By David Morris
Weiner Neustadt, Austria: 5 August -- In the European Slowpitch Super Cup, the first of two all-British matches went to H2O over Chromies in a thrilling encounter on Friday that decided home-team advantage for the Page Playoff game between the two teams.
Chromies and H2O topped the Championship Playoff Group at the tournament, and were scheduled to meet in the 1 v 2 Page Playoff game at 7.30 pm on Friday evening. But the game was rained off as thunder and lightning hit Wiener Neustadt and will now be played at 10.30 am on Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, UCE Travellers from Germany and DNAce from the Czech Republic will meet in the 3 v 4 Page Playoff game, also on Saturday morning. The loser will be done and finish fourth in the tournament; the winner will play the loser between H2O and Chromies in a game that will decide the second finalist.
Fifth and sixth place have already been decided, with fifth place going to Mannheim from Germany and sixth place to Sparks Mlade Buky from the Czech Republic.
The eight other teams that began the tournament are currently playing for places 7-14.
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H2O 17, London Chromies 11
H2O took a 3-1 lead in the top of the first inning, with Mike MacDowell wasting no time putting a solo home run on the board. But Chromies’ pitcher Pat Hoey set Annie Dubovec down swinging and was quick to catch Tjasa Skabar to end the inning.
Danny Gunn and Michael O'Sullivan were the catalysts in the Chromies’ reply in the bottom of the first inning, with O'Sullivan scoring on Gunn's sacrifice fly to right field.
The intensity heightened in the second inning. Mike MacDowell raced home for H2O on Kristie Leach's hit to right field and floored Chromies catcher Moera Flett at home plate. Words were exchanged from both dugouts, but finally Enmanuell Estevez silenced H2O's Chris Yoxall by running fast and far to catch his deep fly ball in foul territory.
By now H2O were 5-1 up and fielding confidently, with Andrez Skabar at second base executing a double play to put out Pat Hoey and Areej Almaazi, shutting out the Chromies in the bottom of the second inning.
Skabar then knocked a two-run home run in the top of the third inning as the H2O batters started attacking the first pitch they saw.
The Chromies managed two runs in the bottom of the third inning to cut their deficit to 7-3.
H2O showed more patience at bat in the top of the fourth inning as Andraz Skabar clubbed an RBI single to left centre field and Katherine Golik scored another run when Eric Kelly and Michael O'Sullivan got tangled up in shallow right field.
Chromies were now down 11-3, but started to recover as Enmanuell Estevez slashed a ground ball to the fence and left Annie Dubovec in a heap as she fell awkwardly trying to gather it. David Lee then singled and Michael O'Sullivan homered in the bottom of the fourth inning, and after H2O were shut out in the top of the fifth, Eric Kelly went over the left field fence for two more runs in the bottom of the inning to bring the Chromies within three runs at 11-8.
H2O now looked rattled and in the bottom of the sixth inning they allowed the Chromies to reduce their deficit to just one run. Michael O'Sullivan cued pandemonium in the Chromies’ dugout as he ripped a fly ball over the right field fence to take the score to 11-10.
But H2O showed their quality in the top of the seventh inning, and a six-run outburst put the game away. Mike MacDowell and Kristie Leach were on base for another monster left field home run by Chris Yoxall to put H2O 17-10 up.
This left the Chromies with a mountain to climb and they couldn’t do it.
H2O pitcher Brad Gilmour pitch carefully to Eric Kelly, teasing him into serving up a can of corn for Kim Miller in left centre field. With two outs, Marketa Sulcova drilled a hit to right centre and had the Chromies on their feet as Enmanuell Estevez scored and Sulcova reached second base.
But the inning and the game ended when Andraz Skabar put out David Lee to give H2O the game by 17-11.
Whether H2O can repeat the feat when the teams meet in the Page Playoff 1 v 2 game remains to be seen – but the loser will still have a chance to win the title.
Photos by David Morris