5th Inning P: We're back in beautiful Ottawa Stadium, home of the 1995 Governor's Cup Champions Ottawa Lynx for the beginning of the fifth inning of the Sailor Senshi-Dark Kingdom Overlord exhibition game. After four complete innings of play, the Senshi lead the Overlords by a score of four to three. Due to bat this inning, Jadeite, Racy, and Rubeus. C: And since we have time, let's play my interview with the Senshi's manager, Luna. [begin interview] C: I'm down in the dugout with Senshi's manager Luna. So, tell me, Luna, what do you think of your team's chances of winning today's game? Luna: We've been practicing hard every day, honing our skills. I believe in the Senshi. C: There have been rumors of personality conflicts on the team. Are they true? Luna: With a team that has such diverse interests, there will naturally be the possibility that there will be minor problems. Sailor Moon: Hey! I was reading that Mars! Give it back! Sailor Mars: You were batting. How was I supposed to know you were an easy out? Sailor Moon: Looks who's calling someone "easy". Luna: ENOUGH! C: Minor problems, eh? [pause interview] P: And we'll get back to this *fascinating* interview after Jadeite's at bat. Jadeite steps to the plate. Tuxedo Mask gets the sign from Sailor Venus. From the wind-up, a fastball. Jadeite swings! and misses for strike one. Oh-and-one. C: Tuxedo Mask looks rested from the last inning. He can still get the ball across the plate. P: Tuxedo Mask checks in. He winds up. The pitch. A breaking ball catching the inside corner for strike two. Oh-and-two. C: Jadeite wasn't expecting that. Why is it that pitchers can't hit well? I'd have thought - P: Not likely. Jadeite steps back up to the plate. Tuxedo Mask looks in. The wind-up, the oh-two pitch. A hard breaking ball swung! on and missed for strike three. One out here in the top of the fifth. SA: Now batting, the center fielder, Racy! C: Racy is oh for two, striking out twice. Since we still have time, here's more of my interview. [resume interview] C: So, Luna, I understand that one of your team hasn't arrived yet. Luna: Yes? Which one? C: Sailor Chibi-Moon. Luna: She did show up today. I have our pitching coach looking for her right now. C: Pitching coach? Luna: Diana. Oh good, Sailor Venus got on base again. Artemis really should have a word with that girl. BN: >Ow!< C: You hear that? [pause interview] P: Again with the noise. Racy steps up to the plate with one out. Tuxedo Mask gets the sign, winds up. The pitch, a fastball inside. Racy swings! and drives the ball to left-center field. Sailor Uranus charges the ball. Racy rounds first and is going for two! Sailor Uranus comes up with the ball and throws! The play at second . . . not! in time! Racy is safe at second with one out. C: Tuxedo Mask now has to look out for Racy's speed. She has been able to score from second on singles. SA: Now batting, the third baseman, Rubeus! C: Rubeus is oh-for-two, grounding out in his last at bat. More of the interview. P: >Groan< [resume interview] C: Is it unusual to lose a player like that? Luna: We're in a new city. Sometimes even I get lost. C: What did Sailor Venus just do? Luna: Artemis is definitely going to have to have a talk with that girl. She tried to distract the pitcher. Good thing Artemis is talking to Sailor Uranus. BN: >Ow!< >Ow!< >Ow!< >Ow!< >Ow!< >Ow!< >Ow!< >Ow!< >Ow!< >Ow!< Luna: Why is she jumping on the base like that? [pause interview] P: Found the button. Rubeus steps up to the plate with one out and a runner on second. Tuxedo Mask gets the sign from Sailor Venus. He checks Racy at second. Pitching from the stretch, he turns and fires to Sailor Mercury covering second. Not in time. C: Racy has only been caught stealing four times and picked off only once. P: Rubeus settles into the batter's box. Tuxedo Mask, from the stretch, pitches. Racy takes off! It's a fastball, swung on and missed! The throw to third, not in time! Racy has stolen third. C: Tuxedo Mask is still in trouble. Racy has stolen home five times this season. P: So Rubeus has one strike against him with one out and a runner on third. He steps back into the batter's box. Tuxedo Mask gets his sign, pitches from the stretch. Racy takes her lead. The pitch, a high hard fastball, for ball one. One-and-one. C: Tuxedo Mask has had to pitch out of a lot of jams so far this game. P: Tuxedo Mask steps on the rubber. He checks the runner. The pitch, a breaking ball. Rubeus swings. It's a grounder to third. Sailor Mars checks the play at the plate, throws to first for the out. Sailor Mars had no chance to get Racy out at home and the game is tied at four. The Senshi's pitching coach walks, er, trots out to the mound. Diana wants a talk with Tuxedo Mask. And since we have time, the rest of the interview. C: No! Don't do that! [resume interview] C: So, tell me Sailor Uranus, strike out often? Sailor Uranus: Who let the trash in here? Sailor Moon: Mars came with us. Sailor Mars: I heard that, you brat! C: Oh, cat fight! Sailor Jupiter: Uranus, care to help me with the garbage? Sailor Uranus: You read my mind. C: Hey! What are you doing? Put me down! Sailor Jupiter: Ready? Sailor Uranus: Ready. C: Aieeeeeeee! BN: >Thump< >Thump< >Bonk< [end interview] SA: Now batting, the first baseman, Alan! C: Alan is one for two, with a run scored. He singled in his last at bat. P: Alan comes up with two out and the bases empty. Tuxedo Mask is pitching from the wind-up. Alan is set. The pitch, a fastball, swung on and missed for strike one. C: There's still no action in the Senshi's bullpen. And did you have to play the end to that interview? P: Yes. Alan steps back in the box. Tuxedo Mask winds up. The pitch, a breaking ball inside for strike two. Oh-and-two. C: Tuxedo Mask quickly gets ahead of the batter again. P: Alan is ready. Tuxedo Mask gets the sign. The pitch, a slider. Alan swings and misses to end the inning. But the Overlords knot the score at four. The scoreboard for the top of the fifth: one run on one hit and no-one left on base. After four and a half innings of play, the Senshi and the Overlords are tied four-four. Due up: Sailor Mars (1/2, 1 Run, 1 Stolen Base) Sailor Moon (0/1, Sacrifice) Sailor Venus (2/2, 1 RBI, 2 Runs, 1 Stolen Base) [Public Service Announcement: Sailor Jupiter: "I throw around millions of volts of electricity in every episode. But I'm careful to turn off any light that I'm not using at home. I am a renewable source of electricity, but most of our power plants aren't. Please remember to turn off any light or appliance that you aren't using. Sailor Jupiter Says! Heeheehee!"] P: Welcome back to Ottawa Stadium where the Sailor Senshi and the Dark Kingdom Overlords are tied at four apiece. Coming up in the bottom of the fifth is the top of Senshi's batting order, Sailor Mars, Sailor Moon, and Sailor Venus. C: And during the commercial, there was a bit of excitement on the field. The Senshi found their missing player and I found the source of my noise. I *told* you that I heard a noise. P: So you were right for once. The ground crew was fixing the infield during the middle of the inning. One groundskeeper picked up first base and found Sailor Chibi-Moon instead. She had been planted face first and buried so that only part of her uniform could be seen. There's some excitement on the field right now. I understand we have a microphone on its way done now, so we'll get more information that way. Right now, Sailor Chibi-Moon is pointing at Sailor Venus. Luna and Artemis are having a talk with her. Sailor Venus is pointing to the PetroCan section, maybe a spectator there. There's some commotion there. Okay, I've just had word that the mic's been set up. Let's listen in. [remote] Sailor Venus: He helped. Luna: But he wasn't the only one involved. Sailor Chibi-Moon: Pink... Sailor Moon: Chibi-Moon, no! Don't! Sailor Mars: No! Someone stop her! Sailor Chibi-Moon: Sugar... Luna: Sailor Chibi-Moon, don't! It would be a disaster! Artemis: Someone stop her! Sailor Jupiter: Supreme... Sailor Chibi-Moon: Heart... Sailor Mercury: Chibi-Moon! Stop! That's the writer! You zap him, we stay tied like this. And I don't want to do Sailor Moon V again! Sailor Jupiter: THUNDER! BN: >Crack< Sailor Chibi-Moon: AT-ahhhhhhh! BN: >Fzzzt< [end remote] C: I didn't think there was supposed to be a thunderstorm today. Not a cloud in the sky. P: Looks like that lightning bolt damaged our electronics down there. Sailor Chibi-Moon looks somewhat frazzled. C: And able to light up all of Ottawa for a year. P: That too. Greg's come out to break things up and get the game under way. C: Isn't the person Sailor Chibi-Moon pointed out the guy that let Sailor Jupiter stay at his place? P: Could be. I understand that nothing happened, that he was a perfect gentleman, unlike someone I could name. C: Who? SA: Now batting, playing third base, Sailor Mars! C: Sailor Mars is one for two with a stolen base and a run scored. She popped out in her last at bat. P: Sailor Mars leads off the bottom of the fifth with the score knotted at four. Sailor Mars steps up to the plate. Jadeite gets the sign from Malachite. The wind-up, the pitch. Sailor Mars swings! at the fastball. She sends a chopper up the middle. Ann waits for the ball to come down. The throw to first is not! in time. Sailor Mars is safe with a lead-off single. C: This is good for the Senshi. Sailor Mars's speed will allow her to go to third on a single. SA: Now batting, playing first base, Sailor Moon! BN: Sailaa Muun! C: Sailor Moon is oh for one with a sacrifice. She grounded out to short in her last at bat. P: Sailor Moon comes to bat with none out and a runner at first. Jadeite will be pitching from the stretch. Sailor Moon steps up to the plate. Sailor Mars takes an aggressive lead at first. The pitch. Sailor Mars starts running. A fastball. Sailor Moon swings! and misses for strike one. The throw to second is not! in time. Sailor Mars has stolen her second base of the game. C: There is some movement in the Senshi's bullpen. The Moonlight Knight is tossing a few warm-up throws to Sailor Pluto. P: Sailor Moon steps back up to the plate. Jadeite checks the runner. He goes into his stretch. Sailor Mars takes her lead. Jadeite checks the runner again. The oh-one pitch, a high fastball. Sailor Moon swings and pops it up behind the first base in foul territory. Alan runs back, he's under it, he's got it, for the first out of the inning. Sailor Mars tags up and holds. SA: Now batting, the catcher, Sailor Venus. C: Sailor Venus is two for two with one RBI, two runs scored, and one stolen base. She singled and scored a run in her last at bat. P: Sailor Venus comes up with one out and a runner at second. She steps into the batter's box. Jadeite checks the runner, gets the sign. From the stretch, a slider. Sailor Venus swings! and chops one foul down the third base line for strike one. C: Sailor Venus is a bit more subdued this inning. P: Maybe Luna gave her a stern talking to during the last at bats. She steps back up to the plate. Jadeite takes a look at Sailor Mars at first. Jadeite pitches from the stretch. He checks the runner again. He throws, a fastball. Sailor Venus swings! and sends a chopper to short. Ann fields it, looks Sailor Mars back to second and throws to first for the out. Two away. SA: Now batting, the center fielder, Sailor Uranus! C: Sailor Uranus is one for two with a double. She struck out during her last at bat. P: Sailor Uranus comes to bat with two out and Sailor Mars at second. C: She shouldn't have as big a distraction this at bat as she did during her last. P: Sailor Uranus steps up to the plate. Jadeite is still pitching from the stretch. Normally, he would walk the runner to set up a play at any base. This time, though, he has Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Neptune following Sailor Uranus. He may be hoping to strike her out like he did in her last at bat. The pitch, a low fastball. Sailor Uranus swings! and drives a screaming liner down the third base line. Rubeus dives! and comes up with the ball for the third out. The scoreboard for the bottom of the fifth: The Senshi come up empty on one hit and left a runner on base. After five full innings, the score is tied Senshi four, Overlords four. Due up: Nephrite (2/2, 1 RBI, 2 Runs, Double) Malachite (1/1, Sacrifice Fly) Ann (2/2, 2 RBIs) [Commercial for Contucky Fried Chicken featuring Kuno and the Legendary Phoenix.]