T&A San Marino claim the 2014 European Championship

T&A San Marino walked away from Saturday evening’s decisive game three final as the 2014 European Champions, it is this clubs third EU title overall having won in 2006 and 2011 as well. The final on Saturday evening was 10 to 4 as T&A exploded on the offensive side of the ball for 10 runs off of 12 hits, all of which was started off by a second inning game tying homer off the bat of Joe Mazzuca (Offensive MVP). On the hill for San Marino for the second time in three days was Junior Guerra (Most Valuable Pitcher) who pitched 6 strong innings where he gave up just a single run in the first off of 4 hits and 2 walks all while striking out 7 Rimini hitters. Coming on for the three inning save was Darwin Cubilan, his second save in three days. Suffering the loss on Rimini’s side of the ball was Corradini, who didn’t get past the 2^nd inning, giving up 4 earned runs off of 3 hits and a walk.

San Marino decided to rely on Junior Guerra for the second time in three days on the bump, after he successfully tossed up a 104 pitches in a winning effort on Thursday evening in game one of this EU Champions Cup Finals. Things were a little shaky for Guerra right off the bat after both Gomez and Santora reached on back-to-back singles leading off the game, which was then followed up by a sac bunt by Zileri, and walk to Romero which loaded the bases with just one out. With Peppe Mazzanti at the plate, Rimini was able to cross the games first run on a sac fly that plated Gomez from third. That would be it however in the inning for Rimini, as Guerra was able to buckle down to get Chiarini on just three pitches, ending the top half of the first.

The game was tied on the very first pitch in the second inning after San Marino’s Joe Mazzuca smacked a line drive homer that flew over the leftfield fence, putting the game at 1-all. Mazzuca’s blast was then quickly followed up by three more T&A runs after Reginato was able to leg out an infield single, followed up by a hit-by-pitch (Morreale), a walk to Albanese, a two RBI single off the bat of Pantaleoni, and eventually a long sac fly off the bat of Avagnina, which put the score at 4 to 1 in favor of San Marino after two innings of play. All runs in the inning were charged to Corradini who was relieved by Del Bianco after the bases had been loaded by San Marino.

In the 4^th it was once again Reginato that got things going with a single, which was followed up by Morreale reaching the sacs on a throwing error by Rimini’s shortstop, Santora, putting runners at 2^nd and 3^rd with no one out. Del Bianco was able to then able to induce a groundout off the bat of Albanese with the infield drawn in forcing the runners to hold. However Pantaleoni was able to drive in what was to be the inning’s only run on a sac fly to left that plated Reginato from third. San Marino’s was then right back at it in the 5^th when they poured on anther two runs, this time off of Marquez who allowed two runs off of two hits on an RBI single off the bat of Persichina, and RBI double off the bat of Reginato with Gonzalez on the bump in relief of Marquez. San Marino then picked up one more in the 6^th thanks to a leadoff double off the bat of Albanese and a two out RBI single threw the left side by Imperiali.

In the 7^th inning Darwin Cubilan came on in relief of Guerra, who was able to put up a scoreless frame, however in the top of the 8^th it was Rimini who picked up a little bit of life after back-to-back single by Gomez and Santora, and with one out a walk to Romero that loaded the bases. Mazzanti then stepped up to the plate where he smacked a hot shot to third that just tricked away from Pantaleoni, which allowed Gomez to score. The very next hitter, Chiarini, then came up with a two strike single to right that drove in Santora from third. That would be it in the inning for the Rimini Pirates as Cubilan was able to get Spinelli to go down on strikes and Di Fabio to ground out to Mazzuca at first. In the bottom half of that very same inning T&A San Marino was able to get back those two runs thanks to a two run shot off the bat of Ramos, putting the score at 10 to 3. In the top of the 9^th Rimini tried once again to make some noise, however after an RBI double off the bat of Santora, Cubilan was able to sit Zileri down on strikes and finally induce Romero in popping up to Imeriali at second for the game ending out.