Belarus – Latvia 17-7 (8)
LAT 010 015 00 7 10 12 BLR 003 612 41 17 11 10
Belarus crushed Latvia 17-7 in a wild game, in which both teams combined for a whopping 22 errors. Y. Karalevich and A. Lameika each scored three runs. Four players got two RBI for Belarus. A. Ansons had four hits and two RBI for Latvia.
Aliaksandr Ivanovich (BLR) started and gave up two hits, one unearned run and a walk in two innings. Raman Tohaleu (W 1-1) received the win. Kristaps Duselis (L 0-2) allowed eight hits, nine runs (7 ER) and two bb in 3 2/3 innings.
Slovenia – Poland 2-3
POL 021 000 000 3 7 0 SOL 000 110 000 2 5 5
Poland took a fast 3-0 lead after three innings and stopped a Slovenian rally right in time to prevail for a 3-2 victory. Nonetheless Slovenia advanced into the final on Saturday. Jakub Rozwadowski scored the first run in the second on a passed ball. Piotr Cedzynsky drove in the second run with a RBI single. One frame later Mariusz Grzanowsky made it 3-0, when he reached home through a wild pitch. Poland tried to come back, cutting the deficit to a run through a RBI single by Klemen Gajzer and a RBI triple by Uros Rudolf. But it was not enough.
Marek Deska (W 1-0) struck out twelve in a complete game victory. He allowed five hits, two runs and three walks. Mirko Kucinik (L 0-1) gave up four hits and three runs (2 ER) in 2 1/3 innings.
Standings after first round:
- Czech Republic 4-0
- Slovenia 2-2
- Poland 2-2
- Belarus 2-2
- Latvia 0-4