LICHTENBERG. With “Baseball in da City” Austria’s only street baseball tournament took place for the second time.
At the end of June, baseball was played again at Lichtenberg’s local square. The highlight of “Baseball in da City” was the street baseball tournament this year, which the team “The Plumbers” won ahead of the host Gramastetten “Highlanders” and the Lichtenberg B-Fivers.
Baseball on a local course?
No problem with Baseball 5! In this fast-paced street baseball variant, a rubber ball is hit with the bare hand into an 18×18 meter field. Additional equipment, such as baseball bats and gloves, is not required. This means that baseball can be played on almost any pitch and yet – like its big brother – the typical baseball feeling quickly comes up.
Athletes and spectators who gathered at the Lichtenberg town square last weekend were also able to see this for themselves. The two finals in particular were tough: After the defending champion PGS – Pöstlingberg Ghetto Style did not make it through the preliminary round, the Highlanders had a good chance of winning this year. But it should stay in second place again, because the Plumbers (company team Wohlschlager & Redl) defeated the previously unbeaten hosts with 8:3. In the small final, the Highlander Juniors had the Lichtenberg B-Fivers firmly under control and were aiming for 3rd place. With a deficit of 1:7, the B-Fivers managed the impossible in the last inning and they turned the result to 8:7.
pupils
There was also a lot on offer for the very youngest. The 3rd and 4th graders of VS Lichtenberg attended a short baseball taster session on Friday morning, which they had been looking forward to all week. Some couldn’t get enough and were there again in the afternoon for free play to put what they had just learned into practice.
“Baseball has been played by the Highlanders in the Mühlviertel for 30 years. With events like Baseball in da City, we want to show the fascination of this sport. With the location at Ortsplatz Lichtenberg, we have a wonderful opportunity not to bring people to baseball, but to bring baseball directly to the people,” says Jürgen Haunschmidt, General Manager of the Highlanders.
That’s why it will be called “Play Ball” again next year at the town square in Lichtenberg. And if you don’t want to wait that long, you can always come to the Highlanders for a taster session.
