by Stephen Patterson
The Men's Slowpitch Team that is representing Europe in the Border Battle Tournament in Kitchener, Ontario, where some of the best men's slowpitch players in the world are competing, opened with games against Team Quebec and Team USA on 24 July, and found there were a lot of positives to take from their two losses.
Europe v Quebec
Team Quebec had to pull out all the stops in a thrilling game to overcome Europe in the the end, combining line drive base hits with their power bats.
Quebec took an early 9-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Team Europe Slowpitch came back with two of their own on a home run by Brett Gibbens. After the teams exchanged a few runs, the Europeans put on an offensive display to narrow the contest to 15-12, helped by two home runs from Dutchman Randy Reiph. And there was also a near miss by Steve Ashton that would have tied the game and shifted the momentum.
Instead, the Quebec offense came back to life and their response over the next two innings was powerful. Europe could only answer with two more runs and the game came to a close with Quebec leading 29-14.
Following the game, Team Europe received a number of compliments for their talents and efforts, with one of the tournament sponsors specifically noting the use of a five-man infield. Next up, Team USA.
Europe v USA
Going into the game, it had been widely publicised that Team USA was the tournament favourites. With many professionals in their line-up and with several of the American players competing in the power-hitting Long Haul Bombers series, that came as no surprise.
The enormity of the task facing the Europeans was obvious, but this didn't affect their performance.
Team USA jumped out an early lead with a powerful display of targeted line drive hitting and it looked like being just another one of those games where USA rolled over the competition. However, Team Europe worked themselves back into the contest in the top of the third inning, putting up six runs of their own through a balance of small ball and power.
Singles from Wolfgang Walther from Germany, Chris Yoxall, and Glennsig Polonius from Holland, and a towering fly ball off the fence from Ireland's Eric Kelly, produced three runs. Another single followed, and then Brett Gibbens hit his second home run of the day to get the visitors back to a score of 17-6.
It would be inaccurate to say this scared the USA, but it certainly got them thinking. Their response was impressive, with 10 runs in their next at-bat to put the game out of reach. In true fighting spirit, the Europeans came back with another five runs, capped by a three-run blast from Eric Kelly. But in the end, the might and hitting prowess of the USA proved too much and the final tally was USA 37, Team Europe 11.
Positive experience
It was a tough day for the tournament rookies, but a very positive experience for Team Europe Slowpitch. The reception from fans and competitors alike has been great, and all of them have been impressed with the abilities of the “foreign” players. Our presence at the tournament is seen as a benefit for everyone.
Despite the two losses, Team Europe is in good spirits, and is appreciative of the opportunity that they have been offered. Head Coach Stephen Patterson, who is absent due to injury, has been liaising with team members throughout the tour and continues to monitor proceedings from home. Assistant Coach Mark Greer has raised his profile within the team and is working closely with Stephen and Team Manager Kellie Whitaker.
On Friday, Team Europe Slowpitch will take on Canada Select at 3.30 and Team Canada at 11:00 pm British time.