DOWNLOAD ==> European Championships Barcelona – Official CEB Final Report

RH PITCHER BERGMAN David (NED)
LH PITCHER MARQUEZ Enorbel (GER)

C NICKEAS Mike (GBR)
1B BASEMAN YOUNG Ian (GBR)
2B DECASTER Yurendell (NED)
3B LEGITO Raylinoe (NED)
SS UST Brant (GBR)
OF BERNARDINA Regearvin (NED)
OF FIGUEROA Daniel (ESP)
OF LUTZ Sasha (GER)
DH ADRIANA Sharnol (NED

1 Netherlands
2 Great Britain
3 Spain
4 Germany
5 France
6 Sweden
7 Italy
8 Croatia
9 Ukraine
10 Russia
11 Austria
12 Czech Republic

Czech Republic was officially downgraded to last place for illegally using players.

After the extra-inning drama on Saturday, the Dutch lost no time and scored early against the British team. They lead 3-0 after ROGEARVIN BERNADINA launched a solo-shot in the third. Three more runs in the seventh frame sealed the win.

The UK started a little rally in the ninth. They loaded the bases with one and two outs, but only ADAM ROBERTS crossed home plate after a throwing error from right fielder DIRK VAN´T KLOOSTER. DARREN HEATH grounded out to end the game.

BERNADINA finished with two hits, three runs and two RBI. HAINLEY STATIA had three hits and two RBI.

DAVID BERGMAN got the win with seven strong innings. He allowed only one hit and two base on balls. He struck out six. 54 of his 86 pitches were strikes. BRIAN ESSERY received the loss. He gave up six runs, three earned, on eight hits and one walk in 6 1/3 innings.

BOXSCORE

The Spanish team won the final game of the tournament 8-5 against Sweden. They clinched third place against Germany because of tiebreaker rules and will play in another Olympic qualifier next spring.

But it was not an easy win for the host. Sweden took the lead in the first inning, when DEAN LINDBERG hit a two-run homerun over the center field wall. The Spanish team answered right away. They scored four runs in the next four innings and were up 4-2 in the fifth. Sweden came back one last time. They evened the score in the bottom of the frame through MAGNUS PILEGARDS RBI double and LINDBERGS RBI single.

Though their happiness held not for long. Spain scored three runs in the top of the sixth and controlled the game after that. DANIEL FIGUEROA brought the fifth run home with a RBI ground out to second. DANIEL MARTINEZ followed with a two-run single.

MARTINEZ had three hits and three RBI. DANIEL SANCHEZ scored twice.

ERIC GONZALEZ (W, 2-0) won his second game of the championships. He allowed seven hits, four runs (two earned) and one walk in 5 1/3 innings. REMIGIO LEAL pitched the last 3 2/3 innings and got his second save.

NICKLAS MELIN (L, 0-1) started for Sweden and pitched 5 2/3 wild innings. He gave up eight hits, seven runs (six earned) and five base on balls.

The Scandinavian team finished in sixth place.

BOXSCORE

German starter Tim HENKENJOHANN pitched a dominant game for 7 innings, giving up no runs, 3 hits, 1 BB and 7 strikeouts. The french pitchers PIQUET and LEBLANC had much more trouble with the Germany lineup and gave up 7 runs in the first 6 innings.

Germany received key offensice perfomances by GÜHRING (2 RBI), Lutz (3 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI) and WULF (2 for 3, 2 R, 1 RBI). The only French run was scored on a single by PEYRICHOU (2 for 3, 1 RBI).

BOXSCORE

The Dutch squad scored five runs with two outs in the top of the eleventh frame. RAYLINOE LEGITO had a RBI-double. DANNY ROMBLEY followed with a two-run single and scored on an error one batter later. DIRK VAN´T KLOOSTER made it 10-5 with a RBI-single.

Spain rallied in the bottom half but fell short. DEWIS NAVARRO and DANIEL J. FREIRE came through with RBI-singles. JUAN GARCIA struck out with the runner on first to end the game.

Before Netherlands scored three runs in the eight to force overtime. They loaded the bases with two outs. VAN´T KLOOSTER had a two-run single. YURENDELL DECASTER walked with three runners on base to tie the game. All after the Spanish team had taken the lead with five runs in the sixth.

SHARION MARTIS pitched five-plus innings. He allowed four hits, three runs (1 ER) and three base on balls. He got seven strikeouts. MANUEL OLIVERA started for Spain. He gave up four hits, two runs and six walks in five-plus innings. LEON BOYD got the win, FERNANDO GUTIERREZ the loss.

The game lasted 4 hours and 43 minutes.

The Netherlands will clash with Great Britain Sunday morning. Spain will close the championships in the afternoon with a match up against Sweden.

BOXSCORE

But Great Britain came right back and scored 2 runs on a hit by McQUEARY that scored ROBERTS who got on with a 2-base hit. The British bats became hotter during the cause of the game and German Starter HUGHES had more and more trouble getting the UK Batters out. In the 4th inning the British team scored 2 more runs and jumped ahead 4-3. That was all for HUGHES who was removed after 4 innings and replaced by Dirk FRIES.

The German offense was quiet from the 3nd to the 6th inning. In the 7th the Germans looked sharp again and scored 2 runs on Pitcher Stephen SPRAGG who took over the mound in the 7th with no outs from Starter Alex SMITH. After Great Britain scored a run in their half of the 7th it was tied at 5-5.

In the 8th Germany started a 2-out rally to take the lead 7-5. JANZON got hit by pitch, followed by Walk and two singles by WULF and SPEER. German relief pitcher MARQUEZ held the Brits down in the 8th and 9th Inning and recorded the win.

In their last game these teams now face the Netherlands (Great Britain) and France (Germany). Germany must win to stay in the race for place 2 & 3. Great Britain can afford a loss against the Netherlands and still stay in front of Germany.

==> If Spain, GBR and Germany are tied for 2nd place (might happen) then it looks good for the British and Spain because Germany suffered a huge loss against Spain yesterday. The runs given up is the tiebraker if 3 teams are tied and each team is 1-1 against those tied opponents.
BOXSCORE

Because of the mercy rule, the game ended after seven innings. France scored five runs in the third and lead there 8-0 already. SEBASTIAN HERVE had a single, a triple, a sac fly and a walk in four plate appearances. He scored two times and got four rbi. Center Fielder KENJI HAGIWARA brought three runners home. DAVID MEURANT, JEROME ROUSSEAU and JORIS BERT crossed the plate for two runs each.

NICOLAS DUBAUT (W 1-0) pitched the complete game. He allowed only five hits and two base on balls. He struck out four. 60 of his 96 pitches were for strikes. MATTIAS STENIS (L 0-1) was hit hard. He gave up eight runs, all earned, on seven hits and five walks in 2 1/3 innings.

France will play their final game tomorrow morning against Germany. Sweden faces Spain to complete the tournament.

Boxscore

The Netherlands won their first game of the second round in dominant fashion. They needed only seven innings to win 18-0 against France.

They scored 17 of their 18 runs between the third and sixth frame. YURENDELL DECASTER reached base five times. He had four hits, four runs and four rbi. Designated Hitter SHARNOL ADRIANA hit a two-run-homerun. HAINLEY STATIA scored four runs. RANDOLF BALENTINA got three rbi.

ROBBIE CORDEMANS (W 1-0) pitched six innings and won his first start of the tournament. He allowed only four hits and one base on balls. He struck out nine.
EDUARDO MASSE (L 0-1) started for France. He gave up five hits, four runs and three walks in three innings.

The Netherlands meets tonight with Spain. France will face Sweden.
BOXSCORE

Great Britain got an head start into the second round of the European championship. They overcame a 3-7 deficit in the fourth inning and won 10-7 against Sweden. They scored three Runs in the ninth.

The Scandinavian team scored four times in the first frame and lead by four until the sixth. Brant Ust tied the game in the seventh inning with a rbi-single. The British team completed the comeback two periods later. Timothy Collins got on base through a leadoff-walk. He advanced to second on a single from Adam Roberts and scored on a throwing error from third baseman Rickard Ljung. Mike Nickeas followed with a two-run-single for the final score.

Nickeas (3-5) and Ian Young (4-6) had six of the eight rbi for their squad. Ust got two hits and three base on balls. He and Aeden McQueary-Ennis scored two runs each.

The best hitters for the Swedish squad were Magnus Pilegard and Rickard Reimer. Pilegard had three hits and two runs. Reimer got two runs and two rbi in the loss.

Michael Renery was the starting pitcher for Great Britain. He was replaced after only two outs and 26 Pitches in the first inning. He was responsible for four runs (4 ER) and four base on balls. Reliever Geoff Freeborn saved the bullpen with 5 2/3 innings of three-hit-ball. He allowed only one run on three hits and two walks. He struck out five. Stephen Spragg received his second win of the tournament.

Christian Staehely started for Sweden. He threw 124 Pitches over five-plus innings. He gave up eleven hits, five runs (4 ER) and five base on balls. Johan Tisell (L, 0-1) faced 13 batter in the last 2 1/3 innings, allowed five hits, three runs (2 ER) and two walks.

Great Britain is now in a first place tie with the Netherlands who have three wins apiece. They meet on Sunday in the decisive game of the championships. They are playing Germany on Saturday. Sweden is now in last with a 0-3 record. They clash with France about fifth place tomorrow morning.

BOXSCORE

Mike Nickeas’ 2RBI single capped a ninth-inning rally as Great Britain continued their fairytale adventure with a nail-biting 10-7 victory over Sweden.
The magnitude of the win cannot be overestimated – not only have Team GB now qualified for the Baseball World Cup for the first time in their history, but the team is in a prime position to steal one of the Olympic playoff berths up for grabs.
For a long time in the game though Beijing and Havana seemed light years away as the Swedes capitalised on British mistakes to open up a 7-3 lead.
Starter Mike Renery was pulled by coach Stephan Rapaglia without recording an out – giving up four walks and having major location problems.
He was replaced by Sam Jew, who although inducing a number of ground balls, was unable to stop Sweden opening up a 4-1 lead on RBI groundouts.

After a Swedish throwing error allowed Bradley Marcelino to cut the deficit, Sweden hit Jew hard in the second to score another two runs.
On came Geoff Freeborn and he steadied the British ship with a clutch 5.2 innings of relief, giving up just one further run on only three hits.
GB began the fightback in the third, with Marcelino singling to score Ian Young, before a three run outburst in the sixth cut the gap to one run.
Aeden McQueary-Ennis walked, Brant Ust forced another walk, Nikeas hit an RBI single followed by a huge 2RBI double from Young.
It was Britain who had the momentum now, and with their enthusiastic support growing in voice as the Swedish followers grew silent, they tied it in the seventh.
Darren Heath singled and reached second on Adam Roberts’ sac bunt, then advanced to third on McQueary-Ennis’ fly out.
Calm as he’s been all tournament in pressure situations, Ust laced a sharp single to square it up.
Still the game stood on a knife-edge, until Team GB broke it open with a three-run top of the ninth.
After Tim Collins walked, Heath fouled a bunt attempt before Roberts singled to advance Collins. McQueary-Ennis looked as though he too had ground out to third, but a crucial throwing error allowed him to reach safely and saw Collins score from second. Ust was issued an intentional walk and Nickeas made Sweden pay for that insult, driving a single to left to score Roberts and McQueary-Ennis.
With Britain holding the lead for the first time in the game – Stephen Spragg came on and shut down Swedish hopes of a revival with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth.
Team GB now go on to face old rivals Germany in confident mood, with their place in the history books already secured.

BOXSCORE

Meanwhile the Spanish pitcher Joel HERNANDEZ had a fabulous day going 5.2 Inning with 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB and 6 SO. Very rarely a German bat toughed him hard and his outstanding curveball was always trouble for the German hitters. He was followed by Cuban born Remigio REAL who worked 3.1 excellent innings with no runs and 4 SO.

All in all it was a clear victory for Spain who had by far been the better team. Germany was never in the game and could not catch up to the high level of ball that the Spanish team played for 9 innings.

Today the Germans will play another very tough game against Great Britain who are still unbeaten in this tournament. Spain will face the Netherlands. If they play an excellent game they might be able to give the Dutch a close one.

BOXSCORE 

Sweden goes into the final round with a record of 0-2 (losses against Germany and Netherlands). The face Great Britain who are 2-0 (wins against France and Spain). Great Britain right now is the biggest challenger of the Dutch team and is in a must win situation to stay in the race. Sweden is a good team who started out bad in their first game against Germany and since then has shown progress. Any win they get in the final round will be a big plus for them. ==> Great Britain is favoured, 70-80% win for the UK team

The Netherlands (2-0) will face France (0-2) in Montjuic. Anything else than a Dutch victory would be a huge suprise. France has played some good games (win vs. Italy!) but they will have to play 9 perfect innings to have a chance. Also France will most likely save their better pitchers for the games against Germany and Sweden. ==> +90% win for the Dutch team

In the evening Spain plays Germany in Montjuic. The Germans have played a good championship so far dominating Austria, Sweden and Czech Republic, taking a close one against Croatia and giving the Netherlands the only “real ballgame” so far (6-3 for the Netherlands). Spain has gotten stronger every game after a bad start against Great Britain who surprised them with an unexptected powerful lineup. The outcome will greatly depend on who the selected pitchers will be and what kind of day they will have. FIGUEROA (Spain, CF) is so hot right now that he is “almost burning” and the Spanish team has back their confidence. The Germans have to watch out not to give up a big inning like they did against the Netherlands and Croatia in order to stay in the game for as long as possible. If Germany plays a perfect game they have a chance, but Spain is favoured. ==> 70% win for Spain

This is how we predict them to finish right now:

1. Netherlands => 2 more tough games vs. UK and Spain but they will make it – one of the games could be a very close one

2. Great Britain => win vs Sweden, close one (but win) against Germany and a loss against the Dutch team

3. Spain => wins vs. Germany (could be close) and Sweden and a loss against the Netherlands

4. Germany => win against France (could be a good ballgame) and losses against UK and Spain (maybe……maybe they can take one of those games)

5. France => win vs Sweden, a good ballgame against Germany (but a loss) and a loss vs the Dutch team

6. Sweden => we do not see the Sweds get another win in this final round, but there is room for a surprise

The Croatian starter limited Ukraine to only a single run on four hits in an amazing complete game win. YATSYUK also went the distance but gave up 12 hits. Both hurlers fanned 12 hitters each.

Leading the offensive charge for Croatia were Karin DAMIR, Ivan RACIC, and Ernesto PEREIRA who each had a pair of hits. Ukraine was paced by Denys AGAPOV, Artem PALAMARCHUK, Serhiy HOLOVKO, and Oleksand TROFYMENKO who each had one hit.

BOXSCORE

Matteo D’ ANGELO threw 5.2 innings and gave up only two runs on five hits to get the win. Fabio MILANO and Carlos PEZZULO registered the final 10 outs to help Italy claim the fourth victory in six contests.

Davide DALLOSPEDALE scored twice and was 4-for-4 while teammates Jack SANTORA, Max DE BIASE, and Giuseppe MAZZANTI collected two hits apiece.

Czech starter Martin SCHNEIDER suffered the loss giving up four runs on seven hits in only two innings. The Italians also roughed up Radek PROCHAZKA for seven hits in four innings of work.

Jakub HAJTMAR and Martin VESELY both had one hit for the Czech Republic.

BOXSCORE

Austrian pitching was in trouble right from the start and could not find a way to shut down the Russian batters completely. Starting pitcher KOPPENSTEINER left after only 1 inning of work followed by Werner HARRASER who did better but still gave up too many runs (5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 5 R, 6 SO, 3 BB).

Russia finishes the tournament in 11th place while Austria (in their first A-Pool Tournament) ends up in last place.

BOXSCORE

Most fans saw the opener Spain vs. Great Britain (1500) and Spain vs. Italy (1200).

The game Urkaine vs Russia had an unbelivable number of 56 fans watching.

The Netherlands, one of the top 10 teams in the world, played against Sweden in front of 106 people watching.

If one considers that quite a few fans have travelled to Barcelona to see their National Teams there is not very much interest by the local population. Hopefully this will change now as the final round starts.

Here is the official schedule.

TV and Internet broadcasting:

Eurosport 2 will show 6 games of the final round. Scheduled are the games Game No 34, 36, 38, 39, 41 and 42.

(==> for game numbers please check the official schedule)

Stadeo.tv also has 6 more games on their schedule for Internet TV. Here is the latest Stadeo.tv schedule.

ENJOY ! 

Spain, the tournament host, advances to the final round as the No.2 seed from Pool B with a 4-1 mark. Great Britain (4-1) won the group while France and Italy tied with a 3-2 record. The French advanced to the final round by virtue of their win against Italy.

France took an early lead when Sebastien HERVE led off the game with a double to right field. Kenji HAGIWARA executed the sacrifice bunt to put the game’s fist runner 90 feet from paydirt. HERVE scored to give France a 1-0 lead on Boris MARCHE’S groundball to second.

Spain answered back in the third when Daniel MARTINEZ knocked in Nestor PEREZ with a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Figueroa, who was 3-for-4, singled and later scored on Dewis NAVARRO RBI single to right field to give Spain a 2-1 advantage.

The French tied the score in the fifth when Jamel BOUTAGRA hit a 2-0 pitch from GONZALEZ into left field for a single. Joris BERT drew a free pass after David MEURANT flied out before HERVE tied the game with his second hit of the day.

FIGUEROA helped Spain extend their lead in the seventh when his triple to right center scored Perez and Daniel SANCHEZ to make the score 4-2. Spain’s talented leadoff hitter scored a few pitches later on a single by MARTINEZ to increase the lead to 5-2.

GONZALEZ, who celebrated his 21st birthday last week, struck out nine and walked three in a complete game effort. The righty limited the French to only two runs and five hits. Samuel MEURANT (1-1) suffered the loss after getting tagged for five runs and seven hits.

Spain will get the day off on Thursday before resuming action on Friday against Germany in a key game with medal ramifications. France will also be rewarded with an “off” day and will battle Sweden on Friday.

BOXSCORE

CHAPELLI and Max DE BIASE connected for a single and a double in the opening frame before Giuseppe MAZZANTI put Italy up 2-0 with a line drive up the middle. But Russia’s Alexander NIZOV led off the bottom half of the first with a double and scored on teammate Andrey BOLOTIN’S single to make the score 2-1.

Both teams added a run in the fourth before the Italians wrapped up the win with a pair of runs in both the fifth and six innings. MAZZANTI starts the first rally – already two outs – with a double to left center and scores on James BUCHERRI’S single to give Italy a 4-2 lead. BUCHERRI makes the score 5-2 moments later.

Italy finished the scoring in the sixth after Russian reliever Viacheslav VASILIEV enters the game and proceeds to issue free passes to Jack SANTORA and Lorenzo AVAGNINA. Davide DALLOSPEDALE reaches on an error to load the bases and then CHAPELLI and DE BIASE delivers RBI singles to make the final tally 7-2.

The 27-year-old DE SANTIS tossed seven quality innings giving up only two runs on eight hits. He also fanned eight Russian hitters while walking just one. Cristopher DI ROMA struck out three while allowing only one hit in registering the final six outs.

Italy will meet the Czech Republic on Thursday while Russia will battle Austria in a game featuring two winless squads.

BOXSCORE

The Dutch continued their habit of racing out to a big lead by scoring scoring three times in both the first and second innings. Johnny BALENTINA and Hainley STATIA opened the game with back-to-back doubles and Railey LEGITO drilled his fourth home run of the tournament to give the Dutch a 3-0 lead heading into the second.

Yurendell DECASTER drove home BALENTINA and STATIA with a two-bagger down the left field line as the Dutch took a 6-0 lead after two innings. It would be more than enough runs for the 22-year-old BERKENBOSCH who fanned eight and allowed only two singles in five scoreless innings of work.

Leading 7-0 the Dutch began a two-out rally highlighted by Danny ROMBLEY’S two-run triple and Sharnel ADRIANA’S two-run single to the gap in right center to score five more unanswered runs. Reliever Dorotheus DRAIJER pitched one scoreless inning before giving way to 27-year-old Dutch closer Duko JANSEN who registered the final three outs.

Croatian starter Marin FARKAS (0-1) surrendered seven runs in four innings including three walks while reliever Dabo MATKO had control problems giving up three free passes and five runs in less than an inning on the mound.

The Dutch will get Thursday off and return to action on Friday against France in the European Championships final round. Croatia will meet Ukraine on Thursday.

BOXSCORE

Meanwhile the Czech team found no way to hit German ace MARQUEZ who started his 2nd game of the tournament. MARQUEZ pitched 6 very strong innings giving up no runs, only 2 hits while striking out 11 and walking only 2. Then the German coach handed the ball over to his bullpen, most likely to save MARQUEZ for the rest of the tourney.

The only time the CZECH team seemed to come back into this game was in the 8th when Martin ALMSTETTER had big trouble finding the strike zone. He pitched 0.0 innings (1 ER) in relief and gave up a single to PETRIK, followed by a walk to BREN and another single to VESELEY. German coach FRADY had seen enough of ALMSTETTER for this day and brought in HOFFSCHILD to close the game. HOFFSCHILD did his job to end the 8th and pitched a good 9th inning retiring three in a row.

This game was an excellent performance (11 hits, 0 Errors) of team Germany (4-1) who will now advance to the final round. The Czech team (2-3) will end up in the relegation round.

BOXSCORE

Great Britain sealed their place in the medal round after a much-changed lineup cruised past Ukraine 9-0 to finish top of Pool B.

Coach Stephan RAPAGLIA used the game to give a number of fringe players a run-out as Team GB eased to a shutout win that also eliminated hotly-tipped Italy from the tournament.
Starter Brian ESSERY pitched five innings of four-hit ball, during which time Britain had opened up a 5-0 lead.
In the first Brant UST scored after capitalising on two throwing errors following his walk, and in the third Aeden MCQUEARY-ENNIS also benefited from a throwing error, scoring from third after a wild throw to first base.

Britain appeared relaxed and comfortable at the plate, obviously with confidence high following their excellent, yet surprising, start to the competition.

This was highlighted in the bottom of the fourth when roster players Stephen BROWN and Alex MALIHOUIDIS both walked, and Tim COLLINS was hit by a pitch.
Darren HEATH hit a deep sac fly to score BROWN, before Chris FALLS was also hit by a pitch.
With the Ukraine defense in disarray, GB capitalised with a double steal which saw MALIHOUDIS scamper home from third to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
First baseman Ian YOUNG drilled an RBI double to score UST in the fifth as Britain took advantage of some wayward Ukranian pitching.

With the game seemingly in the bag, RAPAGLIA took the opportunity to pull ESSERYy and use a number of relief pitchers to soak up the latter innings.
Sam WhHITEHEAD, Craig PYCOCK, MCQUEARY-ENNIS, Paul WATERMAN and Gary TONGUE all combined to shut down a disillusioned Ukraine offense.

Britain tacked on further runs courtesy of a Mike NICKEAS 2RBI single in the sixth, an UST RBI double in the eighth and a Brad MARCELINO bases-loaded walk in the same inning.
Team GB indeed threatened a mercy rule victory with the bases stacked in the eighth, but were more than happy to simply close the game out for the win.

After a much needed day off, Britain will now attempt to string together at least one more win in order to capture one of the qualifying berths up for grabs.

BOXSCORE

Rickard REIMER pitched a perfect ninth to earn the win while Jakub TOUFER surrendered a hit and two runs over 2.1 innings to get the loss.

Both starting pitchers turned in outstanding efforts with Sweden’s Nicklas MELIN going eight innings. The 19-year-old hurler allowed a single run on five hits and struck out four. Jan REHACEK scattered eight hits and fanned seven in 5.2 scoreless innings for the Czech Republic.

Sweden fell behind 1-0 in the fourth when Ales NAVRATIL stroked a double down the right field line to score Jan DRABEK. The Czech maintained their slim 1-0 lead until the final inning.

Bjorn JOHANNESSEN lined a 2-2 pitch to center field to leadoff the ninth and moved to second on Peter JOHANNESSEN sacrifice bunt. Daniel FARTH entered the game as a pinch-runner and scored the game-tying run when Philip GAJZLER struck out on a wild pitch but reached first safely. GAJZLER scored the winning run moments later on an error by the Czech second baseman.

Adam SORGI and Tony DERMENDZIEV both had two hits for Sweden which outhit the Czech Republic 9 to 5. NAVRATIlL and Martin VESELY each had a pair of hits in a losing cause.

Sweden (2-2) will meet Austria (0-4) in the final game of the first round while the Czech Republic (2-2) will battle Germany (3-1) in a pivotal Pool A matchup.

BOXSCORE

The 29-year-old southpaw, who melted under the spotlight against Great Britain this past Sunday, redeemed himself by scattering four runs and five hits over six innings. Fernando GUTIERREZ got the final four outs tp pick up his second save of the tournament.

FIGUEROA opened the game with a single and moved to third base thanks to a passed ball and a wild pitch. Dewis NAVARRO’s groundball scored the 24-year-old speedster to give Spain a 1-0 lead.

Spain went up 4-0 in the second after loading the bases with no outs. Italian starter Giuseppe NORRITO got the hook after walking Spain shortstop Nestor PEREZ to force in a run. But Roberto CORRADINI surrendered a bases-loaded free pass to FIGUEROA and an RBI single to Daniel MARTINEZ.

Mario CHIARINI led the second off with a double and scored Italy’s first run on a grounder by Mathew CERIANI to make the score 4-1. The Italians scored twice in the third and once in the fourth to trim Spain’s lead to 5-4 heading into the fifth frame.

Rheiner CRUZ relieved OLIVERA in the seventh and threw 1.2 shutout innings before GUTIERREZ took over to seal the victory. FIGUEROA scored an insurance run in the ninth as Spain secured a must-win over Italy.

Spain (3-1) will clash with France (3-1) on Wednesday in a crucial Pool B contest while Italy (2-2) will take on winless Russia (0-4).

BOXSCORE

Oleksand TROFYMENKO tossed a complete game seven-hitter to get the win. The 27-year-old lefty walked seven and struck out 11 hitters to help Ukraine deny Russia (0-4) it’s first victory.

Russia got a superb outing from starter Vladimir PETROV who pitched seven shutout innings while limiting Ukraine to only three hits. But the Russian pitching staff fell apart at “crunch” time.

Ukraine (1-3) fell behind early as Russia took advantage of PETROV’s control problems – he awarded seven free passes – to score twice in the first. Russia increased the lead to 3-0 in the eight when Alexander NIZOV and Alexander VASILIEV both hit doubles.

The late-inning Ukraine rally began when Yuriy SHVETS was plunked by a Dmitri SEREDENKO errant pitch and was capped off by Artem PALAMARCHUK’s two-run double that knotted the score at 3-3. PALAMARCHUK drove in the winning run two innings later with a sacrifice fly.

Serhiy TYKHONETS led the Ukraine offensive charge going 3-for-5 while VASILIEV had three hits andAndrey KRIPOCHIN and NIZOV both added a pair of hits for the Russians in a losing effort.

Russia (0-4) will face Italy (2-2) in Pool B action on Wednesday and Ukraine (1-3) will battle Great Britain (3-1).

BOXSCORE

Stephen SPRAGG slammed the door on any comeback hopes of the French National Team (3-1) giving up just an infield hit in registering the final six outs. A reliever in the Dutch Major League, the 24-year-old SPRAGG also struck out two hitters.

The British turned a single, double and an error into three first-inning runs to grab a 3-0 lead off France starter Anthony PIQUET. But France got solo home runs from Florian PEYRICHOU and Jerome ROUSSEAU in the second and the fifth to trim Great Britain’s lead to 3-2.

France tied the score in the seventh with two outs when UST made an error on Sebastien HERVE’s grounder allowing pinch-runner Luc Piquet to score from third. But Great Britain responded with a run the following inning and should have scored more.

UST opened the inning with a free pass and Great Britain had runners on second and third with no outs after NICKEAS lined a double to left. French skipper Jeff ZEILSTRA opted to bring in Pierrick LEMESTRE who intentionally walked Ian YOUNG to load the bases.

LEMESTRE fanned Craig PYCOCK for the first out before pinch-hitter Alex MALIHOUDIS infield hit scored UST from third. But the 25-year-old French reliever induced a grounder from Bradley MARCELINO and struck out Tim COLLINS to end the inning and scoring threat.

France (3-1) will meet Spain (3-1) in a key Pool B matchup on Wednesday while Great Britain (3-1) will look to continue their surprising run against Ukraine (1-3).

BOXSCORE

Spain (3-1) vs France (3-1)

The game of the day pits the tournament host against the pitching-rich French squad. Daniel FIGUEROA is having an MVP-type tourney thus far and Manuel OLIVERA showing against Italy was a huge morale booster. Spain has more offense but France has come to play in every game. A toss-up but give the edge to Spain.

Germany (3-1) vs Czech (2-2)

An awful start doomed Germany against the tournament favorites but skipper Greg Frady’s crew stood toe-to-toe with the mighty Dutch for eight innings. Relieve Mirko HEID was impressive in shutting down the Netherlands the last four innings. Germany must avoid a letdown and finish strong with a win over Czech Republic who lost a heartbreaker to Sweden.

Croatia (1-3) vs Netherlands (4-0)

Germany exposed some cracks in the mighty Dutch armor nut not enough to cause any concerns. Rogearvin BERNADINA is playing like an MVP. Top pitcher Leon BOYD was only okay against Germany – a team he might face again. Croatia picked up a win against Austria and now must endure a Dutch team that only scored two runs the last eight innings against Germany. Ouch!

Sweden (2-2) vs Austria (0-4)

Sweden pulled off a shocker over Czech scoring twice in the ninth to steal the victory. The Swedish are swinging the bats well and should dispose of Austria pretty handily. Austria lost to Croatia on Tuesday and will be hard-pressed to win a game this tournament.

Russia (0-4) vs Italy (2-2)

Russia had Ukraine beaten and watched in disbelief as their pitchers lost their composure and allowed Ukraine to score three in the ninth to tie the game before claiming an extra-innings win. Italy will finish the first round in fourth place in a strong Pool B. The landscape in European baseball seems to be changing.

Great Britain (3-1) vs Ukraine (1-3)

The jury is still out on the Great Britain pitching staff – but the British can hit and will claim the top spot in Pool B with a win over Ukraine and a Spain victory against France. Ukraine has not hit the ball well and Great Britain should feast on the weary-armed Ukraine pitching staff.

The Austrians played Croatia in Villadecans and proved once again – the day after the close match against the Czechs- that they can compete and are not to far away from beating one of the established teams in the European A-Pool.

After the first Inning the score was 1-1 enabled through strong hits by Austrian batters Joachim FRICK an Peter FERAK
However Croatia scored three runs in the second Inning while normally sure-handed shortstop Lutz RAUCH made a few errors.

Austrian Starter Gregor KLINC got also better as the game progressed and controlled the Croatian Offense till the 6th Inning. His counterpart Mario ZDELAR held the Austrian offense also scoreless till the 6th. Both team scored one run each and in the beginning of the 7th the score was 5-2 for the Croatians.

The crucial seventh Inning resulted in lots of hard git balls by Croatia and their offense pounded on Gregor KLINC scoring three more runs to decide the game. KLINC was replaced by veteran hurlr Wolfgang STRINI who pitched well till the end of the game.

The ninth Inning brought another run by Austria and the final Score was 8-3 for Croatia.

Autrian National Team coach Martin LANGLOIS said after the game that “it was a biter loss today but to win games on this level our defense has to play without making any errors”.

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Photo: (c) Joe Yun

Alex Malihoudis delivered a clutch pinch-hit RBI single as Great Britain squeezed past previously unbeaten France in a thriller in Sant Boi.

Shaking off their lethargy from the previous nights’ shutout at the hands of Italy, Britain struck early, survived a French rally and came on strong in the late innings.
With three wins from four Pool B games Team GB’s place is assured in the medal round, and victory over Ukraine in the final group game tomorrow could even see them win the pool.
Facing a strong French pitching lineup, Britain jumped to a great start manufacturing three runs in the top of the first.

After Adam ROBERTS singled and Aeden MCQUEARY-ENNIS doubled Brant UST reached on an error that scored ROBERTS.
Mike NICKEAS then hit an RBI sac fly followed by an Ian YOUNG RBI groundout.

Team GB starter Alex SMITH looked strong on the mound, but was punished for a loose pitch in the bottom of the second which was drilled over the left field fence.
The middle innings saw British batters handcuffed as Anthony PIQUET settled into a groove, although both Brad MARCELINO and YOUNG had long drives caught at the fence.
France crept further back into the game when another loose SMITH pitch was crushed for a home run to left in the fifth inning.

Team GB had a great chance to break the game open in the sixth but James RUTHERFORDd struck out swinging with runners on second and third.
That missed opportunity looked as though it would come back to haunt Britain when in the bottom of the seventh an UST misfield allowed the tying run to scamper home.
With the boisterous French support in full voice the game appeared to be slipping away, but Team GB showed great tenacity to strike back immediately.
UST walked, NICKEAS doubled and Ian YOUNG was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Craig PYCOCK, batting for the ailing Mitch EVANS struck out swinging before up stepped MALIHOUDIS.
MALIHOUDIS hit a soft ground ball to third which caused hesitancy in the French defense, allowing UST to score.

Although Britain failed to increase their lead, Stephen SPRAGG came on to shut down any French revival with two strong shutout innings to earn the save.
While France face a tricky final game with hosts Spain GB move on to face Ukraine in buoyant mood, and with their Olympic dream still very much alive.

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The Netherlands started their ace pitcher Leon BOYD who looked strong during his 7 innings of work.

Germany got a run back in the 2nd with 2B by Mitch FRANKE that scored Kai GRONAUER who also got on with a double.

The Netherlands scored one run in the 3rd and another one in the 4th to make it 6-1 on a single by DECASTER and a wild pitch that scored DE JONG.

After Mirko HEID came in to pitch for Germany in the 4th the German team played better baseball. The powerful Dutch offense was held scoreless from the 5th to the 9th inning. Offensively Germany scored two more runs in the 8th to make it 6-3 which was also the final score in this game. The fact that Germany stranded 2 baserunners in the 7th, 1 in the 8th and 2 more in the 9th shows that there was a chance to tie the game up.

Best batting performances today have been Sidney DE JONG (2 for 2, 2 RBI, 1 R) for the Netherlands and Kai GRONAUER (2 for 4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B) for Germany. The wining pitcher for Holland was the starter Leon BOYD (7 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO) and the loss went to Tim HENKENJOHANN (4 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 7 SO).

The Netherlands took advantage from a weak 1st Inning by the German defense and pitcher to decide the game with a big inning. But after that both teams played at the same level. Germany recorded 11 hits while the Dutch team only had 7.

Our conclusion is that Germany has given the Netherlands the toughest game so far. But to beat the Dutch you have to play 9 excellent innings – not 8.

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(Lausanne, SWITZERLAND) Major League Baseball (MLB) announced this week that through the close of the third annual MLB International (MLBI) European Baseball Academy on Aug. 30,seven Academy participants have signed professional contracts with six different MLB Organizations.

MLB said that the seven players, all of whom are among Europe’s best talent, hail from five countries, including three players from Germany and one each from Denmark, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. It reported that in total, 18 MLBI European Baseball Academy alumni have signed professional contracts with MLB clubs since the birth of the program.

Newly-elected International Baseball Federation (IBAF) President Harvey Schiller was encouraged by the report, saying that the sustained growth of baseball in Europe is not only a sign of the positive contributions MLB is making in baseball internationally, but also a reaffirmation that baseball communities are strengthening in countries that are still relatively new to the sport.

“Congratulations to these outstanding athletes and to all those who have helped them achieve this level of success,” said Schiller. “The success of these players will certainly motivate thousands of young athletes across Europe in their love of the game of baseball.” This report from MLB comes as the IBAF and the Confederation of European Baseball (CEB) usher in the 2007 European Championship/Olympic Qualifier, which kicks off today in Barcelona.

The Championships will not only crown the top team in Europe, but it will also qualify the first place team for the Olympic Games next year in Beijing.
On the heels of a successful Olympic Games test event in Beijing last month and the latest in a number of positive reports out of the MLBI Academy, Schiller is pleased with how the landscape of international baseball is shaping-up heading into the 2008 Olympic Games.

“This is truly an indication of the successful global growth of baseball,” Schiller said. The 2007 European Championship/Olympic Qualifier will run from Sept. 7-16, 2007. Please visit www.eurobaseball2007.com for more details. The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will be held from Aug. 8-24, 2008.
About the IBAF Founded in 1938, the IBAF is the International BAseball Federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Established in Lausanne, Switzerland – the Olympic Capital – in 1994, and counting 115 National Federation members, the IBAF organizes the Baseball World Cup, the World Cup of Women’s Baseball, World Championships in their different categories, the Intercontinental Cup, and the Baseball Olympic Tournament. The IBAF secures the development and expansion of baseball all over the world. For more information, please visit www.baseball.ch.

Great Britain’s unbeaten start to the European Championships came to a shuddering halt at the hands of pre-tournament favourites Italy in Montjuic.

As feared, and possibly even expected, the British offense which had amassed 26 hits and scored 22 runs in their first two Pool B games came completely unstuck against quality Italian pitching.
Opposing starter Giovanni CARRARA tied Team GB in knots, allowing just three hits while striking out eight over seven scoreless innings.

While British starter Sam JEW didn’t pitch badly himself over his six innings of work, the Italians found a way of scratching runs in the second, third and fourth innings through a combination of singles and walks.To add to their problems, both Ian YOUNG and Tim COLLINS committed errors during those run-scoring innings.

With Team GB still in their kicking, Italy produced a hammer blow in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Reliever Sam WATERMAN laboured through 1/3 of an inning and surrendered a long 2-run home run to De Biase that pretty much ended the game as a contest.

While the nature of Britain’s improvement can be measured in that the matchup between these two nations in 2005 saw a 12-0 ‘mercy rule’ Italian victory, a similar performance and result for Team GB in another crunch clash against France tomorrow and the Olympic dream will be over.

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Stadeo.TV will cover the deciding game between Italy and Spain today at 18:00 hours CET.

Please visit their website for the Media Player to watch the game live on the web.

However the third day ended with a 6:2 loss for the austrian team, it was the first game lasting nine innings for them. High scoring losses against the Netherlands and Germany made the Czech expect an easy going, which almost turned out to be a serious mistake.

Austria scored first, Martin Rabengruber’s run in the second inning was the first for Austria within the Tournament. Walter Strasser and his defense controlled the czech offense and demonstrated they are not at Barcelona to provide batting practice for the rest of the teams.
Czech Republic tied the game in the fourth inning, Oliver Kanthak recovered the lead top of the fifth but Jan Drabek re-tied for the czechs on the countermove.
Radek Prochazka took over on the mound for the Czech Republic and kept the austrian offense short, while Strasser became weak in the seventh inning and allowed the czechs four runs, before Clemens Chichocki took over, not allowing any more runs, but also Team Austria couldn’t score and the thriller ended with a 6:2 win for Czech Republic.

„This has been a really good match”, Austrias National-Team Manager Martin Langlois commented after the game. „Now we know you can play on this level when providing good offense and defense. When the team keeps on working we will see the first wins in the near future.”

By Joe Yun

Maxime LE BLANC scattered six hits and one run over six innings to get the win while reliever Matthieu ANDRADE-BRELLE tossed 1.2 scoreless innings. Ukraine starter Ihor LITVINCHUK was hit hard surrendering six runs and eight hits in 6.2 innings of work.

Ukraine loaded the bases in the first off LE BLANC with no outs but managed only a single run to grab a 1-0 lead. Another Ukraine rally in the second was foiled when Denys AGAPOV and Artem PALAMARCHUK both grounded into fielder’s choices with the bases full.

France finally broke through in the third when Sebastien HERVE stroked a two-bagger to score speedy Kenji HAGIWARA and knot the score at 1-1. HERVE later scored on Boris MARCHE’s RBI grounder to give France a 2-1 lead.

David MEURANT opened the seventh with a solo home run to left to make the score 3-1 and France added three more runs in the inning to take a commanding 6-1 lead late in the game. Ukraine managed a run in the eight to make the final score 6-2.

France will battle Great Britain in a key Pool B matchup on Tuesday while Ukraine will battle Russia in a game featuring two winless teams.

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The 39-year-old veteran fanned six of the first nine batters he faced and did not allow a single runner past first base. The Nettuno ace needed only six pitches to retire Great Britain in the sixth.

Italy loaded the bases in the first after British starter Sam JEW (0-1) was tagged for a pair of singles by Mario CHIARINI and Giuseppe MAZZANTI before hitting Joseph MAZZUCA with an errant pitch. But Great Britain escaped trailing only 1-0 heading into the second frame.

The Italians went up 2-0 the next inning when CHIARINI’s second hit of the game knocked home Max DE BIASE whose single earlier had started the two-out rally.

The hot-swinging British trio of Brant UST, Ian YOUNG, and Mike NICKEAS were limited to a combined 3-for-10. UST entered the game hitting .700 (7-for-10) with two doubles, two home runs, and eight RBI’s.

Italy added a run in the fourth and DE BIASE hit a two-run blast off British reliever Paul WATERMAN in the seventh to make the score 5-0. CHIARINI finished the scoring when his third hit of the night scored MAZZUCA from third base.

DE BIASE, one of San Marino’s top sluggers, was 3-for-4 and is hitting .455 for Italy. CHIARINI was 3-for-5 and is now hitting .357 after starting the tournament in a 2-for-9 slump.

Italian bullpen mates Allessandro MAESTRI and Fabio MILANO pitched scoreless innings to preserve the win.

Italy will meet Spain in a crucial Pool B game on Tuesday while Great Britain has a date with an unbeaten French squad.

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A bone-fide European star for Dutch power Neptunus, LEGITO was 2-for-3 with a pair of homers and seven RBI’s. The 29-year-old is hitting a scorching .667 (6-for-9) with three home runs, 10 RBI’s, and has scored eight runs thus far in the European Olympic Qualifier.

BERGMAN, one of the top pitchers in the Dutch Major League with Kinheim, scattered seven hits and two runs over five innings to get the victory. The 26-year-old righty walked three and fanned four to pick up his first win of the tourney.

The Dutch exploded for seven runs in the second inning with Yurendell DECASTER’s two-run RBI single and LEGITO’s three-run blast helping to build a 7-0 lead.

LEGITO connected again the next inning – this time with the bases loaded – as the Dutch went up 13-0 after three innings and coasted to their third straight victory. DECASTER was 2-for-3 with a solo homer to leadoff the fourth and the 27-year-old US minor leaguer is hitting .636 (7-for-11) with six RBI’s.

Sweden avoided the shutout with two runs in the fifth when Magnus PILEGARD tripled to left center to score Adam SORGI and Tony DERMENDZIEV. Kent KARLSSON (0-1) was roughed up for seven runs in only 1.2 innings and suffered the loss.

The Dutch will meet Germany in a Pool A matchup of two unbeaten teams on Tuesday and Sweden will clash with the Czech Republic in what should be an interesting contest.

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The 33-year-old righty limited the Russian National Team (0-3) to only one base runner over the final five innings. The Marlins Puerto Cruz ace pitcher also retired 15 of the last 16 batters he saw.

Spain took a 2-0 lead in the third when Daiel SANCHEZ and Daniel FIGUEROA both crossed home plate. The 2005 Bronze medalist added two insurance runs in the seventh to make the final tally 4-0.

Daniel FREIRE was 2-for-3 while SANCHEZ scored two runs and Dewis NAVARRO had a hit and an RBI. Alexander NIZOV, Andrey BOLOTIN, and Andrey KRIPOCHIN each had a hit for Russia.

The Spanish National Team will battle Italy in a Pool B showdown on Tuesday while Russia will meet Ukraine in what could be a hotly-contest affair.

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Netherlands (3-0) vs Germany (3-0)

Too bad Germany struggled to get past Croatia on Monday or maybe this game would have been interesting. But the Germans psyche took a big hit and the Dutch are pitching and hitting like big brothers thus far. The Dutch did make three errors in one game so there is hope for the opposition. Maybe?

Italy (2-1) vs Spain (2-1)

Italy seems to be back on track thanks to a superb outing from Giovanni CARRARA. Spain also got an All-Star performance from Yoel HENANDEZ to beat Russia but offensively the host team is struggling. A big-time matchup that might fizzle with a big, big Italian win.

France (3-0) vs Great Britain (2-1)

All eyes from Pool B will be on this game as France’s vaunted pitching staff meets a Great Britain offense that features three of the tourney’s top hitters. A win by France will put added pressure on Spain to beat Italy. A win by Great Britain would result in a three-way tie for the top spot.

Czech (2-1) vs Sweden (1-2)

The Czech Republic beat Austria ace pitcher Walter Strasser but were actually outhit 7 to 6 by the Austrians. Sweden collected eight hits off a strong Dutch pitching staff and should be confident heading into this game. This is a very, very big game for both teams.

Austria (0-3) vs Croatia (0-3)

The good thing is that one of these teams will have a win under their belt on Wednesday morning. Two evenly matched teams but Austria has more offensive firepower than Croatia. Still – with “fresh” pitching arms getting scarce for most teams – this game might turn into a scoringfest.

Ukraine (0-3) vs Russia (0-3)

Another interesting matchup of regional foes with bragging rights up for grabs. Both teams have decent pitching but neither team has done much offensively. This should be the game where the best hitters from each team have a chance to showcase their skills.

The Croatian coach started out with lefty Ernesto PEREIRA and coach Gregory Frady (GER) also sent his southpaw Andre HUGHES to the mount. Croatia jumped ahead 2-0 in the 1st inning on a single by RAKIC that scored 2 runs. Germany got a run back in the 2nd and another one in the 4th to tie up the game but had big trouble with PEREIRA’s pitches.

In the 6th Inning PEREIRA started to loose a little of his sharpness & control and the German batters more often got solid wood on the baseball. Two runs in the 6th and two more in the 7th made it 6-2 for Germany. Andreas JANZEN and Robert GRUBER each had 2 RBI to lead the German offense.

Most of the spectators probably thought that this was it for the Croatian team. But in the 8th the Croatians started a huge comeback. After a hit by pitch and a basehit by CUSAK the German starter HUGHES left having pitched 7.1 innings. Frady brought in Eugen HEILMANN who was Germany’s closer during the last European Championships two years ago. HEILMANN had a terrible day and could not find the strike zone at all. He could only record one out and left after having given up a walk and two singles. Now it was Rodney GESSMANN’s job to try to shut the Croatians down but an throwing error by 1. Baseman Jens HEMYER (1B & 3B early steal) and another error by ShortStop JANZEN made it 7-6 for Croatia.

What a comeback! Six more outs to a huge win!

Croatian pitcher Danijell LEVAK started the bottom 8th for the Croatians and retired the first two German hitters. Then No. 3 hitter WULF singled with 2 outs followed by a walk by Simon GUEHRING. This brought 20 year old RF Kai GRONAUER up to bat who hit a triple to deep RF to score both runners. Germany was up again with 8-7.

Although Croatia (now 0-3) could not come back one more time in the ninth they have definitely played a fantastic game and showed aggressiveness and heart until the last out. Germany is now 3-0 and very close to making the final round.

Best players have been Jason POSPISHIL (3 for 4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 2B) for Croatia and German Robert GRUBER (2 for 3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B). Rodney GESSMANN (W 1-0) who pitched the last out of the 8th and the complete 9th inning for Germany was also a key factor.

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New Schedule

We do not know the reason for the schedule change but want to update our readers right away.
Due to the technical difficulties with yesterdays stream we can only relay the information but cannot guarantee that the stream will be working.

In order to view the games live you have to download the stadeo.tv Media Player and start it:

Ace pitcher Nicolas DUBAUT (1-0) scattered eight hits over 6.2 innings while limiting the Italians to only one run to get the win. Pierrick LEMESTRE pitched 2.1 innings of one-hit ball to earn the save.

The French National Team (2-0) were led by Jamel BOUTAGRA and Florian PEYRICHOU who had two hits apiece. BOUTAGRA scored once and knocked in a run with a pair of doubles.

DUBAUT, who led the Rouen Huskies to the French Baseball League crown this past season, made all the key pitches to contain an Italian National Team (1-1) that ripped Ukraine for 17 hits a day earlier. Italy routed France 11-1 two years ago.

Italian ace Sandy PATRONE tossed 4.2 solid innings before getting the hook. The Telemarket Rimini hurler struck out six while allowing only one run and three hits. Roberto CORRADINI was hit hard in just two innings and suffered the loss. James BUCCHERI (2-for-2, 2 BB) and Davide DALLOSPEDALE (2-for-4, BB) were the top hitters for Italy.

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Shairon MARTIS was outstanding tossing a two-hitter over six innings with eight strikeouts. Ace reliever Duko JANSEN pitched one scoreless inning and fanned a pair of hitters.

The Czech National Team (1-1) managed only two hits and could not duplicate their performance from two year’s ago when they played the Dutch competitively in a 3-0 loss. Jiri MAREK suffered the loss after allowing six runs on five hits in just two innings.

Railey LEGITO led the offensive charge for the Dutch scoring four times and going 4-for-4 with three RBI’s and a home run. Yurendell DECASTER added three hits and Hainley STATIA was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer.

Leading 2-0 after one inning the Dutch scored four times in the second frame to begin the rout. LEGITO slammed a 1-1 pitch to left field for a double and later scored on a wild pitch. STATIA connected for a three-run shot moments later to give the tourney favorites a comfortable 6-0 lead.

The Dutch National team (2-0) completed the scoring with a run in the third and four more in the sixth inning – including a three-run homer by LEGITO – to claim an easy 11-0 victory.

The Dutch will next face Sweden on Monday and the Czech Republic will meet Austria.

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After a surprising loss to Great Britain to open the tournament, Spain turned in yet another unimpressive outing in front of the hometown fans. But veteran hurler Remigio LEAL bounced back from Friday night’s debacle to silence Ukraine and set the stage for the unlikely comeback.

Spain wasted a scoring opportunity in the opening frame when Daniel FIGUEROA was picked off after hitting a leadoff double. Ukraine grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second when Yevgehiy TKACHENKO hit a bases loaded sacrifice fly after Spain starter Miguel RIZO surrendered three free passes.

The Ukraine National Team (0-2) shocked the tournament hosts with three more runs in the third to take a 4-0 lead. Ruslan DEYKUN and Yuriy SHVETS added RBI hits as Ukraine’s bid for the upset gained momentum.

The Spanish National Team (1-1) finally managed to cross home plate in the fifth when Miguel MORA led off with a bunt single and scored on an infield hit by Alejandro FREIRE to cut the lead to 4-1.

Ukraine’s pitchers wilted under the pressure and allowed the Spanish to secure a crucial win. Spain took advantage of five walks (including two hit batters) and a key RBI single by Dewis NAVARRO to score four times in the eight inning to keep alive their title hopes.

Spain will next clash with Russia on Monday in a must-win showdown while Ukraine will meet n unbeaten French squad fresh off their big upset against Italy.

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Mattias STENIS (1-0) tossed a complete game four-hitter to pick up the win. The Swedish starter walked three and fanned six en route to the win. Slobodan GALES (0-1) suffered the loss giving up four runs on seven hits in six innings on the mound.

Adam SORGI doubled home Philip GAJZLER in the third to open the scoring and give Sweden a 1-0 lead. The Swedish increased the lead to 3-0 when Tony DERMENDZIEV ripped a triple to right field scoring Rickard LJUNG and Per LINDGREN.

Sweden scored twice in the seventh – thanks to a bases loaded single by Magnus PILEGARD – and a double by DERMENDZIEV the following inning capped a three-run outburst to increase the lead to 8-0.

The Swedish National Team (1-1) added three more runs in the final inning for an 11-0 lead before Croatia’s Ernesto PEREIRA singled home Damir KARIN and Dario CUSAK to make the final score 11-2.

The Croatian National Team (0-2), which upset Sweden 2-0 in the 2005 tournament, committed four errors and have now lost 10 of their last 11 tournament contests.

Sweden will meet the tourney favorites – the Dutch – on Monday while Croatia will battle unbeaten Germany.

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The tournament favorites have been as good as advertised and will not be overlooking a Swedish squad that hung tough in a 2-0 loss the last time the two teams met in 2005. With unbeaten Germany looming next could the Dutch get caught looking past Sweden? I doubt it matters.

France (2-0) vs Ukraine (0-2)

The French picked up their biggest win of the tournament Sunday by beating Italy in a shocker. France beat Ukraine 10-0 two years ago and seem a sure bet to make it to the final round this time. Ukraine almost pulled off a shocker against Spain but faltered late in the game.

Czech Republic (1-1) vs Austria (0-2)

The Czech Republic ran into the buzz saw that goes by the name of the Dutch National Team but should rebound against an Austria squad that has already played the top two teams in Pool A. Czech pitchers only had to throw six innings against the Mighty Dutch which is definitely a positive note.

Spain (1-1) vs Russia (0-2)

Spain looked mediocre in a win over lowly Ukraine and now must face a dangerous Russian team who will be looking to crash the host nation party. Russia has pitched well at times and managed 10 hits against an average British pitching staff. This game will spotlight a resurgent Spanish squad or an overhyped squad that will fail to win a medal.

Germany (2-0) vs Croatia (0-2)

The Germans got another sparkling pitching performance (Manuel Moeller) but the decision to allow the Mainz ace to throw all seven innings is interesting, although this speaks for a very stong german pitchng staff. With both Spain and Italy struggling in Pool B, the Germans find themselves as legitimate contenders for the top prize. Croatia does not score many runs and is averaging three errors a game.

Italy (1-1) vs Great Britain (2-0)

A must-win situation for Italy and a great opportunity for Great Britain to advance to the final round. With France atop the Pool B standings – and Spain still posing as a serious contender – the Italians will need a big-time performance from Riccardo DE SANTIS or Giovanni CARRARA on Monday or else? Ian YOUNG, Brant UST and Mike NICKEAS are carrying the offensive load for the British.

The first couple of Innings both offenses were pretty quiet with no one scoring any runs. In the third inning Germany started their offense machine with Sascha LUTZ hitting a double and WULF homering to centerfield.

In the 4th inning Germany extended its lead to 7-0 with another two homeruns by LF Kai GRONAUER and RF Robert GRUBER.

Pinch Hitter Klaus Hopfensperger from the Regensburg Legionaere hit the fourth homerun of the day in the 5th Inning

German Hedcoach Greg Frady made some substitutions in the 6th Inning and Möller continued his dominance until the end. Pinch hitter Jendrick SPEER (Paderborn Untouchables) scored Germany’s final run when Jens HEMYER reached on an error with the bases loaded and one out.

If Germany beats Croatia tomorrow they will have qualified for the final round starting on Friday and Austria will play the Czech Republic. Austria still has the opportunity to play a successful tournament as they will face Croatia and Sweden on the final days of the first round.