By Gabriel Fidler
BOGUSLAV, Ukraine — Tenerife and London were each victorious as the CEB Federations Cup Qualifier in Ukraine commenced. The entry level qualification tournament is the first ever hosted by Boguslav, a city south of Kyiv near the center of the Eastern European country. The Marlins began the day with a 10-0 two-hitter of Lithuania’s Utenos Titanai, while the capitals came from behind to defeat ATMA, the home side, 9-4.
Tenerife 10 – Utenos 0 (7)
Game One on Day One was over in one inning, although the contest lingered for another six frames. The powerful Marlins, which have been nigh unbeatable in the high-caliber Spanish Baseball League, posted eight runs before the Lithuanian side had even picked up the bats. When it finally did so, it met Jesús Montaño, who turned in an ace-like performance. Only Mantas Laucius was able to solve the right-hander, who chucked six easy shutout frames, permitting only two singles by Laucius, striking out four, and issuing no walks.
Two runs in the fifth triggered the mercy rule and the cup favorites waltzed to the 10-0 clean sheet. Ricardo van Grieken–who played his first season for Indian Hills Community College this spring–put the experience to good use in a 2-for-2, three-walk day. The shortstop scored twice and ripped a double. Yancarlo Franco and Eduardo Moredo also had two hits, while Richard Montiel drove in three.
London 9 – ATMA 5
The nightcap was much more of an exhilarating affair, with the Capitals taking a 3-0 lead through two before the hosts plated a run in the third and three more in the fourth. The score would remain 4-3 in ATMA’s favor until the seventh, when the Caps erupted for four runs as London’s lively bats finally punched a hole in the Ukrainian approach, which had permitted plenty of contact. Ian Deering was excellent in relief, spinning five two-hit innings with five strikeouts, walking seven but allowing only one run for the win.
The Capitals wrapped up an 18-hit attack with two more runs in the eighth, more than erasing a one-run retort from ATMA in the seventh. Deering was 4-for-6 with a pair of two-baggers, driving in three runs. Leadoff hitter Louis Wampler was the tablesetter and beneficiary, turning a double, three singles, and two stolen bases into four London runs. Ben Marcal had three hits, while Rhys Wilson had a triple, single, and a walk.
Standings
| Team | W-L | RF | RA |
| Tenerife Marlins | 1-0 | 10 | 0 |
| London Capitals | 1-0 | 9 | 5 |
| ATMA | 0-1 | 5 | 9 |
| Utenos Titanai | 0-1 | 0 | 10 |
Results
Aug. 4: Tenerife 10 – Utenos 0 (7)
Aug. 4: London 9 – ATMA 5
Aug. 5: Utenos – London
Aug. 5: ATMA – Tenerife
Aug. 6: London – Tenerife
Aug. 6: Utenos – ATMA
Final (Aug. 7): TBD