10/06/2018 1 Minute Read

Reigning Euro Cup Champion Curacao Neptunus seizes the 2018 title again

The hometown crowd in Rotterdam, the Netherlands was pleased to see undefeated Curacao Neptunus (5-0) once again on the throne of the European Champions Cup on Sunday, June 10, 2018 with a 5-0 shutout over A

The hometown crowd in Rotterdam, the Netherlands was pleased to see undefeated Curacao Neptunus (5-0) once again on the throne of the European Champions Cup on Sunday, June 10, 2018 with a 5-0 shutout over A.S.D. Rimini (3-2). I giocatori del Curaçao Neptunus festeggiano il titolo conquistato contro il Rimini (foto Rob Julsma/honkballsite.com)With the loss, Rimini placed second in the eight-team international tournament. Curacao starting pitcher Orlando Yntema threw a complete game with 11 strikeouts and limited Rimini to just four hits. Nico Garbella singled twice, while Luis Ustariz and Nathanael Batista each got a hit. Despite the lack of offensive punch against Curacao, Rimini outfielder Alexander Romero finished second in hitting (.533 batting average) during the five-day tourney.

During the 2018 European Champions Cup, T&A San Marino outfielder Thomas De Wolf (.579) topped the offensive charts in batting average (.579), hits (9), home runs (2), RBI (6), and walks (5). Teammate Lorenzo Avagnina also had a hot bat during the competition with nine hits and an impressive .473 batting average. T&A San Marino (1-4) lost their final game 8-3 to L&D Amsterdam (2-3) to place eighth in the 2018 Euro Champions Cup on Sunday.

UnipolSai Bologna (3-2) took third place with their dominant 8-0 rout over France’s Rouen Huskies. Pitchers Jorge Martinez, Antonio Noguera, Filippo Crepaldi, Justin Cicatello, and Nick Pugliese combined their efforts for the shutout. The explosive Bologna offense was fueled by leadoff hitter Filippo Agretti, who went 2-for-5 with two doubles, one run scored and one RBI. Second baseman Alessandro Vaglio was a perfect 3-for-3 with one run scored and one RBI. Both Kevin Moesquit and Lorenzo Dobboletta collected two hits, while Giuseppe Mazzanti and Robel Garcia each scored twice. Despite a third-place finish in the 2018 European Champions Cup, keep in mind UnipolSai Bologna (3-2) lost both games by just one run (5-4 to Curacao Neptunus and 2-1 to A.S.D. Rimini). Having nearly dethroned the reigning Euro Cup Champion, UnipolSai Bologna was very close to bringing home the title to Italy. Forza #Italia! #LetsMakeItHappen

by Roberto Angotti