by Bob Fromer
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Surrey, British Columbia: July 6 – The GB Women's Team ended the round-robin phase in the Elite Division at the Canadian Open Fastpitch Championships yesterday by splitting a pair of tense and exciting games to finish third in the standings with the playoffs beginning today.
In the afternoon game, GB scored a notable 5-2 victory over China Liaoning, previously beaten only once in the competition. Then, in the evening, GB rallied late to take the lead against the St Louis Extreme Elite, only to give the lead back and have a second rally fall just short in the bottom of the seventh inning in a 6-5 loss.
Eight of the nine teams in the competition will now take part in double-elimination playoffs, with games today pitting 1 v 8, 2 v 7, 3 v 6 and 4 v 5. This will give GB a chance to gain revenge for their unexpected defeat by Mexico on Wednesday, as the two teams will meet in the 3 v 6 game at 3.30 this afternoon. A win will give GB another playoff encounter at 8.30 this evening.
GB v China Liaoning
The Chinese team came into this game with only one defeat and with a reputation for giving up very few runs – only five in six previous games.
But GB attacked from the start and posted two quick runs in the top of the first inning off Chinese pitcher Du Yue Gao.
Leadoff hitter Kristi Yoshizawa battled through a long at-bat before driving a single to right field, and Amy Moore singled to left. When Chinese centre fielder An Na failed to come up with the ball cleanly, Kristi took third and scored the opening run on a passed ball. One out later, Jess Legendre smashed a double to left-centre field that An Na dove for but failed to hold, driving in Amy Moore.
A great start for GB, but the Chinese came right back against Stacie Townsend in the bottom of the first inning, sending eight batters to the plate and scoring two runs on three hits and two walks. Early as it was, it felt like the game was in the balance at 2-2 when Stacie went to a 3-and-2 count with the bases loaded and two out against eighth place hitter Wang Ya Nan. But Stacie took a deep breath and thought to herself, “Forget the count, just throw a good pitch.”
Wang Ya Nan swung and missed, and the inning was over.
GB attacked again in the top of the second. With one out, Naomi Jones lined a single to right field and with two out, Amy Moore walked. Stacie Townsend then drove a majestic home run high over the fence in centre field, and suddenly it was 5-2 in GB's favour.
And 5-2 was in fact the final score – but it took six more innings of struggle for Stacie Townsend to get there. Pitching without her usual command, and often behind in the count, Stacie stranded six Chinese runners over the middle innings, but managed to make big pitches when she needed to, backed up by an errorless and alert GB defense.
Stacie still emerged from the game with 11 strikeouts and though China changed pitchers after the second inning and Jin Ling Ling held the GB offense to just two hits over the final five innings, the lead held up and GB had registered a big win.
GB v St Louis Extreme Elite
A win in this final round-robin game would have given GB a second-place finish in the group. But a battling team of young travel ball players from St Louis, who had just endured a long and tiring 11-10 loss to the White Rock Renegades, refused to let that happen.
But there were plenty of twists and turns along the way.
Megan Brown opened the pitching for GB and held St Louis scoreless and hitless over the first three innings.
Meanwhile, GB took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning without the benefit of a hit. Karlene Headley-Cooper opened with a walk, moved to second on Laura Thompson's sacrifice bunt, took third on a passed ball and scored on an infield groundout.
For GB, the hitless theme continued as the game wore on. By the end of the fifth inning, St Louis pitcher Amber Toenyes was still pitching a no-hitter and St Louis had a 3-1 lead.
Those three runs came in the top of the fifth against Carling Hare, who entered the game in relief of Megan Brown in the fourth inning and survived that frame despite giving up a single and two walks. But Carling couldn't survive the fifth inning, allowing a single, a walk and then a two-run triple to St Louis shortstop Alexa Becker, who scored the third St Louis run on an infield error.
GB's first rally came in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Naomi Jones and Ali Parkerson worked back-to-back walks, and Karlene Headley-Cooper was hit by a pitch, a painful blow on the elbow, to load the bases. Laura Thompson's bid for a hit up the middle was snagged by the pitcher, who held the runners and threw to first. But Steph Pearce ran the count to 2-and-1 and then lined the ball into the gap in right-centre field for a double, scoring all three GB runners. It was GB's first hit of the game, and it gave them a 4-3 lead with St Louis coming up for their last at-bat in the top of the seventh.
Catcher Amy Hunt grounded out to third to open the inning, but then four of the next five St Louis batters drove base hits to the outfield, and now St Louis had a 6-4 lead as GB came up in the bottom of the seventh.
Sara Robb grounded out to open the inning, but then GB Under-19 player Amy Wells smashed a line drive single that St Louis first base player Jacqueline Flood couldn't handle. Amy took second on Kristi Yoshizawa's groundout, then scored as Amy Moore lined a single to left centre. Now it was 6-5, and when Naomi Jones drew a walk and Ali Parkerson reached on an error, GB had the bases loaded with two out.
But Karlene Headley-Cooper, still nursing a very sore elbow from the previous inning, bounced out to third to end the game and give the jubilant St Louis team a big scalp.
Preparation
For the GB Women's Team, all the games at the Canadian Open are primarily preparation for the World Championships to come in Whitehorse, since the team only came together two days before this tournament began, and the final player on the roster only arrived on Wednesday. The chance to play eight competitive group games in the Elite Division, with playoff games to come, has been just what the team needed, allowing Head Coach Hayley Scott and her staff to look at players in different positions, juggle the batting order, give everyone game time and find out this team can do.
Mainly, the team has played well – particularly pitching and defense – and offense has been there in patches. The losses to Mexico and the St Louis Extreme Elite should probably have been wins, but GB will still go into the playoffs in good shape, looking for a high finish in the competition.