World Baseball Classic 26- Everything Thread (IC)

[Qazox]

Qazox comeback fails (again).

Qazox                           0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0  3
The Priory of St Luc            2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  4

Bryan Holden gave up 4 runs on 7 hits in the first 2 innings before settling down and retiring the last 16 batters he faced, but it wasn't enough as Qazox left the bases loaded in the 9th, to drop to 1-2 (0-2 road).

CF- Justin Madroe  0-4
2B- J. C. Vulp 2-4, HR, 2 runs, RBI (Solo HR in 7th)
3B- Brianna Handel 0-4
RF- Chad Cochran 2-4, run, RBI
C- Allie Durmitt 2-4, double, RBI
SS- Zach Joswyn 1-4
1B- Joshua McCullen 1-4
LF- Leslie Fanueil 1-4
SP- Bryan Holden- 7.0 IP, 4 runs, 4 ER, 9K, 1BB,  7 hits (L 0-1) (0-2 batting)

[Zwangzug]

(OOC: No summary of Quodite/Zwangzugian baseball encounters would be complete without me putting in a plug for "Pafko at the Wall"/"The Triumph of Death," the prologue to Don DeLillo's "Underworld." Note that I am not recommending the entire book. I have not read it, it is long and pretentious. If I remember correctly, Quod might even have agreed with me here.)

The Bassabook Baritone

We also agree with non-pretentious literary recommendations

Great Moments In WBC History: Wally the Win Expectancy Worm

World Baseball Classic 15 saw the introduction of line scores to the wider world of international baseball, and while these have not been universally adopted, they have nevertheless made an impact on the scope of analysis. One such way is through the "win expectancy calculator." Broadly speaking, at any given moment in a game, circumstances will vary--what inning is it? how many runners are on base? how many outs are there? who's winning, and by how much? These sorts of circumstances have been seen before, and based on previous results, we can estimate how likely either team is to win or lose the game, given those circumstances.

Shortly before WBC15, the Society for Zwangzug Baseball Research unearthed a scorecard of a truly remarkable comeback in a game versus two long-gone teams, the Danhy Monkeygeese and the Trink Fishcattigerstuff. (Danhy and Trink, for the benefit of foreign readers, are cities in the district of Yeaun; they despise each other.) Their analysis was eventually uploaded to fangaffes.zz. And, SZBR members Roderick Sultoshdan and Oliver Craudren became, respectively, Zwangzug's play-by-play and color announcers. They got along about as well as people from Danhy and Trink do, which is not at all, due to Craudren's horrific timing in reading e-mails from fans. We at the Baritone heartily approve of researching the history of baseball in Zwangzug, which is what they were trying to do, but really.

The Quintessence of Dust press was quite taken with the idea of win expectancy graphs, and duly suggested Wally the Win Expectancy Worm as their new mascot. Although the Quodites have sadly slipped from the public eye, and the original Wally with them, we can pay tribute to their noble legacy by graphing results today. Here, in nonanthropomorphic form, is the graph of today's exciting clash between Vaugania and Maklohi Vai.



The Zebras beat the Quodites (not yet known as the Things) twice in the group stage, before defeating them two games to one in the quarterfinals. Highlights of the encounter included Paul Eckhart's surreal windup motion and equally-confounding pickoff move, the dreaded SLORCball of Taiyou Morioka, and June "Bob" Bargmavis' no-decision against the country where she played professionally.

[The Sova Empire]

Even

With a 3 run win, TSE has a 0 PD 3 games in

The offense is back. After a scoreless game yesterday, TSE moved on to the Schmigelland game. TSE, 28 ranks higher than the Schmiegellanic team, was able to get 5 runs while only allowing 2. Tammarah had a great day for K's, with 8 K's in 9 innings pitched. Tammarah never let a runner on after the 5th, despite his rough first and 3rd innings. Each team committed an error, and TSE's was the only one that let a run in. In the first, LanChama hit a soft infield groudball with runners on the corners. Ida Givadurn tried to barehand it home, but missed, and by the time he got it, there was no feasible play. Schmiegelland's came in the 8th when the pitcher covered on a groundball hit by Bcuz and dropped it when he got to first. The win puts TSE in a tie for 2nd with Yesopalitha.

Elsewhere in group 1, the undefeated teams of Yesopalitha and Kriegiersien faced off and only 1 emerged. Yesopalitha lost, 3-4. THRILLEDGE finally got a win with a 2-1 victory over M7. Kriegiersien is at first with a 3-0 record, TSE and Yesopalitha are tied for 2nd with a 2-1, M7 and THRILLEDGE are 4th with 1-2, and Schmiegelland are winless through 3.

In the archives, WBC 15 was hosted by The Babbage Islands, and saw 36 teams participate. In the qualifying round, no team went over 8-2. The finals came down to Zwangzug and Newmanistan, with the latter coming victorious.

GAME 3

Schmiegelland 2-5 The Sova Empire

Scoring plays:
1st inning: (see above) Run scored on an error. 0-1 Schmiegelland leads.
3rd inning: With runners on first and 2nd, a single into right field scored Kenkla. 0-2
3rd inning: Ida Givadurn goes deep into right with 2 runners on. 3-2
4th inning: "Y" puts the first pitch he sees into the left-field bleachers. 4-2
7th inning: Bases-loaded walk by Roffeld. 5-2

[Aardenland]

AARDENLAND TAKES OUT TOP-RANKED TEAM

National Team Overcomes Free South Califas in Final Innings

Aardenland scraped out her first win in WBC XXVI, as they narrowly defeat the division's highest ranked team, Free South Califas, 5-4. In the early innings, the Califan team drew up a slight 4-3 advantage. In the eighth inning, however, their bullpen began to crack. Ricky Bruijn scored on Crijn Legierse's double, and the score was tied. In the ninth inning, Carl Hooghiemstra was called in to pinch-hit for set-up man Bill Sands. "Carl is very good in the clutch situation," said close friend Ricky Bruijn. "If you need his bat, he'll let you have it." Hooghiemstra hit the first pitch over five hundred feet, to put Aardenland over the top in the ninth, and ultimately, for the game. Kazim van Prooijen shut the door by retiring Califas one-two-three in the bottom of the ninth.

First Inning:

Aardenland: Zef Veek hit a home run into the right field bleachers. Aardenland leads, 1-0

Third Inning:

Aardenland: With two outs, Veek tripled into right field. Sally Karlsson walked. Karlsson stole second. Silver Wouda singled to center, scoring Veek and Karlsson. Aardenland leads, 3-2

Eighth Inning:

Aardenland: With one out, Ricky Bruijn singled to left field. Crijn Legierse doubled into the right-center field gap, scoring Bruijn.

Ninth Inning:

Aardenland: Carl Hooghiemstra pinch hit for pitcher Bill Sands. Hooghiemstra hit a home run into deep center field. Aardenland leads, 5-4

AARDENLAND WINS, 5-4

[Allinlia]

Homesickness
Allinlia loses first game of the tournament on the road against unranked Carasatoga

Super-Llamaland        0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  2
Soviet Party           0 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 X  4

Zwangzug               0 0 1 0 2 2 2 0 0  7
Sakurakoku             1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  3

Allinlia               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  3
Carasatoga             0 1 2 0 0 1 0 1 X  5

Group 9               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Zwangzug                3    2   1    15    9   +6     6
2 Allinlia                3    2   1    13   10   +3     6
3 Super-Llamaland         3    2   1    13   12   +1     6
4 Sakurakoku              3    1   2    13   12   +1     3
5 Carasatoga              3    1   2    11   14   −3     3
6 Soviet Party            3    1   2     6   14   −8     3

reporting from Carastoga

Allinlia was riding high atop the group with 2 straight victories at home but they took to the road for the first time in Carasatoga, an unranked team new to the WBC that many thought were one of the better newcomers until the team got off to an 0-2 start in which they just didn't look strong at all. They may have reversed that feeling from the outside observers with their gutsy win over the red hot Allinlians

Jerry Bowler took to the mound for his WBC debut and was looking good in the first inning, retiring the side without giving up a hit. The Carastogan starter looked better, holding Allinlia scoreless through 8 innings.

Carasatoga would score the first run of the game in the second inning to take the lead and they would only add to that lead in the second inning with a 2 run double in the third. With the home team up 3-0, Jerry Bowler seemed to clam down a bit holding Carasatoga scoreless through the 4th and 5th before another run in the 6th sent him off the mound and brought out the relivers. Carasatoga would score yet another run in the bottom of the 8th inning to build their lead up to 5-0

Allinlia tried to mount a 9th inning rally, scoring 3 runs off a homer by Conan Marteen and an RBI from Ferris Silver but the Carastogan closer was eventually brought out and he was able to end the game and record the first win for his team and the first loss for Allinlia

Though the defeat was unexpected and inconvenient, Allinlia is still in good shape for getting out of the very tough group 9 as their biggest competition, Super Llamaland, also suffered their first loss to unranked Soviet Party. Zwangzug's victory over Sakurakoku puts three teams tied at 2-1 and three teams tied at 1-2. The group is now looking very close and highly competitive, as what was expected when the group draw was announced. Buddy Cox will prepare to start for Allinlia in it's next match against Sakurakoku.

Correction: We accidentally said in our last article that Allinlia will be facing Sakurakoku today, obviously that didn't happen. The anticipated Allinlia-Sakurakoku matchup will happen tomarrow, matchday 4.

--RBI Tracker--

Conan Marteen 2HR 3RBI
Aiden Stairs 1HR 4RBI
Nick Fasano 0HR 1RBI
Paul Majuwitz 0HR 1RBI
Andy Capps 0HR 1RBI
Devin Kearns 0HR 1RBI
Toby Abbott 0HR 1RBI
Ferris Silver 0HR 1RBI

[Ethington]

Damien Vergil throws complete game, Owls win 5-1
Written by Alan Smith, Baseball Columnist

Cassadaigua                     0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
Ethington                       0 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 X  5

#23 Ramsey: 1/4, Single,  RBI, SO, BB
#55 Walsh: 3/5, 1 HR, 1 GS, 6 RBI, Double
#9 MacKenzie: 2/5, Single, Double, RBI, 2 SO
#72 Owston: 2/3, 2 Singles, FC, Stolen Base, Sac Fly, 
#88 Flynn: 1/5, 3 SO, Ground into DP, Single. 2 RBI
#70 Bardsley: 1/4, Single, Stolen Base, SO, RBI.
#2 Errol: 1/3, 1 HR, 3 RBI, SO, BB
#1 Cléirich: 1/4, Single, SO, Ground into DP.
#86 Vergil: 1/2, Double, SO, BB, RBI

#10 Moreau: 9.0 IP. 94 pitches thrown; 68 strikes, 26 balls. 9 SO, 5 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 1.00 ERA

The Owls looked to continue rolling this afternoon, after yesterday's 15-3 win. However, through the first six innings, they were held to just two hits, a double and a single in the same inning. However, another huge inning from the top of the order broke the 1-1 tie. Vergil would hold steady all game, giving up a single run in the sixth inning, and striking out nine.

The first inning was an unfortunate one, as Ramsey, Walksh and MacKenzie would go 1-2-3. Up in the second, Owston would walk on six pitches, but would be thrown out as Flynn would ground into a routine double play. Bardsley would then step up and strike out on three straight pitches. In the top of the third, Vergil would give up a two-out double, but then strike out the next batter to keep the game scoreless. Up in third inning, Errol would hit a line drive directly to the Cassadaiguan pitcher, Samantha Leblanc. It would bounce off of the bottom of her cleats, and shoot over towards third base. Errol would handily beat out the throw. Continuing to use his quick speed, Errol would move to second in a fielder's choice situation. Damien Vergil would then come up and hit a double to score Errol. The game would remained tied into the top of the sixth, when Vergil made his only real error of the game, living a fastball right over the plate for Stacie Meyer. The pitch was in a quite similar place as the pitch that Walsh drilled for a grand slam in their last game.

Later, in the seventh inning, Sullivan MacKenzie would hit a lead off homerun, to make the score 2-1. Owston would strike out on three straight pitches, but Flynn would hit a single of the first pitch. Bardsley would then step up and hit a double, moving Flynn to third. Errol would hit a long single to the high wall in right, scoring both Flynn and Bardsley. Cléirich would strike out, but Vergil would walk. With runners at first and second, Cavan Ramsey would hit a single that would hit fair, but bounce into the corner in right field, making the score 5-1.
The score would stay that way, but Vergil would scare everyone, as he would load up the bases in the ninth, with 2 back to back walks.

"Stacy Meyer's at the plate with the bases full. This girl can hit, and she's already knocked one out tonight. Vergil, working from the first base side, comes set. Fires it in there, just inside for a ball. Comes set again, fires. Clips the corner for a strike!

One and one the count as he fires a slider in there for another strike. The fans here tonight are going crazy! Gunnar Hargrave warming up in the bullpen, just in case it comes to that. One and two the count, and Vergil stares down Walsh at the plate. Vergil doesn't agree with any of the signals, and finally agrees on one. Walsh sets up on the outside corner, and Vergil throws his pitch. Just outside for another ball. Two and two the count. Vergil quickly gets ready, and throws another pitch. It clips the corner but is called for a ball anyways! Walsh stood up to fire the ball off to third, but it was called a ball!

Vergil shakes his head in disbelief, and grabs the rosin for a quick shake. He steps up, back onto the rubber. Comes set, fires. STRIKE THREE CALLED, BALLGAME! Vergil throws to the top shelf of the strike zone, right where momma hides the cookies! He sits down his ninth, and finishes a complete game!

Up next, the Owls will have to go to 9th ranked Free South Califas, who have one win and two losses. Mika Hanne is scheduled to pitch. He is the Owls' knuckleball pitcher, and he will complement it with a circle changeup and a breakingball.

[Sakurakoku]

No Capitalization
Wolves leave twelve on base as all-time record against Zebras falls to 1-7

Sakurakoku left a total of twelve runners on base as the Wolves lost to Zwangzug 7-3. This included getting the bases loaded in both the sixth and eighth innings and failing to score any runs in those frames. Frustration was evident on manager Itsuki Mori's face as Yuuhi Katou struck out looking to end the eighth. The Zebras actually left even more runners on base than the Wolves (15), but the sheer number of batters who reached base was enough to push across their seven runs. The parade of Zebra batters meant that starter Kanji Namiya only lasted 5+ innings despite throwing 112 pitches.

The Silver Wolves next travel to Allinlia to try to salvage a .500 record from a tough early schedule. With all six teams in Group Nine either at 2-1 or 1-2, a win would leave the Wolves in a reasonable position to make the knockout rounds.

---

Zwangzug     0 0 1 0 2 2 2 0 0 - 7 16 0
Sakurakoku   1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 3 11 1

W - Messmer-Grell
L - Namiya

Scoring Summary:

Bottom 1st: Katou grounded out to shortstop. Horie homered to left. Yasuzumi struck out swinging. Yamagishi grounded out to second. Sakurakoku, 1-0.

Bottom 2nd: Kaneko struck out swinging. Kimihara doubled to left-center. Dojima singled to right, Kimihara scored. Suzuki grounded into fielder's choice, third baseman Ghasal-Mihaylov to second baseman Ross-Meyer, Dojima out at second. Uemura popped out to catcher. Sakurakoku, 2-0.

Top 3rd: Louash-Swea walked. Louash-Swea stole second. Ghasal-Mihaylov grounded out to first, Louash-Swea to third. Maugher sacrifice flied out to center, Louash-Swea scored. Scranton doubled to left. Hendrickson was hit by pitch. Mesliss-Pfell grounded out to second. Sakurakoku, 2-1.

Top 5th: Ghasal-Mihaylov singled to center. Maugher struck out swinging. Scranton homered to left-center, Ghasal-Mihaylov scored. Hendrickson walked. Mesliss-Pfell lined out to first, Hendrickson out at first. Zwangzug, 3-2.

Top 6th: Vondle singled to center. Egenman singled to right, Vondle to second. Ross-Meyer walked, Vondle to third, Egenman to second. Y. Saito pitching. Louash-Swea grounded into fielder's choice, second baseman Uemura to catcher Suzuki, Vondle out at home, Egenman to third, Ross-Meyer to second. Ghasal-Mihaylov singled to left, Egenman scored, Ross-Meyer scored, Louash-Swea to second. Maugher flied out to left. Scranton flied out to center. Zwangzug, 5-2.

Top 7th: Hendrickson homered to right-center. Mesliss-Pfell grounded out to third. Vondle reached on error by shortstop Dojima. Egenman singled to center, Vondle to second. Ross-Meyer doubled to right, Vondle scored, Egenman out at home. Louash-Swea struck out swinging. Zwangzug, 7-2.

Bottom 9th: Horie flied out to right. Yasuzumi singled to center. Yamagishi doubled to right-center, Yasuzumi scored. Kaneko struck out swinging. Kimihara walked. Dojima grounded out to first. Zwanzug, 7-3.

[Free Republics]

Sporting World

Peter Bach's FFR loses, again
by: Michelina Panicucci

Amid the controversy over the recent coming out of Giancarlo Bolko as the first openly gay active athlete in the history of major league Republican sports, Peter Bach's Republican side has not been playing well lately. It appears that the team captain's decision to reveal something to the entire world that most people consider a personal matter has not sat well with some of his teammates. A player from the Republican national side told me, on condition of anonymity, that he thinks homosexuality is a "perversion" and he believes that Mr. Bolko is going to hell. Another told me anonymously that he is now uncomfortable showering with Mr. Bolko. Publicly, everybody on the team is supportive of their captain, but I believe several players have a problem with their captain.

Today, Peter Bach's side represented the FFR on the road against Karditan. Karditan are considered one of the top-ranked nations in international baseball. They apparently have a number of ponies and unicorns on their team. Today, their pitcher was Cliff Leaper, a flying horse. The Republican side were clearly bothered by the bizarre sights they saw at National Park in Neighpon, Karditan. Their National Park is an especially imbalanced stadium, where the left field fence is 415 feet, while right field is only 290 feet away. "I was just in shock when I saw a bunch of animals playing for the other team," said Kardos Adony, "I thought humans were the only species capable of playing baseball. If Karditan has a handful of ponies, unicorns and flying horses on their team, does that mean that the Equestrian States is a nation of horses and horse-like creatures instead of just a nation obsessed with horse racing and dressage?"

Themaseb Berara started for Peter Bach's Republicans today. He conceded a home run to Gale Wind in the 4th inning and gave up a 2-RBI double to Aaron Aaron in the bottom of the 5th. Still, he pitched a decent game, finishing with 3 runs allowed in 6 innings of work before being replaced by a pinch hitter. Poul Lundblad pinch hit for Berara in the 7th and hit a home run for the only Republican run of the game. Cliff Leaper pitched 8 innings and gave up just 1 run. He generally pitched well. Jasmine Carr shut down the Republicans in the 9th inning to pick up a save and Karditan picked up the victory.

With the loss, the Federation of Free Republics falls to 1-2 in the WBC. Meanwhile, the Equestrian States lost for the first time, falling 3 to 1 to Strawbee and Skeckoa beat the Republic of Lanos 2-0. Currently, the Equestrian States, Karditan and Strawbee are tied at 2-1, with the FFR, Skeckoa and Lanos at 1-2. Tomorrow, the FFR is on the road against Skeckoa. That is going to be a critical game. Meanwhile, the ES hosts Lanos and Strawbee hosts Karditan. Group 3 of WBC 26 has been fairly even through the first three days. Day 4 will be critical. That makes the tension in the Republican locker room over the homosexuality of Giancarlo Bolko a serious problem.

Michelina Panicucci is an intern for Sporting World. She is currently a student at Baseton University. She is majoring in journalism. Michelina is a lifelong baseball fan who played baseball for her high school, although she saw little playing time. Miss Panicucci is originally from the Republic of Roxawa, where she grew up on her family's farm.

I'm not in the mood right now to do another lengthy RP, but I needed to get something up, so this will have to do.

[Taeshan]

"What a bunch of losers."

"Yeah, wait what, they won though."

"Yeah but they are still 1-2. What a bunch of losers."

"They beat Lycrabon the first seed below them."

"Yes, but they lost to two countries from loserville, aka they are now losers."

"But they beat Lycrabon."

"Still they are the bottom of the table after three games and 1-2. They should be top, sailing at 3-0."

"Well yeah, but all the great teams overcome adversity."

"But we are not the greatest team, even to come out of Taeshan, this is some crazy bs."

"Yeah, and they do this year in and year out. Lose at the beginning make a great run and then plop it off in the final round."

"They really could use some umph. Its almost like management manages to mess shit up and then figure it out."

"We will need a coach soon anyways, Alexander does not get the results."

"Well this is a results based system. Either way no teams have ever really gotten results for us. Even the championship team just got the easiest final matchup in the history of the world."

"Yeah that Cassadaigua series was no way going to be won by them."

"Yeah they were shit."

"Still are."

"Anyways we got to come back, but lets not call it a comeback."

"yeah/"

[Vaugania]

VauganiaSportsToday

Vaugania Takes Down Maklohi Vai in 10

Vaugania                   0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2  6
Maklohi Vai                1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  4

Felix Brauer took to the mound against 8th ranked Maklohi Vai's Aonmai Rutulotoa. The 10 inning game, though involving 10 runs, was a pitcher's duel with every run hard earned and the score totals coming in bits and pieces. The first of the two matches between these teams was played in Maklohi Vai, providing a daunting task for the Golden Eagles, who have now won2 straight following their MD 1 loss to 41st ranked Serbian Empire. The first of those two games was a home match against The Warring States of the Mediterranean. We will see the teams from today's game matched up again on MD 8.

1ST INNING

Felix Brauer began the inning looking a little shaky. He worked Aputo Roma’ai to a 2-1 count with the help of a foul fly ball to deep left. Brauer tried to get Roma'ai with a slider low and outside, but the Vaian shortstop got a piece of it and put a blooper into right field for a leadoff single. Next up was leftfielder Iao Laina. Brauer started off the at-bat with a fastball high and tight for a ball. He got the count to 3-2. He tried the slider again on Laina. Just like with Roma'ai, Laina got a piece of it, but fortunately for Brauer, it went foul. He went with a power curve low and inside. A questionable strike was called and Laina gave up Brauer's first K of the night. His next pitch was taken for a ride by Ri’ino Uilnai. Roma'ai turned on the jets a made it home before Asmund Skjeggestad could get a throw home to Marty Bzibziak. Brauer made it out of the inning by a thread, thanks to a soft grounder and Francois DuBois's great catch of a line drive.

2ND INNING

Roman Janicek found himself in a 1-2 hole as he led off the 2nd inning for the Golden Eagles. Rutulotoa gave him a breaking ball in an attempt to make him chase it. Janicek started to come around, but checked his swing at the last second, which was confirmed by the first base umpire. The man from Maklohi Vai decide to give him a strike and end the at-bat, but in doing so, missed the strike zone and gave Roman a full count. Rutulotoa tried to keep the next pitch inside the strike zone, but instead he gave up a juicy changeup and Janicek wasted no time in getting the ball over the centerfield fence of Kamanakai Oa'a Pani Stadium. Jaromir Braun earned a double in his at-bat and was brought home Felix Brauer line drive to right center.

3RD INNING

Brauer started off the inning against his counterpart, Aonmai Rutulotoa. Brauer was looking good as he fanned Rutulotoa in 4 pitches. However, Aputo Roma'ai was next up to bat and he earned himself a second hit by drilling a double on the third pitch. Roma'ai was advanced to third on a Iao Laina grounder. Ri'ino Uilnai went 0 for 2 in the game when he hit an infield pop-up. Mae'ao, Maklohi Vai's big hitter, was next up to bat and he put some mileage on Brauer's first pitch. He hammered the ball to deep left and bounced it off of the wall barely below the yellow line. Roma'ai trotted home for his second run of the game. Ruputuo hit a fly ball to centerfield that was caught by Mathias Hummel with ease to end the inning.

7TH INNING

With Mae'ao up to bat and two outs already recorded on the scorekeeper's sheet, Felix Brauer just need to get out of the inning. He started to do so by giving Mae'ao a barely hittable fastball low and inside for strike one. He stayed inside but raised up another fastball for a second strike thanks to Mae'ao fouling it away. He switched his game plan for the next pitch and went with a outside curve. There wasn't as much break on it as he would have liked and as a result, Mae'ao hit a screaming line drive that hugged the right foul line and made its way over the fence, just inside the foul pole.

8TH INNING

Ernie Baer came in to replace Brauer in the 8th in order to prevent Brauer's 100+ pitch count from inflating further. He did not settle in immediately. Arnao stood strong in the batter's box and fouled off pitch after pitch, getting the occasional ball. Finally, he received a base on balls due to an errant sinker. Moalna’akai Lai was the next batter and he didn't treat Baer very kindly. He ripped a fastball to left field. It appeared that he had hit a homerun by hitting the yellow border on the edge of the fence, but the umpire made no such ruling. Maklhoi Vai had 2 runners in scoring position following that. Wolo Rakinalmanai got made contact right away by hitting a grounder up the middle. In a fantastic play by Radim Mencher, he gunned down Arnao at the plate. Rimai Lomukiwo Hit a fly ball to right field that scored Lai. Baer escaped the inning by striking out Roma'ai on 6 pitches.

9TH INNING

Kerby Rychel stepped into the batter's box against Riwara, the Vaian closer, down by two runs. After fighting off two pitches, he got a ball to make contact with the ground in centerfield for an easy single. He was followed by shortstop, Radim Mencher. Mencher, who wasn't much of a force at the plate in WBC 25, managed to smack a changeup into right field and made it to second base, despite a close play. "Big Marty" "Obliteratron 5300" "Insert Other Cheesy Nickname Created By Sports Writers" Bzibziak went up to the plate hitless in the game. His streak continued after he whiffed on a curve for strike three. Roman Janicek faced Riwara with confidence because he already possessed a homer in this game. Janicek punched the first pitch into right center and split like a banana. Rychel and Mencher crossed the plate to tie up the game in the 9th. Braun and Skjeggestad both walked, but neither Mathias Hummel nor Ernie Baer could capitalize on the loaded bases.

10TH INNING

Francois DuBois opened up the inning in poor fashion. He made the long slow walk to the bench after only three pitches. Kerby Rychel now found himself facing Riwara for the second time in two innings. He was perhaps too affixed on the pitcher because he hit a comebacker that hit the pitcher's glove as he dodged the ball. No infielder could reach the ball in time to make a throw to first. Mencher failed to convert his at-bat into another hit a lined out the left field. Marty Bzibzaik walked up to the plate afterwards. With no hits in the game, it was expected that the top half of the inning would end right there. Marty changed the game with one swing of the bat instead. He homered deep to left field and scored Rychel in addition to himself. Riwara would eventually get out of the inning without giving up any more runs. Jonas Abel held the lead for a save and a 6-4 Vauganian victory.

[Milchama]

"Wait did Zwangzug say that line-scores were introduced to baseball during WBC 15?"

"I think so"

"Well that's just wrong"

"Yeah really really wrong"

"They existed since Tonissia made them in that short lived baseball tournament"

"Do you even remember what it was called?"

"Nope but I remember that he didn't even have a scorinator and made up the scores"

"Still won 3 games"

"Yep and beat that one team that sent all cricketers in cricket"

"That was nuts"

"Weird tournament"

"Yeah then An Archy had the World Cup of Baseball"

"And that had line scores"

"Well even more than line scores"

"True, it had 3 game series that were scorinated a game at a time, and lineups that had to be calculated exactly right"

"Yeah each player had a skill level and the team had an overall skill level that couldn't be passed"

"It was all over complicated and statistical and stuff"

"It was wonderful"

"Yes it was"

"Those were the good days"

"Except we lost to Bipedal Apes in the final"

"Besides that part"

"Well it's not like our luck improved until WBC 5"

"Yeah, still"

"I miss those days"

"You know we won again today, also we weren't born then"

"True, Milchama didn't even RP this way, that was back when it was all newspaper reports"

"Yep and Sarzonia complained over and over and over again about the newspaper names being too long"

"Typical Sarz"

"Typical"

"That was harsh though"

"Oh totally but whatever"

"Let's reminisce some more but in private"

"OK"

"But first a cheer"

"Deal"

"Come on You Warriors!"

"Let's Go Milchama!"

[Maklohi Vai]

Part 1
Part 2

Kumalo was awake suddenly. What time was it? He checked his clock. 3 am. As he slowly came around, he could hear the breathing from the other room. It dawned on him. Bishop Lennon is in the other room. Why is he breathing so heavily? Wait...

"Number 5, what is your emergency?"

"Man having a heart attack, needs quick care."

"On our way, sir."

The ambulance rolled up within 5 minutes, about average time for them in Maklohi Vai. Kumalo had already set up his pack to go to the hospital. It appeared the Bishop had calmed down, but was still in the final throes of the heart attack. Kumalo jumped into the ambulance as soon as he could, awaiting the ride to the hospital.

They arrived a few minutes later, and the Bishop was immediately whisked away into the ICU. Kumalo sat in the waiting room. But was it really a waiting room? It was more of a void. The entire things was white, for one. Nothing else is all white like that. Emotion was the common theme, but there was no common chord. What was this room? Was it just a vacancy of the hospital where loved ones spent their penance? Was it just the extra room, outside the commotion? Maybe so, Kumalo thought.

He thought even more about his friend inside. He had known the Bishop was in bad health, but a heart attack was surprising nonetheless. Luckily the care would be provided on the government dime. Kumalo was glad he lived in such a country that would do that, because he knew most countries wouldn't.

It was agony to wait. First one hour, then two passed. Kumalo hadn't gotten sleep. How could he sleep? The Bishop was in serious condition just a few rooms away. This man was the heart of the Darmeni Church, as far as Kumalo knew him. His spirit was something Kumalo aspired to, and his charm always welcome.

Finally, a doctor came out.
"Are you Kumalo?"

"Yes."

"Mr. Lennon has had a heart attack. A pretty serious one, too. He'll be able to recover quickly, but he'll need to stay in the hospital for a week or so. We see him at risk for pericarditis, which is the inflammation of the covering of the heart. We give that about a 40% chance of happening, in which case he would need surgery. Questions?"

"How quickly can he recover?"

"Well, he'll be bedridden for a couple weeks, but he'll only need serious care for about 6-7 days, and that's as long as we need to keep him."

"Can he write or talk?"

"Not right now, but give him a couple hours and he might be able to. He'll be tired, though."

"Thank you, doctor."

"You're welcome. You can go home if you want. He'll be sedated for the next couple hours."

"Ok, I will do so."

And so Kumalo drove home, uncertain of the situation he was leaving behind. The Bishop was obviously not in good condition, that much was clear. But just how bad would it turn out to be?

---

Vaugania                   0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2  6
Maklohi Vai                1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  4

Scoring Summary
1st: Ri’ino Uilnai drove home Aputo Roma'ai, who had singled and advanced earlier.
3rd: Mae'ao drove home Aputo Roma'ai, who had doubled earlier.
7th: Mae'ao hit a solo shot that just creeped over the wall in right.
8th: Pinch hitter Rimai Lomukiwo hit a sac fly to score Moalna’akai Lai after a staunch defensive inning for Vaugania.

Stat Update:
HR: Mae'ao 4, Arnao 1, Iao Laina 1
RBI: Mae'ao 7, Arnao 2, Wolo Rakinalmanai 1, Moalna’akai Lai 1, Iao Laina 1, Koilani Ruputuo 1, Ri’ino Uilnai 1, Rimai Lomukiwo 1

[New Montreal States]

DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS

Reformed Expos wear down Western Cuba pitching staff into submission

WESTERN CUBA - Plate discipline is to contemporary baseball what steroids and amphetamines were to the era before it, and last night's match between the Reformed Expos and the former champions Western Cuba was the contemporary equivalent of a six-home-run slugfest. The Reformed Expos got their opponents to throw 244 pitches combined, drawing nine walks and scoring in five different innings to overwhelm Western Cuba 9-2 in front of a shocked home crowd.

Ephraim Zimbalist Jr. began the game with an epic 10-pitch at bat, fouling away four straight 2-2 offerings before drawing two consecutive balls to earn the Expos' first walk of the night. Western Cuba's starter took 45 pitches to make it out of the first inning and another 36 to get out of the second, conceding two runs in each. This pair of rallies was capped off by a two-run shot by Max Fortex in the second inning that created an internet sensation when an adorable Western Cuban seven-year-old threw the ball back on the field.

Western Cuba clawed back a run in the bottom of the second off of an infield hit and some heads-up baserunning. The Expos weren't done, though, with Loic Cloutier lining a single to center to drive in Greg George, who had started the inning with an 8-pitch leadoff walk. The next inning featured a series of walks and singles, with three runners crossing the plate before the Western Cuba bullpen could staunch the bleeding. Fortex picked up one of the singles for his third RBI of this day. He would finish at 3-for-5 and earned general praise from his teammates for laying down the law at the plate over the first three games.

Probably the best Expos on the field was the starter, Ken McDougall, who delivered the third straight strong outing for an Expos rotation that was considered the weak link on the team heading into the WBC. McDougall showed none of the control problems that had dogged him during a late-season callup last year, instead looking like the power pitcher he'd been drafted to be three years ago: 98-mph heat, mixed with a strong changeup, a vicious sinker, and a slider to match the other three. He gave up only one run in seven innings of work; Ben Baffle, in for mop-up duty, gave up a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth for the final Western Cuba run of the night.

Up next for the Reformed Expos is a visit from a surprisingly strong Phrytton Sandpipers club that pulled into a tie for second with a shutout win over The Jahistic United Republic.

[Cassadaigua]

Cutoff to see what Margaret has in mind for MD4.

Group 1
The Sova Empire               0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 2  5
Kriegiersien                  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Michael VII                   1 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  5
Yesopalitha                   1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  2

Schmiegelland                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Thrilledge                    0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 X  3


  Group 1                      Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 The Sova Empire                4    3   1    14    9   +5     9
2 Kriegiersien                   4    3   1    14   10   +4     9
3 Yesopalitha                    4    2   2    14   10   +4     6
4 Michael VII                    4    2   2    12   11   +1     6
5 Thrilledge                     4    2   2     6    7   −1     6
6 Schmiegelland                  4    0   4     7   20  −13     0

                            
Group 2
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec   0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0  3
Ko-oren                       0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 2  5

Cyborg Holland                0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 7 11
German-Spanish Empire         0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  4

Milchama                      1 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0  6
Sangti                        0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  4


  Group 2                      Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Milchama                       4    4   0    28   13  +15    12
2 Ko-oren                        4    3   1    26   16  +10     9
3 Cyborg Holland                 4    2   2    23   21   +2     6
4 Sangti                         4    2   2    18   24   −6     6
5 German-Spanish Empire          4    1   3    14   24  −10     3
6 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec    4    0   4    10   21  −11     0

Group 3
Karditan                   2 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0  5
Strawbee                   0 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 X  6

The Republic of Lanos      0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  2
Equestrian States          1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 X  3

Free Republics             2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  4
Skeckoa                    0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0  3


  Group 3                   Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Equestrian States           4    3   1    17    6  +11     9
2 Strawbee                    4    3   1    27   21   +6     9
3 Karditan                    4    2   2    15   10   +5     6
4 Free Republics              4    2   2    20   21   −1     6
5 The Republic of Lanos       4    1   3    12   16   −4     3
6 Skeckoa                     4    1   3    10   27  −17     3

Group 4
Maklohi Vai                1 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 2  9
The Serbian Empire         0 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 1 0  7

TWS of the Mediterranean   0 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 0  5
Beldonia                   0 0 3 0 0 0 2 3 X  8

Vaugania                   1 0 3 0 1 1 0 0 0  6
Shadowbourne               0 0 2 2 1 1 5 1 X 12


  Group 4                   Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Maklohi Vai                 4    3   1    24   19   +5     9
2 Shadowbourne                4    2   2    16   12   +4     6
3 The Serbian Empire          4    2   2    18   15   +3     6
4 Vaugania                    4    2   2    21   24   −3     6
5 Beldonia                    4    2   2    15   19   −4     6
6 TWS of the Mediterranean    4    1   3    15   20   −5     3

Group 5
Backyard Sports        0 1 0 0 0 0 5 0 0  6
Free Swiss States      1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  2

Sicoutimont            0 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 2  6
New Bierstaat          0 0 2 0 0 2 1 0 0  5

Estope                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Saugeais               1 1 1 0 0 2 0 1 X  6


  Group 5               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Sicoutimont             4    4   0    27   12  +15    12
2 New Bierstaat           4    3   1    19   15   +4     9
3 Saugeais                4    2   2    18   11   +7     6
4 Backyard Sports         4    2   2    17   13   +4     6
5 Free Swiss States       4    1   3    13   19   −6     3
6 Estope                  4    0   4     5   29  −24     0

Group 6
Kinzar                 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 0 0  6
Mapletish              0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  2

Bloodbath Generation   0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0  4
The Fair Republic      0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0  3

Darmen                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
Thatius                0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 X  4


  Group 6               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Kinzar                  4    3   1    24   13  +11     9
2 Darmen                  4    3   1    25   16   +9     9
3 Thatius                 4    3   1    22   14   +8     9
4 Bloodbath Generation    4    2   2    21   24   −3     6
5 The Fair Republic       4    1   3    10   18   −8     3
6 Mapletish               4    0   4     7   24  −17     0

Group 7
The Priory of St Luc            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Western Cuba                    0 1 0 0 1 3 0 0 X  5

Cowardly Pacifists              0 1 0 2 1 0 0 3 1  8
New Montreal States             0 3 0 0 2 2 0 0 0  7

Qazox                           1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1  4
The Jahistic Unified Republic   0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2  3


  Group 7                        Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 New Montreal States              4    3   1    26   14  +12     9
2 Western Cuba                     4    3   1    29   20   +9     9
3 Cowardly Pacifists               4    3   1    23   19   +4     9
4 Qazox                            4    2   2    20   18   +2     6
5 The Priory of St Luc             4    1   3    10   22  −12     3
6 The Jahistic Unified Republic    4    0   4    11   26  −15     0

Group 8
Ethington                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Free South Califas              0 0 0 2 0 1 2 1 X  6

Byfugland                       1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0  4
Aardenland                      1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  3

Cassadaigua                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  2
Powersith                       1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 X  3


  Group 8                        Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Byfugland                        4    3   1    18   11   +7     9
2 Free South Califas               4    2   2    20   11   +9     6
3 Ethington                        4    2   2    23   16   +7     6
4 Cassadaigua                      4    2   2    10   13   −3     6
5 Powersith                        4    2   2    10   17   −7     6
6 Aardenland                       4    1   3    13   26  −13     3

Group 9
Soviet Party           0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Carasatoga             0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  2

Sakurakoku             0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0  4
Allinlia               1 0 3 0 2 0 0 5 X 11

Super-Llamaland        1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3  5
Zwangzug               9 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 X 12


  Group 9               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Zwangzug                4    3   1    27   14  +13     9
2 Allinlia                4    3   1    24   14  +10     9
3 Carasatoga              4    2   2    13   15   −2     6
4 Super-Llamaland         4    2   2    18   24   −6     6
5 Sakurakoku              4    1   3    17   23   −6     3
6 Soviet Party            4    1   3     7   16   −9     3

Group 10
Lycrabon               0 2 0 0 1 1 2 0 0  6
Scandigrad             0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2

Saintland              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2
Komodo Dragon          0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Taeshan                0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1  3
Slembana               0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1


  Group 10              Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Lycrabon                4    3   1    17   12   +5     9
2 Scandigrad              4    2   2    18   15   +3     6
3 Komodo Dragon           4    2   2    15   14   +1     6
4 Saintland               4    2   2    11   10   +1     6
5 Taeshan                 4    2   2    10   14   −4     6
6 Slembana                4    1   3     9   15   −6     3

Challenges: (In no way do these need to be followed. Their purpose is to provide inspiration for RP when it could not otherwise be found).

Historical Challenge: Reference a past World Baseball Classic that I pre-determine. Today, lets go to the beginning, World Baseball Classic 1.

Random Nation Challenge: A nation from the Who's Chatting list on the main page is randomly selected. (Nations participating in the WBC will not be picked). Reference that nation in some capacity. Today: Genivaria

[Darmen]

Father Jimi Dylan, a servant of Margaret. Greetings Brother Lennon, may Margaret bless you with a painless death. I agree with all you have to say regarding death, and what this Church's funeral ceremonies should look like.

On the issue of how to get our dear Brother Kumalo to see our ways, I do not believe that this is the reason you have been sent to Maklohi Vai by Margaret. I believe that you have been sent there to spend your last days with a dear friend, engaging in the fellowship this Church holds so dear. You have been sent there to show Brother Kumalo how to lead our fellow believers in the Faith. Kumalo is a great man, and your visit to him can only make him greater.

If you do not believe this to be true, I pray that Margaret shall reveal her true intentions for you through the awesome gift of spoken revelation. May you be blessed in your final days, and may Margaret keep you true.

[Saintland]

Saintland 2, Komodo Dragon 1

(SP) Today, the Kingdom of Saintland picked up their second victory of the World Baseball Classic. It was another pitchers duel, but this time the Sanctii came out on the winning side on a 2-run homer by Matthaeus Bebius in the top of the 8th inning. Ioannes Bebius pitched a 1-hit gem. He was dominant today, as Komodo Dragon saw just one baserunner all day long and 20 Komodo Dragon hitters would strike out before it was all said and done. This victory guarantees that the Sanctii will finish no worse in World Baseball Classic 26 than they did in World Baseball Classic 25. "I don't think I've ever pitched such a dominant game before. I was in a zone today and my teammates got to 7 out of the 8 balls that I put into play. Still, I was worried for most of the day that my only mistake would cost us the game. Then, my brother Matthaeus came through in the 8th inning and I knew victory was ours. Petrus [Tragus] wanted to bring in Josephus [Oppius] for the 9th, but I refused to let him take me out of the game. I wanted to complete my 1-hitter and I promised him that I wouldn't blow the lead. I was determined to strike out the side in the 9th and I did just that. I'm looking forward to pitching in Royal Park against Taeshan and I hope to pick up right where I left off today, if that is what God Wills." - Ioannes Bebius

Today's game was held in Komodo Dragon in front of a nearly empty stadium. Komodo Dragon apparently has not sent out a roster, nor do they have player names on the backs of their uniforms, so nobody outside of that country knows who their players are. The SP once again questions why international sports tournaments permit nations to participate without revealing their roster to their opponents. It must be some incompetent intern in some distant land, just like some incompetent intern sent out the wrong schedule prior to the start of qualifying for the last World Cup. Maybe the King's Government of Saintland should be named the organizing body for all international sports because King Paulus XV doesn't tolerate incompetence.

That is why it was so important that the National Baseball Team pick up a victory today. Early on, they struggled to get hits once again against some unknown Komodo Dragon pitcher. If they aren't illegally hiring foreign professionals to play on their team, why won't Komodo Dragon reveal their roster? Whatever the problem was with the Komodo Dragon roster, this was clearly going to be a low-scoring game. The first inning and a half passed very quickly.

In the bottom of the 2nd, Komodo Dragon's first baseman and cleanup hitter led off the inning by hitting the first pitch from Ioannes Bebius to the gap in left center. Matthaeus Bebius eventually got to the ball, but not before the hitter had a double, standing up. The next hitter fell behind 0-2 before swinging and hitting a pitch to deep right field. Petrus Iulus caught it for the first out of the inning, but the runner advanced to third base. The next hitter crushed the first Bebius pitch to the warning track in center field, where Petrus Tragus tracked it down. However, Tragus could not get the ball back to the infield in time to prevent the baserunner from tagging up at 3rd and scoring a run to put his team in front. After Bebius struck out the next hitter to end the inning, the game moved on to the top of the 3rd, but the damage was already done. Komodo Dragon had scored a run on just 1 hit. That would be their only baserunner of the day.

The Sanctii would finally get a hit when Marcus Vagnius singled through the hole on the left side of the infield in the top of the 3rd. However, Marcus Tragus would ground into a double play. Petrus Tragus would single in the 4th inning, but after advancing to 2nd on a bunt and 3rd on a sac fly, Lucius Maccius struck out and stranded the Sanctii captain at third base. The Sanctii would strand the bases loaded in both the 6th and 7th innings. Although Ioannes Bebius was having a great game, the Sanctii kept blowing scoring chances.

In the top of the 8th, Ioannes Sentius hit a routine grounder to shortstop to start the inning with the first out. Paulus Sittius popped up a 2-2 curveball behind the plate, where the catcher easily brought it in. Lucius Maccius fell behind 0-2, but he worked the count to 3-2 by fouling off a half-dozen pitches. After fouling off another pitch, the Komodo Dragon pitcher accidentally threw his slider into the dirt and Maccius took his base. Matthaeus Bebius was up next. The opposing pitcher was clearly tiring and he made the mistake of putting a fastball down the middle on the first pitch of the at bat. Bebius swung and everybody watching knew right away that it was gone. It easily sailed over the center field fence and went a further 50 feet. Matthaeus Bebius had hit a 2-run homer to put his brother in line for a victory. Ioannes Bebius would get out of the 8th inning on just 5 pitches before striking out the side in the 9th for strikeouts 18-20. Bebius had dominated in a World Baseball Classic game and shown why he is the Sanctii ace and a former King Paulus XIV Award winner.

Elsewhere, Taeshan beat Slembama 3-1 and Lycrabon defeated Scandigrad 6 to 2. That puts Lycrabon in the lead in Group 10 with 3 wins and just 1 loss. Slembana is 1-3. The rest of the group is tied at 2-2. Tomorrow, the Sanctii begin a 3-game homestand at Royal Park by hosting Scandigrad. Because the National Basketball Team won their playoff series against Andossa Se Mitrin Vega in 2, they will have a day off before their next series against Cassadaigua begins. This means that tomorrow's World Baseball Classic game will be broadcast live on Royal One, not Royal Two. All eyes will be on the National Baseball Team as they seek to go above .500 for the first time ever and move closer to reaching the lofty goals that King Paulus XV set for them.

[Cowardly Pacifists]

CP Baseball Report

May 22nd - Cité Sportif, Sherbrooke, New Montreal States

---

SANDPIPERS RALLY LATE TO TAKE ROAD WIN FROM EXPOS

 Cowardly Pacifists              0 1 0 2 1 0 0 3 1  8
 New Montreal States             0 3 0 0 2 2 0 0 0  7

Winning Pitcher: Ruben Moss
MVP of the Game: Tam Nguyen, 4/5, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB

Despite long odds, the Sandpipers managed to eek out a narrow victory against the Reformed Expos in what was a high scoring affair in Cité Sportif Stadium. The NMS squad lead going into the top of the eighth, but gave up 4 runs in the last two innings to surrender the game. The win came as a pleasant (if quite unexpected) surprise for the Sandpipers, who were playing without closer Ronnie Bryant (night off).

The Sandpipers drew first blood against Expos pitcher Paul Thibault in the top of the second, as Rogelio Adkins hit a solo homer to earn the first run of the night. The heart of the Expos line-up struck back in the bottom of the second when Michel Boucher-Thivierge batted in Larry Walker and Homer Hampton, and was subsequently brought home by a Max Fortex triple (Darrin Shelton throwing error). By the end of two innings, the Reformed Expos lead 3-1.

The Sandpipers retook the lead by the mid-fifth, as Tam Nguyen and Lester Snyder both scored off an Adkins double (fourth inning) and designated hitter Kelvin Mathews batted in Darrin Shelton in the fifth. But the lead would be short lived, as Expos catcher Max Fortex homered in the bottom of the fifth, scoring Michel Boucher-Thivierge and retaking the lead. The Expos continued to harass starting pitcher Levi Scott in the sixth. Scott walked Greg George, who stole second and then scored off of Jean-Charles St-Anton single to shallow right field. St-Anton followed suit: stealing second and then third on a wild pitch before Loic Cloutier brought him home. With the score 7-4, Sandpipers manager Ian Wagner pulled Scott and put in mid-reliever Ruben Moss, who finished the inning.

Thibault pitched another solid inning for the Expos in the seventh, but was showing signs of exhaustion by the start of the eight. After good fielding kept Albert Wells and Darrin Shelton from reaching base, Kelvin Mathews reached base on a line drive to third and Terence Ruiz was walked. That brought up Tam Nguyen, who stunned the home crowed into silence with a deep hit to left field that just barely escaped a leaping grab by St-Anton and sailed over the left field wall. The three-run homer tied the game at 7, and prompted Expos manager to relieve Thebault one out early. Alexandros Diapoulos came in on relief to close the inning. Unfortunately for the Expos, the bearded behemoth faltered in the top of the ninth, allowing Harvey Oliver to reach base, and giving up a double to Austin Schneider that allowed the speedy Oliver to make it home for the go-ahead run.

The Expos attempted to rally in the ninth, but fill-in closer Everett Rodgers held firm, giving up singles to Samuel Vallencourt and Ephraim Zimbalist, Jr. before striking out Greg George and Jean-Charles St-Anton. A pop-fly to deep center by Loic Cloutier was caught by Terence Ruiz, retiring the side and ending the game. The save was Rodgers first of the Classic.

"It was a phenomenal game," remarked Sandpipers hitting coach Jim Wilkerson, "what an exciting finish to a high scoring match-up! It's hard to find a more perfect example of how unpredictable and fantastic baseball can be. Of course, I say that as a member of the winning team."

The Sandpipers are undoubtedly ecstatic about the win, which will keep them in the hunt for a play-off spot. At least for now. They will need to stay focused on the task ahead, as Group 7 powerhouse and former WBC champions Western Cuba are up next.

FULL SCHEDULE
MD 1: @ the Priory of St Luc WIN 9-4
MD 2: @ Qazox LOSS 3-8
MD 3: Home vs the Jahistic Unified Republic WIN 3-0
MD 4: @ New Montreal States WIN 8-7
MD 5: Home vs Western Cuba
MD 6: Home vs the Priory of St Luc
MD 7: Home vs Qazox
MD 8: @ the Jahistic Unified Republic
MD 9: Home vs New Montreal States
MD 10: @ Western Cuba

NEXT MATCH vs. Western Cuba
Sandpipers Starting Pitcher: Carlos Guerrero
Western Cuba Starting Pitcher: John D. Pitcherman

THE SANDPIPERS AT A GLANCE

WBC # 26          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Current Rank   Current Place in Group
                    4    3   1    23   19   +4   Unranked       3rd Place

Lifetime Win/Loss:     3-1

[Free Republics]

Sporting World

Giancarlo Bolko's homosexuality not a distraction
by: Peter Bach

I read Michelina Panicucci's article in yesterday's edition of Sporting World and I was baffled while I was reading it. I don't know where she got the idea that my team has been anything less than supportive of our captain. When Giancarlo came out in the pages of Sporting World a few days ago, I was supportive of him. Members of the Radical Alliance, such as myself, have been champions of gay and lesbian rights for decades and I am proud of Giancarlo for coming out publicly. It is about time somebody in sports came out and became a much-needed public face for those of us that believe that sexual minorities should not be denied the freedoms that everybody else takes for granted.

If any player on my team has a problem with Giancarlo being a gay man, that is news to me. To a man, every single player on the team walked up to Giancarlo and told him that they had no problems having an openly gay teammate. They were supportive of him and most players told him that they would talk to their Republic's politicians about the importance of legalizing gay marriage. Around the Federation, most people have been supportive, although I am worried about the scene when we face the Equestrian States in Baseton tomorrow. Given that Giancarlo (accurately) referred to the lunatics that Amolotopians just elected as "bigots" in his coming out article, I'd imagine that he will receive a frosty reception tomorrow at Nicholls Enterprises Stadium. I know the Nicholls family and they would never support the kind of lunacy that has swept Amolotopia in recent months since the election of the CPP.

Tomorrow, as we play ball in that environment, I know that the entire team will be supportive of our captain. He will need it, as I expect the supporters of the Christian Paternalist Party in be in attendance. They aren't going to waste an opportunity to harass and insult an openly gay baseball player. I even expect Holy Party thugs to be there. If we didn't believe in freedom of speech, those crazies would have been deported to that remote island hellhole that finances their political party, but we are too civilized to throw those pieces of garbage out of the Federation. Instead, we tolerate them and their religious fanaticism.

Don't misunderstand me. I have nothing against Christians. I am a member of a Lutheran Church myself. I attend services whenever I can and I believe that God is real and Jesus is his only begotten Son. I also believe that the Word of God has been perverted by fanatics, such as the Church of Saintland, and I think it is appalling that they would use the Word of God to justify tyranny, oppression and bigotry. I also object to extremists such as the Christian Paternalist Party that use the Bible as a pretense to deprive the youth of our Federation of their God-given rights. At my Church, our minister is a woman and we welcome gays and lesbians. That is what being a Christian is really about.

Although there are many intolerant people in our Federation, the men on the National Baseball Team don't care what color your skin is or what your sexual orientation is. They only care about winning baseball games. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Peter Bach is the manager of the Federation of Free Republics National Baseball Team. At the high school, college and minor league levels, he has been a very successful manager everywhere he has gone. However, he has yet to manage a major league side anywhere in the Federation.

[Strawbee]

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE FROM "NEWS OF BASEBALL" ON STRAWBEE GOVERNMENT TV CHANNEL 8: THE SPORTS ZONE!!

Karditan                   2 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0  5
Strawbee                   0 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 X  6

The Republic of Lanos      0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  2
Equestrian States          1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 X  3

Free Republics             2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  4
Skeckoa                    0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0  3

Group 3                   Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Equestrian States           4    3   1    17    6  +11     9
2 Strawbee                    4    3   1    27   21   +6     9
3 Karditan                    4    2   2    15   10   +5     6
4 Free Republics              4    2   2    20   21   −1     6
5 The Republic of Lanos       4    1   3    12   16   −4     3
6 Skeckoa                     4    1   3    10   27  −17     3

Comeback Kids!
3 run 8th inning give Strawbee home win vs. Karditan

Strawbee Legends of Baseball Pitcher Spotlight: Walt Oyunchimeg

Walt Oyunchimeg is ace pitcher on Allinlian Pro Baseball league team: Wansai Bandits, which is perennial playoff team and defending champions of Imperial League East division. Oyunchimeg is talented young pitcher who struggled against world elite team Equestrian States last WBC. Great and Honorable Leader Strawberry is confident that he will perform better this year and team Manager Saran has no problems with putting him against top group opponents. He is known for slider and tricky forkball pitch

Game Report:

Our Strawbee national team would continue grueling portion of tournament schedule, hosting feared top rank team karditan only 1 day after having to play Equestrian States. Many foreign reporters around world and in Equestrian States said that Strawbee only won due to errors and pitching mistakes by Equestrian States despite excellent pitching day by Carbon! Well baseball fans of Strawbee, our team proved that we deserve to have respect owed to top WBC teams when we defeated very strong Karditan team in exciting close match the very next day!

Walt Oyunchimeg took mound for Strawbee against feared Karditan veteran pitcher: Scott Kasmeer! Karditan took the lead early with powerful 2 RBI double by Jeffery Snider. Strawbee would fail to answer back with any hits in the bottom of first inning

2nd inning would see no one score, 3rd inning would be scoreless for road team Karditan as Oyunchimeg struck out 2 and got 3rd hitter to ground out. In bottom of inning 3 however Strawbee would get first hit of game, a home run by Golden Flower to cut into Karditan lead, putting game score at 2-1!

In 4th inning Karditan would add to their lead though with home run from Starline Caster and RBI from Ricky Hormuz, sending Jesses Portier home to bring lead to 4-1. Manager Saran went out to talk with Walt Oyunchimeg but decided to leave him in. It would prove to be wise choice as Strawbee refused to surrender, scoring 2 runs in 5th inning with 2 run homer by Hank Orr! Score now 4-3.

Oyunchimeg would hold fearsome Karditan offense scoreless until 7th inning when he was finally pulled for setup pitcher Sargo Batukahn who has had great WBC so far! Jeffery Snider would make him pay this time though as he hits second home run to bring score to 5-3 for Karditan

Strawbee hitters refused to give up in front of home fans however and Jayson Enkhtuya, Hank Orr, and Chip Snelling would all score RBI hits off Karditan relief pitcher to give Strawbee 3 run inning and take the lead 6-3! Vaan Percy would close game out to protect lead and give Strawbee another great win over elite team in what was very intense, close game! If you missed it than I am very sorry for you my friend and can only give you advice that you must be sure to tune in to government channel 8 THE SPORTS ZONE every night to not miss exciting LIVE world baseball action again!

Player of Match Honor Award: Hank Orr, 3H 1HR 3RBI

--RBI Tracker--

Hank Orr: 2HR 6RBI
Chip Snelling: 1HR 5RBI
Troy Logan 1HR 4RBI
Rolland Tomorbaatar: 1HR 2RBI
Golden Flower: 1HR 2RBI
Jayson Enkhtuya: 3RBI
Calvin Klugg: 2RBI
Rupp Batbayar: 1RBI
Tony Khongordzol: 1RBI

GLORY TO STRAWBEE!

ALL HAIL GREAT AND HONORABLE LEADER STRAWBERRY!

This document has been reviewed and approved by the official Strawbee sports bureau

[Sicoutimont]

"Welcome to the Fan950 Sunday Morning, we're Jacques and Fidel, most commonly known for our podcasts! Those will be returning later this year! WOOT! But anyway, we're here for SportSicoutimont to discuss sports, so let's! Fidel, what'd you think of last night's game between Sicoutimont and New Bierstaat at the World Baseball Classic!"

"For any viewers who didn't see the game, Les Royales defeated New Bierstaat 6-5 after a thrilling 9th inning comeback by Sicoutimont. Anyway, Jacques, I thought that was a high quality baseball game, what about you?"

"Well, I thought it was good too, but let's talk about that 9th inning. Summarize it for our viewers, will ya?"

"Ok: Tony Rand homered for the home side in the 7th to make the score 5-4 for New Bierstaat, but Les Royales' top of the order and closer really came out to play for the ninth. Victor Santana hit the ball deep just below the right porch for a triple, which brought Boullion Carvier home. With only 1 out, Alfonso Soriano was brought up to pinch hit, getting a sac fly to bring Santana home, 6-5 Royales. With Soriano's out, Loic St-Ignace reached second before Jose Colognon's long ball was caught by Carl Schmidt in left field to end the game for Les Royales' offensive side. After Carlos Santa Maria pitched a 5-inning game, Claude Perrault came in for 3 innings, going to the 8th inning, the longest for the closer this tournament so far. D'Brickashaw Jones was up first, and he went down swinging on a 3-2 count. Chuck Quentin hit a ground rule double which infuriated Maurice Sorotane, who felt that the ball should have been left in play, as he thought the ball had never gone out, as it bounced back in. Sorotane was ejected from the game by the ump, as Fernard Dantes continued to take out the home side's batters, taking down the next batter and forcing Neil James to hit a high fly ball that was caught by the catcher Jose Colognon. That would be the third out, as Les Royales improve to 4-0."

"Nice summary, Fidel: that was pretty drawn out, however. Anyway, what did you think of the play of Team Sicoutimont?"

"I think they showed versatility in coming back in the ninth inning, and not collapsing after the manager was ejected. That was interesting too, you rarely see Sorotane lose his temper."

"Yeah, that's true. In his 9 LBS seasons, he's been ejected twice: both in the playoffs, and both in games his St-Simeon Mets could have been eliminated in. He's mostly known for being a calm manager, however"

"Yeah, that's true."

"Are you trying to copy me?"

"Are you trying to copy me?"

"Haha, alrighty then. Next up for Sicoutimont is Free Swiss States, who are 1-3 after their 6-2 loss to Backyard Sports today. In other action, Saugeais defeated Estope 6-0, keeping the later team at the bottom of the group at 0-4. What do you think of Sicoutimont's next game?"

"Well, FSS are a pretty good team. We're not 100% sure of their roster yet, as it hasn't actually been released, but we're sure they'll be a tough opponent."

"You sound so cliched, Fidel. Anyway, this brings us to the Match Game segment of our broadcast!"

*party music plays*

"Do we really have to play this music?"

"Yeah. Anyway, today's match game is this: Maurice Sorotane in the 9th Inning blew up faster than a 'blank'"

"You want to provide any ideas for our listeners?"

"I don't know, we should wait a bit. Anyway, send your results to use on Communimont, Sicoutimont's leading Social Networking site. Use the tagline "Jacques and Fidel Match Game" and post your answer!"

"While that's going on, let's talk more about the WBC! Sicoutimont are one of only 2 undefeated teams left in WBC 26's qualifying stage, along with Milchama. The number 1 ranked side in the world have been at the WBC since the first-ever World Baseball Classic, WBC 1. This tournament was hosted in Qazox, and featured 16 teams. The aforementioned Milchaman team lost out in the semifinals to the eventual champion Az-cz. They are 4-0 with defeats of Ko-oren, Cyborg Holland, The Royal Kingdom of Quebec, and today Sangti."

"We have some results of our Match Game!"

"PaulGryson says: Maurice Sorotane blew up faster than a helium balloon"

"JeanCharest says: Maurice Sorotane blew up faster than a garbage truck"

"Wait, what?"

"I think that might be a reference to a movie, Fidel."

"Only movies I saw were The Cottage 1, 2 and 4"

"What happened to 3?"

"It was a director's cut"

"Oh."

"The Cottage 5 is coming out in July"

"Isn't that a horror film?"

"You ever seen a horror film?"

"Does Victim of Solitude count?"

"Dude, Victim of Solitude is the best movie ever!"

"Morris Librehomme is the best actor ever"

"I think our viewers don't want to here us talk about movies."

"Isn't it time for Ralph to get on anyways?"

"Yeah, c'mon Ralph! Get ready for Ralph's fishing stories everyone!"

"Hey, speaking of fishing, I caught a yellow-speckled muskellunge last Wedens-"

"Here's Ralph! Tell us next week about your fishing stories, Fidel!"

"Now we'll commercial break, Jacques and Fidel will be back next Sunday morning, viewers! Ask them questions on Communimont, they'll try to get to them! Also, the J&F Podcast will return sometime, check our website for more details! Until then, yours in sports, the SportSicoutimont Morning Team!"

[Super-Llamaland]

Group 9
Soviet Party 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Carasatoga 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2

Sakurakoku 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 4
Allinlia 1 0 3 0 2 0 0 5 X 11

Super-Llamaland 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 5
Zwangzug 9 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 X 12


Group 9 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Zwangzug 4 3 1 27 14 +13 9
2 Allinlia 4 3 1 24 14 +10 9
3 Carasatoga 4 2 2 13 15 −2 6
4 Super-Llamaland 4 2 2 18 24 −6 6
5 Sakurakoku 4 1 3 17 23 −6 3
6 Soviet Party 4 1 3 7 16 −9 3

The Llamas were pummelled with a nine-run first inning. Even a three-run ninth couldn't stop the blow out and fourth-ranked Zwangzug wiped the floor with our beloved team, twelve to five.

Chris Lee started rather than Evan Masorka, who would start in a more competitive game versus Allinia. The wind blew quite a bit, and he was awful. Nine runs on six hits and four walks in 2/3 of an inning. He left with runners on the corners and two out with the score already 8-1 from an Alex Cameron homer in the first.

Rick Jackson came in and gave up an RBI single with runners on first and second. The next batter was walked the load up the bases, but Jackson induced a long, scary, flyout to center where Rochester made a nice catch.

Jackson threw 4 1/3 IP without an earned run with three hits, two walks, and five strikeouts. The Llamas turned to setup men Aaron Raymond (2/3 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout) and Alex Carson (giving up a two-run ground rule double but finishing with 1 1/3 IP and a hit and 2 K's). 11-2 after six (Danny Mills hit an RBI double).

In the eighth, with Darren Mueller pitching, a Jake Addams error brought a runner to third with two out and Mueller and Robby Irving both walked people. An RBI Infield hit turned it to 12-2 before Irving got out of the jam.

In the ninth, Max Danks lead off with a triple and Darren Bradley singled him home. Alex Cameron then hit a two-run shot into center before three straight popouts.

12-5. Game over.

[Aardenland]

BYFUGLAND BEFUDDLES AARDENLAND

Ninth Inning Rally comes up short as Aardenland drops back down in standings

Once again, our national team comes up short, as Aardenland narrowly loses to Byfugland 4-3. In four innings, Byfugland had taken Rowan Aydin to town by pulling ahead 4-2. Then in the ninth inning, Zef Veek and Sally Karlsson hit back to back singles followed by an error that put Silver Wouda on first, loading the bases for Desmond de Waal. The Byfuglandish pitcher proceed to walk de Waal, bringing in a single run. Odessa Kroon then struck out, and Ricky Bruijn grounded into a game ending double play. "I thought we had it, but I ain't over 'til it's over," said Assistant Manager Brock. "Maybe it's karma for Sjoerdtje's play in the fifth." In the fifth inning, Wolf Schensema came in to relieve Rowan Aydin when there were runners on second and third with no outs. The clean-up hitter came up, and Schensema drilled him with a fastball in the forehead. The pitch removed him from the game, and a pinch hitter was brought in to pinch run. Schensema then struck out the next two batters, and ended the inning with a pop fly to third baseman Rillo. Byfugland now leads the group with a 3-1 record. Ally Valiant will pitch tomorrow against Cassadaigua.

First Inning:

Aardenland: With two outs, Silver Wouda doubled into the left-center field gap. Desmond de Waal doubled into the right-center field gap, scoring Wouda. Tied, 1-1

Fourth Inning:

Aardenland: With one out, Desmond de Waal hit a solo home run to right field. Byfugland leads, 4-2

Ninth Inning:

Aardenland: Zef Veek singled to center field. Karlsson singled to center field, moving Veek to third. Wouda reached first on a fielding error by the first baseman, moving Karlsson to second. De Waal was intentionally walked, scoring Veek, moving Karlsson to third, and moving Wouda to second. Byfugland leads, 4-3

BYFUGLAND WINS, 4-3

[Allinlia]

Flying High!
Allinlia's bats speak loudly in 11-4 rout of Sakurakoku

Soviet Party           0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Carasatoga             0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  2

Sakurakoku             0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0  4
Allinlia               1 0 3 0 2 0 0 5 X 11

Super-Llamaland        1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3  5
Zwangzug               9 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 X 12

Group 9               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Zwangzug                4    3   1    27   14  +13     9
2 Allinlia                4    3   1    24   14  +10     9
3 Carasatoga              4    2   2    13   15   −2     6
4 Super-Llamaland         4    2   2    18   24   −6     6
5 Sakurakoku              4    1   3    17   23   −6     3
6 Soviet Party            4    1   3     7   16   −9     3

reporting from Fonzona, Allinlia

The Allinlian team's bats have seemed to become very accustomed to the warm mountain air at Estes Field, as the offense woke up to score 11 runs against Sakurakoku, a longtime veteran of the WBC who has been no stranger to deep playoff runs and enters this year's WBC looking to recapture their former glory.

It was WBC youth vs. WBC experience today in Fonzona, and WBC youth won out as the red hot Allinlian team improved to 3-1. They remain undefeated at home after today's game. Elsewhere in Group 9, Zwangzug blew out Super-Llamaland to join Allinlia at the top of the group with their own 3-1 record. Llamaland falls to 2-2 to tie with Carasatoga which won their second straight game against Soviet Party which falls to 1-3 along with Sakurakoku.

For today's match veteran super star pitcher for the Roos Aces, Buddy Cox took to the mound against Sakurakoku pitching sensation Ichiro Izanagi. Allinlia got their offense working early with an RBI single from Aiden Stairs to score Joey Bezzio Jr. Buddy Cox would hold the visiting team scoreless through 5 innings and finish with 7 innings pitched with 2 runs allowed, another very solid WBC performance from the veteran.

Allinlia would be held hitless in the second inning but storm back to build on their lead with an RBI hit from Andy Capps to extend the lead to 2. Allinlia wasn't done as Conan Marteen and Paul Majuwitz would also drive in runs before Izanagi struck out Ferris Silver to end a 3 run inning and give Allinlia a strong 5 run lead.

Allinlia would be held scoreless again in the 4th but would send Izanagi out of the game with a solo home run from Aiden Stairs. Nick Fasano would score Allinlia's 5th run off the reliever before the inning was over. 6-0 Allinlia.

The sell out crowd was getting very exciting for the Allinlian teams chances now but Sakurakoku finally got to Buddy Cox in the top of the 6th inning with a solo home run from designated hitter Akiyoshi Kimihara. Lead-off hitter Yuuhi would drive in another run in the top of the 7th to bring the visitors within reach. 6-2 Allinlia

Sakurakoku was not done with their comeback yet, taking full advantage of Buddy Cox being pulled from the game. Mitsuo Dojima would drive in 2 more runs off of Boof Mendoza to bring the score to 6-4.

Allinlia's hitters would not let their lead slip away so easily as they exploded for an impressive 5 run 9th inning to put the game out of reach for good. Aiden Stairs and Paul Majuwitz hit solo home runs and Devin Kearns, Joey Bezzio Jr. and Conan Marteen would drive in runs of their own to make the final score 11-4 Allinlia.

The Allinlian team must now prepare for a critical match day 5 at Super Llamaland. A victory for Allinlia will bring them to 4-1 and drop Llamaland to 2-3, giving Allinlia a commanding lead over their greatest competition for the 2nd place spot heading into the second half. A loss will drop Allinlia down to 3-2, tieing them with Super Llamaland and putting alot of pressure on Allinlia to try and pull off another upset in their next game at Zwangzug or risk losing their grip on the summit of the very competitive Group 9.

"Super Llamaland is the team that we have had our sights on since the group draw was announced" said Manager Raymond Weiss "we have prepared for this game for a very long while, if we are going to get to the playoffs, that is the team that really needs to fall down and stay down, so it's important that we do our part by grabbing wins in our matches against them. We will be ready for this game."

Who better to play in such an important match than the great Bonser Aidrun? The man who defeated #1 ranked Western Cuba last WBC, Aidrun is a veteran at the very last stage of his career and is considered very likely to announce his retirement in the next couple of seasons. Bonser Aidrun will take to the mound against Super Llamaland tomarrow

Llamaland also realized the likely importance of this match and planned ahead, starting Chris Lee against Zwangzug so they could start Evan Masorka against Allinlia, they are very confident that Masorka will give Alinlia's hitters significant trouble tomarrow.

Player of the Game: Aiden Stairs, 4H 2HR 3RBI

--RBI Tracker--

Aiden Stairs 3HR 7RBI
Conan Marteen 2HR 6RBI
Paul Majuwitz 1HR 3RBI
Nick Fasano 0HR 2RBI
Andy Capps 0HR 2RBI
Devin Kearns 0HR 2RBI
Toby Abbott 0HR 1RBI
Ferris Silver 0HR 1RBI
Joey Bezzio Jr. 0HR 1RBI

[Sangti]

'BE WARY OF UNRANKED TEAMS', SAYS DELIGERO

By Rafael Sigua

Milchama 6-4 Sangti
Group 2, World Baseball Classic
Estadio Beisbol de Sangti, Ciudad Sangti, Sangti

"Average of 8 runs? Are you kidding me?"

These were the inflammatory words Monico Deligero blabbed after Sangti Indios' narrow 4-6 defeat against the World number 1 Milchama. This comes a day after the Indios 7-3 upset Cyborg Holland at their own turf.

In Sangti's win over Cyborg Holland, The game was Cyborg Holland's way at the top of the 7th inning. But 6 runs in 3 innings overturned the result as Sangti won its second away game after losing their home debut embarassingly to Ko-oren.

But Milchama's game was a different story.

Group 2

Milchama                      1 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0  6
Sangti                        0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  4


  Group 2                      Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Milchama                       4    4   0    28   13  +15    12
2 Ko-oren                        4    3   1    26   16  +10     9
3 Cyborg Holland                 4    2   2    23   21   +2     6
4 Sangti                         4    2   2    18   24   −6     6
5 German-Spanish Empire          4    1   3    14   24  −10     3
6 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec    4    0   4    10   21  −11     0

Sangti led 3-1 after the bottom of the second, but the Warriors grabbed 2 runs to restore parity. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Sangti reclaimed the lead. The score at that time was 4-3. But Milchama had the last laugh. A 3-run homer broke the Indios fans' hearts.

"Any team should know that in any time given, any team can beat them. That is very evident in the World Baseball Classic I. These world number ones almost got a taste of being defeated by the unranked teams. However that nation is very experienced. They were here since WBC 1! They were fortunate that they escape with the victory, but we should also be disappointed in ourselves. We have not won any home game this edition." Monico Deligero said.

Sangti is fourth in group 2 with a 2-2 record. They will visit the RKQ to face the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. Sangti will stake its perfect record when visiting teams.

[Estope]

Twin-Brooks Times

Sports Column

This is getting ridiculous. For the second WBC in a row Estope is 0-4 to start off. We are the 26th best nation in the world and yet we can only muster 5 runs in four games while giving up 29! What is this? Estope is a baseball nation. Every citizen lives and breathes baseball. This team has, or at least had, all the support in the world. Every home game is sold out. Away games are televised nationally and attract millions of viewers. It is time for this team to live up to some damn expectations. This loss was acceptable, on the road against a ten team is not expected to be a win. But a six nothing shut out? For the fourth straight game Estope has not even been competitive. Only one time in this game was a runner even in scoring position. As for how that turned out... look at the image below. This team is just down right sloppy and don't have anything left in them. They have given up. Some serious changes have to be made. I don't know if it is the coaching. I mean Carr did fine leading the team to a 5-0 record last tournament. Maybe another mid-classic coaching change needs to be done. But this cannot continue. We need something sustainable that isn't just a temporary fix. We need a solid coach who can build a program and make Estope somewhat consistant. The roster needs a complete overload and immediately. These players are in their third WBC and not a single change has been made. There are better players in Estope that deserve a chance to show their skills. Right now many of the players are just dead weight. So here we are again at the bottom of the group and winless nearly halfway through the tournament. I just can't believe it. Honestly I can't. Estope Baseball officials need to see if they can just withdraw the team and spare the nation all the embarrassment. As for you folks, Estope will play again tomorrow and we still need support... and prayers.


Austin Forde running home... he got out and we lost.

Backyard Sports        0 1 0 0 0 0 5 0 0  6
Free Swiss States      1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  2

Sicoutimont            0 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 2  6
New Bierstaat          0 0 2 0 0 2 1 0 0  5

Estope                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Saugeais               1 1 1 0 0 2 0 1 X  6

Group 5               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Sicoutimont             4    4   0    27   12  +15    12
2 New Bierstaat           4    3   1    19   15   +4     9
3 Saugeais                4    2   2    18   11   +7     6
4 Backyard Sports         4    2   2    17   13   +4     6
5 Free Swiss States       4    1   3    13   19   −6     3
6 Estope                  4    0   4     5   29  −24     0