by Bob Fromer
Antwerp, Belgium: August 11 -- The GB Cadette (Under-16) Girls Fastpitch Team played their best game to date in the European Cadette Championships in Belgium, and pulled off a fine 4-2 win this afternoon over Germany, traditionally one of Europe's stronger teams at this age level.
The game marked the start of the second phase of the tournament for both GB and Germany, a round-robin among the seven teams that didn't make the playoffs to decide final places. Teams are now playing for pride as well as ranking, and GB displayed pride, skill and steady nerves when they thought the game was over at the end of the fourth inning but instead had to play a fifth inning and win it all over again.
Ellie Pamenter pitched a three-hitter and struck out nine Germans, despite having the strike zone mercilessly squeezed on her in the fourth inning by a less than adequate home plate umpire. The Germans, too suffered some terrible calls in the game, but being forced by the umpire to throw the ball down the middle when trying to protect a small lead towards the end of the game was not Ellie's idea of fun.
Tighter defense
Perhaps most importantly, a GB team that committed 13 errors yesterday in four innings against Russia committed only two in five innings today against Germany, so Ellie Pamenter had the defensive support she needed.
Germany committed only one error, but a series of wild pitches by German starter Sarah Scheulks with runners on base helped GB score two of their four runs.
GB had five hits and hit other balls hard, and in general looked the sharper offensive team.
Germany, on the other hand, was able to steal bases almost at will when they had runners on, and both their runs were scored by runners who had stolen second and third. But Ellie Pamenter was able to get out of trouble with strikeouts when she needed them, and the first four German innings ended that way.
Taking the lead
Both teams went up and down in order in the first inning, and then GB took the lead in the top of the second.
Ellie Pamenter led off with a single to centre and Maisie Dowd put down a nice sacrifice bunt with one out to get her to second base. Grace Dickinson looked overmatched when missing a bunt attempt on the first pitch and swinging and missing the second. But on the third pitch, Grace drove a single into short left field and when the German left fielder fell down picking up the ball, Ellie Pamenter raced home with the first run of the game.
Giving it up
Unfortunately, the lead didn't last long.
In the bottom of the second inning, German right fielder Fiona Brosch singled to left centre on a change-up, stole second and third and scored on a wild pitch. Two more Germans reached base that inning, but Ellie Pamenter struck out centre fielder Athina Zuber to end the threat.
Getting it back
GB took the lead for good in the top of the third inning.
Chelsea Robison led off with a walk, but was unfortunately forced at second base on a line drive single to left field by Chloe Wigington that the Germans turned into a fielder's choice. But Chloe went to second on a wild pitch, and scored when Gabry Sassoli drove a two-strike hit into left field. The throw went home, allowing Gabry to take second, and then the German catcher made a wild throw trying to catch Gabry off base and she came all the way around to score.
To emphasise GB's advantage, Ellie Pamenter retired the top three hitters in the German line-up in order in the bottom of the third, two of them on strikeouts.
GB struck again in the top of the fourth inning to extend their lead to 4-1. There were two outs and no one on when Chloe Wigington dropped a base hit into right-centre field and stretched it to a double. A passed ball got Chloe to third and a wild pitch by Sarah Scheulks got her home.
Hanging on
Could GB now hang on and win the game?
Since the rain delays earlier in the week (not to mention a five-minute rain delay in this game), games are being played on the basis of no new inning after one hour and forty-five minutes or six innings, whichever comes first.
There wasn't that much time to go when Germany came to bat in the bottom of the fourth and it turned into a long, tense inning that tested GB nerves.
German shortstop Veronika Listl reached on an error to open the inning and stole second and third. Fiona Brosch struck out, but now Ellie Pamenter couldn't buy a strike off the home plate umpire and catcher Leandra Dreus belted a long double over the head of Chelsie Robison in centre field on a pitch down the middle, scoring Listl to cut the margin to 4-2. Sophia Sager popped out to Amie Hutchinson at first base, but Ellie walked Alissa Theissen to put the tying run on base.
But after a long delay, Ellie struck out Athina Zuber again and the inning was over. And the game...?
Not quite time
Initially, both teams thought the game had ended. But while no new inning can start after an hour and forty-five minutes, there was still about a minute to go. So GB had to re-set, re-focus and play the fifth inning.
GB went quickly up and down in order and suddenly were back on defense. Would the game be snatched away from them at the very end?
Not if Ellie Pamenter had her way. Throwing nothing but strikes, she struck out leadoff hitter Emily Kaiuserauer and pinch-hitter Julia Koenigs on just seven pitches.
Hannah Ling then hit a fly ball into short centre field that Chelsea Robison reached but couldn't quite catch.
But Ellie kept throwing strikes, and with the count 1-2 on clean-up hitter Veronika Listl, she popped up the next pitch to Amie Hutchinson in foul territory near first base, and GB had a well-deserved and morale-boosting win.
Context
The first round of games at the European Cadette (Under-16) Championships was finally finished this morning after rain delays had disrupted the schedule earlier in the week, and the round-robin results were:
Group A
Netherlands (5-0)
Belgium (4-1)
Germany (3-2)
Spain (2-3)
Slovakia (1-4)
Serbia (0-5)
Group B
Italy (4-0)
Russia (3-1)
Czech Republic (2-2)
Great Britain (1-3)
France (0-4)
What's happening now?
Only the first two teams from each first-round group are still playing for the Championship, and these four teams -- the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Russia -- are playing each other in a second round-robin to determine a 1-4 ranking, and will then play each other all over again in the Page Playoff.
Meanwhile, the remaining seven teams -- Germany, Spain, Slovakia, Serbia, the Czech Republic, GB and France -- are playing a round-robin to determine places 5-11. However, results from the first round-robin against teams in your own group are carried forward and you don't actually play those teams again.
So the GB Cadettes have brought a 1-1 record into this phase of the tournament (having lost to the Czech Republic but beaten France) and now play the teams that finished third through sixth in the other group.
Germany, who finished third in Group A, was the first opponent.
Tomorrow, GB will play Spain at 10.00 am and Serbia at 4.45 pm. Spain finished fourth in Group A but pulled off an unexpected 6-4 win over the Czech Republic today, while Serbia, who finished sixth in Pool A and didn't win a game, had a 9-4 win today against France.
So tomorrow will be interesting.
Finally, on Saturday, August 13, GB will play Slovakia, who finished fifth in Group A, at 4.45 pm and the GB players can then go to watch the Grand Final.
GB's results in these four games, plus the results carried forward, will determine where they finish in the tournament as well as our our European Cadette ranking for the next two years.
Hopefully, GB can achieve their new goal of finishing at the top of the bottom placings, as the GB Juniors did in Vienna last summer.
Today's result is a big step along that road.