ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (Ruthlandia and Tycobbia Baseball Unions)

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Monday, June 25, 2001

Ruthlandian Union - South Division

Chappell Homers in 9th, Marston Stuns Sunbirds
The Marston Nine got a sixth successive win in stunning fashion. Trailing 2-1 going into the bottom of the ninth, they pulled it out when catcher Mo Chappell (.289) hit a three-run shot to whip the Belair Beach Sunbirds 5-2. Closer Ken Bagby (3-3 2.75) picked up the win with a scoreless ninth in relief of Booger Burchfield (3-6 3.27), who held the Sunbirds to two runs and seven hits in eight innings in his first start for the Nine, since being obtained in a trade. Loser Ken Frey (4-5 3.49) went the distance, surrendering five runs and seven hits.

It was Belair Beach's (28-40) fifth consecutive defeat. They are in last place in the RU South and 13 games behind first place Marston (40-26).

Diamonds Destroy Lumberjacks 14-3
"I think we got us a pretty fair country pitcher," was Claxton's manager Stacy Engel's comment after Johnny Szwak and his Diamonds destroyed Forest City 14-3 at Riverside Stadium. Szwak (7-1 3.38) registered a win in his first start for his new club. He was acquired recently in a trade for outfielder Winky Rush (.274). Szwak struck out 12 and scattered 10 hits in a complete game. Claxton backed him with plenty of firepower as they tied a league record with 7 doubles among their 19 hits. Right fielder Dixie Baker (.329) drove in four runs, first baseman Marty McCluskey (.314) three and left fielder Dan Molnar (.235) and catcher Pete Robinson (.198) each batted in a pair of runs. McCluskey paced the Diamonds with 5-for-6, including a record three doubles, center fielder Wayne Wilson (.288) scored three times and had three hits and four others had two hits apiece in the rout. Glenn Moore (7-5 3.05) started, but didn't last long, exiting in the five-run first frame. Moore got the loss.

Claxton's 7 doubles tied the IPA mark, also held by Marston and Hartsdale, while four other players have hit three doubles in a game: Donnie McCoy of Claxton, Scooter Perez of Volusia, Jerry Keller of Arlon and Chris Deangelo of Marston.

Forest City (37-32) is in second place in the standings, now 4.5 games behind. Claxton (31-38) is fifth and trails by 10.5 games.

SV's Benson Sets IPA Mark, 16 Ks
Third place Sugar Valley got one leg up on fourth place Waleska in the first game of the series between the two RU South rivals. Righthander Ron Benson fanned 16 Westerners for a new IPA record in Sugar Valley's 5-3 decision over Waleska. Benson (10-6 2.84) put on a dazzling performance for his 10th victory of the season and broke his own mark of 15, set in a 5-0 shutout over Belair Beach on June 14. He surrendered 10 hits, but only three runs, and walked only one, giving the Rattlers a one-game edge over Waleska. Sugar Valley got the winning run in the bottom of the sixth, when second baseman Rudi Oliver (.339) led off with a double and rode home on third baseman Jorge Vargas' (.342) double to make the score 4-3. Marv Chancellor (5-9 5.05) caught the loss, allowing all five runs and eight hits in seven innings. First baseman Ken Arnold (.242) had a solo homer for the Rattlers in the second, while third baseman Yoshihide Nishida (.289) hit a two-run roundtripper and right fielder Rick Vaughn (.302) a one-run shot for the Westerners.

The triumph moved Sugar Valley (34-33) into the third spot in the division and dropped Waleska (33-34) to fourth.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Monday, June 25, 2001

Islandian Pro Alliance Leaderboard

Ruthlandian Union

Runs
Ryan Morse (CFX) 58
Dennis Cole (CFX) 55
Matty McDermott (BB) 54
Yoshihide Nishida (WLK) 54
Jorge Vargas (SV) 54
Chuck Hill (FC) 53
Donny McCoy (CLX) 51
Blinky Branton (CFX) 50
Scooter Perez (VOL) 50

Doubles
Donny McCoy (CLX) 28
Cy Bartz (SV) 24
Matty McDermott (CLX) 22
Yoshihide Nishida (WLK) 22
Scooter Perez (VOL) 22
Pat Lott (CFX) 19
Todd Simons (ELN) 19
Johnny Strickland (FM) 19
Blinky Brandon (CFX) 18

Triples
Jet Kazmarek (VLM) 10
Flipper Bird (SV) 9
Tucker Hill (CFX) 8
Rudi Oliver (SV) 6
Royce Benson (FM) 5
Yoshi Motsuzuki (VLM) 5
Yoshihide Nishida (WLK) 5
Rick Sullivan (BB) 5
Jorge Vargas (SV) 5

Stolen Bases
Jet Kazmarek (VLM) 32
Scooter Perez (VOL) 28
Gerald Davis (FM) 22
Chet Reynolds (GLS) 22
Royce Benson (FM) 21
Hawk Gallagher (FM) 20
Tommy Reinhold (MAR) 20
Matty McDermott (BB) 19
Lonnie Howard (VOL) 14

Bases on Balls
Dennis Cole (CFX) 68
Gil Foster (ELN) 49
Floyd Vinson (VLM) 48
Nicky Swift (BB) 43
Louis Sharp (VLM) 41
Roland Thomas (MAR) 40
Chuck Hill (FC) 37
Keith Olsen (CLX) 34
Alejandro Salazar (VOL) 33

Wins
Casey Ledbetter (MAR) 11-2 3.42
Ron Benson (SV) 10-6 2.84
Smokey Joe Carter (WLK) 10-6 3.01
Nick Pace (MAR) 10-6 2.88
Charles Darby (GLS) 9-5 2.97
Sonny Elliott (FM) 9-5 2.64
Flash Guidry (CFX) 9-5 2.57
Hank Manning (CFX) 9-4 3.27

ERA
Zarek Zalewski (VLM) 8-4 1.97
Flash Guidry (CFX) 9-5 2.57
Jesse Balfour (GLS) 6-6 2.60
Sonny Elliott (FM) 9-5 2.64
Lenny Collins (VOL) 5-4 2.67
Carl Thompson (BB) 8-8 2.79
Ron Benson (SV) 10-6 2.84
Nick Pace (MAR) 10-6 2.88
John Luzzatti (FM) 5-4 2.91

Strikeouts
Ron Benson (SV) 123 10-6 2.84
Flash Guidry (CFX) 122 9-5 2.57
Carl Thompson (BB) 105 8-8 2.79
Jesse Balfour (GLS) 102 6-6 2.60
Tyrone Gray (ELN) 94 4-6 4.25

Saves
Ricky Moreno (VOL) 9 3-1 2.57
Gregg Neal (SV) 9 5-3 1.88
Doc Rutledge (FM) 7 6-1 2.19
Walt Sellers (CFX) 7 2-4 2.47
Lou Zanelli (BB) 7 5-3 2.70

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Monday, June 25, 2001

Tycobbian Union - East Division

Ito Too Tough for Hellcats
Toshiharu Ito has two shutouts this year and almost got another. The Ginza righthander won his 6th straight game with a 6-1 triumph over Hartsdale at Ninja Stadium. Ito (6-1 1.72) fired a three-hitter with six Ks and two walks. The first place Ninjas scored all of their runs in the third inning off losing pitcher Stan Vanderberg (0-2 7.94), belting him for eight hits. Ginza totaled a dozen hits for the game with six different players driving in a run. Ito (.217) had two hits and a run batted in.

The Ninjas (38-30) are guided by Horoko Uchiyama and are the top team so far in the Tyrobbian Union East Division. Hartsdale (31-37) is in next-to-last place, 7 games behind Ginza.

CC Comes Back and Beats Z's 7-4
Second place Cape Coral overcame shoddy defense and five errors to pull out a comeback victory 7-4 over the Luxora Zorros. The Hurricanes were trailing 4-2 going into the sixth, but rebounded with five runs, sparked by left fielder Claude Kershaw's (.250) bases-loaded triple. First baseman Rodger Wooten (.292) added two hits and two RBIs for the winners. Gary Fountain (6-2 4.22) got credit for the win, working seven innings, giving up seven hits, four runs, only two earned and striking out six. Scotty Lohmeyer (2-3 2.51) tossed two scoreless frames for his 5th save. Francisco Fernandes (5-7 3.92) was the victim of the sixth-inning uprising and was tagged with the loss. The Z's catcher Edmundo Neves (.222) had the only home run in the game, a solo shot in the sixth.

The Hurricanes (37-31) kept pace with first place Ginza (38-30) and are only one game in back of the Ninjas. Luxora (30-36) is last in the division, 7 games off the pace.

Starr's Homer Tops Stallions 4-3
Second baseman Duane Starr (.304) of Ozarka hit a bases-empty homer in the eighth inning to top South Fork 4-3. The homer-happy Naturals hit four solo roundtrippers to sink the Stallions. Both clubs had 9 hits in the game, but Ozarka had the longballs. First baseman Floyd Snow (.237) hit his 13th in the second inning, left fielder Ronnie Patterson (.257) got his 12th in the third inning and shortstop Rickey Simmons (.243) swatted number 3 in the fourth. The best South Fork could do was a two-run shot by left fielder Matt Stewart (.245), who hit his 6th of the season. Shortstop Bobby Riley (.263) doubled in the other Stallion score in the sixth to tie the game at 3-all. The Nats got fine relief work from three relievers, who blanked South Fork over the last four frames with victory going to Sid Hyder (1-0 0.00) and the save going to Alex DiMaggio (7-2 1.59). Hyder has yet to give up a run in seven innings over four relief appearances since being added to the roster in early June. It was DiMaggio's 4th save. Glenn Turnbull (3-3 3.15) allowed Starr's game-winning home run and got the setback.

All of the top three clubs in the TU East were winners today. Third place Ozarka (35-33) is three games out of first, while South Fork (32-36) fell six games back in fourth.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Monday, June 25, 2001

Islandian Pro Alliance Leaderboard

Tycobbian Union

Batting Average
Maury Smith (GLS) .367
Alan Hansen (BAY) .358
Stan Cobb (FFX) .348
Eric Richter (LUX) .343
Tony Mann (BSC) .337
Paul Hallenbeck (LUX) .332
Glenn Burns (BAY) .328
Karl Detwiler (ARL) .325
Gregg Vincent (FFX) .324

Home Runs
Gregg Vincent (FFX) 25
Dwayne Coleman (BAY) 24
Doug Cunningham (OZK) 18
Paul Giles (SF) 17
Francisco Abreu (HAR) 16
Gator Davis (FFX) 15
Rich Hart (LC) 14
Rodger Wooten (CC) 14
Donnie Frazier (BL) 13

RBIs
Dwayne Coleman (BAY) 69
Gregg Vincent (FFX) 69
Doug Cunningham (OZK) 56
Rich Hart (LC) 54
Gator Davis (FFX) 52
Jerry Keller (ARL) 52
Francisco Abreu (HAR) 50
Maury Smith (GLS) 49
Glenn Burns (BAY) 48

Hits
Andy Hansen (BAY) 93
Maury Smith (GLS) 91
Karl Detwiler (ARL) 88
Paul Hellenbeck (LUX) 87
Tony Mann (BSC) 87
Shinjiro Aoki (GIN) 85
Stan Cobb (FFX) 85
Phil Kanaan (BAY) 85
Gregg Vincent (FFX) 85

Runs
Andy Hansen (BAY) 57
Stan Cobb (FFX) 55
Gregg Vincent (FFX) 53
Dwayne Coleman (BAY) 52
Ronnie Patterson (OZK) 50
Francisco Abreu (HAR) 46
Phil Kanaan (BAY) 45
Maury Smith (GLS) 45
Tony Mann (BSC) 44

Doubles
Stan Cobb (FFX) 23
Doug Cunningham (OZK) 21
Nickie Friedrich (BSC) 21
Ernie Hutchinson (FFX) 20
Pedro Vizquel (LUX) 20
Glenn Burns (BAY) 18
Jerry Keller (ARL) 18
Gregg Vincent (FFX) 18
Whiz Weaver (HAR) 18

Triples
Ernie Hutchinson (FFX) 8
Jay Luna (HAR) 6
Matt Merrill (ARL) 6
Shinjiro Aoki (GIN) 5
Shorty Richards (BAY) 5
Kris Baker (LUX) 4
Paco Benitez (LUX) 4
Nickie Friedrich (BSC) 4
Takashi Fujimoto (GIN) 4

Stolen Bases
Shinjiro Aoki (GIN) 24
Andy Hansen (BAY) 24
Tommy Fortunato (LUX) 23
Paco Benitez (LUX) 19
Greg Reynolds (HAR) 19
Lucky Collins (LC) 18
Ronnie Patterson (OZK) 18
Chuck Hankins (BSC) 14
Shorty Richards (BAY) 14

Bases on Balls
Paul Giles (SF) 55
Andy Hansen (BAY) 54
Pedro Vizquel (LUX) 54
Glenn Burns (BAY) 48
Dwayne Coleman (BAY) 39
Stan Cobb (FFX) 38
Donnie Franzier (BL) 37
Gil Lantz (OZK) 31
Tony Mann (BSC) 31

Wins
Jackie Leslie (FFX) 10-3 3.19
Kojiro Matsumoto (GIN) 10-2 2.90
Flint Battle (SF) 9-6 2.50
Robbie Meredith (FFX) 9-2 2.82
Wally Robinson (CC) 9-5 2.88
Jesus Carvajal (BAY) 8-3 3.48
Jerry Harrison (BAY) 8-3 3.40
Phil Reed (HAR) 8-1 2.70
Vic Rousakis (GIN) 8-7 3.40

ERA
Toshiharu Ito (GIN) 6-1 1.72
Bennie West (BL) 7-7 2.44
Katsuyuki Nakashima (CC) 5-6 2.45
Flint Battle (SF) 9-6 2.50
Jay Clay (BL) 6-3 2.63
Phil Reed (HAR) 8-1 2.70
Frank Lamoreaux (LC) 6-4 2.71
Ace Howe (ARL) 5-6 2.78
Robbie Meredith (FFX) 9-2 2.82

Saves
Buzzy Lewis (BAY) 11 (3-3 2.70)
Monoto Kishata (LC) 9 (3-5 3.35)
Takehide Takahashi (FFX) 8 (6-1 1.40)
Ken Watkins (GIN) 7 (3-3 2.83)
Russ Courtney (CC) 6 (3-2 3.60)
Billy Joe Gordon (SF) 6 (0-5 2.77)
Katsuyuki Nakashima (CC) 6 (5-6 2.45)
Gene Young (HAR) 6 (4-3 2.96)
Scott Lohmeyer (CC) 5 (2-3 2.51)

Strikeouts
Wally Robinson (CC) 117 (9-5 2.88)
Vic Rousakis (GIN) 108 (8-7 3.40)
Danny Griffin (HAR) 103 (6-7 3.24)
Kasuhiro Nakayama (GIN) 100 (5-9 3.00)
Jackie Leslie (FFX) 97 (10-3 3.19)
Bennie West (BL) 96 (7-7 2.43)
Ken Olson (SF) 93 (6-6 2.86)
Johnny Montel (LUX) 92 (6-7 3.08)
Tony Nygaard (LC) 92 (2-4 3.42)

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Monday, June 25, 2001

Tycobbian Union - West Division

Frogs Smack Lynx 9-5, End 3-Game Skid
First place Fairfax got back on the right track after three straight losses to Bayview. The Frogs smacked La Claire 9-5 with a 13-hit attack. Left fielder Gator Davis (.291) led them with three RBIs, right fielder Gregg Vincent (.331) drove in two and second baseman Greg Inman (.280) batted in two more. Vincent was 3-4, scored three times and took over the Tyrobbian Union RBI lead with 71. Southpaw Jimmy Dalton (8-5 4.44) went the distance for the win, allowing five runs and and nine hits with seven strikeouts and a walk. Dalton blanked the Lynx for the first seven frames. Losing pitcher Frank Lamoreaux (6-5 3.43) was shelled for all nine runs in seven innings.

Fairfax (45-23) leads third place La Claire (34-34) by 11 games.

Bayview Blasts Bucs 8-1, Wins 4th Straight
The second place Bayview Vikings are on a tear and blasted Bay St. Clair 8-1 for their fourth straight victory. Paul Hood (4-3 2.78) and Ken Fairchild (0-0 0.00) teamed up on a four-hitter with the win going to Hood. He logged six and two-thirds innings, allowed only one run, three hits and fanned eight. Fairchild got the final seven outs and allowed one hit. The Vikings lashed out 11 hits and were led by second baseman Alan Hansen (.364), who went 3-4 with a double, two RBIs and scored twice. Shortstop Shorty Richards (.243) also batted in two runs and first sacker Dwayne Coleman (.296) homered for the 25th time this season. Coleman is now tied with Gregg Vincent (.331) of Fairfax for the home run lead. Starter Norm Gross (7-6 3.64) was nailed for four runs in the first inning and called it a day. He took the loss.

Bayview (38-32) trails the division leader Fairfax (45-23) by 8 games. The Buccaneers (26-43) are in last place, 19.5 games behind.

Blue Sox Edge Champs 8-7 in 10 Innings
At Harbor Stadium in Blue Lake, the Blue Sox eked out an 8-7 win over the Arlon Champions in 10 innings. The game was decided when catcher Seitaro Ohayashi (.198) tripled with one out in the tenth and was singled home by shortstop Cy Orgeron (.256). Reliever Russ Courtney (4-2 3.35) collected the victory, in spite of letting the Champs tie it up with two unearned runs in the ninth to send it to overtime. Courtney worked three innings, struck out four and gave up three hits. Arlon closer Jeff Nieman (6-4 1.38) pitched the last two and two-third innings and lost it. Blue Lake had the edge in hits 15 to 13 and were paced by first baseman Fred Taranto (.320) with two solo homers and three runs scored. Right fielder Doyle Osborne (.286) had a pair of hits and two RBIs and second baseman Dandy Wilson (.258) went 3-for-4. The Champions were led by center fielder Jerry Keller (.316) with 3-for-6, three RBIs and two runs scored and shortstop Bama Hartley (.264), who chipped in with two hits and two runs batted in.

The Blue Sox (30-37) are 14.5 games out of first place and are fifth in the TU West Division. Arlon (32-36) is fourth and trails Fairfax (45-23) by 13 games.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Tueday, June 26, 2001

Ruthlandian Union - North Division

Redhawks Slip Past All-Stars 4-3
At State Fair Park in Elnora, the first place Far Mountain Redhawks slipped past last place Elnora 4-3. Righthander Vic Vaux (7-5 3.53) tossed a solid game, yielding seven hits and three runs in eight-plus innings with six strikeouts and three walks. He exited with one out and the tying run on first in the ninth. Doc Rutledge (6-1 2.15) came in and walked two to load the bases, but he got out of it and picked up his 9th save. The Redhawks only got nine singles, but it was enough. Catcher Dave Davis (.380) and center fielder Hawk Gallagher (.322) each had three hits and right fielder Tommy Sonnier (.285) drove in two runs. The All-Stars were paced by first baseman Will Jackson (.239) with two hits, a double and a two-run homer, number 7 for the season. Catching the loss was Tyrone Gray (4-7 4.23), who surrendered seven hits and four runs, just two earned, in five innings.

Far Mountain (42-28) leads Elnora by 15 games and is on top of the Ruthlandian Union North Division. The All-Stars are way down in the division cellar.

Blasters Win 7th, A's Lose 8th
Colfax continued its winning ways with its 7th straight triumph. The Blasters edged Glasco 6-5 to send the A's to their 8th loss in a row. They pecked their way back from a 5-1 fifth-inning deficit, scoring the winning run in the eighth on Wayne O'Reilly's two-out double that scored pitcher Vic Jankovich (1.000), who had singled. Jankovich (2-0 0.00) notched his 2nd win, hurling two scoreless innings with three Ks. Closer Walt Sellers (2-4 2.42) pitched a perfect ninth for his 8th save. Jerry Smith (7-8 4.16) was the loser and went the distance, allowing 13 hits. Shortstop O'Reilly (.232) had three hits for Colfax, including a double and his 10th home run, scored twice and drove in two. Right fielder Pat Lott (.275) was 2-for-3 with a double and a pair of RBIs and left fielder Blinky Brandon (.299) went 3-for-4, scored one and drove in one. The Athletics top hitters were shortstop Kyle Ballentine (.304) with three hits and two RBIs and center fielder Chet Reynolds (.295) with 2-for-5 and two runs driven in.

The Colfax Blasters (39-30) are runner-up to first place Far Mountain (42-28) and are 2.5 games off the pace, while the Glasco A's (32-35) are tied for fourth place with the Valmara Vipers and trail by 8.5 games.

Vigilantes Maul Vipers 10-5 for 3rd Straight
The pitching woes are getting worse for Valmara manager J. Jackson Samuel. Volusia smashed 17 hits, including a new IPA record of 8 doubles in the 10-5 shellacking at the Jailhouse. The Vigilantes bats were led by right fielder Jesus Arroyo (.289) with three hits and three RBIs, left fielder Winky Rush (.281) with three hits and two runs batted in and first baseman Alejandro Salazar (.299) with a pair of hits and two runs batted in. Shortstop Scooter Perez (.371) added in 4-5 and two runs scored. Raul Sandoval (7-7 3.14) had a shutout for six innings and weakened in the late innings. He permitted nine hits in all, struck out six and issued a couple of walks. Gerry Bart (4-8 6.11) lasted only two-plus innings and gave up five runs on eight hits for the loss.

The V's 8 doubles broke the old mark of 7 held by by three teams: Marston, Hartsdale and Claxton. Volusia (8) and Valmara (2) totaled 10 together to set a new IPA record for a regulation game. Forest City (6) and Claxton (4) have the record for the most in an extra-inning game. They had 10 in Claxton 6-5 fourteen-inning victory on May 21.

The Volusia Vigilantes (34-35) are now third in the division, 7.5 games back of Far Mountain (42-28). The Valmara Vipers (33-36) are tied with Glasco (32-35) for fourth place and are 8.5 games behind.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Tueday, June 26, 2001

Ruthlandian Union - South Division

Marston Shocks Sunbirds Again
Lightning never strikes twice in the same place, except at Legends Field in Marston. The Nine shocked Belair Beach again for the second day in a row with a ninth-inning home run to win the game 6-5. Right fielder Chris Deangelo (.288) hammered a three-run rip to win Marston's 7th game in succession and gave the Sunbirds a sixth straight defeat. Belair Beach starter Spunky Oberlander (0-1 10.39) carried a 5-2 lead into the last of the ninth, but couldn't hold off Marston. Oberlander got the first two men out, but then the roof caved in. He gave up a single and a walk, then third baseman Roland Thomas (.345) deadlocked the score at 2-all with a single. Closer Lou Zanelli (5-4 2.92) came in from the bullpen and only made two pitches for the loss, the second one was Deangelo's 9th homer this year. Skipper Johnny Walters got some strong innings from his bullpen. Milt Wilson came on for starter Paul Azard (7-3 3.65) in the fourth with score 4-0. Wilson only gave up one unearned run over the next four frames. Jorge Bonilla (2-0 4.54) blanked Belair Beach the last two innings for the victory. The Sunbirds were led at the plate by first baseman Paul Gravelli (.318) with two hits and his 12th homer, a three-run blast in the third and right fielder Nicky Swift (.332), who scored twice and had three hits. Belair Beach held an advantage with 12 hits to the Nine 8, but stranded too many runners.

First place Marston (41-26) improved its lead over last place Belair Beach (28-41) to 14 games.

Diamonds Win 3rd Straight, Dump 'Jacks 5-2
Fifth place Claxton got another good pitching performance and dumped second place Forest City 5-2 at Riverside Stadium to register a third straight win. Righthander Tetsunori Nakashima (9-5 4.47) gave up eight hits, but pretty much kept the Lumberjacks off the scoreboard. Nakashima fanned six and walked four in completing his 6th game. Everybody in the Diamond lineup got at least one hit, including Nakashima (.188). Left fielder Dan Molnar (.273) and catcher Mike Felker (.095) swatted solo home runs to pace the 14-hit attack. First baseman Marty McCluskey (.312) led them with two RBIs. Pinchhitter Johnny Mack Butler (.247) whacked his 7th roundtripper for Forest City. Gene Stuart (6-6 4.79) got tagged with the defeat and for 13 hits, but he kept the 'Jacks in the game. They trailed only 3-1 going into the ninth.

With the setback Forest City (37-33) lost a game to first place Marston (41-26) and fell 5.5 games back. Claxton (32-38) is fifth and 10.5 games behind in the RU South race.

Haines Halts Westerners 7-1
The Sugar Valley Rattlers rattled the fences at Farmers Memorial Park for 13 hits and Paul Haines halted Waleska on six hits in the 7-1 triumph. Haines (5-4 2.87), one of the most consistent pitchers in the IPA, worked another strong game, finishing up with five Ks and only one walk. The Rattlers hammered three balls out of the park as third baseman Jorge Vargas (.344) slammed #17, a two-run salvo, and center fielder Freddie Vaux (.338) and left fielder Nick Price (.276) hit solo jobs. Vaux had three hits, while Vargas and catcher Slingshot McFall (.324) went 2-4 and batted two runs in. Price injured his knee running the bases and will be out one to two weeks. Rusty Kraft (5-7 4.28) was hit hard and suffered the loss in a route-going effort.

Third place Sugar Valley (35-33) has won the first two games of the series and fourth place Waleska (33-35) has lost its last three contests. The Rattlers trail Marston (41-26) by 6.5 games and the Westerners are 8.5 games off the pace.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Tuesday, June 26, 2001

Tycobbian Union - East Division

Ginza's Matsumoto 11-Game Winner
Ginza's 5'7" righthander Kojiro Matsumoto chalked up a 7-1 win over Hartsdale at Ninja Stadium for his 11th victory of the year. He joins Casey Ledbetter (11-2 3.42) of Marston as the only two IPA pitchers to reach that number so far. Matsumoto (11-2 2.76) has won his last three decisions. Today he stifled the Hellcats on seven hits, gave up two walks and whiffed three. Matsumoto (.150) swung a good bat, too. He doubled in three runs in the second inning to put the Ninjas ahead 3-0. Center fielder Takashi Fujimoto (.291) had a perfect 4-4 day and scored three times. Ginza only got seven hits, but it was enough offense to whip Phil Reed (8-2 2.94), who suffered only his 2nd loss of the season, yielding four runs in four innings. The Hellcats have dropped the last three games.

Ginza (39-30) is on top of the Tycobbian Union East Division and widened the gap between them and last place Hartsdale (31-38) to 8 games.

Zorros Upend Hurricanes 9-4
The Luxora Zorros ripped Cape Coral for 5 runs in the ninth to win going away 9-4. Second baseman Paco Benitez (.259) singled in the tiebreaking run off losing pitcher Joey Martin (0-1 3.60), who didn't get an out in the top of the ninth. Right fielder Pedro Vizquel (.292) and catcher Eric Richter (.357) also had RBIs in the inning. Richter was 5-for-5 with a double, a homer and three RBIs. First baseman Rodger Wooten (.295) and right fielder Eric Smith (.208) led the 'Canes as each had a two-run roundtripper. Starter Chris Pierce (6-5 3.59) was the winning pitcher. He tossed eight innings, allowed four runs and nine hits with five strikeouts and walked only one. Eddie Hoffman worked a scoreless ninth to seal the verdict. Jeff Salow (1-0 2.77) made his second start for the Z's and struck out 10 in seven innings. He departed with the score tied at 4-all.

Second place Cape Coral (37-32) lost a game to first place Ginza (39-30) in the TU East pennant chase and is now 2 games back of the Ninjas. Luxora (31-36) is fifth and trails by 7 games.

Stallions Hold Off Nats 4-2
Two new additions to the pitching corps helped South Fork hold off Ozarka 4-2 at Jock Ewing Stadium. Skipper Deroche "Lips" Leon was beaming after the game. Vince Benini (1-1 2.45) worked a strong game, pitching into the eighth and giving up only two runs on six hits for the victory and reliever Burnell Bradford (0-0 0.00) struck out three of the five batters he faced for the save in his first IPA appearance. The Stallions bats produced 11 hits off loser Luther Hatch (7-8 3.89), who went the route in defeat. Catcher Darryl Burnett (.252) had a two-run swat to pace them. First baseman Keith Burke (.298) doubled in a run and right fielder Paul Giles (.270) hit a sac fly for the other score. The Nats only runs came on third baseman Doug Cunningham's (.261) 19th home run of the season in the eighth.

It was the third loss in a row for third place Ozarka (35-34), which slipped 4 games in back of Ginza (39-30). South Fork (33-36) is in the fourth spot in the division standings and is 6 games out.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Tuesday, June 26, 2001

Tycobbian Union - West Division

Frogs Outlast Lynx 8-7 in 12 Innings
In a extra-inning thriller at the Frog Pond, Fairfax bullpen ace Takehide Takahashi not only did the pitching, he scored the winning run. Takahashi (.200) doubled with two outs in the twelfth and was driven in by center fielder Billy Echevarria's (.248) single to outlast the La Claire Lynx 8-7. Takahashi (7-1 1.44) was brilliant on the mound, too. He worked five innings, limited La Claire to one run, two hits and struck out seven, while yielding no walks. It was his 7th victory. Echevarria (.248) sparked the Frogs at the plate with three hits, four RBIs and scored twice. Echevarria hit his 4th home run. All total Fairfax clobbered Lynx pitching for 19 hits with right fielder Gregg Vincent (.339) going 4-5 with two RBIs, including his 26th homer. Vincent is now the Tycobbian Union leader in both home runs and RBIs. He now has driven in 73 runs. La Claire only had 9 hits and were led by first baseman Francisco Robles (.287) with 3-5 and an RBI and left fielder Rich Hart (.264), who hit his 15th roundtripper. Lynx closer Monoto Kishata (3-6 3.29) pitched three and a third innings and got tagged with the defeat.

First place Fairfax (46-23) gave third place La Claire (34-35) its third successive loss and is now 12 games in front of the them.

Zorros Upend Hurricanes 9-4
The Luxora Zorros ripped Cape Coral for 5 runs in the ninth to win going away 9-4. Second baseman Paco Benitez (.259) singled in the tiebreaking run off losing pitcher Joey Martin (0-1 3.60), who didn't get an out in the top of the ninth. Right fielder Pedro Vizquel (.292) and catcher Eric Richter (.357) also had RBIs in the inning. Richter was 5-for-5 with a double, a homer and three RBIs. First baseman Rodger Wooten (.295) and right fielder Eric Smith (.208) led the 'Canes as each had a two-run roundtripper. Starter Chris Pierce (6-5 3.59) was the winning pitcher. He tossed eight innings, allowed four runs and nine hits with five strikeouts and walked only one. Eddie Hoffman worked a scoreless ninth to seal the verdict. Jeff Salow (1-0 2.77) made his second start for the Z's and struck out 10 in seven innings. He departed with the score tied at 4-all.

Second place Cape Coral (37-32) lost a game to first place Ginza (39-30) in the TU East pennant chase and is now 2 games back of the Ninjas. Luxora (31-36) is fifth and trail by 7 games.

Arlon Stops Sox 7-3
On the road Matt Merrill and Andy Pettorini plastered home runs to pace Arlon to a 7-3 triumph over Blue Lake at Harbor Stadium. Left fielder Merrill (.315) went 2-for-5, scored three times and drove in a pair of runs, while Pettorini (.303) was 2-for-5, scored twice and batted in one run. Shortstop Bama Hartley (.263) chipped in a two-run two-bagger for the winners. The victory went to Ace Howe (6-6 2.77), although he was not at his sharpest. He was tagged for three runs and seven hits in six-plus frames with six Ks and three bases on balls. 19-year-old Connie Gavagan (0-0 0.00), a newcomer to manager Gary Louis' mound corps, walked two, but got the last five outs, surrendering no hits and no runs to claim his first save of the season. Clint McPherson (1-3 3.88) was nailed with the loss, allowing four runs and seven hits in just three innings.

The fourth place Arlon Champions (33-36) snapped a two-game skid and is 13 games behind the first place Fairfax Frogs (46-23), while the Blue Lake Blue Sox (30-38) are in the fifth spot in the Tycobbian Union West Division, 15.5 games out.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Wednesday, June 27, 2001

Ruthlandian Union - North Division

Redhawks Win In 10 Over All-Stars
Hawk Gallagher of first place Far Mountain boomed a two-run tenth-inning homer to top the Elnora All-Stars 4-2. Both clubs got excellent pitching from Sonny Elliott of the Redhawks and Pat Savoie of the All-Stars. The starters tossed complete games with Elliott (10-5 2.58) taking the victory. He struck out seven and walked two in ten innings and held Elnora to two runs. Savoie (3-1 2.61) suffered his first loss so far this season, giving up only five hits and three earned runs, one walk and striking out ten. Center fielder Gallagher (.323) had two hits and two runs driven in to led Far Mountain with some RBI help from right fielder Tommy Sonnier (.286), who hit his 9th homer in the sixth, and shortstop Al Nixon (.273), who had an RBI single in the seventh to even the score at 2-2. Elnora's only runs came on solo salvos in the second and sixth frames from Quincy Peterson (.295), his 11th and 12th this year.

Far Mountain (43-28) has won its last two games and leads the RU North. Elnora (27-44) is sixth and last in the standings, 16 games back.

Colfax Wins 8th Straight, A's Tie Loss Mark
Third sacker Russ Farrell's tenth-inning single was the game-breaker that enabled Colfax to win its 8th straight game, just one short of the IPA mark. A one-out walk put left fielder Blinky Brandon (.298) on base. He advanced to third on first baseman Dennis Cole's (.300) double, then scored on Farrell's (.284) hit to nip Glasco 3-2 and send them to a record-tying 9th consecutive defeat. Irv Panko (1-0 0.00) pitched a perfect tenth for the victory in relief of Alex Castille (8-5 4.08), who worked nine innings, gave up 11 hits, two runs, fanned eight and walked no one in a strong outing. Ray Cook (1-4 1.98) lost it in relief of Bill Darby, who went eight innings, permitted two runs on six hits, struck out five and walked five. The Athletics outswung the Blasters 11 hits to 8 with first baseman Maury Smith (.355) getting two hits and two RBIs, including his 10th home run. Colfax got its other two runs on doubles by Brandon and center fielder Tatsuya Sasaki (.270).

The Glasco A's are now tied with the Sugar Valley Rattlers for the dubious honor of most consecutive losses. Sugar Valley set the IPA mark on June 4th with a 6-5 loss to Marston.

The Blasters (40-30) are second in the division, only 2.5 games behind the Far Mountain Redhawks (43-28) and the Athletics (32-36) are next-to-last, 9.5 games off the pace.

Volusia Wins 4th , Trounces Valmara 9-3
In an attempt to shake Valmara out of the doldrums, manager J. Samuel Jackson added three new hurlers and used all of them against the red-hot Volusia Vigilantes, but to no avail -- the Vipers lost their 8th game in succession -- while the V's chalked up their 4th in a row. The Vigilantes trounced Valmara 9-3 behind Kit Kivett (6-3 2.60), who finally won one after three straight defeats. The Volusian bats were blazing with 16 hits, spearheaded by shortstop Scooter Perez (.378), who took over the top spot in the Ruthlandian Union with a .378 batting mark. Perez went 4-for-5 with a double, homer and four RBIs. Second baseman Chaco Rivera (.250) collected three hits, including a double and a roundtripper, scored twice and drove in two runs and left fielder Winky Rush (.287) put up three hits and scored twice. Loser Gerry Wojcik (0-1 7.82) lasted only three innings and gave up five runs. Vanya Vasylenko (0-0 3.00) and Jace Allardyce (0-0 9.00) didn't fare much better. Kivett permitted 11 hits, but only two earned runs for the victory.

Valmara (33-37) and Glasco (32-360 both are in the throes of losing streaks and are tied for fourth place, 9.5 games behind. Volusia (35-35) finally made the .500 mark and has climbed up into third place, 7.5 games out.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Wednesday, June 27, 2001

Ruthlandian Union - South Division

Nine's Pace Blanks Sunbirds, Wins 11th
Nick Pace of the Marston Nine became the third pitcher to win 11 games in the Islandian Pro Alliance. Pace blanked last place Belair Beach 7-0 and sent them down to their 7th successive defeat and gave Marston its 8th consecutive victory. Pace (11-6 2.69) struck out six, walked three and gave up eight hits. Left fielder Ronnie Horn (.302) and third baseman Roland Thomas (.344) batted in two runs apiece, while Horn and second baseman Ken Green (.340) homered for the Nine. Sunbird starter Troy Wilson (4-9 4.50) didn't last long as he surrendered five runs in less than two innings, although only one was earned.

Marston (42-26) is atop the RU South standings and leads last place Belair Beach (28-42 by 14 games.

Diamonds Take 4-3 Win Over Lumberjacks
Claxton's is finally playing the type of ball manager Stacy Engel wants them to play -- winning baseball. The Diamonds just won their 4th in a row by taking a close 4-3 triumph over second place Forest City. Former bullpen king turned starter, Earl Weber (5-3 3.46), struck out 11 in getting his first win in that role. He permitted nine hits and walked nobody in his second start. Leading Claxton's 10-hit attack were left fielder Dan Molnar (.346) with 3-4, two runs scored and an RBI and catcher Pete Robinson (.204) was 2-4 with a solo homer. Right fielder Dixie Baker (.325) also drove in a run. Topping the Lumberjacks was J. T. Edmonds (.249) with a two-run roundtripper and two hits, while right fielder Benny Davis (.248) has a pair of hits and an RBI. Vinny Edelman (6-6 3.20) was the losing pitcher, allowing four runs and nine hits in eight innings with six strikeouts. The Diamonds broke up a 2-2 tie with single runs in the sixth and seventh.

Runner-up Forest City (37-34) fell another game behind first place Marston (42-26) and now trails by 6.5 games. Claxton (33-38) is fifth and 10.5 games out.

Waleska's Carter Mows Down Rattlers 6-2, Wins 11th Game
Waleska snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-2 victory over Sugar Valley on the road. Smokey Joe Carter (11-6 2.98) won his third in a row and fifth in his last six decisions to become the fourth hurler in the IPA to reach 11 wins. Carter tossed seven and a third innings, fanning six, allowing ten hits, but only two runs. He got help from closer Andrei Marsiske (3-2 2.65), who retired all five batters he faced for his 7th save. Harvey Hines (6-6 4.27) lost it, but was the victim of five unearned runs. He allowed seven hits and six runs in four innings. Westerner shortstop Jinx Giarussa (.290) led the offense with two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored, including a home run. Left fielder Big Hoss Burkhalter (.311) went 3-for-4 with a double and a run batted in. Rattler shortstop Flipper Bird (.266) accounted for both runs with a two-run blast in the fifth inning to cut the score to 6-2. Bird has hit 6 homers this season.

Waleska (34-35) is fourth in the Ruthlandian Union South Division and is one game behind third place Sugar Valley (35-34). The Westerners are 8.5 games behind first place Marston (42-26), while the Rattlers are 7.5 games back.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Wednesday, June 27, 2001

Tycobbian Union - East Division

Ginza Socks It to Hellcats 11-5
At Ninja Stadium, Ginza socked it to the Hartsdale Hellcats by the score of 11-5, battering them for 13 hits. The Ninjas cracked open a 5-5 tie with six runs in the sixth inning. Second baseman Scoop McDonald (.258), right fielder Charlie Campbell (.282), catcher Kotsuya Noguchi (.298) and third baseman Toshiro Nomura (.309) all drove in two runs. Reliever Toshiya Tamura (3-2 5.00) got the last out in the sixth and was the pitcher of record. He picked up the win by retiring one batter. Two other relievers, Kinji Hayashi (0-0 0.00) and Ken Watkins (3-3 2.64), blanked Hartsdale over the last three innings. Hellcat starter Danny Griffin (6-8 3.86) was battered for ten runs in five innings for the loss. The Hellcats got 11 hits and left 15 runners stranded. Catcher Kevin Haynie (.340) was 3-for-5 with an RBI and third baseman Whiz Weaver (.278) went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. It was Hartsdale's fourth loss in succession.

Ginza (40-30) has won its last three contests and is in first place in the Tycobbian Union East, 9 games ahead of cellar-dwelling Hartsdale (31-39).

Z's Zip by CC 4-3 in 10 Innings
Fifth place Luxora zipped by second place Cape Coral at Seaside Stadium 4-3 in a 10-inning affair, decided when center fielder Tommy Fortunato (.263) hit a two-out single off losing pitcher Hadley Frasch, stole second base and then was driven in by right fielder Pedro Vizquel's (.290) base hit. The Zorros took an early 3-0 lead in the second inning, but the Hurricanes came back to tie it with two in the sixth and one in the eighth. Luxora was held to six hits, while Cape Coral collected 10. Pacing the victors were second baseman Paco Benitez (.259) with two runs batted in and third baseman Rico Vina (.293) with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored. Skipper Rodrigo Alejandro got good pitching from a trio of hurlers. Starter Keith Callahan (6-6 3.12) went into the eighth and gave up three runs, seven hits and fanned seven, while Roberto Martinez (5-3 2.17) and winner Andy Stevens (3-3 3.33) held the 'Canes runless the rest of the way. CC's starter Wally Robinson (9-5 2.76) worked nine strong innings, limiting Luxora to just four hits and one earned run, struck out seven and issued three bases on balls. His relief, newcomer Hadley Frasch (0-1 9.00), absorbed the loss in his first ever IPA appearance. At the plate first baseman Rodger Wooten (.297) had two-run homer in the sixth frame with catcher Rick Clark (.336) contributing the other RBI.

The setback put Cape Coral (37-33) three games in the rear of first place Ginza (40-30) and the Zorros (32-35) seven games out in the division.

SF's Olson Stops Ozarka 10-2
22-year-old Ken Olson of the South Fork Stallions registered his fourth triumph in his last five decisions and struck out 11 Ozarka Naturals in the 10-2 drubbing. Olson (7-6 2.69) stopped them on six hits and allowed no earned runs in another solid performance. The youthful righthander has pitched much better than his won-lost mark would indicate. Olson has had woeful run support this season from the Stallions. But that wasn't the case today. They walloped 15 hits with everyone in the batting order getting at least one base hit. South Fork exploded for five runs in the seventh to take an 8-2 lead. Heading the list were third baseman Glenn Holliday (.249), second baseman Bob Jones (.297), left fielder Matt Stewart (.250) and catcher Darryl Burnett (.253), each with two RBIs apiece. First baseman Keith Burke (.327) scored three times and collected 3 hits in 5 at-bats. Stewart hit homer number 7 for the Stallions. Being pegged with the defeat was Yasuyuki Nakagawa (7-8 3.25), who was shelled for eight runs in seven innings. It was one of his worst outings this season.

Ozarka's record has fallen to 35-35 and the third place Nats are now 5 games off the pace of the division-leading Ginza Ninjas (40-30). The South Fork Stallions (34-36) are right on Ozarka's tail in fourth place and trail Ginza by 6 games.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Wednesday, June 27, 2001

Tycobbian Union - East Division

Lynx Blow Away Fairfax 8-1
When it rains at the Frog Pond, it pours - just ask Harry Buckley, manager of the Fairfax Frogs. His club had a 1-0 edge going into the ninth, but when it was finally over, the La Claire Lynx blew them away to the tune of 8-2. Jackie Leslie (10-4 3.14) was working on a 6-hit shutout, but tired and walked two batters to start the ninth. Leslie departed and was replaced by Gerry Fisher (3-1 4.32), who walked another and filled the bases. Then the Lynx laced hit after hit off Fisher and Eddie Castillo (0-3 4.68) until they had scored 8 runs. They rang up 12 hits in all and were sparked by left fielder Rich Hart (.266) with two hits and two RBIs. Third baseman Luiz Marquez (.286), catcher Dennis Weiss (.263) and right fielder Manny Paulauskas (.253) each added two hits. Kimo Orlando (2-0 1.69) fired another fine game for La Claire, striking out 10 in eight innings, allowing only seven hits and a run for the victory. Andy Murray (2-1 3.68) came on in the bottom of the ninth and was touched for an unearned run and two hits. Leslie was the losing pitcher, but pitched very well, yielding only two runs and six hits in eight innings with nine Ks and two walks.

Fairfax (46-24) has the best record in the IPA and has an 11-game edge over third place La Claire (35-35) in the Tyrobbian Union West Division.

Bayview's Harrison Hurls 3-1 Win Over BSC Bucs
Big Jerry Harrison (9-3 3.19) of Bayview won his 8th straight game with a 3-1 victory over Bay St. Clair. Recently obtained in a trade with South Fork for first baseman Keith Burke (.327), the 6'7" righthander won his second game for the Vikings, checking the Buccaneers on seven hits with eight strikeouts and two walks. It was the Viks 6th consecutive win and the Bucs 3rd loss in a row. Bayview got nine hits off Gary Robinson and Don Yaden (0-0 4.91). The defeat went to Robinson (4-9 4.41), who permitted three runs and seven hits in six innings. The Viks were led by second baseman Andy Hansen (.369) with 3-4 and two runs scored and RBIs by first baseman Dwayne Coleman (.306), center fielder Ed O'Neal (.148) and right fielder Dean Howell (.316). The Buccaneers only score came on first baseman George Lyons' (.229) 11th homer.

Bayview (40-32) trails first place Fairfax (46-24) by 7 games in the divisional race, while Bay St. Clair (26-45) is still stuck in the basement, 20.5 games behind.

Blue Sox Outduel Champs 2-1
Blue Lake's skipper Cobb Tyson got good outings from his mound staff today at Harbor Stadium to outduel Arlon 2-1. Derek Manetti (3-5 4.25) worked seven strong innings and gave up only one run and four hits, fanning nine with just two bases on balls. Closer Russ Courtney (5-2 3.20) came on in the eighth and picked up the victory with two scoreless innings. Arlon also got a fine performance from starter Craig Smith (8-5 3.03), who held the Blue Sox to just three hits and one run over seven innings. He exited for a pinchhitter. Jeff Nieman (6-5 1.54) gave up the winning run in the last of the eighth, when left fielder Greg Boone (.296) singled in pinchhitter Dandy Wilson (.257) with the tiebreaking run from third. Wilson had walked to lead-off the inning and moved to third on shortstop Cy Orgeron's (.256) double. There were only nine hits in the game with Blue Lake getting five of them.

The Blue Lake Blue Sox (31-38) are in fifth place in the standings, 14.5 games out of first. Arlon (33-37) is fourth and trail by 13 games.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Thursday, June 28, 2001

Ruthlandian Union - North Division

All-Stars Top Redhawks 5-4 with Big 8th Inning Rally
The last place Elnora All-Stars surprised the first place Far Mountain Redhawks with a four-run rally in the eighth to top them 5-4. Trailing 4-1, second baseman Gil Foster (.356) closed the gap to one run with a two-run single, then catcher Todd Simons (.277) put the All-Stars ahead to stay with a two-run double. They loaded the bases against starting pitcher John Luzzatti (5-4 3.04) with three straight singles, then teed off on closer Doc Rutledge (6-2 2.35), who suffered his second defeat. Sean Sykes (7-7 5.05) was the winner, going eight innings and giving up four runs on ten hits. Sykes fanned nine and walked three. Wally Tidwell (2-4 3.79) pitched a perfect ninth for his third save. Foster paced Elnora with 3 hits in 4 tries with two RBIs, while right fielder Art Atkins (.318) scored twice. The Redhawks got two-run homers from third baseman Johnny Strickland (.294) and left fielder Gerald Davis (.244). Overall Far Mountain outhit the All-Stars 10 to 8.

Far Mountain (43-29) had won the first two games of the series. Elnora (28-44) is 15 games behind them in the Ruthlandian Union North Division.

A's Finally Win, Blasters Finally Lose
It was a long time coming, but Glasco finally put an end to a 9-game losing skid and at the same time finally put an end to the Blasters winning streak at 8 with a hard-fought 5-4 triumph in Colfax. New acquisition, Bobby Joe Belvin, an 18-year-old fireballer, was the hero as he shut down Colfax the last two frames for his first save, striking out three of the seven batters he face. Hitting-wise, the way was led by third baseman Zach Byorvik (.226), who evened the score at 4-4 with an RBI single, followed by another RBI single by second baseman Barry McCord (.301) that gave the Athletics the winning score. Jesse Balfour (7-6 2.76) won it with seven innings pitched and four runs allowed. He struck out seven and walked four. Colfax's ace, Flash Guidry (9-6), was charged with the loss, working eight innings, yielding eleven hits, five runs, walking none and striking out nine. The A's also got the best of the Blasters with 12 hits to their 10. McCord had the only roundtripper in the game, his 7th.

Colfax (40-31) remained 2.5 games in back of first place Far Mountain (43-29) as both teams lost. The Glasco A's (33-36) are in the fourth spot, 8.5 games out.

V's Win 5th, Vipers Tie Loss Mark
At Silver River Stadium in Volusia, the Vigilantes nipped Valmara 4-3 to deal them a record-tying 9th consecutive defeat. It was the V's 5th win in a row. Ike Moore and Ricky Moreno combined for the victory. Moore went the first seven innings and stopped Valmara on four hits and three runs, but walking five and fanning seven. Moore (3-1 3.86) got credit for the win and Moreno (3-1 2.40) got his 10th save by blanking the Vipers for the final two frames. Paul Schoenfeld (4-7 4.96) got stuck with the loss as he was touched for four runs in seven and a third innings. Shortstop Scooter Perez (.380), the top hitter in the Islandian Pro Alliance with a lofty .380 mark, hit the game-winner, a two-run homer in the fourth to snap a 2-2 tie. It was his 6th of the year. The hits in the game were pretty even with Volusia having the edge 7 to 6.

The Vigilantes (36-35) have now climbed to within 6.5 games of the top team in the division, the Far Mountain Redhawks (43-29). Volusia is third in the standings, while Valmara (33-38) has tumbled down to fifth, 9.5 games off the pace.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Thursday, June 28, 2001

Ruthlandian Union - South Division

BB Blanks Marston 6-0, Thompson Winner
He may have lost 8 games on a last place club, but Carl Thompson of Belair Beach is still regarded as one of the best pitchers in the Islandian Pro Alliance. On any given day, he can really shut a team down. Today Thompson (9-8 2.61) whitewashed first place Marston 6-0 at Legends Field and halted the Nine's winning streak at eight games. He tossed a seven-hit shutout, fanned seven and walked three to register his 9th victory of the season. Thompson snapped a personal five-game losing string and also put an end to the Sunbirds seven-game losing skein. Belair Beach tallied four runs and got rid of Casey Ledbetter (11-3 3.57) after five innings. The big blow was first baseman Paul Gravelli's (.314) 13th home run, a three-run blast in the top of the fifth. Right fielder Matty McDermott (.326) drove in a pair of runs and left fielder Nicky Swift (.339) went 3-4 and drove in a run.

Marston (42-27) is managed by Johnny Walters and is 14 games ahead of sixth place Belair Beach (29-42), who is guided by Marty Pedrosa.

FC Breaks 3-Game Skid, Holds Off Claxton 6-5
In Forest City, the Lumberjacks broke a three-game losing skid with a 6-5 victory over the Claxton Diamonds. It was Claxton's first loss after four consecutive wins. Second baseman Jesse Wolf (.311) got them going with a three-run swat in the first inning as the 'Jacks went ahead 4-2 and catcher Joey Jarvis (.273) made it 6-3 in the sixth with a two-run two-bagger. The Diamonds narrowed it to one run on pinchhitter Dan Molnar's two-run roundtripper in the seventh, but were held without a run over the final two innings by starter Herm Bahr and reliever Brian Charles. Forest City rang up nine hits to Claxton's seven. Bahr (9-4 3.49) notched his fourth straight win, working eight innings and giving up five runs and seven hits. He fanned eight and walked two. Brian Charles (3-2 4.36) picked up his first save with a 1-2-3 ninth. Charles fanned two of the three batters he faced. Starter Alex Vanzetti (3-2 3.74) took the loss, allowing six runs and eight hits in his five and two-thirds innings.

Forest City (38-34) is the number two team in the RU South Division and trails Marston (42-27) by 5.5 games. Claxton (33-39) is fifth and 10.5 games back.

Sugar Valley Outslugs Waleska 11-9
The Sugar Valley Rattlers hit three homers and banged 16 hits to outslug Waleska 11-9 at Farmers Memorial Park. After giving up four runs in the first, the Rattlers ran up a 9-4 lead after two innings and held on to beat the Westerners. In the opening third baseman Jorge Vargas (.341) hit his 18th, a three-run shot, left fielder Cy Bartz (.245) slammed his 8th, a two-run belt, and in the second inning, second baseman Rudi Oliver (.348) smashed his 7th, a solo homer. Waleska tried to come back as center fielder Rick Vaughn (.299) hit his 5th to make it 10-7 with a two-run home run in the sixth and Big Hoss Burkhalter's (.313) 17th cut the margin to 11-9 in the ninth with a two-run roundtripper. Bud Flynn (1-0 10.13) in his first start labored, but got credit for the victory. Flynn was tagged for seven runs in seven innings. After reliever Kid Reininger (0-0 2.45) gave up two runs in the ninth, Gregg Neal (5-3 1.87) came in and got the last out for his 10th save. Westerner starter Gary Hill (6-5 5.20) was torched for seven runs in less than two innings for the loss. Burkhalter led Waleska with three runs batted in and third baseman Yoshihide Nishada (.290) scored twice and drove in two, while getting three hits.

The Rattlers (36-34) are in third spot in the RU South standings and Waleska (34-35) is fourth. Sugar Valley is 6.5 games out of the top spot, while the Westerners are 8.5 games behind.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Thursday, June 28, 2001

Tycobbian Union - East Division

Ninjas Win 6-5 on Wild Pitch
In Ginza, the first place Ninjas overcame a 5-3 Hartsdale lead after seven innings to pull out a 6-5 decision. Ginza tied the score at 5-5 in the eighth on Ronnie Graf's (.281) two-run homer and won in the ninth on a wild pitch. Center fielder Takashi Fujimoto (.291) led off the inning with a walk, stole second, moved to third on a ground out, then tallied the winning run when Hellcat closer Gene Young threw it past the catcher. The victory went to their new knuckleballer, Knucks Nomellini (1-0 0.00), who sat down the Hellcats in order in his two innings. At the plate the Ninjas were outhit 12 to 9 by Hartsdale. Catcher Katsuya Noguchi (.322) had a perfect 4-for-4 day with two doubles and two runs scored and second baseman Scoop McDonald (.261) went 2-for-5 and drove in a pair of runs. The Hellcats were paced by right fielder Mel Poe (.267) with a two-run homer, his 10th this season, and second baseman Francisco Abreu (.308) with two hits, including his 17th home run. The loss went to Young (4-4 3.23). He pitched one and a third innings, gave up two hits and two runs.

It was Ginza's (41-30) fourth triumph in a row and Hartsdale's (31-40) fifth straight loss. The Hellcats are in last place, 10 games in back of the Ninjas.

CC Defeats Luxora 7-4
He wasn't at his sharpest, but Katsuyuki Nagashima had enough to defeat the Luxora Zorros 7-4 in a game played at Seaside Stadium in Cape Coral. Nagashima (6-6 2.62) went the route and tamed the Z's on seven hits, seven Ks and two walks. The only player that gave him trouble was first baseman Paul Hallenbeck (.324), who whacked him for a double, homer and three RBIs. The Hurricanes were led by center fielder James Middleton (.315), who lashed a three-run homer in the sixth to give them a 7-2 lead. Left fielder Rod Kelly (.313) had homered earlier in the third to make the score 3-0. It was Kelly's 13th this year. Right fielder Danny Mullins (.336) continued to swing a hot bat and batted in a run, along with shortstop Bobo Hatfield (.254), who chipped in another RBI and a pair of hits. The losing pitcher was Johnny Montel (6-8 3.15). He was raked for seven runs and nine hits in five-plus innings, but only three were earned as the Z's committed three errors.

The second place 'Canes are hanging close to first place Ginza (41-30), just 3 games back. Luxora (32-37) is 8 games out and in the fifth spot in the division standings.

Stallions Slaughter Nats 10-0 Behind Battle
Righthander Flint Battle was almost invincible against Ozarka. He limited the Nats to just two hits as his South Fork Stallions slaughtered them 10-0 and gained a tie with them for third place. The Stallions mounted a 14-hit attack that was sparked by right fielder Paul Giles with his 18th homer, three hits and two RBIs, shortstop Bobby Riley (.261) with 2-4 and two RBIs and catcher Darryl Burnett (.253), who batted in a pair of runs. Third baseman Glenn Holliday also added two hits, three runs and his 13th roundtripper this season. Battle (10-6 2.34) hurled a splendid game, walking only one and striking out six in his first shutout this year. He is now 10-6 with 9 complete games. Shortstop Gil Lantz (.233) got the only two hits in the game for Ozarka, a double in the second and a single in the eighth. Starter Tony Didriksen (6-7 3.88) caught the loss, yielding four runs and seven hits in five innings with only two of them earned. The Naturals had three errors.

It was South Fork's (35-36) fourth successive victory and moved them up into a third place tie with Ozarka (35-36), who have dropped three games in a row. The Nats and the Stallions are both 6 games off the pace of the first place Ginza Ninjas in the Tycobbian Union East.