With four mercy rule wins already secured in the first two days of the European Championships, GB looked ready for their next game when they faced Serbia this morning. The Serbian’s had already suffered three losses coming into the game, with one win against Norway, however no team should be taken lightly at the European Championships and GB came in looking to prove their strength yet again.
Another Strong Start
GB looked to continue the strong performances shown in the batter’s box yesterday and as the away team they went to score first against Serbia. With leadoff walks from both Smith and Reed-Thomas, Chris Yoxall got his first hit of the game to score the first GB run. Steve Hazard kept the score ticking over with a double, bringing in Reed-Thomas and then Leach scored the next run from her single to leftfield. Joe Grantham stepped up to hit his first homerun of the day bringing in a further three runs, and after Brown, Tomlin and Kay loaded the bases, Smith hit an inside the park homerun to bring everyone home. The scoring wasn’t to stop there though, as Reed-Thomas hit yet another triple of the tournament to then safely be brought home by Yoxall who hit a double through the left side. Steve Hazard hit his first homerun of the day to bring in the final run of the inning, bringing the score to 13-0 as GB went to defend their lead. The defence was never in doubt as GB’s gloves were to be as solid as their bats, and they recorded another “three up, three down” defence, with Grantham’s pitching generating two ground outs taken by himself and a fly out to Brown in centre leftfield.
Keeping the Score Rolling
As GB went back to bat, they looked to build on an already impressive lead, and with both Brown and Tomlin safely making it on base, Rebekah Kay hit a double to bring in both runners and get the score rolling again. With Smith taking a walk, Reed-Thomas continued her solid batting for the tournament and scored two RBIs from a single to centerfield. The girls continued to bring in the RBIs for GB, as Kim Miller hit her first double of the game to score the next run, then Russell hit a double down the left field line to score the final run of the inning. The score now sat at 19-0.
The impressive pitching display from Grantham continued, getting the first batter to strike out swinging, and to continue the no hitter, Smith took a ground out at second base and Brown took the final out in centre leftfield. GB went back to bat, and the lead kept growing as Brown took a walk, followed by Tomlin who doubled to leftfield and Kay brought in the first two runs of the third inning. The lineup continued to deliver, and with a walk from Smith, Reed-Thomas stepped up to get another single for the game bringing in another two runs in the process. With Reed-Thomas still on base, Yoxall stepped up to park a homerun in deep right field to bring in the final two GB runs of the innings. The score was now 25-0 and GB were fully in control. They continued the solid defence, securing three outs from the next three Serbian batters with another catch taken by Brown and two groundouts from Russell at shortstop.
Classy Consistency
In the top of the fourth inning the GB bats were to step up yet another gear. The inning started with a single from Le Roux and then Grantham reaching base, Brown singled to left field for the first run of the inning and the second run came from Tomlin, also hitting a single. Josh Smith took a walk, and Reed-Thomas hit another single to bring in the next RBI followed by Yoxall with a sacrifice fly to bring in another run. Katie Jessop got her first hit of the game with a single, scoring another GB run, and Le Roux brought in the next two RBIs. The hits kept coming, with Matt Tomlin stepping up to score three more RBIs on his single to left field, with Smith then reaching base to score the final run of the innings. With an incredible 37-0 lead, GB took to the field, and it was to be another fantastic defensive display, with a ground out to Grantham and another catch for Brown. Finally, Joe Grantham fielded the last groundout, and GB had secured an impressive victory of 37-0 and Grantham had pitched a perfect game.
Great Start to Day Three
It was a brilliant performance by all the team for GB in their opening game of day three, Head Coach Dan Spinks said.
“This week is about opportunity and taking it when it arises. The game allowed for utilisation of the squad and every person in this squad is equal. That was the message to the team. So far this GB team has done everything we’ve requested of them and some! They are ready, the team scored 37 runs in another mercy victory, I’m so proud and impressed! The vibe is high, the performances are exceptional, each player has raised their game and is representing their country impeccably well! We’re a tight group with high ambitions right now. One game at a time with a special mention to the Joe Grantham for pitching a perfect game in SLOWPITCH Softball, hats off to him!”
Duncan Waugh added.
“I was so impressed by the team’s discipline even with the comfortable lead we established early. It can be very easy to become ambitious swingers in less pressurised situations, yet the team took walks & waited for their pitches to drill. In short - we did the things that make them a great team in every at-bat; beautiful to see such poise and focus from beginning to end.”
GB play again today when they face Austria at 2:45pm (BST), and the link to the stream is below;
Coed Slowpitch European Championship (softballeurope.tv)
