Monday 19 August -- The London Angels Women's Fastpitch Team has opened up with two wins on the first day of the 2013 European Women's B Pool Cup in Dupnitsa, Bulgaria. The competition, featuring nine teams from countries around Europe, will run through Saturday 24 August.
This morning, the Angels led for most of the game, gave up the lead, then came from behind with three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to edge the Greek team Faros Neas Smyrnis by a score of 7-6 as GB Wome's Team pitcher Kylie Marshall starred at bat and in the pitcher's circle.
This afternoon, GB Women's Team pitching coach Megan Brown threw a one-hit shutout at the Spanish team Bizkorrak, as the Angels scored early and often and won 7-0 in five innings.
Over the next four days, the Angels will play the other six teams in the competition as part of a full nine-team round-robin before the Page Playoffs begin on Friday afternoon and conclude on Saturday.
With their two wins today, the Angels will have every expectation of finishing in the top four at the end of the round-robin and making the playoffs.
Angels v Faros
Kylie Marshall started the game for the Angels, and gave up only one run on five hits to the Greeks over the first six innings.
Meanwhile, the Angels scored twice in the bottom of the first inning, as Kylie Marshall drove in Catherine Kirby with a double and Joelle Whitley scored on an error.
Faros cut the deficit to 2-1 with a run in the top of the third inning, but the Angels pulled away with two in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 4-1. Rachael Horn singled, went to second on a groundout and scored on a single by Nadia Pavlova, who came home on a triple by Kylie Marshall.
When Faros failed to score in the sixth inning, the game looked pretty safe. But the Greek bats suddenly came to life in the top of the seventh and two singles to left and a bunt single loaded the bases with no one out. A one-out single drove in one run and a triple scored three more and suddenly Faros had a 5-4 lead.
Megan Brown entered the game in relief of Kylie Marshall and struck out the last two Greek hitters, but not before a passed ball had given the Greeks another run and a 6-4 lead. A game that had seemed safe for the Angels now seemed lost.
But the Angels had one last at-bat, and they struck back quickly. Simona Cellar walked to lead off the bottom of the seventh and Vasilka Georgieva reached on a bunt single. Nadia Pavlova popped out, but then Kylie Marshall smashed a triple to centre field to tie the score, and Kylie scored the winning run when Lisanne van den Berg grounded out to short.
Kylie Marshall went 4-for-4 with a single, a double, two triples, nine total bases and four RBIs, and her contribution at the plate was the difference in a game that the Angels snatched from the jaws of defeat.
Angels v Bizkorrak
The Angels' afternoon game against Bizkorrak from Spain was a much more laid back affair.
The Spaniards had only one hit off Megan Brown, a bunt single by their first batter of the game, and never really threatened to score.
Meanwhile, the Angels got off to a flying start with three runs in the top of the first inning, though three Spanish errors were the key as Nadia Pavlova's single was the only hit of the inning.
Angels added two more runs in the third inning with the help of three walks and another Spanish error, and made the score 6-0 in the fourth inning when Kylie Marshall hit yet another triple and scored on a single by catcher Lisanne van den Berg.
A final run in the top of the fifth inning on two more Spanish errors gave the Angels a 7-0 mercy rule margin, and Megan Brown set the Spaniards down in order in the bottom of the fifth to make it so. Six Spanish errors to one for the Angels was the key in this game, along with dominant pitching from Megan Brown.
Upcoming games
On Tuesday, the Angels will play Akademiks from Bulgaria and their counterpart team, the Angels from Romania.
Wednesday will bring games against Szostka Brzeg from Poland and one of the tournament favourites, Eagles from Switzerland, and on Thursday the Angels will play Les Comanches from France and Princ from Croatia to finish off their round-robin games.
If the Angels have made the Page Playoffs, they will next play on Friday afternoon.