World Baseball Classic 33 Everything Thread (IC)

[Maklohi Vai]

Lumai Roll to Finals on Rutulotoa's Back

Maklohi Vai leaned on a quality start by Aonmai Rutulotoa to beat the United States of Devonta 4-3 in the semifinals of World Baseball Classic 33. The Lumai advance to face Schiltzberg, who bested Czesc, in the final.

Rutulotoa pitched 8 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 5 batters. "I was feeling the curve tonight, and you know that when you're feeling a pitch, you really have to roll with it. So that's what we did," said Rutulotoa after the game. The other half of the battery, Moalna’akai Lai, had this to say on his performance, "Oh yeah, he was really grooving the curve tonight. Great cut, great placement. The fastball and change were good, too, but it's always nice to have a weapon."

Rutulotoa's performance on the mound was assisted by several outstanding defensive plays, including a diving stop in the third inning by Arnao and a sliding catch in the fifth by Koilani Ruputuo. "That was obviously a big help," said Rutulotoa speaking of the catch, "Guy on second probably would have scored there if he hadn't made that catch, and I probably would have been done."

Maklohi Vai received its offensive support from all parts of the lineup. In the fifth inning, Iao Laina hit a leadoff single, allowing Ri’ino Uilnai to drive him in with a double. Mae’ao was then intentionally walked, setting up Koilani Ruputuo, who singled Uilnai in. Mae'ao hit a solo shot in the seventh for the Lumai's third run, and Aputo Roma’ai and Iao Laina hit back to back doubles in the eighth to score the fourth.

Looking ahead to the finals, Maklohi Vai faces Schiltzberg, a newcomer on the WBC stage. Lumai manager Okao Lomnai had this to say, "They've made quite an impression on us. They're young, they're feisty, and they're very talented. This is going to be a very tough series for us, and we're going to really dig in our heels and prepare." Maklohi Vai last made the WBC finals in WBC 27, losing to Strawbee in four games. Most of the current team was on the WBC 27 team as well. Slugger Mae'ao echoed their sentiment: "We're focused on this series, and we're focused on Schiltzberg. That's our number one priority. Now, of course 27 is in the back of our minds, but it's no more than extra motivation. We're focused on what's ahead."

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Cutoff for Third Place Series and Championship Series!

Edit: Results

Czesc                         2 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 0  7
United States of Devonta      0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Schiltzberg                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Maklohi Vai                   4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  5

Both winners lead 1-0

[Maklohi Vai]

Lumai Slam Schiltzberg

Mae'ao hit a grand slam in the first inning, and Maklohi defeated Schiltzberg 5-0 in the first game of the WBC 33 Finals.

Aputo Roma’ai and Iao Laina, each on their way to three hit days, singled back-to-back to lead off the bottom of the first inning for Maklohi Vai. Ri'ino Uilnai went down 1-2 in the next at bat, but battled against the Schiltzberg starter, drawing a walk after 12 pitches. This set up Mae'ao, who took the second pitch he saw, a low fastball, out of the park. "It was a gift, really," said Maklohi Vai's all time home run leader, "and I took it deep. Not much to it."

Maklohi Vai was also strong on the mound, getting a combined shutout with six innings from Rom Lunomai and one each from A’awnai Kupantai, Rimai Lomukiwo, and Maruamo Riwara. Lunomai was wild, walking 6 batters and hitting one, but allowed only one hit. "I wish I could have had a little more control, but it turned out fine," he said. In a separate interview after the game, Riwara confirmed rumors that this may be his last WBC: "I'm old. I'm tired. I'm still having a great time, but I'm turing gray already!" The good humored closer laughed heartily and chatted with reporters a while longer, but it was noticeable that he was ready to relax.

Manager Okao Lomnai had this to say after the game, "We played well. Not outstanding on offense after the first couple innings, but great nonetheless. If the pitching keeps up like it has been, we're in good shape."

Maklohi Vai faces Schiltzberg in Game 2 tomorrow night. Uwo is scheduled to get the start for the Lumai.

[Schiltzberg]

SCHILTZBERG DOWN AFTER GAME ONE.

Schiltzberg fell out of it early last night, when they were pathetically shut out by the Vaian team. The starting pitcher was Jorge Matos, who was not on his game. He allowed back-to-back singles to lead off the first inning, and then allowed a walk to load the bases. Following that, he gave up a grand slam in that first inning, to make it quickly 4-0. After a depressing first inning, Schiltzberg's morale was broken, and they were unable to even get on base until the fifth inning. Meanwhile, Matos allowed another home run in the second inning, which led to his removal from the game. Steven Scherer came in with two outs in the inning, and pitched 4.1 shutout innings, allowing four hits. Richard Wilson came in to pitch the seventh, and also pitched the eighth, and the game was closed by Doug Miller. None of these pitchers gave up any runs. Schiltzberg's pitching coach Jesus Martinez responded after the game, "Overall, the pitching was good. [Jorge Matos] just had a bad day, and we were up against a good team. Today's loss does not mean that we are a bad team, it just means that we need to work on some things." Nevertheless, it is certain that a shutout defeat like this will hurt the team morale for Schiltzberg, and do the opposite for their opponents.

Schiltzberg was silent offensively, only getting five hits over the course of the game. The only player who seemed to do good against the opposing pitching was Jeff Fitzhugh, who went two-for-three with a double, a single, a walk, and a strikeout, but even he was not able to score. The longest dead streak for the offense was between the second and fifth innings, when no one even reached base until Fitzhugh finally singled in the fifth. Hitting coach Alonzo Brawley said after the game, "We have a lot to work on. We have never played Maklohi Vai before, and we certainly need to get to know their pitching a little bit better. They are a good team, but I think that we can still take them," and with a smile he leaned back on his chair and started to chuckle. To his credit, Schiltzberg's offense had been doing very well up to this game, being that this is the first time that they have been shut out in the tournament. The hopes throughout Schiltzberg, and most of the world as well, is that the underdog Schiltzbergers, who have done so well over the course of this tournament, will be able to stick it out and get just three more wins against a good club to take the Finals round. How will they do? Watch Game Two today at 4:30 pm on Schiltzberg Sports Central Television (SSCTV), which is channel thirty-two on most cable providers. This is your New Schiltzbierg Times sports news.

[Czesc]

Potater Lions Win 7-1!

Rikk Mc' Breggsko, pitched amazingly allowing only 1 one in the 3rd inning against Devonta! Third basemen Romann Progalutucci got two homeruns, one one run homerun in the 2nd inning, and a 2 run homer in the 7th inning. Czesc is still devastated that they lost in the race for the finals, but are still trying for third! Good luck Potater Lions
P.S. sorry for not RPing

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Cutoff for Game 2!

Edit: Results

Czesc                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
United States of Devonta      0 1 0 1 0 1 1 2 X  6
Series tied 1-1

Schiltzberg                   0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Maklohi Vai                   0 4 0 0 2 1 0 0 X  7
Maklohi Vai leads series 2-0

The third-place series will be decided tomorrow, and we may crown a Champion as well.

[Schiltzberg]

BACKS AGAINST THE WALL AFTER SECOND LOSS.

After another depressing blowout, Schiltzberg has itself in a jam for the first time in this tournament, now one game away from elimination. Maklohi Vai is so close that they can taste the victory, but Schiltzberg is not out of it yet. Last night's game was started by Robert Paul for Schiltzberg. After pitching one shutout inning, Paul let in four runs in the fourth. He let runners reach first and third when he gave up back-to-back singles. Then he gave up a double to let in the first two runs. Then the next batter tripled, and later scored on a sacrifice fly. The score was still 4-0 going into the bottom of the fifth, and Robert Paul was still pitching. He walked the first batter of the inning, and then gave up a home run two batters later to make the score 6-0. Todd Barras pitched the sixth inning, and allowed one run that came when a batter singled, stole second, and then scored on another single. Barras also pitched the seventh and eighth innings, but was not needed for the ninth inning, being that Maklohi Vai was winnging and was the home team. Robert Paul was credited with the loss.

Schiltzberg's offense was once again unable to match Malkohi Vai's pitching, as they have still only scored one run over the course of the series. Jeff Fitzhugh, who did well in the last game, was hit in the wrist by a pitch in the third inning, which led him to start yelling at the opposing pitcher. He was immediately ejected from the game, but he did not receive a multi-game suspension. Schiltzberg was not able to score until the seventh inning, when Ben Parker, who replaced Fitzhugh, hit a solo home run to right field. Schiltzberg only had four hits in the entire contest, and the opposing pitcher was kept in for a complete game, which saved Maklohi Vai's bullpen. After the loss, manager Robert Evans said in a press conference, "What can I say? We have done poorly against this team. We are a good team, though, and we could still come back." While what he said is technically possible, it is not looking very good for Schiltzberg going into Game Three. Overall, win or lose, Schiltzberg has had a great season, and the world's underdogs will be back next year, bigger and better than ever! This is your New Schiltzbierg Times sports news.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Cutoff for Game 3! Will we have a winners tonight?

Edit: Results

Czesc                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
United States of Devonta      2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 X  4
United States of Devonta wins series 2-1

Schiltzberg                   0 0 1 1 0 2 0 2 3  9
Maklohi Vai                   0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2
Maklohi Vai leads series 2-1

We'll be back tomorrow night for Game 4. Congratulations to Devonta on winning third place, and commiserations to Czesc.

[Schiltzberg]

HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, STAYIN' ALIVE!

While facing elimination last night with their backs against the wall, the Schiltzbergers were able to rally their troops together and score enough runs to win the game. This win is key in the series, as it could shift the momentum. David Toups started the game, and pitched a total of six innings, and was removed after allowing a two-run home run in the sixth inning. In six innings, he allowed only the two runs from the home run, and he struck out seven and walked three, allowing two hits. When he left the game, Schiltzberg had the lead, and so he was awarded the win. Richard Wilson was the reliever who replaced Toups in the seventh inning, and he did well, pitching two perfect innings. The closer was Doug Miller, who did not have a save opportunity, but still pitched a scoreless inning. Jesus Martinez remarked after the game that "once again, our pitching staff won the game," but the offense was just as important in this game.

Schiltzberg was first on the board when Mark Daly was driven in by Jeff Fitzhugh in the third, after doubling to lead off the inning. Schiltzberg scored again in the fourth inning, when Thomas Saiz hit a solo home run to left field. Jeff Fitzhugh started off the sixth inning with a single, and then was driven in when Chris Vrooman hit a very long home run -- estimated to be over 500 feet -- to make the game 4-0. Maklohi Vai scored two in the bottom of the sixth inning, to make it 4-2, but Schiltzberg scored two more insurance runs in the eighth, when Jeff Fitzhugh hit a solo home run, and then Francis Thom singled and later scored later in that inning. Schiltzberg piled on even more runs in the ninth, scoring three on a two-run shot hit by Mark Daly, which was followed by another solo home run off of the hot bat of Jeff Fitzhugh. Fitzhugh was indeed the player of the game, going four-for-five with two home runs, three RBIs, two singles, and a walk. Schiltzberg has certainly been motivated by this win, but they are still up against elimination late in this tournament. Hopefully they will be able to continue this streak, and win the tournament. Game Four of the tournament will be on live TV courtesy of SSCTV at 6:30 this evening. This is your New Schiltzbierg Times sports news.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Cutoff for Game 4

Edit: Results

Schiltzberg            0 4 0 0 3 0 0 0 0  7
Maklohi Vai            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
Series tied, 2-2

We'll go to a deciding Game 5 tomorrow!

[Schiltzberg]

SERIES TIED UP AFTER 7-1 VICTORY!

After losing the first two games of this Finals round, Schiltzberg has fought back desperately, but successfully, winning the next two games and forcing a Game Five. Schiltzberg has done well under pressure, scoring sixteen runs in the last two games, while only letting in three for the other team. Last night's game was not even close, but that does not mean that the Schiltzbergian team can get cocky. Remember that they were blown out 5-0 in Game One and 7-1 in Game Two. The starter for Game Four was William McKey, who has emerged as Schiltzberg's best starter in this tournament. McKey let in no runs in his first seven innings, and was going for a complete game, but then allowed two hits and a run in in the eighth, which worked his pitch count up to 114, and so he was removed after the eighth inning, despite pitching an excellent game. It was Doug Miller who took the mound in the ninth, and he allowed one hit, but stuck out the rest. There was no save opportunity for Miller, but nevertheless, he pitched brilliantly. William McKey earned yet another win, and only allowed one run in eight full innings, with five strikeouts, three hits, and four walks. William McKey was last night's player of the game once again, and he earned it, pitching yet another incredible game.

Schiltzberg was able to take advantage of poor pitching on the part of Maklohi Vai, and had two blowout innings, the second and the fifth. Schiltzberg left one man on base in a scoreless first inning, but Manual Villegaus led off the second inning with a single, and then Thomas Saiz singled also to put runners on first and third. Bob Rutledge singled to shallow right to score a run and advance Saiz to third. Then Wayne Knox, the catcher, grounded into a 4-6 fielder's choice, just barely avoiding the double play, and meanwhile Thomas Saiz scored to make it 2-0. McKey struck out for the second out. Then Mark Daly hit a two-run shot way over the left-field wall to make it 4-0! Then Jeff Fitzhugh struck out looking to end the inning. The third and fourth innings were dead, going six up, six down. Then to start the fifth inning, McKey struck out to make the eighth straight out in a row, but then Mark Daly broke that up when he singled to center. Following Daly, Jeff Fitzhugh singled to left, just deep enough to drive in the run. Then Fitzhugh stole second when Chris Vrooman had a full count, but Vrooman struck out looking, and Fitzhugh was just barely safe. Following the near-double-play, Francis Thom got a hold of one, and sent it over the right-field wall to make the score 7-0. Maklohi Vai was able to score one run in the eighth inning, but that was not nearly enough for them to come back, and Schiltzberg held on for the 7-1 win. As previously stated, McKey was the player of the game, despite several deserving candidates. Check out Game Five, the big finish, tonight on SSCTV. President Robertson will be in attendance, and this is about as exciting as it gets in baseball! This is your New Schiltzbierg Times sports news!

[Maklohi Vai]

"So we're back at it."

"Another deciding game, yeah."

"You still remember the Strawbee series?"

"Too well."

"Remember how we didn't have a chance?"

"Yeah."

"We have a chance now."

"Three."

"Yeah, three chances. So we blew two, sure. We have another. Just got to win today."

"We have to start hitting, man. No run support for our guys the last two games."

"Not like it would have helped too much in this last one. Gave up 7."

"Sure, sure, but how many games can you win 1-0?"

"Not too many."

"You gotta score more. 5 at least."

"5 is the magic number?"

"Yeah, sure. Gets you about 80% win rate or something for the WBC."

"Not like the domestic leagues. Need 7 or so."

"Yeah, yeah. Pitching's better internationally. Weird, because out national team is known for pitching."

"I guess we pump out some good ones."

"Same lineup tonight?"

"Of course. Okao doesn't want to change it now."

"It's been the same for how many years?"

"A few."

"Who's the next generation, man? 7 of those 8 guys are over 30, 3 over 35."

"Well there's that kid Lokalakapai who plays with the Navigators."

"He's good. Why wasn't he called up?"

"He's still young, only 22. Coach thought he needed more time."

"Anyone retiring after this one?"

"If we win, sure. A few people. Plus Maruamo will be headed out regardless."

"Any idea on how Schiltzberg will be playing this one?"

"Normal I have to think. It's their first time at this stage."

"It's their first time here at all."

"True."

"How'd they do it?"

"Practice, practice, practice. They kept pushing. That's what my brother told me, he's been scouting them."

"Scouting? Your brother? Are you sure he didn't just pop in WBC Edition 5 into his console?"

"No, he actually got off the couch. Pretty impressive."

"I'll say."

...

"So this is it?"

"Yeah, this is it. Maybe either way."

"This is the best shot we're going to have in a long time."

"Long time."

"It's been good playing with you."

"You too."

"Kick ass out there, umaka?"

"Of course. Talk later, brother."

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Since everyone who's left has RP'ed, I'm just going to cut off now. Good luck, everyone!

Edit: Results, hidden by a spoiler since we'll see a winner today and I want to build up dramatic tension.

Schiltzberg            0 0 0 3 1 0 1 0 1  6
Maklohi Vai            0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2  4
Schiltzberg wins series 3-2

Congratulations to the winner and commiserations to the loser. Thank you to everyone for a great WBC experience. I enjoyed hosting this tournament and hope that you enjoyed participating in it.