(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
   Netherlands Cadets win against Czechs to stay unbeaten
Nederlands
  WIENER NEUSTADT / ROHRBACH IN OBERÖSTERREICH (Austria) -
The Netherlands Cadets Team won 11-6 on Friday-afternoon (July 21) against reigning champion Czech Republic to stay unbeaten in the Under-15 European Championship Cadets in Austria.
With the win, the Orange-squad finished on first place of Pool A.
The team now will play in the Semi-Final on Saturday-afternoon against the second-best team of Pool B.
Its opponent was decided on Friday-evening in the match-up between Italy and Germany.
After trailing 3-1, Germany won 9-5 to finish in a tie with France.
As Germany had won the head-to-head game, it finished in first place.
That meant that France finished second in Pool B and will play against the Netherlands.
When Italy would have won, France would be the Pool-winner.
With that, Italy would have been the opponent of the Netherlands, but it is now eliminated for the top-4.
Germany meets the Czech Republic in the other Semi-Final.
In today's game, the Netherlands faced a 4-1 deficit halfway the third inning, but then rallied for six runs to turn the game its way.
The Orange-squad then added four more insurance runs in the sixth at bat.
The Czechs took an 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, scoring an unearned run, but the Dutch defense also turned a double play.
The Czechs also made a double play in the bottom of the first inning, but also saw the Orange-squad come alongside.
Raydley Legito led off with an infield-hit, moved on a walk and a double play-grounder, then scored on a wild pitch.
The Czechs re-took the lead in the second inning and added two more runs in the third at bat to make it a 4-1 score.
The Netherlands got the bases loaded with two outs in the second inning.
Luuk Bun, Gio de Graauw and (after a pitching change) Legito then all walked, but they were left behind when Tyriq Kemp flied out.
Trailing 4-1, the Netherlands rallied for six runs on only two hits in the bottom of the third inning to turn the game its way.
The bases got loaded when Emile Haswell, Chris Stuart and Ayran Araya Lemaire all began the inning with walks.
With one out, a run was scored when Luca Pastor was hit by a pitch.
A single by Luuk Bun and a walk for Lucas Vos then made it a 4-4 tie.
Wit the bases still loaded and no outs, apitching change followed.
The Netherlands then took a 6-4 lead thanks to a 2-run single by Legito and added another run on a sacrifice fly by Kemp.
In the sixth, the Netherlands increased the lead to 11-4 by scoring four more runs.
An error led to the first run, then a double by Stuart and single by Araya Lemaire brought in the next runs.
A grounder by Pastor made it 11-4.
The Czechs were held scoreless by reliever Lucas Vos from the fourth inning on, but managed to score two more runs in the top of the seventh and got the bases loaded when the at bat ended.
With that, the four runs the Dutch scored in the sixth were true insurance runs.
In the seventh, the first two Czech-batters reached base.
With one out and these runners on second and third base, a run was scored on an error with one out.
After a force play at the plate, the next run was scored on a basesloaded walk.
With the score now at 11-6 and the bases still loaded, Danny Albinus took over the pitching.
He got a flyout that ended the inning and the game to earn a save.
(July 21)
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