On the second day of the 2021 European Championship of Baseball, the following games were scheduled: Sweden @ Slovakia, Austria @ Greece, Croatia @ Ukraine, Spain @ Germany, Great Britain @ Russia, Israel @ France, Italy @ Belgium, Netherlands @ Czech Republic.
Sweden 11 – 0 Slovakia
In the matchup between two countries that lost their first game, Sweden stayed at the right side of the score. In fact, the Swedes blew away the debuting country and finished the job in seven innings. After Sweden took a slim 1-0 lead in the second inning, Slovakia could keep track for two innings. But in the fifth, the Swedes had a monster inning that was de decisive blow for Slovakia. Singles by Trolle Brandt, Markus Medelez, Tommy Lindell, Joel Johnson, and (once again) Trolle Brandt, doubles by Peter Johannessen and Niklas Melin and a fielding error led to ten runs for the Scandinavians.
Oskar Syrén, the brother of Jacob, earned the win. He pitched a complete game in which he shut out the Slovakians, allowed seven hits and struck out seven. Michal Pulskar took the loss. In 4.1 innings, he gave up six runs on nine hits and four walks and struck out two. 
Tolle Brandt was the best Swedish hitter today as he went 3 for 5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored.
Austria 13 – 14 Greece
After upsetting Belgium on the previous day, the Austrians were on their way to another upset but eventually the Alpine country could not cling on to a lead and lost in extra innings.
Trailing 2-1, going into the seventh inning, the Austrians scored three runs, followed by another three-run inning in the eighth. But Greece bounced back by scoring three in the bottom of the eighth and two in the ninth to tie the game. In the tenth inning, both team scored five (!) runs. In the twelfth inning, Austria took the lead again when Felix Zimmerle scored on a passed ball. But the All-American Greek team scored twice in the bottom of the twelfth thanks to two Austrian miscues.
Dimitrios Kourtis pitched two innings for the win. He gave up one unearned run and struck out four. Nico Schadler took the loss. In 2.2 innings, he surrendered seven runs (three
earned) on four hits and a walk and struck out two.
Nick Halamandaris was the best hitter for Greece. He went 3 for 4 with a double and a run scored.
Croatia 9 – 3 Ukraine
For three innings, Ukraine could dream about clinching its first win of the tournament but in the eighth inning, Croatia scored the game-tying run.
In the ninth, the pitching of Ukraine imploded and Croatia took advantage.
An RBI double by Jose Herrera, a sac fly by Petar Jure Rumora, an RBI single by Ronald Anthony Krsolovic, and a bases-loaded walk by Kruno Gojkovic drove in six runs.
Despite the box score claiming that Andrew Jones earned the win after six innings, Antonio Horvatic earned the win. After six innings, Ukraine was still in the lead, so Jones never could earn the win. Horvatic pitched three perfect innings in relief in which he struck out one.
Andrii Kostashchuk took the loss. In 1.1 inning, he gave up seven runs on seven hits. 
Ronald Anthony Krsolovic was the best Croatian hitter as he went 3 for 3 with two doubles, four RBI and a run scored.
Spain 15 – 2 Germany
Germany was no match for the team that was loaded with players from South and Central America. In seven innings Spain ended Germany’s suffering.
Until the seventh inning, the Germans could relatively keep pace as they trailed 6-1. But a monster seventh frame ended the game prematurely.
RBI singles by Edison Valerio (2x) and Lesther Galvan, a grand slam home run by Leonmartires Rodriguez and a wild pitch led to a nine-run seventh inning.
Andres Perez earned the win after 1.1 inning in relief in which he gave up a hit and a walk and struck out one. Sven Schüller took the loss after five innings in which he gave up five
runs on six hits and two walks and struck out three.
Edison Valerio was Spain’s best hitter as he went 4 for 5 with a double, three RBI and three runs scored.
Great Britain 6 – 7 Russia
Russia could keep a team with a bit less than 50% foreigners on its roster, at bay. But it was a narrow escape. Until the eighth inning, the British lineup was kept on a leash by Denis Leonov, who, until then allowed four hits and struck out ten.
At the start of the sixth inning, Russia had a seemingly comfortable 7-0 lead. But from the sixth inning on, Great Britain inched closer in almost every inning. In the sixth, the Brits got on the board when Aaron Singh homered. In the eighth , the British had a big inning when it scored four runs. In the ninth, the sixth British run was scored on a sac fly but there the offense stalled.
Denis Leonov earned the win. In 7.2 innings, he allowed five runs on eight hits and a walk and struck out eleven. Paul Kirkpatrick took the loss. In three frames, he allowed four runs on five hits and three walks and struck out four.
The two Cuban Russians, David Alejandro Castillo Velazquez and Geidys Soler Hinojosa
both earned the honor of being the best Russian hitter. Both went 3 for 4, Castillo Velazquez with two doubles, and two runs scored, and Soler Hinojosa with one double, four RBI and a run scored.
Israel 10 – 0 France
So far, the French team doesn’t perform properly. Against an Israel team with more than 50% of US-born players on its roster, the French didn’t stand a chance.
Not only were they outscored 10-0 in nine innings, they were also outhit 10-4. France could keep pace with Israel for five innings but after a four-run sixth, Israel was in the driver’s seat with a 6-0 lead. In the ninth, Israel scored four more runs to reach the final score.
Ben Wanger earned the win. In 5.2 innings in relief, he allowed only one hit and fanned seven. Marc-André Habek took the loss. In 5.2 innings, he gave up six runs (five earned) on
seven hits and a walk and struck out six.
Israel’s best hitter was Mitch Glasser, who went 2 for 3 with a double and two runs scored.
Kingdom of the Netherlands 11 – 1 Czech Republic
2021 European Championship: Kingdom of the Netherlands clinches easy victory
Italy 14 – 3 Belgium
2021 European Championship: Italy pushes over Belgium
Dutch Baseball Hangout 