Croatia has won the Qualifier for the 2015 European Championship Juniors U18 in Varazdin and Karlovac, Croatia. They defeated Great Britain 10-8 in the final on Saturday. Both teams have been qualified for next year’s Junior Euros.
The championship game in Varazdin got decided in the 11th inning. Croatia used the IBAF Extrainning Rule for four runs. Nino Kruhek had the big hit with a two-run single. The British squad managed only two runs in the bottom half of the frame and had to settle for second place.
Croatia had erased a 0-6 deficit by scoring six runs in the last four innings. Andrija Tomic and Franko Vrlic hit home runs. Alexandar Kruhek pitched four innings of no-hit relief for the win. Antonio Horvatic scored three times and got the save. Luke Armstrong took the loss.
Lithuania finished in third place after a 6-4 victory over Belarus in the Bronze Medal Game. Slovakia finished in fifth place after winning an extra-inning affair 7-4 against Hungary on the last day. Switzerland came in at sixth following a 16-14 slugfest over Poland.
Final Standings:
1) Croatia
2) Great Britain
3) Lithuania
4) Belarus
5) Slovakia
6) Switzerland
7) Poland
8) Hungary
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