World Baseball Classic 19: Everything Thread!

[Newmanistan]

Margaret gave us a couple routs in the game 1's. What does she have in mind for game 2? It's a RP Cutoff!

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

Saugeais              000 010 011 - 3
Cassadaigua           222 011 00X - 8

3rd Place: (3) Churchma vs (5) Zwangzug @ Pocono City (series tied, 1-1)

Churchma              020 101 100 - 5
Zwangzug              201 113 01X - 9

[Cassadaigua]

Kiersten’s Space

Whenever you win game one, getting the upper hand is always appreciated, but it doesn’t mean anything if you lose game two. Taking a 2-0 advantage in a series like this still means there is work to do, but it absolutely puts you in the drivers seat, especially when you were the favorite going into the series. Now, after this impressive 8-3 victory where we led comfortably the whole way, the Rangers of Saugeais may be second-guessing their chances of winning a title. They have had a good run, but some doubts might be creeping in now; voices within the players heads wondering if this is as far as they’ll get. A friend or a family member may try to pick them up, but might be preparing the ol’ “you should be proud of how far you got” line. They have work to do, but so do we. Our job is not to be a Tarrentum and cough this up. Our job is to see them down and to keep kicking, and not allow them a chance to get back up. We’re close and we can sense it, and we have the experience, if not as players, definitely with our manager Meghan Corrigan. She won’t let us slip up.

Game two was a beauty. Stacey Schrager was on top of the Rangers all game long with her eight innings pitched, giving up two runs on six hits. She didn’t walk anyone and struck out ten. Saugeais hoped that Shawn Hamilton could pick them up, but his 0-for-4 was just one of the costly things for his team. Of course, the other was his first inning error, Bucknering a routine ground ball from Brittany Anderson. We got two in that inning thanks to Brooke’s 2-run double, and two more in the second. Credit Cassie Schneider there, and then how about two more in the third? You knew I was gonna have to mention my 2-run homer, and oh it certainly was sweet. There was just no looking back, responding quickly to their 5th inning run with one of our own. We were in control tonight, and we are in control of the series. Sarah Grady got a rare appearance in the 9th, and surrendered a run, but it was meaningless. The somber faces of the Rangers fans told the story. They know we’re the favorite, and they know we’re in control of this series. Two more to go, and we’re not about to play around!

[Saugeais]

National Journal
Rangers now down 2 games to none
Richard Cochon has shortest outing of any Saugeais starter this Classic

Well folks, looks like the Rangers are now in panic mode. Richard Cochon gave up 6 runs in 4 innings of work, the shortest outing a Saugeais pitcher has had in this Classic since, well, Claude Gagné's performance in yesterday's game. It is pretty sad how unprepared our pitchers are coming into this game, with their control and location just horrid, giving up hit after hit to the Pinks. And manager Greg Hanson's plan of placing Shawn Hamilton at first was a failure, going 0-4 on the day and even managed to boot a ball in the very first inning. "We need to calm down," said Hanson. "I don't want everyone on the team to panic. Now the next two games, we'll be the technical home team. That mean we will have the DH back, and hopefully, Shawn will be back to his old self. I knew this game was a must win, hell they all are now, and putting him out at first base was the smart decision in terms of predicting average. Unfortunately the prediction was wrong and we're two games back. But I think we'll make it up these next couple of games."

Randy Blackman looks to stop the bleeding of runs given up by his predecessors, pitching tomorrow in a crucial game 3.

Saugeais              000 010 011 - 3
Cassadaigua           222 011 00X - 8

Batting

Player                      AVG   AB   R    H     RBI    BB    SO
Derek Evans (2B)           .383   5    0    2      1     0     1
Michel Pétain (LF)         .298   5    0    0      0     0     2
Dick Robinson (C)          .325   3    0    0      0     1     1
Jacques Benoit (RF)        .395   4    0    1      0     0     1
Shawn Hamilton (1B)        .359   4    0    0      0     0     3
Jean-Paul Romero (SS)      .361   4    2    2      1     0     0
Aaron Dairon (CF)          .316   4    0    0      0     0     2
Paul Roland (3B)           .385   4    0    1      0     0     0
Richard Cochon (P)         .000   1    0    0      0     0     1
 Shaun Fournier (P)        .250   1    0    1      1     0     0
 a-Pierre Gardin (ph)      .333   1    0    1      0     0     0
 Terry Kazmierczak (P)     .000   0    0    0      0     0     0
 Kim Yun-Sung (P)          .000   0    0    0      0     0     0
 b-Anderson Smith (ph)     .800   1    1    1      0     0     0

Totals:                    .216  37    3    9      3     1    11

a - single for Fournier in the 7th
b - double for Yun-Sung in the 9th

2B- Roland, 1(3 total); Smith, 1
3B- none
HR- Romero (1, 8th inning, no on, 2 out)
SB- none
GIDP - Saugeais 3

Pitching

Player                    ERA     IP      H     R    ER      BB     SO
Richard Cochon(L, 2-2)    7.02    4.0    10     6     6       3      1
Shaun Fournier            3.38    2.0     5     2     2       0      2
Terry Kazmierczak         5.00    1.0     2     0     0       0      0
Kim Yun-Sung              5.25    1.0     1     0     0       1      1

[Zwangzug]

Dropped by the Hall of Fame today. Nice place. Good news is when we get around to inducting some contemporary players we'll know who's been doing well!

[Churchma]

Churchma Gators WBC 19 Coverage
It's down to the wire for third place versus Zwangzug; several Gators announce retirement
Justin Bruce, BSRN

POCONO CITY, Newmanistan- To say this has been Churchma's best showing in this tournament is an understatement, as this is most likely the Gators most successful tournament of any sport in our history. With an 18-5 record heading into the final matchup of the third-place series, a few Churchmanian stars have come forward to me and announced that they will be retiring following this final matchup against Zwangzug.

Most notably, two pitchers have announced that they will no longer be a Gator after the third-place series is completed. 32-year old Darren Brickwell has competed in the last four World Baseball Classics, twice as the club's ace. In addition, Robert Zaino, 36-years old, will start tomorrow against Zwangzug for the last time. Even though he's consistently been towards the bottom of the pitching rotation, Zaino has always had the confidence of manager Ben Barksdale. This edition of the World Baseball Classic was also Zaino's fourth straight.

In the field, there are already two confirmed retirments as well. Centerielder Jim Karney, who was side-lined by an ankle injury, announced he needs to retire and be there for his family. Third basemen Jake Massa, also in his fourth World Baseball Classic appearance, will retire as well. Massa has a career .289 batting average in this tournament, while hitting nine home runs and 41 RBI.

"These four veterans have done so much for getting our name recognized across the world. Four editions ago, no one had a clue about the nation of Churchma. What these four have done for us really can't be put into words, we're all so thankful for what they've done," manager Ben Barksdale said.

The next question people want to ask, is whether or not the ole' ball coach is going to call it quits.

"Hell no. I'll be around as long as I can- until they kick me out of here. I live and breathe for this team and my guys know that," Barksdale said.

I guess we'll all find out if the team can pull it together one more time, claim their 19th victory of the tournament, along with third place. But most importantly, it's critical that the four veterans leave this team as a winner. Zaino will do all he can to ensure that happens with his final start in a Gators uniform, facing off with Zwangzug in game three.

[Newmanistan]

The third place series comes to an end with this RP Cutoff as the championship series moves forward.

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

Cassadaigua           001 000 100 - 2
Saugeais              010 110 00X - 3

3rd Place: (3) Churchma vs (5) Zwangzug @ Pocono City (Zwangzug wins series, 2G-1)

Zwangzug              100 121 210 - 8
Churchma              301 000 100 - 5

[Saugeais]

National Journal
Rangers stifle Pink's offense, get the win
Solid pitching key, offense still needs to step up

Cassadaigua           001 000 100 - 2
Saugeais              010 110 00X - 3

Batting

Player                      AVG   AB   R    H     RBI    BB    SO
Derek Evans (2B)           .382   3    0    1      1     0     0
Michel Pétain (LF)         .299   3    0    1      0     1     2
Dick Robinson (C)          .314   4    0    0      0     0     2
Jacques Benoit (RF)        .402   3    1    2      1     0     1
Shawn Hamilton (DH)        .351   2    1    0      0     1     1
Christophe Lind (1B)       .330   3    0    1      0     0     0
Jean-Paul Romero (SS)      .350   3    0    0      0     0     1
Aaron Dairon (CF)          .327   3    1    2      1     0     0
Paul Roland (3B)           .378   2    0    0      0     0     0


Totals:                    .269  26    3    7      3     2     7

2B- Dairon, 1 (6 total)
3B- none
HR- Benoit (13, 4th inning, no on, no out)
SB- none
Sac - Roland, 5th inning; Evans, 5th inning
GIDP - Saugeais 4

Pitching

Player                    ERA     IP      H     R    ER      BB     SO
Randy Blackman(W, 2-1)    4.62    7.0     5     2     2       3      6
Kim Yun-Sung              4.85    1.0     0     0     0       1      2
Terry Kazmierczak(SV, 8 ) 4.50    1.0     1     0     0       0      1

[Zwangzug]

Good news: Zebras rally back in yet another third-place series. Better news: Blitch beats Wabble again, the normal way!

[Newmanistan]

I've always thought of game 4 in any best-of-seven to be the most critical. Will it be 3-1 or all tied at 2?

WBC 19 CHAMPIONSHIP: (2) Cassadaigua vs (9) Saugeais @ Tundra Falls (series tied, 2-2)

Cassadaigua           011 000 100 - 3
Saugeais              101 011 00X - 4

[Saugeais]

National Journal
Rangers prevent late rally to even the series
Batters starting to wake up while pitching has gotten better

It took a while but the Saugeais bats are starting to hit something! The Rangers narrowly defeated Cassadaigua 4-3 to even up the series at 2 games a piece. Franklin Nopro continued his winning ways, recording his 5th win of the Classic. While he did give up all three of the Pinks' runs, he managed to strike out 5 batters after 6 2/3 innings. Terry Kazmierczak recorded his 9th save of the Classic as well, relieving Steven Richardson after he gave up two singles to start the 9th inning. As far as the hitting is concerned, the Rangers haven't totally figured out the Pinks' pitching, but they did enough to get the job done for this game. In a game time decision, manager Greg Hanson replaced starting catcher Dick Robinson, who was hitting 1 for 11 in the series, in favor of backup Anderson Smith. He went 1 for 3 and drove in a run to help out the offense.

Player of the game honors go to both Jacques Benoit and Shawn Hamilton. Both were the catalysts of the offense, driving in the other three runs to put Saugeais in top. Benoit singled in a run in the first, while a sacrifice fly brought in another in the fifth. Hamiltonalso contributed by hitting a solo home run in the 3rd inning. Saugeais will once again be the virtual home team next game, so Hanson will have to change his lineup accordingly. So far in the two games where we had the pitcher in our lineup, we lost both of them. So maybe we'll see Hamilton in the first base slot again? Will Anderson Smith remain the starting catcher now? Time will tell if these lineup changes come to fruition, and if they will help the team tomorrow.

Cassadaigua           011 000 100 - 3
Saugeais              101 011 00X - 4

Batting

Player                      AVG   AB   R    H     RBI    BB    SO
Derek Evans (2B)           .377   4    1    1      0     0     2
Michel Pétain (LF)         .308   4    1    2      0     0     1
Jacques Benoit (RF)        .409   3    0    2      2     0     0
Shawn Hamilton (DH)        .347   4    1    1      1     0     0
Christophe Lind (1B)       .319   4    0    0      0     0     1
Jean-Paul Romero (SS)      .340   3    1    0      0     1     1
Aaron Dairon (CF)          .337   3    0    2      0     1     0
Anderson Smith (C)         .625*  3    0    1      1     0     1
Paul Roland (3B)           .376   3    0    1      0     0     1

Totals:                    .323  31    4   10      4     2     7

* Smith has 5 hits in 8 at-bats

2B- Benoit, 1 (10 total); Dairon, 1 (7 total)
3B- none
HR- Hamilton (7, 3rd inning, no on, 2 out)
SB- Evans, 1 (8 total)
Sac - Benoit, 5th inning; Smith, 6th inning
GIDP - Saugeais 2

Pitching

Player                    ERA     IP      H     R    ER      BB     SO
Franklin Nopro(W, 5-0)    2.79    6.2     7     3     3       4      5
Shaun Fournier            3.20    1.1     1     0     0       0      2
Steven Richardson         4.85    0.1     2     0     0       0      0
Terry Kazmierczak(SV, 9)  4.22    0.2     0     0     0       0      1

[Tarrentum]

[OOC: This is more to update all those interested in the International Baseball League, specifically Meghan Stewart and the Newmanistan Experiment]

All that Glitters is NOT Gold

Riori, Apolln - The experiment of Meghan Stewart on the plains of Riori has ended. After signing a J3.13 million, 1 year deal with the Riori Cannons organization, the Cannons promptly placed Meghan Stewart on waivers. She languished there for all of five hours before being signed by the Lake Empress Stallions. Francisco Calderra, GM of the Cannons, released a statement when Stewart was put on waivers.

"It became quite evident early on that our gamble on Ms. Stewart was not going to work out in this organization."

Neither Stewart nor her agent responded to media inquiries but league sources said that Stewart was livid and ready to bolt back to the NBL before she was quickly picked up by another team. Louis Verna, General Manager of the Stallions, was glowing in his new acquisition.

"We have brought to Lake Empress a fabulous pitcher who has proven herself time and time again in international competition and feel assured that she will help the Stallions return to the playoffs this year."

[Cassadaigua]

Kiersten’s Space

Hey you! Yeah, you! Stop that! If you’re like the many of the people who have written in to the blog following the loss in game four, or if you were one of the people who took the time to let me know what you thought of my 0-for-4 at the plate and 1-for-my-last-8, then you are probably getting nervous. You are probably being annoyed that those Saugeais fans you were making of after the first two games and seemed beaten have come back to life and are saying things making us out to be the Tarrentum Falcons of World Baseball Classic 17. Well, you just need to stop being so worried! Nothing has changed with us, we haven’t played that terribly in these two games, and there is no reason to think that we’re about to cough this thing up. If you’re worried, then I remind you that Saugeais has to win at least two games against the likes of Stacie Cordova, Courtney Curran, and Stacey Schrager. Feeling a little better now? Good, I hope so.

Don’t be worried. Calm down, we’re still in control of this series. If you think that feelings of concern and that we’re falling to pieces have crept into the locker room, then you are very much mistaken. After losing game four we did not sit around with our hands folded and wondering what we need to do. Our manager Meghan Corrigan is not at a loss to find solutions, and she is not drastically changing our game plan in any way. Our lineup for game five will be the same as it was for games one and two, as maybe it benefits us a little bit to have the pitcher batting as opposed to the designated hitter. I actually refuse to believe that though, and feel that we can defeat the Rangers even with the DH in the lineup, and we’ll have one more chance to show them that. Nothing is being changed, and we’re confident. These last two games, really, could have gone either way, case in point in game three where we had runners on 2nd & 3rd in the 5th with no one out and failed to score, and then in game four, where we loaded up the bases in the 3rd with no one out and only got one run across the plate. In each of those innings, if we just one more run, then both of these games would have been sent to extra innings. Give credit to the Saugeais pitchers for pitching out of those jams, and there is no excuse on our part for the failure to bring in the runs, but we were right there in both of those of games. Saugeais cannot say that about the two games that we won. This is why everyone in this locker room right now insists that we are still in control of this series, and that we are not worried with this recent turn of events. As a fan, you don’t need to be worried either, as I’ll say it again - Saugeais still has to win at least two games against Stacie Cordova, Courtney Curran, and Stacey Schrager. Now I hope you’re feeling even better!

Relax. It’s what we did after game four. There is no reason to be concerned, and if there were any nerves beginning to set in with any of the team members, it didn’t show with what we did after the game. Because chances are the people that we saw after the game were not the people that wrote in to the blog to tell us “OMG! OMG! OMG U BETTER WIN!!!111!!1oneone!1”. Those people, those little girls, and aspiring boys wearing pink that we signed autographs for, for a good two hours after the game were not one bit concerned. They were so happy to be here, to have made the trip to Newmanistan and to be a part of this great experience. Some of them were very athletic young kids and told all of us that they aspire to play for this team one day, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the blog for World Baseball Classic 25 is written by one of them. Their parents took pictures of their wide, beaming smiles as they were having the moment of their lives, and after the pictures, and getting an autograph for themselves, they thanked us for not being down in dumps for losing game four. Though it wasn’t just those athletic youngsters, but also the disabled. Kids fighting a disability, or perhaps wheelchair bound and still ever so excited to be here, to be attending a championship series for the World Baseball Classic. The pictures were taken and the parents told us just how much this meant to their kids, to them, that we would take this time, that we would not cancel the pre-arranged autograph session for our fans just because we lost, and that we were still in high spirits and not feeling sorry for ourselves. We met some fans from other nations that have made the trip, and of course some Newmanistanians. We saw fans from Saugeais proudly wearing the colors of their team, and maybe making a statement about how they thought the Rangers were going to come back and win the series, just like any good fan would. But then, they walked by, and a fan commented to me that they saw jealousy in their eyes. Not jealousy in thinking that they couldn’t beat us, but jealousy in wondering where’s Shawn Hamilton? The closest some of them might get to him will be from an upper deck seat the Proving Grounds. Though maybe Shawn knows that his work is still cut out for him in that they still have to win at least two games against the likes of Stacie Cordova, Courtney Curran, and Stacey Schrager. I see you starting to smile now!!


You can say that this is the difference between a nation like Cassadaigua and a nation like Saugeais. I think that Shawn Hamilton and company are fantastic players, and I wish them nothing but the best, but they are still new to this level. They’ve gotten their feet wet in the international sporting scene and have drawn a bunch of respect for what they have done thus far, but they have never been on the cusp of a major championship. They’re all business. All serious. All results. And when you’re 2-2 in a best-of-seven, that’s the team that is nervous. On our side, we have not only won this twice before, but have won other major competitions before. We are the only nation to win a major championship in baseball, football, soccer, and hockey. We know that it takes, and we know that you can’t be so serious all the time, that there are far more important things going on in Tundra Falls right now then performance-based results. I am so happy to be here, the fans are too, and we saw that last night. We’re not nervous. Not one bit, and now, I don’t think you are either. Just the way it needs to be. We’re still in control of this series!

They don’t only have to win at least two games against the likes of Stacie Cordova, Courtney Curran, and Stacey Schrager. Or the rest of us on this team. They have to win them against all of us! Wherever you’ll be watching game five, let’s show them, together, that we’re still in control!! Let’s roll!!

[Newmanistan]

Game 5 is now cutoff. Who will push ahead?

WBC 19 CHAMPIONSHIP: (2) Cassadaigua vs (9) Saugeais @ Tundra Falls (Cassadaigua leads series, 3G-2)

Saugeais              000 000 100 - 1
Cassadaigua           001 010 02X - 4

[Saugeais]

National Journal
Pinks punch back, take series lead
Saugeais on the verge of elimination

Well folks, it's that time once again. Saugeais, after storming back in games three and four, have fallen behind 3 games to 2 and are on the verge of elimination. Stacie Cordova pitched beautifully against the Rangers; she pitched a complete game, only allowing 1 run on 6 hits, walking 1 and striking out 7. Kelvin Lane on our side pitched just as well, giving up 2 runs in 7 innings of work. It looked like the Rangers could mount some runs in the late innings. However, once the relievers came in, the wheels fell of that bus. Kim Yun-Sung gave up 2 more runs on three straight hits and left without recording an out. Steven Richardson came in to close out the inning, but the damage had been done and Saugeais couldn't find a way to retaliate. On the offensive side, once again no DH proves very costly to the Rangers, even with moving Shawn Hamilton to first base. Hamilton did manage to get two of the six team hits, but with the lack of accompaniment from Jacques Benoit (0-3, 3 K's) or Aaron Dairon (1-3), the offense was doomed.

But don't give up hope yet, Rangers fans. Think about it this way, when the Rangers tied the series up 2 games a piece, the series was essentially reset to a best-of-three game format. And Cassadaigua defeated us in that virtual "first game." Remember, what has happened before when we lost the first game of a three game set? We went on to come back and win the next two games! Hell, we even have the DH next game, and manager Greg Hanson has stated, "Dick Robinson will be back in the lineup. His practices with the hitting coach have looked great so far, and I expect him to be a key factor in game six." And as an added bonus, our ace Claude Gagné is getting the nod to start. So all is not lost, as they is great chance that we will triumph over this. History is on our side. Let's hope that the players know it as well, and give it their all in this do-or-die game six.

Saugeais              000 000 100 - 1
Cassadaigua           001 010 02X - 4

Batting

Player                      AVG   AB   R    H     RBI    BB    SO
Derek Evans (2B)           .374   4    0    1      0     0     0
Michel Pétain (LF)         .305   4    0    1      0     0     2
Jacques Benoit (RF)        .398   3    1    0      0     1     3
Shawn Hamilton (1B)        .353   4    0    2      0     0     0
Jean-Paul Romero (SS)      .333   2    0    0      1     0     1
Aaron Dairon (CF)          .337   3    0    1      0     0     0
Anderson Smith (C)         .455*  3    0    0      0     0     0
Paul Roland (3B)           .375   3    0    1      0     0     0
Kelvin Lane (P)            .000   2    0    0      0     0     0
a-Pierre Gardin (ph)       .325   1    0    0      0     0     1
 Kim Yun-sung (P)          .000   0    0    0      0     0     0
 Steven Richardson (P)     .000   0    0    0      0     0     0

Totals:                    .207  29    1    6      1     1     7

* Smith has 5 hits in 11 at-bats
a - strike out for Lane in the 8th

2B- Hamilton, 1 (9 total)
3B- none
HR- none
SB- none
Sac - Romero, 7th inning
GIDP - Saugeais 3

Pitching

Player                    ERA     IP      H     R    ER      BB     SO
Kelvin Lane(L, 4-1)       3.07    7.0     6     2     2       3      3
Kim Yun-Sung              6.23    0.0     3     2     2       0      0
Steven Richardson         4.50    1.0     1     0     0       0      1

[Cassadaigua]

Kiersten’s Space

See, aren’t you glad you listened to me? I told you we were still in control of the series, and with our 4-1 victory over the Rangers, we are one win away from becoming a three-time champion. Don’t pre-order you’re championship apparel quite yet as there is still some work to be done as Saugeais has shown that they have great fight when their backs against the wall. In all but their preliminary round series leading up to the championship, they were defeated in the first game, and came back to win the next two and you can say that the position they are in now is the same thing. Here’s another bit of history that Saugeais fans will use: In WBC 18, Sarzonia came back from 2-1 to beat Tarrentum in a best-of-five, and in WBC 17, Newmanistan rallied from 3-2 down (3-0 originally, of course) to beat Tarrentum, and in WBC 16 we were down 2-1 to Tocrowkia before winning the last two games in that best-of-five. The recent history is there, but did any of those teams have to beat pitchers the caliber of Courtney Curran and Stacey Schrager to do so? Well, if you ask me, I sure don’t think so.

Things went well for us in the fifth game. Stacie Cordova tossed a gem, getting a complete game and fanning seven. Saugeais did piece together six hits, and Shawn Hamilton got his pair, but they never really threatened other then the fact that they were always looming in this game as we didn’t really put them away until the end. I feel good about my two hits, not just because I snap out of my little mini funk, but because they had a role in each of our runs that we scored early in the contest. Just when Saugeais tried to claw their way back, we put this baby to bed in the 8th off of their bullpen. So now, we need one more win, and for Courtney Curran, it’s a chance to make a name for herself. Just like all of his batters dream of winning one of these things with a walk-off homerun, the pitchers want to be the one fanning the last batter of the game for the win and to be mobbed on the mound. But this isn’t a given, as Saugeais will be pulling out all the stops, but that’s what we want them to be doing. They might feel good about having the DH in the lineup, and that’s fine. We feel good about Curran on the mound, and in our own DH, Cassie Hanlon. Please, continue to be vocal in your support as we look to finish off this series in game six. Let’s roll!

[Newmanistan]

It's the cutoff for game 6. Will Saugeais force the game 7, or will they be partying in Cassadaigua?

WBC 19 CHAMPIONSHIP: (2) Cassadaigua vs (9) Saugeais @ Tundra Falls (Cassadaigua wins series 4G-2)

Cassadaigua           012 000 020 - 5
Saugeais              000 002 000 - 2

Congratulations to the WBC 19 Champions, Cassadaigua!

And congratulations to everyone on making this a fantastic World Baseball Classic!!

[Cassadaigua]

Kiersten’s Space

Champions!! For the nation, it is our third such championship, and for me personally it is my second championship. Though for most of us, this is the first ever international championship in which they will have experienced! There are so many different stories in this locker room now about what we overcame as kids to get here. Some of us were fortunate to have grown up in baseball families, or an otherwise rich and wealthy background but others had to overcome a struggle to get here. For many, it’s somewhere in between but a championship is the culmination of all that hard work. It’s me, growing up and honing my skills as a middle infielder, being joined together with women who did the same at their own positions, and for some it was pitching. All of us were ingredients to this championship formula. When mixed together, we were a winning blend and will have this moment to share with each other for the rest of our lives.

Give credit to Saugeais, they played a great series. This was a huge Classic with a record number of nations participating, making our accomplishment all the greater. Give credit to the hosts, who did a fine job. There were many stories to be written about this Classic, from us being in a tough group to the some of the unexpected advancers in the playoffs. Potential champions may have been born while a historic champion in Christina Sanders of Newmanistan called it a career. Everyone has a story, a moment that they will look back on and smile. Maybe for some the only smile was when they signed up, but a lot of great things took place. Though there are many stories, there is only one trophy. To be able to call ourselves champions is a truly great honor.

As for the game, Courtney Curran quickly showed them who was boss by starting the game out throwing no-hit ball threw the first five innings, and perfect threw four. At that point, we had jumped out to a 3-0 lead, thanks to a solo blast by Brooke Houghton in the second, and then just piecing hits together in the third for two runs. In the sixth, the bottom of the Saugeais order seemed to give them a spark, and they got two runs on four hits in that inning. Four of the only five hits that Courtney surrendered in the entire game, going all nine innings, only walking one and striking out eight. In the eighth, when I got my 2-run double to put us ahead 5-2, we could all sense that this was going to be a great day and not too long after, it would be official. We had won. We are champions and may the party begin!

We will celebrate in Tundra Falls tonight, and then depart for Concord Heights at 9am tomorrow morning; expecting to arrive at around 11. I hope that you will join us for some more fun then! We will sign autographs, and allow for picture taking with us and with the trophy!

[Saugeais]

National Journal
Cassadaigua wins World Baseball Classic
Saugeais bats couldn't provide necessary output

Cassadaigua           012 000 020 - 5
Saugeais              000 002 000 - 2

Batting
Player                      AVG   AB   R    H     RBI    BB    SO
Derek Evans (2B)           .364   4    0    0      0     0     2
Michel Pétain (LF)         .303   4    0    1      0     0     1
Dick Robinson (C)          .304   4    0    0      0     0     1
Jacques Benoit (RF)        .385   4    0    0      0     0     2
Shawn Hamilton (DH)        .346   2    0    0      0     1     0
Christophe Lind (1B)       .310   3    0    0      0     0     1
Jean-Paul Romero (SS)      .333   3    1    1      0     0     1
Aaron Dairon (CF)          .346   3    1    2      0     0     0
Paul Roland (3B)           .374   3    0    1      2     0     0

Totals:                    .167  30    2    5      2     1     8

2B- Dairon, 1 (8 total); Roland, 1 (4 total)
3B- none
HR- none
SB- none
GIDP - Saugeais 2

Pitching
Player                    ERA     IP      H     R    ER      BB     SO
Claude Gagné(L, 4-2)      4.96    7.1     8     4     4       3      5
Aaron Jones               3.45    0.2     3     1     1       0      0
Shaun Fournier            3.08    1.0     0     0     0       0      2

Saugeais MVPs

Batting:  Jacques Benoit - .385 AVG, 13 HRs, 41 RBIs

Pitching: Franklin Nopro - 5 wins, 2.79 ERA, 35 Ks