[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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Rome took the top spot in the European Second League’s Western Conference at 109-53. Valencia gave them a run at 105-57 with the Vandals earning a third straight playoff appearance. The other two spots went to Cardiff (95-67) and Stuttgart (89-73). The Crew bounced back after a lousy 69-93 the prior year. The Silver Sabres earned their third playoff appearance in four years. Berlin (82-80), Turin (81-81), and Toulouse (80-82) were just short in the wild card mix.



Four wins separated the top four teams in the Eastern Conference. Tirana took first at 100-62, besting Tbilisi by one game at 93-63. Both Brno and Ljubljana were next at 96-66. It was repeat playoff appearances for all but the Bandits, who had their first-ever winning season. Dnipro (91-71) and Odessa (89-73) were the only other teams that were competitive with that group.

Advancing from the Round Robin in the Western Conference were the top two as Valencia went 5-1 and Rome was 4-2. Stuttgart finished 2-4 and Cardiff went 1-5. The Vandals then upset the Red Wolves 4-3 in a classic for the conference title and a guaranteed promotion. Valencia had been the first Second League champ and spent four seasons in the EBF Elite before getting relegated back for four seasons.



Brno and Tirana advanced to the Eastern Conference Championship with 4-2 Round Robin records, while Tbilisi and Ljubljana both were 1-5. The Bandits then downed the Trojans 4-1 to earn their first-ever promotion. In the Second League Championship, Valencia defeated Brno 4-2, making the Vandals to first franchise to win the E2L title twice.



Ultimately, five EBF Elite teams had 100+ losses, which enabled five promotions out of the E2L. Semifinalists Rome and Tirana both were promoted as was Tbilisi as the top performer of the remaining playoff teams. The Red Wolves and the Trains return to the top tier after four seasons in E2L. The Trojans’ Second League stay lasted three seasons.

Other notes: Turn’s Christopher Goddard set still-standing E2L records for batting average (.369), hits (232), and singles (171). Valencia’s Felipe Macias set the OBP record at .476. The Vandals’ Odon Torgyan set the E2L playoff record for wins, going 5-0 in his five starts. He had a 0.88 ERA with 32 strikeouts. His Valencia teammate Spencer Matebwe set the playoff saves record with 8. He had a 0.81 ERA over 22.1 innings with 32 strikeouts.

Sheffield’s Don Ransom had the ninth Perfect Game in E2L history, striking out six against Palermo on August 15. Stuttgart’s Dieter Launhardt tossed his fourth no-hitter, a mark no one else has reached. He also won his third Pitcher of the Year award for the Silver Sabres. Odessa’s Yannick Thomas repeated as POTY in the Eastern Conference. Cardiff’s Charlie Gray won his second MVP.