Each of the two pools at the Under-18 European Baseball Championship now feature the exact same standings, with four teams remaining in contention for a semifinal spot at the end of round robin play. However, one undefeated team took its first loss, and Czech Republic and Hungary moved up a spot in the tables.
The big match of the day came in Group B, where playoff hopefuls Germany and the Netherlands matched up in a thrilling game, in which—despite only three hits—the Orange had runners on base in every inning and briefly held a 2-1 lead after a Fran-J Confesor moonshot in the third. Germany’s consistent lineup, in which every player had at least one hit, was simply too much, and a run-scoring double by Simeon Lindt and two-run two-bagger from Jules Moser in the fourth proved the difference makers. Baseball Deutschland has seven regulars with an average of at least .333 and an OPS over 1.000.
Fans continue to watch the games as a whole, and Italy has been supported by several hundred most evenings. Tonight, those in attendance witnessed a much tighter contest through most of the game than the score would indicate. Great Britain jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two and stayed in front until the bottom of the fifth, when four Italian runs negated a 5-2 lead. An inning later, the Azzurri erupted for 10 runs to end the game via mercy rule. Elia Plusigh had two doubles and a single, stole a base, scored three runs, and drove in four.
Šimon Hanuš singlehandedly delivered a victory for Baseball Czechia, firing a one-hit shutout over Spain and going 4-for-5 with a stolen base, two runs, and a trio of ribbies from the leadoff spot. David Bartoň had a triple and two singles alongside a pair of markers and three RBI.
Down 1-0 against Austria, France responded loudly, scoring 10 runs in the bottom of the first and coasting to an easy victory. Luca Bernardi was excellent on the mound, permitting an unearned run on three hits and no free passes, chipping in a double and a walk from the cleanup spot.
Hungary improved to 2-2 after scoring all its runs in the first three innings. Israel’s Yair Brous was dogged in relief, throwing six innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts, but his offense could only muster two runs itself in that time. Dorián Larson had a two-run double, two walks, and three RBI for the Magyars. With two outs in the seventh and the tying run at the plate, two-way star Márkó Morua came in for the save, preserving a ‘W’ for Zalán Atwood.
Finally, Belgium came from behind to defeat the Polish Baseball nine in a game of close margins. The two sides combined for only nine hits and six walks, but despite triples from Adam Sarota and Marceli Buchacz, Joe Spurgeon ensured that Poland could not make much of them. The right-hander struck out nine in a complete-game effort. Aaron Sluys had a run-scoring double for the victors.
Box scores can be found here [link]. Our coverage of the U18 Baseball Euros includes: Preview [link], Day 1 [link], Day 2 [link].
Group A Schedule and Results
July 16
Austria 1 – France 13 (5)
Hungary 5 – Israel 3
Great Britain 6 – Italy 16 (6)
July 17
France – Great Britain
Israel – Austria
Italy – Hungary
Group B Schedule and Results
July 16
Netherlands 3 – Germany 5
Czech Republic 15 – Spain 0 (5)
Poland 2 – Belgium 5
July 17
Spain – Netherlands
Germany – Poland
Belgium – Czech Republic
Group A Standings
| Team | W-L | RF | RA |
| Italy | 4-0 | 45 | 15 |
| France | 3-1 | 33 | 15 |
| Great Britain | 2-2 | 35 | 35 |
| Hungary | 2-2 | 23 | 31 |
| Austria | 1-3 | 28 | 39 |
| Israel | 0-4 | 8 | 37 |
Group B Standings
| Team | W-L | RF | RA |
| Germany | 4-0 | 41 | 12 |
| Netherlands | 3-1 | 32 | 8 |
| Czech Republic | 2-2 | 36 | 27 |
| Spain | 2-2 | 20 | 25 |
| Belgium | 1-3 | 8 | 40 |
| Poland | 0-4 | 15 | 40 |