It’s a 3 team race for the Italian Baseball Series

It looks to be a 3 team race for the 2014 Italian Baseball Series between the now first place UnipolSai Bologna at 6 and 3, and both T&A San Marino and the Rimini Pirates who sit at 5 and 4. Lino’s Coffee Parma sits at the bottom with a 2 and 7 record with only 9 games to go.

The three game set between the Rimini Pirates and Lino’s Coffee Parma turned out to be a very evenly matched series with Parma taking game one by the final of 6 to 1, but dropping the last two to the Pirates by a total of 1 run in both games two and three. This third consecutive series loss suffered by Parma may be too much for them to handle in the standings, as they now sit 3 games back of both T&A San Marino and the Rimini Pirates with only 9 games left on the schedule. The next time that Parma hits the field after the All Star break it will be an all or nothing bid for them when they once again face off against the Rimini Pirates on the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th of July. Parma will need a strong effort once again from Sanchez, Yepez along with their Italian mound. On one side, this young club now knows that they have the ability to hang with the best of them, especially after their last two weeks of play where they proved to be the Achilles Heal for both San Marino and Rimini, fighting it out to the very end, but coming up just short. The big names in their lineup are going to need a little bit more of a supporting cast behind them if they are going to have any chance at recouping their 3 game deficit.

On Thursday evening in Rimini it was the visiting Lion’s Coffee Parma that got the best of the Rimini Pirates thanks to a superb performance by José Sanchez who tossed up a huge victory for his club. On Friday evening however the tides turned in favor Rimini, and this time on Parma’s home field. With Mike Ekstrom on the bump, Rimini was able to just barely get past Yepez’s efforts, taking the game by the final of one to nothing on an RBI single off the bat of Romero in the 8^th which scored Zilieri on a close play at the plate, it was Yepez’s 125^th pitch of the evening. On Saturday evening it was once again Rimini that came out on top by the final of 5 to 4 thanks to a better then normal Italian mound that welcomed back Patrone for the first time in a number of weeks. With the win Rimini improved to 5 and 4 in the second half, all well handing Parma their 7^th loss in 9 games.   

UnipolSai Bologna made a huge step their goal of a finals bid after taking two of three against San Marino this past weekend. Bologna won a huge game one pitchers dual on Thursday between Guerra for San Marino and Williamson for Bologna by the final of one to nothing thanks to a solo shot off the bat of Liverziani in the 7^th, his 99^th homer of his career. On Saturday afternoon when the series shifted to Bologna, it was once again UnpolSai that got the best of T&A in a huge come from behind victory. After going down 5-0 after just a half inning of play, UnipolSai began to chip away at the deficit one by one before coming up with a huge 7 run 7^th that was then topped off by 4 more runs in the 8^th for the 14 to 7 win. In the evening game it was San Marino’s turn to return the favor with a come from behind win of their own. After going down 4-0 after just two innings of play T&A was able to get on the board thanks to a long ball off the bat of Imperiali, which plated their first two runs in the 4^th. In the top of the 5^th San Marino picked up anther two to tie the game at three all, while in the 7^th T&A was able to put up another back breaking 3 runs off of Bologna’s pen, while their star closer, Rivero, was on the bench.. a mistake that may have cost Marco Nanni and his club the game and series sweep. As for San Marino, they are a club that is in desperate need of this week’s All Star break, a club that has had to deal with a number of injuries throughout the course of the year. With a week off now Cooper should be ready out of the pen when the team hits the field again against Bologna on the 17^th, while in the outfield look for Macaluso to recoup after suffering a pulled leg muscle on Saturday afternoon.