Team Italy settles for silver as rain decides the fate of Super 6 Baseball Championship

After back-to-back wins over Czech Republic and Spain, Team Italy was on a roll to claim the 2018 Super 6 Baseball Championship title. All that was necessary was a victory over the Kingdom of the Netherlands at ETO Ballpark in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands on September 23, 2018. The Azzurri squad was seeking revenge against the Netherlands after suffering an extra-inning 9-8 loss to the tournament host on September 20, 2018.

Team Italy manager Gilberto "Gibo" Gerali, coaches Giovanni Costa, Alberto D’Auria, Augusto Medina, Rolando Cretis, Dennis Cook and Rafael Colon, athletic trainers Massimo Baldi and Giovanni Natale, physician Andrea Pellegrini, delegation manager Vincenzo Mignola, and Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS) Vice President Fabrizio De Robbio had total faith in the Azzurri squad's ability to beat the Dutch on foreign soil. Unfortunately, Team Italy did not have the opportunity to carry out with its mission as the field at ETO Ballpark was deemed dangerous and at risk of injuring players due to adverse weather conditions. Rain had dampened the grounds and the enthusiasm for the 2018 Super 6 Baseball Championship. As a result, organizers of the tournament chose to cancel the final competition and decided to use round-robin results in awarding the winners of gold (Kingdom of the Netherlands), silver (Italy), and bronze (Spain) medals. 

It truly was a disappointment because Team Italy players had raked at the plate during the five games of the tourney. In fact, the Azzurri squad led all Super 6 teams in batting average (.432), runs (59), hits (79), and doubles (10). Cleanup hitter Chris Colabello was awarded Best Hitter of the Super 6 Baseball Tournament. He ranked first for Team Italy in batting average (.700), on-base percentage (.750), slugging percentage (1.450), hits (14), walks (4), stolen bases (1), RBI (14), home runs (5) and total bases (29) while coming a close second in runs scored (11). Italian baseball pride-and-joy Alex Liddi was first in runs scored (13), doubles (3), triples (1) and walks (4) while placing second in batting average (.619), on-base percentage (.680), hits (13), home runs (3) and total bases (27).

With a respectful .364 batting average, leadoff hitter Drew Maggi ranked first in triples (1) and sacrifice flies (2). Second place appeared to be reserved for the magnificent Maggi brothers as Drew Maggi was next best to Chris Colabello in home runs (3) and Beau Maggi was only behind Alex Liddi in doubles (2). Although having only a small sample size with seven plate appearances (including two walks) during the competition, Beau Maggi had the best batting average (4-for-5, .800) of any player in the Super 6. Switch-hitter Robel Garcia also performed well from both sides of the plate in the tournament: first in triples (1), second in home runs (3), slugging percentage (1.313), and sacrifice flies (1); third in batting average (.563), on-base percentage (.579), runs scored (5), hits (9), and total bases (21); and fourth in RBI (7), doubles (1), and walks (2).

Tied with teammate Nico Garbella in home runs (2), designated hitter and first baseman Giuseppe Mazzanti was a solid player offensively. He was first in stolen bases (1), second in doubles (2), fourth in batting average (.471), slugging percentage (.971), on-base percentage (.500) and hits (8) as well as fifth in RBI (6) and total bases (16). Team captain Alessandro Vaglio ranked first in walks (4) while placing fifth in batting average (.368), on-base percentage (.478), runs scored (4), and hits (7). Unsung hero Leo Zileri also contributed with a .333 batting average, .583 slugging percentage, and .429 on-base percentage.

Outfielders Nico Garbella, Aldo Koutsoyanopulos, and Mattia Reginato proved their weight in gold offensively and defensively while catcher Alberto Mineo did an excellent job in calling the games for the Team Italy pitching staff. Left-handed starting pitcher Luis Lugo led the Super 6 in wins (2) and strikeouts (13) while fellow starters Angelo Palumbo, Alessandro Maestri, and Matteo Bocchi fared well in their respective games. It was bullpen by committee for Team Italy as Alex Bassani and Andrea Pizziconi each registered a save during the tourney. Rene Mazzocchi and Filippo Crepaldi made two appearances while relievers Carlos Teran, Valerio Simone and Diego Fabiani made brief Super 6 debuts.

Despite having to settle for second place and the silver medal in the Super 6, Team Italy played with heart and deserved an opportunity for redemption against the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Let's hope the Azzurri squad gets another chance to settle the score with the Euro rival very soon. Forza #Italia! #LetsMakeItHappen

by Roberto Angotti