Netherlands tops Italy to win U-18 European Championship, both advance to WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup

Netherlands tops Italy to win U-18 European Championship, both advance to WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup
12/07/2021
The Dutch used a five-run final inning to power past rival Italy, 6-2.

The Netherlands beat host Italy, 6-2, in the final of the 2021 U-18 European Baseball Championship in Macerata. Both the Netherlands and Italy -- as the European champion and runner-up -- have qualified for the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup.

The U-18 European final was locked at 1-1 after six innings. In the top of the seventh, the Dutch got to Italian reliever Edoardo Zingarelli and opened the score with five runs on four hits. Jesse Velders hit a two-RBI double, and Sem Kuijper hit a two-out, three-RBI double.

Reliever Stijn van der Schaaf earned the win for the Netherlands, going 4.1 innings and allowing only one run in the bottom of the seventh.

In the bronze medal game, Germany beat Spain, 10-0.

The WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup is scheduled from 10 to 19 September in Bradenton, Florida.

Korea, Chinese Taipei and Japan were the first teams to be awarded the right to participate in the 2021 WBSC Baseball World Cup, as the U-18 Asian Championship was cancelled.

U-18 Baseball World Cup