By Donald Morris-Vincent
Saturday 16 July – It was another hard-fought and relatively low-scoring game between GB and Germany today in the final of the 2022 European Co-ed Slowpitch Championship in Ljubljana, Slovenia, but this time GB prevailed by 12-7 to win European gold for the 12th time in 13 attempts.
The only time GB has failed to win the European Co-ed Slowpitch Championship was in 2017, when they were beaten in the final by Wolfgang Walther’s Germany by a score of 20-9. So today’s game was both a long-delayed revenge for that sole blemish on GB’s European record, and also for the 13-9 defeat inflicted by Germany on the first day of this tournament that made things a little edgy for GB for the rest of the round-robin.
In today’s final, both Wolfgang Walther for Germany and Dan Spinks for GB pitched well, but Dan pitched that little bit better and the GB offense, though unable to mount any of their signature explosive innings, was able to pull away towards the end of the game.
The result meant that Great Britain and Germany, along with the Netherlands, who defeated the Czech Republic in the bronze medal game, have qualified for the 2023 WBSC Co-ed Slowpitch World Cup.
And the win marked a clean sweep for GB in European Slowpitch Championships this year, with both the GB Men and Co-ed Teams coming back from early losses to bring home gold.
The Final: GB v Germany
The final was a tight game with never more than three runs separating the teams until the seventh inning. But it didn’t have the most promising of starts for GB.
GB began with a four-up, three-down scoreless inning in the top of the first, but Germany got on the board immediately in the bottom of the frame with a lead-off triple by Max Zerhusen, a single for Marlen Kestel, and Wolfgang Walther’s home run to deep left field. Germany had two more baserunners before Dan Spinks was able to close out the inning, but Germany will have been buoyed by their 3-0 lead.
What started promisingly in the top of the second inning with a Chris Yoxall double and a Dan Spinks RBI single soon looked less rosy when GB were reduced to two on with two out. But a walk to Ruth Macintosh and singles from Robbie Studholme and Jenny Ball brought in three more runs, and then a walk to Steve Hazard and the automatic walk to Chiya Louie brought in another.
Five runs had scored and GB now had a 5-3 lead. But runs were hard to come by for most of the rest of the game.
Dan Spinks pitched a four-up, three-down inning to preserve the two-run lead in the bottom of the second, but Wolfgang Walther matched that in the top of the third, then doubled down the left field as the first batter up in the bottom of the inning. A single and a fielder’s choice scored him, but with runners on second and third, Dan Spinks got Kaja Wolff on a foul-ball strikeout to end the inning with GB clinging to a 5-4 lead.
Now the game developed into a contest of tit-for-tat.
In the top of the fourth inning Robbie Studholme tripled and scored on Jenny Ball’s single. Steve Hazard then drove a hard-hit line drive up the middle but the German defense was able to turn that into a force out and the inning ended on Chris Yoxall’s ground ball to third base. GB 6, Germany 4.
That lead wasn’t to last. Jonas Habicht’s pop fly to Amy Rice began the bottom of the fourth inning for Germany and a smart 5-3 play by Chiya Louie did for Tatjana Jung. But a walk to Max Zerhusen and the automatic walk taken by Marlen Kestrel put two on board for Wolfgang Walther and he homered again to deep left field to score three and switch the lead back to Germany at 7-6.
Dan Spinks and Amy Rice singled with one out in the top of the fifth inning, Dan sliding into second base in a cloud of dirt. A long sacrifice fly from Mike MacDowell scored Dan but Wolfgang Walther ended the inning with a foul-ball strikeout.
Any thoughts of Germany moving back into the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning were dashed when Marco-Matthias Beuchert, pinch-hitting for Jonas Habicht, flew out to right centre field for the third out, stranding two.
Two innings to go, and the score was level at 7-7.
But finally, in the top of the sixth inning – and only after two were out -- the game began to swing GB’s way
Robbie Studholme grounded out to start the inning, and an athletic diving stop and throw to first base by German shortstop Max Zerhusen put out Jenny Ball. But singles by Steve Hazard and Chiya Louie keep the top of the sixth alive for GB. Now was the moment for Chris Yoxall, and Chris did not disappoint, slashing a double to left centre field to score two and restore the GB lead at 9-7. Would it be enough?
A ground out began the bottom of the sixth inning but then Max Zerhusen doubled to the right side, raising German hopes, with their best hitters about to come to the plate. However, the Germans were quieter when Marlen Kestel flew out to right centre field and Wolfgang Walther, with two home runs, a double and five RBIs in the game so far, grounded out to Steve Hazard at short to end the inning. Still GB 9, Germany 7.
A very patient Dan Spinks led off the top of the seventh inning by drawing a walk, not the best of starts for Wolfgang Walther. Amy Rice flew out, but Mike MacDowell, in for Joe Grantham, tripled to score pinch-runner Matt Tomlin, and Mike scored on a Robbie Studholme single up the middle. Jenny Ball then hit a screamer down the left field line for a double, scoring Robbie. Three very big runs, and they took the score to GB 12, Germany 7, the biggest margin either team had enjoyed in the game.
It was too much for Germany to overcome, though they never stopped trying.
Clara Zerhusen flew out tamely to start the bottom of the seventh inning, but singles followed from Marc Dutjer and Barbara Herzgen. However, Bob Degener’s grounder produced a fielder’s choice out at second and then Kaja Wolff lofted a tame fly ball to left centre field to end the game and the tournament with another GB triumph.
Final score: Great Britain 12, Germany 7.
Scores and final standings
Results of the four playoff games today were:
Gold Medal Game
GB 12, Germany 7
Bronze Medal Game
Netherlands 22, Czech Republic 8
Fifth-Place Playoff
Ireland 17, Slovenia 9 (5 inns)
Seventh-Place Playoff
Belgium 15, Austria 14 (6 inns)
The final tournament standings are:
1 – Great Britain
2 – Germany
3 – Netherlands
4 – Czech Republic
5 – Ireland
6 – Slovenia
7 – Belgium
8 – Austria
9 -- Serbia