GB U15s TAKE EURO POOL B CHAMPIONSHIP – QUALIFIES FOR 2025 MAIN TOURNAMENT FOR FIRST TIME

GB TAKES EURO POOL B CHAMPIONSHIP – QUALIFIES FOR 2025 MAIN TOURNAMENT FOR FIRST TIME - 13-run Fifth Inning Breaks Open Tight 6-4 Game, as GB Rolls to 19-6 Final Win over Ukraine.

 GB avenged Monday’s tournament opening loss to Ukraine today with a commanding 19-6 championship win on Saturday that was tighter for most of the game than the final score indicates.

A massive 13-run fifth inning decided the game as GB continued its fifth inning scoring prowess from the previous two games where they had scored 4 and 6 runs respectively to pull away from Israel and Lithuania.

The win promotes the U15 programme to the main Pool A European Championships for 2025, which will be the first time the GB has qualified for the main tournament.

Congratulations to the team, but especially to head coach Ian Griebenow and his staff Rich Galvin, Gavin Marshall and Jon Gulliver for their hard work and for achieving the goals they had set for this team over the past month in preparing for Lithuania.

GB U15s Head Coach Ian Griebenow

After falling behind early 1-0, GB scored 4 runs in the bottom of the third inning to build a 6-2 lead. Harry Craig was the early hitting hero for GB with an RBI triple to right in the second inning to tie the game at 1-1, and following that up with a double to right center in the third to put GB up 6-2.

Harry would add a single later on to finish 3-for-4 on the day, with a great play by Ukraine’s first baseman robbing him of a 4th hit.

The game was tight for 4 innings as Ukraine scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 4th to make it a 6-4 GB lead after 4 innings.  

Dylan Nelson got the starting call on the mound for GB and put in a very gritty effort against a Ukraine team that had scored 11 runs against GB in the tournament opener.

GB U15’ Dylan Nelson got the start in the final against Ukraine

Dylan went three and two-thirds innings allowing only 2 hits, and stranding base runners when needed with some of his 6 strikeouts.  

Lucas De Lope came in to relieve Dylan in a tight spot in the 4th inning, with runners on 1st and 3rd and two outs and proceeded to retire Ukraine’s cleanup hitter on a groundout to third to keep the score at 6-4.

This set the stage for the game-changing fifth inning. Ollie Galvin started things off with his third hit of the game, in what would be his first of 3 at-bats in the fifth inning!

Lucas De Lope’s bunt single was a key at-bat which loaded the bases for Griffin Franklin’s RBI single to make it a 7-4 game. The top of the order then took over and after Euan Gulliver was hit by a pitch,

Jacob Henry delivered an RBI single to left, and then quick hustle by Charlie Battista enabled him to beat out an infield hit to second which drove in another run.

That loaded the bases up for Evan Ust who cleared the bases with a 3-run double to left center to make it 13-4.

Ollie Galvin had hits in his first 4 at bats and finished 4-for-5 with 3 RBIs. Euan Gulliver did what he does best from the leadoff spot, getting on base in 4 of his 5 plate appearances, with 3 walks and a hit-by-pitch and scoring 3 runs.

There was another running catch in the outfield by Jacob Henry, who claims our defensive gem of the game with his grab in the tight third inning.

Lucas De Lope continued his relief outing into the fifth inning and delivered the final pitch, a popout that landed into the glove of shortstop Charlie Battista, which was quickly followed by a mass celebration near the pitcher’s mound as the GB dugout emptied to join the celebration.  

Charlie Battista the tournament MVP

Charlie Battista won deserving tournament MVP honors with his consistent hitting throughout the tournament and his sterling pitching performance in the crucial win against Israel that put GB in a strong position to make the final.

The teams gathered on the field for a final awards presentation to conclude what was 6 days of baseball played in perfect summer conditions in Kaunas, Lithuania.

Hats seemed to be swapped with various teams.

This was a total team effort of support and contribution with Owen Wagner and Kyle Griebnow contributing in today’s win, but also the full squad supporting and deserving of championship recognition today including Hugo Esperon, Seb Greenberg, Rupert Heal, Max Josefs, Zebb Marshall, Ben Peters, Peyton Profit, and Zack Profit, who all gave support today and throughout the week.

Rumours are of a team and parents dinner and drinks celebration going on now as you read this in the streets of Kaunas! 

Many thanks to Paul Ust for his dispatches from Lithunania.

Stats, standings and box scores

Photographs courtesy of WBSC Europe