On Wednesday, the men from the Portuguese side Academica de Coimbra were able to finally chalk up their first win of the tournament, defeating the Oslo Pretenders 6-3. Although Leif Peter Sandvik won the Home Run Derby just the night before, and with the momentum (or his new bats helping him hit a double and a triple) giving the Pretenders the lead through four innings, it just wasn’t enough to pull out the victory. In the fifth inning the Portuguese woke up their bats, with Rui Costa knocking a 3-run double, the most important swing of the bat on the day. Oslo was able to answer with just two runs through the remaining frames, both coming in the sixth. The Portuguese left the field with a well-earned win.
R H E
NOR 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 | 3 6 1
POR 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 - | 6 8 3
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With a game much more exciting than its final result of 3:12, the second matchup of the day between Moscow and Therwil kept the crowd on edge. Two errors by the Russians in the second inning, paired with three hits, gave the Swiss an early 0:6 lead. The game was far from over, however, as Moscow came back to score 3 runs in the top of the third to cut the deficit in half. Each team’s pitcher was able to keep the opponent in check for the next few innings, until the Swiss were able to break through and score five runs on four hits, taking a 3:11 advantage midway through the game. Player/coach J.B. Tucker again proved his value to the team, with three hits and three RBIs, also scoring the twelfth and final run for the Swiss in the eighth inning. On the mound, Flyers Pitcher Lukas Croton put forth a grand effort to lead his team to victory.
R H E
RUS 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 3 5 2
SUI 0 6 0 0 0 5 0 1 - | 12 11 1
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The shortest game possible at the CEB level again took place at the hands of the Solingen Alligators, and once again as the nightcap in front of the hometown crowd. Facing the “Devils“ of Miejska Gorka, the Solingen Alligators left no doubt about who the favorite is for the tournament crown. In the 17:2 walkover, Solingen pitchers Robin Drache, Dennie Andresen and Robin Schliep again worked magic from the mound.
R H E
GER 8 3 3 3 0 | 17 15 3
POL 1 0 0 1 0 | 2 5 2