World Baseball Classic 19: Everything Thread!

[Churchma]

Churchma Gators WBC 19 Coverage
Eighth-inning homerun saves the day; it's do-or-die in Game Three versus Lycrabon
Churchma Sports Inc.

Thank God for Mike Lang. The unheralded Designated Hitter has finally stepped up to the plate and proven that he is worthy to be a starter for this club that is currently 16-2 in WBC 19. In total, Lang has a .207 (17-for-82) batting average through 18 games- much lower than his .298 career batting average in domestic play. Of those 17 hits, it's likely that only one will be remembered- the one that went about five feet over the right field wall at Empress Jessica Stadium to give the Gators a 3-2 lead in Game Two of the Quarterfinals.

"(Mike) Lang has been going through a rough-patch in his career with this tournament. Typically, he knocks the crap out of the ball, and he's usually good for a home-run or two in every five-to-six games. Coming into the day he had two home-runs in 78 at-bats. Believe me, that is not the kind of production this staff thought we would be getting. It's a great feeling for all of us to know that he could step up to the plate in a situation like tonight and jack one out of the park. Without a great day on the mound from George Temple and this home-run, we'd be going home early," manager Ben Barksdale said.

Lang's opportunity to shine came in the top of the eighth inning, with two outs and no runners on base. Lycrabon's Zachary Francis had managed to last a full eight innings from the rubber, but he didn't know that his battle with Lang would potentially be his last shot in WBC 19.

"Their pitcher was on fire all night long. It's a minor miracle that I actually made contact with the ball. What did he give up today- five, maybe six hits? He was getting fatigued though, and I could tell that he was. In my first three at bats (0-for-3) I couldn't get my bat around in time because of his heater. But his fast ball looked a little slower, and his curve ball hung a little longer, so I decided I wanted to wait for that off-speed pitch before I would make my move," Lang said.

Franics was ahead in the count 1-2, after a total of five pitches, because Lang had sent two foul balls deep down the first base line, before he let loose a curve ball that came in high and outside on Lang- his sweet spot.

"I couldn't believe that he placed the ball where he did, honestly, it had to have been a mistake. I know I've been far from spectacular this tournament, but everyone knows not to throw high and outside against me. It was like batting practice," Lang said as he was laughing.

The home-run proved to be enough to send Churchma into Game Three versus Lycrabon. The winner of this series will advance to the Quarterfinals to face Cassadaigua or Newmanistan. With either opponent, Churchma (hopefully) will be slated to play one of the "Big Four" in the semifinals of WBC 19. If the Gators can advance, they will continue their dream run and face one of the juggernauts in the baseball-world. With that being said, the only way that can be done is if Churchma #4 pitcher, veteran Robert Zaino can escape with a victory. The time-tested 6'3", 230-pound animal has been facing allegations that he has been taking steroids, so it's time to tell if he can put that aside and win another ball game for the good guys.

[Saugeais]

The patrons of Charles the Great are getting very antsy as of late. They watched the Rugby Union team suffer their first loss in the World Cup, and once again, the baseball team was teetering on the brink of elimination. But as Saugeais took the field, they displayed some excellent fielding skills that would easily warrant the Gold Glove if they were playing back in the SBO. Saugeais went on to win the game 6-4, once again pushing the knockout series to a third game.

"I tell ya, we have a great team and this Sakurakoku squad is certainly bringing it out. I haven't seen such determination from the national side since our first Classic."

"Which was only 6 years ago, you remember. As you also should recall, we made it to the quarterfinals then as well before losing to Tarrentum."

"Ah yes, eventual runners up in that Classic. They were a great squad. But anyways, back to this series. More importantly, this game. Gagné put together another great pitching performance to get his 4th win of the Classic."

"7 strong innings, and while he did surrender 9 hits and 3 runs, the 7 strikeouts almost made up for that decent performance. Obviously his age is showing, at 36. He did say he was retiring at the end of this Classic, but that's not stopping him from putting on a show."

"Speaking of putting on a show, where did Pétain come from? A 4 for 5 game? For this guy, it's unheard of."

"I guess this was his game to hit a hot streak. And the Dairon kid too, driving in a couple of crucial runs to help pad the lead in the late innings. This kid definitely has the makings of an all-star player."

Now if we can get Derek Evans and Shawn Hamilton to hit consistantly, we'll be unstoppable."

"Yeah, with Evans ability to turn singles into doubles, maybe triples, and Shawn's power second only to Jacques Benoit's, I see this team has a bright future after this Classic."

"Yes, but we need to continue this Classic first. Game three against Sakurakoku is tomorrow and we have Richard Cochon on the hill."

"He's been wild at times, but can definitely lay down the law with a few strikeouts here and there. I hope he is on target tomorrow or we may not have a chance."

"Well, if not, we can always count on Benoit. If that 6 RBI game a few games back is any indication, this man is in full bloom and will punish opposing pitchers at will."

"Ok then, here's to the Rangers. May they stay ever vigilant and strong in this Classic."

*raises glass* "To the Rangers!"

[The Babbage Islands]

WBC Quarterfinal Game 2 Results
At Tundra Falls, Newmanistan

Newmanistan           000 030 000 - 3
Cassadaigua           020 000 02X - 4

Cassadaigua win the series two games to one.

[Newmanistan]

Today's RP Cutoff is brought to you by the great managerial career of Christina Sanders for the Rockets.

Series Q: (9) Saugeais vs (17) Sakurakoku @ Loudon (Saugeais wins series, 2G-1)

Sakurakoku            000 000 300 - 3
Saugeais              101 004 00X - 6

Series S: (3) Churchma vs (6) Lycrabon @ Pocono City (Churchma wins series, 2G-1)

Lycrabon              020 010 100 - 4
Churchma              301 103 21X - 11

Series R: (2) Cassadaigua vs (10) Newmanistan @ Tundra Falls - Scorinated by The Babbage Islands
Cassadaigua wins series, 2G-1


The Semifinals will be:
Series U: (5) Zwangzug vs (9) Saugeais @ Putnam Lake
Series V: (2) Cassadaigua vs (3) Churchma @ Jessicaville

[Cassadaigua]

Kiersten’s Space

For seven innings, Courtney Keisler had us contained. She’s a good young pitcher, and even if she doesn’t live up to the insane amount of hype that the Newmanistanian media (mostly her mother though) puts on her, she’ll still be a good one. Rachel Friedman is also a good one, and outside of one bad inning, she had contained the Rockets, starting with Caitlin Leffler and then going down throughout their lineup. That three run inning though almost did us in, as it erased a 2-0 lead we had worked hard to put together. After those second inning runs, Keisler sent us marching back to the dugout, one after the other. I’m sure her mother was smiling, and the crowd was sensing the semifinals. Keisler though, came undone in the 8th. On a 1-2 pitch, she hit Cassie Schneider, and Morgan Cooke stepped up to the plate to hit in the 9-slot. It was a slow dribbler back to the mound, and Keisler made a costly mistake in trying to throw to second to get a double play. Schneider was safe, Cooke was on, and it was first and second and nobody out. We heard you in the stands getting louder, and Brittany Anderson’s striking out wouldn’t quite do us in. Shannon Cooley stepped up, and ever so cool-ley, she smacked it into right centerfield where the fielders weren’t. Just like that, it’s 4-3 Cassadaigua, and we saw those pink flags at the Proving Grounds waving. We could have probably got more, but we wouldn’t have to in the long run. Liz Polster came in and shut down the Rockets. Series over, crowd silenced (except for our great fans), and we move on!

We could have had an elaborate celebration on the mound with all the jumping for joy and all over each other, and maybe we were about to do that. But our manager Meghan Corrigan, had other ideas. She had been given the ball from Julie Poulin that was the third out of the game and walked over to the Rockets dugout and to opposing manager Christina Sanders, who had coached her final game for the Newmanistanian national team. It was only fitting to Meghan, that it would be Sanders who would get the game ball. Not necessarily for this particular game, or for this particular series, but for everything that she did in her career. No matter what country you’re from, you have to appreciate what she did for that team. As Sanders showed her gratitude and shared a hug with Meghan, the rest of us players followed her lead to shake her hand and wish her the best. Meanwhile, we’ll move on with the goal of returning here to the Proving Grounds for the championship game, but for now we have to set our sights on a team we’re not super-familiar with, and that is Churchma in Jessicaville. We’ll spend the night reading up on the Gators and have a good plan in order for game one tomorrow, which will be started by Katie Byrnes. It is great to be moving on.

[Churchma]

Churchma Gators WBC 19 Coverage
Gators crush Lycrabon in Game Three; advance to semi-finals to face Cassadaigua
Churchma Sports Inc.

It looks like Yusuf Yilmanz and Nickk Hampton are feeling comfortable with the lineup switch that brought Yilmanz to the clean-up spot, and Hampton batting in the number five position. Of Churchma's eleven runs scored in Game Three, these two WBC-rookies drove in eight of them. The two combined to bat 7-for-9 on the day, two home-runs, two doubles, and eight RBI. The monstrous production that these two had in Game Three against Lycrabon helped catapult the Gators into the semi-finals, with a 17-2 record.

"If you were to look at these two young guys (Yilmanz and Hampton) right now, you would think they've been playing in international tournaments all the time. The truth is, Hampton doesn't have a lick of international experience, and the only reason Yilmanz does is because of the IBL. Needless to say, without these guys bats being on fire, we might not advance on to face another "Big Four" opponent," manager Ben Barksdale said.

See, it's not just the media that calls Sarzonia, Newmanistan, Cassadaigua, and Tarrentum the "Big Four". The utter domination that these teams have had throughout multiple World Baseball Classics warrants the nickname. The good news for Churchma is that Sarzonia, Newmanistan, and Tarrentum have all been eliminated (by the way, good thing we didn't have a three game series with the host nation right now- they looked great against Cassadaigua in the quarterfinals). Not to say that Zwangzug or Saugeais aren't good ball clubs because they obviously are, but if the Gators can slip by Cassadaigua in three games, things are looking up.

For the fans that have been on cloud nine all tournament long and think Churchma is invincible because of their 17-2 record, they are about to have a major wake-up call as the Gators are the "away" team for the semi-finals series with Cassadaigua in Jessicaville. Churchma has never been to the semi-finals of this tournament, in the history of our nation. Cassadaigua on the other hand? Oh yeah, those guys (girls) won WBC 14 and 16 along with winning the runner-up trophies in WBC 13 and 15. If you're not great at math, that means that for four straight World Baseball Classics, the Pinks were in the finals. Their manager Meghan Corrigan is one of the most well-known managers on the international level. Prior to being the manager she was actually a pitcher during the golden years of Cassadaigua's storied baseball tradition. Ask 100 Cassadaigua citizens if they've heard of Ben Barksdale. Yeah, he's a legend around the tiny bubble of the Republic, but not a single person outside of our borders (except maybe in Newmanistan) have heard of our manager. We'll get to the point- for one of the first times in this WBC, the Gators are clearly the underdog.

"This is going to be a time where our guys put-up or shut-up. We're down to the final four teams left in the entire world, so if we think for one second that we can relax and take a breath, the Pinks will have us packing our bags before we knew what hit us. It starts immediately with our rookie on the mound (Sean Douglas), but we've got confidence in him, otherwise we wouldn't put him in this situation. He's going to do fine," Barksdale said.

The 28-year old lefty will take the mound against Cassadaigua in Game One of the semi-finals. If Churchma can somehow pull out a win and not have to fight from their backs in Game Two and Game Three, then the Gators might have a chance at winning this thing. But they can't hesistate in Game One- this may be one of the most important games this club will ever play.

(OOC: For those of you that have been reading my posts, you'll know that I have been calling Yusuf Yilmanz, Yusuf Yimanz. There's not much of a difference there, but Tarrentum informed me that I had been calling the IBL-star by the wrong name. So better late than never, right?)

[Saugeais]

National Journal
Rangers make the semis!
Offensive outburst in the 6th enough to get past Sakurakoku

Sakurakoku            000 000 300 - 3
Saugeais              101 004 00X - 6

Batting

Player                      AVG   AB   R    H     RBI    BB    SO
Derek Evans (2B)           .387   4    1    1      0     0     0
Michel Pétain (LF)         .324   3    0    1      0     1     0
Dick Robinson (C)          .343   4    1    2      2     0     1
Jacques Benoit (RF)        .416   3    0    0      1     0     0
Shawn Hamilton (DH)        .355   3    1    1      0     1     1
Christophe Lind (1B)       .348   4    1    1      0     0     1
Jean-Paul Romero (SS)      .395   3    1    2      2     1     0
Aaron Dairon (CF)          .359   2    0    0      0     1     0
Paul Roland (3B)           .416   3    0    2      1     0     0

Totals:                    .345  29    6   10      6     4     3


2B- Lind, 1 (2 total)
3B- none
HR- Robinson (4, 6th inning, no on, no out)
SB- Evans, 1 (6 total)
Sac - Benoit, 1st inning
GIDP - Saugeais 3

Pitching

Player                    ERA     IP      H     R    ER      BB     SO
Richard Cochon(W, 2-1)    6.14    7.1     4     3     3       3      9
Steven Richardson         4.09    0.2     1     0     0       0      1
Shaun Fournier(SV, 1)     1.93    1.0     1     0     0       0      2

[Zwangzug]

fangaffes.zz
BearBooty: I've really enjoyed Kiersten Murphy's blog posts about the Cassadagan team. After pestering a couple people (okay, maybe more than a couple, but not all of them were too pestered...right?) Ruth Mardi-Rosen has finally agreed to answer some of those questions, and a few others, about the Zebras!

Among the Zebras, who is most likely to...
... be the first one to practice? Benson.
... be the last one to practice? Calvin.
... forget there was supposed to be a practice? Mason.

... sign autographs for as many people as possible? Zach.
... sign a couple autographs then leave? Susan.
... avoid signing autographs? Harshal.

... sit in on a college class in Southport? Justine.
... get drunk at a party in Southport? Probably J.T., who wants me to tell you that he didn't.
... get freaked out by drunk fans? Ariana, which is dumb because she's a middle infielder.

... understand everything Gina says? Frances (she plays on the Crabs).
... understand the least? Anthony.
... translate? Maxwell.

... go to a Catholic church? Anthony.
... drive in Newmanistan, just for kicks? Mervin
... freak out when they see people going fast? Keegan.

... name the most players from the WBC7 Zebras I think Keegan. Let me check. Never mind, it's Zach.
... know who Jeremy McAllister is? I just asked and only Ben answered, but he was definitely looking it up on his phone, so nobody.
...not know who Stacey Keisler is? Alexander.

[Newmanistan]

THE END OF A LEGEND

Tundra Falls- On the scoreboard, Cassadaigua defeated the Rockets by a run. In the record books, Cassadaigua advances to the semifinals, and the Rockets are eliminated. But this isn’t any other elimination, this is the end of the line for the greatest manager ever in World Baseball Classic history as Christina Sanders steps down on her own terms. We knew this was coming when she announced it would be so at the beginning of the competition, we just hoped it would be end with her, and our fifth championship. Though it was not to be, and even though Newmanistan had a good tournament, you could see the areas that needed to be improved a little bit. Not that there was anything wrong, but in order to be a championship team once again there are some flaws here and there. Christina Sanders certainly would have been able to find and fix those flaws, and she will be allowed to be a part of the process in deciding the next coach for the team, and her replacement will be a Newmanistanian. We don’t know if there were any other people out there from other countries considering sending their resume, but the replacement will indeed come from within.

On the other side of the field, the Cassadagans could have gone overboard with a celebration and they could have made boasts about being the nation that ended the career of Sanders, but they chose not too, and perhaps we can rename them Classadaigua for their actions. While Newmanistan sports rivalries with pretty much every other top baseball nation in the world, things have been nothing but professional between us and the Dagans, and that couldn’t have been any more evident while Cassadaigua’s manager, Meghan Corrigan, elected to originally bypass the estatic high fives in celebration, and walk over to the Newmanistan dugout to give Sanders the game ball. How many other managers would have done such a thing? Ferdinand Cossomo? Khalil Dennis? Linda Werth? Paul Rudolf? Those are great managers, obviously, but our gut feeling says that none of them would have made it a point to make an effort to congratulate Sanders for her career. Cassadaigua goes to Jessicaville next to play Churchma, but if they eliminate the Gators and come back to the Proving Grounds for the finals, don’t think that the fans here tonight and of course, the Spirits, aren’t going to have a good memory.

Sanders admits that she was touched by Corrigan’s prompt walking over and giving her the game ball, “That ball was theirs. They won the game and didn’t have to do that. When she gave it to me she said it wasn’t about the game, but their acknowledgment of my career. (Takes a deep breath as she gets a little teary eyed). I guess if it was meant to be that I lose my final game as coach of the Rockets, I can be proud to have lost to a most classy and dignified opponent. They took the high road and only celebrated in the locker room, and let me sink in this moment here, with the fans. I really have to thank them for that.” Though the Dagans were rooted against on the field all series long, when they eventually left the field many Newmanistanian fans stood up and applauded them for their actions after the game. As for Sanders, she says she will still be watching the Classic and admits she returned some gratitude to Corrigan, “We lost twice to them (Churchma) so I don’t know how much of a help they are, but we gave them some scouting notes on their players that we had. Perhaps they can have better results with them!” Afterwards, she doesn’t quite know what to do. “They say you can do all these things and see the world in your retirement. Coaching the Rockets, I’ve already seen much of the World!! I don’t quite know how good I am gonna be at this retirement thing, though.”

Is Sanders ok with this final chapter of her coaching career? “Yes, absolutely. The best ending was winning a championship, but I can’t be greedy or spoiled. I’ve already been extremely spoiled by having the great players out there for me and winning the four championships and the other finals appearances. We still have never done worse then a quarterfinal appearance. I’m proud of that. I’m at peace with that. The next best thing to winning a championship was to have my last game be here, in a Newmanistanian-hosted Classic. I got to do that, and to finish it off in the most appropriate place, the Proving Grounds. The way that Cassadaigua treated the moment made it really special, something I couldn’t have expected or wished for something like that. It was incredible. My career is complete. I can walk away happy.” She then leaves with a parting message to the fans and everyone who may be listening, “I have to of course thank all of the wonderful fans who have supported us through all these years. And all the players who I have coached, many of them are coaching in Newmanistan now, and all of you guys in the media. I also have to thank all the great fans and supporters of the best sporting competition in the entire world: the World Baseball Classic.”

What a career it has been. Newmanistan entered the international scene in World Baseball Classic 7 and went right to the championship series, under the guidance of Sanders, and has coached every single game for the team until now. It was a promising beginning to a legacy that never backed down, and in a Classic that saw some strong first time nations, or nations finally have a breakthrough and have a strong run, two of which are still running, Sanders and the Rockets can be an inspiration. It took a while for Newmanistan to get the first title, and for a while it may have looked like they were never gonna win one, but it took a nice round number, WBC 10 for the Rockets to get that first. Perhaps another nation with close calls gets it in number 20. But for now we’ll see what happens with these final four teams. They should finish off this Classic very well.

[Newmanistan]

May the semifinals begin! Cutoff time!

Series U: (5) Zwangzug vs (9) Saugeais @ Putnam Lake (Zwangzug leads series 1G-0)

Saugeais              000 000 003 - 3
Zwangzug              001 000 40X - 5

Series V: (2) Cassadaigua vs (3) Churchma @ Jessicaville (Cassadaigua leads series 1G-0)

Churchma              001 010 000 - 2
Cassadaigua           201 210 00X - 6

[Saugeais]

National Journal
Saugeais stumbles in first semifinal game
Rangers backed up against the wall again, but don't count them out

So here we are again. Saugeais, losing the first game of a three game series, is facing elimination. Wait, what's that you ask? You don't know if the Rangers can pull it off this time? Have you been watching the World Baseball Classic at all? Saugeais was defeated in the first game of both the Qazox and the Sakurakoku series, both highly diligent and hard-working teams. And what did Saugeais do in both series, but defeat them to advance. Now take Zwangzug, former Classic champion, another highly diligent, highly respected team. What do you see as the difference between them and Qazox? Or Sakurakoku? "I'm sure that our boys will use this game, as they did the others, as motivation," said manager Greg Hanson. "This is the type of adversity that we strive for, because we've shown time and time again that we come prepared and focused under pressure. This is once again an elimination game for us. What are we going to do differently than what we have been. Exactly the same as when we were down to Qazox and Sakurakoku. Franklin Nopro will be starting the next game, who has wonderful command of his pitches, and I hope we will get to Kelvin Lane for the third game, who as of late developed some power behind him."

Good luck to the Rangers in tomorrow's game!

Saugeais              000 000 003 - 3
Zwangzug              001 000 40X - 5

Batting

Player                      AVG   AB   R    H     RBI    BB    SO
Derek Evans (2B)           .378   5    1    1      0     0     0
Michel Pétain (LF)         .320   4    0    1      0     1     1
Dick Robinson (C)          .340   4    0    1      0     0     1
Jacques Benoit (RF)        .404   5    1    1      3     0     0
Shawn Hamilton (DH)        .358   5    0    2      0     0     1
Christophe Lind (1B)       .344   4    0    1      0     0     1
Jean-Paul Romero (SS)      .381   3    0    0      0     1     2
Aaron Dairon (CF)          .346   3    0    0      0     1     2
Paul Roland (3B)           .408   4    1    1      0     0     0

Totals:                    .216  37    3    8      3     3     8


2B- none
3B- none
HR- Benoit (12, 9th inning, 2 on, 2 out)
SB- none
Sac - none
GIDP - Saugeais 3

Pitching

Player                    ERA     IP      H     R    ER      BB     SO
Randy Blackman(L, 1-1)    5.06    6.0     6     3     3       4      5
Shaun Fournier            2.75    1.0     4     2     2       0      1
Steven Richardson         3.86    0.2     2     0     0       1      1
Aaron Jones               3.21    0.1     0     0     0       0      0

[Zwangzug]

In true Zwangzugian style, the bullpen collapses in the ninth. In false Zwangzugian style, we'd already capitalized on another bullpen collapse. Saugeais has the same issues we do!

(OOC: Saugeais' runs against columns add up to four. After some deep Fournier analysis (ba-doom-chink) I'm charging him with the fifth run.)

[Cassadaigua]

Kiersten’s Space

There were many readers who wrote to me after my last blog to commend us for the handling of Christina Sanders’ last game, and many of them were from Newmanistan themselves. Though there were a couple naysayers who just think we did it to kiss up to the spirits of the Proving Grounds should we return to this place, I assure you that are intentions were genuine. On the better replies I got though was from Marlborough here in Cassadaigua from a man named Pierre. He writes, “Kiersten, you have spent the last week or thereabouts telling us more about the team in an effort to get us all familiar with you, but the best way you did that was your handling of game three against Newmanistan when it was over. That showed the whole world how much of a classy team you are! I am proud to call myself a Cassadagan male after that!!” I thank Pierre for the good word.

As we move on, our focus is on Churchma, and after a strong performance in the opening game, we are just one game away from returning to Tundra Falls. Katie Byrnes was given the start, and she would have another strong performance. Let’s give credit to Katie, it’s her first time starting in a World Baseball Classic and she’s done nothing but win her games, including the opening round clincher against Quintessence of Dust. Katie went all nine for us, which is a nice way to keep the arms in the bullpen fresh. She surrendered just two runs, as you know, but they were after we built up a pretty good lead. After the game she said she felt really good and in control of the Churchma hitters. She thought that early, a few of them were back on their heels a little bit and biting on her curveball way too easily. Eventually they came around on it a little better, but we had pulled ahead in this game by that time. Her ten strikeouts and only allowing six hits show the story of how good she was for us last night. With the bats, we were consistent as everyone in the top eight had at least one hit. I had a 2-for-4 with an RBI double in the 3rd mixed in. Though we were already in the lead 3-1 at the time, I think the biggest hit of the ball game for us was the bottom of the 4th two-run bomb off the bat of Julie Poulin, as it was with two outs and it extended our lead to a more comfortable 5-1. All went well, and now we have the opportunity to put Churchma away in the second game. Stacie Cordova gets the nod, and there is some motivation to get it done tonight, because if we do then we can go right to the top of the rotation for the championship series. It would also be nice to have a day off. Haven’t had one of those for a while!!

[Newmanistan]

Cutoff time! Let's see if any championship series berths are earned!

Series U: (5) Zwangzug vs (9) Saugeais @ Putnam Lake (series tied, 1-1)

Zwangzug              002 000 000 - 2
Saugeais              000 003 00X - 3

Series V: (2) Cassadaigua vs (3) Churchma @ Jessicaville (Cassadaigua wins series 2G-0)

Cassadaigua           002 100 121 - 7
Churchma              000 010 000 - 1

Cassadaigua clinches a championship series berth in Tundra Falls while Churchma heads to Pocono City for the 3rd place series.

[Saugeais]

National Journal
Solid pitching nets Saugeais the win
Rangers now one win away from first finals berth

Zwangzug              002 000 000 - 2
Saugeais              000 003 00X - 3

Batting

Player                      AVG   AB   R    H     RBI    BB    SO
Derek Evans (2B)           .377   3    0    1      0     1     1
Michel Pétain (LF)         .316   4    0    1      0     0     0
Dick Robinson (C)          .336   4    1    1      0     0     1
Jacques Benoit (RF)        .402   3    1    1      0     1     1
Shawn Hamilton (DH)        .365   4    0    2      0     0     1
Christophe Lind (1B)       .343   3    1    1      1     1     1
Jean-Paul Romero (SS)      .379   3    0    1      0     1     0
Aaron Dairon (CF)          .333   3    0    0      0     1     1
Paul Roland (3B)           .400   4    0    1      2     0     1

Totals:                    .290  31    3    9      3     5     7


2B- Robinson, 1 (5 total); Lind, 1 (3 total)
3B- none
HR- none
SB- none
GIDP - Saugeais 2

Pitching

Player                    ERA     IP      H     R    ER      BB     SO
Franklin Nopro(W, 4-0)    2.55    7.2     6     2     2       2      7
Kim Yun-sung              5.91    0.1     0     0     0       0      0
Shaun Fournier            2.66    0.2     1     0     0       0      1
Terry Kazmierczak(SV, 6)  6.43    0.1     0     0     0       0      0

[Zwangzug]

(OOC: Thanks to Saugeais for choosing how the Rangers scored. This being the Kerlagrad Courier, nothing should be taken too seriously...unless you read it on the right level, of course...)

The Kerlagrad Courier
Zwangzug, Saugeais united against common enemies

The Saugeais Rangers defeated the Zwangzug Zebras to tie one semifinal series of World Baseball Classic 19. Zwangzug had taken the lead in the top of the third, with Nicholas Bixler's double scoring Mason Blitch and Alexander Hamweigh, and Mervin Stove-Happs sending Bixler in. But in the seventh, a double from Christophe Lind scored Dick Robinson, and a Paul Roland single scored two runs to give the Rangers the lead.

In the other game, Cassadaigua swept Churchma to book their place in the best-of-seven championship series. Tomorrow, Ruth Mardi-Rosen faces Kelvin Lane in the deciding game. But while Zwangzug and Saugeais will be in fierce opposition, at least in some respects, they are on the same side.

"Ahoy," said Representative Kurt Michaels, Minister for Marine Affairs, "Sure, the Rangers and Zebras arrr facin' off. But when it counts, you know they're a Free Republic too, and they're dedicated to the security of the seven seas, aren't they? Or at least Lakes Branta and Whithall or whatevarrr."

Michaels' pronouncement comes on the heels of Liventian worrymongerrrin' about unprecedent levels of aquatic brigancy. "We're sure the Saugeais government supports privateering, or whatever it takes to get rid of this menace." He noted that Saugeais had "always agreed with us on dealing with communists, moonshiners, and Roman Catholic hierarchs, so this should be no different."

"Except now we're dealing with threats on the high seas," he gaped. "Sorry. I didn't believe this was ever going to happen, but here we are."

Reports from Liventia suggest that Zwangzug and Saugeais are both merely "full of bluster, as usual;" the Yaforite, Milchamian, and Albundanian Departments of Homewater Security were unavailable for comment.

[Saugeais]

Charles the Great once again is back to its normal state of jovial celebration. The Rugby Union team defeated Kazzoria to top the group and have all the momentum going into the knockout round. And The Rangers baseball team, once again playing on the edge of elimination, managed to defeat Zwangzug 3-2. Franklin Nopro, the young right-hander from Bugny, threw 7 2/3 of solid ball giving up only two runs while striking out 7. And it seems as of late, the Rangers runs have been coming in groups, this time in a group of 3. The sixth inning saw almost the entire lineup get a turn to bat, with Dick Robinson and Jacques Benoit starting the party off with a double and a walk respectively. Christophe Lind then drove in Robinson and, after another walk to Jean-Paul Romero, Paul Roland slapped a single to right, driving in two more runs. The score would stand at 3-2, with Terry Kazmierczak ending the game with his 6th save of the Classic

"That was a very suspenseful game, eh? Our bats need to come alive, and not just rely on our pitching every single time."

"Yeah, this is how we lose games, by not giving our starter the productivity he needs to pitch well. Fortunately we scored just enough to win. Next time, we might not be so lucky."

"Well, I hope next time we are, and we move on to the finals! Cassadaigua looks to be the team we would face if we moved on, and looking at their history, we would have a gigantic mountain to climb."

"No kidding, let me pull up the facts here: "Cassadaigua. 2 time World Baseball Classic champs and a 3rd place finish as well; this was last Classic. Has amassed 113 wins, last recorded before the current classic, putting them 7th all-time. Their winning percentage, 72%, is 4th all-time." Do you want me to keep going?"

"No, please. I understand what you are getting at. They are a powerhouse, no doubt, but that doesn't mean they can't be beaten."

"Well first, let's not talk like we're playing them just yet. We still have the third game to play against Zwangzug. Kelvin Lane is going to start, and after not doing so great last Classic, has really shone during this one."

"No kidding, you talk about a guy who has found his rhythm, Kelvin is the person who found it, he's forceably imposing it upon opposing batters. His 2.66 ERA is second on the team, behind Franklin, and while his strikeout to walk ratio isn't as high as some people would like it, he's found many ways to get batters out regardless."

"And on the hitting side, we really need to see more of Benoit. His 12 home runs this Classic far and away lead the team. As does his 37 RBIs."

"One keys aspect about the rangers that needs to be addressed is the lack of playing time for the backups. Now I know Michel Pétain and Pierre Gardin are switched out every now and then, including tomorrow's roster apparently, but look at the potential that is being wasted on the bench. I mean, even during the group stage, when we had this group wrapped up, we only put the reserves out once."

"That's not the fault of the mangers. Like many of us, he is a guy that wants to win, and will put his best nine out there when the situation needs it. Now I can see why Pétain and Gardin are switched more often than the others. Gardin actually shows signs of development and skill right now as opposed to the rest of them. In my opinion, Gardin should just replace Pétain completely. Remember when he was only hitting .246 at one point?"

"But look at him now. In just a couple of games, he's learned to stop swinging at everything and start taking pitches and drawing more walks. I do think that in the long run, Gardin is better for the team."

"Well then, boys, let's have a toast to the Rangers. So that they may have good luck in tomorrow's game."

*raises glass* "To the Rangers!"

[Newmanistan]

So who gets a date with Cassadaigua in Tundra Falls and who has to settle for Churchma in Pocono City? RP Cutoff!

Series U: (5) Zwangzug vs (9) Saugeais @ Putnam Lake (Saugeais wins series, 2G-1)

Saugeais              300 110 002 - 7
Zwangzug              100 001 200 - 4

3rd Place: (Best-of-3, Churchma hits in bottom half in G1 & 3)
Series W: (3) Churchma vs (5) Zwangzug V @ Pocono City


CHAMPIONSHIP (Best-of-7, Cassadaigua hits in bottom half in G1, 2, 5, & 7)
Series X: (2) Cassadaigua vs (9) Saugeais @ Tundra Falls

[Cassadaigua]

Kiersten’s Space

Say hey, it’s gonna be Saugeais! Well, it’s time to prepare for the championship series, and we will be opposed by a nation that’s still pretty new to the world of baseball, though they have hosted a couple small baseball tournaments in an effort to show everyone they are serious about this great game. We watched the game as a group from Tundra Falls, as there was no way we were going to go all the way out to Putnam Lake just to watch it live. The majority of us didn’t really have a preference, even though Zwangzug is the more accomplished nation. Saugeais has played well from the start, and they will be a formidable opposition for us. The Rangers have been playing with their backs against the wall for much of the post-season as it seems like they were down 1-0 in all of their best-of-three series and they came back to win each of them. They’ve put aside Qazox and Zwangzug as well as a game team from Sakurakoku, so they’re not going to be intimidated by us. That’s all fine, because we aren’t taking anything for granted in this series. It’s nice to be back in Tundra Falls, after all, and many think it will be a definitive pro-Dagan crowd not only because we are much closer to the city, but also because of the way we handled the last game of Newmanistan’s legendary coach.

You will hear a lot of people talking about us searching for our third world championship. As a nation, that is true, but many of us, as players, have not won a championship. I am one of the few holdovers from our last championship team, as World Baseball Classic 16 was my first ever Classic. I was a young 21-year old starter that year, and I enjoyed it immensely. It was a great team, and a hard earned title, but I think when you win one so young, you can take for granted how hard it is to get back here. Sure, it’s only been three Classics since then, but it can just seem like forever. The vast majority of this roster has zero championship rings, as there was a lot of turnover, as you probably remember between 16 and 17 on the team, so a lot of that past glory doesn’t really apply to everyone as individuals. Courtney Curran is going to pitch the first game for us, and we would all love to see her come up big against a good-hitting side from Saugeais. Pitching is usually a strong suit of ours, and has been for the playoffs. I hope everyone that has made the trip to Tundra Falls has a great time, as remember there are a ton of seats at this facility, as a whole, but if you have not made the trip across the border and are watching from home, I hope you enjoy it just as well. Let’s bring this baby home!!

[Saugeais]

National Journal
Rangers are in the finals!

Saugeais              300 110 002 - 7
Zwangzug              100 001 200 - 4

Batting

Player                      AVG   AB   R    H     RBI    BB    SO
Derek Evans (2B)           .378   5    1    2      0     0     1
Pierre Gardin (LF)         .353   4    1    2      1     1     0
Dick Robinson (C)          .333   4    1    1      0     1     0
Jacques Benoit (RF)        .402   5    1    2      0     0     1
Shawn Hamilton (DH)        .375   3    2    2      5     2     1
Christophe Lind (1B)       .337   5    0    1      0     0     0
Jean-Paul Romero (SS)      .367   3    0    0      0     1     0
Aaron Dairon (CF)          .341   4    1    2      1     0     0
Paul Roland (3B)           .393   4    0    1      0     0     0

Totals:                    .351  37    7   13      7     5     3


2B- Evans, 1 (8 total); Hamilton, 1 (8 total); Dairon, 1 (5 total)
3B- none
HR- Hamilton (6, 9th inning, 1 on, 2 out)
SB- Evans, 1, 6th inning (7 total)
GIDP - Saugeais 2

Pitching

Player                    ERA     IP      H     R    ER      BB     SO
Kelvin Lane(W, 4-0)       3.18    6.2     8     4     4       1      6
Shaun Fournier            2.57    0.2     1     0     0       0      1
Steven Richardson         3.65    0.2     0     0     0       1      1
Terry Kazmierczak(SV, 7)  5.63    1.0     0     0     0       0      2

[Zwangzug]

Trivia question. Was the DH in effect? Bleepit, that's too hard. Okay, easier one, who did Zwangzug play in the Mercer Game? That's right, Churchma. And who scored the winning run? Mason Blitch! How about a rematch?

[Newmanistan]

Who will strike first in Tundra Falls? Oh, and in Pocono City, too.

WBC 19 CHAMPIONSHIP: (2) Cassadaigua vs (9) Saugeais @ Tundra Falls (Cassadaigua leads series 1G-0)

Saugeais              000 001 000 - 1
Cassadaigua           320 003 10X - 9

3rd Place: (3) Churchma vs (5) Zwangzug @ Pocono City (Churchma leads series 1G-0)

Zwangzug              100 110 000 - 3
Churchma              003 054 00X - 12

[Saugeais]

National Journal
Rangers blown out in Game 1
Saugeais unceremoniously welcomed to the Finals

This was not how the Rangers want to make there first impression on the Finals crowd. But while they have dealt with losing before, they've never lost as big as this in the Classic. Saugeais, now down one game in this best of seven set, can only attribute the lack of offense to the lack of Shawn Hamilton, the team's beloved DH. "Yeah, not having me in the lineup definitely hurt our clances," said Hamilton. "When you have the tandem of me and (Jacques) Benoit in the lineup, most pitchers don't know which one to deal with. Once you take one of us out of the equation, it makes it that much harder for us to win." While it is only one game and the Rangers have been in this situation before, manager Greg Hanson still wants his team to treat it like an elimination game. "We've had this mentality throughout the playoffs. If we lose the first game, we fight back, and we continue fighting until we move on to the next round. Well right now, we are almost at the end of the tunnel, and we are fighting for that title of being WBC champions. My boys do know that it means a lot, and they will come out next game with more vigor and energy to tie this series up." When asked if the team lost due to the Cassadaiguan team "being of the female persuasion," Hanson said, "Girls playing baseball isn't all that uncommon, but yes, I think my team was a little fazed when taking the field today. I will address that matter with them later."

So with the Rangers down 1-0, they will send Richard Cochon to the mound against the Pinks. Once again, the DH is not in effect, and this time Christophe Lind will be asked to sit this game out; Shawn Hamilton will play first base for the first time in this Classic. While he has been known to field the ball well in the SBO, whether or not his inexperience at the position will be a factor remains to be seen. All we know is that manager Hanson "wants to win, and will have his best men out there next game."

Saugeais              000 001 000 - 1
Cassadaigua           320 003 10X - 9

Batting

Player                      AVG   AB   R    H     RBI    BB    SO
Derek Evans (2B)           .382   4    1    2      0     0     1
Pierre Gardin (LF)         .316   4    0    0      0     0     1
Dick Robinson (C)          .333   4    0    1      0     0     1
Jacques Benoit (RF)        .400   3    0    1      1     1     1
Christophe Lind (1B)       .330   2    0    0      0     1     0
Jean-Paul Romero (SS)      .355   3    0    0      0     0     0
Aaron Dairon (CF)          .330   3    0    0      0     0     1
Paul Roland (3B)           .391   3    0    1      0     0     1
Claude Gagné (P)           .000   1    0    0      0     0     0
 Steven Richardson (P)     .000   0    0    0      0     0     0
 Shaun Fournier (P)        .000   1    0    0      0     0     1
 Kim Yun-Sung (P)          .000   0    0    0      0     0     0
 a-José Rodriguez (ph)     .222   0    0    0      0     1     0
 Aaron Jones (P)           .000   0    0    0      0     0     0

Totals:                    .179  28    1    5      1     3     7

a - walk for Yun-Sung in the 8th

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

Pitching

Player                    ERA     IP      H     R    ER      BB     SO
Claude Gagné(L, 4-1)      4.97    5.1     8     6     6       3      4
Steven Richardson         4.97    0.1     3     2     2       0      0
Shaun Fournier            2.86    1.0     2     0     1       1      1
Kim Yun-Sung              5.73    0.1     0     0     0       0      1
Aaron Jones               3.00    1.0     0     0     0       0      1

[Zwangzug]

Prejudiced Pocono City fans started booing us without reason. So what did we do? Give them a bleeping reason. Worst margin of defeat in Zebras history.

[Cassadaigua]

Kiersten’s Space

I hope you enjoyed the first game of the championship series!! We have to be careful here though, because as impressive as we might have been, it was only one game, and it takes four to win the series. Furthermore, Saugeais has lost the first game of all but one of their playoff series thus far, so they might be thinking that they have us right where they want us. I have heard that some Saugeais fans are wishing that they had the DH for this series, given that Shawn Hamilton was not in their lineup, but I think that’s a bunch of BS. If he is as important to their lineup as he is made out to be, then you need to find a spot for him. You cannot rely on the designated hitter and have to learn to play the field at this level. I guess that’s gonna happen in game two, according to reports. My criticism comes from experience, because prior to World Baseball Classic 17, we used the designated hitter as well. It was Amanda Meyer that we put in that spot, the home run hitting extraordinaire who’s lack of speed in the outfield made it best for us to play her there. Though when we needed to have her in the field, we found the space. Perhaps this is an experience thing as Saugeais realizes this a game too late. We’ve been here before, and they have never been this deep into the playoffs before.

Enough about them, that’s their story. What was this story of this game? The great play of our entire lineup, including pitcher Courtney Curran. The last time she was on the mound was our game one loss in the quarterfinals, right here in Tundra Falls, to Newmanistan. Right away, she sent the Rangers going right back to the dugout slamming their bats back into the bat rack. She scattered five hits and fanned seven in a dominating performance. We jumped on them early, getting two of our three runs before Saugeais was even able to record an out. Julie Poulin’s 2-run double followed a pair of singles, and later in the inning, Kenzie (Malloy) drove her in with a single. Then in the second, a one out single by Courtney Curran herself showed the Saugeais hitters that pitchers can hit. Or maybe Courtney was just lucky, lol!! A double by (Brittany) Anderson, who played a great game tonight, and a single by Shannon (Cooley) made it 5-0 and we never looked back. Though I have to mention Brooke (Houghton)’s three-run bomb in the 6th that really put it out of reach. We were really in the groove tonight, and we felt really comfortable playing here, while Saugeais looked jitterish. Despite that, there’s still three more wins that we need to get in this series, and we know not to get ahead of ourselves.