Playoff spots were on the line on Friday, 26 July at the WBSC U18 Women’s Softball World Cup Group Stage A, and Great Britain faced New Zealand with everything to play for. Entering with a 2-2 record, GB needed a win to advance to the 3/4 playoff game automatically; a loss would mean the young Lionesses would need help to keep their tournament going.
After the traditional pregame haka performed by the New Zealanders, Elena Clark-Wilson took to the rubber to face the New Zealand squad but ran into trouble immediately. Following a foul out, the next six New Zealand batters would reach, chasing Clark-Wilson and forcing Kailyn Haig into relief duty. By the time the dust settled after the New Zealand first, the visitors had scored four runs.
Great Britain struck back in their half of the first, with Mia Krueger providing a two-run single to score Jenna Thompson and Jessica Chan and cut the Kiwi lead in half. New Zealand responded in the second, however, tallying a pair of runs to open up a four-run advantage again. This time, GB were unable to respond in their half of the second, and GB trailed 6-2 heading into the third.
Haig settled things down in the circle, setting down NZL in order, and Kreuger would strike again in the bottom half of the inning. Leading off the inning, Krueger lifted a ball to straightaway centre field for a solo home run, GB’s first of the tournament, and the deficit was three. The floodgates opened after Krueger’s solo shot, with Kaitlyn Parisi and Thompson each providing two-run singles and Amy Hartle scoring on an error, and Great Britain found themselves with an 8-6 advantage after a 6-run, 10-batter third inning.
In the top of the fourth, the New Zealanders replied by sending seven hitters to the plate but only mustered one run while stranding the bases loaded against Haig. Great Britain squandered a Sydney Teague single in the bottom half of the inning but carried an 8-7 advantage into the fifth, where both teams were held off the scoreboard for the first time.
The top of the sixth saw the Kiwi side put up four runs on the strength of six hits and three walks against GB’s Georgia Wilson, giving New Zealand an 11-8 advantage again. GB could not score in the sixth, and the Kiwis added another two runs in the seventh, putting the game all but out of reach.
There was no quit in the Brits, however, and it was Krueger again who provided the big blow for GB. Her second home run of the game, a three-run shot to deep left field, cut the deficit to two, but New Zealand’s Angela Harrison was able to get the final out for a 13-11 New Zealand victory.
With the loss, GB became New Zealand’s biggest fans, as a Kiwi victory over Colombia in NZL’s second game of the day would advance Great Britain to the 3/4 playoff game as the fourth seed. New Zealand played a back-and-forth affair before scoring four runs in the seventh inning to win 11-9 – and sending GB to the U18 World Cup Group A playoffs.
Great Britain will play Czechia in an all-European affair at 5 PM BST on Saturday, 27 July in the 3/4 playoff. The winner of that game will play in the Repechage game against whichever team – Chinese Taipei or New Zealand – loses the Final, with that game taking place tonight at 11 PM BST. All games can be seen on gametime.sport, and you can follow along on X and Instagram @GBSoftballU18.
Photos: Neil Teague