Women’s European Cup Winner’s Cup moved to its second phase today.  A total of twelve teams came to compete in Caserta. The teams played their round robin games in two groups. The tournament will have its final on Saturday, so there are only two more days to go. 

Top four determined

The best three teams from each group advanced to the playoff group:  Group A: Mediterraneo (MLT), Olympia Haarlem (NED), Hoboken Pioneers (BEL) Group B: DSS (NED), Zraloci Ledenice (CZE), Forli (ITA)

Mediterraneo has been undefeated in this tournament so far. The players have experienced a number of really close games though. The last one – against DSS - has just finished. The team representing Malta was one out away from the win when the Dutch tied the game in the bottom of the seventh on a hit-by-pitch.

Olympia Haarlem – reigning champion – has only lost to Mediterraneo in the eighth inning.  They beat their Dutch colleagues from DSS 5-4. DSS has also made their way to the top four.

Hoboken Pioneers from Belgium may be the surprise of the tournament…

Hoboken Pioneers and their extra-inning games

Forli, the winner from two years ago, having advanced from the third place, needed to win against Belgian team. The game couldn’t be any tighter; Hoboken won 1-0 in an extra-inning game. Lindsey Meadows pitched the complete game for Hoboken, she only allowed four hits, and it was her again, who brought the winning run home with a single to the right field. With this game, Forli lost their hopes in any medal games, probably quite disappointed when all the important games were decided by a difference of a single run.

The same applies to Zraloci Ledenice – the best they can play for now is the fifth place. First, they lost 0-1 to Mediterraneo, which mostly consists of Italian players.  Then they lost  3-4 to Hoboken in the ninth inning. Meadows pitched again in this game. Veronika Peckova showed a great performance in the pitching circle for Ledenice, her team also recorded more hits than their opponent (Zraloci 9, Hoboken 6). But hitting at the right moment is the key to a success and that’s where Hoboken got luckier.

Where are we in the tournament

Games of the group C will be completed tomorrow and then the top four teams: Mediterraneo, Olympia Haarlem, DSS, and Hoboken Pioneers will enter the page-system.

The remaining teams play in the group D. Saint Boi  (ESP) and Wesseling Vermins (GER) have not lost a game in their placement group yet.  They will match up tomorrow at 16:00. There are four more teams in this group: Eagles (SUI), Horsholm (DEN), BCF Paris (FRA), and Hrabiny Wroclaw (POL).

-Helena Novotna-