World Baseball Classic 36 Everything Thread (FINISHED)

by **Ethane** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 1:13 pm

Explosive News

Banquet to Celebrate King's 60th

With the Ethanian monarch now turning 60, which makes this his 34th year as King of Ethane, the nation has decided to come out and celebrate.

Street parties have been organised up and down the country for this wondrous event, which sees the monarch finish yet another 10 years of his life. It is expected that there will be over 400 street parties in New Sarum alone, which shows you the scale in which he is celebrated as the Head of State of Ethane.

The king has brought Ethane many wondrous moments in our history, and is expected to bring us more, with his plans to hold a large banquet for 10,000 people, out of his own pocket, in his palace in Old Sarum. He said just the other night on live television on ENTV 2, that he will be ''opening this up to the public. Anyone who applies will be entered to a draw, and the top 10000 people in the draw will be invited to come along.'' This is an unprecedented move by the monarch, who is currently experiencing all time high reputation among the citizens of Ethane.

Along with this banquet, the Ethanian government, currently led by the Greener Ethane! Party, will be minting a new coin to celebrate the king's 60th birthday. It is expected that the coin will be £2 C2H6's in value. They will initially be sold as a souvenir item for the next year before going into full circulation within the next ten years. They are expected to sell out quickly, so make sure to grab one while there are some.

by **Anglatia** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 2:59 pm

GONE - PART 2.5

Fourteen innings. It took the Underfell Storm fourteen innings to put away the Sungri Foxes in the deciding game of the Championship Series. Xavier Leandros still remembered in vivid detail the play that gave the Storm the lead in the fourteenth. Eric Bystrom was on third base and there were two outs. It seemed simple enough to end the inning with one more strikeout, but nobody could have predicted that the Foxes pitcher would send the ball into the dirt. Nobody could have predicted either that Bystrom would take an incredible risk by running home, and that the catcher wouldn't be able to recover the wild pitch and get to him in time to stop him.

At that moment, the stadium went completely silent and Xavier could have heard a pin drop. He could remember looking to the stands and seeing distraught expressions on the faces of the fans, as if the hopes and dreams of the entire front row had been crushed in that one moment. The silence turned to boos when Bystrom threw up an X sign, his signature celebration, before going back to the dugout. The Storm would go on to score one more run in the inning, escaping Sungri with the league championship despite nearly choking in the ninth inning.

When Xavier Leandros looked at the faces of his players after their flight had made a crash landing on an island, after running into a massive ash cloud over Valeria, he was reminded of that night when they had lost their shot at the championship. The players might have been from different backgrounds, been different ages, and had different appearances, but right now the one thing they all had in common were the mournful looks on their faces, as if they had already given up hope. "Alright, where the hell are we?" Xavier asked, sitting outside of the plane with some of the other coaches, while the pilots and both groups of players stayed in separate groups. "I know there's small islands off the coast of Valeria, but this is no small island. At least not by any definition of small that I've used before."

"To be honest, I'm not surprised if there's islands we don't know about that are near Valeria. Satellites can't see a thing through the fog around here," commented Giovani Vemulakanda, the main assistant coach. "I've heard conspiracy theories about the Empire hiding islands for the purposes of experimentation, also. I usually don't buy into theories like that, but it would explain why the pilots said the island isn't on the map..."

This island had been quite the surprise to them, in that it was unmarked on the maps but was in just the right spot for them to successfully land on. Nobody had been seriously hurt, though the landing was quite rough, but now they were faced with the issue of finding out where they were and getting help to get off of this uninhabited island. "It's pretty damn strange if you ask me," Xavier sighed, folding his arms. "Why is there a tropical island off the coast of Valeria? How far out are we for that to be possible?"

"I've seen stranger things in nature. Valeria is weird when it comes to weather, anyway. I don't think it follows normal weather laws at all," shrugged Giovani. "The big issue isn't where we are, it's if we can do a decent job of surviving until help comes."

"Hmmmm.... Considering the time, I think that starting a fire is our biggest priority. It's afternoon now but it will be evening before you know it, and we can't get caught in the cold. You wanna round up a couple of our boys and go looking for fire materials?"

Giovani nodded, standing up from the sand and looking towards the forest that was in the distance. "Yep, I'm not sure if we can find everything we need in there, it's too wet and tropical, but we don't really have a choice when it comes to trying. If not, we might be able to salvage from the plane... Since we don't have any engineers here, though, I hope it doesn't come to that."

by **Chromatika** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 4:01 pm

Group A
Ferret Civilization                     0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1  3
New Ducklands                           1 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 X  5

The Sword Bloke                         1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  2
Purple Rabbits                          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

Jeckland                                1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Schlitzberg                             1 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 X  6

Ferret Civilization                     1 0 0 0 0 4 0 3 0  8
New Ducklands                           0 0 0 1 2 0 2 0 6 11

The Sword Bloke                         4 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0  7
Purple Rabbits                          0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1  4

Jeckland                                0 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0  4
Schlitzberg                             1 0 1 0 0 4 1 0 X  7

Ferret Civilization                     0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 2  6
New Ducklands                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1

The Sword Bloke                         0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Purple Rabbits                          0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1  4

Jeckland                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2
Schlitzberg                             0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1

Group B
The Republic of Arkan                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Ko-oren                                 0 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 X  5

Mareut                                  1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1  4
Super-Llamaland                         3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

United States of Devonta                0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0  3
Chromatika                              0 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 X  5

The Republic of Arkan                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Ko-oren                                 1 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 X  5

Mareut                                  1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  3
Super-Llamaland                         0 0 2 0 0 2 1 0 X  5

United States of Devonta                0 0 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 2  8
Chromatika                              0 0 0 1 0 3 2 0 0 0  6

The Republic of Arkan                   0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2
Ko-oren                                 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1

Mareut                                  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Super-Llamaland                         2 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 X  6

United States of Devonta                2 0 3 1 0 0 3 0 0  9
Chromatika                              0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1  4

Group C
Anglatia                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0  3
Losthaven                               1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1  4

Drawkland                               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Gregoryisgodistan                       0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 X  5

Frenline Delpha                         0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2
The Fair Republic                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2  3

Anglatia                                1 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 0  6
Losthaven                               1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  3

Drawkland                               2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  3
Gregoryisgodistan                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Frenline Delpha                         0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
The Fair Republic                       0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 X  4

Anglatia                                1 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 1  6
Losthaven                               2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1  5

Drawkland                               1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  2
Gregoryisgodistan                       0 0 1 1 0 3 0 1 X  6

Frenline Delpha                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2
The Fair Republic                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Group D
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acidica      0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Cosumar                                 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 X  3

Nassau-Hessen                           0 1 0 2 0 2 1 0 1  7
The Royal Barangay                      2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Ethane                                  0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1  3
Equestrian States                       3 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 X  6

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acidica      1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Cosumar                                 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 X  2

Nassau-Hessen                           0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
The Royal Barangay                      0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  2

Ethane                                  1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0  4
Equestrian States                       0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0  3

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acidica      0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0  4
Cosumar                                 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  2

Nassau-Hessen                           0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 0  4
The Royal Barangay                      4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 X  5

Ethane                                  0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1  3
Equestrian States                       1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  2

Group E
Saintland                               0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 2  6
Mapletish                               0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1  5

Maklohi Vai                             0 1 0 4 0 0 1 0 0  6
Amazonesta                              0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0  2

Flardania                               1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 9 13
Kaboomlandia                            0 0 4 0 2 1 0 0 0  7

Saintland                               0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  2
Mapletish                               2 1 0 1 3 0 0 0 X  7

Maklohi Vai                             1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  3
Amazonesta                              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

Flardania                               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Kaboomlandia                            0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 X  3

Saintland                               0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 0  4
Mapletish                               1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  2

Maklohi Vai                             0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 0  5
Amazonesta                              0 2 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 3  8

Flardania                               0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  2
Kaboomlandia                            2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  4

Group F
Nova Anglicana                          0 0 1 0 5 0 0 0 1  7
Western Cuba                            1 3 3 0 0 0 2 0 X  9

West Phoencia                           0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
San Llera                               2 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 X  4

Abanhfleft                              1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2  5
South Yerfilag                          0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1  4

Nova Anglicana                          0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0  4
Western Cuba                            0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2

West Phoencia                           0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  2
San Llera                               1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 X  4

Abanhfleft                              0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
South Yerfilag                          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Nova Anglicana                          2 0 2 1 0 1 5 2 1 14
Western Cuba                            0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0  3

West Phoencia                           0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0  2
San Llera                               0 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 X  5

Abanhfleft                              0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0  2
South Yerfilag                          0 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 X  4

  Group A                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Schlitzberg                             12   10   2    76   34  +42
2 Jeckland                                12    7   5    60   46  +14
3 The Sword Bloke                         12    6   6    50   55   -5 
4 Ferret Civilization                     12    5   7    56   47   +9
5 Purple Rabbits                          12    4   8    36   62  −26 Ahead by H2H
6 New Ducklands                           12    4   8    48   82  −34

  Group B                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Super-Llamaland                         12    9   3    57   34  +23
2 United States of Devonta                12    8   4    61   52   +9
3 Ko-oren                                 12    5   7    47   31  +16
4 Mareut                                  12    5   7    43   52   −9
5 Chromatika                              12    5   7    39   68  −29 
6 The Republic of Arkan                   12    4   8    43   53  -10

  Group C                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Losthaven                               12    7   5    51   51    0 Ahead by H2H
2 The Fair Republic                       12    7   5    46   45   +1
3 Frenline Delpha                         12    6   6    52   45   +7 Ahead by H2H
4 Anglatia                                12    6   6    56   60   -4 
5 Gregoryisgodistan                       12    5   7    48   38  +10 Ahead by H2H
6 Drawkland                               12    5   7    39   53  −14

  Group D                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 The Royal Barangay                      12    8   4    64   57   +7
2 Ethane                                  12    7   5    48   48    0 Ahead by H2H
3 Cosumar                                 12    7   5    55   44  +11
4 Equestrian States                       12    5   7    51   49   +2 Ahead by H2H
5 Nassau-Hessen                           12    5   7    43   43    0
6 Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acidica      12    4   8    43   63  −20

  Group E                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Saintland                               12    9   3    56   52   +4
2 Maklohi Vai                             12    7   5    52   40  +12 
3 Kaboomlandia                            12    6   6    44   49   -5 Ahead by H2H
4 Flardania                               12    6   6    75   50  +25
5 Amazonesta                              12    4   8    47   57  -10 Ahead by H2H
6 Mapletish                               12    4   8    41   67  -26

  Group F                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 South Yerfilag                          12   10   2    65   35  +30
2 Nova Anglicana                          12    8   4    78   49  +29
4 San Llera                               12    7   5    43   48   −8
3 Abanhfleft                              12    6   6    45   52   −7
5 Western Cuba                            12    4   8    40   57  −17
6 West Phoencia                           12    1  11    34   67  −33

by **Losthaven** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 5:08 pm

Lilly Inokuchi-Song, weary from the long work week, tries desperately to keep from dozing off:

Our dear Humberto!
Lit up for three. Luckily
Kinney saves the day.

Bullpen woes resume:
Malley doubles off Ellsworth
to home three redcaps.

We chase Domotor,
but they put numbers on Shad
and best us by one...

Anglatia                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0  3
Losthaven                               1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1  4

Anglatia                                1 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 0  6
Losthaven                               1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  3

Anglatia                                1 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 1  6
Losthaven                               2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1  5

Losthaven Roster
Anglatia Roster

Poem the Fourth
Poem the Third
Poem the Second
Poem the First

by **Schiltzberg** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 1:49 pm

SCHILTZBERG MISSES SWEEP ON NEAR MISS!

Schiltzberg has engaged in the fourth series of the preliminary round of this tournament over the course of the last few days. Their opponent was Jeckland, which has been holding the number two spot in Group A, behind Schiltzberg, for almost the entire tournament. Because of that, this series was a potential turning point, as a sweep of the series by Jeckland would have meant that they would have passed up Schiltzberg and taken the number one spot in Group A. Luckily for Schiltzberg, this was not the case, as Schiltzberg continued on its streak, winning the first two games, and then losing game three by a narrow margin. It was a good series, and it proves that Schiltzberg truly deserves to be where they are in the standings, and it is not just a fluke.

Robert Paul was pitching game one for Schiltzberg, and he gave up an early solo home run in the top of the first, which initially struck down hopes of a big win, but then he got into a zone and finished the game without allowing another run. The offense definitely supported him, and he only needed two runs to get the win, but they got six just as insurance. The first one came off of the leadoff man Mark Daly, who sent a solo shot in the first to tie the game back up. Schiltzberg then took the lead in the fourth inning, when Francis Thom hit a home run with one man on, making the score 3-1. Schiltzberg rallied again in the seventh, and Wayne Knox doubled with runners on first and third, knocking them both in, and Knox was then knocked in on a single from Mark Daly. The first game was a good game for the team morale, as they dominated on all aspects of the game, and practically everyone had a good game.

Game two was pitched by William McKey, and he did not disappoint, though this game was much closer than game one. Schiltzberg gained an early lead with an RBI single to left by Chris Vrooman in the first inning that knocked in Ducky Fitzhugh, who had doubled earlier in the inning. McKey gave up a two-run home run in the third, and therefore gave up the lead, but Manual Villegaus quickly tied it back up again with a solo shot in the bottom half of the inning. Jeckland got three hits and scored a run in the top of the fourth, and the score remained 3-2 in Jeckland's favor for several innings. Then in the bottom of the sixth, Schiltzberg rallied, and Mark Daly started them off with a solo home run, which was followed by a two-run home run by Chris Vrooman two batters later. Manual Villegaus doubled, stole third, and was knocked in by a sacrifice fly by Thomas Saiz, making it 6-3. McKey gave up a solo home run in the top of the seventh, but Mark Daly returned the fire in the bottom half, making it 7-4, which went on to become the final score.

Game three was almost a great game, but Schiltzberg fell short in the ninth inning, and their inability to score is ultimately the reason why they lost. Offensively, Schiltzberg did not do much of anything, only getting four hits in the entire game, including a solo home run from Mark Daly, who has been on fire, in the sixth inning. That was the only run that they scored in the game. The real story was the pitching. David Toups was in a zone, striking out 13 and holding a no-hitter into the ninth inning. Toups gave up a walk in the fourth, then another in the sixth, but other than that was doing fine, going into the ninth. His pitch count was really high though, at 111 when he started the ninth inning. The first batter up in the ninth hit four foul balls and then eventually walked, bringing Toups' pitching count up to 121. The runner stole second and then third on the first two pitches to the next batter. The fatigue and pressure started to catch up to Toups, and he walked the next batter as well on six pitches, bringing it up to 127 pitches. The pitching coach came out and had a quick talk with Toups, as the go-ahead run was now on first base. After a quick chat, Toups regained his composure. The runner went on the first pitch, but was picked off by Wayne Knox for the first out on a called strike. Toups threw a ball and two more strikes to retire the batter. Two outs. Toups seemed to regain his confidence after that, throwing a first pitch strike to the next batter. The crowd was on its feet. The next pitch was a curveball: strike two. He looked over at third and threw to the plate. Cutter: questionable, but called a ball. Toups regained his composure and realized that this was it. He went for the finisher: a fastball. He left it right over the plate, but the batter bit on it. And it went sailing over the leftfield wall...

This Is Your New Schiltzbierg Times Sports News!

by **Ko-oren** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 2:38 pm

Interconferential league games, Gazelles, and Dragonflies

Baseball - it's the odd one out in the 20UPSA, the club with the Union of Ko-oren's 20 professional sports associations in it. Another prerequesite to be in the elite 20UPSA club, is that it has a league system, and where the fact that it's played in the Union says a lot about how the league is regulated. Moreover, they're all team sports, that's why tennis, for instance, is still not in it, but autosports have just been recently added to the club (going from 18 to 20UPSA).

The reason that baseball is the odd one out, and not rally driving, lacrosse or handball, is the sheer number of games. Baseball posts lower average attendance rates per game than several of these 20 sports, but just because they play 158 games, the average worth of a professional top level baseball team is higher than a team in any other sport, apart from gridiron and soccer.

On average, a baseball game is seen by about 28,000 people in the stadium, in addition to millions across the Union. Baseball is also one of few leagues that play on any day in the week, and the only sport that has the option of playing more than one game on one day.

And this is how it's all set up. Teams play three series of three games against each other team in their conference. That's 13 teams total, so the Aminey Buccaneers play 12 other teams nine times. That's one series at home, one series away, and the other one is home or away. The Buccaneers play against the Landers away in Llandy, Dragonfly Islands, for instance, but against the Furune Sparrows, they play their third series at home. That means there is no perfect balance between home and away series. One team will have 28 home series and 27 away, the other will have it the other way around. It is just like that. But that's just the first two thirds of the season. The other third is the Interconferential part. Here, each team plays each other team in the league twice. One home, one away. With 26 total teams, the Aminey Buccaneers play all other teams twice for another 50 games. These games are often hosted in smaller venues in towns and cities that otherwise don't have a lot of exposure to professional sports. These 50 games for every team are just about going back to the roots of the game. Often they are scheduled so that if a team is already in the area, they just stay there for an extra day or two to play the Interconferentials. Again, to use the Buccaneers: in the Conferential 108 games, they play the Sparrows 9 times. But that's not all, they also play them twice in the Interconferentials, for 11 games total. However, the Beibu Dogs in the other conference, they only play twice across the entire season.

The Interconferentials have one more funny thing to their scheduling. The two conferences are geographical: North and South. So Northern teams will play virtually all of their games (132 of them) in the north, and just 18 in the south. That's why there are four weeks in the middle of the season for the actual Interconferential games between teams from different conferences. In the first two weeks, the northern teams tour the south to play each team once, and in the next two weeks, the southerners go for a visit up north. And as said, these games are played in smaller arenas, sometimes there are barely bleachers but the field is between a set of hills and the fans just settle down on the grass. Directors of Baseball Operations of each team and the league itself are puzzled by what goes on in these games: no room to put a camera down, insufficient lighting for a game that goes on too long and the sun goes down, you name it, and it will happen. The environment decides.

Some teams are better at coping with this. Last season, it was the iZhirerholabelu Gazelles. The Gazelles are in the northern conference, and won 50 out of 58 conferential games there. With a .463 win percentage, they finished 10th in the conference, out of 13. In the Interconferentials, they won 28 out of 50 and with .560, they were 6th overall (out of 26 teams). It wasn't enough to go anywhere near the playoffs, unfortunately.

Two of their players made it to the national team. Willard Sydney, a Waratine playing for a Protean club (OOC: these are nations in the Union of Ko-oren), and Bhekabantu Williamson, a Protean. One is a relief pitcher, the other the starting second baseman. The former didn't give up a hit to the Republic of Arkan in the first two games of the series in the WBC against them, the latter had a decisive error in the third game. The difference: we won the first two 5-0, but lost the third 2-1. And that while Williamson was a giant in the Interconferentials, and Sydney had issues and stayed home for the majority of it.

They did a 180 since the Interconferentials, playing for the national team instead of one of the 26 franchises, but they'll have to step it up a notch if they want to keep playing with the national team. We're about to be knocked out of the group stage at five wins and seven losses, and just three games to go.

by **Ethane** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 3:56 pm

''2nd in the group. We can do this everyone''

They are the strong, motivating words coming out of the Ethane manager's mouth today as they attempt to move 1 step closer to progressing into the main tournament. Sitting 2nd in the group, ahead of Cosumar based on H2H record, the team will be out in full force, as they continue to move towards a dream come true.

With a record of 7 wins to 5 losses in the 4 series played so far, the team is definitely not one to be underestimated. Surprising everyone with their ability to make decent plays, they have pulled off some surprising results in this tournament to get to where they are today. In context of this team, which remains unchanged from the IBS X just 3 years ago, and the WBC 2 years ago, in which both were performed in much better than expected, the team is doing very well, considering that before the IBS X this team was a bunch of amateurs and no one played it in Ethane.

It isn't all over yet, as Ethane still have their final series of round 1 to play, before the fixtures go into reverse and the team play the series against all the teams over again. This is not necessarily bad news for Ethane though, as the team has already beaten many teams once, so they can naturally beat them again. Furthermore, the teams that were beaten by Ethane away from the Ethanian turf will be facing an even more difficult game when they come to Ethanian turf, because of the confidence boost that the team will have, having beaten the opposition team already.

Overall, things are looking good for the baseball team from Ethane in this tournament, and also looking promising for the future. However, the team can't get too cocky and over-confident, and must focus on the game in hand, not getting distracted, as to not let the group victory, which is so close yet so far, slip away from them.

by **Chromatika** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 4:00 pm

Halfway cutoff for you, reminder there's an off day tomorrow.

Group A
Schlitzberg                             1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0  3
Ferret Civilization                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Purple Rabbits                          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Jeckland                                2 6 0 0 0 6 0 0 X 14

New Ducklands                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2
The Sword Bloke                         0 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 X  5

Schlitzberg                             1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0  4
Ferret Civilization                     0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1

Purple Rabbits                          0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0  3
Jeckland                                0 0 0 6 1 4 0 4 X 15

New Ducklands                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0  6
The Sword Bloke                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Schlitzberg                             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Ferret Civilization                     0 2 0 0 1 0 0 2 X  5

Purple Rabbits                          0 0 2 0 1 1 0 1 1  6
Jeckland                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

New Ducklands                           0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
The Sword Bloke                         0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  3

Group B
Chromatika                              0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2  4
The Republic of Arkan                   0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0  2

Super-Llamaland                         0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0  4
United States of Devonta                0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1  3

Ko-oren                                 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  5
Mareut                                  0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  2

Chromatika                              0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0  2
The Republic of Arkan                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

Super-Llamaland                         0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 4  7
United States of Devonta                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Ko-oren                                 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  4
Mareut                                  0 0 2 1 1 2 0 0 X  6

Chromatika                              1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  4
The Republic of Arkan                   0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0  3

Super-Llamaland                         0 0 0 0 4 0 3 0 0  7
United States of Devonta                2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0  4

Ko-oren                                 0 0 3 0 2 0 2 0 1  8
Mareut                                  0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 2  5

Group C
The Fair Republic                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Anglatia                                0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 X  3

Gregoryisgodistan                       0 0 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  7
Frenline Delpha                         0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  6

Losthaven                               0 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  4
Drawkland                               2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1  5

The Fair Republic                       1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0  5
Anglatia                                0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Gregoryisgodistan                       0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2  3
Frenline Delpha                         0 1 0 5 0 2 0 0 X  8

Losthaven                               0 3 2 0 4 1 0 0 0 10
Drawkland                               0 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 0  5

The Fair Republic                       1 1 0 2 0 0 4 0 0  8
Anglatia                                1 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 0  6

Gregoryisgodistan                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Frenline Delpha                         0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 X  3

Losthaven                               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Drawkland                               0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 X  1

Group D
Equestrian States                       0 0 2 2 0 0 0 1 1  6
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acidica      0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0  3

The Royal Barangay                      3 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 3 12
Ethane                                  2 1 2 3 2 3 0 3 X 16

Cosumar                                 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  3
Nassau-Hessen                           4 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 X  9

Equestrian States                       0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1  3
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acidica      0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2

The Royal Barangay                      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
Ethane                                  0 1 4 0 2 0 8 0 X 15

Cosumar                                 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 0 5 11
Nassau-Hessen                           0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2

Equestrian States                       0 1 0 0 0 5 2 1 0  9
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acidica      0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1

The Royal Barangay                      2 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 2  8
Ethane                                  3 0 2 1 3 1 1 1 X 12

Cosumar                                 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  2
Nassau-Hessen                           3 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 X  5

Group E
Kaboomlandia                            0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  2
Saintland                               3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 X  6

Amazonesta                              0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0  4
Flardania                               0 3 2 0 0 0 0 4 X  9

Mapletish                               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Maklohi Vai                             0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  1

Kaboomlandia                            0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3  4
Saintland                               3 0 3 0 0 3 0 0 X  9

Amazonesta                              0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0  3
Flardania                               0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  2

Mapletish                               0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  2
Maklohi Vai                             0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  3

Kaboomlandia                            0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  2
Saintland                               0 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 X  5

Amazonesta                              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2
Flardania                               1 4 0 1 0 1 1 0 X  8

Mapletish                               1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  3
Maklohi Vai                             1 1 1 0 2 0 2 1 X  8

Group F
South Yerfilag                          0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2
Nova Anglicana                          1 0 2 0 0 0 3 2 X  8

San Llera                               2 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0  6
Abanhfleft                              0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1

Western Cuba                            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
West Phoencia                           0 0 6 0 0 2 0 0 X  8

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

San Llera                               1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Abanhfleft                              0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  2

Western Cuba                            2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  3
West Phoencia                           0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 X  4

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

San Llera                               1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Abanhfleft                              1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Western Cuba                            0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 1  5
West Phoencia                           2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  4

  Group A                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Schlitzberg                             15   12   3    83   40  +43
2 Jeckland                                15    9   6    89   55  +34
3 The Sword Bloke                         15    7   8    58   67   −9 
4 New Ducklands                           15    6   9    60   90  −30 Ahead by H2H
5 Ferret Civilization                     15    6   9    62   54   +8
6 Purple Rabbits                          15    5  10    45   91  −46

  Group B                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Super-Llamaland                         15   12   3    64   38  +26
2 United States of Devonta                15    8   7    65   59   +6 Ahead by H2H
3 Chromatika                              15    8   7    47   72  −25 
4 Ko-oren                                 15    7   8    64   44  +20
5 Mareut                                  15    6   9    59   69  −13
6 The Republic of Arkan                   15    4  11    47   61  −14

  Group C                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 The Fair Republic                       15    9   6    59   57   +2
2 Losthaven                               15    8   7    65   62   +3 Ahead by H2H
3 Frenline Delpha                         15    8   7    69   55  +14 
4 Anglatia                                15    7   8    68   73   -5 Ahead by H2H
5 Drawkland                               15    7   8    50   67  −17
6 Gregoryisgodistan                       15    6   9    58   55   +3

  Group D                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Ethane                                  15   10   5    91   69  +22 
2 Cosumar                                 15    8   7    71   60  +11 Ahead by H2H
3 The Royal Barangay                      15    8   7    85  100  −15 Ahead by H2H
4 Equestrian States                       15    8   7    69   55  +14 
5 Nassau-Hessen                           15    7   8    59   59    0
6 Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acidica      15    4  11    49   81  −32

  Group E                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Saintland                               15   12   3    76   60  +16
2 Maklohi Vai                             15   10   5    64   45  +19 
3 Flardania                               15    8   7    94   59  +35
4 Kaboomlandia                            15    6   9    52   69  −17 
5 Amazonesta                              15    5  10    56   76  −20
6 Mapletish                               15    4  11    46   79  −33

  Group F                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 South Yerfilag                          15   11   4    75   52  +23
2 Nova Anglicana                          15   10   5    95   59  +36 Ahead by H2H
3 San Llera                               15   10   5    54   52   +2
4 Western Cuba                            15    6   9    48   73  −25 Ahead by H2H
5 Abanhfleft                              15    6   9    49   63  −14
6 West Phoencia                           15    2  13    50   75  −25

Current Standings

01 Schlitzberg                             15   12   3    83   40  +43
02 Super-Llamaland                         15   12   3    64   38  +26
03 Saintland                               15   12   3    76   60  +16
04 South Yerfilag                          15   11   4    75   52  +23
05 Ethane                                  15   10   5    91   69  +22
06 The Fair Republic                       15    9   6    59   57   +2
07 Nova Anglicana                          15   10   5    95   59  +36 
08 Maklohi Vai                             15   10   5    64   45  +19 
09 San Llera                               15   10   5    54   52   +2
10 Jeckland                                15    9   6    89   55  +34
11 Flardania                               15    8   7    94   59  +35
12 Frenline Delpha                         15    8   7    69   55  +14 
13 Cosumar                                 15    8   7    71   60  +11
14 United States of Devonta                15    8   7    65   59   +6  
15 Losthaven                               15    8   7    65   62   +3
16 The Royal Barangay                      15    8   7    85  100  −15 
17 Chromatika                              15    8   7    47   72  −25
18 The Sword Bloke                         15    7   8    58   67   −9

by **Losthaven** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 4:43 pm

Lilly Inokuchi-Song marvels at the fickleness of spring, as the sun suddenly dims to the roll of distant thunder:

Pitching in the tenth
our closer blunders to Brams;
a change may come soon...

Foss and Donahue
can't match Ras and Mendoza.
So we cruise by five.

Drawkland's rotation
earns a shut out, while Navis
ruins Long's good night.

Losthaven                               0 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  4
Drawkland                               2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1  5

Losthaven                               0 3 2 0 4 1 0 0 0 10
Drawkland                               0 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 0  5

Losthaven                               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Drawkland                               0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 X  1

Losthaven Roster
Drawkland Roster

Poem the Fifth
Poem the Fourth
Poem the Third
Poem the Second
Poem the First

by **Super-Llamaland** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 5:45 pm

Game One
Super-Llamaland                         0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0  4
United States of Devonta                0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1  3
Game Two
Super-Llamaland                         0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 4  7
United States of Devonta                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Game Three
Super-Llamaland                         0 0 0 0 4 0 3 0 0  7
United States of Devonta                2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0  4

Troy Vasquez, in his three WBCs with Super-Llamaland, had never pitched in as meaningless a game as this.

It was the seventh inning, and the Tigers were up four-zero. If Vasquez had been as dominant as he usually was - his power fastball and two hard breaking balls serving to destroy hitters' confidence and induce a parade of weak choppers and swinging strikes - he wouldn't even think about pitching in such a meaningless scenario. He was the team's fireman, and firemen were to be reserved for only the most precarious of situations, the sort in which Vasquez's power pitches would be properly utilized.

Of course, the right-handed pitcher wasn't living up to expectations. He'd been poor against Chromatika, abysmal against Ko-oren, and after just nine games the manager had asked for a talk in private.

"Troy," Cameron had said, "we're going to give somebody else a shot at fireman for the rest of the first half. We just want to give everyone a chance here."

He hadn't lashed out - he was already on bad enough footing for his poor play. But inwardly, he died a bit.

The job fell to the left-handed reliever Annalise Saucedo, who had been the least bad so far - of course, the manager had excluded James Rhodiere, the long reliever, from consideration, almost by default. Pundits were deploring Cameron's unwillingness to shake things up in the bullpen when relievers were so volatile, and solutions would need to be found. For the moment, though, none of these solutions hinged on Troy Vasquez.

He didn't know why he was doing so poorly. The fastball had its usual speed, but he'd stopped consistently trying to throw it for strikes the year prior, when he realized that just spotting the fastball in the upper half of the strike zone (or, preferably, above it) worked even better. The cutter wasn't great, but he'd picked up on that and stopped throwing it. The xuanzhuan was its usual self. Hitters were just anticipating it (it did have a pretty predictable spin), but even a fastball-xuanzhuan combination should've done better.

The truth was that it was mostly bad luck - Vasquez had only thrown five innings so far. Of course, it wasn't all just bad fortune - Vasquez, somewhere along the line, had begun to tip his pitches.

The opponent's third baseman stepped in. Vasquez let a fastball rip - it, of course, was high. 1-0, then. Fine. 1-0 was nothing. He'd worked out of countless 1-0 counts before. His next pitch was a cutter on the inside corner to win back a strike, and he came back with a low-and-outside fastball to make the count 1-2. Vasquez went for another cutter, and he got a swing and a miss, but the ball spun wildly past Sofia Rasmussen and to the backstop. Troy screamed into his glove. The next batter, tall and left-handed, stepped in. Vasquez threw his devastating shootball, one that buckled perfectly on the low-and-inside corner before it spun back into the plate. The batter anticipated the pitch, swung, and knocked the ball into right-center for a double. Owen Duffy managed to cut it off and make a very good throw home, but the third baseman scampered home just ahead of the tag to make the score 4-1.

Troy glanced over - of course it was James Rhodiere who was up in the bullpen. That just annoyed him - he'd spent four seasons out of high school perfecting his craft in the minor leagues so that he could take the LBL by storm when he was called up (he did). Rhodiere was only in the bullpen because of the team's pitching coach, J.R. Sheffield, who'd taught him a new pitch in two hours, thus instantly elevating him to acehood.

He sighed. For the moment, there was the center-fielder to deal with. Runner on second, no outs, 4-1. Troy picked him off with three fastballs, each on a different corner; when the outfielder fouled off the third, he spotted a well-placed changeup for the strikeout.

Next batter. The ex-fireman opted to go back to another fastball. He glanced over to the bullpen. Take this, Rhodiere. He wound up and fired a perfect bullet. The radar gun would tell him ninety-nine, but it felt even faster. He'd never thrown harder.

The ball sailed sixty-and-a-half feet between the batter's legs, bouncing past Rasmussen and to the backstop. The runner on second sprinted to third as Rasmussen sprinted back to the backstop to grab the ball. Crap.

Troy stood on the mound, then realized that nobody was covering the plate. He sprinted forwards - only to have Rasmussen's frantic lob bounce at his feet while the opportunistic baserunner easily scored. 4-2.

He turned around, and Cameron was jogging out. He made a hooking motion to the bullpen, and it was, of course, James Rhodiere who came out.

by **Ko-oren** » Sat Apr 23, 2016 3:13 am

Dragonflies find themselves one game behind

The Union of Ko-oren finish their series against Mareut with two victories and two losses. Across three days, the Dragonflies have again made up some ground between them and Chromatika and the United States of Devonta. Now the difference between us in fourth place and them in second is just one game - very doable in the remaining 15 games. Super-Llamaland is in first with 12-3, hard to catch, but not impossible. The next three series are vital, with back to back series against Devonta, Chromatika and Super-Llamaland.

In both offence and defence, the Dragonflies show that they deserve to be in the next round. In a fairly defensive group with low scores, the team has put up 64 runs scored versus 44 conceded. That last one makes us the third best defence in the entire tournament, but that is a tough thing to celebrate if you're 1) sitting in fourth place in your group and 2) it's hard to compare these stats in a sport where there can be huge differences between teams on day one and teams on day two, let alone team one on day one and team two on day five.

The projected starting pitchers for the upcoming games:
Bae, De Groot and Pasion versus Devonta
Sauvage, Geeshahn and Bae versus Chromatika
De Groot, Pasion and Sauvage versus Super-Llamaland

The only starter who won't start two games in this killer stretch of nine games is Geeshahn, who already didn't have a great year with his Kadish Dadar Engineers. Going a perfect split 54-54 in the northern conference, they were second worst in the Interconferentials: 21-29. Most of our starting pitchers have gone to the playoffs: Bae with New Babylon, Sauvage with the Aminey Buccaneers, and Pasion with La Palma. That's the main reason Pasion was added to the team: not a great pitcher in raw talent, but his decision making under pressure, especially when the situation looks dire, has earned him a spot on the team. That's how a 'mediocre' team like La Palma finished third in the southern conference, and then lost to the Buccaneers in the first round of the playoffs. That's not a bad thing, the Buccaneers were unbeatable this season. Bae and Sauvage met in the finals of the Unionite baseball season with New Babylon Southpaws versus Aminey Buccaneers. The former were named that because in the early days of the game, the team strictly used left-handed pitchers. Interestingly, Bae is right-handed, and the team's 'golden rule' has been long forgotten, but the name stuck.

(Another fun team name fact: the Dongshi Easterners, with just catcher Niangzu Mo on the national team, are called the Easterners because they're the easternmost team from their nation, Kang Rao. The team to their west are the Beibu Dogs, who are an older team. Since then, the Easterners are the more successful team. The most interesting thing is that the Easterners are the 25th most eastern team - that's right, 24 out of 26 teams are to the east of the Easterners.)

Mareut Series

Day one: KOR 5, MAR 2
Pitchers: Pasion (5 IP), Rebollar (1.2 IP), Huang (1.2 IP) Miranda (0.2 IP)
5 R, 12 H, 3 E

It was an eventful day for the Dragonflies. 12 hits, second only to an earlier game against Chromatika, spiced up with three defensive errors. It was a game that went back and forth very quickly, but no team seemed to be able to settle in a leading position. Ose opened the score, so to speak, with a hit low down the middle, practically crossing second base, allowing Conceição to run home. That same inning, Van den Heuvel batted Ose in just one At Bat later, and Shields got Van den Heuvel home. That's three hits and three runs, but after that it was a mix of long and short innings. The Union scored two more runs for a 5-0 lead, but never played like a team with a comfortable lead. Two errors in the sixth and seventh allowed Mareut to come back to 5-2, and a late error almost caused more runs for Mareut (which could have snowballed to 5-5), but further problems were avoided.

Day two: KOR 4, MAR 6
Pitchers: Sauvage (7.1 IP), De Wit (1.1 IP), Bourgeois (0.1 IP)
4 R, 6 H, 0 E

This game was the reverse of the first game in the series, at least, after the second inning was done. Like the day before, the Union was leading 3-0 after two innings, but after that, Mareut established themselves quickly. They scored 6 runs in the next four innings, all with Sauvage on the plate, and it was all great Mareut play, no errors involved. The last three innings had three different pitchers for the Union, but no further hits for either team.

Day three: KOR 8, MAR 5
Pitchers: Geeshahn (4 IP), Mita (2 IP), Huang (2 IP), Van der Heijden (0.1 IP), Miranda (0.2 IP)
8 R, 11 H, 1 E

This is the team we want to see. It was a crazy game pitcher wise, with Geeshahn starting and allowing one run, then Mita allowing one, Huang allowing one, but by that time the score was 7-3 anyway. Van der Heijden started the ninth, but was replaced midway through the inning by Miranda after letting two runs go by for an 8-4 score. Miranda almost fell to a similar mistake as in the first game of the series, one error almost gifting Mareut the game, but again, any damage was prevented. The offensive game was stellar: not as many hits as in the first game, but every single hit counted and was a dent to Mareut's game. Seixas batted herself in three times, and Riley's hits counted for 5 runs in total.

by **Schiltzberg** » Sat Apr 23, 2016 12:06 pm

SCHILTZBERG TAKES ON THE FERRET!

This week, Schiltzberg took on the Ferret Civilization in the 36th WBC tournament, and won two of the three games, maintaining their lead on the division, as second place Jeckland also took two out of the three games against its opponent Purple Rabbits. Schiltzberg still has a comfortable lead of 3.0 games ahead of Jeckland, which is good enough that Schiltzberg could get swept for an entire series and would still have the lead, or at worst be tied with Jeckland if they swept their series. It is good for Schiltzberg to have such a healthy lead in the tournament, now that it is past the half-way point of the tourney.

The first game of this series against the Ferret Civilization showcased a beautiful performance from Schiltzberg's starting pitcher for the day, Henry Price. Price went the distance, completing a complete game shutout, and allowing six hits and two walks in the game. The defensive play of the game was made by leftfielder Chris Vrooman in the sixth inning, when he climbed the wall and robbed the Ferret Civilization's first baseman of what would have been a two-run home run that would have tied the game at that point. Schiltzberg gained the lead on the very first pitch of the game, as Mark Daly extended his home run streak to four games. After the game, teammate Chris Vrooman said, "Yep, we can count on him for his daily/Daly home run," and cracked himself up with the corny pun. In the fifth inning, Francis Thom singled, and then was advanced to second when Manual Villegaus reached on error, and then was knocked in on a single from Bob Rutledge. Then, the final run of the game came off of the bat of Chris Vrooman, who was still on a high from making the brilliant catch the previous inning, and he sent the ball into the centerfield stands, making the game 3-0, which remained as the final score.

In game two, "Mr. Predictable," who is Mark Daly once again started the game off with a home run, giving Schiltzberg the early lead and extending his home run streak to five games, but this was the last game of the streak. Other than that, Schiltzberg did not do much more offensively that game, but they still got enough runs to win the game. They had a short, but powerful rally in the sixth inning, when Mark Daly singled and then Ducky Fitzhugh and Chris Vrooman went back-to-back with home runs to make the score 4-0. Starting pitcher Jorge Matos, who had a great game, gave up the only run of the game for the Ferret Civilization in the bottom of the seventh, when a breaking ball didn't break and got left right over the plate, allowing the batter to hit it 421 feet. Matos pitched seven innings, and then was replaced by Richard Wilson, who threw a scoreless eighth, and then Doug Miller threw four pitches in the ninth and got the save.

Game three was the odd one out of this series, as Schiltzberg got heavily outmatched, losing the game and getting shut out 5-0. Nothing seemed to be working for the offense or the defense, as starting pitcher Robert Paul gave up two runs early in the second inning and then another run on a home run in the fifth, with the offense unable to even get a hit until the fourth inning. Matos was replaced by Bryan Mercado in the sixth, who did well, pitching two scoreless innings, but received no offensive support. Then Todd Barras came in for the eighth, and got into a jam, loading the bases with no outs. Steven Scherer then relieved him, and got Schiltzberg out of the jam, but did allow two unearned runs to score. Schiltzberg only had three hits in the game, and showed a pretty pathetic effort offensively, but it is understood that even the best teams have a bad game every now and then, and Schiltzberg is expected to bounce back from the tough game and hopefully have a good rest of the season.

This Is Your New Schiltzbierg Times Sports News!

by **San Llera** » Sat Apr 23, 2016 12:09 pm

San Llera Wins Nine Straight

Heading into the 36th World Baseball Classic, baseball seemed to be a fading sport in San Llera, with football, soccer, and basketball taking the main stage. This notion was not helped by San Llera's dismal 1-5 start in the tournament. The games since that start are recounted here:

San Llera 3, Western Cuba 2
San Llera picked up their second win of the tournament. Arnau Lull gave up an early solo home run, but San Llera responded with an RBI double in the third inning from Josep Maria Quintana Morales. The score remained stagnant until the sixth, when Antonio Morto hit a ball 416 feet into dead center field, scoring himself and Artur Llanes. The lead was almost given up in the bottom of the eighth inning, when Western Cuba loaded the bases with one out. Dennis Moria walked a batter to bring it to 3-2, but an infield fly and a strikeout got him out of the inning.

San Llera 4, Western Cuba 3
Finally with the smallest bit of momentum, San Llera took a 2-0 lead in the third inning through Conrad Batto and Felip Cabrera, but Western Cuba cut it to 2-1 in the bottom of the inning. The Cubans then showed off their power in 6th and 7th innings with solo home runs. San Llera entered the top of the ninth down 3-2, but a walk and subsequent steal by Arnau Miata got them a chance to tie it. That they did, with Norman hitting a single up the middle and Miata scoring on a very close throw. In the top of the tenth, San Llera retook the lead on back-to-back doubles by Leo Abela and Josep Maria Quintana Morales. The lead held, and San Llera jumped to 3-5.

San Llera 3, Western Cuba 2
San Llera swept Western Cuba in another low-scoring, desperately close game. The San-Men scored in the third inning every time in the series, this time it was via a barrage of hits from Poralio, Guiseppi Monzo, Leo Abela, and Octavio Ferrer. They took a 2-0 lead into the fourth inning, but promptly surrendered it when Octavio Ferrer's error allowed an RBI triple, the hitter of which scored on a subsequent sacrifice fly. The game remained at 2-2 until the 7th, when Poralio doubled, advanced to third on an infield hit, and then was the beneficiary of a balk. The Cuban pitcher's failed pick off move ended up costing them the game, and San Llera went to 4-5, with a decent chance at advancement for the first time in the tournament.

San Llera 4, West Phoencia 1
The excellent pitching that had been the basis of San Llera's sweep continued against West Phoencia, whose offense couldn't conjure anything besides a second-inning solo home run against Agosto Pinaret. That home run did not completely erase the 2-0 lead San Llera had amassed in the previous inning, and the San-Men added onto that lead further with runs in the fourth and seventh. Poralio was one of the stars of the game, going 3-4 and driving in two of San Llera's four runs.

San Llera 4, West Phoencia 2
Trying to achieve a record above .500 for the first time in the tournament, San Llera came out once agains firing on all cylinders, with Josep Maria Quintana Morales hitting a deep home run to give them the lead in the first inning. West Phoencia tied the game, however, when Lukas Towers hit a home run of his own. After that, Israel Mata was lights-out, retiring 14 consecutives batters and allowing San Llera to rebuild their lead. Antonio Morto drove in Felip Cabrera with a fifth inning double, and then the lead expanded to 4-1 after a home run from Poralio. Marco Cantus gave up a run in the ninth, but the lead was preserved and San Llera went to 6-5.

San Llera 5, West Phoencia 2
Looking for a sixth consecutive win and second consecutive sweep, San Llera's pitching continued to excel, giving up just two runs (again) to West Phoencia. The San-Men gained a huge advantage in the third inning with Josep Maria Quintana Morales's grand slam, and they never looked back. They expanded the lead to 5-0 the next inning, and West Phoencia were unable to come back. The "Confederates" hit a number of singles, and in fact got several more hits than the San Llerans, but crossed the plate only twice. San Llera were now winners of six straight, and 7-5 overall.

San Llera 6, Abanhfleft 1
In the sport of baseball, San Llera have historically had an excellent record against Abanhfleft, and that did not change in the red hot San-Men's series against the Revolution. San Llera scored two in the first inning, with Conrad Batto's RBI double, and then added on in the second on a Poralio home run, another RBI in the youngster's successful first WBC campaign. The two teams exchanged runs in the sixth inning, making the lead 4-1, and then Norman dropped the anchor with a two run shot to the opposite field. This game, unsurprisingly, saw a surge in attendance from San Lleran fans, as fans had started showing up mid-tournament upon seeing the San-Men's success.

San Llera 3, Abanhfleft 2
Terrific pitching has been a mark of San Llera's run, and this game was no exception. Abanhfleft reached base just six times throughout the game, allowing San Llera to take an early lead and preserve it. Josep Maria Quintana Morales hit his fifth home run of the tournament, a solo one in the first inning to give San Llera the lead. Then, the San-Men's third inning success continued, as Leo Abela and the pitcher, Bora Bora, drove in runs. Abanhfleft's offense picked up later in the game - they scored runs in the 6th and 8th innings - but it wasn't enough, and San Llera were 9-5.

San Llera 2, Abanhfleft 1
The most recent game during this nine-game stretch was the final one against Abanhfleft, and another win. San Llera got started in the top of the first inning, when Guiseppi Monzo's base running paid off with a suicide squeeze. Abanhfleft did tie it, however, in the bottom of the inning, when Israel Mata gave up two walks and a single. San Llera then took the lead again, in what was shaping up to be a high-scoring game. It wasn't however - the last 15 half-innings went by without any runs scored, and San Llera won the game, 2-1.

It's been a terrific stretch for the San-Men, one in which their pitchers have averaged a 1.78 ERA (!!!). They are now tied for second in Group F with Nova Anglicana, and only one game behind South Yerfilag in first. They will try to pick up their tenth consecutive win tomorrow night against South Yerfilag.

by **Frenline Delpha** » Sun Apr 24, 2016 10:20 am

Slithering Forward

-The Top Five Things to Look Forward to in the Second Half of the WBC

1. Powerhouse Offense: The Anacondas have always had a great offensive style, and that hasn't changed for this tournament. With 4.6 runs per game, the Anacondas lead their group in runs generated. With a group-leading batting average of an astronomical .378, the Anacondas are an offensive powerhouse to be reckoned with. However, they have not been to homer cracking juggernauts of previous tournamnets. Regardless, they've found a way to generate runs without the long ball, and that is why their offense is potent. A great example of this is from yesterday's game against hated enemy Gregoryisgodistan. While never once hitting a long ball, the Anacondas amanaged to score three seperate occasions, one on a single, one on a sacrifice fly, and the final one on an expertly placed bunt that took the catcher too long to get to. This kind of nail-biting play is why the Anacondas have the best run per game average of any team in their group.

2. Excellent Starting Pitching: While the pitching team may not look so impressive from time to time, that doesn't change the fact that they are tied with Gregoryisgodistan for the least amount of runs given up, with 55 over a total of 15 games. The Anacondas main problem lies in the bullpen, which is responsible for 30 of those runs. To make matters worse for the bullpen, their best reliever, Tanner Scormens, was injured when a line drive beaned him in the noggin in the Anacondas' second game against The Fair Republic. He is not expected to play until the final series against Gregoryisgodistan. However, the Anacondas have been dominate with their starting pitcher. With four of the five starters with an ERA below 2, the Anacondas' pitching is an excellent foray to go behind their dynamite hitting.

3. Intense Games: The Anacondas reside in Group C, a group that resembles a worm. No one can tell which end is the front. With last place team only three games away from the tope team, this group appears to be hotly contested to the end. Currently, the Anaocndas are in thrid in the group, but anything can happen, as they say. With fifteen more games left, we look forward to see how the Anacondas will handle this undertaking. With excellent offense and energetic pitching, it will be a fun set of games to watch. We can't wait to see this tournament back underway.

4. Crazy Chemistry: If you'll pardon the alliteration, the title of this section still holds true. The team assembled here is mostly from the FDBL, which means that they are used to seeing each other at various times of the year. This also means that the players know each other well, and they are familiar with their teammates playing style. The battery is crisp and effecient, and the communication on teh field is excellent. If you love great communication and excellent chemistry, the Anacondas are a team for you. We're surprised there's been no bench-clearing brawls yet, especially against Gregoryisgodistan.

5. It's Baseball: With the FDBL season over, the Anacondas are in the perfect position to scratch that baseball itch. Plus, the Anacondas have three home series in their next fifteen games. You can see if they'll be near you if you go to uvi.worldbaseballanacondas.fnd. If you want to see some pulse-pounding baseball, the Anaocndas are the team to see. We wish all of our players the best of luck, and may the rest of the tournament go smoothly.

by **Chromatika** » Sun Apr 24, 2016 4:00 pm

Group A
Ferret Civilization                     0 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 2  7
The Sword Bloke                         0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  3

New Ducklands                           0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1  4
Jeckland                                0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Purple Rabbits                          0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 0  5
Schlitzberg                             0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1

Ferret Civilization                     0 3 0 0 5 0 0 1 2 11
The Sword Bloke                         0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

New Ducklands                           0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1  4
Jeckland                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Purple Rabbits                          0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0  4
Schlitzberg                             0 0 0 3 0 3 0 2 X  8

Ferret Civilization                     0 1 0 0 0 1 2 2 0  6
The Sword Bloke                         2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

New Ducklands                           1 0 2 0 0 1 2 0 0  6
Jeckland                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0  4

Purple Rabbits                          1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Schlitzberg                             0 0 0 0 4 1 0 2 X  7

Group B
The Republic of Arkan                   0 0 0 0 1 3 4 0 0  8
Mareut                                  0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1  4

Ko-oren                                 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0  5
United States of Devonta                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Super-Llamaland                         2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  3
Chromatika                              0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

The Republic of Arkan                   0 0 0 2 0 0 4 0 1  7
Mareut                                  0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0  3

Ko-oren                                 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1  4
United States of Devonta                1 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 X  6

Super-Llamaland                         0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 3  5
Chromatika                              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

The Republic of Arkan                   0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 1 0  5
Mareut                                  0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1  6

Ko-oren                                 0 0 0 0 4 0 3 0 0  7
United States of Devonta                0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2

Super-Llamaland                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Chromatika                              0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 X  4

Group C
Anglatia                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Drawkland                               1 2 0 3 0 1 1 1 X  9

Losthaven                               0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2  5
Frenline Delpha                         0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Gregoryisgodistan                       0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
The Fair Republic                       1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  4

Anglatia                                0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0  6
Drawkland                               0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  3

Losthaven                               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Frenline Delpha                         3 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 X  5

Gregoryisgodistan                       0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2
The Fair Republic                       0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 X  4

Anglatia                                1 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 0  5
Drawkland                               1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Losthaven                               0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2
Frenline Delpha                         0 5 0 1 0 0 1 0 X  7

Gregoryisgodistan                       1 1 2 2 2 0 2 1 0 11
The Fair Republic                       1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1  5

Group D
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acidica      0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1  3
Nassau-Hessen                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Cosumar                                 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0  4
Ethane                                  1 1 1 2 0 2 3 0 X 10

The Royal Barangay                      0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1  4
Equestrian States                       0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 X  5

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acidica      1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  4
Nassau-Hessen                           0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2

Cosumar                                 2 1 3 1 0 2 0 0 0  9
Ethane                                  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

The Royal Barangay                      2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  4
Equestrian States                       0 2 2 1 0 1 0 1 X  7

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acidica      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Nassau-Hessen                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 X  5

Cosumar                                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Ethane                                  0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 X  1

The Royal Barangay                      0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  4
Equestrian States                       0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Group E
Saintland                               0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
Maklohi Vai                             0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0  3

Mapletish                               0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 3  8
Flardania                               0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 1  6

Amazonesta                              0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Kaboomlandia                            0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 X  3

Saintland                               0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0  2
Maklohi Vai                             0 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 X  4

Mapletish                               3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  4
Flardania                               0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 X  5

Amazonesta                              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2
Kaboomlandia                            3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 X  5

Saintland                               0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Maklohi Vai                             0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 X  3

Mapletish                               2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Flardania                               0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 X  4

Amazonesta                              0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Kaboomlandia                            0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 X  4

Group F
Nova Anglicana                          0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2  3
West Phoencia                           0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Western Cuba                            0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  2
Abanhfleft                              0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 X  6

San Llera                               0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 4  7
South Yerfilag                          0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0  4

Nova Anglicana                          0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1  4
West Phoencia                           1 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 X  5

Western Cuba                            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0  4
Abanhfleft                              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

San Llera                               0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  2
South Yerfilag                          0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 X  3

Nova Anglicana                          2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  4
West Phoencia                           0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3  6

Western Cuba                            1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Abanhfleft                              0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1

San Llera                               2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
South Yerfilag                          2 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 X  7

  Group A                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Schlitzberg                             18   14   4    99   50  +49
2 Jeckland                                18    9   9    94   69  +25 * 
3 New Ducklands                           18    9   9    74   95  −21 ^
4 Ferret Civilization                     18    9   9    86   61  +25 
5 The Sword Bloke                         18    7  11    65   91  −26 
6 Purple Rabbits                          18    6  12    55  107  −52

* Jeckland ahead of New Ducklands by +21 Run Differential after H2H (3-3), ahead of Ferret Civilization by H2H (2-1)
^ New Ducklands ahead of Ferret Civilization by H2H (2-1)

  Group B                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Super-Llamaland                         18   14   4    72   44  +28
2 Ko-oren                                 18    9   9    80   52  +28 *
3 United States of Devonta                18    9   9    73   75   −2 ^
4 Chromatika                              18    9   9    53   80  −27 
5 Mareut                                  18    7  11    69   89  −20
6 The Republic of Arkan                   18    6  12    67   74   −7

* Ko-oren ahead of United States of Devonta by +8 Run Difference after H2H (3-3), ahead of Chromatika by H2H (2-1)
^ United States of Devonta ahead of Chromatika by H2H (2-1)

  Group C                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 The Fair Republic                       18   11   7    72   73   −1
2 Frenline Delpha                         18   10   8    84   62  +22 
3 Anglatia                                18    9   9    79   87   −8 *
4 Losthaven                               18    9   9    72   77   −5 
5 Drawkland                               18    8  10    64   78  −14
6 Gregoryisgodistan                       18    7  11    74   68   +6

* Anglatia ahead of Losthaven by H2H (2-1)

  Group D                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Ethane                                  18   12   6   102   82  +20 
2 Equestrian States                       18   10   8    82   67  +15 
3 Cosumar                                 18    9   9    84   71  +13 *
4 The Royal Barangay                      18    9   9    97  113  −16 
5 Nassau-Hessen                           18    8  10    66   66    0
6 Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acidica      18    6  12    56   88  −32

* Cosumar ahead of The Royal Barangay by H2H (2-1)

  Group E                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Saintland                               18   13   5    84   70  +14
2 Maklohi Vai                             18   12   6    74   53  +21 
3 Flardania                               18   10   8   103   73  +36
4 Kaboomlandia                            18    9   9    64   73   −9 
5 Amazonesta                              18    5  13    60   88  −28 *
6 Mapletish                               18    5  13    60   94  −34

* Amazonesta ahead of Mapletish by H2H (2-1)

  Group F                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 South Yerfilag                          18   13   5    89   64  +25
2 Nova Anglicana                          18   11   7   106   71  +35 *
3 San Llera                               18   11   7    66   66    0
4 Western Cuba                            18    8  10    56   80  −24 
5 Abanhfleft                              18    7  11    56   71  −15
6 West Phoencia                           18    4  14    62   86  −24

* Nova Anglicana ahead of San Llera by H2H (2-1)

by **Losthaven** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 11:14 am

Lilly Inokuchi-Song is feeling disenchanted today:

What a splendid way
to start the second leg, than
a five-three road win.

But then comes Yelfin
spinning a shut out, while Dredge
blows away Lemke.

Would the bleeding stop?
No; Worthington gives up five
while Wilfskin, just two.

Losthaven                               0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2  5
Frenline Delpha                         0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Losthaven                               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Frenline Delpha                         3 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 X  5

Losthaven                               0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2
Frenline Delpha                         0 5 0 1 0 0 1 0 X  7

Losthaven Roster
Frenline Delpha Roster

Poem the Sixth
Poem the Fifth
Poem the Fourth
Poem the Third
Poem the Second
Poem the First

by **Super-Llamaland** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 12:19 pm

Seventh Inning, Tigers @ Chromatika, Game Three

Rhodiere felt invincible on the mound, whether closing out a game (which he had done two nights ago) or throwing the seventh inning of a shutout loss. His sinker, easily his favorite pitch, had been on point for the past two years. He still felt awkward and unsure when throwing the hard cutter, but somehow it was getting consistent swings and misses, so he kept throwing it. Still, it was kind of funny seeing everyone else obsess over the pitch when his success had been fueled by the improved sinker all along.

The first batter stepped in. Rhodiere came in with the sinker - it wasn't as good as usual, but the batter froze and he stole a strike with it. He came back in with another, but once again it seemed off and the batter hit a line drive into right-center. Rhodiere spun, only to see Jason Fernandez dive and spear the ball in his glove. One out, then.

The sinker wasn't working. Why wasn't it working? Visions of his previous, less successful seasons - 5.33 ERAs, two-and-a-third-inning-starts - all came back. He breathed in and out, then came back with another flat sinker, which was sliced down the right-field line. Only Owen Duffy kept the batter from extra bases by sliding in front of the ball to cut it off. Another sinker, then. He waved off Rasmussen's desperate attempts for another pitch - why would he throw a shaky breaking ball when the sinker had worked so well in the past? He threw another sinker. The batter was waiting for it, but couldn't quite line up the barrel of the bat with the ball and fouled it off. He came back with another. The hitter slammed the ball down the first-base line

The ball landed on the first-base line and spun forwards. Maddie Polanco dove and knocked the ball into foul territory, stopping a run-scoring triple. Runners on first and second with one out, then. He came back with another sinker - finally, one with good movement and decent velocity - but it was misplaced, and the hitter bunted down the first-base line to reach base safely. Bases loaded and one out, but his sinker was back. Things were looking up!

He left two batters later with the bases still loaded and the score 4-0. He turned around before he walked down the steps into the dugout. Sofia Rasmussen was watching him, and she didn't look pleased.

by **Frenline Delpha** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 1:47 pm

Frenlinian Factation

Article A

4/25/16

Frenline Delpha Evens Up Series with Losthaven

Hector Hits Go-Ahead Home Run in the Second

The Anacondas had some unfinished business with the Losthaven Lamps to settle when both teams arrived in Lightport, Frenline Delpha for their second series of games in World Baseball Classic qualifying. After finishing 8-7 in the first half of the qualifying, the Anacondas were still in the hunt for that elusive trophy. However, their first opponent would not make that journey an easy one for them. It was the Losthaven Lamps, the team thta shocked the Anaocndas in their first series by winning two of their three games. However, the Anaocndas were not going to roll over, and they had the home field advantage this time. They certainly made the most of it. It started out looking like the Lamos were going to pull a massive upset again when they defeated the Anacondas 5-3. However, the Anacondas came back with a vengeance in their second game, winning on a complete game shut-out by Yelfin. It would come down to the final game of the series to decide if the Anaocndas would even up their series against Losthaven.

The pitching match-up would be Worthington vs Wilfskin, a match-up that benefited the former last time. However, this day would be a bit different. Beign the visiting team, Losthaven would get the first run on the board in the top of the second. It started when the lead-off that inning, Rasmussen, doubled off of a pitch that many thought was low. He was then followed up by Mendoza. His intent was to sacrifice Rasmussen up, but the bunt was so well placed that by the team the third baseman for the Anaocndas got to it, both Rasmussen and Mendoza were safe on base with no outs. However, Rasmussen held at second because of a lookdown by the third baseman. The Lamps would break the scoreless tie on the very next pitch. Milner had witnessed his teammate get on with an amazing bunt, and it pumped him up. So much so that he swang at the very first pitch offered to him. He grabbed a solid piece of the ball, and it flew into left field. The ball was hit so deep that it allowed Rasmussen to come from second to score, and the Losthaven Lamps had a 1-0 lead on an RBI double. Three outs later, the Anaocndas would get their chance for revenge.

In the bottom of the second, the Anaocondas started with a walk to Trifort, putting the opening runner on first. Defelt then stepped up to the plate, ready for the first offering from the pitcher. It turned out to be just outside of the plate, giving him a one-oh count. On the next pitch, Defelt crahsed a ball that flew past the putstretched first baseman, allowing Trifort to make it all the way to third, and giving the Anaocondas two runners on the bases. This gave Hector the perfect opportunity to get RBIs,a nd he didn't let it slip through his hands. On a one-one count, Hector got a huge chunk of a ball just a little bit high. The ball seemed to hang in the air forever, and in the end, it sailed over the right field fence, giving the Anacondas a 3-1 lead. However, the inning wasn't over yet. Wilfskin followed up the slam with a double, and Lain followed that with a scorching single. On the very next play, Drege would hit a very high fly ball that traveled all the way back to the warning track. It was caught by the right fielder, but the throw to home was nowehere in time to catch Wilfskin as he slid into home, giving the Anaocondas another run on the board. Haman then followed up that sacrifice by producing his own double to right field, allowing Lain to run in from second, and that was all she wrote for that inning.

The Anaocndas would pick up another run in the fourth thanks to some bad defense by the Lamps. They had just brought in a new pitcher after their first one went three innings and gave up five total runs. Lovell was not messing around, and he came out smoking on teh first batter. His fast pitching caused Wilfskin to hit a dinker that should have been fielded for the first out. However, Giron bobbled the ball and didn't egt the throw off, recording the only error of the game for eaither side. The Anacondas were not about to let this mistake go unpunished. Lain immediately followed up with a hard hit double that landed between right and center field and rolloed all the way to the wall. Wilfskin reached home with plenty of time, and the Anaocndas had a six to one lead. They were still not done scoring, however.

However, the Lamps would strike before the Ancondas in the top of the sixth. Kinney started of the inning with a double, and Andaluz hit a smoking oune drive straight at the right fielder, recording the first out. However, Giron wouldn't repaet his partner, as his hit landed just behind the first baseman. The throw towards home looked like it was going to be close, but Kinney slid right under the catcher's tag, scoring the Lamps second run that inning. The Anaocndas would respond in turn in the bottom of the seventh inning. Jehosez's double down the right filed line led to Trifort coming all the way from first, giving the Anacondas their final score of the game. Fortunately, the Lamps couldn't get anythign going either.

In the ninth inning, the Anaocndas put Smithley into the game to earn the save. He didn't dissapoint. His inning started out marvelously when he got Giron to swing at a ball just higher than the strikezone, leading to one out. The very next batter would hit into a four-three double play, and that put the Anaocndas one out away from winning their home series against the Lamps. Unfortunstely, Smithley's nerves got the better of him, and he beaned Mendoza in the right arm. However, Smithley regained his composure, and he got milner to fly out into foul territory in right field, and the Anacondas had their series win. The Anacondas will face Drawkland, in Drawkland, next in hopes to tie even that series as well.

Losthaven                               0 1 0  0 0 1  0 0 0    2  7 1
Frenline Delpha                         0 5 0  1 0 0  1 0 X    7 13 0

by **Anglatia** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 3:40 pm

Imperial Free Press

Greater Anglatia votes to fund Jinhaian football league

The Imperial Council of Greater Anglatia recently met to vote on a bill by the state of Ross that would see the Empire funding an upstart football league in the Asiatic nation of Jinhai, known formally as the Jinhai Republic. The Empire also has an affiliate league in Montanes and a developmental league based in the semi-autonomous area of Territory Nine, but an increased presence in Jinhai would give a good boost to the chances of Anglatia starting an international football league with Falatulu and Montanes, something that is rumored to be happening soon. Anglatia is reportedly unhappy with the UICA overseeing international play and wants to create its own international competition, but to do this, the Empire needs to grow its influence past its own colonies. The vote was a step towards this, as Jinhai joining the league along with Falatulu would make it a true international league.

Highlights from voting included a brawl between the two Kisotan parties that showed up, the Kisotan Red Front and the Wealth Party of Kisote. Located on opposite ends of the spectrum, the two parties are known for their animosity towards each other. The Red Front are hard left and are known for wearing red top hats to all official meetings, while the Wealth Party represent the rich citizens of the colony. The brawl started when the Red Front accused the Wealth Party of being bribed by the Jinhai, and finished with the socialists being ejected from the meeting. Things went relatively calm afterwards, and the voting finished with two hundred and thirty four out of two hundred and fifty voters in favor of the Jinhaian league being funded by Anglatia.

According to current plans, the league will start play after the domestic season in the Empire, and will have eight teams and will gradually expand. Because of the unique sizing, the league will have a franchise structure instead of a promotion and relegation one and will have playoffs each season to crown a champion. Some clubs will be affiliates to Imperial clubs, and it has already been confirmed that Ross United FC will have an affiliate in the capital, and that Underfell FC will have an official developmental squad in the league. No matter how things turn out, the different structure will make things interesting in this new league no matter what happens...

by **Ethane** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 4:00 pm

Explosive News: Sports
World Baseball Classic 36

[Football] [Cricket] [Rugby] [Hockey] [Tennis] [Baseball] [Basketball] [Gaelic Football] [Other Sports]

To the top, can they be stopped?

Ethane have gone 2 games (2 wins, 2 losses) clear at the top of the group with 12 games to go, after a winning 2 games to Quebec's 1 in series 66 of the WBC 36, in a bid to qualify outright for the WBC.

The nation will be holding their breath going into these final 4 series, as the team battles it out with other members of the group to attempt to progress into the next round of the tournament. After falling during a play-in game against Jeckland in the previous edition of the WBC, the fans, and the players will be looking to try to win the group, amid the chaos that ensued at the start of the group stages, to progress to the next round in the only the second participation in this tournament.

A miserable start to the WBC had left the Ethanians low in the group, and to begin with, in this tournament, it appeared that the team, which only started playing baseball at the IBS X, because of the unpopularity of baseball in Ethane back then, would be unable to replicate the success that they found at the IBS X, managing to progress through most of the tournament, knocking out Frenline Delpha and beating Gregoryisgodistan (the number one) once, and almost twice. This view did begin to settle in, with many media outlets running stories suggesting that the WBC was over for Ethane before they had even started, but the team have done a lot to curtail this view, and recover the hope in them, after their not quite so good WBC 35.

Recovering from their low down position in the groups, and starting to win big against teams much higher in the ranks than the team, to the surprise of many critics and fans alike, the Ethanians have now shot to the top of the group, by a margin of 2 games (2 wins and 2 losses), winning 12 games to a loss of games with a run difference of +20, the highest in the group they are competing in.

The team is now going to be looking at consolidating their lead at the top, in a push to make sure that they secure that top spot for first place qualification from the group, which will be surprising considering the backgrounds of the team, beating many of the professionals is no mean feat. With plenty of games to go though, they're fight is far from over, as the teams behind them will also be vying for that top spot, to nab it from the Ethanians, who have worked and trained so hard for it. However, barring a shock injury, or a miracle for Equestrian States, such as a sweep of the Ethanian team in the second series between them, it remains unlikely that the lead that Ethane has at the top of the group will be eroded away and taken from them. While their lead is not insurmountable, it is unlikely that the Ethanians will not finish top, and therefore, will progress with a great record, and a strong base of ecstatic fans behind them. No matter how far through the rest of the tournament they get, as they long as they place first in this group, then this WBC will class as a massive success for the Ethanians.

by **Chromatika** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 4:03 pm

Group A
Purple Rabbits                          0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
Ferret Civilization                     1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 X  4

Schlitzberg                             0 0 0 1 0 4 0 2 1 0 0 0  8
New Ducklands                           1 1 1 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  9

Jeckland                                0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0  3
The Sword Bloke                         0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 2  5

Purple Rabbits                          0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
Ferret Civilization                     0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  3

Schlitzberg                             0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
New Ducklands                           0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2

Jeckland                                1 0 1 0 1 3 3 3 0 12
The Sword Bloke                         0 0 3 0 1 0 0 2 0  6

Purple Rabbits                          0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2  3
Ferret Civilization                     0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  2

Schlitzberg                             0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0  4
New Ducklands                           0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0  3

Jeckland                                3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
The Sword Bloke                         0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 X  4

Group B
Super-Llamaland                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 1  4
The Republic of Arkan                   1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Chromatika                              1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2
Ko-oren                                 3 0 0 2 1 1 1 0 X  8

United States of Devonta                0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0  5
Mareut                                  0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 1 0 1  6

Super-Llamaland                         0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2  4
The Republic of Arkan                   0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Chromatika                              1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2
Ko-oren                                 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 X  3

United States of Devonta                1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Mareut                                  1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 X  3

Super-Llamaland                         0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  4
The Republic of Arkan                   0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  2

Chromatika                              0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2
Ko-oren                                 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 X  4

United States of Devonta                4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  6
Mareut                                  0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0  5

Group C
Gregoryisgodistan                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Anglatia                                1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  1

The Fair Republic                       1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  4
Losthaven                               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

Frenline Delpha                         0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 4  8
Drawkland                               1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  5

Gregoryisgodistan                       0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 4  7
Anglatia                                0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

The Fair Republic                       0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2  4
Losthaven                               0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0  3

Frenline Delpha                         2 0 0 0 3 0 1 2 0  8
Drawkland                               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Gregoryisgodistan                       0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  2
Anglatia                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

The Fair Republic                       0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0  4
Losthaven                               1 0 1 0 0 7 1 0 X 10

Frenline Delpha                         0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  2
Drawkland                               0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 X  3

Group D
The Royal Barangay                      0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6  7
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acidica      0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  2

Equestrian States                       0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1  4
Cosumar                                 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  2

Ethane                                  0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 2  5
Nassau-Hessen                           0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0  2

The Royal Barangay                      0 3 0 0 3 0 1 0 0  7
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acidica      1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

Equestrian States                       1 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 1 1  8
Cosumar                                 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 0  7

Ethane                                  0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0  3
Nassau-Hessen                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

The Royal Barangay                      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acidica      0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 X  4

Equestrian States                       1 0 0 4 5 0 0 0 0 10
Cosumar                                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2

Ethane                                  0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0  4
Nassau-Hessen                           0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  2

Group E
Amazonesta                              0 0 3 1 0 0 4 0 0  8
Saintland                               1 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 0  6

Kaboomlandia                            4 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1  8
Mapletish                               0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  2

Flardania                               0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 2  6
Maklohi Vai                             0 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 0  5

Amazonesta                              0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Saintland                               0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Kaboomlandia                            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3  5
Mapletish                               1 2 1 1 0 1 1 0 X  7

Flardania                               1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2
Maklohi Vai                             0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 X  3

Amazonesta                              0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  3
Saintland                               1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 X  4

Kaboomlandia                            2 2 0 0 0 0 4 1 0  9
Mapletish                               0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0  2

Flardania                               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
Maklohi Vai                             1 0 0 1 5 0 0 1 X  8

Group F
San Llera                               3 0 0 3 1 2 0 0 2 11
Nova Anglicana                          0 0 0 2 0 2 2 0 1  7

South Yerfilag                          0 0 0 1 1 0 1 3 0  6
Western Cuba                            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Abanhfleft                              1 0 0 0 2 1 0 3 3 10
West Phoencia                           0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0  3

San Llera                               0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
Nova Anglicana                          0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

South Yerfilag                          2 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 0  7
Western Cuba                            0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  4

Abanhfleft                              0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1  4
West Phoencia                           1 3 4 0 0 0 2 0 X 10

San Llera                               1 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  5
Nova Anglicana                          1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

South Yerfilag                          2 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0  5
Western Cuba                            0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2

Abanhfleft                              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
West Phoencia                           1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  2

  Group A                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Schlitzberg                             21   16   5   114   60  +54
2 Ferret Civilization                     21   11  10    95   66  +29 
3 Jeckland                                21   10  11   112   84  +28 * 
4 New Ducklands                           21   10  11    88  110  −22 
5 The Sword Bloke                         21    9  12    80  109  −29 
6 Purple Rabbits                          21    7  14    60  116  −56

* Jeckland ahead of New Ducklands by +21 Run Differential after H2H (3-3)

  Group B                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Super-Llamaland                         21   17   4    84   50  +34
2 Ko-oren                                 21   12   9    95   58  +37 
3 United States of Devonta                21   10  11    85   89   −4 
4 Chromatika                              21    9  12    59   95  −36 *
5 Mareut                                  21    9  12    83  101  −18
6 The Republic of Arkan                   21    6  15    73   86  −13

*Chromatika ahead of Mareut by H2H (2-1)

  Group C                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 The Fair Republic                       21   13   8    84   87   −3
2 Frenline Delpha                         21   12   9   102   70  +32 
3 Anglatia                                21   10  11    81   96  −15 *
4 Losthaven                               21   10  11    86   89   −3 
5 Drawkland                               21    9  12    72   96  −24 ^
6 Gregoryisgodistan                       21    9  12    83   70  +13

* Anglatia ahead of Losthaven by H2H (2-1)
^ Drawkland ahead of Gregoryisgodistan by H2H (2-1)

  Group D                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Ethane                                  21   15   6   114   86  +28 
2 Equestrian States                       21   13   8   104   78  +26 
3 The Royal Barangay                      21   11  10   111  121  −10 
4 Cosumar                                 21    9  12    95   93   +2
5 Nassau-Hessen                           21    8  13    70   78   −8
6 Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acidica      21    7  14    64  102  −38

  Group E                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Saintland                               21   14   7    95   83  +12 *
2 Maklohi Vai                             21   14   7    90   62  +28 
3 Kaboomlandia                            21   11  10    86   84   +2 ^ 
4 Flardania                               21   11  10   118   89  +29
5 Amazonesta                              21    7  14    73   99  −26 
6 Mapletish                               21    6  15    71  116  −45

* Saintland ahead of Maklohi Vai by +3 Run Differential after H2H (3-3)
^ Kaboomlandia ahead of Flardania by H2H (2-1)

  Group F                                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 South Yerfilag                          21   16   5   107   70  +37
2 San Llera                               21   14   7    86   76  +10
3 Nova Anglicana                          21   11  10   116   91  +25 
4 Western Cuba                            21    8  13    62   98  −36 *
5 Abanhfleft                              21    8  13    70   86  −16
6 West Phoencia                           21    6  15    77  100  −23

* Western Cuba ahead of Abanhfleft by H2H (5-1)

by **Nova Anglicana** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 4:59 pm

Nova Anglicana WBC 36 Roster

Nickname: Lions
Acronym: NOV
Style Mod (if applicable): +1

Starting Rotation (order as given)
LHP #36 Chris Keyes, 34 - features a 70 MPH, big, sweeping curve, has better control now than before, but has great stuff, looks have "Keyes to my heart" signs common at games
LHP #40 Brad Bryan, 33 - tall, slim frame with long arms, hides ball very well, nasty slider, velocity average, but great pitching instincts
RHP #37 Danny Hauser, 32, - 98 MPH fastball helped him K 185 in 171 big league innings, late-inning flamethrower moves to the rotation
RHP #28 Brandon Ashton, 27, (R/R), - former top prospect makes his international debut, strong fastball/curve/change
LHP #32 Cole Mayberry, 26, - loves to throw his cutter at 94, spinning screwball confuses lefties and righties alike, developed a consistent change, fringy slider

Bullpen
LHP #45 Perry Collins, 36 - takes over the long relief role, great circle-change
LHP #49 Luc Godot, 34 - Godot has a herky-jerky motion and spotty control, but great velocity and wipeout slider,
LHP #46 Sidney Fleming, 30 - slings from a sidearm position, will be lefty specialist, sweet slider
RHP #38 Ross Long, 30 - average fastball, but good slider has righties flailing and change baffles lefties
RHP #43 Mike Markham, 24 - Markham flashes a mid-90s fastball (2 and 4-seam) and a hammer of a curveball
RHP #39 Bryan Baldwin, 28 - Baldwin is brother of softball's Brandi, knuckleballer can be long reliever, or come on for change of pace
RHP #27 Adrian Romero, 35, - 97 MPH fastball combined with 78 MPH palmball form deadly combination, pretty good curveball for third pitch, could be another long guy, great dancer
RHP #56 Lucius Lavoie, 32 - Lavoie is a failed starter who has made it as a closer, fastball sits at 95 with a tumbling curveball, changeup and slider need a some work
RHP #23 Colby Walker, 29 - Walker is a hard thrower (sits 96, touches 98) who developed secondary pitches to become DC Brewers closer, now replaces Jamey Conroy as NT closer

C #53 Lamar Ford, 32, (L/R), - Ford is no longer a rookie for the Londinium Capitols, lefty bat is his best tool, but his defense has greatly improved, good speed for catcher, loves spaghetti
C #51 Bryan Lamb, 26, (S/R), - Lamb showed an extraordinarily developed eye for the strike zone in his career, not much power, but good defender with decent arm
C #18 Jamie Stephens, 26, (R/R), - Stephens slugged 20 homers in his first big league season, struck out 148 times as well, strong throwing arm but otherwise poor defensively

1B #21 Brooks Colvin, 31, (R/R), - Colvin has big shoes to fill, stepping into Al-Aniz's role, hits tons of doubles, but very few home runs, good defensively with a good arm for a first sacker
3B #26 Ken Morton, 21, (R/R), - good range with great arm, dead pull hitter with power
SS #11 Darrin Werner, 27, (R/R), - Werner is a five tool player who is one of the best in the league
2B #6 René Martel, 28, (S/R) - Martel is a superb defender, Yeomen organization believes the bat will develop with experience, will not hesitate to drop one down
CI #50 Cliff Hammond, 28, (R/R), - Hammond can play either corner infield position, good arm but limited range, mashes lefties
MI #25 Scott Lindsey, 28, (R/R), - Scott can fill in at either middle infield spot, good range, arm more suited for 2B, speed makes him a pinch-runner candidate

OF #20 Kelvin Freeman, 33, (L/R), - Freeman posted a .268/.321/.490 line with 30 homers and 15 steals this year, cannon arm, good defensive routes, ladies' man
OF #7 Lance Manning, 32, (S/L), - 5'10 speedster continues to rack up the thefts, with 51 SB this year, beats out plenty of infield hits, learned some patience as well
OF #24 Ty Oliver, 21, (R/R) - Oliver is a freak of an athlete who made his big league debut last year, still kind of raw, but massive power and speed with an amazing arm
OF #29 Brandon Maynard, 25 (L/L), - Maynard is a flashy character rarely seen without his trademark gold chain and diamond earring studs, strong arm, big bat, great speed, better defense now
OF #10 Leon French, 32, (R/R), - poor batting average holding him back, but great power

Orlando Murray #55 (Manager)

Aubrey Bell #1 (Hitting Coach)

Greg Richardson #47 (Pitching Coach)

Dale Garner #9 (1st Base Coach)

Casey Cain #8 (3rd Base Coach)

Marcellus Maloney #15 (Bench Coach)

Rhett Upshaw #52 (Bullpen Coach)

Starting Lineup w/o DH
CF Lance Manning
LF Kelvin Freeman
RF Ty Oliver
3B Ken Morton
SS Darrin Werner
C Lamar Ford
1B Brooks Colvin
2B René Martel
P Pitcher's Spot

Starting Lineup w/DH vs. R
CF Lance Manning
LF Kelvin Freeman
DH Brandon Maynard
RF Ty Oliver
SS Darrin Werner
3B Ken Morton
C Lamar Ford
1B Brooks Colvin
2B René Martel

Starting Lineup w/DH vs. L
CF Lance Manning
LF Kelvin Freeman
RF Ty Oliver
DH Leon French
3B Ken Morton
SS Darrin Werner
1B Cliff Hammond
2B René Martel
C Lamar Ford

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my runscorers: Yes/No
Choose my lineup: Yes/No
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes/No
Godmod scoring events: Yes/No
RP injuries to my players: Yes/No, but not serious ones. Back stiffness, jammed fingers, bruises, etc. Nothing that would keep them out of the lineup for more than 1 game. Reciprocity is expected.
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes/No
Eject my players: Yes/No, maybe the manager, though.
Godmod other events: Yes/No
Use DH at home: Yes/No

by **Kaboomlandia** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 5:09 pm

Phoenix grimly chasing a playoff spot

Two huge wins of 8-2 and 9-2 over Mapletish helped propel Kaboomlandia's baseball team into third place in Group E as they try to catch Maklohi Vai and avoid a play-in round. The team is currently sitting third in Group E and third amongst third-place teams. The team initially blew out Mapletish with an easy 8-2 win, with Darrell Cantu only giving up five hits scattered across 7 and 2/3 innings before Glen Davidson came on as a closer. However, Mapletish made it close in the second game with a hard-fought 7-5 win. Alfredo Andrews had a bad night, giving up 11 hits in five innings before being pulled. Finally, in the third game, Kaboomlandia' bats came alive, chasing Victor Martinez with sixteen hits and six runs, including a fourth-inning grand slam that finally led Mapletish coach Corwin George to pull Martinez. With nine games left, the team will face heavily favoured Saintland in tomorrow's series.

by **Losthaven** » Tue Apr 26, 2016 8:14 am

Lilly Inokuchi-Song is a bit chilly, but the cloudless morning promises a warm afternoon:

Mount works beautifully:
but Humberto gives up three,
and loses his job.

Game two, the pen fares
not much better: Donnell
gives Waltersson three.

Our future looks bleak.
Tan, filling in for 'Berto,
lets a fateful run.

Poem the Seventh
Poem the Sixth
Poem the Fifth
Poem the Fourth
Poem the Third
Poem the Second
Poem the First

by **Ko-oren** » Tue Apr 26, 2016 12:55 pm

Part 2/2 of the Chromatika series (or is that 3/3?)

90 minutes and 27 innings were scheduled between the Union of Ko-oren and Chromatika within five days. First the AOCAF group stage match featuring a Ko-orenite team coming off of a 7-0 victory, a day off, and then three straight days of baseball with our team playing catch-up to Super-Llamaland. Two victories earlier over Devonta gave us a small edge in the fight for second place in the WBC group, and the series against Chromatika could really see us take off. Not a superfluous luxury with three games against Super-Llamaland coming up.

Anyhow, the AOCAF match ended in 1-1, a disappointment from our soccer team. They have gotten our hopes up with the 7-0 a couple days before.

The baseball series went a lot better. The results were better and our initial expectation was a lot lower too, which always helps. In fact, the results were as good as we could have hoped: three wins from three games.

Game one: KOR 8, CMT 2
Pitching: Sauvage (4 IP) - Kuipers (3 IP) - Uticensis (2 IP)
8 R, 14 H, 1 E

This game was as solid as can be. The Union recorded at least one hit in every single inning (that's eight innings) and the remaining six went towards the incredible streak of at least one run scored per inning between the fourth and seventh. Four straight innings with runs scored in them was a big setback to the Chromatik, but to be fair, they already were chasing the Dragonflies who scored a home run for three runs in the first inning. In pretty much every sense, this game was perfect, and luck was on our side as well.

Game two: KOR 3, CMT 2
Pitching: Geeshahn (6 IP) - De Wit (1.2 IP) - Sydney (1 IP) - Uticensis (0.1 IP)
3 R, 4 H, 2 E

This game was a 180 from the first one. Instead of Sauvage and Kuipers going through the entire game on the mound, it was Geeshahn going through the first two-thirds, and then three relief pitchers to close out the game in the last three innings. Furthermore, the Chromatik defence was a lot tighter: players were in the right place at the right time, the Chromatik pitchers had eyes in the backs of their heads for detecting stolen base attempts, and the Ko-orenite batters just couldn't seem to connect. Two errors, resulting in two runs, almost lost us the game. Sydney came in for just one inning and allowed Chromatika's second run, and minor injuries to Geeshahn and De Wit required us to need four pitchers in the first place. Dylan Shields was the big man for Ko-oren, keeping it cool behind the Chromatik batters, instrumental in keeping Chromatika's score low.

Game three: KOR 4, CMT 2
Pitching: Bae (8 IP) - Bourgeois (1 IP)
4 R, 9 H, 1 E

The Union is running low on healthy pitchers, so Bae had to sit through eight innings before Bourgeois came to replace him. Not that Bae was doing a bad job in those, he, the catcher and the defence kept Chromatika to two runs once again. On the batting side of the ball, Seixas, Conceição and Riley all hit twice, while Williamson, Shields and Bonnet all connected once. Nine hits, proof of the poor pitching choices made by Chromatika, but the excellent defence prevented these nine hits to do serious damage. In the second and third innings, Ko-oren scored three out of their four runs, and after that, the Dragonflies were largely kept harmless.

World Baseball Classic 36 Everything Thread (FINISHED)

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