Semi-Final 2: European Champions Cup: Corendon Kinheim – Danesi Nettuno 4-6
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DANESI NETTUNO defeated CORENDON KINHEIM 6-4 in the second semi-final of the European Champions Cup Final Four in Montjuic/Barcelona, Spain on Saturday and followed fellow Italian Baseball League club FORTITUDO BOLOGNA into the final. After winning the title at the inaugural tournament last September they can defend the trophy on Sunday at 6pm CET. A broadcast of the final can be seen on Monday, June 22 at 8.15pm CET on Eurosport2. In the morning hours on Sunday, KINHEIM is going to face L&D AMSTERDAM in the game for third place.
NETTUNO and KINHEIM started the contest at the home ballpark of the FC BARCELONA by exchanging zeros over the first five frames. In the top of the sixth, the Italian vice champion broke up the scoreless tie thanks to back-to-back doubles by Juan Camilo and Giuseppe Mazzanti for a 1-0 lead. Mazzanti later also scored on a RBI single by Leo Mazzanti.
But the Dutch club wasn’t much rattled. With two outs in the bottom of the same frame, Tjerk Smeets cut the deficit to a run with a RBI single. A hit by pitch against Bryan Engelhardt loaded the bases and Rafael Jozefa cleared them by ripping a triple to left field for a 4-2 CORENDON-advantage.
But similar to the counterattack of KINHEIM, the answer of NETTUNO came right away. In the top of the seventh it was Juan Camilo, who made it 3-4 with a RBI single to right field. With two men on Giuseppe Mazzanti stepped to the plate and hit a offering by closer Michiel van Kampen over the left field fence for a three-run homerun.
The team from Haarlem tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh, when Remco Draijer and Danny Rombley with one out and Josh Renick loaded the bases with a walk. But Dirk van’t Klooster grounded into a double play to end the threat. After a 1-2-3 eighth, Draijer once again reached with a one-out single in the ninth, but Danny Rombley hit into a game-ending double play.
Carlos Richetti got the start for NETTUNO and allowed four hits, four unearned runs and a walk in 5 2/3 innings. David Bergman opposed him and conceded four hits, three runs and four bb in six innings. Giovanni Carrara received the win, issuing three hits and a walk in 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Nick Veltkamp had to take the loss.