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(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Amsterdam Pirates & Bonn Capitals) European Champions Cup: Neptunus eliminated for Final; Amsterdam Pirates fifth Nederlands OSTRAVA / FRÝDEK-MÍSTEK (Czech Rep.) - Curaçao Neptunus was eliminated for the Final of the European Champions Cup on Friday (July 16) after suffering a surprise 8-7 loss against Bonn Capitals (Germany) in its Semi-Final. L&D Amsterdam Pirates recorded a 15-1, 6½ inning mercy-rule victory against Rouen France (France) to finish in a tie for fifth place. In the Semi-Finals, Neptunus faced Bonn Capitals, which surprised in the preliminary round to win both against ParmaClima Parma (Italy) and Amsterdam Pirates. In this game, the Germans faced a quick deficit and appeared to be unable to come back. However, trailing 6-2 after six innings, Capitals rallied for six runs in the seventh inning off three relievers and turned the game around. The team hold onto the lead and qualified for the Final. In the Final on Saturday-evening (7:30 PM), Bonn Capitals will play against Parma, which won its Semi-Final against Cupholder UnipolSai Fortitudo Bologna (Italy) with a 5-4 score. With that, both favorites for the Final, Neptunus and Bologna, were eliminated and Bonn and Parma became the surprise finalists. Neptunus will meet Bologna in the the Bronze Medal-game at 3 PM. Amsterdam Pirates played its last game of the tournament on Friday. The reigning Dutch champion ended up short in the preliminary round, but showed its offensive power in this game by hitting seven homeruns, the highest total for one team in a game during the event. The highest total was six, which was accomplished on Thursday by Neptunus against Bologna. With the win, Pirates finished in a tie for fifth place, as there is no game for fifth and sixth place. Pirates shares fifth place with Arrows Ostrava (Czech Republic), which on Friday-evening won 11-3 against Heidenheim Heideköpfe (Germany). Heidenheim will play against Rouen Huskies on Saturday (10:30 AM) for seventh and eighth place. The country of the losing team relegates and will play in the tournament for the CEB Cup next year. That tournament is currently underway in Lieusaint, the home of Templiers de Sénart in France. There, Draci Brno (Czech Republic) is the unbeaten leader in a round-robin tournament of six teams, winning four games. The team is followed by Astros de Valencia (Spain) and Sénart, who both have won three of their four games played. The decisive games will be played on Saturday, which includes the match-up between Brno and Sénart. Dutch infielder Oliver van der Wijst Severino is one of the players of Sénart with whom he also plays in the French Division 1 this season. Sénart opened the regular season on June 12 and has won all six games played so far. In these six games, Van der Wijst is hitting .280 (7-for-25), scored seven runs and batted in four. The team is in second place in Pool B of the Division 1. In the CEB Cup-tournament, Van der Wijst hits .357 (5-for-14) in four games. Earlier this season, he played in the Dutch big league for Hoofddorp Pioniers. (July 16) Other scores of Day 4: Semi-Final 1st-4th place: UnipolSai Fortitudo Bologna vs. ParmaClima Parma 4-5 (Parma to Final). Semi-Final 5th-8th place: Heidenheim Heideköpfe vs. Arrows Ostrava 3-11 (Ostrava finishes in tie for 5th place with Amsterdam Pirates).

L&D Amsterdam Pirates vs. Rouen Huskies Amsterdam Pirates scored at least once in each of its six offensive innings against Rouen Huskies, which scored only once in the sixth. The seventh at bat was not necessary, as the team had reached a mercy-rule run-difference. The Amsterdam-team rallied for four runs in the bottom of the first inning off of starter Jeremy Dubois. The righthander walked lead-off hitter Roelie Henrique, then gave up an one-out single to Gilmer Lampe. That was followed by an RBI-double by Denzel Richardson and a 3-run homerun by Sicnarf Loopstok. ...Sicnarf Loopstok... ...2 HRs, 5 total... (© Amsterdam Pirates) Pirates added a run with two outs in the second inning when Kalian Sams homered. Two runs were scored in the third inning, also on a homerun. With one out, pinch-hitter Raydley Legito walked, then pinch-hitter Emilson Haswell homered to make it a 7-0 score. Three more runs on three more homeruns were added in the bottom of the fourth when Kalian Sams (his second in the game), Gilmer Lampe and Denzel Richardson led off with back-to-back-to-back homeruns off of Jeremy Dubois. In the fifth, off of new pitcher Arthur Magnien, Amsterdam Pirates scored its second run in the game which was not the result of a homerun. And it was scored by a surprise player. With two outs (and with a comfortable 10-0 lead), pitcher Shairon Martis was inserted as pinch-hitter for designated hitter Kalian Sams. And Martis had to run the bases! Martis walked and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, then scored from second base when next batter Gilmer Lampe doubled. And that lifted the lead to 11-0. Rouen Huskies got only one runner in scoring position in the first five innings off of Amsterdam-starter Naut Kragt. In the second inning, Louis Brainville singled with one out and stole second base, but stranded there. In the top of the sixth, Nick Veltkamp took over the Pirates-pitching. With two outs, the lefthander gave up a homerun to Jacob Biller, which would account for the lone French run. Pirates rallied for four more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Sicnarf Loopstok led off with a homerun, his second in the game and his fifth in the tournament. It also was the 50th homerun in this tournament that was hit in ten games played at the baseball-field in Ostrava up to this moment. Hereafter, Raydley Legito walked and Emilson Haswell singled. With one out, Mick Vos delivered a runscoring single and Roelie Henrique added a 2-run double, which increased the lead to 15-1. In the top of the seventh, Nick Veltkamp retired the side to end the lopsided game.

L&D Amsterdam Pirates - Rouen Huskies 15-1 (6½ inn.) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Rouen Huskies 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 1 3 0 L&D Amsterdam Pirates 4 1 2 3 1 4 X - 15 15 0 pitchers Rouen Huskies inn. SO BB H R ER Jeremy Dubois, L (0-1) 4 1 4 10 10 10 Arthur Magnien 2 - 2 5 5 5 pitchers Amsterdam Pirates inn. SO BB H R ER Naut Kragt, W (1-0) 5 4 1 2 - - Nick Veltkamp 2 2 - 1 1 1 Homeruns: Huskies: Jacob Biller (1)(6th,solo,2 outs,off Veltkamp); Pirates: Sicnarf Loopstok 2 (5)(1st,3-run,1 out,off Dubois; 6th,solo,0 outs,off Magnien), Kalian Sams 2 (4)(2nd,solo,2 outs,off Dubois; 4th,solo,0 out,off Dubois), Emilson Haswell (1)(3rd,2-run,1 out,off Dubois), Gilmer Lampe (3)(4th,solo,0 out,off Dubois), Denzel Richardson (1)(4th,solo,0 out,off Dubois). Box Score Play-by-Play Umpires: HP-Alexander Hartl (Germany), 1B-Roy van de Wateringen (Netherlands), 3B-Vladimir Richter (Czech Rep.). Official Scorer-Alexandra Slaná (Czech Rep.). Play-by-Play Scorer-Romano Kucková (Czech Rep.). Technical Commissioner-Henk van der Linde (Netherlands). Starting Time-10:30 AM. Time Played-1:54 hrs. Site-Arrows Park, Ostrava (Czech Republic) (site Arrows Ostrava). Game Notes: Semi-Final 5th-8th place. Amsterdam Pirates finishes in tie for 5th place; Rouen Huskies to play for 7th-8th place. Weather conditions at game time: Cloudy, 22° C (71,6° F); wind direction north-northwest; wind speed 13 kmh (8,1 mph); wind force 2 Bft; humidity 72%.

Curaçao Neptunus vs. Bonn Capitals Neptunus struck early with a 4-run rally in the first inning, but then was unable to take much more distance in the following innings. Nevertheless, the Rotterdam-team led 6-1 halfway the sixth inning. But in the seventh inning, Bonn turned the game around with a 6-run rally off of three relievers. The first seven batters of Neptunus reached base safely in the first inning. Stijn van der Meer led off with a single and advanced on a wild pitch, then John Polonius walked. Dwayne Kemp followed with a runscoring single off of 17-year old starter Paul Schmitz, who clearly had problems with his control. His third pitch to next batter Roger Bernadina ended in a wild pitch, which moved Polonius and Kemp. The next delivery also was wild and that enabled Polonius to score. With Kemp on third base, Bernadina walked and then Gianison Boekhoudt produced an RBI-single. Bernadina advanced to third base, but also was able to score due to a mishap in the defense. And so, Neptunus had scored four runs and that led to an early pitching-change, as Maurice Wilhelm took over from the young Paul Schmitz. Wilhelm got the bases loaded, as Dudley Leonora and Benjamin Dille singled. With that, seven consecutive batters had reached base and there still was no out. With the bases loaded, Dashenko Ricardo popped the ball up, resulting in an infield-fly. Two force play-grounders followed. First, Boekhoudt was forced out at the plate on a grounder by Shaldimar Daantji, who then was forced out himself on a grounder by Van der Meer. ...Maurice Wilhelm... ...important role... (© Photo: Bonn Capitals) Maurice Wilhelm didn't encounter that much problems in the following innings since taking over the pitching. He played an important role in the game and in the meantime, his team started to come back and went on to turn the game around. Bonn Capitals got one run back in the bottom of the second inning off of starter Diegomar Markwell, but came close to a run in its first at bat. Eric Brenk then led off with a single, then Joseph Wittig doubled. With one out, Brenk tried to score when Terrell Joyce flied out, but he was eliminated at the plate on a nice throw from rightfielder Roger Bernadina, which completed a double play. The Germans then scored an unearned run in the second inning. Markwell hit lead-off hitter Daniel Lamb-Hunt with a pitch and he moved to third base when second baseman Dwayne Kemp made an error on a force play-grounder by Wilson Lee. Lamb-Hunt then scored on a single by Danny Lankhorst. Neptunus got the run back immediately in the top of the third inning when Gianison Boekhoudt led off with a homerun. Bonn threatened to do some more scoring in the bottom of the third, as it got the bases loaded. Again, Markwell hit the lead-off hitter with a pitch, this time Joseph Wittig, then gave up a single to Vincent Ahrens. With two outs, the lefthander got the bases loaded when Wilson Lee walked, but he was forced out moments later. Neptunus added another run with two outs in the top of the fourth. Maurice Wilhelm began by striking out Shaldimar Daantji, then gave up a single to Stijn van der Meer. After the latter had stolen second base, Wilhelm struckout John Polonius, but then gave up a runscoring single to Dwayne Kemp. Next batter Roger Bernadina also singled, but Wilhelm then closed by striking out Gianison Boekhoudt. After four innings, Neptunus now led 6-1, but as mentioned, the team couldn't take more distance, while Bonn kept on reaching the bases. From the fifth inning on, Neptunus was kept scoreless in four consecutive innings, which proved to be crucial. In the fourth and fifth inning, Bonn Capitals left runners behind on first and third base. Neptunus was retired in order in the fifth, then left a runner behind on second base in the sixth at bat. In the bottom of the sixth, the German opponent scored its second run. With one out, Eric Brenk singled, then Joseph Wittig was hit by a pitch for the second time, which was the third time that Diegomar Markwell hit a batter. Wittig was forced out at second base, but thereafter, Brenk scored on a single by Terrell Joyce. With runners on first and second base and two outs, Markwell was relieved by Berry van Driel, who got an inning-ending grounder. After Neptunus left another runner behind on second base in the top of the seventh, Bonn Capitals struck with a 6-run rally in the bottom of the seventh, as the Neptunus-bullpen ran into problems with two outs. Berry van Driel gave up a lead-off homerun to Wilson Lee, then a single to Danny Lankhorst. Van Driel then struckout the next two batters and appeared to get out of the inning successfully. But hereafter, Lankhorst (who had stolen second base) scored on a single by Eric Brenk, who went on to score himself on a following single by Joseph Wittig. That narrowed the German deficit to 6-5 and led to a pitching change. Aaron de Groot took over, but he was greeted with a double that gave Bonn runners on second and third base and another pitching change followed. Kevin Kelly took the mound, but his second pitch to Terrell Joyce ended over the fence in rightfield for a 3-run homerun. With that, Bonn now led 8-6 and had turned the game around. The team got a chance to add another run. Next batter Daniel Lamb-Hunt walked, then moved to third base when Wilson Lee struckout, but reached on a passed ball. Danny Lankhorst hit a line drive, but that was caught by short stop John Polonius. With that, more runs were avoided, but Neptunus trailed and got only two at bats left to erase the deficit. Neptunus got another runner on second base in the top of the eighth. With two outs, Stijn van der Meer singled and stole second base, but John Polonius fouled out. And so, Neptunus stranded a runner on second base in its third consecutive at bat and now was running out of innings. After the Neptunus-defense had turned a double play in the bottom of the eighth, the team got its final opportunity to re-take the lead. The team came close to at least come alongside, but ended up short and was left empty-handed. Dwayne Kemp led off with a bunt-single and advanced to second base on a following throwing error. With a runner in scoring position, Bonn's Head Coach Max Schmitz brought in lefthander Christian Tomsich to face lefthanded batters Roger Bernadina and Gianison Boekhoudt. Tomsich gave up an infield-hit to Bernadina, which gave Neptunus runners on first and third base. Hereafter, Kemp scored while Bernadina was forced out at second base on a grounder by Gianison Boekhoudt. Another pitching change followed and this time, closer Nicholas Miceli was inserted. Next batter Dudley Leonora popped the ball into leftfield, but that was caught. Now with two outs, Quintin de Cuba entered the game as pinch-hitter for Greg Muller, while Gregory Trinidad replaced Boekhoudt at first base as pinch-runner. Miceli walked De Cuba, but with runners on first and second base, Dashenko Ricardo popped the ball into foul territory, where it was caught by catcher Vincent Ahrens. That ended the game, which had a surprise finish. Neptunus was eliminated and Bonn advanced to the all-deciding Final.

Bonn Capitals - Curaçao Neptunus 8-7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Curaçao Neptunus 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 - 7 14 1 Bonn Capitals 0 1 0 0 0 1 6 0 X - 8 16 1 pitchers Neptunus inn. SO BB H R ER Diegomar Markwell 5.2 1 1 10 2 1 Berry van Driel, H (1) 1 2 - 4 4 4 Aaron de Groot, L (1-1) - (*) - - 1 1 1 Kevin Kelly, BS (1) 1.1 2 2 1 1 1 (*) - De Groot pitched to one batter in the seventh inning pitchers Bonn Capitals inn. SO BB H R ER Paul Schmitz - (*) - 2 3 4 4 Maurice Wilhelm, W (1-0) 8 (**) 6 - 10 3 3 Christian Tomsich, H (1) 0.1 - - 1 - - Nicholas Miceli, SV (2) 0.2 - 1 - - - (*) - Schmitz pitched to five batters in the first inning (**) - Wilhelm pitched to one batter in the ninth inning Homeruns: Neptunus: Gianison Boekhoudt (2)(3rd,solo,0 outs,off Wilhelm); Capitals: Wilson Lee (4)(7th,solo,0 outs,off Van Driel), Terrell Joyce (2)(7th,3-run,2 outs,off Kelly). Box Score Play-by-Play Umpires: HP-Mojmír Jankovič (Slovakia), 1B-Marek Vičar (Czech Rep.), 3B-Andrea Caser (Italy). Official Scorer-Alexandra Slaná (Czech Rep.). Play-by-Play Scorer-Kateřina Havrlantová (Czech Rep.). Technical Commissioner-Roderick Balk (Netherlands). Starting Time-4:00 PM. Time Played-3:06 hrs. Site-Complex Baseball Klub Klasik, Frýdek-Místek (Czech Republic) (site BK Klasik). Game Notes: Semi-Final 1st-4th place. Bonn Capitals advances to Final; Neptunus to play in Bronze Medal-game. Weather conditions at game time: Partly cloudy, 25° C (77° F); wind direction north-northwest; wind speed 11 kmh (6,8 mph); wind force 2 Bft; humidity 69%.

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