Czech baseball team eyes historic medal in European Championship

The Czech baseball team faces Italy in the semifinals of the European Championship in Rotterdam on Friday, with a chance to secure the first medal in the country’s history. In the other semifinal, host nation the Netherlands will play against Spain. The Czechs advanced to their first-ever semifinal after Thursday’s dramatic 4–3 win over Israel. Earlier in the tournament, coach Pavel Chadim’s squad defeated Sweden and Spain, falling only in the opening game against Germany. The best Czech finish at a European Championship to date was fourth place in 2014, when the final round featured six teams.