2022 European Champions Cup

The 2022 European Champions Cup was held in Bonn, Germany from June 7-11, 2022. Former major leaguers to appear were Dovydas Neverauskas (Bonn), Roger Bernadina (Neptunus), Juan Jaime (Brno), Shairon Martis (Amsterdam), Carlos Contreras (Parma) and André Rienzo (San Marino).

Competing Teams

(country represented in parentheses, followed by manager)

• Curacao Neptunus (Netherlands) (Raily Legito)
• Parmaclima (Italy) (Gianguido Poma)
• L&D Amsterdam Pirates (Netherlands) (Ronald Jaarsma)
• Bonn Capitals (Germany) (Max Schmitz)
• Arrows Ostrava (Czech Republic) (Boris Bokaj)
• Heidenheim Heideköpfe (Germany) (Klaus Eckle)
• San Marino Baseball Club (San Marino) (Doriano Bindi)
• Draci Brno (Czech Republic) (Hynek Čapka)

Results

June 7

• Parma 11, Brno 1. RF Noel González goes 3 for 3 with two walks and three runs to lead Parma to an opening win. Emailin Montilla and Marc-André Habeck combine to fan ten in a three-hitter, the only run being unearned (scored by CF Arnošt Dubový). Gillian Wernet takes the loss.
• Heidenheim 4, Amsterdam 2. Amsterdam leads much of the way; 3B Tommy van Senden's single off former Team Canada hurler Jared Mortensen scores C Sicnarf Loopstok in the second. In the third, DH Denzel Richardson homers to make it 2-0. Meanwhile, Nelmerson Angela shuts out the German squad for five. Heidenheim gets one in the 7th against Jelle van der Lelie when veteran DH Luke Sommer goes deep. Amsterdam turns to former Giants and Padres farmhand Franklin van Gurp to close it out in the 9th but he fails to do so. C Yannic Walther drew a one-out walk and LF Luca Hörger singled. #9 hitter 3B Simon Liedtke's sacrifice fly tied it. Van Gurp plunked SS Philip Schulz and SS Drew Janssen hit into a two-run, game-losing error by long-time pro Sharlon Schoop, his counterpart for the Pirates.
• Neptunus vs. San Marino halted at 5-5 in the 9th due to rain
• Ostrava vs. Bonn postponed due to rain

June 8

• Amsterdam 9, Brno 0. The Pirates bounced back with a five-inning mercy rule win. Scott Prins and Mike Groen combine for two hits and no walks in five shutout innings, with CF Arnošt Dubový and 3B Milan Prokop getting the lone Czech hits. DH Rashid Gerard went 2 for 2 with a walk, double and three RBI to pace the Amsterdam attack that gave the loss to Filip Čapka.
• San Marino 4, Ostrava 0. Carlos Quevedo allows no hits or walks in six shutout innings (a hit batsmen blowing the perfect outing) before Luca Di Raffaele relieved and allowed the only Czech hit, to RF Jakub Malík. 2B/SS Oscar Angulo goes 2 for 3 with a homer, while Marko Vykoukal takes the defeat.
• Bonn 6, Ostrava 3. The hosts finally got to play, though their game is halted for a period by the rain that has been plaguing the event. It is 2-2 until the 9th, when Bonn nearly blows it as former major leaguer Dovydas Neverauskas throws a wild pitch to score Jakub Kubica. Ondřej Satoria comes in to close it out, but the home team gets plenty to celebrate as RF Wilson Lee walks, 3B Daniel Sánchez and 1B Daniel Lamb-Hunt both single and C Vincent Ahrens ends it with a dramatic grand slam.
• Parma vs. Heidenheim suspended in progress due to rain
• Bonn vs. Neptunus postponed due to rain

June 9

• Heidenheim 8, Brno 2. Mike Bolsenbroek fans nine in a complete game win and is backed by the bats of CF Gary Owens (2B, HR, 3 RBI) and LF Luke Sommer (3 H). Václav Tauš is handed the loss, while C Pabel Manzanero homers for the struggling Czech team.
• Neptunus 9, Ostrava 4. Boris Bokaj is outdueling Kaj Timmermans, 4-1, entering the bottom of the 8th, but Neptunus rallies, starting with a grand slam by C Dashenko Ricardo. Timmermans strikes out nine in the victory.
• Parma 12, Heidenheim 0. In a game halted in the third prior to the rain yesterday, Parma completes the rout. C Alberto Mineo has a two-run homer and two-run double, 1B Alex Sambucci homers and drives in three, SS Manuel Joseph scores three, 2B Exequiel Talevi scores 3 and RF Noel González remains hot with three RBI. Diego Fabiani pitches six shutout innings of relief, taking over after the rain postponement, for the win. Luke Sommer takes the loss while CF Gary Owens has two hits in a losing cause.
• Bonn 8, Neptunus 5. The hosts go to 2-0 as Neptunus strands 12. Sascha Koch allows two runs in five for the win, while Dovydas Neverauskas gets the save. CF Danny Lankhorst went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI for Bonn, while SS John Polonius and RF/1B Greg Muller homer for Neptunus. Aaron de Groot was the losing hurler.
• Amsterdam 11, Parma 4. Amsterdam makes it a three-way tie with Parma and Heidenheim at 2-1 in their pool, meaning that tie-breakers would be used to determine which teams advance to the semifinals (Heidenheim got the short straw under that methodology). Shairon Martis goes the distance and gets plenty of offensive support from RF Rachid Engelhardt (3 R), 2B Delano Selassa (3 H), 1B Denzel Richardson (5 for 6, 4 RBI, triple shy of cycle), C Sicnarf Loopstok (4 H), DH Rashid Gerard (3 H) and 3B Tommy van de Sanden (3 RBI). 1B Alex Sambucci has three hits for Italy, while Jose Diaz is roughed up for the loss.
• San Marino 6, Bonn 4. The home team takes their first loss, but take San Marino to the 10th before two wild pitches by Paul Schmitz let in runs. DH Ortwin Pieternella Jr. triples twice and scores twice for San Marino, while Fernando Baez works three hitless innings for the win. CF Danny Lankhorst drives in a pair in the loss.

June 10

• Neptunus 8, San Marino 7. As in the other pool, it becomes a three-way tie at 2-1. Despite winning the game halted in the 9th three days ago, Neptunus loses the tie-breaker to fall out of contention. Backup C Louie Sienders singles in backup LF Greg Muller with the winner in the 11th inning. 3B Stijn van der Meer and CF Roger Bernadina both double and homer while Kevin Kelly works three hitless innings for the win. Luca Di Raffaele, the 6th San Marino hurler, takes the loss, while 3B Leo Ferrini scores three runs for them.
• Ostrava 8, Heidenheim 7. After Czech teams had dropped their first six games, the Arrows finally give their country a victory. RF Jakub Malík has two runs and two RBI to lead a balanced offense. It is 8-3 going into the bottom of the 9th before a Shawn Larry grand slam off Alec Lemmon. Lemmon still gets the win (saved by Marko Vykoukal), while Jared Mortensen takes the loss.
• Amsterdam 13, San Marino 9. The Pirates make their third title game in six years by beating San Marino. C Sicnarf Loopstok doubles twice, homers twice, scores four and drives in five while 3B Delano Selassa connects for three hits; Scott Prins gets the win over Eduardo Peluso. CF Federico Celli drives in 3 for San Marino, while RF Nathanael Batista has three hits.
• Brno 12, Neptunus 6. Brno is the last team to win a game, guaranteeing no winless or unbeaten teams this year. 48-year-old Pavel Budský, 25 years removed from being the first Czech-raised minor leaguer, shows he can still hit as he goes 4 for 4 with 4 RBI. 3B Milan Prokop, a teenager not alive when Budský's career began, scores three runs. Former major leaguer Juan Jaime gets the win despite 6 runs (4 earned) in 5 2/3 IP; Martin Schneider saves it with 3 1/3 shutout frames. Former Dodgers farmhand Misja Harcksen lasts only one inning in a loss, while LF Dwayne Kemp has three hits for Neptunus.
• Parma 6, Bonn 5. The hosts put up a strong show but fall in extra innings. In the top of the 10th, RF Noel González hits a sacrifice fly off Zach Dodson to score LF Sebastiano Poma to make it 5-4. SS Manuel Joseph then singled in CF Aldo Koutsoyanopulos for his third RBI of the day. 2B Exequiel Talevi finished with three hits and C Alberto Mineo three doubles for Parma. Bonn had a shot in the bottom of the 10th, SS Eric Brenk doubled off Carlos Contreras to close it to 6-5 but Contreras struck out 3B Daniel Sánchez and 1B Daniel Lamb-Hunt, the 3 and 4 hitters, with the bases loaded to escape with a win.

June 11

• 7th/8th place game: Neptunus 10, Heidenheim 8. The Netherlands nearly had one of their entries relegated, which would have ended a long run of two teams in the European Cup/European Champions Cup, but survived in extra innings. Heidenheim chased former AA hurler Diegomar Markwell with one out in the first and scored four times off him and Ryan Hoogendoorn in that frame. Luke Sommer had allowed two runs in six but was tagged for four in the seventh. Neptunus still led 6-4 going into the bottom of the 9th, when C Drew Janssen hit a two-run homer against former AAA pitcher J.C. Sulbaran. 3B Stijn van der Meer hit a grand slam in the 10th off Simon Liedtke; Sulbaran allowed two in the bottom of the inning before finishing off the win. Van der Meer finished with four hits as well, while SS John Polonius had three hits and CF Christian Diaz three runs for Neptunus.
• Bronze Medal game: Bonn 6, San Marino 3. Bonn becomes the first German team to win two medals in European Cups, let alone in back-to-back years. CF Danny Lankhorst drives in three, while Dovydas Neverauskas saves it for Nick Miceli. Luca Pulzetti is the losing hurler.
• Gold Medal game: Parma 7, Amsterdam 6. The title game featured defending champion (and 14-time titlist) Parma versus 2016 champion Amsterdam. The Pirates got to Emailin Montilla quickly; in the bottom of the first, 2B Delano Selassa singled and 1B Denzel Richardson went deep. The next three all reached but DH Rashid Gerard hit into a double play, costing some critical opportunities. In the top of the second, DH Cesare Astorri doubled off Nelmerson Angela and LF Riccardo Flisi singled. With one out, Angela hit CF Aldo Koutsoyanopulos. 2B Exequiel Talevi then tied it with a single to left-center. Parma took the lead in the third. SS Manuel Joseph's leadoff double chased Angela in favor of Jelle van der Lelie. After a wild pitch, 1B Alex Sambucci drew a walk then C Alberto Mineo hit into a run-scoring double play. The lead did not last long as Richardson hit his second homer of the day off Montilla to lead off the bottom of the third. SS Sharlon Schoop singled, RF Kalian Sams doubled and C Sicnarf Loopstok singled them both in, knocking out Montilla in favor of former major leaguer Carlos Contreras.

Parma moved back within a run, 5-4, in the top of the 5th when RF Noel González homered off van der Lelie. In the bottom of the 6th, Amsterdam got their last run, off Jose Diaz. 3B Tommy van de Sanden got plunked, stole second, took third on an error and scored on a fly from CF Roelie Henrique Jr. In the top of the 7th, Parma moved back within a run when Joseph homered off Mike Groen. They almost got another as Sambucci singled, Astorri drew a one-out walk and Sambucci tried to score on a single by Flisi, but was thrown out. Amsterdam turned to their fourth pitcher, former Giants farmhand Franklin van Gurp, to try to keep the lead. It was not to be. With one out, Koutsoyanopulos. walked and Talevi singled him to third. Van Gurp got González swinging then Joseph hit the game-winning two-run double to left. Amsterdam had a chance in the bottom of the 9th as Sams and Gerard drew walks from Yomel Rivera. Marc-André Habeck replaced him and got van den Sanden on strikes to end the game.

Final Standings

• 1. Parma (Italy)
• 2. Amsterdam Pirates (Netherlands)
• 3. Bonn Capitals (Germany)
• 4. ASD San Marino (San Marino)
• T5. Arrows Ostrava (Czechia)
• T5. Draci Brno (Czechia)
• 7. Curaçao Neptunus (Netherlands)
• 8. Heidenheim Heideköpfe (Germany)

Leaders and Awards

• MVP: Manuel Joseph, Parma SS

• Average: Sicnarf Loopstok, Amsterdam .647
• ERA: Carlos Contreras, Parma; Marc-André Habeck, Parma; Diego Fabiani, Parma 0.00 (6 IP)
• Hits: Delano Selassa, Amsterdam 12
• Runs: Exequiel Talevi, Parma 8
• RBI: Manuel Joseph, Parma; Denzel Richardson, Amsterdam 10
• Doubles: Alberto Mineo, Parma 4
• Triples: Ortwin Pieternella Jr., San Marino 2
• Home Runs: Richardson, 4
• Total Bases: Richardson, 23
• Steals: Aldo Koutsoyanopulos, Parma 4
• Strikeouts: Jared Mortensen, Heidenheim 13
• Wins: Nineteen tied with 1
• Saves: Dovydas Neverauskas, Bonn; Marc-André Habeck, Parma 2