We got to the fields at 1:30 this afternoon just in time for a HUGE rainstorm. It was pouring and the fields were turning into a giant puddle. The rain lasted about 20 minutes and I was sure there was no way we were getting our games in. I was wrong. The home team brought out the sponges and were sponging water off the field, reminding me of my junior year Ivy Championship game. The fields were ready to go and we were only delayed an hour.
We are now in what seems to be a second pool play round. We were one of the top 6 teams to advance so we play the other top 3 teams from the other pool. The pool of teams will be narrowed to 4 after this round of games and then there will be a bracket type playoff.
Our first game was against the team from Switzerland, the Lucerne Eagles. Tess gave us a great lead with a grand slam in the first inning. We scored another run in the second, but the Eagles gave us a scare and closed the gap to two runs in the third. All of our plans of sharpening up on defense did not go so well and the runs were all unearned. We were giving them extra outs and runners, and we were failing to make the routine plays. Luckily we gave ourselves a better cushion and the final score was 7-3, but I felt like I could breathe a sigh of relief when we made the final out. A win is a win, though, and that puts us in a better position when we head to the playoff round.
In the second game, we faced the other pool's number 1 seed, the Comanches from France. This game did not start out at all well. They jumped on the board right away and put up 2 runs. They were beating us with the bunts and there were a few lucky flares. I was also feeling pretty tired since this is my fourth day pitching in a row. Rise balls don't work so well when tired, so I was trying to mix it up, (hello screwball!). They scored another three in the next inning and sloppy defense plagued us once again. Tess went in to pitch with the score 5-1 in the fifth to give me a little break. They jumped on her after a few batters and increased the score to 10-1. That was the final score when we failed to score in the fifth inning and we were officially mercied. I was incredibly frustrated with our showing today, mostly because I know we are a better team than what we are showing. We focused on having a positive attitude and giving full effort in the post game conference and finished on a positive note that tomorrow is a new day.
We play the host team, Ostrava, tomorrow morning at 10 and then the schedule depends on the results. Will post updates.
Quote of the day comes from Diane's boyfriend regarding the France game: "They lost lots of world wars--you have to let them win something."
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