The Great Britain Baseball U23s advanced to their second consecutive European Championship Final on Friday, 8 August, with a 7-4 victory over The Netherlands. The victory also means Great Britain has qualified for their second consecutive qualification WBSC U23 Baseball World Cup, to be played in Nicaragua in 2026.
Great Britain started strong, with Jake Lambdin leading off the game with a single on the first pitch from Dutch starter Justin Morales, but GBR failed to push him across. The Dutch side would rally against starter Sam Hutchinson, scoring twice in the bottom half of the first to take a two to nothing lead.
That lead lasted three batters. Cole Leclair walked to lead off the second, Andrew Johnston was hit by a pitch, and both advanced on a wild pitch. Jay Smith’s RBI ground out and a sacrifice fly from Jackson Wallis scored both runners and tied the game at two.
Andrew Campbell (1-0) entered in relief of Hutchinson in the bottom of the second and he and Morales traded scoreless innings until the sixth. Leclair singled to right with one out, and stole second, when Smith lanced a ball to deep left centre. Leclair trotted home as Smith motored into third based for an RBI triple, and GBR had their first lead of the day, 3-2.
Campbell spun another scoreless frame in the sixth, and the seventh saw GBR extend their lead. Lambdin would score on Quinn Allen’s RBI single – with Charlie Collins thrown out at the plate – before Jackson Kramer ripped a triple down the right field line to score Tucker Stockman and Allen. Johnston added an RBI single, scoring Kraemer, and giving Great Britain the 7-2 advantage.
Campbell returned to the mound for the seventh, but surrendered a leadoff double, and Alistair Morin was summoned from the bullpen. Morin, however, walked the next two batters, and Manager Jonathon Cramman called on Zac Colletti to pitch. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Gedionne Marlin singled through the right side to score two runs and bring the Dutch within three. Colletti then got Raphael Smeenk to fly out to right field and Jair Van Borkulo to fly out to centre before Luka Van Gorkum grounded out to Lambdin to end the game.
Jackson Kraemer and Jay Smith each drove in two runs, while Campbell tossed five innings of one-run ball in the win, striking out 5. Colletti notched his first save of the tournament in his second appearance, while Kramer’s triple gave GBR a tournament leading four.
Great Britain will play in the Grold Medal game tomorrow, 9 August at 19:30 CET/18:30 BST in Třebíč against the winner of tonight’s game between Italy and Czechia. The 2025 WBSC U23 European Baseball Championships can be watched on BaseballEurope.TV.
For the latest news and notes from GB Baseball at the 2025 U23 European Baseball Championships and more, make sure to follow Great Britain Baseball on Facebook, gb_baseball on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, TikTok at @gbbaseball, and on the British Baseball Federation Website, britishbaseball.org.uk.