DANESI NETTUNO surprised DOOR NEPTUNUS and reached the finals on Sunday. They are facing the FC BARCELONA in a winner takes it all matchup. Both teams already met on the first game day, with the Spanish participant winning 3-1. Host BUCHBINDER LEGIONAERE plays in the bronze medal game against NEPTUNUS. DRACI BRNO and the TEMPLIERS SNEART won their matches on Saturday too and avoided relegation.
Semi-Finals:
DOOR Neptunus – Danesi Nettuno 3-6
NET 020 020 011 6 11 3 NEP 300 000 000 3 8 1
On Saturday NETTUNO stunned NEPTUNUS and advanced into the final. They overcame a 0-3 deficit and won by a score of 6-3. DOOR had won all games at the European Cup so far.
The Dutch team from Rotterdam started strong and scored three runs in the bottom of the first on a fielding error by Luis Ugueto and a two-run single by Jeffrey Arends. But it was the last time they would reach home safely. DANESI answered in the second with solo shot by Giuseppe Mazzanti and a RBI single by Renato Imperiali (3-4). They turned the score into their favor in the fifth, when Carlos Duran and Giuseppe Mazzanti hit RBI doubles. They added a pair of insurance runs on hits by Leonardo Mazzanti and Ramon Tavarez in the last two frames.
Giovanni Carrara settled in after the rough first and received the win for six solid innings. He allowed five hits, three unearned runs and two walks, striking out three. Carlos Pezzullo and Carlos Richetti put six runners on base, but closed out the game nonetheless. Diegomar Markwell took the loss after allowing five hits, four runs and a base on balls in 4 1/3 innings.
FC Barcelona – Buchbinder Legionaere Regensburg
REG 010 000 020 3 10 7 FCB 003 040 00X 7 7 0
The FC BARCELONA stopped host REGENSBURG in the second semi-final on Saturday evening, winning 7-3. They used two big innings to decide the outcome and received some help from the LEGIONAERE defense, which made seven errors. BARCELONA reaches the final on Sunday afternoon, facing DANESI NETTUNO in a rematch of the European Cup opener (3-1 win for BARCELONA). The LEGINOAERE are playing DOOR NEPTUNUS in the bronze medal game.
REGENSBURG actually had the better start into the game, scoring the first run in the second, when Klaus Hopfensperger reached home on a wild pitch. But the lead didn’t hold on for long. BARCELONA scored three runs in the third on an error a RBI single by Jorge Miqueleiz and a wild pitch. They even build up the advantage in the fifth, by adding four more runs on the board. Miqueleiz and Felix Isasi each had RBI singles, Emmanuel Febles and Juan Salazar walked with the bases loaded. The LEGINOAERE tried to come back in the eighth and Hopfensperger cut the deficit to 3-7 with a two-run double. But the rally came too late and didn’t make a difference in the outcome.
Remigio Leal struck out 16 in a complete game victory. The veteran allowed just three runs on ten hits. Martin Almstetter started for REGENSBURG, after going six scoreless innings on Thursday. He gave up seven unearned runs on six hits and six bb in 4 2/3 innings. Craig Crow relieved him and could stop the BARCELONA offense with 3 1/3 one-hit innings, striking out four.
Playdowns:
Templiers Senart – Olimpija Karlovac 5-1
KAR 000 000 100 1 6 1 SEN 000 410 00X 5 6 4
The TEMPLIERS avoided relegation by defeating KARLOVAC on Saturday morning. They used a four-run fifth on their way to a 5-1 victory. Ernesto Martinez hit a homerun. Sebastien Herve had three hits, two stolen bases and a RBI. In addition Samuel Meurant had another fine day on the mound. He pitched another complete game and gave up just one unearned run on six hits and two walks, while striking out nine.
Goran Matijasec had two hits and a RBI for OLIMPIJA. Carlos Tovar took the loss, allowing six hits, five runs (2 ER) and six bb in eight innings.
AVG Draci Brno – MGPU SYOS 42 2-1
MGP 100 000 000 1 6 0 DRA 001 000 001 2 10 0
They had to wait till the last hit to beat the Russian MGPU, but they finally came through. Pavel Budsky hit a walk off homerun in the bottom of the ninth to lead DRACI BRNO to a 2-1 victory, which helped to stay in the A pool of the European Cup tournaments. Like the TEMPLIERS SENART they are now 2-0 in the consolation round with a meaningless game on Sunday left.
SYOS started strong and loaded the bases in the top of the first with one out. However, only Alexey Kozin scored on a bases-loaded walk by Nikita Monakhov. BRNO needed not long to even the score. Tomas Cervinka doubled down the right field line with one out in the third and scored on a RBI single by Jan Jablonka.
DRACI had Jiri Marek on the mound to start the match. He allowed five hits, one run and five walks in 3 2/3 innings. Petr Minarik replaced him and shut down the MGPU offense completely. He received the win after 5 1/3 one-hit innings of relief, striking out seven. Niko Chermoschentsev gave up two runs on ten hits in eight-plus innings for the loss.
