After two days at the European Championship in Hoofddorp, four teams remain undefeated. In Group A the Czech Republic downed Great Britain 4-1 on Saturday, while the Netherlands beat Germany 10-2. In Group B Italy prevailed 6-3 over France and Spain blew by Greece 12-1. In the other two matchups Sweden and Belgium picked up their first win apiece. The Scandinavians celebrated an 8-1 win over Russia. The Red Hawks edged out Croatia 5-1.
First-round play continues on Sunday with Spain taking on Croatia and Czech Republic hosting Sweden in the morning. In the afternoon France squares off against Greece, the Netherlands face Russia and Germany hopes to rebound against Great Britain. In the evening Italy looks to hold off Belgium.
Player of the Day:
Alessandro Vaglio (Italy). He went 2-for-2 with two walks, a home run, a double and four runs scored. He also stole two bases.
Stat of the Day:
1 strikeout each. In the game between Belgium and Croatia both teams combined for 79 plate appearances. However only two players struck out in the contest. Ross Vuckovichwent down swining in the second for Croatia. Dennis Ribbins went down looking for Belgium in the eighth.
Story of the Day:
41-year-old right-hander Rob Cordemans (Netherlands) missed more than a year due to a shoulder injury. After throwing a couple of innings at the end of the Hoofdklasse season and during the Yoshida Challenge he dominated Germany through five innings with six strikeouts as if he hadn’t missed any time.
Fact of the Day:
The Netherlands are hosting a European Championship for the tenth time. They have won seven of their nine “own” tournaments so far. Italy beat them on their soil in 1977 and 2012.
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