 Wins for Neptunus & UVV; Bologna wins European Cup
Nederlands
  ROTTERDAM / THE HAGUE (Neth.) -
DOOR Neptunus saw a lead being erased twice on Saturday, then broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning and went on to win comfortably with a 14-4 score in eight innings vs. Mr. Cocker HCAW.
ADO Lakers held an 1-0 lead briefly, then held UVV to an 1-1 score until the ninth inning, but lost 2-1.
These were the only two (make-up) games scheduled this weekend.
Initially, this was a weekend off for the teams, as the best-of-three final for the European Cup is scheduled.
Corendon Kinheim and L&D Amsterdam Pirates participated in the Qualifying Tournaments in Barcelona (Spain) and Regensburg (Germany), respectively, in June, but both didn't reach the final.
In Barcelona, Telemarket Rimini won the event and in Regensburg, Unipol Bologna was the winner.
The two Italian clubs met each other in Game One last Thursday with Bologna winning 10-0.
On Friday-evening, with Dutch umpire Johan Brandsma behind the plate, Bologna trailed 1-0 when the ninth inning began.
Juan Carlos Infante then led off with a homerun to tie the score.
After a pitching change, two flyouts followed, but then
Rosario Reyes and veteran Claudio Liverziani singled, putting runners on first and third base.
A new pitching change was made with Roberto Corradini taking over.
But the veteran pitcher was greeted with a single by Luca Bischeri that brought in Reyes with what would be the winning run.
In the bottom of the ninth, closer Nicholas Pugliese shut the door and so, Bologna won 2-1 to win this years CEB European Cup.
Fifty years ago, in 1963, the first European Cup Tournament was organized.
Back then, it was a competition, which was won by Picadero de Barcelona from Spain.
In 1966, Haarlem Nicols became the first Dutch club to win the European Cup.
This year would have been the 51st European Cup-final, but as there was no tournament in 1982, this was the 50th time that teams played for the European Cup.
In 1990, an European Cup-2 (later Cup Winners Cup) was added and in 1993, there even was a tournament introduced for the European Cup-3 (later re-named CEB Cup).
After 2007, all three tournaments ended and a Final Four-format was introduced.
Last year, the last Final Four was played.
This year, for the first time, the winners of the two Qualifying Tournaments (instead of the two best teams) qualified for a best-of-three final.
The Dutch regular season resumes next Thursday-evening, August 8.
DOOR Neptunus vs. Mr. Cocker HCAW
At Rotterdam, DOOR Neptunus broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning and went on to win 14-4 vs. Mr. Cocker HCAW, thanks to two big rallies, including a 5-run one in the eight to end the game.
Neptunus opened the score in the first at bat, thanks to a 2-out double by Rafaël Jozefa, but HCAW tied the score in the second inning.
Starter Diegomar Markwell walked lead-off hitter Kevin Nieveld, then gave up a double to Jesus Latte, which was followed by a run-scoring grounder by Jim Froberg.
Neptunus re-took the lead in the third.
Gianison Boekhoudt led off with a walk, moved to third on a single by Benjamin Dille, then scored on an one-out sac-fly by Dwayne Kemp.
But again, HCAW came alongside, this time in the fourth inning.
Sergino Martis led off with a walk, then moved on a wild pitch and a passed ball.
He then scored on a grounder to third by Jesus Latte, beating the throw to home plate.
Neptunus then took the lead for the third time in the fifth inning, this time to keep.
With two outs, Kemp doubled, then scored on a single by Jozefa, which was followed by an outfield-error.
After advancing on a passed ball, the latter scored on a single by Rudy Van Heydoorn to make it 4-2.
HCAW narrowed the lead to 4-3 in the top of the sixth inning on a sac-fly by Latte, but in the home half, Neptunus took more distance with a 4-run rally.
After two lead-off walks, a pitching change and a strikeout, a single by Raily Legito brought in the first run.
Next, a wild pitch led the the second run, then Kemp singled in another and a passed ball lifted the lead to 8-2.
HCAW managed to add one more run in the seventh inning on a single by Jorin van Amstel, but hereafter, Neptunus increased the lead to a 10-run difference.
In the home of the seventh, one run was added on a triple by Shaldimar Daantji, then, leading 9-4, a 5-run rally followed in the eighth at bat.
Facing new pitcher Leon Elshof, Legito singled, but was caught stealing.
Next, Kemp reached on an error and Jozefa walked.
After a double steal, the two scored on a double by Van Heydoorn.
With two outs, Neptunus got the bases loaded when Daniel Fernandes reached on an error (scoring Van Heydoorn), Daantji walked and Boekhoudt was hit by a pitch.
Boekhoudt was the first batter to face new pitcher Gijs van Els, who then gave up a 2-run single to Dille that ended the game.
ADO Lakers vs. UVV
At The Hague, ADO Lakers held a brief 1-0 lead, but went on losing 2-1 to UVV.
Earlier in the week, last placed ADO Lakers also led halfway against DOOR Neptunus, but then also ended up empty handed.
ADO Lakers stranded two runners in both the first and the second inning, then opened the score in the third at bat.
Tim Schaareman led off with a walk and stole second base.
After the next batter fouled out, UVV replaced starter pitcher Hylke van Viersen for Dennis Burgersdijk (who is a regular starter).
A groundout followed, but then Thomas Gei singled to bring Schaareman to third base, who then scored on a passed ball.
For ADO Lakers, this would be its lone run in the game.
UVV came alongside immediately in the fourth inning.
Stijn van der Meer led off with a single, advanced on a grounder, then scored when a throwing error followed a groundout by Ferd van Stekelenburg.
Hereafter, the game remained tied until the ninth inning.
Both teams got runners on base, but ADO Lakers stranded the most.
In the top of the ninth, UVV scored what would be the winning run.
Lead-off hitter Ricky Daal reached on a dropped fly ball in the outfield, then his pinch-runner Nick Peels stole both second and third base.
A strikeout followed, then new pitcher Martijn Riphagen was brought in.
Dennis De Quint then placed a squeeze-bunt and was eliminated, but it scored Peels to make it 2-1.
UVV-closer Duko Jansen, who had taken over as pitcher in the eighth, then retired the side in the home of the ninth to become the winning pitcher.
(August 3)
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