The fifth weekend in the Italian Baseball League brings with it a series that features two of the top dogs in the league, the Rimini Pirates vs. UnipolSai Bologna. The last time that these two clubs faced off on the diamond was back in August of 2014, when it was Bologna that got the best of the Pirates in game 7 of the Italian Baseball League finals, taking the series and the league championship 4 games to 3. This two game set will kickoff this evening in Rimini at 8:30 pm, and will then shift up Bologna on Saturday the 25th. On the bump tonight look for Candelario to get the call for Rimini, while on Bologna’s side of the ball it should be Fleming. On Saturday in Bologna, it will be veteran, De Santis on the hill for the home team, while Rimini has yet to declare a name.
In Padova it will be the home team Tommasin Padova going up head-to-head with a very young, but feisty Parma squad. On one side of the diamond you can find a team that has lived above their expectations thus far in 2015… this being Padova who currently sits at a 6 and 2 mark on the season, and in a 3 way tie at the top with Rimini and Bologna. On the other side of the diamond, Parma is currently posting just a 2 and 6 mark, but they have proved that they are able to hang with anyone thus far… case in point, their two games played against Bologna last where they lost just 1-0 and 2-1. On the bump for Padova tonight will be Quevedo (Padova) vs. Jimenez (Parma). When the series shifts to Parma tomorrow evening it will be two southpaws on the hill, Rivera for Parma and Enrico Crepaldi for Padova. Both games are scheduled to start at 8:00 pm.
Down in Rome, it will be a Nettuno team looking to climb back in the race going up against a San Marino club looking to hold their ground. On the bump for Nettuno in their foreign game will be Estrada, while in the Italian matchup look for Ciarla to get the call. On San Marino’s side of the diamond it’s going to be Rodney Rodriguez in the foreign game with the newly acquired Figueroa backing him up out of the pen, while in the Italian matchup look for Andrea Pizziconi to get the nod. Both games are scheduled for 8:30 pm start times.
Finally, in Godo it will be two of the bottom dwellers facing off, the Godo Knights, who are currently sitting at a 1 and 5 mark vs. Angel Service Nettuno2, who are sitting with a 2 and 6 record. On the bump for the home Knights will be Uviedo in the foreign game and Galeotti in the Italian game. On the other side of the diamond it will be Gonzalez and Andreozzi. Godo seems to have an advantage on the hill in this two game series, however it’s Nettuno2 that has thus far out hit the Knights in the box. Games one and two are secluded to get underway at 8:30 pm on Friday and Saturday night.
