The Paris University Club won a slugfest Sunday morning 11-5 over the host Stuttgart Reds to start day three of the Palomino European Zone Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. Paris used 11 hits (eight for extra bases) and took advantage of three Reds errors that resulted in six runs to improve its tournament record to 2-1.
Paris got off to a solid start thanks to a few Stuttgart miscues, when, in the bottom of the first, Pierre Monbeig sharply hit a line drive to right field and the ball was misplayed on the bounce by the Reds right fielder, allowing Paul Stukas to score from first. On the play, Monbeig advanced all the way to third. On the next at-bat, Jules Diego Rabearivelo reached on an error and advanced to second, scoring Monbeig (2-0). After a walk to Kevin Khemache, Paul Bird crushed a two-RBI double to center field, completing the scoring for the inning.
Errors plagued Paris in the top of the second, when the first two Reds in the order reached on errors. With runners on first and third, Fabio Arnold took off for second to steal and the ball was overthrown into the outfield, allowing Konrad Titus Klein to score and Arnold to take third. The Reds’ Jonas Van Bergen singled, scoring Klein. During the next at-bat, van Bergen stole second. Frido Fink singled to right field and brought home Klein, completing the scoring for the inning (4-3).
In the bottom of the third, Erwan Prieur led off the inning with a double and later scored when Kevin Khemache reached on an error. Paul Bird and Lucas Khemache both recorded RBI doubles in the inning, as Paris made it a more comfortable lead at 7-3. In the top of the fourth, the Reds got a run back, when Fink tripled to right field, scoring Lukas Panten. Another RBI double by Prieur in the bottom of the fourth once again made it a four-run game in Paris’ favor.
In the top of the fifth with runners on first and second, Stuttgart’s Fabio Arnold hit a deep shot to right field for a hit. He took off for second expecting the runners to keep going, but Arnold was quickly caught in a run down. A smart base running play by Arnold, he stayed in the run down long enough to allow Fabi Beck to score from third (8-5 Paris).
The French finally broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to a two-out rally. Samy Jamous doubled and Prieur walked, before Rabearivelo doubled to right field, as Jamous scored on the play. Kevin Khemache followed suit with a double of his own, scoring both Prieur and Rabearivelo, making it an 11-5 game that proved to be the final score.
Prieur was solid in relief for Paris, going three innings full, allowing just one run on five hits, while striking out one.
Van Bergen led the Reds at the plate, going 3-for-4, while four players each recorded two hits for Paris. Bird paced the French with three RBI.
Watch the gallery from our photographer Iris Drobny here