After finishing fourth in the opening round of play at the WBSC U18 Softball World Cup Group A in Sao Paolo, Great Britain faced off against European rivals Czechia in the 3/4 Playoff Game, with a spot in the Repechage game – and a ticket to next year’s World Cup Final in Dallas – on the line on Saturday, 27 July.
Great Britain was the road team in this crucial rematch of the tournament’s opening game for both squads, and they threatened right away. Lily Bell singled with one out, and Jenna Thompson was hit by a pitch. After Bell was caught stealing, Mia Krueger knocked a single into right field to put two runners on, but Czech starter Nikola Skardova managed to escape the inning without allowing a run.
Elena Clark-Wilson got the start for GB and Czechia went out quickly in their half of the first, with second baseman Thompson’s unassisted double play erasing the lone baserunner.
GB‘s Sydney Teague singled in the second and got as far as third base before being stranded by the Czech defence. The bottom half of the second saw the strong Czech team get their first hit of the game, a two-out single up the middle, only to be left on base as the next batter flew out to first to end the inning.
That was the story of the game until the bottom of the fifth. 
In the home half of the inning, Czechia finally broke through against Clark-Wilson, who struck out four in six innings of work, and had until that point stranded six baserunners without allowing a run. With a hit batter, a sacrifice bunt and a timely hit, the Czechs broke the deadlock and led 1-0 after five innings of play.
In the sixth GB responded with two hits of their own as Krueger and Cara Edwards successfully reached base, but the threat was extinguished by the stingy Czech defence after Thompson – who went in as a two-out runner for the catcher, Krueger - was caught too far off the bag after rounding second and was tagged out to end the inning.
Czech led off the bottom of the sixth with an inside-the-park homerun that doubled their lead, 2-0
GB entered their half of the seventh inning needing two runs to keep their dream of Dallas 2025 alive. After the Czechs secured two quick outs, Amy Hartle hit a two-out, pinch-hit double bring the tying run to the plate, but Skardova induced Kaitly Parisi to fly out to end the game, and Great Britain’s U18 World Cup journey.
Elena Clark-Wilson went the distance for GB and allowed two runs on eight hits while striking out four. On the offensive side, Mia Krueger went two for three and finished out the tournament with a .467 batting average.
The Great Britain Women will next be in action in Kutno, Poland at the U22 European Softball Championships from 5-10 August, with a number of U18 players participating in that competition. More information can be found at britishsoftball.org or on Great Britain Softball’s social media.
Photos: Neil Teague