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LIVEBLAG: Quintessence of Dust @ TarrentumPosted by MetaNarrativesFTLI'm here at Imperium Stadium in Napoliroma, Tarrentum, and it's a beautiful evening. Warm sun fills the ground, and a boisterous home crowd are generating more noise than the Raptors Ultras on "Free Beer For Poststructuralists Night". With Quintessence of Dust's team having won against the Zebras yesterday and the Falcons dropping a game to Brewdomia last night, things are getting very crowded at the top in Group B. Looking at the CUTOFFS wire I see results coming in from Barnettsville and Zwangzug that mean if the home team win tonight, they go clear at the top and Quintessence of Dust sinks to fourth; if we win, it'll be a four-way tie.
Other games today saw a shock loss for the Nordics to give Toiletdonia a surprise #1 seeding at the halfway stage as the only undefeated team. Vephrall finally ended Western Cuba's supremacy, and it seems like those Yaforites
still haven't got their names printed on their shirts. We were so looking forward to seeing Ladakh and Guzman play. Qazox and Newmanistan still inseparable after nine innings, we'll bring you that result as soon as we get it.
Kunika Okamoto on the mound tonight, and Romeo Vesparian for the Falcons, after the tragic death of Michael Grastiona. Vesparian's profile suggests it was a close run thing leaving him out of the rotation in the first place, so plenty of challenges for the Quodite lineup - which sees one change as Radosav Grubenšek returns to the starting spot in place of Hannes Huuskonen.
The now traditional daily shuffle of the batting lineup - complete with the now traditional pronouncements by team manager Jun Zhou that "batting lineup doesn't matter anyway". Forget Jurgen Barthes's four home runs in four games or Masami Tamagotchi going undefeated through 15 games - I'm beginning to think our team's most impressive "streak" will be when we play two consecutive games with the same batting order. Today we have: Momoko Koumura at second base, the three outfielders Natalia Kivistö, Masami Tamagotchi, and Emily Sanderson, first basewoman Anna Alaja, Amanda at third, Radosav, The Brick in the pitcher's spot and Huang Li at shortstop.
T1.0 Would be hotter in here, I think, but there's a cooling breeze coming in from left. The announcer reading out the teams, but I think that she's been taking advantage of the subsidised alcohol sales here in Napoliroma, as she's only halfway through after ten minutes, eight of them spent talking about what she likes about Ferdini Zappataro's eyes. Now she's apologising, telling us she never normally gets this drunk and loves us all very, very much. Sounds like she's being wrestled away from the microphone by members of the National Press Committee.
And we're away! Vesparian throwing a sluggish fastball past Koumura, who watches it for a strike. Having a quieter Classic this time, Momoko, but still batting well, with a .467 on base average. Just the one extra base hit, a triple, and leads the team in walks. That looked like a slider, and it's ripped down the third base line. Gradoni will get to it, and Koumura's easily into first for a single to leadoff.
Strike, and Momoko is going, huge slide, and it was pretty difficult to see what happened amid that big cloud of infield sand. Safe at second is the ruling!
Natalia checks her swing again, and it's a ball. Ball. Ball, and a sharp throw to third, but Momoko didn't move. Takes a swing in the zone, and that'll be a little looper to short - easily snagged by Zappataro.
T1.1 Masami with a drive down the third base line on her first pitch. So Masami and Momoko on the corners, one out, Emily Sanderson, who yesterday became Quintessence of Dust's all-time WBC home run leader, up to bat.
High strike and Masami is gunning for second, and Momoko sets off again for home! She delayed her run till Utteroni was in motion to throw to second, and there's a mass of confusion at home plate as the throw is returned, and the ruling is safe! For the second time in her career, the nippy (not like that) second basewoman has managed a steal of home. The other runner in motion obviously helping a great deal, Utteroni absolutely furious with the home plate umpire, and Momoko getting up extremely slowly from the collision. I'm not sure if she took a blow coming in, sometimes an elbow to the ribs can wind a player, and she ducks out of a few high fives and shoulder pats from her benchmates, looking very groggy still. But the important stat: Quintessence of Dust 1, Tarrentum 0.
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Strike on the corner, and this time it's Emily who gives the umpire an earful. Utteroni looking rather smug this time. Vesparian gets the K.
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T1.2 Masami going for third. What is going on here!? Well, not a lot. Not sure if Vesparian knew she was going but Utteroni took the pitch in plenty of time and made the throw, and Gradoni gets the tag to end the inning. And if those three successful steals showed the value of good baserunning, that unsuccessful certainly showed the value of good catching.
B1.0 The Falcons off to bad start, then, but plenty of time to reply. Okamoto with his first pitch as a starter - he was in the non-gender-specific-bovine-pen in two previous Classics. Hard slider, and Zappataro takes a cut at it, and it flies over Amanda's head into left field, and Emily will chase it down into the corner, Zappataro haring round the bases, and slides into second ahead of the throw for a leadoff double.
Well, this is looking very bad. After taking that throw Momoko Koumura made no real effort to get in ahead of Zappataro, and she is, very slowly, walking off. That's her ballgame. Obviously injured somehow in the collision at home. She has never been considered a natural baserunner really, but her stolen base totals have always been impressive, and that one obviously taking too much out of her. So Jun Zhou's intention of manufacturing a first inning run has had unforeseen consequences, and Long Lai will come out to cover second base.
At this point, I'd like to argue, once again, that our bench is woefully understacked. We have only one middle infield reserve, but three outfield reserves. Johannes Heikelä the obvious omission, and this, now, could very well be a game that makes us pay for that.
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Tags a groundball towards Amanda for the first out.
B1.1 Ianello checks his swing, and Zappataro flies down the tracks! Radosav's throw to Amanda is...in time! She had to reach over a little, but some smart footwork to get back for the tag, and Tiberius Wavi hurls his cap to the ground for the third time this game. Something tells me it's going to end up pretty dusty if this keeps up.
B1.2 Single for Ianello, wouldn't have scored Zappataro from second anyway, but he is safe at first as Kunika takes the throw from Anna.
Utteroni to bat. Ball. High strike. Ball, and Ianello sets off! They're going to have to nail down the bases here. This time Radosav isn't in time, and Ianello takes second!
Ball. Swings, and it's a spiralling high flyball, but Natalia looks like she's underneath it, and takes the catch to the end the inning and deny a tying run.
T2.1 Amanda swinging at her first pitch but dropped her hands a little at the last moment, and that's going to drop in shallow rightfield...unbelievable play by Puloni! Lunging catch, and then his momentum made him basically roll a somersault, but he clings onto the ball.
B2.1 Ball. Ball, for a walk! Well, he's thrown nine consecutive pitches out of the zone to put two runners on base, interrupted only by a mistaken swing from Puloni that sent an easy fly to Emily. Radar trouble for The Brick.
Gradoni to bat with runners on. Ball. Ball. Another conference on the mound. Finally throws a strike. Fouled off, and seemingly some direction back to Kunika's pitching. Foul. Takes a cut at that one, but Gradoni was way behind it and it sprays out to Amanda, who steps on third and throws to first for the double play.
T3.2 So up to bat now is Long Lai. As a reminder, Momoko Koumura originally in the leadoff spot, but seemed to injure herself in the first inning. No word yet on what exactly is wrong.
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Tags a grounder, and Zapparato will be there ahead of Gradoni and make the play.
B3.0 Norian Ionian swishes a leadoff double way over Emily's head in left, and she'll have to go all the way to the track for that. An excellent contact by Ionian, might have been a triple for one of the speedier Falcons.
Bunt by Vesparian, but he overcooked it a bit and Anna will get there in time. Not good enough to advance Ionian to third, and he doesn't risk it. Not taking many pitches, so far the Falcons, but the pitch count still creeping up because Kunika has had such trouble finding the zone.
B3.1 Ball. Ball, and that's way too low. To the backstop for Radosav. Wild pitch! So Ionian advances to third anyway, and the catcher trying to do his best to settle Kunika down. Amanda from third base joins in the conversation, and although he hasn't surrendered any runs yet, he's giving the Falcon offence much too much in the way of the count.
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Well, I walked into that one, didn't I? Now he's surrendered some runs, as Zappataro with his second double, off the fence and still bobbling in the outfield for Masami, drives in Ionian. The Falcons take the score level, Wally the Win Expectancy Worm takes a leap, and Jun Zhou looks like he needs to take an aspirin. Who knows what Kunika Okamoto's been taking?
B3.2 Weak groundball, and Long Lai will be called on to make his first play, and the inning. 1-1 after 3.
T4.1 And Emily hitting straight to Nicolai Rioi, who only has to step onto first. Newmanistan finally victorious, by the way, on an RBI double.
T5.2 Strike on the corner. Swings at this one, and ripped! Puloni going all the way back but it's over his head, and out of here! Natalia Kivistö is making an impression we haven't seen since the early days of Emily Sanderson, and has hammered her third home run of WBC15, 399 feet into rightfield! Quintessence of Dust reclaim the lead, and the fans at Imperium Stadium sounding a little more nervous in their wild, unabashed drunkenness now.
B5.0 Zappataro, who has two doubles already, to leadoff in reply. Strike. Ball. Ball. Swinging strike. Hits the cover off that one, but very high, and it'll go straight down Emily's throat in leftfield.
T6.2 Things getting quiet here. It's not going to turn into a slugfest here, one suspects, but with Natalia once more at the plate, who knows? Ball. Strike, and Natalia doesn't agree. Ball, and Vesparian doesn't agree. Fouled to the backstop. Huge rip down the rightfield line, but it's going to curve foul...and it misses the pole by ten feet. Glancing foul. Good contact, but it'll only go so far as Ianello's glove, to end the top of the sixth.
B6.1 Vallena lines it into right, and she'll get there for a single. News from the Rockets-Pheonix game is of yet more complaints about shrinking strike zones. One rather suspects until they start posting consecutive shutout wins, the Rockets won't be happy.
T7.0 And another disappointing inning for Tarrentum, as Gradoni strikes out swinging to leave Vallena on. Trailing by a run, and it's getting very, very tense, as the floodlights glare ever brighter in the evening dusk. Out to bat is Masami, who is certainly proving the find of the tournament so far.
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And her form continues, ripping one into left and scurrying onto first for a single. Emily to bat. Ball. Ball. Ball. Strike, and Emily informs the umpire where he can stick that call. (Up his bottom, in case you're wondering.) Takes a cut, and could be a double play. Vallena takes it, onto first, steps out of the slide, and throw to first is good! Superb glovework by Vallena at second to eliminate perhaps the two quickest players on the team in one fell swoop.
B7.0 Looks like it will be Toebacca, who won the Mittens-on-a-String as best overall fielder, to fill in at third base with his rather large presence. Ball. And another good hit for Ionian, this time out to right centre, and it looks like being another double. This could be a very big chance for the Falcons. And they will pinch hit now for Vesparian, who pitched seven very creditable innings of work.
High flyball to short right, and Natalia will be in to take the catch. One down.
B7.2 No more chance of a sacrifice now, so they need a hit. Rioi takes the pitch, for a ball. Swings at it, and it'll be a grounder to second and the snap throw from Long is in time.
T8.0 Ederi Sallamo to pitch. At 2-1 this game is still really too tight to call. Long digs at the low pitch and will groundout to second.
T8.1 Strike. Ball. Strike. Fouled off nicely by Natalia. Ball. Ball. Another high foul ball. And a walk! Sallamo yields a base on eight pitches.
Strike. Foul. Inside pitch to ward Masami off the plate. Ball. Foul, and Sallamo is drifting. That's better, but so is the contact! Double down the first base line, Masami into second, Natalia going to home from first, and the relay throw is late! A run to take Quintessence of Dust up to 3-1, and Wally the Win Expectancy Worm really woke up there. A big hit for Masami, who's now 3 for 4, and finds herself on second with one out.
Interestingly, we saw...four stolen bases and two caught stealings in the first innings, and we've seen zero since then. Emily Sanderson to the plate.
And straight off again, as they are intentionally walking her. So up to bat is Anna, hitting poorly so far this Classic. Runners on first and second, a possible double steal threat, and the first pitch is a pitchout! But Masami didn't move. Ball. Ball. Called a strike by a whisker. This time she swings, and it could be a double play - Zappataro, to Vallena, to Rioi, over and out.
B8.0 Bottom of the eighth, and a 3-1 lead. Kunika to be taken out, he's pitched well enough so far. Amazingly he only gave two walks - it seemed like more - but he threw only 55 of 92 pitches as strikes, and just the one K. Not on hot form today, and that low pitch count showing the Falcons willing to swing early. To pitch relief will be Chikafuji, who threw a couple of innings yesterday as well.
Ianello, with another hit. He's had three in this game, but this time no extra bases as Huang holds him at first. And it's straight out for Akihito! Ha, threw three pitches, and the third wasn't good enough, so that's his game. Olof Bergmann in to pitch. Ball to Utteroni. Strike, and it's high off his bat into foul territory, but Natalia manages to get there in time, and pull it down for the flyout.
B8.1 Herbie the Herbster on now. Jun must be confident, as he's cycling through his relievers and a rally now might leave him short in extra innings. Still, that'll help, as Vallena hits a weak grounder to Toebacca, who will throw for the forceout at second.
B8.2 Broken bat grounder up the middle, Anna dashes to it as The Herbster moves to cover first, and he will take the throw in time to end the inning. So the eighth sees a big run for Quintessence of Dust, and no reply for Tarrentum.
T9.2 And Sakiko swishes at an 0-2 count, just got a piece of it but the popup will be easily taken for Rioi to end the ninth. Good shutdown pitching by Francisco Azzri. The question now: will a two run lead be enough?
B9.0 Mazio Mizokuchi to enter, Quintessence of Dust's fifth pitcher of the game. Gradoni, Ionian and - we assume - a pinch hitter to bat.
Fastball touching 98 on the dial for a swinging strike. Called strike, that's even faster. So is that, but it's also lower and a ball. Cutter, still in the high 90s, and I'm not sure how much Gradoni knew about it but he got a bit of bat on it to send it foul. 99 mph on that one, ball. Ha, and an 81 mph change gets Gradoni to swing and miss, he had time to swing twice by the look of it.
B9.1 Ionian, definitely the best hitter today for the Falcons. The tension palpable as Mizokuchi hurls another burning fastball, and Ionian lets fly. It is going back, back, to right centre, Masami running after it in desperation, and she has her glove up as she crashes into the centrefield fence...comes up with it! Fantastic running catch by Masami Tamagotchi, and Ionian denied what would have been at least a double, possibly a home run - I can't quite tell from the replay trajectory. Actually, it looks like it would have cleared the wall. Oh, what a play!
B9.2 And as the pinch hitter Rian Fesserallia comes up, haha, a different instant replay shows, this time just showing Mizokuchi. Releasing the pitch, watching as it flies over his head, and squatting down on his haunches in frustration. Grim faced until at the last moment he smiles reluctantly. But it was the fielder who got that out, and he knows he very nearly surrendered a home run that would have completely revitalised this Falcons' offence.
Now Fesserallia. Ball. Strike. Ball. Strike. Ball. And if this is sounding monotonous, believe me, it's not. Another bat-shredding cutter, and Radosav can throw to first, for Anna to take - and that's the game! Quodite players stream out onto the pitch, the Falcons head back to their dugout in frustration.
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I read yesterday's
New Cleethorpes Enquirer mentioning how it is often the close victories, not the big, perfect wins that give the most cheer, and today's was certainly that. Close throughout, but at the end the Falcons couldn't quite close the gap. A bizarre basestealing frenzy at the start, a homerun from Natalia, and she scored again on a Masami Tamagotchi double; Kunika Okamoto survived obvious early nervous, some tight relief pitching, and a fantastic play in centre.
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Fans drifting out, and as I pack up my things, no word yet on the injury to Momoko Koumura.