The second of two qualifiers for the Under-23 European Baseball Championship commenced this morning in Valencia, Spain. Two of the four total groups in the B-Pool will be contested at the Camp Municipal de Beisbol i Sofbol de València, with the other pair in Germany. Group A in the Spain qualifier consists of Croatia, Israel, Slovakia, and Türkiye, while Group B features Greece, Spain, and Switzerland. The top two teams in each pool will advance to the semifinal.
The day opened with a bang, as Akiva Espstein (1 IP), Adam Ilan (2 IP), and Michael Savino (1 IP) tossed a combined no-hitter for Israel against Türkiye, with Nadav Machlin and Jake Arnow both smashing home runs. Arnow was 3-for-3 with four runs and a quartet of ribbies, adding a double to his longball.
Young Jakub Križan carried on where he left off for Slovakia at the Baseball Euros B-Pool last week, mashing two doubles and a single, driving in five. Only 16, the lefty-swinging first baseman hit .571/.667/.810 against adult competition in Poland, playing a crucial role in qualifying Slovakia for the European Baseball Championship. Maxim Samson pitched a four-hit shutout for the ‘W’.
Switzerland scored in three different innings, but Spain’s offense was just too powerful, and the Iberians pulled away late. In the seventh inning—the final frame at the Under-23 level and all youth levels in WBSC tournaments—both Eusebio Salas and Andrés Peña homered. The former had an unusual day, going 1-for-1 with four runs, three RBI, and a walk, also hitting a sacrifice fly and draw three plunkings, resulting in a 1.000/.833/4.000 line for the day.
Box scores are available here [link]. Coverage of the U23 Baseball Euros Germany Qualifier can be found here [link].
Group A Schedule and Results
Aug. 4
Türkiye 0 – Israel 18 (4)
Slovakia 12 – Croatia 0 (5)
Aug. 5
Türkiye – Croatia
Israel – Slovakia
Group B Schedule and Results
Aug. 4
Spain 16 – Switzerland 3
Aug. 5
Switzerland – Greece
Group A Standings
| Team | W-L | RF | RA |
| Israel | 1-0 | 18 | 0 |
| Slovakia | 1-0 | 12 | 0 |
| Croatia | 0-1 | 0 | 12 |
| Türkiye | 0-1 | 0 | 18 |
Group B Standings
| Team | W-L | RF | RA |
| Spain | 1-0 | 16 | 3 |
| Greece | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| Switzerland | 0-1 | 3 | 16 |