WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 17 ROSTERS/RP/SCORES

[Silver Beach]

Complete game shutout nets the win for Silver Beach

Grant Hendell, the starting pitcher in this game, had a great line. He went the full 9 innings, allowing 7 hits, having 4 strikeouts, and forcing 5 double plays. He also did not walk one batter, and threw 107 pitches in the ball game. ........

Well, THAT might be a first. The loser of the game writes it as a no-no, and the winner writes it as a 7-hitter.

Wow, I totally didn't see the other guys RP. Do i still get the bonus for this one?

[Silver Beach]

(((OOC: Lol I forgot a roster... My bad)))
Choose my runscorers: Y
Choose my lineup: N
Follow my Pitching Rotation: Y
Godmod scoring events: N
RP injuries to my players: Y, but telegram me when you do
Godmod injuries to my players: N
Eject my players: Y
Godmod other events: N

Rotation(in order)
#2 Hanzel Don Virk: 31 years old, right hander. Best pitcher on rotation, good fielder for a pitcher as well.(1-0)
#3 Grant Hendell: 37 years old, left hander. 1 of two lefties in rotation(1-0)
#26 Louis De Graza: 33 year old. Right hander. Knuckleballer. Fastball goes to high 80s, sometimes hits 90 in the first few innings.(0-0)
#42 Ryan Johnson: 21 years old. Left hander. Fastball reaches 97 mph, good curveball and cutter as well. Hangs curveball sometimes
#21 Victor Ruiz: 28 years old. Right hander. Fastball hits 93 mph, but cutter hits 91 mph. Slider uppers 80s, but low stamina. Max he can go is 7 innings.

Batter Order: (Have DH at home. All right handers unless LH is put there, which means left handed hitter. S means switch hitter)
1 CF Yamano LaFave. 28 years old. Very fast, likes to steal bases. Not the best fielder, but has a strong arm.
2 2B Connor McMall. 22 years old. Very superb fielder, has little to no power. Hits single, do not see extra base hits from him.
3 DH Todd Jones(LH). 31 years old. Power hitter. Hits for low average, but when he connects, it goes a long way.
4 3B Hank Johnson. 27 years old. Hits for average. Gets lots of extra base hits, but rarely leaves the park.
5 LF Alphonso Ramirez(S). 29 years old. Great fielder, has range and a great arm. Not the best hitter, but has speed on basepath.
6 RF Franklin De Winters. 20 years old. Very young, has lots of speed. Lots of potential, going to be a great player.
7 C Evan Sartorious. 29 years old. Good arm, throws out lots of baserunners. Typical hitting catcher though.
8 SS Hanley Choo. 33 years old. Losing range, and has no power. Gets hits in from time to time.
9 1B Jonah Miller(LH). 34 years old. Great fielder, but terrible hitter. Hits #9 for a reason.
When no DH, Put pitcher at #9 spot, and make Todd Jones(the DH) the 1B.

Bullpen(7 pitchers)
LRP Ryan Brown. 34 years old. Left hander. Former starter, can fill in for starters. Long reliever, did not make rotation.
MRP Travis York. 33 years old. Right hander. Can go 2-3 innings. Fastball hits 96 mph on the gun. Has slider, and tough curve
MRP Shin Mee-Sung. 25 years old. Right hander. Can go 2-3 innings. Fastball reaches 94 mph. Has devasting sinker.
MRP Edward Museveni. 22 year old. Right hander. Can go 1-2 innings. Fastball reaches triple digits. Not much else he has though. Future closer
MRP/SU Grant McLeonard. 24 year old. Left hander. Can go 3-4 innings. Fastball hits 98 mph. Has a slider, best pitcher out of the bullpen, hands down
SU Brian Volquez. 23 year old. Right hander. Can go 1-2 innings max. Fastball hits 97 mph, has slider and sinker. Curve hangs too much
Closer Jonathan Green. 26 year old. Right hander. Can only go 1 inning, two if he does not throw a lot in his first inning. Always pulled after 40 pitches. 99 mph fastball, has a sinker and silder. Curveball hangs a lot, and throws it way too much.

Bench(4 players)
C/1B Hank Sanders. 21 years old. Catcher/1B, is a lefty. Lots of potential, on the bench for now though
IF(plays 1B, 2B, 3B, and SS) Matthew Linkle. 33 years old. Lots of range, past his prime
OF(plays LF, RF, and CF) Daisuke Kang. 22 years old. Lots of potential. Strong arm, developing hitter.
Bernie Stafford. 32 years old. Utility man, can play 2B, 3B, SS, CF, LF, and RF. Not the strongest arm, but lots of range. Only foreign born player on roster, moved to Silver Beach when he was 8 years old. Has been a citizen for 9 years.

Manager: Justin Wanshon. 55 years old. Used to manage the Dragons, led them to a surprise playoff birth
Pitching Coach: Lionel Bern. 47 years old. Former minor league manager, and major league pitching coach. Takes over if manager gets ejected
Hitting Coach: Kevin Lechler. 52 years old. Teaches patience, wants players to draw walks
3B Coach: Nigel Rand. 63 years old. Very old, been a 3B coach for 30 years. Managed high school teams to 4 state championships. Passive, does not like to push runners.
1B Coach: Shane Stevenson. 58 years old. Former hitting coach, very aggressive, and likes to push runners to second base.


Lulika City Field, capacity of 42,000

[Quintessence of Dust]

A selection of articles from the In Brief section of the QBS website.

Things celebrate first all-female lineup, by sucking

The national baseball team have joined the large numbers of established powers struggling in the opening week of the 17th WBC in Lycrabon, losing two consecutive games to Royalsoldiers and Cotdelapoms. The team's first home game of the tournament saw nine women starting for Quintessence of Dust for the first time in history - though it was not an arrangement that lasted long. Ana Justina Jurkaš injured her foot running to first after drawing a walk in the second inning, and has been sidelined for the next 2 games, while pitcher Maija Peltosaari had to be relieved after surrendering five earned runs on eights hits and a walk after only five innings pitched. The team lost 5-4, with Huang Li (2-4, 1 2B, 13B) the pick of the batters.

Things continue decline as they fail to support Okamoto

The team have slid into the bottom half of the group after losing 1-2 at Cotdelapoms. Returning to the team, Kunika Okamoto pitched solidly, giving up only one earned run in seven innings, with 10 strikeouts and no walks, but a diabolic fielding performance that allowed four errors, including two by third basewoman Sam "Speedy" Spade, was coupled with a complete offensive blowout. After Momoko Koumura led off the game with an inside the park home run, the team could find only four further hits, no extra base hits, no walks, and crucially no runs, as they succumbed to a masterful pitching performance from Ray Quirk.

Bloggers criticised for insensitivity

The popular baseball blog TalkBaseball.qd has hit out at its sister site, general sports commentary site He's Had An Absolute Holocaust for publishing a post containing jokes about domestic violence. After a bizarre game that saw Cathatis rope 31 hits in nine innings but score only 3 runs, the post's author that the Cosumer pitcher had "been hit more than a battered wife". Administrators were quick to redact the comment, reposting an edited version of the article that says the pitcher gave up "more hits than a web search for pictures of celebrities with their jubblies out". HHAAH and its associated IRC channel, #balloffoot, have recently been criticised for increasingly right-wing sentiments, such as their "Throw Rocks At A Minority" Flash game contest.

[Lycrabon]

Well, THAT might be a first. The loser of the game writes it as a no-no, and the winner writes it as a 7-hitter.

Wow, I totally didn't see the other guys RP. Do i still get the bonus for this one?

The other guys RP was mine, and that's OK; was just unusual.

Yes, you still got the bonus, even with the discrepancy.

[Tocrowkia]

NordicNation.net

World Baseball Classic 17 coverage

Code: Select all

TEAMS        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R H E
TOC          1 2 2 2 3 0 0 0 0   10 27 0
MED          0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0   1 3 0


WIN:
Sven Grewe (1-0)
HRs:
Michael Hammer 1 (1), Stella Kallow 1 (3), Kevin Monroe 1( 2), Cassandra Tiglner 1 (1)

The Nordics third game in the the 17th Classic saw them blowout newcomers Meddicia in front of their homecrowd. As has become their custom, the Nordics scored early and often as they cruised to the win. Johnny Stryker had an RBI double in the first inning to open the floodgates. Stella Kallow homered an inning later, and Hammer, Monroe and Tiglner all followed with blasts of their own later in the game. Perhaps lost in the offensive output was a complete game, 7 K, one walk effort by Sven Grewe, her best performance in a long while!

[Lycrabon]

Day 4 Cutoff, brought to you bah...LSPN, the television home of WBC 17 in Lycrabon....and bah...LSPN Radio, the Lycrabon Blue Jays WBC Radio network..

DAY 4
TOCROWKIA 6, Mantwenic 5
Western Cuba 6, MEDDICIA 5
AMERIGANISTAN 4, Hossaim 2

Group A
 1 Western Cuba       4  4 0  0  24  17   +7  12
 2 Tocrowkia          4  3 0  1  27  13  +14   9
 3 Hossaim            4  2 0  2  15  15   +0   6
 4 Meddicia           4  1 0  3  16  27  -11   3
 5 Mantwenic          4  1 0  3  19  22   -3   3
 6 Ameriganistan      4  1 0  3  18  25   -7   3

SARZONIA 6, Bergnovinaia 2
THE BABBAGE ISLANDS 6, Megurko 5
Telamar 3, MYTANNION 2

Group B
 1 Telamar                  4  3 0  1  18  14  +4  9
 2 Mytannion                4  3 0  1  20  11  +9  9
 3 Bergnovinaia             4  2 0  2  17  18  -1  6
 4 The Babbage Islands      4  2 0  2  19  24  -5  6
 5 Megurko                  4  1 0  3  11  17  -6  3
 6 Sarzonia                 4  1 0  3  15  16  -1  3

QUINTESSENCE OF DUST 5, Delaclava 0
Qazox 5, COTDELAPOMS 0
Saugeais 3, ROYALSOLDIERS 2 (F/10)

Group C
 1 Saugeais                  4  3 0  1  13  14   -1  9
 2 Royalsoldiers             4  3 0  1  22  15   +7  9
 3 Qazox                     4  2 0  2  24  21   +3  6
 4 Cotdelapoms               4  2 0  2  14  13   +1  6
 5 Quintessence of Dust      4  2 0  2  17   8   +9  6
 6 Delaclava                 4  0 0  4  11  30  -19  0

Mossulia 3, ZWANGZUG 2
Tarrentum 8, COSUMAR 1
Cathais 3, PONTINUR 0

Group D
 1 Mossulia       4  4 0  0  22  14  +8  12
 2 Zwangzug       4  2 0  2  13   9  +4   6
 3 Tarrentum      4  2 0  2  16  10  +6   6
 4 Cathais        4  2 0  2   8  10  -2   6
 5 Cosumar        4  1 0  3  13  23 -10   3
 6 Pontinur       4  1 0  3   8  14  -6   3

Silver Beach 6, CASSADAIGUA 2
Lycrabon 4, SIBIRSKY 2
North Orus 11, ZIRAKUL 8

Group E
 1 Silver Beach      4  4 0  0  21   9  +12  12
 2 Cassadaigua       4  3 0  1  16  11   +5   9
 3 Lycrabon          4  2 0  2  12  12   +0   6
 4 North Orus        4  2 0  2  17  18   -1   6
 5 Zirakul           4  1 0  3  18  25   -7   3
 6 Sibirsky          4  0 0  4  10  19   -9   0

NEWMANISTAN 7, Churchma 4
STUFFED TAXIDERMISTS 5, Milchama 4
ANTOLETIA 4, Tanzoria 3

Group F
 1 Newmanistan               4  3 0  1  23  18   +5  9
 2 Stuffed Taxidermists      4  3 0  1  19  14   +5  9
 3 Milchama                  4  3 0  1  25  10  +15  9
 4 Antoletia                 4  2 0  2  13  19   -6  6
 5 Churchma                  4  1 0  3  13  23  -10  3
 6 Tanzoria                  4  0 0  4   9  18   -9  0

[Milchama]

Milchama National News- Tribune- Sun- Times- Post- Gazette- Chronicle- Journal- Dispatch- Telegram- Star- Monitor- Enquirer

Sports Section

Milchama Off to Hot Start in New WBC

The Milchama Warriors are winning, finally. That's right there's finally a sport in the god forsaken sports universe that new Warrior fans can hang their hat on with a successful team. Luckily for them it's Milchama's oldest, favorite, and best sport historically, baseball. The Warriors with a very familiar arrangement to WBC 15 version (more on that on page 10) have won their first 3 games in WBC 17 to take first place in their group. Manager Eitan Morey said, "We have a talented team here and we're showing the world that right now. We should be a team on everybody's radar screen and we weren't so we're out proving people why we should."

Mickey Hermeton paced the Warriors in the first game. Hermeton went 8 shutout innings before being replaced while the offense was led by a resurgent Martin LaPlante whose 3 run homer in the 3rd proved to be more than enough for the Warriors to take a 5-2 win over a hopelessly overmatched Antoletia side. After the game the home run hero LaPlante said, "It's nice to start the tournament like this a good win over a beatable opponent. If we keep playing like this there is no reason why we can't run the table."

The second game was somehow even better than the first. A 7 inning 3 hitter by starter Ezra Foster barely mattered as the Warrior offense clubbed 11 runs on 18 hits and generally made a laugher out of the contest early. 4 runs in the first were followed by 3 more in the second and the 7-0 lead never really decreased. While the offensive stars of the day were numerous in particular Forest O'Kelt who went 4-4 with a walk 2 steals and 3 runs and James Merter who went 5-5 with 3 doubles 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored. After the easy win Foster said, "Phil [his grandfather who was Milchama's ace when they won the WBC in the 4th and 5th editions] sometimes said that there would be days where everything for a team will just click and those are the days you have to savor because they come along so rarely. This was one of those days and everything just felt right. I feel great, I know the hitters feel great, and Eitan didn't even have anything to criticize us about so I know he's doing great. Just a good day."

The Warriors somewhat came back to Earth in the third game as they quickly fell behind 2-0 to a winless Tanzoria side in the second inning. However, the Warriors quickly tied it up in the 3rd when Dani Eltanor singled, stole second, stole third, and then came home on a wild pitch. The next pitch afterwards Henry Thomas drove one to the seats and a 5 run inning was on. Merter delivered the big blast hitting a 2 out bases loaded double to drive in 3 runs. That was more than enough for Kevin Waldon who didn't give up a run the rest of the way pitching a complete game while letting only 2 Tanzorians on base. A 5-2 win, the only undefeated team in the group and a general great feeling around the team. This will be a good time for the Warriors.

Page 15

Milchama Roster Announced

The Milchama Warriors have announced their WBC 17 roster. It looks suspiciously similar to the WBC 15 roster when asked about it the MBA said they were lazy saw an old roster and just gave it into the tournament. So far it's worked so who really cares.

Starters:
C: Henry Thomas (Chi Cubs)
1b: Martin LaPlante (Alexandria Comets)
2b: Forest O'Kelt (New Babylon Pirates)
SS: Dani Eltanor (Tel Morlin Echoes)
3b: James Merter (Port James Raiders)
LF: Itay Hafava (Chi Sox)
CF: Kelsey Evers (Chi Cubs)
RF: Rudyard Davies (Wickert Witches)
DH (if necessary): Ben Aminton (New Sparta Greeks)

Bench:
OF: Riley Hevett (Wickert Wanderers)
OF (when not DHing): Ben Aminton (New Sparta Greeks)
C: Kim Pardew (Alexandria Kings)
IF: Ken Di'are (New Babylon Pirates)
IF: Marlow Hashmet (Kreitsburg Killers)
Util:Ufalay Kokoiam (Mongolt Hordes)
Util: Chester Ofalay (Port James Hitmen)

Pitchers:
SP:Mickey Hermeton (Kreitsburg Killers)- The ace led an undermanned Kreitsburg to the verge of the pennant. His miniscule 1.21 ERA was the best in 23 years in the MBL.
SP: Ezra Foster (Chi Cubs)- The grandson of Phil Foster finally gets to play internationally. Was Rookie of the Year his first year in the league and an even better second season gets him onto the roster as the second starter.
SP: Kevin Waldon (Edo Samurai)- The only good player the atrocious Samurai possess, Waldon has a wicked fastball and an even better curve. His getting on the national team is an accomplishment in itself.
SP: Kit Fenner (Tel Morlin Echoes)- The junkball specialist. Fenner has a subpar fastball but makes up for it by having the largest arsenal of crazy breaking pitches this side of Henson Callahan.

Relivers:
Closer: Eric Fiori (Kreitsburg Killers)- Kreitsburg relied on a strong bullpen to get to second place in the DL and Fiori was a major reason. His miniscule .50 WHIP made him a force to be reckoned with.
Set up man 1: Kent Fernal (Alexandria Comets)- The Comets finally got themselves a closer last year after fleecing Milchama City for this talented youngster who helped them to their first top division finish in 8 years.
Set up man 2: Yossi Kevern (New Babylon Pirates)- In every situation where manager Morey needs a few outs he always seems to turn to Kevern to get those clutch outs. So he brings him along for the national team.
Middle Reliever: Jenny Seaver (Wickert Wanderers) - The other women of the team (Which by the way is a record for Milchamian national teams). Seaver was not a hard throwing pitcher but her crazy knuckle and screw balls more than make up for a subpar fastball.
Long Reliever: Marcos Olian (Milchama City Trolleys)- Actually a starter for the Trolleys, Olian's flexibility and incredible stuff make him a perfect candidate for a reliever.

Lineup (w/o DH or regular):
1. Forest O'Kelt - The best OBP man on the team which makes him the perfect candidate for the leadoff position. He's also a heck of a defensive second basemen.
2. Kelsey Evers- While she doesn't have that much power her bat control, eye, speed and overall approach to hitting makes her a wonderful hitter in the number 2 spot.
3. Martin LaPlante- Returning the Comets to respectability was no easy task but LaPlante started the movement and one reason was his 54 home runs, some of which he's hoping to replicate in this WBC.
4. Itay Hafava - A three true outcomes hitter. While he does play a really good left field, which is rare for a TTO, if he hits one watchout!
5. James Merter- Considered to be among the best all around players in Milchamian history. His arguing was one of the reasons that the MBL allowed its players to go international again. He's hoping to cement his reputation as one of the best of all time by performing in international play.
6. Rudyard Davies - A line drive hitter with power. Davies will occasionally hit a home run but is an excellent doubles hitter always putting it in the gap. He's also known for a cannon of an arm in right field.
7. Dani Eltanor- He's actually the leadoff hitter for his club. His plate discipline and speed make him a weird candidate to be ahead of Thomas but we trust Morey, he seems to know what he's doing.
8. Henry Thomas- One of the best hitting catchers in MBL history, is only batting 8th because his power does not match up with the middle of the order. However, his position is in no way a reflection of his talent.
9. Pitcher

Lineup (w/DH):
1. Forest O'Kelt
2. Kelsey Evers
3. Martin LaPlante
4. Itay Hafava
5. James Merter
6. Ben Aminton
7. Rudyard Davies
8. Henry Thomas
9. Dani Eltanor

Permissions:

Choose my runscorers: Y
Choose my lineup: Y
Follow my Pitching Rotation: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: Y
Godmod injuries to my players: Y
Eject my players: Y
Godmod other events: Y. The crazier the better, having an alien come down and take my entire team etc. Anything is possible and more accurately probable.

[Qazox]

Qazox at WBC17

History made in Cotdelapoms.

To turn a triple play is a rare feat, occuring on average about once every 9,000 innings of baseball (or about one every 1000 games). But to turn an unassisted triple play is even rarer, having been accomplished just a handful of times in WBC history. Well add one more to the list.
In the bottom of the 7th, Qazox was leading 2-0 and Qazoxian starter Juan Diego had a no-hitter through 6 innings. Leading off the 7th was Casey Bradley, whose 4th inning walk was the only blemish on Diego's record to that point, broke up the no-no with a sharp single to left. A walk to Asbjorn Johnsen, chased Diego whose pitch count reached 94 after Johnsen's walk. In came Issac Greene, and most Qazoxian fans thought the bullpen was going to choke again. But not this time.

Here's the call from 1080 QFRO's (Fromburg) Dario Hass:

Here's the 3-1 pitch to McCormick, runners going on the pitch. It's a line drive up the middle and It's caught by Thomas! Thomas tags 2nd to get Bradley and tags Johnsen for the triple play! Holy Joe! An unassisted Triple Play by Arthur Thomas as Qazox escapes the 7th inning still leading 2-0!

Arthur Thomas becomes the 2nd Qazoxian player to get an Unassisted Triple Play, and Thomas wasn't done yet, as he cleared the bases in the top of the 8th with a scorching double to right, making it 5-0. Cotdelapoms would load the bases with 2 out in the 9th, but a diving catch by Emma Flint kept the shutout intact and clinch the victory for Qazox.

Up next for Qazox is Q.o.D. in a clash of 2 top-10 teams that have not gotten off to good starts so far. The winner will be over .500 and could possibly be tied for 1st, while the loser will be under .500 and possibly in 5th place.

LINESCORE

Qazox       0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 0  5 11 0
Cotdelapoms 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0  4 0

W- Juan Diego (1-0)
L- Pierre Alix (0-1)

BOX SCORE:
Qazox 4th: McGillicutty singled to left. McGillicutty stole 2nd. Sdmar doubled to right, McGillicutty scored. Holmes struck out. Sinclair singled to right, Sdmar thrown out advancing (8-3-2), Sinclair to 2nd on throw. Flint singled to third. Jae singled to right, Sinclair scored, Flint to third. Thomas flied out to left. 2 runs, 5 hits, 2 LOB. 2-0 Qazox.

Qazox 8th: Holmes singled to right. Sinclair flied out to left. Flint singled to left, Holmes to 2nd. <Pitching Change: Pierre Alix out; Simon Giroux in>. Jae walked. Thomas doubled to right, Holmes, Flint and Jae scored. <Pinch hitter: Sean Vasa batting for Issac Greene>. Vasa grounded out to 2nd. Corell grounded out to 1st. 3 runs, 3 hits, 1 LOB 5-0 Qazox.

(ooc: TY Cotdelapoms for allowing God-mods or else this RP would have been illegal!)

[Newmanistan]

“I never realized the city of East Penthoria could look so beautiful!” exclaimed Sargent Hillcrest to General Freeman, “May I place the flag in victory?”

“Indeed! World, listen up! The city of East Penthoria is now part of the Newmanistanian Empire!” shouted the General to a gathering of Newmanistanian troops and Secristani civilians that were not challenging the invasion. They audience cheered, with the troops happy for the victory and the civilians hoping that this would lead to a better life for them after the former Secristani government had collapsed. General Freeman allowed for a celebration, with some troops firing their guns in the air in victory, and then prepared for another statement, “Everyone, today marks a great day. This is not about the expansion of the Newmanistan Empire, it is about your future. You deserve better then anarchy and you know that Newmanistan can provide that to you. All citizens of the area are now Newmanistanians, and be proud of that! Your future is bright now and you’ll never, ever, have to participate in an online auction for tickets for something again!” There was more cheering, as the people who gathered were not the protestors. As for those rebelling, their lack of any significant ability to arm themselves made that resistance be easy to overcome. Newmanistanian forces were sure to occupy and military bases that might exist in the area before their intention to take over would become apparent. The task would become more difficult since rebels could now try to become more organized, but today an initial victory was celebrated.

Emperor Michael IV watched the airing of the ceremony live from the Palace in Pocono City, and was thrilled to see his goals begin to become a reality. He made plans for the march south to Amherst, with additional Newmanistanian forces to march south within our own border at the same pace in order to provide support. The navy would have a greater presence in the Penthoria River. It was all working very well, with the exception of that one hiccup. Satellite images showed Cassadagan naval vessels leaving their port (OOC: I am assuming they would have left by this point if you did want to get there first). Queen Cassie wasn’t going to make this easy, not that he expected her to roll over entirely. He wasn’t prepared to send her a message yet as he wanted to see what their vessels were capable of doing, or if they would simply be all talk and not walk the walk. If that was the case, then he wouldn’t be concerned greatly about their opposition. It was tough for him to get a feel on the extent of involvement the Dagans would have here. They have always been peaceful and neutral during regional conflicts.

Back in East Penthoria, General Freeman proclaimed to the people that one of the best examples of how they would have a better life was that he was about to allow them to watch the World Baseball Classic qualifying game between the Rockets and Churchma for free, emphasizing that they now had a nation they could root for again.

It was a gimmick. He knew that most people would not immediately feel ready to support Newmanistan in an event like this, especially since there had been such a rivalry between the nations when Secristan was a healthy and existing nation. Those words, “for free” were the powerful ones, and right then and there he hoped that would be able to convince them that they will be better off as part of the Newmanistanian Empire. Those who did support the Rockets were not disappointed, as the team picked up a solid 7-4 win in Pocono City against a Churchma team that was ranked just outside the top 20, at number 22. It was also an important game for starting pitcher Brittany Castelli, who needs to show that she can be consistent at the international level. If you look back at her history in the Classic, it’s been hit or miss. Tonight, her six inning performance of allowing four runs on eight hits, two walks and six strikeouts is something that is below the standard level of a Newmanistanian starter, even if she got a win. Maybe other nations would take that, but Castelli knows she needs to be better, as evidenced by her post-game remarks. “It’s not what I wanted at all. I have to be better. Churchma is a good team, but that’s not an excuse, I didn’t get the job done today. I only got the win because the bats picked me up.”

That they did. After a scoreless first inning, Newmanistan put two on the board in the bottom of the second as #8 in the lineup Tara Rulison delivered a clutch two-out, two-run single, and an inning later, another run was tacked on after “how the hell does she do that” Courtney Weinman powered a fastball 428-feet into the centerfield stands to make it 3-0. Just as things were looking as though they were going our way, the team from Churchma tied the game with one in the fourth and the two in the fifth. Panic? Not these Rockets. In the bottom of the 5th, Newmanistan picked up their pitcher, responding with two of their own, with a walk and four singles leading to the runs. Churchma continued to be scrappy and made it 5-4 in the 6th, but the bullpen would not allow them to get a runner past first base for the rest of the game. After a bit of insurance in a two-run eighth, the Rockets completed the 7-4 win. They are now 3-1 in Group F play, involved in a 3-way tie for the top spot. The first half concludes with a game against Milchama on the road. The Warriors are also 3-1 and striving to reclaim their past glory in the event. A strong start shows that they may be getting some of those pieces back together.

[Zwangzug]

"This one's hit hard into left. Street backpedaling but...he won't get to it, it's out of here. And Croes will go out to the mound to talk this over."

"Vaughan...seems to be just nodding without paying a lot of attention. I think she's too angry to remember to slow down and be understood. Yeah, and it looks like Pisciott is saying something. Betcha he's translating. No action in the bullpen yet."

"Yet? Look, Vaughan can work through this, it's just Mossulia."

"Just Mossulia? They're the third seeds, and we lost to Cosumar. I think the Quodites had the right idea after all--the schedule for the playoffs won't matter if we can't get there."

"It's matchday four. Take it easy..."

"...and actually, you've gotta say, Vaughan did settle down after that rough start."

"Yep. Good for Croes for sticking with him. Now all we need is oh, three more runs, and then we'll have a save situation for Racine to deal with."

"One at a time."

"Sherman lashes this one but it's way foul, towards the back of the first deck."

"Now, we've all seen what she can do, but I'm really not sure she's the best fit for the national team. If you look at her splits, her numbers were really much better at her home park than on the road."

"Hey, the longer we wait, the less relevant the statistics become. Taken for a ball."

"You've gotta wonder what Croes sees."

"Checks Hietala, she gets back to the bag. One away here, runners at the corners. Mossulia still winning 3-1. But this'll be--swung on and grounded to second. The throw to the shortstop, relay to first--not in time, Street'll score and the Zebras cut the lead in half..."

"...well, hey. We've got Garfield's debut against Tarrentum next, he should be keyed up..."

"I can't believe this."

[Andossa Se Mitrin Vega]

Warlocks Struggle to 1-3 Start

Zirakul 4-2 Lycrabon
The game went much as planned as the Warlocks made their home debut in grand fashion by dropping the tournament host team4-2. Perhaps it was the WC atmosphere that was brought forth by endless chanting and jumping from the crowd. Perhaps it was the fact that there was no stadium to play in nor locker rooms in which to relax - just an open field with weak chalk lines surrounded by rabid fans and a straw hut provided for visitors who required a bit of privacy from time to time. And perhaps it was simply fate that the Warlocks won their opener - who knows.

Cassadaigua 9-4 Zirakul
Normally we would be upset at such a defeat. But the Dagans are the current champs and quite lovely to look at as well. Nothing better than chicks playing baseball against guys in loincloths and body paint. What else needs to be said.

Silver Beach 3-2 Zirakul
This one was a complete pisser. It looked as if we would escape with a victory until Alphonso Ramirez hammered a walk-off three run blast. We will have the VooDoo doll ready for that bastard next time we meet. Already got some of his hair and urine. And no, you do not want to know how.

North Orus 11-8 Zirakul
The best offensive show for us was also the worst defensive outing of the tournament thus far. Starting pitcher Peihehoae, for al his size and power, pitched like a girl (no offense to the Dagans as they do not pitch like most girls) and allowed 8 earned runs in the first two innings before being yanked. Aeeu had a much better run as he struck out the first nine batters he faced and held NO in check through the eighth inning. And then history repeated itself as Muiuiwi allowed a three run shot with two outs in the ninth for the second game in a row. He just might have to be sacrificed to Jobu and a replacement brought up if it happens again.

Next up is Sibirsky who have played even worse than we have. Should be a good game

[Quintessence of Dust]

TalkBaseball.qd

A website. For talking. About baseball.

George Jones's Pitching Almost Good Enough To Distract From Copious Amounts Of Blood
Posted by MetaNarrativesFTL

George Jones produced arguably the greatest performance by a Quodite pitcher in the history of international play as the Things struggled for form in the first week of WBC17. Having lost their previous two games, they entered the game badly needing a win against Delaclava at The Frosty Dome, but were not disappointed as the Raptors ace struck out 14 Delaclav batters on his way to a comprehensive win. As veteran QBS commentator Brian Gobbleson noted, "He was so good tonight, it almost made you overlook those dark patches of blood splashed across his uniform, hands, and face."

Jones pitched 8.1 innings, allowing only 2 hits and no runs, with a 14:2 strikeout to walk ratio, and even as he was being relieved in the ninth online followers of the game were proclaiming the performance the greatest by a Quodite history. "This beats anything Mamasi ever accomplishment," twatted* TBQ admin ruth_babe, later adding "Sorry meant 'Masami' before distracted by the gratuitous amounts of blood staining the mound."

Many noted that Jones's pitching was so good that not only did it distract from the distinct possibility that shortly after dressing for the game he had slaughtered a herd of cattle, or possibly a small indigenous population, with his entire hands, it also stole the limelight from Momoko Koumura, who had her best game since returning to the national side, with two doubles, a home run and a stolen base, as well as a notable absence of human bodily fluids soiling encrusted under her fingernails.

The winning performance was warmly received by a home crowd badly in need of a win, with President James F. Dwight making a rare public appearance. Afterwards he was seen shaking hands with Jones, while expressing a degree of mystification as to why droplets of still warm crimson blood were still tumbling from his shirtsleeves.

* Twatter is a popular Quodite social networking site.

[Lycrabon]

halfway Cutoff, brought to by Twatter, the Quintessence of Dust official social network....

(This message has not been brought to you by the Quodite Baseball Association.)

MATCHDAY 5
WESTERN CUBA 10, Tocrowkia 7
Mantwenic 8, HOSSAIM 7
AMERIGANISTAN 6, Meddicia 0

Group A Standings

   Team               P  W D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Western Cuba       5  5 0  0  34  24  +10  15
 2 Tocrowkia          5  3 0  2  34  23  +11   9
 3 Mantwenic          5  2 0  3  27  29   -2   6
 4 Ameriganistan      5  2 0  3  24  25   -1   6
 5 Hossaim            5  2 0  3  22  23   -1   6
 6 Meddicia           5  1 0  4  16  33  -17   3

Sarzonia 3, THE BABBAGE ISLANDS 2
Bergnovinaia 4, TELAMAR 2
MYTANNION 4, Megurko 3 (F/14)

Group B Standings

   Team                     P  W D  L For  Ag +/- Pts
 1 Mytannion                5  4 0  1  24  14 +10  12
 2 Bergnovinaia             5  3 0  2  21  20  +1   9
 3 Telamar                  5  3 0  2  20  18  +2   9
 4 Sarzonia                 5  2 0  3  18  18  +0   6
 5 The Babbage Islands      5  2 0  3  21  27  -6   6
 6 Megurko                  5  1 0  4  14  21  -7   3

QAZOX 4, Quintessence of Dust 2
SAUGEAIS 1, Delaclava 0
ROYALSOLDIERS 5, Cotdelapoms 4

Group C Standings

   Team                      P  W D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Saugeais                  5  4 0  1  14  14   +0  12
 2 Royalsoldiers             5  4 0  1  27  19   +8  12
 3 Qazox                     5  3 0  2  28  23   +5   9
 4 Cotdelapoms               5  2 0  3  18  18   +0   6
 5 Quintessence of Dust      5  2 0  3  19  12   +7   6
 6 Delaclava                 5  0 0  5  11  31  -20   0

Zwangzug 8, TARRENTUM 5
CATHAIS 7, Mossulia 5
Cosumar 3, PONTINUR 2

Group D Standings

   Team           P  W D  L For  Ag +/- Pts
 1 Mossulia       5  4 0  1  27  21  +6  12
 2 Zwangzug       5  3 0  2  21  14  +7   9
 3 Cathais        5  3 0  2  15  15  +0   9
 4 Tarrentum      5  2 0  3  21  18  +3   6
 5 Cosumar        5  2 0  3  16  25  -9   6
 6 Pontinur       5  1 0  4  10  17  -7   3

LYCRABON 2, Cassadaigua 1
NORTH ORUS 6, Silver Beach 2
ZIRAKUL 7, Sibirsky 4 (F/14)

Group E Standings

   Team              P  W D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Silver Beach      5  4 0  1  23  15   +8  12
 2 Lycrabon          5  3 0  2  14  13   +1   9
 3 Cassadaigua       5  3 0  2  17  13   +4   9
 4 North Orus        5  3 0  2  23  20   +3   9
 5 Zirakul           5  2 0  3  25  29   -4   6
 6 Sibirsky          5  0 0  5  14  26  -12   0

Newmanistan 6, MILCHAMA 4 (F/10)
Churchma 5, TANZORIA 3
Stuffed Taxidermists 11, ANTOLETIA 3

Group F Standings

   Team                      P  W D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Newmanistan               5  4 0  1  29  22   +7  12
 2 Stuffed Taxidermists      5  4 0  1  30  17  +13  12
 3 Milchama                  5  3 0  2  29  16  +13   9
 4 Churchma                  5  2 0  3  18  26   -8   6
 5 Antoletia                 5  2 0  3  16  30  -14   6
 6 Tanzoria                  5  0 0  5  12  23  -11   0

[North Orus]

The 3-2 record for North Orus' Whales has made coach Mark Eastwoood proud. The 10-6-1 game proved to Whale's fans that they might have a chance. The Whale's catcher (and North Orus' Prime Minister) Finbar Curtin caught 1 steal in that game that could have been easily avoided for the other team. The two run homer by 3rd Baseman Owen Dudley in the 4th inning cause a rally for the Whales to go up 4 more points.

O.O.C. (This is my first sports post. I'm a newb )

[Lycrabon]

Yes, it's early. But just for shits and giggles, this is what the elimination round would look like at this point.

11 Bergnovinaia (3-2, Group B 2nd, +1 RD, 21 RS) vs. 6 Saugeais (4-1, Group C, 0 RD)
14 Milchama (3-2, Group F 3rd, +13 RD, note 1) vs. 3 Silver Beach (4-1, Group E, +8 RD)
10 Zwangzug (3-2, Group D 2nd, +7 RD) vs. 7 Stuffed Taxidermists (4-1, Group F 2nd, +13 RD)
15 Cassadaigua (3-2, Group E 3rd, +4 RD) vs. 2 Mytannion (4-1, Group B, +10 RD)
12 Lycrabon (3-2, Group E 2nd, +1 RD, 14 RS) vs. 5 Mossulia (4-1, Group D, +6 RD)
13 Qazox (3-2, Group C 3rd, +5 RD, note 1) vs. 4 Newmanistan (4-1, Group F, +7 RD)
9 Tocrowkia (3-2, Group A 2nd, +11 RD) vs.8 Royalsoldiers (4-1, Group C 2nd, +8 RD)
16 Telamar (3-2, Group B 3rd, +2 RD) vs. 1 Western Cuba (5-0, Group A)

(1) Milchama, by tiebreakers, would normally have been thirteenth. Since that would have created an group stage rematch, they were switched with normally fourteenth-seeded Qazox.

The second half will be very interesting, I think.

[Churchma]

Churchma Rockets WBC 17 Coverage
Churchma looks to improve on fourth place group finish in WBC 16
Churchma Sports Inc.

Ben Barksdale is back as manager of the Churchma national baseball team known as the Rockets. And he's assuring the nation that is crazy about football that there is reason to hope for a good year from the baseball team as they try to improve on their 8-6 record in the previous WBC.

"We're bringing back some of the key pieces that helped us be successful two years ago, and we've brought in some of the young stars from the RBA (Republic Baseball Association). We're going to make a run at Newmanistan this year, I can tell you that," Barksdale said.

(OOC: Sorry this has taken me a little bit to post! Just been busy with RL and the NSCF)
Choose my runscorers: Y
Choose my lineup: N
Follow my Pitching Rotation: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: Y (I'll determine severity)
Godmod injuries to my players: N
Eject my players: Y (just my manager please, I'll include position players that were ejected)
Godmod other events: N

*Churchma DOES use a DH in its starting lineup* and *in Churchma time it has been two years since the previous WBC*

Starting Pitchers
1. #8- Colby Colgate (6'4, 240 pounds, 34 years old) RHP- back from WBC 16
2. #47- Darren Brickwell (6'2, 199 pounds, 27 years old) LHP- back from WBC 16
3. #15- Robert Zaino (6'3, 216 pounds, 31 years old) RHP- back from WBC 16
4. #98- Ben Lamar (6'3, 204 pounds, 24 years old) LHP
5. #3- George Temple (6'1, 192 pounds, 22 years old) RHP

Relief Pitchers
#26- Alonzo Sooseman (6'3, 230 pounds, 32 years old) RHP- back from WBC 16
#2- Saul Balmes (6'1, 196 pounds, 32 years old) LHP- back from WBC 16
#55- Hans Miller (6'3, 223 pounds, 28 years old) RHP
#39- Byron Wabble (5'11, 181 pounds, 24 years old) LHP
#21- Ryan Hilton (6'2, 234 pounds, 29 years old) RHP

Starting Lineup (Batting Order)
CF- #10- Jim Karney (6'2, 190 pounds, 26 years old)- Throws- R, Bats- R- starter from WBC 16
SS- #29- Randy Gomez (5'11, 199 pounds, 30 years old)- Throws- R, Bats- L- starter from WBC 16
RF- #13- Dick Johnson (6'1, 201 pounds, 23 years old)- Throws- R, Bats- R
C- #12- Alberto Linehan (6'2, 225 pounds, 33 years old)- Throws- R, Bats- R- starter from WBC 16
1B- #45- Aaron Roundtree (6'4, 228 pounds, 27 years old)- Throws- L, Bats- L- bench player from WBC 16
3B- #20- Jake Massa (6'3, 215 pounds, 27 years old)- Throws- R, Bats- R- starter from WBC 16
LF- #80- Steven Newton (6'1, 200 pounds, 25 years old)
DH- #99- Ben Xavier (6'4, 252 pounds, 29 years old)
2B- #24- Dwight Taplin (6'1, 208 pounds, 32 years old)- Throws- R, Bats- R- starter from WBC 16

*If we play at another team where a DH is not used, Taplin goes to eight in the order, and our pitcher goes to ninth in the order.

Bench Players
CF- #33- Cliff Forry (6'0, 197 pounds, 34 years old)- back from WBC 16
LF- #28- Jimmy Odom (6'2, 230 pounds, 38 years old)- back from WBC 16
1B- #11- Hubert Senate (6'5, 233 pounds, 22 years old)
C- #19- Erik Staats (6'3, 201 pounds, 24 years old)- back from WBC 16
3B- #43- Ryan Nanning (6'1, 211 pounds, 23 years old)
SS- #7- Antonio Zamora (6'2, 200 pounds, 27 years old)- back from WBC 16

Home Stadium
The Rockets home stadium is Cooper Field in Moorhatch (Churchma's capital). Cooper Field is the most historic ball park in the Republic, hosting the RBA team the Cooper Dawgs. This stadium seats 41,750 fans when filled to capacity.

[Qazox]

Qazox at WBC17

Qazox gets tough win over Quodites.

After her first start, many people thought that Jerri Werth's being on the team was due to nepotism. After tonight's start against Quintessence of Dust, many of those are changing their minds. Werth allowed 1 earned run in 7 innings, struck out 11 and walked only 1 comapred to the 6 in her 1st start. And the bullpen stayed strong as Robert Tokadden earned his first save by pitching a perfect ninth. After allowing 3 runs over the 3rd and 4th innings, QoD's Taiyou Morioka knuckled down striking out 7 of the final 9 batters he faced in only 6 innings before leaving for a pinch-hitter in the 7th. It was a pitcher's duel that didn't seem like one.

Now at the halfway point, Qazox is 3rd in the group, just one game behind Saugeais and Royalsoldiers, the only two teams Qazox has lost to. With Royalsoliders coming to Qazox next week, revenge is on our minds, as win would move Qazox probably into a first place tie.

Looking at our group and a couple of others here are the mid-point awards:

Most Suprising team: (tie) Saugeais and Stuffed Taxidermists. Both teams are 4-1 and atop their groups. Can the dark horses maintain their pace, or will they fall back to the pack?

Most Dissapointing team: Delaclava. 0-5? Nobody, not even Nostrodamus saw this coming. Is it already too late for them?

Most Offensive team (meaning best offense, not the other kind. We've permanently earned that title): Western cuba. Averaging 6.80 Rpg and are only unbeaten left. Are they that good, or is their group that bad? It's not the latter.

Best Pitching Staff: Lycrabon. In a tough group, they're allowing 2.60 Rpg. And They just out-dueled Cassadaigua.

Most likely Division leader to falter: Saugeais. I'm really sorry about this, but Qazox, Delaclava and QoD are better than Saugeais and in the 2nd half Saugeais will get caught.

Most likely sub .500 team to go 5-0 in 2nd half: Sarzonia. Got to give the devils their due

.

LINESCORE

Q.o.D. 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2  8 0
Qazox  0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 x  4  9 1

W- Jerri werth (1-1)
L- Taiyou Morioka (0-1)
Sv- Robert Tokadden (1)

BOX SCORE:
Qazox 3rd: Jae popped out to short. Thomas doubled to right. Werth sacrifice to 3rd, Thomas to 3rd. Corell singled to right, Thomas scored. McGillicutty singled to center, Corell to 2nd. Sdmar flied out to left. 1 run, 3 hits, 2 LOB. 1-0 Qazox.

Qazox 3rd: Holmes walked. Sinclair singled to left, Holmes to 2nd. Flint grounded into 6-4-3 double play, Sinclair out at 2nd, Holmes to 3rd. Jae singled to right, Holmes scored. Thomas doubled to center, Jae scored. Werth struck out. 2 runs, 4 hits, 1 LOB. 3-0 Qazox.

QoD 7th: Emily Sanderson 417ft HR to center. Ana Justina Jurkaš reached on Sinclair's fielding error. <Pinch hitter: Ben Zimmerman batting for Taiyou Morioka>. Zimmerman struck out. Sam Spade doubled to right, Jurkaš scored. Natalia Kivistö grounded out to 2nd, Spade to 3rd. Anna Alaja flied out to left. 2 runs, 2 hits, 1 LOB, 1 error. 3-2 Qazox

Qazox 8th: McGillicutty singled to left. McGillicutty stole 2nd. Sdmar grounded out to 1st, McGillicutty to 3rd. Holmes flied ou to right, McGillicutty scored. Sinclair grounded out to short. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 LOB 4-2 Qazox.

[Lycrabon]

CAPITAL CITY GAZETTE
The Three Rivers' source for news
http://www.capitalcitygazette.com.lyc

Amazing pitchers' duel ends in Bllue Jays' win

ST. CATHERINE-- Quite possibly the greatest pitching performance ever by a Blue Jays pitcher (Barnettsville or Lycrabon) was turned in Cassadaigua this evening, as the staff ace threw a complete game six-hitter to squeak past the defending WBC champions 2-1. The Lady Dagans ended the game with runners at second and third; but the final batter was called out via a nasty 93 mph sinker. The Dagans got on the board first, as the shortstop blasted a home run down the right field line in the fourth. Lycrabon answered back with a double, triple, and sacrifice fly in the sixth, and the defense took it from there, ending scoring threats in the eighth and ninth.

The first half of the group stages ended with Lycrabon at 3-2, and Cassadaigua at a surprising 3-2 as well. If the playoff started today, both would qualify; however, the champs would be a dark-horse 15th seed.

CAS 000 100 000 - 1 6 0
LYC 000 002 00X - 2 9 1

[Quintessence of Dust]

"Idiot", Momoko said to Sakiko after she hit into a double play in the first.

"Idiot," Sakiko said to Momoko after she was caught on a reckless steal attempt in the second.

"You're the idiot," Momoko replied in the third after watching Sakiko strike out swinging at a rotten pitch.

"No, you're the idiot," Sakiko wittly retorted as Momoko failed to get a glove down to a sharp grounder that squirted out into left field in the fourth.

"Are you an idiot?" Momoko asked with mock sincerity as flyball got over Sakiko's head in the fifth.

"Well, if I were, I imagine you'd have run into me at your weekly meetings of the I'm An Idiot Club," Sakiko replied with eyebrow a-raised as Momoko trudged back into the dugout following a strikeout in the sixth.

"Hey, idiot," said Momoko as she and Sakiko sat watching their team finally score a run in the seventh, subsequently noting, "Hahahaha - you looked! Idiot!"

"Yeah, you're right, I looked - looked at an idiot," Sakiko responded with biting scorn even as Momoko fielded a grounder to end the eighth.

"Idiot," added Momoko, as the game ended.

[Tarrentum]

Tarrentum Falcons Sporting News

After dropping the first two games of the 17th World Baseball Classic, the Falcons have played inspired ball to take 2 of the last 3 games. Many analysts have wondered what Cossomo's strategy has been. It's been long ball the whole way. Star second basewoman Dessea Vallena-Favella is on track to match her record-setting (for Tarrentum) home run total from last year. The team as a whole have been lackluster. Many critics are quick to take pains with Tarrentum's high roster turnover and inexperience during each Classic but the IBL's Commissioner, Nicholas Ozzarella points to the two straight WBC Playoff appearances by the Falcons. "You can't have a bad team and consistently make the playoffs." Ozzarella stated that the reason they brought in Cossomo instead of having former national team manager Tiberius Wavi return was "Cossomo's winning ways in the IBL."

Still the Falcons are dragging. Their two victories this tournament were over low-level baseball nations. Some of their losses have also been to newer baseball nations. Still, the strategy will be followed. Father DeSalvo, Bench Coach, offered up his own insights. "Sometimes we may wish to follow the quick and easy path to winning. Whether that be cheating or buying a championship. Yet the good Lord above shows us that to lose is to win, to gain total ignorance is to gain understanding. We must look to our earthly bonds and strive for something greater. Our players know that it isn't through strength of muscle but through strength of character that we will be blessed. The Lord be praised!" While plainly true, prayer alone won't help the Falcons win.

[Zwangzug]

"...so here we go. Two teams tied at 2-2 right now--"

"--well Cathatis also--"

"--but this will maybe set the tone going into the second half. Garfield gets the start against Sabre, first delivery from Jeffery is fouled off, and we're under way..."

"...well, you know what, it's a good thing Tarrentum had a traditional rotation too! 3-3 already, it's early but you can tell all the bats are alive today."

"Yep. Dessea Vallena-Favella's homer cancels out Throop's, nice to see the Zebras matching the Falcons in power."

"Eh, I'm not sure how we score runs matters so much as that we score. We still need to build a lead at some point..."

"...He'll foul this one away, oh and one."

"Gradoni receiving a slew of honors last season--most valuable player, Adamantium Slugger, Platinum Glove--what do you do with a Platinum Glove?"

"Who cares. We don't need to bother with those kinds of things."

"Maybe if we had better-organized rosters or more frequent league competition, we would."

"Are you saying there's something wrong with our teams' rosters? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

"I...think you know our situation perfectly well, and Tarrentum has a different situation, so I'm not surprised to see a different system, is all."

"Gradoni drills this one to right. Zappataro will race in, no chance to gun him down, and it's 6-5..."

"...Sallamo seems to have adjusted to the mid-reliever role, at least for Outremont."

"Hmm, the international stage is different though. Blitch will lace this one to the outfield, Oates comes in to make it 8-5..."

"...bringing their record to 3-2 going into the, uh..."

"Second half?"

"Right, right."

"We'll have scores from other games coming up in a minute..."

...datalata DAtalata...

[Andossa Se Mitrin Vega]

Walk Off Slam Lifts Warlocks to Win in 14

A return to Zirakul was exactly what the team needed following struggles on the road and a 1-3 start to this tournament. The Warlocks were excited to see their open field rather than the cramped and confining stadiums most nations built to spoil the purity of the game. And great to see as well was the lack of vendors who tried incessantly to pull your attention anywhere that wasn’t the game. And refreshing it was to see the wealthy fans of the opposition standing on flat ground with Zirikuli natives. Armani suits and loincloths together in one crowd as they should be whilst enjoying an evening of baseball.

The two bottom teams of the group faced off in an effort to see who still had slim hopes of turning their fates around. Sibirsky and Zirakul - About as opposite as two nations can be. And yet this game placed them as equals - and each team played as if they were. Nine innings is never enough, but the fourteen that were played today nearly saw the game being postponed by darkness as there is only torchlight to brighten the field once the sun is gone.

Ilapeu’atta played witness to an impressive pitching duel which saw the Sibirsky starter go 7 innings and the bullpen keep the score even nothing through the ninth as we failed to score on a mere 3 hits. The Warlocks were perhaps even stronger as lefty Umuepu baffled the Sibirsky team through nine perfect innings. 18 Ks and 0 hits.

With the score still even, Manager Iowasseu had a very difficult decision to make. Let Umuepu continue despite the longevity of the game or go to the bullpen now and bring a fresh arm in. He chose the latter and was rewarded with more solid pitching the next two innings.

It would be the top of the 11th when Sibirsky would break the cycle and score on a two-run blast. But the Warlocks had an answer. Miukuwa and Keheuewu launched back to back jacks that would send the game to inning number 12 with the score knotted at 2.

Sibirsky would score again in the 12th on double to deep left that caught Malihao badly out of position, and it looked as if that would be enough with two outs and nobody on. But Aipohi had other ideas as he first singled to right and stole second before another pitch could be made. He then was moved to third as Na'eameha singled as well. And that set up perhaps the defining play of this young teams tournament thus far. Aipohi stole home, to the amazement of everyone present.

The bottom of the 14th inning saw Sibirsky with a 4-3 lead as Keheuewu came to the plate with one out. Intentional walk. Auomi was hit by the first pitch he saw and the tying run was moved to second. Then Wewiki singled up the middle to load the bases for none other than Aipohi. The hero of the 12th jumped on the curve he had been waiting for with a massive swing of the bat. The first ever Walk-Off Slam in Zirakuli history. And the Warlocks were winners for just the second time,

[Tocrowkia]

NordicNation.net

World Baseball Classic 17 coverage

Code: Select all

TEAMS        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R H E
MED          0 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0   5 8 0
TOC          2 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1   6 7 0


WIN:
Felix Rudorffer (1-0)
HRs:
Johnny Stryker 2 (3), Stella Kallow 1 (4)

Lena Wölk's debut on the world stage could have gone better, but some excellent bullpen work and clutch hitting by team captain Johnny Stryker prevented her from getting a loss. In fact, Stryker gave Lena an early lead when he blasted a two run shot in the first. Kallow followed up two innings later with a three run blast to deep left-center, her fourth straight game with a homer. Despite the early offensive output, Wölk got hammered hard and early out there and Rudolf was forced to take action. Felix Rudorffer game in out of the pen and pitched the rest of the game, earning six strikeouts with only one walk. In the ninth, Johnny Stryker won the game with a walk off homerun! Woooot!

Code: Select all

TEAMS        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R H E
TOC          3 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 0   7 14 1
WTC          5 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0   10 16 0


LOSS:
Viktoria Growe (0-1)
HRs:
Michael Hammer 1 (2), Stella Kallow 1 (5)

Viktoria Growe also had a terrible debut on the world stage during the highly anticipated matchup between the Nordics and Western Cuba. She gave up four earned runs (the fifth was unearned thanks to a Cassandra Tilgner error) after the Nordics put up a three spot thanks to a Michael Hammer three run blast in the first half off the inning. Growe survived the terrible first inning, only to give up two more runs in the next thanks to a two run home run. Stella Kallow also had yet another home run, a two run shot of her on in the third but in the end that wasn't enough.

Now dropping to 3-2 in the group, the Nordics face the very real possibility of not having a group title under their belt for the first time in like, ever. "This team is used to adversity." Paul Rudolf said after the game. "I know we have a lot of greenhorns this time around, but they know what they're doing. We all know what this game means and how we have to perform if we want to right the ship."

[Lycrabon]

Game 6 cutoff, brought to you by the Lycrabonian Military....There's strong, and then there's Army Strong.

Hossaim 11, TOCROWKIA 6
Ameriganistan 5, WESTERN CUBA 1
MANTWENIC 5, Meddicia 0

Group A Standings

   Team               P  W D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Western Cuba       6  5 0  1  35  29   +6  15
 2 Mantwenic          6  3 0  3  32  29   +3   9
 3 Tocrowkia          6  3 0  3  40  34   +6   9
 4 Hossaim            6  3 0  3  33  29   +4   9
 5 Ameriganistan      6  3 0  3  29  26   +3   9
 6 Meddicia           6  1 0  5  16  38  -22   3

Telamar 6, SARZONIA 5 (F/12)
Mytannion 3, THE BABBAGE ISLANDS 1
Megurko 5, BERGNOVINAIA 3 (F/15)

Group B Standings

   Team                     P  W D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Mytannion                6  5 0  1  27  15  +12  15
 2 Telamar                  6  4 0  2  26  23   +3  12
 3 Bergnovinaia             6  3 0  3  24  25   -1   9
 4 Sarzonia                 6  2 0  4  23  24   -1   6
 5 The Babbage Islands      6  2 0  4  22  30   -8   6
 6 Megurko                  6  2 0  4  19  24   -5   6

Saugeais 2, QUINTESSENCE OF DUST 1
Royalsoldiers 5, QAZOX 3
Cotdelapoms 6, DELACLAVA 4

Group C Standings

   Team                      P  W D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Saugeais                  6  5 0  1  16  15   +1  15
 2 Royalsoldiers             6  5 0  1  32  22  +10  15
 3 Qazox                     6  3 0  3  31  28   +3   9
 4 Cotdelapoms               6  3 0  3  24  22   +2   9
 5 Quintessence of Dust      6  2 0  4  20  14   +6   6
 6 Delaclava                 6  0 0  6  15  37  -22   0

Cathais 3, ZWANGZUG 1
TARRENTUM 3, Pontinur 2
Cosumar 6, MOSSULIA 4

Group D Standings

   Team           P  W D  L For  Ag +/- Pts
 1 Cathais        6  4 0  2  18  16  +2  12
 2 Mossulia       6  4 0  2  31  27  +4  12
 3 Zwangzug       6  3 0  3  22  17  +5   9
 4 Tarrentum      6  3 0  3  24  20  +4   9
 5 Cosumar        6  3 0  3  22  29  -7   9
 6 Pontinur       6  1 0  5  12  20  -8   3

North Orus 9, CASSADAIGUA 2
Zirakul 5 , LYCRABON 4 (F/10)
Sibirsky 5 , SILVER BEACH 4 (F/10)

Group E Standings

   Team              P  W D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 North Orus        6  4 0  2  32  22  +10  12
 2 Silver Beach      6  4 0  2  27  20   +7  12
 3 Zirakul           6  3 0  3  30  33   -3   9
 4 Cassadaigua       6  3 0  3  19  22   -3   9
 5 Lycrabon          6  3 0  3  18  18   +0   9
 6 Sibirsky          6  1 0  5  19  30  -11   3

NEWMANISTAN 15, Tanzoria 6
MILCHAMA 1, Antoletia 0
CHURCHMA 5, Stuffed Taxidermists 4

Group F Standings

   Team                      P  W D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Newmanistan               6  5 0  1  44  28  +16  15
 2 Stuffed Taxidermists      6  4 0  2  34  22  +12  12
 3 Milchama                  6  4 0  2  30  16  +14  12
 4 Churchma                  6  3 0  3  23  30   -7   9
 5 Antoletia                 6  2 0  4  16  31  -15   6
 6 Tanzoria                  6  0 0  6  18  38  -20   0

[Qazox]

Qazox at WBC17

Oops the Umpires did it again.

Even with the advent of instant replay in the WBC, the umpies can get it wrong. Of course, tonight was one of the times they were wrong. Leading 3-1 with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 1 out in the top of the 9th, Robert Tokadden came in to close out the game. After walking the 1st batter he saw, on the strength of 3 questionable pitches that many replays showed were strikes; In stepped a pinch-hitter for the visitors. On the 2-1 pitch, the PH lined a ball down the left field line, apparently hitting a grand slam.

Linda Werth came running out of the dugout and asked the umpire, from parts unknown, to look at the replay. On the QSPN and international camera feeds, the ball clearly struck the wall just inside of foul territory and then hit the foul pole. But on the Royalsoliders feed, the ball appeared to hit the foul pole first. The QSPN and international feeds used a camera aimed straight down the 3rd base line, while the Royalsoldiers feed is from a vantage point about 2 feet to the right of the QSPN/international feeds and aimed at the left field corner in foul territory, instead of at the foul pole.

After about 2 minutes, the umpire circled his left hand over his head, signaling a home run. Werth came charging out of the duout again and was tossed. Qazox did have a chance to at least tie the game up with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th, but pinch-hitter Victor Fuller lined out to short to end the game.

Manager Linda Werth had this to say after the game <WARNING might be NSFW>:

Why the fuck have a replay system, if the umpires still can't get it right. Not to mention the Home ump was favoring Royalsoliders all night. Only 3 strikeouts called for our team? And 9 called 3rd strikes for Royalsoldiers? Seriously, the umpiring over the last few WBC's has been shitty. Where the fuck do they find these guys, a Secristani prision? A Sarzonian insane asylum? An orphanage for the blind in the Babbage Islands? This game, as is every other game, is important and they have complete fuck-ups as umpires.

Lost in the controverisal ending was Micheal Hunter's strong performance, going 7 innings, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits, though just struck out 4 and walked 3. Up next for Qazox is a desparate 0-6 Delaclava team. Qazox is now for all intents and purposes 3 games behind Royalsoliders for 1st place.

LINESCORE

Royalsoliders 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4  5  6 2
Qazox         0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0  3 10 0

W- Royalsoldiers RP #2
L- Michella Brown (0-1)
Sv- Royalsoldiers CP

BOX SCORE:
Royalsoliders 1st: walk, flyout to left, single to center, single to right, run scored. strike out. popout to 3rd. 1 run, 2 hits, 2 LOB. 1-0 Royalsoldiers.

Qazox 6th: Thomas singled to left. Hunter struck out. Corell singled to left, Thomas to 2nd. McGillicutty reached on LF fielding error, Thomas scored, Corell to 3rd, McGillicutty to 2nd. Sdmar singled to right, Corell and Mcgillicutty scored. Holmes flied out to right. Sinclair doubled ro left, Sdmar to 3rd. Flint struck out looking. 3 runs, 4 hits, 2 LOB, 1 error 3-1 Qazox.

Royalsoliders 9th: Single to left. Groundout (5-3), runner to 2nd. Walk. <Pitching change Michella Brown out, Robert Tokadden in> Walk. 327ft HR to left, Grandslam. Strike out, fly out to right. 5-3 Royalsoliders.