World No. 26 Spain became the first team to qualify for the 2027 Premier12 through the Barcelona Qualifier, marking the nation’s first-ever appearance in the world championship. The host side beat world No. 14 Italy 5–2 to secure its debut in the WBSC’s flagship baseball event. Earlier in the day, Germany upset Colombia, keeping its hopes alive and ensuring that two European nations will advance to next year’s event.
Germany – Colombia [box score][highlights]
No. 17-ranked Germany stayed afloat with a consistent and well-executed 6–1 win over No. 13 Colombia. Starter Christian Pedrol pitched a complete game, and third baseman Billy Germaine drove in five runs. The defeat eliminated Colombia.
Germany fell behind in the third inning, but capitalised on a defensive error in the next half inning to equalize. A two-run single by Germaine in the fifth and a three-run shot by the third baseman in the seventh gave Pedrol more than enough run support for the ‘W’. The right-hander allowed one run on two hits and three walks and struck out 10, seemingly growing stronger and more confident over the 126-pitche outing.
“Yesterday we suffered a tough loss,” explained Germaine. “Today I got my chances and put good swings on the ball. What did Yannic Walther tell me before I hit a home run? He told me to stay away from the sweeper and look for a fastball. I got a fastball. Yannic is younger, but I have a lot of respect for him as a player. I like listening to him.“
Spain – Italy [box score][highlights]
Spain played a masterful game behind strong pitching. Five Spanish hurlers combined for 14 strikeouts, while the lineup outhit Italy 10–7. Strong defence completed a performance that earned Spain a place in the fourth edition of the WBSC Premier12.
Starting pitcher José Gómez and catcher Gabriel Lino are Italian Serie A veterans, and Spain used their intelligence to its advantage.
“It was a very good combination,” observed Spain’s manager, Marvin Benard.
Gómez punched out seven in five strong innings, keeping the Italian offense off the board by permitting just two hits and issuing three free passes. Italy had its chances against a cast of four relievers, but struck out a further seven times in the final four frames. Included in this figure were the final three batters in the ninth by Carlos Sierra, after starting the final frame with a run via back-to-back hits by Andrea Sellaroli and Gabriele Angioi.
Most of the timely hitting for the victors was done by Félix Stevens, who drove in three of the five runs. His sacrifice fly in the second followed a RBI-single by Rusber Estrada to give Spain a 2-0 advantage. In the sixth, Frank Hernández and former New York Met Luis Guillorme hit consecutive one-out singles, before Omar Hernández singled home his brother for one run. Stevens then followed up with a base knock to plate two more.
There were still plenty of opportunities for the Azzurri, who left seven runners on base between the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. Moreover, Italy Manager Francisco Cervelli‘s most effective pitching change coincided with this stretch, as Filippo Crepaldi fired 2.2 scoreless innnings of relief after entering in the seventh. One-time Phillie Ramón Rossó struck out two in 1.1 frames for the winning side.
The Hernández brothers both had two hits, as did Estrada, who reached base three times for Spain. Renzo Martini was the only Italian player with multiple base knocks.
Our previous coverage of the Premier12 Barcelona Qualifier includes: Preview [link] and Day 1 [link]. Several of the players starring in this tournament are featured in our series, Europeans in the Majors and Minors [link].