The Ukraine overcame the 0-1 deficit in the final best-of-three series and swept the Saturday doubleheader to take home the Qualifier in Trnava, Slovakia. After losing the preliminary duel on Wednesday in ten innings, they crushed Romania in both games today.
Romania – Ukraine 1-8
UKR 100 050 200 8 5 3 ROM 000 000 010 1 4 5
The Ukraine used a five-run third to beat Romania 8-1 to tie the best-of-three series in the morning. They needed just five hits and four RBI to put their runs on the board, as they profited from several errors, passed balls and wild pitches. Denys Agapov and Serhiy Holovko each scored twice.
Maksym Lisnitsky (W 1-0) allowed two hits, one run and a walk in 6 2/3 innings. Mihai Burlea (L 1-1) was not as good as in the first round, giving up five hits, eight runs (3 ER) and four base on balls in nine innings. The Hoofdklasse pitcher struck out nine.
Ukraine – Romania 16-4
ROM 310 000 0 4 8 8 UKR 232 171 X 16 10 1
After losing game one on the day, Romania came out firing in the decisive match in the afternoon. They opened the first period with three runs on a RBI single by Gabriel Constantinescu, an error and a RBI groundout by Mihai Georgescu.
However their pitching staff and especially their defense was not able to hold the Ukraine offense down. They committed eight errors, which led to twelve unearned runs and the Ukraine scored in every of the first six frames, highlighted by a seven-run fifth. They won by a final score of 16-4.
Ruslan Deykun, Artem Palamarchuk, and Serhiy Holovko each drove in two runs. Oleksandr Mamontov and Dmytro Nelipa scored three times apiece.
Anatoliy Korolev (UKR) started and lasted just one out, allowing three hits and three runs (1 ER) in the first period. Oleksandr Trofimenko (W 2-0) replaced him and gave up just one unearned run on five hits and a walk in 5 2/3 innings. Andrei Apostoaei (L 0-1) was charged with six hits, eight runs (3 ER) and a bb in four innings.