Czechia Punishes 11 Walks to Upset Australia 9-6 at U-23 World Cup

Czechia turned 11 Australian walks into a 9-6 victory on Sunday at Estadio Nacional Soberanía in Managua, earning its first win of the 2026 WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup and keeping its Super Round hopes alive.

The Czech lineup produced only six hits, but repeatedly forced Australia’s pitchers into trouble. Three runs scored on bases-loaded walks, three came home on wild pitches, one scored on a sacrifice fly and another crossed on an error. Only one of Czechia’s nine runs was driven in by a hit.

Czechia answers Australia’s fast start

Australia opened the game with RBI singles from John Lemm and Cal Fingleson, taking a 2-0 lead before Czechia came to bat. The response began immediately with one run in the bottom of the first.

Czechia then scored three times in the second and added one run in both the third and fourth innings. A patient approach forced Australia through Deakin Filko, Ben Karakasis, Jesse Neretlis and Josh Beazley while the lead steadily grew.

The decisive defensive moment came in the fifth. Australia trailed 6-2 but loaded the bases with one out after Callum Donnelly drove in a run. Matyáš Novotný induced an inning-ending double play, allowing Czechia to escape before adding three more runs in the bottom half for a 9-3 advantage.

Tadeáš Zavadil closes Czechia’s first win

Australia did not fold. The tournament’s early leader finished with nine hits, scored the final three runs of the game and brought the potential tying run to the plate with two outs in the seventh inning.

Tadeáš Zavadil stopped the rally and secured the final out. Australia outhit Czechia 9-6, with Darcy Barry collecting two hits, but the free passes and defensive mistakes proved too costly to overcome.

The result moved Czechia to 1-2 after losses to Chinese Taipei and Panama. Australia fell to 2-1 after opening the tournament with wins over host Nicaragua and Puerto Rico.

Super Round race remains open

The top three teams in each six-team opening-round group advance to the Super Round. Czechia next faces Puerto Rico before completing pool play against Nicaragua, giving Petr Čech’s team two direct opportunities to climb the Group A standings.

Australia remains well positioned but now faces important games against Chinese Taipei and Panama. With the group tightly packed behind the Australians, Czechia’s upset reshaped the qualification race and gave the European runners-up a path back into contention.