Ukraine and Russia earned spots in the next Under-12 European Baseball Championship with convincing wins, each preserving perfect records in their qualifying groups.
In the de facto Group A championship game at the U12 Baseball Euros B Pool, Ukraine jumped out to a 13-0 lead over Poland and romped to a perfect record in the pool. Eryk Gruber homered for the Polish baseballers.
In Group B, Artur Kovalev and Timofei Strelets both homered for Russia, the latter driving in five and finishing only a single short of the cycle. Strelets posted almost-unbelievable numbers in the tournament, going 10-for-15 with every hit going for extra bases: five doubles, two triples, and three home runs. He had a whopping 18 RBI and scored 11 runs. Korolev had three dingers and a trio of doubles among his 11 hits, crossing home 12 times.
Later, Austria’s Leo Volkmann, Vinzenz Ruiz-Willenpart, and Paul Bradley combined to one-hit Bulgaria. Darien Liebhart went 3-for-3 with a double for the victors.
Box scores can be found here [link]. Our coverage of the Under-12 European Baseball Championship also continues [link].
Group A Results
July 11
Ukraine 15 – Poland 4
Group B Results
July 11
Russia 27 – Belarus 5 (4)
Austria 27 – Bulgaria 0 (4)
Group A Final Standings
| Team | W-L | RF | RA |
| Ukraine | 4-0 | 78 | 40 |
| Poland | 2-2 | 43 | 46 |
| Lithuania | 0-4 | 47 | 82 |
Group B Final Standings
| Team | W-L | RF | RA |
| Russia | 6-0 | 108 | 15 |
| Austria | 4-2 | 79 | 38 |
| Belarus | 2-4 | 41 | 92 |
| Bulgaria | 0-6 | 18 | 101 |