Spain joined the host nation in advancing to the semifinals of Under-15 European Baseball Championship B Pool in Schwechat, Austria, with perfect records, while Croatia and Slovakia faced off for the right to join them in the semifinals. Russia claimed the third spot thanks to a 14-run fourth inning.
Three Spanish pitchers combined on a one-hitter, striking out nine in four innings against Belarus. Raúl Chapman was 3-for-3 with a double, four runs, and two RBI, while Miguel Fernández had three hits, and Iván Cabrera, Jass Várgas, and Mathias Zambrano all drove in a trio of runners.
In a back-and-forth thriller that saw runs scored in all but one half-inning, Slovakia became the second team from Group to advance to the playoffs thanks, in part, to Gabriel Hečko, who went 2-for-2 with a double, two stolen bases, four runs, a ribbie, a walk, and a HBP. Luka Blanuša had a double and a single for Croatia.
Roman Aksenov had a triple among three hits, stealing two bags and scoring three times as Russia’s leadoff man, while Viacheslav Taiurskii drew four walks and scored three times. Petar Ganchev did what he could for Bulgaria, which scored five runs in the first and held a 6-3 lead until the third. The Bulgarian backstop went 3-for-3 with a double, a pair of swipes, two runs, and three RBI.
Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage of the Austria U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 3 [link]. See also coverage of the Belgium U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 3 [link].
Group A Results
July 23
Bulgaria 9 – Russia 19 (5)
Group B Results
July 23
Croatia 15 – Slovakia 16
Spain 22 – Belarus 0 (4)
Playoffs
July 24
Seventh: Belarus – Bulgaria
Semifinal: Russia – Spain
Semifinal: Slovakia – Austria
Group A Final Standings
| Team | W-L | RF | RA |
| Austria | 3-0 | 52 | 7 |
| Russia | 2-1 | 41 | 19 |
| Hungary | 1-2 | 20 | 41 |
| Bulgaria | 0-3 | 11 | 57 |
Group B Final Standings
| Team | W-L | RF | RA |
| Spain | 3-0 | 63 | 4 |
| Slovakia | 2-1 | 25 | 35 |
| Croatia | 1-2 | 31 | 45 |
| Belarus | 0-3 | 8 | 43 |