2016 European Champions Cup

From BR Bullpen

(Redirected from 2016 European Cup)

The 2016 European Champions Cup was held from May 31 to June 5, 2016 in Rimini, Italy and San Marino. The format went to eight teams playing all in one time frame instead of the 2008-2015 format of two pools of six playing in different cities then meeting later in the year with two or four finalists.

The L&D Amsterdam Pirates won their first European crown beating ASD Rimini in the final.

The lone former major leaguer present was Ronny Cedeno of Bologna.

Competing Teams / Manager[edit]

Results[edit]

May 31[edit]

June 1[edit]

June 2[edit]

It was still 3-2 entering the bottom of the 9th. With one out, Vernooij drew another walk from Oberto. With two outs, Neptunus was down to their last strike when Oberto got a 1-2 count on Urving Kemp (who had replaced his brother in left, Dwayne Kemp moving to 2B). Urving Kemp grounded to Mazzuca, but the former Marlins minor leaguer made a critical run-scoring error to tie it and send the game into extra innings. In the top of the 10th, San Marino went ahead when C Simone Albanese scored on a wild pitch by Loek van Mil. In the bottom of the 10th, Ludovico Coveri hit RF Daniel Fernandes to load the bases (two runners starting aboard due to the IBAF Extra Innings Rule). 3B Raily Legito drew his 3rd walk of the day, forcing in Urving Kemp. Filippo Crepaldi relieved Coveri but he also battled with control, walking Boekhoudt on five pitches to force in Dwayne Kemp with the winning run.

June 3[edit]

June 4[edit]

After Matteo Bocchi blanked Rotterdam for 4 1/3 IP on one hit, he was replaced by Andrea Pizziconi, who was not as sharp (6 H, 3 R in 2 2/3 IP). In the 6th, Neptunus got to Pizziconi. Kemp and van der Meer both singled, then 3B Raily Legito hit a two-run double and 1B Gianison Boekhoudt a run-scoring single for a 4-3 game. In the bottom of the 8th, Bologna got insurance. Steven van Groningen walked LaTorre with one out and Ambrosino with two outs, then LF Alessandro Grimaudo doubled them both in for a 6-3 cushion.

Grimaudo's hit proved to be necessary as Neptunus rallied in the top of the 9th. Nick Pugliese hit DH Rien Vernooij to lead off the frame. Brent Buffa relieved Pugliese. RF Steven Wharwood hit into a 5-4 force. C Shadrach Meulens grounded into a Mondino error. LF Urving Kemp hit into an error by SS Alessandro Vaglio. CF Shaldimar Daantji grounded to second and the throw went to short for one but SS Vaglio's throw back to first turned into a run-scoring error that made it 6-4. Like Rotterdam in the first, Bologna had grouped all their errors today into a bad series of plays in one inning. Dwayne Kemp singled to right to score Daantji. Van der Meer singled to left, bringing in Urving Kemp to tie it, but Legito grounded out.

In the bottom of the 9th, Infante drew his third walk of the day. Mondino bunted him over then RF Claudio Liverziani was intentionally walked. 1B Alex Sambucci singled, as did LaTorre, scoring Infante with the winner. Van Groningen had allowed 4 hits, 5 walks and 3 runs in 2 1/3 IP.

In the meantime, Alexis Candelario had stranded two runners in both the 3rd and 4th. In the 5th, 3B Jesse Aussems led off with a hit off Candelario, then 2B Nick Urbanus doubled. With one out, LF Gilmer Lampe grounded in Aussems. Candelario hit CF Remco Draijer and walked RF Danny Rombley and was at 95 pitches and 9 baserunners allowed in 4 2/3 IP. José Escalona relieved but DH Linoy Croes hit a two-run single to put the Dutch team ahead.

Amsterdam had a chance for insurance in the 8th when they loaded the bases against Roberto Corradini but veteran SS Mike Duursma grounded out to end that chance. It proved critical as in the bottom of the 8th, Rimini rallied against Daan Hendrix. 2B Freddy Noguera singled and 3B Lorenzo Di Fabio bunted him over. CF Stefano De Simoni drew a walk. Tom de Blok relieved Hendrix but tossed a wild pitch. Retrosi singled in Noguera to make it 3-2 and a sacrifice fly by Flores tied the contest.

In the top of the 10th, Amsterdam opted to start with Draijer and Rombley aboard and Croes up. He laid down a bunt and a Corradini error on the play scored Draijer. Rombley tried to score as well, but was thrown out at home. Carlos Teran relieved Corradini. 1B Kenny Berkenbosch doubled in Croes but Teran recovered to whiff C Rashid Gerard and Aussems, giving Rimini 16 strikeouts.

The home crowd now had to hope for another two-run comeback. Rimini began with PR Lino Zappone and backup 2B Riccardo Babini aboard and Di Fabio up. Rimini tried a double steal and a throwing error by Gerard made it a one-run game and put Babini on second as the potential tying run. De Blok fanned Di Fabio. De Simoni grounded to Duursma, who threw to retire Babini (trying for third) for out #2, De Simoni safe at first on the play. De Blok then struck out Retrosi (9-for-20 to that point in the Cup, 3 for 4 today) to win the game for Amsterdam. As Neptunus had won in 2015, it marked a repeat title for the Netherlands, the first for that nation since 2003-2004.

Championship Game[edit]

L&D Amsterdam Pirates 5 ASD Rimini 4 (10)

Final Standings[edit]

Leaders and Awards[edit]

(Official statistical leaders do not count the placement games of June 4)


European Cup

1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969
1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979
1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989
1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999
2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009
2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019
2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024