World Baseball Classic 33 Everything Thread (IC)

[South Yerfilag]

"WE DID IT!"
Coach Van Rijn, the unsung heroine of fielding for the national team, was the first to leap out of the Death to Saintland Stadium bench after the final out of the game against Coreyo.
The rest of the team swarmed the infield in a giant group hug. Everyone congratulated each other in frenzied excitement.
Later, back in the clubhouse, manager Van Pelt brought the good news.
"We are AT THE TOP of our group - six wins, one loss - and that was to the team we beat today!"
The celebration was on. Van Pelt booked reservations at the best restaurant in Gregoryisgodistan (which, of course, only served gruel and prune juice), and the team ate a special dinner.
During it, Matt and Jacinda sat together.
"Hey, Jacinda?" Matt suddenly remembered - they had forgotten to go out on their dinner date!
"Yeah?"
"I just realised that I never took you out to dinner a couple of nights ago..."
Jacinda smiled and squeezed Matt's hand. "That's okay. Maybe when we get back to South Yerfilag."
"Where do you go to college?" Matt asked.
"South Yerfilag University."
"SYU? Really? I go to the College of the Two Cincys, across University Boulevard."
"No way! I wanted to go there, but they were too expensive. What's your major?"
"I double major in sports science and commentary. You?"
"Computer science," Jacinda muttered sheepishly.
Matt threw on a sarcastic tone. "What's a geeky girl like you doing on the national team?"
Jacinda pulled Matt over to her face by the ear. "You really, really, want to go there?"
For a moment, Matt was frightened. Then he felt a kiss on his cheek.
"I love you," she whispered.
Matt thought he was dreaming. "Can you say that again?"
Jacinda cupped Matt's face in her hands. "I love you, Matt."
Tears came to Matt's eyes. He placed his hands on hers, which were still on his face. "I love you, too."

Lineup for Game 8
F. Matteson (8), Alfing (6), De Jager (3), Oorschot (7), Younger (5), Visscher (2), Righteousness (4), Hicks (9), Van Heel (1). Pitcher: Van Heel (Relief: Walonko).

[Frenline Delpha]

Frenline Delpha                 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0  3
Firebolt                        0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1

W: Deman (2-0); L: Howard (1-3); S: Yelvis (1)

After a two game losing streak, the Anacondas finally got back to their winning ways with a three to one win over Firebolt. Deman started his second game of the tournament, and he managed to raise his record to 2-0. The game started with relatively no action in the first two innings. It wasn't until Malfastern stepped up to the plate, that Frenline put a run on the board. He stepped up, took two balls, and on the third pitch, he rocked a high fly ball that cleared the right field fence. Frenline Delpha went up 1-0. Deman put sown the side on the bottom half of the inning.
Frenline Delpha cracked off two doubles, and a single, and went up 2-0. Nobody got on base for the next inning for both teams. Then, Frenline Delpha whacked another home run over center field. This would be the final run scored by Frenline Delpha, but it was all that was needed. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Firebolt hit a ball that looked like it could have gotten out of the park, but thankfully, RF Minecart jumped up and managed to snag the ball out of the air, right before it reached over the yellow line for a home run. Unfortunately, Firebolt managed to get a run in the seventh inning through a triple and then an infield single.
In the ninth inning, the Anacondas bought in closing pitcher Yelvis for his first appearance in the World Baseball Classic. He recorded his first save, and Frenline Delpha won 3-1, after a two game losing streak. Portex will start tonights game against Free Swiss States.

Group C                        Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Frenline Delpha                  7    5   2    27   24   +3    15
2 Southern Democratic States       7    4   3    33   25   +8    12
3 Free Swiss States                7    4   3    28   27   +1    12
4 San Jose Guayabal                7    3   4    33   32   +1     9
5 Firebolt                         7    3   4    19   21   −2     9
6 The Royal Barangay               7    2   5    25   36  −11     6

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Dear Yaeko Mihara,

We may soon have an opening for Grammar Reeducation Instructor at Grammar Reeducation Camp 12. You would be working the First Shift, teaching grammar non-stop from 10 AM to 6 PM. You would not need to supervise the students during their one hour daily break - that is the responsibility of the Second Shift to do between midnight and 1 AM. Your students will not be permitted to leave to go to the bathroom or for whatever other reason. The one exception is if the building needs to be evacuated for fire or other reason, in which case you and your students should leave together and they must remain under your supervision.

However, there is a catch. In order to work at a Grammar Reeducation Camp, you must be a Gregoryisgodistani citizen. Normally, this is not bestowed upon guests, but for you we will make an exception. You simply need to pledge allegiance to Lord Almighty Gregory as the One True Lord and agree to observe all of our Glorious and Holy Nation's laws and customs. Lord Almighty Gregory has graciously included a citizenship form for you to sign. Please sign it and bring it into our office and we will provide you with the next available job. Grammar Reeducation Instructor LP192PDBFHSDF is retiring in two weeks, so if you turn in your forms before then, you should receive his job once he quits. As stated above, you would be required to work from 10 AM to 6 PM. You would receive a 30 minute break for lunch between 1:00 PM and 1:30 PM, during which time you will be permitted to eat at your desk in front of your students while they take their daily test. If they fail their daily test, their stay in the Grammar Reeducation Camp will be extended by one day, a fact you are expected to keep confidential.

As you will be a Gregoryisgodistani commoner, the only foods you will be permitted to eat are prune juice and gruel rations. Our delivery slave will deliver them to your classroom shortly before 1:00. Don't give him a tip. He's a slave. Slaves don't get paid.

For the record, your Gregoryisgodistani name, should you choose to accept citizenship, will be Grammar Reeducation Instructor ZB3975W.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Chief Grammar Officer Donald Ravedog.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Cutoff! Yoohoo!

Edit: Results

Group A
Royal Johnstone                   0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 1  5
Darmen                            0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 3  7

Gregoryisgodistan                 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2
Semarland                         1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 X  4

Northwinds                        2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  4
Neyosil                           1 3 0 1 2 0 0 0 X  7


  Group A                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Gregoryisgodistan                  8    5   3    34   26   +8    15
2 Semarland                          8    5   3    36   31   +5    15
3 Neyosil                            8    5   3    39   37   +2    15
4 Northwinds                         8    4   4    39   36   +3    12
5 Royal Johnstone                    8    3   5    37   38   −1     9
6 Darmen                             8    2   6    26   43  −17     6

Group B
Coreyo                            0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 1  5
The Kytler Peninsulae             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  3

Nova Anglicana                    0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3  5
Coconut Isle                      0 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 1  6

Losthaven                         4 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  7
South Yerfilag                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2


  Group B                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 South Yerfilag                     8    6   2    58   36  +22    18
2 Coreyo                             8    6   2    35   29   +6    18
3 Nova Anglicana                     8    4   4    42   29  +13    12
4 Losthaven                          8    4   4    43   34   +9    12
5 Coconut Isle                       8    3   5    27   40  −13     9
6 The Kytler Peninsulae              8    1   7    13   50  −37     3

Group C
Firebolt                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2
The Royal Barangay              0 2 0 0 0 3 1 0 X  6

San Jose Guayabal               1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2  6
Southern Democratic States      0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 1  5

Free Swiss States               2 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0  5
Frenline Delpha                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0


  Group C                        Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Free Swiss States                8    5   3    33   27   +6    15
2 Frenline Delpha                  8    5   3    27   29   −2    15
3 Southern Democratic States       8    4   4    38   31   +7    12
4 San Jose Guayabal                8    4   4    39   37   +2    12
5 Firebolt                         8    3   5    21   27   −6     9
6 The Royal Barangay               8    3   5    31   38   −7     9

Group D
San Llera                         2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Vettrera                          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1

Milchama                          0 0 1 4 0 0 0 3 1  9
Organized States                  2 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 0  7

Silkjd                            0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0  3
Freelands of Natives              0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 X  4


  Group D                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Milchama                           8    6   2    54   36  +18    18
2 Freelands of Natives               8    6   2    32   30   +2    18
3 Vettrera                           8    4   4    24   24    0    12
4 Silkjd                             8    3   5    22   23   −1     9
5 San Llera                          8    3   5    30   41  −11     9
6 Organized States                   8    2   6    35   43   −8     6

Group E
Quetzala                          0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0  4
Abanhfleft                        4 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 X  9

Equestrian States                 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1  3
Mapletish                         2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

The Peoples Emirate               0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 2  6
Flardania                         0 0 0 2 0 2 0 2 1  7


  Group E                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                         8    7   1    71   27  +44    21
2 Quetzala                           8    5   3    39   33   +6    15
3 The Peoples Emirate                8    4   4    43   40   +3    12
4 Equestrian States                  8    4   4    31   36   −5    12
5 Mapletish                          8    2   6    21   45  −24     6
6 Flardania                          8    2   6    20   44  −24     6

Group F
Schiltzberg                       1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1  5
Nassau-Hessen                     0 0 0 2 2 1 1 0 X  6

Patistan                          1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0  6
United States of Devonta          0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0  3

Banija                            1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0  4
Borxinoia                         0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 2  5


  Group F                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Patistan                           8    5   3    51   29  +22    15
2 United States of Devonta           8    5   3    38   29   +9    15
3 Schiltzberg                        8    5   3    46   39   +7    15
4 Nassau-Hessen                      8    5   3    41   39   +2    15
5 Borxinoia                          8    3   5    31   51  −20     9
6 Banija                             8    1   7    22   42  −20     3

Group G
The Sword Bloke                   0 1 2 1 0 1 1 0 1  7
The Fair Republic                 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Maklohi Vai                       0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 1  7
Gregory Llama Land                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

St Saratoga                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Southwest Eastnorth               0 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 X  5


  Group G                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Maklohi Vai                        8    7   1    35   18  +17    21
2 Southwest Eastnorth                8    6   2    41   23  +18    18
3 Gregory Llama Land                 8    5   3    37   33   +4    15
4 The Sword Bloke                    8    3   5    27   34   −7     9
5 The Fair Republic                  8    2   6    29   38   −9     6
6 St Saratoga                        8    1   7    17   40  −23     3

Group H
Sacheyenya                        0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Ko-oren                           0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 X  3

Cosumar                           1 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 1  9
United Russian Soviet States      0 0 1 2 4 0 0 0 3 10

Kaboomlandia                      1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  3
Czesc                             0 0 0 0 2 0 4 1 X  7


  Group H                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Cosumar                            8    6   2    50   25  +25    18
2 Czesc                              8    6   2    34   36   −2    18
3 Ko-oren                            8    4   4    32   22  +10    12
4 United Russian Soviet States       8    3   5    43   41   +2     9
5 Kaboomlandia                       8    3   5    28   49  −21     9
6 Sacheyenya                         8    2   6    21   35  −14     6

Teams in green have clinched advancement. Teams in red are eliminated.

[Kaboomlandia]

Kings Lose Again, Need "Lucky Loser" Spot to Make Playoffs

The Kings lost 7-3 to Czesc tonight, ending Kaboomlandia's hopes of making the playoffs in a top-two spot. Dave Lynn got the nod on the mound and played seven innings, being yanked after Kaboomlandia fell behind 6-2 after the seventh. With the score tied in the seventh inning, Lynn walked a batter and hit another with a pitch. Then, Dave Lynn threw an off-speed pitch that was promptly smacked out of the park. Lynn was yanked and replaced with Hector Rasmussen, but the damage was done. The Kings pitching rotation simply couldn't get it done in the WBC 33.

NEXT UP: Sacheyenya. With neither team having anything left to play for, how will the game go?

AROUND THE GROUP:
Ko-oren 3-2 Sacheyenya
United Russian Soviet States (barred from advancing) 10-9 Cosumar

[Losthaven]

Losthaven Stomps Group B Leader South Yerfilag 7-2; Playoff Hopes Still Alive!

---

 Losthaven                         4 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  7
 South Yerfilag                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2
WP: Del Worthington (1-1);  LP: Jacinda van Heel
Player of the Game:    Buck Matlock (1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI)

Designated Hitter Buck Matlock hit a first inning grand slam against South Yerfilag pitcher Jacinda van Heel, and Losthaven's Del Worthington silenced critics by spinning 7 innings of no-run ball as Losthaven evened the score with South Yerfilag in MD 8. Once again, South Yerfilag made a very risky and interesting decision by electing to bat their pitcher in a game where, as the home team playing with the DH rule, they could have elected to use a designated hitter. South Yerfilag Manager Daniel van Pelt seemed to notice the oddity in the bottom of the second and approached the Gregoryisgodistani umpire to request that a designated hitter be allowed to bat. But the umpire stood firm, insisting that because South Yerfilag had initially posted a roster with the pitcher in the line-up, they could not switch to a designated hitter without having him pitch. The entire South Yerfilag team seemed out of joint after the decision. Even normally prolific hitter Willem de Jager was affected, striking out in three at-bats. South Yerfilag could not recover from the damage done by Matlock in the first inning, despite some 8th inning heroics by Righteousness Ihejirika, whose ground-rule double against Miles Ouellette scored two runs.

The win extends Losthaven's streak to 3, and keeps their playoff hopes alive. To make the playoffs, the team will need to win out, and will also need to make-up the 5 run difference with Nova Anglicana and see Coreyo lose both of their remaining matches. It's a tall order, but there's still hope!

Team Manager Alden Bronson had this to say about the game: "If we get nothing else out of the WBC, we can hang our hats on this game. We really took it to the group leaders, didn't we. Now just two more games, and if we can win them both, we'll have done all we can do to try to advance."

Losthaven will need to keep the win streak going against Coreyo in MD9 to keep any hope of a playoff berth alive. Most analysts now predict Losthaven will finish the group stage in 3rd place with a 5-5 record.

Losthaven WBC 33 Schedule
MD1: versus the Kytler Peninsulae L (1-2)
MD2: at Coconut Isle W (5-4)
MD3: versus South Yerfilag L (2-7)
MD4: versus Coreyo L (6-7)
MD5: at Nova Anglicana L (4-9)
MD6: at the Kytler Peninsulae W (9-2)
MD7: versus Coconut Isle W (9-1)
MD8: at South Yerfilag W (7-2)
MD9: at Coreyo
MD10: versus Nova Anglicana

Round of 16: TBA
Quarterfinals: TBA
Semifinals: TBA

Finals: TBA

[Frenline Delpha]

In light of the recent events at Lord Almighty Gregory International Airport, Frenline Delpha president, Samuel Snaker, has agreeded to send 100 troops, led by Colonel Bobby Squanders. 25 will remained stationed at Lord Almighty Gregory International Airport, and the other 75 will spread out and cover all baseball fields used in the tournament. Frenline Delpha is working in coordination with Gregoryisgodistan in order to keep terorists and other evil do-ers away from the tournament. The soilder shave been ordered to kill anyone who violates Gregoryisgodistan law without the papers needed. Any dissent will be dealt with by harsh command. This comes in light of a recent contract between Gregoryisgodistan and Crisp Butter Toilet Paper Company.
In sports yesterday, Frenline Delpha went hitless against the shocking Free Swiss States, loaing 5-0. The only bright spot for the Anacondas was a fielding error by the right fielder, which prevented a perfect game. Frenline Drlpha is now 5-3 on the tournament.

[Abanhfleft]

MUSINGS OF AN ARMORED DINNER JACKET
Official blog of Ibrahim Ahmadinejad, Right Fielder of the Verbergerkinnh Cubs and the Abanhfleft Revolution

DO YOU WANT THE GOOD NEWS FIRST OR THE BAD NEWS?


A Fleftic batter steps up the plate during the eighth inning of Abanhfleft's second game against Quetzala. Abanhfleft defeated the newcomers 9-4 just days after Lord Almighty Gregory of Gregoryisgodistan put the Democratic Republic in his country's Enemy List, despite protestations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the national government. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Umkhonto Thabowane)

LIVE FROM SLAVES R US FIELD, DISTRICT 5, GREGORYISGODISTAN - So, dear readers, do you want to hear the good news first or the bad news?

Actually, do you even have a choice in the matter? Yes, both were rhetorical questions, so that doesn't mean that I've suddenly become snobbish. It's just I'm currently at a junction in my life where I'm both happy and sad. Weird, but once I tell you everything that's happened, it will make sense, I assure you.

Let's start off with the bad news. We are now officially on Gregory's Enemy List. That doesn't sound too bad, you say? Well, take this into consideration, dear readers: Gregory has nukes. Now he's not so laughably affably evil now, is he? Yes, Gregory has actually threatened to launch his nukes at us if he ever so decided that we needed some nuking. Well, that can't be helped if you're a dictatorship that's got some nukes sitting around gathering dust. But the really bad news isn't that we are now on Greg's Enemy List. The Really Bad News (capital letters intentional) is that Minister of Defense Field Marshal Oleg Dallutev said on national television that if Greg fired off his nukes in our general direction, he would not hesitate in advising President Novoire to retaliate. Yes, our own MInister of Defense just told us that he wouldn't hesitate in telling our president to retaliate if Gregoryisgodistan so much as got an itchy trigger finger hovering over the big red button. It certainly doesn't help that just a day after Greg added us to his Enemy List, our Strategic Rocket Forces test-fired one of our ballistic missiles. It wasn't loaded with any actually dangerous payloads, but basically we're stretching our muscles and showing Greg how far our reach could be.

But enough about nuclear doomsdays. Let's turn to the good news. We finally defeated Quetzala! What I thought was going to be our bogey team turned our to be just as mortal as we are, easily falling to the Revolutionaries just at the bottom of the first inning. Carlos the Jackal, Habibi, Jiang and Julie all did their jobs perfectly, and I couldn't have done any better. They're quite good at the bat, and so there's no question why they're quite higher up on the batting order than I am. But then again. I am a bit of a clutch batter. When the going gets tough, the tough--me of course--gets going.

And there's also a bit of national pride included in this. Like we all saw a few days ago, Quetzala was the first and only team that had managed to defeat us in this tournament when they managed to score that freak run at the bottom of the ninth. If it weren't for that freak run then the game would have most probably gone on to extra innings, and we definitely could have gotten a chance to win the game then. But it didn't happen. But a lot of people--most of them Fleftics, granted, but some people from other nationalities too--were saying that Quetzala just got incredibly lucky against us. And today we showed everyone who was watching that we can win over the lucky bastards.

And there's also some more good news after the win against Quetzala. That W officially makes us the team with the best record in the tournament so far. We have an astonishing +44 run differential because of all those runs we scored! 44 runs! That's a baseball player's wet dream, that is.

Anyway, next up is probably Mapletish. We already defeated them, and we might just defeat them again. This is the Armored Dinner Jacket saying ciao, peace. Catch you in my next post.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Lord Almighty Gregory's Speech to the People

"Good afternoon, ladies, gentlemen, and slaves. I speak to you today of the recent struggles of our Beloved Bat Slaves who are now in a three-way tie for first place in Group A and in serious danger of not going through. This World Baseball Classic is at home and is ours to win. We will at least be somewhat successful, or there will be consequences.

"The consequences will be progressive in nature, depending on how far we fail to advance. If we fail to even advance out of the group stage, the entire team, including coaching staff, front office staff, massage therapists, and everyone else associated with the team, will be executed, with the exception of those most loyal to me, the government VIP's. If we are eliminated in the Round of 16, the entire coaching staff along with ten randomly selected players will be executed. If we are eliminated in the Quarterfinals, only the manager will be executed. If we are eliminated in the semifinals or later, nobody will be executed.

"Of course, executions will be done in the manner for shaming the nation, not the usual manner. The bodies will be slowly sliced with the Brownie Cutter of Death, covered in pancake batter, deep fried, and fed to me, the One True Lord, as a forgiveness offering. That is the ultimate punishment in this nation for shaming the nation. Do not embarrass us on an international scale in our own country. That is simply unacceptable and you will pay dearly for it. You will pay with your lives. I really hope I am not forced to do that, but if need be, I will enjoy my breakfast made from the bodies of sinners. Don't give me yourselves for breakfast. Play hard on the diamond and win. Win the World Baseball Classic. Hoist the WBC Trophy. Sing "Gregory, Gregory, Lord Almighty" at the medal ceremony and curse our enemies. Abanhfleft may have clinched a spot in the Round of 16 before us, but they are heathens. They will never learn and so they will burn. I would love to face them in the WBC Final with everything on the line. Alas, it may not align so that such a thing is possible. We may wind up facing them earlier. We'll find out tomorrow after play concludes. There are only two more days left in the group stage, after all. Right now, we need to win our next two games. Otherwise, we risk failing to advance. And we all know what happens to people who shame the nation. Bat Slaves, consider this your warning."

[Schiltzberg]

SCHILTZBERG TRAILING AFTER DEVASTATING LOSS TO NASSAU-HESSEN.

After a five-game winning streak, Schiltzberg is now on a three game slump, which has brought them down from number one to currently number three in Group F. The most recent loss, against Nassau-Hessen, was a close match that went back and forth. The pitching for Schiltzberg was okay, with Henry Price as the starting pitcher. Price had a perfect first, second, and third innings, but he gave up a walk and then a home run in the fourth to end the perfect game. He let in two more in the fifth, after giving up back-to-back-to-back singles. He gave up a home run in the sixth, which was the reason for his removal from the game with five and one-third innings. Bryan Mercado was the reliever for Price, and he did fairly well, only giving up one run that came from a home run in the seventh. Henry Price was credited with the loss.

Schiltzberg's offense was depressingly close to a victory, as it was in the recent game against Borxinoia, but ultimately was not able to come up with the win. Schiltzberg scored early when Jeff Fitzhugh doubled and then scored on a single from Francis Thom with two outs in the first inning, but was nearly non-existent until the sixth inning when Chris Vrooman drove in Mark Daly and Wayne Knox with a three-run shot to the opposite field. After Nassau-Hessen regained the lead, Schiltzberg tried in vain to tie the game up in the ninth, and even scored one run, but they ultimately were not able to pull it off. This is your New Schiltzbierg sports news.

[Cosumar]

Cosumar fall short in #WildGame against already-eliminated URSS
BY TARYN SWEET

DISTRICT 30, GREGORYISGODISTAN - The primary storylines coming out of Doybert Field prior to first-pitch on MD8 revolved around the long-awaited first WBC start for Byron Na'Zouma (he was slated to make his first start back in MD3 but held out due to a sore shoulder). The diminutive Vloo with a slingshot for an arm has taken the PBL by storm this year, carrying the Pelethas Prowlers with a 1.1 ERA in 25 starts. But Na'Zouma's performance last night didn't exactly replicate his domestic form, and by the end of the game, there was so much more to talk about.

Few were excited about a rematch with already-eliminated USRR, who we bested 5-1 in the first meeting, but what an up-and-down slugfest this turned out to be.

There was a dramatic ending, with the URSS hitting a walk-off single off Eldrad Agholor with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to win, but even more fascinating was how Cosumar got there.

First, they fell behind 7-1 thanks to a sloppy debut performance from Na'Zouma. He put the first three runners on in the 4th and was fortunate to escape with only two runs given up. Then things got even uglier in the 5th, when he was worked over by the back of URSS's order for four runs. That's when he was pulled for reliever Jaycob Kneller, who managed to right the ship for a couple innings.

"I kept falling behind in every count, probably because I was maybe trying to do too much," Na'Zouma said. " I was pretty amped up for my first taste of the WBC, and I guess it showed. I just need to relax more, compose myself and focus on throwing strikes. If I do that and get back to what's been working for me in Pelethas, I'm confident I can earn back the trust of my coaches and teammates next time."

Facing their largest deficit of the WBC, Toby MacHart's team responded well in an explosive seven-run 7th inning. With some help for the URSS pitcher, who walked in three runs, the Cosumarites swiftly erased the deficit and took an 8-7 lead of their own. Koruko Sato pitched in three of the runs with his base-clearing double that bounced off the center field wall. Sato himself crossed the plate for the final run of the outburst after Jaakko Sandström worked a full count with composure, then finally chipped one over the second baseman after several foul balls.

Cosumar seemed back in control for good when Sandström batted in another run in the top of the ninth to extend the lead to 9-7. The URSS offense had gone without a hit for the last three innings thanks to stellar bullpen work from Jaycob Kneller and Giuliano Limon. What could they possibly hope to accomplish in the bottom of the ninth against Alf Carver?He's The Altamirano Assassin, Cosumar's trump-card closer.

But like Na'Zouma, Carver seemed out of his zone. He uncharacteristically gave up a lead-off double, then three more singles to draw the game back even at 9-9. Though one RBI was the fault of an error by Kshathra Vairya, Toby MacHart decided to call the bullpen once again - this time for the 26-year-old lefty Eldrad Agholor. With a man on first and two outs, Agholor's task should have been easy.

But it didn't seem to matter who was throwing the ball. Cosumar's struggles from the mound continued and URSS completed the three-run bottom-ninth comeback. Agholor left a change-up high and hanging over the middle of the plate, which URSS's right-fielder smacked down the left field line with ease for the win. Cosumarite players sat down in the grass and looked on in contempt as the Russian players dogpiled by home plate, celebrating their ultimately meaningless win.

The game was an emotional roller-coaster, but Cosumar will have to move on. Two more group games remain and playoff qualification and seeding will be on the line. Despite picking up their third loss of the campaign, MacHart saw a lot of positive things in the Cosumarite performance.

"Incredible effort," MacHart said. "I can not say enough about the guys, what they did to bounce back and the bullpen to keep giving us chances. I know it's a loss at the end of the day, but you see the battle in the team and that is something we will need going forward."

Reliable veteran Conall Simon will get the ball for the crucial penultimate group game against fellow 6-2 team Czesc. A win can potentially seal a knockout stage berth for Cosumar.

Thank you for reading! Continue to check The Cosumarite Courier each day for continuous coverage of Team Cosumar's progress in the World Baseball Classic.

Cosumar                           1 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 1  9
United Russian Soviet States      0 0 1 2 4 0 0 0 3 10

Scoring Summary
COS - 1st Inning - Ponce De Forte homered to right [1-0]

URSS - 3rd Inning - Single to left, one runner scored [1-1]

URSS - 4th Inning - Groundball into double play, one runner scored [1-2]
URSS - 4th Inning - Double to center, one runner scored [1-3]

URSS - 5th Inning - Single to center, two runners scored [1-5]
URSS - 5th Inning - Double to left, two runners scored [1-7]

COS - 7th Inning - Delroy Thomson walked, Jaakko Sandström scored [2-7]
COS - 7th Inning - Mikael Mikaelsson walked, Leonard Andrews scored [3-7]
COS - 7th Inning - Ponce De Forte walked, Galindor Deptula scored [4-7]
COS - 7th Inning - Koruko Sato doubled to deep center; Thomson, Mikaelsson and De Forte scored [7-7]
COS - 7th Inning - Jaakko Sandström singled to center, Sato scored [8-7]

COS - 9th Inning - Jaakko Sandström grounded into fielder's choice to first, Mikael Mikaelsson scored [9-7]
URSS - 9th Inning - Single to right center, one runner scored [9-8]
URSS - 9th Inning - Single to center, one runner scored [9-9]
URSS - 9th Inning - Walk-off single to left, one runner scored [9-10]

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Cutoff! Woot Woot!

Edit: Results

Group A
Northwinds                        2 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 1  8
Royal Johnstone                   2 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0  5

Neyosil                           2 0 1 0 0 1 1 2 0  7
Gregoryisgodistan                 1 0 0 1 3 1 1 0 5 12

Semarland                         0 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 1  6
Darmen                            2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  4


  Group A                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Gregoryisgodistan                  9    6   3    46   33  +13    18
2 Semarland                          9    6   3    42   35   +7    18
3 Northwinds                         9    5   4    47   41   +6    15
4 Neyosil                            9    5   4    46   49   −3    15
5 Royal Johnstone                    9    3   6    42   46   −4     9
6 Darmen                             9    2   7    30   49  −19     6

Group B
Losthaven                         2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
Coreyo                            0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

South Yerfilag                    0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1  5
Nova Anglicana                    0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0  4

Coconut Isle                      2 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0  5
The Kytler Peninsulae             0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 1  6


  Group B                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 South Yerfilag                     9    7   2    63   40  +23    21
2 Coreyo                             9    6   3    36   33   +3    18
3 Losthaven                          9    5   4    47   35  +12    15
4 Nova Anglicana                     9    4   5    46   34  +12    12
5 Coconut Isle                       9    3   6    32   46  −14     9
6 The Kytler Peninsulae              9    2   7    19   55  −36     6

Group C
Free Swiss States               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Firebolt                        0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  3

Frenline Delpha                 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  5
San Jose Guayabal               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Southern Democratic States      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
The Royal Barangay              0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 X  1


  Group C                        Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Frenline Delpha                  9    6   3    32   29   +3    18
2 Free Swiss States                9    5   4    33   30   +3    15
3 Southern Democratic States       9    4   5    38   32   +6    12
4 San Jose Guayabal                9    4   5    39   42   −3    12
5 Firebolt                         9    4   5    24   27   −3    12
6 The Royal Barangay               9    4   5    32   38   −6    12

Group D
Silkjd                            0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 2  6
San Llera                         1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  4

Freelands of Natives              0 0 0 2 0 3 2 0 0  7
Milchama                          0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0  2

Organized States                  0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0  2
Vettrera                          0 0 0 3 1 1 0 0 X  5


  Group D                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Freelands of Natives               9    7   2    39   32   +7    21
2 Milchama                           9    6   3    56   43  +13    18
3 Vettrera                           9    5   4    29   26   +3    15
4 Silkjd                             9    4   5    28   27   +1    12
5 San Llera                          9    3   6    34   47  −13     9
6 Organized States                   9    2   7    37   48  −11     6

Group E
The Peoples Emirate               0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2
Quetzala                          1 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 X  5

Flardania                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
Equestrian States                 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4  5

Mapletish                         1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  3
Abanhfleft                        0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 X  4


  Group E                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                         9    8   1    75   30  +45    24
2 Quetzala                           9    6   3    44   35   +9    18
3 Equestrian States                  9    5   4    36   37   −1    15
4 The Peoples Emirate                9    4   5    45   45    0    12
5 Mapletish                          9    2   7    24   49  −25     6
6 Flardania                          9    2   7    21   49  −28     6

Group F
Banija                            0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0  3
Schiltzberg                       0 0 2 1 2 0 1 0 X  6

Borxinoia                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Patistan                          0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 X  4

United States of Devonta          0 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 2  8
Nassau-Hessen                     0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1


  Group F                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Patistan                           9    6   3    55   29  +26    18
2 United States of Devonta           9    6   3    46   30  +16    18
3 Schiltzberg                        9    6   3    52   42  +10    18
4 Nassau-Hessen                      9    5   4    42   47   −5    15
5 Borxinoia                          9    3   6    31   55  −24     9
6 Banija                             9    1   8    25   48  −23     3

Group G
St Saratoga                       0 3 2 0 0 1 2 0 4 12
The Sword Bloke                   0 1 0 0 4 2 0 0 1  8

Southwest Eastnorth               0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2  3
Maklohi Vai                       0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 X  4

Gregory Llama Land                1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
The Fair Republic                 0 0 3 8 0 1 1 1 X 14


  Group G                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Maklohi Vai                        9    8   1    39   21  +18    24
2 Southwest Eastnorth                9    6   3    44   27  +17    18
3 Gregory Llama Land                 9    5   4    39   47   −8    15
4 The Fair Republic                  9    3   6    43   40   +3     9
5 The Sword Bloke                    9    3   6    35   46  −11     9
6 St Saratoga                        9    2   7    29   48  −19     6

Group H
Kaboomlandia                      1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0  4
Sacheyenya                        0 2 1 0 1 1 2 0 X  7

Czesc                             0 0 4 0 0 1 0 1 1  7
Cosumar                           0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  2

United Russian Soviet States      0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 0  4
Ko-oren                           1 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 X  7


  Group H                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Czesc                              9    7   2    41   38   +3    21
2 Cosumar                            9    6   3    52   32  +20    18
3 Ko-oren                            9    5   4    39   26  +13    15
4 United Russian Soviet States       9    3   6    47   48   −1     9
5 Sacheyenya                         9    3   6    28   39  −11     9
6 Kaboomlandia                       9    3   6    32   56  −24     9

Teams in red are eliminated. Teams in green have advanced. Teams in orange have advanced but have CTE'd. If they are not resurrected by the posting of results tomorrow night, they will be disqualified and the best third place team(s) will advance instead. Note that advancement and elimination do not factor in Lucky Loser spots. No team who is worse than 4-5 may advance regardless except in the highly unlikely event that there is a mass deletion of nations in advancement position in the next day.

[Kaboomlandia]

Kings Lose Again; Czesc Clinches Group H

The Kings lost again, this time to Sacheyenya, as the team fell into a 7-3 hole and never recovered. The score was overshadowed by the more hyped Czesc-Cosumar match, as the unranked underdogs upset the number seven team in the world 7-2 to clinch the group. Hector Rasmussen got the nod on the mound for the Kings, but like the previous two games, couldn't get the job done. The Kings' next game is a chance to play spoiler against Cosumar, as Cosumar can (unlikely) still not advance after their loss.

NEXT UP: Cosumar, the number seven game in the world, in a game that means nothing to the Kings. Can they play spoiler?

AROUND THE GROUP:
Czesc 7-2 Cosumar
Ko-oren 7-4 United Russian Soviet States

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Lord Almighty Gregory's Speech to the People

"Good afternoon, ladies, gentlemen, and slaves. I speak to you today with joyful news. Our program to nuke Hicana into oblivion is only a month or two away from completion. In just a month or two, we will destroy Hicana once and for all. Some may point out I promised to do this by the end of the year. This is correct. However, I was referring to the Hicanan year, the heathen year, the year that ends in December. The Hicanans will be dead long before then, in June or July. Perhaps it will even be a birthday present for me. Yes, that would be the greatest birthday present I could receive - nuking Hicana into oblivion. Of course, you'd all still have to give me birthday presents, but it would still be glorious.

"Hicana is a wicked nation which threatens everything we hold dear. They mock me, the One True Lord, by naming their hockey players blasphemous things. They attack our Enemy Crushers. They belittle our soldiers. They are just the worst people ever. We will nuke Hicana within two months, hopefully sooner. Mark my words. Hicana will be destroyed. Hicana will be turned into a nuclear wasteland. Why? Because we can. And we will. Hicana will be destroyed sooner than they like.

"For too long, our people have lived in fear and terror of Hicanans. Now the Hicanans will live in fear and terror of us, until one day soon, we destroy them. That's right. Hicana will die. Hicana will perish. One day soon, the other nations on the Enemy List will too, but we will start with them. Hicana is a wicked land, and nuking it is my command. So, brave Gregoryisgodistanis, let's get ready to nuke. It's almost time. Just a few months remain until they are gone. Death to Hicana! And while we're at it, Death to Super-Llamaland! Death to Jeckland! Death to Abanhfleft! Death to Saintland! Death to the Holy Republican Empire! Death to everyone else on the Enemy List too!

"When our nuclear preparation program is finally complete, we will launch a comprehensive first strike on Hicana. We will watch as that nation is destroyed. Perhaps soon after that we will nuke our other enemies, like Saintland or the Republican doom land. But for now, we will just focus all our efforts on Hicana. The world does not take us seriously, but after we obliterate Hicana, they will be forced to. They do not think we have it in ourselves to nuke Hicana. We will show them just how we do things. Hicana has been horrible to us forever, and now it is time to end that problem once and for all. We have tried and failed several times. Each time, they come back in a new place. Never again. They will all die for good. Every single one of them. Just as we killed the sapient xylocarps in Xylocarpstan, so too will we kill all the Hicanans. If you don't believe us, just wait and see. Those who doubt us will be next. I am the Lord Your God. Do not ever forget that, foreign heathen scum!"

[Southern Democratic States]

Kristen Ross: "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, today on NBS' Evening Sports Report on NBS: The Southern Bears lost 1-0 against The Royal Barangay. The MPL has kicked off its 2nd season without a team from our country. We might have a Bowl of Iron this season, a report from LeMarcus Jones."
Kristen Ross: "The Southern Bears lost 1-0 against The royal Barangay. Our correspondant in Gregoryisgodistan, Tyler Vaughn, have all the details about it."
Tyler Vaughn: "Yeah Kristen... well... we lost 1-0. The Royal Barangay scored its only point in the 3rd inning when Romie Datu hitted a double and Benjamin Dimacuha scored... Offensively it was our worst game ever. The Barangayan pitcher, Franco Lumahan, only allowed 1 hit and 2 walks in 8 innings. He also registered 12 strike outs."
Kristen: "He probably played his best game in his career?"
Tyler: "Yeah, probably.
Kristen: "Branden Gardner played well too I think?"
Tyler: "Yeah, he only allowed one run, in the 3rd inning, 4 hits and ..."
Kristen: "What happens? You're looking behind yourself..."
Tyler: "It's that stupid lord gregory who'se actually talking on a local tv."
Kristen: "What does he say?"
Tyler: "He's talking about nuking Hicana and other countries..."
Kristen: "Oh, his usual crap... well so the Southern Bears have only 1 game left in the group stage?"
Tyler: "Yep, one game left in the group stage and it's against Firebolt so I can't see how we can lose this one."
Kristen: "Yeah so we're gonna win this one. What about San Jose Guayabal or Free Swiss States, can they win their final game?"
Tyler: They play against each other while Frenline Delpha plays against The Royal Barangay. I think we'll have more chance to advance if Free Swiss States wins, but I'm not sure."
Kristen: "How is it possible? Free Swiss States would have more points than us!"
Tyler: "yeah but... this country doesn't exist anymore, wait, I think I'm wrong. We'd have no chance to advance if Free Swiss States wins."
Kristen: "How? You're confusing me!"
Tyler: "Well I think if Free Swiss States finishes 2nd it's the best team ranked 3rd across all groups who'se going to advance? I'm not sure.
Kristen: "Well dude, you need to be sure, you're paid for it. Do your homeworks before appearing on tv!
Tyler: "Well sorry... so I think we need a multiple tie with Free Swis States and San Jose Guayabal but in that case I don't know who will advance and what's the tie break..."
Kristen: "Like I said, do your homework! .... Let's go to a commercial break before Tyler confuse anyone else, then we'll talk about the MPL with our soccer correspondant. You're watching NBS' Evening Sports Report on NBS."

[Schiltzberg]

SCHILTZBERG BEATS BANIJA 6-3.

The three-game losing streak was finally snapped after Schiltzberg came up with the against Banija last night. Though still in third place in the group, Schiltzberg still has a chance to come back and qualify if it wins the next game. Jorge Matos was the starter for Schiltzberg, and he did a great job. He pitched seven innings only giving up two runs, and claiming the win for the game. Todd Barras pitched the last two innings, and, though giving up a home run in the eighth, held onto the lead. Jorge Matos is tonight's player of the game for his outstanding job pitching, getting the win and striking out ten in seven innings.

Offensively, Schiltzberg did fairly well. Mark Daly and Jeff Fitzhugh both scored on an errored double that became an inside-the-park home run. Manual Villegaus hit a home run in the fourth inning to expand the lead, and then Mark Daly hit a home run that knocked in himself and Jorge Matos to expand the lead even more; to 5-0. After Banija scored two in the sixth, Francis Thom doubled and then scored to make it 6-2. Banija's left-fielder hit a solo shot in the eight, but Schiltzberg held on for the 6-3 lead. This is your New Schiltzbierg sports news.

[Frenline Delpha]

Frenline Delpha                 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  5
San Jose Guayabal               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

For the first time in Frenline Delpha baseball history, an Anaconda pitcher has pitched a perfect game. Pitcher Samuel Bumbleton did the unthinkable yesterday. He completely shut-out the number eight team in the multiverse. Not only that, but he also allowed no one to get on base, thus giving him a perfect game. Bumbleton masterfully contolled his pitches masterfully. His curve caught several a batter with its fanciful twists. His fastball burned through batters left and right, and his change-up tricked many a batter into swinging for the fences where no ball was to be found. The bats went silent for San Jose Guayabal, and they went away in shame.
Frenline Delpha's offense also went out early with a bang. They pounded the pitcher for the first two innings, and runners were on the corners when LF Carter Freklire wonked a far home run well over the left field side. Frenline never failed to get a hitter on in an inning, and they amassed 18 hits. Another run was scored off an RBI triple in the 8th, and an RBI double in the 9th. Frenline Delpha could do no wrong, and they didn't.
In other news, President Samuel Snaker has officially announced that he will be in Gregoryisgodistan for the final group play match. He announced yesterday at a press conference:

I will be talking to Gregory in order to work out a peace treaty between our nations. I heard how good our boys were doing, and I decided to pay them a visit at their final group play game tommorow. Good luck to our boys, and we hope you can snag the win.

[Losthaven]

Losthaven Beats Coreyo; Needs Perfect Storm to Make Playoffs

---

 Losthaven                         2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
 Coreyo                            0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
WP: Brendon Mount;  LP: Jae Weong Seo
Player of the Game:    Weston Kinney (2-4, 1 R, 2 SB)

With a neat 4-1 win over Coreyo, Losthaven puts itself in position to possibly snake a playoff spot. In order for Losthaven to do so, two things must happen. First, Losthaven MUST beat Nova Anglicana; a tall order, to be sure, seeing as Nova Anglicana is ranked 4th in the world and beat Losthaven soundly in MD 5. But even if Losthaven wins, they also need Coreyo to lose their last match against Coconut Isle; another tall oder, as Coconut Isle has done very little to show themselves capable of beating the #2 team in Group B.

Team Manager Alden Bronson had this to say: "It all comes down to MD 10; what a great qualifier! If we beat Nova Anglicana, we'll have done all we can do and it'll be up to fate whether Coconut Isle comes through to spoil Coreyo's playoff berth."

Losthaven needs a win against Nova Anglicana in MD10, and some luck, to make the playoffs. Most analysts still predict Losthaven will finish the group stage in 3rd place with a 5-5 record.

Losthaven WBC 33 Schedule
MD1: versus the Kytler Peninsulae L (1-2)
MD2: at Coconut Isle W (5-4)
MD3: versus South Yerfilag L (2-7)
MD4: versus Coreyo L (6-7)
MD5: at Nova Anglicana L (4-9)
MD6: at the Kytler Peninsulae W (9-2)
MD7: versus Coconut Isle W (9-1)
MD8: at South Yerfilag W (7-2)
MD9: at Coreyo W (4-1)
MD10: versus Nova Anglicana

Round of 16: TBA
Quarterfinals: TBA
Semifinals: TBA

Finals: TBA

[Cosumar]

Unranked Czesc upends Cosumar to clinch advancement
BY TARYN SWEET

DISTRICT 30, GREGORYISGODISTAN - Cosumar continue to struggle in the second leg of Group H play, turning in one of their worst defensive performances in recent memory in a 7-2 loss to Czesc, relinquishing 1st place to the debutant Great Northmontian nation.

Czesc hit three home runs and took advantage of Cosumar's four errors, their most of this WBC. They were simple "young mistakes", which is inexcusable for a team with the experience and veteran leadership of Cosumar nine games in.

Starter Conall Simon (2-1) wasn't exactly illustrious himself, but his job was made much harder by the sloppy defense. He allowed five runs and seven hits in five and two-thirds innings, walking three and striking out four. Errors contributed to five of Czesc's seven runs, though one of the errors was made by Simon himself on a wild pickup throw in the 3rd inning. Ryuij Skoggmannszy punished the mistake, sending both runners home with a blast over the center-field wall on the next at-bat. It was all downhill from there.

The Cosumarite bats stayed cold until the 7th inning, when Leonard Andrews picked up an RBI on just the Dragons' second hit of the game. Andrews had the only previous hit as well, in the fifth inning.

Though they were down 7-1 going into the bottom of the ninth, Cosumar ignited some brief home when Jaakko Sandström hit a lead-off solo homer to cut it to 7-2. The first baseman has been one of Cosumar's most consistent batters in this WBC, having at least one hit in each of the last seven contests. But any inklings of a comeback were snuffed out when Czesc closer Byunmwed Glaskog quickly struck out Leonard Andrews and forced Galindor Deptula into a groundout to seal the deal.

Despite their strong 6-0 start, the #7 team in the world has dropped its last three in a row against supposedly inferior competition and are in danger of ending their campaign in the group stage. Can they wake up from their slump and take care of business against an already-eliminated Kaboomlandia side in the final game?

Much of the responsibility will rest upon the young shoulders of Wiljo Asplund. The 22-year-old looked good in his last appearance, a 6-2 win over Sacheyenya, and also won his MD3 start against United Russian Soviet States. Despite being the last member of the Cosumarite starting rotation, he is the only one who is undefeated in this WBC at 2-0.

The Kings will be fired up to play spoiler, so Asplund will hope for as much run support as possible. Despite their talent, the Dragons' batters have been inconsistent of late and need to really key in to have a good day against Kaboomlandia's strong pitching staff. It's now or never.

Thank you for reading! Continue to check The Cosumarite Courier each day for continuous coverage of Team Cosumar's progress in the World Baseball Classic.

Czesc                             0 0 4 0 0 1 0 1 1  7
Cosumar                           0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  2

Scoring Summary
CZC - 3rd Inning - Ryuij Skoggmannszy homered to center, Fyun Denkeu and Fulyinz Coppenskog scored [0-3]
CZC - 3rd Inning - Yimmen Ogskog homered to right [0-4]

CZC - 6th Inning - Ryuij Skoggmannszy safe at first on error by shortstop Rune O'Byrne, Fulyinz Coppenskog scored [0-5]

COS - 7th Inning - Leonard Andrews singled to center, Rune O'Byrne scored [1-5]

CZC - 8th Inning - Curmann Rennt tripled to deep left, Fyun Denkeu scored [1-6]

CZC - 9th Inning - Fulyinz Coppenskog homered to left [1-7]
COS - 9th Inning - Jaakko Sandström homered to left [2-7]

[South Yerfilag]

[>=]

"All right, everyone. Congratulations. You came up out of nowhere and qualified." Manager Van Pelt's face beamed. "Now, as a treat, you're all going to play this last game switched up."
Every heart in the South Yerfilag dugout started pounding. What was their manager thinking? they wondered to themselves.
"Coach Roentgen is passing around a hat. When she comes to you, pick up a slip of paper. Each paper is either blank or contains a number from 0 to 9, but not the number 1. Do not show anyone but yourself the slip of paper."
Each team member, except for the pitchers, was passed the hat. Each one looked at their slip of paper.
"All right. Each of these numbers represent your position on the field. I'll start with the number 2. Who has that?"
"Me!" Matt Hicks called from the group of outfielders.
"Excellent. You're the catcher. Go with Ms. Mandelapopoweke, who will be pitching."
And so it went. Each player was picked off for a new position, as follows:

Lineup for Game 10:
Hicks (2), Alfing (3), Younger (4), Visscher (0), A. Matteson (5), F. Matteson (6), Righteousness (7), De Vroot (8), De Jager (9). Pitcher: Mandelapopoweke (Relief: Larsson).

"All right." Van Pelt sighed. He couldn't wait for The Kytler Peninsulae's reaction to this. "Enjoy the last game of the group stage. You deserve every congratulation for making it into the playoff, but especially for doing so for the very first time our nation entered the World Baseball Classic."
The whole team cheered and went out to pre-game warmups.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Cutoff! As Free Swiss States and Freelands of Natives have not un-CTE'd, and this is the final cutoff of the group stage, they cannot advance no matter what happens tonight.

Edit: Results

Group A
Royal Johnstone                   2 3 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 10
Semarland                         0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0  3

Darmen                            2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  4
Neyosil                           1 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 1  5

Gregoryisgodistan                 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 1  5
Northwinds                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0


  Group A                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Gregoryisgodistan                 10    7   3    51   33  +18    21
2 Semarland                         10    6   4    45   45    0    18
3 Neyosil                           10    6   4    51   53   −2    18
4 Northwinds                        10    5   5    47   46   +1    15
5 Royal Johnstone                   10    4   6    52   49   +3    12
6 Darmen                            10    2   8    34   54  −20     6

Group B
Coreyo                            0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  3
Coconut Isle                      1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 X  4

The Kytler Peninsulae             1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1  5
South Yerfilag                    1 0 2 0 2 0 2 1 X  8

Nova Anglicana                    0 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0  4
Losthaven                         0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0  3


  Group B                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 South Yerfilag                    10    8   2    71   45  +26    24
2 Coreyo                            10    6   4    39   37   +2    18
3 Nova Anglicana                    10    5   5    50   37  +13    15
4 Losthaven                         10    5   5    50   39  +11    15
5 Coconut Isle                      10    4   6    36   49  −13    12
6 The Kytler Peninsulae             10    2   8    24   63  −39     6

Group C
Firebolt                        1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  3
Southern Democratic States      5 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 X 10

The Royal Barangay              0 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 1  6
Frenline Delpha                 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

San Jose Guayabal               0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0  4
Free Swiss States               0 3 1 2 2 0 0 0 X  8


  Group C                        Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Free Swiss States               10    6   4    41   34   +7    18
2 Frenline Delpha                 10    6   4    34   35   −1    18
3 Southern Democratic States      10    5   5    48   35  +13    15
4 The Royal Barangay              10    5   5    38   40   −2    15
5 San Jose Guayabal               10    4   6    43   50   −7    12
6 Firebolt                        10    4   6    27   37  −10    12

Group D
San Llera                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
Organized States                  0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 X  3

Vettrera                          1 0 1 0 1 0 0 6 0  9
Freelands of Natives              1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Milchama                          0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 1  5
Silkjd                            3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  4


  Group D                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Milchama                          10    7   3    61   47  +14    21
2 Freelands of Natives              10    7   3    40   41   −1    21
3 Vettrera                          10    6   4    38   27  +11    18
4 Silkjd                            10    4   6    32   32    0    12
5 Organized States                  10    3   7    40   49   −9     9
6 San Llera                         10    3   7    35   50  −15     9

Group E
Quetzala                          0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Mapletish                         3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  3

Abanhfleft                        0 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0  4
Flardania                         3 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 X  7

Equestrian States                 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  4
The Peoples Emirate               1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1


  Group E                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                        10    8   2    79   37  +42    24
2 Quetzala                          10    6   4    46   38   +8    18
3 Equestrian States                 10    6   4    40   38   +2    18
4 The Peoples Emirate               10    4   6    46   49   −3    12
5 Mapletish                         10    3   7    27   51  −24     9
6 Flardania                         10    3   7    28   53  −25     9

Group F
Schiltzberg                       0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1  5
United States of Devonta          0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0  4

Nassau-Hessen                     0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 0  5
Borxinoia                         0 0 2 3 0 0 0 1 X  6

Patistan                          0 0 0 0 5 0 1 0 1  7
Banija                            2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  3


  Group F                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Patistan                          10    7   3    62   32  +30    21
2 Schiltzberg                       10    7   3    57   46  +11    21
3 United States of Devonta          10    6   4    50   35  +15    18
4 Nassau-Hessen                     10    5   5    47   53   −6    15
5 Borxinoia                         10    4   6    37   60  −23    12
6 Banija                            10    1   9    28   55  −27     3

Group G
The Sword Bloke                   1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4  5
Gregory Llama Land                0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  4

The Fair Republic                 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2
Southwest Eastnorth               0 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 X  5

Maklohi Vai                       0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0  2
St Saratoga                       4 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 X  6


  Group G                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Maklohi Vai                       10    8   2    41   27  +14    24
2 Southwest Eastnorth               10    7   3    49   29  +20    21
3 Gregory Llama Land                10    5   5    43   52   −9    15
4 The Sword Bloke                   10    4   6    40   50  −10    12
5 The Fair Republic                 10    3   7    45   45    0     9
6 St Saratoga                       10    3   7    35   50  −15     9

Group H
Sacheyenya                        2 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0  5
United Russian Soviet States      0 0 3 2 1 2 0 0 X  8

Ko-oren                           1 0 0 5 1 0 0 0 0  7
Czesc                             0 0 2 0 2 0 2 2 X  8

Cosumar                           1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0  3
Kaboomlandia                      0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5  6


  Group H                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Czesc                             10    8   2    49   45   +4    24
2 Cosumar                           10    6   4    55   38  +17    18
3 Ko-oren                           10    5   5    46   34  +12    15
4 United Russian Soviet States      10    4   6    55   53   +2    12
5 Kaboomlandia                      10    4   6    38   59  −21    12
6 Sacheyenya                        10    3   7    33   47  −14     9

Teams in green advance by virtue of finishing in the top two in their group. Teams in orange would advance, but CTE'd. As a result, teams in blue advance as Lucky Losers. Playoff matchups to come in new post shortly.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Standings:

Pos                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts  Seed
1 Abanhfleft                        10    8   2    79   37  +42    24  1
1 South Yerfilag                    10    8   2    71   45  +26    24  2
1 Maklohi Vai                       10    8   2    41   27  +14    24  3
1 Czesc                             10    8   2    49   45   +4    24  4
1 Patistan                          10    7   3    62   32  +30    21  5
1 Gregoryisgodistan                 10    7   3    51   33  +18    21  6
1 Milchama                          10    7   3    61   47  +14    21  7
2 Southwest Eastnorth               10    7   3    49   29  +20    21  8
2 Schiltzberg                       10    7   3    57   46  +11    21  9
2 Cosumar                           10    6   4    55   38  +17    18  10
2 Quetzala                          10    6   4    46   38   +8    18  11
2 Coreyo                            10    6   4    39   37   +2    18  12
2 Semarland                         10    6   4    45   45    0    18  13
2 Frenline Delpha                   10    6   4    34   35   −1    18  14
3 United States of Devonta          10    6   4    50   35  +15    18  15
3 Vettrera                          10    6   4    38   27  +11    18  16

Round of 16 Matchups:

#1 Abanhfleft vs. #16 Vettrera at Church of Gregoryisgodistan Stadium
#8 Southwest Eastnorth vs. #9 Schiltzberg at Hicanan War Memorial Stadium
#4 Czesc vs. #13 Semarland at Death to Llamaland Stadium
#5 Patistan vs #12 Coreyo at Strait of Santaguerra Ballpark
#6 Gregoryisgodistan vs. #11 Quetzala at Pervert Chaser NAUSJW Ballpark
#3 Maklohi Vai vs. #14 Frenline Delpha at Doybert Field
#7 Milchama vs. #10 Cosumar at Death to Saintland Stadium
#2 South Yerfilag vs. #15 United States of Devonta at Slaves R Us Field

As a reminder, tomorrow is an off day and the tournament resumes on Thursday with Game 1 of a best of 3 series.

[Kaboomlandia]

Williams: 3 reasons why the Kings were eliminated

With the Kings 3-3 and just out of a playoff spot on May 8, they proceeded to lose three straight, including losses of 7-4 to Sacheyenya and an 11-1 stomping by the lowly Soviets. Here are three reasons why they didn't make the playoffs.

1. Pitching inconsistency
This was the most egregious. In particular, two instances stuck out. Hector Rasmussen followed up a Game 4 3-1 win against Sacheyenya and was yanked in a 13-5 bombing by Cosumar. Also, after Claude Shaw had helped the Kings to a 3-2 win over No. 17-ranked Ko-oren, he was yanked in the second inning in what turned into an 11-1 thrashing by the lowly Soviet team.

2. Three-game losing skid.
After beating Ko-oren 3-2 on May 8 to move to 3-3, the Kings then lost three games by scores of 11-1, 7-3 and 7-4, with two of their opponents being unranked.

3. Inability to start games
The Kings couldn't get going early in games. In Game 1 against Cosumar, they let up four first-inning runs en route to a 13-5 thrashing.

[Schiltzberg]

SCHILTZBERG WINS 5-4; ANDVANCES!

Schiltzberg was just barely able to hold onto this one, but they came back with the win in nine innings for their final preliminary game. This win got them the ninth place seed, which was good enough to advance to the first round of the final tournament. Their first game will be against Southwest Eastnorth, the number eight seed, which should be a close matchup. As for Tuesday night's game, the starting pitcher for Schiltzberg was Robert Paul, who was making his second start of the WBC, having won his first. He pitched well for the first three innings, but got himself in a jam in the fourth. Fortunately for him, his infield had his back, and Mark Daly turned a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning, after only letting in one run. Paul gave up a home run to the Devontan center fielder in the fifth, which tied the game at that point, and was taken out after giving up another home run, and the lead with it, in the sixth inning. Joseph Crews came in with one out in the sixth inning, and did a good job by striking out back-to-back batters. Todd Barras pitched the seventh inning, and allowed two hits (a single and a double). One run scored for Devonta in the seventh. Richard Wilson pitched a a flawless eighth, striking out three batters on twelve pitches, and Doug Miller finished off the game by pitching the ninth, and he got the save. Wilson was credited with the win.

Schiltzberg did well offensively as well, but still was only barely able to scrape by with the win. They did well early, scoring a run in both the second and third innings, off of a Manual Villegaus home run, and a bases-loaded single (also hit by Villegaus), respectively. The hitters were quiet after the third inning, and over this time the lead was lost to Devonta. Chris Vrooman hit a two-run home run to right field to tie the game back up in the eight, though. Then Manual Villegaus hit the go-ahead home run, which was his second of the night, that happened to be the game winner. Manual Villegaus is tonight's player of the game, having gone four-for-five with two home runs and two singles, and also scoring two runs and getting three RBIs. Tune in to SSCTV tonight at 7:30 pm to catch the first pitch of game one against Southwest Eastnorth. This is your New Schiltzbierg sports news.

[South Yerfilag]

"All right. Here we are. #2 overall, and the fight begins. Each one of you have done your best. Now you'll have to do better. Yerfilag depends on you, as its diplomat to one of the multiverse's larger sporting events. That being said, Yerfilag could not be any prouder at this moment. You have fought and proven yourselves on a thirty-meter square battlefield. To be second overall in the WBC your first time playing in it is a feat that few have accomplished. And I want to come around and congratulate each and every one of you with a handshake for being one of the best teams I have ever managed in any sport. And, win or lose today, I want to let you know that I am proud of each and every one of you."
- Daniel van Pelt, manager, before the game against the U.S. of Devonta

Lineup for R16 game:
F. Matteson (8), Alfing (6), Olugbenga (5), Oluwafantan (0), de Jager (3), Oorschot (7), Visscher (2), Ihejirika (4), Riis (9). Pitcher: Larsson (Relief: Van Heel)