(4) England 4 (14) Liechtenstein 10
VWBC
SALZBURG - In the much-hyped European final, Liechtenstein yesterday shocked the world in a match that had been delayed for almost a month due to a major earthquake in Tokyo, the site of the Asian final. Rather than move to a new location and continue play, VWBC officials decided to put the tourney on hold for a few weeks as a gesture to show that the world should focus on helping the people affected by the disaster. This was the longest of the delays that have plagued the VWBC since its beginning, making it over 3 months long. All of which only added to the suspense hanging in the Austrian air in anticipation of the finale between cinderella story Liechtenstein and top-seed (however also an upset victor) England. The two squads went back to their home countries to tune up and rest for two weeks before returning for Salzburg to the pressure-filled atmosphere in which the game would take place.
Tonight, when the game finally happened, Liechtenstein, who had been playing like champions in their last match, where they unseated powerhouse Scotland, did not disappoint. The game looked like a repeat of Liechtenstein's round 3 triumph over Scotland, with the English playing in a similar, British style. Again, Franz Hatz's newfound dominance in pitching prevailed over the normally power-hitting English offense. English star Richard Yoreson was completely dumbfounded by Hatz's pitching, as Hatz used pinpoint control and a huge slowdown on his changeup to strike out "Lionheart" twice in a game that saw him go 0 for 4. What offense England did produce was scored by a variety of their players, and their runs were spread across the game, never earning more than one in an inning, as the Liechtensteinian defense kept a tight lid on them, never allowing any rallies to gain momentum.
Hatz's mastery was supplemented by his team's offensive effort. Joseph von Straten once again emerged as Liechtenstein's hero with 3 hits and 5 RBIs, among which were two home runs. Liechtenstein got on the board first in the 3rd, with a 3 run rally, then continued to add runs througout, building up an insurmountable lead. This tiny country now can claim dominance over all of Europe, and a team that was written off by most commentators as likely to lose in the first round has risen to the top of arguably the most competitive region in the tourney. After their play so far, it is unlikely that anyone will not think that Liechtenstein will now be stepping into a well-deserved place in the vaunted VWBC final four, as one of the four best teams in the world. Next they will either face the Mongolian Machine or Indonesia, and if as most predict they end up facing the former, who have been absolutely crushing all resistance, it should produce a match for the ages.
As for England, they are well on their way to a return to what they were in the 80s, a dominating force in international baseball, having claimed second place in Europe.
SALZBURG - In the much-hyped European final, Liechtenstein yesterday shocked the world in a match that had been delayed for almost a month due to a major earthquake in Tokyo, the site of the Asian final. Rather than move to a new location and continue play, VWBC officials decided to put the tourney on hold for a few weeks as a gesture to show that the world should focus on helping the people affected by the disaster. This was the longest of the delays that have plagued the VWBC since its beginning, making it over 3 months long. All of which only added to the suspense hanging in the Austrian air in anticipation of the finale between cinderella story Liechtenstein and top-seed (however also an upset victor) England. The two squads went back to their home countries to tune up and rest for two weeks before returning for Salzburg to the pressure-filled atmosphere in which the game would take place.
Tonight, when the game finally happened, Liechtenstein, who had been playing like champions in their last match, where they unseated powerhouse Scotland, did not disappoint. The game looked like a repeat of Liechtenstein's round 3 triumph over Scotland, with the English playing in a similar, British style. Again, Franz Hatz's newfound dominance in pitching prevailed over the normally power-hitting English offense. English star Richard Yoreson was completely dumbfounded by Hatz's pitching, as Hatz used pinpoint control and a huge slowdown on his changeup to strike out "Lionheart" twice in a game that saw him go 0 for 4. What offense England did produce was scored by a variety of their players, and their runs were spread across the game, never earning more than one in an inning, as the Liechtensteinian defense kept a tight lid on them, never allowing any rallies to gain momentum.
Hatz's mastery was supplemented by his team's offensive effort. Joseph von Straten once again emerged as Liechtenstein's hero with 3 hits and 5 RBIs, among which were two home runs. Liechtenstein got on the board first in the 3rd, with a 3 run rally, then continued to add runs througout, building up an insurmountable lead. This tiny country now can claim dominance over all of Europe, and a team that was written off by most commentators as likely to lose in the first round has risen to the top of arguably the most competitive region in the tourney. After their play so far, it is unlikely that anyone will not think that Liechtenstein will now be stepping into a well-deserved place in the vaunted VWBC final four, as one of the four best teams in the world. Next they will either face the Mongolian Machine or Indonesia, and if as most predict they end up facing the former, who have been absolutely crushing all resistance, it should produce a match for the ages.
As for England, they are well on their way to a return to what they were in the 80s, a dominating force in international baseball, having claimed second place in Europe.
posted by theGbomb at 7:53 PM
1 Comments:
what happened? another earthquake?
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