The triumphant Irish Baseball team
By Irish Echo Staff
Tokyo, a town that knows its baseball, just got a little closer for the Irish national baseball team.
The Irish have just won a European Baseball Championship Qualifier held at Ashbourne in County Meath.
Ireland played host in the qualifier to national baseball teams from Norway, Finland, Greece, and Slovenia.
Ireland beat Greece convincingly 12-2 to win the week long tournament held at the Ashbourne, International Baseball Centre.
The Irish Team dominated the tournament beating all guest teams.
Ireland now advance to the next round of European baseball qualifiers in 2019 and have an opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020, said a release from Baseball Ireland.
This was the first time that Ireland hosted a major European sanctioned baseball tournament. The games were very well attended with 1,000 plus spectators making the trip to Ashbourne, said the Baseball Ireland release.
And the tournament had over 100,000 views on-line as the games were lived streamed over the several days of competition.
Ireland has had a competitive, all island, baseball league since 1997 and the national team has competed since 1998.
More at www.baseballireland.com, or www.facebook.com/baseballireland.
