International Baseball Slam XIII: Everything Thread

[Daskel]

スポーツ INSIDER: CRISIS IN THE BULLPEN
The Jr. Daskies had won the last game, but at what cost?
By Yamakawa Daizou

BANIJA-- Last game was a joy for us, Daskelian fans. The team won their first match at the knockout stage against Hannasean Independent All-Stars, with an impressive performance by Kawauchi Mitsuo. Five innings and zero runs against, The Daskies were playing a nice match, but problems resurfaced once again, when Sakamoto Hiroshi signaled the pitcher change. All eyes were on Kōguchi Shōji, as he walked toward the mound at the top of the sixth. The diamond didn't treat the pitcher well, as he gave up 3 runs in 3 innings, placing Team Daskel on a tight spot.

Thankfully, the team's batting was stellar and quickly recovered the lead. But we cannot depend of the batters. The national U18 team has a running crisis in the bullpen, and if the Daskies want to go forward, they desesperately need to solve it.

THE BULLPEN CRISIS

---

Just two names dissapeared from last year's roster, the one that won this very tournament. Mizushima Hisashi and Akase Tomoki currently are drafted in the AO league of the DPY development league, and their experience has been greatly missed. Imakawa Katsuhisa and Okitaki Kenji are the newest addition for the U18 squad, and they have not had their best performances. Both pitchers had to be replaced in short notice, one being benched to be replaced by Nire Koichiro, the team's closer, who now has a "crisis support" relief pitcher role on the team. IF not for Nire, we would be elliminated.

PITCHING DEVELOPMENT'S MOVEMENT

---

Of course, all eyes were also on the pitcher coaching team, led by Kasai Tomoki. Kasai has made two changes, one taking Nire as a regular reliever. After last night's, Jr Daskies coaching staff called for a press conference, announcing that they were erasing the reliever labels entirely. Long gone are the long, mid, short and closers. They're just pitchers now, and this may turn for the good or the worst. The team also told that they were even thinking of mixing things up, sending starters to the relief squad and viceversa, a desesperate decision to change the tide.

THE FUTURE

---

The Daskies had made one change for their next game, sending Shimahara in Naeda's place on the outfield. The starting pitcher position was assigned to Takashima Daijirō, an experienced pitcher from last year who may take this pressure better. Imada Takumi will stay behind the mask.


OFFICIAL LINEUP

BATTING LINEUP (NO DH)

1. Motoyama
2. Fukiyama
3. Komatsubara
4. Seri
5. Mizuya
6. Shimahara
7. Imada
8. Shigeki
9. Pitcher spot
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

BATTING LINEUP (DH)

1. Fukiyama
2. Shigeki
3. Komatsubara
4. Seri
5. Mizuya
6. Tatsumoto (DH)
7. Motoyama
8. Shimahara
9. Imada
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Banija]

Cutoff! Four teams will be eliminated. 12 will remain after today. Will yours be one of the four?

Hopefully, when you stare deep into the pond of Margaret, your Reflection will not show you on the next plane out of Banija.

Teams in red are eliminated.

Regionals Day 2 Results

Army Super Regional
Army Regional

Silvedania U-21 Sycamores                    0 0 2 3 2 1 0 0 2 10
South Newlandia U22s                         1 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 6 11

Isle of Lowe United                          0 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0  4
Banijan Joint Service Academy All-Stars      1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 3  7

Air Force Regional

Santo Domingo Toros                          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Kohnhead U-21 Pandas                         2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 X  3

Abanhfleft Revolution All-Stars              0 2 0 0 0 2 1 0 0  5
Neptun Taru U21                              5 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 X  9

Navy Super Regional
Navy Regional

Daskel U18 Junior Daskies                    0 0 3 1 0 0 2 2 0  8
Quebec U22s                                  0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1  3

Northwest Ballina Redhawks                   0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2
Hannasea Independent All-Stars               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1

Coast Guard Regional

Breton Valley Bangers                        0 1 1 1 0 0 7 0 2 12
Nova Anglicana Lions                         1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0  3

Sarzonia U-21 Junior Stars                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
Super-Llamaland U13s                         0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 X  2

Regionals Day 3 Matchups
Home team listed second. The home team will be the loser from the winner's side of the regional.

Army Super Regional
Army Regional
Banijan Joint Service Academy All-Stars v. Silvedania U-21 Sycamores
South Newlandia U22s have a bye.

Air Force Regional
Neptun Taru U21 v. Santo Domingo Toros
Kohnhead U-21 Pandas have a bye.

Navy Super Regional
Navy Regional
Northwest Ballina Redhawks v. Quebec U22s
Daskel U18 Junior Daskies have a bye.

Coast Guard Regional
Super-Llamaland U13s v. Nova Anglicana Lions
Breton Valley Bangers have a bye.

[Delaclava]

DSGN.com Baseball

Bangers shell Lions bullpen in seven-run 7th at IBS
Breton Valley a win away from Super Regional final after offensive explosion

Ryan Rudock's three run home-run in the seventh inning highlighted a seven-run frame as the Breton Valley Bangers ran away from the Nova Anglicana Lions for a 12-3 victory at the Shango-Fogoa Coast Guard Academy in Herzegovina City, Banija.

"We really showed in today's game how we can get hot, string together hits and runs," Rudock said. "It's hard to stop us when we get in that mode." He laughed and added, "Of course, the home run helps too."

It was actually Nova Anglicana who briefly led 1-0 on an RBI double from Scott Elston in the bottom of the first inning, before the Bangers put up a run in each of the next three innings, leading 3-2 after four.

On the mound for Breton Valley, Bedin Egozhevy earned a complete game win despite allowing the two early runs, and allowing the tying run in the sixth inning. "He looked and felt great, his innings were pretty efficient," manager Joran Perrot said. "He just gave up a few runs, but his control was good, he never got crushed. Then when we got the big lead in the seventh, I wanted to let him finish the job if he could."

The Bangers were good for several hits throughout the first six innings, but Lions starter Bradford Curry was effective in containing them through six innings. Erick McGuire came in to relieve Curry, but with leadoff hitter Valery Robiquet back to start the seventh inning, the Southeastern Baseball League champions put their offensive prowess on full display. Robiquet singled and stole second, before Teuvo Kujala singled to drive him in - a sequence of events so iconic that it is often said, "Robiquet can score on a single from first." Owen Clark and Jack Russo then put up back-to-back doubles, scoring Kujala and then Clark and chasing McGuire. Mitch Ballard took the mound after Pavel Malek was intentionally sent to first, but Rudock clobbered Ballard's second pitch over the left-field wall, clearing the bases and stretching the lead to 9-3 in a matter of minutes.

With no outs, Ballard and Greg Harper managed to work their way out of the inning with only one more run conceded, as Ilkka Salonen made his way around the bases on a series of singles, but the damage was long done. Egozhevy retired nine of 10 batters to finish the game, and the Bangers put up two more runs in the final inning for additional insurance.

"We're a pretty steady team," Malek said, "and we really try to get a run at a time. But with our plate discipline, we can give pitchers fits, and it can get ugly really quickly. It sure makes things easier for our own staff."

Breton Valley now waits as Nova Anglicana drops down to face the Super-Llamaland U13s, who survived elimination and sent home the Sarzonia U-21 Junior Stars in a 2-1 victory. The Bangers have beaten both squads in the Coast Guard Regional, but Kujala warned that play was far from concluded.

"The first matchup is always a bit different, it's a learning process and we came out on top," Kujala explained. "Now that we've gotten looks at each other, the familiarity could play in their favor. If they win a rematch, it comes down to a third game and anything could happen. So we're taking our rest, we're keeping an eye on how that game goes. It'll be a great game with a lot on the line, and we look forward to getting ready for the winner."

[Srednjaci]

BASEBALL TIME

NEPTUN TARU ON THE WINNING TRACK AGAIN

After two disappointingly bad matches, Neptun Taru finally wins again.
In the crucial elimination match, the young baseball players defeated Abanhfleft Revolution All-Stars with 9: 5!
The key was the first change that our team won with 5: 0 and the fifth change that our team won with 4: 0!
Although the players of Neptun Taru welcomed the sixth substitution with the result 9: 2, the players of Abanhfleft Revolution All-Stars did not give up and constantly threatened.
However, there was no more time and space for a better result.
Neptun Taru plays best when he is most needed.

Our next opponent very embarrassing. We had a heavy defeat from them and that is Santo Domingo Toros.
In our first match we were badly defeated with 6: 1 without any inning gained.
Our guys played a bad match then. We hope that they learned something from that defeat and that they prepared much better for this match.

Neptun Taru has a great team led by Siniša Cvetojević, can that team make an even bigger step forward?
We asked Cvetojević for an answer.
"We had a crisis of the game but also the results. We stumbled a bit but we came back hungry for success. Our next opponent is very good and they took advantage of our mistakes and instability in the game and beat us 6: 1! I'm glad that we rose from that defeat, we learned a lot and won the elimination match. This will be a new exam for us ". Cvetojević said.
It remains for us to see the match and the outcome of the match Neptun Taru vs Santo Domingo Toros.

[South Newlandia]

After playing the group stage at the Stadium of the Shango-Fogoa Coast Guard Academy, the South Newlandian team moved on to play their knockout games in the Army Regional. There, they would start by facing Isle of Lowe United again, a team they lost to on matchday one. Michael Michaelson got the revenge he wanted, pitching eight shutout innings as South Newlandia took a 4-1 win. This got them into a match with the Silvedania U-21 Sycamores. They had finished only 3-3 in the group stage, but defeated their group mates, the team from Banija, in a game that ended 13-8. Jack Beard would have his third game of the tournament, and with the Silvedanian bats on fire, it would not be an easy one.

The game started quite well for South Newlandia; Oliver Landry scored in the first inning, followed by scores from Bains and Burn in the second inning to give South Newlandia an early 3-0 lead. Beard, who kept the board clean in the first two innings, would now get into a little bit of trouble. Six innings in, South Newlandia was trailing 4-8. They had scored two, but Beard got badly sunk. He was pulled midway through the fifth, and mop-up pitcher Herbert Hoosier couldn’t exactly dig them out of the hole either. Going into the ninth, this result still stood; and primary reliever Ethan Ress gave some additional runs in the ninth to put South Newlandia down 5-10.

On the plus-side, some big leads with ten runs for the leading team don’t hold. I bet there’s some historic examples on this, but I can’t come up with any right now.
Anyways, South Newlandia was trailing by five going into the bottom of the ninth, with hope almost out. Oliver Landry put up a single, and Zimmerman followed with a double. Salas knocked one right through the middle, scoring two runs and putting himself on first. Perez knocked one over the fence, and South Newlandia was only down by one. Promises was walked, but Henry grounded out. Jeremy Moss couldn’t do much either, striking out, with Promises, the game-tying run, still sitting on second. The pressure was on Malika Bains, the second basewoman. She hadn’t hit a home run this tournament, and she hit only two in the entire past season. On the very first pitch, she knocked one deep over the fence in Right Field to win it for South Newlandia in a walk-off.

This will give South Newlandia a bye before they head into the final for the Army Regional.

[Banija]

Cutoff!

Four more teams will be eliminated... And we will be down to 8!

Enjoy some great baseball highlights... Here is a montage of the final World Series pitch, every year from 1999 to 2019. (You should skip 2006 and 2012 portions though- those are yucky).

Regionals Day 3 Results

Teams in red are eliminated.

Army Super Regional
Army Regional

Banijan Joint Service Academy All-Stars      0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4  5
Silvedania U-21 Sycamores                    0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1

Air Force Regional

Neptun Taru U21                              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1  5
Santo Domingo Toros                          0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0  4

Navy Super Regional
Navy Regional

Northwest Ballina Redhawks                   1 1 4 0 1 0 0 0 0  7
Quebec U22s                                  0 0 1 3 6 0 0 0 X 10

Coast Guard Regional

Super-Llamaland U13s                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Nova Anglicana Lions                         0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 X  3

Regionals Day 4 Matchups
Home team listed second. Team who had a bye on Regionals Day 3 are the home team.

Army Super Regional
Army Regional
Banijan Joint Service Academy All-Stars(2-1) v. South Newlandia U22s(2-0)

Air Force Regional
Neptun Taru U21(2-1) v. Kohnhead U-21 Pandas(2-0)

Navy Super Regional
Navy Regional
Quebec U22s(2-1) v. Daskel U18 Junior Daskies(2-0)

Air Force Regional
Nova Anglicana Lions(2-1) v. Breton Valley Bangers(2-0)

A reminder that a team is eliminated upon their second loss. Also a reminder that your losses carry over to the Super Regional Round, if you make it that far. So if any of the 2-1 teams lose on Day 4, they are eliminated, and the 2-0 team that beat them will advance to the Super Regional round. If the 2-1 team wins on Day 4, then the two teams will play each other again on Day 5, with the home/away designations flipped, for a spot in the Super Regional round.

[Northwest Kalactin]

Northwest Ballina Redhawks
School Info
Nickname: Redhawks
Conference Affiliations: Plains Conference
Colors: Red and Black
Style Mod: +5
City: Cartertown, Northwest Kalactin
Enrollment: 4,500

Coaches
Head Coach: Rory Mitchell, Former 1B at the college
Bench Coach: Jacob George
First Base Coach: Owen Chapman
Third Base Coach: Christopher Fletcher

Hitting Lineup
C: David Elliott, 6-3, 245
1B: Cameron Jones, 6-5, 260
2B: Leon Clarke, 5-10, 178
SS: Toby Price, 6-0, 191
3B: Harvey Rose, 6-2, 195
LF: Pablo Cross, 5-11, 180
CF: Devon Terry, 5-10, 197
RF: Griffin Logan, 6-1, 199
Utility IF: Jordan Howard, 6-2, 221
Utility Hitter: Misael Lawrence, 6-0, 197

Pitching Staff: 
SP: Spencer Taylor, 6-3, 219
Tom Rose, 6-2, 198
Frederick Dixon, 6-6, 239
MR: Liam Pearce, 6-5, 199
Zac Matthews, 6-2, 201
SU: Bruce Cochran, 6-7, 210
CL: Alexzander Nicholson, 6-6, 256

Hitting Order
1. Jones
2. Clarke
3. Elliott
4. Terry
5. Rose
6. Cross
7. Logan
8. Price
9. Pitcher

RP Permissions
You can choose my lineup, run scorers, and injure my players. Godmoding is allowed, have fun with it if you do though, do try and follow the hitting lineup to your best ability.

[Nova Anglicana]

Webster silences young bats as Lions advance to regional final

Coming into their IBS regional round game against the Super-Llamaland U13 national team, the Lions were in a precarious position. Having lost to the Breton Valley Bangers in their second regional game, they could not afford another loss or they would be out of the tournament. Standing in their way were the wunderkinden from Super-Llamaland. This squad, despite being just 11 years old at the time, had finished as runners-up in IBS XII, proving that they were a force to be reckoned with. Despite this, the Lions knew they would never live it down if they lost. Sure, they had been the first team to make it past the group stage since the revival of the IBS, but if they lost to the tweenage squad, they would undoubtedly go down as the worst team in Nova Anglican IBS history. Knowing this, Gabe Webster took the mound.

Webster is the Lions' "ace" for this tournament. His best pitch is his big, looping curveball. Given the small stature of the team from Super-Llamaland, he struggled to get a feel for the strike zone, often missing up. This led him to walk four batters in his first four innings, but the young Tigers team couldn't get a hit to score any of those runners. Eventually, he found the hang of the strike zone and racked up ten strikeouts for the game, including four with the curveball. After carrying a no-hitter into the seventh, with two outs, #7 hitter Olivia Court blooped one over the head of veteran second baseman Alain Gosselin, breaking up the no-hitter. Webster and Gosselin were visibly upset by the result, but Webster buckled down and allowed no more baserunners for the rest of the game, finishing by throwing a complete game shutout.

On the offensive side of things, the Lions would see Rowan Gardner. The youngster allowed six baserunners through four innings, but he induced a pair of double plays to get out of trouble as well as adjusting his fielders to make the right play in the right circumstance. He recorded zero strikeouts, but he left with the score still tied, 0-0. Grayson Schmidt would take the mound in his place for the fifth inning. Facing the top of the Lions' order, Schmidt hit a batter and walked Michael "Mac" McCray before getting Nick McAllister to ground out sharply to Bradley Guo at first. With runners on third and second, Rob Patten stroked a two-run double the other way to left-center, scoring Rhett Bellamy and McCray. Roscoe Meacham grounded out softly to the right side, but Jack Corcoran singled to score Patten and make it 3-0. Garcia would pitch the sixth as well, and two other Tigers pitchers combined with him to allow three baserunners, but no runs over the final three innings. That and Webster's excellent effort gave the Lions the win over the scrappy youngsters.

This win advances the Lions to the regional final, where they will face a rematch with Delaclava's Breton Valley Bangers. The Bangers put up nine runs against the Lions' bullpen last game in a 12-3 victory, so good pitching will be key. With Webster out of commission, Bradford Curry having pitched against the Bangers last time, and Gabe Nichols not yet recovered from his game 1 start against the Sarzonia Junior Stars, the Lions will send #5 starter Toby Caldwell to the mound. Caldwell is a right-hander and will face a largely right-handed lineup in Breton Valley, which gave him the edge over Jean Desmarais, a lefty and the #4 starter. Caldwell surrendered four runs in five innings against Santo Domingo in the group stage, and will try to mix his pitches better and avoid a performance like he had in the group stage. Since the Bangers have not lost yet in the regional round, the Lions will need to win two in a row to move on to the super regional round, the de facto semifinal. Should the Lions win game one against the Bangers, manager Rick McDonald can go with Desmarais or bring back Nichols on three days' rest. It's more likely he'll go with Desmarais, as the purpose of this tournament is to give players more playing time and hope they can earn their way on to a major league roster, not winning per se.

Either way, the Lions face a tough road forward. They'll need everything they've got to get past the Bangers, including a better performance from the bullpen.

[Srednjaci]

NEPTUN TARU ON WINNING TRACK

Neptun Taru U21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 5
Santo Domingo Toros 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 4

An amazing and tough game is behind our young baseball players.
Exactly as we expected between these two teams. In the previous match, Neptun Taru were completely outplayed and the Santo Domingo Toros team won.
However, now is the nockout phase, there is no more make-up exam.
Both teams were very aware of that and that's how they approached the game.
The result shows how strong the match was mentally strong.
Neptun Taru from 0: 2 to the ninth inning to 5: 4 in the end showed a winning character. They have shown that they are there and that they know what they are doing.
This is a big win for the team from DR Srednjaci.

The next meeting of our boys is against the great team Kohnhead U-21 Pandas.
Great team that plays very well. We hope our guys have studied the opponent well because there is no room for repair anymore.

Baseball is still a big topic on all sports portals. In the schools they attend, the boys are very popular and everyone wants to talk to them when they return from Banija.

CAN A MIRACLE HAPPEN ?!

This is a sport and none of these guys expected anything given the conditions in which the boys trained.
We have already written before how great interest in baseball was shown and work began on the dilapidated playgrounds to be renovated as well as the rooms for players and club management.
We are all looking forward to the next game and if it is time for the guys to say goodbye to Banija, they will say goodbye with style!
But we are fighters and we believe that happiness accompanies the brave.

Air Force Regional
Neptun Taru U21(2-1) v. Kohnhead U-21 Pandas(2-0)

[Banija]

OOC Note: Anything written does not reflect the OOC review of Banija or the IC views of a majority of Banijans

The Lion's Roar
Banija's #1 English language newsletter for military veterans

What a comeback! The All-Stars, against the wall, break open in the top of the 9th inning to get to the Regional Finals

It's been an up and down Regionals for the Joint Service Academy All-Stars. We played the Silvedania U-21 Sycamores in the first round of the knockout stages, and lost to them in honestly what was one of the wildest games ever seen. After 7 full innings in that game, the score was 4-3 in favor of the Sycamores. Not quite a pitcher's duel? But a competitive enough game. And the pitchers were playing rather well.

And then, we get to the top of the 8th inning. And the Joint Service Academy All-Stars unravel. They batted around- our young cadets faced a total of 12 batters. Or, of course, all 9 batters in the Sycamores lineup, plus three more for a second time. We got absolutely crushed. A 4-3 deficit after the bottom of the 7th was all of a sudden an 11-3 deficit after the top of the 8th inning. It was a total, complete, and epic collapse of our bullpen at the hand of the Sycamores.

And all of a sudden, that meant at our own tournament, we were on the verge of being eliminated almost immediately. So then, we would play the Isle of Lowe United in an elimination game on Regionals Day 2. Remember- the tournament is a double elimination tournament through the Super Regional round. That game was a tight, back and forth game throughout. We'd score- they'd score right back. But the game was tied at 4 after six innings. Neither team scored in the 7th or the 8th inning, as both pens were dominating. It was the 9th inning, in a do-or-die elimination game.

That meant throw on the long reliever, right? Njah Kono came onto the mound, prepared to pitch multiple innings. This squad's manager, Baluta Colley, said that he was prepared to pitch Kono "4-5 innings if necessary." Kono immediately allowed a ground-rule double in the top of the 9th. And then, he allowed a walk. Pitching Coach Jelany Chiemeka came out to calm him down. Kono then was able to strike out the side, striking out the first batter swinging, and the next two looking. The pro-Banijan crowd cheered loudly as he got the last strikeout looking, and he pumped his fist to the sky.

And the young Cadets were going to take advantage. A one out single from the man who should be the home run king, Sulayman Ouattara, started the rally. The winning run on first, with one out. Rufaro Kusvika comes into the game to pinch run. HE immediately steals second. They then choose to intentionally walk Bassirou Mansaray to get to Kausu Biri, and more importantly, create the force at 2nd for the double play. And Biri stepped up and bombed one out to left field. Throw on quite the ridiculous, massive bat flip, and his home run assured our squad one more game, here at Army.

And who would it be against? Silvedania again. Sakeh Ahmadou was an absolute monster. The knuckler only came on and threw a complete game three hitter. That's right. Our backs against the wall. Elimination game. He allowed a first inning single, a third inning walk, a sixth inning double, and a seventh inning solo home run. Four baserunners. That's it. Masterful pitching performance. Unfortunately, Silvedania's pitcher was matching him pitch for pitch.

Until the 9th inning, of course. Top of the 9th. We're in Banija, but since they had already beat us in the knockouts, we were the designated away team. Weird, I know. Anyways, a leadoff single for our #9 hitter, our catcher. Then a single for Marong. Then our #2 hitter, Jassey, popped up. But Mobika got a walk(unintentional of course) to load the bases with one out. And then, the alternate home run king, Sulayman Ouattara, stepped up to the plate. Could we win in dramatic fashion again? Hell yes! Not quite as dramatic as you are thinking. He lined one down the right field line, into the corner. All three base runners scored while Ouattara stood up at second. Mobika had barely slid in ahead of the throw to be the last run.

Bases loaded, bases clearing double. 9th inning magic again. Ouattara was eventually brought home on a double at the next at-bat, and we would go on to win the game, 5-1.

Now, another elimination game. This time, against the big dog of our regional- South Newlandia. Fortunately, the play the game the way it was meant to be played- with a Designated Hitter. It'll be a fun one. Our young cadets are underdogs though. Can they win and force a match on Day 5? Or will it be South Newlandia who gets a day off before the Super Regionals?

Now, I'm a veteran, a regular writer in this blog. My son writes in his school newspaper. He's 15. I'm so proud! I'm re-posting his blog he wrote for his high school about the home run derby.

A note from the blog author's teenage son- the Home Run Derby

What an absolute travesty. What a joke! I would say it was rigged, but of course, we are the ones hosting this tournament. But Sulayman Ouattara is absolutely deserving of the title of home run king.

Let's go back. He hit 116 home runs in one night. And that's not counting swing-offs! Take a look at the winner from the Lions, Scott Elston. (The FAKE Lions- we're the real Lions, but we'll get back to that another day). Scott Elston only hit 93. And of course. IN the second round, who hit the most home runs out of all 4 competitors? Ouattara, at 34. Who hit the most in the semifinal round? Ouattara again, at 31.

Elston got lucky in the final round. Completely B.S. Hit 19, then 19 again, then 22, then all of a sudden hit 31? There are two explanations. One, he wasn't trying his best until the Final, and simply resting up. That's disrespectful to the fans- you watch a home run derby to see people just mash the hell out of the baseball repeatedly. Or second, Ouattara is simply the best home run hitter the world has ever seen, and simply got a little bit tired. That is the more likely option.

There's an easy solution. The Fake Lions should tell Elston to give up his trophy, and give it to Ouattara. Ouattara hit 23 more homers than Elston on the night, before swing-offs. I'm gonna keep writing about this until somebody does something about it.

[Banija]

Cutoff!

How about watching a less than 3 minute video about the greatest baseball moment of my lifetime? That should hold you over until scores.

Regionals Day 5 Results

Teams in red are eliminated.

Army Super Regional
Army Regional

Banijan Joint Service Academy All-Stars      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
South Newlandia U22s                         0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 X  6

Air Force Regional

Neptun Taru U21                              0 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 0  5
Kohnhead U-21 Pandas                         0 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0  4

Navy Super Regional
Navy Regional

Quebec U22s                                  3 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  5
Daskel U18 Junior Daskies                    0 0 0 3 0 3 0 2 X  8

Coast Guard Regional

Nova Anglicana Lions                         0 1 1 1 0 1 0 2 1  7
Breton Valley Bangers                        0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Regionals Day 5 Matchups

Home team listed second. Team who won on Regionals Day 4 are the home team for Day 5.

Army Super Regional
Army Regional
South Newlandia U22s(3-0) are the champions of the Army Regional, and will advance to the Army Super Regional. They have a bye on Day 5.

Air Force Regionals
Kohnhead U-21 Pandas(2-1) v. Neptun Taru U21(3-1). Winner advances to the Army Super Regional, the loser is eliminated from the tournament.

Navy Super Regional
Navy Regional
Daskel U18 Junior Daskies(3-0) are the champions of the Navy Regional, and will advance to the Navy Super Regional. They have a bye on Day 5.

Coast Guard Regionals
Breton Valley Bangers(2-1) v. Nova Anglicana Lions(3-1). Winner advances to the Navy Super Regional, the loser is eliminated from the tournament.

[Srednjaci]

NEW TOUGH VICTORY FOR NEPTUN TARU

The young baseball boys managed to win another exhausting and tough match against the favored Kohnhead U-21 Pandas team with 5: 4!
A tough match for both teams, the Kohnhead U-21 Pandas need a win to go further and ours need a win to stay fighting.
In Neptun Taru they are aware of what is at stake and in key moments they have got the best out of themselves.

The start of the match and the first inning show that both teams entered the match nervously. Shaky hands and leaden legs resulted in 0: 0 at the end of that inning.

In the second inning, the boys relaxed a bit, broke the ice, so the second inning was more effective for both teams. First Kohnhead U-21 Pandas scored but immediately Neptun Taru fought back so the second inning ended 1-1!

The third inning, complete confusion of both teams, bad throws, and even if something hits, it is not well up runed, wrong placement at the bases, resulted in 0: 0!

The fourth inning went well for Neptun Taru, right at the start they make an advantage in strength and score. However, they did not manage to use their psychological advantage until the end of that change, so it remained 1: 0 until the end of the change!

Just when we thought they will going to transfer that upward game and positive energy into the fifth inning, again total disarray, confusion and some fear crept into the team. Neptun Taru fell playfully and Kohnhead U-21 Pandas players rose. Neptun Taru was lucky becouse Kohnhead U-21 Pandas did'nt score. This inning ended with 0: 0!

But already the next inning Kohnhead U-21 Pandas are transmitting their good game and what they missed in the previous inning they are not missing now. They score effectively twice and win inning with 2: 0! They turn the overall result in their favor with 3: 2! This kind of lead in such difficult matches can prove crucial until the end.

The seventh inning, the manager makes a key change in the game, rotates two players, instead of Jakov Ivandić puts Taro Watanabe in the game and instead of Maroje Dumbović in the game is 18-year-old Robert Martinović -lefty specialist.
In that change, Neptun Taru is doing a huge 3-0! the tactics were completely affected. By the end of inning Konhead Pandas managed to reduce it to 3: 1! The eighth shift is entered with a slight advantage of 5: 4, which proved to be crucial because the result did not change until the end.
The jockers from the bench proved to be a crucial moment in the match.

"A mentally difficult match behind us. We played against an extremely strong opponent, physically ready. But for them, the match, as well as for us, was full of ups and downs. At one point we sank completely playfully, energetically and mentally. It was very difficult to raise the team not to give up completely. When matches like this are won then you get psychological.
I knew I had to change something. all the time I watched the fire burn in the eyes of the two young players and they wanted to go out on the field. I scored them, those two players proved to be the key to victory. I am happy for this victory because I repeat again, we won one difficult psychological match with two opponents. We had to beat ourselves first to be able to beat the opponent. Really bravo boys!" said the manager.

After such a difficult match, the team prepares for a return match against the same opponent. Mentally and with the result Neptun Taru has an advantage but in the end it doesn’t have to mean anything. We hope for another positive outcome.

In the match between two great teams, BanijaBanijan Joint Service Academy All-Stars did not manage to advance. In the match against South Newlandia U22s, Banijan Joint Service Academy All-Stars surprisingly lost 6: 0!
Just a relegation and not so much a surprise as the result itself. These are two great teams and it would not be a surprise if the South Newlandia U22s dropped out but this result tells us that the South Newlandia U22s baseball players are very well prepared they became champions of the Army Regional and go on to the Super Army Regional.
Banijan Joint Service Academy All-Stars doesn’t go any further, their journey ended here like the Quebec U22s. They lost to Daskel U18 Junior Daskies with 8: 5 who won Navy Regional! They will be joined in the Super Navy Regional by a winner between the New Anglicana Lions and the Breton Valley Bangers.
Here, in the first match, Nova Anglicana gained a result and a psychological advantage because with a 7: 1 victory, it entered the decisive match.
Can Brenton Valley return? It remains to be seen ...

Banijan Joint Service Academy All-Stars      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
South Newlandia U22s                         0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 X  6


Air Force Regional
Neptun Taru U21                              0 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 0  5
Kohnhead U-21 Pandas                         0 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0  4


Navy Super Regional
Navy Regional
Quebec U22s                                  3 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  5
Daskel U18 Junior Daskies                    0 0 0 3 0 3 0 2 X  8


Coast Guard Regional
Nova Anglicana Lions                         0 1 1 1 0 1 0 2 1  7
Breton Valley Bangers                        0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Air Force Regionals
Kohnhead U-21 Pandas(2-1) v. Neptun Taru U21(3-1)

Coast Guard Regionals
Breton Valley Bangers(2-1) v. Nova Anglicana Lions(3-1)

[Daskel]

THE BULLPEN FINALLY DID THEIR JOB
A column by Kanō Kahori

Okitaki was the last game's hero

Last game, the Jr Daskies managed to advance to the Navy Super Regional, after defeating Quebec U22s by 5-8. The game was a tough comeback from the Daskies, in a spirited game that we desesperately need.

Why? You will be asking yourself. Right, the game didn't started as we spected. The Grim Reapers' lineup is tough, and Kawauchi could not, by any means, keep the top of their lineup in control. Kang, Park, and Guerrero tallied inmediately into the scoreboard, with an overall impressive performance of the top 5 overall. Kawauchi was in deep trouble, and the Daskies were facing the very probable outcome of having their first loss in the Regional stage.

As the top of the fourth, Daskies's starter pitcher have given out four runs, one of them a solo homerun. Things started to change at the bottom, through, as the team scored 3 in quick passed action. Sakamoto san didn't spare in tactics, playing a suicidal hit-and-run that payed of big at the end. Komatsubara pulled a 2-run hit, propelling the team to score two runs. Finally, Seri brought him home as well, with a deep hit to the outfield. It was a shame to stop right there, as Mizuya's hit was caught by H.S. Kang, ending the biggest inning for the team, now just one run behind.

A flash forward to the sixth inning, the team was having a 2-run deficit for the draw, 3 for the lead, and a new pitcher in the mound. Okitaki Kenji was trusted with the tense moment. Okitaki, one of the youngest players in the team and the youngest in the bullpen, finally provided what the team needed the most: stability. The relief pitcher from Hanto Daiichi High School finished the game with no runs against, a totally new outcome after days and days of bullpen despair. The batters responded on their own, 5 runs combined for a final score of 5-8. Sakamoto decided to keep Shimahara in the starting lineup, and Nire in the dugout. It was a wise decision.

Personally, I really hope that Okitaki's performance sparked something inside the bullpen. We're on the verge of a repeat, a repeat for a team in their second international tournament! The entire country is watching you, and even if you do not, we're damn proud of our Jr Daskies.

Kanō Kahori
Sport Reporter, DDN Daito Daily News.

[Nova Anglicana]

Shango-Fogoa Coast Guard Academy, Herzegovina City, Moravica, Banija

Jean Desmarais watched from the bench as the ball thwacked into Nick McAllister's glove. Three outs, game over, Lions win. The Lions were and continued to be one step away from elimination, but the offense had put up seven runs on twelve hits and Toby Caldwell had tossed an excellent seven innings of one-run ball to defeat the Breton Valley Bangers. Jean joined his teammates on the field for the celebration, forming a line and exchanging the customary hand slaps of victory. The team was feeling good. "Mac" McCray hollered, "One down, one to go, boys! Crushed 'em tonight, let's crush 'em tomorrow!" The team roared its assent. Jean's roar was halfhearted. He was nervous.

Later, in the locker room, Jean was thinking about earlier in the day. Manager Rick McDonald had told him he'd be the starter if the Lions won tonight's game. "Jean," he'd said, "It's a tough lineup those Bangers have got. It's no hard feelings starting Toby over you. We just want the handedness advantage. But you're our guy if we win tonight. We're going to need you to shut those guys down tomorrow." Jean nodded and said nothing when McDonald had said that, but now a thousand voices were echoing inside his head. This is your chance! Win and you'll finally get noticed, said one. Yeah, this is your one chance. So don't blow it, sneered another. He'd only pitched one time in the whole competition, giving up three runs in five innings against Banija. Are you really ready? asked the voice. Be an awful shame if your arm was rusty, it snickered. Jean worried. What if he was rusty? He'd thrown his side sessions religiously to keep himself in shape, but it was going to take more than his mediocre effort against Banija to keep the Lions in this one. Deep breaths, said the first voice. Jean inhaled and exhaled several times. He focused on how it felt to draw each breath. He tapped his toe, felt the floor beneath it, and heard the tik-tak of his spikes on the floor. The second voice quieted. He was back in his body.

Still, as Jean sat there and watched Toby get congratulated again and again for his excellent pitching performance, another feeling bubbled up within him. He smoldered with rage. His hands started to clench and unclench, almost involuntarily. In came a third voice. Why did you only get to pitch in one game so far? it wondered, sounding honest. Feels like McDonald doesn't trust you. You could have shut them down tonight too, it whispered. Toby got hit in the head by a ball and now whenever he does well, people shower him with praise and act like he beat cancer. Why does nobody ever notice you? it whined. Jean started to breath in and out again, but louder this time, almost great heaves and gulps of air. His stomach tightened, his chest contracted. Then, another voice.

"Hey Jean, you okay, man? You look like you're freaking out." Jean blinked. It was a real voice this time. Jack Corcoran stood in front of him, a look of concern on his face. "Are you doing all right?"

Jean snapped back to reality. "Sorry, I guess I'm just a bit nervous about pitching tomorrow. Tournament on the line, chance to get noticed by the big club, you know, that sort of stuff." He couldn't believe he'd done that in front of all the guys. He shrank a little on the bench, but there was nowhere to hide when you were 6'4.

Jack sat down next to him. "Geez, Jean, we all feel that way. I spent two hours with Toby before the game and I was talking him up the whole time. It's a lot of pressure, playing internationally and feeling like this is your last legitimate shot to get noticed by the big club. But you're going to do great tomorrow."

The feeling in Jean's chest and stomach loosened. "People say that, but I don't know if they mean it. I feel kind of broken sometimes. Like, what 's wrong with me that I haven't made the majors?" Or that you keep leaving your body, hissed the second voice. Shut up, retorted the first voice. He's going to be fine.

Jack broke into a wide smile. "Shit, Jean, we're all broken. Condition of being a human being, and especially a minor league baseball player. Look at me, I don't have all the tools they want out of a big leaguer. So I'm making my way with grit and know-how and practice. Now you, you've got an arm that can throw ninety miles an hour and a heckuva curveball. It's few and far between, the number of people that can do what you do. So let's enjoy it and shut 'em down tomorrow. Find me as soon as you get to the park tomorrow and we'll make sure you're 100% ready to go." Jack slapped Jean on the back and went back to his locker.

Jean inhaled and exhaled again, quietly this time. There were no voices now. Talking to Jack always made him feel better. Maybe he could do it after all.

[Delaclava]

DSGN.com Baseball

Bangers in dire straits after Lions take revenge
Breton Valley's path to IBS title narrows after shaky outing from Blunt

What a difference a day makes.

At the start of Day 4 of the Coast Guard Regional in Herzegovina City, Banija, Thomas Blunt took the mound and the Breton Valley Bangers had their eyes on the prize. They had already beaten the Nova Anglicana Lions 12-3 - now they just had to do that again, and a spot in the Super Regional final was theirs.

Not even three hours later, Blunt was recounting his mediocre performance for inquiring press, and the Bangers' hitters were shaking their head, still trying to piece together how Toby Caldwell had dominated them so thoroughly. The Lions methodically chipped away for four runs in six innings off Blunt, more than enough as Caldwell virtually silenced the Bangers in seven innings and the Lions set up the rubber match with a 7-1 victory.

"They completely turned the tables on us," said Owen Clark, who contributed the only run with a solo homer in the fourth inning. "This is the danger of rematches. You've already seen what they have to offer, and it's a matter of who can adapt better. Clearly, they beat us in that area. Now we have to learn from our mistakes today and turn it around one more time."

While the Lions did not drub the Bangers' bullpen in the same manner by which Breton Valley scored seven runs in the eighth inning of the first contest, they did send a message to the Breton Valley relievers by tacking on three insurance runs in the final two innings.

"I know their first objective was just to win, but they did want to get to us, for sure," posed Evan Dickey, who was chased in the eighth inning after allowing a two-run home run to Jack Corcoran. "We showed them in the first game that we can get to their pitchers any way, any time. And how they went after Thomas, myself, Sean (Magary), they showed us they could do the same."

To make matters more complicated, the Daskel U18 Junior Daskies, defending IBS champions, turned away the Quebec U22s 8-5. And when they welcome the winner of the Lions-Bangers trilogy game, they will only need one win to advance to another IBS final, whereas their opponents would need two. In other words, the Bangers have suddenly gone from one step away from a competitive semifinal series to needing three straight victories to reach their own IBS final.

Even though Breton Valley shut down the Daskies 4-0 in the group stage, power hitting second baseman Ryan Rudock admitted that stringing together that run of form would not be easy.

"Everyone's too strong to really think about going on a big streak," Rudock said. "But I do think anybody can beat anybody, and our first step is beating those Lions one more time. They recovered from the first game; we can and will recover from tonight."

Manager Joran Perrot now puts the ball in the hands of breaking-ball specialist Yannick Ronan. Ronan has looked strong in both of his starts - he earned the decision in a 4-0 win in the group stage against Oscioru, with the help of three opening innings from Marion Mathis; and gave up one run in 5 2/3 innings against Super-Llamaland, although he did not come away with the decision in the back-and-forth 4-2 victory.

For his part, Ronan's colleague Thomas Blunt believes Ronan is the perfect man for the job.

"Bedin (Egozhevy) and I pitch kind of similar - both lefties, well-rounded but with a lot of heat. Yannick's a righty with a lot of nasty stuff. The Lions will think they've got our pitches figured out. Not when they see him though. Our team's ready to go."

And Clark offered one last thought:

"The worst outcome of tomorrow is, we're the league champions and we got to take a vacation and play more baseball. We have absolutely nothing to lose."

[Banija]

Cutoff

Do or die. Winners move on. Loser goes home. Here's an intro video to one of the most memorable baseball games in recent memory.

Regionals Day 5 Results

Teams in red are eliminated.

Army Super Regional
Air Force Regional

Kohnhead U-21 Pandas       0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0  2
Neptun Taru U21            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1  3

Navy Super Regional
Coast Guard Regional

Breton Valley Bangers      1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Nova Anglicana Lions       0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 X  3

Super Regionals Day 1 Matchups

Home team listed second. Team who had a bye on Regionals Day 5 will be home for Super Regionals Day 1.

Reminder that losses carry over from the regional round to the Super Regional round, but do not carry over to the Best of 3 Championship Series.

Army Super Regional - Games will be played at Army
Neptun Taru U21(4-1) v. South Newlandia U22s(3-0)

Navy Super Regional - Games will be played at Navy
Nova Anglicana Lions(4-1) v. Daskel U18 Junior Daskies(3-0)

[Srednjaci]

WORLD ARENA SPORT

NEPTUN TARU SHOWES AMAZING GAME

An amazing match! The 0: 2 deficit of the young boys turned Neptune Tara into a 3: 2 victory! An amazing return to the match, metallic strength, courage and luck. But happiness accompanies the brave! Neptune Tara defeated Kohnhead U-21 Pandas with 3: 2 and with that victory they passed among the 4 best teams!

We watched the solid sword again. Both teams came in with caution and we didn’t really see much of the talented players in the first 3 innings.

Then in the fourth inning Kohnhead U-21 Pandas manage to score! They lead 1: 0 and the current result of the end of the fourth inning. In the fifth inning, both teams play quite sloppily, so the inning ended with 0: 0!

The sixth inning starts with a lot more good game on both sides but the Kohnhead U-21 Pandas manage to score again! They lead with the overall results 2: 0!
The Neptune Tara players are shaken and are already standing in front of the exit door.
However, if these young boys have taught us anything during this time then it is that it is not over until they say it is over! And that’s definitely not now!
The Kohnhead U-21 Pandas coach knows very well and is trying to calm his players down, to be concentrated to the end.

The seventh inning ends 0: 0!
The Kohnhead U-21 Pandas players are already among the top 4 in one leg, the players are already celebrating in their heads and that cost them in the eighth inning. The incredible game of Cvetojević and Marinović and Neptun Taru scored 2: 0 in that inning!
The result is equal, but everything changes in terms of play. The Kohnhead U-21 Pandas is shaken. The coach is furious with the players, he has to come up with tactics quickly because Neptun Taru is rising energetically, biting on every ball.
The ninth inning and Kohnhead U-21 Pandas players manage to recover but Neptun Taru still stands firm and is looking for a way to settle the match. There is a hunger for victory in their eyes! The substitution still ends 0: 0!
And then the last change, the last shot, Neptun Taru manages to score and win 3: 2!

In a series of heart attacks in DR Srednjaci, one of them is the father of Siniša Cvetojević.
24 heart attacks were reported at the end of the match, 2 with a fatal outcome.
Siniša Cvetojević's father is recovering in St. Catherine's Hospital in Catania.

"My father is fine and we heard each other, he congratulated me from the hospital bed. I was strong while we were talking but when we stopped talking I cried. The emotions I have now ... I could cry, shout with happiness, strip naked and run around ... "
He stated Cvetojevic after the game.

In the second match, the New Anglicana Lions were better than the Breton Valley Bangers from Delaclav with 3: 1!

Neptun Taru must now prepare for another great opponent South Newlandia U22s!
Great team, we saw how dangerous they are because they kicked out the Banijan team.

[Banija]

Cutoff! Who will win on Day 1 of the Super Regional round?

We'll send you off with some MLB the Show intro video.

Super Regionals Day 1 Results

Teams in red are eliminated.

Army Super Regional

Neptun Taru U21                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1  5
South Newlandia U22s           0 0 1 4 0 0 3 0 X  8

Navy Super Regional

Nova Anglicana Lions           0 0 0 0 4 0 0 3 0  7
Daskel U18 Junior Daskies      0 1 0 0 2 0 1 1 1  6

Super Regionals Day 2 Matchups

Reminder that losses do *not* carry over to the Championship Series.

Home team is listed second. The team that won Super Regionals Day 1 will be the home team for day 2.

Army Super Regional
South Newlandia U22s(4-0) are champions of the Army Super Regional and advance to the IBS XIII Championship Series in Istria, Moravica, Banija.

Navy Super Regional
Daskel U18 Junior Daskies(3-1) v. Nova Anglicana Lions(5-1). Winner will advance to the Championship Series, loser will be eliminated from the tournament.

EDIT: Since we now know that the Super Regionals will last exactly two days, the OP has been updated with the schedule for the Best of 3 championship series.

[Nova Anglicana]

Lions hold on to take down Junior Daskies

With their successful defeat of Delaclava's Breton Valley Bangers in consecutive games, the Nova Anglicana Lions International Baseball Slam team advanced to the Super Regional round of the Slam. In this round, they would need to defeat the Daskel U18 Junior Daskies in consecutive games, just like they had the Bangers. A single loss would send them home, while the Junior Daskies could afford to drop one game and still have a chance to advance. The Junior Daskies had advanced to the Super Regional round by defeating the Hannasea Independent All-Stars and the Quebec U22s twice. They outscored their opponents in the regional round 21-11 and generally looked like the best team in their Navy regional. The Lions would need a good performance to defeat the young squad.

On the offensive side of things, the Lions were pretty quiet for the first four innings. They managed a baserunner in the first, third, and fourth innings, but got nothing out of it. Going into the fifth, the Lions trailed 1-0, and Alain Gosselin strode to the plate. He drew a leadoff walk, and moved to second and then third when Philippe Marchand singled to right and starter Gabe Nichols bunted him over. Rhett Bellamy drew a walk to load the bases and Michael "Mac" McCray hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Gosselin to tie the game. Nick McAllister came up next, with two outs, hoping to get a big hit to avoid loading the bases and only coming away with a single run. And he delivered, pounding a ball over the fence in right-center for a three-run homer, making it 4-1 Lions. That ended the scoring in the fifth, and though the Lions threatened in the sixth, pinch-hitter Jason Snodgrass struck out to end the threat. They went down in order in the seventh as well, and the Daskies tied the game. Rob Patten singled to lead off the eighth, and Roscoe Meacham and Jack Corcoran singled as well, loading the bases with no outs. The Junior Daskies reliever was able to strike out Gosselin and get Marchand to pop up, raising the specter of a scoreless bases-loaded situation. The pinch-hitter was Jean-Jacques Duplante, the powerful backup catcher. He worked the count to 3-2, then with the runners taking off, smacked a double that bounced off the left-center field wall. This scored all three runners, gave the Lions the lead again, and earned Duplante an uproarious reception from his teammates. It was the second time in the last three games the Lions had scored seven runs, while the Lions had now scored seven or three runs in each of their last five games, four of them wins.

As far as pitching goes, Gabe Nichols got the start. Nichols is the Lions #2 starter, who tossed six innings of one-run ball in a 5-2 defeat of the Sarzonia U21 Junior Stars in the regional round. In this game, Nichols pitched well for the first four innings, with his only hiccup being a three-baserunner second inning that put the Junior Daskies up 1-0. Through the first four, however, he'd struck out four and only allowed the one run. In the fifth inning, however, with the Lions now up 4-1, he ran into trouble. He walked a batter, his defense committed an error behind him, and he allowed two hits, scoring two runs. He did manage to strike out two batters to get out of the jam, however. He then pitched a scoreless sixth and left with a quality start of 6 IP, 3 R (2 ER), though he certainly would have wished to pitch better. Erik McGuire came on to pitch the seventh, with the Lions clinging to a 4-3 lead. McGuire couldn't hold it, allowing three baserunners and letting the Junior Daskies tie the score. This robbed Nichols of the chance for a win. He was bailed out by the Lions' three-run eighth, which put him in line to be the winning pitcher. With a 7-4 lead, Alex Long came in, and when he gave up a leadoff single, the Daskies scratched across a run on a stolen base, sacrifice fly, and a groundout. This brought Rick Sims in to protect the two-run ninth inning lead, and despite allowing three more baserunners, only allowed one run and struck out the final Daskel hitter on a sinker to end the game and preserve the lead.

The winner of this next game will advance to face the South Newlandia U22 baseball team, who defeated the Neptun Taru U21 team from Srednjaci, 8-5, building an 8-0 lead and then holding on to win. The finals series will be best-of-3, which, should the Lions advance, means they will be spared from the relentless pace they have been playing at, where one loss will mean exit from the tournament. The Lions will need good pitching from their #3 starter, Bradford Curry, who pitched fine, but not amazingly, against Breton Valley in the regional round's second game. If Curry can hold the Junior Daskies in check, and the Lions' bat can score again, they may win their fifth straight and put themselves on the cusp of a title.

[Banija]

Cutoff! Who will join the South Newlandia U22s in the IBS XIII Championship Series?

Let this motivational video hold you over until the scores.

Super Regional Day 2 Results

Navy Super Regional

Daskel U18 Junior Daskies      1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1  4
Nova Anglicana Lions           0 1 0 6 0 0 0 0 X  7

Nova Anglicana Lions are the champions of the Navy Super Regional

IBS Championship Series

This is a Best of 3 championships series. Losses do not carry over from the regional & super regional rounds. This series will not take place at a military academy, but at the national baseball stadium- the Istria Baseball Diamond in Istria, Moravica, Banija(information in IC info post).

Nova Anglicana Lions v. South Newlandia U22s

The South Newlandia U22s shall be the designated home team for Games 1 and 3(if necessary), and the Nova Anglicana Lions will be the designated home team for Game 2.

Tomorrow is an off day, Game 1 is in approximately 48 hours.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

[Nova Anglicana]

Banijan Royal Naval Academy, Busembe, Banija

Nova Anglicana Lions International Baseball Slam team manager Rick McDonald spat on the ground in the dugout. It was the bottom of the fourth, and his team was coming up to bat, trailing 2-1. Their opponents, Daskel's U18 Junior Daskies team, had scored two runs on five baserunners off of his starter, Bradford Curry. Brad was a fine pitcher, still in the Twin Provinces League, who featured a sinker and a curve. Both of them were average, but the kid was playable. He'd just have to show the big club something. Brad had mostly pitched solidly, but not impressively throughout the tournament and he seemed on his way to doing it again.

McDonald looked at the lineup in the dugout. Roscoe Meacham, Jack Corcoran, Alain Gosselin were the three hitters to start off the inning. The Lions had scratched across a run in three innings on four baserunners so far, but they needed more if they expected to him. McDonald figured Curry would allow one or two more runs in the next two innings or so, so that meant they would need four or five runs to win. That's if the bullpen held up, which it hadn't really yesterday. Daskel had scored three runs in three innings off the bullpen, and the Lions had been lucky to win. He clapped his hands. "Alright, boys, let's get it done!" He slapped Meacham on the butt as the right fielder strode to the plate. Ol' Roscoe had played back and forth between the Nova Anglican system and indy ball in the US and now was back in Nova Anglicana. He'd been a reliable defender and was quick on the basepaths. It was offense he needed to get a big-league job, so McDonald had put him at #5 in the order to challenge him to drive in runs. Roscoe watched three pitches, then inside-outed a fastball to right for a clean single. "Attaway, Roscoe!" yelled McDonald. He spat again.

Next up was Jack Corcoran. Jack was a good kid, someone who had the right character makeup to make it to the bigs. He also was a whiz at calling the game and managing a pitching staff. But his physical tools weren't the best, so he might not ever make it. But McDonald was rooting for him. Well, truth be told, he was rooting for everyone on the team. Jack swung and missed over a first-pitch off-speed pitch, but worked the count full, fouled off two more pitches, and then drew a walk. Two aboard, none down. Alain Gosselin strode to the plate. He was a minor-league veteran hoping for one more chance at glory. This guy swung at everything, but he hit enough and played fine defense. A good leader in the clubhouse, too. Maybe a coach one day. A switch-hitter, Alain settled into his stance, then swung at the first pitch and sent a grounder back up the middle. Probably would have been a double play, but the kid on the mound made a backhand swipe at the ball and deflected it, sending the ball towards the third-short hole. By the time the infielders had gotten to it, everyone was safe. McDonald spat. The Daskel kids would learn as they progressed that, sometimes, you just have to trust that someone else will make the play and not mess it up for them.

Philippe Marchand, the defensive whiz, came to the plate. Bases loaded, this wasn't exactly the guy you wanted to have up. Not a great guy with the bat, but he'd actually done pretty well in the tournament. Not lighting the world on fire, but perfectly fine. Marchand took off-speed away for a ball. The Daskel pitcher wiped his brow. McDonald spat. The kids were going to get nervous at some point, it was just a question of if his team could take advantage. After another ball and then a strike, Marchand lashed a ball that sailed over the head of the second baseman and into right-center. The center fielder cut the ball off well, but then he made the mistake of throwing home, trying to get Corcoran and prevent the run from scoring. But Jack was too far down the line already for the throw to matter, and Gosselin moved up to third and Marchand advanced to second. McDonald clapped vigorously. It was 3-2, Lions. As the Daskel pitching coach came out to talk to his young hurler, McDonald called Curry back to the dugout.

"What's up, Coach?"

"Listen, the kid's freaking out on the mound. The pitching coach is going to tell him to focus, calm down, and throw strikes. Telling him to take a little off, just to get the feel of it. They think you're going to make an easy out, and so this at-bat is just about getting the pitcher to calm down. He's going to throw you the biggest meatball he's got and I want you to cut loose and swing from the heels. If you hit it high and far, you'll get somebody home, and you might even get a homer. Got it?"

"Got it, Coach."

Curry dug in to the batter's box and the Daskel pitcher readied himself. Just like McDonald had predicted, the next pitch was a more or less middle-middle fastball that wasn't singing like the kid's others were. Curry took a mighty whack and sent the ball flying more than 300 feet to center field. The center fielder made an easy catch, but it was more than deep enough to score Gosselin and Marchand tagged as well, getting to third. It was 4-2 and the Lions wanted more. Rhett Bellamy came up, another guy with more speed and defense than batting skill, but he fouled off three tough pitches before singling cleanly back up the middle to score Marchand. 5-2 now. Bellamy stole second and the kid walked Michael "Mac" McCray. That was it. He wasn't controlling the runners or the zone and he was getting hit. They brought in a lefty to face Nick McAllister. Nick was another glove-first guy who needed to hit more to get on a major-league roster. But Nick was getting better, and he was used to facing left-handed pitching now. He hit a low line drive to center, and the center fielder tried to be a hero and dive to make the out. It landed right in front, then skipped past the diving teenager. With the ball rolling to the wall, Bellamy and McCray scored easily, while McAllister pulled into third with a standup triple.

McDonald pumped his fist. It was now 7-2. Surely his team could hold this kind of lead. He stepped down from the dugout steps, told bench coach Ned Francois to handle anything that happened for the next five minutes, then entered the clubhouse. He needed to pull his notes on South Newlandia, because he was sure the Lions would be advancing to the IBS final for the first time since he became manager.

[South Newlandia]

South Newlandian U22s advance to Championship series hot, to face the Lions

South Newlandia had advanced to the final of the Army Regional still undefeated, but they would be facing a tough challenger next; the hosts, the Banijan Joint Service Academy All-Stars. It was a close pitching duel for most of the game between Ben Gonzalo, the young South Newlandian stud, and Mariam Nzola for the team from Banija. The game remained scoreless into the bottom of the sixth, with only two hits so far for South Newlandia; three for the team from Bania. Then, with Salas stepping in first, he was hit by the pitch, just barely touching his hand, certainly not intentional.

He headed to first with Perez next up. What came next was one of the longest at-bats of the tournament. A high fastball was just outside, followed by a nice curveball that made Perez look foolish. On the 1-1 count, the cutter found the zone just narrowly, but Nzola didn’t get the call to make it a 2-1 count. The next ball was another high fastball that Perez fouled off to his right, and after another power curveball that Perez didn’t fall for this time, the count was full. Perez fouled two consecutive fastballs off, one to the right, one behind himself, before the eighth pitch off the at-bat was another cutter. Nzola didn’t get the call, awarding Perez first and moving Salas to second.

Promises, batting next, hunted the first pitch and sent it over the fence to give South Newlandia a 3-0 lead with none out in the bottom of the sixth. They wouldn’t score again this inning, but a great RBI triple by Salas sent Burn and Zimmerman home. Perez got a sacrifice fly to bring Salas home, making it 6-0; a lead the South Newlandian team wouldn’t look back from. Gonzalo pitched 8.0 innings, retaining a shut-out, with Stef Svojarnsson closing out the game without much trouble to eliminate the hosts and send South Newlandia to the Army Super Regional.

There, they would face the Neptun Taru U21 from Srednjaci, a team that had played well against the South Newlandian group mates from Kohnhead, and walked it off in the tenth in an all-or-nothing elimination game. However, due to a previous loss to the Santo Domingo Toros on the very first knockout game, South Newlandia would only need to win one of two games to advance to the championship series. South Newlandia would only need one game, however, with Michaelson handling the game easily as the South Newlandian team cruised to a 8-nothing lead after seven innings. Michaelson was given the rest of the day off in preparation for the chamoionship series, and even though Ethan Ress got into a decent amount of trouble here, South Newlandia managed to hold it to win 8-5.

There, they would now face the Nova Anglicana Lions. The team from one of the top baseball nations has some history, as the two had been in the same group in the last International Baseball Slam two years ago, although they both fell short off the knockout rounds there. Last year, the two nations’ senior teams faced off in the Round of 16 of the Classic, with the Nova Anglican team ultimately taking the series in five. They would later lose in the final of the tournament to the hosts from Cassadaigua.

This team from Nova Anglicana is having players between ages 24 and 29, so a solid bit older than the South Newlandian team, and they clearly came to play. They had their backs against the wall since they lost on the second day of the knockouts to the Breton Valley Bangers from Delaclava, but they came back to beat them twice more to win the Coast Guard Regional. They needed to win both games against the defending champions, the Daskel U18 Junior Daskies, to get here, and did just that. This team came here to play; but so did the South Newlandians. They haven’t lost since day one of the tournament, and they had far fewer games to play than the Lions, so faigue won’t be an issue for them. In fact, South Newlandia only played four knockout games so far. Jack Beard, who will take the mound against the Lions on game one, is only on his fourth game of the tournament.

In this series, two of the unstoppable teams of the tournament will face off to decide the champion of this memorable International Baseball Slam. While Nova Anglicana has previously won big tournaments, including the 48th World Baseball Classic, no national team from South Newlandia has ever won an individual tournament. No South Newlandian team has even ever been to the final of one. This team has the chance to achieve something great; to go all the way. These Lions will be a very worthy opponent.

[Banija]

Cutoff!

Game 1 of the IBS Championship Series... Who will gain an advantage? The top ranked South Newlandia U22s, or the Nova Anglicana Lions?

IBS XIII Championship Series
Played at the Istria Baseball Diamond in Istria, Moravica, Banija

Game 1

Nova Anglicana Lions      0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0  2
South Newlandia U22s      0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1

Nova Anglicana Lions lead Best of 3 series 1-0

Game 2
Home team is listed second

South Newlandia U22s (0-1) v. Nova Anglican Lions(1-0).

[Banija]

Game 2 Cutoff!

Will we crown a champion tonight? Or will we have a winner-take-all Game 3, tomorrow night?

IBS XIII Championship Series
Played at the Istria Baseball Diamond in Istria, Moravica, Banija

Game 2

South Newlandia U22s      0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Nova Anglicana Lions      0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1

Series is tied at one game a piece

Game 3
This game is winner take all. Winner is the champion, loser is the silver medalist. Home team is listed second.

Nova Anglican Lions(1-1) v. South Newlandia U22s (1-1)

[Nova Anglicana]

Lion's Roar

A SportsWorld Weblog

Offense hard to come by as IBS championship series heads to deciding Game 3
by Omega Lion



Kinda what this series has looked like.

The motley crew of minor leaguers that comprises the Nova Anglican International Baseball Slam XIII team has come a long way. They dropped two games in the group stage and needed a win against the Abanhfleft over-35 team of former national team players to advance to the playoffs. They got that. After losing 12-3 to Delaclava's Breton Valley Bangers in the regional round, they needed to win three consecutive games to make it to the super regional. They did that. In the super regional, they couldn't afford to lose at all against Daskel's U18 national team. They won both games to make it to the IBS championship series against the South Newlandia U22 national team.

The U22 team lost just a single game in the group stage, then cruised through the regional and super regional rounds, winning all four games they played. In the ten games they've played, South Newlandia have scored 71 runs, averaging 7.1 runs per contest, an excellent number. The Lions have played thirteen games and have scored 72 runs, an average of 5.5/game. That's still a healthy average, but nowhere near what South Newlandia have been putting up. But the trend has reversed in this IBS championship series. The Lions and the U22s have split their first two games, with each side taking a 2-1 victory.

For the Lions, the stars have been the two pitchers, #1 starter Nathan Webster and #5 starter Toby Caldwell. Webster, owner of a big curveball that has served him well in his four starts in this competition. Against the Silvedania U-21 team, he gave up one run in seven innings, then pitched four scoreless innings against Abanhfleft. With the Lions' tournament life on the line, Webster threw a complete-game shutout of the Super-Llamaland U13 national side. Coming into the championship series, Webster had thrown 20 innings and allowed just one run, for an ERA of 0.45. He kept it going in Game 1, scattering four hits and two walks across seven innings, allowing just one run and striking out eight along the way. That runs his total to 27 innings and two runs allowed (0.67 ERA), which should surely make his organization take notice. As for Caldwell, he allowed four runs in five innings against Santo Domingo in the group stage, but bounced back to throw seven innings of one-run ball in an elimination game against Breton Valley in the regional round. Against South Newlandia in Game 2, he had a chance to close out the series and deliver victory for the Lions. Unfortunately, he gave up two early runs and the Lions' offense didn't back him. Still, he struck out five and pitched six effective innings. That runs his total to 18 IP, 7 ER (3.50 ERA), a solid number. Not as impressive as some of the other pitchers on the roster, but he's also the youngest on the staff and someone who has room to grow.

But as good as the pitching has been, the offense has been stagnant. In Game 1, Rhett Bellamy knocked home Alain Gosselin in the third, and Scott Elston hit an RBI double to score Michael "Mac" McCray in the sixth, but that was all the Lions got. They managed just eight baserunners all game long and were fortunate to escape with the win. In Game 2, it took a pinch-hit homer from Jason Snodgrass to score the Lions' only run off of Jack Beard. Beard had, to that point, erased the only baserunner he'd allowed with a double play. Beard turned in a dominating performance, and the Lions picked up only five baserunners against the U22 side (counting the home run) in Game 2. Credit both South Newlandia's pitchers, who struck out their fair share, and their fielders, who have snapped up potential hits right and left. This is a very fundamentally sound South Newlandia team, and that's been key to their success.

For the deciding Game 3, manager Rick McDonald is going to hand the ball to Jean Desmarais. Desmarais is a 6'4 lefty from Quebec who's started two games so far. In the group stage, he gave up three runs in five innings against the Banijan Service Academy team, but then clinched the regional round with seven strong innings against Breton Valley, giving up only one run. That gives him a solid 3.00 ERA for the competition, one he'll be looking to improve on in the final game against South Newlandia. With the way the series has been going, it's no sure thing that If they win this game, it will not only be a great ending to the Lions' first playoff appearance since the revival of the IBS, it will also be Nova Anglicana's first-ever IBS title. They've come close before, losing in IBS III and IBS VIII to Gregoryisgodistan twice, but they have never won. I, for one, will be absolutely ecstatic if they win. I mean, it will be their first IBS title, but to be quite honest, despite our baseballing excellence and general success at most sports, Nova Anglicana hasn't really won much of anything. We have a couple of sevens tournament wins, a World Junior Hockey Championship title, and of course, WBC 48 (the crown jewel), but other than that, it's been a lot of close but no cigar. The Lions have finished second, third, or fourth in: 9 WBCs, 4 IBSs, 3 Rugby Union World Cups, 3 World Junior Hockey Championships, 3 rugby 7s tournaments, 2 Cups of Harmony, 1 invitational football tournament, and 1 invitational hockey tournament. That's a pretty grand record of futility, or podium and almost-podium finishes if you want to be nice. So believe me when I say I'd be over the moon if we actually won this thing.

StateSports1 will have all the action this evening, be sure to tune in and root the Lions home!

More from Lion's Roar
Lions get revenge on Abanhfleft in 7th place game
Campionato Esportiva soon: what will roster look like?
What to look for in NAFL season

(OOC: Logo at top shamelessly cribbed from Pride of Detroit, Detroit Lions blog. The opinions expressed above are the opinions of the writer and not necessarily indicative of the opinions of Nova Anglicans or the user behind Nova Anglicana.)