Collecchio, Italy: 12 August – The London Cubs, representing the GB Under-13 Girls’ Fastpitch programme at the annual ESF Massimo Romeo Youth Trophy competition, got the tournament started today with losses to the Czech Stars and Gepardy Zory from Poland.
The Czechs are one of the better teams in the competition, and have far more experience than most of the London Cubs’ players, some of whom have only recently taken up the game. In addition, the British players were struggling with the heat, and some of them were playing their positions for the first time in a competitive game. So the final scoreline of 21-0 in three innings in a game that started at 11.15 am local time in the midday heat was not necessarily a surprise.
Against the Polish team Gepardy Zory this afternoon, where the game went four innings, the Cubs were able to score some runs, both teams had five hits and the Poles actually committed more errors. But the Polish team had the benefit of 12 walks and 15 wild pitches from three Cubs’ pitchers (the Cubs received only two walks and there were no wild pitches from the Poles’ Patrycja Miodek) and the Poles stole 15 bases while the Cubs stole one. And that accounted for a 16-4 Polish win.
London Cubs v Gepardy Zory
The British team took the lead in this game, with a run in the top of the first inning, thanks to some help from the Poles. With one out, Eliza Esiri walked, advanced to second and third on infield errors and scored on an errant throw from Polish right fielder Emili Grzywaczeljs after she caught Jessica Woodhams’ fly ball.
The lead was short-lived, as Gepardy Zory put up five runs in the bottom of the first on two hits, four walks, two errors, three stolen bases and six wild pitches off Cubs’ starter Eliza Esiri. But Eliza did strike out two Polish hitters and the Cubs got the third out on a fine relay throw from Annabelle Erlandson in centre field to Eliza Esiri, who threw to her sister Rosie at the plate to tag out a Polish runner.
Then the British team came right back and scored three runs in the top of the second inning to cut the Polish lead to 5-4.
Josephine Morley and Jasmine Lee Tin led off the inning with singles and moved to second and third on a groundout by Annabelle Erlandson. Rosie Esiri struck out for the second out of the inning, but her sister Eliza singled up the middle to drive in one run and Michelle Shaw did the same to drive in two more. The Cubs were showing a fighting spirit and were back in the game.
But the Polish team got those three runs back in the bottom of the second inning to restore their lead to 8-4, with a triple by Weronica Tyman the big blow.
The Cubs were unable to add to their score in the top of the third inning despite a double to centre field by Josephine Morley.
Then Poland came back to bat in the bottom of the third and scored eight more runs, mostly off the Cubs’ first relief pitcher Ella Bruce, though the Poles only had two hits and there were no British errors. Walks, stolen bases and wild pitchers were the main problems. Kristen Kohler, who had pitched most of the earlier game against the Czech Stars, came on to relieve Ella Bruce and eventually struck out Polish left fielder Wiktoria Korykora to end the inning.
Campbell Lazar drew a walk when the Cubs batted in the top of the fourth inning and eventually got round to third on a stolen base and a groundout, but couldn’t make it home, leaving the final score at 16-4 for Gepardy Zory.
London Cubs v Czech Stars
The Czechs had 16 hits in this game and took advantage of four British errors, while the Cubs had some baserunners but no hits off Czech starter Marina Burkovicova, who pitched the first two innings, and reliever Jana Marie Binkova, who pitched the third.
On a positive note, British pitchers Kristen Kohler, who pitched most of the game, and Eliza Esiri, who came in during the Czech third inning and recorded the final out, walked only one more batter than the Czech pitchers did (five walks to four). And the Cubs’ pitchers struck out eight Czech hitters while Czech pitchers only managed five British strikeouts.
The London Cubs did well to hold the Czech Stars to just three runs in the top of the first inning, and the British team might have got out of the inning without conceding any runs at all. After the first three Czech hitters had batted, there were two outs and just a runner on first base.
But then came a succession of wild pitches and passed balls, a couple of walks and some stolen bases, and the result was the three Czech runs, two of them unearned.
In the bottom of the first inning, Campbell Lazar walked for the Cubs, but was out attempting to steal second.
After that, the Czechs increased the pressure, scoring seven more runs on seven hits in the top of the second inning, including doubles by Denisa Rafaelova, Julie Smetanova and Adela Kuticova and a triple by Dorota Vokata.
In the bottom of the second, both Kristen Kohler and Jessica Woodhams drew walks for the Cubs, but they were sandwiched around a double play.
The top of the third inning was long and difficult, as the Czechs scored 11 more runs on seven hits. There was only one British error, but there were more wild pitches and passed balls, more bunts that turned into infield hits and another double by Adela Kuticova. With two outs and nine runs already home for the Czechs, Eliza Esiri relieved Kristen Kohler and struggled with control, allowing two more runs to score on wild pitches before eventually securing the third out.
In the Cubs’ last at-bat, in the bottom of the third inning, Campbell Lazar drew her second walk of the game with two outs, but any hopes of scoring a consolation run or two went unfulfilled as Michelle Shaw struck out to end the game.
Goals
The goals at this tournament are for the London Cubs’ players to learn, have fun, support each other and play to the best of their ability -- and hopefully win a game, something that British teams have not achieved – except against each other – since the Massimo Romeo Trophy began in 2012 as an open Under-13 tournament for national and/or club teams.
As always, the opening games against the Czech Stars and Gepardy Zory showed that the GB national fastpitch teams programme needs to put more effort into developing pitchers and catchers at an early age, as most countries do in Europe. This is something that the BSF and BSUK understand but are just beginning to put plans in place to implement.
Once it happens, and begins to bear fruit, British Under-13 teams will be able to compete at this tournament on a more level playing field.
Meanwhile, the London Cubs will be back on the field tomorrow (Thursday) to play the Russian team Moscovis at 9.00 am local time and then Italy 2, last year’s bronze medallist, at 1.30 pm.
That will finish pool play for the Cubs, with playoffs beginning on Friday and concluding on Saturday.
Tournament format
Ten teams are contesting the 2015 Massimo Romeo Youth Trophy, and the tournament is starting with pool play in two round-robin groups of five teams each.
The top two teams from each group will go forward to Championship Page Playoffs, while the remaining six teams will play a round-robin to determine places, with results against teams from the first round-robin groups counting as played in the second round robin.
The London Cubs are in Group B along with Italy 2, the Czech Stars, Gepardy Zory from Poland and Moscovis from Russia.
Group A consists of Italy 1, GBU SD42 Moscomsport and Moscovia Marino from Russia, Akademiks from Bulgaria and Joudrs Prague from the Czech Republic.
Results
Results so far from today’s games are:
GROUP A
Moscovia Marino 13, Joudrs Prague 11
GBU SD42 Moscomsport 27, Akademiks 0
Italy1 10, Muscovia Marino 3
Joudrs Prague 13, Akademiks 2
GROUP B
Moscovia 16, Gepardy Zory 1
Czech Stars 21, London Cubs 0
Muscovia 5, Italy2 0
Gepardy Zory 16, London Cubs 4