By Bob Fromer
Nuoro, Sardinia, Italy: 2 July – For five full innings, after going 1-0 behind in the top of the first, the GB Under-16 Girls’ Fastpitch Team was facing defeat against Belgium, a result that would have sent Belgium to the Page Playoffs and GB to a consolation fifth place game on Saturday.
But in a dramatic bottom of the sixth and final inning, with Belgium still leading by 1-0, GB scored two runs without the benefit of a hit, as the Belgian defense and pitching, which had been errorless and solid for the first five innings, suddenly cracked.
GB’s walk-off win came when Belgian pitcher Nina de Permentier walked Katherine Ryan with one out, the bases loaded and the score tied at 1-1. And the 3-1 pitch that sent a startled Katherine to first and brought Jasmine Rushin home with the winning run looked like a strike to everyone in the ballpark except the home plate umpire.
But before that denouement, Belgium had committed two panicky errors that allowed GB to tie the score, Nina de Permentier had hit Jasmine Rushin with a pitch and – on the instructions of Belgian Head Coach Andre Prins – had walked Annecy Stevens intentionally to load the bases with no one out. The strategy makes sense in theory, but it’s a lot of pressure to put on a 13-year-old pitcher -- even if she looks and pitches like someone older -- and the walk to Katherine Ryan that won the game for GB was the first unintentional walk de Permentier, who struck out five, had allowed.
The result means that GB will finish fourth in the round-robin group thanks to their victories over Spain and Belgium, and will almost certainly play Russia at 5.00 pm tomorrow in the 3 v 4 Page Playoff game. Win, and GB will take home at least the bronze medal, and will play again on Saturday, in front of the ESF’s webstream cameras, against the loser of the Czech Republic v Italy game at 7.30 pm on Friday night.
Lose, and GB will finish in fourth place overall, and even that will not be a bad result considering the overall strength of the tournament and the relative inexperience of a number of GB players.
Great pitching
There is only one reason why GB was in a position to mount their dramatic last-inning comeback, and that was the courageous pitching of Niamh Walker, who pitched a complete game, giving up only three hits and no walks and striking out 11 Belgian hitters.
That might imply that Niamh cruised through the game, but mainly because of some shaky defense behind her (and one error of her own), that was far from the case, and most of those strikeouts came when they were really needed.
The run the Belgians scored in the top of the first inning was driven in on a sharp single to right field by Belgian clean-up hitter Celine Janssens -- but the only reason there was a runner on base to score it was because of an error by shortstop Laura Hirai, who juggled Kim Streux’s ground ball and couldn’t make a throw.
Niamh set the Belgians down in order in the second inning, but in the top of the third, the game could have got completely away. A passed ball on a strikeout that allowed Laurika Rosiers to reach first, Niamh’s own throwing error on a bunt and then a bunt base hit by Kim Streux loaded the bases for Belgium with no one out and their 3-4-5 hitters coming up.
With great composure and great control, Niamh struck every one of them out – two on called third strikes that dipped over the outside corner and Britt Vourhelst swinging.
That was the last time Niamh was in serious trouble, though there were a couple of dodgy moments -- and one crazy play that retired the Belgians in the top of the sixth.
Celine Janssen led off that sixth inning by reaching first on an error, but Britt Vourhelst popped out to catcher Alana Snow on a bunt attempt. The next batter, Maya Belhaloumi, struck out for the third straight time and Alana Snow, mistakenly thinking it was the third out, rolled the ball towards the pitcher, pulled off her catcher’s helmet and started to walk off the field. So Celine Janssens broke for second, but Niamh Walker had the presence of mind to pick up the ball and fire to Jasmine Rushin, who applied the tag.
The comeback
The first hitter in the do or die bottom of the sixth inning for GB was left fielder Marlia Van’t Sant and she hit a little ground ball down the first base line. Belgian first base player Chelsey Pauwels went to pick it, missed, panicked and reached for it again – but by that time Marlia was past her and on first base. The GB crowd of parents and friends came alive, and Nina de Permentier’s first pitch to Jasmine Rushin hit her – or did Jasmine sort of step into it? In any case, GB had runners on first and second.
Laura Hirai then put down a bunt to move the runners up and Chelsey Pauwels, aggressively, decided to go for the out at third. But her throw sailed wildly past third base and down the left field line, and when the ball finally came back to the infield, Marlia Van’t Sant had scored to tie the game, Jasmine Rushin was on third and Laura Hirai on second, and there was still no one out.
That was when the Belgian coach ordered the intentional walk to Annecy Stevens, who had one of only three GB hits to that point, to load the bases and set up a force play at the plate, with Alana Snow – who had the other two GB hits – coming up next.
For one batter, the strategy worked, as Alana lined out softly to the shortstop in the drawn-in Belgian infield and the GB runners wisely held their bases.
But with Katherine Ryan at the plate, Nina de Permentier finally cracked – or was it the home plate umpire, who had, by universal consent, a really terrible game? The count went to 2-0, then 2-1, then 3-1. The next pitch, according to Katherine, was “a drop on the outside part of the plate – and definitely a strike!” Everyone looked at the umpire – and the umpire didn’t move. The silence seemed endless. Finally, the umpire threw out his hand to motion Katherine to first, and there was pandemonium in the GB dugout and in the stands as Jasmine Rushin crossed home plate with the winning run.
Results
Results after the round-robin stage of the tournament are:
MONDAY
GB 6, Spain 0
Russia 4, Belgium 2
Czech Republic 4, Italy 3
TUESDAY
Belgium 5, Spain 0
Russia 8, GB 1
Czech Republic 13, Russia 1
Italy 10, GB 0
WEDNESDAY
Spain 5, Russia 4
Italy 13, Belgium 1
Czech Republic 10, GB 0
Italy 13, Spain 2
THURSDAY
GB 2, Belgium 1
Czech Republic 8, Spain 5
Czech Republic 6, Belgium 0
Italy 10, Russia 1
Standings
Final pool standings are:
Czech Republic (5-0)
Italy (1-1)
Russia (2-3)
GB (2-3)
Belgium (1-4)
Spain (1-4)