Day Three of the U18 European championship saw France claims its first victory, Spain its second, and host Italy its third to take the top spot in Group A.
In the morning contest on Day Three, Spain shut out the Czech Republic 10-0 (box score), securing the mercy rule victory after just five innings. Aided by three errors and 10 walks, the Spanish needed just five hits to score their 10 runs, with Jesús Montaño providing two of the hits and four RBI. In turn, the Czechs managed just one hit off Spanish starter Diego Jiménez, who struck out 11 batters in a complete game performance.
In Game Two, France defeated Lithuania handily 19-9 (box score), with the French scoring seven runs in both the second and third innings to take an insurmountable lead. French base runners stole 13 bases, led by the middle infielders Joseph Toubeaux (2B) and Mathis Meurant (SS), who stole three apiece. The two players, batting 1-2 in the lineup, each collected three hits and scored three times.
The nightcap was the highlight of Day Three action, with host Italy defeating the Netherlands 7-5 (box score) to claim their third victory of the tournament. The Dutch opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom half of the first, but the Italians responded with three runs in the second and another set of three runs in the following inning. The Dutch pitching staff walked 10 batters, with control of the strike zone a key factor in the six-run Italian rally. The Italian pitchers, on the other hand, allowed just two walks and, supported by a solid defense, scattered eight hits on their way to securing the squad the top spot in Group A.
Day Four action has Austria (0-2) facing the Czech Republic (0-2) at 15:00 (CEST), followed by the Netherlands (1-1) vs. France (1-1) at 16:00 (CEST), and under the floodlights at 20:00 (CEST), Israel (1-1) will take on undefeated Italy (3-0).
For a summary of the previous days’ action, go here (Day 1, Day 2), and for complete standings and statistics and links to live streams, visit the WBSC Europe competition page.
STANDINGS
| Group A | ||||
| W | L | Runs | Runs Allowed | |
| Italy | 3 | 0 | 41 | 11 |
| France | 1 | 1 | 25 | 22 |
| Israel | 1 | 1 | 14 | 19 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 1 | 23 | 7 |
| Lithuania | 0 | 3 | 10 | 54 |
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| Group B | ||||
| W | L | Runs | Runs Allowed | |
| Spain | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Germany | 2 | 2 | 16 | 5 |
| Austria | 0 | 2 | 2 | 24 |
| Czech Republic | 0 | 2 | 3 | 14 |