Team Italy beats Parma Clima 2-0 in first of four Serie A1 Exhibition Games

Team Italy manager Gilberto "Gibo" Gerali was pleased with his squad's 2-0 shutout over Serie A1's Parma Clima (5-5) under the lights at Parma's Stadio "Nino Cavalli" on May 23, 2018. Accompanied by Team Italy coaches Marco Nanni, Augusto Medina, Rolando Cretis, and Claudio Vecchi, skipper Gibo Gerali put his best lineup together to face Parma pitching ace and former Cleveland Indians prospect Luis Lugo. The crafty left-handed starter, who pitched for Team Italy in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, kept the Azzurri hitters off-balance during his two innings of work. Luis Lugo struck out four battters and limited the Team Italy offense to just an infield single by Leonardo Zileri. Since arriving in Italy just two weeks ago, Luis Lugo has been a welcome addition to Parma Clima. The Venezuelan-born hurler said, "So far it has been great playing here. I feel very comfortable." Rather than having Luis Lugo suit up and pitch for Team Italy in the exhibition game, Azzurri manager Gibo Gerali took advantage of having the lefty serve as the opposing pitcher to see how his batters would fare against one of the best arms in Italian baseball. After the game, Luis Lugo reflected on the experience. He said, "I had mixed feelings when I was on the mound, but I felt great and had a little fun facing the guys." The game remained scoreless until the fifth inning when an RBI single by Alessandro Vaglio gave Team Italy a 1-0 lead. The Azzurri added an unearned run in the ninth inning to complete the 2-0 shutout over Parma Clima. 

With the first of four Serie A1 exhibition games in the books, Team Italy skipper Gibo Gerali will now travel with his players to Padova for a game against Tommasin Padova (4-6) on June 12 and later move on to Rimini (9-1) for a battle against ASD Rimini Baseball on July 3. In addition, a final exhibition game against another Serie A1 squad in August (TBA) will give Team Italy one last chance to prepare for the Super 6 Baseball and Softball Tournament, which takes place from September 18-23, 2018 in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands. Forza #Italia! #LetsMakeItHappen

by Roberto Angotti