Squeak. A noise a mouse makes. A noise a baby toy makes. A verb, an adverb.
Squeak is what the Falcons did in their 3-games series against upstart Telamar. The Falcons, who dropped game one 10-9 to the Telamarines, won Games 2 and 3 by one run each game. For a team known at the end of the Group Stage for its power these last three games have showed off more of their bullpen pitching and coaching strategies. While Dessea Vallena-Favella has been the most valuable player on this team the combined pitching experiences of Romeo Vasparian and Ederi Sallamo, who lost Game 1, proved equally invaluable to the team.
With another homerun from Xavier Gradoni in the first inning to pull ahead 2-0 in the first game, the star first basemen brought his total home runs of the Classic to 4. Natalie Pessotto eventually gave up a two-run home run in the 6th inning to Telamar's catcher but Romeo Vasparian, little used in the Group Stage, again came out and had a terrific 4 innings of relief work. In the bottom of the 11th, Xavier Gradoni, MVP of the International Baseball League, smashed a double into center to bring home speedy Ferdini Zappataro to put the Falcons ahead by one run. Ederi Sallamo, who was used because Ferdinand Cossomo thought he had "greater experience in these scenarios," pitched a terrific top of the 10th striking out one and ending the inning with a double play.
In the final game of the series it was Christian Buonconte who gave up the early runs. After Ferdini Zappataro scored in the top of the first on a passed ball, Buonconte gave up four hits for the Telamarines to go up 3-1. The score stayed that way until the fourth inning when the underdogs scored another three on one swing from their superstar catcher. Buonconte's day was over and once again Vasparian came in to the game in relief. Vasparian's presence seemed to lift the team out of their "funk" as they scored 6 unanswered runs in the final 5 innings. Pitching Coach Joe Greene said that he and Cossomo had let Buonconte know before the game that they would pull him if things started to look bad. Vasparian pitched two innings but it was enough of a momentum changer for the Telamarines that the combination of Ederi Sallamo and Will 'Griz' Franklin shut the 12th-seeded team down completely.
Now the Falcons look to face the unranked Saugeis team who nabbed the #4 ranking after the Group Stage. The Falcons will be sticking with their pitching rotation, putting Fironte Sareb out for Game 1, Bertrando Sabre out for Game 2 and, if necessary, Liona Marrada - their ace - to start Game 3. This is the farthest the Falcons have ever gotten in a WBC, let's hope the pressure doesn't get to the WBC rookies and that the run-scoring returns to this powerful team. Does a shot against Western cuba or, more ominously, Newmanistan, await?