By Bob Fromer
Ostrava, Czech Republic: August 7 – The GB Under-16 Girls' Fastpitch Team took two expected losses today in oppressive heat at the hands of Russia (7-0 in five innings) and the Czech Republic (3-0 in six innings ), but the key to GB's chances of reaching the final four will be upcoming games against Belgium and Germany.
The team played well today in both games against two of Europe's top teams, each of whom won their round-robin groups, and the Czech game in particular was closely fought.
But GB's win over Slovakia yesterday had already assured their passage to the second playoff round, regardless of today's results, and serious action will begin again tomorrow when GB will take on Belgium at 9.00 am, the Netherlands at 2.00 pm and then Germany at 9.00 on Friday.
Two wins from those three games will get GB to the Page Playoffs and the chance of a medal, and having watched Belgium and German play themselves into the ground at lunchtime today in a mammoth struggle that resulted in an 11-8 win for Belgium, the GB coaching staff will think that both these teams are beatable.
Heatwave
This morning, the heat in Ostrava was oppressive by 9.00 am when the GB Team took on Russia, and it wasn't any better by 2.00 pm when GB played the Czech Republic.
Since the results of these games didn't matter, the theme of the day was self-preservation, and GB Head Coach Jeremy Thomas moved players around to different positions in both games.
Even so, GB gave each of their opponents a good game.
GB had only one hit – a single by Chelsie Robison – against Czech pitcher Pavlina Mencikova and only one real scoring threat in the 3-0 loss to the host team; but ironically, in the game GB lost 7-0 to Russia this morning, they out-hit the Russians by 4-3.
Alana Snow got her first pitching assignment of the tournament against the Russians and pitched all four innings in which the Russians batted, allowing just three hits, but giving up five walks. Behind her, the GB defense struggled to contain the Russian short game and committed three errors.
Against the Czechs, Lorin Cook threw a brave five innings in the heat, allowing only four hits and two walks. Amie Hutchison finished the game with a scoreless sixth inning.
GB v Russia
Although Jeremy Thomas only has nine fully-fit players he can put on the field, seven of those players started the game playing positions that they hadn't played yesterday, when GB had wins over Romania and Slovakia. The idea was to give some players a rest from more stressful positions, and to give others a chance to show their versatility.
GB began the game in very promising fashion by loading the bases with no one out in the top of the first inning. Leadoff batter Ella Henson drew yet another walk – her speciality – and Chelsie Robison reached on a well-placed bunt single. Lorin Cook then popped a single into right field, and GB was threatening to put the Russians under pressure from the start.
But Russia's left-handed pitcher Tatiana Zhuravleva put a called third strike past Amie Hutchison, took a little pop fly off the bat of Laura Hirai and got Eleanor Dowd to pop out to second base.
That was GB's only real scoring threat – and having let the Russians off the hook, they promptly paid the price.
Russia is one of those European teams that favour left-handed batters with speed at the top of their order, and their strategy is to put down bunts until their opponents show they can cope with it.
The GB defense couldn't, and two bunt singles, a walk, two stolen bases, two passed balls and an error led to three quick Russian runs in the bottom of the first. The inning only ended when GB catcher Chelsie Robison threw out Anastasia Nicharova trying to steal yet another base – in this case, third.
Russia had only one more hit in the game off Alana Snow, but they continued to score runs.
The Russians added a single run in the second inning on two walks, a stolen base, a walk and a wild pitch.
Another run in the third inning came on that one other Russian hit – a single by Anastasia Makeshina – a stolen base and two groundouts.
In the fourth inning, the Russians scored their final two runs on a walk, a sacrifice bunt where GB failed to get an out, a sacrifice bunt where they did get an out, and two errors.
So the game ended on the mercy rule after GB went down in order in the top of the fifth, but it didn't really feel like a mercy rule distance between the two teams.
On the other hand, given the heat and the fact that the result had no consequences, GB were not too distressed to get off the field early.
Three of GB's four hits – by Chelsie Robison, Ella Henson and Laura Hirai – were bunt singles, suggesting that the Russians were not that great themselves at dealing with the short game.
But the Russians had too much speed and a bit too much pitching for GB, and the Russians played errorless softball while GB didn't.
GB v Czech Republic
Though neither team was worried about the result, this was a close game between two good teams, and until she tired in the heat in the fifth inning, GB pitcher Lorin Cook matched the Czechs' Pavlina Mencikova in an excellent pitchers' duel.
The GB defense also had a better game, making a number of key plays to cut off Czech threats, and all three Czech runs in their 3-0 win were earned.
But there was no denying that the Czechs had far more scoring opportunities than Britain. GB batters went up and down in order from the third inning onward, and only Chelsie Robison got as far as second base when she singled up the middle with one out in the bottom of the first inning and then stole second. But Lorin Cook and Amie Hutchison struck out to end the threat.
Altogether, Pavlina Mencikova struck out eight GB hitters, while Lorin Cook and Amie Hutchison struck out only two Czechs between them.
In contrast to GB, the Czechs had baserunners in every inning, and left the bases loaded without scoring in the top of the first inning.
The Czechs' first run came in the top of the third. Apolena Vyborna singled with one out, stole second and scored on a base hit down the left field line by catcher Julie Cufalova when the ball took a terrible hop and eluded left fielder Jasmine Rushin.
With Lorin Cook visibly struggling in the heat, the Czechs made the game safe with two more runs in the top of the fifth inning. The first three batters reached on Lorin's only two walks of the game plus a hit-by-pitch, and Nicol Tabackova scored on a wild pitch while Veronika Klimplova came in on a passed ball.
Amie Hutchison restored order in the sixth inning when she walked Kristyna Mala to lead off the inning but then retired the next three hitters, including a strikeout.
But GB never looked like overcoming what was always a slim Czech lead.
First Playoff Round results
There are still games to be played in the first playoff round today, but unless some really major upsets occur, the final placings will be as follows:
Group E
Czech Republic
Russia
GB
Slovakia
Group F
Netherlands
Belgium
Germany
Poland
The top three teams from each group will go forward to the second playoff round and so the Czech Republic, Russia and GB will each play the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany during tomorrow and Friday morning.
After that, four teams will survive to advance to the Page Playoffs that begin on Friday afternoon.
The GB Cadettes still have a chance to be among them – and that in itself shows how far this team has come since the last European Cadette Championship two years ago in Antwerp, when the team failed to make the playoffs, suffered a number of double-digit mercy rule losses and eventually finished seventh.
This year's GB Under-16 Team has already done much better than that!
Photos by Lynda Medwell from the GB v Russia game.