World Baseball Classic 49- Everything Thread (IC)

[Super-Llamaland]

The pre-WBC expectations for my team are entirely IC. Also, whether Maddie Polanco would actually leave to manage the Tigers is entirely up to Cassadaigua.

The LBA's Top 3 Candidates to Replace Rasmussen
Alyssa Zhao, LSN Baseball

NEW LLAMA CITY -- With the Super-Llamaland Tigers sitting at 13-8 in what has been an incredibly underwhelming return to the World Baseball Classic, it has been widely rumored that the Llamanean Baseball Association is considering firing manager Sofia Rasmussen if she is unable to defeat Terre Septentrionale in tomorrow's pivotal three-game series at Tyler Rocke. Rasmussen, who had only two years of experience with the New Llama Wizards before being chosen to be Laurent Mårtensson's successor as Tigers manager, was a controversial pick from the outset. And while many of her more controversial selections for the Llamanean roster - including the choices of Tyson Long and Isaac Colón to fill key roles over a plethora of more experienced players - have worked out, Rasmussen has rightfully earned criticism for being too experimental in the group stage, costing the Tigers some crucial wins.

The LBA does have a history of patience in their managers; no Tigers manager has served in their position for less than three Classics. But a failure to make the second round of WBC49, which a loss against an overperforming Terre Septentrionale would surely indicate, would be a catastrophic failure for a team that has missed the second round just twice in the last half century. And with initial confidence in Sofia Rasmussen already low due to her choice of an overly young, overly New Llama City-based roster, the former star catcher is shaping up to be the shortest-lived manager in Tigers history.

If Rasmussen were to be fired, the rumor mill considers bench coach Winston Yi, the only other domestic head coach on Rasmussen's staff, the most likely pick to be interim manager. However, Yi is unlikely to want the role in the long term. Who, then, could be Rasmussen's long-term replacement? At LSN, we believe that there are three options that the LBA will likely be choosing from:

3. Tanya Ericsson (Manager, South Falls Athletic)

Tanya Ericsson was originally believed to be Laurent Mårtensson's successor, and the LBA seriously considered her before eventually settling on Rasmussen. Over eighteen seasons with South Falls Athletic, she has entrenched her status as a team legend, twice leading South Falls to a President's Cup and falling short in the final three more times. Under her tutelage, South Falls have become one of the premier teams in Super-Llamaland at player development, seemingly always able to pull new stars out of nowhere when former stars leave in free agency or are injured. Ericsson could also be a popular choice due to her successful international career and vocal support of Laurent Mårtensson's approach to managing. While she may still hold a grudge over the LBA's choice of Rasmussen, Ericsson would be a stabilizing choice as Tigers manager and hopefully bring the team back to the glory days of WBC40-42.

2. Michael Shelby (Manager, Nikcoro Suns)

When the Nikcoro Suns were formed as an expansion team just five years ago, absolutely nobody had any expectations of them. But just nine months after being formed, the Suns made a Cinderella Run to the semifinals of the President's Cup, and three years later, they had won it all. Much of the credit has been given to Shelby, a former minor league catcher who has earned a reputation as one of the most managers of personalities in the league, as well as a brilliant baseball mind. While it's unknown if Shelby would be willing to leave the project he's been working on for the past five years, he would be a great pick for the current roster. His player development and personality management skills would be great fits for a young, ambitious Tigers roster. Additionally, Shelby is believed to have played a large role in Nikcoro's Expansion Draft efforts, which could translate to being able to unearth hidden gems when choosing his Tigers roster. While Shelby is closer to Rasmussen than Mårtensson in terms of past experience, taking a risk on him could pay massive dividends.

1. Maddie Polanco (Manager, Cassadaigua NT)

Former Llamanean first baseman Polanco has shone over eight WBCs spent managing Cassadaigua's national team. While she hasn't been able to take her team to a fourth WBC championship yet, she has made four semifinals and two finals in her time with Cassadaigua. It's currently unknown while she would be willing to leave Cassadaigua - currently #1 in the WBC rankings - for an underperforming Tigers team, and many believe that she would be unwilling to become Tigers manager until she managed to win Cassadaigua a fourth WBC. Polanco, formerly a bench coach under Laurent Mårtensson at WBC40, is by far the best living Llamanean manager right now, though, and if the Tigers could get her signature, it would be a massive boost to their chances moving forward.

[Falisiand]

Falisiand swept The Sarian again, let's recap that.

Keaton Holman was on the mound in the first game. The Sarian scored the first run in the 3rd, but in the 5th Anita Goodman hit a 2-run home run to make it 2-1, then Amaan Pruitt hit a home run in the 6th to make it 3-1, then Ciaran Krueger hit a 2 run home run in the 7th to make it 5-1, that was the final score. Keaton pitched 7.0 innings with 2 walks and 11 strikeouts

Falisiand                             0 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 0  5
The Sarian                            0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Rufus Hammond was on the mound for the second game, where Falisiand struck first this time with a home run by Richard Mcbride in the 3rd, but then The Sarian tied it up in the 4th, then Aidan Singleton hit a 2-run home run to make it 3-1 in the 5th, then Ryan Grantham hit a home run to make it 4-1 in the 6th, then Aidan Singleton hit a triple to score Junior Brown in the 7th to make it 5-1, The Sarian scored a a run to make it 5-2, but that is all they could do. Rufus Hammond pitched 7.0 inings with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts

Falisiand                             0 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 0  5
The Sarian                            0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0  2

Our next series will be against the Mathuvan Union who we beat 2-1 on the road last time, but we are at home this time on this side of the break, can Falisiand sweep them?

Xerxes Anscom was on the mound in the final game, Falisiand scored first off of a Leroy Pratt home run to make it 1-0, then Ciaran Krueger hit a home run to make it 2-0, but then The Sarian scored 3 runs to make it 3-2, But then Leroy Pratt hit a RBI double that made it 3-3, but then The Sarian hit a grand slam to make it 7-3, Then in the 7th, Kodey Kenton hit a 3-run home run to make it 7-6 in the 7th, Then Ricard Mcbride hit a 2-run home run in the 8th to make it 8-7, Then Junior Brown hit a 3-run homer to make it 11-7 and The Sarian couldn't come back making Falisiand win 11-7. Xerxes Anscom pitched 4.1 innings with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts

Falisiand                             0 1 0 1 1 0 3 2 3 11
The Sarian                            0 0 0 3 4 0 0 0 0  7

Falisiand plays the Mathuvan Union again, but this time at home, Falisiand beat them 2-1 last time, but can Falisiand do it again?

[Hapilopper]

Oktonor Stadium, Harman Cyam, Ihilthracna
World Baseball Classic 49 Series 7: Hapilopper v. Ihilthracna
Good news was coming in from the Hapilopper National Baseball Team throughout their time in Ihilthracna. For starters, Charlton Forest’s surgery on his broken arm had gone well, and by the time the Haps had started the second game of the series, Charlton had been released from D.C. Allison Memorial in Hapilopper City. Unfortunately, his injures were so extensive, that he would require eleven months of rehab, likely taking him out from the 50th World Baseball Classic. But he was in good spirits, and doctors did give him a positive prognosis for pitching again.

More good news? Another two wins and yet another series win. The Haps took game one with a 4-2 win and game three 6-1, keeping them very solidly in second place in Group Five, twelve points ahead of Equestria and nine points behind the Lions from Nova Anglicana. The team was still working together, working their asses off to plate runs and keep the other team at bay. For instance, in the bottom of the third in the first game, Terry Blanchard realized a fly ball from Minder Okovert was coming his way.

He also realized he’d have to chase after it or it would be extra bases, or perhaps worse. Terry, ever the scrapper, ran after the ball and threw his body at it, making a flying and diving catch to prevent Okovert from getting on base. Terry showed everyone what he had done, to the delight to the rest of the HNBT.

But there was other plays that got the Hapiloppians going. Mo Beverly looked between second and third in the bottom of the sixth of that game and realized that Voirterninberelimoncorvernsawuq Yilteructsvaniver wasn’t going to stop at third. By the time Yilteructsvaniver touched third base, Mo positioned himself in front of home plate and caught a throw. Yilteructsvaniver ran right through Mo, sending him sprawling past the dirt, but Mo hung on to the ball, and a run was not scored.

And there was great offensive play. The team’s three-run top of the fourth was partially due to bunting. Runners were on first and second, and the shift had been employed for Jerome Hayden, who everyone expected to hit it out of the park. So Jerome bunted it gently towards third base and ran like hell. A run scored on that bunt and put a runner on third.

In fact, Jerome’s bunt brought substantial attention and debate the next day to “bunting against the shift,” something that happened from time to time in Hapiloppian baseball. Sportswriters who covered Hapiloppian baseball went on sports talk shows across the Dominion explaining that sometimes, the best move a hitter can make isn’t an attempt to knock the shit out of it, if it’s just going to land in the glove of an outfielder or get picked up by the shortstop.

“See, here’s the thing,” said Todd Sharpeton, writer for the Buckridge Sentinel. “I know there’s fans out there that will get annoyed when someone like Jerome Hayden bunts when they think he could go out there and hit the longball. Players can’t hit the longball every single time. Jerome can’t and nobody else can. But the one thing that Hapiloppian ball players have been taught over the years is that if you spot something you can get a base hit through, by all means, get it through. Part of baseball is about exploiting other team’s strategies.”

Doug Barksdale, baseball reporter for the Hapilopper City Herald, explained that it’s not a good idea to shift against a Hapiloppian batter for that reason.
“One thing a Hap batter worth their salt is going to do is they’re going to scan the field. They’re going to look to see if the infield’s in or out, if the outfielders are towards the infield or near the walls, or even if they’re shifted left or right,” Barksdale said.

Barksdale provided an interesting example of a shift that went wrong in an HC Nationals/Peoria game last year.

“So Peoria had all four infielders on the side of first and second base. Nobody past second because Gene Cross (Nationals hitter) always hit it towards the second baseman,” Barksdale said. “So Gene looked at the shift, shook his head and bunted towards third base and actually got a double because it took forever for the infielders to get to it.”

The team was experiencing more than a little bit of good luck, and momentum going their way. They’d need it for the next series, going up against the Nova Anglicana Lions. At least they were in Capital Stadium, which would be sold out for all three games. It was going to be one hell of a difficult series, but the Haps were up to the challenge. They had gone 17 innings in the first game against the Lions and split the other two games.

The fans were excited, too. This was bound to be a great series between two teams that knew how to play baseball just as well as any other nation in the multiverse.

[Daskel]

ISTRIA, MORAVICA, BANIJA
Istria City Baseball Diamond - Day three

Well, the loss was anticlimactic, to say at least. They scored first. Then they tied it on the 3rd. After losing the lead a couple of innings after, they tied it, and they thought "we have the momentum. We can do this, to win this series".

But that never came. Banija went back and scored like they know. Obasey Mazzi was fast, was determined, and very aggresive. And in this moment, they needed the run, so after the ball has fallen, even when the center fielder was close, he propelled himself like an orange cannon.

"TO SHIN!!!!"

Somei Yuu knew he could reach it, so he pivoted and threw the ball direct to home. On the home plate, Nobuhiro was ready to take the batter out. Suddenly, his peripheral vision told him other wise. At the same time he took the ball and put himself like a wall, Mazzi was skillfully sliding, his hand close to the plate. He tried to catch him as fast as possible. The homeplate was a rumble of dirt and the fans were expectant for the result.

"...Safe. Safe!"

Shintaro stood up after the play, feeling pain, and not mental. In the play, he put his leg on the wrong position. Knowing that the moment was crucial, the catcher kept that information for himself and kept calling the shots. Finally, after giving up another run to Momodou Joof, an infield play gave him the rest he needed.

The game had just ended. Team Daskel couldn't score again, and Shintaro didn't have to catch on the ninth. He was packing his things up when coach An walked to him.

"You and me are alike, I see"
"What do you mean, Mr An?" Shintaro was puzzled by the man
"Serious, collected and reserved, but now" An took Nobuhiro's bag without a prompt "Reserve will not lead to anywhere. You know what I mean"
"I know, coach..." He didn't have to fake it, both their eyes were right on his left leg
"Tomorrow we will check it. No excuses. Yōichi will start next series" The coach was dead serious about this
"I understand..."
"Don't be worried for the guys. Knowing them, they will play better than before just to give you time to return" Takashi knew he was right. This was a new squad, but they were close-knit. "Now go to rest. We will talk tomorrow with the rest"

[South Newlandia]

ELEPHANT VALLEY MAIL
Sports -> Baseball
Things are looking good for Elephants

We apologize for not keeping you updated after the recent series against the Drunk People at the Local Tavern due to technical difficulties (OOC: Being busy and unmotivated), but we will talk about that series and the most recent one in Quebecois Acadiana today. We apologize for any inconveniences.
When the fans left Southern Valley Arena after the series against the Drunk People, they were quite disappointed. It seems like they could be a kind of nemesis for the team, but we wouldn’t be the first nation to struggle against intoxicated players, and it’s not like we missed the World Cup because of them. Despite that, the 1-2 defeat hurt the team, as especially the pitchers seemed to be in trouble again.

Drunk People at the Local Tavern      0 1 0 3 0 0 2 1 0  7
South Newlandia                       0 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 0  5

The first game actually didn’t look to bad, the game was 5-4 when the closers came in. Blake Robbins had pitched a decent enough game, but the Elephants’ batters couldn’t get more than five runs until then. Gregor Garner and Igor White scored in the fourth inning, and after a home run by Daryl Dunlop with Shawn Zimmerman and Igor White on the corners, they were ahead. Then, Marcel Adams came in for the last three innings, and he blew it. He gave up three more runs, and the South Newlandian batters didn’t score another one.

Drunk People at the Local Tavern      0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 3  5
South Newlandia                       0 0 2 4 0 0 3 2 X 11

Game two was the one that actually went very well. With Jacob Conroy on the mount, the South Newlandian batters cruised, and Conroy only gave up two runs, one in the fourth. Starting from the fourth inning, the South Newlandian batters scored 11 runs, precisely scored by Fabio Ventura (x3, including a homer), Adam King (x2), Shawn Zimmerman, Daryl Dunlop (x2), Ian Pearce (x2) and Mike Larsen. Barnaby Butt came into the game after seven innings, and giving up three runs in the 9th wasn’t a big problem in the end.

Drunk People at the Local Tavern      0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0  5
South Newlandia                       1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  3

Game three didn’t go so well. With Ryan Hunter on the mount and the batters blanking, they were behind 2-5 after seven innings. Only Adam King and Mike Larsen had managed a run each. Fabio Paul did well as a closer, once again allowing no runs, but only one run by Fabio Ventura in the ninth couldn’t save the team.

They travelled to Quebecois Acadiana, and the coaches seemingly managed to talk sense into all the players, as the team played completely differently there. All three games were won without problems, and the pitchers only gave up two runs throughout the series. The Elephants completed the 6-0 over their unranked opponent with a change in the pitching lineup. Everyone expected Jacob Conroy to pitch, but instead of him, Ryan Hunter joined Jay Kramer and Larry Cain. We can of course only spectulate, but we do think that the actual plan is to not have Ryan Hunter on the mount against Hampton Island, and using Conroy there instead.

South Newlandia                       0 0 0 5 1 1 0 0 1  8
Quebecois Acadiana                    0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

South Newlandia actually got behind first, as Kramer gave up a run in the bottom of the second. The Elephants then got a five-run inning in the fourth, including a home run by Adam King, with the other runs scored by Daryl Dunlop, Ian Pearce, Mike Larsen and Fabio Ventura. They got three more runs over the remainder of the game, scored by Adam King, Mike Larsen and Shawn Zimmerman. Marcel Adams didn’t give up a run in the last two either, and the 8-1 win was complete, a win that got the team self-confidence after the poor series against the Drunk People.

South Newlandia                       4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  6
Quebecois Acadiana                    0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Game two, pitched by Ryan Hunter, saw him only giving up one run, too. The game was practically over after the first four batters after a grand slam by Shawn Zimmerman. Two more runs in the last two innings completed the score of 6-1, scored by Mike Larsen and Ian Pearce. Fabio Paul didn’t gave up a run, either.

South Newlandia                       1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1  5
Quebecois Acadiana                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

The last game was the first South Newlandian shutout, and five runs got them a comfortable win. Cain pitched six innings while Butt played four, and the runs, all one at a time, were scored twice by Mike Larsen, twice by Fabio Ventura and once by Adam King.

All matches

South Newlandia 1-2 Drunk People at the Local Tavern (5-7, 11-5, 3-5)
Torisakia 3-0 Quebecois Acadiana (4-3, 4-3, 7-6)
Hampton Island 0-3 The Greater Nordics (7-11, 6-7, 8-9)
Quebecois Acadiana 0-3 South Newlandia (8-1, 6-1, 5-0)
The Greater Nordics 3-0 Drunk People at the Local Tavern (3-0, 6-0, 10-4)
Hampton Island 3-0 Torisakia (9-5, 7-6, 4-1)

Current standings

*                                    Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 South Newlandia                    21   15   0   6   121   93  +28    45
2 Hampton Island                     21   14   0   7   115   91  +24    42
3 The Greater Nordics                21   11   0  10   100  101   −1    33
4 Torisakia                          21   11   0  10    91   88   +3    33
5 Drunk People at the Local Tavern   21    7   0  14    90  116  −26    21
6 Quebecois Acadiana                 21    5   0  16    83  111  −28    15

South Newlandia will face Hampton Island, including Midnight, next. Jacob Conroy, Blake Robbins and Larry Cain will be pitching in Elephant Stadium, the main home ground of the South Newlandian national team. They are currently four wins ahead of third, and this series will determine if they will get into hot water again. Especially the Greater Nordics, who already record more wins in the second half than they got in the first, might cause long-term problems. Hampton Island is coming off fresh of a home sweep, and the world number eight will be a tough opponent again. We are sure we will see some fun Baseball again.



Other news that might interest you:

South Newlandia to participate in Campianato Esportiva, but where?
Officials worried about developments in Free Republics, consider strongly worded letter
Local dog rides skateboard, looking super cute
“Do we even have a military?” ask concerned citizens after recent news
Wild elephant populations rising again, environmentalists happy

[The Sherpa Empire]

The first game in Terre Septentrionale was tied 3-3 after 9 innings and it became a contest to see who had the deeper bullpen. Pilgaonkar, who held the Northmen scoreless through the 10th to 12th innings, and Yu Qiong who batted in the winning run with an RBI double in the 13th found themselves getting much more attention than they were accustomed to.

Usually, Qiong was a big fish in a small pond in Kunming, since the Dragons didn't have many good hitters, but he was not a national star like Ananthan or Ojha. Pilgaonkar wasn't a huge star even in Khumbu, though Icefall Doctors' management considered him valuable to the team and some of the more technically-minded fans thought he was underrated.

By the end of the game everyone was tired and some of them were starting to get cranky. Wangchu Namkha Qiang had been benched after repeated and increasingly angry arguments with the home plate umpire about ball and strike calls. Chongba Lee figured Qiang was going to get himself ejected anyway if he got another call he didn't like, and it was better to just pull him and give Changmin Le some time in the game. The Sherpas were relieved to get the win, but the victory celebrations were shorter and quieter than some games because people wanted to get some rest.

The next day, as they were getting ready for game 2, Lee talked to Kami Akunjee and explained that he really wanted to rest the bullpen. "I really need you to go deep into the game today. Don't pitch like you're trying to throw your own arm out of its socket like Wangdi does."

"Can I throw underhand? I've been practicing..."

"No."

"It'll confuse the batters," Akunjee argued.

"Come on, Akunjee, have some common sense," Lee said. "I'm glad you and Daki are having fun, but -- Hey, my eyes are up here! You can stare at Daki's butt some other time. Right now, I'm talking to you."

"I heard you," said Akunjee.

The game got off to a slow start, but it was obvious that Wangchu Qiang still didn't like the home plate umpire. He didn't look like he was that close to snapping, but he was still grumbling about called strikes. Galarraga, the umpire, and the hometown fans all looked like they were as tired of Qiang's grumbling as he was of the strike calls. In the top of the 5th, Galarraga threw a pitch high and inside that nearly hit Qiang in the face. If it had been a man pitching, Qiang certainly would have charged the mound and punched him. As it was, social conditioning kicked in and he hesitated to assault a woman, but he was still shouting at her. Several players on both teams stirred restlessly like they were ready to brawl, but Lee ran out of the dugout and pulled Qiang away before anybody threw a punch. The umpire warned everyone involved that the bullshit needed to stop. Qiang needed to stop arguing strike calls, and the pitchers would not be given the benefit of the doubt if they beaned anyone.

The incident apparently riled up the Northmen, and they went on a 3 run rally in the bottom of the inning. Akunjee really wanted to bean someone despite the warning. He resisted the temptation, but it wasn't helping his concentration. Lee had to go out to the mound to calm him down. He settled down and got out of the inning.

The 6th was uneventful until Galarraga came to bat in the bottom of the inning and Akunjee hit her with a pitch. She charged the mound, and they both got ejected. Akunjee swore it was an accident, but nobody (including Chongba Lee) believed him. Sangakkar came in to pitch the rest of the inning and the Sherpas went on to win 4-3, but Lee called Akunjee into a closed-door meeting after the game and gave him an earful.

Akunjee still insisted it was an accident. "I would have thrown a lot harder if I was doing it on purpose," he said.

"Really? That's what you're going to go with? You're telling me you've got no problem throwing a 160 km/h fastball at a woman?"

"No, I'm telling you I didn't hit her on purpose," said Akunjee.

The next day, when Daki Chuan went to join the team after changing into her uniform in a separate room, she found Akunjee looking like he was still annoyed about the whole thing. He was too sulky to even check out her butt. "Was that really an accident yesterday?" she asked.

At first, Akunjee just folded his arms and sat there not answering, but when he saw that Chuan was not going to leave without an answer, he said, "It was an accident."

[Zwangzug]

The Kerlagrad Courier

Some "fun" questions and answers with second baseman Oliver Crant-Bridge:

If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?

A human?

I mean, what kind of nonhuman animal represents you?

Uh, a panther, I guess.

Why?

Because I play for them. The ones in Nuel. I guess you could go with zebras, too, but the same could be said for anyone here.

Um...okay. Do you have any pregame superstitions?

I always double-check my hat strap to make sure four buttons are on and three are off.

What?

It's one of those one-size-fits-all things. If I try to put five or six buttons it'll be uncomfortably tight. So I check that it's always at four. Although sometimes I bat second for Nuel, so then I'd be wearing my helmet if it's an away game and I'm on deck.

Right. What is the first thing you notice about someone of the opposite sex?

Their hair, usually.

Oh? Tell us more.

Well, women's hair tends to be longer. So it's more noticeable.

I mean, are you attracted to people with pretty hair?

I guess, yeah, I've never dated a bald guy.

So like, what I'm getting at is, what features on someone make them an attractive romantic prospect to you?

If that's what you meant you should have said so, asking about women is a bit heteronormative.

Look, uh...

And I haven't had time to date anyone during the tournament, we're very busy.

How do you get along with your double-play partner, Guohua Liu?

I'm not dating him either. He's kind of short for me.

But like, you have signals and stuff, how do you practice?

It's pretty basic, I mean, we play for different teams most of the time so it's not like suddenly we became friends now that we're on the Zebras. And I can't tell you what signs we use, the other teams might use it against us.

I'm not sure they read our paper, but better safe than sorry. What is your favorite season?

Baseball season.

If you could have a dinner party with famous celebrities, who would you invite?

I already am a famous celebrity.

Fair, who else?

Maybe a caterer from The Treehouse in Fotburg, that's a great restaurant.

If you weren't a baseball player, what would you be?

Well, once you dip into the subjunctive, like, any change affects who I am as a person overall, so I'm not sure we'd still be talking about "me" then, but statistically, probably a government bureaucrat like everyone else.

What are the keys to facing Hapilopper?

I've never been to the stadium so I don't know what their keys look like but they seem like a modern country, maybe they have electronic locks and stuff.

Right. Um. Oliver Crant-Bridge, thank you so much for your time, and good luck in the next series!

[Newmanistan]

Series 8, Game 1

Chromatika                            0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 1  5
TJUN-ia                               0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  3

South Covello                         0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 1  5
Newmanistan                           0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  2

Se Vende Skooma                       0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2  3
Marigred                              0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 X  5

Series 8, Game 2

Group 1
Chromatika                            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
TJUN-ia                               0 0 0 0 0 3 0 4 X  7

South Covello                         0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Newmanistan                           0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  4

Se Vende Skooma                       0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0  2
Marigred                              2 0 0 1 0 2 0 4 X  9

Series 8, Game 3

Group 1
Chromatika                            0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
TJUN-ia                               0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 X  2

South Covello                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
Newmanistan                           1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 X  3

Se Vende Skooma                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Marigred                              0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 X  3

*                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Newmanistan            24   19   0   5   130   75  +55    57 Q
2 TJUN-ia                24   14   0  10   116   83  +33    42
3 Chromatika             24   11   0  13    78   94  −16    33
4 Se Vende Skooma        24   10   0  14    81  108  −27    30
5 Marigred               24    9   0  15   100  118  −18    27
6 South Covello          24    9   0  15    83  110  −27    27

Series 8, Game 1

Group 2
Liventia                              0 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 0  7
Sarzonia                              5 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 X  9

Kohnhead                              0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0  3
Daskel                                0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Banija                                0 2 4 0 2 0 0 0 0  8
The Jovannic                          0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1

Series 8, Game 2

Group 2
Liventia                              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Sarzonia                              0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 X  2

Kohnhead                              0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 3  7
Daskel                                0 2 0 0 2 1 1 0 0  6

Banija                                0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0  3
The Jovannic                          0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0  2

Series 8, Game 3

Group 2
Liventia                              0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0  3
Sarzonia                              0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  4

Kohnhead                              1 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 2  7
Daskel                                0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  2

Banija                                0 0 0 2 0 5 1 2 6 16
The Jovannic                          0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 1  6

*                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Banija                 24   17   0   7   139   85  +54    51
2 Sarzonia               24   16   0   8   114   96  +18    48
3 Liventia               24   12   0  12   107   99   +8    36
4 Daskel                 24   11   0  13   107  117  −10    33
5 Kohnhead               24   10   0  14    94  119  −25    30
6 The Jovannic           24    6   0  18    93  138  −45    18

Series 8, Game 1

Group 3
The Greater Nordics                   1 0 0 0 1 1 0 6 0  9
Torisakia                             0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Hampton Island                        0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 1  5
South Newlandia                       0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 3  7

Quebecois Acadiana                    0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1  4
Drunk People at the Local Tavern      0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Series 8, Game 2

Group 3
The Greater Nordics                   0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
Torisakia                             1 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 X  6

Hampton Island                        1 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 1  7
South Newlandia                       0 1 2 4 0 2 0 0 X  9

Quebecois Acadiana                    4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  5
Drunk People at the Local Tavern      2 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 X  9

Series 8, Game 3

Group 3
The Greater Nordics                   0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0  4
Torisakia                             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Hampton Island                        0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0  5
South Newlandia                       1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0  4

Quebecois Acadiana                    0 1 2 0 3 0 7 0 0 13
Drunk People at the Local Tavern      1 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 0  6

*                                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 South Newlandia                    24   17   0   7   141  110  +31    51
2 Hampton Island                     24   15   0   9   132  111  +21    45
3 The Greater Nordics                24   13   0  11   114  108   +6    39
4 Torisakia                          24   12   0  12    98  102   −4    36
5 Drunk People at the Local Tavern   24    8   0  16   106  138  −32    24
6 Quebecois Acadiana                 24    7   0  17   105  127  −22    21

Series 8, Game 1

Group 4
Cassadaigua                           0 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 0  5
Lovisa                                0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Northwest Kalactin                    0 1 2 0 0 3 0 0 0  6
Ethane                                1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0  3

The Fair Republic                     0 1 1 0 3 0 1 0 0  6
Drawkland                             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Series 8, Game 2

Group 4
Cassadaigua                           1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 0 0 1  7
Lovisa                                0 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 1 0 0 0  6

Northwest Kalactin                    1 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 2  6
Ethane                                0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0  4

The Fair Republic                     0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
Drawkland                             0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 X  3

Series 8, Game 3

Group 4
Cassadaigua                           0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2
Lovisa                                0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 X  4

Northwest Kalactin                    1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0  4
Ethane                                2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 X  5

The Fair Republic                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
Drawkland                             0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 X  3

*                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Cassadaigua            24   18   0   6   126   86  +40    54
2 Northwest Kalactin     24   15   0   9   122  111  +11    45
3 Drawkland              24   13   0  11   116  111   +5    39
4 Ethane                 24   11   0  13   109  101   +8    33
5 The Fair Republic      24    8   0  16   103  126  −23    24
6 Lovisa                 24    7   0  17   106  147  −41    21

Series 8, Game 1

Group 5
Nova Anglicana                        0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  4
Hapilopper                            1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  2

Ihilthracna                           0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0  2
Zwangzug                              4 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 X  6

Jeckland                              1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  3
Equestrian States                     1 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 X  5

Series 8, Game 2

Group 5
Nova Anglicana                        0 1 0 0 3 1 0 1 0  6
Hapilopper                            0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

Ihilthracna                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Zwangzug                              0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 X  4

Jeckland                              0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  2
Equestrian States                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

Series 8, Game 3

Group 5
Nova Anglicana                        0 0 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  5
Hapilopper                            0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 2 1  6

Ihilthracna                           0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  3
Zwangzug                              0 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 X  5

Jeckland                              0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  2
Equestrian States                     0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2  4

*                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana         24   19   0   5   120   79  +41    57
2 Hapilopper             24   15   0   9   108   95  +13    45
3 Zwangzug               24   13   0  11   120   96  +24    39
4 Equestrian States      24   12   0  12    89  109  −20    36
5 Jeckland               24    7   0  17    90  126  −36    21
6 Ihilthracna            24    6   0  18    81  103  −22    18

Series 8, Game 1

Group 6
Ranoria                               0 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 0  8
Delaclava                             0 0 1 1 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 10

Free Republics                        1 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 1  7
HUElavia                              0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0  2

Abanhfleft                            0 4 0 2 0 1 1 1 3 12
Nagore                                1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2

Series 8, Game 2

Group 6
Ranoria                               0 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 1  5
Delaclava                             0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1

Free Republics                        0 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 3  8
HUElavia                              0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2

Abanhfleft                            1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  3
Nagore                                0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Series 8, Game 3

Group 6
Ranoria                               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
Delaclava                             3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 X  4

Free Republics                        0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  2
HUElavia                              0 2 0 5 0 0 2 0 X  9

Abanhfleft                            0 0 2 0 7 0 0 0 0  9
Nagore                                0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0  3

*                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Free Republics         24   15   0   9   128  110  +18    45
2 Abanhfleft             24   14   0  10   109   92  +17    42
3 Delaclava              24   14   0  10   113   92  +21    42
4 Ranoria                24   12   0  12   117  113   +4    36
5 HUElavia               24   11   0  13   106   99   +7    33
6 Nagore                 24    6   0  18    74  141  −67    18

Series 8, Game 1

Group 7
The Sarian                            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Tikariot                              0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 X  4

Royal Kingdom of Quebec               2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  4
Ko-oren                               0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Mathuvan Union                        0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  2
Falisiand                             0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 X  3

Series 8, Game 2

Group 7
The Sarian                            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Tikariot                              1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  1

Royal Kingdom of Quebec               0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0  2
Ko-oren                               0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 X  3

Mathuvan Union                        0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
Falisiand                             0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 X  3

Series 8, Game 3

Group 7
The Sarian                            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
Tikariot                              1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 X  2

Royal Kingdom of Quebec               0 0 2 1 0 2 0 0 0  5
Ko-oren                               1 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 X  6

Mathuvan Union                        0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0  4
Falisiand                             1 0 2 0 3 1 0 1 X  8

*                            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Tikariot                  24   16   0   8    84   79   +5    48
2 Ko-oren                   24   16   0   8   122   77  +45    48
3 Royal Kingdom of Quebec   24   14   0  10   115  104  +11    42
4 Falisiand                 24   13   0  11   102   88  +14    39
5 The Sarian                24    7   0  17    80  103  −23    21
6 Mathuvan Union            24    6   0  18    75  127  −52    18

Series 8, Game 1

Group 8
Pripet Socialist Republic             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
The Sherpa Empire                     0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 X  3

Terre Septentrionale                  0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0  3
Super-Llamaland                       0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  2

Megistos                              2 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 1  8
Devonta                               3 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  5

Series 8, Game 2

Group 8
Pripet Socialist Republic             1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  4
The Sherpa Empire                     0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2

Terre Septentrionale                  0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2
Super-Llamaland                       0 1 0 1 0 2 1 0 X  5

Megistos                              0 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  5
Devonta                               2 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 X  7

Series 8, Game 3

Group 8
Pripet Socialist Republic             0 0 0 1 4 1 0 0 1  7
The Sherpa Empire                     0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0  3

Terre Septentrionale                  0 0 0 3 0 0 0 4 0 0 0  7
Super-Llamaland                       3 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2  9

Megistos                              0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
Devonta                               0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

*                              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 The Sherpa Empire           24   17   0   7   116   92  +24    51
2 Super-Llamaland             24   15   0   9   117   95  +22    45
3 Terre Septentrionale        24   15   0   9    98   79  +19    45
4 Megistos                    24    9   0  15   108  126  −18    27
5 Pripet Socialist Republic   24    9   0  15    83  116  −33    27
6 Devonta                     24    7   0  17   111  125  −14    21

[Banija]

Let's play ball! A full calendar for Banija's national baseball team this WBC cycle


A Banijan player celebrates a home run in the Londinium Challenge Invitational

ISTRIA, MORAVICA- We are, of course, in the midst of World Baseball Classic 49. We tare deep into the group stages of baseball's most prestigious tournament, with the national team sporting a 17-7 record, one game ahead of Sarzonia to be the top team in Group 2. The top two teams in the group, Banija and Sarzonia, are almost certainly guaranteed berths in the knockout stages. The magic number for Banija to clinch a knockout stage berth is two(over LIventia), and the magic number for Sarzonia is 3. Meaning winning at least one game in three game road series in Liventia will put Banija into the knockout stages.

It has been a solid classic for the Banijans, so far. Not everything has gone according to plan- but as of now, things are beginning to shake out well. The team has won 5 of 6, just completing a three game sweep of The Jovannic, the last place side in Group 2, to put themselves on the brink of the knockout stages, and stay a game ahead of Sarzonia in the race to win Group 2. It is a good time to be building some forward momentum- with the knockout stages looming, a team would want to start building for themselves some sort of momentum. If the Banijan squad can carry this into their final two series, and perform well both against Liventia and Kohnhead, then we will certainly be contenders to win it all.

Of course, we are getting ahead of ourselves here. Baby steps. We're going to talk about another thing for this Banijan national team, unique for this cycle. We're going to talk about how, because of a confluence of events, this will be the busiest cycle ever for the Banijan national baseball team, in terms of number of games played. Multiple senior level tournaments running close together on the calendar, where this crop of players will get a number of opportunities to try and win a ring for this national team.

The first tournament of the cycle, of course, was not the World Baseball Classic- it was the Londinium Challenge Invitational. A warmup tournament for World Baseball Classic 49, it pitted four excellent baseball nations against each other- the defending champs, Nova Anglicana(who were the hosts), alongside Cassadaigua, Banija, and South Newlandia. The Banijans went to the tournament, in Nova Anglicana, and showed, over the course of the week, that we were as good as our ranking said we were. 5-0, champions. The rotation was a little backwards for the tournament- the 3-4-5 starters started the three group stage games, with the 1-2 starters starting games 1 and 2 of the championship series.

Ousman Kakay said that he wanted his new front end starters to have practice in those high pressure games, which is why he flipped the rotation. It was a decision that worked. The group stages saw excellent starting performances from the back half of the rotation, as Banija earned a 3-0 record and a berth in the Best of 3 championship series. Winning 6-5, in technically walk-off fashion in Game 1, while in Game 2, the closeout game, Suntukung Kandeh pitched a complete game, only allowing 2 earned runs en route to the trophy for the national team. Which means that we've earned at least one trophy this cycle.

Then, of course, we have the height of the cycle- World Baseball Classic 49. That isn't surprising- it is of course the peak of the baseball calendar. What is most interesting with the Banijan baseball calendar this cycle, is not the Classic itself, but what comes after it. Shortly after the World Baseball Classic, will be the first ever Atlantian Oceania Baseball Series. The rarest of opportunities to establish yourself as a regional champion. Banija is the highest ranked baseball team in Atlantian Oceania, so they'd certainly enter such a tournament as at least slight favorites.

Both of those are this year- The World Baseball Classic, taking place in its traditional summer season, and then the AO Baseball Series in what would be Northern fall. But next summer is the icing on the cake- the Olympiad, at home. Remember, Banijan baseball has an Olympic demonstration bronze medal. We're ranked #2 in the multiverse. The expectations will be through the roof. The Olympics only happen once a decade*. An Olympics at home? A once in a lifetime event.

It's going to be quite a busy cycle for the national team. A regional tournament that's never happened. Coinciding right before an Olympics. If you're a fan of Banijan baseball, you're going to get a number of opportunities to see this team play. One trophy already won. Then back-to-back-to-back major tournaments. Will we use those to add to the trophy case, and strengthen the case for our rapid rise to the top in this sport?

*= The Olympics, on the Banijan calendar, only happen once every 10 years.

[Northwest Kalactin]

Kalactanians Beat Ethane 2-1 and Keep Form Hold Against Drawkland
Welp, there we have another series folks! The group pretty much stayed the same in terms of standings. Cassadaigua continues to hold on to the top spot, the Kalactananians have second place and Drawkland is 2 games behind the Kalactanians trying to rally a comeback at the end. The Kalactanians got the series started out with 2 straight games where they won in close contests 6-3 and 6-4. Marcus T. Hamilton earned 2 saves in back to back stellar performances, coming off the bench to throw a combined 9 strikeouts in the 5 total innings he played during the series. The last game of the series was also very closely contested, however Ethane would come out on top 5-4 at the end of the day. Drawkland dropped a game 6-0 at the start of their series against The Fair Republic which ensured that the Kalactanians would be able to hold onto their spot near the top of the group. All the talk in Kalactin right now is about the baseball team and their performance so far, and the fact that they may be able to reach the Knockout stage for the first time in 6 editions. One of the ecstatic fans was heard stating “I think this is a new beginning for the Kalactanians baseball, we are up there right now showing that we can play with the best teams in the world, and we are playing very well while doing it!” Many other fans pack sports bars in the largest cities in the country to watch the team play, they are ecstatic about how the Kalactanians are playing right now.

This next series against Drawkland will be huge, and it will likely decide the fate of the Kalactanian team during this tournament. Drawkland is a team that, despite the rank difference, we think that we can go out there and beat them. It will be a tough 3 game series and it will ultimately depend on who is able to play the best over all 3 games. The Drawkland national team is currently 2 games behind the Kalactanian team, so it will need to be a sweep if they want to be able to catch up to the Kalactanian Team. In the it will be tough, but we believe in the Kalactanians!

[Nova Anglicana]

More extras as Lions take two of three from Thrashers

The last time the Nova Anglicana Lions and Hapilopper Thrashers clashed in WBC 49, game one took 17 innings to resolve. Although there were non 17-inning games this time around, the Lions and Thrashers again needed extra innings in their series. They played an 11-inning game and a 10-inning game to end on a nice round 30 innings for the series. The Lions took two of three games from their Hapilopper opponents, but it wasn't easy.

Game one pitted knuckleballer Curtis Skinner against fireballer Wyatt Templeton in a rematch of the first series. In that game, Templeton gave up two runs in seven innings, while Skinner surrendered three in nine innings. In the less than friendly confines of Capital Stadium, the unusual turf caused a ball that looked like the third out of the inning to take a wild hop and skip past shortstop Luke Mills, scoring Hapilopper's first run in the bottom of the first inning. It counted as an earned run, and was the only run Templeton would allow in six innings. Asked after the game about his four hit, one walk, eight strikeout performance, Templeton said, "That's a tough earned run to give up. I know Luke was doing his best out there. It was just a bad hop."

In succession, Vic Fleming, Cody Brock, Charlie Bowers, and Dallas Hawkins would relieve Templeton, allowing three baserunners against five strikeouts in a strong bullpen performance. Marc Dufors singled in Matthew Gilbert in the second to tie the game 1-1 and the strong pitching on both sides saw that state of affairs continue until the 11th inning. In the top of the 11th, Joey Keller led off with a ringing double off the wall in left-center. Jake Bryan grounded softly to the right side, which advanced Keller to third. Gilbert then singled sharply up the middle, scoring Keller, and Jerome Duplantier mashed the next pitch into the seats in right-center, scoring Gilbert and putting the Lions up 4-1. In the bottom half of the inning, Zach Kelley came on to get the save. Though he allowed a run, he got three outs and slammed the door on the Thrashers for a 4-2 Lions win.

In game two, lefty Dan Cunningham and righty "Hot Sauce" Gibbs squared off. The teams traded single runs in the second, with the Lions' coming off a Trevor Goodwin sacrifice fly, giving them the early lead, 1-0. Cunningham worked his big curve and cut fastball effectively, giving up just the one run in the first four innings. The Lions entered the top of the fifth with the score tied 1-1 and Goodwin leading off. Goodwin blooped a 99 mph fastball from Gibbs into left for a leadoff single, and Cunningham, down to his last strike, did manage to bunt Goodwin over to second base. With one down, Moran coaxed a walk out of Gibbs, but Luke Mills got blown away by two fastballs and finally succumbed to a changeup low and away. Hard stuff inside, slop away is still a viable combination for any pitcher. With two down and two on, Joey Keller strode to the plate for a crucial at-bat. He watched a fastball come in for a strike, a cutter miss away, swung through a slurve, and watched a changeup too low for ball two. On 2-2, Gibbs challenged him with 99 in on the hands, but Keller got his hands around lightning-quick and pulled the pitch high down the left field line. Doing his best to wave the ball fair with his hands, Keller put both fists in the air when the ball dinged off the foul pole in left field for a three-run homer that gave the Lions a 4-1 lead. One inning later, Dufors' RBI single would score Gilbert from second and make it 5-1.

Cunningham would pitch seven innings, giving up a second run, but departing with a 5-2 lead. In the eighth, Gilbert tripled to lead off the inning and Goodwin would single him home, giving him two hits and two RBI for the game. With a 6-2 lead, Jon Klein would set the side down in order in the ninth to preserve the victory and give the Lions the series, now having won two games. At this point, they were 19-4, an .826 winning percentage, and their win total equaled their win total from WBC 48, where they struggled to 19 wins in the group stage. Their play had definitely been better and more consistent than last time around, but they weren't getting too cocky. Veteran first baseman and team leader Jake Bryan said after game two, "Thing are going better for us here, and I'm glad. I think we're playing to our potential. But there are some scary good teams in this tournament, and if we make one mistake, they'll pounce on it and it's over for us. So we're taking it one game at a time and assuming our opponents will make us pay for our mistakes."

Game three saw Erik Russel square off with Victor Foster, a pitcher whom the often stubby arm of the WBC law has not caught up with yet for allegedly doctoring his pitches. Well, whatever he had put on the ball this time didn't work too well. An RBI single from Luke Mills and a two-run double from Keller in the third, as well as Jerome Duplantier's solo homer in the fourth, put the Lions comfortably ahead, up 4-0 going into the bottom of the fourth. Unfortunately, Russell lost his control, walking three batters in the next two innings and allowing three runs in the fourth and fifth. When he left, the Lions still led 4-3, though. Cody Brock, Grant Graham, Vic Fleming and Rex Boyd got nine outs and Tommy Moran had an RBI single to put the Lions up 5-3 going into the bottom of the ninth. But Zach Kelley blew another save, allowing two runs in the last frame to tie the score at five. At some point, you wonder if Singleton is going to start going with a closer-by-committee approach in reaction to Kelley's struggles. Following a scoreless top of the tenth, Charlie Bowers gave up a walk-off hit in the bottom of the inning, thrilling the home crowd and toppling the Lions, 6-5.

Nova Anglicana is still 19-5, still leading their group by a comfortable four-game margin, and almost mathematically assured of making the playoffs. Of course, they're also in direct competition with the hosts, Newmanistan, for the top seed in the tournament. Both teams have a 19-5 record, and earning the top seed could be the difference between an easier or more difficult path to the finals. Though potential playoff matchups are changing by the game and will continue to change, the top seed is a coveted prize and you know the Lions, as the defending champions, want that prestige.

[Ko-oren]

The collapse is starting - that's not completely right. Despite going 2-1 versus Quebec in a series that sets our closest rivals back two games in the hunt for the Round of 16, Tikariot has gone 3-0 in their series and are now first in Group 7, with Ko-oren back in second. Chances of us advancing to the knockout series are still larger than they were at the start of the Quebec series, nonetheless.

Hoping to foster some more unity among the team, Inez Ishikawa has put the search for a new nickname, and possibly even new jerseys, on a faster track. "It's clear that not all members of the team, and not all fans of the team, feel included by our current symbols. Like the Aussie Rules team earlier this year, we've decided that the 'Dragonflies' moniker is a good one, but not the best for our team. We are working with our partners from all parts of the baseball world to find a name that represents us all, fairly, without giving one side more than another."

Those in charge of the Yoshiman Minor League, sometimes unofficially called the highest authority on baseball in the subdivision, have proposed 'Islanders', a nickname already sometimes used for baseball on the eastern islands. The officials behind the Finisterran Minor League, likewise seen as the authority of baseball in that subdivision, have tried to push 'Cactuses', knowing full well that that name won't be it at all. Representatives of baseball as played in the rest of Ko-oren were allowed to sit in on the sessions, but their opinions were cast aside without much deliberation. Also, proposals including nicknames of already existing teams are out of the window.

The quest for a nickname that is not too 'Green-blue-y' and Gehrennan-centric continues, with two further requirements being that they represent the desert-like state of Finisterre as well as the tropical islands of Yoshima. A name such as the 'Suns' would fit on first glance, but the idea is that the KBA is looking for a more sophisticated nickname.

As for team colours, the yellow is here to stay, a colour that features in both Finisterre and Yoshima. The Yoshimans further would like to see shades of orange and red, colours that appear nowhere else in Ko-orenite heraldry, while the Finisterrans would like to see some green - as the Cactuses. A jersey using yellow as its main colour with green and red trim seems to be the way forward, but as everyone knows, it may take a while before any definite designs appear. Early contenders for a new nickname include the Suns, the Cicadas, the Scorchers, and the Swallows.

As for the Classic, the Ko-orenites (for lack of a better nickname) will take on Tikariot next. With a 2-1 or 3-0 series win, we'll head into the final series with a very decent group lead, assuming the Quebecois also manage to do well in their series. A series loss, at 1-2, shouldn't be too threatening, but going 0-3 here likely sees us out of the Round of 16. The last series will be against the Sarian, who've won their regular games in this Classic but have been unable to really stick it to the top three. 3-0 in the final three games doesn't feel likely, but any lead going into the final series should be protected.

Tikariot has some players to watch, all excelling in one or two areas, but vulnerable in others. It'll be a fight for mismatches, as that also describes a lot of Ko-orenite players very well. Romanov is a huge problem at bat, able to take advantage of our (at times) dodgy relieving, and we might see Tikariot score their runs later in the game. Hitting will hopefully be towards the left side of the field, lofted over Baines and Fleming, taking advantage of Romanov's poor defence. Tikariot has a narrow hitting lineup, with the first two players capable of reaching bases, and occasional quick players later in the lineup. Hopefully our pitching can avoid activating those players. For Ko-oren, our defensive focus will work wonders, but the question is whether we can score runs on a team that's equally defensively capable.

The Ko-orenite squad will go into the next three games in full health, with ... scheduled to start pitching. We hope the team can focus on the game and the results rather than any infighting, especially with Ishikawa's search for a new identity confirmed.

[The Sherpa Empire]

It was early in the morning and the Sherpa national baseball team had just arrived at Jinnah Stadium. Wangdi Ai was talking to a couple of his teammates. He was mostly talking to Kencha Qureshi, but some of the other players were in earshot too. He said, "If we win today, I'm gonna take all you guys out to Silk Road Barbecue after the game. The whole team."

"Oh, that sounds like a good time," said Qureshi.

Ai and Qureshi exited stage right, going into the locker room to change into their uniforms. Sanjay Murthy, Luochong Zhuang, Daki Chuan, and Kami Akunjee remained on the pavement outside. Murthy poked Akunjee. "Maybe that's why he gets all the run support and you don't."

"I hope he buys us barbecue too," said Zhuang.

"He said the whole team," said Murthy.

Chongba Lee came along and herded them into the locker room, directing Chuan into a separate room where she could have some extra privacy.

In the Sherpa Empire, many professional athletes brought their families on the road with them, and stadia often had space to accommodate the extra people. This made things easier when Chuan was added to the national baseball team and they needed a space where she could get changed separately from the men. (Presumably, it also came in handy for visiting teams that needed separate locker rooms for male and female players.) The space already existed; it was just a matter of slapping a sign on the door of a side room and declaring it a "women's dressing room." There was usually a private bathroom somewhere too, though people sometimes had to take turns using the showers. Daki Chuan suspected that one of the male players was intentionally making a mess in the shower to gross her out when she came in after them, but she had no way to prove it. She could guess who it might be too -- Katiyar and Ananthan were the most likely suspects, but there were a couple of other possibilities.

Everyone got dressed and went through their warm-ups and a pre-game talk from Lee. They took the field and Wangdi Ai blew the Pripet Socialist Republic's All Stars away. Traditionally in past WBCs, the Sherpa pitching staff relied on sneakiness more than raw power, but this season was a departure from that, and Ai especially took great pride in lighting up the radar guns. Seeing speeds in MPH confused him when the team traveled internationally, but here at home they displayed the more familiar metric readings. (Ai was the only one of the pitchers who worried about the speed readings enough to care if they were in MPH or km/h.)

Ai wanted to go for the complete game, but he started falling apart in the top of the 9th. With a run on the board and men at the corners, Lee pulled him and sent Roshan to close out the game. Ai returned to the dugout shouting and swearing and sent a water cooler flying, but his mood improved a lot when Roshan got the last out.

After shaking hands with the All Stars and hitting the showers, it was time for kebabs at Silk Road Barbecue.

Luochong Zhuang was explaining the effects of hypothermia on the human body for no obvious reason as he, Daki Chuan, and Kami Akunjee made their way into the restaurant. Akunjee was debating whether to stay with Zhuang and Chuan or go compare notes with Xiao Wen about their sexual exploits. On one hand, he thought Wen's sex life was more interesting than the effects of hypothermia, but on the other hand, he would be too far from Daki Chuan to admire her figure.

They went into the restaurant and found many of their teammates, including Wangdi Ai, already inside. They went over to talk to Ai and congratulate him on a good start, but the smile vanished from Ai's face when he saw Chuan. "I didn't invite YOU!" he said.

Chuan looked around confused. Ai hadn't specifically spoken to her, but she had heard him say that the whole team was invited. "What do you mean?" she said. "You said if you won you would take the whole team out..."

"I wasn't talking to YOU when I said that."

Chuan wasn't sure if she wanted to punch Ai or break down in tears or possibly both. Their teammates watched with a mix of awkward expressions on their faces. Akunjee tried to come to Chuan's rescue by throwing an arm around her shoulders and saying, "She's with me."

"She's not invited," Ai insisted.

"She's with me," Akunjee repeated, pulling Chuan closer to him. "I'm offering to pay for her food."

"I didn't say I wouldn't pay for her food; I said she's not invited," said Ai. "I don't want to eat with her."

"Yeah, well, she's still with me," said Akunjee. He pulled Chuan toward the door. "Come on, I'll take you out somewhere else."

Chuan pushed Akunjee off her. "I am NOT with you!"

Akunjee was completely blindsided. "What? I'm standing up for you!"

"I can stand up for myself!"

"But..." Akunjee stammered helplessly.

Luochong Zhuang looked shocked and disgusted. "You said you were going to take the whole team out," he said to Ai.

"She doesn't belong on the team," said Ai.

"But she's been playing with us for weeks," said a distraught Zhuang. "You said you were inviting the whole team!"

"She's not here to play baseball," said Ai. "She's just here to be politically correct."

"You know what? Fuck you!" said Chuan. "You said you were inviting the whole team, and I'm part of this team too!"

"But it's true," said Geli Ananthan, who was sitting nearby. "You're not here to win games; they just put you on the roster to keep the feminists happy."

"That's bullshit!" said Chuan. "Every time Lee put me in a game, I got the job done! And don't start talking about when he put me in. I'm still pitching to the same batters as all those guys!" She gestured at Akunjee, Ai, and Zhuang. "You sexist pricks can go to hell!"

Chuan stormed out of the restaurant and Akunjee and Zhuang went after her. They found her sitting on a curb in the parking lot and sobbing. Akunjee sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. This time she didn't push him away and he wasn't just copping a feel. "Don't cry," he said. "Geli and Wangdi are wrong."

Zhuang sat down on the other side of Chuan and a few minutes later he was talking her ear off about amoebas. She didn't really care about amoebas, but his babble was a pleasant distraction and she liked the gentle sound of his voice.

The Sherpas lost their next two games, and it seemed like there was some lingering tension in the clubhouse from the incident at Silk Road Barbecue.

[Cassadaigua]

Would Maddie Polanco Leave?
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

The return of Super-Llamaland to the World Baseball Classic has been exciting for everyone. The team has been competitive in Group 8 and is currently involved in a very tight battle for second place. They may or may not get that spot, but from our vantage point, their return has been successful. We know that they are a nation with high expectations for their baseball team, so failure to advance to Newmanistan might not be seen as a success in their country, but at least in our eyes it would be. This return led some to wonder what Maddie Polanco thinks about the return of her homeland, and if she would ever consider going back. She has been tight lipped about this so far, saying that her focus was on the Fillies, as well it should.

However, an article in the well-respected LSN Baseball publication listed Maddie as the top contender to be the long term replacement in managing the Llamanean side. While we know that she has enjoyed her time here, you really have to wonder if she would take this opportunity. After all, think about it, she would have the chance to bring her homeland back to glory. Despite being a long term fixture here now, that is certainly an interesting challenge. Here is my opinion: If Polanco leads the Fillies to the WBC 49 championship, she would take the LBA up on a potential job offer. If she is not able to do so, then she stays here. I obviously do not know what she is thinking, but I do think there is an appeal for her to go back. However, she came here for a reason, and as of now, that mission has not been accomplished. With her being so close to doing so, it is all the more reason for her to stay here. However, I am not Maddie Polanco. I don’t know what she is thinking or what she would do. As of right now, she is simply responding that her focus is on the Fillies.

[TJUN-ia]

Some people thought TJUN-ia were done after the 2 series loses back-to-back. Now the Jags had won 4 in a row to lead the battle for 2nd heading into the final 9 games. The second and final series at The Diamond in The Gardens of New Washington was upon us, as the Amateurs from Chromatika came to town. TJUN-ia needed the series win to kick their opponents further behind in the race to Newmainstan before the Jags have to host the Rockets in Portside. The message from Phillip Hellas-Verona was clear: 2 wins was a must!

---

Game 1
Chromatika 5-3 TJUN-ia, CMT leads series 1-0
Davis Johnson was starting against Hillary Angelou and both would have alright games. The Amateurs scored first, a nice HR by Kendra Annovar, before Rafael Llorente replied with a 2-run bomb of his own to give the Jags the lead. But then the batting dried up for the home side. The Amateurs took advantage of this to score 4 more runs and they looked quite brilliant in both halves of the innings. The Jags got a run back in the 9th, but nothing could be done to overhaul the margin. If TJUN-ia were to win the series, it must be a reverse sweep.

Game 2
Chromatika 0-7 TJUN-ia, Series tied 1-1
Gene Almac decided to take matters into his own hands in this game. He wanted to make a message that he and TJUN-ia were not to be underestimated, so he decided to make the Chromatik batting line up look like cardboard cutouts. He took down the Amateurs by himself and looked like a pitching god in the process. A 3-run homer from Almac himself and a Grand Slam from Matoko Kagawa would tie this series, but all eyes were on the mound when the opposition was batting. The coaching staff, knowing what he may achieve, decided to keep him on for the 9th. He continued his dominate, and let no one even hit the baseball. Gene Almac had completed a Perfect Game, the hardest achievement you can get in the baseball world. Rarely does someone manage to get one, but here was a TJUN-ian writing his name into the history books. The players ran onto the field to celebrate this achievement and The Diamond was rocking. Series tied by the best pitching performance on these fair isles.

Game 3
Chromatika 1-2 TJUN-ia, TJU wins series 2-1
Jose Almas took on Miles Savey, and this contest would be tight as all hell. Joe Gregory, the catcher, hit a 2-run home run to give TJUN-ia a lead they wouldn't give up. Almas almost copied what Almac did in Game 2, but a homer by Nevin Ingalls put an end to that. But that shouldn't take away from how good his performance was on the mound. Carlos Buena closed off the game, as usual, and TJUN-ia won this series via reverse sweep.

It wasn't easy, but our 5th series win in a row means we have 3 game advantage with 6 games to play. TJUN-ia could actually do this. But the biggest test is up next, as the Rockets come to our Jungle. Rounders Field will be rocking for this series, especially considering we won the reverse series in Loudon. But, these guys aren't 5th in the world for no reason as they have already qualified of the knockouts - the first team to do so. Newmainstan will be looking for revenge, and the aim of the Jagaurs is "damage control" - avoid being swept at all costs. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group 1)
S1 (G1/G2/G3): @Se Vende Skooma (UR) - SublimeBurger Park W 2-1 (3rd)
S2 (G4/G5/G6): vs South Covello (22) - Rounders Field, Portside L 1-2 (4th)
S3 (G7/G8/G9): @Chromatika (26) - National Stadium, Chromatik City L 1-2 (4th)
S4 (G10/G11/G12): @Newmanistan (5) - The Jungle, Loudon W 2-1 (2nd)
S5 (G13/G14/G15): vs Marigred (UR) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington W 2-1 (3rd/8-7)
---------------------------MIDWAY BREAK---------------------------
S6 (G16/G17/G18): vs Se Vende Skooma (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside W 2-1 (2nd)
S7 (G19/G20/G21):@South Covello (22) W 2-1 (2nd)
S8 (G22/G23/G24): vs Chromatika (26) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington W 2-1 (2nd)
S9 (G25/G26/G27): vs Newmanistan (5) - Rounders Field, Portside
S10 (G28/G29/G30): @Marigred (UR)

[Tikariot]

The picture goes from the TSG TV logo right to the studio in Tikariot City, where a long-haired, bearded man with a Tikariot jersey on and a voice over "Welcome to an in-depth analysis of the World Baseball Classic.

Christopher Cleary: Good evening folks, I'm Christopher Cleary and I've been drafted in for some analysis of the World Baseball Classic. Usually I work behind the scenes, but my boss figured that it is as good of a time as any to push me in front of the camera, so here goes.

So the heat is continuing to rise in the competition as we only have two series left in the group stage and tonight we are facing the probably biggest hurdle on the way into the playoff stage: Ko-oren. Yesterday our biggest competitors faced each other and Ko-oren managed to walk away with a 2-1 series win over the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, which now puts them two wins over the Kingdom, which technically is not much, but in the light of how tight the race up top is and how many split series we have seen so far, it is still a considerable margin.

So why did I single out Ko-oren as the biggest competitor for our endeavours to advance to the knock-out stage? Because not only are they the highest ranked team in the group, but they also have scored the most runs and conceded the least, so that tells us something. Now that being said, Tikariot is level on points with the Dragonflies and at the moment even above them in the standings due to winning the first series 2-1, giving the Devil's Rejects the head-to-head advantage as of right now.

Now this could theoretically change tonight when we meet them again as there are no draws, so the outcome can only be either us being completely level and hurting us with the run differential deficit we have, sweeping us and climbing over us in both senses or us sneaking past another win and not having to worry about the differential. What do our chances look like? Your guess is as good as mine, if the WBC has proved anything so far, then that literally any nation can beat any other nation.

However that being said, there still are probabilities. So let's have a look at them for a moment. Tikariot still has Ko-oren and Falisiand ahead of them. As mentioned already, Ko-oren are widely considered the favourites, while Falisiand is only in fourth position right now, but being only three wins behind Tikariot and Ko-oren they still have all the chances, making them a potentially tough competitor, but - all that could change tonight already.

Tonight's matchups are: Tikariot vs. Ko-oren, I already talked about this one at length, the Royal Kingdom of Quebec is facing Falisiand, which is a very interesting match-up as well, as it could a) kill Falisiand's chances or b) seriously hurt the Kingdom's efforts to advance. The third series between the Mathuvan Union and The Sarian is pretty much irrelevant in the bigger picture.

Then tomorrow the final match-ups will be Tikariot vs. Falisiand, the Royal Kingdom of Quebec against the Mathuvan Union and finally Ko-oren vs. The Sarian. Most observers are pretty much in agreeance that Tikariot has the hardest draw at least on paper, which makes tonight so much more important, both in our series and the Kingdom's.

So there is a lot of pressure on our team, but both the IBS and so far also the WBC has shown that they ARE capable of withstanding the pressure and perform when push comes to shove and there might be some pushing and shoving involved tonight. From what I have heard from the team, there are no injuries or any other snags present right now, so we'll be able to field our best players to hopefully ensure a positive outcome of this series, because at least in theory we could clinch a playoff spot tonight.

I hope that you will be able to tune in tonight, either from home or from one of the many public viewings all over the country, the TPL has put some giant screens outside of Oceanview Park as well for anybody who did not manage to secure tickets for the series. The story of the Devil's Rejects is ready for a new chapter, let's help them write it! Up the irons!

[Zwangzug]

OOC: This RP was brought to you by Kyle Hendricks. Yay baseball.

The Kerlagrad Courier

Alexandre Picpus threw eight shutout innings against the Ihilthracnelik Ohorslens and everyone collectively lost their minds. "Wow, an actually well-pitched game!!!" noted @voncount on Blatter, summarizing the national mood. Further clarification on the social networking platform revealed that the user was not posting a euphemism for "no-hitter" or "perfect game" out of superstition; indeed, Minder Okovert singled in the second inning to exclude such a possiblity from consideration, and the Ohorslens sprinkled several other hits throughout. "No, I was actually in awe that our starting pitcher had a very good if not historic performance," @voncount messaged privately, "apparently by our standards this is big news."

The Zebras were shut out by Umik Zomedfen until the fifth inning, when Guohua Liu doubled to push in Frances Wake, and then came around to score himself on a Sharon Lubbock single. They would add on in the eighth through a Jeremy Burnham two-run homer. Vortuden Icturedist led off the top of the ninth by working the count full and singling, by which time Picpus' pitch count had risen to 102; Wenjie Liu called upon Vincent Rose-Johnson, who struck out Yisil Vond and induced a game-ending double play from the uniform designers' nemesis, Voirterninberelimoncorvernsawuq Yilteructsvaniver.

Before that, however, Picpus had made it look easy, getting efficient groundouts and changing up speeds to frustrate the LDSDRI batters into foul tips. "I actually got confident for a few innings there and expected him to set him down one-two-three," confessed fate-tempter @SuperSecretSquirrelSociety. "And you know what? Instead of being struck down by the baseball gods for my hubris, I watched him do exactly that. What are the odds?"

"It's not something I expect from watching Logrove," said @modremonster1. "I mean, I don't really expect anything from watching Logrove, because the league isn't currently, like, active, if you know what I mean. But still."

At press time, some fans had gone so far as to admit they were a little apprehensive when Wenjie Liu removed Picpus, having gotten their hopes up he could pitch a complete game and avoid any bullpen activity whatsoever. "I mean, who cares if he burns his arm out?" questioned the callous @nautylys. "It's probably gonna be years and years before we enter again, so it's not like he would have been back anyway."

[Sarzonia]

After the Sarzonian national baseball team closed out its home series against world No. 2 Banija with a victory, no one had any way of knowing that would be the start of a seven-game winning streak.

That streak included an away victory to unranked Kohnhead to earn revenge for a series loss at Fleetwood Park, but it also included a three-game sweep of world No. 10 Liventia that featured the bats with a huge dose of Jeff Parrish thrown in.

The victories over Liventia not only give Sarzonia a 16-8 record with six games remaining, it leaves the Stars with a magic number of three, meaning any combination of Sarzonian wins and Liventian defeats totalling three would mathematically clinch a trip to Newmanistan for the knockout rounds.

The first game saw Sarzonian bats make a nearly immediate statement with a five-run output that included a run-scoring double by designated hitter Luke Brinkley and a mammoth three-run shot by rightfielder Kenny Evans to propel the Stars. First baseman Cody Frazier followed with a line drive double off McVie Mountain in right to chase Red and Gold starting pitcher Kieran Sheldon after only one out.

Liventia answered Sarzonia's big inning with one of their own, plating three runs and only a mound visit by Stars pitching coach Nolan Channing prevented the Stars from having to use a bullpen game to get through a would l-be offensive onslaught. Stars starter Uriel Jimenez managed to work through six innings before Geoff Yancey turned matters over to the bullpen. Carnie Weston allowed a run on a solo shot in the top of the seventh and Scott Lassiter got rocked for three runs to turn the game into a tense affair. Brinkley hit a solo drive of his own and Tyrell Douglass closed the door for the save in Sarzonia's 9-7 victory.

Parrish made yet another case for being moved up in the rotation as he tossed a complete game shutout in Game Two. He limited the Red and Gold to three hits, walked one and struck out nine in Sarzonia's 2-0 victory in Game Two.

In the third game of the series, Jamie Pearson had a little trouble keeping the ball down and gave up a two-run shot and a solo dinger, but was otherwise solid through seven as Sarzonia's bats gave him all the run support he would need with a four-run second inning capped off by a three-run bomb by shortstop Christine Andersen. When catcher Pat Sakata caught a 3-2 fastball from Douglass after designated hitter Dermot Rowntree swung over it for the third out, the team rushed out to the mound to celebrate.

They hadn't officially clinched anything just yet, but they were in an extremely favourable position to advance. They were also within a game of Banija for the group title and the higher knockout round seeding that came with it. They had an 8-4 record against the two highest seeded teams in Group 2 and won three of the four series against those teams.

They would wrap up their home slate at Fleetwood Park against Daskel, who took two out of three games in the first of two series the Stars would play without Brinkley in the starting lineup. With Daskel playing in Fleetwood Park, Brinkley would be in his usual spot as the DH.

Sarzonia close out the group stage with an away series to The Jovannic and will have to keep Brinkley as a pinch hitter or possibly an offensive substitute for Frazier for that last series.

Yancey said he wasn't committing to anything for the knockout rounds, saying that the Stars haven't qualified yet, but a source familiar with his thinking said Parrish would possibly be held out of the final series to be available for a potential Game 1 or Game 2 of the knockout rounds.

"It's not a coincidence. Parrish has been their best pitcher," the source said. They agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because they weren't officially affiliated with the team. "He's earned the chance to pitch on the big stage."

[Super-Llamaland]

Stadium Museum Alley Road Rocket Wall Launch

VIII. The Return
June 4, 3131
Launch Pad #49
Rasmussen Space Center, 25 miles north of Dinschria City

As their rocket sailed up into the sky, Annora and Nik frantically monitored its progress on their screens. “Ten seconds until contact with the Wall,” Annora said evenly, before beginning to count down. “Six...five...four…three...two...”

Nik’s eyes widened in horror as, on the live feed, a piece of the rocket peeled off and began to flutter back down to Earth. His readings began to go haywire as the rocket disintegrated before his very eyes. “Oh shit, look…”

Annora, significantly less surprised than Nik was, continued to keep counting. “One…we have contact.” On the screen, they both watched as the rocket briefly turned into a ball of flame before crumpling and shattering into a million pieces. “Alex! Can you hear us?” Annora said. As expected, there was no response.

“How’s the Wall holding up?” Nik said, after a few seconds of silence. “Probably the same,” Annora replied, before actually looking over to the display holding the wall data. The display briefly flickered, then showed its new readings. A row of zeros.

“Wait. It’s...gone.”

June 5, 3131
??, The South Llamanean Sea

“Are you sure this is the place?” Nik said, peering out with a set of binoculars.

“Yeah, it’s the exact coordinates,” Annora replied, equally as confused.

It’d been twenty-four hours since Alex Kirk had broken the Wall. As soon as it had happened, Nik and Annora had chartered an LBA helicopter to take them through where the Wall had been and survey the area around Super-Llamaland. Since then, they had visited Vjaalsburg, Eirelia, The Northern Union, and all of the former countries that had surrounded Super-Llamaland. Every time, they had found nothing of value left - just charred wreckage, if that. The nations immediately near Super-Llamaland had turned into a million New Llama Citys.

They’d hoped that Hicaña could maybe buck the trend. But upon arriving at the site where Hicaña had been, they discovered that most of Hicaña had simply sunk back into the ocean, with only a few desolate rocks dotting the ocean underneath them.

“Not much of a surprise, I guess,” Annora offered. “From what I’ve heard of Hicaña, they were barely a nation when they did exist.”

“Mm. It’s weird how I’ve never heard of any of these countries,” Nik replied. “Actually, back in my day, there were no other countries at all. It was just all part of the Llamanean Federation.”

“I guess a colonization program would be the natural response to all of this empty land,” Annora offered in reply. “By the way - you were planning on heading back to the 4000s now, right? You’re not sticking around?”

“Eh, I don’t think it’s possible for me to leave now. I tried to reconstruct what I’d worked on then, but we just don’t have the technology to get anywhere close to that. I was way too specialized to do any of this from scratch, anyway.”

“Well, we dropped your nephew off in Emerald Springs.”


“Thanks for that. Can’t wait to play some catch with him when we get back.”

Annora froze. “...what, exactly, would you be catching?”

“Oh, we always play around with a honkbal, throw it back and forth. Oh, sorry. Honkbal’s this sport in the 4000s. I guess you guys will figure it out eventually.”

“...How, exactly, does one play honkbal?”

“Well, it was just my nephew and I, so we’d just toss it around. But basically how it works is there’s a batting team and a fielding team. So when it’s your turn to bat, the pitcher can throw the honkbal at you, and you try to hit it. It’s pretty fun actually, if you want a replacement to whatever baseball is, maybe we can round everyone up and teach-”

“Yeah, I’m going to have to wipe you when we get back,” Annora said. “That is baseball.”

Nik shrugged. “Oh, I see,” he said, and pushed Annora out of the helicopter.

??? ??, ????
?????, ?????!

...So in the first season after Commissioner Nik Sorescu (who forcibly took over the LBA the previous year) restored everyone’s memories and brought back the Llamanean Baseball League, the New Llama Wizards won the 3133 President’s Cup, breaking a 1,102-year championship drought. The Wizards’ efforts were fueled by star first baseman Max-

“Yeah, uh, sorry to interject, but you still haven’t told me where I am? Or who you are? Or if I’m dead or not, or, I mean, honestly, just anything other than baseball.”

Well, we’re getting there, Alex. It’s just that you’re going to have to make a very important decision, and I need to get you fully caught up before you do so. That was the last season I was going to talk about, for what it’s worth. Your friend Max Polanco hits a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the sixteenth inning. Oh, and Tyler Rocke gets fully rebuilt. It’s pretty wild stuff.

“Can you at least tell me if I’m dead or not?”

That depends on what you choose.

“Okay. Uh, what about...where am I?”

Well, have you been told about the true nature of the universe yet?

“You mean, that it’s a simulated construct with the sole purpose of generating baseball results? Yeah, I’m caught up on that.”

Oh, no. That’s not what it is. Wow, Annora really fucked that one up. Not surprising, considering her-

“Wait, so it’s not?”

Well, I suppose that there’d be no way to know from your point of view. So maybe Annora’s off the hook now. Well, she dies in a helicopter accident in a few days, so I doubt she’ll care if she’s off the hook or not. Anyways, the world is a simulated construct, you’re right about that. But Super-Llamaland doesn’t generate the baseball results. The baseball results generate Super-Llamaland.

“...You just said a bunch of words at me. Also, did you say Annora dies in a helicopter crash?”

Well, more of ‘Annora got pushed out of a helicopter and died on impact’, if you will. Anyways, I want you to think about it. What were the biggest events in, let’s say, late 2020s to early 2030s Llamanean history? What news got the most coverage, attracted the most attention?

“Well, there was Colin Nittledeen getting fired and then going to Anthor, there was Laurent Mårtensson coming in and winning two WBCs, there was the Axel Florentssen incident, and just I guess the general media interest in covering the WBC and LBL.”

Right. So, did you know there were also two elections in the time period you just mentioned? And that neither of them got even 10% of the coverage that the national baseball team did? Doesn’t that seem a bit odd? It’s because baseball is the only thing we feed into this simulation. So it’s the only thing you guys can care about.

“Wait, so when Annora shut down the LBL, and the WBC team couldn’t participate in anything…”

After we stopped feeding baseball results into the simulation, things began to go haywire. Hence, as I’ve mentioned, the First through Thirteenth Llamanean Civil Wars, the destruction of New Llama City, the LBA robot armies. All of that was our bad. But we’re getting results now, so something happened in your simulation. It sent you - and Nik, I guess - to the year 3131.

“So...what’s my choice now?”

There are two realities you can go to. One is I can send you back to 3131. You’ll probably be made manager of your national team on site, you get to be part of Super-Llamaland’s baseball rebuild, and you’ll generally go down as a legend. However, everything else is pretty mixed. Healthcare has made it so people can live up to three hundred years, and technology has advanced greatly, but Super-Llamaland is also the only country left, a lot of the infrastructure is crumbling, and you'll have to help Nik lead a bloody revolution against an incredibly authoritarian government to get baseball back.

“Okay, what’s the other choice?”

We send you back to your time - well, ten years later, so 2048 - and break The Wall there. The Wall will be up for ten years, to account for the gap in results, but other than that things will go back to normal.

“Well, that seems like an easy choice for me. When I was in 3131, it felt like an empty wasteland, and leading a "bloody revolution" isn't really my thing. And 2048 is, you know, it’s my time. It’s where I belong.”

Yes, I thought you would react that way. But there is one more thing to consider.

“Well, you described a lot of major points, I’m not sure if there’s anything bigger than that that could make me reconsider-”

As of 2045, the LBL and Llamanean national team use a designated hitter whenever possible.

“...fuck.”

...Does that actually change your decision?

"I'm going to need a minute."

BREAKING: THE WALL IS DOWN
Jenny Costa, LBC News

NEW LLAMA CITY -- Millions took to the streets in jubilation to celebrate the mysterious disappearance of The Wall, which had separated Super-Llamaland from the international community for over a decade. May 11, 2048 will surely go down in Llamanean history. As part of the end of The Event, dozens of missing Llamanean citizens, all of whom vanished without a trace shortly after the appearance of The Wall, have been returned, including former Llamanean baseball star Alex Kirk...

[South Newlandia]

ELEPHANT VALLEY MAIL
Sports -> Baseball
Elephants continue to do well, have good chances

Ahead of the series against Hampton Island in a sold out Elephant Stadium, there was one question everyone had on their minds – what would the pitchers do with Midnight? Following the incident with Ryan Hunter in the series in Hampton Island, intentionally walking him seemed like a bad idea, but actually pitching to him did also seem like a bad idea. Damian Bolton, Mohamed Felix and the six pitchers scheduled to pitch against the bear agreed that everyone should do what they would be more comfortable with. Fortunately, the series went without bear-incident, and the brand-new bear spray the coaches bought didn’t have to be used. During the actual baseball, South Newlandia took two of three games, one of them after a fantastically close match in extra innings.

Hampton Island                        0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 1  5
South Newlandia                       0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 3  7

In the first game against their region-mate, Jacob Conroy took the mount. Both pitchers were doing good work in the first innings, and Conroy struck out Midnight once, walking him the other time. A first run in the fourth inning by Adam King brought the Elephants an early lead, but the Golden Bears got an equalizer in the 6th. After Shawn Zimmerman scored another run for South Newlandia, a solo homer by Midnight brought Hampton Island yet another equalizer, Fabio Paul came in to close the game. The Elephants went ahead again after Mike Larsen and Fabio Ventura took two more runs in the seventh. All Fabio Paul needed to do was to hold. After an scoreless eighth inning, Hampton Island was back on the top of their batting order. Denny Ramirez started with a single, and after two outs, it was Midnight at bat with two outs. He started with balls, two of them. An angry, mad look from Midnight made him reconsider that, and the next one was a foul ball. The next ball was looking to be a bit away from the box again, but Midnight swung, and he did hit the ball. In fact, he hit it very well. The ball flew much further than it looked like at first, and it ended up being a home run. With that, the game was all tied up. Since South Newlandia got no runs in the bottom of the 9th, the game had to go to extra innings. After Hampton Island scored a run in the top of the tenth, South Newlandia had to score on demand once again. Igor White was at bat first, and he got retired. Daryl Dunlop got a double in, and Ian Pearce managed to get a single to put runners on the corners. Mike Larsen, the South Newlandian designated hitter, was next, but his ball was caught out. Fabio Ventura was at bat now, and with two outs already, he couldn’t afford to slip. Neither could the opposing pitcher, as Ventura hit the ball perfectly for a home run, getting South Newlandia a walk-off victory.

Hampton Island                        1 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 1  7
South Newlandia                       0 1 2 4 0 2 0 0 X  9

After Blake Robbins, who was on the mount for game two, had given up four runs in the first two innings to get South Newlandia behind by four, things were looking bad. After three innings, a run for Gregor Garner in the 2nd and two scored by Fabio Ventura and David Drum in the 3rd had narrowed this deficit down to a single run. It got even better, as a home run in the fourth for Fabio Ventura included runs for Mike Larsen and Ian Pearce, with Daryl Dunlop having already scored earlier in the inning, got the South Newlandian team a three-run lead all of a sudden. Two more runs in the sixth for Ian Pearce and Mike Larsen increased that lead to five. Marcel Adams came in to close the game after six innings, and no one cared that he wound up giving three runs away, including another homer for Midnight.

Hampton Island                        0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0  5
South Newlandia                       1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0  4

With the series win already secured, the Elephants even had a chance to complete the sweep now. It looked so well, as Larry Cain had pitched six scoreless innings, including actually pitching to Midnight. Four runs in various innings, scored by Mike Larsen, Adam King twice and Fabio Ventura saw the Elephants holding a 4-0 lead going into the seventh inning. Cain had decided that he wanted to pitch the seventh inning, and collapsed, giving up three runs on only one out, with the second and third base loaded. Barnaby Butt couldn’t quite stop the bleeding, as he gave two more runs away. These were the last ones of the day, and Hampton Island could travel home with at least one win.

All matches

South Newlandia 2-1 Hampton Island (7-5, 9-7, 4-5)
Torisakia 1-2 The Greater Nordics (1-9, 6-1, 0-4)
Drunk People at the Local Tavern 1-2 Quebecois Acadiana (1-4, 9-5, 6-13)

Current standings

*                                    Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 South Newlandia                    24   17   0   7   141  110  +31    51
2 Hampton Island                     24   15   0   9   132  111  +21    45
3 The Greater Nordics                24   13   0  11   114  108   +6    39
4 Torisakia                          24   12   0  12    98  102   −4    36
5 Drunk People at the Local Tavern   24    8   0  16   106  138  −32    24
6 Quebecois Acadiana                 24    7   0  17   105  127  −22    21

South Newlandia remains in the lead, with two more wins than Hampton Island in second and four more than The Greater Nordics in third. The Greater Nordics might be in the middle of an amazing comeback after winning 8 of their nine most recent matches, while South Newlandia’s qualifying chances are now very decent. They actually have some chances to actually win the group, too, but the remaining series in Torisakia and against The Greater Nordics won’t be easy. We have already talked about the predicted rankings the South Newlandian analyst Fred Kartoffer created (you can view his work here), and he has decided to add a predicted playoff bracket. On seeding alone, South Newlandia would currently play Hampton Island again, but since that isn’t possible, they would likely play the returnee Super-Llamaland in this scenario. The five-time champion would be a very interesting draw, but with six games yet to play, everything can change, and almost everything probably will. For the next series in Torisakia, Jacob Conroy, Ryan Hunter and Jay Kramer will be pitching, and they will be batting too, since Torisakia doesn’t use a Designated Hitter. We hope for some more interesting baseball, and if South Newlandia could wrap up the playoffs in that match, that would be great.

Other news that might interest you:

Hosts for Campianato Esportiva remain unknown
Rising taxes without alternative, claims minister
Comment: Why the Designated Hitter is a good thing
Transfer news: Can Lions get Squidroidian star?
With Elephants “saved”, Bears are next for environmentalists

[Delaclava]

DSGN.com Baseball

After tough outing, Hackett focusing forward in playoff hunt

In an appearance on morning baseball podcast Stealing Second, national team starting pitcher Rhys Hackett insisted that he's no longer dwelling on his last appearance, a 5-1 loss to Ranoria.

"It's done, it's over with now," the 22-year-old told hosts Mikey Price and Chanelle Baker. "I've been pitching pretty well all tournament and now I need to keep doing that in these last six games to get us over the line. So I'm not going to worry about a few mistakes."

Hackett gave up four runs in 6.1 innings, with five hits, three walks and six strikeouts in Game 2 of the home series against Ranoria (12-12). Hackett was relatively in command through the first five innings, after which the score was tied 1-1. But Ranoria took the lead on a two-run homer from Maximus Tillman in the sixth and extended with a solo shot from Nicholas Lux in the seventh, both on hanging slower pitches that didn't break enough. Hackett was removed after the Lux home run and was particularly distraught as he exited the game and in post-game interviews.

"This really sucks," he said then. "This was a homecoming for us, a time to show off how well we could compete with the world's best. But I messed up too many times and it came in the worst possible situation."

The stakes were particularly high for the series - not only was it played in Dillobourne, the hometown of this upstart team, but Delaclava (14-10) entered the series just a game ahead of Abanhfleft (14-10) and Ranoria. Abanhfleft swept last-place Nagore (6-18), and the Game 2 results were what drew the 9th-ranked team level with the Phoenixes in the standings. Even though Delaclava won Games 1 (10-8, 12 innings) and 3 (4-1), Abanhfleft took over second place by virtue of head-to-head (4 games to 2 over Delaclava). Both teams are a game behind group leaders Free Republics (15-9).

Hackett credited his teammates for rallying behind him and continuing to stay focused on the task at hand as they enter the final two series of the group stage:

"It's been great playing with this team. We've all been in the same community and lived together, but this is the first time this group has played together. I took that loss hard, but as a team we don't play the blame game, and we don't look back. If we lose a game, we're going to play smarter to get the next one. If we win a game, we stay focused because the other team can still get it back."

"And when you have guys like Bedin who can mow down the opposition, Sean (Magary) closing out games, Owen (Clark) with his walkoff in game one - that's just a few of the guys who are really solid players and can step up to the moment. I know there are a lot of talented players in this tournament, but we need these next six games to be as good as possible and I don't think I'd take another group besides the one we have to get that done."

Hackett was typically the third starter until the second starter, 46-year-old Bill Timmons, came down with a shoulder injury, moving Hackett to the second spot and 20-year-old Bedin Egozhevy into the third spot. Manager Grady Collins has repeatedly praised Hackett's performance throughout the tournament, and was quick to defend his young pitcher after the Game 2 loss, saying at the time, "When you score one run the whole game, you can't pin that loss on anyone but the entire team."

With that, Hackett feels he has the blessing of his coaches and teammates to perform his best in his final two starts against HUElavia (11-13) and Nagore. The Phoenixes went 5-1 against those teams in the first half of the group stage. Additionally, the top two teams, Free Republics and Abanhfleft, still have one series to play, and the result could knock the losing team out of the playoff picture and elevate the Phoenixes. Not to mention the Phoenixes are still just one game behind the Republicans - and should those two teams tie, Delaclava would very well have the upper hand on run differential, with head-to-head tied at 3-3.

It's a lot of number crunching that fans and analysts love to sink their teeth into, but Hackett doesn't believe his team is thinking that way: "If we just win the game in front of us, and keep doing that for the rest of the tournament, all these scenarios don't matter. They only start to matter if we lose one, two, three games and need some help. But we really don't plan on doing that."

And putting the series in Dillobourne to bed, Hackett concluded, "We were grateful to come home for a big series like that, and once the dust settled, we did great to win two out of three. So regardless of what happens from here, that'll be a highlight for us, one we'll remember for a while."

[Ranoria]

Disastrous Losing Series, coupled with Abahnfleft's Sweep of Nagore, Drops Ranoria to the 4th Spot in Group

A frustrated Leonardo Harrison after dropping a second game in this series

This series against Delaclava, late in the season, was critical for both teams. Ranoria had to come out with winning marks if they were to so much as tie their opposition in the standings, and give themselves a puncher's chance of getting into the knockout stage with a second spot in the group. Instead, they dropped two of three games.

We have made it clear that expectations for this team certainly aren't sky high, as a matter of fact 12 wins on the season probably wasn't expected coming in. But this series finally had some real stakes, some excitement behind it. Delaclava, now 14-10, has now clearly taken the upper hand despite being 3rd in the group behind Free Republics and Abahnfleft.

Free Republics, however, seems to be having some domestic issues on their side. Their current government turmoil has resulted in their withdrawal from multiple international sporting tournaments, and it may be only a matter of time before they are withdrawn from the World Baseball Classic. We will continue to monitor this situation, as it could be advantageous to our hometown Krauts.

Delaclava, in their own right, has been an upstart team this season, and neither squad was expected to have the level of success that they have. However, as Philip Lux pointed out after the final game of the series, it seems only one storyline can have a happy ending. Lux managed a home run in the second game of the series, the only win for the Krauts.

As we stand now, Ranoria has at least shown that they are capable of competing on the world stage, with Delaclava's pitcher, Hackett, even quoted as saying that he had a chance to prove he could play with the best in the world against Ranoria. But of course, despite the fact that even winning 15 games would be overachieving, Let's get into the meat and potatoes...the playoff hunt.

*                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Free Republics         24   15   0   9   128  110  +18    45
2 Abanhfleft             24   14   0  10   109   92  +17    42
3 Delaclava              24   14   0  10   113   92  +21    42
4 Ranoria                24   12   0  12   117  113   +4    36
5 HUElavia               24   11   0  13   106   99   +7    33
6 Nagore                 24    6   0  18    74  141  −67    18

The current standings for Group 6

Ranoria will first be playing Abanhfleft, and then HUElavia, in their final six games. While every game is, of course, pivotal at this point, the first series is more important. Not only is Abanhfleft the ninth ranked team in the world, they are ranked 2nd in the group and sitting at a nice 14-10. Even with a sweep, Ranoria would be at 15-12 and Abanhfleft at 14-13, with the Krauts then holding only a one game lead. But perhaps a sweep isn't out of the question. After all, Abanhfleft was the first team Ranoria managed a 2-1 series win over, the first series that saw them wearing the title of Krauts. Since their miserable 3-6 start, Ranoria has gone 9-6, a better winning percentage than Abanhfleft's overall 14-10 marks. Of course, our opposition is coming off a 3-0 series win. And regardless, we're counting on someone to slip up.

Fortunately, Abanhfleft and the Free Republics will be playing one another in the final series of the group stage. Delaclava will, at worst, likely end up going 4-2 in the final stretch and finishing with a strong 18-12 record. But Abanhfleft and the Free Republics are where we get interesting. They have a chance to go 3-0 against Nagore. If that comes to pass, and Ranoria (optimistically) goes 2-1 against Abanhfleft, the standings would look like this:

Free Republics: 18-9
Delaclava: 16-11
Ranoria: 15-12
Abanhfleft: 15-12

If that were the outcome, then there would be only one way for Ranoria to make the tournament. Delaclava would have to lose two more games than Ranoria in the final series. Ranoria should be able to sweep HUElavia if the wind blows right, but Delaclava winning any less than 2 games against Nagore seems unlikely, and they have the head to head advantage of 4-2. So, while possible, this scenario is unlikely.

In all reality, Ranoria must win out, we simply don't have a choice. Delaclava has proven that, for the time being, they are the better baseball team, and the Free Republics have only one difficult matchup in their wake despite political turmoil in their country, there is no chance whatsoever to catch up with them. No matter how we stack it, Abanhfleft is the next roadblock, both on the schedule and in the standings. For now, it is best for Ranoria to focus on them...and hope to god that Delaclava slips up in their warpath of a campaign.

Again, though, and we cannot stress this enough: Ranoria wasn't even supposed to be in this conversation. Their betting odds were placed at 9.5 games won this season for over under. Even if they lose out, they will have beaten that prediction by one third. This has already been a successful campaign. But if Leonardo Harrison, Philip Lux, and Tommy Verona can make something happen here , then they may well be blazing a path to true stardom in Ranoria.

[Kohnhead]

Surprising sweep of Daskel puts Kohnhead's eyes on fourth



The bottom end of the Kohnheadian pitching rotation played extremely well against Daskel in this one. Daskel are ranked 42nd in the World and before this series at Daito Kyūjō they sat at 11-10 compared to our 7-14. We lost the first series against them 2-1 but in this one something was different and we walked away with a sweep and a reasonable chance at a place as high as third, but unfortunately the top two in each group advance.

Kohnhead                              0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0  3
Daskel                                0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Facing Sienna Redmond someone who has played very well this WBC, the Daskel hitters were completely baffled by her off speed pitchers in particular her change up. Aside from a 2 rbi double from Gō Shinji in the second, Redmond played very well allowing only four hits on the day, two in the second. She would be pulled after 7.2 innings and the bullpen got the job done. For the offense we scored in the fourth, fifth, and seventh each time for one run. Two of them were homers, one by Hahn, and the other by Dickerson. Mata hit a rbi single to drive in the winning run in the seventh. One major advantage of the six person rotation with groups of six is that the second time playing these teams they haven't actually faced our starting pitchers. Watching and studying them on film is different from hitting off of them in person.

Kohnhead                              0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 3  7
Daskel                                0 2 0 0 2 1 1 0 0  6

This win may have even been better than the Banjia one, as we would overcome a 6-2 deficit heading into the 8th after starting out down 4-1. Murray Marshall again got hit around early and before the 6th inning was over he was out of the game. It's pretty obvious who will not be in our rotation come WBC 50 and beyond unless he can turn his form around in the off season. The hitting while asleep early on really came alive in the later innings of this one and we were down 6-4 heading into the top of the ninth.

Jessie Cherry would lead off in the top of the ninth. He would draw a walk on just five pitches and the tying run in Monica Ratliff walked up to the plate. She would fly out to left field and Cherry could not tag and advance to second as it was decently shallow. DIckerson stepped up to the plate and hit a laser right over shortstop Gō Shinji's head. People on first and second one person out. Izo Kaoru prepared to face Stuart Dorsey. Kaoru and Dorsey battled for eight straight pitches and with a full count, Kaoru threw a slider near the middle of the plate. Dorsey got good contact and the left fielder Cho Juzou backed up to the warning track. "That ball is GONE! Dorsey gives Kohnhead the lead with the go ahead homerun what an at bat," is what announcer Rohan Casey yelled as Dorsey hit his homer. Melissa Berger was able to get the save in the ninth walking one, but getting the second to ground into a double play before striking out Juzou to end the game.

Kohnhead                              1 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 2  7
Daskel                                0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  2

In this game three for the sweep and to bring Kohnhead within one win of Daskel, Fowler was on the mound. He has pitched quite well as our last person and dominated Daskel in this one going the full nine once again to get us an easy 7-2 win. The pandas were able to score runs in five of the nine innings and in the end they got the win they were looking for. Daskel scored all of their runs in the first four innings as scoring early was a trend for them in the series.

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Banija                 24   17   0   7   139   85  +54    51
2 Sarzonia               24   16   0   8   114   96  +18    48
3 Liventia               24   12   0  12   107   99   +8    36
4 Daskel                 24   11   0  13   107  117  −10    33
5 Kohnhead               24   10   0  14    94  119  −25    30
6 The Jovannic           24    6   0  18    93  138  −45    18

The standings show that there are three main tiers in group 2 with the top tier being Banjia and Sarzonia who are competing for the group win, and while neither have clinched both are close. The second tier features Liventia, Daskel, and us Kohnhead. As we sit two wins behind Liventia, and one behind Daskel. The fourth tier has The Jovannic who we are four wins ahead of and who have been mathematically eliminated from advancement.

In our next series we host struggling, and last placed The Jovannic who we were able to take the series from in our first meeting. We will close out the group stage and almost definitely the WBC by travelling to Banjia to play the 2nd best team in the World in a series.

[Falisiand]

Falisiand swept the Mathuvan Union, lets recap that


Kyron Burnett was on the mound in the first game, Mathuvan Union scored in the 4th to make it 2-0, but then in the 7th with the bases loaded, Richard unloaded the bases with a 3 run triple to make it 3-2, Falisiand's bullpen closed out the game to finish the game 3-2. Burnett finished the game with 6.0 innings with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts

Mathuvan Union                        0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  2
Falisiand                             0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 X  3

Austin Wilkerson was on the mound in the second game, in the second inning, Junior Brown hit a 2-run homerun to make it 2-0, then Ryan Grantham hit a double that scored Anita Goodman, then the Mathuvan Union could only muster one more run and lose 3-1. Austin Wilkerson pitched 8.0 innings with 2 walks and 11 strikeouts

Mathuvan Union                        0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
Falisiand                             0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 X  3

Keaton Holman was on the mound in the 3rd and final game against the Mathuvan Union where Kodey Kenton hit a home run in the first to make it 1-0, then in the 3rd, Amaan Pruitt hit a 2-run double to make it 3-0, then the Mathuvan Union scored 2 runs in the 4th, then Anita Goodman hits a 3-run home run to make it 6-2, Then in the 6th, the Mathuvan Union score 2 more runs to make it 6-4, then Junior Brown hit a home run to make it 7-4, then Kodey Kenton hits a home run in the 8th to make it 8-4, then the Falisiand bullpen close out the Mathuvan Union and they win 8-4. Holman pitched 6.0 innings with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts.

Mathuvan Union                        0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0  4
Falisiand                             1 0 2 0 3 1 0 1 X  8

The next series is against Royal Kingdom of Quebec who beat us at home, but now we are on the road, this next series is to stay alive, can we do that?

[Hapilopper]

Capital Stadium, Hapilopper City
Just before World Baseball Classic 49 Series 9: Hapilopper v. Zwangzug
Dale Moss, pitcher Curtis Skinner and catcher Mo Beverly were discussing matters in the clubhouse of Capital Stadium when Jordan Meadows came in carrying a strange-looking bag. This was a bag completely different from the bag carrying his gear, so his teammates were wondering just what on earth Jordan had in mind. After all, he was the same guy that had the unpredictable Rodney DeRude persona, the strange-acting 90s mulleted dude who had a tendency to show up at the most interesting of places – press gatherings, pre-game meetings, black tie university alumni dinners, and President William Mathis’s State of the Dominion speech.

Only this time, Jordan had no intention of bringing out his Rodney DeRude persona. The bag was full of items for a member of the Zwangzug Zebras after someone had brought an article from Zwangzug to his attention.

“Jordan, what the hell is that?” Dale asked about the contents of the bag.

“Keys,” Jordan explained. “I’ve been visiting every thrift store and locksmith in the Hap City area in an effort to find as many strange keys as I could find.”

Curtis and Mo looked at each other. Certainly Jordan had fallen off his rocker.

“So apparently some local newspaper did an interview with the second baseman for the Zwangzug team,” Jordan explained, “And he went on and on about keys and electronic locks and us being a modern country and stuff. So I figure I’d bring him some keys.”

Curtis and Mo looked at each other again. Jordan had absolutely fallen off his rocker, but it’s not like he was ever on it in the first place. Dale, on the other hand, was a little bit annoyed with Jordan, for no other reason than it seemed like his concentration was off.

“God damn it, Meadows, we got our asses kicked against Nova Anglicana,” Dale responded, somewhat annoyed. “I told all of you to keep working, and instead of working to better yourself, you’re getting keys. We need to kick ass in this series, not look for keys.”

“Just trying to be nice, man,” Jordan sheepishly replied. “I’m going to give these to that second baseman.”

Jordan stepped out of the clubhouse while the other players were quietly getting ready for practice. The Haps had gotten their asses kicked against the Nova Anglicana Lions, but there was, at least, a silver lining to be taken from the series loss. Two of the games went to extra innings, and it seemed like the Haps were more than willing to take the fight to the Lions, even if they were bested by a clearly superior team.

Now there were just two series to go – this home series against Zwangzug and an away series against Equestria, and it seemed likely that, if they could win these last two series, the Haps would be on their way to the playoffs, but nobody in the Hapilopper clubhouse was talking “playoffs.” In Hapiloppian sport, it seemed like bad luck to even discuss playoffs, lest the team in question gets eliminated at the last second in a horrific way. It was a superstition that went back decades and was prevalent in all Hapiloppian sports. Presented for your viewing pleasure are three examples from three different sports of championship hopes gone horribly wrong.

HC NATIONALS, 1967: The “River Kids” went into the final stretch of the National League of Hapilopper season with a 15-game advantage over their nearest rivals en route to the NLH Championship. In the final month, the Nationals went 5-25 while their nearest rivals, the Buckridge Blues, went 26-4. Before the last month of the season, Nationals fans, and their players, were openly talking about how they were going to sweep the West Hampton Royals in the NLH Championship, and about the parade that was sure to come. But it never happened.

DRAKE STEVENSON, 2011: With a handful of races to go in the HASCAR Challenge Cup season, Drake Stevenson had a commanding 255-point lead in the Challenge Cup. His season had been remarkably dominant, on the strength of victories all over the HASCAR trail, including a thrilling win in the Buckridge 500. Reporters had started asking Drake what he would do with his HASCAR trophy and where he’d put it, and worse, Drake had been pretty open about being the HASCAR champion in waiting. But in those last few races, things went horribly wrong for him, crashing in four consecutive races before losing the title to Hayden Parker.

THE HAPILOPPER NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM, WORLD CUP 83 QUALIFYING: Unfortunately, the name of the Hapilopper National Football Team is pretty much mud these days following the qualifying campaign for World Cup 85, a campaign so controversial that the Hapiloppian government has reportedly started investigating “shenanigans” that went into those qualifying matches. But during the World Cup 83 cycle, the HNFT was the toast of town, dominating the Baptism of Fire that year and coming in like a house of fire for World Cup 83 qualifiers. After a 3-0 beatdown of then-8th ranked Brenecia, it seemed exceedingly likely that the Haps would qualify for their first World Cup. But the wheels came off the wagon, and the Haps fell in a qualifying playoff. The next year, they failed by a single point and this past year, some strange force appeared to be actively trying to keep Hapilopper from the World Cup.