France has won the U21 European Championship. The tournament, which was held from July 25 to 29 in Brno/Trebic, Czech Republic saw the French team dominating the Ukraine 12-1 in seven innings to capture the title. Host Czech Republic finished in third place after a 13-0 shutout over Russia.
In the championship game the favorites from France didn’t disappoint, scoring runs in five of the seven frames. Five runs in the sixth blew the score wide open. Maxwell Tyler pitched 5 2/3 strong innings. Maxime Lefevre, who later was named MVP of the tournament, scored three runs on three hits.
Besides a stunning loss to Austria in the preliminary phase, France cruised through the competition undefeated. In the semi-finals they beat Russia 10-6, while the Ukraine stunned the Czech squad 3-0. Slovakia, Bulgaria and Lithuania also participated in the U21 European Championship.
Final Standings:
1) France
2) Ukraine
3) Czech Republic
4) Russia
5) Slovakia
6) Austria
7) Bulgaria
8) Lithuania
Individual Awards:
Best Batter: Matej Mensik (CZE)
Best Pitcher: Maxwell Tyler (FRA)
Most Valuable Player: Maxime Lefevre (FRA)