World Baseball Classic 19: Everything Thread!

by **Newmanistan** » Sat Jul 09, 2011 8:16 pm

THE FALCONS AWAIT

Southport- The nations have become inseparable lately. Two Classics ago, Newmanistan had the amazing run where they came from a 3-0 series deficit to stun the Falcons and win the best of seven series. In the last Classic, Tarrentum got a measure of revenge by knocking the Rockets out in the quarterfinals. In that Classic, Newmanistan had a first round win over Civil Citizenry. Now, ths time, the sky blue has their win over Civil Citizenry while the Falcons enjoyed a first round bye. Now here, at Stacey Keisler Stadium in Southport, we get to see who will advance to the quarterfinal. Like the last Classic, many will think that it is a shame that once again the #1 and #2 ranked nations have to meet so early in the tournament, while others are perhaps excited to know that one of these nations will fail to even make the quarterfinals. And if you are Rockets fan, that’s something that has never happened before. If that weren’t enough, who potentially awaits the winner of the series between the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the next round? That would be the #3 ranked team, Cassadaigua, if they were able to knock out Quintessence of Dust.

For the sky blue, Courtney Keisler will get the start in game one, followed by Meghan Stewart, and then the infamous TBD in game three. Many feel that coach Christina Sanders would bypass Stephanie Marshall for the potentially decisive game and go back to the top of the rotation with Courtney Ratigan. Sanders didn’t say much, “I don’t want to be looking ahead like that, but it would be a logical thing if the series goes three games. Stephie has pitched well, but Courtney has had some very good head to head performances against the Falcons, and you absolutely must think about that.” True enough, Ratigan would pitch against Tarrentum for the third Classic in row if that were to be the case. First things first, and the younger Courtney, miss Keisler, in the opener. “The Next One” has had a strong Classic thus far, including a nine inning shutout win in the group stage. She will also have revenge on her mind, and tells that she immediately remembers how things ended for the Rockets in Dagan Country a Classic ago. “I have watched that game like a million times since we played. I have hoped that I would get another chance and here we are, I get it. The only thing on my mind is getting back at them. To beat them, give us the series lead, then I think we can get at least a split from there in order to advance further in the Classic.” Then there is the matter of the second game: Meghan Stewart. Yup, the player that opted to go to Tarrentum and play in the IBL next season. Wouldn’t it be ironic if Newmanistan took the first game, and then Stewart sent home the Falcons? That will be an interesting game as well, and while we know Meghan is preparing for the next phase of her career in the IBL, she’s going to be looking to show that she is still a Newmanistanian at heart. Also making this interesting is Southport’s proximity to South Tier, the domestic club in which Meghan refused to resign win. Due to that proximity, expect a lot of Seagulls fans to flock down to Southport to see their former young star. In a normal circumstance, Stewart would probably be booed, but given the situation, it will be interesting to see the fans reaction.

The rest of the nations still alive in the Classic will be watching this series in an astute manner. While we know that most of these teams would love to see the Rockets get ousted, Tarrentum is just as formidable and is also a nation that many others would love to see be eliminated. One will move on, and one will play on.

by **ViZion** » Sat Jul 09, 2011 8:48 pm

ViZion Daily
Sports Page - C1

5-4 Victory Sends ViZion Against Churchma

Hollier slides and scores go-ahead run in the eighth inning

By: Tom Hesh

Southport, Newmanistan - I can still here it. "Hollier coming around third! The throw is coming in, it's on the money! Hollier slides, he slides around the catcher head first! He's safe! Gamers take the lead!" reverberates like the legendary broadcaster, Tom Wilhousen, is still screaming the call at the top of his lungs. He may be old, but boy is he still one of the greatest broadcasters the game has known. That call sums up the excitement throughout the game as both teams battled.

The Gamers pitching once again was just acceptable at best with Winchel failing to tap his potential, allowing four runs in seven inning. The pitching, which is capable of turning out shutouts and no-hitters, needs to step up against Churchma, the third-ranked team in the world right now. Churchma just finished a dominate, and nearly perfect, run in the group stage, earning the first-series bye meaning they will be very well rested.

However, we cannot worry too much - this team is capable of playing with the best, and can go head to head, toe to toe, with teams such as Churchma. And win. The talent, the potential, the attitude is there. The teams got a fight in it, and a spirit, a passion, so widely missing in the game today. Mix all that together, and you have a team in the Gamers who can beat Churchma and go all the way, winning it all.

In today's game, once again Hollier proved to be a spark plug, saving a couple runs with a fantastic play in the third inning that proved to be the decisive defensive play of the game - if he had not ranged to his left and dove to steal a base hit and doubling off the runner at third, the inning does not end and at least two runs score. Likewise, he collected three hits and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth, barely avoiding the tag at home.

In the top of the fourth, three ViZionarian runs came across to score, including two off the bat of six-hole hitter Sam Bohl who doubled. Earlier in the inning, with one out, Davaloz belted a home run 467 feet to dead center field. The Gamers bats were mostly silenced outside of the fourth and eighth innings, however, with only three hits throughout the other seven innings combined. More consistency with the bats would be beneficial, but however they can score runs will work. People shouldn't be fooled - this is a power-packed offense with speed and the ability to deal huge damage seemingly on a whim.

Tomorrow, ViZion turns to Corey Hendricks to face off against Churchma. Here's to winning the series against Churchma, preferably starting with a win tomorrow!

.    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R
VIZ  0 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 0  -  5
WCU  0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 - 4

WP: T. Winchel, VIZ
LP: ?, WCU

by **Cassadaigua** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 3:41 am

Kiersten’s Space

Things have gone pretty well for us in the Classic so far though there is still much work to be done. Confidence is one thing that is at a high level right now since we feel we were in one of the toughest groups during qualifying, and we finished rather comfortably in it. It has been a competitive Classic and the road in which we must travel if we are to win our third championship is a challenging one. Quintessence of Dust will be first in our way, and it wasn’t that long ago where they were one of the best nations in the world according to the rankings. They slipped, but managed to finish second in their group, one that was very tight. I know that many Cassadagan baseball fans will smile when they think of that country because they hosted World Baseball Classic 16, where we were triumphant. If we beat them, it’s a matchup against either Tarrentum or Newmanistan, and that obviously is no walk in the park, either. I know that we are not looking ahead, but there are critics who feel that manager Meghan Corrigan is doing exactly that when you consider the starting rotation against Quintessence of Dust. Going back to the top of the rotation would have been possible for this series, but if Meghan were to do that, then we would have the back end of our rotation going up against either the Falcons or Rockets. So instead of starting the playoffs with Courtney Curran, we will be putting Rachel Friedman on the mound for game one, and then Katie Byrnes, and Stacie Cordova. With this arrangement, Curran would then be ready to pitch the opener of the quarterfinals, if we are to get there.

But is Meghan looking past Quintessence of Dust in doing so? Has she indirectly shown them a bit of disrespect which they will try to use against us? I do not think so, because you have to remember that Friedman was the number one pitcher in our rotation for the last Classic and that they only reason she was dropped to third is because she missed so much time at home do to her injury. While Rachel has recovered from that, both Courtney Curran and Stacey Schrager had great seasons at home and surpassed her. So really, Rachel’s dropping to third is a credit to Courtney and Stacey, and not a knock on Rachel. With that, Meghan shows why she is not looking past our first playoff opponent. For those who conclude that my reasoning is just a cop out and still think Meghan is looking past the opponent, then you all just go on and think that way. I know that she is not, and I know that no one in our locker room is thinking about a potential showdown at the Proving Grounds before we take care of business in Jessicaville.

One thing we did find interesting though is the venue for this series. As you know, Jessicaville was formerly Amherst, Secristan, and it was taken over by Newmanistan during the takeover. On a travel guide, they mentioned three characteristics of residents of this city either being loyal to Secristani culture, having become Newmanistanians, and Secristanis adjusting to the way of life of Newmanistan. That’s all well and good, but they have forgotten one very important trait of this city: it’s Cassadagan influence. With the way Queen Cassie and Newmanistan’s Emperor Michael IV divided up the land, the southwestern portion of Cassadaigua is quite close to Jessicaville, and with a peaceful border between us and Newmanistan, many Cassadagans find this as a very easy trip to make. I assure you that the amount of pink in this stadium will be almost like a Cassadagan home game just for that reason. The Newmanistanians allso commented about Jessicaville that this is the first major tournament to go to Eastern Penthoria, which is what they consider the former Secristan, since they annexed the country. Well, maybe the amount of pink that will be in the stands in Jessicaville will remind them that that is an incorrect statement. Now, if they are just taking into consideration their own piece of Secristani land in which they took over, then they are correct. If they are referring to the entire piece of land, then it is incorrect as the former Secristani city of Lakeland, the one that now flies are the Cassadagan flag, hosted playoff games in World Baseball Classic 18. Just thought I would throw all that in. I expect to it be a great series, and I am really excited about what we may be able to do here this year.

by **Newmanistan** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 6:08 am

And with this RP Cutoff, the Round of 16 begins!

Game 1: Round of 16- Winners lead series 1G-0

Series I: (1) Sarzonia vs (17) Sakurakoku @ Tundra Falls

Sakurakoku            100 000 002 - 3
Sarzonia              102 010 12X - 7

Series J: (8) Qazox vs (9) Saugeais @ Pocono City

Saugeais              000 000 020 - 2
Qazox                 100 011 00X - 3

Series K: (2) Cassadaigua vs (15) Quintessence of Dust @ Jessicaville

Quintessence of Dust  000 011 000 - 2
Cassadaigua           010 211 42X - 11

Series L: (7) Tarrentum vs (10) Newmanistan @ Southport

Newmanistan           100 111 000 - 4
Tarrentum             000 000 001 - 1

Series M: (3) Churchma vs (19) ViZion @ Putnam Lake

ViZion                001 021 011 - 6
Churchma              120 111 001 - 7

Series N: (6) Lycrabon vs (22) Bergnovinaia @ Centralia

Bergnovinaia          001 122 040 - 10
Lycrabon              200 320 000 - 7

Series O: (4) The Babbage Islands vs (20) Delaclava @ Loudon

Delaclava             000 220 000 - 4
The Babbage Islands   202 000 11X - 6

Series P: (5) Zwangzug vs (21) Mytannion @ Olympia

Mytannion             000 002 000 - 2
Zwangzug              400 114 01X - 11

by **Saugeais** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 11:53 am

National Journal
Saugeais "shocked and surprised" by loss
Late rally stifled as Qazox hold on to win

OK folks, I have bad news and worse news. The bad news is that Saugeais lost today to someone other than Lycrabon. The worse news is that it was to our opponents from last Classic, Qazox. As you recall, it was Qazox who knocked us out last time, and going into this series, the Rangers wanted to prove that this time will be different. No, it wasn't different at all, was it. Qazox got out to an early lead, but weren't as dominant as many would have thought, only scoring three runs off of starter Richard Cochon. While their starter blanked us throughout most of the game, the Rangers did manage 2 runs in the eighth inning by a beautiful hit by Derek Evans, but unfortunately didn't capitalize any further with runners in scoring positon.

"It was a very surprising loss," said manager Greg Hanson. "I felt that we had our best squad out there, and to come up short like this is shocking. We most certainly had the talent to win, but we didn't. Now, near the elimination point, we need to dig deep and somehow find a way to win tomorrow."

Saugeais              000 000 020 - 2
Qazox                 100 011 00X - 3

Batting

Player                      AVG   AB   R    H     RBI    BB    SO
Derek Evans (2B)           .370   4    0    1      2     0     0
Michel Pétain (LF)         .315   4    0    0      0     0     1
Dick Robinson (C)          .373   4    0    2      0     0     1
Jacques Benoit (RF)        .433   4    0    1      0     0     2
Shawn Hamilton (DH)        .400   4    0    1      0     0     1
Christophe Lind (1B)       .382   4    0    0      0     0     3
Jean-Paul Romero (SS)      .356   2    1    1      0     1     0
Aaron Dairon (CF)          .373   3    1    2      0     0     0
Paul Roland (3B)           .379   2    0    0      0     1     1

Totals:                    .258  31    2    8      2     2     9


2B- none
3B- none
HR- none
SB- none
GIDP - Saugeais 3

Pitching

Player                    ERA     IP      H     R    ER      BB     SO
Richard Cochon(L, 1-1)    6.95    6.0     7     3     3       1      6
Kim Yun-sung              6.00    1.0     2     0     0       0      1
Aaron Jones               2.92    1.0     1     0     0       1      1

by **Bergnovinaia** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 4:57 pm

The Bergnovinaian Home Plate

An Affiliate of the Bergnovinaian Sports Radio Network (BSRN)

July 10th, 2011

Shocking Victory for Bucks Over Lycrabon--Inching Closer to Pulling Off the Unthinkable

CENTRALIA, NEWMANISTAN--Some people thought they were dreaming. Others were simply stunned... others just yelling. But one thing was certain, the fairytale would continue.

It was the eighth inning that gave Bergnovinaia the edge they needed to defeat the 6th seeded team from Lycrabon in game one of their series. The bases were loaded, and big hitter third baseman, Ted Capozzoli, was up to the plate. He ritualistically crossed his chest with the sign of the cross, and stepped into the box to face what could be one of the biggest moments of his life. The pitcher wound up, and before Ted even blinked, the ball wizzed past him for a humiliating "sstttrrrrriiiikeeee one!" He choked up on the bat a little bit, and stepped back into the box again. The pitcher wound up and pitched again, but this time, he flung the ball clean into the dirt in front of the plate, sended up a fine, but noticeable, layer of dust--clearly a ball in the umpire's eyes. Ted stepped out of the box again, and looked over to the dugout for some signal, but got none and stepped back in. This time, he glared at the pitcher with big eyes, gripped the bad hard, and when the pitch came, ripped on the ball so hard that it was clear that it was a homerun.

Not only was it just a homerun... it was a grandslam. And not only was it just any grandslam, it was a grandslam that won the game against the 6th seeded WBC team.

There was no question in anyone's mind. Ted Capozzoli was clearly the teams MVP of the night, and the entire win should be accredited to him. After all, it wasn't like the Bergnovinaian pitching or defense was incredibly successful. Although there were no errors, 12 hits were allowed and 7 runs were scored by the Lycrabon team. However, it was really a group effort in the 16 hit, 10 run batting game for Bergnovinaia, but Ted's contribution sealed the deal.

The question on everyone's mind is will this fairytale be able to continue? The answer, probably for a little longer. With a decisive 1-0 lead in the series, many suspect that the Bergnovinaian Bucks should be able to clench another victory in game 2 or game 3. Currently it looks like Bergnovinaia will be facing a big contender if they make it to the quarterfinals; Churchma, the 1-0 series leader over ViZion. The Bucks are unsure if they can beat that big of a seed, but they will try their best if/when they get there.

Box Score:

Bergnovinaia          001 122 040 - 10
Lycrabon              200 320 000 - 7

This article was written by Josh Fuller, Chief Print Reporter for the Bergnovinaian Sports Radio Network, and all affiliated organizations. If you need to contact him, or any other member of BSRN, please feel free to email us at bsrn.live@yahoo.com

by **ViZion** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 5:24 pm

[quote="ViZion";p="6268105"]

ViZion Daily
Sports Page - C1

Gamers Down 1-0 Against Churchma

Westholder gives up walk-off run

By: Tom Hesh

Putnam Lake, Newmanistan - The pitcher says it all. A hard fought game saw the Gamers tie it up on the top of the 9th, only to lose in the bottom half of the inning. The team battled, and battled hard, but unfortunately the pitcher completely fell apart, giving up seven runs on the game. Hollier and Bohl were the two biggest hitting stars of ViZion, but unfortunately that wasn't enough.

Tomorrow, Leon Tuero looks to turn the tables and prove this team CAN dominate at the highest level against top competitors as the team is backed into the corner, needing to win the next two. Something they can do - and need to do.

.    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R
VIZ  0  0  1  0  2  10  0  1  1   -  6
CHU  1  2  0  1  1  1  0  0  1   -  7

WP: ?, CHU
LP: C. Hendricks, VIZ

by **Sakurakoku** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 5:45 pm

All Hail Hale
Hits three homers to power Stars, put Wolves on brink of elimination

Picture: Hale smacking his third home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to put the game away for Sarzonia.

TUNDRA FALLS - Skip Hale hit three home runs and ace Fred Baxter pitched a complete game to lead the defending champion Sarzonia Stars to a 7-3 victory over the Sakurakoku Metal Wolves. The Wolves are now one game away from elimination and must win its next two games against Sarzonia to advance.

"We had our chances," manager Hayato Kojima said after the game. "Especially later in the game. We had, what, bases loaded in the sixth and eigth, and we couldn't capitalize (the Wolves actually had two men on in the sixth). Give credit to them - they executed well."

Juntaro Ikeda did decently against the potent Sarzonia lineup aside from giving up two of Baxter's homers, allowing four runs on nine hits in six innings of work before being pinch-hit for in the top of the 7th. Fred Baxter, however, was much better, going the distance while allowing three runs and striking out fourteen. Despite allowing ten hits, Baxter continued to challenge the Wolves in the batting box throughout the game, and looks of frustration were seen on several of their faces after strike three, especially from Genji Furukawa who had three of those strikeouts.

The Wolves now face elimination, and Kojima has said that he plans on making several changes to try to get a win. Ryu Takamori will take Yoshinori Sawada's position in the field and play first base in tomorrow's game. Takamori will also bat seventh, pushing starting catcher Hideo Uehara to eighth in the lineup. Also, Kojima has elected to change starters and have knuckleballer Shizuru Yoshino instead of Kyo Kunimoto go on the mound for the critical Game 2, reporting that Kunimoto is still not completely recovered from the flu. It is not known at this time whether Kunimoto would start Game 3 should there be one.

Sakurakoku            100 000 002 - 3 10 0
Sarzonia              102 010 12X - 7 12 1

Partial Box Score:
Hitting

Hitters                 AB  R  H  RBI  BB  SO
D. Taguchi, CF           5  0  1    0   0   2
M. Shiraishi, 3B         4  2  2    1   1   0
K. Maebara, RF           5  0  3    1   0   2
G. Furukawa, 2B          5  0  1    1   0   3
T. Kaneda, LF            4  0  1    0   0   1
S. Takeda, SS            3  0  1    0   1   0
H. Uehara, C             2  0  0    0   0   1
-> (a) R. Takamori, PH-C 1  0  0    0   1   1
Y. Sawada, 1B            3  0  1    0   0   2
-> (c) M. Yamagishi, PH  1  0  0    0   0   1
-> K. Momose, 1B         0  0  0    0   0   0
J. Ikeda, P              1  0  0    0   0   0
-> (b) J. Mori, PH       1  0  0    0   0   1
-> S. Murase, P          0  0  0    0   0   0
-> T. Kono, P            0  0  0    0   0   0
-> (d) A. Uemura, PH     0  1  0    0   1   0

(a) walked for H. Uehara in 6th
(b) struck out for J. Ikeda in 7th
(c) struck out for Y. Sawada in 8th
(d) walked for T. Kono in 9th

Batting:
2B - Maebara in 3rd, Maebara in 6th, Kaneda in 8th, Maebara in 9th
GIDP - Shiraishi in 5th

Pitching

Pitchers              IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO
J. Ikeda (L, 3-1)    6.0  9  4   4   2   4
S. Murase            1.2  3  3   3   2   1
T. Kono              0.1  0  0   0   0   0

Scoring Summary
Top 1st: Taguchi grounds out to shortstop. Shiraishi singles to left. Maebara strikes out. Shiraishi steals second. Furukawa singles to right, Shiraishi scores. Kaneda strikes out. Sakurakoku 1-0.

Bottom 1st: Griffin lines out to first. Bradley doubles to left-center. On passed ball, Bradley to third. Spontanelli singles to left, Bradley scores. Hale strikes out. Schmidt singles to left, Spontanelli to second. Dwight flies out to center. Tied 1-1.

Bottom 3rd: Bradley singles to right. Bradley steals second. Spontanelli pops out to shortstop. Hale homers to center on 1-1 count, Bradley scores. Schmidt doubles to left. Dwight strikes out. Gordon walks. Carlton grounds out to second. Sarzonia 3-1.

Bottom 5th: Hale homers to right on 2-0 pitch. Schmidt grounds out to shortstop. Dwight singles to left. Gordon pops out to catcher. Carlton singles to center, Dwight to second. Baxter grounds out to pitcher. Sarzonia 4-1.

Bottom 7th: Murase pitching. Schmidt doubles to left. Dwight grounds out to first, Schmidt to third. Gordon sacrifice flies out to right, Schmidt scores. Carlton walks. Baxter grounds out to third. Sarzonia 5-1.

Bottom 8th: Griffin singles to right. Bradley grounds into fielder's choice, third baseman Shiraishi to second baseman Furukawa to first baseman Momose, Griffin out at second, Bradley safe at first. Spontanelli strikes out. Hale homers to right-center on 3-1 count, Bradley scores. Schmidt walks. Kono pitching. Dwight pops out to second. Sarzonia 7-1.

Top 9th: Uemura pinch hits for Kono. Uemura walks. Taguchi grounds out to second, Uemura to second. Shiraishi singles to right, Uemura scores. On wild pitch, Shiraishi to second. Maebara doubles to center, Shiraishi scores. Furukawa strikes out. Kaneda flies out to right. Sarzonia 7-3.

by **Tarrentum** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 6:52 pm

Pathetic, you're simply pathetic! The words stuck in Sareb's head. You'll never amount to anything playing that stupid game! Scouts don't even look at kids from your area!

The day was 12 years ago when Sareb hold told his parents that he was going to be a professional ballplayer. While his father had nothing but support for him, his step-mother was the evil woman that fairy tales are based on. She'd beat him, then force him to clean the bloodied towels before his father came home from working at the factory.

The insults, the slaps, they were all motivation to Sareb. You take emotional and physical abuse - you can take anything.

That day the insults were hurled at him as they normally would. Sareb simply picked up his bat and glove and walked out of the house. It was the last time he saw his father and his step-mother. He hadn't ever said good-bye to his father. While many children grow up without tragedy, Sareb knew nothing but. His birth mother died in childbirth, his best friend murdered when he was 9, poverty and hardship.

He never left, never called the cops, the one good thing was Zarriana, his step-sister who idolized him. Thankfully she was blessed as Fironte was - with a cannon arm and a magician's command. Zarriana was at a friend's house that day so Sareb knew he could leave and go to the ballpark and play.

The police officer came to the ballpark and spoke with the coach first. They were a common sight so no one paid any attention. Yet Fironte had a gut feeling. They were there, they told him, to take him to child services for placement. He didn't know what that meant then and that ignorance held the sting at bay.

The building where they brought him was dingy white and monolithic. After making numerous confusing turns he was put into a room where his sister already awaited him. She rushed and hugged him tightly. Then a woman in a tan worksuit came in to talk to them both. Sareb heard "killed" then mostly heard his sister crying uncontrollably.

They stayed there at the building for the night and then were put into a foster family right away. He would never let them take his sister from his side.

That night came back to him tonight as he sat looking in his locker. He sat, uniform still on, when Dessea Vallena came over and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Fironte." Her voice shocked him out of his memories. "Fironte, we'll get 'em. We'll get 'em."

He sat silently for what seemed an eternity and then realized that Vallena was still there. He turned slowly.

"Why you sticking around?"

"I'm waiting for you."

"For what?"

"I'm waiting for you to realize one thing."

"What?"

"You have teammates Fironte. You can't win all the games and you can't win them alone. We'll get 'em."

He smiled.

by **Lycrabon** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:17 pm

ooc note: there won't be much: like I said, I'm in kentucky doin military stuff, and I'm typing this on my phone. But, no excuses.

CENTRALIA, NEWMANISTAN -- in the city that shares the name of a lycrabonian province, once again, the blue jays fall to the brink of elimination. A 10-7 loss to bergnovinia sets up the do or die game. Brianna bruce held a pitching staff only meeting post-game using language we cannot repeat here. She did say during the press conference that "this team was not being eliminated before the other sky blue."

PITCHING:
Benson: 1-1, 4.50 ERA, starts game 2
Conley: 3-0, 2.74, starts game 3.
Francis: 3-0, 3.31
Barrett: 0-1, 6.60
Carillo: 1-0, 4.95

Lane: 1-0, 2 SV, 1.50
Nash: 1-0, 2.56
Harrison: 1-0, 5.40
Johnston: 1-1, 5.14

by **Zwangzug** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:26 pm

The playoffs begin!

How Mytannion scored:
Sixth inning: Fyodorov singled. Kaminski flew out to left field. Vrubel singled, to move Fydorov to second. Volkov doubled, to score Vrubel and Fyodorov. Utkin flew out to right field. Pasternak struck out swinging.

Mostly for Mytannion's sake, if you get back and want to make sense of my gibberish...

by **Churchma** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:56 pm

Churchma Gators WBC 19 Coverage
It wasn't pretty, but the Gators 7-6 win gives them the advantage
Churchma Sports Inc.

A win is a win, right? Sure, that's not the motto you want to live by once you get into the playoffs, but thanks to a brilliant day from the offensive side of the ball, Churchma was able to win their 14th game of WBC 19. With no help from the bullpen, Churchma was still able to muster a win. The hero of the day was the "new guy"- Franklin Strong.

It's his first year on the national team, but the young center fielder is quickly becoming a fan favorite. After the broken ankle from Jim Karney, Strong saw his chance to enter the lineup and make a strong (pun intended) case to be the starter. He's done more than that- as he has now stolen a base in all but two of the game he started. His speed on the basepaths and in the outfield are allowing him to contribute in ways he had only dreamed of. After tonight, you can add another accolade to his name- a walk-off RBI.

Okay, it wasn't in spectacular fashion, but his sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning to drive in the winning run was enough to get the home crowd on their feet cheering for Strong.

In game two, Churchma will send Illnur Gurler (3-0) to the mound- in hopes of ending the series after two games.

(ooc: last night of being away from my laptop! Much-better RP's to come...)

by **Qazox** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 8:23 pm

ROAD TO NEWMANISTAN ^TM

Game 1 vs. Saugeais:

Starting off in Pocono City,
where the weather and girls are so pretty.

Qazox got off to a good start,
lead 3-0 at the half-way part.

But the Rangers didn't give in,
as Evans took advantage of one Hunter sin.

Up by the score of three to two,
everyone knew that Tokkaden would come through.

And he did, with out any doubt,
got all 3 batters he faced out.

Taking the first game is no big feat,
because there's still two more chances at defeat.

Sean Carey will start game number two,
against Randy Blackman (who?)

In other action around the way,
The hosts beat Tarrentum in a big way.

The Zebras, and Stars did the same,
while Bergnovinaia put Lycrabon to shame.

Delaclava lost by two runs to TBI,
while Churchma faced Vizion and just barely got by.

Cassadaigua won their game by nine,
Game twos abound tommorrow, all so fine.

Will there be a sweep by the top seed?
Or will there be game 3's at need?

These playoffs are just beginning,
so stay tuned tommorrow inning-by-inning.

by **Newmanistan** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 11:47 pm

PLAYOFFS UNDERWAY

Southport- We started with 64. Now, the field has shrunk to sixteen, and soon enough we will see who the best baseball playing nation is. Fans from all of these great nations came to support their team, while local Newmanistanians were mixed in and enjoyed the atmosphere as well. Let’s take a look around the Empire at how things went.

At the Proving Grounds, fans are treated to the defending champion Stars of Sarzonia against the upstart side from Sakurakoku. Not only are the Stars the reigning champion, though, they are the top seed and have done so with outstanding pitching. It’s an experienced lineup and certainly one the top threats to win the whole thing. As expected, many Sarzonians have made the trip. They are a loyal and passionate bunch, but fans of the Metal Wolves have found themselves to Tundra Falls as well and they have made quite an impression, not only here, but in their support of the team throughout qualifying. Sarzonia’s experience prevailed in the opener, and they’ll look to finish things off tomorrow.

In the nation’s capital, you say,
it’s Qazox and the Rangers of Saugeais;

Saugeais was shocked and surprised,
with that loss, they couldn’t believe their eyes;

Qazox fans will always trav-elle,
but if they play Sarzonia, our security may have hell.

In Jessicaville, we were reminded that this was indeed not the first game to be played in former Secristan since it collapsed and Cassadaigua played a series in the former Lakeland in the last Classic. The Dagans proceed to take out any frustrations they may have had with our bit of misinformation on the Quodites, routing them 11-2 in the opener. Who said they’re looking ahead to the winner of the Rockets-Falcons series?

Ah yes, Rockets and Falcons. #1 and #2. Courtney Keisler makes her mother proud with a complete game, and had a shutout going until the ninth inning. Still, she allowed just four hits in the loss, walking just one and striking out eight. Safe to say she’s come a long way since her last start against them. Now, wouldn’t it be ironic if Meghan Stewart sent the Falcons flying home?

Churchma against ViZion, quite a nice series for the fans in Putnam Lake to take in. The Gators have had such a strong run, including two group stage wins over the Rockets. You can’t say that Churchma getting to the round of 16 is a fluke, but they have been very impressive in the manner in which they have gotten here. Then there’s ViZion, who might be looking at the Newmanistan Rockets of WBC 7 as motivation. That for anyone who doesn’t know, such as possibly fans from ViZion, was the Classic the Rockets made their first appearance in, and made it all the way to the championship series before losing to Zwangzug.

Where’s Tocrowkia? Why, they were sent home by Bergnovinaia. They have been quite a sleeper at this point, but are getting hot at the right time. Ted Capozzoli’s blast gave them the game one edge, and now Brianna Bruce and her Lycrabon team have their backs against the wall. Ever resilient though, the Lycrabon media is not giving in and doing whatever it takes, even if it takes using a phone to provide press releases!

They may have wanted to play this game at home, but Delaclava has performed well. Though so have The Babbage Islands, who's replacement players have been outstanding all Classic long. Some may prefer to watch these countries play another sport, such as gridirion, but they'll give us good games on the diamond as well. Seems to be some history brewing between these countries as well, and that should ooze over to Loudon.

Olympia Field is the easiest stadium of the eight hosting a playoff series to hit a home run out of, and that might mean that even the Zebras of Zwangzug could hit a few. Well, we’ll settle for one. They were able to score, and now they have Mytannion on the brink. And that’s the story through game one!

by **Newmanistan** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 6:17 am

This RP Cutoff is brought to you by the new RocketPhone 4G from Keystone Wireless. Use it to get up to minute information from all games in the World Baseball Classic!

Game 2: Round of 16

Series I: (1) Sarzonia vs (17) Sakurakoku @ Tundra Falls (series tied 1-1)

Sarzonia              000 101 100 - 3
Sakurakoku            801 020 00X - 11

Series J: (8) Qazox vs (9) Saugeais @ Pocono City (series tied 1-1)

Qazox                 012 010 000 0 - 4
Saugeais              000 012 100 1 - 5

Series K: (2) Cassadaigua vs (15) Quintessence of Dust @ Jessicaville (Cassadaigua wins series 2G-0)

Cassadaigua           100 130 000 - 5
Quintessence of Dust  021 001 000 - 4

Series L: (7) Tarrentum vs (10) Newmanistan @ Southport (Newmanistan wins series 2G-0)

Tarrentum             100 000 002 - 3
Newmanistan           011 001 002 - 5

Series M: (3) Churchma vs (19) ViZion @ Putnam Lake (Churchma wins series 2G-0)

Churchma              020 100 000 - 3
ViZion                001 000 000 - 1

Series N: (6) Lycrabon vs (22) Bergnovinaia @ Centralia (series tied 1-1)

Lycrabon              200 300 100 - 6 
Bergnovinaia          102 000 000 - 3

Series O: (4) The Babbage Islands vs (20) Delaclava @ Loudon (series tied 1-1)

The Babbage Islands   000 000 000 - 0
Delaclava             000 100 00X - 1

Series P: (5) Zwangzug vs (21) Mytannion @ Olympia (Zwangzug wins series 2G-0)

Zwangzug              300 130 100 - 8
Mytannion             000 002 000 - 2

by **Cassadaigua** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 7:31 am

Kiersten’s Space

Well we had a great time in Jessicaville, but now it’s time to move on! Things were obviously more difficult in game two then they were in game one, but we prevail again, and are headed to the quarterfinals. There, we will battle Newmanistan in the only quarterfinal series that is known at this point, and we will be doing so at the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds. I was a little surprised to see the Rockets handle the Falcons in two games like that, and I am sure that they will have a lot of confidence coming into the series against us, but we’re not going to back down. It won’t be the first time we have played Newmanistan in Tundra Falls in the World Baseball Classic, as we did so back in World Baseball Classic 14, winning that championship, which was the first of two championships we have attained on the diamond thus far. We’ll take this day of rest and look over what they have on their team and try to get a good read on them. I’m guessing we will see the top of their rotation, and they will see the same from us. We know we can knock them out on their home field, because we’ve done it before.

I know there are some fans out there who might be thinking that I have not blogged enough during this series, and maybe I haven’t. Previous World Baseball Classic bloggers, especially Jennifer Branston were always on top of this and fans felt like they knew her very well. Her reports on the team kept the our players close to you, as fans. I’ve received several comments now that our fans do not feel as close to this newer generation team. Who is our Meghan Corrigan? Our Rachel Weston, or our Amanda Meyer? You see me and my teammates on the field but we take it for granted and assume that means that you know us. Well I would love to make it up to you, and I am going to try to do that during our series against the Rockets. Hopefully, we will have more games beyond that, and if we do, I will continue to make this effort to make it up to you. What I wanted you to do is mail the blog, and ask me any question that you may have about the team, and it doesn’t have to be baseball related. We want you to become as close to us as you were the past Dagan teams, and now’s the time. Hopefully, we can knock out these Rockets, as after all someone has too, and have plenty of time to get better acquainted!

For those of you who are going to make the trip to Tundra Falls, we couldn’t be any more grateful. It’s a great facility, and I know we can bring enough supporters to nullify a good portion of their home field advantage.

by **Sakurakoku** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 7:57 am

Cornered Wolves Bite Back
Shell Chris Carlton to force Game 3

TUNDRA FALLS - Hayato Kojima's plan worked well. Maybe too well.

With a rejigged lineup that included all of Sakurakoku's best batters, the Metal Wolves chased Sarzonia starter Chris Carlton with eight runs in the first inning and cruised to an 11-3 win over the number one seed. The Wolves have tied the three game series with the defending champions at one game apiece, with the deciding Game 3 to be played tomorrow.

"They took us lightly," left fielder Mio Yamagishi replied when asked about the first inning. Yamagishi contributed with a three-run homer to put the Wolves up 5-0 during that frame. "We know we can beat them. They didn't."

"I don't know, we were just able to see what (Carlton) was pitching and hit them all over the place," Kei Maebara said. "It's a good feeling, sure. I just hope we still got something left over for tomorrow," he added with a chuckle.

It was an all-around great batting effort for the Wolves. Every player in the starting lineup contributed - all nine starters scored a run (Daisuke Taguchi had three), and all nine starters except Maebara got a hit (Taguchi, again, had three).

Shizuru Yoshino also pitched well, allowing two runs in six innings of work while striking out seven. After the game she said that she could have gone all nine innings had Kojima not pulled her after the sixth inning. "Coach told me to be ready for tomorrow," she said. "They might see me again."

The bullpen did its job this time against the number-one offense this tournament. Both in the eight and ninth innings the Stars were able to load the bases, but both times Kojima brought in a fresh arm to get out of the jam and forestall any thought of a comeback. Hidenori Sugimoto induced a one-out 4-6-3 double play from Mark Dwight in the eighth, and oft-criticized set-up man Reito Tachibana struck out Skip Hale to end the game.

The first-inning outburst silenced the Sarzonia-heavy crowd and electrified the green-clad Metal Wolves supporters who made the trip. The crowd began to rumble back to life in the last two innings when Sarzonia loaded the bases but quickly became quiet again when Sakurakoku got itself out of trouble. Local hotels in Tundra Falls have reported a surge of last-minute reservations for another night as many fans (both for Sarzonia and Sakurakoku) had not expected the series to go to a third game.

With the all-out attack having succeeded wildly, the Metal Wolves now have to reload and see if they can do it again tomorrow. Kojima said during the post-game press conference that he would continue to have Takamori start at first base despite committing an error in the seventh inning. Kojima also announced that Kyo Kunimoto has recovered enough to suit up for tomorrow's game but will not start. Keiichi Okazaki, the winner in Sakurakoku's first ever playoff game, will take the mound as the only starter on the Wolves' staff with normal rest, while Kunimoto will be available in the bullpen.

Sarzonia              000 101 100 -  3  8 2
Sakurakoku            801 020 00X - 11 16 1

W - Yoshino (4-0)
L - C. Carlton (3-1)

Partial Box Score:
Hitting

Hitters              AB  R  H  RBI  BB  SO
D. Taguchi, CF        4  3  3    2   1   1
M. Shiraishi, 3B      5  1  2    1   0   1
K. Maebara, DH        2  1  0    1   2   1
T. Kaneda, RF         4  1  3    2   1   1
G. Furukawa, 2B       5  1  2    1   0   0
M. Yamagishi, LF      5  1  1    3   0   2
R. Takamori, 1B       4  1  3    0   0   1
-> Y. Sawada, 1B      1  0  0    0   0   1
S. Takeda, SS         5  1  2    0   0   0
H. Uehara, C          4  1  0    1   1   1

BATTING:
2B - Kaneda in 1st, Takeda in 1st, Shiraishi in 5th, Takamori in 6th
3B - Taguchi in 1st
HR - Yamagishi in 1st
SH - Maebara in 3rd
GIDP - Uehara in 8th

Pitching

Pitchers              IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO
S. Yoshino (W, 4-0)  6.0  5  2   2   2   7
M. Hashimoto         1.1  2  1   0   2   0
H. Sugimoto          1.1  1  0   0   2   1
R. Tachibana         0.1  0  0   0   0   1

Scoring Summary
Bottom 1st: Taguchi walks. Shiraishi strikes out. Taguchi steals second, advances to third on throwing error by catcher F. Carlton. Maebara walks. Kaneda doubles to left, Taguchi scores, Maebara scores. Furukawa singles to right, Kaneda to third. Yamagishi homers to right-center on 3-0 count, Kaneda scores, Furukawa scores. Takamori singles to left. Takeda doubles to center, Takamori to third. Sawada reaches on error by third baseman Schmidt, Takamori scores. Taguchi triples to right, Takeda scores, Sawada scores. Tolliver pitching. Shiraishi grounds out to pitcher. Maebara walks. Kaneda strikes out. Sakurakoku 8-0.

Bottom 3rd: Uehara grounds out to second. Taguchi singles to left. Shiraishi singles to right-center, Taguchi to third. Maebara sacrifice flies out to center, Taguchi scores. Kaneda singles to center, Shiraishi to second. Furukawa lines out to first. Sakurakoku 9-0.

Top 4th: Spontanelli strikes out. Hale grounds out to second. Hunter homers to left on 0-0 count. Schmidt singles to center. Dwight strikes out. Sakurakoku 9-1.

Bottom 5th: Uehara strikes out. Taguchi singles to center. Shiraishi doubles to right-center, Taguchi scores. Maebara grounds out to second, Shiraishi to third. Kaneda walks. Furukawa singles to left, Shiraishi scores, Kaneda to second. George pitching. Yamagishi strikes out. Sakurakoku 11-1.

Top 6th: Bradley singles to left. Spontanelli strikes out. Bradley steals second. Hale doubles to center, Bradley scores. Hunter grounds out to shortstop. Schmidt strikes out. Sakurakoku 11-2.

Top 7th: Hashimoto pitching. Dwight singles to right. Gordon reaches on error by first baseman Takamori, Dwight to third. Dwight picked off at third. F. Carlton pops out to second. Griffin triples to center, Gordon scores. Bradley lines out to pitcher. Sakurakoku 11-3.

by **The Babbage Islands** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 8:44 am

Bryn: Hello once again. I'm Bryndis Óskarsdóttir,
Scott: And I'm Scott Clinton. We're live in Loudon, Newmanistan.
Bryn: And we're bringing you coverage of World Baseball Classic 19, for B.S. all the time!

Scott: The Babbage Islands and Delaclava are now tied at one game each in their best-of-three playoff series, as Delaclava just scored a 1-0 victory over the Bumblebees.
Bryn: And what a game it was. Brilliant pitching on both sides, with Babbage lefty Védís Kristmundsdóttir throwing a complete game three-hitter.
Scott: Unfortunately, one of those hits was a fourth-inning home run off the bat of Delaclava third baseman Jim Jeffries, and that's all the run support Denton Wolfe needed.
Bryn: Wolfe only gave up four scattered hits himself.
Scott: The pitcher's duel was a far cry from game one of the series, a 6-4 Babbage win.
Bryn: Both starters were gone before the fifth inning in that one. Augustin Fortier, the second of four Babbage pitchers, got the win.
Scott: Shortstop Zhāng Sùhuì singled to left-center with one out in the seventh to score April Powell for what proved to be the game-winning RBI.
Bryn: Tán Zŭshùn continues to have a hot bat for the Bumblebees. He had three RBI in the first game and two of our four hits in the loss.
Scott: And April Powell scored three times in the opener.

Scott: So it's do-or-die time for the 14-2 Bumblebees.
Bryn: Right-hander Teitur Þórðarson will take the mound for the yellow-and-black as they try to close out a tough Delaclava squad.
Scott: It's nice to see the team back in yellow and black, too.
Bryn: Yes, I'm glad someone stepped up to have uniforms made. Although the blue-and-black of the Mandarins is sharp.
Scott: Delaclava is expected to send Matt Terscera, although it's possible that staff ace Severiano Sanchez could go on short rest.

Bryn: What lies ahead for the Bumblebees should they win this rumble in The Jungle?
Scott: The winner of this series has their hands full in the quarterfinal, traveling to Southport to take on the Zebras of Zwangzug.
Bryn: The possible semifinal opponents, still a bit far away, are the winners of Sarzonia-Sakurakoku and Qazox-Saugeais. That series will be in Putnam Lake.
Scott: Both those series are going to three games as well.
Bryn: The scheduling gods must have a mischievous streak. The possibility of Sarzonia-Qazox in The Jungle, well, that just cries for the tabloids to take over.
Scott: It might not be as controversial as that World Cup interzonal where Sarzonia had to play in Qazox, but then again they did not face each other on that occasion.
Bryn: To say those nations have a history is understatement.

Bryn: Before we close, any thoughts on the admission of Ruadha to the Commonwealth? The bill passed 37-4 in the Assembly, and all six members of the Council and Judge Tormey signed off on it.
Scott: I think they still have a formal approval left on Ruadha's part, but that's expected. Lots of oil and cute redheaded baseball players, what's not to like?
Bryn: You're incorrigible.

Scott: And this is The Incorrigible One, Scott Clinton, signing off for this edition of B.S. all the time.

Delaclava             000 220 000 - 4
The Babbage Islands   202 000 11X - 6

The Babbage Islands   000 000 000 - 0
Delaclava             000 100 00X - 1

by **Qazox** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 9:52 am

ROAD TO NEWMANISTAN ^TM

Game 2 vs. Saugeais:

Game two started off so well,
but in the final few innings it went to hell
Qazox scored the first four runs,
but the Rangers began to pull out the guns.

Benoit knocked a run to cut the lead to three
while Carey clutched his knee.
Werth came out to take a look,
it was bad enough to give him the hook.

Greene came into the game,
but Qazox' momentum was never the same.
Two more runs came in off of Evans' bat,
at 4-3 now came in Iya to keep it that.

Now with Qazox leading by just one,
Christophe Lind then tied it up with a homerun.
The momentum had shifted,
in came Chambers and Iya was lifted.

Through nine innings the score was tied,
Qazox couldn't get a run across in the tenth, though they tried.
In the bottom of the tenth frame,
Paul Roland's lead-off Homerun ended the game.

With the series now tied up at one,
Jerri Werth is now under the gun.
Saugeais will send out Kelvin Lane,
but will history repeat again?

In other action on this fine day,
Sakurakoku thumped Sarzonia (Hooray!)
Rockets get past Tarrentum,
underestimating Newmanistan was dumb.

Cassadaigua and Zwangzug both swept,
while in Loudon, the bats mostly slept.
Churchma advanced into the next round,
and Lycrabon won and are still hanging around.

Four Game Threes are now on tap,
I hope that none of you decide to take a nap.
From Tundra Falls to Pocono City,
these four of these crucial games will be tough and gritty.

But in the end only four teams can move on,
Will they be Qazox, Sarzonia, TBI and Lycrabon?
Or will a round of upsets be the order of the day,
and winners being Sakurakoku, Bergnovinaia, Delaclava and Saugeais?

by **The Babbage Islands** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 11:33 am

OOC Notice

I have been asked by the host, Newmanistan, to scorinate the Newmanistan-Cassadaigua quarterfinal series. I will scorinate a bit earlier than Newmanistan does, but as late as feasible before I leave for work to try to accommodate Cassadaigua's normal posting time. I'll shoot for 7:30 am US Central Daylight Time.

by **Saugeais** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 12:40 pm

National Journal
Saugeais wins off extra inning home run!
Paul Roland blasts a solo shot in the 10th to force a third game

Qazox                 012 010 000 0 - 4
Saugeais              000 012 100 1 - 5

Batting

Player                      AVG   AB   R    H     RBI    BB    SO
Derek Evans (2B)           .384   5    0    3      1     0     0
Michel Pétain (LF)         .310   4    0    1      0     1     1
Dick Robinson (C)          .375   5    0    2      1     0     1
Jacques Benoit (RF)        .423   4    1    1      1     1     2
Shawn Hamilton (DH)        .383   5    1    1      1     0     0
Christophe Lind (1B)       .370   5    0    1      0     0     2
Jean-Paul Romero (SS)      .375   5    1    3      0     0     0
Aaron Dairon (CF)          .375   5    1    2      0     0     1
Paul Roland (3B)           .397   5    1    3      1     0     0

Totals:                    .395  43    5   17      5     2     7


2B- Romero, 2 (3 total); Robinson, 1 (4 total)
3B- none
HR- Benoit (9, 5th inning, no on, 1 out); Hamilton (5, 6th inning, no on, no out); Roland (2, 10th inning, no on, no out)
SB- none
GIDP - Saugeais 2

Pitching

Player                    ERA     IP      H     R    ER      BB     SO
Randy Blackman            5.19    7.0     6     4     2       3      5
Shaun Fournier            2.16    1.2     2     0     0       1      2
Aaron Jones               2.77    0.2     0     0     0       0      2
Steven Richardson(W, 1-0) 4.15    0.2     1     0     0       1      0

by **Tarrentum** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 12:50 pm

Tarrentum Falcons Sporting News
Falcons Fail; Stewart Stellar; Sallamo Sloppy

Southport, East Penthoria, Newmanistan - The Falcons and Rockets went toe-to-toe in Game 2 of the First Round in the WBC 19 Playoffs and the Orange and Blue were found lacking. The host nation's supporters were out in full force and any notion of an "underdog advantage" in Southport was blown away with the thousands of drunk, rabid fans cheering on their team. The Falcons were perfectly poised to bring the usual all out effort that they are known for and push the series to the deciding game. However, the bats were kept quite by rising Newmanistani Meghan Stewart and Liona Marrada looked human facing the Newmanistan bats. While most of the blame could be spread around, a good measure of the loss lies in the hands of Ederi Sallamo.

Sallamo came in to pitch in the bottom of the 9th after Antoni Favella hit a 2-out 2-RBI double, scoring Vallena and Gradoni, in the top of the inning to knot the game at 3. Hit walked his first batter then gave up the game winning home run to Julie Sexton. Sallamo knew as soon as Sexton connected with the pitch that it was all over. "I saw the swing and heard the sound of the ball hitting the sweet spot. I know Sexton - it was over," the reliever said afterwards.

Sallamo's Loss gave the Falcons a respectable, but no where near meaningful, 12 - 3 record in this year's World Baseball Classic. A great record for any 15 games but that only matters if you win a championship or are in the midst of a long regular season. Dessea Vallena, who rarely speaks to the media but, when she does, is never one to mince words told reporters during her post-game press conference "Eddie had our lives in his hands. Whether we should have done more doesn't matter when the game was tied when he went in and ended after 6 pitches."

The Falcons, Number 1 in the World coming into this tournament, are sure to fall in the standings. While there is still a lot of baseball to play, the team could tumble as low as 7th place after being near the top these past two Classics.

One bright spot for Tarrentian baseball fans was the performance of Meghan Stewart, set to join the Riori Cannons next season. Stewart went 8 innings giving up 4 hits and 1 run to the Falcons. She told the media that her mind "was totally focused on winning this for Newmanistan and not impressing [anyone in] Tarrentum." Her command fooled Falcons batters all day as she fanned 9 hitters. "I knew from the moment I stepped onto the diamond that this was my game," Stewart continued. Whatever it was, it was not the Falcons day.

The World Baseball Classic continues with the Rockets playing the Pinks. This matchup could very well produce the tournament winner and will be a showcase of great baseball.

by **Delaclava** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 3:05 pm

"Hey, Todd, didn't think I'd see you in Loudon? With those child endangerment charges and all."

"It's all good now. I apologized to my wife, played some board games with the family, and then she went to the police and got them to drop the charges. I brought the whole family to Newmanistan actually, we'll be having a pretty long trip even if Delaclava loses to the Bumblebees in Game 3. So tell me what happened in the first two games? I heard Wolfe pitched a four-hitter in game two."

"Uh, what? No, Wolfe pitched game 1."

"B.S. said he had four scattered hits."

"Well, he did. In Game 1. Wolfe's the third pitcher, and with 14 group games, it was his turn. Costabile doesn't always stick with his rotation, but if he stays in order, then he keeps the proper schedule too."

"Didn't we lose that 6-4?"

"Absolutely right. Wolfe pitched four innings. Gave up four hits, and also four runs."

"How?"

"Horrible defense, for a change. And Wolfe walked a few. Those Babbage hitters know how to work a count, and how to move guys around the bases. As far as getting small ball runs goes, they're one of the best in the world."

"But Wolfe only went four innings?"

"Yeah. Elbow injury."

"Did he get the loss?"

"No, our batters got their pitcher off the mound before the fifth was over. Pancevo gave up a run in the seventh and picked up the loss. Then they got another run off Ryan Jones."

"Holy hell, why is Pancevo even on the national team? He's a reliever and I think he has more losses than anyone on Delaclava in our eight Classics."

"He keeps getting clutch saves in our league. Say what you will about his international play but he's the greatest clutch reliever in the history of the league."

"Very true. So, if that's not what happened in Game 2, what did happen in that game?"

"Terscera pitched a perfecto."

"You serious?"

"Yeah. You surprised? Our defense doesn't make errors and Terscera doesn't walk people. If he doesn't give up hits, it's a perfect game."

"Yeah, but giving up no hits is the hard part for him. Hell, giving up no runs is the hard part for him."

"Did it at a perfect time too. The only run came from a solo shot from Jeffries in the fourth. Only two other hits otherwise though."

"I gotta see that."

"They keep showing the game on DNBSports now. Think about how unlikely this was. No Delaclav's pitched so much as a three-hitter in international play and someone like Terscera whips out a performance like that."

"Then I'll take a look. So Sanchez for Game 3?"

"I'm afraid not. He's 1-3 in this Classic. Costabile's benching him.

"Then who's he going to use?"

"Probably Paluca. Or I've heard Wolfe's injury has subsided, and he'd fight through this anyway. And he's the only starter without a loss this time around."

"What about a reserve? Like Sneijhder or Stella?"

"This is not the time to try a new pitcher. Not in game 3 against The Babbage Islands. Maybe that's something we could have tried against Milchama in Game 1 or 2. But no, Costabile will go with Paluca. And yes, that just came up on my sports alert. Paluca will start Game 3."

"He has so much big-game experience for a young guy, and he's often handled it better than Wolfe or Sanchez on the international stage. It'll be great. But yeah, I need to go, I said I'd take the family to dinner."

"Okay, great, see you at the stadium."

by **Bergnovinaia** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 7:14 pm

The Bergnovinaian Home Plate

An Affiliate of the Bergnovinaian Sports Radio Network (BSRN)

July 11th, 2011

Disappointing Loss for the Bergnovinaia Bucks, Decisive Game 3 Forced--Hefty Delay at WSC2, Still No Explanation from Authorities as to Why

CENTRALIA, NEWMANISTAN--So, is it just me, or is anyone elses blood pressure shooting up like a rocket out of control? Oh right, it's the WBC playoffs, and the 22nd seeded Bergnovinaian Bucks shouldn't have even made it this far into the WBC playoffs. So really, it might just be me, but I don't think I'm the only Bergnovinaian Bucks fan who is on the verge of a near heart attack.

It wasn't really like the game was even a nail biter. The team from Lycrabon earned a pretty obvious 3 run lead in the 4th and 7th innings, and the Bergnovinaina Bucks remained vitrually hitless for the rest of the games. There were no major plays. No game saving hits or dives. Nothing. Just a simple game of baseball... that's all.

Of course, it is definately the stage at which this series is being playing, the round of 16 in the WBC playoffs, which made the whole thing much more tense for all the Bergnovinaian Bucks fans. The whole team and the all of the fans knew what this game meant for the series, and they knew that losing the game would force an even more stressful, do-or-die game 3. However, knowledge is not what wins games. Luck isn't either. Baseball is a game of skill, refined and pure in the best teams, while slightly more rusty if the "not as good" teams.

It's not like today's loss can really be contributed to anyone... afterall, Bergnovinaia's run here in the first place was, as paraphrased by a Newministanian magazine, far beyond everyone's expectation. Bergnovinaia was not expected to be in the round of 16 at all, but their 2-1 series victory over Tocrowkia changed that prospect. However, one thing was for sure. Davis Johnson's pitching was not the best last night, as shown by giving up 5 runs before being chucked in the 4th inning. Even though manager Devaulle has a strict policy to not replace pitchers unless something is blatantly going wrong, like giving up over 10 runs in multiple innings, he told the Bergnovinaian media that the removal of Johnson from pitching in game 2 was "not only appropriate, but the best thing do to." He followed this up by saying, "Who knows, things could have gotten way out of hand if Johnson got too flustered and we could have lost in an even larger margin."

It is really unclear what team has the advantage, if any, as we edge closer and closer to what could either be the Bucks' final game or the Lycrabon National Team's final game. On one hand, the Bucks have already gained a track record for upsetting top ranked teams in the WBC playoffs, and Bergnovinaian baseball fans hope they keep the trend going. Despite the win today for Lycrabon, the Bucks may have some edge because the 6-3 loss was not nearly as demoralizing as the 10-7 loss the Lycrabonian team experienced because of the huge blast from "Mighty Ted." But even though baseball isn't a game of luck, I think game 3 tomorrow may be an exception, and I know everyone prays and hopes that luck will see Bergnovinaia through to the next round will they will face an even greater contender--the 3 seed, Churchma, who downed ViZion easily in 2 games.

Box Score:

Lycrabon              200 300 100 - 6 
Bergnovinaia          102 000 000 - 3

SARZONIA, WSC2--Two days have passed here in Sarzonia, and other than slightly overcast conditions with a few drizzles from time to time, it is unclear to basically everyone why place has been suspended. Bergnovinaina Beatles players have been spotted romping around town doing more non-traditional things that a Bergnovinaina Beatles player would be doing, such as buying souviniers and getting mani/pedis. It leads many members of the media and fans alike to question "have the Beatles really changed, or are they still secretley doing all that ritualistic mumbo-jumbo with the rare beatle species." Although I have a personal opinion, and it cannot be released because of an ongoing media investigation into the matter, I will comment saying that it is possible that the players could just be putting on a facade for the media, while still practicing their rituals in secret.

Aside from being spotted around the town doing more "girly" things, several Beatle players have released statements concerned the delay. Shortstop Kaitlynn Andrews, commented to a BSRN affiliated reporter saying the following while chewing her stereotypical morning tobacco:

I know it's a national holiday and all in the SarzZoniaki place, or whatever, but that shouldn't interfere with softball, ya' know? I mean, come on. Let all the Sarzoznokiam majibbers light off them fireworks or whatever, but just let us play some fuc*king ball already. I'm getting really pissed about not being able to play, because my team mates are making me do all this girly crap. Like yesterday I got a freaking manicure. A freaking, goddamn, manicure! Oh... I guess that's good because now all the Sarzoikanonians will like me because my finger nails will have fireworks on them that look like the ones they shot off.

It was unclear during the interview if Ms. Andrews had actual cognative ability or not. A supposed side affect from their rituals with the rare beatle is temporary dellusional behaviour.

One of the more "girlier" players on the team to start with, 3B Kendra Wilson, released the following comment to another BSRN reporter while in session for her pedicure.

Are you kidding me? Kait doesn't like the time off we've had? That's a load of bull. I mean, I know Kait doesn't like all this girly crap, but come on! Who the hell doesn't want time off? I for one have enjoyed my shopping and pedicures, especially my predicures. When you play softball all day long, your feet begin to hurt like nobodies business, and they get covered in a fine layer of dust. And I HATE dust! Hate! Hate! Hate it! So this has been like heaven to me. It's just too bad it's over.

Well, one thing is clear. There has been an obviously delay of the proceedings at the WSC2, and while some players and fans are extremely disappointing, almost to the point of being furious, others are taking it in stride. Hopefully, the Beatles will play again later tonight, but nobody really knows who they are playing... the time off has made us lose our focus.

This article was written by Josh Fuller, Chief Print Reporter for the Bergnovinaian Sports Radio Network, and all affiliated organizations. If you need to contact him, or any other member of BSRN, please feel free to email us at bsrn.live@yahoo.com

by **Newmanistan** » Tue Jul 12, 2011 6:07 am

The final cutoff for the round of 16 is now. Let's see who's quarterfinal bound!

Series I: (1) Sarzonia vs (17) Sakurakoku @ Tundra Falls (Sakurakoku wins series 2G-1)

Sakurakoku            001 040 000 - 5
Sarzonia              100 001 000 - 2

Series J: (8) Qazox vs (9) Saugeais @ Pocono City (Saugeais wins series 2G-1)

Saugeais              302 210 011 - 10
Qazox                 000 101 001 - 3

Series N: (6) Lycrabon vs (22) Bergnovinaia @ Centralia (Lycrabon wins series 2G-1)

Bergnovinaia          020 100 000 - 3
Lycrabon              300 220 50X - 12

Series O: (4) The Babbage Islands vs (20) Delaclava @ Loudon (The Babbage Islands wins series 2G-1)

Delaclava             200 031 000 - 6
The Babbage Islands   101 300 32X - 10

So with those results, the quarterfinals are:
Series Q: (17) Sakurakoku vs (9) Saugeais @ Loudon
Series R: (2) Cassadaigua vs (10) Newmanistan @ Tundra Falls - Series to be scorinated by The Babbage Islands
Series S: (3) Churchma vs (6) Lycrabon @ Pocono City
Series T: (4) The Babbage Islands vs (5) Zwangzug @ Southport

Reminder again that the better seed bats in the bottom half in games 1 and 3, and also for the semifinals its the winner of series Q vs series T; and series R vs series S

World Baseball Classic 19: Everything Thread!

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