The 2024 Baseball European Cup is being played from June 4-9 at Camp Municipal de Beisbol i Sofbol de València in Valencia, Spain.
The Group Round will be from June 4-7. The Semifinals and Relegation Round will be on June 8, and the Relegation Round, bronze medal game, and gold medal game will be on June 9.
The Astros Valencia of the Division de Honor operated from the Real Federación Española de Béisbol y Sófbol, the Deurne Spartans of Division I operated by the Koninklijke Belgische Base en Softball Federatie, the Montpellier Barracudas of Division I operated by the Fédération Française de Baseball & Softball, and the Vienna Metrostars of the Bundesliga operated from the Austrian Baseball and Softball Federation are all playing in Group A of the 2024 BEC.
The Olimpija Karlovac of the Croatian Baseball Association, the Diving Ducks of the Bundesliga operated from the Austrian Baseball and Softball Federation, the Tenerife Marlins Puerto Cruz of the Division de Honor operated from the Real Federación Española de Béisbol y Sófbol, and the Les Cougars Montigny of Division I operated by the Fédération Française de Baseball & Softball are playing in Group B. The Croatian Baseball Association is also referred to as the Hrvatski Baseball Savez.
All 2024 BEC live games are streamed with a paid subscription on https://baseballeurope.tv/home.
June 7, 2024
Group A – (0-3) Vienna Metrostars (AUT) 3, (1-2) Deurne Spartans (BEL) 13 F/7
On Friday, the Deurne Spartans won their first game of the 2024 BEC and beat the Vienna Metrostars 13-3 in seven innings via the mercy rule.
Deurne Spartans starting pitcher Mauro Van Mook and relief pitcher Viktor Vandervelden combined for chucking seven innings, allowing five hits, three earned runs, four walks, and 14 strikeouts.
Vienna Metrostars starting pitcher Nicholas Schadler threw two innings, allowing two hits and one strikeout.
Relief pitchers Jakub Simonsen and Stefano Giarraputo threw 4.1 innings, allowing 12 hits, eight earned runs, three walks, and four strikeouts. The MetroStars defense made three errors during their loss on Friday.
Deurne Spartans shortstop Edgardo Jose Nieto Castillo rocked three hits, four RBI, one walk, and scored two runs in his four at-bats.
Deurne Spartans catcher Johiner Alfonso Arguinzones Ocanto smacked two hits, four RBI, struck out one, and scored once in his five at-bats.
Spartans left fielder Frank Alejandro Prieto Burgos, went 3-for-4 with two RBI, and scored once.
Spartans right fielder Leonel Reina Viant had two hits, one RBI, one strikeout and scored two runs in his three at-bats on Friday.
The Spartans’ offense scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning en route to their first win at the 2024 BEC.
Group B – (1-2) Les Cougars Montigny (FRA) 4, (2-1) Olimpija Karlovac (CRO) 5
The Olimpija Karlovac won their second game at the 2024 BEC on Friday and beat the Les Cougars Montigny 5-4 from a game-winning RBI single to center field by two-way player Duje Papic in the bottom of the ninth inning to score shortstop Jose Gregorio Pereira Tovar.
Les Cougars Montigny starting pitcher Robinson José Mastre Arcia threw 8.2 innings, allowing eight hits, five earned runs, seven walks, and five strikeouts.
Olimpija Karlovac starting pitcher Garrett Alanson Parkins threw 8.2 innings and allowed five hits, one earned run, six walks, and eight strikeouts before Papic entered the game in the top of the ninth inning. Papic started at third base defensively before he entered the game to pitch in the top of the ninth.
The first run of the game did not come until the top of the third inning, when Les Cougars Montigny outfielder Felipe Gustavo Lot Martins lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring second baseman Francis Lassaline to take the lead 1-0.
In the top of the fourth inning, the Les Cougars Montigny extended the lead to four runs, beginning with third baseman Warren Coopman scoring on a balk from Parkins during right fielder Tom Mayeux’s at-bat to extend the lead to 2-0.
The next batter, Lassaline, reached on base with a throwing error from Tovar, scoring Dylan Mayeux to extend the lead to 3-0. On the same play, designated hitter Yorfrank Manuel Lopez Tequedor came into the score with the Olimpija Karlovac defense throwing the ball around, resulting in Papic causing a throwing error to make it 4-0.
During the bottom of the sixth inning, the Olimpija Karlovac offense came alive with pinch hitter Daniel Alexandro De Freitas Guanipa smacking an RBI single to right field, scoring second baseman Jorman Javier Alcala Quijije to cut the deficit to three runs at 4-1.
Shortly after, Olimpija Karlovac left fielder Kevin Volaric drilled a double into left-center field, scoring Papic and De Freitas to make it 4-3.
