Malta has just
returned from the Baseball European Qualifiers where the tiny island’s
representatives surprised Europe during their
first international appearance ever.
Fourth place is not unusual for a newcomer, but Malta progressed steadily during the Qualifiers
held in Antwerp, Belgium. Team Malta
faced favorites Belgium, Austria and Switzerland, in a rainy qualifier,
forcing some games to be rescheduled.
Malta’s handicap was
that only twelve ballplayers could make the trip to Belgium, limiting manager Ray
Bartolo’s depth in the line-up and pitching staff. Still, Malta played very enthusiastically
and was impressive during the last two games.
Malta’s
best performance was during the third place decider against the Swiss, having
young Michael Bartolo on the mound. Malta
collapsed only during the 8th inning, allowing the Swiss to score
four runs to make it 12 – 6.
During the awards
ceremony held after the qualifying decider between Belgium
and Austria, Malta was
awarded the Sportsmanship Award, for its enthusiasm and perseverance. Malta was lead
by veteran catcher Keith Bartolo, whose 6-for-12 performance was the second
best of the tournament. He was also among the tournament’s leaders in many
other offensive categories. Outfielder
Clint Grima also took home a well-deserved trophy, after leading the tournament
in stolen bases.
Malta’s young talent should definitely blossom after this experience, as
three-fourths of the team is still young and under the age of 25. The team’s performance was the perfect way of
how showing MABS’ recent development.
