The Rimini Pirates were able to take home the 7-0 victory on Tuesday evening on their home turf, making it a series sweep the best of 7 Italian Baseball League Championship Finals. It is Rimini’s first title since 2006 and their 12 overall. Tuesday’s game was one that was dominated by both mounds until the bottom of the 7th when Rimini opened up for 6 runs, chasing Rivero, Cova and Cadoni from the game. Picking up his second win of the series was Alexis Candelario, who pitched 7 complete innings where he gave up just 4 hits, 2 walks and struck out 8 over his shutout MVP performance.
The last game of the Italian Baseball Series was yet another closely fought battle that saw two of the IBL’s top arms go at it toe to toe until Rimini opened up the flood gates in the 7th where they broke out for 6 unanswered runs. Both clubs had their opportunities to break through on the offensive side of the ball in this one… especially Bologna, however until the decisive 7th it was both club’s defense and pitching which prevailed, dancing around any tight situation that appeared.
For the first 3rd of the ball game UnipolSai threatened often, reaching a runner on third three times to begin the game with not one of them being able to cross the dish with a run or runs that could have shifted the momentum in their favor dramatically. In the first it was a leadoff single by Infante that got the game going. Infante later moved around to third after a sac bunt by Ambrosino and a ground ball out to first off the bat of Liverziani. Then with two outs in the inning Infante would pay for a mental mistake when he was picked off of third on a botched bunt attempted by Suarez to end the inning and the threat. In the top of inning number two it was once again Bologna who threatened to strike first after a one out double off the bat of Rodriguez, who was able to advance to third on a wild pitch with just one out in the inning. Rodriguez also would be denied access to home after he was gunned down at the plate for the second out of the inning on a spectacular barehanded play by Rimini’s shortstop, Olmedo. In the third Bologna reached yet another runner on third in Grimaudo who had reached on a single, then advanced on a wild pitch and a ground ball out. Grimaudo’s march around the bags would be stopped there as Candelario was able to get past Suarez with some high heat on a 2-2 count to end the frame and once again the threat.
Rimini’s offense was held in check for the majority of the ball game, as they were able to muster up just two hits through the first 6 innings of the ball game, however in the bottom of the 7th the Pirates’ sticks came to life for 6 runs off of 5 hits, 2 walks and error. Rimini successfully chased not one, not two but three arms from the mound in the inning, as it was first Rivero, then Cova and finally Cadoni who was relived by Marinez. Picking up the big hits in the inning were Bertagnon and Spinelli with RBI singles through the left side of the diamond, followed up by an RBI single up the middle by Di Fabio, while the other three runs crossed on a balk with Cova on the bump and an error by Bologna’s first baseman, Sambucci that allowed runs 5 and 6 to cross. Rimini would go onto tack on another run in the bottom of the 8th thanks to an RBI off the bat of Babini that plated Zileri for the 7-0 advantage…
The game would come to a conclusion with Victor Moreno on the hill for Rimini and Alessandro Vaglio at the dish for UnipolSai Bologna when on a 3-2 count Moreno would get Vaglio to pop up in foul grounds to Mazzanti at third for the last out of the 2015 Italian Baseball Series. Picking up MVP honors was Candelario, who went onto publicly share the honors with his relief, Moreno. The Championship is Rimini’s 12 overall and first since 2006.
