By Frank Juzenas
Brampton, Ontario, Canada: July 3 – The GB Junior (Under-19) Women's Fastpitch Team split a pair of games at the ISF Junior World Championships on 2 July in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, and it means that two wins in their last two round-robin games can get them to the playoffs.
Combined with a forfeit victory over Venezuela, which has dropped out of the tournament, the GB team sits at 2-3 with two games remaining in pool play. Great Britain held off New Zealand 6-5 on Tuesday morning and then in the afternoon fell 6-1 to Puerto Rico.
GB v Puerto Rico
The GB team had been hoping to carry the momentum from its first victory at a World Junior Championship over New Zealand to a second win over Puerto Rico, which was playing back-to-back games. The game began only about an hour after Puerto Rico had defeated Korea 7-0 in a game which was called after five innings because of the mercy rule.
GB had about three hours off following its win over New Zealand, and Head Coach Rachel Watkeys said that while she was disappointed with the loss she did not feel her team played that badly.
"They are a very good side, they run the bases well, they're aggressive," she said of the Puerto Ricans. But Rachael said she was disappointed that the team did not show more energy during the second half of the game.
The contest was close until the sixth inning. Puerto Rico took a 1-0 lead in the first inning with Great Britain tying the game in the second. Puerto Rico added two more runs in the third inning, then the score stayed that way until the sixth, when Puerto Rico scored three more times to improve its record to 4-1 in Pool A.
Puerto Rico managed seven hits and four runs off losing pitcher Keeli Waugh. Emma Bridge, who relieved her in the top of the sixth, was charged with two runs.
Great Britain got its only run in the second inning. Catcher Nicole Ratel stroked a double, Amy Trask moved her over with a single and Keeli Waugh brought her home with another single. Chloe Wigington then reached on a walk and Hannah Cook on an error to load the bases with one out, but Great Britain was unable to add to its run total.
Nicole Ratel finished with a pair of hits, while Tahli Moore, Amy Wells, Lauren Evans and Hannah Cook all had base hits as well.
Great Britain did strand 10 base runners, a sign of opportunities missed, while Puerto Rico left eight. GB was forced to play the game without third baseman Amanda Marshall, who had been hit by a ball in the face during the morning game with New Zealand and began to feel ill and so was taken for precautionary tests, which turned out to be negative.
GB v New Zealand
Rachael Watkeys said that the morning victory over New Zealand was the biggest win this team has ever had, but it did not come without its challenges.
Great Britain led 6-2 heading into the seventh inning, but New Zealand made things interesting by scoring three runs and had the tying run at second base with one out. A double play ended things as Chloe Wigington caught a fly ball in left field and then rifled the ball to third base to get the runner and finish off the game, handing New Zealand its first loss of the tournament. On the opening day, New Zealand had defeated Puerto Rico 2-1 in eight innings.
Great Britain never trailed, scoring two runs in the first inning, which New Zealand matched in its half of the inning. A four-run rally in the third seemed to put Great Britain in a comfortable lead but after that the team was unable to score.
"I knew the Kiwis would never give up. When our bats were quiet I was telling them we needed more runs," Rachael Watkeys said.
Emma Bridge pitched a strong game, going the full seven innings and allowing six hits and five runs, only three of which were earned.
The game off to a great start for Great Britain as shortstop Tahli Moore led off with a triple to right field and Amy Wells was hit by a pitch. Two outs later, New Zealand misplayed a ball hit by Emma Bridge which led to two runs.
In the third inning Emma drove in a run with a single, scoring Lauren Evans, who had belted a double. Chloe Wigington got her first hit of the tournament a two-run single and Amy Wells added a single which also drove in a run.
"In my first at-bat I didn't think I could get a hit with the speed [of the pitches]," said Chloe, who sat out the opening game on Monday because of a groin injury.
"We have more confidence in Chloe than she has in herself," said Rachael Watkeys. "And she has a strong arm in left field."
Keeli Waugh and Amy Marshall also had hits for GB.
Easier schedule
Rachael Watkeys said after the loss to Puerto Rico that she is happy with the way the team has come together, considering they have only played seven or eight times as a team. With seven players from the United Kingdom and the other seven from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, they are still getting to know each other.
The schedule now gets easier for GB over the last two days of round-robin play. They do not take to the diamond until 2:30 pm (Brampton time) today against a familiar foe, the Czech Republic. They were scheduled to play Venezuela in an evening game today, but that is now a forfeit win. On Thursday, GB has just one game scheduled against Korea, also in the afternoon.
However they are unlikely to get a break from the heat, as weather forecasts are calling for the heat and humidity to rise each of the remaining days of the tournament, which is scheduled to conclude on Sunday.
The Czechs sit at the bottom of Pool A at 1-4 and they are coming off a similar scheduling nightmare as the one endured by Great Britain on Monday, with the Czechs facing both the United States and Canada on Tuesday. The Czechs lost 13-0 to the Americans and 5-1 to the hosts.
Prior to meeting Great Britain, the Czech Republic will play New Zealand at 11:30 am this morning.
Wins over the Czech Republic today and Korea tomorrow (the Koreans beat the Czechs but have lost to Puerto Rico and Canada) will give GB four wins in total and that may well mean a playoff spot. And both of them are potentially winnable games.