World Baseball Classic 43- Everything (Finals G6 Posted)

[Beepee]

Series:

(7) West Phoenicia vs (26) Beepee (Series at Starksville Stadium, Starksville)

Game 1:
Beepee 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2
West Phoenicia 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 3

Beepee battle bravely against the assured confidence of the West Phoenicians.

Indeed, Beepee nearly pulled off a surprise first game victory heading 2-1 into the bottom if the Ninth, but in the end the superior overall squad depth of The Confederates won out with some solid play.

Beepee fans however were left cheering at the close run match and were not deflated, unlike the bouncy castle brought to the stadium which got a puncture midway through the fifth innings. Beepee fans remain hopeful they can carry forward something positive into gameday two.

After the match Homer Unn said we didn't really lose this game we just ran out of innings.

Game 2:
West Phoenicia 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Beepee 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 X 4

Beepee fans were left shocked and amazed after racing out to a three-zero lead in the first innings, with a beautiful lead off homer by Bruce Labare.

Surprisingly, the lead was never threatened by the Confederates who frequently left players on bases.

Worryingly for Homer Unn the bullpen once again gave up late runs and the closing pitchers are not doing their best.

Little could dampen the enthusiasm of the Beeepee fans however even for those who went on the logflume ride. The Beepeeans partied in the stadium for several hours after the game ended and sang songs of friendship and baseball (including a two hour rendition of take me out to the ball park) with the Phoenicians.

The surprise win means the series is now tied at 1-1 and a decider is to be played.

Homer Unn, Beepee head coach, said "It's been a series of two half's and the third half is about to start", before proudly waving his miniature Beepee flag and rushing off to eat candy floss and play on the merry-go-round.

[West Phoenicia]

Cheers transform to jeers as Round of 32 has mixed results for the Confederates.

Joyous celebration both at Starksville Stadium and across West Phoenicia as the Confederates take out first game in the best of 3 for the round of 32. A sign of earlier confidence building Coach Jacob Prosper was happy with the result but was disappointed and a little nervous that it took to the bottom of the 9th for the Confederates to get their win. West Phoenicia is the higher ranking team, this is not the first time at the rodeo, so it is always a surprise to team management when the Confederates seem to let anxiety creep in the further along they progress, allowing easy errors and allowing lower ranked teams to walk over them.

After a beautiful blessing of incense burning conducted by the Priests and Priestess of the Goddess Fortuna. West Phoenicians were on the edge of their seats praying for an easy win and clean sweep against Beepee, which did not occur.
Beepee scored 3 runs at the bottom of the first, something that the Confederates could not come back from as they attempted to play catch up for the rest of the game and losing 1-4.

Coach Jacob Prosper clearly upset with the loss against a team that sounds like insect urine, stormed off the field, before naming and shaming Confederate players who were no longer living up to their standard. While fans who made the journey took out their annoyance by jeering and screaming out verbal abuse to both Confederate and Beepee players as they exited the field.


Forced into game 3 the Confederates will need to utilize all they have to knock out Beepee so they can progress to the round of 16. On their path to take out a WBC final.

[Xelsis]

Sireness Network of Information

Nolan Maneros Interview

Welcome to SNI today, where we have a special interview taking place all the way off in Concord Heights, Cassadaigua, with the Xelsian Lightning's star leftfielder Nolan Maneros. I'm your host, Ellie Rook.

The Lightning are going into a deciding third game of their playoff series against the Hampton Islands Golden Bears. If they win, they advance to face the number one team in the tournament, but if they lose, their season is over. Nolan here has been a great player and a leader on the team through the whole classic with the highest batting average and most home runs and we're glad to have him here with us.

So, Nolan, what I wanted to start out talking about were the odds that are against you and your teammates. Many of us Xelsians were thinking that the Lightning might be favorites with their better run differential going in, but every major international betting oddsmaker or sports commentator who has weighed in has put the odds against the team, including Schiltzberg, North Prarie, and Newmanistan, with Ethane National Television the only ones to break from the trend, basically setting the odds at a toss up with 52-48 in Xelsis's favor. Nolan, after splitting the first two games of the series, what do you think about these expectations?

Maneros: "I don't care what they think. Why should I? Most of them have never played a game of baseball in their lives. The talking heads and sharks don't know what they're talking about. You know what, I'm actually glad that they're putting odds against us, because that just means I can put more money on ourselves to win, and then I'll make more off of it. So yeah, tell them thanks, from me, and I'll gladly collect."


"For those viewers of ours who don't know, sports gambling in the XHL is legal only if betting on your team to win. Now Nolan, that's a very confident move, putting your own money down for the team winning. Do you really think you'll pull it off?

Maneros: "I'm putting my money right where my mouth is, we'll pull it off. Baker just needs to wake up, get his head out of...the clouds, and pitch like he's supposed to know how to. This is supposed to be the best pitcher in the world, but he sure isn't acting like it, and frankly, I think he's losing his touch. I'm showing up to play tomorrow, but he better show up too.

"Those are some awfully aggressive statements to make about your teammate, Nolan. Are you worried about hurting club morale.

Maneros: "What? No, I'm not worried. Look, Allie, or whatever, people say baseball is a team sport, but it really isn't. Look, when I get the ball, I throw it into third base or second base if there's a play. Is that really teammwork? No, it's not. They're basically just there, and its hitting that matters anyway, and you're the only one at the plate. Baker's not even my teammate in the XHL, just here, but he needs to step up and throw or we're going to have to make up for his screwups.

"On the topic of screwups, you didn't do too well against Cassadaigua in your matches against them in the group stage, you went 0 for 5 twice. Do you think you let your team down there.

Maneros: "Screw that, I'm not answering that question."

"Nolan..."

Maneros: "No. Give me another one."

"Well, what do you think the team needs to do best to win this game tonight?"

Maneros: "Hit the ball and catch it. Baseball's not that hard a game, Ellen. People make it more complicated than it really is. You just hit the ball and run until they get you out, or catch the ball and throw until you get them out. It's that simple. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a batting practice to get to.

"Well, thanks for showing up Nolan. Good luck."

Maneros: "Yeah, yeah"

[Xelsis]

Entez Sporting Network-WBC Playoff Special

Close-run games, bullpen weakness lead to tied series, and decisive Game 3 approaching

Fans who were hoping for a quick sweep and an advancement to the second round over Hampton Islands were disappointed by the two-game doubleheader yesterday. Fans who were hoping for good baseball, however, got exactly what they were looking for, as the Lightning and the Golden Bears tussled to the finish in two close, exciting matches.

The first matchup was scoreless through two innings before the Xelsian offense got itself going in the top of the third inning. The inning started off worse than either of the first two, with Tankeros and O'Connor both striking out, but Mario Teros came through in the clutch, blasting a home run into dead center-field for the first run of the game. Maneros doubled from the cleanup spot, and Albert Deachrist, batting lefthanded against the right-handed pitching Chris Tyson, drove a fastball on a long, arcing rainbow that cleared the left-field fence by mere inches. The inning kept on going strong after that. Sam Carhoones singled, followed by another single from Buck Garner, bringing Edgar Rumenoss, the best-hitting pitcher on the Xelsian squad to the plate. The Golden Bears management, however, made the call for an intentional walk to load the bases and bring up the hapless-offensively Frederick Lasitos, who couldn't take advantage of the opportunity, striking out.

The Hampton Islands would claw back a run in the bottom of the fourth. Rumenoss issued a walk on a 3-2 pitch that missed low to Kevin Nellis, who was then driven to third base on a centerfield double by Danny Hackerbee. Bryce Mueller went down on strikes, but a ground ball to shortstop from Anthony CIanci got past the slow-footed Teros for a single, scoring Nellis, and almost Hackerbee as well, who was caught by a surprising strong through from Maneros. A ground-ball out ended the inning with one run allowed.

Neither team would score again in a pitching duel through the seventh, though both Teros and Deachrist were hit by pitches in the innings in-between, and Rumenoss was taken out after the seventh frame with a strong performance, seven innings of five-hit, one-run ball. Bubba Stevens took to the mound to close things out, but things quickly went sour, as he gave up back-to-back home runs against Larry Huckston and Brad Thomas to lose Rumenoss's lead.

Going into the top of the ninth, Xelsis rallied one more time. Garner looped a single into centerfield, bringing up Stevens, who was pulled for a pinch-hitter in Abdul Al-Umar. On an 0-2 count, Browning daringly called a take, and the veteran, if not fleet-footed, Garner, stole second on the unsuspecting catcher, who took a breaking-ball ball. On the next pitch, al-Umar knocked the ball to the warning track before it was caught, advancing Garner to third. Lasitos, however, was kept in, and struck out a second time, but Tankeros hit a ground ball opposite-field past second base, scoring the go-ahead run, before O'Connor lined out to short.

With Stevens out of the game, Browning had a limited selection of relievers available, but made a bold choice in bypassing both Deachrist and Vasquez, who had struggled greatly in their most recent outings, and taking Rolon from the starting rotation, set to pitch the first game of the second round if Xelsis advances. Rolon didn't inspire confidence by any means, giving up three hits and a walk in the inning, but lucky spacing of the contact, and a dramatic play at the plate, with Tankeros throwing out a runner going home, kept a run from crossing, and gave Xelsis the win.

Set to potentially clinch, Larry Harlo took the mound for Game 2, and turned in a strong performance himself, no hits and two walks yielded through five, before a third walk, a double by Patrick Seguin, and a sacrifice fly by Larry Huckston gave up the first run. Harlo pushed through into the seventh, however, a deep start for the low-stamina pitcher, before retiring.

Stevens was brought in once again to close out the game, and for a second time blew the opportunity. With the score at 1-1, Stevens gave up back-to-back doubles, and walked a batter, then, after a mound conference, nearly blew the game away entirely when Patrick Seguin hit a deep ball that would have cleared the leftfield fence if not for a leaping snag by the 6-foot-5 inch Maneros. The fly was nontheless deep enough to score Patterson, and Xelsis was now in the hole 3-0. Browning yanked Stevens and brought in Rolon once again, who intentionally walked both Thomas and Nellis after a Huckston groundout, loading the bases, before striking out Hackerbee.

Offensively, Xelsis had been nearly hapless, putting together only four hits, two bunt singles from O'Connor, two singles from Garner, and not a single run. Finally, now with only two innings left to play. one managed to cross the plate, O'Connor bunting on for the third time that game, going third-base line, first-base line, and then popping one over the head of the charging pitcher, and stealing second on a Teros strikeout, before being doubled in by Maneros. Deachrist grounded out to first, however, and Carhoones popped out, and no more runs were gained, keeping the Lightning down 1-3.

Rolon went three-up, three-down in the top of the inning, and Garner was up to set the table for a rally in the bottom. He singled to right field, but Al-Umar, brought in to pinch-hit, quickly spoiled the opportunity, grounding into a double play. The call at first was immediately controversial among Xelsian fans, with video seeming to indicate that Al-Umar beat the throw by half a step, but the call stood, bringing Lasitos, the worst hitter on the team, up to the plate. Fortunately for him, he did not need to hit, as a ball ran inside and struck his shin, giving him first base, and bringing up Tankeros, who went swinging at the first pitch on a hit-and-run play, arcing it into centerfield, Lasitos, with a good jump on the ball, reached third, but Tankeros tried for second, and was beaten clearly by the throw from Voorman. Tankeros attempted to do a swim move on a feet-first slide, but was caught with the tag at an awkward angle, with his momentum carrying him into second with his foot twisted. The impact broke Tankeros's ankle, forcing him to be carried off of the field with the game already over, and he has been officially ruled out for what might be the final game of the season. Abdul al-Umar will take his place in right field.

While the starting pitching was there for Xelsis, Stevens is the scapegoat of the day, with four runs allowed, all earned, in an inning and a third. Browning announced that Baker would go the full nine innings in the final start "Unless he botches it", but it seems that Rolon, who is supposed to be a starter, will be the first to be called if the bullpen is needed, and the Xelsian offense shouldn't sleep on a lead with only one more to play. Lasitos, too, has received flak for his performance, hitless in both games, including in what could have been a crucial bases-loaded situation, and while throwing out four of four stealers, has fans clamoring for the harder-hitting Silvercreek to replace him. Browning is sticking by his catcher, but with the Golden Bears already showing that they're willing to intentionally walk to get to him, Lasitos will need to step up standing next to the plate rather than behind it to avoid infamy.

We'll broadcast it, you'll watch it, and all of Xelsis will await the outcome of the final, deciding game here, on Entez Sporting Network.

[Free Republics]

El Fierro, Malifornia Charter Society

Mario Rothschild's fastball just barely missed Samsa Ruoho's bat for strike 3 and the Republican closer had picked up a save to send the Free Republics to the Round of 16. In Malifornia, Sarah Fuerst and Elio Lucchese were watching the game at Sarah's house and both celebrated the victory. After the game, things got interesting on the post-game show as interviewer Jennifer Hanson decided to ask Honomi Kamei about a certain incident involving a different Republican National Team:

Jennifer Hanson - I'm here with Honomi Kamei who hit for the cycle today to lead the Free Republics to yet another victory. But before I ask her about the game, I want to talk about the recent comments from National Football Team coach Jak Hamilton.

At this moment, FBC showed a clip of the comments on television which Honomi Kamei also saw in the clubhouse.

Jennifer Hanson - Honomi, what do you think about Coach Hamilton's comments?

Honomi Kamei - I think its a good thing that he's retiring from coaching after this World Bowl! There is no place for sexist attitudes like those in sports and there should be no place for sexist attitudes like those in our society.

Jennifer Hanson - Do you believe that attitudes like his are responsible for the fact that women make up just 5% of college football players in the Free Republics and less than 1% of professional football players?

Honomi Kamei - Absolutely. Football seems to be the most retrograde of all of the major sports, having made almost no effort toward gender equality in recent years. Even in Republics where high school sports are segregated by gender, girl's football is generally not even an option. Is it any surprise that women and girls gravitate toward other sports when its clear that we're not welcome on the football field?

Jennifer Hanson - The National Baseball Team's Stand Up to Sexism campaign has been one of the biggest news stories across the Free Republics of late. Recently, presumptive Liberty Party consul candidate Scarlett Nicholls endorsed the campaign. As one of the most outspoken supporters of the campaign, how does it make you feel that it has been so successful?

Honomi Kamei - I'm pleased that our campaign has been so well-received. Earlier this cycle, I met a girl who stopped playing baseball because the Charter Society she lives in is now run by misogynistic theocrats who won't let her play sports. Her story was so sad and it just makes my blood boil to think that she'd be denied opportunities just because of her gender. That, but for the grace of Margaret, could have been me. Then, that guy got fired from his job at the sleazy wrestling company because his wife criticized theocrats and I just lost it in the clubhouse after I found it what had happened. Fortunately, Mr. Thomas and my teammates have all been very supportive and I'm happy that one of my favorite singers feels inspired by our message but I'm not going to be satisfied until no more people's lives are ruined by sexism!

In Malifornia, the two teen lovers were listening closely to Honomi's words and Sarah knew instantly that she'd indirectly inspired the Stand Up to Sexism campaign.

Sarah Fuerst - Oh my God, Honomi is so awesome!

Elio Lucchese - You're the girl she's talking about, right?

Sarah Fuerst - Of course I am! She's doing all of this for my sake!

Elio Lucchese - Well, the Salvation Circle leadership is deeply concerned by these developments. My parents keep complaining about how the National Baseball Team is riling people up. I've heard rumors that Namo Busque and Brock Shield might be released by their clubs since the Circle wants to "send a message" to those baseball players who won't stick to sports.

Sarah Fuerst - How can anybody possibly stick to sports when half of the population isn't allowed to play because of sexism?

Elio Lucchese - I know, right? But as far as the Circle is concerned, these protests by the baseball team are a potential threat to the social order they're trying to build.

Sarah Fuerst - Of course they are because that social order is based upon stomping all over people's dreams to please some supposed 'god'

Elio Lucchese - It is but the Circle is deeply committed to its vision of the way things ought to be. So much so, actually, that my parents decided against going to the Round of 32 games in Cassadaigua even though we had purchased an entire row of tickets.

Sarah Fuerst - They did what?

Elio Lucchese - Yes, they were going to take us to Cassadaigua for the Round of 32 but once this Stand Up to Sexism campaign started, they decided to just stay home. They told me last night.

Sarah Fuerst - That's such a shame. Why wouldn't they want to see baseball?

Elio Lucchese - They want to watch baseball but they don't want to support a baseball team that campaigns for values they regard as "satanic"

Sarah Fuerst - Such a shame. It would have been great to go to Cassadaigua.

Elio Lucchese - Yeah it would be but its also good that the team is fighting for what's actually right.

Sarah Fuerst - I'm so proud of them. Especially Honomi.

Elio Lucchese - Well, come to think of it, we have a weeklong vacation from school coming up. What would you think if the two of us secretly traveled to Cassadaigua to see the Round of 16?

Sarah Fuerst - That'd be awesome but how could we pull that off?

Elio Lucchese - My parents have lots of money and have been trying to get me to go abroad for a long time to share the gospel. They'd probably give us a virtually unlimited credit card if we went abroad and I could pick any country I wanted.

Sarah Fuerst - But we wouldn't actually be going there to spread the Salvation Circle's message, right?

Elio Lucchese - Of course not. My parents think we're the most devout, purest Christians in all of Malifornia so they'll happily let us go to Cassadaigua alone. Then, once we're there, we buy Round of 16 tickets and enjoy the games together.

Sarah Fuerst - That sounds great to me. What city is the National Team playing in again?

Elio Lucchese - They haven't announced that yet so how about we go to Brattleboro first then travel to wherever the team is playing once we know where that is.

Sarah Fuerst - That sounds great to me.

Elio Lucchese - Then I'll talk to my parents and make it happen. Just a word of warning though: Don't take your head covering off until we're safely in Cassadaigua. There might be other Salvation Circle members on the flight and we don't want you to end up being photographed by them.

Sarah Fuerst - Couldn't we also end up being photographed in Cassadaigua?

Elio Lucchese - Yes but as long as we don't end up drawing any kind of attention to ourselves that makes international news, we should be fine. Come to think of it, don't you have Honomi's email address?

Sarah Fuerst - Yes, I do, but I haven't emailed her yet.

Elio Lucchese - How about you email her and find out what hotel the team is staying in? I'd love to get us accomodations there.

Sarah Fuerst - That sounds great.

A couple days later, the two of them were boarding a flight to Cassadaigua, supposedly to share the gospel with the natives and with the many fans from around the multiverse who had come to watch the World Baseball Classic playoffs. During the entire Nicholls Air flight from El Fierro to Brattleboro, they kept up the pretense of being missionaries for it would prove to be very bad for both of them if Elio's family discovered their actual reason for going to Cassadaigua...

[Schiltzberg]

TOUPS NO-HITS YASSER IN CLINCHER!

They did it, folks! As was overwhelmingly predicted, Schiltzberg defeated the United States of Yasser by sweeping them in two games. This was expected, and in fact, sportswriters, such as Andrew Davis of Ethane, even gave Schiltzberg a 99% chance of advancing this round. Either way, it is good to have this round completed successfully, because you never know when you might choke unexpectedly. The players now have this series under their belts, and they will appear in the round of sixteen for the eleventh consecutive season, going back to WBC 33.

Speaking of WBC 33, last night was an historic night, because Schiltzberg's pitcher, David Toups, threw the second no-hitter in Schiltzberg's storied history, the first one since their primary season in WBC 33. The first no-hitter was thrown by Schiltzberg ace William McKey in his WBC debut against Borxinoia. Schiltzberg went on to win that season, despite being an unranked team.

This year, David Toups came out having pitched the best season of his WBC career thus far, going 5-0, and the expectations were high. He did not fail to impress, going perfect through five innings, as Schiltzberg took a 2-0 lead, and although he gave up a walk in the sixth, Schiltzberg pulled away with a four-run rally, and they eventually won the game 8-0. Toups gave up one walk, one hit by pitch, eleven strikeouts, and no errors, giving him a game score of 96, a career best. Toups' no-hitter improves his numbers even further to a 6-0 record with a 2.21 ERA in six starts, including two complete game shutouts. He has been phenomenal this season, and he hopes that his numbers continue to do this well.

While Toups has done well, their usual ace William McKey has done well, but not quite as well as expected. Although he has had a great record, going 5-1 in his six starts thus far, he has had trouble keeping his opponents scoreless, which was evident in his most recent start, game one against Yasser. Although he still got the win, McKey gave up six earned runs early on in the game, which put Schiltzberg in a tough situation to start out the series. However, the team came back and gave him lots of run support, but the poor start brings McKey up to a 4.01 ERA, which is the highest of any of Schiltzberg's starters. The main thing is just that Schiltzberg got the win, and that is all that we could hope for at this point. We know that McKey is an excellent pitcher, and we have no doubt that he will continue his excellence as the season progresses.

In the round of sixteen, Schiltzberg will face Bauscland, a very inferior opponent. Sportswriters across the world gave Schiltzberg overwhelming odds to win the round of sixteen, including this extremely unbiased newspaper. According to Ethane's Explosive Sports News, Schiltzberg has an 87% chance of winning this round, although that was assuming that Schiltzberg's opponent would be Banija, which is a slightly less inferior team than Bauscland, so being up against Bauscland only increases Schiltzberg's odds of winning.

Despite being unranked, Bauscland has actually played in the WBC before, back in WBC 39, and they made it to the playoffs, although they did not make it very far. Schiltzberg has never played them, but they hope that this is to their advantage, since Bauscland players have no experience seeing Schiltzberg's pitching. This should be a good series, and hopefully not too close, but we look forward to giving daily updates about it. Here are the predicted starters for the games:

Game 1: McKey
Game 2: Toups
Game 3: Davis
Game 4*: McKey
Game 5*: Toups
*if necessary

This Is Your New Schiltzbierg Times Sports News!

[The Sherpa Empire]

* * * * * * * *

Mingma Al Ali was seriously stoked about making it into the playoffs and going to Cassadaigua. A few of the Sherpa players were put off by the local culture, in particular the arrogance of the women, but Ali was so focused on preparing for his start against Ethane that he had not even noticed. When Tashi Siedler and Phurba Desai complained about Cassadagan gender relations, he just gave them a blank stare and said, "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You haven't noticed how the women are always bossing around the men here?" said Desai.

"No, I didn't see anything like that," said Ali. "What are they doing?"

"The women run everything," said Desai. "You seriously didn't notice?"

Ali shrugged. "It just looks like any other rich Western country."

"Do you not read the news?" said Siedler.

Ali gave him another blank stare. "What happened on the news?"

"You haven't heard anything about the fight for male equality in Cassadaigua?"

Ali shrugged again. "So what? We have a men's rights movement in the Sherpa Empire, too, but it's just idiots that are upset cos they can't get laid."

Siedler buried his face in his hands and then slowly dragged his fingers down over his cheeks. "Are you fucking serious?"

"I didn't come here to wallow in some kind of persecution complex and pretend to be oppressed," said Ali. "I came here to win ballgames. I'm not going to waste my time on conspiracy theories about Cassadagan women."

"You have got to be shitting me!" said Siedler.

"Whatever," said Ali. "I'm going to go warm up."

And he went and warmed up and took the mound and pitched a complete game shut out and gave a post-game interview saying everything was great and went back to the locker room still blithely unaware that anyone looked down on him for being a man.

* * * * * * * *

In game two, Ghang Tharkay was not doing so hot. He gave up two hits and a walk in the first inning, and it took a highlight reel-worthy leaping catch by Dorjee Sherpa, who was playing second base, to get out of the inning without giving up any runs.

The second inning wasn't any better. With one run on the board, one out, and men on the corners, Mohn went out to the mound. Hanyi Yang was warming up in the bullpen -- with the off day between the end of the group round and the start of the playoffs, he'd had enough rest that it shouldn't be a problem to skip ahead in the rotation -- but Tharkay wanted to stay in. "I can do this!" he insisted. Mohn left him in and soon regretted it as Joseph Sutton sent a 3 run homer soaring over the left field wall.

Mohn pulled Tharkay and prayed that Yang would not flake out on him. Yang was known to be a little flaky; and although Mohn tried not to show it, he didn't like Yang.

Today, for once in his life, Yang was all business. There was no baijiu, no dancing on benches, no Chinese opera singing, no moronic blather. There might have been a little spitting and ass-scratching, but what do you expect on a ballfield?

Yang got out of the inning and pitched through the end of the 8th without allowing any more runs, but the damage was already done and the Sherpa bats were distressingly quiet. A run scored in the top of the 9th and it looked like there might be a glimmer of hope, but then Dorjee Sherpa hit into a double play to end the game.

* * * * * * * *

(OOC: I plan to post some stuff about trade negotiations, but I am not sure how long it will take me to get that ready to go, so it will be in a separate post.)

[Nova Anglicana]

Lions Overcome Feisty Phoenixes to Advance to Round of 16

After securing the #1 overall seed for the playoffs of WBC 43 by going 21-3 in Group 8, the Lions faced off against 32nd-seeded and 21st-ranked Hicaña in the Round of 32. The Lions and the Phoenixes have tussled a few times across a few different sports, including baseball and hockey, with mixed results for both sides. But this time it was the Lions who would come out on top.

Game 1 started fast for the Lions. After ace starter Damon Singleton retired the side in order in the top of the 1st, the Lions started hot against veteran Phoenixes ace Erik Sepúlveda. Moses Deng singled and stole second, moving to third on a long fly ball from Michael Holt. Jake Bryan knocked a sharp single up the middle, scoring Deng and making it 1-0 Lions. Seth Armstrong doubled and Sepúlveda pitched around Ryan Glover, walking him to load the bases. After Brendan Wood struck out, John Carr hit a long single to right-center, scoring Bryan and Armstrong and sending Glover to third. Max Pope grounded out, but it was 3-0 Lions. Unfortunately, Singleton would struggle in the next two innings, allowing a two-out, two-run homer to veteran first sacker Sebastian Guzman in the 2nd and a two-out double to center fielder Alfonso Almendarez to tie the game at 3. In the bottom of the third, the Lions struck back when Wood tripled in Ryan Glover with two outs and Carr singled him in for his third RBI of the game, making it 5-3. Singleton would settle down to retire 12 of the last 13 batters he would face, including striking out seven. Singleton would finish with ten strikeouts in his seven innings of work. Ryan Glover would hit a solo shot in the 5th to make it 6-3 and Casey Burke and Nick Christensen would finish off the last two innings of the game.

In Game 2, starter Darren Lawson struggled to get started, surrendering four runs in the first four innings and allowing seven hits and two walks. This put the Lions in a 4-2 hole going into the top of the 5th, but Lawson would gut out two more innings, helping to save the bullpen a longer outing should they be needed in a potential game 3. In the 7th, reliever Matthew Drake gave up a two-run homer to Juan José Calderón, deepening the deficit to 6-2. But in the 8th, the Lions got on the comeback trail. Michael Santana came out after having allowed six hits, two walks, and two runs while striking out eight in his seven innings, and in came Nicolás Puntabaja, a competent middle reliever. He would face the 3-4-5 hitters in the order, but with a four-run lead, manager Alex Cameron felt safe. He would be disappointed, as Puntabaja walked Jake Bryan, walked Seth Armstrong, and hit Ryan Glover. With the bases loaded and none out, in came fireman Johan Velasquez. He settled down the nervous Hicañan fans somewhat by striking out Brendan Wood, but John Carr, the hero of game 1, inside-outed a tough fastball to right field, scoring Bryan. Phoenix right fielder Morgan Hernandez made a good throw, discouraging Seth Armstrong from challenging and trying for home. Max Pope then flied out deep to center, scoring Armstrong and making it 6-4 with two outs. Up came young Matthew Gilbert, who had some clutch pinch-hits in the group stage. Gilbert did not disappoint, crushing a pitch to right-center field for a double, scoring Glover from second and Carr from first and tying the score. After Lee Bradley set down the Hicañans in the 8th, Glover hit a two-run homer in the 9th off of Phoenix closer Nicolás Vasco to give the Lions the lead at 8-6. Nick Christensen gave up two hits, a walk, and a run in the bottom of the 9th, but he struck out Diego Velasquez to end the game and send the Lions to the Round of 16.

It's not clear who the Lions will play in the next round, as Xelsis and Hampton Island split their first two games and await a deciding game 3. But it is clear that they will be favored. With Xelsis unranked and Hampton Island ranked 34th, the Lions will be a heavy favorite. But just like Hicaña, they should not expect an easy series, even if they are favored to win. Those two teams are skilled and any slip ups could be fatal. Manager Orlando Murray listed his rotation for the Round of 16, with Nate McLaughlin scheduled to take the ball in game 1, and Damon Singleton to get another turn on regular rest in game 2. The Lions will need all their pitching and hitting if they hope to quell either of these upstart teams in the next round.

Starting Rotation for Ro16

Game 1: LHP Nate McLaughlin
Game 2: RHP Damon Singleton
Game 3: RHP Ben Clayton
Game 4 (if necessary): RHP Damian Ryan
Game 5 (if necessary): LHP Darren Lawson

[The Sherpa Empire]

To: August Bendtner
From: Kalden Wang, Khumbu Icefall Doctors General Manager

Dear Mr. Bendtner,

It is my understanding that you have political disagreements with the national government of Super-Llamaland and may be looking for career opportunities elsewhere. Have you considered coming to the Sherpa Empire?

The Icefall Doctors are perennial play-off contenders. We have a solid batting line-up that should be able to give you plenty of run-support if you come to pitch with us, but our starting rotation could use some fresh blood. You would most likely be first or second in the rotation, depending on whether Jamling Ihawa returns to Namche for a 24th season. We are prepared to offer ₹5 billion over 5 years. Please let me know if you are interested or if there is any additional information that I can provide to help you make your decision.

With Warmest Regards,
Kalden Wang

* * * * * * * *

The Sherpa Empire still has whacky inflated currency. The current exchange rate is ₹108 = $1NSD.

Incidentally, Ihawa's salary is ₹500 million per year. It is low due to a combination of hometown discount and undervalued currency. So the Docs are offering Bendtner a lot more money than what they pay Ihawa, but still planning to put Ihawa at the top of the rotation if they end up with both players. I dunno how Bendtner's going to take that given what you said about his temper and not wanting to play 2nd fiddle. Go wherever you want with it.

I dunno if I am going to get Ihawa's agent's response to the Wizards posted before the cut-off, but I will stick around to finish out that story line even if I get eliminated before it's wrapped up.

[Union of Socialist Alpine Republics]

The Alpine Union sweeps Maklohi Vai!

Grande Mountain, Cassadaigua - (NAP) The Alpine Union finished first in group 15 and had the 10th seed in the playoffs but the task wasn't easy. The Bisons had to play against Maklohi Vai, who underperformed in the group stage. Tyler Floyd (5-1) was the starting pitcher in the 1st game against the Lumai and Rulo Mutukopuropai was the starter for Maklohi Vai. The score was 1-1 in the bottom 8th inning and Tyler Floyd was suppose to be the 1st to bat for the Bisons but he was replaced with Krunoslav Bogdanovic who hitted a double. Wilton Jimenez was flied out, Bogdanovic stays at 2nd base. Kevin McNeill hitted a single, Bogdanovic advanced to 3rd base. Nate O'Flaherty hitted a double, Bogdanovic scores, McNeill advances to 3rd base. Travis Layne hits a sacrifice fly, McNeill scores, O'Flaherty stays at 2nd base. The Alpine Union is leading 3-1! Genevieve McGowan (0-1-8) comes to the mound in the top 9th inning to preserve the win. Muno Lopakarai is the first to bat and he's striked out. John Darren Jr. hits a double. Lokumao Tolokanapai is flied out. Esteban Gutierrez hits a double, Darren jr scores and the Reprezentacja Alpejski's lead is cut to 3-2. Patrick Sullivan walked. with two mens on the bases, Julian Lokumanai comes at bat but he's striked out. The game is over the Alpines won the 1st game 3-2! Tyler Floyd (6-1) won his sixth game in the WBC43 and Genevieve McGowan got her 9th save!

Two Alpine players, OF Logan Hamburger and RP Nick Olczak, were stuck in a protest in Grande Mountain just before game #2 starts and they were unavailable for the game. Rusty Castillo (4-0), the guy who played all 6 games against Ethane, and Rukamo Wilapoturakai were the starting pitchers for game #2. The Alpine Union was leading 2-1 at the top 8th inning and Nate O'Flaherty was the first at bat. He hitted a single. Travis Layne followed with a double, O'Flaherty advanced to 3rd base. Zlatan Belec hitted a sacrifice fly, O'Flaherty scored, Layne stayed at 2nd base. Esmeralda Sanchez followed with a two runs homerun and the score is 5-1 Bisons and still no outs in the top 8th inning. Nick Riefenhauser hitted a single. Jared Hanson followed with an optionnal. Pinch hitter Mary Jane Castro hitted a double, Hanson advanced to 3rd base. Wilton Jimenez followed with a single, Hanson scored, Castro advanced to 3rd base. Kevin McNeill was flied out, Castro tried to score after the catch but she was ruled out at the plate and it was the end of the top 8th inning, the Reprezentacja Alpejski were leading 6-1! Set up pitcher Sam Bourgeois comes to the mound in the bottom 8th inning. Mary Jane Castro stayed in the game at 3rd base and Sam Bourgeois took Kevin McNeill's spot in the batting order. Riolai Komotai was the first to bat and he hitted a double. He stole the 3rd base. Muno Lopakarai hitted a single, Komotai scored. John Darren Jr. hitted a double, Lopakarai advanced to 3rd base. Lokumao Tolokanapai walked and the bases are loaded for Esteban Gutierrez. Gutierrez was striked out. The bases are still loaded for Patrick Sullivan and he hitted a double, Lopakarai scored, Darren Jr scored and Tolokanapai was ruled out at the plate. Left handed pitcher Lucija Kikanovic comes to the mound to face left handed batter Julian Lokumanai and Lokumanai was flied out. The Alpines are leading 6-5! The Bisons didn't score in the top 9th inning and Genevieve McGowan enters in the game in the bottom 9th inning to preserve the win and she gets her 10th save of the tournament! The Reprezentacja Alpejski wins the game 6-5 and the series 2-0 against Maklohi Vai and Rusty Castillo (5-0) was the winning pitcher!

The series between West Phoenicia and Beepee is tied at 1-1, the Bisons will face the winner of that series in the round of 16. The Alpines are now 3 wins away from playing against Newmanistan who just swept Devonta in two games. Logan Hamburger and Nick Olczak, who were stuck in a protest in Grande Mountain, should be available for the round of 16 (hopefully). Here's the starting pitchers against West Phoenicia/Beepee:

Game 1: Alejandro Gonzalez (2-2)
Game 2: Tyler Floyd (6-1)
Game 3: Rusty Castillo (5-0)
Game 4: Zvonimir Hajrovic (3-2)
Game 5: Tyler Floyd (6-1)

[Xelsis]

Concord Heights Stadium Locker Room

With the minutes until the first pitch counting down faster and faster, the members of the Xelsian Lightning were scattered throughout the locker room, each involved in their own task, preparing for the decisive game in their own way.

Albert and Katerina Deachrist were tucked away with each other in one corner of the locker room, as away from the eyes of others as they could be, leaning in close to each other, face-to-face, talking quietly, occasionally caressing a cheek or squeezing a hand in a continuing display that was rather inappropriate in the company of others by the standards of Xelsian society. The two were fortunate. While other coaches in the XHL usually made accommodations for family, the hard-nosed Browning refused to allow children or even spouses into the locker rooms, giving the two, both players, the unique advantage of each other's comfort in the waning hours.

Sam Carhoones was engrossed in a small handheld device occasionally emitting boops and beeps in sixteen-bit sound, expertly working both hands to dominate the vintage platformer he held before him, occasionally giving a laugh or a muttered condemnation of the game's mother as he stayed loose with the entertainment, keeping his mind on the pixels and not on the weight of what was to come.

Abdul al-Umar, a starting position now his, even by the unfortunate way of injury, was slowly feeling the nerves get to him. The usually hard-willed man was twiddling his thumbs, occasionally pulling open a locker door to look in the mirror and pointlessly adjust his beard, fighting off a case of the yips that threatened to come at the worst possible time.

Nolan Maneros was across the room, three different bats held at once in his hands, swaying back and forth, and occasionally picked up, hands high above the shoulder in his signature stance, and swung in a powerful sweep, first from the left side, now the right, back and forth, occasionally switching bats, making a half-swing and then adjusting, taking invisible pitches and stepping out of the box, and then getting right back to it, the reigning MVP training himself even now, not letting a single minute go to waste.

Reilly O'Connor sat alone near the middle of the room, a small berth given to him by other players. He had no teammates from XHL on the national team, the Taalet Firebirds he played for being a bottom-dwelling team for the last eight years running for a reason, but from what they'd heard, he did the same thing there, fingers steepled together, completely still, and completely silent. Some thought he was praying, some thought it was some form of foreign meditation, but any questions received the same still silence as if they had not been asked.

Frederick Lasitos was off to the side, a television set before him, meticulously watching tape, of himself on defense, of Baker, of the opposing hurler, and of every one of the strikeouts he had made in the last games, and in the Classic, mentally trying to find his flaws and weaknesses, looking for some way to put the bat on the ball when he needed to, to be more than a dead weight and a rally killer, for once.

Buck Garner was a veteran's veteran. International stage or a pickup game for five-year-olds, he was the same as he'd always been. Well, not the same in every way. As much as he hated to admit it, age was creeping up on him, year by year and day by day, and so he sat, an athletic trainer rubbing a mix of aloes and arthritic creams into his back to keep him lose, the actual arthritic creams, the the league drug-testers had made sure, and he let the young gun relax the muscles, his mind already focused and ready whenever he needed it.

Mario Teros was across from Lasitos, also on the television, but making an alternative use for it, enjoying the Real Housewives of Cuavic, a cold drink in his hand and a laugh in his throat at the always-amusing antics, as he reclined, not in the several-thousand Talent lounger he had back at his home park, but the nicest he could snag away on short notice.

And finally, Daylan Baker, the living legend on the mound, the responsibility of a nation resting on his shoulders, sat on one of the locker room's benches, legs up high, unashamedly reading a book from the Twilight series.

The coach came in, and they were out of time. Ready or not, it was time to go.

[Beepee]

Beepee head coach Homer Unn held a press conference this afternoon to sympathise with Confederates Coach Jacob Prosper. Prosper appeared to be as livid as the Confederates fans at the end of the second game in the series, which Beepee won 4-1.

Unn said "If you make every game a life-and-death thing, you're going to have problems. You'll be dead a lot."

In order to improve the mood of the Phoenicians, Unn confirmed that a Quokka in the National Beepee Zoo will be named Prosper in honour of the Confederates coach. As everybody knows, Quokka are the world's happiest animals and Unn hopes some of the good vibes will rub off on Jacob Prosper.

Regardless of the result Baseball Beepee has thoroughly enjoyed it's time in West Phoenicia and wishes the Confederates every success.

[Cassadaigua]

Series: (16) Hampton Island vs (17) Xelsis (Series @ Concord Heights Stadium, Concord Heights)
Game 3:

Xelsis                        0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
Hampton Island                0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Xelsis wins series, 2G-1

Series: (8) Abanhfleft vs (25) Cosumar (Series at New Lakeland Stadium, New Lakeland)
Game 3:

Cosumar                       1 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0  5
Abanhfleft                    0 1 0 0 1 0 4 1 X  7

Abanhfleft wins series 2G-1

Series: (12) The Sherpa Empire vs (21) Ethane (Series at Brattleboro Stadium, Brattleboro)
Game 3:

Ethane                        0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 6 10
The Sherpa Empire             0 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 2  7

Ethane wins series, 2G-1

Series: (13) Ko-oren vs (20) North Prarie (Series at Winchester Field, Winchester)
Game 3:

North Prarie                  1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  4
Ko-oren                       0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 3  6

Ko-oren wins series, 2G-1

Series: (7) West Phoenicia vs (26) Beepee (Series at Starksville Stadium, Starksville)
Game 3:

Beepee                        0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  2
West Phoenicia                1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 X  3

West Phoenicia wins series, 2G-1

Series: (15) Equestrian States vs (18) Liventia (Series at Rutland Stadium, Rutland)
Game 3:

Liventia                      0 4 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  6
Equestrian States             0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0  4

Liventia wins series, 2G-1


Second Round (Round of 16) Matchups (Best of Five):
(1) Nova Anglicana vs (17) Xelsis @ New Lakeland Stadium, New Lakeland
(8) Abanhfleft vs (9) Scootalove City @ Rutland Stadium, Rutland

(5) Super-Llamaland vs (21) Ethane @ Starksville Stadium, Starksville
(4) Free Republics vs (13) Ko-oren @ Winchester Stadium, Winchester

(6) Cassadaigua vs (11) Drawkland @ Concord Heights Stadium, Concord Heights
(3) Schiltzberg vs (19) Bauscland @ Grande Mountain Stadium, Grande Mountain

(7) West Phoenicia vs (10) Alpine Union @ Victoriaville Stadium, Victoriaville
(2) Newmanistan vs (18) Liventia @ Brattleboro Stadium, Brattleboro

[West Phoenicia]

West Phoenicia swings to cheer mode as Confederates take out Beepee in 3rd game of the Round of 32 and claim victory to progress to the Round of 16 where they will take on Alpine Union @ Victoriaville Stadium, Victoriaville.

The Confederates finished 3 runs to 2. With Coach Prosper applauding the fine batting skills of Glen Melbourne, Lukas Towers and Carson Van Buren.
He also applauded his pitching rotation who were urged after Coach Prosper witnessed a press conference Homer Umm that had the Beepee coach liken Coach Prosper to a Quokka. Never one to see a funny side during such a tight race in the WBC, he urged his boys to stop Beepee progressing at any cost.

As a consolation prize, Coach Jacob Prosper sent a basket of mini muffins to Coach Umm, that had a scorpion ready to sting.

Meanwhile conservative West Phoenicia is looking forward to taking on the Alpine Union. Alpine Union has being playing considerably better these last few classics, and they are definitely a team to watch out for. The Confederates are looking at a tight 5 games. While West Phoenicia is ranked higher and they often do well in the round of 16, they are leaving nothing to chance and believe it will come down to the wire with a 3-2 in West Phoenicia's favour which differs from a number of the international medial outlets who have never given West Phoenicia a truly favorably and most of the time are in support of West Phoenicia's competition.

Extra training sessions have been called for the pitchers. And the pitching rotation is being looked at to allow for the maximum effort in keeping Alpine Union runs low and to keep their opposition frustrated.

Television Ratings are expected to increase now that West Phoenicia has hit the round of 16. With a majority conservative government many citizens frown upon Socialists and Communists which hold a number of seats in Congress and for any chance to beat a communist or socialist country is a feather in their cap.

[The Sherpa Empire]

In the Sherpa Empire, armchair managers across the nation were asking the same question: Why the hell did Mohn leave Lakpa Fang on the mound long enough to give up 6 runs when it was obvious he didn't have his stuff?

[Hampton Island]

Hampton Island Sports Brief

Baserunning Blunder Costs Golden Bears

Throughout the World Baseball Classic, the Golden Bears have made several stupid baserunning blunders. In the bottom of the 13th of the the deciding game of Xelsis, they saved their best (or worst) for last.

With one out, and the speedy Adam Voorman on first, manager John Morton put on the hit and run. Voorman had a great jump, and Patrick Seguin did what he needed to do, and laced what should have been a game winning double down the right field line. But that is not what happened. Xelsis shortstop Mario Teros, likely having done his homework in knowing the baserunning errors we have made, stood there and called for the ball as if he was about to catch a pop up. Since Voorman had his head down, he did not see where Seguin's ball went, but did see Teros call for the ball and go for the catch, then act if he caught it. Voorman, concerned, raced back to first base. Meanwhile, Seguin was rounding first as Voorman was retreating back to first, and they collided. Meanwhile, Mntukabe Tankeros was fielding the ball, and threw it to Buck Garner who proceeded to tag out both runners were still on the ground after the collision. Inning over.

[Schiltzberg]

Person 1: Beepee got eliminated.

Person 2: Oh?

Person 1: Yeah, I heard they were too distracted cleaning up an oil spill.

Person 2: Ever since West Phoenicia added that extra "i" to their name, they have been on a roll.

Person 1: And here I thought there was no "i" in team!

Predictions Update Round of Sixteen

There were no major upsets in the round of thirty-two, but there were a few minor upsets. This esteemed newspaper did successfully predict the results of 12 out of the sixteen matchups, which is better than Ethane's predictions. Anyway, here is an updated prediction for what will happen this round. Since there have been no major upsets, this does not change who we predict will be in the championship matchup this season, but it does affect some of our predictions for the round of sixteen and the quarterfinals.

Round of 16

Nova Anglicana vs. Xelsis: Nova Anglicana
Abanhfleft vs. Scootalove City: Scootalove City
Super-Llamaland vs. Ethane: Super-Llamaland
Free Republics vs. Ko-Oren: Free Republics
Cassadaigua vs. Drawkland: Cassadaigua
Schiltzberg vs. Bauscland: Schiltzberg
West Phoenicia vs. Alpine Union: Alpine Union
Newmanistan vs. Liventia: Newmanistan

Quarterfinals

Nova Anglicana vs. Scootalove City: Nova Anglicana
Super-Llamaland vs. Free Republics: Super-Llamaland
Cassadaigua vs. Schiltzberg: Schiltzberg (no bias)
Alpine Union vs. Newmanistan: Newmanistan

Semifinals

Nova Anglicana vs. Super-Llamaland: Haha
Schiltzberg vs. Newmanistan: Newmanistan

Third Place

Schiltzberg vs. Nova Anglicana: Nova Anglicana

Finals

Super-Llamaland vs. Newmanistan: Six-time champions (you decide)

This Is Your New Schiltzbierg Times Sports News!

[Ko-oren]

Dragonfly camp, part 3 Previously - Previously at the Dragonflies

Ko-oren vs. North Prarie: North Prarie

NP-Drangonflies - NP

46% - Ko-oren (13) vs (20) North Prarie - 54%
A relatively evenly matched series between these 2. However, North Prarie really have the potential to hit a few in these semis, and with ,their recent strong performances in the groups they should steal it.

"Doing it again! Dragonflies, ruining brackets across the Multiverse! Shimoda, I don't know how you did it, but we didn't just make the Classic, we're in the final 16! The goal is top 8, but the minimum target was making the Classic. Again, thank you for what you've done. You're still with the team, and I'm keeping my job as head coach. I absolutely don't know what's going on in that head of yours, but all of your calls caught them completely off-guard. You were right, they adjusted to our antics towards the end of the games, and I was pretty nervous through the final three innings of game three. But man, you got us there!"

"Thanks, coach! Yeah, the metrics are the future, aren't they? But hey, I've saved you there. Now, is there something you could do for me?"

"I know what you're going to ask. Let me repeat myself. Making the Classic was the minimum, and that would mean I'm not going to end that experiment of yours. This time, your metrics have lucked us through to the second round in Cassadaigua, but I'm juuuust not entirely convinced juuuust yet."

"Come on, wipe that smirk off your face. You had no idea what you were doing. I should have gotten you fired. Let me stay in Aviansola. I've saved your job, now you save mine."

"Right. I think I'm already doing you enough of a service by not ratting your statisticians out."

"This is the future of baseball!"

"Sure, I do care about baseball. But to be honest, I kind of like the leverage. The power. With or without me, the game will go on. And the same goes for you. You just think of yourself as some kind of messiah for spreading the word of metrics to Ko-orenite baseball. Don't forget, I have as much power as you over your gospel of numbers right now. Any influence you turn out to have over the future of baseball, I share."

"What are you talking about? Sure baseball will go on without you or me. But I want to make this game smarter, and more competitive so we can challenge for the WBC top spots once again."

"Are you kidding me? All of a sudden, you're going on about saving baseball and making it better for all? Surely, all you want is your Aviansola Admirals going good and make more money out of it. Don't pretend like you're some sort of philanthropist. And yet, you do care about this experiment of yours. How about this. I leave you alone for now, and once we hit the top 8, I'll even let you stay in Aviansola. How's that for my good deed of the day."

"I'll take it."

"Good choice. But I better hope you've got some more miracles in store for the Free Republics. You were spot on so far, now you do it again. Against a better team. Good luck."

---

(13) Ko-oren vs (20) North Prarie
Brianne: Ko-oren’s group was pretty competitive, but North Prarie got hot late. This is a toss up, but I will take Ko-oren in 3.

Taylor: I think Ko-oren is potentially a team that could go very far in this. I don’t see this as a close series, quite frankly. Ko-oren in a sweep.

Thanks for the confidence!

---

North Prarie                  1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  4
Ko-oren                       0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 3  6

A resurgence in the ninth sees the Dragonflies off to the next round! North Prarie took us far, but eventually bowed down. It was 4-3 in favour of the Prarians in the ninth inning, after holding the lead from the first inning onwards (except for a short 1-1 in the top of the second), but four hits and a helpful error pushes Ko-oren into the final 16. Varivuliva struck out in the ninth, but then the Dragonflies were back around at the first batter. Ishimaki took a full count in his favour and walked to first. Uyeda hit a single to send them to second and first. Gotou struck out as well, but not before Ishimaki stole third. On two outs, Sivurila hit a single to send Ishimaki home and reload first and second base. Rondhuis then hit a double off of an error, tying up the game via an Uyeda run. Sekiguchi then hit a single, getting Sivurila over home plate to win the game for the Dragonflies! Despite some full bases, Tanikawa then went out on a fly out to end the top of the ninth, and it was up to Uvulivelu to defend the one-run lead. He struck out two hitters and the third one went off on a fly out, quickly ending the ninth and celebrating the Round of 16.

[Xelsis]

New Lakeland, Cassadaigua

As exhilarating as it was, there was not much time to celebrate the sixteen-inning victory over the Golden Bears for the Xelsian squad, who had run the game well into the night with extra inning after extra inning, and would not have been much for sleep even without the celebrations that they had enjoyed. Now, working on short rest, a few of them a touch cranky from it, but most still basking in the glow of victory, they were mounting up for transit across the still-strange host country that they were a part of for their next series, taking the train down from the nation's capital of Concord Heights to the city of New Lakeland.

The environment there was somewhat more familiar and comfortable to the Xelsian players, less dissimilar to their experiences than what had been seen in Concord Heights, the female-dominated society at its core. Coming from a culture with a somewhat more "traditional", though as they had learned in Cassadaigua, what was traditional for one was not necessarily the same for the other, understanding in relation to understanding, the more complementarian players did not find the general female prevalence particularly disconcerting, but the tidbits of news that filtered past Browning's all-baseball barrier about MEN messages in other parts of the country were a curiosity, and the societal trend a surprise to the more chivalric Xelsian ethic, though having already played against the hosts several times, three in their country, they came somewhat pre-acclimated.

New Lakeland was more culturally in line with what most of the players had come from, economically so, as well, but for Browning, as well as a handful on the team, they couldn't care less what the surroundings were, they were looking at New Lakeland Stadium. It was a large one, fans and field both, deep in center, deep in left, but somewhat less so for right. It wasn't a particularly favorable design for the Xelsian playstyle-with a primarily right-handed lineup, the deeper right-field wall didn't help, and with one that loved to run out triples, a shorter right field, if still of good length, did them little good there.

Regardless of preferences, it was the field they had to play on, and while Browning, Rolon, and Maneros stuck around, the rest of the team filtered back to the hotel that they were staying in, most to catch up on sleep, others to take advantage of the amenities, an exciting looking Albert and Kristina to take advantage of that fact. They'd done the remarkable, now they would have to show that they could do the impossible.

[Super-Llamaland]

August Bendtner had a lot on his mind.

For starters, there was the WBC playoff rotation - a rotation that, once again, he found himself banished from. He'd been told that him in the bullpen as a long reliever and a front four of Zheng, Wu, Strauss, and Burr was still the best setup for the team and that he was a strong reliever - as his WBC42 performance showed - but Bendtner knew bullshit when he saw it. After he blew up in the WBC41 finals, Mårtensson still didn't trust him to start in the playoffs, despite his series of strong performances for City of Dinschria.

And that brought him to the other big thing on his mind. His contract with Dinschria ran out at the end of the season, and he wasn't sure he wanted to stay at the club. For one thing, it was miserable up there - the weather, the city, and the atmosphere within the team. They'd won the President's Cup a few seasons ago, but had been mired in complacency and mediocrity since. Bendtner needed a fresh start. And the other thing - Jacob Burr wasn't getting demoted to second starter any time soon. If August stayed at Dinschria, he would always be in the tall righty's shadow.

So, a new team then. But where? The rest of Super-Llamaland, with its cavalier attitude towards shutting down Dinschrian local politics, didn't impress August. He needed somewhere new, outside the purview of the Llamanean government, and somewhere where he could be number one.

And, as his agent informed him, he'd just gotten two out of three.

"Tell them I'll negotiate after Ihawa leaves," he told his agent.

[Free Republics]

Sister Polus's Thoughts

Hello, I am Sister Maria Polus. I am the Housemistress of Tomlinson House at the Barjavel Academy at Republica, the Instructor in Religious Studies, Deportment and Latin at the Academy and the Headmistress of the Barjavel Junior Academy, Republica Branch. I am joining you today on VirtueTube to discuss a number of recent events within the Free Republics and around the multiverse. I can't believe its been nearly a year since I've made a new video but I've been extremely busy educating the best and the brightest youth in the Free Republics.

And what a year the past year has been. While I was here in the Free Republics, I was blessed by God with the opportunity to see a Wicked Generation pass away in my homeland of Saintland and a new King rise to the throne, reunify the Kingdom and restore his grandfather's legacy. While King Paulus XVI has not been king for long, he is the true heir to King Paulus XV the Great and it is truly fitting that his uncle Petrus the Heretic passed away without a male heir. While I had expected the daughters of Petrus the Heretic to join a convent, I was surprised to discover that they have chosen to marry and submit to common-born husbands. Furthermore, they have denounced the unlawful "feminist democracy" and its leadership and called upon all the people of Saintland to embrace King Paulus XVI as their true, legitimate King. Reports coming from Saintland indicate that the feminist movement has been eradicated and that traditional gender roles have been restored, though many of the young men in the west appear to be too weak and unmanly to fulfill their God-given roles in society. To address this, King Paulus XVI has decreed that all Sanctii men from the former western half must undergo a Masculinity Training program designed to develop them into proper Sanctii men and all women from the former western half must undergo a related Femininity Training program to learn how to be proper ladies.

With Saintland now restored to its former glory, many are wondering whether I will return home to live out my twilight years in the restored Kingdom of God. I would love to do that but I am called by God to continue my work in the Free Republics especially since wickedness seems to be on the rise in this country. If you doubt this, look no further than the current election for Consul. On one side, you have Sebastian Trudeau, a gun manufacturer who wants to force everybody to carry his deadly weapons around in public. It was bad enough when the government of this country recently outlawed gun-free zones but now Trudeau wants to go even further! What the Free Republics actually needs is some common sense gun reform such as prohibiting anybody other than law enforcement and the armed forces from owning, carrying or distributing guns. Unfortunately, you can't even say that on TV or in the newspapers anymore because the entire corporate press in this country censors any dissenting opinions on guns as part of Consul Nicholls's disgraceful and profoundly wicked "No Platform" policy! I'm sick and tired of seeing dead children because the government cares more about keeping the gun manufacturers and the Infernus-bound sinners who purchase them happy than it does about protecting the lives of innocent children!

If you don't like Trudeau, the other frontrunner is Scarlett Nicholls. Scarlett is a harlot and alleged "pop singer" who is famous mainly for taking off her clothes on the WorldVision stage while singing blasphemous songs. She's also the daughter of the wicked Consul Nicholls and she wants to be his replacement. If she wins this election, I can only pray that God will have mercy on this land. Scarlett the Harlot was a leader of the so-called "Legion of Lucifer", a group of Satanists who overthrew the great Consul Kulseth and murdered him while making his death look like a suicide. She is running on a platform centered around the National Baseball Team's misguided "Stand Up to Sexism" campaign, which seeks to erase gender roles throughout society, turning women into men and men into women. This campaign is an abomination that spits all over God's Commandments and it must not be tolerated! As it says in Ephesians chapter 5, "Wives submit to your husbands as you would unto the Lord. Just as Christus is the head of the Church, so the husband is the head of the wife. As the Church submits to Christus, so should wives submit to husbands." God's Word is very clear: wives who rebel against their husbands are rebelling against God.

Fortunately, there is one man in Republican sports who seems to understand that men and women are not and can never be equal. Recently, he was asked whether the sport of gridiron should be open to both men and women and he told it like it is. Here's the clip:

I've always been a traditional kind of guy so I'm not a big fan of it. Back in my day, women were wives first, mothers second and homemakers third. They didn't compete in professional baseball or professional soccer and they certainly didn't even think about going on the football field with all of the big, strong men who can break them in half. Football is a dangerous enough game as it is, especially with these newfangled helmets that cause concussions and these pads that make players think they're invincible. The last thing we need are a bunch of girls getting themselves killed on the football field. Sorry ladies but you just don't belong on the football field. I've never permitted a girl to play for me at Ren Rep and I never will!

This was Coach Jak Hamilton of the Republican National Football Team. Coach Hamilton is not a Christian and therefore will be going to Infernus unless he joins the True Church but he is able to see through the lies of the multiverse and see the Truth. However, even an unbeliever like him is able to see that women don't belong in sports like gridiron, soccer, baseball, basketball, ice hockey and rugby. Instead, women and girls who want to participate in sports should participate in gender-appropriate sports like figure skating, gymnastics and synchronized swimming that are actually safe for our frail female bodies that God gave us. I would not be surprised if Honomi Kamei, the apparent ringleader of this misguided campaign for equalizing men and women in sports, were to end up seriously hurt because the baseball diamond is no place for a woman. I pray that she will soon realize the error of her ways and that the other players on this team will likewise do the same. I'm Sister Maria Polus and I thank you for watching. Please remember to like, comment and subscribe.

[Xelsis]

Xelsis Broadcast News Headline Special

Fireworks launched over Kaless Field, where fans had assembled to watch the decisive game on the big screen

---

XELSIS UPSETS HAMPTON ISLAND IN SIXTEEN-INNING THRILLER

---

An Untested Team

The Xelsis Lightning, a national team with only weeks as an actual team together, an awkwardly assembled combination of the league's stars, entered the tournament unranked, and the first game of the Classic was the first-ever game that the nation had played in international competition. Through the ups and downs, though, from controversial coaching decisions and blown games to incredible individual feats and even teamwork, Xelsis fought there way, not to a Group title, but to a playoff berth.

A Mighty Challenge

There, the international consensus was, was where the Xelsian Cinderella run would end, with the best odds given for victory being a toss-up, and the international consensus falling strongly on the side of the more experienced Golden Bears, ranked thirty-fourth in the world. Xelsis would win the first game by a single run, though, keeping them alive after dropping the second by two, and forcing one final match to determine the victor.

The Champion's Return?

Daylen Baker, perennial All-Star and four-time winner of the Hube Pettering Award, faced the greatest challenge of his career, after a Classic in which he repeatedly struggled. It was the perfect set-up for a story of redemption, the hero overcoming the triumph of the story's center to bring it to a dramatic, triumphal climax, but it was not to be. Baker allowed his first run in the third inning, and when he allowed another with two men still on in the fourth, his day was done. Manager Sam Browning has never been a man known for his mercy, and he would not risk the lead to give Baker a second chance, pulling him from the mound, and inserting The Doctor, Harold Rolon.

An Early Surge

Xelsis held a 3-2 lead, then, a lead earned through clutch hitting when hitting was needed. The third inning went to two outs by Baker and Lasitos before the new top of the order came to bat, now O'Reilly, with Tankeros injured, leading off, and foregoing the bunts he is known for, lacing a double. Deachrist, moved from fifth to second, swatted a switch-hit triple into the nook of the right-field corner, and Mario Teros hit a high, arcing ball into left-center field that seemed like it was destined to be caught by speedy centerfielder Adam Voorman, but was misjudged, forcing him to suddenly try to retreat on a ball hit over his head, letting Teros make it to second base. Maneros singled to right, but not enough to score the slow-footed Maneros, and al-Umar was pitched around to draw a walk. Buck Garner, one of the greatest contact hitters of all time, then came to the plate, with a chance to break the game wide open, but uncharacteristically struck out, leaving it 2-0.

A Piece of Insurance

After Baker allowed a run, it was the bottom of the order coming up to hit, Sam Carhoones, the utility man from the Xelsian Outback League, then two hapless hitters in the pitcher Rolon, and the catcher Lasitos. Carhoones struck out, Rolon struck out, but Lasitos, still looking for his first hit of the playoffs, would have to keep on waiting, but at least reached based on an error by shortstop Patrick Seguin. O'Connor and Deachrist both singled to bring him home before Teros popped out into foul territory to end the threat.

A Tense Stretch

With a one-run lead, the job of the man on the mound was to hang on, and with the bats going silent, hang on he did-but he could only go so long. The thirty-six year-old Rolon, having pitched in the bullpen twice in yesterday's doubleheader, simply ran out of gas, finishing the fourth, and pushing through the fifth before having to sit down to rest his burned-out arm. Salvidar Vasquez took up the slack for the fight with the increasingly desperate Golden Bears batters, holding them scoreless for the sixth, then the seventh, then again for the eighth.

A Loss on the Mound

The Golden Bears pitching did exactly what they were paid to do all the way into and through the top of the ninth, stymieing the Lightning hitters, and Vasquez entered the ninth with a one-run lead to protect. What he failed to protect, though, was himself. Always injury-prone through his entire career, a line drive from Brad Thomas, the first batter of the inning, struck and shattered Vasquez's left wrist, a compound fracture that momentarily stilled the stadium, as he had to be carted off, screaming in pain.

Victory Slips Away

Bubba Stevens, then, already infamous for nearly blowing the first game of the series, and actually blowing the second, came up to the mound. His outing started with fortune, a questionable decision to steal leading to Lasitos throwing him out at second for the first out. The next pitch saw Kalvin Nellis double, and Browning, with only two outs needed for a crucial victory, did not even consider giving him a second chance, immediately pulling him, and putting in Jimmy Hostens. Working to an 0-2 count, Hostens left a meatball in the high-seventies over the center of the plate, and was fortunate enough that the rocket line drive by Denny Hackerbee only one-hopped the wall instead of soaring over it. Hostens was giving one final shot, but when on a 1-1 count he gave up a sharp one-hopper into right field from Bryce Mueller, one al-Umar hopelessly tried to make a play at the plate on, the lead was gone, and a loss was looming.

The Last Option Left

The smaller Xelsian roster size relative to other teams then showed itself for the Achilles Heel it was long worried to be, as only a single arm remained in the bullpen. Edgar Rumenoss and Larry Harlo had both started only the day before, both thrown seven innings, and neither were suited up to pitch. The only option available to Browning was Katerina Deachrist, pulled from the starting rotation not once, but twice, as her slow knuckleball failed to dance, and left her pounded in outing after outing, With a runner on second and third and one out, she entered play, hoping to preserve the Xelsian dreams.

Heroism and Impotency

Deachrist did exactly what she needed to. Strikeout, then strikeout, and the game entered extra innings. Neither side relented. The Xelsian batters, needing to bring only one run across the plate, couldn't do so. Deachrist, with no margin of error at all, needed done, retiring nine straight batters through the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth innings, entering the superstitiously unlucky 13th with the score still 3-3.

A Heart-Stopping Moment

The Lightning went down one-two-three in the top of the inning, and then, after inducing a flyout to center against designated hitter Michael Patterson, Deachrist's streak of consecutive batters retired ended-and with it, nearly the entire Xelsian effort. Unusually effective at finding the zone to that point, in the middle of one of the longest stretches of her career without a walk, she could not get the ball where it needed to be against Adam Voorman, walking him on a 3-2 count, missing, not with a knuckler, but a slow fastball. Then the crucial moment happened. Patrick Seguin came up to the plate, Voorman took off from first on the pitch, and Seguin lined the ball over Albert Deachrist's head at first down the right-field line, a play that from the moment of the bat leaving the ball, looked to be a walk-off.

A Ruse, and Survival

Mario Teros, though, seeing Voorman running, head down, arms and legs pumping, not having seen the hit nor, it seemed, heard the telltale crack of a hard-hit ball, and with nothing to lose, rolled the dice on a mental game, and won. Teros called for the ball, and mimed going up for the catch, sending Voorman scrambling back to first, directly into the path of Seguin, leading to a bone-rattling collision, knocking both men to the ground just in time for the throw from al-Umar to come in to Garner, who tagged both to end the inning, and keep hope alive.

The Final Stretch

Even with the victory in the field, the game was not over, as the offense began to see hits fall-but never when they were needed to score a man. Deachrist, shaken, but not broken, bore down hard, walking two more, but not allowing another hard contact over the next two innings, until the top of the 16th finally began, and she was at the top of the order. Deachrist, through her entire career, had been hapless as a hitter, not having the reaction time, the strength, or the instincts needed at the plate. With a chance to turn things around, she failed, striking out. Lasitos, now hitless in fifteen consecutive plate appearances, looking to be a hero, struck out, again. Two outs, and it seemed like the team would be on the merry-go-round once again. O'Connor, however, popped up a ball to shallow right field that just barely fell in the gap between a charging right fielder and a retreating second baseman to make it to second, bringing the other Deachrist to the plate. Swinging on an inside cutter, Deachrist broke his bat tapping a ground ball to shortstop, but burned his way down the basepath, the spinning shards perhaps providing just enough distraction to slow the shortstop Seguin for a moment that made the throw one half-step late.

The Heroic Swing

Mario Teros then made his way to the plate. Saving the game with mental hijinks, he had not yet managed a hit in extra innings, a fate which was about to change. Taking a 3-0 count, and looking for something to hit, Teros saw a fastball on the outside edge of the strike zone, dead level, and gave it a ride, lining it to dead centerfield, four hundred and five feet away, with such force that it lodged itself in the wall, forcing Voorman to throw his hands up for the ground-ruled double, letting O'Connor walk home unmolested, scoring the first run since the fourth inning, the Golden Bears pitching and relieving having remarkably held them scoreless for eleven straight. Finally, there was a chance to end it. Maneros was up next, and hit a ball almost as hard, to almost exactly the same place as Teros-but with a centerfielder playing deep, one that was caught on the warning track, leading the team to what could be their final frame.

Endgame

Deachrist was now already five and two-thirds innings into the game, a monster of a relief effort, even for a typical starter, but her flutterball had been dancing like a street artist, and she only had three outs to go. The Golden Bears would not make it easy. Eric Patterson crushed a ball into left field, one that hopped once to the left of a fast-charging Nolan Maneros, and skipped in just the right way to make it past his outstretched glove, and send him charging for the wall to catch it, letting Patterson make it all the way to third base. Deachrist fought to bear down, but Voorman and Seguin, displaying remarkable patience with the tying run ninety feet away, both drew walks, loading up the bases. Browning had no one in the pen to call on with the bases now loaded and the three-hole hitter coming up to the plate, nothing to do but watch, with millions of Xelsians glued to the screen, whether at home, or on the scoreboards in parks across the country that were showing the match. Larry Huckston, hitless to that point, launched a fast-sinking hit into centerfield. It would be no more than a single, shallow enough that it was not likely to score more than one, even with the fleet-footed Voorman on base. If it got past the centerfielder, the game would be over. Still, O'Connor charged in for the ball, and, sliding on the slick grass, made a play that will be a highlight of his career if he plays until fifty, snatchin the ball inches from the ground on the slide, and coming to his feet off of its momentum, all in one movement, rocketing the ball to third base with enough power that even Patterson's reasonable leadoff while watching the ball was too much, and his was doubled off by an inch, Carhoones stretching to snag the ball with the instinct that only a man with experience at first base would have.

The Last Out

It was still not over. One out remained to be gotten, and it had to be gotten against Brad Thomas, the best slugger on the Golden Bears roster. It was perhaps anti-climactic, then, how it happened. One pitch, a knuckler, of course, cutting slightly down and outside, hit hard on a line, to, fittingly, Mario Teros at shortstop, settling right into his glove without him even having to move his feet. After sixteen grueling innings, one of the greatest games in the history of Xelsian baseball was over-and even though it was only a first-round victory, the Lightning mobbed the mound, hurled Teros and Deachrist both on their shoulders, and celebrated as if they'd won it all.

What Comes Next

Xelsis will now face off against the number-one team of the tournament in Nova Anglica, and bettors are getting money in on the Anglicans even with 30-1 odds. By all indications, Xelsis doesn't have the experience, the organization, or the star power needed to hang with arguably the best team in the world, and even die-hard fans are loath to trust too much to hope. Still, coming as far as they have, to the Round of 16, is a feat in itself, and while tonight might see elimination, for Xelsian players and fans alike, the day is a day of celebration, and with the team vowing to fight on with everything they have, perhaps tomorrow will be as well.

[Super-Llamaland]

BREAKING: ATHLETICS DEAL McGOVERN TO TALAHITA

Douglas Stone, LBC Sports

SOUTH FALLS - In a shocking development to the Kayla Carey Sweepstakes, Chris Elliott and Tanya Ericsson's South Fall Athletics, believed to be one of two frontrunners for the star shortstop's services, have traded starting shortstop Archibald McGovern to the Talahita Tigers in exchange for utilityman Jordan Dunsinane and acclaimed pitching prospect Erin Rowan.

"We would like to thank Archie for two strong years with the club," GM Elliott told LBC when questioned, "but we felt it was time to move on. We're excited to have Jordan and Erin, two very good players who will bring a lot to the table, with us. We hope the fans feel the same way."

And, indeed, there had been significant fan support to trade the mercurial young shortstop after McGovern reportedly flipped over a chair in manager Tanya Ericsson's office in response to rumors that the team could sign Carey. With the trade value of the young shortstop, who just two years ago won Rookie of the Year with a .287/.344/.490 campaign and twenty home runs and stolen bases, quickly falling, Elliott moved quickly, trading him for a journeyman infielder, the 32-year-old Dunsinane, and intriguing Level-3 lefty Rowan.

Dunsinane hit a mere .234 this season, but has a .261 career average - much more palatable - with strong speed and defense. Although the middle infielder has never been much of a power hitter, and holds a measly .310 OBP, his defense alone will be enough to hold the fort until a new shortstop arrives. Meanwhile, the 23-year-old Rowan, only a year removed from college, has surged up the minor leagues despite being drafted in the sixteenth round by Talahita, and went 12-5 with a 3.24 ERA this season in Level-3 developmental baseball (the highest minor league in Super-Llamaland). She can thank a top-tier curveball for her success, although her fastball is pedestrian and her other pitches virtually unusable.

Meanwhile, McGovern has declined quickly since his RoY season, hitting under .250 for the past two seasons and showing little of the plate discipline or defense he was once known for. Mental issues appear to be part of things, with the young shortstop acquiring a reputation as damaged goods. However, he's still very talented, and Talahita will hope to unlock all of this talent and unearth a very good starting shortstop. If his twitter - which has gone completely silent save for one post reading "fuck chris elliott" - is any indication, though, whether or not this happens is uncertain.

[Liventia]

'All is forgiven': Tyler Newitt to start Games 1 and 5 against Newmanistan

Brattleboro, CASSADAIGUA— Tyler Newitt is back in Liventia's starting rotation for the team's biggest series yet.

The Red-and-Gold ace had fallen out with pitching coach Thomas McMillan, a claim once denied by team sources but since acknowledged by McMillan himself, but has now been restored to his rightful place in the rotation.

Liventia's next test is world number four Newmanistan, the second seed in the playoffs. Hardly the series the Red-and-Gold would have wanted after seeing off a tough Equestrian States side in three games.

They will need all the help they can get. Just as well they've got Newitt back.

Patrick Rider is due to start Game 2, Francis Delamere Game 3, and if necessary, youngster Kieran Sheldon, the 19-year-old who heroically saw off the Ponies in the round of 32 decider, will take the mound for Game 4.

All are good pitchers on their day. Delamere will be no stranger to most of the Rocket lineup, as he plays his club baseball in Newmanistan. The other three will be less familiar with the batters they're facing — but at the same time will also be unfamiliar to them.

The battle may well be won in the bullpen.

It's no use going six solid innings of one-run ball only to have your pen throw it away.

Liventia's closer, Aiden Horne, has been impeccable the whole Classic. But will the others do their bit?

[Xelsis]

Entez Sporting Network-WBC Playoff Special-Lineups Announced


With two major injuries now hamstringing the squad, in addition to the earlier performance-based adjustments Coach Browning had made, we turn to the lineup to look at yet more shuffles in the field, but that's secondary in the minds of fans and coaches alike. Far more important is looking at the arms available, and deciding just who still has the juice to play.

Harold Rolon was scheduled to start if the Lightning advanced to the second round, but after being pressed into three bullpen outings in two days, the thirty-six year old is burnt out, and has been scratched. Salvidar Vasquez, the backup, is estimated to be out for at least four months with his broken wrist, enough that he is essentially a tourist only to the team, and Deachrist, the last starter available, just threw six and two-thirds innings late into the night in the thriller last night. Browning has announced that he is going with his only two options-Edgar Rumenoss and Larry Harlo-for the starts.

Rumenoss's start is not likely to be a problem. Though throwing on one day's rest, the massive righthander is used to a heavy workload, and has started both games of a doubleheader before. Having only thrown seven innings in his last outing, with extended rest before it, he is expected to be, if not 100%, plenty strong to make a good outing-even if a better-rested ace is no doubt heavily desired by the Xelsian coaches when facing the highest-scoring offense in the league. Harlo, though, is a different story. Never an innings-eater, throwing two complete games earlier in the Classic was part of the reason given for his drop-off in the second half, and he is only a day removed from going seven, a fairly lengthy start for him. Worse, he's not in a position to push hard in the early innings and then let the bullpen take over, with the arms either heavily worked, injured, or Bubba Stevens, who has blown one game too many, only one closer, and a dedicated closer at that, not used to long innings, in Jimmy Hostens, available. Harlo will have to dig deep and pull out new reserves of energy to make it through the game, for though he is, in spurts, the best pitcher on the roster, his stuff collapses when his fatigue catches up to him, and he'll be running from it all night.

Once making it through the first day, Deachrist will lead off the second day's doubleheader, followed by Baker, with Rumenoss, not Rolon, to pitch the final Game Five if it comes up, The Doctor being returned to bullpen work for hope of help in the crucial moments.

The batting order is mostly as expected. Deachrist bumped up to the second spot to make up for the dip in speed, al-Umar providing some extra power in the five-hole. Despite increasing clamoring from fans, Lasitos remains at catcher after a hitless three-game set against Hampton Island, Silvercreek remaining on the bench. The one change will be at second base, where Buck Garner, though stubbornly insisting he can still play, being given a rest day after playing thirty-four innings in two days while at forty-two years of age. Colton Li will replace him at the keystone. His earlier struggles as a hitter led to him being benched in favor of Carhoones, but his glove remains pristine, and a good upgrade at the spot. Here's the lineup and rotation plans in chart form for convenience.

Starting Lineup
1. Reilly O'Connor, CF
2. Albert Deachrist, 1B
3. Mario Teros, SS
4. Nolan Maneros, LF
5. Abdul al-Umar, RF
6. Sam Carhoones, 3B
7. Colton Li, 2B
8. [Pitcher]**
9. Frederick Lasitos, C

**In Game 3, Lasitos will bat 8th, and Katerina Deachrist 9th


Scheduled Pitchers

Game 1: Edgar Rumenoss
Game 2: Larry Harlo
Game 3: Katerina Deachrist
Game 4*: Daylen Baker
Game 5*: Edgar Rumenoss

*If necessary

Stay tuned to Entez for all your WBC needs.