By Bob Fromer
Plant City, Florida: 19 November – It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing so far for the GB Slowpitch Team that has come to Florida to compete in the 4th ISF Slowpitch World Cup -- but that didn’t stop the team grabbing two wins on opening day against the Turks & Caicos Islands and France.
First, there had been a 26-hour delay for some GB players and coaches in getting out of Gatwick on Saturday 14 November because of a security alert that followed the tragic events in Paris the night before. “We were probably on our feet for about half the time,” Team Manager Sara Vertigan said, “shuttling between the airport and hotels. But it wasn’t all bad, because the players developed a sense of humour about it that helped the team to bond.”
Then it was discovered at last night’s Technical Meeting that the World Slowpitch Cup was going ahead without a host team from the United States. The Americans had pulled out two days before, citing difficulties in players getting time off work in the week before the Thanksgiving holiday.
That reduces the tournament to eight countries instead of the original 10 (American Samoa had pulled out earlier). But you can only play what’s put in front of you, and a GB squad containing eight players who are making their debuts in official competition, plus three “guest players” recruited in the United States, made short work of the opposition on a day when forecast rain largely stayed away.
GB had an easy opening victory by 19-5 over the Turks & Caicos Islands in six innings on Thursday morning, then piled it on against France later in the day, winning by 29-1 in four innings (which still fell short of the 38-3 win that Germany had already registered against the French).
It will be a shock if France manages to win a game during the competition.
GB v Turks & Caicos Islands
The first inning of this game was close. GB put up two runs in the top of the first inning, both driven in by a two-out single from Roddy Hill, and the Turks & Caicos Islanders came back with one in their half of the frame, driven in on a double by shortstop Delvis Hernandez.
After that, GB steadily pulled away, scoring four runs in the second inning, seven in the third, one in the fourth and five more in the fifth. Meanwhile, pitcher Roger Grooms and an errorless GB defense kept the Turks & Caicos off the scoreboard until the bottom of the fifth inning, when the Islanders suddenly erupted for five singles – one more than they had managed over the first four innings -- and took advantage of three GB errors. But even all of that only amounted to four runs that made the final score a bit more respectable at 19-5.
The GB offense piled up 20 hits in six innings, led by shortstop Chris Yoxall, who had three doubles and a long home run over a left field fence set at 310 feet, 25 feet more than at Farnham Park. Chris had three RBIs and scored three runs.
Mike Macdowell had a single and a home run, Claudine Snape and guest player Danielle Atkinson each had two singles, Steph Gillard stroked two singles after coming on as a fifth-inning sub and another substitute, Matt Tomlin, doubled and then used his speed to score from second on a medium-deep sacrifice fly.
All 17 players on the squad got into the game at one point or another, and it proved a perfect way to settle the nerves that some players will undoubtedly have been feeling.
GB v France
GB players were aware before this game started that Germany had put up 38 runs against France earlier in the day, and were not expecting a whole lot of opposition. Nor did they get any.
David Lee held the French to just five hits and a single second inning run, and GB ended that lone French rally with a beautifully executed 5-3-2 double play pulled off by Danielle Atkinson, Kirstie Leach and Lauren Futcher.
After putting up a relatively modest three runs in the top of the first inning on a walk to Matt Tomlin, a French error and sharply-hit singles by Kirstie Leach, David Lee and Annie Dubovec, GB scored almost at will thereafter, topped by a 15-run fourth inning in which the French more or less gave up the ghost.
Kirstie Leach had three hits and a walk and scored five runs; David Lee had three singles and a home run and drove in five; Kelvin Harrison had a single, a home run and four RBIs in a substitute role; Kat Golik and Mike MacDowell also came on late and hit two singles each; Roddy Hill and Alex Robles had home runs; and Chris Yoxall and Danielle Atkinson had back-to-back triples in the middle of that 15-run final inning.
The French fielders had almost no range, and struggled to catch the ball when they did reach it, as GB pounded out 22 hits in four innings off pitcher Vanessa Virgitti, who might have done a little better if the home plate umpire had had a better grasp of the slowpitch strike zone. When you’re giving up 29 runs and your fielders are playing like statues behind you, you don’t need an umpire calling obvious strikes as balls.
However, GB may have had their two easiest opponents on opening day, and sterner tests will come tomorrow.
GB Notes​
Head Coach Steve Patterson has appointed Stewart Butcher as Team Captain for the tournament, with Kirstie Leach as Vice-Captain.
Because of the difficulty of getting GB players to commit to this tournament at relatively short notice – especially women – the GB coaching staff made the decision to pick up three additional players in the United States.
Infielder Alex Robles is a local American player who became friendly with the GB squad during the last Slowpitch World Cup in January 2014. Annie Dubovec is a former college fastpitch player who spent last summer in the UK and played with H2O. And Danielle Atkinson is another former college player whose husband comes from Sunderland; she contributed four hits on the day, including a triple.
Other results​
Every team played two games on the opening day of the tournament, and results are already beginning to indicate which teams are most likely to wind up in the Trophy Page Playoff on Sunday and which teams will play in the Placing Page Playoff. Scores on Thursday were:
Bahamas 17, Bulgaria 2
Canada 12, Curacao 11
Germany 38, France 3
GB 19, Turks & Caicos Islands 5
Curacao 12, Bulgaria 9
Bahamas 12, Germany 11
Canada 16, Turks and Caicos Islands 8
GB 29, France 1
So standings after Day 1 look like this:
GB (2-0)
Bahamas (2-0)
Canada (2-0)
Germany (1-1)
Curacao (1-1)
Bulgaria (0-2)
Turks & Caicos Islands (0-2)
France (0-2)
Home Run Derby
A Home Run Derby was staged in the Main Stadium at the ISF Headquarters complex after games were completed on Thursday, with each country allowed to nominate two contestants – a man and a woman, two men or two women.
Most countries went for two men, and they faced the daunting task of hitting the ball out of what used to be the spring training stadium for the Cincinnati Reds, with distances of 320 feet down the lines, and a ten-foot high fence to overcome as well.
In the end, 12 male contestants produced only eight home runs among them (each contestant had 15 pitches and could take 10 swings). Four of the home runs belonged to Richene Martina of Curacao, the clear winner. Runner-up Eugene Bains from the Bahamas hit two over the fence and Levi Carolus of Curacao and Justin Pennell of Canada had one each.
GB’s nominees – Kelvin Harrison and Chris Yoxall – didn’t manage to get a ball over the fence, though each came close.
The women’s Home Run Derby was contested by only three women, from Bulgaria, France and the Turks & Caicos Islands. Ericka Carter of Turks & Caicos hit the only two balls that cleared the fence in a playoff round, with home plate placed at second base, to claim the title.
By the end of the Home Run Derby, the rain that had held off all day, in contradiction to the forecasts, began to fall, and the good-natured crowd of players that had sat through most of the Derby and applauded all the contestants, began to head for shelter.
Coming up
Friday is supposed to be the best day of the week weather-wise, and a full slate of games is scheduled, with each team playing three times.
GB will begin with what looks like a winnable game against Curacao at 10.30 pm, but then will play the two teams that will probably be their closest competition for the title – the Bahamas at noon and Germany at 3.00 pm.
On Saturday, GB will close out its round-robin games by playing Bulgaria at noon and the potentially dangerous Canadians at 3.00 pm.
The Trophy and Placing Page Playoffs will begin at 9.00 am on Sunday morning, with finals scheduled for 3.00 pm.