The final day of pool play at the European Cup was a wild one, as first place in Group B finished as a three-way tie, while the second spot in Group A was similarly knotted. The one spot that was in no doubt, however, was the top position in the first pool, as Slovenia’s Kranjski Lisjaki continued its astonishing performance at WBSC Europe’s penultimate-ranked cup, plating 20 runs for the second game in a row.
In the other Group A contest, the London Mets pulled off a stunning finish to round robin competition, putting together a complete effort in a shutout victory over the hosts, Wiener Neustadt. In doing so, it eliminated the Diving Ducks from the European Cup playoffs and secured its own place over Sweden’s Sundbyberg Heat. All three finished 1-2, but using the WBSC’s Total Quality Balance (TQB) formula [link to explanation]—essentially, run differential, but accounting for innings played—the Mets were the clear No. 2.
A single game in Group B, meanwhile, matched up an undefeated Rättvik Butchers and Switzerland’s Flyers (1-1). The thrilling decider went to 10 innings, with Therwil claiming the victory. The result meant both clubs finished at 2-1, equal to the Dornbirn Indians. Once again, TQB came into play, and in this instance, the result was less surprising: Sweden’s Rättvik would advance over Dornbirn, the former having triumphed in convincing fashion over the latter on Day One.
For more on the European Cup, see our coverage of: Day 1 [link], Day 2 [link], Day 3 [link]. Box scores can be found here [link].
Results
June 1
Sundbyberg 10 – Wiener Neustadt 16
June 2
Kranjski 15 – London 1
June 3
Sundbyberg 15 – London 12
Wiener Neustadt 12– Kranjski 22 (8)
June 4
Kranjski 20 – Sundbyberg 2 (5)
London 6 – Wiener Neustadt 0
Group A Standings
| Team | W-L | RF | RA |
| Kranjski Lisjaki | 3-0 | 57 | 15 |
| London Mets | 1-2 | 19 | 30 |
| D.D. Wiener Neustadt | 1-2 | 28 | 38 |
| Sundbyberg Heat | 1-2 | 27 | 48 |
Results
June 1
Rättvik 18 – Dornbirn 0 (5)
Therwil 12 – Borgerhout 1 (8)
June 2
Therwil 1 – Dornbirn 9
Borgerhout 7 – Rättvik 14
June 3
Dornbirn 11 – Borgerhout 4
June 4
Rättvik 4 – Therwil 5 (10)
Group B Standings
| Team | W-L | RF | RA |
| Rättvik Butchers | 2-1 | 36 | 12 |
| Therwil Flyers | 2-1 | 18 | 14 |
| Dornbirn Indians | 2-1 | 20 | 23 |
| Borgerhout Squirrels | 0-3 | 12 | 37 |
Playoffs
June 5
Seventh: Borgerhout – Sundbyberg
Semi: Therwil – Kranjski
Semi: London – Rättvik