The Czech Republic (5-0) knocked off the Netherlands 7-3 to win the European Cadets Baseball Championships held from July 17 to 21 in Jablonec and Liberec, Czech Republic. The unbeaten Czech squad won a trio of nailbiters to reach the finals and capture the top prize.
After opening the tournament with a suspenseful 13-11 win over Germany, the Czech Republic slipped past Slovakia 12-11 before nipping a tough Russian national team 6-5. A 9-4 victory over Austria propelled the Czechs into the title game against the Dutch national team.
The Netherlands (4-1) defeated Belarus 14-3 and Poland 19-5 before whipping Austria 11-1. The Dutch squeaked passed Russia 8-7 to earn a trip to the finals where the Czechs captured the tournament title.
The Russians (3-2) lost both of their games by a single run and had to settle for third place honors while Austria (2-3) claimed fourth place. Germany (3-2) dropped two close games to Czech Republic (13-11) and Russia (3-2) and took home the fifth place trophy.
Slovakia (2-3) came in sixth place while Belarus (1-4) and Poland (0-5) finished in seventh and eight place, respectively.