By Bob Fromer
Saturday July 15 – GB and the USA began their 1 v 2 Page Playoff game in the WBSC Women’s World Cup Group A tournament at 8.00 am today and finished it at 4.45 pm when the US scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to seal a 7-0 mercy rule win. Weather and light permitting, GB will return later for another crack at a place in next year’s World Cup Finals.
Chinese Taipei and Australia will start the 3 v 4 Page Playoff game sometime after 5.00 pm today. The loser will finish in fourth place in the tournament, but the winner will then be scheduled to play Great Britain at some point after 7.00 pm, with the winner of that game securing a place in the 2024 Women’s World Cup Finals in Italy – always assuming the rain holds off and the light holds out.
Left-handed pitcher Rebecca Faulkner started the game against the US, as Head Coach Tara Henry and her staff made the decision that a win over World #1 USA could not be assumed, even with Georgina Corrick pitching, and that it would be better to save Georgina for a probable repechage game against the winner of Chinese Taipei v Australia, both teams that the GB Women were able to beat earlier in the week.
Early start
The GB v USA game had been scheduled to start at the unusually early time of 8.00 AM to maximise the chances it might be finished, with the forecast calling for rain to start later. But as things turned out, on a cold and very windy morning, the rain began to come down in the second inning and intensified with the USA at the bat in the bottom of the third inning, the bases loaded, two outs, and all-time NCAA Division 1 home run leader Jocelyn Alo about to come to the plate.
At that point, the USA already had a 2-0 lead, thanks to Ali Aguilar’s long two-run home run to right field in the bottom of the first inning. Rebecca Faulkner set the USA down in order in the bottom of the second inning, but was in deep trouble again in the third when the umpires called the teams off the field.
Up to that point, GB had recorded two hits against USA starter Ally Carda – a single to right field by Kendyl Scott in the top of the first inning and a single up the middle by Tia Warsop in the top of the third – plus a walk to Amy Moore in the top of the second inning. But none of that had posed too much of a threat.
Meanwhile, one of the main factors in holding the USA to only a 2-0 lead at that point was the GB defense, which has been great throughout the tournament. Alana Snow made a diving catch in right field in the bottom of the second inning to snare a line drive hit by Nicole Bates, and before rain stopped play in the bottom of the third, Tia Warsop had gone deep into the left field corner to catch a long foul fly ball hit by Hannah Flippen.
After the teams left the field, a rain delay of over seven hours followed, with the teams eventually going back to the hotel, then coming back when it was decided that play could resume at 4.00 pm.
Resumption
When the game did resume, it was Hannah Edwards pitching for GB rather than Rebecca Faulkner, facing that bases loaded situation with Jocelyn Alo at the plate. But Hannah got Alo to hit a bouncer to shortstop, and Sydney Brown flipped the ball to Katie Burge at second base for the force out that ended the inning.
Still facing Ally Carda, GB went down in order in the top of the fourth inning, and Hannah Edwards surrendered two walks in the bottom of the fourth but kept the Americans off the scoreboard.
Chloe Wigington drew a two-out walk in the top of the fifth, but Sydney Brown struck out to bring the inning to a close.
Things finally opened up for the Americans in the bottom of the fifth inning. Two walks, a hit batter, four hits – including a double by Maya Brady-Timmons – and two sacrifice flies allowed the US to start piling up runs, and they reached the mercy rule scoreline of 7-0 with an out still to play with.
The GB Women won’t be discouraged by this: one of the biggest games in GB history will probably happen a bit later this evening, when the GB Women and Georgina Corrick will try to reach the World Cup Finals.
Meanwhile, for the USA, the win over GB means they have already punched their ticket.
