2 hits each, while C Jarrah Eubarinja (.273) got 2 of the 3 hits the A's got.

Tycobbian Union

RED SOX SNAP SUN SOX'S 7-GAME WIN STREAK
Red Bluff, known mainly for booming lots of homers, got some impressive pitching and staved off a sweep by Southport in the Tycobbian LCS... Jud Cox and two relievers combined to snap the Sun Sox seven-game postseason winning streak with a 5-1 victory at Pleasure Beach Park... but Southport is still in the driver's seat with a 3-1 edge in the best-of-seven series... the Red Sox erupted for 4 runs in the top of the 8th to send Billy Hoover (2-2/2.86) to the showers and down to defeat... Hoover was banged around for 5 runs and 13 hits in 8 innings.

Winner Jud Cox (3-2/1.95) had a sharp outing, limiting the Sun Sox to just one run and 5 hits in seven innings... Logan Laine (0-0/1.93) and George Reynolds (0-0/5.40) preserved the win with 2 scoreless frames... it was Reynolds' third postseason save.

CF Ike Sweetwater (.400), SS Leemon O'Donovan (.211) and LF Lee Wood (.556) sparked the Red Sox with 3 hits each... O'Donovan and C Phil White (.231) plated 2 runs apiece... Southport's best bats were SS Gonzalo Topez (.457), RF Pat Kinney (.222) and 1B Eddy Douglas (.355), all with 2 hits each.

Eugene Church · 04-27-2014, 05:05 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 4, 2045

2045 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 5

Ruthlandian Union

RATTLERS RALLY PAST A'S, UP 3-2 IN SERIES
Playing in the friendly confines of Farmers Memorial Park, Sugar Valley slammed 4 homers to get by favored Glasco 7-6 in game five of the Ruthlandian League Championship Series... it was the Rattlers' second straight victory and gave them a 3-2 edge... one more win for Sugar Valley and they will get a crack at their first IPA Pro Cup trophy... Kent Rasmus went downtown in the bottom of the 10th for the game-winner... the Rattlers have ripped 19 out of the park in the postseason thus far.

The Rattlers rallied from a 6-4 deficit after 6 innings... Bobby Gamble (.432) cut it to 6-5 with a homer in the 7th... and James Milton (.326) sent it to extra innings with a solo shot in the 8th... pitcher Antonio Cedeno (.100) got the other one, a 2-run blast in the 4th frame.

Each of the teams got 11 hits... 3B Rasmus (.260), LF Gamble (.432) and 1B Milton (.326) led the Rattlers with a pair of hits apiece... Cedeno has 3 RBIs and Milton 2... Glasco was paced by 1B Les Masterson (.225) with 4 hits... 3B Billy Stroud (.250) and 2B Del Holloway (.227) added 2 hits each.

Domenico Renterias (1-0/0.00) tossed 2 scoreless innings for the win, while Ken McLin (1-1/2.53) lost it... neither starter Antonio Cedeno (1-1/2.20), nor Pat Meyers (1-1/3.96) were especially effective... they both departed the game after surrendering 6 runs each.

Tycobbian Union

SOUTHPORT PRO CUP-BOUND, KO'S RED SOX
Southport pitching made quick work of the power-laden Red Bluff Red Sox, disposing of them in just five games... Johnny Swanson (4-0/1.00) eliminated the Red Sox 7-3, allowing 3 runs and 9 hits in a complete-game effort... Swanson fanned 4 and issued only one base on balls... the Sun Sox are now headed to the Pro Cup Finals for the second season in a row... they whipped Wynnamac last year in seven games.

A 4-run fifth by Southport sealed the fate of the Red Sox... that put them in front 6-3... the Sun Sox garnered 10 hits in the game with LF Chris Jones (.351) leading the way with 4... SS Gonzalo Topez (.450) went 2-for-5 and scored 3 runs... 3B James Long (.125) drove in 2 runs... CF Barney Lewis had the game's only four-bagger... a solo shot in the 7th... Red Bluff got 9 hits with 1B Josh Stevens (.314) and 2B Big Boy Payne (.218) getting 3 apiece... LF Shing Hamilton (.429) had a pair of hits and scored twice... Hamilton, Stevens and RF David Kelso (.294) accounted for the Red Sox RBIs.

Starter Mickey Rosen (0-4/3.94) took the loss, permitting 6 runs on 8 hits in 6 innings... he trailed 6-3 when he was relieved.

Commenting on the series, Southport skipper Charley Oscar told the press, "It was a tough series... Red Bluff really has some dangerous hitters... fortunately our pitchers kept them in the park... holding them to just 2 homers in 5 games was vital."

Red Bluff manager Jim Schubert second that assessment. "For us to win, we needed home runs... that's how we play... we didn't get them... so we'll have to go home and want until next year."

Southport will defend it Pro Cup crown against the Ruthlandian champion... Sugar Valley has a 3-2 edge over Pro Cup favorite Glasco after five games... game six of the series will be tomorrow afternoon in Glasco... if needed, game seven will also be at Athletics Field.

Eugene Church · 04-27-2014, 11:03 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 5, 2045

2045 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 6

Ruthlandian Union

SUGAR VALLEY RUTHLANDIAN CHAMPS
Sugar Valley needed one more win to wrap up the Ruthlandian League Championship Series and they got it in game six from Christopher Dunsberry, who stumped the Glasco Athletics 6-1 and knocked the Pro Cup favorite out of the playoffs... the Rattlers captured the series four games to two and will now advance to the IPA Pro Cup Finals against the defending champion Southport Sun Sox... this will be the Rattlers' third try for a Pro Cup title... they lost the previous two times in 2004 and 2024.

Dunsberry was outstanding, halting the A's on one run and 5 hits in his 7 innings... Dunsberry (2-0/0.77) was the winning pitcher... he walked one and struck out 8... Jerry Blanchard (0-1/3.27) closed out the victory with 2 runless innings... Basil Newchurch (2-1/4.56) was shelled for 6 runs and 11 hits in 7-plus innings.

Offensively the Rattlers socked 12 hits... 1B James Milton (.320) and CF Carl Ramsey (.260) had solo homers for Sugar Valley... it was Milton's 5th of the playoffs and Ramsey's 4th... LF Bobby Gamble (.449) socked 3 hits, including 2 doubles... RF Jeff Harvey (.273) had 2 hits, including a 2-run double... Glasco got only 6 hits with 2B Del Holloway (.229) driving in their only score.

Eugene Church · 04-28-2014, 07:16 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 6, 2045

IPA CHAMP SOUTHPORT PICKED TO REPEAT
The IPA Finals are slated to begin this Sunday afternoon in Pleasure Beach Park in Southport... both Pro Cup finalists have proven their meddle in the first two rounds of postseason play... defending IPA champ Southport got by two very fine teams in the North Hills Hawks and Red Bluff Red Sox in the Tycobbian Union, while Sugar Valley surprised two favored clubs, the Middlefield Roosters and Glasco Athletics, in the Ruthlandian Union... Southport was only the fourth choice to win this year, while Sugar Valley was even further down at the number six spot... the overall favorite this year was the Glasco A's, who piled up 100 victories in the regular season... Red Bluff was the second choice and Middlefield third in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll.

Sun Sox manager Charley Oscar is hoping to end his career on a high note... next season Hall of Fame outfielder Lorne Evans will take the reins for him... the club would like nothing better than winning its second Pro Cup in a row... last year Southport knocked off Wynnamac in six games for their first IPA crown.

The Sun Sox's strength lies in their strong pitching staff, led by veterans Billy Hoover (16-7/1.87) and portsider Johnny Swanson (14-8/3.46)... the bullpen is outstanding, too, led southpaw Hal Combs (7-4/1.94/14 saves)... LF Chris Jones (.316/9/67/95), SS Gonzalo Topez (.305/7/70/89) and CF Barney Lewis (.259/32/98/94) are the most reliable batters.

On the hill Southport has been even better in the playoffs with a standout 1.88 ERA, sparked by Swanson with a 4-0 mark and 1.00 ERA in 4 starts... Hoover is 2-2 with a 2.86 ERA... the Sun Sox have 6 complete games in the postseason... number three starter Cade Brockton has done well, too, with a 1-0 record in his 2 starts with a fine 2.16 ERA... the bats have been more than adequate with a .265 BA and an average of 5 runs a game... Topez has hit .450 and scored 12 runs... Jones is batting .351, 1B Eddy Dougas .353 and C Vasilis Vlachos .316 in the playoffs... Southport has gone deep only 5 times in the postseason.

Like Oscar, Sugar Valley skipper Gibby Bobkins is also stepping down this season... next season the Rattlers will have superstar Bobby Gamble guiding the club as a playing manager... a Pro Cup trophy would be a great retirement gift for Bobkins... twice he has gotten the Rattlers in the Pro Cup Finals, but they lost both times... to Red Bluff in 2004 and 20 years later to Tuckanarra in 2024.

Sugar Valley has a powerful offense as well as quality pitching... they were third in homers with 198, fifth in runs with 735 and posted a solid 3.45 ERA (9th)... CF Carl Ramsey (.291/46/123/112) and LF Bobby Gamble (.336/33/89/123) topped the attack... in the playoffs the Rattlers have slammed 22 homers and hit .256... Gamble is the leader with a .449 BA and has knocked 3 out of the park in the postseason... 1B James Milton has 5 homers and 10 RBIs with a.320 average... Ramsey has 4 roundtrippers and is batting .260... and 3B Kent Rasmas has 10 RBIs, a pair of homers and a .259 BA... the Rattler hurlers have done their part... Davey Brennan is 4-0 with a 1.38 ERA in 4 postseason starts... Antonio Cedeno is 1-1 in 3 starts with a 2.20 ERA and Christopher Dunsberry is 2-0 with an impressive 0.77... during the season Brennan was 12-9 with a 3.13 ERA, Cedeno (9-8/2.90) and Dunsberry 10-8 with a 3.90 ERA... Joe Snow was the ace during the season with a 21-12 mark and a 3.47 ERA, but he has flopped badly in the playoffs with an 0-3 record in 3 starts and a terrible 5.56 ERA... Snow has been relegated to the bullpen for the rest of the playoffs.

Southport has proved it can handle high-explosive offenses similar to Sugar Valley by whipping Red Bluff, which set a new standard for home runs in the IPA this year with an astounding 283... the Red Sox were held to just 2 roundtrippers in 5 games against the Sun Sox.

PRO CUP FORECAST: Southport in six games... the Sun Sox have too much pitching for Sugar Valley to win... plus the Sun Sox get the homefield advantage with a 95-59 record to 94-60 for the Rattlers... Southport plays much better at home (.701)... while the Rattlers are just a .519 club on the road... Sugar Valley is average defensively with a .972 FA, but much better than Southport's very poor .967 FA.

Eugene Church · 04-28-2014, 07:35 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 8, 2045

2045 IPA PRO CUP SERIES - Game 1

SUN SOX STOMP ON RATTLERS 11-1
Not only did Billy Hoover hold hard-hitting Sugar Valley to just 5 hits in game one of the IPA Pro Cup Finals, he also wielded a good bat with a 3-run double in the 9-run sixth-inning explosion that highlighted Southport's 11-1 stomping of the Rattlers at Pleasure Beach Park... everything went right for the defending Pro Cup champion and everything went awry for the Rattlers.

Leading the Southport 11-hit attack was RF Pat Kinney (.273) with 3 hits and 2 RBIs... 2B Owen Wallace (.250) chipped in 2 RBIs and LF Chris Jones (.357) added 2 hits and scored twice... 1B Eddy Douglas (.333) walked twice and score 2 runs... and C Vasilis Vlachos (.310) also had 2 runs batted in.

Hoover (3-2/2.47) went the distance, fanned 3 and walked only one batter... Davey Brennan (4-1/3.35) suffered his first postseason loss this year in a terrible outing... he was blitzed for 9 runs in 5 innings.

Eugene Church · 04-28-2014, 09:24 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 9, 2045

2045 IPA PRO CUP SERIES - Game 2

RATTLERS STRIKE BACK IN GAME 2
Sugar Valley showed their stuff today on the road in Southport... the Rattlers defeated Johnny Swanson in a 6-3 decision that tied up the Pro Cup Finals at a game apiece... it was a welcome relief for Sugar Valley, who was manhandled in the opener 11-1... in game two Antonio Cedeno (2-1/2.15) salvaged a split in the best-of-seven series with a sparkling performance... Cedeno went all the way and held the Sun Sox to 3 runs on 5 hits... it was Swanson's (4-1/1.47) first defeat this year in the playoffs... the Rattlers tagged him for 6 runs on 7 hits in 7 innings, 3 in the fifth and 3 more in the seventh... Swanson gave up only 3 earned runs.

Sugar Valley took the lead in the game 3-2 in the top of the fifth... one run came in on back-to-back infield errors by the Sun Sox... SS Roger Hobbs (.210) tied it up with a sac fly... and CF Carl Ramsey (.241) put them up by a run with an RBI double... the Rattlers broke the game open with 3 more scores in the seventh on an RBI single by Jeff Harvey (.288), Hobbs' (.210) RBI groundout and C Delmer Campbell's (.196) deep flyball.

Southport got RBIs from CF Barney Lewis' (.167) solo blast and Johnny Swanson's (.143) single in second frame... the Sun Sox got the last run in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk to LF Chris Jones (.348).

Eugene Church · 04-28-2014, 10:03 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 10, 2045

2045 IPA PRO CUP SERIES - Game 3

RATTLERS RIP 4 HRS IN 9-8 WIN
The Sugar Valley Rattlers have certainly gotten the attention of the favored Southport Sun Sox... they ripped them for 4 homers in a 9-8 victory in game three of the Pro Cup Series... the surprising Rattlers are now up two games to one in the best-of-seven set... Bobby Gamble and Carl Ramsey both collected 2 home runs to spark the win... Gamble had 5 RBIs and Ramsey 2.

Sugar Valley leaped out to a 7-2 lead after 2 innings and built it up to 8-2 after 5 frames... then had to fight off a belated rally by the defending IPA titleholder... in a rocky outing Christopher Dunsberry (3-0/3.86) was blistered for 7 runs and 10 hits in 7 innings, but he still got the victory... the fourth of the Rattlers hurlers, Sammy Hughes, collected his third save of the postseason, but allowed a run in the ninth in a less-than-perfect outing... starter Cade Brockton (1-1/5.03) was slammed for 7 runs and 6 hits in his 3 innings and left on the short end of a 7-2 score.

LF Bobby Gamble (.417), CF Carl Ramsey (.258) and SS Roger Hobbs (.227) all socked a pair of hits and scored 2 runs each to led the winners... 3B Kent Rasmus pitched in with a double and a triple, a run and an RBI... it was the fifth playoff homer for Gamble and fourth for Ramsey.

Southport's CF Barney Lewis (.192), LF Chris Jones (.360), C Vasilis Vlachos (.294) and 3B James Long (.263) had 2 hits apiece... Long and Lewis had solo homers... it was Lewis' third and Long's second... Long had 3 RBIs in defeat.

Eugene Church · 04-29-2014, 05:43 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 11, 2045

2045 IPA PRO CUP SERIES - Game 4

HOOVER HALTS RATTLERS 2-0, PRO CUP TIED AT 2
With his club down in the series 2-1, Billy Hoover was Johnny-on-the-spot and came just in the nick of time... his Southport Sun Sox were in dire need of a win and they got it... in an impressive outing Hoover shut out the Sugar Valley Rattlers 2-0 in game four of the IPA Pro Cup Finals and tied it up at 2 victories for each team... Hoover (4-2/2.05) struck out 7 batters, walked no one and allowed 7 hits in winning his second game of the series... in 7 innings loser Davey Brennan (4-2/3.22) was sharp, too, yielding only 2 runs on 8 hits with 4 walks and 5 Ks.

It was a scoreless tie for 5 innings... then the Sun Sox snapped it with RBI singles from C Vasilis Vlachos (.291) and LF Chris Jones (.365)... Vlachos tops the Sun Sox with 11 RBIs in the postseason... Southport picked up 8 hits with RF Pat Kinney (.263) collecting 2 of them... 1B James Milton (.313) cracked 2 hits to pace the Rattlers.

Eugene Church · 04-29-2014, 07:36 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 12, 2045

2045 IPA PRO CUP SERIES - Game 5

RATTLERS TAKES SERIES LEAD, BEAT SWANSON AGAIN
In game five of the Pro Cup Finals at Farmers Memorial Park, Sugar Valley took a giant step toward history with a 5-3 triumph over defending Pro Cup champ Southport... one more win and the Rattlers will rack up a historic first for them - the IPA Pro Cup trophy... Sugar Valley is up three games to two in the best-of-seven series and can wrap it up with a game six win in Southport... they will also have another shot should the series go full length to seven games.

The Rattlers rose to the occasion and beat Johnny Swanson for the second time in the series... they got to him for 5 runs on 6 hits... shoddy defense by the Sun Sox cost them dearly... they made 3 errors... Swanson only allowed one earned run... Antonio Cedeno (3-1/2.33) beat Swanson again, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits in 8 and two-thirds innings... Jerry Blanchard relieved him in the ninth and got the final out of the game for the save.

The game was all knotted up at 2-2 going into the last of the sixth... 3B Kent Rasmas broke the deadlock with an RBI single... Antonio Cedeno (.125) walked with the bases full and forced in a run... and SS Roger Hobbs (.219) got the third one in when he hit into a fielder's choice... that put Sugar Valley up 5-2... LF Bobby Gamble (.388) and RF Jeff Harvey (.274) drove in the other two Rattler runs.

The Rattlers only got 6 hits and were paced by CF Carl Ramsey (.261) and Rasmas (.264) with two hits apiece... 1B Eddy Douglas (.288) and CF Barney Lewis (.207) topped the Sun Sox with a pair of hits... Douglas got the only roundtripper in the game... a solo shot in the opening frame... Douglas, LF Chris Jones (.351) and C Vasilis Vlachos (.293) drove in runs for Southport.

Sugar Valley manager Gibby Bobkins is going with Joe Snow (21-12/3.47) in game six, even though he has struggled mightily in the postseason with 0-3 record and a lofty 5.32 ERA... Southport skipper Charley Oscar is also going with a break in the playoff rotation, substituting Gordon Forbes (15-8/3.36) for 20-game winner Cade Brockton... Brockton is 1-1 in 3 starts with a 5.03 ERA, while Forbes (0-0/2.25) has been effective in his one relief outing, holding the Rattlers to one run in 4 innings in game three... Sugar Valley took that one 9-8.

Eugene Church · 04-29-2014, 08:27 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 13, 2045

2045 IPA PRO CUP SERIES - Game 6

RATTLERS ROMP TO FIRST PRO CUP
Twice before in the club's history the Sugar Valley Rattlers had a chance to win the IPA Pro Cup... they failed both times... 2004 and 2024... but they were not to be denied this time... the underdog Rattlers smashed defending champ Southport 15-1 in game six to wrap up their first IPA title... Grand slam homers by Carl Ramsey and Delmer Campbell led the Rattler rampage that finished off the Sun Sox in six games... they got 6 runs in the top of the fifth and 8 more in the eighth to send the favored Sun Sox home to face a long, long winter.

Three pitchers combined for the victory... Joe Snow (1-3/4.40) fired 5 shutout innings and struck out 7, allowing 4 hits... with a 6-0 lead he was forced to leave the game because of a long rain delay... but Domenico Renterias continued the shutout with two more scoreless frames... and Sammy Hughes nailed it down, but did permit one run in 2 innings... alltogether Rattler pitchers struck out 13 Sun Sox... starter Gordon Forbes (0-1/5.40) was scorched for 5 runs in 6 innings for the loss.

Sugar Valley rapped out 14 hits with LF Bobby Gamble (.408) going 3-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs... 1B James Milton (.319) was 3-5 with 2 runs and an RBI... and RF Jeff Harvey (.284) going 2-5 with 2 runs and an RBI... CF Barney Lewis (.206) homered for the Sun Sox's only score.

It was quite a retirement party for Sugar Valley's Gibby Bobkins, who told the press, "What a way to call it a career... finally winning the Pro Cup."... Bobkins is retiring this year after being at the helm for 45 seasons... 32-year-old superstar outfielder Bobby Gamble will be his replacement... Gamble will continue to be an on-field player and doesn't plan to retire soon.

Bobkins said, "It's hard to beat a team that hits 27 homers in the playoffs... my Rattlers did a good job beating some pretty fair pitchers... Gamble is the greatest... he is the heart and soul of the team."

As happy as the Sugar Valley locker room was, the Southport clubhouse was somber and as quiet as a morgue... to a man they were hoping to win back-to-back Pro Cups for their beloved manager Charley Oscar, who is also retiring this year... Oscar gave hearty congratulations to Bobkins and his Rattlers, "They came in against the odds and proved they were the best team in the IPA this year... Gamble and Ramsey are truly gifted players... but the whole line-up is filled with tough outs... they made my great staff look ordinary."

Eugene Church · 04-30-2014, 10:53 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 14, 2045

SV'S GAMBLE CHOSEN PRO CUP MVP
Bobby Gamble of the Sugar Valley Rattlers has done it all in his fabulous career - 3-time Ruthlandian MVP, 10-time All-Star, 5-time Golden Bat winner, Golden Glover, 3-time pennant winner - and now Pro Cup winner and Pro Cup Most Valuable Player. Gamble sparked the Rattlers to their first-ever IPA crown with a .408 BA, 5 homers, 15 RBIs, 14 runs and 13 walks. He was the overwhelming choice in a poll conducted by The Islandian Times. Three other Rattler players got a few scattered votes: pitcher Antonio Cedeno, who was 3-1 in 5 starts with a fine 2.33 ERA, outfielder Carl Ramsey (.253 BA) with 7 homers, 13 RBIs and 12 runs and pitcher Davey Brennan with a 4-2 mark in 6 starts with a 3.22 ERA.

Eugene Church · 05-01-2014, 08:02 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 15, 2045

DELUCCA EDGES GAMBLE FOR RU GOLDEN BAT
This year's winner of the Ruthlandian Golden Bat Award is Jojo DeLucca of the Claxton Diamonds, who took the honor for the first time in his 11-year career... DeLucca outpolled Sugar Valley's Bobby Gamble, a 5-time recipient... third in the voting was Sugar Valley's other fine outfielder Carl Ramsey.

DeLucca paced the Diamonds to the RU South Division crown this season... he played in 150 games, batted .349 with 43 homers, 129 RBIs and scored 107 runs... the 30-year-old first sacker led the IPA with 213 hits, ranked third in BA, fifth in RBIs and ninth in runs... lifetime DeLucca is a .318 hitter with 348 homers... he won his first batting title this year.

Gamble appeared in 148 games, batted .336 with 33 roundtrippers, 89 RBIs and scored 123 runs... he and Ramsey led the Rattlers to the RU East title... Ramsey hit .291 in 148 games, belted 46 homers, drove in 123 runs and scored 112 times.... Ramsey was the home-run leader in the Ruthlandian Union and second in RBIs and runs... in the IPA he ranked fourth in homers, sixth in RBIs and fourth in runs.

VIKS' CULPEPPER AWARDED 6TH TU GOLDEN BAT
Bayview's superb slugger Jerry Culpepper captured his sixth Tycobbian Golden Bat this season, besting Red Bluff's David Kelso, who almost tied Culpepper's IPA home-run record with 65 this year... Culpepper smashed 66 out of the park in 2040... third in the balloting was Derrek Jackson of Luxora, who led the IPA with a .359 BA.

Culpepper came in second to Kelso with 55 home runs and was second to Rolling Hills' Jimmy Foxx with 143 RBIs... in 132 games Culpepper put up a .311 BA and scored 98 times... in his fabulous career the 31-year-old third baseman has hit .304 with 641 homers... Culpepper is sixth on the all-time HR list and could move up as high as second... and even the great slugger Jack Elliott, the IPA homer king with 848, just might be threatened, should Culpepper continue to hit homers at his present pace.

Kelso had a great season with 65 homers, 130 RBIs and 111 runs, ranking first in homers in the IPA, third in RBIs and sixth in runs ... in 147 games Kelso batted .289 and helped the Red Sox win a second straight TU East title... Jackson won his first batting title for the fifth place Zorros with a .359 average... he was third in the IPA with 203 hits and fourth with 36 doubles... in 149 games Jackson slammed 32 homers, drove in 106 runs and scored 95 runs.

Eugene Church · 05-02-2014, 07:56 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 16, 2045

BEECHWOOD'S HERMAN TOP RU HURLER
Beechwood's chubby right-hander Jimmy Herman had a season to remember. The 30-year-old posted a superlative 26-9 record, which was good enough to win him his first Ruthlandian Golden Arm Arm, given to the best pitcher in the league. Herman had some strong competitors in James Long of the Middlefield Roosters and Jamie Taylor of the Rocky Rapids Snappers.

Herman has played for 11 years for the Bobcats with three 20-game seasons. This year he led them to a second place finish. Herman completed 30 of his 39 starts with a 2.72 ERA and 268 strikeouts in 330 innings. He led the IPA in wins with 26 and was sixth in strikeouts. Career-wise Herman is 175-124 with a 3.34 ERA.

James Long of Middlefield was the runner-up in the Golden Arm voting. He compiled a 23-13 record with 2.12 ERA, 6 shutouts and 212 Ks in 309 innings. Long paced the Roosters to the RU West Division pennant. He ranked second in ERA in the Ruthlandian Union and led the entire IPA with 6 shutouts.

Jamie Taylor of Rocky Rapids was third in the poll. He led the RU with a splendid 2.00 ERA, while chalking up a 21-14 mark, 29 complete games and 5 shutouts. The Snappers wound up second to Middlefield in the pennant race.

SA'S BELL TOP TU TWIRLER
The 2045 Tycobbian Union Golden Arm Award went to San Alejo's Matt Bell. a first time winner. Second in the vote was Benton McCall of Cape Coral with Frankie Quinn of the Blue Lake Blue Sox coming in third.

The 26-year-old Bell is a seven-year veteran with the Montaneros, who came in third this season in the TU South. Bell ranked second in the IPA in victories with a 25-9 mark. His super low 1.87 ERA placed him third in the IPA. Overall Bell has won 20 games five times in his career, piling up 145-86 record with a terrific 2.49 ERA. He throws in the upper 90's and was number two in the IPA with 284 strikeouts in 332 innings. Bell ranked second to James Long of Middlefield with 6 shutouts.

Number two in the Golden Arm balloting was Benton McCall of the Cape Coral Hurricanes. At age 30 he really blossomed with a 25-9 record and a 2.74 ERA. McCall accomplished very little in his first seven seasons with the 'Canes, but has taken off in the last five and has become a solid starter. This year McCall helped the Hurricanes to a fourth place finish in the TU South.

Getting better with age is 39-year-old Frankie Quinn, the third best votegetter. For the last four seasons he has registered 20 or more wins. Quinn had a 23-9 record with a standout 2.10 ERA for the Blue Sox, who were third in the TU North standings this season. In his famed 19-year career Quinn has won 20 games on 13 occasions, totaling a fantastic 366-263 mark with a great 2.93 ERA. He is now number four on the all-time wins list, topped only by Hall-of-Famers Nicky Engstrom (387-218) and Cody Burg (369-264) and the recently retired Augie Marquis (368-300) of the Fort Benton Defenders.

Eugene Church · 05-02-2014, 09:04 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 17, 2045

VALKA'S NETTERVILLE WINS RU ROOKIE HONOR
Freshmen pitchers dominated in the Ruthlandian Union Rookie of the Year poll. That honor went to 26-year-old Royce Netterville of the Valka Blackhawks, who outdistanced two of his peers, Jody Joss of Kilkenny and Cullen Winslow of Sugar Valley.

Netterville sparked Valka to third place this year in the RU North. That's the first time in 16 seasons the Blackhawks have made the first division. He put up an impressive 18-10 mark with a fine 3.19 ERA and 4 shutouts in 31 starts.

Running second in the best rookie poll was Jody Joss of the Kilkenny Cats. He was 16-15 in 39 starts with an excellent 2.54 ERA, 17 complete games and 3 shutouts. The Cats wound up fourth in the RU North.

Cullen Winslow played an important role in Sugar Valley's super season as the Rattlers won 94 games and won the RU East. He appeared in 50 games with a 14-7 record. He made 13 starts and had 9 saves and a solid 3.03 ERA.

HIGH MESA PHENOM QUARLES TU'S BEST ROOKIE
He was drafted in 2037, but it took a while for Lucius Quarles to get finally get a chance to show his wares in the IPA, but when he did, he made them stand up and take notice. At age 27 the High Mesa Cowboys gave him his shot and he responded by leading the IPA with a microscopic 1.65 ERA. Not only was he the ERA leader, he was voted the Rookie of the Year in the Tycobbian Union, besting Blue Lake's outfielder Johnny Harding and Ozarka catcher Paul Beasley. Quarles was 17-14 in 36 starts for the second place Cowpokes.

Harding was in second place in the rookie voting. He had a strong season with a .307 BA, 30 doubles, 5 triples and 17 homers. Harding scored 75 runs and batted in 75 for the Blue Sox, who came in third in the TU North.

In third place in the poll was Beasley, who showed good power with 23 homers for the Ozarka. The Naturals came in fifth in the TU East. He batted .285 with 26 doubles, 83 RBIs and scored 61 runs.

Eugene Church · 05-03-2014, 08:03 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 18, 2045

DELUCCA EDGES HERMAN FOR RU MVP
Claxton superstar Jojo DeLucca has won many honors in his 11 years in the IPA, but one has always eluded him until this season - the much-coveted Ruthlandian Most Valuable Player trophy. The 30-year-old Claxton star edged out Beechwood's Jimmy Herman and Sugar Valley's Bobby Gamble for this year's award.

DeLucca led the Diamonds to the RU South pennant with a .349 BA, tops in the RU and third best in the IPA. He led the IPA in hits with 213, blasted 43 homers, drove in 129 runs and scored 107 in a fine season. Lifetime DeLucca had batted an impressive .318 and hit 345 homers. He is an 8-time All-Star, 3-time Golden Glover and won his first Golden Bat this year.

Jimmy Herman of the Beechwood Bobcats was runner-up to DeLucca in the voting. He was the king of the hill this year in the IPA with 26 victories and sparked the Bobcats to second place in the RU West race. Herman was 26-9 with a fine 2.72 ERA and 268 Ks. The 30-year-old righty led the IPA with 30 complete games.

Sugar Valley's marvelous Bobby Gamble almost won his fifth MVP award this year, winding up a close third in the balloting. He had another exemplary season with a .336 BA, 33 HRs, 89 RBIs and 123 runs, leading the Rattlers to the RU West Division crown.

RB BLASTER KELSO CLAIMS TU MVP
It was a legendary year for Red Bluff's David Kelso, this year's Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player. The prolific slugger came within one homer of the all-time IPA home run mark, falling just short of Jerry Culpepper's 66 in 2040. Kelso beat out San Alejo ace starter Matt Bell and Luxora's batting champ Derrek Jackson for the MVP trophy.

The 30-year-old Kelso was a prime ingredient in the Red Sox taking the RU East Division title for the second year in a row. He hammered 65 homers, drove in 130 runs, scored 111 and batted a respectable .289. In his 13-year career Kelso has 437 roundtrippers and a .278 BA. Twice he has led the IPA in homers. Kelso had 56 in 2042.

Bell had a brilliant season for third place San Alejo in the TU South race and was second in the MVP poll. He was second in the IPA with 25 wins and second in strikeouts with 284. In all Bell chalked up a 25-9 record with the third best ERA at 1.87.

Third in the voting for the MVP trophy was Luxora's talented Derrek Jackson, who won the Tycobbian batting title with a .359 BA, tops in the IPA this year. He was third in hits with 203, while collecting 36 doubles, 32 homers, 106 RBIs and 95 runs. The Zorros came in fifth this year in the TU North.

Eugene Church · 05-03-2014, 10:01 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 19, 2045

TOP DEFENDERS IN THE IPA CHOSEN BY RU AND TU
The Islandian Pro Alliance announced the 2045 Golden Glove Awards for the Ruthlandian Union and the Tycobbian Union. Heading up the RU Gold Glovers were left fielder Eldon Aldridge of Ancona and shortstop Anto Dakos of Valmara, who were chosen for the third time in their careers to the elite squad. Center fielder Carl Ramsey of Sugar Valley picked up his second trophy. The Tycobbian Golden Glovers were led by left fielder Sogo Takagi of Ginza and catcher Frank Penn of Hartsdale. They were selected the best defenders for the third time. All other honorees were first timers. No rookies made the teams this year.

RUTHLANDIAN GOLDEN GLOVE TEAM:
SP Sammy Hayes (Wynnamac) (20-16/3.73) (1.000 FA)
C Cannon Johnson (Elnora) (.261/19/82/63) (.993 FA/4 PB/46.9% RTO)
1B Glendon Glenn (Fort Benton) (.310/2/52/72) (.995 FA)
2B Marty Featherstone (Rocky Rapids) (.286/34/92/96) (.983 FA)
3B Ken Jensen (Valmara) (.300/7/60/104) (.964 FA)
SS Antos Dakos (.282/12/66/72) (.972 FA)
LF Eldon Aldridge (Ancona) (.289/38/102/66) (.997 FA)
CF Carl Ramsey (Sugar Valley) (.291/46/123/112) (.998 FA)
RF Ken Brennan (Cold Creek) (.273/4/51/48) (1.000 FA)

TYCOBBIAN GOLDEN GLOVE TEAM:
SP Lanny Gray (Arlon) (16-18/3.34) (1.000 FA)
C Frank Penn (Hartsdale) (.222/5/46/53) (.995 FA/5 PB/37.9% RTO)
1B Josh Stevens (Red Bluff) (.252/43/91/96) (.994 FA)
2B Sam McClellan (East Point) (.257/5/50/58) (.986 FA)
3B Russ Henredon (Arroyo Grande) (.240/5/52/51) (.968 FA)
SS Edison Randall (Bay St. Clair) (.248/19/82/62) (.980 FA)
LF Sogo Takagi (Ginza) (.311/32/103/120) (1.000 FA)
CF Giovanni Rizzo (High Mesa) (.233/11/63/47) (.987 FA)
RF Wilfredo Acosta (Arroyo Grande) (.262/19/77/64) (.996 FA)

04-26-2014, 12:55 PM	#4163
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Sunday, October 1, 2045 2045 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 2 Ruthlandian Union MEYERS MASTERS RATTLERS 3-2, A'S TIE SERIES 1-1 Speed made the difference in game two of the Ruthlandian LCS... John Rumford stole two bases in the 10th inning and scored the winning run on an ill-fated pickoff throw by Antonio Cedeno... Pro Cup favorite Glasco tied the series at one game apiece on a masterful performance by Pat Meyers, who stopped Sugar Valley 3-2... Meyers (1-1/3.29) tossed 9 innings, yielded just 2 runs on 6 hits, but didn't get the decision... it went to Ken McLIn (1-0/0.00)... he sat the Rattlers down in order in the tenth... Cedeno pitched a complete game, surrendered only one earned run, but lost it... in an unsteady outing he gave up 5 hits, walked 7 and fanned 9... he was effectively wild, so to speak. LF Bobby Gamble (.412) got Sugar Valley started in the opening frame with a 2-run homer, but that was it for the day for the Rattlers... in the last of the fifth 3 walks and an error allowed the Athletics to tie the score at 2-2... Cedeno forced one run when he walked Les Masterson (.143) with the bases full and was tagged for an RBI single by LF Bobby Luwin (.357). Tycobbian Union SWANSON SHINES, SUN SOX WIN AGAIN OVER RED SOX After taking a day off in game one when they allowed 5 runs, defending Pro Cup champion Southport's superb pitching returned in game two of the Tycobbian League Championship Series as they whipped Red Bluff for the second game in a row at Red Bluff Park... southpaw Johnny Swanson (3-0/0.33) was brilliant again with his second shutout in three postseason starts this year... Swanson shined in a 3-0 victory over the heavy-hitting Red Bluff Red Sox, holding them to just 6 hits, all singles... the Red Sox hammered an IPA all-time record of 283 homers this year... Red Bluff got a quality start from Mickey Rosen (0-3/4.18)... he only permitted 2 earned runs on 7 hits, while striking out 6 and walking one. Southport took the lead 2-0 in the top of the second... 3 singles loaded the bases with no outs... Swanson (.111) plated a run when he hit into a double play... the second score came in on a miscue by shortstop Leemon O'Donovan... the Sun Sox's final run came in the seventh... 3B Ricky Whitaker (.400) doubled to lead off the frame and eventually rode home on 2B Owen Wallace's (.296) deep fly ball. Last edited by Eugene Church; 04-26-2014 at 12:56 PM.

04-26-2014, 05:53 PM	#4164
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, October 2, 2045 2045 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 3 Ruthlandian Union A'S STUN RATTLERS 8-7 IN GAME 3 Everything was going Sugar Valley's way until the top of the eighth inning, when everything went wrong... Glasco stormed back from a 5-1 deficit with 7 runs to take an 8-5 lead, then had to hold on as the Rattlers rallied to make it close... the Athletics escaped with a slim 8-7 victory in game three of the Ruthlandian League Championship Series played at Farmers Memorial Park in Sugar Valley... the A's lead the series two games to one. RF Travis Houston (.250) and pinchhitter Rene Jesclard had the key hits in the big inning... they both bashed 3-run homers... Houston is having a great postseason with 5 homers and 11 RBIs... A's CF John Rumford (.325) had 3 hits, including his 3rd roundtripper... Glasco had hit 14 homers in the playoffs... RF Jeff Harvey paced the Rattlers with 2 RBIs and 3 hits, including a homer and a double... Sugar Valley collected 10 hits to 9 for the A's. Glasco starter Basil Newchurch (2-0/3.38) labored but got the win... he gave up 5 runs in 7 innings on 7 hits... reliever Ken McLin (1-0/1.74) chalked up his second postseason save, but struggled... he surrendered 2 runs and 3 hits in his 2 innings... the Rattlers had the winning runs on second and third when McLin retired cleanup hitter CF Carl Ramsey (.297). Losing pitcher Joe Snow (0-3/5.56) held Glasco to 3 hits and one run through seven frames, but was shelled in the eighth for 5 hits and 6 runs. Tycobbian Union SUN SOX SHOCK RED SOX ON LONG'S GRAND SLAM Game three of the Tycobbian LCS was a game for the ages... it was a tense battle for 8 innings, tied at 3-3... then it took a turn toward the miraculous... Josh Stevens boomed a grand slammer to put Red Bluff seemingly in front to stay 7-3... only to have Southport mount an impossible comeback with 5 runs for a fantastic 8-7 win, culminating with James Long's miracle grand slam homer to give the Sun Sox a third consecutive victory in the best-of seven affair... Southport lost the opening game of the Division Series, but has rolled to seven straight wins since then... one more win over Red Bluff in the LCS and the Sun Sox will get a golden chance to repeat as IPA champion. Starters Jack Wallace (2-0/2.22) for Red Bluff and Cade Brockton (1-0/2.16) for Southport kept things under control for the first 8 frames... Wallace was touched for 3 runs on 7 hits in his 8 innings, while Brockton allowed 3 runs on 6 hits in his 7 and two-thirds innings... then the bullpens took over and both of them tried to lose it... the Red Sox clobbered Hal Combs for 4 runs on 2 hits in the top of the ninth and seemed almost certain to get their first win the series... but no... Ayden Carmack (0-1) was even worse as he was slammed for 5 runs and 3 hits by the Sun Sox to take the crushing loss. The Sun Sox had the advantage in hits 10 to 9... Southport CF Barney Lewis (.152) sparked them with 3 hits... LF Chris Jones (.300) drove in a pair of runs and scored twice... SS Gonzalo Topez (.452) was 1-for-3 and scored 3 times... Stevens (.310) had a double and the grand slam and drove in 5 runs for the Red Sox... he now has 3 homers in the playoffs and 11 RBIs... 3B Fran Blanchard (.289) got his third roundtripper in the playoffs and had 2 hits. Last edited by Eugene Church; 04-26-2014 at 06:34 PM.

04-27-2014, 05:05 PM	#4166
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Wednesday, October 4, 2045 2045 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 5 Ruthlandian Union RATTLERS RALLY PAST A'S, UP 3-2 IN SERIES Playing in the friendly confines of Farmers Memorial Park, Sugar Valley slammed 4 homers to get by favored Glasco 7-6 in game five of the Ruthlandian League Championship Series... it was the Rattlers' second straight victory and gave them a 3-2 edge... one more win for Sugar Valley and they will get a crack at their first IPA Pro Cup trophy... Kent Rasmus went downtown in the bottom of the 10th for the game-winner... the Rattlers have ripped 19 out of the park in the postseason thus far. The Rattlers rallied from a 6-4 deficit after 6 innings... Bobby Gamble (.432) cut it to 6-5 with a homer in the 7th... and James Milton (.326) sent it to extra innings with a solo shot in the 8th... pitcher Antonio Cedeno (.100) got the other one, a 2-run blast in the 4th frame. Each of the teams got 11 hits... 3B Rasmus (.260), LF Gamble (.432) and 1B Milton (.326) led the Rattlers with a pair of hits apiece... Cedeno has 3 RBIs and Milton 2... Glasco was paced by 1B Les Masterson (.225) with 4 hits... 3B Billy Stroud (.250) and 2B Del Holloway (.227) added 2 hits each. Domenico Renterias (1-0/0.00) tossed 2 scoreless innings for the win, while Ken McLin (1-1/2.53) lost it... neither starter Antonio Cedeno (1-1/2.20), nor Pat Meyers (1-1/3.96) were especially effective... they both departed the game after surrendering 6 runs each. Tycobbian Union SOUTHPORT PRO CUP-BOUND, KO'S RED SOX Southport pitching made quick work of the power-laden Red Bluff Red Sox, disposing of them in just five games... Johnny Swanson (4-0/1.00) eliminated the Red Sox 7-3, allowing 3 runs and 9 hits in a complete-game effort... Swanson fanned 4 and issued only one base on balls... the Sun Sox are now headed to the Pro Cup Finals for the second season in a row... they whipped Wynnamac last year in seven games. A 4-run fifth by Southport sealed the fate of the Red Sox... that put them in front 6-3... the Sun Sox garnered 10 hits in the game with LF Chris Jones (.351) leading the way with 4... SS Gonzalo Topez (.450) went 2-for-5 and scored 3 runs... 3B James Long (.125) drove in 2 runs... CF Barney Lewis had the game's only four-bagger... a solo shot in the 7th... Red Bluff got 9 hits with 1B Josh Stevens (.314) and 2B Big Boy Payne (.218) getting 3 apiece... LF Shing Hamilton (.429) had a pair of hits and scored twice... Hamilton, Stevens and RF David Kelso (.294) accounted for the Red Sox RBIs. Starter Mickey Rosen (0-4/3.94) took the loss, permitting 6 runs on 8 hits in 6 innings... he trailed 6-3 when he was relieved. Commenting on the series, Southport skipper Charley Oscar told the press, "It was a tough series... Red Bluff really has some dangerous hitters... fortunately our pitchers kept them in the park... holding them to just 2 homers in 5 games was vital." Red Bluff manager Jim Schubert second that assessment. "For us to win, we needed home runs... that's how we play... we didn't get them... so we'll have to go home and want until next year." Southport will defend it Pro Cup crown against the Ruthlandian champion... Sugar Valley has a 3-2 edge over Pro Cup favorite Glasco after five games... game six of the series will be tomorrow afternoon in Glasco... if needed, game seven will also be at Athletics Field. Last edited by Eugene Church; 04-27-2014 at 05:08 PM.

04-28-2014, 07:35 PM	#4169
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Sunday, October 8, 2045 2045 IPA PRO CUP SERIES - Game 1 SUN SOX STOMP ON RATTLERS 11-1 Not only did Billy Hoover hold hard-hitting Sugar Valley to just 5 hits in game one of the IPA Pro Cup Finals, he also wielded a good bat with a 3-run double in the 9-run sixth-inning explosion that highlighted Southport's 11-1 stomping of the Rattlers at Pleasure Beach Park... everything went right for the defending Pro Cup champion and everything went awry for the Rattlers. Leading the Southport 11-hit attack was RF Pat Kinney (.273) with 3 hits and 2 RBIs... 2B Owen Wallace (.250) chipped in 2 RBIs and LF Chris Jones (.357) added 2 hits and scored twice... 1B Eddy Douglas (.333) walked twice and score 2 runs... and C Vasilis Vlachos (.310) also had 2 runs batted in. Hoover (3-2/2.47) went the distance, fanned 3 and walked only one batter... Davey Brennan (4-1/3.35) suffered his first postseason loss this year in a terrible outing... he was blitzed for 9 runs in 5 innings. Last edited by Eugene Church; 05-28-2015 at 10:17 PM.

04-28-2014, 09:24 PM	#4170
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, October 9, 2045 2045 IPA PRO CUP SERIES - Game 2 RATTLERS STRIKE BACK IN GAME 2 Sugar Valley showed their stuff today on the road in Southport... the Rattlers defeated Johnny Swanson in a 6-3 decision that tied up the Pro Cup Finals at a game apiece... it was a welcome relief for Sugar Valley, who was manhandled in the opener 11-1... in game two Antonio Cedeno (2-1/2.15) salvaged a split in the best-of-seven series with a sparkling performance... Cedeno went all the way and held the Sun Sox to 3 runs on 5 hits... it was Swanson's (4-1/1.47) first defeat this year in the playoffs... the Rattlers tagged him for 6 runs on 7 hits in 7 innings, 3 in the fifth and 3 more in the seventh... Swanson gave up only 3 earned runs. Sugar Valley took the lead in the game 3-2 in the top of the fifth... one run came in on back-to-back infield errors by the Sun Sox... SS Roger Hobbs (.210) tied it up with a sac fly... and CF Carl Ramsey (.241) put them up by a run with an RBI double... the Rattlers broke the game open with 3 more scores in the seventh on an RBI single by Jeff Harvey (.288), Hobbs' (.210) RBI groundout and C Delmer Campbell's (.196) deep flyball. Southport got RBIs from CF Barney Lewis' (.167) solo blast and Johnny Swanson's (.143) single in second frame... the Sun Sox got the last run in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk to LF Chris Jones (.348). Last edited by Eugene Church; 05-28-2015 at 10:17 PM.

04-25-2014, 05:19 PM	#4161
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Thursday, September 28, 2045 A'S-RATTLERS, SUN SOX-RED SOX VIE IN LCS SAT This Saturday it's the IPA League Championship Series... and not even Hollywood could have scripted it better... the IPA still has the number one and number two clubs still in the running for the Pro Cup crown... and last year's champ is still in the quest... the Glasco Athletics, ranked first in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll, hosts the number six Sugar Valley Rattlers in the Ruthlandian League Championship Series... last year's winner, the Southport Sun Sox, picked fourth in the poll, entertains the record-setting, homer-happy Red Bluff Red Sox for the Tycobbian title... the Red Sox were the fourth choice to take the Pro Cup trophy this year. All four clubs played well in first-round action... Glasco whipped number-seven pick Claxton in six games... Sugar Valley upended number three Middlefield in an exciting seven-game series... Southport demolished number five North Hills in five games... and Red Bluff took a thriller from eighth-ranked Kenwood in seven games. Glasco has solid pitching and solid bats... Sugar Valley has home-run power... Southport has sensational pitching... and Red Bluff has record-setting firepower... the oddsmakers are going with the Athletics over the Rattlers and the Sun Sox are favored to take the Red Sox.

04-25-2014, 06:07 PM	#4162
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Saturday, September 30, 2045 2045 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 1 Ruthlandian Union RATTLERS STRIKE FIRST, WIN OPENER 5-3 OVER A'S Held in check by Benny McDaniel 3-1 for six innings, Sugar Valley broke loose in the late innings to subdue favored Glasco 5-3 in the Ruthlandian League Championship Series at Athletics Field... Kent Rasmus walloped a 2-run homer in the seventh to tie it up 3-3, then delivered the death knell with a 2-run two-bagger in the eighth... Davey Brennan (3-0/1.90) hurled another fine game... in his 8 innings Brennan gave up 10 hits, but just 3 runs... Sammy Hughes (0-0/0.00) worked the ninth and retired the A's in order for his second save of the postseason... McDaniel (1-1/1.57) was the losing pitcher, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits in his 8 frames... 2 of them were unearned. 3B Rasmus (.303) had 2 hits and batted in 4 runs to lead Sugar Valley... 2B Richie Fry (.200) homered for the Rattlers in the first inning... CF John Rumford (.300) accounted for all of the A's runs with a 3-run smash in the fifth inning. SUN SOX HOLD OFF RED SOX 7-5 IN OPENER Southport pitchers only gave up 6 runs in five games in the Division Series... game one of the LCS was quite a bit different... power-laden Red Bluff put 5 runs on the scoreboard, but the Sun Sox still outdid them 7-5 at Red Bluff Park... Billy Hoover was coasting along with a 7-1 lead going into the ninth, when he was stung for Josh Stevens' 3-run blast... but the Sun Sox held on to win... reliever Hal Combs got the third and final out with the tying runs on base... Southport is trying to repeat as IPA champion... they defeated the Wynnamac Sundowners in seven games last season. Southport collected 12 hits, led by SS Gonzalo Topez (.458) with a perfect 4-for-4 day, 3 runs and 2 RBIs... LF Chris Jones (.304) smacked a 2-run triple... Stevens (.333) paced the Red Sox with 2 hits, a homer and a triple... RF David Kelso (.294) and CF Ike Sweetwater added 3 hits each to their 11-hit attack... the Sun Sox stranded 13 runners and the Red Sox left 10 aboard. Hoover (2-1/2.03) got the win, but was rocked for 11 hits and 5 runs... Jud Cox (2-2/2.10) lost it... he was touched for 3 runs and 7 hits in 5 and two-thirds innings... neither reliever George Reynolds, nor Laine Logan were effective for the Red Sox... they allowed 4 runs and 5 hits in 3-plus innings

04-26-2014, 09:54 PM	#4165
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Tuesday, October 3, 2045 2045 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 4 Ruthlandian Union RATTLERS EVEN UP SERIES, BRENNAN BLANKS A'S Sugar Valley and Glasco have split the first four games of the Ruthlandian LCS... in game four the Rattlers' Davey Brennan (4-0/1.38) was sensational with a 1-0 shutout... he fired a 3-hitter for his fourth straight triumph in the playoffs... he was aided by three double plays... superstar Bobby Gamble supplied a game-winning homer in the seventh inning... it was Gamble's second circuit clout of the postseason... Benny McDaniel (1-2/1.45) took a tough loss, going the distance and giving up only one run on 7 hits. Gamble (.415) and C Delmer Campbell (.225) led the winners with 2 hits each, while C Jarrah Eubarinja (.273) got 2 of the 3 hits the A's got. Tycobbian Union RED SOX SNAP SUN SOX'S 7-GAME WIN STREAK Red Bluff, known mainly for booming lots of homers, got some impressive pitching and staved off a sweep by Southport in the Tycobbian LCS... Jud Cox and two relievers combined to snap the Sun Sox seven-game postseason winning streak with a 5-1 victory at Pleasure Beach Park... but Southport is still in the driver's seat with a 3-1 edge in the best-of-seven series... the Red Sox erupted for 4 runs in the top of the 8th to send Billy Hoover (2-2/2.86) to the showers and down to defeat... Hoover was banged around for 5 runs and 13 hits in 8 innings. Winner Jud Cox (3-2/1.95) had a sharp outing, limiting the Sun Sox to just one run and 5 hits in seven innings... Logan Laine (0-0/1.93) and George Reynolds (0-0/5.40) preserved the win with 2 scoreless frames... it was Reynolds' third postseason save. CF Ike Sweetwater (.400), SS Leemon O'Donovan (.211) and LF Lee Wood (.556) sparked the Red Sox with 3 hits each... O'Donovan and C Phil White (.231) plated 2 runs apiece... Southport's best bats were SS Gonzalo Topez (.457), RF Pat Kinney (.222) and 1B Eddy Douglas (.355), all with 2 hits each.

04-27-2014, 11:03 PM	#4167
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Thursday, October 5, 2045 2045 IPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 6 Ruthlandian Union SUGAR VALLEY RUTHLANDIAN CHAMPS Sugar Valley needed one more win to wrap up the Ruthlandian League Championship Series and they got it in game six from Christopher Dunsberry, who stumped the Glasco Athletics 6-1 and knocked the Pro Cup favorite out of the playoffs... the Rattlers captured the series four games to two and will now advance to the IPA Pro Cup Finals against the defending champion Southport Sun Sox... this will be the Rattlers' third try for a Pro Cup title... they lost the previous two times in 2004 and 2024. Dunsberry was outstanding, halting the A's on one run and 5 hits in his 7 innings... Dunsberry (2-0/0.77) was the winning pitcher... he walked one and struck out 8... Jerry Blanchard (0-1/3.27) closed out the victory with 2 runless innings... Basil Newchurch (2-1/4.56) was shelled for 6 runs and 11 hits in 7-plus innings. Offensively the Rattlers socked 12 hits... 1B James Milton (.320) and CF Carl Ramsey (.260) had solo homers for Sugar Valley... it was Milton's 5th of the playoffs and Ramsey's 4th... LF Bobby Gamble (.449) socked 3 hits, including 2 doubles... RF Jeff Harvey (.273) had 2 hits, including a 2-run double... Glasco got only 6 hits with 2B Del Holloway (.229) driving in their only score.

04-28-2014, 07:16 PM	#4168
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Friday, October 6, 2045 IPA CHAMP SOUTHPORT PICKED TO REPEAT The IPA Finals are slated to begin this Sunday afternoon in Pleasure Beach Park in Southport... both Pro Cup finalists have proven their meddle in the first two rounds of postseason play... defending IPA champ Southport got by two very fine teams in the North Hills Hawks and Red Bluff Red Sox in the Tycobbian Union, while Sugar Valley surprised two favored clubs, the Middlefield Roosters and Glasco Athletics, in the Ruthlandian Union... Southport was only the fourth choice to win this year, while Sugar Valley was even further down at the number six spot... the overall favorite this year was the Glasco A's, who piled up 100 victories in the regular season... Red Bluff was the second choice and Middlefield third in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll. Sun Sox manager Charley Oscar is hoping to end his career on a high note... next season Hall of Fame outfielder Lorne Evans will take the reins for him... the club would like nothing better than winning its second Pro Cup in a row... last year Southport knocked off Wynnamac in six games for their first IPA crown. The Sun Sox's strength lies in their strong pitching staff, led by veterans Billy Hoover (16-7/1.87) and portsider Johnny Swanson (14-8/3.46)... the bullpen is outstanding, too, led southpaw Hal Combs (7-4/1.94/14 saves)... LF Chris Jones (.316/9/67/95), SS Gonzalo Topez (.305/7/70/89) and CF Barney Lewis (.259/32/98/94) are the most reliable batters. On the hill Southport has been even better in the playoffs with a standout 1.88 ERA, sparked by Swanson with a 4-0 mark and 1.00 ERA in 4 starts... Hoover is 2-2 with a 2.86 ERA... the Sun Sox have 6 complete games in the postseason... number three starter Cade Brockton has done well, too, with a 1-0 record in his 2 starts with a fine 2.16 ERA... the bats have been more than adequate with a .265 BA and an average of 5 runs a game... Topez has hit .450 and scored 12 runs... Jones is batting .351, 1B Eddy Dougas .353 and C Vasilis Vlachos .316 in the playoffs... Southport has gone deep only 5 times in the postseason. Like Oscar, Sugar Valley skipper Gibby Bobkins is also stepping down this season... next season the Rattlers will have superstar Bobby Gamble guiding the club as a playing manager... a Pro Cup trophy would be a great retirement gift for Bobkins... twice he has gotten the Rattlers in the Pro Cup Finals, but they lost both times... to Red Bluff in 2004 and 20 years later to Tuckanarra in 2024. Sugar Valley has a powerful offense as well as quality pitching... they were third in homers with 198, fifth in runs with 735 and posted a solid 3.45 ERA (9th)... CF Carl Ramsey (.291/46/123/112) and LF Bobby Gamble (.336/33/89/123) topped the attack... in the playoffs the Rattlers have slammed 22 homers and hit .256... Gamble is the leader with a .449 BA and has knocked 3 out of the park in the postseason... 1B James Milton has 5 homers and 10 RBIs with a.320 average... Ramsey has 4 roundtrippers and is batting .260... and 3B Kent Rasmas has 10 RBIs, a pair of homers and a .259 BA... the Rattler hurlers have done their part... Davey Brennan is 4-0 with a 1.38 ERA in 4 postseason starts... Antonio Cedeno is 1-1 in 3 starts with a 2.20 ERA and Christopher Dunsberry is 2-0 with an impressive 0.77... during the season Brennan was 12-9 with a 3.13 ERA, Cedeno (9-8/2.90) and Dunsberry 10-8 with a 3.90 ERA... Joe Snow was the ace during the season with a 21-12 mark and a 3.47 ERA, but he has flopped badly in the playoffs with an 0-3 record in 3 starts and a terrible 5.56 ERA... Snow has been relegated to the bullpen for the rest of the playoffs. Southport has proved it can handle high-explosive offenses similar to Sugar Valley by whipping Red Bluff, which set a new standard for home runs in the IPA this year with an astounding 283... the Red Sox were held to just 2 roundtrippers in 5 games against the Sun Sox. PRO CUP FORECAST: Southport in six games... the Sun Sox have too much pitching for Sugar Valley to win... plus the Sun Sox get the homefield advantage with a 95-59 record to 94-60 for the Rattlers... Southport plays much better at home (.701)... while the Rattlers are just a .519 club on the road... Sugar Valley is average defensively with a .972 FA, but much better than Southport's very poor .967 FA.

04-28-2014, 10:03 PM	#4171
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Tuesday, October 10, 2045 2045 IPA PRO CUP SERIES - Game 3 RATTLERS RIP 4 HRS IN 9-8 WIN The Sugar Valley Rattlers have certainly gotten the attention of the favored Southport Sun Sox... they ripped them for 4 homers in a 9-8 victory in game three of the Pro Cup Series... the surprising Rattlers are now up two games to one in the best-of-seven set... Bobby Gamble and Carl Ramsey both collected 2 home runs to spark the win... Gamble had 5 RBIs and Ramsey 2. Sugar Valley leaped out to a 7-2 lead after 2 innings and built it up to 8-2 after 5 frames... then had to fight off a belated rally by the defending IPA titleholder... in a rocky outing Christopher Dunsberry (3-0/3.86) was blistered for 7 runs and 10 hits in 7 innings, but he still got the victory... the fourth of the Rattlers hurlers, Sammy Hughes, collected his third save of the postseason, but allowed a run in the ninth in a less-than-perfect outing... starter Cade Brockton (1-1/5.03) was slammed for 7 runs and 6 hits in his 3 innings and left on the short end of a 7-2 score. LF Bobby Gamble (.417), CF Carl Ramsey (.258) and SS Roger Hobbs (.227) all socked a pair of hits and scored 2 runs each to led the winners... 3B Kent Rasmus pitched in with a double and a triple, a run and an RBI... it was the fifth playoff homer for Gamble and fourth for Ramsey. Southport's CF Barney Lewis (.192), LF Chris Jones (.360), C Vasilis Vlachos (.294) and 3B James Long (.263) had 2 hits apiece... Long and Lewis had solo homers... it was Lewis' third and Long's second... Long had 3 RBIs in defeat. Last edited by Eugene Church; 05-28-2015 at 10:20 PM.

04-29-2014, 05:43 PM	#4172
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Wednesday, October 11, 2045 2045 IPA PRO CUP SERIES - Game 4 HOOVER HALTS RATTLERS 2-0, PRO CUP TIED AT 2 With his club down in the series 2-1, Billy Hoover was Johnny-on-the-spot and came just in the nick of time... his Southport Sun Sox were in dire need of a win and they got it... in an impressive outing Hoover shut out the Sugar Valley Rattlers 2-0 in game four of the IPA Pro Cup Finals and tied it up at 2 victories for each team... Hoover (4-2/2.05) struck out 7 batters, walked no one and allowed 7 hits in winning his second game of the series... in 7 innings loser Davey Brennan (4-2/3.22) was sharp, too, yielding only 2 runs on 8 hits with 4 walks and 5 Ks. It was a scoreless tie for 5 innings... then the Sun Sox snapped it with RBI singles from C Vasilis Vlachos (.291) and LF Chris Jones (.365)... Vlachos tops the Sun Sox with 11 RBIs in the postseason... Southport picked up 8 hits with RF Pat Kinney (.263) collecting 2 of them... 1B James Milton (.313) cracked 2 hits to pace the Rattlers. Last edited by Eugene Church; 05-28-2015 at 10:23 PM.

04-29-2014, 07:36 PM	#4173
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Thursday, October 12, 2045 2045 IPA PRO CUP SERIES - Game 5 RATTLERS TAKES SERIES LEAD, BEAT SWANSON AGAIN In game five of the Pro Cup Finals at Farmers Memorial Park, Sugar Valley took a giant step toward history with a 5-3 triumph over defending Pro Cup champ Southport... one more win and the Rattlers will rack up a historic first for them - the IPA Pro Cup trophy... Sugar Valley is up three games to two in the best-of-seven series and can wrap it up with a game six win in Southport... they will also have another shot should the series go full length to seven games. The Rattlers rose to the occasion and beat Johnny Swanson for the second time in the series... they got to him for 5 runs on 6 hits... shoddy defense by the Sun Sox cost them dearly... they made 3 errors... Swanson only allowed one earned run... Antonio Cedeno (3-1/2.33) beat Swanson again, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits in 8 and two-thirds innings... Jerry Blanchard relieved him in the ninth and got the final out of the game for the save. The game was all knotted up at 2-2 going into the last of the sixth... 3B Kent Rasmas broke the deadlock with an RBI single... Antonio Cedeno (.125) walked with the bases full and forced in a run... and SS Roger Hobbs (.219) got the third one in when he hit into a fielder's choice... that put Sugar Valley up 5-2... LF Bobby Gamble (.388) and RF Jeff Harvey (.274) drove in the other two Rattler runs. The Rattlers only got 6 hits and were paced by CF Carl Ramsey (.261) and Rasmas (.264) with two hits apiece... 1B Eddy Douglas (.288) and CF Barney Lewis (.207) topped the Sun Sox with a pair of hits... Douglas got the only roundtripper in the game... a solo shot in the opening frame... Douglas, LF Chris Jones (.351) and C Vasilis Vlachos (.293) drove in runs for Southport. Sugar Valley manager Gibby Bobkins is going with Joe Snow (21-12/3.47) in game six, even though he has struggled mightily in the postseason with 0-3 record and a lofty 5.32 ERA... Southport skipper Charley Oscar is also going with a break in the playoff rotation, substituting Gordon Forbes (15-8/3.36) for 20-game winner Cade Brockton... Brockton is 1-1 in 3 starts with a 5.03 ERA, while Forbes (0-0/2.25) has been effective in his one relief outing, holding the Rattlers to one run in 4 innings in game three... Sugar Valley took that one 9-8. Last edited by Eugene Church; 05-28-2015 at 10:26 PM.

04-29-2014, 08:27 PM	#4174
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Friday, October 13, 2045 2045 IPA PRO CUP SERIES - Game 6 RATTLERS ROMP TO FIRST PRO CUP Twice before in the club's history the Sugar Valley Rattlers had a chance to win the IPA Pro Cup... they failed both times... 2004 and 2024... but they were not to be denied this time... the underdog Rattlers smashed defending champ Southport 15-1 in game six to wrap up their first IPA title... Grand slam homers by Carl Ramsey and Delmer Campbell led the Rattler rampage that finished off the Sun Sox in six games... they got 6 runs in the top of the fifth and 8 more in the eighth to send the favored Sun Sox home to face a long, long winter. Three pitchers combined for the victory... Joe Snow (1-3/4.40) fired 5 shutout innings and struck out 7, allowing 4 hits... with a 6-0 lead he was forced to leave the game because of a long rain delay... but Domenico Renterias continued the shutout with two more scoreless frames... and Sammy Hughes nailed it down, but did permit one run in 2 innings... alltogether Rattler pitchers struck out 13 Sun Sox... starter Gordon Forbes (0-1/5.40) was scorched for 5 runs in 6 innings for the loss. Sugar Valley rapped out 14 hits with LF Bobby Gamble (.408) going 3-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs... 1B James Milton (.319) was 3-5 with 2 runs and an RBI... and RF Jeff Harvey (.284) going 2-5 with 2 runs and an RBI... CF Barney Lewis (.206) homered for the Sun Sox's only score. It was quite a retirement party for Sugar Valley's Gibby Bobkins, who told the press, "What a way to call it a career... finally winning the Pro Cup."... Bobkins is retiring this year after being at the helm for 45 seasons... 32-year-old superstar outfielder Bobby Gamble will be his replacement... Gamble will continue to be an on-field player and doesn't plan to retire soon. Bobkins said, "It's hard to beat a team that hits 27 homers in the playoffs... my Rattlers did a good job beating some pretty fair pitchers... Gamble is the greatest... he is the heart and soul of the team." As happy as the Sugar Valley locker room was, the Southport clubhouse was somber and as quiet as a morgue... to a man they were hoping to win back-to-back Pro Cups for their beloved manager Charley Oscar, who is also retiring this year... Oscar gave hearty congratulations to Bobkins and his Rattlers, "They came in against the odds and proved they were the best team in the IPA this year... Gamble and Ramsey are truly gifted players... but the whole line-up is filled with tough outs... they made my great staff look ordinary." Last edited by Eugene Church; 07-15-2015 at 12:39 PM.

04-30-2014, 10:53 PM	#4175
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Saturday, October 14, 2045 SV'S GAMBLE CHOSEN PRO CUP MVP Bobby Gamble of the Sugar Valley Rattlers has done it all in his fabulous career - 3-time Ruthlandian MVP, 10-time All-Star, 5-time Golden Bat winner, Golden Glover, 3-time pennant winner - and now Pro Cup winner and Pro Cup Most Valuable Player. Gamble sparked the Rattlers to their first-ever IPA crown with a .408 BA, 5 homers, 15 RBIs, 14 runs and 13 walks. He was the overwhelming choice in a poll conducted by The Islandian Times. Three other Rattler players got a few scattered votes: pitcher Antonio Cedeno, who was 3-1 in 5 starts with a fine 2.33 ERA, outfielder Carl Ramsey (.253 BA) with 7 homers, 13 RBIs and 12 runs and pitcher Davey Brennan with a 4-2 mark in 6 starts with a 3.22 ERA. Last edited by Eugene Church; 07-15-2015 at 12:39 PM.

05-01-2014, 08:02 PM	#4176
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Sunday, October 15, 2045 DELUCCA EDGES GAMBLE FOR RU GOLDEN BAT This year's winner of the Ruthlandian Golden Bat Award is Jojo DeLucca of the Claxton Diamonds, who took the honor for the first time in his 11-year career... DeLucca outpolled Sugar Valley's Bobby Gamble, a 5-time recipient... third in the voting was Sugar Valley's other fine outfielder Carl Ramsey. DeLucca paced the Diamonds to the RU South Division crown this season... he played in 150 games, batted .349 with 43 homers, 129 RBIs and scored 107 runs... the 30-year-old first sacker led the IPA with 213 hits, ranked third in BA, fifth in RBIs and ninth in runs... lifetime DeLucca is a .318 hitter with 348 homers... he won his first batting title this year. Gamble appeared in 148 games, batted .336 with 33 roundtrippers, 89 RBIs and scored 123 runs... he and Ramsey led the Rattlers to the RU East title... Ramsey hit .291 in 148 games, belted 46 homers, drove in 123 runs and scored 112 times.... Ramsey was the home-run leader in the Ruthlandian Union and second in RBIs and runs... in the IPA he ranked fourth in homers, sixth in RBIs and fourth in runs. VIKS' CULPEPPER AWARDED 6TH TU GOLDEN BAT Bayview's superb slugger Jerry Culpepper captured his sixth Tycobbian Golden Bat this season, besting Red Bluff's David Kelso, who almost tied Culpepper's IPA home-run record with 65 this year... Culpepper smashed 66 out of the park in 2040... third in the balloting was Derrek Jackson of Luxora, who led the IPA with a .359 BA. Culpepper came in second to Kelso with 55 home runs and was second to Rolling Hills' Jimmy Foxx with 143 RBIs... in 132 games Culpepper put up a .311 BA and scored 98 times... in his fabulous career the 31-year-old third baseman has hit .304 with 641 homers... Culpepper is sixth on the all-time HR list and could move up as high as second... and even the great slugger Jack Elliott, the IPA homer king with 848, just might be threatened, should Culpepper continue to hit homers at his present pace. Kelso had a great season with 65 homers, 130 RBIs and 111 runs, ranking first in homers in the IPA, third in RBIs and sixth in runs ... in 147 games Kelso batted .289 and helped the Red Sox win a second straight TU East title... Jackson won his first batting title for the fifth place Zorros with a .359 average... he was third in the IPA with 203 hits and fourth with 36 doubles... in 149 games Jackson slammed 32 homers, drove in 106 runs and scored 95 runs.

05-02-2014, 07:56 PM	#4177
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, October 16, 2045 BEECHWOOD'S HERMAN TOP RU HURLER Beechwood's chubby right-hander Jimmy Herman had a season to remember. The 30-year-old posted a superlative 26-9 record, which was good enough to win him his first Ruthlandian Golden Arm Arm, given to the best pitcher in the league. Herman had some strong competitors in James Long of the Middlefield Roosters and Jamie Taylor of the Rocky Rapids Snappers. Herman has played for 11 years for the Bobcats with three 20-game seasons. This year he led them to a second place finish. Herman completed 30 of his 39 starts with a 2.72 ERA and 268 strikeouts in 330 innings. He led the IPA in wins with 26 and was sixth in strikeouts. Career-wise Herman is 175-124 with a 3.34 ERA. James Long of Middlefield was the runner-up in the Golden Arm voting. He compiled a 23-13 record with 2.12 ERA, 6 shutouts and 212 Ks in 309 innings. Long paced the Roosters to the RU West Division pennant. He ranked second in ERA in the Ruthlandian Union and led the entire IPA with 6 shutouts. Jamie Taylor of Rocky Rapids was third in the poll. He led the RU with a splendid 2.00 ERA, while chalking up a 21-14 mark, 29 complete games and 5 shutouts. The Snappers wound up second to Middlefield in the pennant race. SA'S BELL TOP TU TWIRLER The 2045 Tycobbian Union Golden Arm Award went to San Alejo's Matt Bell. a first time winner. Second in the vote was Benton McCall of Cape Coral with Frankie Quinn of the Blue Lake Blue Sox coming in third. The 26-year-old Bell is a seven-year veteran with the Montaneros, who came in third this season in the TU South. Bell ranked second in the IPA in victories with a 25-9 mark. His super low 1.87 ERA placed him third in the IPA. Overall Bell has won 20 games five times in his career, piling up 145-86 record with a terrific 2.49 ERA. He throws in the upper 90's and was number two in the IPA with 284 strikeouts in 332 innings. Bell ranked second to James Long of Middlefield with 6 shutouts. Number two in the Golden Arm balloting was Benton McCall of the Cape Coral Hurricanes. At age 30 he really blossomed with a 25-9 record and a 2.74 ERA. McCall accomplished very little in his first seven seasons with the 'Canes, but has taken off in the last five and has become a solid starter. This year McCall helped the Hurricanes to a fourth place finish in the TU South. Getting better with age is 39-year-old Frankie Quinn, the third best votegetter. For the last four seasons he has registered 20 or more wins. Quinn had a 23-9 record with a standout 2.10 ERA for the Blue Sox, who were third in the TU North standings this season. In his famed 19-year career Quinn has won 20 games on 13 occasions, totaling a fantastic 366-263 mark with a great 2.93 ERA. He is now number four on the all-time wins list, topped only by Hall-of-Famers Nicky Engstrom (387-218) and Cody Burg (369-264) and the recently retired Augie Marquis (368-300) of the Fort Benton Defenders.

05-02-2014, 09:04 PM	#4178
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Tuesday, October 17, 2045 VALKA'S NETTERVILLE WINS RU ROOKIE HONOR Freshmen pitchers dominated in the Ruthlandian Union Rookie of the Year poll. That honor went to 26-year-old Royce Netterville of the Valka Blackhawks, who outdistanced two of his peers, Jody Joss of Kilkenny and Cullen Winslow of Sugar Valley. Netterville sparked Valka to third place this year in the RU North. That's the first time in 16 seasons the Blackhawks have made the first division. He put up an impressive 18-10 mark with a fine 3.19 ERA and 4 shutouts in 31 starts. Running second in the best rookie poll was Jody Joss of the Kilkenny Cats. He was 16-15 in 39 starts with an excellent 2.54 ERA, 17 complete games and 3 shutouts. The Cats wound up fourth in the RU North. Cullen Winslow played an important role in Sugar Valley's super season as the Rattlers won 94 games and won the RU East. He appeared in 50 games with a 14-7 record. He made 13 starts and had 9 saves and a solid 3.03 ERA. HIGH MESA PHENOM QUARLES TU'S BEST ROOKIE He was drafted in 2037, but it took a while for Lucius Quarles to get finally get a chance to show his wares in the IPA, but when he did, he made them stand up and take notice. At age 27 the High Mesa Cowboys gave him his shot and he responded by leading the IPA with a microscopic 1.65 ERA. Not only was he the ERA leader, he was voted the Rookie of the Year in the Tycobbian Union, besting Blue Lake's outfielder Johnny Harding and Ozarka catcher Paul Beasley. Quarles was 17-14 in 36 starts for the second place Cowpokes. Harding was in second place in the rookie voting. He had a strong season with a .307 BA, 30 doubles, 5 triples and 17 homers. Harding scored 75 runs and batted in 75 for the Blue Sox, who came in third in the TU North. In third place in the poll was Beasley, who showed good power with 23 homers for the Ozarka. The Naturals came in fifth in the TU East. He batted .285 with 26 doubles, 83 RBIs and scored 61 runs.

05-03-2014, 08:03 PM	#4179
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Wednesday, October 18, 2045 DELUCCA EDGES HERMAN FOR RU MVP Claxton superstar Jojo DeLucca has won many honors in his 11 years in the IPA, but one has always eluded him until this season - the much-coveted Ruthlandian Most Valuable Player trophy. The 30-year-old Claxton star edged out Beechwood's Jimmy Herman and Sugar Valley's Bobby Gamble for this year's award. DeLucca led the Diamonds to the RU South pennant with a .349 BA, tops in the RU and third best in the IPA. He led the IPA in hits with 213, blasted 43 homers, drove in 129 runs and scored 107 in a fine season. Lifetime DeLucca had batted an impressive .318 and hit 345 homers. He is an 8-time All-Star, 3-time Golden Glover and won his first Golden Bat this year. Jimmy Herman of the Beechwood Bobcats was runner-up to DeLucca in the voting. He was the king of the hill this year in the IPA with 26 victories and sparked the Bobcats to second place in the RU West race. Herman was 26-9 with a fine 2.72 ERA and 268 Ks. The 30-year-old righty led the IPA with 30 complete games. Sugar Valley's marvelous Bobby Gamble almost won his fifth MVP award this year, winding up a close third in the balloting. He had another exemplary season with a .336 BA, 33 HRs, 89 RBIs and 123 runs, leading the Rattlers to the RU West Division crown. RB BLASTER KELSO CLAIMS TU MVP It was a legendary year for Red Bluff's David Kelso, this year's Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player. The prolific slugger came within one homer of the all-time IPA home run mark, falling just short of Jerry Culpepper's 66 in 2040. Kelso beat out San Alejo ace starter Matt Bell and Luxora's batting champ Derrek Jackson for the MVP trophy. The 30-year-old Kelso was a prime ingredient in the Red Sox taking the RU East Division title for the second year in a row. He hammered 65 homers, drove in 130 runs, scored 111 and batted a respectable .289. In his 13-year career Kelso has 437 roundtrippers and a .278 BA. Twice he has led the IPA in homers. Kelso had 56 in 2042. Bell had a brilliant season for third place San Alejo in the TU South race and was second in the MVP poll. He was second in the IPA with 25 wins and second in strikeouts with 284. In all Bell chalked up a 25-9 record with the third best ERA at 1.87. Third in the voting for the MVP trophy was Luxora's talented Derrek Jackson, who won the Tycobbian batting title with a .359 BA, tops in the IPA this year. He was third in hits with 203, while collecting 36 doubles, 32 homers, 106 RBIs and 95 runs. The Zorros came in fifth this year in the TU North. Last edited by Eugene Church; 08-05-2019 at 08:45 PM.

05-03-2014, 10:01 PM	#4180
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,092 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Thursday, October 19, 2045 TOP DEFENDERS IN THE IPA CHOSEN BY RU AND TU The Islandian Pro Alliance announced the 2045 Golden Glove Awards for the Ruthlandian Union and the Tycobbian Union. Heading up the RU Gold Glovers were left fielder Eldon Aldridge of Ancona and shortstop Anto Dakos of Valmara, who were chosen for the third time in their careers to the elite squad. Center fielder Carl Ramsey of Sugar Valley picked up his second trophy. The Tycobbian Golden Glovers were led by left fielder Sogo Takagi of Ginza and catcher Frank Penn of Hartsdale. They were selected the best defenders for the third time. All other honorees were first timers. No rookies made the teams this year. RUTHLANDIAN GOLDEN GLOVE TEAM: SP Sammy Hayes (Wynnamac) (20-16/3.73) (1.000 FA) C Cannon Johnson (Elnora) (.261/19/82/63) (.993 FA/4 PB/46.9% RTO) 1B Glendon Glenn (Fort Benton) (.310/2/52/72) (.995 FA) 2B Marty Featherstone (Rocky Rapids) (.286/34/92/96) (.983 FA) 3B Ken Jensen (Valmara) (.300/7/60/104) (.964 FA) SS Antos Dakos (.282/12/66/72) (.972 FA) LF Eldon Aldridge (Ancona) (.289/38/102/66) (.997 FA) CF Carl Ramsey (Sugar Valley) (.291/46/123/112) (.998 FA) RF Ken Brennan (Cold Creek) (.273/4/51/48) (1.000 FA) TYCOBBIAN GOLDEN GLOVE TEAM: SP Lanny Gray (Arlon) (16-18/3.34) (1.000 FA) C Frank Penn (Hartsdale) (.222/5/46/53) (.995 FA/5 PB/37.9% RTO) 1B Josh Stevens (Red Bluff) (.252/43/91/96) (.994 FA) 2B Sam McClellan (East Point) (.257/5/50/58) (.986 FA) 3B Russ Henredon (Arroyo Grande) (.240/5/52/51) (.968 FA) SS Edison Randall (Bay St. Clair) (.248/19/82/62) (.980 FA) LF Sogo Takagi (Ginza) (.311/32/103/120) (1.000 FA) CF Giovanni Rizzo (High Mesa) (.233/11/63/47) (.987 FA) RF Wilfredo Acosta (Arroyo Grande) (.262/19/77/64) (.996 FA)