With three teams in title contention with five games remaining at the Palomino European Zone Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, every out mattered on championship Monday. After it was all said and done, two teams (Paris University Club and the London Mets) finished with 4-1 overall tournament records, but because of Paris’s 10-7 head-to-head victory over London yesterday, the French owned the tournament tiebreaker and won their first-ever Palomino European Zone title.
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An eight-run bottom of the second inning, highlighted by a three-run home run by Tomoya Kakita, ignited the host Stuttgart Reds’ offense to 12 runs in the final game of the Palomino European Zone Championships, as they won 12-5 over the Swiss National Team. The victory gave the Reds the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Swiss for the tournament’s third place. The loss gave Paris University Club the title, because of its head-to-head victory over the London Mets Sunday.
The Swiss got off to a hot start in the game’s first inning, scoring runs on a Sven Ambhl ground out, a Luka Ivanisevic RBI single and a Jonah Schaller RBI double (3-0). The bottom of the second is when Stuttgart really took control of the game’s momentum.
An eight-run top of the first inning propelled Paris University Club to victory 14-3 over Brabant United Monday afternoon, as the French were able to take advantage of eight Brabant United errors in the game as well.
In the top of the first, Paris used five hits (two for extra bases), three Brabant United errors and two walks to score its eight runs. Erwan Prieur, Kevin Khemache, Jules Diego Rabearivelo, Arthur Dionnet and Phillip Bird all picked up RBIs in the inning. Brabant United got a run back in the bottom of the first, when Ties Olijslagers doubled home Tobias Van Schooneveld to make it 8-1 Paris.
London used 17 hits to tally 17 runs in the team’s decisive victory Monday afternoon over the East Europe All-Stars 17-1 in four innings, thanks in part to a nine-run rally in the bottom of the fourth.
Six players recorded multiple hits and multiple RBI in the game for the Mets. Freddy Mosier was a perfect 3-for-3 with a triple, double, three RBI and four runs scored, while leading the team with six total bases. Joe Perez was also perfect, going 4-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored.
The host Stuttgart Reds struck early and never allowed their opponent Brabant United to extend a rally in their 11-3 victory Monday morning.
The Reds shot out to a four-run lead in the top of the first, when Jonas Van Bergen led off the game with a double and Fabi Beck drove him in on a single to right field. Benedikt Schaffer walked. Two at-bats later, Beck and Schaffer stole. Beck came around to score on the overthrow and Schaffer took third. Amando Dossow singled in Schaffer and Dossow later scored from second on a fielder’s choice play to complete the scoring for the inning.