by Bob Fromer
Ronchi dei Legionari, Italy: August 5 -- The task of qualifying for the 2012 Women's World Championships is down to just one game for the GB Women's Fastpitch Team -- tonight's meeting with the Czech Republic at 6.30 pm at the main stadium here in this small North East Italian town.
To get to that game, which is the 3 v 4 game in the Page Playoff, GB defeated Spain 6-0 at lunchtime today while the Czech Republic almost blew a 7-2 lead against Russia but hung on to win 7-6.
So the last four teams standing in the 2011 European Women's Championships are the Netherlands, Italy, GB and the Czechs, and the team that wins the 3 v 4 game tonight will be guaranteed at least a third place finish and a ticket to the World Championships next year in White Horse, Canada.
The winner of tonight's GB-Czech game will also play tomorrow morning against the loser of the 1 v 2 game later this evening between Italy and the Netherlands, and the winner of that game will join the 1 v 2 winner in the Grand Final at 8.00 pm Saturday evening.
GB and the Czechs played twice during the World Cup of Softball last month in Oklahoma, with GB winning both games by scores of 3-2 and 6-1. But though the wins will create confidence, tonight's game will be an entirely different affair with so much on the line.
Spanish resistance
What GB wanted to do against Spain today was pile up a lot of runs early, end things early on the mercy rule and get Stacie Townsend out of the game as soon as possible to save her for tonight.
But that's not the way things went. GB had lots of baserunners, and did score one run each in the first and second innings. But chances to score a whole lot more went begging, with six runners left on base by the end of the third inning and far too many routine fly balls hit to the Spanish outfield.
GB's failure to build up a bigger lead meant that Stacie Townsend had to pitch four innings, but they were about as easy as it gets in competitive softball. Spanish hitters swung wildly at almost everything they saw. Stacie rarely had to throw hard; she just kept changing speeds and movement, and retired the Spanish in order in all four innings without giving up a hit and striking out seven.
GB gamble
Still, when 18-year-old Carling Hare came in to pitch for GB at the start of the fifth inning with only a 2-0 lead, it was something of a gamble and a lot of pressure on Carling. Lose this game and GB would be out of the tournament. And when the first batter Carling faced, Spanish clean-up hitter Teresa San Juan, belted a double into left field for Spain's first hit of the game, the margin felt very thin indeed.
But Carling has a knack of getting into jams and getting out of them, and she eventually got out of this one with some help from the GB defense. Beatriz Paredo sacrificed San Juan to third and then Spanish left fielder Irune Paredes hit a ground ball straight at GB third base player Kristi Yoshizawa. Kristi knocked the ball down and saw that Teresa San Juan had broken from third base. GB executed the rundown well, with Carling making the final tag.
The inning was still not over, and with Paredes on second, Raquel Moncho singled between first and second base. But GB right fielder Naomi Jones charged the ball and Paredes had to hold at third. Idoia Benito then grounded out short to first to end the threat.
Staying in charge
GB padded their lead to 3-0 with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Kristi Yoshizawa led off with a double to left-centre field (her third hit of the game), moved to third on Stacie Townsend's ground out and scored on a long sacrifice fly to left field by Morgan Parkerson.
Carling Hare then had an easier sixth inning, striking out two (including second base player Sara Gomez on a beautiful two-strike change-up).
And by the time Carling came out to pitch the top of the seventh, GB were (finally!) a comfortable 6-0 in front. GB's three runs in the bottom of the sixth came without the benefit of a hit, but there was a hit batter, a two-strike sacrifice bunt by Steph Pearce, two walks and a big Spanish error.
Getting it done
As GB Head Coach Hayley Scott told the team afterwards, "It wasn't pretty, but you got the job done."
There is a much bigger job to be done this evening, with a much bigger reward.
Previous reports from games involving the GB Women at the European Championships can be found both on the Home Page and in the News column on this website.