World Baseball Classic 36 Everything Thread (FINISHED)

[Chromatika]

Reminder that home and away teams have been flipped for these matches.

Scorinated by Saintland
Super-Llamaland        0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0  5
Chromatika             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

#1 Super-Llamaland wins, 3-0.

Nova Anglicana         0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4  5
Saintland              2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  4

Nova Anglicana         0 0 0 0 0 4 0 3 1  8
Saintland              1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  3

Series tied 2-2.

Maklohi Vai            0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  4
Ko-oren                0 0 0 1 0 1 1 2 X  5

Maklohi Vai            1 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 0  6
Ko-oren                1 0 0 1 0 3 0 3 X  8

Series tied 2-2.

Ethane                 0 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  6
Jeckland               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1

#4 Ethane wins, 3-0.

South Yerfilag         1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0  3
Nassau-Hessen          0 0 0 1 0 2 3 0 X  6

#14 Nassau-Hessen wins, 3-0.

Frenline Delpha        1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 1  5
San Llera              1 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 X  6

Frenline Delpha        0 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0  7
San Llera              0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1  4

# 6 Frenlien Delpha wins, 3-1.

New Ducklands          0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0  4
Equestrian States      0 0 0 2 1 0 0 2 X  5

New Ducklands          0 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 1  6
Equestrian States      3 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 X  7

# 10 Equestrian States wins, 3-1.

Schiltzberg            0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1  3
Losthaven              0 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 X  4

Schiltzberg            0 0 0 1 4 0 0 1 0  6
Losthaven              0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  2

#2 Schiltzberg wins, 3-1.

---

Game 5

Nova Anglicana vs. Saintland @ National Stadium, Chromatik City First Pitch: 4:05 PM
Maklohi Vai vs. Ko-oren @ Logger Dome, Z'ai'ai First Pitch: 7:35 PM

---

Quarterfinals
QF1. #1 Super-Llamaland (27-6) vs. WRS2. @ Chromatik City Park, Chromatik City First Pitch: 4:05 PM
QF2. WRS3. vs. #4 Ethane (24-9) @ National Stadium, Chromatik City First Pitch: 7:35 PM
QF3. #14 Nassau-Hessen (19-14) vs. #6 Frenline Delpha (21-13) @ Logger Dome, Z'ai'ai First Pitch: 4:05 PM
QF4. #10 Equestrian States (20-14) vs. #2 Schiltzberg (25-9) @ Heroes Complex, Hanai First Pitch: 7:35 PM

[Ko-oren]

The Dragonflies faced elimination after game 2, but turned it around and won the next two over the longstanding baseball rivals. 5-4 and 8-6, it wasn't always world class and the wins certainly haven't been big... but it's been enough.

Check out UKO Sports 1 for the full game, live, as it is played in Chromatika!

See the two only slightly distinct shades of blue clash for the fifth time, to decide which team goes on to the quarterfinals. Yes, it might seem early for a game with this much hype, but you only get to tie up a series over such a huge rival so often. At 0-2 after the first two games, it was almost game over for the team, but the spirit shown in the next two games definitely gives us a chance to go far this WBC. And it has been a while since the team progressed past the Round of 16. It's Luciano Rivera and Estevan Pasion as starting pitchers. It's the northwest and the southeast of the greatest region in sports. It's two of the most successful nations in club baseball. What more do you want in a game?

[Schiltzberg]

The Widow

A little woman lives alone,
As old and wrinkled as a stone.
So long ago her date of birth.
Her modest height and feeble girth.
Her humble life and simple styles.
She sits and knits and gently smiles.

Her curvy lips and weary eyes.
A mouth that never knew of lies.
She's wrinkled up with gentle lines
That show themselves when the sun shines.
These hands of love that shake with age;
So tender, never knowing rage.

She sits and knits, a gentle fate,
And patiently she seems to wait.
With confidence, her fingers travel
To make a knot that won't unravel.
She's never sinned or been in naught,
And peacefully she sits in thought.

The widow, she does know her time
Is at her back and past her prime,
But she just smiles and dreams at last
Of meeting with her man who passed
And left from this world years ago
Into the place we've yet to go.

And so in peace she simply sits,
And, with a smile, she gently knits
Out on the porch until the night;
She goes inside, turns out the light,
And goes to bed; she falls asleep.
Her body still, her soul to keep.

[Ethane]

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Sweet revenge

The Ethanian baseball team are through to the next round in the World Baseball Classic after sweeping the team from Jeckland 3 games to 0, avenging their loss at the previous World Baseball Classic.

A strong performance in the final game ensured that the team, who have been on the best form of their lives in this tournament, managed to proceed without a loss after the group stages.

The first two games against Jeckland in the Round of 16 saw both as highly contested games, with both teams providing the other with a massive challenge. However, two narrow games which both were victories for Ethane gave the Ethanians the upper edge, and put the Jeckish players in a difficult position to come back from, especially considering their recent form in the group stages.

This put the Ethanians clearly on top, and with a simple path to staying in the tournament, of just winning one of the next two games. Having only scored 5 runs in the first two games though, both low scoring games, the pressure was on, with the Jeckish team easily in a position to pounce. However, with the Jeckland team having not scored a single run in the first two games against the Ethanians in the round of 16, the pressure was more on them to get some points on the board, and put some pressure on the Ethanians.

Into the third game, the Ethanians went out all guns blazing, wanting to secure their position in the tournament as quickly as possible, and that they did well. A flurry of home runs in the second and third innings, five over the two, put the Ethanians right out in front, in a dominant position, and leaving the Jeckish players in a tough position to come back from, needing to put up a big response and soon.

However, it was not to be the Jeckland team who scored the next home run, it was once again Ethane, who put another home run on to the board to stick them six out in front at the end of the second over. A wisp of a response from the Jeckish team did come in the final innings, but it was too little, too late for them, as they only managed to get one run on the board, leaving them having scored only 1 home run over the 27 innings that have been played between the Ethanians and the Jeckish players in the Round of 16.

This bodes well for the Ethanians going into the next games, against whoever wins between Ko-oren and Maklohi Vai, as this is not the first clean sweep that the Ethanians have pulled off. It will be against stronger opponents, as shown by the tough game between the two opponents to decide who will be playing the Ethanians, but the team certainly have the potential to come out of the next round of the World Baseball Classic on the inside of the tournament, rather than the outside.

[Chromatika]

Saintland              1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  3
Nova Anglicana         0 0 1 0 3 0 0 1 X  5

#8 Nova Anglicana wins, 3-2.

Ko-oren                0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Maklohi Vai            0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 X  4

#5 Maklohi Vai wins, 3-2.

---

Quarterfinals
QF1. #1 Super-Llamaland (27-6) vs. #8 Nova Anglicana (21-14) @ Chromatik City Park, Chromatik City First Pitch: 4:05 PM
QF2. #5 Maklohi Vai (24-11) vs. #4 Ethane (24-9) @ National Stadium, Chromatik City First Pitch: 7:35 PM
QF3. #14 Nassau-Hessen (19-14) vs. #6 Frenline Delpha (21-13) @ Logger Dome, Z'ai'ai First Pitch: 4:05 PM
QF4. #10 Equestrian States (20-14) vs. #2 Schiltzberg (25-9) @ Heroes Complex, Hanai First Pitch: 7:35 PM
Higher Seed is home team for Games 1 & 2.

[Frenline Delpha]

Frenlinian Factation

---

Article A

5/4/16

---

Five Run Second Sees Series Win

Frenlinian players dogpile after clinching the series win over San Llera.

Round-of-Sixteen
Best-of-5

Frenline Delpha wins series 3-1

Game 1: San Llera 3 Frenline Delpha 4
Game 2: San Llera 2 Frenline Delpha 4
Game 3: Frenline Delpha 5 San Llera 6
Game 4: Frenline Delpha 7 San Llera 4

The Anacondas had the proverbial golden goose given to them during game three. They had a four to three lead going into the bottom of the eighth. All they'd need was two solid innings from their closer, Wiley, and the Anacondas would advance to the quarter-finals. However, the Anacondas committed two errors that inning, and the Swagfish scored three runs. In the end, the Anacondas scored one run in the ninth, but it wasn't enough. San Llera had managed to survive another game. However, the Anacondas wouldn't let the golden sand slip through their fingers in game four.

Both teams went down one, two, three in the first inning, but the Anacondas were the team that opened the floodgates in the top of the second. Lutwang started off the inning with a scorching double that landed on the warning track. He was held up at second when the throw from the left fielder came in quicker than expected because of the short walls. Manteis decided to do something about the batter that the Anacondas now had on second, and he slapped the ball off his bat's sweet spot. It traveled higher and higher, until it reached the second row of the outfield stands, and the Anacondas had an early two to nothing lead. The Swagfish had still yet to record an out, and this streak continued when Trifort took a 2-2 count to left field on a hard grounder. He raced to first, and he arrived years before the throw. With one runner on base, Jehosez capitalized on the plate that was put before him. A pitch that curved went just high enough for Jehosez to get a nice crack at it, and the ball rocketed towards the right field wall. Unfortunately, it landed short of the wall, bouncing off the wall. Trifort zoomed all the way home, and Jehosez held up at second. The Anacondas now had a 3-0 lead. However, they weren'y done scoring for that inning, as they wanted to keep increasing their lead over the Swagfish. Defelt kept up the htting streak, as he also went yard on an 0-2 count. The ball bounced off a fan's glove and fell back into the field, but the home run still counted, giving the Anacondas a five to nothing lead. The next three batters went down, and the five run inning was over.

Therw would not be another run scored until the fourth inning. The first batter of the inning, Trifort, led off in exemplary fashion, as his hit went theiught he infield, giving him the lead-off double. Jehosez followed that up with a banging double, hit gave Frenline Delpha runners on both second and third. Defelt then stepped up, and he singled theough a gap into left field. This allowed Trifort to score. Jehosez also advanced to third. However, Hector struck out, and Lain ground into a double play, ending the inning. San Llera would also score in the bottom of the fourth when Jarita homered to left field.

San Llera would gather up two runs in the second to draw the game back to a 6-3 score. Batto started out the inning with a hard liner that rolled all the way to the wall. Cabrera then hit an infield single that rolled into the shortstops glove right when Cabrera hit first. Batto managed to reach third on the play, and he was hit in by the next batter when Norman hit a high fly ball that was caught by the right fielder. Batto tagged up, and he slid into home, giving the Swagfish their second run. Poralio then hit a little blooper that landed in the outfield, and that allowed Cabrera to advance to third. Poresso wouldn't hit a sacrifice fly, but he did get Cabrera in. On a three-one pitch, Poresso crushed the ball into left field. This put Poralio on third, and the Swagfish had their second run that inning. Unfortunately for them, Jarita and Abela grounded out and flew out respectively, and the inning came to an end.

As the game drew to a close, the Anacondas poured on a little insurance in the eighth when Jehosez crushed a ball into deep left that went far into the second row. San Llera reatliated in the ninth with a sacrifice fly by Cabrera. In the end, the Anacondas closed out the rest of the inning on three quick outs, and the game was over.

Zenryks pulled the win for the Anacondas, giving up three runs and six hits, with 27 batters faced. He also struck out nine, and threw seven innings of work. Smithley collected the save, going two in ings, giving up one earned run on 2 hits, and he faced eight batters. The loss belongs to Swagfish pitcher Bora, who went four innings, giving up six runs on nine hits. He also struck out two players, and he faced 19 batters. Vasco gained a no decision, giving up one run on eight hits through five innings of work.

Frenline Delpha        0 5 0  1 0 0  0 1 0    7 17 0
San Llera              0 0 0  1 2 0  0 0 1    4  8 0

[Maklohi Vai]

Jack Johnson reviews the Round of 16 and looks ahead to the quarterfinals

[Ethane]

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Vai-ing for Win

Ethane will be facing Maklohi Vai in the Semi-Finals of the World Baseball Classic, and both will be fighting it out, vying for the win.

The Ethanians will be looking to continue their incredulous form tonight as they face the team from Maklohi Vai. The team, which is from the nation with the awesome tournament reviews, has not had quite such a clear path to their position here in this tournament, after Ko-oren gave them a run for their money in the Round of 16.

This game is expected to be a tough game for both teams, as they both finished top of their groups, with a 21-9 record, and are seeded #4 and #5 respectively.

However, with the results from the Round of 16, the Ethanians are confident that they can pull off the victory in the most contentious game they have played so far in the tournament. Their great form in the Round of 16, where they swept the #13 seed Jeckland 3 games to 0 contrasts with the Round of 16 of the Maklohi Vai team, who were only just able to scrape through to face Ethane, winning their Round of 16 against Ko-oren 3 games to 0.

That does not mean that the Maklohi Vai team will be giving the Ethanians an easy ride though, and it is expected to be a real challenge for both sides. Both sides are going to playing for the win, and Vai-ing to progress in to the Semi-Finals of this World Baseball Classic.

[Chromatika]

Here's your Quarterfinals Games 1 &2 Cutoff! Remember that higher seed bats second in the first two games.

@ Chromatik City Park, Chromatik City 4:05 PM
Nova Anglicana         0 0 1 0 1 1 0 2 0  5
Super-Llamaland        4 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 X  8

Nova Anglicana         0 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 0  5
Super-Llamaland        0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Series tied 1-1.

@ National Stadium, Chromatik City 7:35 PM
Maklohi Vai            0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Ethane                 3 1 0 2 0 0 0 6 X 12

Maklohi Vai            0 0 1 1 0 0 1 3 1  7
Ethane                 0 0 4 2 0 2 0 1 X  9

#4 Ethane leads 2-0.

@ Logger Dome, Z'ai'ai 4:05 PM
Nassau-Hessen          3 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  6
Frenline Delpha        2 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 1  7

Nassau-Hessen          0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2  4
Frenline Delpha        0 1 3 0 1 2 1 0 X  8

#6 Frenline Delpha leads 2-0.

@ Heroes Complex, Hanai 7:35 PM
Equestrian States      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Schiltzberg            0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 X  5

Equestrian States      0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
Schiltzberg            0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 X  3

#2 Schiltzberg leads 2-0.

---

Quarterfinals Games 3 & 4 (If necessary)
QF1. #1 Super-Llamaland (28-7) vs. #8 Nova Anglicana (22-15) @ Chromatik City Park, Chromatik City First Pitch: 7:35 PM
QF2. #5 Maklohi Vai (24-13) vs. #4 Ethane (26-9) @ National Stadium, Chromatik City First Pitch: 4:05 PM
QF3. #14 Nassau-Hessen (19-16) vs. #6 Frenline Delpha (23-13) @ Logger Dome, Z'ai'ai First Pitch: 7:35 PM
QF4. #10 Equestrian States (20-16) vs. #2 Schiltzberg (27-9) @ Heroes Complex, Hanai First Pitch: 4:05 PM
Lower seeded teams bat second in Games 3 & 4.

[Super-Llamaland]

NO TIME FOR CAUTION: TIGERS FACE FAMILIAR FOE IN QUARTERFINALS

Fourteen games played, ten of them in the playoffs. The rivalry between the Nova Anglicana Lions and Super-Llamaland Tigers dates back to the twenty-eighth World Baseball Classic, some thirty years ago, and is about to enter Round Seven. The two nations, between them, have nine podium finishes from the WBC and IBS, and while neither team is at their peak, both are still formidable teams with the talent to go deep into the WBC.

Which, of course, is why they’ve been drawn together in the quarterfinals again. Let’s recap the first six times these two teams met.

IBS 3 Group Stage

The first time the Tigers and Lions met, the Tigers were an IBS powerhouse while Nova Anglicana had never played - both played that way, Ryan Lucas throwing a complete game while the Tigers offense chased Felix Murphy from the game early in a 6-2 victory. In the reverse fixture, though, Nova Anglicana routed the Tigers, chasing Rick Jackson from the game early while not allowing any extra-base hits. Still, the Tigers recovered, going 5-1 to win the group and face...Nova Anglicana in the quarterfinals.
IBS 3 Quarterfinals
Things looked fine for the Tigers, who were leading going into the final innings...until the bullpen exploded and the team lost on consecutive doubles by the Lions. In the second game, the Tigers led 2-0 until reliever Robby Irving gave up a walk-off three-run home run to Brice Napier, sealing the Tigers’ fate and sending the Lions to the semifinals.
WBC28 Semifinals
For both teams, it was their most successful classic - either had even made the quarterfinals before. But here they were, the Tigers out for revenge, both scrapping for a spot in the finals. Nova Anglicana struck first, battering Leo Davis for nine runs - by the time the Tigers rallied to close the game from twelve to eight, it was too late and Nova Anglicana was on the brink of another upset. Chris Lee, before the second game, told his teammates “don’t pack your bags, I’m winning us a Game Three tonight” and delivered, throwing a scintillating one-hit shutout to win 5-0 and send the series to a decisive game three. In that game three, with the game deadlocked at one apiece in the eighth inning, a two-run Brett Rochester go-ahead double won the game for the Tigers, sending them to the finals, where they’d defeat Sangti to win their first of three WBC titles.
IBS 4 Group Stage
After the resounding success of WBC28, the Tigers went into IBS IV looking for more, while Nova Anglicana wanted revenge. Both would get their shot when they were drawn into the same group - in the end, though, the Tigers lost 4-3, Roman Jennings’ home run the game’s highlight. In their second match, the Lions pounded the Llamaneans, who by then had fallen flat on their face with a disappointing loss to the Lunar Republic Islands, and would eventually crash out of the IBS group stage entirely.
IBS 5 semifinals
In what many called the “Revenge Cup” for a Super-Llamaland team that would face familiar foes Mosktopia, Jeckland, and San Jose Guayabal, as well as Nova Anglicana, the Tigers would (spoiler alert) surprise everyone by winning the Slam while not being a certain totalitarian state. To do so, in the semifinals, they overcame a 10-5 loss in the first game, returning the favor with a 10-4 thumping in game two and scoring fourteen against Nova Anglicana to advance to the finals.
WBC31 quarterfinals
Arguably the most dominant of the Tigers’ victories (despite the 29-run barrage in IBS 5), the Tigers journeyed to Imota, rather than Nova Anglicana’s home soil, to face the Lions. They won both games quickly, 4-2 and 6-4, quashing the Lions’ hopes of a championship in Archbishop Stadium.

[Chromatika]

@ Chromatik City Park, Chromatik City 7:35 PM
Super-Llamaland        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
Nova Anglicana         0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 X  2

Super-Llamaland        0 0 3 0 1 1 0 2 0  7
Nova Anglicana         1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0  4

Series tied, 2-2.

@ National Stadium, Chromatik City 4:05 PM
Ethane                 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0  4
Maklohi Vai            0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 2  5

Ethane                 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Maklohi Vai            0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 X  2

Series tied, 2-2.

@ Logger Dome, Z'ai'ai 7:35 PM
Frenline Delpha        0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 3  6
Nassau-Hessen          0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2

#6 Frenline Delpha wins series 3-0.

@ Heroes Complex, Hanai 4:05 PM
Schiltzberg            0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 2  8
Equestrian States      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

#2 Schiltzberg wins series 3-0.

---

Quarterfinals Game 5 scorinated tomorrow, late evening
QF1. #1 Super-Llamaland (29-8) vs. #8 Nova Anglicana (23-16) @ Chromatik City Park, Chromatik City First Pitch: 4:05 PM
QF2. #5 Maklohi Vai (26-13) vs. #4 Ethane (26-11) @ National Stadium, Chromatik City First Pitch: 7:35 PM
Ethane is the home team for the match.

---

Semifinals scorinated Sunday, regular time
SF1. WQF1. vs. WQF2. @ National Stadium, Chromatik City First Pitch: 4:05 PM
SF2. #6 Frenline Delpha (24-13) vs. #2 Schiltzberg (28-9) @ Logger Dome, Z'ai'ai First Pitch: 7:35 PM
Higher seeded team is the home team for the first two matches.

[Super-Llamaland]

note: I'm using the previously established precedent that I can change the linescore if the overall score is kept intact, if this isn't okay TG me

Super-Llamaland        0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 5  7
Nova Anglicana         1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0  4

E. LeROUX: 6 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 3 K/2 BB, 107 pitches
R. LEWICKI (W, 1-0): 2 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 K/0 BB, 25 pitches
H. VALENTIN (SV, 2): 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 K/1 BB, 19 pitches

The score was 4-2, Nova Anglicana. It was the ninth inning. Nova Anglicana led the quarterfinal series two to one - an Anglican victory would seal the Tigers' fate. The bullpen's hideous performance to date had forced Alex Cameron to keep starter Emma LeRoux in for far too long - LeRoux, in one of the biggest games of the season, turned in a mediocre outing, and the Tigers' offense couldn't compensate. Now, the Llamanean national baseball team was on the brink of elimination.

"Guys, listen up," Alex Cameron said as the team grimly trotted into the dugout following a scoreless inning from reliever Ryan Lewicki. "Vjaalsburg, our ally, and where many of you have immigrated from, has suffered a terrorist attack. The people of Super-Llamaland, all of them, are reeling. All of FLULON recoils with them."

"Yeah?" said Sofia Rasmussen, who was, coincidentally, first to bat.

"You need to win for them. If the people Vjaalsburg can survive being destroyed with nuclear weapons, you can win a baseball game. Go out there and hit," he said, and turned away.

Rasmussen shrugged. The twenty-two-year-old catcher had already established herself as a team leader. "You heard him. Let's go out there and win."
---
Colby Walker, a flamethrowing closer with a history of success with DC Brewers, was on the mound. Facing him down: Sofia Rasmussen, who was hitting over .300 over the WBC. Walker's first pitch was way outside - maybe the pressure of facing down a rival, which caused him to walk two batters the night before, was getting to him? His second pitch was a well-placed slider on the inside corner. Rasmussen, waiting for a fastball, was caught awkwardly in front, fouling it off. The third pitch was a devastating high fastball. Rasmussen took a short, pinballesque swing, punching it down the first-base line and barely past Brooks Colvin.

It would be the slugging Blair Everett to enter. Walker, conscious of Everett's five home runs in just thirteen games, was much more cautious. Still, Colby Walker continued his success at the WBC, freezing Everett with a changeup on the outside black and getting two chases on a low-and-in fastball Everett couldn't quite golf. On the second fastball, though, Everett managed to get her bat to the ball and foul it off.

Rasmussen led off first. Everett dug in. Colby Walker threw his seventh pitch of the night - it was a knee-high fastball. Everett pulled it down the left-field line and took off. As the crowd watched with bated breath, Kelvin Freeman in left field sprinted towards the ball, diving, and stopping the ball - on the hop. Rasmussen to second, Everett to first, nobody out. The speedster Jason Fernandez trots in, pinch-hitting for Everett.

And then Colby Walker had been taken out of the game, replaced by Lucius Lavoie. Owen Duffy stepped into the batters' box, tapped both cleats with his bat, and stood in. From the dugout, Cameron signalled and the runners took off. Lavoie threw a tumbling curveball - Duffy, knees buckling, dove out, swinging with one hand, selling out to make any contact on the ball. He squirts it down the third-base line. It trickles foul.

Across Super-Llamaland, across what remains of Vjaalsburg, people are watching the Tigers as they attempt to make their comeback.
***
Lavoie's next pitch is a changeup - but it's poorly disguised, although it has some horizontal movement, and the veteran right-fielder catches on almost instantly. He swings and lines the ball into right field. Rasmussen takes off - she's fast for a catcher, and she has a good jump. Jason Fernandez sprints out of first base so quickly his helmet falls off. He rounds second quickly and chugs onwards. Ty Oliver, too, takes off - everyone in the stadium knows how powerful his arm is. But Rasmussen rounds third anyways. Oliver cuts it off in deep right center, scoops it up, and throws home. Darrin Werner reels in the ball - it's too late to gun down Sofia Rasmussen. But everyone is screaming, throw the ball, and Werner turns around and it's Jason Fernandez suicidally sprinting around third, the third-base coach desperately trying to stop him but now it's too late and he's halfway home, and Werner, panicked, throws a strike to the catcher.

Lamar Ford turns around, ball in mitt, and gets a faceful of Jason Fernandez. The outfielder plows into Ford, all 180 pounds of him, trying to knock the ball out of Ford's mitt with the full force of his relatively slim frame. One hand rams into Ford's chest, sending him backwards as the catcher desperately tries to tag him out, and the other seeks out home plate like a divining rod. Fernandez tumbles over and slides past Ford, but not too far as to pull his outstretched, gloved hand off the plate, and the stadium is electric, and all eyes are on the home plate empire.

Fernandez is safe. The score is tied at four. Vjaalsburg erupts.

It's Michael Wan who is pinch-hitting. The slight utility-man faces off against Lavoie, the stadium still reeling with euphoria and disbelief. The atmosphere is contagious. The Tigers' dugout might as well be readying champagne.

Lavaoie's first pitch is a waist-high fastball. Wan turns and knocks it high into deep left-center. Lance Manning turns and runs, hoping to get to the ball before Duffy can score from second base, and then he throws up his glove because the ball is over the fence. Six-four.

It's silly to expect the game to heal FLULON. Super-Llamaland is still in crisis. Vjaalsburg hasn't been rebuilt. But it sure felt good.

[Nova Anglicana]

Chromatik City, Chromatika

Nova Anglicana Lions manager Orlando Murray's post-game press conference

Orlando Murray sat alone at a table at the front of the room. Before him was a sea of reporters, eager to ask him about his team's loss, where they had blown a two-run lead in the ninth and a chance to win the series against bitter rivals Super-Llamaland.

"I'll take questions now."

A young man in the front row urgently identified himself and asked his question. "Chris Long, Nikcoro Herald. Mr. Murray, why aren't you joined by any of your players?"

"The team needs to focus on Game 5 tomorrow. I don't want any unnecessary distractions. I can answer any question you can ask. John?"

John Engel, the Londinium Courier's top baseball reporter, asked, "Orlando, can you talk to us about the play at the plate between Jason Fernandez and Lamar Ford?"

"We weren't happy that the umpiring crew allowed Fernandez to throw a stiff-arm like he did. Now, I'm not saying I disagreed with the collision itself. That's a baseball play. Lamar's taken much harder hits than that and I think he did a great job. I just don't think a push-off is a legitimate baseball play. You can try to knock the ball out of the catcher's glove by running into him. But planting one hand in the catcher's chest is not a baseball play. I was disappointed by the ump's call. But that's over. We have to focus on winning Game 5 now."

A Chromatik reporter was next to ask a question. "Mr. Murray, you're talking a lot about the final game in this series. But you have your #5 starter going. Do you really think this is the best decision?"

"I'm confident in Cole [Mayberry]. He's pitched very well for us throughout the whole tournament. I hope you haven't forgotten that he tossed six innings of two-run ball in the final game against Saintland in the Round of 16. I like all the pitchers on our staff and I trust them enough to use any of them tomorrow."

A reporter from New Llama stood up to ask the next question. "Mr. Murray, this is your first experience of the Super-Llamaland and Nova Anglicana rivalry. What do you think?"

"I can see why this is one of the best rivalries in international baseball. It's my first go-round and a lot of our guys' first go-round as well. There really aren't that many folks left over from WBC 31, the last time we played. I really enjoy the rivalry. Both teams are tremendously talented and tremendously competitive. I love that we're going to a Game 5. We're not intimidated, and they aren't either. That's just the way it should be. I think the winner of this series has to be the favorite to win it all. I really believe that. That's how good both teams are. It's going to be a heckuva game tomorrow. One last question."

Jessica Monaghan of the Eboracum Times-News got the last question. "Orlando, any update on the status of René Martel? Do you expect him to be available for tomorrow's game?"

"Team doctors are calling it a mild sprain. He's going to rest up tonight and we'll re-evaluate it in the morning. I thought Scott [Lindsey] did a great job filling in for him yesterday and I trust him to play all nine innings tomorrow if we need him to. Gonna be a great game. Thank you all. Good night."

[Schiltzberg]

The Legend of Tom Stone

You can't stick around; you're on the run.
He left town when I got my gun.
Every night, I hunted for his bone.
He hides alone, I am Tom Stone.

Every night and day, he hit the trail.
I wouldn't rest until the coward paled.
Every night, the bullet I did bite.
Every night and day, I had to fight.

I looked up at the gallows on the ridge.
I caught his tracks, so I crossed the bridge.
I followed his fresh footsteps all around,
'Til found him in a cave outside of town.

He looked at me in horror and asked me why,
Then, I took and shot him in the thigh.
When he cried, I shot him in the head.
When he cried again, I shot him dead.

You can't stick around; you're on the run.
He left town when I got my gun.
Every night, I hunted for his bone.
He hides alone, I am Tom Stone.

I disposed of his body in the well.
If sheriff caught me, then he'd give me hell,
But that man had killed one of my own.
I daresay my hatred had yet grown.

I came across Craw County, south of here.
I must admit, I grabbed myself a beer.
I had a feeling that his ghost was near,
But the influence made my fear unclear.

Good Old Faithful brought me south of town.
I unsaddled, and put ear to ground.
Sheriff came and asked why I'm alone.
I looked at him and told him I'm Tom Stone.

The sheriff asked me why the hell I'd run,
But I answer questions with my gun.
I took his beer and shot his horse for fun.
Just a crazy cowboy on the run.

You can't stick around; you're on the run.
Run around, but it's me with the gun.
Good Old Faithful helps me track you down.
You're all alone, I am Tom Stone.

Back in town, a man left the saloon.
The bullet struck his head like a harpoon.
I liked the way his body turned maroon.
You don't mess around here at high noon.

I came across two more to blow to Hell.
The deputy who rose ain't here to tell.
When I'm in town, they take and ring the bell,
But I just send them right on back to Hell.

You can't stick around; you're on the run.
Run around, but it's me with the gun.
Good old faithful helps me track you down.
You're all alone, I am Tom Stone.

Soldier men did hear and come around.
Wasn't long before they brought me down.
All it took was one small piece of lead
To take me down and send me back to bed.

It ain't hard to take down fourteen men.
It won't be long before I rise again.
Now, I ain't much more than skin and bone,
Yet here I am, I am Tom Stone.

[Ethane]

Explosive News: Sports
World Baseball Classic

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

Team left in precarious position

The Ethanian Red Kites position in the semi-finals of this tournament are in doubt as the Maklohi Vai team came from 2 games down to level the series at 2 games apiece.

A disappointing game three and four in the series for Ethane to any stretch of the imagination.

Having managed to get themselves into a position where it appeared that they would easily wrap up the series win in the first part of the series, the team failed to grapple on to the advantage they had gained, and allowed the Maklohi Vaians to rekindle their hopes with 2 emotional victories for their team in game three and four of the series.

The Ethanians are bound to be extremely disappointed with this result, and are likely to be looking into what went wrong in the third and fourth game of this series, in the hope that whatever led to them surrendering their advantage in the series can be corrected for the fifth and final deciding game of the series.

---

Analysis
By Edward Horthrow

The Ethanian team are likely shocked by their inability to wrap up that series, when the first two games they had so easily.

Having gained such a dominant advantage in the first two games of this series, everyone was expecting them to continue with their truly remarkable form in the rest of the series, and wrap up the series win fairly quickly.

However, it was not to be so easy for them, as it appears, and the team have, surprisingly, considering their form in the tournament so far, struggled to wrap up the series that they were so far ahead it. Whether this is just an anomaly, and the Maklohi Vai team was having a good day, or whether this is indicative of a deep-rooted problem in the Ethane baseball team to wrap up series victories when the going gets tough, we can not know at this stage, but they will certainly be looking into what went wrong in the third and fourth game of the series, in the hope of finding out what went wrong, to correct their mistakes in the final game of the series, to progress to the semi-finals.

---

Game Review
By Harry Cook

Maklohi Vai            0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Ethane                 3 1 0 2 0 0 0 6 X 12

The team were looking so strong in the immediate games of this series, as they crushed the Maklohi Vaian team in a humiliating match for the Vaians. The immediate onslaught that the Ethanians shoved on the Maklohi Vai team proved to be a challenge that they were not able to put up with, and which they clearly could not come back from, as the Ethanians stormed ahead in the first game to a lead of 6 by the end of the 4th innings. The only answer the Vaians had to this was 1 run in the 7th, but a further 6 runs for the Ethanians left them way ahead in the game, which they won 12 runs to 1.

Maklohi Vai            0 0 1 1 0 0 1 3 1  7
Ethane                 0 0 4 2 0 2 0 1 X  9

The second game saw another high-scoring run, but it did prove to be much closer for both teams, as the Vaians did stage a comeback towards the end of the innings, which we know now was indicative of what was to come. Again, the initial onslaught at the start of the game in the first 4 innings or so - which seems to be the Ethanian's strongest point of play - saw the Ethane team take a 6 run lead in the game by the end of the 4th innings, replicating the lead they had in the first game, a position which would have been difficult for the Vaians to come back from. A further 2 runs in the 6th compounded the misery for the opposite team, and showed that the Ethane players did have some play left in the back parts of their game - something that had been lacking for them most of this tournament. The Maklohi Vai team was not disheartened by the dominant position that the Ethane players had in the game though, and staged a comeback of sorts in the final three innings, to add to their two previous runs in the third and fourth innings. They were not quite able to get the win though, as they fell two runs short, giving the Ethanian team the 2 game advantage in the series.

The Ethanians, with their dominant lead, were expected to have it in the bag with their dominant position though, and the results for the second two games were highly surprising for both teams, and left the series to a final fifth deciding game.

Ethane                 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0  4
Maklohi Vai            0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 2  5

In the third game of the series, the Ethane team once again played with ferocity at the start, and middle section of the game, pulling ahead massively in the first 5 innings, taking a 4 run lead. At this point, it was highly expected that the Ethanian team would win the game and take the series victory 3-0, but the Vaians had something else to say about the matter. Unlike in the first two games, the Maklohi Vai team responded quickly to the onslaught from Ethane, tallying 3 runs in the 5th and 6th innings to put the score in the game at 4-3 to the Ethanians at the end of the sixth. It was clear that the Maklohi Vaian team would need to score a decent number of runs in the remaining few innings, and prevent Ethane from scoring, and that is just what they did. An emotional final innings in the third game of the series saw the Vaians avert an Ethanian series win at the last minute, by scoring two massive runs, to stay in the series, with a game win of 5 runs to the Ethane team's 4.

Ethane                 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Maklohi Vai            0 0 1 0 0 0 X 0 1  2

(I have utilised the previously established precedent which dictates that I may edit the linescore of a game in the World Baseball Classic, provided that the overall score result remains intact. If I have made an error in assuming that this is an authorised action, then please send me a telegram, so that I may proceed to correct the error I have made.)

The fourth game proved to be a much calmer, slower, lower scoring game than the other three, almost like the teams were taking respite from the three very high scoring games they had played against each other so far. There was no onslaught by Ethane at the start of the game, something which left the team in a weak position for the rest of the game, as they seemed to be much stronger near the start, and much weaker towards the end of the games they played, which left the game open for anyone to take. A run in the third innings for Ethane saw them take the immediate lead, but a very quick response from the Vaians saw them score a run to level the game 1-1 on runs. An uneventful, and rather boring game saw the game go to the final innings, in which Ethane scored nothing in. It was all down to Maklohi Vai to decide who would win the game, and they took their chance to take the victory, taking the series to a 5th and final game, and keeping their team's hopes alive.

---

Both teams will be looking to their final games to secure the series win, and progress to the semi-finals, where they will be facing either Super-Llamaland, or Nova Anglicana, depending on who wins the respective game, after their series also went to a 2-2 tie after 4 games were played.

A strong showing in these games have definitely left both Ethane and Maklohi Vai teams in with a chance of winning the series, after a strong performance in the first two games of the series showed the strength of the Ethanian attack, and the third and fourth game for Maklohi Vai showing the strength of their pitching and damage limitation, as well as their ability to perform under pressure and get themselves back into a game.

The Ethanians are definitely in the stronger position to win, as while the series is currently level at 2 games apiece, the Ethanian team has been the far more dominant team, as shown by the humiliation of the Vaian team in the first game, and the 2 run win in the second game, in contrast to only 1 run wins in both the third and fourth games of the series.

However, if the Maklohi Vai team can either replicate their performance in the third game, in which they limited the score of the Ethanians, so that they did not get to a score of which they could come back to, and then performing under pressure to take the win in the final innings, or their performance in the fourth game, where they managed to completely neutralise the initial Ethanians onslaught through their strong pitching, then the team will be able to achieve what they came here for, and defeat Ethane to progress to the semi-finals of the tournament, leaving the Ethanian record in the World Baseball Classic at the quarter-finals so far, in the hope of coming back next time to do more damage.

With both teams vying for this win, we can certainly expect this to be a hotly contested and close match for both teams, and there to be a lot of tension between the players of both sides.

[Chromatika]

@ Chromatik City Park, Chromatik City 4:05 PM
Nova Anglicana         0 3 0 0 0 3 0 1 0  7
Super-Llamaland        0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1  3

#8 Nova Anglicana wins series, 3-2.

@ National Stadium, Chromatik City 7:35 PM
Maklohi Vai            4 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  8
Ethane                 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  3

#5 Maklohi Vai wins series, 3-2.

---

Semifinals
SF1. #8 Nova Anglicana (24-16) vs. #5 Maklohi Vai (27-13) @ National Stadium, Chromatik City First Pitch: 4:05 PM
SF2. #6 Frenline Delpha (24-13) vs. #2 Schiltzberg (28-9) @ Logger Dome, Z'ai'ai First Pitch: 7:35 PM
Higher seeded team is the home team for the first two matches.

[Nova Anglicana]

Chromatik City Park, Chromatik City

Cole Mayberry trotted off the field. He'd just gotten Maddie Polanco to roll over to second baseman Scott Lindsey for the last out of the fifth inning. The Super-Llamaland Tigers had gotten a leadoff double by Owen Duffy. With Duffy dancing around at second, provoking a few step-offs from Mayberry, he'd lost Jason Fernandez, walking the swing-happy center fielder. Down 3-1, Alex Cameron had pinch-hit for his ace Justin Zheng with slugger Blair Everett. Everett had chased a 2-1 changeup and hit a tailor-made double play ball to shortstop Darrin Werner. The flip to Lindsey for one and on to first to get Everett for the second out. With a chance to get out of the inning unharmed, Mayberry had gotten Xander Fiers down 0-2, but Fiers smashed a 2-2 fastball into right field to knock in Duffy and close the gap to 3-2. Polanco had finally succumbed after a 10-pitch battle.

Manager Orlando Murray patted him on the back as he entered the dugout. "Good job, son. Just want to let you know; if your spot comes up and we have a chance to score, I'm going to pinch-hit."

Mayberry nodded. It made sense. You had to take advantage of every opportunity. You didn't usually score three runs off Justin Zheng, so beating up on the bullpen was the only way to make sure you didn't waste your good fortune.

Leading off the inning was Darrin Werner against the Llamanean middle reliever Max Szennes. Szennes had flashed his devastating slider earlier in the series and was a force to be reckoned with. Szennes started Werner off with a fastball. 94 on the outside black is impossible to hit. 0-1. A fastball high; 1-1. 94 mph fastball down the middle; fouled straight back, 1-2. Everyone in the ball park knew what was coming next. Werner knew the slider would go out of the zone, but he had to swing at it anyway. He just got a piece to stay alive. Slider outside. 2-2. The next pitch was a mistake, a cement-mixer slider that Werner rapped into left field for a single. The catcher Lamar Ford blooped one over third baseman Stephan Danilo's head, but a heads-up play by Tanya Ericsson kept Werner from advancing to third. Brooks Colvin flailed at three sliders and missed all of them for the first out of the inning. Scott Lindsey hit a smash to the right side that Higgs-Novak, the second baseman, barely got a glove on, but recovered to throw him out at first. Runners on second and third with two outs. Murray sent up lefty Brandon Maynard to pinch-hit, which prompted the Llamanean manager Cameron to bring on Justin Knutsen. Maynard had faced Knutsen once before in the series and had struck out. With a 2-2 count, Knutsen threw his signature "Knut" pitch, but Maynard reached out over the plate and flipped it into left field for a base hit, scoring Werner. Ericsson's strong throw and Ford's only decent speed kept him from scoring as well.

Lance Manning strode up to the plate. Here was a conundrum. Manning was a switch-hitter, and Knutsen threw right-handed, but it wasn't that simple. Knutsen was great against lefties, perhaps even better against them than against righties. Manning thought about for a moment and decided to bat right-handed. After seeing four "Knuts" go by for a 2-2 count, Manning finally swung when Knutsen tried to sneak a conventional fastball by him. He knocked a base hit into center field to score Ford and make it 5-2. Kelvin Freeman, the left-handed hitting left fielder, stepped up to the plate next and whomped the first pitch he saw down the first base line for an RBI double. Owen Duffy made a great play, cutting the ball off and hitting his cutoff to keep Lance Manning from scoring. With righty Ty Oliver coming up, Cameron went with Troy Vasquez, his fireman. Oliver was no match for Vasquez's shuuto, going down on strikes. But with a 6-2 lead, the Lions looked to have the game well in hand. It was up to the bullpen to keep the Tigers from rallying once again.

[Frenline Delpha]

Political Pandering
My thoughts on the meeting between Grand Duke Lucas IV and President Samuel Snaker.

-By George Header

As most of you have heard by now, long time friends and trading partners, Schiltzberg and Frenline Delpha, are facing each other in the semi-finals of the World Baseball Classic. Both teams won their group, with Schiltzberg going 22-8 for second place in the tournament, while the Anacondas went 18-12, giving them the sixth seed in the tournament. Both teams swept their respective quarter-final tournaments, and they are both looking to advance to the finals. The Anacondas have never made it past the quarter-finals in the World Baseball Classic until now, while the Schiltz Burgers have two championships in the last three years. The only other time these two teams have met before was in the last WBC when they were in the same group. Schiltzberg won that confrontation 2 games to one. With that context set up, the leaders of Schiltzberg and Frenline Delpha me tin order to promote peace between the teams' fans as the event started.

They met in a fancy restaurant in Z'ai'ai. Press from all over the multiverse was there, including some Chromatika coverage. The two discussed various details before they delivered a speech together. I will be covering that speech (at least parts of it) now.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. We are looking forward to this wonderful series between two allies. It should be a great experience, and it will be a true testament of the power of sports. However, we want to remind everyone that this is supposed to be a fun time. Our two great programs will meet on the field of battle, and that is a great thing. Don't ruin it."
"Exactly. Remember to be peaceful and cheerful during the game. Anyone who causes disturbances will be extradited to their country immediately. We want this to be a fun time for all of the fans and the players. Let's make it so."
"Also, Lucas the Fourth and I have a friendly wager going on. The loser's president will take a picture of himself doing a silly dance, and he will post that on social media. So, that's something fun that'll come out of this event. We will attend every game here in Z'ai'ai, and we hope that our presences will motivate our teams to play their best. We wish them both the best of luck."

I agree with the sentiment. It should be a fun series, and rowdy folks don't make that. I hope no one needs to be extradited, but I am fine with it if need be. That's all for this news, but see me tomorrow for more news.

[Chromatika]

@ National Stadium, Chromatik City 4:05 PM
Nova Anglicana         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Maklohi Vai            0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 X  2

Nova Anglicana         0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0  4
Maklohi Vai            0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1

Series tied 1-1.

@ Logger Dome, Z'ai'ai 7:35 PM
Frenline Delpha        3 2 0 2 0 1 3 0 0 11
Schiltzberg            0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0  4

Frenline Delpha        3 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0  6
Schiltzberg            0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  3

#6 Frenline Delpha leads 2-0.

---

Semifinals Games 3 & 4
SF1. #8 Nova Anglicana (25-17) vs. #5 Maklohi Vai (28-14) @ National Stadium, Chromatik City 7:35 PM
SF2. #6 Frenline Delpha (26-13) vs. #2 Schiltzberg (28-11) @ Logger Dome, Z'ai'ai 4:05 PM

The lower seeded teams will bat second for these games.

[Frenline Delpha]

Frenlinian Factation

---

Article A

5/9/16

---

Anacondas Roll to 2-0 Seties Lead

Jehosez catches the final out to secure the win for the Anaocndas.

Semi-Finals
Best-of-5

Frenline Delpha leads series 2-0

Game 1: Frenline Delpha 11 Schiltzberg 4
Game 2: Frenline Delpha 6 Schiltzberg 3
Game 3: Schiltzberg vs Frenline Delpha
*Game 4: Schiltzberg vs Frenline Delpha
*Game 5: Frenline Delpha vs Schiltzberg
*if necessary

The Anacondas faced a heavy challenge when they found out they would be racing the reigning-champion, Schiltzberg. They would be playing again at Logger Dome, the location of the Anacondas' last series against Equestrian States. They knew this would be their biggest challenge yet, and they came prepared. They certainly started out with a boom, winning their first game 11-4. Working off that momentum, the Ancondas came into the second game ready for a battle. They certainly helped their cause.

The Anacondas wasted no time getting on the board. In the very first inning, Lain started off with a scorching doublethat went over the center fielders head into deep center. Dredge followed that up with his own double, this time skipping past the right fielder. It got all the way to the wall, and Lain came onto score, giving the Anacondas a one to nothing lead. Haman came up to the plate next. The first pitch he faced went a little high, but Haman bit. He whiffed at the ball, and it was strike one. The next pitch was a slug, and Haman saw this. He waited for the putch to reach his sweet spot, and he drove through the ball. It launched off his bat. By the time he had ambled down to first base, the ball was over the fence. Haman slowly trotted around the bases, enjoying the cheer of the Frenlinian crowd as he crossed home plate. The Ancondas were up three to nothing. Manteis followed up that performance with a strike out, Trifort flew out to the infield, and Jehosez grounded a hard hit single through the infeld. However, he was followed up by Defelt, who grounded into a fielder's choice.

Schiltzberg would get on the board in the bottom half of the second. Thom started out the inning with a discouraging strke out, but Villegaus didn't take the same drink his teammate did. Instead, he ordered a double shot, and the ball traveled to eft field, where it landed beyond the outstretched glove of the left fielder. He would be followed up by Saiz who couldn't handle a double shot, but he did take a much lighter single shot, and the Schiltz Burgers had downed three shots with only one guy unconcious. Rutledge wouldn't let his partners drive home by themselves, so he drove them both home with furious speed. When the inning ended, the Anacondas had a 3-2 lead.

The Anacondas struck again in the top of the third. Haman lead off the inning with an infield single that slowly rolled to the third baseman. Haman beat the throw by mere inches. Manteis follwed up his partner with a fly ball that landed just before the leftf ielder. This lead to the Anacondas having runners on first and second with no outs. Trifort wouls follow up his teammates by cracking s line drive. The ball shot off his bat, and landed right on the fair ball line. Villegaus was there to scoop it up, but hsi throw was too late to peg Haman as he headed towards home. The score gave the Anaocndas a 4-2 lead. Jehosez came up, and he took strike one swinging. However, his swing momentarily distracted the catcher, allowing Manteis to steal third base. On the very next pitch, Jehosez cracked a fly ball to center. The ball traveled deep, but it was caught by the center fielder. However, Manteis tagged up and headed home, beating the throw by ages.

As exciting as those first few innings were, the game would slow down for a while. The Ancondas turned a 5-4-3 triple play in the bottom of the sixth, but no one came close to scoring in those enxt few innigns. That was, until the eighth. The Anacondas scored on a double to right field by Hector that scored Jehosez; Schiltzberg scored when Daly crushed a home run to right.

Game three of the series wil take place tommorow, with the Anacondas having the chance to clinch the series with a win. We wish them the best of luck.

Frenline Delpha        3 0 2  0 0 0  0 1 0     6 12 0
Schiltzberg            0 2 0  0 0 0  0 1 0     3  8 0

[Schiltzberg]

August '99

I was born the summer of '99
Early in the morning, rise and shine.
I was born before the world was mine.
I was born in August '99.

I was born without a dollar to my name.
I came in dumb, illiterate, mute, crippled, lame,
Smelly, homeless, without a job, lacking fame.
I was born without a dollar to my name.

I was born without a friend in sight,
Without a fright or fear or foe to fight,
All cold and slimy under the sun light.
I was born without a friend in sight.

I was born the summer of '99
On a stormy Sunday morning feeling fine.
I must have messed up somewhere along the line.
I was born in August '99.

I was born helpless in the nude,
Short of breath, thirsty, in need of food,
Wailing like a demon, loud and rude.
I was born helpless in the nude.

I was born without a hand to hold
On a dreary summer day, and it was cold,
With a frozen heart surrounded by fool's gold.
I was born without a hand to hold.

I was born the summer of '99,
Treated like a prisoner on the line,
Just a simple silence treated like a swine.
I was born in August '99.

I was born and I was on my own
With nothing with me but my skin and bone.
No marble throne and I was all alone.
I was born and I was on my own.

I was born and no one was aware.
I was gone, then suddenly was there.
I was born and no one seemed to care.
I was born and no one was aware.

I was born the summer of '99.
No angels crying out the name divine.
No wisemen searching the skies for a sign.
I was born in August '99.

[Chromatika]

@ National Stadium, Chromatik City 7:35 PM
Maklohi Vai            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Nova Anglicana         0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 X  3

Maklohi Vai            0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0  4
Nova Anglicana         0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1  3

Series tied, 2-2.

@ Logger Dome, Z'ai'ai 4:05 PM
Schiltzberg            0 1 5 0 1 0 0 1 0  8
Frenline Delpha        0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1  3

Schiltzberg            0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3  5
Frenline Delpha        0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0  4

Series tied, 2-2.

---

Semifinals Game 5
SF1. #5 Maklohi Vai (29-15) vs. #8 Nova Anglicana (26-18) @ National Stadium, Chromatik City 4:05 PM
SF2. #2 Schiltzberg (30-11) vs. #6 Frenline Delpha (26-15) @ Logger Dome, Z'ai'ai 7:35 PM
Higher seeded team will be the home team and bat second for these deciding games.

[Schiltzberg]

Simplicity

Sticks and stones can break my bones
And rob my life if they are thrown;
The difference between day and night
Is nothing more than dark and light;
The struggle between wrong and right
Is nothing more than black and white.

Silence is stronger than any word
That anyone has ever heard,
Or any poet has since incurred,
Or any thought that’s ever stirred,
Or any feeling ever felt,
Or any word that’s ever spelt.

So awfully loud is this quietness,
And yet so great this emptiness,
And through the void, we’re so annoyed
By the sound that’s all around,
But when it leaves, the sound receives
A quality we cannot hear that never ever reached our ear.

Imagine a world that had no things
To do the works that evil brings;
Imagine a world that was so great
It lacked the meanings of “loathe” and “hate;”
Imagine a world that, like a dove,
Was peaceful and so full of love.

Simplicity, it is a word
That can’t be seen, but can be heard,
And many know it, but they don’t know
The meaning that it means to show;
That something more can be so bland,
And something less can be so grand.

Against all this complexity,
The answer is simplicity;
And yet so great this lunacy,
The answer is simplicity;
And so with authenticity,
The answer is simplicity.

[Frenline Delpha]

Smalls Talk (An Interview with Baseball Manager Tristen Smalls)

Barry Goldfinder: How is your team reacting to their two most recent losses? How do they feel about going into a game five for the first time in this tournamnet?

Smalls: We're just focusing on the next game. Schiltzberg fought hard in the last two games, and they just outplayed us. The players are all just looking towards tonight when we play them for the chance to advance to the finals. It's just another normal game, and we plan to play like it. Schiltzberg is a tough opponent, and they are not pushovers like Equestrian States and San Llera (My manager's a little cocky). It will be a tough game, and we will be prepared for it.

Goldfinder: How has you team prepared for that game tonight?

Smalls: After the game yesterday, most of our boys went to their rooms and slept it off. This morning, we focused on hitting, and Issack Binding worked Yelfin over a little to keep him loose. Mostly, we've been focusing on our hitting because that's what killed us yesterday. Some of the guys even went down to a local masseuse to get some casual stretching done. In fact, most of the team has been around the town. We want them to be ready for the game, but we don't want them to stress to much. We want them to have a fun day and be ready for the game. In fact, they should arrive at the field in an hour or so.

Goldfinder: What is the game plan for tonight?

Smalls: Same as always. Focus on hitting, run hard, and play a good game of ball. Our outfield will be shifted slightly left for tonight, since that's where the majority of their hits traveled yesterday. The infield will play normally. We'll be trying to lay off of those higher pitches that were thrown in the last two games. I will be coaching at first, and Bones will be doing third. Besides that, it's the same old story.

Goldfinder: Since it's getting close to talk ot your players, I'll ask you one more question: do you think you can pull off the win today?

Smalls: Of course. Like I said, Schiltzberg has a balanced team, and they play beautiful baseball. We are a little more focused on offense, but we still have a great team. After all, we're the seventh ranked team. If we play our breed of baseball, we'll win for sure. Yelfin knows this team, and he's prepared to take it to the end. It will be a close game all the way, but we will come out in the end.

[Chromatika]

@ National Stadium, Chromatik City 4:05 PM
Nova Anglicana         0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Maklohi Vai            0 0 0 4 0 1 0 0 X  5

#5 Maklohi Vai wins series 3-2.

@ Logger Dome, Z'ai'ai 7:35 PM
Frenline Delpha        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Schiltzberg            0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 X  4

#2 Schiltzberg wins series 3-2.

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3rd Place Play-Off
3PPO. #6 Frenline Delpha (26-16) vs. #8 Nova Anglicana (26-19) @ Logger Dome, Z'ai'ai

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World Baseball Classic 36 Championship
FINAL. #2 Schiltzberg (31-11) vs. #5 Maklohi Vai (30-15) @ National Stadium, Chromatik City

For both matches, the higher seeded team will bat first for the first two games.

The 3PPO is a Best-of-Five while the Championship is a Best-of-Seven. Best of luck to all teams.