1949 Parma 5, Tenerife Marlins 4 - Three home runs from Edison Valerio kept Tenerife within striking distance, but a late Parma rally sent the Italian club into the BCL Europe Final Four championship game. 

1949 Parma Baseball Club overcame three solo home runs from Tenerife Marlins shortstop Edison Valerio to defeat the Marlins 5-4 Saturday at Brno City Stadium and advance to the BCL Europe Final Four 2026 championship game. 

Parma trailed 3-2 before answering with a solo home run from Noel Gonzalez in the sixth and a two-run single by Ericson Leonora in the seventh to take a 5-3 lead. Valerio’s third home run of the game in the eighth brought Tenerife within one, but Parma held on to secure the semifinal victory. 

Tenerife struck first when Valerio launched a solo home run in the top of the first inning. Parma answered in the bottom half when Anthony Concepcion sent a solo shot over the fence to tie the game. 

Valerio continued to provide the Marlins with power, hitting another solo home run in the third inning to put Tenerife back in front 2-1. 

Parma responded in the bottom of the third, tying the game at 2-2 before Tenerife regained the lead later in the contest. 

With Parma trailing 3-2 in the sixth, Gonzalez delivered the equalizer with a solo home run, setting the stage for a decisive seventh inning. 

Parma broke through with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Leonora lined a two-run single that scored Concepcion and Robel Garcia, putting Parma ahead 5-3 and giving the Italian club its first lead since the opening inning. 

Valerio refused to let Tenerife go quietly. He hit his third solo home run in the eighth inning, cutting Parma’s lead to 5-4 and completing a three-homer performance. Each of his home runs came with the bases empty, leaving Tenerife one swing away from tying the game. 

Parma’s pitching staff then finished the job. 

Starter Frank Madan allowed three runs on six hits over three innings before Raymond Figueredo took over. Figueredo limited Tenerife to two hits and one run across five strong innings, keeping the Marlins from building another rally. Claudio Scotti entered to close out the game and preserve the one-run victory. 

Tenerife starter Elian Leyva worked five innings, allowing three hits, two runs and four walks. Pablo Guillen suffered the loss. 

“I expected it to be a tough game because we knew the quality of our opponents, and it’s very high. Now we’ll enjoy this win, and then in an hour or two we’ll start thinking about tomorrow, which will be along the same lines as today,” said Parma's manager Marcello Saccardi after the game. 

Parma now turns its attention to the BCL Europe Final Four championship game Sunday at 6 p.m. local time, where it will face the winner of the second semifinal between Draci Brno and Curaçao Neptunus Rotterdam. After surviving Tenerife’s power display and rallying late, the Italian club is one victory away from lifting the European championship trophy. 

Curaçao Neptunus X, Draci Brno 0 - Curaçao Neptunus controlled the second BCL Europe semifinal from the start, building an early lead and riding dominant pitching to a championship-game appearance. 

Curaçao Neptunus scored seven runs in the first two innings before its pitching staff shut down Draci Brno in a 10-0 victory in the second semifinal of the BCL Europe Final Four. 

The reigning Dutch champions scored five times in the opening inning and added two more in the second to chase Draci starter Aliangel Lopez after just 1 1/3 innings. Neptunus held Brno to one hit and ended the game in seven innings under the eary termination rule, advancing to Sunday’s championship game against 1949 Parma Baseball Club. 

Neptunus immediately put pressure on Brno, sending five runs across in the first inning. Junior Martina delivered the key blow with a two-run double, giving the Dutch club an early advantage and setting the tone for the rest of the game. 

Rotterdam continued the offensive attack in the second inning. Christian Diaz lined a two-run single as part of a two-hit performance, extending the lead to 7-0 and ending Lopez’s afternoon. 

While Neptunus’ offense continued to produce, it

s pitching staff kept Brno off the scoreboard. 

Starter Koen Postelmans was dominant from the outset, holding Draci hitless through five innings. He finished after six innings, allowing just one hit and three walks while striking out eight. 

Brno finally broke up the no-hit bid when veteran Jakub Hajtmar singled to open the sixth inning, but the hit did little to spark a comeback. Neptunus quickly regained control and kept the hosts from generating any sustained offense. 

Dwayne Kemp added to the lead with a two-run double and later scored, helping Neptunus reach the 10-run mark and end the game in the seventh inning. 

Marnix Ruben also scored twice as Curaçao Neptunus consistently applied pressure throughout the game. 

For Draci Brno, the semifinal proved difficult from the opening pitch. Lopez took the loss after allowing six hits and seven runs, five earned, with one walk in 1 1/3 innings. 

Curaçao Neptunus now turns its attention to the BCL Europe championship game Sunday, where they will meet 1949 Parma Baseball Club. After an explosive start and a pitching performance that limited Brno to one hit, the reigning Dutch champions enter the final with the European title within reach.