World Baseball Classic 51 – Everything Thread (IC)

by **South Newlandia** » Fri Apr 02, 2021 10:40 am

Cutoff for Groups 1-5, Series 4! It's the last series before the off-day, but I know we could go on for centuries.

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 51

GROUP STAGE - SERIES 4 – GROUPS 1-5

Group 1

Game 1
Hapilopper                 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  3
Daskel                     0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0  2

The Luck of Jirachi        1 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0  5
Super-Llamaland            0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Grey County                2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Silvedania                 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 X  3

Game 2 
Hapilopper                 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  2
Daskel                     3 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 X  8

The Luck of Jirachi        1 0 2 0 5 1 0 0 0  9
Super-Llamaland            0 0 2 0 4 2 0 0 0  8

Grey County                1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  3
Silvedania                 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 X  5

Game 3 
Hapilopper                 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  4
Daskel                     0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

The Luck of Jirachi        0 1 0 2 0 0 3 0 0  6
Super-Llamaland            0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 2  5

Grey County                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Silvedania                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  3

P Group 1               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Hapilopper             12   11   1    62   39  +23
2 Silvedania             12    7   5    57   51   +6
3 Daskel                 12    7   5    58   42  +16
4 The Luck of Jirachi    12    6   6    47   57  −10
5 Super-Llamaland        12    4   8    57   62   −5
6 Grey County            12    1  11    30   60  −30

Group 2

Game 1 
Sarzonia                   0 0 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  7
Devonta                    0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 2 0  6

Barnettsville              1 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0  5
Tikariot                   2 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 X  7

Norrhem                    1 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0  6
Britland Isles             0 2 0 0 1 0 2 0 0  5

Game 2
Sarzonia                   0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1  3
Devonta                    2 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 X  5

Barnettsville              0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Tikariot                   0 2 2 1 0 0 0 2 X  7

Norrhem                    0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Britland Isles             2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 X  3

Game 3
Sarzonia                   0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0  3
Devonta                    2 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 X  5

Barnettsville              0 0 4 1 0 0 0 1 0  6
Tikariot                   0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Norrhem                    0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2
Britland Isles             1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 X  3

P Group 2               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Sarzonia               12    9   3    58   32  +26
2 Tikariot               12    9   3    61   42  +19
3 Norrhem                12    5   7    39   42   −3
4 Devonta                12    5   7    39   47   −8
5 Barnettsville          12    4   8    30   46  −16
6 Britland Isles         12    4   8    33   51  −18

Group 3

Game 1
Drawkland                  0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0  3
Le Choix                   0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3  5

Delaclava                  0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Cassadaigua                1 0 3 0 2 0 1 1 X  8

The Hannasean Federation   3 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0  7
Ethane                     2 2 1 1 1 1 0 3 X 11

Game 2
Drawkland                  0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  3
Le Choix                   0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2

Delaclava                  0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
Cassadaigua                0 0 2 4 0 0 1 4 X 11

The Hannasean Federation   0 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 0  4
Ethane                     1 2 3 2 1 0 1 0 X 10

Game 3
Drawkland                  0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Le Choix                   0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 X  4

Delaclava                  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Cassadaigua                1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 X  3

The Hannasean Federation   0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1  3
Ethane                     0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  4

P Group 3                   Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Cassadaigua                12   11   1    73   22  +51
2 The Hannasean Federation   12    6   6    51   61  −10
3 Le Choix                   12    6   6    51   47   +4
4 Delaclava                  12    5   7    52   56   −4
5 Ethane                     12    5   7    45   63  −18
6 Drawkland                  12    3   9    36   59  −23

Group 4

Game 1
Mapletish                  0 0 0 0 2 6 0 0 3 11
Ranoria                    2 0 2 0 1 1 0 2 2 10

Abanhfleft                 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
The 189                    0 0 0 0 5 0 1 0 X  6

Pluvie                     1 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0  4
Newmanistan                2 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 X  5

Game 2
Mapletish                  0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  4
Ranoria                    1 0 4 4 2 0 0 2 X 13

Abanhfleft                 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0  2
The 189                    3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  5

Pluvie                     0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  2
Newmanistan                0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 X  4

Game 3
Mapletish                  0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  3
Ranoria                    0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  2

Abanhfleft                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
The 189                    0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 X  1

Pluvie                     0 0 5 0 0 1 0 0 0  6
Newmanistan                1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1  4

P Group 4               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Newmanistan            12   10   2    77   45  +32
2 Pluvie                 12    7   5    53   47   +6
3 Mapletish              12    6   6    56   72  −16
4 The 189                12    6   6    37   42   −5
5 Ranoria                12    4   8    56   59   −3
6 Abanhfleft             12    3   9    50   64  −14

Group 5

Game 1
Kriegiersien               1 1 3 2 0 0 2 1 0 10
Ko-oren                    2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  3

Xanneria                   0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  2
Squidroidia                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

South Americanastan        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
The Greater Nordics        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Game 2
Kriegiersien               0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0  4
Ko-oren                    1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2  5

Xanneria                   0 0 0 1 0 4 0 2 0  7
Squidroidia                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2  3

South Americanastan        0 2 1 0 1 0 3 1 0  8
The Greater Nordics        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2  3

Game 3
Kriegiersien               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Ko-oren                    0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 X  1

Xanneria                   0 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  7
Squidroidia                0 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 0  5

South Americanastan        0 0 1 0 2 1 0 2 0  6
The Greater Nordics        0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

P Group 5               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Ko-oren                12    9   3    64   41  +23
2 South Americanastan    12    7   5    56   50   +6
3 Kriegiersien           12    6   6    51   47   +4
4 The Greater Nordics    12    6   6    48   47   +1
5 Xanneria               12    5   7    49   53   −4
6 Squidroidia            12    3   9    39   69  −30

by **Ko-oren** » Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:45 am

Baseball. More than just a game. A game within a game. Mind games.

Inside baseball there are at least seven other games going on at the same time.

Not just the pitching and the batting. It's the timing of everything, the verbal and non-verbal aspects.

Greater than the players and the teams on the field are probably the fans, who make the sport what it is, add the stories, and in case of home runs, even get in on the action.

Only through their involvement can clubs and national teams play to the level they do. And so it's our duty to keep them up to date with everything that happens. Interactively. Real-time.

... Now read the first letter of the five above lines. Yes, this is how you keep a crowd invested.

by **The Sherpa Empire** » Fri Apr 02, 2021 12:08 pm

Sometimes, you could just tell if a team was down for the count or if they were going to make a big comeback. Other times you might get caught by surprise, but sometimes you could just tell. You could see it in the way the batters carried themselves as they stepped up to the plate, or by whether the opposing pitcher looked uneasy. As Kai Liao stepped up to the plate in the 7th inning, he didn't have that spark like someone about to launch a big comeback. St. Augustine didn't look rattled as he stared down Liao from across the field. Liao positioned his feet and waved the bat across the plate to make sure he had it lined up the way he wanted. He was still taking the game seriously and looking for something to swing at -- there just wasn't any momentum on his side. The crowd could only do so much to pump up his confidence when the Sherpas were down by 5 runs.

In the dugout, Kami Akunjee, who had given up 5 runs in 5 innings, was sitting on the bench with his arms folded across his chest looking very pissed off. Chongba Lee could sense that it was more than just being frustrated with a bad start. "Are you all right?" Lee asked.

"No!" said Akunjee. "This whole Classic you've been setting me up to fail. You were so surprised that I wasn't using 'roids, like you were annoyed that I was still here. And then this happens and I look like a total dumbass."

Lee started to open his mouth to make a sarcastic comeback, but then he realized he didn't have a good comeback. Lee was not the type of guy who would just bluster about anything, regardless of how unfair it was. He preferred to make reasonable points, and this time he couldn't think of a reasonable argument against Akunjee. "All right, I shouldn't have said that about the drug stuff," Lee said. He sat down beside Akunjee. "Don't worry about today, okay. Everyone has bad games sometimes. If I didn't want you on the team, I wouldn't keep you in the rotation."

The truth was Akunjee rubbed Lee the wrong way and it might have been simpler if he got suspended like Ai -- but it would have been horribly unprofessional to come out and say that. In spite of his occasional dumbassery, Akunjee was still one of the most talented pitchers in the Sherpa Empire and it was Lee's job as a manager to get the most out of that talent.

by **Kriegiersien** » Fri Apr 02, 2021 3:34 pm

Baseball. Two can play this game.
A numbers game, a strategy game?

For some it is Bingo, for others Tic-Tac-Toe.

by **Newmanistan** » Fri Apr 02, 2021 5:27 pm

THE ROCKET REPORT

TWO MORE VICTORIES

Game 10: Newmanistan 5, Pluvie 4

How we scored (rosters are not provided for Pluvie, so we focus on us)

Bottom 1st- Brooke Sauter grounded out. Jenna Schuster doubled to left and advanced to third on a throwing error. Sierra McKinley popped out. Lexi Burrows singled up the middle, scoring Schuster. Nicole Larkin doubled, scoring Burrows. (NEW 2, PLU 1)

Bottom 2nd- Hannah Mitchell, solo HOME RUN to center. (NEW 3, PLU 1)

Bottom 3rd- Sierra McKinley, solo HOME RUN to left. (NEW 4, PLU 1)

Bottom 6th- Chelsea Harlow, RBI double, scoring Nicole Larkin, who singled. (NEW 5, PLU 4)

Pitching:
Allie Macek (5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K)
Paige Bell (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K) (W, 1-0)
Lauren Allen (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K)
Tori Fuller (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K) (S, 3)

Game 11: Newmanistan 4, Pluvie 2

Bottom 2nd- Lexi Burrows singled. Nicole Larkin singled. Chelsea Harlow singled, scoring Burrows. Hannah Mitchell flew out to left; Larkin to 3rd, Harlow to 2nd. Nicole Hoskins single to left-center, scoring Larkin and Harlow. (NEW 3, PLU 0)

Bottom 7th- Nicole Larkin, RBI double, scoring Sierra McKinley, who had walked. (NEW 4, PLU 2)

Pitching:
Kelsie Carmichael (9 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 11 K) (W, 2-1)

Game 12: Pluvie 6, Newmanistan 4

Bottom 1st- Sierra McKinley RBI single, scoring Brooke Sauter who singled and stole both second and third. (NEW 1, PLU 0)

Bottom 6th- Hannah Mitchell, two run double to left, scoring Lexi Burrows and Nicole Larkin, each of whom singled. (PLU 6, NEW 3)

Bottom 9th- Lexi Burrows, RBI double, scoring Sierra McKinley, who singled. (PLU 6, NEW 4)

Pitching:
Brianna Fitch (2 ⅓ IP, 7 H, 4R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) (L, 2-1)
Kristen Phillips (1 ⅔ IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K)
Amanda Stinnett (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K)
Crystal Madden (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K)
Kathryn Riggins (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K)

by **South Americanastan** » Fri Apr 02, 2021 6:59 pm

OOC: I'm too busy to fully rp my games right now, so I'm just doing my team's reaction

SABaseball: Trending Upwards...

The South Americanastan National Team walked into their locker room, the same way they had just a little while ago, but something was... different. There was no smashing of trash cans, no ripping of jerseys, no punching of walls, but instead there were celebrations, cheers, and upbeat chatter among teammates. Micheal Kelly walked into the locker room after finishing cleaning up the dugout, as he usually did. The locker room fell silent, all eyes were on Micheal.

"Hey, don't worry, I'm not mad at ya, I'm happy for ya. This our first ever sweep!" Micheal said, in his signature Vermont accent "In fact, in honor of our first sweep, I think it's time to break out the Champagne!" Micheal went into his office and pulled out a bottle of Northwoods champagne. He uncorked the bottle, sending the brand's signature bubbly foam shooting out the top. The players started cheering, and the "beatings" of practices the coach would give stopped, as morale had improved.

by **Zwangzug** » Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:18 pm

(OOC: Zwangzug isn't very cognizant of the existence of other sapient species, except for the "Scientists declare that @@ANIMAL@@s are persons!" issues. Mostly this gets chalked up to "eh, convergent evolution." But the Kerlagrad Courier is less accurate than their rivals in general, which translates into them being more reliable when the subject matter is offbeat.)

From the Kerlagrad Courier liveblog, latest page:

<< (click for earlier commentary)

-I might just be extremely exhausted but I feel like we need to talk more about the fact that we're playing sentient (and extremely anthropomorphic) pony dudes???
-Everyone over here like "yeah, yeah, Wind has really improved as a sizbermetrician, and she bats the pitcher eighth, that's radical" my friends, this lady is a literal pegasus????
-Noonan works a walk off Rocket who's in there for another inning. Good eye.
-I say good eye, she probably just has to freeze and hope? I don't think you can even see those pitches coming. (That's a human reaction time thing, not a pegasus...unicorn thing.)
-Seriously, I understand that convergent evolution is a thing, we have sentient zebras and stuff. But as far as I know they can't hold a bat. Or glove. Or ball. Or...anything like that.
-Sarves pops back to the mound, one away.
-They're good at footraces, I guess. And signed language (not so much vocal cords).
-Good thing they brought in Jawbreaker early, we chased her in the tenth. With her still available you'd have to give them the edge in depth.
-Though again, I don't know how you measure depth against literal ponies.
-Maia Solloway! A double to deep center scores Noonan, and the Zebras finally have the lead here in the twelfth.
-That'll be all for Rocket, Wind going with Saroyan. Known for a changeup that...I don't even want to think about how their deliveries work.
-Pratt grounds to first, Carlisle will take it himself. Two away.
-I wonder if ponies need jerseys. You could have the zebra people wear...pinstripes. I'll see myself out.
-Frances Wake pokes one over the short porch in left! 6-3 now! Zebras took their time getting their bats to come alive but we'll take it.
-Callan-Milton gets under one, Sara Kovačić will snag it for the third out. But the Zebras take a 3-run lead to the bottom of the twelfth. Can we hold them?
-Natalie Chepas-Wood on to close it out for the Zebras. Kovačić in to lead things off.
-Aaaand she starts the night by hitting him. Welp. Could be one of those days.
-Social media reassures me that unicorns can't use their magic when a ball is in flight. Would we even know? I mean, for all I know they're half-pony, half-narwhal and there's nothing supernatural about them. Except the fact that they can apparently play baseball.
-Artillery Support crushes one to right-center, Adler can't reach it, and it...bounces over the fence for a ground-rule double. That's lucky for the Zebras, actually--if that had been in play Kovačić would almost certainly have scored from first.
-Wenjie Liu goes to talk things over and...huh, she's sticking with Chepas-Wood? I guess she doesn't have a lot of options, but still. This is Zwangzug we're talking about.
-I guess it's reassuring to talk about our bullpen being merely shaky at baseball and not also mediocre at chess...
-Vera Cruz smashes it to second; Noonan flips to Callan-Milton, over to McNell-Weiss for the out. Kovačić scores but the Zebras will happily trade two outs for a run at this point.
-Are there sapient goats in Karditan? Do they curse their opposition? I'm getting a bunch of e-mails from weird Milchamian fans at this point.
-They're mad I'm calling them weird. Look, your nation hasn't existed for years, be happy I still remember your demonym.
-Blah blah nationalism bad.
-And Chepas-Wood plunks Miguel Robles. Come on.
-Okay, now we get Whitney Chavez.
-And she only needs one pitch to retire Robert Humphries on a lazy fly to Solloway. Could be worse.
-Thanks for reading, I'm going to go dream of pegasi flying around the outfield. (I think that was a cult classic movie from Quintessence of Dust.)

by **Kohnhead** » Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:51 pm

A 1-2 series against South Newlandia sends us to second by only a game

Who could possibly be complaining after a 3-3 stretch against the 4th ranked team and the 11th ranked team to keep the Pandas in second of the group at 6-3. On the road in Elephant Stadium for a three game series, it was a surprising matchup of the two top teams in the group as projected winners and 4th ranked in the multiverse Banija sat at 3-3 two games behind both of us after we had beaten them 2-1 in the most recent series.

Kohnhead                   0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
South Newlandia            0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 X  2

The first game of the series saw a pitchers duel between Fletcher Crouch our number two who currently plays baseball in South Newlandia for the Blue Sox going up against their ace in Jacob Conroy. In eight of the nine innings no runs were scored meaning that every single runner who crossed the plate did so in the sixth inning that first saw us score a run the first and only one on the day against Conroy. It ended being a leadoff homer from Dickerson and with the way Crouch had been pitching it looked like one might be all we need.

However in the bottom of that very same inning, David Drum scored off of an Igor White triple and then he scored when Dickerson made a fielding error misplacing the ball to make it 2-1 South Newlandia. That was the way the game would end with Conroy going eight innings and not allowing another run before Barnaby Butt shut us down in the top of the ninth to give South Newlandia the win.

Kohnhead                   0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
South Newlandia            0 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 X  5

Game two saw Fox make his second appearance for us coming off of an amazing complete game shutout against Pratapgadh in his first start where he was on fire the entire game, that was definitely not the case here in South Newlandia however. In the third inning it was a run from Fabio Ventura as Shawn Zimmerman sent him home with a sacrifice fly and in the next inning Igor White who had played very well against Kohnhead sent one deep to make it 3-2 as we had gotten a two run homer from Ratliff in the prior inning.

However in the bottom of the sixth, Fox would face his last action of the day when he allowed two runs to cross and a 5-2 deficit was too much for our offense to catch up from with Jay Kramer pitching a solid seven innings before the bullpen did the rest. A 5-2 defeat dropped us to 5-3 on the classic and we knew that a win in the third game could allow us to take some semblance of victory from the series.

Kohnhead                   0 0 9 1 0 3 0 1 0 14
South Newlandia            0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0  2

Boy did we win, we didn't just win we absolutely demolished South Newlandia winning 14-2 in a game that left many wondering where this offense had been when we scored three runs across the first 18 innings of the series. The absolute meltdown of the South Newlandian pitching staff especially starter Blake Robbins who was pulled after having surrendered five runs in the third inning including four on a Grand Slam by Dorsey. However that was not the last of the Kohnheadian offense in the third inning as we got four more runs with Clayton hitting a three run bomb and Hahn scoring off of a Cherry triple.

With a 9-0 lead there wasn't much for Mclellan to do and the southpaw got pulled midway through the 7th after allowing her second run of the game to King although it didn't matter whatsoever as Kohnhead continued to beat up on any pitcher from South Newlandia who entered in scoring five more runs to make it a 14-2 final. While this offense would have been appreciated in the other matches we leave Elephant Stadium on a high note and now sit at 6-3.

With Banija only winning two out of three from Pratapgadh whom we swept they now sit a game back of us, who sits a game back from South Newlandia although they still have to play Banija. While all three of us will most likely be making the Round of 32 seeding 100% matters as it could be the difference between facing Cassadaigua and facing I don't know some random 4th place team that squeaked into the playoffs. Overall I have nothing much to complain about as we get set to host 95th ranked St. Saratoga who sit in last of the group at 3-6, I'm really hoping for a sweep here as South Newlandia travels to Banija and it could give us a chance to overtake SNL in the standings.

P Group 8               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts  
1 South Newlandia         9    7   2    59   37  +22     7
2 Kohnhead                9    6   3    46   28  +18     6
3 Banija                  9    5   4    42   44   −2     5
4 Sicoutimont             9    3   6    31   44  −13     3
5 Pratapgadh              9    3   6    28   33   −5     3
6 St. Saratoga            9    3   6    37   57  −20     3

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:41 pm

Memoires d'Athletes

Do Or Die

Ten years ago.

The Battle between the Greatest Team in Paper and the Challenger happened.

Erskine CI vs. Sangwon CVI for the last championship final of the Year.

This is the story of that game, from those who played, and those who witnessed it.

10->52. 18->9->10. 25.....7->5->7.

Theo-Alexandre Pinson: It was a tough year altogether, and nobody was feeling the numbs.

The extra innings, with the Hwanggeumsajagi (Golden Lion Championship) finals tied at 0-0....you know somebody was going to be a hero that night. It was a really unusual night for all of us out there. I think I'd be lying if I told you that we were going to win, or that it would happen on a walk-off home run. That level of pressure, even when you are in high school, is quite something. I remember the final out of the ninth, being like 'well here we go'.

We all looked at our coach (head coach Jang Min-Gi) on the dugout, and coach told us not to worry. It was then that we knew it wasn't going to be easy.

Samuel Carlini-Mwambutsya: We were ready to win the triple. Everybody came to the final, the third straight we were making in, with some sort of energy. All of us were expecting something special to happen, whether it be crowning of what could possibly be the greatest team in the history of Quebecois high school baseball, or a successful prevention of it by another powerhouse program. Like a lot of kids know we do live in a golden age of Quebecois baseball, especially with how many of our players play in Cassadaigua or South Newlandia these days, but to us- the golden age was when were still in high school. The level of talent on those high schools...unbelievable. You know what I'm saying?

Heo Myeong-Shin: You bet. I remember that Spring-Summer season being a really tough one, because everybody knew who were the ones to watch, but at the same time none of us knew. It was that hard to predict, and it did end up being a phenomenal season!

Kelsey Altherr: That's one brilliant thing about the high school sports, but especially baseball, here. The energy level, no matter what school you go, is gonna be there, and the crowd is always gonna watch you once you are on the nationals. Then, once you actually make it, that's when you really see the key differences. I remember playing Erskine on, what was it, Hwangjebae semifinals? I remember you, Myeong-Shin, were resting that day.

Heo Myeong-Shin: Yeah, I was. We ran different pitchers, closing it out with Gaugin Jones, who did turn out quite nicely for (California City) Dodgers.

Kelsey Altherr: Exactly. For us, it was the first time in five years we made it to a semifinal on a natty (note: Quebec and Shingoryeo has five national championships for high school baseball, with one school eligible to participate up to three tournaments). For them, it was sixth in three years and they had already won three in that period. Kinda a bummer it didn't turn out that way.

Theo-Alexandre Pinson: I know that feeling. It was hellish playing against those guys, especially since the depth Erskine had on all positions...was quite impossible to create. Almost as if we were seeing some U18 version of QBO: The Show.

Samuel Carlini-Mwambutsya: Then you beat us anyway so...

Theo-Alexandre Pinson: Yes, but we'll get to that later anyway. Myeong-Shin and I always had that bond from the beginning, and we did want the same number ten after all, though it did take you the long way.

Heo Myeong-Shin: It did take me the long way for sure. When I was starting baseball at Sydenham Central (Public School) as a grade two, I had number ten because my dad, you've all met him before, he's the Chicoutimi Lions fan. He never grew up there, but my paternal family's all from Gaspesie. So of course his favourite player was Hong Man-Seok, and he suggested why don't I wear the ten after the 'Hongshin'? I said sure, and agreed to it.

Samuel Carlini-Mwambutsya: You wore eighteen and nine for Erskine and college though.

Heo Myeong-Shin: I think I received eighteen because you know, an ace's number. I told coach that I didn't want number one anyway. And number nine was because Saguenay football doesn't give out eighteen for linebackers- that's usually for quarterbacks or safeties. Though I did play safety up to senior year of high school, that was thrown out of the window pretty quickly anyway. So nine it was, and playing both baseball and football had meant, eighteen.

Theo-Alexandre Pinson: Yeah, I see what you mean there. I remember getting number ten because of same reason actually- your dad recommended number ten to me as well because of that reason. Back then I was in Habpo though- Muhak (Primary School) did have a good team and there I was until mum got a job in Chicoutimi. I still kept the number until Queen's College, and then Lions came. Can't really wear the retired number, so fifty-two was the next best thing.

Kelsey Altherr: I feel that. I like number twenty-five on me. Anyways, let's go back to that special night. I remember watching it back home because we had choice between Cheongryonggi (Blue Dragon Cup) and this one and we went for Cheongryonggi. Even on the television, there's that odd weight...you could feel it all the way to your seat. Only those who have played in it would know.

Samuel Carlini-Mwambutsya: Oh certainly. I remember, being that freshman shortstop who played on the team that won double two years prior, there was that high expectation. This team lost to Gyeongbuk in a downer at Bonghwanggi (Phoenix Cup) final last year and lost in quarters, so there's that hope that we could hit the finals for all three. The little did we know that the further we went into that season, which was my junior year, more pressure we got from everybody! It wasn't easy to deal with it, especially since the expectations were that we would still be there for classes and do all our work and whatnot. So, by the very last night, at that Hwanggeumsajagi Final, I think we were ready to go all in, feel our happiest at achieving history or be heartbroken at having fallen short.

Theo-Alexandre Pinson: It was my second national finals, so I was trying my best to enjoy it. Sangwon had such a good class of seniors and as a guy who was going to play college ball at Queen's College, I was trying my best to not spoil it as the captain. I think all 35 of us knew what was coming, but still it was scary. To be there, as the captain on his final high school tournament, and to make it all the way to the final...at that point I remember all those dinners after the match on gameday or practices during days off that the alumni association paid for us, and you know, they were now cheering from the stands! Man. They were taking the winning traditions that seriously here.

Kelsey Altherr: To be fair, they did expect a lot from all of us in the end.

by **Tikariot** » Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:46 pm

And the cutoff for MD 4 has arrived. Who will soar like an eagle?

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 51

GROUP STAGE - SERIES 4 – GROUPS 6-10

Group 6

Game 1
Sannyamathland             0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
Nova Anglicana             2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  2

Marigred                   2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
The Fortem                 4 0 0 0 2 2 2 1 X 11

Srednjaci                  4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  6
Quebec and Shingoryeo      1 0 1 0 0 1 4 3 X 10

Game 2 
Sannyamathland             0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0  4
Nova Anglicana             0 4 0 0 0 0 4 0 X  8

Marigred                   0 0 0 3 0 4 0 0 0  7
The Fortem                 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Srednjaci                  0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Quebec and Shingoryeo      0 0 0 6 1 2 0 0 X  9

Game 3 
Sannyamathland             0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0  3
Nova Anglicana             0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 X  4

Marigred                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
The Fortem                 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 X  4

Srednjaci                  0 0 0 0 2 4 0 3 0  9
Quebec and Shingoryeo      0 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 0  5

P Group 6                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana          12   11   1    71   52  +19    11
2 The Fortem              12    8   4    72   54  +18     8
3 Quebec and Shingoryeo   12    5   7    54   49   +5     5
4 Sannyamathland          12    4   8    57   65   −8     4
5 Srednjaci               12    4   8    55   81  −26     4
6 Marigred                12    4   8    49   57   −8     4

Group 7

Game 1 
Karditan                   4 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  7
Tierra de Castro           0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 1  4

BohemiaIV                  1 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1  5
TJUN-ia                    2 0 1 4 0 5 0 2 X 14

Zwangzug                   0 0 0 3 0 5 0 0 0  8
HUElavia                   1 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0  6

Game 2
Karditan                   3 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1  6
Tierra de Castro           0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  2

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

Zwangzug                   0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0  4
HUElavia                   0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 1  5

Game 3
Karditan                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Tierra de Castro           1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  3

BohemiaIV                  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
TJUN-ia                    0 2 0 0 1 0 2 0 X  5

Zwangzug                   0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
HUElavia                   0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 X  3

P Group 7               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts  
1 TJUN-ia                12    9   3    75   43  +32     9
2 HUElavia               12    7   5    47   42   +5     7
3 Zwangzug               12    7   5    61   51  +10     7
4 BohemiaIV              12    5   7    37   56  −19     5
5 Karditan               12    5   7    48   49   −1     5
6 Tierra de Castro       12    3   9    41   68  −27     3

Group 8

Game 1
Sicoutimont                0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 1  4
Banija                     0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 X  5

South Newlandia            0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  3
Pratapgadh                 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  2

St. Saratoga               0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
Kohnhead                   0 0 2 5 0 0 0 0 X  7

Game 2
Sicoutimont                0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2
Banija                     1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 X  4

South Newlandia            0 0 0 1 2 1 2 3 0  9
Pratapgadh                 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  4

St. Saratoga               2 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0  5
Kohnhead                   0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 5  8

Game 3
Sicoutimont                0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  2
Banija                     1 1 2 4 1 0 2 0 X 11

South Newlandia            1 0 1 1 0 0 0 4 0  7
Pratapgadh                 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

St. Saratoga               1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  2
Kohnhead                   0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 X  4

P Group 8               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts  
1 South Newlandia        12   10   2    78   44  +34    10
2 Kohnhead               12    9   3    65   36  +29     9
3 Banija                 12    8   4    62   52  +10     8
4 Sicoutimont            12    3   9    39   64  −25     3
5 Pratapgadh             12    3   9    35   52  −17     3
6 St. Saratoga           12    3   9    45   76  −31     3

Group 9

Game 1
Hicaña                     0 1 0 1 2 0 0 1 0  5
Qzvarkian Qaz              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0  3

The Sherpa Empire          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2  5
Bardney                    0 0 0 4 2 0 1 0 X  7

Quintessence of Dust       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Chromatika                 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 X  5

Game 2
Hicaña                     0 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2  6
Qzvarkian Qaz              0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  4

The Sherpa Empire          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4  4
Bardney                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Quintessence of Dust       0 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 1 10
Chromatika                 4 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  7

Game 3
Hicaña                     0 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 1  5
Qzvarkian Qaz              0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2

The Sherpa Empire          0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  4
Bardney                    1 0 0 1 0 6 0 1 X  9

Quintessence of Dust       4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  6
Chromatika                 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0  3

P Group 9               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Bardney                12    9   3    66   46  +20     9
2 Chromatika             12    7   5    58   57   +1     7
3 The Sherpa Empire      12    7   5    65   56   +9     7
4 Quintessence of Dust   12    6   6    61   59   +2     6
5 Hicaña                 12    5   7    41   48   −7     5
6 Qzvarkian Qaz          12    2  10    51   76  −25     2

Group 10

Game 1
Liventia                   0 0 3 0 0 0 0 3 1  7
Anthor                     0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0  4

Hampton Island             0 1 1 0 2 0 1 0 0  5
Equestrian States          0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3  4

Crilland                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0  4
Aji No Moto                0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 2  6

Game 2
Liventia                   0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0  4
Anthor                     1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Hampton Island             0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0  3
Equestrian States          3 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 X  5

Crilland                   0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0  4
Aji No Moto                0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1  5

Game 3
Liventia                   2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2  5
Anthor                     0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0  3

Hampton Island             0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0  4
Equestrian States          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Crilland                   1 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0  5
Aji No Moto                0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0  3

P Group 10		Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Hampton Island         12   10   2    70   33  +37    10
2 Liventia               12    9   3    59   39  +20     9
3 Equestrian States      12    6   6    46   60  −14     6
4 Aji No Moto            12    4   8    58   81  −23     4
5 Crilland               12    4   8    48   57   −9     4
6 Anthor                 12    3   9    47   58  −11     3

by **The Greater Nordics** » Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:47 pm

The Nordic team walks into the clubhouse at King Lauritz I stadium in a state of shock and anger. Veteran LF Soren Vang picks up a trash can and throws it against the wall, leaving a mark. Second Baseman Camilla Olsen is shouting at starter Olav Mäkelä. The manager then comes in and yells at everyone to quiet down and listen. "This is no way for veteran ballplayers to be acting! Yes, we just got swept by a team no one has ever heard of but there are a lot of games left to play. Teams get cold sometimes, its a part of baseball."

They have just been swept at home by South Americanastan, a nation which has sent its first team to the WBC. The first game was close, with Saara Omdahl pitching a shutout until the 9th before giving up a run. The bats were cold in that game and the rest of the series. The mood of the team has definately taken a turn, from being joyous to being down and defeated. The team has also taken a tumble in the standings, going from 2nd in the group to 4th. Luckily there is a break in the games so manager Kaj Eriksen can hopefully get his squad playing good baseball. Hitting coach Anders Lange needs to find a way to get the bats going otherwise this team is in trouble.

by **Super-Llamaland** » Fri Apr 02, 2021 10:57 pm

I. Oladipo Arrives
II. Alasan Senghore
III. The New Way Forward
IV. Kai Söderstrom
V. Opening Day
VI. Is Losing Fun?

TYLER ROCKE MEMORIAL STADIUM, NEW LLAMA CITY

A series of shots indicates the arrival of Opening Day of the WBC51 group stage at TYLER ROCKE, the Tigers’ home stadium. We see the players walking through the tunnel to take batting practice, Isaac and Alasan watching from the dugout. This is followed by, in rapid succession, fans entering the stadium, LBA executives entering their private box, and the first pitch being thrown by former star second baseman ALEX KIRK. This is interspersed with cuts from recent podcasts radio shows, as voiceovers, that are discussing Isaac Oladipo’s new style of management…

PODCAST HOST 1 (VOICEOVER): You know, the thing with that type of pitching management, is it’s not really optimal with the players we have. There are no Justin Zhengs or Maddie Wagners coming through…

PODCAST HOST 2 (VOICEOVER): I’m telling you, with the personnel we have? Isaac Oladipo has a good track record, but he is really playing with fire here. You’re telling me Genevieve Strauss is going to go seven innings? It’s a recipe for disaster…

PODCAST HOST 3 (VOICEOVER): People follow these statistics for a reason. It’s because they work. Isaac Oladipo is trying to bring us back to the old days...and while we had success in the old days, it’s worth wondering what the LBA was thinking, bringing him on. I mean, with the likes of Tanya Ericsson and Michael Shelby available, going with a dinosaur of a manager doesn’t exactly inspire confidence…

On the mound is GENEVIEVE STRAUSS, recently returned to the national team after a brief hiatus. We see her warming up with a determined look in her eyes, before settling in to face some anonymous Silvedanian. She gets the sign from Derrick Armstrong, adjusts her grip, and whips a NINETY-FOUR MPH FASTBALL into Armstrong’s glove…

UMPIRE: Strike!

We see a montage of Strauss pitching; she’ll finish the first six innings with just two runs allowed on five hits, and eight strikeouts to just a single walk. However, the Tigers only score two in the same time, keeping the game level despite their ace’s strong performance. We cut between the dugout and the bullpen, where Isaac is on the phone with bullpen coach MATT SANTANGELO.

MATT: We’ve got Eliza and Justin up for you, boss, like you mentioned. You want either of them?

ISAAC: Have them sit down, Santangelo. Genevieve’s getting the ball for the seventh.

MATT: You don’t want them warm, just in case? She’s almost at one hundred-

ISAAC: You know who we’re talking about? Genevieve Strauss. I don’t care if she’s got two hundred pitches already, she can handle some minnows at home. Isaac sets the phone down.

We cut back to the pitchers’ mound, where Strauss is clearly beginning to tire. The announcer notes events with some concern as Strauss continues to pitch, and we cut to a montage...

ANNOUNCER (Voiceover): There’s ball four, as Strauss can’t locate the changeup, and that puts men on first and second with still nobody out…

Strauss delivers a pitch that is sliced down the left-field line, scoring one…

ANNOUNCER (voiceover): Silvedania takes the lead, and there’s runners on second and third with still nobody out! Strauss in real trouble here, but Isaac Oladipo seems to have every intention of sticking to his guns…

We cut back to the dugout, where Oladipo is on the phone with Matt Santangelo again…

MATT: She’s dying out there, Isaac! I can get Vandenberg or Kennedy Schumacher up...you just say the word, and I’ll have them ready for you.

ISAAC: She’s our ace, Santangelo. We’ll be fine. This is when the cream really rises to the top.

Cut back to the field, where after walking the bases loaded, Strauss completely locks down. We establish another montage…

ANNOUNCER (voiceover): Strike three called on a filthy changeup! Strauss paints the corners to get the first out, but there’s still two to go to get out of the jam...

Strauss delivers another pitch, swung through and missed for the second out…

ANNOUNCER (voiceover): Here’s the 1-2...Strauss punches him out! The high heat is just too sweet to lay off, and Genevieve Strauss makes the batter pay for chasing! She’s turned it around! Just one more out and she’s escaped...

Strauss delivers another pitch, which is popped up harmlessly to TYSON LONG in left field. Strauss shouts triumphantly as she walks off the mound, glove in the air...

ANNOUNCER (voiceover): Strauss has him out in front, and that’s popped up to left...routine play for Long, who makes the grab. Strauss escapes a bases-loaded, no outs jam with a beautiful piece of pitching, changing the hitter’s eye level with the fastball before getting him out with the changeup...but Silvedania fire a warning shot, and take a 3-2 lead in the seventh.

On screen, Tyson Long later hits a walk-off three-run home run to win the game for the Tigers. Isaac looks to Matt Santangelo with an “I told you so” expression. We then cut to:

ONE WEEK LATER - TYLER ROCKE MEMORIAL STADIUM, NEW LLAMA CITY

As Genevieve Strauss warms up for the seventh inning of her second start, this time against Hapilopper, we again hear the radio commentary trickle in…

ANNOUNCER (voiceover): So, although Strauss has given up three runs in the first six innings, she has looked pretty sharp while doing so, punching out nine and scattering just six hits. Hapilopper has a formidable offense, but after Strauss escaped a seventh-inning jam during her first start against Silvedania, Isaac Oladipo looks like he’ll trust her to finish the seventh this time around...

On screen, we see GRADY ELLIOTT turn on a fastball from a frustrated Strauss and send it down the line for a double…the commentary continues, but we cut to the DUGOUT, where Isaac Oladipo and Matt Santangelo are again discussing...

ANNOUNCER (voiceover): That’ll put runners on the corners for the slugging outfielder Dayton Rowe, although the Tigers are still nursing a four-run lead. Strauss is really laboring out there, but Oladipo is again putting faith in his ace...

MATT: Isaac, she’s dying out there - you’ve got to take her out. One swing of the bat and it’s seven-six, and Strauss is really laboring.

ISAAC: I said it last time you told me to take Genevieve out, and I’ll say it now - she’s our ace. If we can’t trust her to get out of a jam, we’re fucked.

MATT: It’s not about that. We have so many fresh arms in the bullpen, and- There’s a cracking sound. They both look up.

ANNOUNCER (voiceover): Strauss behind 2-0, she’ll need to spot one in the zone...here’s the pitch, a fastball...swung on by Rowe and hit hard down the left-field line...that’s good if it stays fair...and it rattles off the pole and back for a three-run home run! And that’ll make it a one-run ballgame…

MATT: Isaac, seriously-

ISAAC: She has to learn how to work through this!

ANNOUNCER (voiceover): Here’s the first pitch to Jerome Hayden, swung on and absolutely hammered to deep right field. That’s back...that’s gone! Hayden nearly sends that fastball out of the park, and it’s a tie game.

ISAAC: Fuck! Okay, get me Kris Headley.

MATT: It’s a pretty high-leverage spot...you sure you don’t want Vandenberg?

ISAAC: Does this look like the ninth inning to you?

ANNOUNCER (voiceover): First pitch to Armstrong, tattooed out to dead center, that’s a no-doubter and it’s gone. Eight-seven now, and the game is rapidly slipping out of reach for Genevieve Strauss and the Tigers. And now there’s finally someone up in the bullpen, but you have to wonder what just happened in the dugout.

Cuts to the middle of the seventh; the score is now an unbelievable 12-7. Genevieve Strauss walks back to the dugout, is given a wide berth by her teammates, and uses that wide berth (and a bat) to completely DESTROY three Gatorade coolers, shouting in frustration as she does so. As we watch the outburst, we listen to a series of podcast hosts discussing the loss, which drops the Tigers to .500…

PODCAST HOST 1: Honestly, I don’t know what he was thinking. Strauss shouldn’t even have started the seventh, much less gone so deep. It’s like our manager froze…

PODCAST HOST 2: The first time it worked, it was just a fluke...and even if it wasn’t, it’s Silvedania. Clearly, the talent we have is not enough to beat Hapilopper without some shrewd bullpen management, and that’s just not something Oladipo is capable of…

PODCAST HOST 3: With the departure of head of sabermetrics Julius Woodman and a roster that I'll describe as unusual, if not eccentric, you have to wonder what Isaac Oladipo is thinking...

by **Quintessence of Dust** » Sat Apr 03, 2021 8:33 am

(Provisional) box scores as posted on the TalkBaseball.qd website.


                      AB   R   H  RBI BB   K  LOB  AVG  HR  RBI
I. Gennarelli CF       4   0   1   0   0   2   2  .222   1   3
N. Hisakawa SS         4   0   2   0   0   1   1  .244   2   6
Y. Hanazawa 2B         4   0   1   0   0   0   1  .231   1   1
T. Kaufer 1B           4   0   0   0   0   1   3  .000   0   0
B. Wilson LF           4   0   1   0   0   1   2  .297   2   5
K. Lin 3B              3   0   1   0   0   2   0  .538   1   5
L. Phelps C            4   0   0   0   0   2   1  .462   3   5
Z. Jiang P             2   0   0   0   0   2   1  .000   0   0
  C. Young P           0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .000   0   0
  a–S. Akerström PH    1   0   0   0   0   0   0  .423   3   8
  J. Fujioka P         0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .000   0   0
  M. Murphy P          0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .000   0   0
T. Brøndum RF          3   0   1   0   0   0   0  .154   0   1

a–S. Akerström pinch-hit for C. Young in the 7th

Doubles: I. Gennarelli (3, 3rd inning, 0 on, 1 out), T. Brøndum (1, 5th inning, 0 on, 2 outs)
Total bases: I. Gennarelli 2, T. Brøndum 2, N. Hisakawa 2, B. Wilson, Y. Hanazawa, K. Lin
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: Z. Jiang, Y. Hanazawa, I. Gennarelli
GIDP: S. Akerström
Hit by Pitch: K. Lin
Team LOB: 7

BASERUNNING
CS: B. Wilson (1)

                        IP  H   R  ER  BB   K  HR  PI  PS  ERA
Z. Jiang (L 0 – 1)     4.2  5   4   4   3   4   1  76  47 7.71
C. Young               1.1  2   0   0   0   0   0  28  20 0.00
J. Fujioka             1.0  0   0   0   0   1   0  18  10 0.00
M. Murphy              1.0  1   1   1   0   1   1  14   9 9.00

Game score: Z. Jiang 37
Batters faced: Z. Jiang 22, C. Young 6, J. Fujioka 3, M. Murphy 4
Ground outs – fly outs: Z. Jiang 7 – 3, C. Young 2 – 2, J. Fujioka 2 – 0, M. Murphy 1 – 1
Inherited runners – scored: C. Young 1 – 0
Balk: Z. Jiang


                      AB   R   H  RBI BB   K  LOB  AVG  HR  RBI
I. Gennarelli CF       5   1   2   4   0   0   1  .240   2   7
N. Hisakawa SS         4   1   0   0   0   2   0  .224   2   6
R. Harris LF           4   0   1   0   0   1   1  .200   0   2
  d–T. Brøndum PH, RF  1   0   0   0   0   0   0  .143   0   1
S. Akerström 3B        5   2   2   2   0   0   1  .419   4  10
B. Wilson RF, LF       3   2   1   1   2   1   0  .300   2   6
S. Borgþórsson 1B      4   1   1   0   1   1   1  .212   1   7
  M. Murphy P          0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .000   0   0
L. Phelps C            2   1   0   0   3   1   1  .439   3   5
J. Martin P            0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .250   0   0
  M. Ryan P            0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .000   0   0
  a–N. Kivimäki PH     1   0   0   0   0   1   0  .286   0   1
  J. Béranger P        0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .000   0   0
  b–K. Lin PH          1   1   1   2   0   1   0  .571   1   7
  C. Young P           0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .000   0   0
  c–A. Lacroix PH      1   0   1   0   0   0   0  .333   0   0
  J. Fujioka P         0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .000   0   0
  C. Mao P             0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .000   0   0
  e–T. Kaufer PH, 1B   1   0   0   0   0   0   1  .000   0   0
Y. Hanazawa 2B         3   1   1   1   1   0   3  .238   1   4

a–N. Kivimäki pinch-hit for M. Ryan in the 3rd
b–K. Lin pinch-hit for J. Béranger in the 5th
c–A. Lacroix pinch-hit for C. Young in the 7th
d–T. Brøndum pinch-hit for R. Harris in the 8th
e–T. Kaufer pinch-hit for C. Mao in the 9th

Doubles: S. Borgþórsson (3, 5th inning, 1 on, 0 outs), S. Akerström (4, 5th inning, 1 on, 1 out)
Home runs: I. Gennarelli (2, 5th inning, 3 on, 0 outs), S. Akerström (4, 9th inning, 0 on, 0 outs)
Total bases: S. Akerström 6, I. Gennarelli 5, S. Borgþórsson 2, Y. Hanazawa, K. Lin, B. Wilson, R. Harris, A. Lacroix
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: Y. Hanazawa 2
Sac Fly: K. Lin
Hit by Pitch: N. Hisakawa
Team LOB: 6
GIDP: N. Hisakawa

BASERUNNING
SB: N. Hisakawa (4)

FIELDING
Errors: Y. Hanazawa (3), I. Gennarelli (1)

                        IP  H   R  ER  BB   K  HR  PI  PS  ERA
J. Martin              1.2  5   6   6   3   2   1  51  26 32.40
M. Ryan                0.1  0   0   0   0   1   0   5   3  0.00
J. Béranger W (1 – 0)  2.0  1   0   0   0   1   0  19  14  0.00
C. Young H (1)         2.0  1   0   0   0   0   0  14  11  0.00
J. Fujioka H (1)       0.2  2   1   1   0   1   0  15  10 13.50
C. Mao H (2)           1.1  1   0   0   0   1   0  13  10  0.00
M. Murphy SV (1)       1.0  1   0   0   0   1   0  15  11  0.00

Game score: J. Martin 20
Batters faced: J. Martin 13, M. Ryan 1, J. Béranger 7, C. Young 7, J. Fujioka 4, C. Mao 5, M. Murphy 4
Ground outs – fly outs: J. Martin 1 – 2, M. Ryan 0 – 0, J. Béranger 2 – 2, C. Young 2 – 4, J. Fujioka 0 – 1, C. Mao 1 – 2, M. Murphy 0 – 1
Inherited runners – scored: M. Ryan 2 – 0, C. Mao 1 – 0


                      AB   R   H  RBI BB   K  LOB  AVG  HR  RBI
I. Gennarelli CF       4   0   0   0   1   1   1  .222   2   7
N. Hisakawa SS         4   1   1   0   0   1   0  .224   2   6
T. Brøndum RF          3   1   2   2   1   0   0  .235   1   3
T. Kaufer 1B           4   1   2   0   0   0   2  .095   0   0
B. Wilson LF           4   0   1   0   0   2   2  .295   2   6
K. Lin 3B              3   1   0   0   0   0   2  .471   1   7
  b–S. Borgþórsson PH  1   1   1   0   0   0   0  .235   1   7
L. Phelps C            4   1   2   1   0   1   0  .444   3   6
M. Kawakami P          2   0   0   0   0   0   1  .286   0   0
  J. Isaacson P        0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .000   0   0
  J-N. Boudreaux P     0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .000   0   0
  a–S. Akerström PH    1   0   0   0   0   1   0  .406   4  10
  C. Young P           0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .000   0   0
  c–A. Lacroix PH      1   0   1   1   0   0   0  .500   0   1
  C. Mao P             0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .000   0   0
Y. Hanazawa 2B         4   0   0   0   0   1   1  .217   1   4

a–S. Akerström pinch-hit for J-N. Boudreaux in the 8th
b–S. Borgþórsson pinch-hit for K. Lin in the 9th
c–A. Lacroix pinch-hit for C. Young in the 9th

Home runs: T. Brøndum (1, 1st inning, 1 on, 1 out)
Total bases: T. Brøndum 5, T. Kaufer 2, L. Phelps 2, N. Hisakawa, B. Wilson, S. Borgþórsson, A. Lacroix
2-out RBI: L. Phelps
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: K. Lin, I. Gennarelli
GIDP: K. Lin
Team LOB: 4

BASERUNNING
SB: N. Hisakawa (5)
CS: I. Gennarelli (1)

FIELDING
Errors: L. Phelps (2)
Double plays: 1 (Hanazawa – Hisakawa – Kaufer)

                        IP  H   R  ER  BB   K  HR  PI  PS  ERA
M. Kawakami            3.1  5   3   3   1   2   1  54  33 8.10
J. Isaacson W (1 – 0)  1.2  1   0   0   1   0   0  17  10 0.00
J-N. Boudreaux H (1)   2.0  1   0   0   0   2   0  21  14 0.00
C. Young H (2)         1.0  1   0   0   0   0   0   9   7 0.00
C. Mao SV (2)          1.0  0   0   0   1   0   0  15   7 0.00

Game score: M. Kawakami 41
Batters faced: M. Kawakami 15, J. Isaacson 7, J-N. Boudreaux 7, C. Young 4, C. Mao 3
Ground outs – fly outs: M. Kawakami 4 – 3, J. Isaacson 3 – 2, J-N. Boudreaux 2 – 2, C. Young 1 – 2, C. Mao 2 – 0
Inherited runners – scored: J-N. Boudreaux 2 – 0

Player of the Game Profiles posted on TalkBaseball.qd website.

Game 10: Oscar de Witt

Game 11: Kun Lin

Game 12: Luke Phelps

by **Hannasea** » Sat Apr 03, 2021 9:30 am

“I’m Ashlee Hollis, reporting from Pearl City, with news of the Choughs’ trip to Ethane. A difficult series against a team that’s fast becoming something of a perennial rival. In the recent Hannasean return to international sport, they’ve played against Ethane in basketball, hateball, and now baseball, and unfortunately this has been the worst encounter yet, sliding to a 0 – 3 series sweep.”

“Playing at the McTidley Arena, the first game was one to forget for the Choughs. Ethane’s batters rained 17 hits off Zac Parker and his relievers, including home runs for Benjamin Wilden and Graham Wilde, and three doubles off the bat of first baseman Benjamin Cutleigh. The Choughs scored seven, three of them off a Jack Jones homer, but couldn’t keep pace with Ethane’s batters as the bullpen ran dry.”

“The second game saw a demolition of struggling ace pitcher Wyatt Gardner, who’s looked really underwhelming this Classic. He was pulled after surrendering three home runs, two to Bobby Bassen and one to Wilden again; Christian Hanks later tagged William Whitworth for Ethane’s fourth of the day. Taylor ‘not a girl’ Parker had a little revenge for his brother’s mauling on the previous day with a 2-RBI shot of his own, but it was never enough to make up for another horrendous pitching start from the Choughs.”

“The series finished much as it had started: a bunch of guys called Benjamin clubbing home runs off the Choughs pitching, and the Choughs batting offering very little in response. It was an improved performance on the mound from Jimmy Morris but he didn’t have enough run support to make up for the four runs taken off him in the 2nd.

“Amazingly, the Choughs remain second in their group despite being swept, but are yet to play the runaway favorites, Cassadaigua. A few Hannasean women play hateball in the Dagan leagues, so while it’s not quite a rivalry on the scale of Ethane’s, there’s certainly some interest in the games. It’s very much back to square one as the team struggles for pitching and runs, but Kian Bell’s good showing against Drawkland will give hope of a strong start in the tough first game.”

by **Le Choix** » Sat Apr 03, 2021 8:18 pm

Le Choix vs. Drawkland @ Dragon Island Arena, Masmow, Dragon Island, South Newlandia (Cap. 4,500)

Game 1: Three-run homer by Guillon in the bottom of the ninth. Crazy.

Game 2: A pitcher's duel, lost by Gide.

Game 3: Another multi-homer game by Guillon, who may be really stepping up to the plate.

Pitchers @ Delaclava: RHP Josée Lahaye, RHP Luc Boutroux, LHP Éloïse Lebas

Partie 1
Partie 2
Prologue 1
Synopsis 1
Synopsis 2

True (Blue) Version:

The next week in the bunker went by in a blur for Dannielle Thoreau, and she lost track of time. A strange kind of fever took over her mind, turning to things getting hazy. It was hard to determine what was the cause - was it a kind of hallucinogen? Disease? Panic due to being stuck in the Portal?

Her next moment of consciousness was that of a damp rag being pressed to her forehead. How was that possible? Was she dead? Had she been caught again? Had The Chosen machine messed up?

When her bleary eyes opened back up, she saw the unmistakable visage of another human being. The being was covered head to toe in some kind of suit that made it impossible to note whether they were a man or a woman; it looked like an environmental suit that had a bit of armor attached to it. The figure held a high-tech rifle in their hands, and looked at Dannielle as she woke.

"Good, you're awake," spoke the figure through a filter that further mystified them, "I thought that The Fever had gotten to you. I'm glad you fought it off - we need every soul that we can get."

"What? I-" as she began to speak, the figure raised their hand to stop her.

"Save your strength. We'll get your questions answered at The Hill. Come on." And with that, the figure took a step outside the door before quickly turning and saying, "Unless you want to stay here?"

Dannielle Thoreau stood gingerly to her feet. She had the energy, somehow.

"Wait for me!" she said, grabbing her supplies and weapons as well.

She wasn't alone anymore.

Chosen (Black) Version

The next week, Dannielle Thoreau spent time in the bunker getting her spirit and mind in order so that she could be even more in tandem with the new relationship that she had with The Chosen. Some of it went by without her remembering it, going by in a blink.

When she finally got her mind back to herself, it was a week later, and there was a being of radiance standing outside the bunker. The figure was glowing from head to toe with a divine radiance with a pair of brilliant white wings.

"You've been Chosen for great things," stated the figure, "And it's time that we started you on your way."

"I've messed up so many times," she bemoaned, "I do not deserve this honor."

"Nobody deserves the honor," corrected the being in light, "But few are chosen to help usher in the truth to as many as possible. Once you are chosen, you cannot go back - and what you will do, nobody else will be able to do in your stead."

As she nodded in humility, the figure motioned for her to step out and follow.

That was the first day of the rest of her life.

by **Cassadaigua** » Sat Apr 03, 2021 8:22 pm

Sitting comfortably right now,
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

11-1 is a nice place to be. It’s a place on top of the mountain right now, though we are not alone at it. That’s fine, we can share with the people from Hapilopper and Nova Anglicana. They are usually okay, although Haps can sometimes be a little crazy. That’s fine, they mean well. If they act up, both us and Nova Anglicana can tell them to calm down while in the presence of champions. There’s not much that we can complain about with our team right now.

But you know what I do want to complain about? Easter grass. Why? It serves very little purpose other than to make for a supposedly cute decoration at the bottom of your kids Easter basket. That is, of course, you choose to partake in this tradition of Easter baskets, and if it is a day that you celebrate. If you do not celebrate it, then be glad that you do not have to deal with Easter grass. As a parent, you are obligated to place it in the baskets of sugary sweets that you will be leaving for your children. Why? Do you think the kids would really care if it were not there? Do you think they wake up the next morning thinking about it? No. They dive in for the sugar, and while that happens, the grass makes its way from the basket to the floor. In time, it will soon become scattered around in various parts of the floor. You’ll think you will get all of it, but rest assured, you will not. Three months later, you will be reaching for something else and noticing some of it, somewhere in the horse. Why do they call it grass anyway, when it looks nothing like grass? How many tons of this crap does the life-sized rabbit have to purchase in order to provide it for all the kids in the multiverse?

There you have it. Likely the first ever sports report in the multiverse which was centered around easter grass. I guess when the baseball team is cruising along, you have to find other things to talk about. Plus, I am antsy to watch the Copa Rushmori finale!

by **Pratapgadh** » Sat Apr 03, 2021 9:28 pm

Baseball In Pratapgadh?
Written By Swara Servaia

I have been covering a lot around NSCAA lately and finally got a break after all the conference tournaments ended. However, I was bored after a few days and decided that I would like to write a bit about 'the other' bat and ball sport, baseball. It's a sport that doesn't have a huge presence in Pratapgadh, only played in the city of Sindh by the locals. This also excludes them a bit from the rest of Pratapgadh but also makes them unique for tourists who arrive in the city. This is a sport I'm not that familiar with, so if I get something wrong forgive me.

Let's talk about the city of Rajendragadh first which is the birthplace of Pratapgadhi baseball. Rajendragadh is a major metropolitan city in the state of Sindh. It is also the capital of its state and serves as a gateway to the rest of Sindh. However, one thing that surprises many visitors is the fact that baseball is played by the locals. It is quite a rare sight to see baseball played at the local parks when the nation is known mostly for the game of cricket. This is what separates this place from the rest of the country and the locals proudly embrace this sport. Cricket is also played here and is still more popular than baseball, with Rajendragadh CC being in the first division of The Royal Trophy (first-class cricket competition). I believe baseball can eventually topple cricket if their cricket team continues to play like shit. Honestly, though, baseball is quite popular in this city. A few clubs that play baseball professionally are the Foresters, the Stars, the Fireflies, the Rangers and The Elite. These teams participate in the annual Rajendragadh Baseball Slam (RBS) with games mostly played in the Rajendragadh University Park and the Rahmatullah Park.

However, baseball had gained a bit of popularity again when it was announced that the Pratapgadhi national baseball team would return to the WBC. The Pratapgadh Baseball Federation, or PBF, announced that they would return to the WBC 51 after five years of isolation and announced a team of players who've played in the Rajendragadh Baseball Slam. This also grabbed the attention of people around Pratapgadh, with famous athletes such as Rajendra Rathore, Sanjay Gadia and Farhang Gondalwala, all of whom are cricketers. Rajendra Rathore posted on KONNECT, "Baseball in Pratapgadh? Sounds cool, best of luck to the boys of 'the other' sport. I will be following you guys, even though I have no idea about the rules of this game." This also caught the attention of the general public, but they weren't as interested. Me and my friend wandered on the streets of Chittorgarh to ask the public about this great news. "We are in the WBC?", a question by 52 people out of the 110 people we talked to. A few believed this is great news for the development of baseball while others believed that this would go nowhere just like the last time we participated in the WBC.

Enough about the public though, we should talk about how our boys have played this year. After four series of twelve games in total, Pratapgadh sits in the fifth position out of 6 teams in their group with a 3-9 record. Of course, this is horrible in the eyes of people that come from countries that have a grasp of baseball. However, considering that the quality of baseball that is played in Rajendragadh isn't the best, I believe this team has done well. They have won three games in total, one against the mighty team of Banija and also gave a tough fight to Konhead in the first two games of their series. So overall, I feel that they have done well enough and should be praised instead of being insulted by cricket trolls.

The sport itself can grow and prosper in Pratapgadh if cricket doesn't enforce a barrier. If the PCF can support PBF and help them grow further, I believe both bat-and-ball sports can co-exist in the country. This team also has a lot of players with great potential with young guns like Inaksh Modi, Naseem Nathani, Aabid Jethmalani and more senior players who could grow to become one of the best in the sport. This is only possible, however, if these players play in more 'professional' leagues around the world. The Pratapgadh Baseball Federation needs to fix its domestic structure and other issues and playing a league like Rajendragadh Baseball Slam with the worst quality players would instead harm them and ruin their potential. If it is possible, the PBF should negotiate with the other federations and give their players a chance to play in leagues with quality players and coaching. This would also help them gain some experience outside of their city.

It was obvious that we wouldn't go far in the tournament, but there are still a few more matches to go. They can still turn things around and finish their returning edition of WBC on a good note. The only thing I have to say is to keep going and never look back, this is the only to ensure baseball survives in a country like Pratapgadh where football nearly died out in their dark days. No matter who you are and whether you like or dislike baseball, let's support our team and RALLY AROUND PRATAPGADH!

by **The 189** » Sat Apr 03, 2021 10:28 pm

The 189 originally started playing baseball because they wanted to show their human neighbors a good time, but it's doubtful whether players of the Abanhfleft Revolution were having a good time. There were a couple of incidents where Fleftic runners collided with the -------- infielders because they were both trying to tag the same base at the same time, and they didn't seem to appreciate scraping against --------'s metal-plated arms when they stretched a hit into a double, tripping over ------ at 3rd, or slamming into the bulky ---------- when they were trying to score. There was also the reverse situation where ---------- narrowly beat a throw to first and bumped into Elroy Combs in the process. It spent the next couple of minutes checking to make sure Combs was not injured. It tried to ask him if he was okay, but the Fleftic first baseman didn't seem to understand the flickering colors of the 189's language. On top of all this, the Revolutionaries, who were favored to win the series, lost every game they played in -----------.

-------- was proud of how effectively it had shut down the Fleftic offense, allowing a total of only 3 runs in the whole 3 game series; but --------, ----------, and ---------- were a little embarrassed that the rugged construction of their bodies had made the game rougher than they intended. It wasn't the first time the issue had come up, but this series had seen more rough collisions on the basepaths than usual. After the third game, as they were getting ready to leave for Pluvie, they discussed the possibility of fitting themselves with pads to prevent injuries.

by **Zwangzug** » Sun Apr 04, 2021 6:37 am

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by **TJUN-ia** » Sun Apr 04, 2021 7:45 am

Game 1: BohemiaIV (UR) 5-14 TJUN-ia (9) (TJU lead series 1-0)
After another 2-1 series win, the Battin' Jags finally arrived in New Washington as The Diamond in The Gardens prepared to host the first of its 2 series this time around, with unranked BohemiaIV coming to town. Kyle McNash would start on the mound against the definite better of the two URs in this group but in this instance, this game wouldn't be close after the middle of the game. The first 3 innings would certainly be fun to watch with both teams getting a 2-run bomb and 3 overall, Ki Yung-son's 2-run bomb in the first being responded to by BohemiaIV in the 3rd. Then the bombs arrived to blow Bohemia out of the water: Joe Gregory's Grand Slam in the 4th, Matoko Kagawa's 2-run and Pedro Moires' 3-run bombs in the 6th and even a McNash 2-run bomb in the 8th. 11 Runs were scored through innings 4-8 compared to Bohemia's 2. It was demolition in the end as the Jags started a series right at 14-5.

Game 2: BohemiaIV (UR) 3-5 TJUN-ia (9) (TJU wins series 2-0)
Game 2 was certainly not like Game 1 at all and Chris Harris would start a long tight one in The Gardens this time around. TJUN-ia would strike first in this tight game, Moires allowed to return to the batter's box by Ki, but Bohemia responded with a run of their own in the 3rd. Bohemia got a 2-run bomb in the 6th, which was responded with a solo one by Harris himself in that same inning, but Bohemia still held that 3-2 advantage until late on in the game. Harris did his bit with the ball and glove but the batting would be required to win this one, which just wasn't producing until the bottom of the 9th itself. Then along came Angel Enrique after 2 outs and, with a nice swing off the bat, he walked off both the game and the series with a deep one.

Game 3: BohemiaIV (UR) 0-5 TJUN-ia (9) (TJU won series 3-0)
With the series already won, Davis Johnson had the task of trying to help produce TJUN-ia's first sweep of the campaign. The batting in this one could be described with 3 homers: a 2-run bomb by Enrique in the 2nd, a solo bomb by Rafael Llorente in the 5th and another 2-run bomb by Enrique in the 7th. That was all well and good, but the main attraction today would be the guy on the mound. He allowed the first batter to walk to first base in the 1st but after that, he was simply invincible and produced a no-hitter on home soil, a cracking way to end this series and end the first 4 series of WBC51 at 9-3. Up next for the Battin' Jags is a road series in Zwangzug, the first meeting between Jags and Zebras since the Quarterfinal series 2-years ago, and with things looking good so far in this group, this one will be very interesting indeed at The Worm Hole. GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group 7)
S1: vs HUElavia (29) - Rounders Field, Portside W 2-1 (2nd)
S2: vs Karditan (46) - Rounders Field, Portside W 2-1 (3rd)
S3: @Tierra de Castro (UR) - Centro Nacional de Béisbol, Tierra de Castro W 2-1 (2nd)
S4: vs BohemiaIV (UR) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington W 3-0 (1st)
----------------BREAK TIME----------------
S5: @Zwangzug (12) - Worm Hole, Spenson
S6: @HUElavia (29)
S7: @Karditan (46) - Big Island Field, Ponyburgh
----------------BREAK TIME----------------
S8: vs Tierra de Castro (UR) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
S9: @BohemiaIV (UR)
S10: vs Zwangzug (12) - Rounders Field, Portside

by **Banija** » Sun Apr 04, 2021 8:39 am

After a slow start at WBC 51, a home sweep over Sicoutimont puts team on a path to the knockout stages

ISTRIA, MORAVICA- The national baseball team hasn't exactly gotten off to the fastest start here at the World Baseball Classic. 5-4 through the first 9 games isn't bad, per say, but it isn't great either when you are ranked #4 in the multiverse. The group, however, is a tough one, with co-hosts South Newlandia as well as Kohnhead. Fortunately, we only need to finish top 3 in the group, as opposed to top 2, since for the second straight cycle the tournament is big enough to have a Round of 32.

So when 46th ranked Sicoutimont came into town, the goal for the team was to build some separation between them and the bottom of the group, so they could firmly focus on the teams ahead of them, instead of the teams behind them. And thanks to some excellent pitching and clutch hitting, we finished off the six game homestand with a sweep, that puts us five games ahead of the teams in 4th, 5th, and 6th just 12 games into the group stages.

Let's start with Game 1 of the series. The right-handed Faraba Conateh, who is the team's #5 starter. He went seven innings strong, keeping the opponents off balance while only allowing one run. The question was- should he come into the 8th? After having already thrown 100 pitches, Kakay decided to leave him in the game, see how far he could go. It was a mistake. But fortunately, the Banijans had a 5-1 lead at the time. Conateh got the first out, but then allowed back to back doubles and was pulled. Bouba Kujabi allowed a RBI single to allow the inherited runner to score, but then got a double play ball to get out of the inning up 5-3. Closer Sama Kinte then came in for the 9th. He allowed a leadoff solo home run, but then calmed his nerves to go 1-2-3 to finish out the ball game. Nervous, but a job well done. A win is a win.

Game 2 in the series, we jumped out ahead of them pretty quickly. Duta Condé pitched six innings of shutout baseball before he was pulled. Now, he was dealing in that game, only having allowed two base runners- a third inning single and a fourth inning walk. And six strikeouts at the time. But remember- Kakay has already released the pitching schedule. The manager wants his ace to pitch on three days rest on Matchday 15 against South Newlandia. And at 36, that means Duta Condé needs a pitch count for his preceding start. It took three middle relievers to get through the 7th, where we allowed 2 runs, and had to get out of a bases loaded jam to end the inning. But the back end was stronger on this day, with the setup man Bouba Kujabi having a 1-2-3 8th, and then Closer Sama Kinte repeating the feat in the 9th.

The bats were the story of the final game of this series, as we busted out and scored 11 runs. And it wasn't just one big inning, either. We scored multiple runs in three different innings, and scored in six different innings. The only home run was Yakuba Kah's solo shot in the fifth. IT was old school scoring- a lot of solid and aggressive base running, putting the ball in the gaps, great run creation. It was a game that Ousman Kakay was extremely happy with. A strong all-around performance to earn the sweep, and give the team confidence heading into our massive three game series with the group leaders, South Newlandia.

Of course, we hope we'll be back in the country soon enough, for the knockouts. But we've got to get there first. And we'd rather not be a 3rd place team. We've higher ambitions than that. But if we want to meet those high ambitions, then we've got to beat the good teams. And that starts with this trip to South Newlandia. We've got some very interesting pitching matchups. Jacob Conroy v. Ensa Suso. Then Blake Robbins v. Ramata Kabba. And finally, Ben Gonzalo v. Duta Condé. All intriguing matchups. And fortunately, they use a DH- so we won't have to see any of those pitchers at the plate.

The key to the series will be how each pitcher is able to establish command early. All three games will be tight. Kakay will want to avoid dipping into his bullpen for as long as possible, as he's well known to trust the back end of his pen far more than the middle relief portion. If we can avoid dipping into the bullpen until late in the game for all three of these, then we should be in good shape. But if we have to go into our bullpen before the 7th? That spells trouble for Banija's chances in this three game set.

by **Daskel** » Sun Apr 04, 2021 10:20 am

| BASEBALL | ICE HOCKEY | BLOCKBALL | OTHER SPORTS

WBC 51: First Cut Report
By Nakamura Go (@GomuraOfficial)

-- With the first games already being part of the WBC scorebooks, we have the Daskies currently in third. 7-5 and tied with Silvedania - at least in the W-L-, and trailing Happiloper, the first place on the standings by 4 wins. Right now, Daskelian coaching staff submitted a very different list of starters, and it seems like Sakamoto will take the next part into his hands. With the addition of young talent, plus a coach who knows them pretty well, it seems like we could have here two, very interchangeable teams. No Team A and team B. Both As.

To talk about those changes, we had the pleasure to talk with Sakamoto, now sort of double head coaching Team Daskel

Nakamura (N): Mr Sakamoto, first of all good morning
Sakamoto: (S): Good morning Daskel. It's always a pleasure to talk with C8

N: Have you spoken with the staff about the current situation of the team?
S: We have had multiple meetings, both with the squad and just the coaching squad. The next week we will play against The Luck of Jirachi,
Grey County and Silvedania. The amount of data about all three makes this cut really interesting, and we want to explore new posibilities. For that, An gave me and my kids free hand to test out some of my personal strategies
N: No matter what?
S: No matter what. If this fails and backfires, is on me and me alone, and I know it pretty well

N: For there games, Shibaike will have a resting window. Is he going to accept a DH position if needed?
S: That's correct. Nakamura will be an starter, so we'll have Shibaike to bat for us in DH allowed games

N: Now, please talk me about the lineup for tomorrow's game. It seems like half the team will have some rest, which can be really beneficial in the long run
S: The team as it stands right now have a lot of depth, and that allow us to make this kind of arrangements. The last generation of the Daikyuu is extremely talented, and we have those players currently available. I gave Takaoka the mask for a reason. He commands well, has the skill both behind the plate and batting. We trust him a lot

N: Im really about the infield, you moved Gou to third base
S: That's right
N: Genji is now at the SS position, and Nakajima will be the first baseman, replacing Kishimoto.
S: Go and Rokutani right now are pillars, and we want to check what happens when we mix them with the young guys. Nakajima had stellar developing two years after the IBS, and Genji has always been a brilliant player both in defense and batting. In Genji's situation, he's incredibly versatile. He got quick reflexes and a good arm, plenty of double play potential. In case of Nakajima, his batting skyrocketed in his first developing year with Ten Navigators. He's the surprise of the season, may be the rookie of the year as well. He's here for a reason.

N: The Outfield also has changed. Just one player will keep playing
S: Cho is also a keystone for our batting. Nagae and Ikebata are nice fielders, and I trust them a lot. I have Fuji ready if something happens, but I believe we'll be pretty strong in the area.

N: Next games...
S: Next games are our test. The Luck of Jirachi, Silvedania, Grey County. The series against Silvedania is especially important to us, as we're tied in wins. Expect an interesting second third of this stage.
N: Are there pitchers already selected?
S: Yes. We'll have 18. Kojima, Kanao and Nagai to start for us.

N: Thank you very much, Mr Sakamoto
S: Always a pleasure! We will work hard to give all of you some joy.

Next up: Daskel vs The Luck of Jirachi's Holy Warriors. Keep cheering for your Daskies!

P Group 1               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Hapilopper             12   11   1    62   39  +23
2 Silvedania             12    7   5    57   51   +6
3 Daskel                 12    7   5    58   42  +16
4 The Luck of Jirachi    12    6   6    47   57  −10
5 Super-Llamaland        12    4   8    57   62   −5
6 Grey County            12    1  11    30   60  −30

LINEUPS

Batting Lineups
WITHOUT DH
1. Ikebata
2. Genji
3. Gō
4. Nakajima
5. Rokutani
6. Nagae
7. Takaoka
8. Cho
9. Pitcher Spot

WITH DH
1. Ikebata
2. Genji
3. Gō
4. Nakajima
5. Rokutani
6. Shibaike (DH)
7. Takaoka
8. Cho
9. Nagae

by **Drawkland** » Sun Apr 04, 2021 10:58 am

Around the time the WBC started, the rumor mill was swirling. Cassadaigua's domestic leagues have recently been going through a period of growth into relevance in the international scene. Previously these leagues were only mentioned in passing, and mostly kept to themselves with few to no foreigners within them. Now, though, these leagues have been actively looking overseas for more talent to add to their rosters, seeing how many WBC-level players they can poach for their rosters.

In the locker room for the Base Corps, there was a considerable amount of excitement about this, at least among the women on the roster. In Drawkland, baseball was a co-ed sport, although a lot of the top talent happened to end up being men. The girls in the Base Corps would joke around about it before games once they'd heard that Dagan scouts were likely going to be patrolling WBC matches in the group stage. "Hey, be sure to be batting your best!" "Don't you dare error today, the scouts are watching!" Sure, the CBL was theoretically co-ed, but everybody knew they'd be looking for women to pad their rosters. That's just how it goes.

The guys on the Base Corps didn't seem to pay any attention to these rumors, for obvious reasons. For one, most of them were national team starters, so they were pretty solidly entrenched as star players on their franchises. Plus, as good as their league is, Cassadaigua simply didn't seem like a destination they'd want to go to. Drawkian society is probably less patriarchal than most standard nations, but to intentionally go to a place where you'd be seen as the "lesser citizen"? Not the best money move. Most of the guys gave the girls a hard time just for team banter. After all, if one of your players gets picked up by the domestic league of the #1 nation in baseball (at this time), that's gotta be something, right?

One man that took except to this was Taylor Smart. The starting right fielder for the Corps, he was arguably their second-best power hitter, and a solid corner outfielder. At this time he was the star player of the Chelstio Stars, who were otherwise an ailing squad that nearly got into a championship window, failed to cash in on it, and then fell from contention. Smart was hooked into a long contract right before the "window" opened, and now his contract was set to be completed after this season. He was already looking for another team, so if he was looked at by a team overseas, he didn't mind it, especially if they were in a good league. He wasn't really hooked on the Dagan craze that had swept over the women in the locker room, but he wasn't opposed to considering them as an option as some of the NT'ers were.

To his surprise, he ended up receiving a message from his agent following the Game 3 win over Hannasea. "Tay, somebody from the CBL says that they want to meet with you tonight. Here's the address to the hotel, you'll be meeting with a Kaitlyn Foster." Wow, so the Dagan rumors were true! Taylor thought it was a bit weird that he was receiving a meeting over some of the girls on the roster, but he figured they were all meeting with someone eventually.

The meeting itself started a little awkwardly. Taylor had gotten there early and sat at a table in the meeting room passing time, waiting for this Kaitlyn Foster to show up. Before the meeting he had searched some information about the CBL so that he'd have some idea what the deal would be. Admittedly, he didn't follow the CBL very closely, so he had to catch up so he wouldn't look too out-of-touch. Apparently Kaitlyn Foster was the name of the GM for the Grande Mountain Huskies, the most recent champions of the CBL. He noticed that some pundits said they'd be shopping around for some big name talent this offseason, and Taylor figured that he was one of the candidates they were looking for.

A woman eventually arrived in the meeting room and gave a short greeting. Taylor figured this was her and went to talk, but she seemed to give him the cold shoulder. After a moment of her looking a little uncomfortable, Taylor decided to look back at his phone. Was this some sort of weird negotiation tactic? Was this somebody else that just happened to walk into the meeting room? Taylor quickly searched "Kaitlyn Foster Cassadaigua baseball" again, and looked at the images. Sure enough, the woman sitting across the room looked just like the one in the press conference photos. Taylor wondered why she wasn't talking to him at all. Why would she come into the conference room if she wasn't ready to chat? Doesn't she know what he looks like?

Suddenly, it dawned on Taylor. Foster probably hadn't seen a lot of his play yet, and was mostly referred by scouts. Perhaps, by some funny stroke of fate, she didn't know he was male. After all, Taylor was a pretty ambiguous name, and some people even called him Tay. He wore his dreadlocks in a ponytail for gamedays, and was on a roster with plenty of female players. He didn't want to embarrass her though, so he walked across the room and decided to keep it simple.

"Are you Kaitlyn Foster?" he asked when he got to her.

"Yes, I am." Foster replied, looking a little perplexed.

"Oh it's nice to meet you, I'm Taylor. Taylor Smart." he replied, extending his hand for a shake.

The realization dawned on Foster's face, and Taylor couldn't help but smile when he realized his theory was correct. Foster immediately stood up to shake his hand and apologized for the weird start to the meeting. Taylor didn't mind though, and they had a nice long talk about baseball, about how Taylor was faring in the domestic league, if he was looking for a change of pace, etc. Taylor was honest about it - he was looking for a change of pace and wouldn't mind going overseas, as long as he was adequately compensated for his skills. Foster talked a lot about the Huskies, Grande Mountain, and the fact that she believed playing in the CBL would do wonders for Taylor's development as a player.

All in all, it was a solid meeting, and the two departed on good terms, though a deal hadn't been officially struck. Afterwards, Taylor called his agent back as he drove home.

"Hey Trent. Yeah, I just got out of the meeting with that Kaitlyn Foster lady. I'm 90% sure she thought I was a girl, because when she walked in the room and saw me at first glance she wouldn't even talk to me, isn't that a riot? Yeah, for sure. I think I want to sign with them. No kidding. Yeah, if they call you, tell them I'm interested in negotiating. I want to make this work. Alright, Trent. Thanks a ton."

The next time the Corps was all together was at practice the day before their next series against Le Choix. At some point late in the day, the girls once again turned their conversation towards Cassadaigua.

"Who do you think will be the first to get some real interest?" Victoria Irving, the backup right fielder, wondered aloud.

"Hey, don't tell anybody I said this, but my agent said she's getting some calls from a couple Dagan clubs. Really!" whispered Christy Rhodes, the second baseman.

"No way!" a few of them responded.

"I mean it! She's saying that I'm the first player they're looking at. I should have a half dozen offers coming in the next couple weeks!" Rhodes bragged.

"Is that so?" Taylor Smart interjected, walking up to the small group. "I have it on good authority that somebody on this squad has already got an offer from a Dagan club."

"What?! Who?"

"It is I! I had a nice long talk with the GM of the Huskies last week. I should be signing a contract by the end of this week!" Taylor flashed a grin, and the jaws of all the girls assembled dropped.

"No fair!!"

by **South Newlandia** » Sun Apr 04, 2021 10:59 am

Cutoff for Groups 1-5, Series 5! We're back!

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 51

GROUP STAGE - SERIES 5 – GROUPS 1-5

Group 1

Game 1
Silvedania                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1  3
Hapilopper                 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 X  4

Super-Llamaland            0 5 0 0 0 2 1 0 2 10
Grey County                0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1

Daskel                     0 1 0 0 5 0 1 1 0  8
The Luck of Jirachi        0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1

Game 2 
Silvedania                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Hapilopper                 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 X  2

Super-Llamaland            0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1  6
Grey County                1 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  5

Daskel                     0 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 0  7
The Luck of Jirachi        1 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 0  5

Game 3 
Silvedania                 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
Hapilopper                 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 X  4

Super-Llamaland            0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1  3
Grey County                0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2

Daskel                     0 0 0 0 2 0 2 3 0  7
The Luck of Jirachi        0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

P Group 1               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Hapilopper             15   14   1    72   43  +29
2 Daskel                 15   10   5    80   48  +32
3 Super-Llamaland        15    7   8    76   70   +6
4 Silvedania             15    7   8    61   61    0
5 The Luck of Jirachi    15    6   9    53   79  −26
6 Grey County            15    1  14    38   79  −41

Group 2

Game 1 
Britland Isles             3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  5
Sarzonia                   0 0 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1  6

Tikariot                   0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
Norrhem                    0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  3

Devonta                    0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 3  5
Barnettsville              0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0  4

Game 2
Britland Isles             0 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 1  6
Sarzonia                   1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Tikariot                   0 0 4 3 4 0 0 0 0 11
Norrhem                    0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0  3

Devonta                    0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 3  8
Barnettsville              0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 0  5

Game 3
Britland Isles             0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Sarzonia                   0 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 X  5

Tikariot                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1  3
Norrhem                    0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  2

Devonta                    1 1 1 1 2 0 1 0 0  7
Barnettsville              0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 3  6

P Group 2               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Tikariot               15   12   3    79   50  +29
2 Sarzonia               15   11   4    70   45  +25
3 Devonta                15    8   7    59   62   −3
4 Britland Isles         15    5  10    46   63  −17
5 Norrhem                15    5  10    47   60  −13
6 Barnettsville          15    4  11    45   66  −21

Group 3

Game 1
Ethane                     0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0  3
Drawkland                  2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2  5

Cassadaigua                1 0 1 2 0 0 0 6 0 10
The Hannasean Federation   0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  2

Le Choix                   0 1 0 5 4 0 0 1 1 12
Delaclava                  0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0  4

Game 2
Ethane                     0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1  3
Drawkland                  0 0 0 4 0 0 1 1 X  6

Cassadaigua                2 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0  5
The Hannasean Federation   1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  2

Le Choix                   1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  3
Delaclava                  0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Game 3
Ethane                     0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2  4
Drawkland                  0 0 2 1 0 2 0 2 X  7

Cassadaigua                0 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 3  7
The Hannasean Federation   0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0  4

Le Choix                   1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1  5
Delaclava                  0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0  4

P Group 3                   Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Cassadaigua                15   14   1    95   29  +66
2 Le Choix                   15    9   6    71   56  +15
3 The Hannasean Federation   15    6   9    58   83  −25
4 Drawkland                  15    6   9    54   69  −15
5 Delaclava                  15    5  10    61   76  −15
6 Ethane                     15    5  10    55   81  −26

Group 4

Game 1
Newmanistan                0 5 1 0 0 0 2 0 0  8
Mapletish                  0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0  3

The 189                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0  8
Pluvie                     0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Ranoria                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  2
Abanhfleft                 2 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 X  6

Game 2
Newmanistan                0 6 0 0 1 3 1 0 0 11
Mapletish                  0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1

The 189                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Pluvie                     0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 X  1

Ranoria                    0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0  3
Abanhfleft                 0 1 2 0 0 0 3 0 X  6

Game 3
Newmanistan                0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1  5
Mapletish                  0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0  4

The 189                    0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 2  6
Pluvie                     1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0  5

Ranoria                    3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2  7
Abanhfleft                 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  4

P Group 4               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Newmanistan            15   13   2   101   53  +48
2 The 189                15    8   7    51   49   +2
3 Pluvie                 15    8   7    60   61   −1
4 Mapletish              15    6   9    64   96  −32
5 Abanhfleft             15    5  10    66   76  −10
6 Ranoria                15    5  10    68   75   −7

Group 5

Game 1
The Greater Nordics        3 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0  5
Kriegiersien               0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0  2

Squidroidia                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2
South Americanastan        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Ko-oren                    1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2
Xanneria                   2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  4

Game 2
The Greater Nordics        0 1 1 0 2 4 2 2 0 12
Kriegiersien               0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  2

Squidroidia                1 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 1  6
South Americanastan        0 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 X  7

Ko-oren                    1 0 3 0 0 1 1 0 2  8
Xanneria                   0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Game 3
The Greater Nordics        3 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  5
Kriegiersien               3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  4

Squidroidia                0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 2  5
South Americanastan        1 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 X  6

Ko-oren                    0 0 0 0 0 4 1 2 0  7
Xanneria                   2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  4

P Group 5               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Ko-oren                15   11   4    81   50  +31
2 South Americanastan    15    9   6    69   63   +6
3 The Greater Nordics    15    9   6    70   55  +15
4 Kriegiersien           15    6   9    59   69  −10
5 Xanneria               15    6   9    58   70  −12
6 Squidroidia            15    4  11    52   82  −30

by **Super-Llamaland** » Sun Apr 04, 2021 11:40 am

I. Oladipo Arrives
II. Alasan Senghore
III. The New Way Forward
IV. Kai Söderstrom
V. Opening Day
VI. Is Losing Fun?
VII. The Drop

INT. TYLER ROCKE STADIUM

Despite a late rally, the Tigers have just lost a third consecutive game to The Luck of Jirachi, dropping them to 4-8. With the group stage nearly halfway over, Isaac Oladipo’s team are languishing in a distant fifth place, behind not just WBC49 runners-up Hapilopper and IBS12 champions Daskel, but also Silvedania and The Luck of Jirachi. ISAAC emerges, furious, from his office, intending to head to the press conference...

cuts to INT. HOME CLUBHOUSE, TYLER ROCKE STADIUM

Reliever SAM VANDERBERG is on a table, dancing, while outfielder TYSON LONG eggs her on. A stereo is blasting QUEBECOIS NIGHTCLUB MUSIC in the corner; although most other players are sitting around and talking to each other, or just on their phones, Long and Vandenberg remain into the music-

cuts to INT. HALLWAY, TYLER ROCKE STADIUM

-Isaac, possibly hearing the music, turns around, brushes past a pack of reporters, and walks purposefully towards the clubhouse again, the music getting louder as he does so...

cuts to INT. HOME CLUBHOUSE, TYLER ROCKE STADIUM

Isaac swings the door open and steps into the clubhouse. Someone mumbles “oh shit”, but Sam Vandenberg (and Tyson Long, nearby, still hyping her up) do not notice. They’re not even aware of Isaac. It's just like any other night as far as they’re concerned. Isaac looks around and sees a bat, which he picks up and SMASHES into the stereo, stopping the music and finally getting Sam Vandenberg to turn around...

ISAAC: Get the fuck down from that chair. (Sam does so).

ISAAC: Is losing fun?

SAM: …

ISAAC: Is losing fun?

SAM: No.

ISAAC: We just lost three games in a row to an unranked team. We’re in fifth, and we’re already seven games out of first place. Is that fun to you?

SAM: Coach, I don’t see what I h…

ISAAC: Is it fun?

SAM: ...no.

ISAAC: Then what the fuck are you having fun for?

ISAAC hurls the bat into the wall. It slams off the concrete wall and rattles around on the floor for ten long seconds. Nobody dares say a word, least of all Sam.

ISAAC: That’s what losing should sound like. Good night. Oh, and Alasan? Come with me.

cuts to INT. ISAAC’S OFFICE, TYLER ROCKE STADIUM

ALASAN: What did you want to talk about?

ISAAC: We’re dropping Vandenberg. Who do you think we should call up to close?
ALASAN: What? No, we’re-

ISAAC: Sorry, phone call. (He picks up his phone, dials a number, and waits. On the other end is LBA President Troy Vasquez.

TROY: Isaac.

ISAAC: Troy. Look, we’re going to have to drop Sam Vandenberg and change up the bullpen. Oh, and I need a new starting outfielder.

ALASAN (mouthed): What are you doing? Sam’s been-

ISAAC: Yeah, just clearing house after this start. No, it’s nothing to worry about. I promise things can be turned around still. Yeah. Uh-huh. Got it. He hangs up and puts the phone down.

ISAAC: Right. Anyways, we’re going to need a new closer. Who did you have in mind?

ALASAN: Maybe you need to take a step back and think about this. You’re, uh, upset, and you’re-

ISAAC: What am I missing?

ALASAN: It's just a very hard move to explain. People are going to think you've lost your mind.

ISAAC: And?

ALASAN: You don’t want to make an emotional decision like that.

ISAAC: Of course I do. That’s what we’re doing.

ALASAN: I just don’t understand. Sam’s been great, Tyson’s been great, and if things don’t work out with them...well, this is the kind of thing that gets you fired.

ISAAC: What the hell are you worrying about my job for?

ALASAN: I-

ISAAC: Do you believe in this or not?...look, we need to find a new reliever and an outfielder before the LBA replaces them with some sabermetric darling. But if this doesn’t work out...you know, I’m the one who they’re going to blame. You’re a 33-year-old with a prestigious apprenticeship and a degree from Xingcheng Polytechnic. I don’t think we’re asking the right questions here if you’re worried about losing your job. We need to be thinking about...do we believe in this, or not?

ALASAN: Sure, I do.

ISAAC: Well, then let’s go to war.

World Baseball Classic 51 – Everything Thread (IC)

1st & Probably Only RP - WBC 51

Batter Up!: Short-ish Summaries (vs BohemiaIV)

Taylor Smart

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