Home
Belgium’s National Team scored early and often and won a decisive 10-run game 16-6 against Poland’s National Team to end day one. Belgium’s Zion De Brauwer hit a three-run home run to break open the scoring in the bottom of the first. The Polish countered in the top of the second with five runs of their own, as both Batlomiej Kopanski and Patrick Zajac recorded RBI singles. Arthur Heymans tripled, scoring Ferre Vanhees in the bottom of the second, and then the Belgians scored nine runs in the third thanks to three hits, two errors, two hit batsmen and a walk. K. van Hevel was solid on the mound in his four innings of relief. He allowed one unearned run on one hit and one run, while striking out four for the win. Every player for Belgium had a hit, while De Brauwer led Belgium with four RBI. Belgium will take on the Stuttgart Reds, looking to go 2-0, at 5:30 p.m. Poland battles the Paris University Club tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. local time Stuttgart.
The most competitive game of the day witnessed Netherlands United drop the Swiss National Team 6-2 in the third game of day one. The Netherlands scored two runs apiece in their first two frames. Floyd Droog scored Boris De Voos and Lucas Erkeland on his single in the first. Jurre Kamp and De Voos both scored in the second, when Erkeland reached on an error. It was smooth sailing through three innings on the mound for Lucca Van der Schouw, who picked up the win. He didn’t allow a run or a hit, while walking one and striking out four. Mitchel Colina connected on an RBI single, scoring Droog, in the top of the fourth to make it 5-0 Netherlands.
Equally as impressive offensively as their countrymen from Stuttgart, the Paderborn Untouchables routed the North State Warriors 15-1 in game two. Paderborn exploded for nine runs in the top of the first inning, as it took advantage of three North State errors, while collecting seven hits. Merlin Bendlin led off the game with a double and Zan Primozic followed his hit up with a triple, which sparked the offense. Both hitters finished the game an impressive 7-for-7 with six runs scored and seven RBI, while Bendlin hit a home run.
Host Stuttgart, Germany rolled to victory over the defending European Zone Champion Paris University Club in the tournament’s first game 20-0. The Reds broke open the game in the top of the first inning, when they scored eight runs. They would later do the same in the top of the fourth. The top-three hitters in the Reds’ order, Fabian Beck, Fridolin Fink and Moritz van Bergen all recorded multi-hit, mutli-RBI games, as both Fink and van Bergen knocked two doubles each on the day. Stuttgart split the pitching duties between four players, who worked five innings, led by Yannick Witt, who got the win.