The U18 European Championship 2016 started on Monday in Gijon, Spain. Four games of the first round were on the schedule on opening day. Both games in Group A ended due to ten-run rule with defending title holder Italy and Germany defeating Sweden and Great Britain in the morning. The two contests in Group B meanwhile were pretty close. Lithuania prevailed 10-9 over Russia. The Netherlands edged out Spain.
Italy – Sweden 12-2 (7)
Italy scored ten runs in the fifth inning of a 12-2 win over Sweden in the opener of the U18 European Championship in Gijon. Italy led 2-1 after three innings. The big rally was aided by a couple of errors on the opening play of the frame. However afterwards Italy pounded out nine hits in the innings to blow the score open. Cesare Astorri went 3-for-4 with a double, three runs scored and a RBI. Bor Starc drove in three. Oscar Tucci earned the win with a scoreless seventh. Jack Keeler conceded four hits, five runs (3 ER) and three walks in 4 1/3 innings.
Great Britain – Germany 1-11 (7)
Germany scored four runs apiece in the first and the sixth to beat Great Britain 11-1 in seven innings. Similar to last year’s U18 European Championship both teams met on the first day and the outcome was the same. Lucas Dunn went 3-for-5 with three RBI. Samuel Steigert collected three hits and two RBI. Philipp Meyer struck out seven in six innings to pick up the win. John Hall Walsh allowed four hits, five runs (4 ER) and three walks in three innings to take the loss.
Lithuania – Russia 10-9
Lithuania beat Russia 10-9 in the afternoon game on Monday in Gijon. Lithuania scored all of its ten runs in the bottom of the third. Russia had led 3-0 at that point in the game. They also put two runs on the board in the fourth and four in the sixth. Russia put more runners on afterwards, but weren’t able to tie the game. Dziugas Gavrilcikas gave up six hits, nine runs and eight walks in five-plus innings, but still ended up with the win. He also drove in two at the plate. Norvydas Zukauskas had two RBI as well. Gytis Morkunas struck out five in four scoreless three-hit innings. Nikita Laykov collected three hits, three runs and two RBI for Russia. Daniil Peredelskii got charged with nine hits, ten runs (1 ER) and a base on balls in four-plus innings to take the loss.
Netherlands – Spain 10-5
The Netherlands held off Spain 10-5 in the evening game on day one at the U18 European Championship. It was a back-and-forth battle, as the Dutch team built up a quick 3-0 lead after three innings. However Spain answered and tied the contest until the end of the fifth. After the Netherlands broke the tie in the sixth, the tournament host even got ahead 5-4 in the top of the seventh. But last year’s vice champion had the last word, scoring five runs in the bottom of the same frame to get on winning lane. Koen Halderman led all batters with three hits, three runs and two RBI. Adrian Escolano and Eloi Puigferrer had two RBI each for Spain.
Schedule Day 2
The complete schedule, live play by play and all statistics are available through www.baseballstats.eu. The official website of the tournament and the Facebook page of the local baseball federation are offering further information.