ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS – The Great Britain Baseball Senior National Team punched their ticket to the European Championship Quarterfinals on Monday, 22 September with a 9-4 win over France. The team will now await the result of tonight’s games, as well as the play-in games on Wednesday before learning their next opponent.
Zac Colletti got the start for Great Britain, his first for the Senior National Team, and worked two scoreless frames to begin the contest, while his offense struck in the second. A French error on Matt Ward’s grounder allowed Julian Sanders to come around and score the first run of the game and scored himself when Nick Ward (no relation) singled him home. Max Viera then scampered home on a passed ball, and Great Britain had a three to nothing lead after two innings.
Colletti, staked to the three-run advantage, ran into difficulty with one out in the third, with France pushing their first run across, and gave way to Andrew Campbell with an apparent injury with a 3-0 count to Mael Zan. Campbell struck out Zan, then retired Julien Monks to end the inning and the threat.
In the fourth, Sanders struck again, doubling home Charlie Collins for GBR’s fourth run, but France would fight back. An RBI single from Leo Jiminian and an RBI groundout for Felix Brown spelt the end of the day for Campbell, with Jack Seppings entering the game and inducing an Ernesto Martinez groundout to end the inning.
Seppings settled the game down and cruised through the sixth before giving way to Donovan Benoit for the seventh inning in his European Championship debut. France pushed the tying run across on an RBI groundout by pinch hitter Frédéric Hanvi, knotting the game at four runs apiece. Great Britain had an opportunity to retake the lead with a pair of runners aboard with two down, but Sanders’ fly ball to the warning track in left was tracked down to end the inning.
In the eighth inning, France’s Fabian Kovacs led off with a single, and was replaced by pinch-runner Dorian Bouniol, but Benoit induced three straight ground balls to strand him at third, and Great Britain had a chance to take the lead. Michael Flaherty walked to lead off the inning, and moved to second on a perfectly executed bunt by Chris Bear. Kennard Dawson came in to run for Flaherty, and Viera would walk, before captain Nick Ward struck a two-run double to give Great Britain the lead again. Will Cresswell would walk, and following a pitching change, Charlie Collins was hit by a pitch. With the bases loaded, Quinn Allen was also hit by a pitch, scoring another, and Sanders doubled to score two more. When the dust settled, Great Britain had sent 10 men to the plate, scoring five runs, and had a 9-4 advantage.
Benoit returned to the mound for the ninth, and allowed a pair of baserunners, but came back to finish the inning scoreless, and Great Britain punched their ticket to their third consecutive European Championship quarterfinal.
Great Britain will now await the result of tonight’s game between the Netherlands and Israel, as well as the results from Tournament Games 29/30 (pending tonight’s result) to find out their quarterfinal opponent. Further updates will be posted on wbseeurope.org and the British Baseball Federation website, BritishBaseball.org
For the latest news and notes from GB Baseball at the 2025 European Baseball Championship, 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.
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