When speaking to the Huskies’ management this week, they all had their eyes glued to the weather app on their phones. And they wore long faces, as rain seemed set to disrupt the competition. The baseball gods had other plans, sending the clouds to part above the field in Bonn, in the Champions Cup, and ensuring the smooth running of the Confederation Cup.
No surprises in this opening matchday. The favorites asserted themselves, and as expected, we’re heading for semifinals featuring Hoboken, Montpellier, Rouen, and Tenerife. The only question now is which pairings we’ll see.
Tenerife on Edge
But if there’s one team that thought lightning might strike, it was Tenerife’s Marlins. The Spaniards played with fire by sending 17-year-old Pablo Costales to the mound—a non-pitcher. Overconfidence or lack of depth? Either way, Therwil capitalized, scoring three times in the 3rd inning, thanks to two balks and a pitcher’s error. It was then 4-1. Tenerife fought back, tying the game in the 5th, as Swiss starter Noah Senn was running on fumes (108 pitches) and struggling to find the strike zone. But a home run by Eichhorst put the Flyers back ahead. They thought they had the day’s upset in the bag before surrendering in the 9th inning—a walk with the bases loaded and an infield single gave Tenerife an unearned 6-5 victory.
Montpellier Delivers
The Barracudas did their job. I was a bit concerned about the challenge posed by Karlovac, but the Barracudas were rock solid. Notably, they benched their American Steve Anderson for this European Cup, relying instead on Soriano, Canelon, and Sugiura as their foreign players. In the European Cup, teams are limited to three foreign players, and France’s domestic league would do well to adopt the same rule—but that’s another story.
After a shaky start, the Barracudas found their rhythm. Ismaël Pontiac put the game out of reach for the Croats in the 3rd inning with a thunderous three-run homer on a 2-0 count. Earlier, Le Pichon’s precise relief work—retiring Paulic at the plate after Karlovac had scored twice—proved a turning point. Aside from that scare, Mathis Nayral was outstanding (0BB, 6K in 6 IP), and Ismaël Pontiac and Sugiura did their part in relief. The offense backed their pitchers, with Zan’s home run adding much-needed depth to the Barracudas’ lineup.
Hoboken Cruises
Hoboken never looked troubled by Vienna. It was 7-1 after 3 innings, allowing the Belgians to coast to a 12-1 victory in 7 innings. They turned to one of their top pitchers, Thomas de Wolf (3-0, 0.00 ERA in 22.1 innings in the Belgian league), to secure the result. More surprisingly, the Belgians closed out the game with Kenny Van den Branden, who pitched two innings, despite expectations he’d be saved for bigger challenges.
Rouen Enters the Fray
The Huskies take the field at 5 PM against Vienna. In a sense, it’s a semifinal, as a victory would send Rouen into the next round. They’ll then need to settle the standings against Hoboken on Friday for the top two spots. Frankly, we don’t see the Huskies stumbling. The Austrians used their best pitcher, Jakob Simonsen. It won’t be starters Nahmens (5.48 ERA) or Thierry Létouzé (7.88 ERA) who can slow down Rouen’s offense. According to our sources, Boris Marche will hand the ball to Quentin Moulin.
The Montpellier vs. Tenerife match will also send the winner straight to the semifinals. Not a decisive game, as Montpellier will still have a wildcard against Therwil on Friday. But finishing top of their group offers some advantages, not least home-field advantage in the semifinals. We’ll get a better sense of the Marlins’ potential, who were considered one of the tournament favorites but really struggled against Therwil. What’s important for Montpellier is that they can keep Canelon and Ozanich fresh for the weekend, even in the event of a loss. The Swiss will be out of arguments and arms to counter Montpellier’s offense.
The day kicks off with a Therwil vs. Karlovac match that might not be thrilling but will still be broadcast on Huskies TV, along with the rest of the competition. So tune in—I’ll feel less alone. Well, if it works.
François Colombier
