2014 European Cup

The 2014 European Cup ran in Brno and Hoofddorp in June 2014 with a final phase in August. In an unusual twist, no Spanish teams qualified for this European Cup, with two apiece from Italy, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Czech Republic and one from each San Marino and the Ukraine. Former major leaguers to appear were Alex Romero, Mike Ekstrom and Enrique Gonzalez (all Rimini) and Jesús Delgado and Darwin Cubillan (both San Marino) while future major leaguer Junior Guerra was on San Marino former Cuban national team players Rolando Meriño and Ciro Silvino Licea played for Sénart.

T&A San Marino beat Italian Baseball League rivals ASD Rimini in the final to win their third European title.

Competing Teams

Brno

• ASD Rimini (Italy) (Manager: Christian Catanoso)
• Regensburg Legionäre (Germany) (Martin Helmig)
• DOOR Neptunus (Netherlands) (Evert-Jan 't Hoen)
• Draci Brno (Czech Republic) (Arnošt Nesňal)
• KNTU Elizavetgrad (Ukraine) (Yuriy Boyko)
• Templiers de Sénart (France) (Rolando Meriño)

Hoofddorp

• Nettuno (Italy) (Claudio Scerrato)
• Vaessen Pioniers (Netherlands) (Robert Klaver)
• Kotlarka Prague (Czech Republic) (Filip Smola Sr.)
• Rouen Huskies (France) (Keino Perez)
• Solingen Alligators (Germany) (Norman Eberhardt)
• T&A San Marino (San Marino) (Doriano Bindi)

Results

June 17

Brno

• Templiers de Sénart 6, ASD Rimini 1. In the opener, the French squad from Sénart stunned Rimini. Cuban Raudelin Legra turns in a complete game four-hitter, though he walks five, to outduel Roberto Corradini. The game was scoreless until the 6th when Corradini faded. 2B Florian Peyrichou and 3B Romain Martinez-Scott both scored twice, while 1B Pierrick Lemestre and RF Jacques Boucheron each drive in two.
• DOOR Neptunus 6, KTNU Elizavetgrad 0. Ukraine was making its first European Cup appearance since 2000 but came out flat against the Dutch powerhouse. Misja Harcksen, Floris Timmer and Jorian van Acker combined on a one-hit shutout for Neptunus, with 2B Roman Boyko getting the lone hit.
• Draci Brno 4, Regensburg Legionäre 2. The hosts start off well. Against former minor leaguer Mike Bolsenbroek, they draw two bases-loaded walks in the second, by CF Arnošt Dubový and 2B Jakub Hajtmar (also a former minor leaguer). Germany slowly came back against Canadians Jeremy Filipek and Karl Malecek and Australian Wilson Lee, tying it at 2-2 in the 8th. LF Johannes Jung got four of Regensburg's seven hits. In the bottom of the 8th, Draci Brno came back. SS Adam Hajtmar drew a leadoff walk. Sammy De Los Santos relieved for Regensburg. After a sacrifice bunt and wild pitch, Dubový drew a four-pitch walk. Errors by 3B Ludwig Glaser and C Christopher Howard let the runners score to seal it for the home squad.

Hoofddorp

• T&A San Marino 5, Solingen Alligators 2. At the new Park21, Junior Guerra tosses a gem for San Marino, allowing one hit, two walks and no runs in seven innings for the win. 1B Nicholas Morreale goes 3 for 4 with a double, steal, two runs and a RBI for San Marino.
• Rouen Huskies 3, Nettuno 0. Owen Ozanich scatters 8 hits in 8 shutout innings and Jason Daniels wraps it up.
• Vaessen Pioniers 2, Kotlarka Prague 0. Ricardo Hernández fans 12 in eight shutout innings (allowing only four hits) and Bayron Cornelisse fans two more in the 9th for the hosts. 3B Vince Rooi walks all four times up, steals a base and scores a run.

June 18

Brno

• KNTU Elizavetgrad 4, Templiers de Sénart 3. Dmitro Limarenko of Elizavetgrad turned in a stellar outing, holding the Templiers to one unearned run in 7 2/3 IP, leaving with a 2-1 lead over Pierrick Lemestre. France rallied for two in the 9th off relievers Artem Lopata and Denis Brechko, a double by 2B Florian Peyrichou the big hit. In the bottom of the 9th, Ukraine tied it again thanks to an error by SS Dylan Mayeux and a double by SS Oleksandr Mamontov off former Cuban national team hurler Ciro Silvino Licea. Elizavetgrad then benefited from an error by catcher-manager Rolando Meriño that scored CF Ievgenii Poliakov with the winning run in the 10th.
• DOOR Neptunus 14, Regensburg Legionäre 4. 3B Raily Legito scores 5 runs in a rout, going 3 for 4 with two walks, two doubles and a homer and RF Urving Kemp also adds four hits. 1B Christopher Howard goes 3 for 4 with two RBI in a losing cause. Diegomar Markwell gets the win, Jonathan Eisenhuth the loss.
• ASD Rimini 7, Draci Brno 0. Mike Ekstrom allowed only three hits and fanned nine in seven innings, while CF Leonardo Zileri goes 4 for 5 with two runs.

Hoofddorp

• Solingen Alligators 11, Nettuno 1. 2B Tanner Leighton goes 4 for 4 and 3B Dominik Wulf drives in four while André Hughes tosses five shutout innings in a mercy-rule rout.
• T&A San Marino 7, Kotlarka Prague 3. DH Jakub Sládek, a former Phillies farmhand, put Prague ahead in the 4th with a three-run homer off Valerio Simone. T.J. Macy kept San Marino in check for five innings before allowing three in the 6th to tie it. In the 8th and 9th, the fading Macy allowed four more runs to lose it. DH Jairo Ramos Gizzi was 4 for 5 with two runs and three RBI for San Marino. Jesús Delgado got the win in relief.
• Vaessen Pioniers 6, Rouen Huskies 3. Veteran Elton Koeiman allowed only one hit and one walk in six shutout frames to outperform French youngster Yoann Vaugelade (7 H, 5 BB, 5 R in 5 IP) before Rouen rallied slightly against the Vaessen bullpen.

June 19

Brno

• DOOR Neptunus 14, Templiers de Sénart 2. Neptunus keeps lighting it up, scoring thirteen runs in 7 innings against Matthieu Brelle-Andrade and Pierre Brelle-Andrade. SS Dwayne Kemp scores three runs, while C Gianison Boekhoudt went 3 for 4 and both went deep.
• ASD Rimini 5, Regensburg Legionäre 2. German national team regular Enorbel Márquez and José Escalona fan 9 in shutting down Germany. Rimini trailed 2-1 entering the 8th before 1B Giuseppe Spinelli has a game-tying hit and LF Lorenzo Di Fabio drives in the winner.
• Draci Brno 16, KNTU Elizavetgrad 0. In a five-inning mercy rule romp, Wilson Lee and Martin Veselý combine on a two-hitter while SS Martin Schneider (2 for 2, 2 BB, 2B, 3B, 3 R, 3 RBI) leads the offensive fireworks.

Hoofddorp

• Rouen Huskies 8, Solingen Alligators 7. Rouen edged out Solingen in an extra-inning affair. Solingen led 4-1 entering the 7th but Rouen rallied to tie it. The clubs each scored three in the 10th. In the 11th, DH Dylan Gleeson drove in LF Oscar Combes with the winner for Rouen. Each team got a workhorse effort from an American hurler: Jason Daniels went 9 2/3 IP (147 pitches) for Solingen, while Chris Mezger fanned 11 and allowed 13 hits in 9 innings (150 pitches) for the Huskies. C Boris Marche and 1B Quentin Becquey each had four hits for the winners.
• Nettuno 11, Kotlarka Prague 0. Rodney Rodriguez fanned 12 in a one-hitter, while DH Carlos Pezzullo had 3 hits, 1B Danilo Scorziello four walks and 3B Melvin Sforza 3 RBI for Nettuno.
• Vaessen Pioniers 4, T&A San Marino 2. In a matchup of previously unbeaten entries, the Pioniers keep rolling as Steven van Groningen (2 H in 7 IP), Sedley Karel and Bayron Cornelisse pitch well. Milvio Andreozzi is handed the loss. CF Danny Rombley has 3 hits and 3 runs.

June 20

Brno

• DOOR Neptunus 17, ASD Rimini 3. Neptunus obliterates Rimini in a time-wide effort: DH Stijn van der Meer, 2B Benjamin Dille, LF Adrian Anthony and 3B Raily Legito each drive in three, Legito also scores three and CF Shaldimar Daantji gets three hits to make a winner of Orlando Yntema. Tommaso Cherubini gives up six runs in 1/3 of an inning for the loss.
• Regensburg Legionäre 15, KNTU Elizavetgrad 0. Justin Kuehn tosses a two-hitter while brothers Philipp Howard (3 H, 3 R, 2 RBI) and Christopher Howard (4 H, 2 R, 2 RBI) lead the Regensburg charge.
• Templiers de Sénart 3, Draci Brno 1. In the only close game in the pool today, Michal Sobotka throws four shutout innings but reliever Jeremy Filipek gives up two runs in the 5th. Ciro Silvino Licea strikes out 14 for the Templiers while fellow Cuban Raudelin Legra drives in a pair.

Hoofddorp

• Rouen Huskies 11, Kotlarka Prague 10. Rouen wins its second straight one-run high-scoring contest. Down 10-8 with two outs in the 9th and two on, they come through against Marek Červenka as 2B Domingo Morillo singled in a run (his 4th hit of the day), stole second and 3B Jason Rogers hit a two-run single (Morillo scoring his third run of the game for the winner). 1B/P Quentin Becquey drove in three and got the win in relief.
• T&A San Marino 12, Nettuno 0. In a match of Italian Baseball League clubs, San Marino toasts Nettuno as Luca Martignoni tosses a one-hitter while Frailyn Florian gives up 16 hits and 12 runs in 6 innings. 3B Luca Pulzetti and DH Jairo Ramos Gizzi each drive in three.
• Hoofddorp Pioniers 11, Solingen Alligators 4. Reggie Bomberg overcomes six walks in 5 1/3 IP, allowing only two hits and one run, while he is backed by solid offense from CF Danny Rombley (3 R, 2 RBI) and 1B Mark-Jan Moorman (4 RBI).

June 21

Brno

• ASD Rimini 5, KNTU Elizavetgrad 4. Rimini faces a surprising challenge from the Ukraine before falling. José Escalona gets the win in relief of Roberto Corradini while CF Leonardo Zileri goes two for two with three walks. Dmitro Limarenko is the losing hurler; Rimini draws 9 walks.
• Regensburg Legionäre 5, Templiers de Sénart 1. Mike Bolsenbroek strikes out 12 to beat Raudelin Legra. LF Johannes Jung drives in three.
• DOOR Neptunus 7, Draci Brno 2. Floris Timmer allows two runs in eight and Misja Harcksen wraps up the win while Petr Minařík loses. 2B Benjamin Dille and RF Urving Kemp both score two runs.

Hoofddorp

• T&A San Marino 8, Rouen Huskies 2. San Marino advanced to the finals instead of Rouen as Nicholas Morreale (1 R in 7 IP) beat Owen Ozanich (5 R in 6 IP). CF Paul Macaluso (4 for 5, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI) and 2B Francesco Imperiali (3 for 5, 2 2B, 2 R) led the San Marino attack and LF Lorenzo Avagnina homered.
• Kotlarka Prague 3, Solingen Alligators 2. In a sparsely-attended game, Kotlarka Prague got its lone win of the Cup as Marek Červenka blanks Solingen before fading in the 8th; T.J. Macy wraps it up. SS Daniel Sánchez is 3 for 3 with two RBI in a losing effort. Harry Glynne takes the loss.
• Vaessen Pioniers 7, Nettuno 6. The teams battled back and forth all game. With the Pioniers ahead 6-4 in the bottom of the 9th, Nettuno came back against Dave Draijer. SS Mirco Caradonna hit into an error by 3B Djewi Appelman then stole second. 16-year-old CF Federico Giordani doubled him in. Draijer walked RF Alessandro Paoletti on a full count, bringing up catcher and cleanup man Manuel Evangelista, who singled in Giordani with the tying run. 1B Carlos Pezzullo singled, but Paoletti was thrown out trying to score the winning run on the play. Draijer got the next two outs to stem the tide. In the 10th, 42-year-old 1B Dè Flanegin grounded in Appelman with the winner, handing Rodney Rodriguez the defeat. Evangelista and Pezzullo each had three hits for Nettuno, while the hosts got three runs from SS/2B Chris Williams.

June 22

Brno

• ASD Rimini 9, DOOR Neptunus 2. After outscoring opponents 58-11 in their first five games, including a rout of Rimini, Neptunus fell in the pool finale as the trend of Italian Baseball League teams advancing to the Cup finals continued. Mike Ekstrom outdueled Diegomar Markwell and it was 2-1 entering the bottom of the 8th. Enorbel Márquez relieved Ekstrom but allowed a one-out double to 2B Benjamin Dille then a RBI single to 3B Raily Legito (Legito's third hit). Things unraveled for Neptunus in the 9th, though. Orlando Yntema walked RF Alex Romero and was relieved by two-time World Baseball Classic hurler Berry van Driel, who had a rough day. 1B Giuseppe Spinelli singled for his third hit, then DH Giuseppe Mazzanti (who had 3 hits already) reached on a fielder's choice. C Riccardo Bertagnon singled for a 3-2 lead, then 2B Riccardo Babini drew a bases-loaded walk. LF Pierangelo Cit singled for his third hit and a 5-2 lead, then van Driel walked 3B Lorenzo Di Fabio to force in another run. Van Driel was then ejected, presumably for arguing with the umpire, having given up four runs while retiring no one (two of the inherited runners would score). Misja Harcksen walked SS Jack Santora to score an 8th run then CF Leonardo Zileri hit into an error by SS Dwayne Kemp for the final score as Neptunus watched it go up in smoke with a 7-run 9th.

One sour note for Rimini came in late July when pitcher Sandy Patrone was suspended for a banned substance resulting from a test taken this day. Patrone claimed it was due to a medication he was taking for an injury and that he had been tested for numerous international competitions in the past.

Hoofddorp

• T&A San Marino 2, Vaessen Pioniers 1. As in Brno, an Italian Baseball League club topped a previously unbeaten Dutch squad. Both teams turned to Venezuelan hurlers with minor league experience, Junior Guerra for San Marino and Ricardo Hernández for the home team. In the top of the 4th, DH Jairo Ramos Gizzi homered off Hernández for a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, with two outs, SS Max Draijer, 2B Zerzinho Croes and RF Dirk van 't Klooster singled in a row to tie the game. In the sixth, CF Paul Macaluso singled, was bunted over by LF Lorenzo Avagnina and was doubled home by SS Willie Vasquez with the deciding run. Another Venezuelan, Jesús Delgado, worked the final three innings for San Marino without allowing a baserunner.

August 7

• T&A San Marino 2, ASD Rimini 1. The finals kicked off with a close pitcher's duel. Six-year major league veteran Enrique Gonzalez started for Rimini and threw three shutout innings but ran into trouble in the 4th. DH Jairo Ramos Gizzi singled. 1B Joe Mazzuca cracked a RBI double and took third on the throw home. SS Joe Persichina followed with a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 San Marino cushion. That was all the support Junior Guerra would need. He blanked host Rimini until the 7th. DH Mario Chiarini hit a one-out single in that frame, then 1B Giuseppe Spinelli walked. 2B Adolfo Gomez doubled to make it 2-1. Guerra intentionally walked C Riccardo Bertagnon to load the bases for LF Lorenzo Di Fabio. The move paid off as Di Fabio grounded to 3B Giovanni Pantaleoni, who fired home for the force at the plate. Guerra whiffed CF Leonardo Zileri to escape the jam. Guerra left after 7 1/3 IP with 11 K and Darwin Cubillan wrapped it up for a save.

August 8

• ASD Rimini 5, T&A San Marino 4. Rimini tied the best-of-3 finals with one big inning. San Marino got on the board first, scoring against Enorbel Márquez in the second on a single by 1B Joe Mazzuca, a walk to SS Joe Persichina, a two-out wild pitch and a passed ball by C Pierangelo Cit. In the top of the 4th, Rimini came back and then some. SS Jack Santora drew a leadoff walk from Anthony Capra. CF Leonardo Zileri also drew a full-count walk, then RF Alex Romero singled - an error on the play by Persichina made it 1-1. 3B Giuseppe Mazzanti doubled in Zileri and Romero and took third on the throw home, then a wild pitch made it 4-1. In the 5th, Cit and 2B Adolfo Gomez singled. Santora bunted into a Capra error then Zileri hit a sacrifice fly for a 5-1 edge. San Marino would try to scrape their way back in. In the bottom of the 6th, C Simone Albanese doubled and took third on an error by LF Lorenzo Di Fabio. CF Paul Macaluso later singled to cut it to 5-2. In the bottom of the 8th, José Escalona relieved Márquez and allowed a hit to LF Lorenzo Avagnina. Macaluso grounded to Escalona, who fired to second for the force, but DH Jairo Ramos Gizzi and Mazzuca followed with singles for a 5-3 game. In the bottom of the 9th, RF Nicholas Morreale drew a leadoff walk from Escalona. 3B Luca Pulzetti was plunked to put the potential tying run aboard. Roberto Corradini relieved and Albanese laid down a sacrifice. Avagnina was intentionally walked, putting the potential winning run on. PH Junior Guerra singled in a run to make it 5-4. Ramos Gizzi hit a fly to Zileri in center and Zileri's throw home beat Pulzetti to the plate for a dramatic ending.

August 9

• T&A San Marino 10, ASD Rimini 4. After two close games, San Marino ran away with game 3. Rimini scored in the first. 2B Adolfo Gomez and SS Jack Santora singled off Junior Guerra. After a sacrifice by CF Leonardo Zileri, LF Alex Romero was intentionally walked and 3B Giuseppe Mazzanti hit a sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the second, San Marino pounded game 2 savior Roberto Corradini. 1B Joe Mazzuca led off with a homer. RF Mattia Reginato had a one-out single, LF Nicholas Morreale was plunked and C Simone Albanese walked. 3B Giovanni Pantaleoni smacked a two-run single. Daniele Del Bianco relieved with San Marino already up 3-1 and CF Lorenzo Avagnina hit a sacrifice fly. San Marino never looked back. Guerra allowed one run in six while Darwin Cubillan got the save despite 3 innings in 3. Reginato (3 for 4, 2 R, RBI), DH Jairo Ramos Gizzi (2 R, 2 RBI) and Pantaleoni (3 RBI) all came up big.

Final Standings

Brno Group

• 1. ASD Rimini, 4-2
• 2. DOOR Neptunus, 5-1
• 3. Regensburg Legionäre, 2-3
• 4. Draci Brno, 2-3
• 5. Templiers de Sénart , 2-3
• 6. KNTU Elizavetgrad, 1-4

Hoofddorp Group

• 1. T&A San Marino, 5-1
• 2. Vaessen Pioniers , 5-1
• 3. Rouen Huskies, 3-2
• 4. Solingen Alligators, 1-4
• 5. Nettuno, 1-4
• 6. Kotlarka Prague, 1-4

Championship Series

Game	Winner	Score	Loser	Notes
Game 1	T&A San Marino	2-1	ASD Rimini
Game 2	ASD Rimini	5-4	T&A San Marino
Game 3	T&A San Marino	10-4	ASD Rimini	San Marino wins Cup

Awards and Leaders

Brno (stats excludes finale)

• MVP: Mike Ekstrom, Rimini P
• Average: Leonardo Zileri, Rimini .706
• ERA: Ekstrom, 0.00
• Hits: Zileri, 12
• Runs: Raily Legito, Neptunus, 9
• RBI: Dwayne Kemp, Neptunus, 7
• Doubles: Stijn van der Meer, Neptunus, 4
• Triples: 7 tied with 1
• Home Runs: Legito, 2
• Total Bases: Legito, 14
• Stolen Bases: Kemp, 6
• Strikeouts: Wilson Lee, Draci Brno & Mike Bolsenbroek, Regensburg, 16

Hoofddorp

• MVP: Jairo Ramos Gizzi, San Marino DH
• Average: Ramos Gizzi & Quentin Becquey, Rouen, .500
• ERA: Rodney Rodriguez, Nettuno, 0.00
• Hits: Ramos Gizzi, 12
• Runs: Danny Rombley, Vaessen, 9
• RBI: Ramos Gizzi, 9
• Doubles: Francesco Imperiali, San Marino, 5
• Triples: 8 tied with 1
• Home Runs: Ramos Gizzi & Jakub Sládek, Kotlarka Prague, 2
• Total Bases: Ramos Gizzi, 20
• Stolen Bases: Rombley & Domingo Morillo, Senart, 4
• Strikeouts: Rodriguez, 18

Finals

• MVP: Joe Mazzuca, San Marino 1B