The Netherlands have defended their title at the U18 European Championship in Grosseto, Italy. They defeated Spain 6-3 in the championship game on Sunday evening in a meeting of previously undefeated teams in the tournament. Both teams are qualified for the 2019 WBSC U18 Baseball World Cup in Korea.
The Dutch team opened the scoring in the first and led 4-0 after four innings and still 6-0 after eight. Spain’s bats didn’t come alive until the final inning. Four consecutive hits to lead off the frame initiated a rally, which came to a abrupt halt on a double play and a strikeout to end the game.
The Czech Republic finished in third place after prevailing 4-3 against host Italy on Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile Great Britain and Ukraine ended up in 9th and 10th place and will have to requalify for the A-Pool next year. Germany and Lithuania avoided relegation in 7th and 8th place.
Nolan Beugeling of the Netherlands was named Most Valuable Player for the U18 European Championship. His teammate Luuk Ter Beek got the award for the Best Pitcher. Frank Hernandez of Spain was named Best Batter.
Results Day 7:
Final Standings:
Complete results, box scores and statistics are available at www.baseballstats.eu