The European Cup Qualifiers started in four cities around Europe on Monday with the first games of the preliminary round. The tournaments, which determine four contestants, which will battle against the TEMPLIERS SENART (FRA) and the TENERIFE MARLINS PUERTO CRUZ (ESP) later this year for two spots in next year’s European Cups, last until Saturday.
Ostrava, Czech Republic
The people in attendance at the Qualifier in Ostrava, Czech Republic saw three close games on Monday with each decided by a single run. BREST ZUBRS prevailed 4-3 in the morning against AMZ KUTNO. Afterwards BC JUADAS VIKINGAS defeated VOJVODE by a score of 8-7. In the evening match host ARROWS OSTRAVA lost 4-5 against MGPU. Unfortunately box scores of the games aren’t available as of now.
Trnava, Slovakia
Not that far away in Trnava, Slovakia, the home club had a better ending, when TJ STU TRNAVA defeated OBUDA BRICK FACTORY 3-2 thanks to a tenth-inning walk off RBI triple by M Chovancak. The Hungarian team had tied the contest in the top of the ninth on a throwing error. Zsolt Zalabai, who took the loss, struck out twelve in nine-plus innings.
Earlier in the day, VINDIJA VARAZDIN and KNTU OSVSM celebrated lopsided wins. VINDIJA put runs on the board in five of the six innings and crushed KARLSKOGA 11-0. B Prather and I Marcec combined to score seven of the eleven runs out of the first two spots of the batting order. Danijl Levak struck out nine in six scoreless innings. The Ukrainian champion KNTU shut out ALEXANDRIA 10-0 seven three-hit innings by Dmytro Lymarenko and three RBI by M Symchyna.
Complete Schedule (including Box scores)
Attnang-Puchheim, Austria
In Attnang-Puchheim the three favored clubs dominated their opponents on the first day of the competition. The BERN CARDINALS, which won the European Cup Qualifier in Brno a year ago, opened the tournament with a 14-3 pounding of BLAGOEVGRAD. All nine players in the starting lineup reached base, eight of them scored, eight had RBIs. Ronald Zimmermann led the pack with four runs.
Later on the Croatian champion BK ZAGREB hit the pitchers of KEFALONIA hard and often in a 20-2 victory. Michel Curic went one-for-three with two walks, four runs scored and two RBI. Vanja Hales and Mario Manojlov scored three times each.
The home team MOSQUITO ATHLETICS concluded the first day with a 10-0 shutout over KRANJSKI LISJAKI. Walter Strasser went the distance in the eight-inning game, allowing just three hits and five bb, while striking out eight. The offense had him provided with an early 7-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Complete Schedule (including Box scores)
Antwerp, Belgium
Similar to the Austrian site, the three games in Antwerp, Belgium also were decided early due to ten-run rule. In the morning the ESPOO EXPOS shocked the Swiss vice champion LAUSANNE INDIANS with an 11-0 shutout behind a strong performance by Janne Vartiainen, who gave up just six hits and three bb in seven scoreless innings. He struck out eight. Shortstop T Liiri went two-for-three with three runs scored and three RBI.
The German record champion MANNHEIM TORNADOS than had no problems whatsoever with the Portuguese WHITE SHARKS. Jan Ruessel and Marvin Appiah combined to throw a one-hit seven-inning complete game shutout, striking out 13 in a 21-0 beat down. Appiah also had a nice day at the plate, going three-for-five with four RBI. Jens Heymer also collected four RBI, while Billy Hess scored four times. They put runs on the board in each of the seven innings.
In the evening the HOBOKEN PIONEERS celebrated a 12-1 win over the OSLO PRETENDERS. G Kenis, Lambrechts and J Peerens drove in two runs apiece. TJ Hendricks started and struck out five in four scoreless one-hit innings.