2021 CEB Cup

The 2021 CEB Cup was held in Lieusaint, Ile-de-France in mid-July 2021, after there was no CEB Cup in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While three teams tied for the top record, Draci Brno won using the Total Quality Balance formula. The MVP went to 3B Alexander Perdomo of the Templiers de Sénart, who hit .417/.440/1.125 with 4 homers, 9 runs and 10 RBI in 5 games.

Games

July 13

• Minsk 6, Dornbirn Indians 1. Yauheni Kurhun tosses a gem, fanning 12 and allowing one hit and one unearned run to stifle Austria. SS Siarhei Sokal has two runs and two RBI. For Dornbirn, CF Joachim Frick has the lone hit, doubling in SS Dominick Golubiewski. Lochlan Southee takes the loss.
• Draci Brno vs. Therwil Flyers suspended due to rain
• Templiers de Sénart vs. Astros Valencia delayed due to rain

July 14

• Draci Brno 6, Minsk 5. Minsk nearly starts 2-0, carrying a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the 8th before Ilya Sladzinski tires. 2B Yauheni Karalevich and CF/P Kiryl Kazlouski each have 3 hits, though Kazlouski takes the loss. C Pabel Manzanero homers twice and drives in three for Draci Brno, with David Mergans getting the win. RF Martin Kalábek's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th scores backup 3B Milan Prokop with the winner.
• Astros Valencia 5, Dornbirn Indians 4. Valencia also stages a comeback win, scoring the winner in the 9th when 1B Sandel Cuevas scores on a throwing error by C Mike Boateng. C Blake Ochoa and RF Roibert Decena each rap three hits. Veteran Ricardo Hernández turns in four shutout innings for the win, striking out Simon Plagg with two on in the 9th to end it. SS/P Dominick Golubiewski has two hits and two runs for Dornbirn, while C/3B/P Chris Squires has two hits and two RBI; Squires, who had pitched as high as AA, takes the loss.
• Templiers de Sénart 14, Therwil Flyers 1. The hosts started off strong as Tanguy Meurant, Clifford Heberden and José Paula combine on a three-hitter in a seven-inning mercy rule win. SS Oliver van der Wijst scores three runs while RF Jimmy Makapon drives in four. DH/P Alan Droke drives in LF Hideori Oshima with the lone Swiss run, while Ferlon Gijsbertha took the loss.

July 15

• Draci Brno 15, Astros Valencia 6. Draci Brno bangs out 19 hits, with fine days from C Pabel Manzanero (4 for 6, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI), RF Martin Kalábek (2 3B, 4 RBI), DH Martin Červinka (3 R) and LF Filip Moštěk (3 H). Omar Conoropo gets the win despite giving up ten hits in five innings, beating Lowuin Sacramento. SS Edison Valerio has half of Valencia's runs and finishes a triple shy of a cycle.
• Draci Brno 16, Therwil Flyers 10. Completing the game started two days prior, the Czechs get their second win of the day. Radim Chroust gets this victory, while another Chroust, 3B/1B Přemek Chroust has 3 hits as does SS/2B Eugene Helder. DH Martin Červinka has 3 runs and 2 RBI to give himself six runs on the day. SS Chris Horne raps 3 hits for Therwil, while 1B Sven Leemann drives in three. Nathan Kuchta takes the defeat.
• Therwil Flyers 15, Minsk 7. The Swiss team gets its first win as SS Chris Horne has five walks and four runs while CF Adrian Kaufmann drives in four; Hideori Oshima gets the victory over Kiryl Kazlouski. 3B/RF Ilya Sladzinski cracks three doubles for Minsk, while 1B Anton Pryputnevich has three hits (two doubles).
• Templiers de Sénart 14, Dornbirn Indians 11. 3B Alexander Perdomo has 4 runs and 5 RBI, while C Andy Paz goes 6 for 6 and RF Jimmy Makapou scores four for the hosts. José Paula gets the win against Jochem Pfister. SS Dominick Golubiewski drives in 4 for the Indians, while 2B Elias Niel scores three.

July 16

• Astros Valencia 3, Templiers de Sénart 2. The hosts lead most of the way; 2B Mathis Meurant doubles off Cuban veteran Yosvani Torres to score SS Oliver van der Wijst in the 2nd and C Andy Paz scores on a 6th-inning wild pitch. Shane Priest carries the 2-0 lead into the bottom of the 8th, when veteran 1B Sandel Cuevas delivers a huge bases-clearing double for a 3-2 victory.
• Astros Valencia 11, Therwil Flyers 6. C Blake Ochoa drives in three while fellow veteran Yulman Ribeiro gets the win over Chris Horne. 3B Alan Droke has three hits for Therwil.
• Draci Brno 16, Dornbirn Indians 6. Draci Brno knocks out Ryan Rupp in the first to remain unbeaten. 1B Pabel Manzanero has 3 hits and 3 RBI while RF Martin Kalábek drives in five. Tomáš Hrbek is the winning hurler.
• Templiers de Sénart 7, Minsk 5. The hosts rebound to win, Clifford Heberden beating Anton Pryputnevich; Tanguy Meurant gets the save while his brother Mathis Meurant (SS/P) goes 4 for 5 with two runs and a RBI.

July 17

• Dornbirn Indians 9, Therwil Flyers 0. Dornbirn discovered that one of Therwil's players had not appeared within 30 days prior to the tournament and was thus ineligible; their successful protest meant that the game was declared a forfeit in their favor, their only "win" of the tournament. That meant Switzerland would drop from the CEB Cup for next year, unless a Swiss team wins the 2021 Federations Cup.
• Astros Valencia 10, Minsk 9. Minsk again plays a tough game only to fall to a contender. C Blake Ochoa doubles twice, homers and singles with two runs and three RBI while Louwin Sacramento saves it for Luis Galicia. Yauheni Kurhun takes the loss, while 1B/CF Kiryl Kazlouski goes 4 for 5 with two runs and two RBI for Minsk.
• Templiers de Sénart 6, Draci Brno 4. The hosts hand Brno their only loss, but not by a big enough margin; as a result, the Czechs will be sending a second team to the 2022 European Champions Cup. 2B Alexander Perdomo is the big star, with two homers, three runs and four RBI while Jared Mortensen fans 13 in a complete game win. Radim Chroust takes the loss, while veteran 2B Jakub Hajtmar has 3 hits and 3 RBI.

Final Standings

• 1. Draci Brno (Czech Republic)
• 2. Templiers de Sénart (France)
• 3. Astros Valencia (Spain)
• 4. Minsk (Belarus)
• 5. Dornbirn Indians (Austria)
• 6. Therwil Flyers (Switzerland)