World Baseball Classic 20: Roleplay and results thread

[Sportgirls]

Greenfield Gazette
Megan Brandon on Baseball

The World Baseball Classic has arrived with two games done, two wins in the book for our Sportgirls! We opened play at Queen Ingebjørg Stadium with a 7-1 win over Cyborg Holland, and followed up with a 6-3 win over Garon-Averia to improve to 2-0 in qualifying.

Our pitching has been stellar so far. Dora Johnson opened the tournament with a complete game three-hitter. In the Garon-Averia game, Martha Jones scattered five hits over 6 1/3 innings before giving way to scoreless relief from Alice Hart and closer Tina Livingston. Livingston set down the side in order in the ninth for her first WBC save.

The batters have been connecting as well, led by a home run in each game from designated hitter Tara Bradley and a 4-for-4 showing against Garon-Averia by center fielder Beverly Sandoval.

We'll need both and some luck in our next outing, a road game against a veteran Mytannion nine. Sixteen-year-old phenom Erica Riley will take the mound for Sportgirls, to face an opposing pitcher unnamed as I write. I don't have any pipe dreams of our running the table. But I agree with coach Jill Campbell's observation: "Five hundred is doable, and a playoff spot not out of reach if we combine talent and luck."

Looking at the broader field, it's evident that powerhouses from Newmanistan, Sarzonia, and Tarrentum will be missed. Ratings are down in a number of worldwide broadcast markets. But this will open doors for a surprise team or two to make deep runs, and that may compensate on the ratings front as the tournament moves on. Certainly the organizing committee is hoping for some stories to emerge, as the economics of this WBC depend upon strong ratings given the limited number of tickets for the late stage games. Julie Pryde, a spokeswoman for the organizers, pointed out that the unique use of home sites in the playing nations for two rounds of the knockouts was proposed specifically to reduce the impact of a smaller gate in the late rounds. But the financials really do depend on broadcast coverage.

[Qazox]

Overheard in the cafeteria in QBC Headquarters, Fromburg, Qazox:

Person 1- "Practice seemed to go well today."

Person 2- "But it won't matter unless we win tommorrow at Wadomia."

Person 3- "I agree. I think Werth's losing control of this team."

P1- "But we will let her stay on as coach, at least until after the end of this WBC."

P3- "Nope. If we lose to Wadomia, she's gone."

P2- "Wait a minute. i thought we agreed to let her stay until the end of our WBC run, whenever that might be."

P3- "The other members of the board met last night. If Qazox loses to Wadomia, she's gone."

P2- "That's news to me. Let me guess, you waited until after I had that meeting with the QSF (Qazox Sports Federation) president to do an end-around on me."

P1- "I agree it was a bit sketchy that you, Terry, had to wait until Jake was gone to have the meeting, but as QBC vice-president, I should have, at worst, been privy to the meeting."

Terry (P3)- "Oh, so I should wait for Werth's biggest ass-kisser to be at the meeting or should I put the best interests of Qazoxian Baseball first? I'll take the latter every time."

Jake (P2)- "I don't kiss anyone's ass. Teams that change managers during a campaign don't do well. Besides we've lost early on before and still done well in the WBC playoffs."

P1- "Terry, I don't care if the majority of the board wants her gone. Having a meeting without either the VP or President of the QBC there isn't how we do things. You do remember that both the President and I have veto power over the board's decisions. Linda Werth will stay on a manager, until the President and I make that decision. Understood?"

Terry (P3)- "You do remember that the QSF President can overrule you two, right? And the board's decisions to hold sway over the QSF board as well."

Jake (P2)- "This isn't going to solve anything, at the moment. I'll see both of you in a few days, as I'm going to Wadomia to watch the team. Unlike some people I know, I actually follow the team as a fan."

[Zwangzug]

"Well, we're coming to you after defeat here in the Wintry Iceland of Taeshan."

"As opposed to the summery kind?"

"Yeah, they're not so cold that it's frozen year-round."

"I think they are."

"Well, it's...kind of...October now."

"Okay, you know what? No more time dilation jokes. None. The facts are the facts, look around, this is chilly but baseball weather. Bleeping morons go on and on about this, other announcers have lost their jobs so if you want to do something to the bleeping curse or whatever--"

"Point taken! Well, let's get on to the stat of the day--fielding percentage."

"Do you ever plan on actually teaching people anything? Or--"

"Fielding percentage is one of those statistics that, I would say, has become less important over time. See, decades and decades ago, fielding quality was really quite poor. Teams made lots of errors. And so it was actually a meaningful statistic--chances minus errors over total chances, just the percentage of plays that were correctly made. Now, those rates are all well over ninety percent, well not all, but usually."

"Especially at this level. Except--"

"Oh definitely! Now, there was a somewhat important error on the Purple Knights' part in the seventh inning. With Asa Shadden on and nobody out, Ariana Juriand hit a--"

"Can we do my replay?"

"Oh sure!"

"Smith looks in. Checks the sign...shakes off Zimmerman. The pitch. Juriand taps one towards Wasaver, he scoops it up and--throws it away! Misses an easy toss to Adam Fisher, and now there are two Zebras on with nobody away!"

"So what could have been a costly error. There should have been two outs, nobody on, instead--"

"Are you making value judgments?"

"What? No!"

"Okay. Because it sounded like--"

"the point being, there were instead two on, nobody out--"

"You can't assume the double play. For doing earned runs."

"We're not talking about earned runs, we're talking about fielding percentage!"

"Now, here's a stat of the day. Usually when teams get upset isn't them making the errors? Not the other team? Because Zwangzug for all that still lost."

"Usually?"

"It's just one of those--isn't it? Look into that."

"I mean, the Zebras didn't lose that much last time around, but they reached on errors twelve times. Ben Horiant didn't hit .260 but he got four of them alone!"

"The Zebras are weird, and technically there are a lot of other things Ben Horiant wasn't hitting."

"You mean, like, curveballs?"

"I mean every other batting average besides the one he actually got. But there were probably a lot of curveballs, yeah."

[Miley World]

New York Times

Miley World beats Civil Citizenry!

Miley World surprised every baseball experts by winning 7-4 against Civil Citizenry at Pannia Stadium, their home stadium. Miley World hitted a 3 run homerun in the 2nd inning and their 2 points in the 7thinnings came from a single, a double and another double. Civil Citizenry hitted a solo homerun in the 9th inning. Miley World's 18 years old pitcher, Park Jung-Woo, impressed with only allowing 3 earned runs in 7 innings. Civil Citizenry's starting pitcher, Walcott-Vannevar, was replaced in the 4th inning.

Miley World           031 100 200 - 7 (1-1)
Civil Citizenry       100 002 001 - 4 (1-1)

Starting Line Up (bats, throws):
1. Jake Ashley            2/5            2 run
2. Enrique Salazar        2/5            1 run  1 rbi
3. Caleb James            3/5            1 run  1 rbi
4. Jesus Maldonado        1/4                   1 rbi          
5. Carlos Flores          2/4            1 run  1 rbi
6. Ryan Zagurski          0/3   1 bb     1 run
7. Megan Gallagher        1/4            1 run  3 rbi 1 hr
8. Brandon Wolf           1/4
9. Pitcher                0/4

Park Jung-Woo   7 ip         3 er   2 bb   8 k 
Hideki Tazawa   1 2/3 ip     1 er   0 bb   1 k
Raul Hernandez    1/3 ip     0 er   0 bb   1 k

[Lycrabon]

Carasatoga 100 001 003 - 5 (1-1)
Lycrabon 220 131 00X - 9 (2-0)

ST. CATHERINE -- A raucous sold-out crowd saw Lycrabon continue a sterling beginning to WBC 20, as Tom Benson pitched a complete game 9-5 win over Carastoga. The fireworks started in the first as Carastoga scratched out a run in the top of the first, countered by a Maynard double, a Chad Price triple, and a Mayo sacrifice fly. The Blue Jays added two in the second with back-to-back home runs by pitcher Tom Benson and Jonathan Short. Lycrabon put the game away with five runs over the middle three innings. Benson picked up his second RBI of the evening with a triple to score Kramer, though he was stranded himself. Cliff Mayo hit his fourth home run of the tournament with a two-run bomb into the river. That was followed by a J.C. Tyson solo shot to make it 8-1. Carl Maynard knocked in the final run with a triple in the sixth, driving in Benson. He struggled in the ninth, allowing three runs and hitting one batter, but finished the game. Brianna Bruce said of his performace, “If it wasn’t the ninth, he’d have come out after that shot. We had it, that’s the reason he got that leeway. They shouldn’t have cried though (Benson’s hitting the batter). It’s a rough game.”

Carl Maynard	3-4	3B, 2B, BB, RBI
Chad Price	2-4	3B, HR, 3 RBI
Cliff Mayo	0-4	RBI
Sean McCormick	0-4	K
J.C. Tyson	2-4	HR, 3B, RBI
Jeremy Kramer	1-3	BB
Tom Benson	3-3	HR, 2B, 3B, BB, 2 RBI
Jonathan Short	1-4	HR, RBI
Gene Welch	0-4

PITCHERS		IP	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Tom Benson, W (1-0)	8	5	5	6	14	5.62

CORRECTION: Glenn Carrillo pitched yesterday against Mytannion. It was incorrectly reported as Tom Benson

Through two games:

STATISTICS	G	H	AB	AVG	2B	3B	HR	RBI	K	BB/E
Carl Maynard	2	3	7	.429	1	1	0	1	0	2
Chad Price	2	4	8	.500	1	1	1	3	0	0
Cliff Mayo	2	3	8	.375	0	0	3	5	0	0
Sean McCormick	2	0	7	.000	0	0	0	0	1	1
J.C. Tyson	2	4	7	.571	1	2	1	1	0	0
Jeremy Kramer	2	1	5	.200	0	0	0	0	0	1
Jonathan Short	2	1	7	.143	0	0	1	1	0	0
Gene Welch	2	0	5	.000	0	0	0	0	0	2*
Glenn Carrillo	1	1	2	.500	0	0	0	1	0	0
M. Johnston	1	0	1	.000	0	0	0	1	0	0
Tom Benson	1	3	3	1.000	1	1	1	2	0	1
TEAM		2	20	58	.345	4	5	5	15	1	7*

* 1 ROE

PITCH	APP	W	L	SV	IP	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Glenn Carrillo	1	0	0	0	7	4	4	2	10	5.14
M. Johnston	1	0	0	0	1	2	2	2	1	18.00
Clifford Nash	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0.00
Darrell Lane	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0.00
Tom Benson	1	1	0	0	8	5	5	6	14	5.63
TEAM		2	2	0	1	18	11	11	10	26	5.50

[THRILLEDGE]

Thrilledge Now 1-1 With Win Over Eeupmeduckland

After a day one, 6-5, loss to Cotdelapoms, the Thrilledge Dreadlocks defeated Eeupmeduckland with the score of 5-1 through the brilliant pitching of Ryan Raymond. Raymond went a solid eight innings of four-hit, shutout ball and he recorded nine strikeouts. This is the lefty's second WBC and pitching coach Ronald Robinson could not be more pleased with the performance. " He was really getting ahead of the Eeupmeduckland hitters and getting them out with his secondary pitches. The first pitch strikes were critical in his success tonight." Having a little offense didn't hurt Raymond either. The Dreadlocks jumped out to an early lead by playing some small ball. Sanderson Alvarez hit a lead-off infield single and then proceeded to steal second. Centerfielder Jayhawk Edmonson hit a grounder to second to advance Alvarez to third. Alvarez scored on an RBI single to right by Alfredo Colon. Thrilledge scored two more runs in the second inning in a two-out rally consisting of back-to-back singles by Reggie Whitaker and Kevin Gally, followed by a two RBI triple by Alvarez. The other two Thrilledge runs came by homers as Arnie Sullivan hit one in the fifth inning and catcher Jeff Swarley hit a line drive just over the leftfield wall in the eighth inning. The one Eeupmeduckland run came on a RBI double to left-center off of Bryan Rauscher.

During the postgame press conference manager Matthew Haering had this to say, "This was a good win for us following the loss to Cotdelapoms. It is quite a confidence booster after the near comeback yesterday. We saw the ball very well and Sanderson hat a huge game for us. But my hat goes of to Ryan who pitched a superb game tonight. He kept his pitch count low enough to take it eight innings and give our bullpen a good rest. Tomorrow, I am confident with Mark seeing that this is his second WBC and he wont have the nerves my first-timers have."

BOX SCORE

HITTING
Sanderson Alvarez- 2B - 4-5, R, 2 RBI, SB, 3B
Jayhawk Edmonson- CF- 0-5
Blastings Thrilledge- LF- 2-5, 2B
Alfredo Colon– 3B- 1-5, RBI
Arnie Sullivan– 1B- 1-5, HR
Jeff Swarley – C- 2-5, HR, 2B
Larry Bryant – DH- 0-5
Reggie Whitaker – RF- 1-5
Kevin Gally – SS- 1-5

PITCHING
Ryan Raymond- 8.0 IP, W, 9K, 4H, BB
Bryan Rauscher- 1.0 IP, ER, K, 2H

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

From the sports pages of the Zube Daily Times, a left-of-centre broadsheet noted for extensive, eloquent, and occasionally rambling sports coverage. Perfect for baseball, clearly.

The surprise factor: how Kytlerians have made one astonishing sporting debut after another
RP-inin, natural talent, and a hefty dose of superstition have all been cited, but what's really behind our nation's emergence as a sporting power?

Another tournament, another misspelling of the country's name (this time as "The Kytler Peninsula", singular - although at least this appeared to be a limitation of organisers' software, unlike the Cricket World Cup's infamous "Kyter Peninsulae"), another debut against a hotly-tipped nation, another victory.

It's not even an upset when this happens anymore. Look at the still-nascent history of Kytlerian sportspeople on the world stage. At the World Lacrosse Championships, after a false start, an eight-game winning streak that no other team equalled in the competition. At the Olympics, a hastily-assembled delegation secured the second-best medal haul of any Rushmori nation, having spent two days on top of the medals table. At the World Bowl, a team not even present at the Baptism of Iron produced a Cinderella run of five straight wins to reach the playoffs - then won their wildcard game against The Babbage Islands, for good measure. At the Cricket World Cup, an opening-game defeat of Genyria, the world's top-ranked Test nation. Just yesterday in The Babbage Islands, a remarkable win over recent finalists Tamarindia in the McLeod Cup, again in their first ever international game.

Saugeais reached the championship series of WBC 19. They should have heeded the warning.

Such was the doubt of the visitors, however, that they planned to use a pitcher lower in the rotation, to save Yorvit Yu's arm for a more winnable game - probably the Camwood match on home soil. Then word got round of the Babbageball result, and Yu told the manager he wanted to pitch. The manager was most reluctant at first - the timing of the bye days is such that the Kytlerians play four days running twice, separated by a two-day break, so Yu would not be able to pitch three times in the pool phase as there would be no room even to pitch on three days' rest. But he was persuaded by Yu that to put someone else on the mound would be admitting defeat from the start, and so the diminuitive knuckleballer got his wish.

It didn't work out entirely as planned; Yu didn't throw a quality start, giving up five runs in as many innings before being replaced by Luke Butcher in relief. It didn't need to work entirely as planned; the Conquerors offense fared better than planned, scoring seven runs, and the bullpen didn't give up anything.

Clearly something is happening. The reasoning is unclear, however. Judith Rutter, a researcher at the University of Zube's Margaret Institute, says there are competing explanations.

"Firstly, there is luck. Or perhaps superstition, as many believe that luck is actually controlled by the goddess of random numbers, Margaret," stated Rutter. (It is her that the Margaret Institute, which "studies sport from a multidisciplinary perspective with a scientific emphasis", is named after.) "The Kytlerian people have many fervent believers in Margaret, and that is significantly associated with sporting success." More prosaically, there is the idea of natural talent combined with sporting passion. "This is a country of sportspeople," Rutter noted, "and although it is a small country, the population is ethnically diverse, and many still work in manual occupations. That means there's a genetic pool filled with individuals possessing myriad athletic abilities."

Finally, and most controversially, there is the effect of performance-enhancing drugs. RP-inin and Verbosita, legal in international competition but illegal for recreational use in The Kytler Peninsulae, is known to be heavily used by Kytlerian athletes. "The drug is widely produced in the country, and few official checks are made on manufacturing facilities," Rutter claimed. "In fact, the Margaret Institute itself is known to produce 1,093 doses of Verbosita every single month, which is provided to the national teams before major competitions."

Monitors in the Institute's media centre, where the interview was conducted, suggested that Verbosita was actually being produced as a by-product of Rutter's conversation. It is not known if the readings were erroneous.

A more conventional report elsewhere in the same paper.

An astonishing debut for the Kytlerian team. How many times have we said that lately? And yet each one seems more implausible than the last, and this perhaps tops the lot for the sheer manner in which it was obtained.

Yorvit Yu wasn't even meant to be pitching; he was meant to be saved for more obviously winnable matches. In the end, ironically he was the winning pitcher, without even making a quality start. He conceded five runs in as many innings, but the Conquerors scored that many in the third alone, and two more in the fourth - and they hung on courtesy of magnificent pitching from the bullpen.

After two 1-2-3 innings to start for the visitors, and a go-ahead run for Saugeais as Paul Roland was driven in by Pierre Gardin, the crowd was calm, content that the game would go as anticipated with an easy home win. Then Michael Larson was walked on eight pitches, Eric Wakefield was walked on six, and the chaos began. Catfish Rothschild was told by the manager to bunt to drive the runners in to second and third, so that Ray Lambert could drive in Larson on a sacrifice fly. Rothschild bunted, the runners did go to second and third, but catcher Dick Robinson threw wide to first to set up a bases-loaded, no-out situation. Lambert did pop the ball up deep to ensure the RBI, but it fell in the right-centre power alley and over the head of the chasing right fielder Jacques Benoit for a three-RBI double. The crowd were stunned. This was not the plan at all.

Alex Hamilton came in, emboldened, and despite falling behind 0-2, came back to draw a ten-pitch walk. Nopro was falling to pieces; he had thrown thirty pitches in the inning and had only secured one out. The good news is that he would at least stop the big bat of Alex Lowrie, but even that took nine pitches and ended in a fly out to right that would advance Lambert to third. Both he and Hamilton would be driven in on a two-RBI double by Max Cupboard, bringing the score to 5-1.

Incredibly, it got worse for Saugeais. In the top of the fourth, Owen Gossage hit a leadoff double, Larson advanced him to third with a sacrifice bunt, then after Catfish Rothschild popped out in foul territory wide of third, Lambert drove in Gossage on a sacrifice fly to bring the score to a scarcely credible 6-1 to the newbies. At this point Nopro was withdrawn, to boos throughout the near-sellout crowd of over 36,000 fans, of whom only around 200 were Kytlerian. Dipaka Arends came onto the mound, and as if to answer the question "can it get worse?", threw his first pitch right over the heart of the plate for Hamilton - who had homered just four times in 86 starts last year in the lowly-regarded Kytlerian Baseball League - to hit just inside the foul line over the left field fence.

The Kytler Peninsulae 7, Saugeais 1. The one, presumably, to remind you this wasn't gridiron, this really was baseball, and this really was one of the greatest upsets in the history of the sport happening right now.

It couldn't last. Of course it couldn't last. A three-run inning from the hosts - punctuated by Christophe Lind's two-run homer - at least made sure the fans would stay to the finish, and they added another in the fifth to set up a nerve-jangling finish. But from then on, the bullpen took control. First, Luke Butcher offered a change of pace from Yu's knuckleball-eephus combination of slow and slower, but it was his 12-6 curve that finished one at-bat after another. Then, in the eighth, Tizambuzon Hottotelen added another level of heat, and punched out Gardin and Robinson in short order. Finally, T.J. Posey came in for the save, boos ringing out as he stepped in with the arrogance of someone who had done all this before even though he - like all of his team-mates - had never played international baseball before. He relished the reaction. Like a wrestling "heel", he feeds off crowd anger and loves to be hated, and he had the last word without a shadow of a doubt - taking the catch himself after Christophe Lind popped out between the mound and second base. He led the celebration with a frontflip off the mound, while the home fans contemplated one of the worst results in their team's history.

[Civil Citizenry]

ObsessedCitizenry.cvc
Baseball >> International >> World Baseball Classic >> User-Submitted Posts

submitted by Jacksixon
Tanner Will Save Our Hides

Any avid Citiz baseball fan knows of the plight of our beloved Explorers. We've heard countless tales of our inability to escape the first knockout round at World Baseball Classics. We have all been searching for some rising comet that will let us soar to new heights in the tumultuous baseball world. In a blaze of fire, both literally and figuratively, Templeton Tanner has become our hero.

Let's be fair: we're one game into the record twentieth World Baseball Classic over in Sportgirls, which can be found if you take a left turn at Nonexistent and go straight till you hit the traffic light at the corner of Nowhere and Whocares. But Tanner's three home runs lifted the Explorers to an 11-5 beatdown of Liventia, once a general sporting powerhouse. As meaningless as that sort of group game might seem, all games are important when it comes to a competition of this prestige. And it's great that Civil Citizenry has garnered some momentum heading into the more challenging stages in what has been referred to as the group of death.

For all the controversy that has surrounded the election of Sportgirls as the host nation, there is definitely an element of reassurance in the Explorers' ability to settle down and play some high-quality ball. The charge was led by Tanner, the young first baseman who cracked a two-run home run in the second inning and a three-run jack in the sixth. His combined five RBI matched the total of the Liventian team - whose roster has not been made available to the public because of a dropped match that burned the Liventian roster sheet in the Citiz reporter pool in Sportgirls.

Nevertheless, energetic first-time ace Putnam Warren was able to limit the opponents to just three runs in seven-and-a-third innings. Ten strikeouts highlighted a consistent performance for the fireballer, whose early mistakes (all three runs allowed came in the opening two frames) can certainly be forgiven in the context of the Explorers' offensive explosion. Colton Newman, the two-time Keisler Cup champion and the face of Citiz youth baseball, debuted in professional international baseball with a bang: a two-run double in the second that gave Civil Citizenry a lead they would not relinquish.

If there is one noteworthy downside - and there are few, at least of those we'd like to admit - it is Odall Lester's two hits and a walk allowed in the eighth inning. Without recording a single out, he let two runs cross the plate: meaningless with the Explorers up by eight when the inning began, but injecting nerves into fans who are still licking the wounds from past bullpen blowups that have cost Civil Citizenry critical games. The last thing the aging bullpen needs is a set-up man who can't ensure confidence that he can carry a lead to the closer.

That closer is Fitch Mayfield, who's likely to retire from international play after this competition - though you won't hear it from him. Besides the fact that our players should stay as ultra-focused as they can, he's sort of a stubborn fellow who's not the slightest bit interested in letting manager Elton Galton search for a successor. Mayfield wasn't in a position to enter the game with the Explorers on their way to a rout, but given his age (37 years) the prevailing wisdom is that the closer since forever will be used sparingly, at least until the knockouts.

And that's a place the Explorers will reach. If we're lucky enough to find a few more shooting stars.

Pitching Line   IP   R  ER   H  BB   K   ERA
Warren         7.1   3   3   7   3  10   3.80
Lester           0   2   2   2   1   0   infinite
Carlisle       1.2   0   0   1   0   1   0.00

[Cotdelapoms]

"Hi, my name is Lili Adam, and I work for the Albionpool AppleSox, a baseball team in the brand new Cotdelapomais Elite League of Baseball. Do you have a moment?"

"You want to talk about baseball, eh?"

"Yes, I am trying to generate interest in the team."

"Well, you are a very attractive young lady, I'm sure you'll be able to make me interested."

"Oh, uh. OK. Thanks. Have you been following the World Baseball Classic, sir?"

"No, I don't care much for sports, I followed the World Cup, but I was sad when we got eliminated by Qazox of all people. I followed the football World Cup when we got in, but otherwise I'm not a big fan."

"Well this is like the Worlds Cup of Hockey or Football, but for Baseball, and currently Cotdelapoms has been doing pretty well, we are 2-0 and just got a big win in a comeback against Colmark."

"Oh, how about that. Who are our good players?"

"There is a player who used to play in Tarrentum named Benoît Larcher who has been coming up big so far, he's generally regarded as Cotdelapoms' best hitter..."

"Will he be playing for the team you work for?"

"We would love to have him, but there is a draft process. As of right now we don't exactly know who will be playing for us, but the team will be playing at Forsythe Field on the campus of Accord, which is obviously quite close to hear. Season tickets and flexible ticket packages are on sale today."

"Well I'd love to have you, is there a seat in the house where I can guarantee you'll be around?"

*Lili reaches in her pocket and pulls out her phone* "Hello! - What!?!?- I'll be there as soon as I can! *puts phone down* Sir, I'll be back soon, is there a phone number I can reach you at? Are you interested in tickets at all?"

"I am interested in whatever you're selling."

"Well, that's great to hear. I must be going, but I'll try back later!"

[Syvorji]

Syvorjin News 24

Cassadaigua 602 140 000 - 13 (1-1)
Syvorji 022 001 000 - 5 (1-1)

Just two days in the qualifiers, and Syvorji loses their 2nd game, against a strong team, Cassadaigua, on Syvorjin soil, at the Empress Sadako I Stadium, opened on Feb. 3, 1983 as the Goldenrod Stadium, and renamed in 2019 in honor of our late Empress, in power from 1947 to 1967 and 1972 to 2018. Here are the highlights:

3 home runs by Cassadaigua, 1 out of field run and 2 triples + singles by Cassadaigua - Inning 1
2 home runs by Syvorji - Inning 2
1 out of field run and 1 home run by Cassadaigua, 2 out-of-field runs by Syvorji - Inning 3

1 home run by Cassadaigua - Inning 4
4 home runs by Cassadaigua - Inning 5
1 triple + single by Syvorji - Inning 6

So, by doing the math, six plus two equals eight, and eight plus one is nine, and nine plus four is thirteen, an unlucky number, ironically not to themselves, but our own team. The final three innings were very boring, with no points scored at all by either side. By the eighth inning, it was clear Cassadaigua had won this day's match. We hope tomorrow, we get to win another qualifier, and reach for the stars, and hopefully, the podium in the playoffs. Our nation cannot let them down!

[Western cuba]

Pablo and Pablo

Pablo M:
Pablo R:

Well I got to keep this quick, it's 11 P.M on the East Coast and I got to wake up early for work tomorrow

" Well it's time to review another day of World Baseball. Tells all our fans who didn't watch yesterday's game what they missed. "

" Well our boy's played another fine game today. Catching a win against Darmen by a close score of 3 for us, and 2 for them. Darmen's record has been reduced to 1-1, and our boys stand at Two and Nil. "

" Any player's that you thought played well last night? "

" Yes our starting pitcher Igor Alampiev made his starting debut in the WBC last night and in my opinion played solid till the 5th inning when he was benched due to sharp pains in his pitching, however the Manager Bruno Broz has since announced that Igor is fine, and will pitch throughout the WBC. Also I'll like to say that Roberto Ramos had a fine game yesterday for the Cubans, hitting a double, a triple, and playing solid defense for the Cubans. "

" Anything you need to criticize?

" Yep once again our bullpen. I had no idea what Drew Munoz was doing on the pitching mound. While it was his first WBC debut, and he started awfully early, in the 5th inning and pitched throughout till the end of the 8th. He shouldn't of allowed those two runs. During his trip on the mound he walked several batters, and threw a few wild pitchers. However though it might of just been rookie mistakes, and him being under pressure. I expect much more solid play from Munoz the next time he pitches. "

" Anything to say about the rest of the classic. "

" Of course, there's a few games I'll like to bring to notice of to the people of Western Cuba. First off Zwanzug was upset by Taeshan. With a 2-0 start be sure to look at them throughout the WBC. I'll also like to point out that Sakurakoku, and the host of WBC 20, Sportsgirls pulled off victories yesterday to expand there records to 2-0. Qazox, and Saugeais both had a bye yesterday, and will play tomorrow to redeem there Match Day One loss. "

" Well that's all for Pablo and Pablo today. Make sure to tune into the World Baseball Classic tomorrow, to watch Western Cuba face off against Cosumar. Robert Beshirov will start on the mound for tomorrow's game, and the game will take place in Cosumar. The next Western Cuban home game takes place in Match Day Four against Hippostania. We'll see you all tomorrow. "

[Sakurakoku]

BOX SCORE: Sakurakoku 9, Patricant 4

*smudge*, *smudge*

Sakurakoku  101 020 212     9 13 1 
Patricant   020 002 000     4 6  0

W - Hashimoto (1-0)
L - *smudge*

Scoring Summary
Top 1st: Maebara doubles to left-center, Shiraishi scores. Sakurakoku 1-0.
Bottom 2nd: *smudge* homers to right-center on 2-2 count. Tied 1-1.
Bottom 2nd: *smudge* singles to right, *smudge* scores. Patricant 2-1.
Top 3rd: Maebara singles to right, Mori scores. Tied 2-2.
Top 5th: Shiraishi doubles to right, Mori scores. Sakurakoku 3-2.
Top 5th: Furukawa singles to right, Shiraishi scores. Sakurakoku 4-2.
Bottom 6th: *smudge* homers to center on 1-0 count. Tied 4-4.
Top 7th: Furukawa doubles to left, Uemura scores. Sakurakoku 5-4.
Top 7th: Takeda singles to center, Furukawa scores. Sakurakoku 6-4.
Top 8th: Maebara singles to right, Uemura scores, Shiraishi to second. Sakurakoku 7-4.
Top 9th: Takeda singles to right, Kaneda scores. Sakurakoku 8-4.
Top 9th: Miura sacrifice flies out to left, Takeda scores. Sakurakoku 9-4.

---

BOX SCORE: Sakurakoku 9, Cassadaigua 5

From Gameday 1

Concord Heights Stadium, Concord Heights

Sakurakoku   101 212 002     9 17 1 
Cassadaigua  100 013 000     5 11 1

W - Izumi (1-0)
L - Curran (0-1)

Scoring Summary

Top 1st: Mori homers to left on 2-0 count. Sakurakoku 1-0.
Bottom 1st: Poulin singles to right, Cooley scores. Tied 1-1.
Top 3rd: On throwing error by pitcher Curran to first, Mori scores. Sakurakoku 2-1.
Top 4th: Takeda homers to center on 2-1 count, Furukawa scores. Sakurakoku 4-1.
Top 5th: Furukawa sacrifice flies out to center, Shiraishi scores. Sakurakoku 5-1.
Bottom 5th: Poulin doubles to right-center, Anderson scores. Sakurakoku 5-2.
Top 6th: Shiraishi doubles to center, Izumi scores, Mori to third. Sakurakoku 6-2.
Top 6th: Maebara singles to left, Mori scores, Shiraishi to third. Sakurakoku 7-2.
Bottom 6th: Schneider singles to left, Malloy scores, Scott to second. Sakurakoku 7-3.
Bottom 6th: Hanlon doubles to right-center, Scott scores, Schneider scores. Sakurakoku 7-5.
Top 9th: Takeda singles to right, Maebara scores, Furukawa scores, Takeda to second. Sakurakoku 9-5.

[Milchama]

"Told you, 8 innings 2 runs easy peasy"

"Still to early to tell"

"And we scored 10 runs. It was almost too easy"

"No such thing as too easy."

"Well we won 10-3 and Hanson was brilliant"

"Then Heniz hit 2 homeruns as well and she really doesn't have all that much power"

".500 slugging means nothing to you?"

"Well yeah but a career high of 22 homers"

"So many doubles though and she goes on streaks like this as well"

"Very true but if that's happening right now it's very good for the Warriors"

"True very true"

"So then we're on the right path"

"I guess but it's a little early to tell"

"Fine but that was good and I bet you tomorrow we win again"

"Alright until then Let's Go Milchama!"

"Yep, Come on You Warriors!"

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

Commentary on the end of the Camwood game from notorious right-wing talk radio network RTX Radio. Featuring two vaguely amusing commercials, it lasts about seven minutes, and is 6.53MB.

[Sportgirls]

World Baseball Classic 20
Qualifying: Day Three

Pool One

Taeshan               000 000 020 - 2 (2-1)
Miley World           000 100 002 - 3 (2-1)

Liventia              100 000 100 - 2 (0-3)
Zwangzug              200 110 01X - 5 (2-1)

Civil Citizenry       131 310 100 - 10 (2-1)
Lymantatia            003 010 110 - 6 (1-2)

Pool Two

Pernam                020 010 004 - 7 (1-2)
Eeupmeduckland        001 310 000 - 5 (1-2)

Cotdelapoms           100 200 201 - 6 (3-0)
Churchma              100 200 000 - 3 (1-2)

Thrilledge            000 200 100 - 3 (1-2)
Colmark               100 201 00X - 4 (2-1)

Pool Three

West Libya            100 022 100 1 - 7 (1-2)
Darmen                201 010 002 0 - 6 (1-2)

Allamunnic States     001 001 000 - 2 (1-2)
Hippostania           161 010 00X - 9 (2-1)

Western cuba          200 110 010 - 5 (3-0)
Cosumar               010 000 000 - 1 (1-2)

Pool Four

Thatius               100 000 002 - 3 (2-1)
Armorgames            133 031 00X - 11 (3-0)

Milchama              300 111 200 - 8 (2-1)
Brodskopolis          101 010 000 - 3 (0-3)

Delaclava             103 000 010 - 5 (1-2)
Zebedaeus             001 151 00X - 8 (1-2)

Pool Five

Patricant             030 000 000 - 3 (0-3)
Cassadaigua           100 110 10X - 4 (2-1)

Crotunda              410 010 100 - 7 (1-2)
Sakurakoku            000 322 02X - 9 (3-0)

Syvorji               015 110 010 - 9 (2-1)
Beldonia              000 000 000 - 0 (1-2)

Pool Six

Valorixian            000 100 202 - 5 (2-1)
Sibirsky              000 001 100 - 2 (1-2)

The Babbage Islands   010 100 000 - 2 (1-2)
Tocrowkia             100 210 20X - 6 (3-0)

Bluth Corporation     100 220 012 - 8 (1-2)
Weegee and Rick Stev  301 112 02X - 10 (1-2)

Pool Seven

Lycrabon              101 111 120 - 8 (3-0)
Garon-Averia          101 110 001 - 5 (0-3)

Cyborg Holland        001 214 000 - 8 (1-2)
Carasatoga            300 110 000 - 5 (1-2)

Sportgirls            000 014 300 - 8 (3-0)
Mytannion             200 010 002 - 5 (1-2)

Pool Eight

Michael VII (1-1)

Bergnovinaia          020 120 000 03 - 8 (3-0)
New Montreal States   100 200 002 00 - 5 (0-2)

Qazox                 101 310 002 - 8 (1-1)
Wadomia               501 000 000 - 6 (1-2)

Pool Nine

Mantwenic (2-0)

The Kytler Peninsula  101 000 410 - 7 (3-0)
Howdeellow            100 012 000 - 4 (0-2)

Saugeais              100 314 010 - 10 (1-1)
Camwood               001 100 001 - 3 (0-3)

[Cassadaigua]

An announcement from CAB (Cassadagan Association for Baseball)

Let’s have a moment of silence.

Today, an international baseball giant ceased to exist.....

Aww screw it, crash down the border! Ravage their land!

It’s a Party in the Cassa-day....

Wait another WBC-participating nation might want that tag-line.


Blogs start tomorrow. Be warned.

[Syvorji]

Syvorjin News 24

Syvorji 015 110 010 - 9 (2-1)
Beldonia 000 000 000 - 0 (1-2)

Syvorji has won the third game in the qualifers. For some reason, Beldonia did not get a single point. We don't know why, but we won anyways. Here are our highlights.

1 home run by Syvorji - Second Inning
3 out-of-field runs, 2 doubles + doubles by Syvorji - Third Inning
1 home run by Syvorji - Fourth Inning
1 out-of-field run by Syvorji - Fifth Inning
1 single + triple by Syvorji - Eighth Inning

With that, one plus three is four, and four plus two is six. Six plus one is seven, seven plus one is eight and eight plus one is nine. Thus, this is the formula in getting nine points by the Syvorjin National Team.

In contrast, Beldonia got nothing, since zero multiplied by nine is still zero.

We are thankful for this success by than the Syvorjin National Team, and we really hope our next games amongst the other teams will be easier, and encouraging a win, as well as a chance to go into the national playoffs. With great socialism, comes great responsibilities, and maintaining the Syvorjin National Team is a big one. We really hope to go ahead, to try and at least get INTO the playoffs.

From Kunai Loson, Syvorjin News 24, Sportsgirls. -yawns-

[Cotdelapoms]

"Hi, my name is Lili Adam, and I work for the Albionpool AppleSox, a baseball team in the brand new Cotdelapomais Elite League of Baseball. Do you have a moment?"

"Well, ok. Are you going to try to sell me things?"

"Ultimately, yes. We're going door to door to try to drum up interest in the upcoming Elite League season, but also to sell ticket packages, be it for single games or full seasons."

"Hm, alright. I'm listening."

"Have you ever been to a baseball game?"

"No."

"Have you ever watched a baseball game on TV?"

"No."

"Hm. Do you like sports?"

"I suppose. I have gone to see the Oak Leafs a few times, and I am a casual Cosmopolitan supporter. I watch the football World Cup and the hockey World Cup."

"Fantastic! Did you know the baseball version of the World Cup is going on right now?"

"No. Are Cotdelapoms playing?"

"Yes! Not only are we playing, we are doing very well. We just defeated the 8th ranked team in the world in their home park and are pretty comfortably first place in our group with 3 wins and 0 losses. We've gotten three good pitching performances so far from Martinus Øen, Danny Hampton and now Jean-Luc Camus. Benoît Larcher has been hitting very well, and we got some surprising contributions from Ken Jones, who is usually just a replacement runner."

"Ah. That's interesting. Who is good at baseball?"

"Cassadaigua are a big inspiration to all of us ladies who love sports, they are the current world #1"

"Will there be any Dagans in the league?"

"Well, we're not sure. We are waiting for next season, but we are currently looking into which players will play in the league. Many of the stars from the Cotdelapomais team will be part of a special draft, and any foreign stars the league acquires will as well."

"Interesting. Well, where do you guys play?"

"We will be playing on the campus of Accord University at Forsythe Field, and we'll do our best to make it a fun night out for all involved. There will be a special supporters section much like at hockey games or football matches, and there will also be a special family section for family entertainment. We're really going to work hard to make sure everyone feels welcome."

"Hm. I'm not exactly ready to commit to anything now, but how do I get in touch with you in the future?"

"I'll give you a business card, and that will link to the website which will give you lots of AppleSox information, like when we sign players, and also info on the Elite League. We currently have announced six teams, including us, teams in Montréal, Outremont, Worcester, Cap Nordique and Île d'Elisabeth."

"Sounds good. Thanks!"

[Saugeais]

National Journal
Rangers record first win in dominant fashion
Saugeais bats shake off rust, explode for 10 runs

Saugeais              100 314 010 - 10
Camwood               001 100 001 - 3

Batting

Player                      AVG   AB   R    H     RBI    BB    SO
Marek Atterbury (2B)       .125   5    1    1      0     0     0
Pierre Gardin (LF)         .556   5    1    3      3     0     0
Dick Robinson (C)          .333   5    0    1      1     0     0
Jacques Benoit (RF)        .500   3    2    2      1     1     1
Shawn Hamilton (DH)        .250   4    0    0      0     0     2
Christophe Lind (1B)       .286   3    2    1      0     1     0
Jean-Paul Romero (SS)      .667   3    2    2      1     1     0
Aaron Dairon (CF)          .286   4    0    2      2     0     0
Paul Roland (3B)           .500   3    2    2      2     1     0

Totals:                    .400  35   10   14     10     4     3

2B- Robinson, 1 (2 total); Romero, 2; Dairon, 1
3B- none
HR- Benoit (1, 5th inning, no on, 2 out); Gardin (1, 6th inning, 1 on, 2 out)
GIDP - Saugeais, 3

Pitching

Player                    ERA     IP      H     R    ER      BB     SO
Richard Cochon(W, 1-0)    2.57    7.0     4     2     2       3      6
Gervais Buday             0.00    1.0     0     0     0       1      1
Aaron Jones               4.50    1.0     1     1     1       0      1

[Miley World]

New York Times

Miley World upsets every baseball experts with a win over Taeshan!

Tonight's game was a pretty good pitching duel between Ramon Dominguez (Miley World) and Matt Richards (Taeshan). Miley World took the lead in the 1st inning but then Taeshan scored twice in the 8th inning and everyone though they were going to win, especially when Taeshan's closer Dan Mashkov came in but Carlos Flores hitted a two runs homerun wiff two outs and Miley World wins the game! Mashkov rarely blows a save in Taeshan's Major Leagues.

Taeshan               000 000 020 - 2 
Miley World           000 100 002 - 3

Starting Line Up 
1. Jake Ashley (CF)          1/4    1 run
2. Enrique Salazar (3B)      1/4
3. Caleb James (LF)          1/3    1 run  1 rbi            1 bb
4. Jesus Maldonado (1B)      0/4
5. Carlos Flores (RF)        2/4    1 run   2 rbi  1 hr
6. Ryan Zagurski (C)         0/3
7. Megan Gallagher (SS)      0/2                             1 bb
8. Brandon Wolf (2B)         0/3
9. Pitcher/pinch hitter      0/3

Ramon Dominguez          7 1/3 ip  2 er  3 bb  9 k
Nick Blazek                2/3 ip  0 er  0 bb  0 k
Jordan Boxberger (W)     1 ip      0 er  0 bb  1 k

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

It's one thing defeating two teams with experience, one in a huge upset, the other in a thrilling finale. It's quite another beating someone you do expect to beat, and for a while the Kytlerian team struggled to do that against Howdeellow. Now, where have we heard that one before?

Unlike the soccer team, however, the Conquerors responded immediately to going two down in contentious circumstances - Catfish Rothschild's throw appearing to have set up the play at the plate with two outs. Bern William, however, was adjudged, incorrectly, to have beaten the throw. Catcher Alex Lowrie was furious, and it affected him - he spilled a wild pitch to allow Carlos Belt to be driven in as well, putting a team who had never won an international baseball game 4-2 ahead.

The lead lasted a handful of minutes. Michael Larson led the inning with a leadoff walk, his third in the WBC so far and the goodness-knows-how-many-th of his professional career, and Eric Wakefield advanced him to second with a bunt. Both runners then advanced on a wild pitch, Tripp van Slyke - pinch-hitting for Rothschild - drew a walk to load the bases and force out starter Nuno Hemmingsworth, and Ray Lambert hit a three-RBI double into the left-centre power alley off Lucas Vincent's second pitch, a fastball left over the heart of the plate. Lambert was driven in himself on a sac fly by Dennis Hamilton, before Lowrie predictably struck out swinging and Max Cupboard did likewise. An insurance run would be added in the eighth after Larson was hit by a pitch, Wakefield was walked, and van Slyke hit an RBI automatic double with a fly ball that bounced just inside the right-field line and hopped into the stands.

The Kytlerians play next against Mantwenic, with home field at St Margaret's Field in Roddens, the unofficial capital of the northern peninsula. The church of St Margaret is right behind right field, and you can tell from that park map where it is. The huge difference in dimensions between the two power alleys will undoubtedly have an impact of outfielders' positioning and the relative results of left- and right-handed hitters.

[Lycrabon]

Lycrabon 101 111 120 - 8 (3-0)
Garon-Averia 101 110 001 - 5 (0-3)

GARON-AVERIA -- Three up, three down.

The Blue Jays took their show on the road again, and took another victory back to St. Catherine. Tyrone Conley didn’t pitch great - like most of the staff so far. But, he pitched well enough to keep Lycrabon in it. The squads traded runs in the first, third, fourth and fifth. Carl Maynard led off the game with a home run down the left field line, with the bases loaded to end the inning. Sean McCormick hit an RBI double down the right-field line, scoring Cliff Mayo in the third; however, McCormick was caught attempting to steal third. Glen Welch got his first hit in the fourth inning, a two-out triple to end an 0-for-5 slump. Chad Price hit a leadoff homer in the fifth to give the Blue Jays a 4-3 advantage, followed by Jeremy Kramer‘s leadoff homer in the sixth to give them a 5-4 lead. JC Tyson knocked in the eventual winning run with a double, scoring Cliff Mayo. Jonathan Short and Gene Welch closed out the scoring with back-to-back shots in the eighth.

Carl Maynard	1-5	HR, RBI
Chad Price	1-4	HR, RBI, BB
Cliff Mayo	2-5
Sean McCormick	2-4	2B, BB, RBI
J.C. Tyson	1-4	2B, RBI, K
Jeremy Kramer	1-3	HR, RBI, BB
Tyrone Conley	0-3
Mitch. Johnston	0-1
Jonathan Short	2-4	HR, RBI
Gene Welch	2-4	HR, 3B, 2 RBI

PITCHERS		IP	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Tyrone Conley, ND	5	4	4	5	7	7.20
Mitchell Johnston	2	0	0	1	2	0.00
Clifford Nash, W (2-0)	1	0	0	0	1	0.00
Darrell Lane, S (2)	1	1	1	0	1	9.00

Through three games:

STATISTICS	G	H	AB	AVG	2B	3B	HR	RBI	K	BB/E
Carl Maynard	3	4	12	.333	1	1	1	2	0	2
Chad Price	3	5	12	.417	1	1	2	4	0	1
Cliff Mayo	3	5	13	.385	0	0	3	5	0	0
Sean McCormick	3	2	11	.182	1	0	0	1	1	2
J.C. Tyson	3	5	11	.455	2	2	1	2	1	0
Jeremy Kramer	3	2	8	.250	0	0	1	1	0	2
Jonathan Short	3	3	11	.273	0	0	2	2	0	0
Gene Welch	3	2	9	.222	0	1	1	2	0	2*
Glenn Carrillo	1	1	2	.500	0	0	0	1	0	0
Mitch. Johnston	2	0	2	.000	0	0	0	1	0	0
Tom Benson	1	3	3	1.000	1	1	1	2	0	1
Tyrone Conley	1	0	3	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM		3	32	97	.330	6	6	12	23	2	10*

* 1 ROE

PITCHERS	APP	W	L	SV	IP	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Glenn Carrillo	1	0	0	0	7	4	4	2	10	5.14
Mitch. Johnston	2	0	0	0	3	2	2	3	3	6.00
Clifford Nash	2	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	0.00
Darrell Lane	2	0	0	2	2	1	1	0	0	4.50
Tom Benson	1	1	0	0	8	5	5	6	14	5.63
Tyrone Conley	1	0	0	0	5	4	4	5	7	7.20
TEAM		3	3	0	2	27	16	16	15	36	5.33

[Western cuba]

Pablo and Pablo

Pablo M:
Pablo R:

" Well let's talk some more about baseball. Tell the audience how our boys did today in Match Day Three of the World Baseball Classic 20. "

" We'll I'm glad to say that were 3-0 after a victory against Cosumar in Western Cuba's biggest match up yet. I'm fairly impressed with today's game, and think that we played outstanding as a team. "

" Standouts? "

" There were quite a few. Making his WBC debut Robert Beshirov struggled at first. Allowing a run in the second inning of play. However though he played flawless after that. Pitching for a complete game, and striking out 10 batters. Keep a watch on him throughout this WBC. "

" So who were your other standouts? "

" Vladimir Poderni, and Alfonso Chincilla both had great games. With this being Chincilla's second notable game in three games. Vladimir pulled of a spectacular catch right field during the second inning preventing a run from scoring, and ending the inning. He also had two hit's, one being a double. Alfonso once again played great behind the plate, making a great defensive catch of a foul ball for an out. He also went perfect throughout the game up at the plate, and hit two doubles. "

" What word describes the Western Cuban National Team after there first three match day's. "

" I would have to say dedicated. This team is a young team, and have played hard throughout the first three games. Add to the fact that we will only get better, and I think that we will make a great run throughout this WBC Classic. Clinching our group stage, and making a run in the knockout rounds. "

" Already your saying that we will clinch the Group? "

" Why yes, look at the talent we have on our team, and our play so far. Add the strength of our schedule, and we got first place in the group. "

" The way you say it I guess your right. Well enough about our team for now, did anything stand out throughout the WBC in today's Match Day? "

" There were a few games noteworthy. Qazox, and Saugeais both rebounded off of opening day losses and defeated there opponents Wadomia, and Camwood by a score of 8-6, and 10-3. The host, Sportsgirls remains defeated after a score of 8-5 against Mytannion, and our dark horse team The Kytler Peninsula remains undefeated also, beating Howdeellow by a score of 7-4.

" Well that's a wrap of Pablo and Pablo today folks. Be sure to watch Match Day Four tomorrow as Western Cuba faces off against Hippostania. Tickets are no longer available for the game due to the small capacity of Trinidad Municipal Stadium, however though that doesn't mean you can't watch the game. Tune into WCBS for tomorrow's game. Starting for the National Team will be Fredek Fenyak. See you all tomorrow. "

[THRILLEDGE]

Thrilledge Falls to Colmark

The Thrilledge Dreadlocks came into this World Baseball Classic expecting very productive results, considering a relatively moderate world ranking. This idea has come to a rude halt, as the Dreadlocks suffered their second loss against the now 2-1 Colmark squad.

Mark Hamburger looked anything but sharp in his first start of the year, constantly working himself into trouble. In 5 2/3 innings of work, Hamburger walked 6 and allowed 6 hits. He allowed two home runs, one being a two run homerun by LF #25 in the fourth and one being a solo homerun in the sixth by SS #3 that wound up knocking Hamburger out of the game. All four of Hamburger's runs were earned.

SP #27 shut down the Dreadlocks' offense. They left six runners on base and failed to capitalize with runners in scoring position. They only got two (count them, two) extra base hits, one of them being a solo home run in the seventh inning by designated hitter Larry Bryant. To say the least, this was not the Dreadlocks' day.

"This just wasn't our day," said manager Matt Haering after the game. "The offense just never got going, and you know Mark [Hamburger] had a rare bad outing, but we'll get it together. I have faith in my boys."

The time has come for the heart of the Dreadlocks order to step it up. Leadoff hitter Sandy Alvarez has been tearing it up, OPSing over 1.000. The time has come for the middle of the order to capitalize on Alvarez's hot streak. If Thrilledge is to move on to the next round, the time has come to start playing up to potential and scoring some runs.


BOX SCORE

HITTING
Sanderson Alvarez -2B- 2-4, BB, 2B, SB, R
Jayhawk Edmonson -CF -1-3, 2BBs
Blastings Thrilledge -LF- 1-5, R, K
Alfredo Colon -3B- 0-4, 2K
Arnie Sullivan -1B- 0-3, BB
Jeff Swarley -C- 0-4
Larry Bryant -DH- 2-4, HR, R, RBI, K
Reggie Whitaker -RF- 0-4, 3K
Kevin Gally -SS- 1-4, K

PITCHING
Mark Hamburger- L, 5 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 4 Ks, 6 BB, 6 H, 2 HRA
Roger Lake- 1 1/3 IP, H, 4 Ks,
Brian Rauscher- IP, K, 2 BBs
Darcy Clevenger- 1/3 IP
James Volbert- 2/3 IP, K, H

[Qazox]

Daily WBC Board Meeting in QBC Headquarters, Fromburg, Qazox:
NOTE: Jake (P2) appears via viedophone from Wadomia

Person 1- "We got very lucky tonight, Werth's on very thin ice now.

Terry (P3)- "She should be gone, right now. She's the one who asked for new starters, when; besides her stupid daughter, all of them did well at the last 2 WBCs. Hobbes didn't even get out of the 3rd inning, for pete's sake."

Jake (P2)- "Hobbes was the victim of bad fielding, not anything Werth did. The field here in Wadomia is one of the worst I've ever seen. Rocks littered the infield, and I swear there was a gopher hole in right-center. The ball took a ton of weird hops for both teams today and that lead to the 6 runs Hobbes allowed. Luckily only one was earned."

Terry (P3)- "Excuses, excuses. Clearly Werth didn't even bother to check the field conditions before the game started. I don;t think she even bothered lodging a protest over it."

Person 1- "Enough! Clearly there is a split amongst us about Linda Werth's viabilty as Qazox manager. Since all of the board, excepting Jake, is here; and this is an offical meeting.; we'll have a vote of confidence on Linda Werth. All in favor of keeping Werth as coach, through the remainder of the WBC vote Aye."

(a couple of Ayes from aroudn the table and from Jake on the videophone)

Person 1- "All opposed, say Nay"

(a rousing chorus of Nays come from the remainder of the board)

Person 1- "The Nays have it. Linda Werth is no longer the manager of the Qazox national Baseball team. Until we determine a suitable canidate for manager, I nominate the bench Coach, Shane Marsten become interim manager until the end of this WBC. All in favor, vote Aye"

(every one except Jake votes Aye)

Person 1- "All opposed, say Nay."

(only Jake says Nay)

Person 1- "The motion passes. Shane Marsten is the interim manager. This meeting is now adjourned."

Qazox                 101 310 002 - 8 17 3
Wadomia               501 000 000 - 6 15 2

Qazox' Batting Stats

Greg Damon 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 runs
Carly Maplewood 2-6, 2 doubles, SB, 2 runs
Jayde Sinclair 1-5, HR, 3 RBI, run
Carl Holmes 3-6, 3 singles, RBI, 2 runs
Emma Flint 1-4, double, RBI
Erica deSentis 3-4, triple, BB, run
Arthur Thomas 2-4, BB
Brian Desormeaux 1-4, SF, RBI
Kevin Hobbes 0-1
Sandra Wu 0-1
Chuck Bath 1-1, CS
Issac Greene 0-1
Mike Mazeroni 1-1

Errors: Thomas, Hobbes, Sinclair

Pitching lines
Hobbes- 2.1 IP, 6 R, 1 ER, 7 H, 3 K, 1 BB; 74 pitches, 45 strikes.
Iya- 1.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 K, 0 BB; 43 pitches, 31 strikes.
Greene- 3.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 4 K, 1 BB; 62 pitches, 43 strikes.
Smythe- 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 K, 0 BB; 26 pitches, 17 strikes (W 1-0)
Tokadden- 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 K, 0 BB; 23 pitches, 16 strikes (Save)