World Baseball Classic 12 Everything Thread

[Barnettsville]

McCracken announces lineup changes for game vs. Palmouth
Capital City Journal - ccj.com.ba

PALMOUTH - Barnettsville coach Chris McCracken announced a few lineup changes for the Hurricanes (2-0) 3rd game vs. Palmouth (0-2) tonight. Left fielder Javier Martinez will be replaced by Barry Baker, and catcher Mark Johnson will be replaced by Wesley Ashbaugh. Martinez has yet to get a hit in the first two games, and Johnson is one-for-eight with two strikeouts. McCracken also announced that his rotation will not be changed to give the Hurricanes any advantage in their next game vs. Taeshan (2-0). "We're still going with the plan of having Barnett pitch against them when we play there in our ninth game," said McCracken. "We want him to be pitching when, as it looks now, we attempt to clinch the group - or at least a berth in the knockout round."

In other news, the Association of Sport announced that Coach McCracken will not be called on the carpet for his ejection late in the 5-4 win over Milchama. "His ejection was the result of passion over a close call. However, we would rather him not subject our fans or the fans of our opponents to that particular brand of language."

[Secristan]

Cutoff time for matchday 3!

Group A:
Warner Channel 3-5 Secristan
Peso Grande 1-4 Cassadaigua
Vephrall 6-4 Delaclava

Group A	        W	L	RF	RA	RD
Cassadaigua	3	0	14	4	10
Secristan	2	1	14	11	3
Vephrall	2	1	12	10	2
Peso Grande	1	2	9	11	-2
Warner Channel	1	2	8	12	-4
Delaclava	0	3	6	15	-9

Group B:
Vlasi 2-3 (11 inn.) Oreington Canada
Newmanistan 5-2 Albundania
Sarzonia 0-3 Dancougar

Group B	        W	L	RF	RA	RD
Newmanistan	3	0	14	4	10
Dancougar	2	1	8	6	2
Sarzonia	2	1	10	9	1
Albundania	1	2	9	11	-2
Or. Canada	1	2	7	10	-3
Vlasi	        0	3	7	15	-8

Group C:
Zwangzug 4-3 The Babbage Islands
O5vx 1-4 Bluth Corporation
Yafor 2 6-3 Bostopia

Group C	        W	L	RF	RA	RD
Yafor 2	        3	0	14	8	6
Zwangzug	2	1	15	10	5
Bostopia	2	1	10	10	0
Babbage Islands	1	2	9	8	1
Bluth Corp	1	2	8	10	-2
O5vx	        0	3	4	14	-10

Group D:
Quintessence of Dust 3-5 Qazox
Liventia 4-0 Chesstaland
Quakmybush 7-5 Fyendor

Group D	        W	L	RF	RA	RD
Liventia	3	0	15	4	11
Qazox	        3	0	16	7	9
Q. of Dust	1	2	11	13	-2
Fyendor	        1	2	8	13	-5
Quakmybush	1	2	10	15	-5
Chesstaland	0	3	4	12	-8

Group E:
Tree Hugging Lesbians 5-4 Pokemonman
Palmouth 2-7 Barnettsville
Taeshan 4-3 (10 inn.) Milchama

Group E	        W	L	RF	RA	RD
Taeshan	        3	0	18	6	12
Barnettsville	3	0	16	6	10
T.H. Lesbians	2	1	11	14	-3
Milchama	1	2	10	11	-1
Palmouth	0	3	7	14	-7
Pokemonman	0	3	5	16	-11

Group F:
Uiri 2-4 Steroga
Lovisa 4-3 Prestonia
Tocrowkia 5-1 Iglesian Archipelago

Group F	        W	L	RF	RA	RD
Tocrowkia	3	0	17	6	11
Prestonia	2	1	10	7	3
Steroga	        1	2	7	8	-1
Lovisa	        1	2	11	14	-3
Uiri	        1	2	12	16	-4
Ig. Archipelago	1	2	7	13	-6

[Taeshan]

X Island Inquirer

Last nights game was the closest the Purple Knights have come to losing yet this season. Nine innings was not enough as the Milchaman Warriors were trying to become the first team to defeat the Knights in the young season. I usually think its better to get loses out of the way, but i think it might be the year for the Purple and Gold to win it all. In the end they pulled out a big victory in the bottom of the tenth inning defeating the Warriors 4-3 after only being able to barely win with a bad Milchaman error, that though maybe not a good thing in the sport, proved to be good for the Knights. Many hate to win like that, but who cares as long as you get the W.

The fans were ready to see someone actually compete with the Knights. Since we are the land of the ice and snow it is usually hard to find someone who will be able to take the Knights on in Quarant Xa'virt Sphark Stadium in fron of the 400,000 fans. The Warriors proved why they were number ten in the world though pushing the number six Knights into extra innings. Starter Rian Willemson had a sub-par day for Knights pitchers and only made it through the first 7 innings. He had little run support on the day, but either way he could have held the Warriors.

For the first time in the young season the Knights drew first blood. After going down early to Tree Huggin Lesbians and Pokemonman the Knights got out to a two to nothing lead in the third when Riane Totalez homered home himself and Freddy Myers. In the fourth though the Milchamans tied the game up with a nice line drive with the bases loaded to right. Socki Lewi made a nice throw to keep the runner at third though that would have given the Warriors the lead. Onthe next pitch though they got the lead on a wild pitch by Willemson. In the bottom of the seventh Lewis tied the game up with a bomb of his own and the stalemate began.

Danny Laemen came in in the top of the Eigth to relieve Willemson and threw a one hit inning. In the ninth Ohmegode Frede kept the Warriors scoreless as Laemen did and the game was forced then to extra inning when the Knights continued their scorless last few innings. In the top of the tenth the Warriors made some nice hitting plays and it looked like they had taken a late lead when their third basemen corssed home, but with an appeal two the umps the Knights got hime out for not touching third and then Wille Strava shut them down after relieving Frede. In the bottom of the inning the Knights woulkd win the day when that very same Third Basemen overthrew first on a grounder and Socki Lewis was able to score the winning run from third where he should have been stranded after a double and a balk got him to third.

[Barnettsville]

ONLY THREE WINS?
Capital City Journal - ccj.com.ba

PALMOUTH - Before the WBC started, QSPN projected the group records, prognosticating the mighty Red Hurricanes with only a 3-7 record. After three games and a 3-0 record, it appears that obviously that "insult" lit a fire under the team. Today’s game wasn’t a long-ball fest, but it got the job done. Barnettsville won with a 22-hit attack, scoring seven runs to coast to their third straight season-opening victory, 7-2.

The ‘Canes started things off early, scoring two runs in the first: first Cody Luzier doubled, scoring Bo McCracken, then Barry Baker tripled, scoring Luzier. Baker, starting in place of Javier Martinez, finished 3-5 with 3 runs batted in. In the sixth, Wesley Ashbaugh singled, Matt Goodman sacrificed Ashbaugh to second, and Jonathan Strong knocked in Ashbaugh with a single. Bo McCracken hit into a fielder’s choice, and Nathaniel Davis and Luzier both walked. Barry Baker then doubled, scoring Davis and McCracken. Phillip Matthews singled in Luzier to make it 6-0, but Baker got nailed at the plate trying to score as well. Palmouth’s only runs came in the seventh on a two-run homer, created by a walk and a wild pitch. Nathan Mentch scored the seventh and final run for the ‘Canes in the top of the ninth, knocking in Strong with a triple. Next up is the home opener against Taeshan, the only other unbeaten team in the group after a 4-3 extra-inning win over Milchama, as William Monaghan will take the mound against Coi Vexcen.

NOTES: Barnettsville manager Chris McCracken, though not fired after his ejection against Milchama, was not on the bench against Palmouth. Bench coach Tom Gemcity took his place.

BARNETTSVILLE 7 22 0
PALMOUTH 2 9 0

W: Matt Goodman (1-0) 7 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 12 K, 2 BB

[Albundania]

Blue Crew lose, not suprised

The Blue Crew managed to lose 2-5 today, making them a great 1-2. They are, however, fourth in the group and best of the teams that are not ranked in group B. The day started off when, in the first inning, Jorge Posada shot one way over the left field fence for a single shot. But from then on, Newmansitani right-hander Kristen Haynes kept the Blue Crew pretty much silent. However, Albundania's own CC Johnson managed to do a good job.

That is, until the bottom of the third when, with bases loaded, Natalie Monroe stepped up. Johnson had her at 1-2, but his 1-2 delivery was a hanging slider, and Natalie managed to capitalize and clear the bases with one swing. The image of Johnson collapsing to his knees is probably still burned into the mind of more than one die hard fan. That was made worse when Sarah Conrad came in and blasted a homerun on her first pitch. Back-to-back homeruns warranted the arrival of reliever Aaron Samadzija, who managed to keep the door closed until he left in the seventh.

Things were looking up when, still down by 2, Albundania got the bases loaded, but Haynes managed to get Miguel Rollins to line out to end that inning. it took till the top of the ninth, when Albundania had a runner on third, Kevin Young shot one out to left, and when Carrillo got it on the warning track, she had no chance to gun down Rollins who scored easily. However, she managed to finish her complete game two at-bats later with the strikeout of Pujols. Final Score, 2-5 Dancougar.

[Dancougar]

Previously: Joy's cheerful declaration consigns Schwartz to the job

Code: Select all

           1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  -  R  H  E
Dancougar  0  0  0  1  0  0  2  0  0     3 11  1
Sarzonia   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0     0  6  1

WP: Dickinson (1-0) - 7 IP, 0 ER, 6 K
SV: Lenken (1) - 2 IP, 0 ER, 1 K
RBI: Dextrous (5), Allegray (1), Mimeko (1)
R: Mimeko (3), Sanretour (2), Morimoto (1)

"Gather, my children, and you shall hear
Of a sporting team we all hold dear.
In this twelfth baseball classic, they came from far
Expecting a victory for the Stars
Who have played so well in every year."

With a smile and a flourish, Laurie fired her fastball at Drew Bradley. It rose high at the last moment, and Bradley whiffed at the pitch. Strike three, and the Wings were out of the inning!

"Reports said, 'Pitcher Palmer will not bring speed.
With a changeup, though, he'll bring control.
Keep your eye on the ball, this you must heed,
or you'll swing and you'll miss and on he'll roll --
One to reach base, two to drive home.
And play them out of this Cronkite Dome..."

Charlie Palmer had been from his normal spot in the rotation specifically to tackle Dancougar. The Wings struggled through the early innings, sure enough. In the fourth, though, they put together a rally. Small ball... that's what they called it, right? Kagami managed to rip one into left for a double, and then Amber blooped a single into shallow right which let Kagami score. After Laurie burned through the bottom of the fourth, the game soon reached the halfway point with the improbable score of 0-1.

This was Laurie's first start with the national team. Although Sarah was still expected to start two out of three, perhaps they had something. Then again, maybe it was beginner's luck. Whatever the case, she was keeping Star bats at bay and joyfully annotating each throw.

"And I said, 'good-bye,' with an off-speed throw,
As Dwight took aim with an errant blow."

On the bench, Sarah tried not to be concerned with the development. After all, in the previous classic, her first win had also come on the road against Sarzonia, a 4-2 decision that turned out to be their best result in group play. "We get it, she's good," said Sarah. "But does she have to commit every pitch to verse?! We have sportswriters to take care of that. She's not going to have to recite the game for our descendants."

"I'm sorry if it bothers you," said Lois.

"Why are you apologizing, it's not your fault..." said Sarah, softening her voice.

"Ah, I've said something to offend you, haven't I?" cried Lois. "I'm really, truly sorry!!" She bowed deeply as she said it.

"H-hey now, you don't..." Sarah began. "You don't have to be so polite for something like that!"

"It would appear that Miz Yento has fallen prey to an endemic of obscene politeness sweeping through the world!" said Schwartz, appearing out of nowhere.

Sarah fell backwards in surprise, pointing her finger at the coach. "S-s-since when were you over here?" she cried.

"Today's society has developed into a mass of those unable to truly express their emotions for fear or reprisal, and as a result, they are forced to resort to kindness and deference!" Schwartz continued. "Every day, we see examples of people going out of their way to avoid causing offense to others."

Lois hid behind Sarah, unsure what to do about the tirade. The other players were coming back to the dugout as the top of the seventh began and the team went out to bat. "But isn't that proper behavior for people out in society, though?" said Sarah at last.

"Ah, you've said the word!" Schwartz replied. "Propriety is in. People are more concerned with their image than about expressing their true selves. Look!" Out on the field, the Wings were rolling and Edwards was in trouble. Akiko and Joy had reached base on a pair of singles, each of which hopped through an infield gap. He was losing his effectiveness, and a change was in sight. Juliet and Kagami would follow up with RBI base hits to extend the lead to 3-0. "The Sarzonians don't want to create the impression of a RAWRCRUSH giant that smashes helpless teams of tiny high school girls, so they're politely allowing us to reach base."

"Our stature has nothing to do with this!" cried Sarah.

"If only it were socially acceptable for people to behave as themselves, we wouldn't be in this predicament," said Schwartz. "People create unnecessary masks that only lead to positive reinforcement, causing the world to stagnate." Schwartz looked left, to the right, far into the distance, and then wrung his hands: "ZETSUBOU SHITA! The society which drowns itself in forced politeness has left me in despair!!"

Next: Sarah starts @ Vlasi
Once again we will leave you in despair!

[Qazox]

QSPN.com/WBC12 Coverage

WIKI Page: http://wikistates.outwardhosting.com/wiki/World_Baseball_Classic_12

Well thanks to a rare oxen stampede that destroyed the QSPN studios, we haven't bben able to report on any scores of the WBC. Well good news is Qazox is 3-0. Bad news? They have not been dominant in any game. We're still cleaning up from all the OXen debris, so we only have time now just for line scores, but we expect to be back 100% tommorrow.

GAME 1 vs. Chesstaland
Code: Select all
Chesstaland     1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  3  7  0
Qazox           0 1 2 0 0 2 1 0 x  6 11  0

W: Francis Errol (1-0) 6.2 IP, 6 hits, 3 ER, 6 K, 2 BB 
L: Chesstaland SP#1 (0-1) 5.1 IP, 8 hits, 5 ER, 5K, 2 BB
HR's: 
Chesstaland: 1B- 5th inning (0 out, 0 on) off of Errol.
Qazox: Sean Bragg (6th inning, 1 out, 1 on) off of SP#1

GAME 2 vs. Quakmybush
Code: Select all
Quakmybush      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1  5  0
Qazox           0 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 x  5 12  1

W: Lonnie A'i'a'hu (1-0) 8.0 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 10 K, 3 BB 
L: Quakmybush SP#2 (0-1) 5.1 IP, 8 hits, 5 ER, 5 K, 2 BB
HR's: 
Quakmybush: NONE
Qazox: NONE
E: Qazox- Vaughn O'Bannon (1)

GAME 3 at Quintessence of Dust
Code: Select all
Qazox     0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 1  5 10  0
QoD       0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0  3 11  0

W: Eric Easley (1-0) 0.1 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB 
L: Kunika Okamoto (0-1) 0.2 IP, 2 hits, 2 ER, 0 K, 0 BB
Sv: Mike Rainier (1) 1.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 2 K, 0 BB
HR's: 
QoD: Jurgen Barthes- (7th inning, 1 out, 2 on) off of Sean Yamamoto
Qazox: Greg Hancock- (8th inning, 2 outs, 1 on) off of Okamoto

Up next is a home game against Liventia, currently tied with the Pheonix at 3-0 atop of group D.

Ooc: Wiki page will be updated after the 5th MD.

[Tocrowkia]

Code: Select all

TEAMS        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R H E
I.A.         0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0   1 5 0
Tocrowkia    1 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 0   5 7 0


WIN:
Sofie Behm (1-0)
HRs:
Kitten Dyfuse 1 (1), Dmitri Rykov 1 (2), Johnny Stryker 1 (2)

As many in the Reich predicted, the 1-2-3 combination of Thunder, Shaporio, and Behm is tough to beat. The "Trip-Aces", as they have been dubbed are already proving to be one of the best starting rotations in the world, perhaps only second to the number one seeded Newmanistan hurlers. Ironically, 3 runs were scored against Thunder in his outing, 2 against Shaporio, and one against Behm to to this point. If you're not catching the drift because you are either dense, a Purple Knights fan, which is pretty much the same thing anyway, that's three runs against the number one starter, two against the number two, and one against number three. Pretty weird that, hm? Just one of those odd things that make baseball great.

In front of the homecrowd again, the defending world champions cruised to a resounding 5-1 victory over their opponents on the backs of Behm's strong, 7 innings pitched, 10 K and 1 BB performance and homeruns by Dmitri Rykov, Johnny Stryker and Kitten Dyfuse. Behm struck out the side in the first and was instantly granted some run support when Kitten Dyfuse hit a lead-off home run. Dmitri Rykov popped a two run shot of his own to left-center in the 3rd, and the Nordics had a 3-zip lead early on. A couple of hits and a sac-fly broke up the shut out in the 5th, but Johnny Stryker crushed a two-out homer of his own that same inning to erase any thoughts of a come back. Kevin Monroe would double in the 6th and was brought in on a Domino Mazdrick single in the 6th. And though Behm was cruising along, Paul Rudolf decided to pull her in 7th to give the pen some work.

"I figured that with the expanded play-off schedule, it wouldn't be in our interest to have our rotation throw all complete games, and our pen get no work." Rudolf explained. Behm agreed, and in the post-game interview stated: "I think I could of gone the distance, of course. But there are 24 other people on this team, and Paul, he runs a great club. He makes sure the team comes first, and if he thinks the team would benefit from the bullpen pitching out the rest of the game, then of course I'm happy." Jaycen Hester, Amber Tavern, and Jamie Von Tipker each got some work in to close out the game.

[The Babbage Islands]

SPENSON, Zwangzug (BPA) -- It took the hosts from Zwangzug eight innings and one critical swing to solve Flip Brown's knuckleball. The result, a Murray Quashnock grand slam, was just enough to lift Zwangzug over The Babbage Islands 4-3 in World Baseball Classic action.

The visiting Bumblebees struck first with two runs from three doubles in the fourth inning. Tori Simpson led off the fourth with a double, and after a Thomas Leonard strikeout Wayne Richards doubled her home. Frank Moore's long ground-rule double to right then scored Richards for a 2-0 lead. The Babbage nine added one more in the seventh on a Jason Andrews triple and a Julie Williams sacrifice fly.

In the Zwangzug eighth, a leadoff single by Greta Orsulak was followed by walks to Marvin Stania and Jameson Lamenc. On the ninth pitch of the next at-bat Murray Quashnock got hold of a hanging knuckleball and drove it an estimated 450 feet to left-center to take a 4-3 lead.

Leslie Scripps worked the ninth to preserve the win for Zwangzug starter Ari Leinwand. Flip Brown was the starter and losing pitcher for The Babbage Islands.

Zwangzug solidified a hold on second place in Group C, and The Babbage Islands are fourth.

The Babbage Islands 000 200 100 - 3  7  1
Zwangzug            000 000 04x - 4  7  0

[Sarzonia]

[OOC: Dancougar, I had Charlie Palmer pitching against you, which I mentioned in my previous RP post.

Also, anyone who accurately guesses the song I reference in the bottom (title and group) gets a cookie.]

Six hits. Six measly hits.

That was the extent of the Sarzonian offence as the Stars lost to Dancougar 3-0 in front of 24,836 at Walter Cronkite Memorial Park in Clyburn.

The match saw Drew Bradley, Dewey Griffin, Kate Schmidt and Hank Everly all walk back to the dugout muttering to themselves. The match saw Jim Paulsen, the team's manager, stand at the end of the dugout with a stony expression on his face.

Goddamnit he thought. They beat us here again. The fact the Dancougar team defeated the Stars at what was then known as Mountaineer Park during the previous World Baseball Classic wasn't lost on him. The fact he went out in the top of the seventh to get Charlie Palmer, whom he'd specifically started against the Black Wings since they were ranked the third best team in the group, also wasn't lost on Paulsen.

The lefty allowed nine hits in 6 1/3 innings pitched and left runners at first and second. Kenny Spencer relieved him and allowed both runners to score before another stroll from Paulsen ended his night.

At least we're not 0-2 this time, Paulsen thought. He knew that 2-1 was vastly different from 1-2. However, he also knew his team's best chance at being in good position for the clash with world No. 1 and former world champions Newmanistan was wasted on the way. After the match had ended, he drove to a tram that would take him to a beach in the northern part of the country.

As the tram crossed the bridge connecting the town of Pretoria with Portland, he looked down and saw the serene-appearing waters. A faint song played on the train radio as it hummed toward the city centre.

"Let the water come and carry us away," Paulsen heard the singers harmonize. On this night, he wished they'd do the same for him and his team.

[Dancougar]

[OOC: Dancougar, I had Charlie Palmer pitching against you, which I mentioned in my previous RP post.

Also, anyone who accurately guesses the song I reference in the bottom (title and group) gets a cookie.]

((OOC: Friggit, I got the stadium name bit and missed that. I've edited my RP accordingly.))

[Sarzonia]

[OOC: Dancougar, I had Charlie Palmer pitching against you, which I mentioned in my previous RP post.

Also, anyone who accurately guesses the song I reference in the bottom (title and group) gets a cookie.]

((OOC: Friggit, I got the stadium name bit and missed that. I've edited my RP accordingly.))

[OOC: Gonna fire an intern now? ]

[Zwangzug]

"...takes a ball inside, one and oh."

"Bases loaded here in the eighth, Zwangzug trying to at least get on the board against the unranked Bumblebees."

"It's been an exciting night so far for the Islanders, as a swinging strike makes it one and one."

"For those of you just joining us, it's 3-0 The Babbage Islands. Flip Brown still pitching but it looks like Barnes is getting ready in the home bullpen."

"I'm not sure, it looks like Brown still has his stuff. Fouled back to the screen."

"He just walked the bases loaded!"

"No, Orsulak singled."

"Well. Yeah. But--"

"Ball high, two and two."

"With Cecil Arzaga having popped out for Ari Leinwand last inning, Ruud will have to bring in somebody else for the ninth. It's getting to that point of the game."

"Yes, Douglas, this is the bottom of the eighth."

"I just don't think Brown is that tired, that's all, he'd only given up four hits--there's another foul."

"Only four, yeah, until right now! And Lamenc was wearing him down, too!"

"If you say so. Ball, just off the outside corner. Full count."

"That was not just off the outside corner, Young barely got a hold of it!"

"Yeah, well, knuckleballers always make things more exciting."

"If that's what you want to call it."

"Fouled away, still three and two."

"Nobody out, bottom of the eighth."

"Yeah, we'd established that."

"I've already gone through Quashnock's relevant splits--"

"Go through them again, people might just be tuning in. Or get the seventh-inning-or-later stuff."

"That's hardly relevant."

"Fouled back yet again."

"So in the LAZY, Murray hit--"

"Oh, this one's hit into play! Driven into left-center, it's back, way back...a grand slam puts the Zebras ahead for the first time today, 4-3..."

"...Scripps entering for Zwangzug, a conventional choice under any other circumstances but unconventional given as it's Maren Ruud we're talking about."

"And it just goes to show what a threat this Babbage team is, that she'd go to Scripps."

"The Miller closer takes her warm---"

"She plays for the Millers?"

"Yeah."

"And she's on the national team?"

"You can't judge her by her raw stats, the Millers don't exactly have a lot of save opportunities..."

[Cassadaigua]

Christina’s Space

Good morning, Cassadaigua! I come to you on this beautiful day from Concord Heights as we prepare to play our fourth game of qualifying, which will be against a very familiar opponent, Vephrall. It will be the second World Baseball Classic in a row that we play them, as we split the series the last time around. We will hope to keep things moving along well in this game as we have really played great so far. Three wins in three games, including that big one against Secristan to open things up. Then we shut out Delaclava by the score of 5-0 and took care of Peso Grande by the score of 4-1. We feel really good about things right now as these scores show that we doing well both on the mound and at the plate, and we are playing great defensively as well. Against Delaclava, Rachel Andrews tossed a complete game shutout, scattering seven hits and striking out nine batters. It was a pitching duel for most of the game, but we eventually had our break through in the eighth inning, scoring five times, culminated by a three run homer off the bat of Katie Sheridan. I scored on the shot, having singled to lead off the inning, and I was 2-for-4 in this game with the pair of singles. Everyone contributed, and it was a solid victory. We continued to play outstanding baseball in Peso Grande as well. We scored two runs in the top of the first inning, with myself getting a double, and then brought in on a single by Brittany Knowles. Katie Sheridan later drove in Brittany. In the fifth, Rachel Weston went yard to give us a 3-0 lead. Morgan Klein was terrific on the mound, allowing just the one run they got in the bottom of the fifth. She pitched eight innings, striking out seven and Katie Sanderson got a save. Jennifer Branston also homered in this game, it coming in the top of the ninth.

After three games, we are 3-0, and if you look at the records across the qualifying groups it looks like most of the top contenders are taking care of business. You also have a team like Barnettsville, who is 3-0 right now with a couple other first time nations doing well with 2-1 records. It is going to be competitive but we are going to be right in the thick of this. Our confidence is rising and we won’t have any let down performances against Vephrall today.

[Milchama]

Milchama National News- Tribune- Sun- Times- Post- Gazette- Chronicle- Journal- Dispatch- Telegram- Star- Monitor- Enquirer

Sports Section

At 1-2 Fans Starting to Want More

For the first time in a long time the Milchamian fans are starting to want more from their national baseball team. Since WBC 7 when the Warriors lost in the semi finals the fans have been more or less contented. Even when the team sunk down to essentially mid-table obscurity barely making the knockout round, and never even getting near titles people were content to live and let live.

Now that is changing. Even with an anonymous team and coach the fans are starting to expect more from these Warriors. They're losses to unranked and overmatched opponents are starting to get press in the papers. They're loss to Taeshan today was particularly noteworthy for the way they squandered a 3-0 lead in the 8th with poor relief pitching from, well I just couldn't see him, but I assume he pitches for New Babylon. They then gave up another run in the bottom of the 10th after leaving the bases loaded in the top of the inning to lead to another loss.

It's performances like these that are starting to get press, considering that baseball is by far the most popular sport in Milchama with almost every community rabidly following every team from the 6 year olds to their local minor league team to the MBL (some more competitively than others) it's hard to find a break from the sport. People have just gravitated away from the national team after it proved it's dominance from WBCs 4-8 which involved 2 championships, 1 runner up and 1 semi final appearance. Even before that in WBCs 1-3 the Warriors did really well mustering two semi finals and 1 finals appearance. Since WBC 8 however people have started to gravitate away from this proud past and it has shown in the results as well as the teams which have been sent to represent the Warriors on the international stage.

Yet now things seem to be changing. The apathy that has surrounded this team seems to be going away and the want to win seems to be coming back. Unfortunately it looks like the Warriors didn't send out a particularly good team this time around which might create some problems with the expectations that are beginning to be set up by the fans. Despite the fact that the Warriors are off to a rough start they're two losses are to the only undefeated teams in the group and soon, if they sort out their relief pitching, the victories should start coming and Milchama will advance to the next stage of the tournament.

At least I sure damn hope so.

[Barnettsville]

Also, anyone who accurately guesses the song I reference in the bottom (title and group) gets a cookie.]

"Let the water come and carry us away,"

OOC: People are Crazy, I think is the song. Who sings it, absolutely no flippin' clue.

[Vephrall]

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Can Vephrall's boys become men in the land of women?

Nobody knew what to expect at the beginning of this WBC, and yet the results so far are somehow exactly what was expected. Wins over Warner Channel and Delaclava and a loss to Secristan leave the Auric Wolves at a perfectly predictable 2–1.

Next on the list is a trip to the massive Concord Heights Stadium to face Cassadaigua. The Dagans are a familiar opponent, having also been present in Vephrall's group last time around, with each team taking one win from the other. Cassadaigua's all-female (as per usual) team is the only unbeaten squad in Group A and features a very stingy pitching staff that has allowed just four runs in its first three games.

Taking the mound for Vephrall tonight is international SLORC leader Seketre Rilin, who we would wager is the only player to be chosen as a starter in the WBC despite having a losing record in his most recent league season. "The stats really are quite deceiving," says one scout. Let's hope so, because they don't really look all that great – even his ERA was less than one run below the league average of 4.50. He will be facing Dagan righty Stacey Franklin.

This will be the second time that Siellal Snakes outfielder Cuizamed Denosone finds himself in the starting lineup, as like Secristan, Cassadaigua uses the designated hitter rule. "It's kind of odd if you ask me," says Denosone, conveniently enough when asked about this very phenomenon. "In Cassadaigua, every hitter is a switch hitter. 'You don’t get to this level in Cassadaigua without having that ability,' they say. Then how does a pitcher get to that level without knowing how to use a bat at all?" Denosone will bat fifth in the order, with Scezes, Gicks, Giisost, and Tyssits each moving down one place.

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS SHOWING SWAGGER

Tundra Falls- After winning their first two games of qualifying, the world’s #1-ranked team remained on their home field to take on Albundania, and the mood in the home dugout was very laid-back. Players spent much of time they could have been using to play catch and warm up before a game to sign autographs for the fans and inside the dugout, the cameras were glued in to the prank that Stacey Keisler and Tara Cuyler were playing on Natalie Monroe. Once Natalie realized that Stacey had filled her upside down hat with sunflower seeds, it was too late and Monroe had them pour all over her head prior to taking the field in the top of the second inning. Carrie Nicolette was blowing kisses for the camera in the dugout then in the sixth inning when her team was hitting, went over to the cameraman and recorded Sarah Conrad’s at-bat for our television audience. Coach Christina Sanders smiled as it was all going on as in the opposing dugout she knew there was a team that would be a lot more tense about things. Such is the life with the Rockets baseball team. They know they’re good and this is the one sport where we really have not choked up games to teams we should beat. Kristen Haynes was on the mound for the sky blue and white and was not about to let Albundania crash this party.

It must have really had the Albundanians wondering why, even with Jorge Posada belting a solo HR off of Haynes in the first inning. The Rockets remained loose and Haynes simply shrugged her shoulders after the home run. Now, in contrast, take the reaction of CC Johnson when Natalie Monroe, sunflower seeds long gone, hit a grand slam off of him in the bottom of the third. It was a terrible blow for him to give up, but he collapsed to knees in aggravation, while Haynes in the first innings simply blew it off. Such is the difference in the mindset of a team who is confident and has been there before many times, and a team that knows they are a big underdog in a game that has not been threw it. Johnson could not collect himself, and hung a curveball to Sarah Conrad, who made him pay with a 445-blast to straightaway centerfield. All of the sudden Newmanistan was up 5-1, and they would be well on their way. Johnson may have done well by Albundania standards, but not according to ours. The starter had to be pulled in the third inning and gave up five runs. That’s not what you want out of a starting pitcher at this level.

Speaking of starting pitchers at this level, Kristen Haynes was in complete control of this game, shutting down the Albundanian batters one after the other. The home run that she surrendered in the first inning was a distant memory and she was unstoppable. She did surrender a run in the ninth, but it was far too little, way too late. Haynes gets the third complete game by a starting Newmanistanian pitcher in the first three games, giving up a pair of earned runs, walking one, and striking out eleven in the win. The Rockets still have not yet gone to the bullpen. The team travels to Oreington Canada and will look to go to 4-0 with #1D starter Courtney Lombardi on the mound. Oreington Canada picked up their first victory in their last game, defeating Vlasi 3-2 in extra innings, a result that will not scare anyone on Newmanistan, since we thrashed Vlasi earlier.

(OOC: Albundania, you mention in your RP that in the 9th you were still down by 2. By my count, it’s 5-1 at that point.)

[Epicnopolis]

OOC: Aw, i wish i had joined.

[Yafor 2]

The following is an excerpt from the Yaforite sabermetric blog Covering All The Bases

Why WBC sides need to learn that the stolen base is not the answer

Posted by Juan Ayala

Stolen bases. In LAZY (or, at least, the Yaforite section of LAZY that we're used to) steals are accepted as the type of play that is a waste unless given certain circumstances. That's due to the rules of thumb regarding the necessary stolen base percentage to succeed. Obviously, that changes per year, but the standard rule is around 70-75%, at least as calculated in the past. That's not really the case in the WBC, is it?

Teams like Newmanistan, Secristan, and even the top of the power-hitting Tocrowkian order tend to steal whenever the situation arises. That isn't exactly the best way to do things. Given that we've got a bit more of an international viewership since the WBC began, I think that I'll attempt to illustrate the point a bit as to why stealing is not always a good play. To do that, I'm using the run-expectancy matrix from the last LAZY season in the Yaforite side (I'm aware that's not the best idea, but given the decreased number of baserunners coincides somewhat with the decreased number of runs and that even over a long period of time the RE doesn't change all that much, it will do, at least as a model). The RE is, simply put, the average runs scored from any particular point in the game. For example, following the matrix below, you can get "2nd" (a runner on second) "2 outs" (with two outs) and find that the average number of runs scored was 0.344 from that position. The RE is the basis for much sabermetric analysis overall, as well as for analysis of stolen bases.

On base	0 outs	1 out	2 outs
Empty	0.555	0.297	0.117
1st	0.953	0.573	0.251
2nd	1.189	0.725	0.344
3rd	1.482	0.983	0.387
1st/2nd	1.573	0.971	0.466
1st/3rd	1.904	1.243	0.538
2nd/3rd	2.502	1.467	0.634
Loaded	2.417	1.65	0.815

So, assume that Newmanistan's Brittany Wright gets on first with no one out to lead off the first inning. The run expectancy of that position is 0.953. If she steals second, the RE goes up to 1.189, an increase of 0.236. If she is caught stealing, the RE goes down to 0.297 (the RE for "empty, 1 out"), a decrease of 0.656 runs. That means that, on the whole, a caught stealing is worth about 2.77 times as much as a stolen base. That's assuming all things equal, though. In reality, Wright steals bases at around a 93% chance (while a straight-up model, as shown, assumes 50%), which means that we ought to use the concept of expected value, or the average number of runs that she would add to the team if she stole an infinite amount of bases.

That means that the math turns into (0.236)*(0.93)+(-0.656)*(0.07), or the percentage chance of each event occurring multiplied by the value of each event. That yields a value of 0.17356, a positive value. On the whole, then, it would be a logical choice for her to steal a base, since on average she will be adding value for the team. However, that's assuming a 93% success rate, which is very much on the end of the spectrum. Take Liventian Steven Lucking, who has a 42% success rate. His expected value for stealing second with nobody out is (0.236)*(0.42)+(-0.656)*(0.58). Rather obviously, his expected value is negative, -0.28136. It is worth noting that this is far more negative a result than Wright's, so on a team with both of them, Lucking may in fact cancel out Wright and her improvement to the team's position. That's a pretty clear indicator that he shouldn't attempt to steal.

Take a more standard player, however. The average stolen base percentage in the Yaforite portion of LAZY (same disclaimers as above apply to using this) was 64%. Assuming this player (let's call him TestA) got on first with no one out, TestA's expected value to steal second would be (0.236)*(0.64)+(-0.656)*(0.36) or -0.08512. That's negative. Similarly, Quodite Amanda Jónsdóttir, who has a very good SB% of 68%, has an expected value of stealing second with no one out of -0.04052 runs. To put it another way: an average base-stealer, on the whole, when s/he attempts to steal a base, will damage the team by losing them runs. Even a player who steals thirteen bases every twenty will eventually lose his/her team value by getting caught stealing. Another way of viewing these results is that it is dangerous to steal unless, as stated above, the baserunner has a SB% of over 75%.

There's more of a problem regarding players in that, often, SB% is not a true reflection of their value. For a player like Wright I would imagine that of the 7% of bases that she does not steal, around 5% are simply excellent throws by the catcher, while the remainder are her problem. One could argue that, over the length of a season, this tends to normalize (I'd disagree, but I've never actually measured this statistically and, to my knowledge, neither has anyone else. No idea how one would do this). In the WBC, however, the catchers tend to throw better. Teams like Sarzonia forsake batting in order to get catchers who can throw out more baserunners (in the case of Sarzonia, that's Fred Carlton, who throws out 44% of opposing base-stealers). Therefore, in the WBC, a player like Brittany Wright may in fact see her "true" SB% drop to, perhaps, 90%. That drop turns players who might have a positive expected value with their 75% SB% into problems for their team, as their SB% could drop to something like 68%. If anything, one should be more careful running in the WBC, not the alternative.

Similarly, Wright is known for stealing both second and third. The RE for 2nd base, no outs is 1.189, while for 3rd base, no outs is 1.482, an increase of 0.293. The RE for bases empty, one out is 0.297, leading to a decrease of 0.8219. Wright, with her 93% SB% (or even the 90% or so that she probably has as a result of facing better catchers) still has an expected value of 0.214957. Someone who steals 72% of bases? -0.019172. That's negative and that's a bad play.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. Not every stolen base is with no outs and a runner on first. Not every team runs as much as Newmanistan. But the point is that in the WBC especially, running as fast as one can is not a very intelligent play, at least unless you're Brittany Wright.

[Secristan]

Matchday Four RP Cutoff is now!

Group A:
Secristan 4-2 Peso Grande
Warner Channel 4-5 (10 inn.) Delaclava
Cassadaigua 5-3 Vephrall

Group A	        W	L	RF	RA	RD
Cassadaigua	4	0	19	7	12
Secristan	3	1	18	13	5
Vephrall	2	2	15	15	0
Peso Grande	1	3	11	15	-4
Warner Channel	1	3	12	17	-5
Delaclava	1	3	11	19	-8

Group B:
Oreington Canada 0-6 Newmanistan
Vlasi 2-5 Dancougar
Albundania 3-6 Sarzonia

Group B	        W	L	RF	RA	RD
Newmanistan	4	0	20	4	16
Dancougar	3	1	13	8	5
Sarzonia	3	1	16	12	4
Albundania	1	3	12	17	-5
Or. Canada	1	3	7	16	-9
Vlasi     	0	4	9	20	-11

Group C:
The Babbage Islands 3-1 O5vx
Zwangzug 4-1 Bostopia
Bluth Corporation 1-5 Yafor 2

Group C	        W	L	RF	RA	RD
Yafor 2     	4	0	19	9	10
Zwangzug	3	1	19	11	8
Bostopia	2	2	11	14	-3
Babbage Islands	2	2	12	9	3
Bluth Corp	1	3	9	15	-6
O5vx     	0	4	5	17	-12

Group D:
Qazox 5-4 Liventia
Quintessence of Dust 7-2 Fyendor
Chesstaland 4-3 Quakmybush

Group D	        W	L	RF	RA	RD
Qazox     	4	0	21	11	10
Liventia	3	1	19	9	10
Q. of Dust	2	2	18	15	3
Quakmybush	1	3	13	19	-6
Chesstaland	1	3	8	15	-7
Fyendor	        1	3	10	20	-10

Group E:
Pokemonman 3-2 (12 inn.) Palmouth
Tree Hugging Lesbians 0-3 Milchama
Barnettsville 3-5 Taeshan

Group E	        W	L	RF	RA	RD
Taeshan	        4	0	23	9	14
Barnettsville	3	1	19	11	8
Milchama	2	2	13	11	2
T.H. Lesbians	2	2	11	17	-6
Pokemonman	1	3	8	18	-10
Palmouth	0	4	9	17	-8

Group F:
Steroga 5-4 Lovisa
Uiri 2-0 Iglesian Archipelago
Prestonia 2-4 Tocrowkia

Group F	        W	L	RF	RA	RD
Tocrowkia	4	0	21	8	13
Prestonia	2	2	12	11	1
Steroga     	2	2	12	12	0
Uiri      	2	2	14	16	-2
Lovisa     	1	3	15	19	-4
Ig. Archipelago	1	3	7	15	-8

[Taeshan]

X Island Inquirer

Win Number Four was achieved by the Purple Knights of Taeshan last night as they defeated the young, first year team from the nation of Barnettsville, who are new to the international stage of Baseball. In the end the Knights proved to have too much firepower pulliong away from the younger team in the late innings. In the end they won the game by a close score of 5-3, but they were able to prove to many that they were good enough to go undefeated, as long as they continue to train harder, and better then the other teams like in olden times.

Starting on the mound for the Knights was their youngest starter Coi Vexcen. The number Four Pitcher was the third starter to get a win for the Knights, and was able to keep the Barnettsville offense to a minumum on the day. Starting for the Barnettsville Red Hurricanes as they are named was their number for pitcher William Monaghan. For the first three innings the game looked like it would be low scoring as each pitcher was able to strand a few men on base, and bothj had four strikeouts to their name when the Knights top of the fourth came up. Socki Lewis aleady with three homers on the season wuickly made it 2-0 with a rocketed homer over the right field fence scoring Riane Totalez.

Then the Pitchers duel quickly turned in to a matter of who could keep the other from scoring the least in the end. Even though in the end only 8 runs were scored, that his a high number for a game including the Knights. The Hurricanes took their only lead of the game in the fifth with a thre run homer of their own. The game became tied in the 6th when Tadihito Shakiri sent home Riane Totalez again with a Single after Totalez stole both second and third off the Hurricane Reliever. The Knights took a 4-3 lead in the 7th before Vexcen was taken of the mound with a Socki Lewis sacrifice scoring Freddy Myers. Finally the Knights put the game out of reach of a late Hurricane run when Alexander Parea soloed the ball out of the park.

[Sarzonia]

Fred Carlton heard the whispers. Hell, they weren't even whispers.

Some people outwardly challenged the Sarzonian catcher's lack of offence. Sure, he called a great game. Sure, each Sarzonian pitcher claimed he shaved at least a full run per game off their earned run averages. Sure, he made some fleet-footed baserunners think twice about taking off for second with his so-called Human Howitzer.

But offensively, Carlton was a non-factor. Some would even say he was a liability at the plate, no matter how much of an asset he was behind the plate. In the top of the ninth with the bases loaded and his team trailing by a run, however, one swing of Carlton's bat silenced the critics for at least one day. He deposited the 1-2 pitch over the left centrefield wall for a two-out grand slam home run that stunned silent an Albundanian crowd that sensed a monumental upset.

Carlton rounded the bases with apparent non-chalance, but after lefty closer Alvin Dryden retired the Blue Crew in order and the Stars returned to the away clubhouse, he let loose a blood-curling yell.

Even though it was his only hit of the match, he sure made it count. And he didn't even mind the shaving creme pie that greeted his face, courtesy of first baseman Hank Everly, as he was giving an interview on SNN.

"Good for Freddie," said manager Jim Paulsen, aware that he could get away with calling Carlton by that name this one time. "It was great to win in walk-off fashion, but it's even better to see it from a guy who's known for his defence and not his offence."

Sarzonia (3-1) now have the best record among third place sides in this World Baseball Classic. If the qualifying stage ended now, the Stars would be making the trip to Secristan. However, the Stars have unfinished business to attend to first. Namely, they have a home date against world No. 1 Newmanistan at Walter Cronkite Memorial Park. Ticketmaster reported that the game had long since been sold out, and anecdotal evidence points to scalpers requesting thousands of dollars for the cheap seats.

"We've even installed temporary bleachers to increase capacity to 40,000 for this match," said stadium president Marty Lowell. "Even with those seats, tickets are still sold out."

Stars officials are asking supporters to wear navy blue and have gotten stadium authorities to rescind ballpark prohibitions against artificial noisemakers.

"We want this to be as loud and as inhospitable for the Rockets as possible," Paulsen said. "As hostile as it was for us playing them during the playoffs last year, we want it to be just as hostile for them, if not more."

[Barnettsville]

Great game ends with a loss -- and controversy
Capital City Journal -- ccj.com.ba

ST. CATHERINE -- Well, it finally happened.

Chris McCracken, national team manager, admitted as much when the groups were announced that "even we would be surprised to go undefeated." The 'Canes are now three up and one down following a tough 5-3 loss to heavily favored Taeshan Purple Knights, now the only perfect team in the group at 4-0. William Monaghan started and did an admirable job on the hill, going five innings and allowing only two runs on four hits. He also allowed two walks and rang up four strikeouts. Coi Vixcen did just as well a job for the Knights, allowing three runs in seven innings. The game was a scoreless tie until the fourth, when Socki Lewis hit his fourth home run of the tournament, a two-run blast to right. After that, the game quickly started looking like it would be a shootout, as Jonathan Strong hit his third homer of the tournament, giving the 'Canes their only lead of the game, 3-2. Brian Kuzneski came into the game in the sixth and quickly surrendered the lead right back, allowing Tadihito Shakiri singled home Riane Totalez after Totalez had just stolen not just second, but third base.

Taeshan took the lead for good the next inning after Lewis hit a sacrifice fly to score Freddy Myers. Alexander Parea ended the scoring, but not the fireworks with a solo home run in the ninth against "relief" pitcher Garry Barnett, Jr. Barnett then hit the next batter on the first pitch, getting immediately tossed to protests of it being an accident, leading to Chris McCracken also getting run -- for the second time in the group stage. Jason Baker pitched the final 2/3 of the ninth inning, before Barnettsville went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth.

President Barnett, in a post-game news conference, said, "I don't know whether that hit batter was intentional or not. However, that is most definitely NOT how we play here. Until the ninth, it was an extremely well-played game. Taeshan showed great class in not retaliating in our half of the ninth."

An Association of Sport official, speaking on a condition of anonomity -- being it's not officially their position -- said that McCracken might be suspended for the remainder of the group stage.

NOTES: Barnettsville came out onto the field to the sound of "Rock You Like A Hurricane", and after Strong hit his home run, "The Big Show" was played. The Hurricane's next game will be against the Tree Hugging Lesbians at St. Catherine City Stadium. Garry Barnett, Jr. is scheduled to be the starter.

---

[nation] http://nswiki.net/index.php?title=Barnettsville [/nation] Still a work in progress....

"Any day you wake up is automatically a good day."

[Qazox]

QSPN.com/WBC12 Coverage

WIKI Page: http://wikistates.outwardhosting.com/wiki/World_Baseball_Classic_12

Qazox improved to 4-0 in group play with a walk-off bases-loaded walk from Liventia's Sean Nelson with 1 out in the bottom of the ninth. After Qazox connected on three consecutive singles, to load the bases, Liventia's Sean Nelson relieved Liam Donaldson with Brian Manuel up next. Manuel popped-up the first pitch right back to Nelson. Then came up light-hitting Vaughn O'Bannon. O'Bannon came in as a defensive replacement for Trey Vander Wahl in the top of the 9th. After getting a called first strike, Nelson's next two pitches were in the dirt, as Brendan Poore had difficulty holding onto Nelson's forkball, but the drops weren't enough to the runner from third. After a couple foulos balls, Nelson's forkball almost hit O'Bannon, making it a 3-2 count. The next pitch, looked to be a strike, but the Taeshani Umpire, John Frommage, called it a ball, and in came Greg Hancock with the game-winning run.

Up next is the conclusion of the first half of qualifing at Fyendor, the beginning of a 3-game trip.

GAME 4 vs. Liventia
Code: Select all
Liventia      0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0  4 11  0
Qazox         0 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 1  5 13  1

1 out when winning run scored.
W: Paul Cerron (1-0) 1.1 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB 
L: Liam Donaldson (0-1) 1.0 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB
NOTE: Donaldson pitched to 3 batters in the 9th.
HR's: 
Liventia: Ryan Turry- (4th inning, 0 out, 1 on) off of Mark Stairs; 
Wayne Tope- (5th inning, 1 out, 1 on) off of Mark Stairs.
Qazox: Greg Hancock- (3rd inning, 0 out, 0 on) off of Albert Sturdy.
E: Qazox- Eric Johnsen(1)