U-18 European Championship 2018: Dutch beat Italy in seven, advance to final

Today, the Dutch cruised through seven innings as they beat Italy 12-2. In the lion’s den, the Dutch were way too strong for the host nation. Solid hitting and a pristine outing by Sem Robberse, laid the foundation for this easy victory.

After the Dutch scored on a passed ball in the first inning, Italy tied the game at one in the top of the fourth and scored another run in the top of the fifth. But for every run the Italians scored, the Kingdom of the Netherlands scored three so they walked away to a 7-2 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, Mick Vos doubled home Shuruengelo Mingeli to extend the score to 8-2. Eventually, the Dutch dealt the final blow in the seventh. Jeandro Tromp drew a leadoff walk and scored on Tyler Boersma’s double to right field. After Darryl Collins was hit by a pitch, Denzel Bryson homered to left field to finish the game in seven innings.

#TeamKingdomNL U18 versloeg in de halve finale van het EK Italië via de mercy rule. Mede dankzij deze walk-off homerun van Denzel Bryson!
Morgen de finale! Get it, boys! #nlhonkbal #OranjeZomer pic.twitter.com/chwWI78GKL

— HonkbalSoftbalNL (@HonkbalSoftbal) July 14, 2018

As written in the introduction, Sem Robberse pitched a complete game gem. He allowed two runs on seven hits, struck out two and did not issue a walk. Only in the fifth Robberse got in a jam as he loaded the bases. Italy managed to score one run but he managed to get out of the inning without further damage. The Italian pitching struggled quite a bit as they gave up eleven walks and threw six wild pitches.

The Dutch lineup collected eleven hits of which five were extra-base hits (three doubles, one triple and a home run).  Darryl Collins and Nolan Beugeling both went 2 for 3. Collins hit a triple and drove in two runs and scored once. Beugeling had one RBI and scored once.

The Dutch will face Spain or the Czech Republic who will play the other semifinal later today.