Host AVG Draci Brno delivered a big upset at the European Cup in Brno for the second straight day. On Saturday afternoon they stunned the Dutch vice champion Konica Minolta Pioniers with a 14-10 win in eleven innings. Both teams are now 2-2 in the tournament. At the top of the standings are sitting the national champions from Italy and Germany. Fortitudo Bologna shut out the Rouen Huskies in the evening to improve to 3-1. The Heidenheim Heidekoepfe got their third victory with a win over CB Sant Boi. The tourney concludes on Sunday. The top two teams will qualify for the European Cup Final Four in Barcelona in September.
CB Sant Boi – Heidenheim Heideköpfe 1-8
HEI 020 000 330 8 12 0 BOI 000 000 010 1 5 4
The Heidenheim Heidekoepfe improved to 3-1 at the European Cup in Brno on Saturday morning with an 8-1 win over CB Sant Boi. Fresh off finishing the season at Georgia College (NCAA Division II) Martin Dewald (W 1-0) held the Division de Honor leader to one run on five hits and a walk going the distance. He struck out six and threw 76 of his 105 pitches for strikes.
Heidenheim took an early 2-0 lead in the second frame when Michael Weigl stole home and Hagen Raetz walked with the bases loaded. Six runs combined in the seventh and eighth blew the game wide open before Sant Boi was able to get on the board in the bottom of the eighth. Simon Guehring hit his second homerun of the tournament. Robert Gruber drove in three. Pedro Luis Peraza (L 0-1) issued seven hits, four runs and five walks in 6 1/3 innings.
Konica Minolta Pioniers – AVG Draci Brno 10-14 (11)
DRA 010 013 001 44 14 13 3 PIO 103 000 002 40 10 12 6
One day after upsetting Fortitudo Bologna with a 4-3 win, AVG Draci Brno also stunned Konica Minolta Pioniers 14-10 in eleven innings on Saturday. Both teams are now 2-2 in the tournament. Michal Ondracek (4-5, 2 runs) put AVG Draci ahead 6-4 with a RBI single in the top of the ninth, but Lennart Koster (2-3, 3 BB, 3 runs, 3 RBI) hit a two-run homerun in the bottom of the frame to send the game into extra innings. With the IBAF Tiebreaker Rule in effect, Brno and Hoofddorp exchanged four runs in the tenth, before Brno plated again plated four in the eleventh to secure the surprise victory.
Martin Schneider (W 1-0) went 3-for-7 with three runs and three RBI for AVG Draci. He also pitched the last two innings to pick up the win on the mound. Konica Minolta’s Mark Duursma and Mark-Jan Moorman combined for five RBI. Petr Minarik (DRA) allowed six hits, four runs (2 ER) and two bb in six innings. Arshwin Asjes (PIO) struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings, but also conceded five hits, four runs (3 ER) and a walk. Maarten Mulder (L 0-1) took the loss.
Rouen Huskies – Fortitudo Bologna 0-10 (8)
BOL 202 310 02 10 13 2 ROU 000 000 00 0 7 2
Fortitudo Bologna moved into first place at the European Cup in Brno after winning their third game of the week, shutting out the Rouen Huskies 10-0 in eight innings on Saturday evening. With another loss the Huskies remain winless in the tournament. Rene Mazzocci (W 1-0) gave up seven hits and two walks in six scoreless innings, while striking out seven. The two leadoff hitters Bologna’s Juan Carlos Infante (2-2, 3 BB) and Eddy Garabito combined to score six of the ten runs. Juan Pablo Angrisano, Joseph Mazzuca and Daniele Malengo drove in two each. Robin Roy (L 0-1) surrendered eight hits, seven runs (6 ER) and six bb in four innings.
Schedule Brno, June 6:
- 10am Fortitudo Bologna – CB Sant Boi
- 2pm Heidenheim Heidekoepfe – Konica Minolta Pioniers
- 6pm AVG Draci Brno – Rouen Huskies
Live play by play on CEB Website
Standings:
- Fortitudo Bologna 3-1
- Heidenheim Heidekoepfe 3-1
- AVG Draci Brno 2-2
- CB Sant Boi 2-2
- Konica Minolta Pioniers 2-2
- Rouen Huskies 0-4