A seven-run sixth inning gave Germany the boost it needed to get past a tenacious South Africa, 11-5, setting the stage for a clash between Germany and its European rival Czechia on Tuesday. The two squads played a series of friendlies to prepare for the tournament and will meet in Regensburg at 13:00 (CEST) on Tuesday to determine whose WBC dreams can live another day.
The winner will advance to take on the loser of Tuesday night’s contest (19:00 CEST) between Great Britain and Spain, with the winner of Wedensday’s final game of the Regensburg qualifying tournament claiming the second and final ticket to the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Germany v. South Africa (box score)
The game was tied at two apiece entering the sixth inning, with the subdued home crowd, amid the cold and drizzle, certainly wondering whether South Africa, the lowest ranked team in the tournament, might be on the verge of an upset.
Fortunately for the crowd in Regensburg, Germany’s bats shook off the elements, scoring seven runs in the sixth inning, five of them scoring via the long ball, to take a 9-2 lead that the Germans would add on to in the seventh.
William Germaine, who played this past season for the Tübingen Hawks of the German Bundesliga, started the festivities in the sixth by displaying the power he is known for domestically, driving a ball over the left-field fence to give Germany the lead. A defensive miscue and a Kevin Kotowski single added two more runs, before Demetrius Moorer hit a high fly ball to center field that the wind carried over the fence, scoring three runs, with Aaron Altherr contributing a solo homer for the seventh and final run in the inning.
Moorer homered again in the seventh, the two-run blast giving him five RBI on the day, while the native Canadian Germaine, who was able to suit up for Germany after his recent wedding to a German citizen, went 3-for-4, with a double to go along with his solo homer.
Germany vs. Czechia
All told, Germany’s batters collected 15 hits against South Africa, with Marco Cardoso and Lucas Dunn each contributing two apiece. The squad will now hope to take the momentum from the latter half of the game into Tuesday’s clash with Czechia.
The Czechs suffered a 21-7 defeat on Day 2 against Spain but rebounded to defeat France convincingly on Day 3.