Group Poland started games for the Baseball European Qualifier on July 24 in Kutno at the Little League EMEA Training Center. This group consists of four teams: Poland, Lithuania, Romania, and Finland. Day 3 of the Serbia Group also took place on July 24.
Group Poland
Lithuania 8, Poland 3
Lithuania broke a 3-3 tie and took over the game in the seventh with a home run from right fielder Martynas Sadzevicius against Poland relief pitcher and third baseman Jakub Wojtczak. Lithuania extended their lead 7-3 on a two-run double from first baseman Tomas Valincius. Villius Paikovas picked up the win, pitching two scoreless innings out of the bullpen for Lithuania. Wojtczak had a home run and two RBI for Poland. The hosts dropped to 0-1, and Lithuania is 1-0.
Romania 9, Finland 0
Romania took control of the game in the seventh with a five-run frame to take a 6-0 lead. The big blow was a grand slam from shortstop Razvan Ivan against Finland reliever and third baseman Toivio Tommi. Ivan was 1-for-3 with six RBI and powered Romania’s 9-0 win. Romania starting pitcher Eduard Pirvu pitched a complete game shutout with eight strikeouts. Romania is 1-0, and Finland is 0-1.
Schedule:
Lithuania 1-0 will play Romania 1-0 at 6 a.m. ET on July 25.
Finland 0-1 will play Poland 0-1 at noon ET on July 25.
Group Serbia Day 3- Serbia 6, Slovenia 2
Serbia started the game in their favor with a two-run home run at the top of the first inning from Alex Rivera against Slovenia’s starting pitcher Gantar Tevz. Rivera added another RBI single against Tevz in the fifth to give Serbia a 4-1 lead. Tevz pitched a complete game and took the loss, allowing six runs, five earned, and striking out eight batters. Serbia’s starting pitcher, Nikolas Jukovic, won, pitching five innings with two runs allowed, zero earned runs, and five strikeouts. Serbia is 2-1 and Slovenia is 2-1.
Hungary 13, Slovakia 1 (7 innings)
Hungary immediately put the game out of reach with a five-run first, led by a two-run home run by first baseman Graeham Luttor against Slovakia starting pitcher Martin Gieci. Shortstop Balint Piros added another home run in the third to give Hungary an 8-0 lead. Piros had a huge game, going 3-for-4 with three RBI. Hungary’s starting pitcher went the full seven innings in the 13-1 mercy and struck out seven batters. Hungary is 2-0 and Slovakia is 0-2.
Schedule:
Hungary 2-0 will play Slovenia 2-1 at 5 a.m. ET on July 25.
Turkey 0-2 will play Slovakia at 10 a.m ET on July 25
Group Ireland will begin the third qualifier on July 25.
All games can be streamed live through www.baseballeurope.tv.
