By Melinda Daniels and Neil Teague
Monday 31 July – Following the close, tense win over Germany in their opening game Sunday at the European Under-18 Women’s Championship, the GB Under-18 Team was able to relax a bit on Monday afternoon in a dominating win over Hungary.
Head Coach Tara Tembey gave every player on the roster playing time in the three-inning mercy rule game as the GB offense piled up 23 hits, including seven doubles and eight triples, on the way to a 28-1 result.
British bats were particularly on fire in the top of the first inning, putting 15 runs on the board as Hungarian starter Anna Fekete and relief pitcher Frizsina Laffer both struggled.
Saige Sampson led the way for GB with a 5-for-5 game, including triples in the first and third innings. Jessica Chan also had two triples in a 3-for-3 effort at the plate, and Cara Edwards jumped on the bandwagon with a 3-for-4 game.
Aggressive baserunning also ruled the day, with Jessica Chan contributing a team-high eight stolen bases.
Substitutions began in the top of the second inning but the offensive onslaught continued with Shinju Kimura Phalon going 2-for-2 with three RBIs, Lily Daniels 1-for-2 with an RBI and Molly Blackwood 1-for-1 with an RBI.
GB scored five more runs in the top of the second inning and a final eight runs in the top of the third.
Hungary had only one hit and scored their only run in the bottom of the first inning on a bases loaded walk.
Monday evening
On Monday evening, the GB Under-18 Women's Team took on Ireland, and Ireland scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 4-1 lead, and kept that margin throughout the game, eventually winning 8-5.
This has put a dent in GB's hopes of getting to the Championship playoff rounds, and it will take a win over Spain on Tuesday at noon for that to happen, and even then it may depend on other results.
A full report on the Ireland game will be posted on the BSF website on Tuesday.
Scores and standings
Scores in the four round-robin groups on Monday were:
GROUP A
Croatia 14, Poland 1
Israel 7, Slovakia 0
Czechia 15, Poland 0
Israel 9, Croatia 2
Czechia 29, Slovakia 0
GROUP B
Ukraine 13, Switzerland 0
Sweden 15, Denmark 0
Italy 7, Ukraine 0
Sweden 11, Switzerland 3
GROUP C
France 12, Finland 1
Netherlands 11, Belgium 4
Austria 17, Finland 0
Netherlands 6, France 0
GROUP D
Spain 15, Hungary 0
GB 28, Hungary 1
Ireland 13, Germany 7
Ireland 8, GB 5
Standings after Day 2 are:
GROUP A
Israel (2-0)
Czechia (2-0)
Croatia (2-1)
Poland (0-2)
Slovakia (0-3)
GROUP B
Italy (2-0)
Sweden (2-0)
Ukraine (2-1)
Denmark (0-2)
Switzerland (0-3)
GROUP C
Netherlands (3-0)
France (1-1)
Belgium (1-1)
Austria (1-1)
Finland (0-3)
GROUP D
Spain (2-0)
Ireland (2-1)
Great Britain (2-1)
Germany (1-2)
Hungary (0-3)