I’ve played the Neverwinter Nights campaign and both expansion packs (Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark). However, I had never tried any of the modules produced by the NWN community. This week, I ventured into new territory with the following two modules.

My first module was Snickersnack!, a short adventure for low level characters. This module received high marks and was in the NWN Hall of Fame so I thought it was a safe bet. It was supposed to be short and light-hearted, but very well done. For the adventure, I created a first level character, a halfling thief named Zercher. Zercher found himself in the Anauroc Desert. Some kobolds offered him a vorpal blade if he could find a member of their tribe who had gone missing. This was too good an offer to pass up for a young rogue looking for easy treasure. It ended up a bit of a challenge but well worth his while. He found the missing person (er, kobold) in the mines and returned with her. Surprisingly, the kobolds kept their word and Zercher left with a very valuable reward.

For the second NWN module of the week, I decided to try Elena's Tale - Roses for Rosa. It appealed to me because it was another very short adventure that was highly regarded. It also contained custom music and a pregenerated character. I played the included female half-elf character, Therisse Rellyana, a level 5 bard and level 1 ranger. The adventure started in Brookford, a very small settlement near Daggerford. Inside The Plucked Chicken tavern, a popular bard from Waterdeep named Elena was performing. Elena heard tales of a magically enchanted eternal rose, supposedly near Brookford. She asked me to seek it out. I accepted the task on the promise of payment. Along the way, Therisse’s skills were put to use by speaking with the animals of the forest. There were but a few areas to explore in this module, including a small shack and a wizard’s tower. Eventually, I discovered the secret of the eternal rose and received quite a bit of gold for the job. Unfortunately, I was never able to enter the town’s crypt, but that was required to complete the story.

Here are North American League Baseball’s prestigious individual award winners for 2012.

League 1
Outstanding Batter Award: Hooks Goetz (Brooklyn Knights)
Outstanding Pitcher Award: Ralph Kerfoot (Brooklyn Knights)
Newcomer of the Year: Lariel Gómez (Brooklyn Knights)
Manager of the Year: Kevin Fields (Brooklyn Knights)

Slick Fielder Award Winners
Pitcher: José Arisa (Brooklyn Knights)
Catcher: Ben Stamp (St. Rock Mudcats)
First Baseman: Raúl Mendoza (Luisville Beasts)
Second Baseman: Joshua Ridings (Luisville Beasts)
Third Baseman: Marvin Marini (St. Rock Mudcats)
Shortstop: Leo Sullivan (Luisville Beasts)
Left Fielder: Angel Santago (Brooklyn Knights)
Center Fielder: Oscar Barrientes (St. Rock Mudcats)

League 2
Outstanding Batter Award: Travis Araoz (Stade Maples)
Outstanding Pitcher Award: Juan Miranda (Key West Corals)
Newcomer of the Year: Lou Woodman (Key West Corals)
Manager of the Year: Piero Snell (Key West Corals)

Slick Fielder Award Winners
Pitcher: Harvey Fishback (Vancouver Wild)
Catcher: Rube Genins (St. James Crusaders)
First Baseman: Travis Araoz (Stade Maples)
Second Baseman: Jae-won So (Vancouver Wild)
Third Baseman: George Montgomery (Stade Maples)
Shortstop: Daron McKilligan (Quebeck Sky Chiefs)
Center Fielder: Daniel Salley (Quebeck Sky Chiefs)
Right Fielder: Jordan Blanchard (Stade Maples)

For the first time since 2004, there was a sweep in the NALB World Championship Series. This was the third World Championship meeting between the Brooklyn Knights and the Richmond Slam. As was the case in 2001 and 2005, the Brooklyn Knights were victorious. The Knights came off of a hard fought seven game League 1 Series against the Nashville Firecats. After falling behind three games to two, Brooklyn won the final two games at home. Richmond’s road to the League 2 title was a bit easier. After dropping the first game to the Key West Corals, they cruised to victory with four straight wins.

These two teams featured productive, powerful offenses. Pitching was a different story, however. Brooklyn boasted the league’s best pitching staff while Richmond’s pitching, particularly middle relief, was a weakness. The Slam pitched well in games one and three. Shaky defense cost the Slam game three when they committed two errors in the ninth inning. In the League 1 Series, the Knights pitchers had no answer for the heart of the Firecats lineup. They were much better against the Slam. Of Richmond’s big bats, only Héctor De Echevarría did much damage. Brooklyn’s superior bullpen depth was evident in middle relief. Home field advantage served the Knights well throughout the playoffs. They were 6-0 at home.

Game 1: Brooklyn 4, Richmond 3
Game 2: Brooklyn 10, Richmond 3
Game 3: Brooklyn 4, Richmond 3
Game 4: Brooklyn 8, Richmond 5

Click the image for the NALB 2012 World Championship roster

The Richmond Slam were down 3-0 in this series. Needless to say, game four was a must win game for them. Pre-game rumors had the Slam starting their ace, Hap Bedford, on short rest. However, manager Rurik Bonner opted to rest Bedford and instead pitch his number four starter, Adney Buntain (6-12, 5.30 ERA). Buntain’s 99 mph fastball can be fearsome. Unfortunately, he has been inconsistent and often lacks control. His decent outing in the League 2 Series against the Corals gave his team some confidence. The Brooklyn Knights had no such pitching dilemma. Their starter was the well-rested Ronaldo Mijangos (15-7, 2.82 ERA). The Knights had another bit of good news for game four. Hsiao-lou Yeh was back in the lineup after missing the last two games due to asthma attacks.

The Knights wasted no time against Buntain. They started with a leadoff walk and two singles to score the first run of the game. Another walk and a ground out put a second run on the board. Catcher Alvino Flores hit a line drive to center field and two more scored. The Knights were up 4-0. The Slam ignited their own attack in the second inning. Héctor De Echevarría hit a solo homer to give Richmond its first run. With two men on, Bonner pulled Buntain for a pinch hitter. Pyeong-kyu Pae came in and hit a double to left field. Richmond was within one run, down 4-3. The Slam continued hitting in the third. Again, a solo home run got things started. This time, it was a leadoff blast by Edmundo Ovelha. Tony Rodarte and Yuan Li followed with a double and a single. The Slam went ahead 5-4 when De Echevarría hit an RBI single, scoring Rodarte. In the top of the fifth, Kid Detherage was awarded first base when he was hit by a pitch by Chun-hua Zhou. Mijangos helped his own cause when he drew a base on balls. Lariel Gómez put the Knights back on top when he drove in Detherage to make it 6-5. The game remained close into the seventh inning. Alvino Flores was on first. With lefty Hang-fu Cui pitching, the Knights sent Michael Duhon in to pinch hit for Kid Detherage. Duhon blasted a two run homer to give the Knights some much needed insurance runs. Relievers Bruce MacOmish, Xerxes Scaife, Lonnie Bennett, and Craig Bella held Brooklyn’s lead until the ninth inning. Bernard Gastelu came in to close the game. Pitching in his seventh game of the postseason, he was marvelous once again. After a ground out to first base, he struck out the next two batters to save the win. It was his fifth save of the 2012 postseason. He pitched seven innings and gave up only three hits and zero walks while striking out ten.

Final score: Brooklyn 8, Richmond 5

             1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R  H  E
Brooklyn     4 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0   8  9  0
Richmond     0 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0   5  8  0

W: R. Mijangos
L: C. Zhou
S: B. Gastelu

The World Championship Series moved to Richmond for game three. The pitching matchup was Bob Wiesner (7-3, 4.78 ERA) for the Knights against Joe Lehr (9-19, 6.34 ERA) for the Slam.

Both pitchers pitched quality starts in game three. Bob Wiesner was a bit shaky early on, however. He gave up three singles and a walk in the first inning, which led to two runs. After a leadoff double by Edmundo Ovelha in the bottom of the third, Yuan Li brought him home with a sacrifice fly. After the third inning, Wiesner settled in and did not surrender any more runs. Joe Lehr pitched with confidence and put up seven straight scoreless innings. The Knights broke through in the eighth when Hooks Goetz hit a two run homer to bring his team to within one run. The Slam sent in their closer, Benny Alazardo, to get the save in the ninth. He walked Angel Santago to start the inning. Carl Gwinn reached safely when Yuan Li made an error at first base. With runners on second and third, the Knights brought catcher William Garner in to pinch hit. Garner hit a hard grounder to the shortstop and failed to drive in the run. Alazardo proceeded to walk Kid Detherage to load the bases. Pinch hitting for the pitcher, Martin Swader came in and struck out on three pitches. Down to their last out, Brooklyn’s hopes rested on Lariel Gómez. Gomez grounded to third. Héctor De Echevarría made a wild throw to first and two runs scored. Bernard Gastelu pitched the ninth and got the save for the Knights.

Final score: Brooklyn 4, Richmond 3

             1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R  H  E
Brooklyn     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2   4  6  0
Richmond     2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0   3  7  2

W: C. Hatton
L: B. Alazardo
S: B. Gastelu

For game two, the Slam had one of their 19 game winners on the mound, Katamor Eizan (19-2, 3.95 ERA). Starting for the Knights was the youngest pitcher on their staff, 22 year old Tony Tamayo (16-10, 4.19 ERA).

The Knights received some bad news the day of the game. Star first baseman Hsiao-lou Yeh was suffering from asthma attacks and had to be scratched from the lineup. Brooklyn’s adjusted lineup featured Alexis Schmidt at first base, Martin Swader at shortstop, Lariel Gómez at third base, and Hooks Goetz as the designated hitter. Richmond got on the board with a run in the first and then Lariel Gómez tied the game with a leadoff home run. A pair of doubles in the third inning by Flores and Gómez put the Knights up 2-1. In the top of the fourth, Héctor De Echevarría hit a solo home run and Angel Santago hit a solo homer of his own in the bottom half of the inning. In the fifth inning, Pyeong-kyu Pae hit a solo home run for the Slam. In the bottom of the inning, the Knights scored when Gómez crossed the plate thanks to a Flavio Marquez double. With Brooklyn ahead 4-3 in the sixth inning, the Knights blew the game open. Carl Gwinn led off the inning with a triple and later scored. Walt O’connell came in to pitch in relief of Eizan. The Knights quickly loaded the bases with Detherage, Gómez, and Goetz. Alexis Schmidt made the most of the opportunity with a grand slam to left-center field. Just in case there was any doubt to the outcome of the game, the Knights added another run in the seventh when Flores hit a home run.

Final score: Brooklyn 10, Richmond 3

             1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R  H  E
Richmond     1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0   3  9  0
Brooklyn     1 0 1 1 1 5 1 0 X  10 11  0

W: T. Tamayo
L: K. Eizan

For the third time in NALB history, the Richmond Slam (92-70) and Brooklyn Knights (111-51) will play for the World Championship. The Knights previously beat the Slam in 2001 and 2005.

The Slam started their ace, Hap Bedford (19-5, 3.69 ERA), a free agent acquisition in the offseason. Bedford is a pitching legend. He is North American League Baseball’s all-time strikeout leader and currently second all-time in career wins. The Knights started Ralph Kerfoot (18-4, 3.14 ERA), the pitcher who led the team in wins this season.

Richmond wasted no time showcasing its productive offense. Chick Veras and Edmundo Ovelha opened the game with back to back singles. Héctor De Echeverría hit a double into the right field corner to score two runs. Brooklyn put a run on the board in the second inning. After a double by Angel Santago, Carl Gwinn delivered an RBI single. The Knights tied the game 2-2 in the fourth inning when Alexis Schmidt hit a solo home run to center field. The first of these two fine pitchers started to crack in the sixth inning. Bedford gave up two hits, two walks, and a wild pitch. Going into the seventh, the Knights were up 4-2. The Slam showed signs of life in the eighth inning. Ángel Jirnénez drove in Nub Spade to pull the Slam within one run. The Knights brought in Bernard Gastelu for a four out save. After giving up a leadoff double to Matty Byers in the ninth, Gastelu shut down Richmond’s hitters. He retired Veras, Ovelha, and struck out Tony Rodarte to end the game.

Final score: Brooklyn 4, Richmond 3

             1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R  H  E
Richmond     2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0   3  8  0
Brooklyn     0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 X   4 10  1

W: R. Kerfoot
L: H. Bedford
S: B. Gastelu

2012 League 2 Series - Richmond Slam (92-70) vs. Key West Corals (97-65)

Game 1: Key West 5, Richmond 4
Game 2: Richmond 1, Key West 0
Game 3: Richmond 8, Key West 2
Game 4: Richmond 6, Key West 5
Game 5: Richmond 4, Key West 0

Last season, the Richmond Slam won their division by a single game. They had subpar pitching and counted on a fearsome lineup to outscore their opponents. That formula served them well as they defeated the favored Stade Maples in the 2011 League 2 Series. This season, the Slam looked like an even more extreme version of the 2011 team. Despite two 19-game winners, they were dead last in League 2 pitching with a 5.00 ERA. Richmond was League 2’s top scoring team, however, with 983 runs. The Key West Corals were a more balanced team with a good offense (900 runs scored) to go along with good pitching (4.48 ERA). Would the Slam be able to pull off an upset two years in a row?

The 2012 League 2 Series opened in Key West with two veteran starting pitchers. The Slam named Hap Bedford (19-5, 3.69 ERA) the starter. Bedford was a long time star for the Cornfield Axemen. Richmond signed the free agent in 2012 and they were glad they did. The Corals started 38-year old Ray Cruz (15-10, 4.44 ERA), now in his 13th season with Key West. Hap Bedford helped his own cause when he hit a single to score the game’s first run in the second inning. Richmond’s superstar left-fielder Tony Rodarte made it 2-0 Slam when he hit a solo home run in the top of the fifth. With Rip Sukeforth pitching in relief of Ray Cruz, the Slam added two more runs in the seventh. The Corals finally broke through against Bedford in the bottom half of the inning. Adelmo Porcayo, Keith Boris, and Tulio Morrles hit a single, a double, and a triple respectively. The score was tied 4-4 after seven innings. Good bullpen pitching forced the game into extra innings. Keith Boris was the hero as he drove in the winning run in the 12th inning for a 5-4 win at home.

Game two was a good old-fashioned pitchers’ duel between Richmond’s Katamor Eizan (19-2, 3.95 ERA) and Key West’s Whitney Sanders (10-10, 4.58 ERA). Eizan pitched seven innings of two-hit ball while Sanders gave up just five hits in eight innings. The game’s only run came in the top of the fourth. Edmundo Ovelha led off the inning with a triple. He scored on a ground out and that was enough to give the Slam a 1-0 shutout victory.

The Slam felt good returning to Richmond for game three after getting a split in Key West. The Corals starter was William Constable (8-7, 4.82 ERA). The Slam started Joe Lehr (9-19, 6.34 ERA), a 33-year old who had the worst season of his career. Lehr surprised everyone, including his teammates and the Richmond fans. He pitched eight innings and surrendered only two runs. Constable was not so fortunate. He lasted only three innings and gave up five runs. The Corals bullpen wasn’t much better, giving up three runs over the next two innings. Richmond’s bats gave Lehr all he needed. They scored two in the second, three in the third, two in the fourth, and one in the fifth. A two RBI double by Porcayo was too little, too late for the Corals. The Slam won easily, 8-2.

Going into game four, Key West felt the series slipping away. They hoped Mario Torralbo (16-6, 3.50 ERA), their most reliable starter this season, would get them back on track. They had to like their chances against Adney Buntain (6-12, 5.30), another Slam pitcher who had a less than stellar season. Richmond scored first with a run in the second but Key West evened the score with a run in the top of the third. The bottom of the third determined the outcome of the game, however. A couple of walks got Torralbo into trouble. Yuan Li and Héctor De Echevarría added a double and a single, respectively. Ángel Jirnénez then hit a two run line drive homer to right field. Richmond had a comfortable 6-1 lead. Lou Woodman’s RBI in the fourth inning brought the Corals a run closer. Martin Trujillo scored on a ground out in the sixth inning to make it a 6-3 game. Woodman and Dave Groot drove in two more runs for the Corals in the eighth. Key West staged a nice comeback but it was insufficient. Richmond prevailed 6-5.

Down three games to one, the Corals needed to win every remaining game in the series. Before returning to Key West, they would have to win game five in Richmond. The pitching matchup was Cruz vs. Bedford, as it was in game one. The Corals hoped for a similar outcome. Key West’s dreams were dashed by Bedford. He was masterful, pitching eight and two-thirds shutout innings. Cruz pitched very well until the sixth inning. The Slam hit two homers to put four runs on the board: a solo shot by Ovelha followed by a three run blast by Nub Spade. Bedford took it from there and cruised to a series-clinching 4-0 win.

The story of the 2012 League 2 Series had to be Richmond’s pitching. Their much-maligned pitching staff was surprisingly effective, giving up only twelve runs in five games. They also had two shutouts against a very good Corals team. Having the Slam pitchers outshine the Slam hitters was quite unexpected.

2012 League 1 Series - Nashville Firecats (93-69) vs. Brooklyn Knights (111-51)

Game 1: Brooklyn 9, Nashville 7
Game 2: Brooklyn 8, Nashville 5
Game 3: Nashville 11, Brooklyn 8
Game 4: Nashville 7, Brooklyn 2
Game 5: Nashville 4, Brooklyn 2
Game 6: Brooklyn 7, Nashville 6
Game 7: Brooklyn 10, Nashville 3

For the third time in four years, the Nashville Firecats and Brooklyn Knights met in the League 1 Series. In 2009, the Firecats came out on top. They went on to defeat the Phoenix Rattlers for the World Championship. In 2011, The Knights prevailed and won their ninth title. The teams met 23 times in the regular season and the Firecats won 12 of those games. Brooklyn and Nashville were the top two pitching teams in North American League Baseball. Both clubs played particularly well at home.

The League 1 Series opened in Brooklyn. Ex-Knights pitcher Fred Millard (12-7, 4.07 ERA) started for the Firecats. Ronaldo Mijangos (15-7, 2.82 ERA) took the mound for the Knights. Mijangos was uncharacteristically wild early on. Multiple walks and a balk led to three runs in the first inning. Thanks to a Difranco double, Nashville added another run in the third to go up 4-0. In the bottom of the fifth, Brooklyn strung together four consecutive hits to narrow the score to 4-3. A three-run homer by Dacey Rager put the Firecats up 7-3 in the seventh inning. Working against the Firecats bullpen, the Knights scored a run in the seventh and another in the eighth. Nashville sent out Francisco Rodil in the ninth to close out the 7-5 game. With a man on and two out, Martin Swader was brought in to pinch hit. Swader came through with a home run to center field to send the game to extra innings. In the eleventh inning, catcher Alvino Flores hit a two run walk-off home run to give Brooklyn a 9-7 win.

The game two pitching matchup was between Firecats lefty Robert Givens (15-11, 3.23 ERA) and the Knights José Arisa (13-9, 3.17 ERA). Brooklyn jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning. In the top of the third, a Ricky Agganis solo homer started a three run inning for the Firecats. In the bottom of the inning, the Knights answered with two runs to tie the score 3-3. Then a Michael Duhon double in the fourth put Brooklyn up 4-3. Things look well in hand for the Knights when Alexis Schmidt smashed a three run home run in the fifth to make it 7-3. Nashville was not done, however. A Rager triple led to a run in the sixth. A pair of doubles in the seventh led to another run and the score was 7-5. The Knights added an insurance run and Bernard Gastelu closed the game in the ninth for an 8-5 victory.

The series shifted to Nashville for game three. Facing Brooklyn’s Ralph Kerfoot (18-4, 3.14 ERA), Nashville started reliable Bris Clark (10-6, 3.48 ERA). The Firecats needed a home field boost and they got it. As in the first two games, the hitters overshadowed these two great pitching staffs. A Difranco home run and a Pete Chavez triple put Nashville up 2-0 in the second. The scoring really opened up in the fifth inning. Brooklyn put up six runs in a big inning to take the lead. The Firecats answered in the bottom of the inning when Difranco hit his second homer of the game, a solo shot to right-center. When the Knights scored a run in the sixth, it looked like the 7-3 lead might hold up. It did not. After a Difranco single in the seventh made it 7-4, Chris Lee followed with a three run homer to tie the game 7-7. Kid Detherage gave the lead back to the Knights with a solo homer in the eighth. The lead did not last long. The Firecats battered the Knights relievers in the bottom of the eighth and won 11-8.

In game four, young fireballer Tony Tamayo (16-10, 4.19 ERA) took the mound for the Knights. Tamayo set a franchise record with 258 strikeouts during the regular season. Terrance Steinman (10-8, 3.02 ERA) got the home start for the Firecats. Once again, Nashville got on the board first, courtesy of a Pete Chavez solo blast in the second inning. Hsiao-lou Yeh matched the feat with a solo shot of his own in the top of the fourth. The Firecats power was on full display in the fifth inning. Dan Kelly, Dacer Rager, and Charles Difranco hit back to back to back home runs. In the top of the sixth, Hooks Goetz went deep. In the seventh inning, Pete Chavez sealed the win for the Firecats with a three run line drive homer into the left field seats. The ball was traveling well in Nashville that night. Nashville 7, Brooklyn 2.

Heading into game five, the Firecats had momentum and the home field advantage. Nashville’s bats were hot and the long ball was in ample supply. They decided to pitch Robert Givens on short rest. For the Knights, Bob Wiesner (7-3, 4.78 ERA) was the starter. Finally, hitting took a back seat to pitching. Brookly scored a run off of a sacrifice fly in the first. The Knights had no answer for Charles Difranco. He homered in his third straight game to tie the score at a run apiece. The Firecats strung together some hits in the fifth to go ahead 3-1. However, a Lariel Gómez double in the top of the seventh cut the lead to 3-2. Nashville added one more run in the seventh and won the game 4-2.

The series returned to Brooklyn. The pressure was on the Knights to win both games at home. The game six starters were the same as game one, Millard and Mijangos. Charles Difranco got to work right away. In his first at bat, he crushed a Mijangos fastball 464 feet for his fifth home run of the series. The Knights tied the score in the second inning when Alexis Schmidt homered and Angel Santago tripled. In the fourth, the Knights went ahead by a run thanks to an RBI single by William Garner. Brooklyn added two runs in the fifth and another two runs in the sixth. The last two runs were courtesy of a Santago home run and a double by Gómez. Brooklyn’s 7-2 lead was challenged in the eighth. Jim Stoneman, Dan Kelly, and Dacey Rager had consecutive hits. Pete Chavez capped the inning with a two-run homer. Brooklyn’s lead was shaved to 7-6. The Firecats could not score another run, however, and they lost by a run.

The Brooklyn Knights were in familiar territory. This was the fourth time in five years that they played a game seven in the League 1 Series. Nashville’s Bris Clark was matched up against Brooklyn’s José Arisa. Both pitchers looked good early on. The Knights started to get some offense going with a run in the third and another in the fourth. The floodgates opened up in the fifth, however. The Knights put on a hitting display that thrilled the hometown fans. Against three Firecats pitchers, they delivered seven hits. More impressively, the Knights hit four home runs. Alexis Schmidt, Carl Gwinn, and Alvino Flores all went deep. However, it was Hooks Goetz, an under-performer for most of the series, who delivered a moment for the ages. With two on, two out, and the wind blowing in at 11 mph, Goetz hit a moon shot to dead center field. It was one of the longest, if not the longest home run in NALB history—526 feet! The crowd erupted with pure joy as Brooklyn went up 10-0. Raúl Mendoza hit a three run home run in the ninth off Xerxes Scaife to break up the shutout. However, Brooklyn still won in convincing fashion by a score of 10-3.

The 2012 League 1 Series saw a display of pure power from both teams. There were 12 home runs hit by Brooklyn and 14 hit by Nashville. Whenever the Firecats hit more homers than the Knights in a game, they won. The Knights superior regular season record earned them home field advantage. That turned out to be very important as the home team won every game in the series. Rager, Difranco, and Chavez were certainly Nashville’s “Murderer’s Row.” Difranco was particularly explosive with 5 HR and 13 RBI. For Knights fans, however, it will be the 526 foot moon shot by Hooks Goetz that will be remembered for years to come.

In 2012, many of last season’s top teams continued to have success. The Knights, Firecats, and Slam all repeated as division champions. The Stade Maples were unable to duplicate that feat, however. After four consecutive seasons finishing second to the Maples, the Corals finally took the division. This was Key West’s first division crown since 2000, NALB’s inaugural season.

The League Series match-ups:
Nashville Firecats (93-69) vs. Brooklyn Knights (111-51)
Richmond Slam (92-70) vs. Key West Corals (97-65)

Playoff injury report:
The Firecats will be without one of their stars, CF Cipriano Delgudo. Thankfully for Nashville, CF Jim Stoneman returned from the disabled list in time to make the playoff roster. The Knights had a relatively injury free season. Nearing the season’s end, Brooklyn looked to be near full strength with only MR Rigo Hurtado on the DL. Unfortunately, the last week of the season brought injuries to MR Francisco Jimenez and RF Gilberto Guerra. They will miss the playoffs. The Slam will compete without two key players, RF Carlos Tejera and MR Gil Cather. The Corals will be without three players for their playoff run: RF Gregory Carter, 2B Dick Andrews, and 2B Carlos Galicia.

With just one month left in the regular season, the playoff picture is starting to take shape. Brooklyn, Nashville, Key West, and Richmond all have double-digit leads in their respective divisions. It will take a major effort for another team to overtake any of them. Stranger things have happened, however.

August 2012 awards:

League 1
Batter of the Month: Dacey Rager (Nashville Firecats)
Pitcher of the Month: Rico Haros (Brooklyn Knights)
Rookie of the Month: Gilberto Guera (Brooklyn Knights)

League 2
Batter of the Month: Tony Rodart (Richmond Slam)
Pitcher of the Month: Hap Bedford (Richmond Slam)
Rookie of the Month: Mendy Ivers (Phoenix Rattlers)