Cover photo by Christopher Anasagasti
The action began with Sweden delivering a commanding 10-0 win over Hungary. Switzerland edged out Denmark in a close game, winning 8-7, coming from a 1-7 deficit.
In the game between Italy and Israel, Italy took an early lead, scoring one run in the first inning and another in the second. After a scoreless stretch, Israel responded in the fourth inning with two runs. Italy added three more runs in the sixth inning. Israel managed to score one more in the seventh, but it wasn't enough to overcome Italy's lead, resulting in a final score of 5-3 in favor of Italy.
Ukraine won their opening round group with a 9-2 victory over Bulgaria. Poland defeated Malta 7-1.
Great Britain showcased their skill with an 8-1 win over Greece. Austria mirrored that score with an 8-1 victory against Croatia. Slovakia finished the morning session with a decisive 10-0 win over Finland.
In the afternoon, France continued their undefeated streak by beating Germany 9-2.
In the game between Czechia and Spain, Czechia started strong by scoring two runs in the first inning and extending their lead with three more runs in the fifth inning. Spain loaded the bases in the seventh inning and managed to get on the board with a single run but Czechia secured a 5-1 victory.
Great Britain narrowly defeated Israel 4-3 in a thrilling matchup. Great Britain took an early lead by scoring four runs in the first inning. Israel managed to respond in the fifth inning with three runs, narrowing the gap, but Great Britain held on to win the game 4-3.
Italy maintained their winning form with a 7-0 victory against Greece.
France dominated Austria with a 7-0 score in their final game of the day. The match between Belgium and Ukraine ended 6-10 for the Ukrainian national team.
In the memorable night game between Czechia and the Netherlands, Czechia took an early lead by scoring one run in the first inning: the leadoff KAVANOVÁ reached on a single, advanced on two productive outs, and scored on a wild pitch. After four long innings, the Netherlands responded with one run to tie the game: BEERS walked, reached second on a sacrifice hit, and scored on a single by VAN DALEN. In the bottom of the seventh inning, with the bases loaded and two outs, OOSTING scored the winning run for the Netherlands on a wild pitch.
Czech pitcher Veronika PECKOVÁ had an impressive outing, throwing a total of 105 pitches in the night game after already pitching 108 earlier in the day against Spain. For the Dutch, starting pitcher HOP threw 5.2 innings, allowing four hits and one earned run. GIRIGORIE came in as a relief pitcher and delivered an impressive 1.1 innings, allowing no hits or runs and striking out three batters.
Today, the final 12 teams in Europe were decided. While eight teams were pre-qualified as top finishers from 2022, four additional teams secured their spots in Groups X and Y by winning their opening round groups: France, Belgium, Ukraine, and Austria.
In the current standings for Group X of the Women's Softball European Championship 2024, France and the Netherlands are tied at the top, each with a perfect record of 2-0. Czechia is close behind with a 2-1 record, just half a game back. Austria, Spain, and Germany are yet to secure a win, each standing at 0-1 and 0-2, respectively.
In Group Y, Italy leads with a strong 3-0 record, remaining undefeated. Ukraine is 1-0. Great Britain follows with a 2-1 record. Greece is in fifth place with a 1-2 record. Belgium and Israel are in fifth place, still searching for their first win.
Games of the Women's Softball European Championship 2024 can be watched live on softballeurope.tv. The tournament pass is available at €29.99, while a single game is €7.99. Live play-by-play is available through the WBSC Europe website.
