Great Britain Defeats Germany 8-4; Will Play For European Championship Title For Third Time In Programme History Sunday

Great Britain will play in the 2023 European Baseball Championship Final for the first time since 2007 after defeating Germany 8-4 on Friday, 29 September at MBS Brno. With the win, Great Britain improves to an undefeated 5-0 at the European Championships, and will play the winner of tonight’s game between Spain and The Netherlands on Sunday, 1 October at 18:30 CEST / 17:30 BST.

Alex Webb got the start for Drew Spencer’s squad and worked around walks to keep Germany off the board. With Webb’s entire arsenal working, he struck out the side in the top of the fourth and had racked up eight strikeouts through the first four frames.

It was GB that would break the deadlock in the bottom of the fourth. Ben Leid singled with two outs and stole second on the next pitch. Kennard Dawson would then single up the middle, with Leid sliding home safely to break the tie and give GB a 1-0 lead.

Alex Webb delivers a pitch during Great Britain's semifinal game against Germany (Paul Stodart/Great Britain Baseball)

Webb would pitch into the six, tallying 10 strikeouts, but after a one-out double by German pinch hitter David Grimes, he gave way to Matteo Sollecito. While Sollecito would retire the side, two runs would cross the plate, and Great Britain found themselves in a familiar position – having to come from behind.

In the bottom of the sixth, Great Britain would tie things up. After Aaron Singh reached on an infield single, Shamoy Christopher would walk. A fielder’s choice by Leid moved Singh to third, and he would score when Dawson’s ground ball was bobbled by German shortstop Alexander Schmidt.

Sollecito ran into trouble in the seventh. After Vincent Ahrens flew out to left, three straight German batters would walk, and Spencer went to the bullpen, bringing in Chris Messer (2-0). With the bases loaded, Grimes would loft a fly ball to right for a sacrifice, before Messer induced a ground ball to shortstop Nick Ward to end the threat. Germany would head to the bottom of the seventh inning leading 3-2.

Harry Ford leads off third base during Great Britain's semifinal game against Germany (Paul Stodart/Great Britain Baseball)

There was no quit in the Brits, however, and Great Britain rallied. Harry Ford was hit by a pitch to start the inning, and Nick Ward doubled to put runners at second and third base. After Singh was retired, Ben Leid was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Ford came home to score after Christopher was hit as well. Marcel Giraud then relieved Sven Schuller (0-1), but he was unable to stem the tide, as Michael Flaherty walked before Kennard Dawson’s single scored Leid. Ray Mercer followed with a base hit, scoring both Flaherty and Dawson, and Great Britain would take an 8-3 lead into the eighth inning after scoring six runs in the seventh.

Messer returned to the mound in the eighth, and the first three German batters would reach, with Nino Sacasa singling, Schmidt reaching on an error, and Eric Brenk getting hit by a pitch. Spencer would summon Freddy Mosier from the bullpen, and, after a sacrifice fly by Aherns, shut down the threat to escape with an 8-4 advantage.

Great Britain would threaten in the eighth but would not score, and Mosier returned to mound in the ninth for the final three outs. While Germany would tally two hits in the inning, Mosier stood strong, striking out Schmidt on three pitches for the final out, and sending Great Britain to Sunday night’s championship. 

Freddy Mosier delivers a pitch in the ninth inning as he closes out Great Britain’s semifinal victory (Paul Stodart/Great Britain Baseball)

In a postgame interview, Spencer credited the team and staff, saying, “It’s exciting. It’s a testament to the [team] and the staff, to all the hard work that’s been done that we get to play for a championship for the third time in the programme’s history.

“These guys love each other. They understand what it means to play for Great Britain. You have Nick Ward talking about his grandfather, you have Harry Ford talking about his parents, telling the whole team what it means to play, to inspire children in the country...They want to make sure that we seize this moment. I think it’s that combination of what it means to wear that uniform and what it means to be a team that makes them so relentless.”

In each of the last five of the tournament’s six contests, Great Britain has rallied from a deficit to win. Dating back to the 2022 World Baseball Classic Qualifier, Drew Spencer’s Senior teams have overcome an opponent’s lead in 8 of their last 10 games. 

Kennard Dawson led the way offensively, going 2-4 with a pair of hits and two runs batted in, while fellow British Virgin Island representative Ray Mercer tallied two RBIs of his own. Ben Leid added a double, and scored twice, while Nick Ward registered two hits, including a double of his own. Alex Webb struck out 10 German batters through five innings of one-run work, and Mosier worked the final two frames with two punchouts. 

Through five games of the tournament, Great Britain players lead the tournament in RBIs (Ford, 12), stolen bases (Ford, 5), and wins (Messer, 2), with GB’s Nick Ward and Harry Ford in the top five in home runs (3 each), runs (8) and hits (Ward 10, Ford 8). 

Freddy Mosier (right) celebrates with Austin Hassani after Great Britain punched their ticket to the Championship Final 
(Paul Stodart/Great Britain Baseball)

Head of Performance Gary Anderson, reflecting on the programme’s trajectory over the last year, said, "The last 12 months has been sensational for the Great Britain programme, from the World Baseball Classic campaign, U23 Europeans Silver medal and now the final of the European Championships, Head Coach Drew Spencer has put together a great squad of players and they are supported by a world class performance team, I am so looking forward to Sunday night”.

This will be the second time that Great Britain will play in the European Championship Final, winning silver in 1967 and 2007, and the first time that GB Baseball will play in the Final under the current tournament format. The European Baseball Championship has been won by four different nations since its inception in 1954 – by The Netherlands (24), Italy (10), Belgium (1), and Spain (1). The Netherlands are the defending champions, having won the 2021 Championships, hosted in Piedmont, Italy.

Great Britain will face the winner of Spain and The Netherlands, who play this evening, at MBS Brno on Sunday, 1 October. First pitch will be at 18:30 CEST / 17:30 BST. Tickets for the final are available by visiting eurobaseball2023.com.

The 2023 European Baseball Championships can be watched on Staylive, WBSC Europe’s newly announced streaming partner for the contest, at BaseballEurope.TV. GB fans can get a 10% discount on the tournament streaming package by using the code GREATBRITAIN10 at checkout.

For the latest news and notes from GB Baseball at the 2023 European Baseball Championships and more, make sure to follow Great Britain Baseball on Facebook, and gb_baseball on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.