October 2, 1935
Watch SemiFinal Part 1 stream replay on YouTube!
Watch SemiFinal Part 2 stream replay on YouTube!
The 1935 Uplantic Association postseason rolls on, with the UA SemiFinal Series this week. After both achieving 2-0 sweeps in the best-of-three Wild Card round, the Chargers and the Stars moved on to the SemiFinals. The top-seeded Redwood Owls awaited the Taawa Chargers, while the number two seed Deerborn White Sox played the Delle Stars in best-of-five series to determine who would head to the 1935 Windsor Cup Finals.
The Redwood Owls held the best UA Regular Season record at 64-36, earning a first round bye with the C Division pennant and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. They played the Taawa Chargers, who finished 2 games behind the White Sox in D Division, but captured the top WildCard spot with a 57-43 record to earn their first-ever playoff appearance. They were fresh off a road sweep of the Miners in their opening round series. The Owls made their second playoff appearance this season, after being reverse-swept by Tiny Sea in the SemiFinals last year. For either team, the winner of this SemiFinal Series would earn their first-ever Windsor Cup Finals berth.
The Deerborn White Sox finished 59-41, winning D Division to earn the number 2 seed and a first round bye. The Delle Stars also finished with a 59-41 record, winning A Division. The two teams went 3-3 against each other, so the tiebreaker came down to intradivision records. The White Sox were 12-6 against teams in their division, while the Stars were 9-9 against teams in their division. The narrow edge to claim the first round bye added fuel to the fire in the Sox/Stars postseason rivalry after the two teams met in three straight Windsor Cup Finals from 1931-33. The Stars won all three of those championship match-ups. Delle swept division rivals Prissley to advance to the SemiFinals against Deerborn in their pursuit of a fifth-straight Windsor Cup championship.
The two teams remaining after this week’s SemiFinals will meet in the 1935 Windsor Cup Finals.
UA News
Saturday, 9/28/1935
- Pitching in Game 1 on his 39th birthday, White Sox ace Mathew Huertata left the game in the 4th inning with a sore elbow. Reports later confirmed he is done for the year with severe arthritis. He hopes to be 100% for the final season of his contract next year.
- White Sox starter Javier Rosaritoko made an unexpected appearance in Game 1 after Mathew Huertata’s early injury exit. Roasaritoko pitched 5.2 innings, allowing no runs on 3 hits. He struck out 4 and walked 2. The Sox took game 1 at home over the Stars, 6-1.
- The Owls opened with a big 4-run 1st inning, going on beat the Chargers in Game 1, 6-3. RF Tony Katakien went 3-for-3 with a solo homer for Taawa, while 2B Hunter Phillips warned 2 RBI for the winning Owls.
- Owls RF Paul Blount’s ongoing struggle with a sore calf took him out of the game in the 1st inning after a 2-RBI double, but he remains day-to-day and is expected to play tomorrow in Game 2 in Redwood.
Sunday, 9/29/1935
- Game 2 between the Stars and White Sox was one for the ages. In a 4-hour-12-minute, 13-inning affair, the Stars came back from a 4-run deficit, scoring 3 in the 9th to send the game to extra innings. They then took the lead in the 13th on a sac fly by RP Francisco Katrikowa. Katrikowa would leave the game with back pain while pitching in the bottom half of the inning and will likely miss the rest of the SemiFinals. White Sox 3B Lua Opdahl tied the game with a solo shot off of LHP Alberto Rivas after he replaced Katrikowa. Opdahl also hit 2 triples in the game to tie the UA playoff record, and had 2 total RBI. Deerborn C Youcef Guillame walked it off with a 2-run bomb a few batters later to give the White Sox a 2-0 series win. They will go for the sweep Tuesday in Delle.
- Owls LHP Craig Ogg was locked in against the Chargers in Game 2. He threw 100 pitches over 7 innings, allowing1 run on 4 hits with walk and 7 Ks. Redwood 2B Hunter Phillips started the game with a leadoff home run, then got 2 more RBI for 3 total on a 2-for-3 day. The Owls took the lead early and never looked back, winning 6-1 to take a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 happens Tuesday in Taawa.
Tuesday 10/1/1935
- Game 3 was the first playoff game ever held at Sapfoot Stadium in Taawa. The Chargers led early, but the game became a back-and-forth battle until the top of the 9th, when the Owls scored 4 runs off of CL Angel Sankez. Redwood won Game 3 by a final of 9-4. LF Steve Thomas went deep twice for Redwood for 3 RBI, while SS Fouad Lefevre hit a 3-run HR in the 5th inning. The Owls swept the series 3 games to none, and will move on to their first-ever Windsor Cup Finals appearance.
- Hunter Phillips was named MVP of the SemiFinal Series for Redwood. He hit .400 with a .571 OBP, hitting 2 HR with 5 RBI and scoring 5 times over the 3-game sweep of the Chargers.
- 3B Lura Opdahl stayed hot for the White Sox as their series shifted to Delle for Game 3. He went 3-for-4 with a solo homer and 2 total RBI. Deerborn scored 4 in the 1st inning and never looked back, crushing their postseason rivals, 11-2. Middle infielders Omar Noel and Bob Tolduoso for batted in 3 runs in the win. Veteran hurler Esteban Muiru pitched 7 innings with 4 hits and 2 runs allowed. The victory gives the White Sox the sweep and a playoff win over the Stars that fans have waited for for years, sending Deerborn to their sixth Windsor Cup Finals appearance. They have won the Cup once, in 1929.
- Lura Opdahl was named SemiFinal Series MVP for the White Sox. He hit an incredible .692 over the three games, with 2 HR, 6 RBI, and 4 runs scored.
Final UA Standings:
The NPL season is over. Congrats to the Petchon Carp, 1935 National Cup champions!
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