[StLee]

BNN Weekly Report

This Week in the CBO, BMU, GBRL, and BYDL

by Nat Wright-Kawolski

13 March 2302

2302 CBO Nuka Cup Preseason Tournament

The sixth round is the bracket championships round. Teams play in a four-game series to see which teams will make it to the Semifinals of the 2302 Nuka Cup Tournament. For each team playing from the Winners Bracket, they get a 1-0 series advantage. That included all four hosts for the 2302 tournament, which only need to win two or more games to advance. For the teams coming from the Losers Bracket--Roxbury, Starlight, Fort Hagen, and Goodneighbor--they must win three or four games to advance. Final brackets will be at the end of this posting.

Round 6 Results

10 March
Starlight 2, Nordhagen Beach 1 (series tied 1-1)
Atom 11, Fort Hagen 2 (Atom leads 2-0)
Goodneighbor 3, University Point 2 (series tied 1-1)

Game of the Day: County Crossing 10, Roxbury 9 (CC leads 2-0)
In a day where three games came down to a run, only one included a walk-off. After allowing four runs to the Rad Sox in the top of the 9th to tie the game, 9-9, County Crossing struck back. In the bottom of the 9th, College Luckyman threw three straight balls to Biter Trout to lead off the inning. On the fourth pitch, Trout took the green light and sent everyone home for the day, giving the Bloodbugs a 10-9 walk-off victory. Trout finished 3 for 4 on the day with a home run, a walk, a run, and two RBI.

11 March
County Crossing 6, Roxbury 3 (CC clinches series 3-0)
Starlight 4, Nordhagen Beach 0 (Star leads 2-1)
Fort Hagen 7, Atom 5 (Atom leads 2-1)

Game of the Day: University Point 8, Goodneighbor 7, 10 inn. (UP leads 2-1)
Two days, two walk-offs. This time, though, it was a literal WALK off for the University Point Deathclaws to take the series lead. the Claws first had to get the game to extra innings. Trailing 7-2 entering the bottom of the 9th, UP got offensive against the Hancocks. Jukebox Luttrell and Kory Richardson hit back-to-back two-out home runs against Matt Lambda. After Barker Cocoa singled, Hancock's Tiny Greene came in to try to finish off the Claws. Instead, he allowed a double to Tomas Jones and then the game-tying, three-run blast by 3B Ryan Morris to tie the game up. In the bottom of the 10th, Goodneighbor RP George Cincinnatus walked the bases loaded with two outs and then walked in Cocoa to end the ballgame. Cocoa received game MVP honors, going 3 for 4 with a home run, two walks, two runs, and three RBI.

12 March
County Crossing 9, Roxbury 5
Nordhagen Beach 9, Starlight 8 (series tied 2-2)
Goodneighbor 4, University Point 2 (series tied 2-2)

Game of the Day: Atom 1, Fort Hagen 0 (Atom clinches series 3-1)
Pitching dominated as the Atom Cats joined County Crossing in the Semifinals. Fort Hagen's Brent Hooker pitched a great game, allowing just one earned run on five hits with six walks and six strikeouts in 8.0 innings. Unfortunately, that one run allowed made the difference. Thanks to two walks in the bottom of the 5th, putting runners at first and second with two outs, Hooker ended up being the loser when 2B Rabbit Forest singled in the lone run of the game. Deedee Martinson got the start for the Cats, pitching 5.1 innings of shutout ball with five hits, three walks, and three strikeouts. Jason Hadley, Jeff Rickashaw, and Danny Scorcher pitched the last 3.2 innings, allowing no hits and striking out four in that stretch.

13 March
County Crossing 4, Roxbury 1
Fort Hagen 2, Atom 1
University Point 4, Goodneighbor 0 (UP clinches series 3-2)

Game of the Day: Starlight 5, Nordhagen Beach 0 (Star clinches series 3-2)
We featured every other series, so why not this one? The Lady Killers shocked the tournament by being the only team to knock out a #1 seed with their second shutout of the Party Boys. This time it was a three-hitter from a combination of rookie SP Sam Molina (6.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K), RP Steven Rockman (2.0 IP, 0 H, 2 K), and RP Front Porch Potter (1.0 IP, 0 H). LF Jesus Church went off on SP Matt Ranger and the Nordhagen Beach bullpen, hitting 3 for 4 with two home runs, two runs, and two RBI.

Feature Story: Rock Out with Your Sox Out: Roxbury Looking Rad in 2302

Despite losing all four games against County Crossing, there is a new look to the Roxbury Rad Sox. We here at BNN want to be the first to predict that the Sox look to be a team to fear in 2302. In fact, we are pretty sure division rivals, the Diamond City Swatters, already do.

Roxbury may not be lifting a Nuka Cup Tournament Champions banner in Atomatoys Stadium at Roxbury this season, but they may be a darkhorse contender to take the Railroad League, especially if both the Swatters and Vault 81 Dwellers falter.

Looking at the roster, it appears that all that development time in the minors is finally starting to pay off for some guys. As far as homegrown talent--that is, players in the Roxbury system for three or more years--there are a few players to be excited about.

The top three starting pitchers--Nuke Laloosh, Eugene Gym, and Whokill Poole--all came up through the Sox's system, including Laloosh and Gym being taken 1st overall in the 2299 and 2298 drafts. The bullpen has more system talent in Roger Failure (2nd rd, 2296), Igor Kelp (2nd rd, 2298), and College Luckyman (2nd rd, 2299). For position players, the only true homegrown talent is 2296 3rd round pick LF Young Goodman. Still, he is beginning to look like a true leader on this team. If he can stay on the field, he can be a leader and help the Sox win at least four more games per year.

The lineup is improved overall with some players looking to make their moves to relevance in 2302. C Biddy Swenson appears to have locked up the job over C Josh Freeman. Second-year player 1B Duncan MacCready looks to be a star soon. 2B Chris Connexx, one of the original group from Bradberton, is a solid fielder and improving every season as a batter. 3B Deerlord Fugivmee is already the offensive leader at the top of the lineup. CF Edward Cox showed pop in his bat, but he needs to get back to how he hit in 2299 (.296/.348/.468) as opposed to 2301 (.239/.308/.409). The SS position is a battle between Purple Gupta and Newscap Waldorf. Waldorf appears to have won the job but did not hit well against County Crossing.

One position that still needs a player is RF. Andy Griffith appears to be the frontrunner to win the job, but he would be rated the 24th best starting RF in the CBO. Moses Church could also move into the position and OF Tevin MacPhail could always get the callup from Forest Grove of the BMU.