T&A San Marino accompanies their Italian Baseball League opponents Fortitudo Bologna (4-1 at the European Cup in Brno) and Telemarket Rimini to the Final Four in Barcelona. The Titans crushed the Savigny Lions 12-4 on Sunday evening to close out the tournament at the Familie Stadion in Rotterdam. In the afternoon DOOR Neptunus had missed out on its last chance to finish in the first two spots with a 3-4 loss against the Pirates. They had their opportunities, but couldn’t find a hole in the Rimini defense at the right time. In the morning the Tenerife Marlins had shut out the Hoboken Pioneers to move into third place in the Final Standings.
Tenerife Marlins Puerto Cruz – Hoboken Pioneers 10-0 (8)
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The Tenerife Marlins had stunned host DOOR Neptunus on the first day of the European Cup in Rotterdam, but had lost the next three games to miss out on the Final Four in Barcelona. On Sunday the club from Puerto Cruz returned to victory lane with a 10-0 shutout in eight innings over the Hoboken Pioneers. Leslie Nacar (W 1-0) allowed just four hits and four walks in eight scoreless innings, striking out ten for the win. Lesther Galvan led the offense going 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs scored and a RBI. Victor Lopez and Nestor Perez combined for five RBI. Steven De Lannoy reached base four times for the Pioneers. TJ Hendricks (L 0-2) issued eight hits and five runs (4 ER) in six innings to take the loss.
DOOR Neptunus – Telemarket Rimini 3-4
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DOOR Neptunus suffered its third loss of the week, as Telemarket Rimini stayed perfect in Rotterdam with a 4-3 win on a rainy Sunday afternoon. The Pirates plated runs in each of the first four frames for an early 4-0 lead. Neptunus tried to come back in the fifth and sixth, cutting the deficit to a run.
Rotterdam had its chances to tie the game. Danny Rombley was thrown out at the plate by shortstop Daniel Gonzalez after a groundball in the sixth and they left runners stranded on third in the seventh, eighth and ninth. Laidel Chapelli doubled twice, scored a run and drove in another for Rimini.
Sandy Patrone (RIM) started and gave up just two hits in four scoreless innings, before rain stopped his outing. Luca Lomonte (W 1-0) picked up the win in relief. Leon Boyd (L 0-1) also went four innings, conceding seven hits, four runs and two bb. Dushan Ruzic took over in the fifth and held Telemarket to two hits the rest of the way.
T&A San Marino – Savigny Lions 12-4
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T&A San Marino used a seven-run fifth to beat the Savigny Lions 12-4 in the evening game at the European Cup in Rotterdam on Sunday, concluding the five-day tournament. With the win the Titans also qualified for the Final Four in Barcelona.
San Marino already led 5-4 going into the fifth, when they loaded the bases and Riccardo Suardi took advantage of it to blow things wide open with a grand slam. Three more runners crossed the plate during the rally and T&A and sealed its trip to Catalonia. Tony Granato and Max De Biase scored three runs apiece. Fabien Proust hit a solo homerun for Savigny.
Luca Martignoni (W 1-0) gave up six hits, four runs and a walk in five innings for the win. Kyle Nash (L 0-1) surrendered twelve hits, twelve runs (10 ER) and two bb in 4 2/3 innings. As soon as the two starters had left the game, three relievers on each side took over and exchanged zeros on the board the rest of the way.
