Germany earned its first win on the the first day of second round action at the Under-12 Baseball World Cup, taking on a South African baseball team that showed some late fight. Meanwhile, Czech Republic kept things close until late in its game against Australia. Japan, Taiwan, and U.S.A. earned important victories in Super Round play.
The German baseball team jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first thanks to back-to-back-to-back singles from Felix Kaneko, Jonah Rousseau, and Miloš Schumacher to start the game. A hit by Artin Krischok, an error, and a wild pitch led to two more in the fourth.
After a sixth run in the fifth and Kaneko cruising on the mound, it looked like Germany’s U12 baseballers would finish off a shutout, but South Africa broke through in the top of the sixth. After a one-out walk and a hit batter, Luke de Lange singled to load the bases, forcing a pitching change. A wild pitch plated one runner for the South African baseball team, with two more scoring on an error. Pitcher Mona Brauch recovered, though, and young Deutschland baseball team took the 6-3 victory.
In the second game of the day for Europe, the Czech baseball squad jumped to a 1-0 lead in the second against Australia, trading single runs with the Aussies in the fourth to cling to a 2-1 margin to start the fifth. Unfortunately for Baseball Czech, Australia broke through in a big way, posting five runs in the frame and adding another five an inning later. The final was 11-2.
The Consolation Round finished with an 8-2 victory for Cuba over Panamá.
Among Super Round teams, the U.S. took a few innings to get going against Mexico before scoring five runs over the final two frames to win 7-1. Japan shut out South Korea, permitting only one hit in a 4-1 victory, while Taiwan best the D.R., 9-4. All but Mexico and the Dominican Republic are 2-1, setting up a fascinating next few days.
Consolation Round Standings
Cuba: 3-0
Australia: 2-1
Panamá: 2-1
Czech Republic: 1-2
Germany: 1-2
South Africa: 0-3
Super Round Standings
Japan: 2-1
South Korea: 2-1
Taiwan: 2-1
U.S.A.: 2-1
Mexico: 1-2
Dominican Republic: 0-3
For more on the U12 Baseball World Cup, see our preview [link], Day 1 results [link], Day 2 results [link], Day 3 results [link], Day 4 results [link], Day 5 results [link], and Day 6 results [link].