By Bob Fromer
Ostrava, Czech Republic: 9 August – It was tense, exciting, thrilling and heart-stopping – and that was only the last two innings of the GB Under-16s' final game at the 2013 European Cadette Championships, a game that was in effect a playoff for fifth place between GB and Germany.
GB led 1-0, trailed 2-1 and then 3-1, rallied to take a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, and then saw Germany score three runs of their own in the top of the sixth. In their last at-bat, GB loaded the bases with two outs, but couldn't quite manage the required heroics, as Chelsie Robison flew out to left field to end the game, leaving the Germans ahead 6-4.
Every ESF tournament has a different format, and that can produce some anomalies. Two years ago, the GB Cadettes won three games and finished seventh at this Championship; this year's GB Under-16 Team was far better, but won only two games and finished sixth.
“Two years ago, we got blown out big-time by several teams at this tournament,” Head Coach Jeremy Thomas told his disappointed players after the game, “but this year you were competitive with every team we played, and that shows how far you've come.
“But you have to understand why we lost some games we could have won,” Jeremy added, “and we have to learn those lessons and work on the things we need to practice in order to improve – at the Academy, between Academy sessions, in the Fastpitch League, wherever we get a chance to practice or play.”
Opportunities missed
In the end, the GB Cadettes had a record of 2-6 at the tournament, but that record is deceptive. GB should have beaten Belgium and Germany, might have had a shot at beating the Czech Republic, and gave Holland a scare yesterday.
In losses to Russia and yesterday to Holland, GB out-hit their opponents. In the losses to Belgium and Germany, the hits were even.
It wasn't necessarily a lack of offense that cost GB these games, and it certainly wasn't GB's pitching, which has been mostly excellent. Instead, in every instance, it was mental and physical errors that was the difference, and that's mainly down to a lack of competitive game experience. Our national fastpitch teams get little chance to play competitive games in the UK, and going abroad to do so is difficult and expensive. So our teams can often match their opponents in talent, but when games are on the line, we make more mistakes.
This morning's game against Germany was a perfect case in point. Only two of the six German runs were earned, just as only two of Belgium's seven runs yesterday morning were earned, and only four of Holland's 11 runs yesterday afternoon. Giving away that many runs makes it really difficult to win games, especially against good opposition.
Taking the lead
There wasn't much hint of the excitement to come at the start of today's game. GB starter Amie Hutchison had baserunners in both the first and second innings but kept Germany off the scoreboard, and GB took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.
Second base player Laura Hirai led off with a walk, moved to second on a single to left by catcher Eleanor Dowd, stole third and scored when Amie Hutchison drove a single to centre field that moved Eleanor to third. But the possibility of further runs was choked off when Eleanor was out at home attempting to score when her sister Matilda grounded out to third base.
Giving it back
Getting outs at the plate can change momentum in games, and it seemed to be the case in this one as Germany came in for the top of the third inning and scored twice to take the lead.
Alisha Theissen singled to lead off the inning and Chiara Steffen walked. Klara Neumann bunted towards third base, and Sian Wigington tried to make the aggressive play and get the force out at third. But her throw was low and went into foul territory in left field, and both runners scored with Neumann winding up at third.
However, GB then got an out at the plate themselves when Neumann tried to scored on a wild pitch and was tagged out by Amie Hutchison after a flip from catcher Eleanor Dowd.
Germany scored another run in the top of the fourth to stretch their lead to 3-1, and this run was also unearned. Pinch-hitter Katharina Held led off with a hit-by-pitch, moved to second on a single by Michelle Schworer, and scored after trying to steal third when Eleanor Dowd's low throw went into left field.
But GB recovered alertly to tag out Schworer in a rundown between second and third to kill the German momentum.
GB rally
GB failed to score in the bottom of the fourth, and a tiring Amie Hutchison dug deep and struck out two German batters to get out of a jam unscathed in the top of the fifth.
GB then came in for the bottom of the fifth determined to make some headway against Germany's second pitcher, Julia Dickmeiss, and they scored three runs to take the lead as the excitement suddenly started to mount.
Amie Hutchison got things started with her second hit of the game, a sharp single to left field, and rather surprisingly stole second base. Matilda Dowd bounced out, moving Amie to third. Ella Henson then beat out a ground ball to short for a single, and Amie scored on an errant throw by the German catcher.
Chelsie Robison walked on a 3-2 count, putting runners on first and second, and then Sian Wiginton hit a little ground ball that trickled past the pitcher and kept on going up the middle and past second base before any of the converging German fielders could reach it. Ella scored – and then Chelsie scored a moment later when Alana Snow drove a single to left centre.
GB had a 4-3 lead and the Germans had only one at-bat left.
German comeback
But it was a lead that GB gave away.
Amie Hutchison walked Katharina Held to start the German sixth, and pinch-hitter Katrin Peter singled to right field, driving Held around to third. But in a strange play, Peter deliberately got herself hung up between first and second to give Held a chance to score, and because she reversed direction between first and second without GB making a throw, was called out. That was a break for GB, but things were soon to get worse.
The next batter, Maxine Dunford, hit a high chop back to Amie Hutchison with Held breaking for the plate. Amie hesitated for just a split second trying to get the ball under control before flipping it to Eleanor Dowd, and that was the difference as the tag was just too late.
So the game was now tied 4-4 with Dunford on first base. The next hitter, Alisha Theissen, grounded back to Amie Hutchison, and Amie went for the lead runner at second. But her off-balance throw sailed into centre field and kept on going. Dunford scored, Theissen got to third, and she scored when Chiara Steffen's little fly ball was dropped in short right field.
Again, Amie Hutchison dug deep and struck out Klara Neumann and Anne Hieronymous to prevent further damage, but more than enough had been done. Germany now led 6-4.
GB's last stand
GB had one last chance to retrieve the game – their last at-bat in the bottom of the sixth inning – against German starting pitcher Selina Gunzel, who had come back into the game after GB's fifth inning rally.
And that last half inning was full of ever-mounting tension in both dugouts and in the stands.
Eleanor Dowd led off for GB and reached first when German second baseplayer Katharina Held threw high on her ground ball. Germany immediately put Julia Dickmeiss back into the game at second base.
When Lorin Cook looked at a called third strike and Amie Hutchison bounced out to third, GB's chances appeared to slim to none.
But Jasmine Rushin, in only her second at-bat of the tournament due to a groin injury, drew a walk. Ella Henson hit a ground ball towards second, and this time it was Dickmeiss who bobbled it and then threw too late to get the force play. So the bases were loaded, with the tying run on second base and the winning run on first, and Chelsie Robison at the plate.
With Selina Gunzel taking more and more time between pitches, Chelsie looked at a ball, then a strike, and then took a good swing at a pitch down the middle.
But the result was a fly ball to left field that Klara Neumann clutched for the third out.
Final four
The Page Playoff at this tournament will be contested this afternoon and tomorrow (Saturday) by the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Russia and Belgium. The Dutch and the Czechs will play the 1v2 game, and Russia and Belgium the 3v4 game, with the loser finishing fourth.
Germany has finished fifth, GB sixth, Poland seventh, Slovakia eighth, and places 9-12 will be decided tomorrow in games involving Serbia, Ukraine, Romania and Lithuania.
The GB Under-16s can reflect on some exciting games, and as Jeremy Thomas told the team, they were certainly competitive against the best teams here.
But the GB Management Committee will need to see whether there is any way that GB youth fastpitch teams can train and play more often than they do.
Otherwise, the frustrations suffered by a very good GB Team at this tournament are likely to be repeated.
Photos by Lynda Medwell