Women’s Softball European Championship: DAY 1

BOLLATE, Italy – The first day of the Women’s Softball European Championship displayed 22 games and not even a morning storm could ruin the beautiful day.

All expected leaders confirmed their roles – the Czech Republic managed to beat Sweden in a tight game 5:3; the Netherlands didn’t have any troubles against Greece or Lithuania; Italy smashed Spain in the evening game in four innings.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY

Ireland wins in 13 innings, Greece surprises with a win over Germany, former medalists without a loss, Russia fails badly in the most expected game of the day!

A 13-inning game

Slovakia and Ireland may have played the longest games of their softball lives. It looked like a normal close game with Ireland in the lead 3:1 in the top of the seventh. But one of the most experienced players on the Slovakian roster tied the game with a triple.

It looked like the end of the game when the Slovakian defense broke down and Ireland scored two runs in the top of the 9th. But the Slovaks pulled it together and surprised the Irish with two runs on four hits.

Both teams scored once again in the 10th and remained scoreless until the 13th. Ireland came out as the winner of this “anybody’s game”, having scored once in the 13th.

A surprising win

Only a few Greek players remain on the roster from the 2015 Greek National Team. This year, Greece is represented by a younger group of players than two years ago, and this clearly has already brought them a first important win. Greece, who placed 10th at the last Championship, beat Germany (7th at the last Championship)

An unexpectedly easy win

Great Britain against Russia game was expected to be the most interesting game of the day. Both traditionally compete in the top five and fight for the medal every time, sometimes they succeed, sometimes they don’t.

Russia came ready for the game having scored twice in the 1st. Dasha Shembereva, having returned from maternity leave, started pitching in the fifth, but the British seemed unstoppable at that time. They secured themselves a win in the 6th inning when they turned the game around with six unanswered runs.

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony was a beautiful celebration of sport. 23 teams and the umpires’ crew were on the field sharing their love for softball. Roberto Fabbricini, secretary general of the Italian National Olympic Committee, attended the opening ceremony, too, and expressed support for softball and baseball in their Olympic status: “The way to Tokyo 2020 is now officially open. We’ve done everything we could to make sure that baseball and softball have the attention they deserve.”

WHAT NOT TO MISS ON MONDAY

Germany’s only chance to advance to the top eight is to beat the Netherlands – a very demanding task. The game is scheduled for 20:45 in Caronno.

Austria is in a similar situation, they can only make it to the top eight by winning at an 18:30 game against the Czech Republic. Poland, undefeated after the first day, can also make Pool C more interesting – are they strong enough to beat Sweden at 18:00?

Helpful Links:

Official Event Website
Full Game Schedule (pdf)
Play-By-Play and Statistics