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(Story by Marco Stoovelaar) European Champions Cup: Neptunus in Semi-Final; Amsterdam Pirates eliminated Nederlands OSTRAVA / FRÝDEK-MÍSTEK (Czech Rep.) - Curaçao Neptunus will play in the Semi-Final of the European Champions Cup on Friday, while L&D Amsterdam Pirates was eliminated and will play for fifth through eighth place. On Thursday (July 15), Neptunus completed its suspended game against Heidenheim Heideköpfe (Germany), then faced Cupholder UnipolSai Fortitudo Bologna (Italy) in the evening. Amsterdam Pirates closed the preliminary round against ParmaClima Parma (Italy). On Wednesday, the game between Neptunus and Heidenheim Heideköpfe was halted halfway the fourth inning due to heavy rain and lightning with Neptunus leading 3-1. Today, the game was completed and Neptunus recorded a 11-5 win to secure a spot in the top-2 of Pool A and thus the Semi-Final. On Thursday-afternoon, Amsterdam Pirates was in a must-win situation against Parma. However, the team lost 11-6 and with that Amsterdam Pirates was eliminated for the Semi-Final for the Medals. Pirates now will play against Rouen Huskies (France) on Friday (10:30 AM) in what is the Semi-Final of the bottom-four. With a win, Pirates will finish in a tie for fifth place. With a loss, Pirates has to play on Saturday against the loser of the match-up between Heidenheim and Arrows Ostrava in what then will be a relegation game. After its game against Heidenheim, Neptunus traveled from Frýdek-Místek to Ostrava where it played against Bologna in the evening. That game started an hour later than scheduled due to the length of the two previous games. The first game between Parma and Arrows Ostrava took three hours and 44 minutes. The next game between Pirates and Parma then lasted three hours and 31 minutes. Neptunus lost 18-14 to Bologna in what was changed into a 7-inning game instead of a 9-inning game. After conclusion of this game, Ostrava and Bonn Capitals started their final game around 10 PM and ended around 1 AM. With the loss, Neptunus finished in second place in Pool A and now will play against Bonn Capitals in its Semi-Final on Friday-afternoon at 4 PM in Frýdek-Místek. In the other Semi-Final, played in Ostrava, Bologna and Parma will face each other. The winners meet in the Final on Saturday. (July 15) Other scores of Day 3: Pool A: Arrows Ostrava vs. Parma Baseball Club 8-13; Bonn Capitals vs. Arrows Ostrava 7-18 (7 inn.). Pool B: Rouen Huskies vs. Heidenheim Heideköpfe 6-19 (7 inn.). Final Standings Preliminary Round: Pool A: 1. UnipolSai Fortitudo Bologna, 2. Curaçao Neptunus, 3. Heidenheim Heideköpfe, 4. Rouen Huskies. Pool B: 1. Bonn Capitals, 2. Parma, 3. L&D Amsterdam Pirates, 4. Arrows Ostrava.

Curaçao Neptunus vs. Heidenheim Heideköpfe On Wednesday, at the baseball-field in Frýdek-Místek, the game between Neptunus and Heidenheim Heideköpfe was halted halfway the fourth inning due to heavy rain and lightning. It was not possible to wait, as the complex has no light-installation. And so, the game was suspended. The Technical Commission decided that the game was to resume this morning at 11 AM, also in Frýdek-Místek. Neptunus opened the score with two runs with two outs in the top of the second inning without hitting a basehit. American lefthander Ross Vance walked five batters in this inning (four in a row), resulting in the two runs. In 2016-2017, Vance played professionally in Rookie League/Single-A/Double-A in the organization of St. Louis Cardinals. Vance walked lead-off hitter Gianison Boekhoudt, then retired the next two batters, including a strikeout for Benjamin Dille. The lefthander then got the bases loaded when he walked Dashenko Ricardo and Shaldimar Daantji. Hereafter, Vance also walked Stijn van der Meer and John Polonius, which led to the two runs. With the bases still loaded, Dwayne Kemp hit a line drive, but that was caught by Belgian short stop Drew Janssen. Heidenheim Heideköpfe got a chance to open the score in the bottom of the first inning off of starter Kaj Timmermans. With one out, he gave up a single to Drew Janssen, then Shawn Larry reached base when second baseman Dwayne Kemp made an error on his grounder. Janssen moved to third base on a flyout, but the two runners were left behind. The German champion cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the second inning. Luke Sommer led off with a double. With one out, he moved to third base on a grounder, then scored on a single by Simon Liedtke. Timmermans walked the next batter, but a grounder ended the at bat. Neptunus added a run in the top of the fourth when Shaldimar Daantji hit a homerun with two outs. Daantji's homerun was only the second basehit in the game for Neptunus. Moments later, the game was interrupted due to rain, then was suspended definitively because of the weather conditions and lightning. When the game resumed this morning, Aaron de Groot took over the pitching for Neptunus, replacing Kaj Timmermans. Heidenheim Heideköpfe also inserted a new pitcher, as 46-year old Cuban-born lefthander Enorbel Márquez-Ramirez took over from Ross Vance. Márquez played in Germany since 2004 for Solingen Alligators (six seasons), before transfering to Italy, where he played for Rimini in 2010-2014. The pitcher then returned to Germany, playing for Solingen (2015) and Berlin Flamingos (2016-2017). After having played one more season for Rimini (2018), he joined Heidenheim in 2019. Since 2007, he also plays for the German National Team and in 2008, Márquez threw the first 9-inning Perfect Game in the history of the German Bundesliga. De Groot retired the side, Márquez got two baserunners, but was supported with a double play. Neptunus then also turned a double play in the bottom of the fifth, then struck with a 7-run rally on seven basehits in the sixth. With one out, Dashenko Ricardo and Shaldimar Daantji singled, then a run was scored when Stijn van der Meer reached on an error. John Polonius and Dwayne Kemp added RBI-singles. With two outs, four more runs were added on a single by Gianison Boekhoudt, a double by Dudley Leonora (2 runs) and a single by Benjamin Dille. That lifted the lead to 10-1 and also led to a pitching change. In the bottom of the sixth inning, rookie Lex Meinderts took over the pitching for Neptunus. He got the bases loaded, but closed with a strikeout. But in the seventh and eighth inning, Meinderts gave up two 2-run homeruns. In the seventh, Gary Owens homered with one out and in the eighth, Shawn Larry homered with two outs. With a 10-5 lead, Neptunus added one more run in the top of the ninth when Dashenko Ricardo led off with a homerun off of Patrick Seyfried. In the bottom of the ninth, Meinderts retired the side.

Heidenheim Heideköpfe - Curaçao Neptunus 5-11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Curaçao Neptunus 0 2 0 1 0 7 0 0 1 - 11 12 1 Heidenheim Heideköpfe 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 - 5 10 2 pitchers Neptunus inn. SO BB H R ER Kaj Timmermans 3 1 2 4 1 1 Aaron de Groot, W (1-0) 2 1 1 - - - Lex Meinderts, SV (1) 4 4 3 6 4 4 pitchers Heidenheim Heideköpfe inn. SO BB H R ER Ross Vance, L (0-1) 4 2 5 2 3 3 Enorbel Marquez 1.2 2 1 7 7 6 Patrick Seyfried 3.1 1 2 3 1 1 Homeruns: Neptunus: Shaldimar Daantji (1)(4th,solo,2 outs,off Vance), Dashenko Ricardo (1)(9th,solo,0 outs,off Seyfried); Heidenheim: Gary Owens (1)(7th,2-run,1 out,off Meinderts), Shawn Larry (1)(8th,2-run,2 outs,off Meinderts). Box Score Play-by-Play Umpires: HP-Vladimir Richter (Czech Rep.), 1B-Valerio Pizziconi (Italy), 3B-Andrea Caser (Italy). Official Scorer-Martina Burkovičová (Czech Rep.). Play-by-Play Scorer-Alexandra Slaná (Czech Rep.). Technical Commissioner-Henk van der Linde (Netherlands). Starting Time Wednesday-5:00 PM. Starting Time Thursday-11:00 AM. Time Played Wednesday-1:10 hrs. Time Played Thursday-1:27 hrs. Time Played Overall-2:37 hrs. Site-Complex Baseball Klub Klasik, Frýdek-Místek (Czech Republic) (site BK Klasik). Game Notes: Game on Wednesday, July 14 halted due to heavy rain and lightning halfway the fourth inning, then suspended. Game completed on Thursday, July 15 at 11:00 AM in Frýdek-Místek. Weather conditions at game time (Wednesday): Cloudy, 26° C (78,8° F); wind direction southeast; wind speed 10 kmh (6,2 mph); wind force 2 Bft; humidity 70%. Weather conditions at game time (Thursday): Cloudy, 22° C (71,6° F); wind direction southwest; wind speed 8 kmh (4,9 mph); wind force 2 Bft; humidity 60%.

L&D Amsterdam Pirates vs. ParmaClima Parma Amsterdam Pirates had to win this game to advance to the top-four of the tournament, but instead the team faced an early deficit and lost to ParmaClima Parma, which therefore secured a spot in the Semi-Final. The outcome also decided the final ranking in Pool B, whatever the result of the remaining game in the evening between Arrows Ostrava and Bonn Capitals. Parma could end up in a tie with Bonn, but had lost the head-to-head game, meaning the Germans finished in first place and the Italians in second. Pirates faced the same scenario. The team could end up in a tie with Ostrava, but as it had won the head-to-head game, Pirates finished in third place and Ostrava in fourth. As this was a must-win game, pitching-ace Juan Carlos Sulbaran started for the Amsterdam-squad. But the righthander faced an early 4-0 deficit, Pirates was unable to do something back in it first three at bats and trailed 8-1 halfway the fifth. Pirates narrowed the deficit somewhat, but still trailed 9-5 after eight innings. Parma opened the score with two runs in the top of the first inning. Stefano Desimoni led off with a double and next batter Tommaso Battioni reached on a bunt-single. Sulbaran followed with a strikeout, but then Leomartires Rodríguez Reyes batted in Desimoni with a sacrifice fly. Hereafter, Ricardo Paoloni reached on an infield-hit, then Battioni scored when Cesare Astorri reached on an error. The Italians came close to another run in the second inning. Sebastiano Poma led off with a single, but was later eliminated at the plate when he tried to score on a single into leftfield by Stefano Desimoni. Poma is the son of former National Team-player Gianguido Poma, who is the Manager of the Parma-squad. Parma then did add two more runs in the third inning, which initially began with a double play. Noel González Sanamè led off with a double, then advanced to third base when Leomartires Rodríguez Reyes flied out. However, González had left second base too early and was called out after an appeal. But next batter Ricardo Paolini singled, then scored when Cesare Astorri homered. Amsterdam Pirates faced righthander Danny Rondón. The 34-year old Venezuelan played four seasons (2006-2009) in Rookie League/Single-A in the Minnesota Twins-organization. Since 2007, Rondón pitches in the professional Venezuelan Winter League and in May, he made his debut in the Italian Baseball League. Pirates got its baserunner in the bottom of the first inning when Kalian Sams reached on a single, but he was picked off by Rondón moments later. In the second inning, the righthander gave up singles to Sicnarf Loopstook (with one out) and Rashid Gerard (with two outs), but a force play-grounder ended the at bat. And in the third, Gilmer Lampe was hit by a pitch, but he stranded on second base. Parma got into scoring position again in the top of the fourth. With one out, Giulio Monello doubled, which led to a pitching change. Kevin Geestman took over and got two flyouts. Trailing 4-0, Pirates scored its first run in the bottom of the fourth, but failed to add more. Denzel Richardson and Sicnarf Loopstok began with singles. With one out, the bases got loaded when Rashid Gerard also singled and a run was scored when Kenny Berkenbosch walked. However, the three runners were left behind, as Danny Rondón struckout Niels van Weert, then got a force play-grounder from Gilmer Lampe. Parma then took more distance and decided the game in the top of the fifth by scoring four runs on three homeruns. Cuban Noel González Sanamè and Dominican Leomartires Rodríguez Reyes led off with back-to-back homeruns. Since 2015, González plays in the Cuban Series Nacional for Cachorros de Holguín for whom he batted .321 in the most recent season (2020-2021). Rodríguez played five seasons in the Minor League in the Los Angeles Dodgers-organization (Rookie League/Single-A/Triple-A). He plays in Italy since 2016. Kevin Geestman followed with a strikeout, but then walked Cesare Astorri and gave up another homerun, this time hit by veteran player Alex Sambucci. And that lifted the lead to 8-1. It also brought in new pitcher Shairon Martis, who began with a strikeout and got a grounder. Amsterdam Pirates answered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, also the result of a homerun. With one out, Sharlon Schoop reached on an error and Denzel Richardson singled. Sicnarf Loopstok followed with a homerun. Parma added another run in the top of the sixth on a 2-out single by Ricardo Paolini. Trailing 9-4, Pirates scored a run in the bottom of the seventh off of new pitcher José Vicente Campos Carnota, but also left the bases loaded again. The righthanded Venezuelan briefly played in the Major League for Arizona Diamondbacks during the 2016 season. Since 2009 through 2019, Vicente Campos also played in the Minor League for Arizona, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels and Pittsburgh Pirates. Since 2018, Campos played in Independent Leagues, but also in Mexico and Venezuela. Campos gave up a lead-off single to Sharlon Schoop, then got the bases loaded with one out when Sicnarf Loopstok and Delano Selassa also singled. Next batter Rashid Gerard flied out, then Schoop scored when pinch-hitter Jair van Borkulo walked. With the bases still loaded, Campos closed by striking out Niels van Weert. In the top of the ninth, Parma added two more runs. Robyn Clara became the new pitcher for Pirates. He got the bases loaded when he walked the first three batters he faced. With the bases loaded, Mike Groen took over the pitching and he got two quick outs. After a flyout and a force out at the plate, Groen hit Tommaso Battioni with a pitch and walked Noel González Sanamè, which enabled two runners to score. And that lifted the lead to 11-5. With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Pirates scored one more run when Sicnarf Loopstok hit his second homerun in the game. Hereafter, two grounders ended the game. Loopstok was 5-for-5 for Pirates, which collected 13 basehits, which also included three by Rashid Gerard. Parma got 16 basehits.

L&D Amsterdam Pirates - ParmaClima Parma 6-11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E ParmaClima Parma 2 0 2 0 4 1 0 0 2 - 11 16 1 L&D Amsterdam Pirates 0 0 0 1 3 0 1 0 1 - 6 13 2 pitchers Parma inn. SO BB H R ER Danny Rondón, W (1-0) 6 7 1 9 4 3 José Vicente Campos Carnota, SV (1) 3 3 1 4 2 2 pitchers Amsterdam Pirates inn. SO BB H R ER Juan Carlos Sulbaran, L (0-1) 3.1 3 - 9 4 3 Kevin Geestman 1 1 1 3 4 4 Shairon Martis 3.2 3 - 4 1 - Robyn Clara - (*) - 3 - 2 2 Mike Groen 1 - 1 - - - (*) - Clara pitched to three batters in the ninth inning Homeruns: Parma: Cesare Astorri (1)(3rd,2-run,2 outs,off Sulbaran), Noel González Sanamè (1)(5th,solo,0 outs,off Geestman), Leomartires Rodriguez (2)(5th,solo,0 outs,off Geestman), Alex Sambucci (1)(5th,2-run,1 out,off Geestman); Pirates: Sicnarf Loopstok 2 (3)(5th,3-run,1 out,off Rondón; 9th,solo,1 out,off Campos). Box Score Play-by-Play Umpires: HP-Jens Waider (Germany), 1B-Mojmír Jankovič (Slovakia), 3B-Edwin Louisa (Netherlands). Official Scorer-Karolína Kovalská (Czech Rep.). Play-by-Play Scorer-Matěj Neděla (Czech Rep.). Technical Commissioner-Alessandra Soprani (Italy). Starting Time-2:30 PM. Time Played-3:31 hrs. Site-Arrows Park, Ostrava (Czech Republic) (site Arrows Ostrava). Game Notes: Weather conditions at game time: Sunny, 26° C (78,8° F); wind direction southwest; wind speed 8 kmh (4,9 mph); wind force 2 Bft; humidity 56%.

Curaçao Neptunus vs. UnipolSai Fortitudo Bologna The match-up between Neptunus and Bologna was another highscoring game with a lot basehits and homeruns. Neptunus belted six homeruns, accounting for eleven of the team's fourteen runs. Parma had three homeruns, which produced eight of the eighteen runs the team scored. The winner of this game would remain unbeaten and finish in first place in Pool A. By winning, Bologna finished first and therefore meets ParmaClima Parma in the Semi-Final. Neptunus will meet Rouen Huskies from France in its Semi-Final. And it also was another long game in duration. The first two games in Ostrava today lasted 3:44 and 3:31 hrs. This game lasted three hours, but could have taken longer. However, halfway the seventh inning, the game suddenly ended, although there was no mercy-rule run-difference. It was reported that it was considered to cancel the final game later in the evening between Arrows Ostrava and Bonn Capitals, as this game had no influence on the final ranking in Pool A. That game was scheduled to begin at 9 PM, but would start much later due to the length of the previous games. It was then decided during the game that Neptunus and Bologna would play seven innings and so, the remaining game (which also would last seven innings) in the preliminary round was played as scheduled, beginning at 10 PM and ending well after midnight. Both starting pitchers gave up a lot of basehits and runs. Bologna-starter Claudio Scotti walked five batters and gave up ten basehits and eleven earned runs in 2 2/3 inning. Neptunus-starter Joost Terpstra also threw 2 2/3 inning. He walked four batters and gave up eight basehits and twelve earned runs. Bologna collected 17 basehits, including five by Niccolò Loardi and four by Osman Marval. Neptunus got 15 basehits, including two homeruns by Dwayne Kemp, who had hit three in the first game on Tuesday. Bologna opened the score with three runs in the bottom of the first inning off of Joost Terpstra. With one out, Filippo Agretti and Renzo Martini Parilli both singled. The first scored on a sacrifice fly by Venezuelan Osman Marval, then Niccolò Loardi followed with a homerun. Neptunus answered with a 7-run rally in the top of the second inning off of Claudio Scotti. Gianison Boekhoudt led off with a homerun, then Dudley Leonora and Quintin de Cuba both singled. The two moved on a sacrifice bunt by Greg Muller, then Neptunus got the bases loaded when Gregory Trinidad walked. Next batter Stijn van der Meer connected well and hit a grand slam homerun to put Neptunus ahead, 5-3. Hereafter, John Polonius walked and scored when Dwayne Kemp homered. Neptunus got two more runners in scoring position when Roger Bernadina singled and Gianison Boekhoudt doubled in his second at bat in the inning, but they were left behind. Bologna immediately narrowed the deficit to 7-6 in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, Alessandra Grimaudo and Daniel Monti both walked. That was followed by a 3-run homerun from Curaçao-born Raywendley Van Gurp, whose sister Suka Van Gurp plays in the Dutch big league softball for Sparks Haarlem. Neptunus took some more distance with a 4-run rally in the top of the third inning. With two outs and Gregory Trinidad (fielder's choice) on first base, John Polonius delivered an RBI-double. Dwayne Kemp (2-run) and Roger Bernadina followed with back-to-back homeruns. This was Kemp's second homerun in the game and fifth in the tournament. After Bernadina's homerun, Matthias Zotti took over and threw the remainder of the game for Bologna. Neptunus now led 11-6, but that was shortlived, as this it was Bologna that staged a big rally, scoring six runs with two outs in the bottom of the third inning. The Italians got the bases loaded quickly thanks to singles by Osman Marval and Niccolò Loardi and a walk for Riccardo Bertossi. A strikeout then accounted for the first out and next batter Alessandro Grimaudo flied out. But that became a sacrifice fly, as Marval scored. Hereafter, the bases were re-loaded when Daniel Monti walked. Raywendley Van Gurp then batted in two runs with a single to narrow the deficit to 11-9. Next batter Filippo Agretti drove the ball into deep rightfield for a 3-run homerun to put Bologna ahead, 12-11. That also led to a pitching change for Neptunus, as veteran righthander Elton Koeiman replaced Joost Terpstra and completed the game. With that, both teams scored 23 runs in the first three at bats. Nine more runs were to follow in the remainder of the game. The Bologna-defense turned a double play in the top of the fourth, then its offense added a run in the home-half. That was done on a sacrifice fly by Alessandro Grimaudo, but the team also left three runners behind. After Neptunus had stranded a runner on second base in the top of the fifth, Bologna scored two more runs in its fifth on a double by Niccolò Loardi and a grounder by Riccardo Bertossi. Now trailing 15-11, Neptunus came back again in the top of the sixth by scoring three runs. Roger Bernadina led off with a single, advanced on a wild pitch, then Gianison Boekhoudt walked. Dudley Leonora followed with a 3-run homerun to make it a 15-14 score. But in the bottom of the sixth, Bologna also scored three runs. With the bases loaded, a force play-grounder led to the first run, then Venezuelan Renzo Martini Parilli added a sacrifice fly and Osman Marval a runscoring single. Martini played in the Minor League for New York Yankees (Rookie League/Single-A) in 2011-2015. 34-year old Marval played in the Minors for Atlanta Braves (Rookie League/Single-A) in 2006-2010. Marval plays in Italy since 2012. First for Parma, but since 2016 for Bologna. In the top of the seventh, Neptunus got two more baserunners. John Polonius led off with a double. With two outs, Louie Sienders was hit by a pitch. Next batter Dudley Leonora then flied out to leftfield. Moments later, the game suddenly ended, the players of Bologna congratulated each other with the win and the teams left the field. But that was because seven innings were to be played, which was decided while the game was in progress.

UnipolSai Fortitudo Bologna - Curaçao Neptunus 18-14 (7½ inn.) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Curaçao Neptunus 0 7 4 0 0 3 0 - 14 15 0 UnipolSai Fortitudo Bologna 3 3 6 1 2 3 X - 18 17 0 pitchers Neptunus inn. SO BB H R ER Joost Terpstra, L (0-1) 2.2 4 4 8 12 12 Elton Koeiman 3.1 2 2 9 6 6 pitchers Fortitudo Bologna inn. SO BB H R ER Claudio Scotti 2.2 - 5 10 11 11 Matthias Zotti, W (1-0) 4.1 1 2 5 3 3 Homeruns: Neptunus: Gianison Boekhoudt (1)(2nd,solo,0 outs,off Scotti), Stijn van der Meer (1)(2nd,grand slam,1 out,off Scotti), Dwayne Kemp 2 (5)(2nd,2-run,1 out,off Scotti; 3rd,2-run,2 outs,off Scotti), Roger Bernadina (1)(3rd,solo,2 outs,off Scotti), Dudley Leonora (1)(6th,3-run,0 outs,off Zotti); Bologna: Niccolò Loardi (1)(1st,2-run,2 outs,off Terpstra), Raywendley Van Gurp (1)(2nd,3-run,1 out,off Terpstra), Filippo Agretti (1)(3rd,3-run,2 outs,off Terpstra). Box Score Play-by-Play Umpires: HP-Serge Makouchetchev (France), 1B-Alexander Hartl (Germany), 3B-Mojmír Jankovič (Slovakia). Official Scorer-Matěj Neděla (Czech Rep.). Play-by-Play Scorer-Romana Kucková (Czech Rep.). Technical Commissioner-Roderick Balk (Netherlands). Starting Time-6:30 PM. Time Played-3:00 hrs. Site-Arrows Park, Ostrava (Czech Republic) (site Arrows Ostrava). Game Notes: Weather conditions at game time: Sunny, 27° C (80,6° F); wind direction south-southwest; wind speed 13 kmh (8,1 mph); wind force 3 Bft; humidity 48%.

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