Parma Clima scores an amazing 2-1 victory over San Marino and draws the series
A “walkoff single” by Alberto Mineo broke the balance in the second part of the seventh inning, gave Parma Clima an amazing victory with the result of 2 to 1 and equalized the series that will award the Italian title. This is also necessary for the sixth match that will be played on Saturday evening in San Marino.
The European champions did not allow themselves to be influenced by injuries, they rallied around the usual convincing Montilla and rivaled on par with the defending champions. Winning pitcher Alex Diaz, best in batting (seven valid overall) Astorri (2 out of 3) Mineo (2 out of 4) and Gonzalez (1 out of 2).
The chronicle
The San Marino coaching staff confirmed the winning line-up of game three with Celli outside center and Pieternella designated. Starting pitcher Carlos Quevedo, unused in the first match of the series.
On the other hand, the team of Parma Clima, still orphan of the injured Giuseppe, has been revolutionized. Desimoni was deployed as leadoff with the returning Talevi second, Gonzalez third and Koutsoyanopulos fifth. Astorri started the match at first base with the renunciation of Sambucci and Flisi designated. On the mound, debut in Italian Baseball for Emailin Montilla with Carlos Contreras stopped in the pits for a nuisance at his side. In the bullpen Alex Diaz and Marc Habeck.
The first round developed in full control of the pitchers with Quevedo’s only concession of a single to Gonzalez.
Lino benefited from a defensive error at the opening of the second round to reach first base but the ducal defense reacted well by blocking Ustariz, Batista and Leonora, the latter with a valuable play by Battioni.
At the change of field Astorri hit a single inside, advanced to second when using a joke on Rodriguez’s pitcher but stopped his advances Flisi was eliminated to the plate.
San Marino did not take advantage of Rodriguez’s second mistake of the evening in the third inning while Parma Clima tried to build the point of advantage with patience but without success. Battioni received four balls and Desimoni moved him to second with a sacrifice: Talevi – strikeout – missed the first opportunity, Gonzalez the second, raising a harmless and very high diamond pop.
In the fourth, San Marino broke the delay. Angulo received four consecutive balls, Lino pushed him to third with the first valid of the guests and Ustariz beat home the one-zero point with a groundball on the shortstop. The subsequent double play of the Parma defense prevented San Marino from expanding the advantage.
Mineo reacted immediately by coming in second with a single on the opposite field badly defended by Leonora: Koutsoyanopulos weighed down the attack by suffering a strikeout but Astorri made up for it with the single one by one. San Marino ran for cover by replacing Quevedo with Centeno and conceding an intentional base to Flisi: the guest relief kept the result on one by one, eliminating Battioni at the plate.
The fifth take offered few thrills with the only jolts of a single by Epifano, a base for ball granted to Gonzalez and the sudden appearance of rain.
Montilla continued with his head down in his excellent performance even in the sixth: strikeout Celli, strikeout Angulo, single from Lino, strikeout Ustariz. Then there was a storm that put a strain on the large audience of Cavalli and that forced the referee and the commissioner to interrupt the match for about twenty minutes.
At the resumption of play Centeno showed that he had not suffered the effects of the interruption by making two consecutive strikeouts against Koutsoyanopulos and Astorri. The guest relief then suffered a single from Rodriguez and granted a base for ball to Flisi: at that point the rain began to fall again with great intensity, making a second stop necessary.
The match resumed with the pinch hitter Sambucci who engaged in a long duel with Centeno and then guessed a line on the right field which, however, ended directly in Batista’s glove.
The ducals showed up in the seventh inning with a revolutionized defense and Diaz on the mound.
Come to game three, San Marino put the first hitter of the second half on the base (single from Batista) but this time Leonora missed the sacrifice and ended up in the pot. Same fate befell Pieternella while Epifano did not go beyond a comfortable bouncing to Gonzalez, new second base.
The seventh round of the European champions began with a quick elimination of Desimoni but then Pichu Talevi guessed a single on Epifano who gave him the second with a shot as desperate as it was inaccurate. The San Marino bench forced the game on the first three bags with an intentional base to Gonzalez by choosing to play Mineo: the Parma Clima receiver did not miss the opportunity, he fired an impregnable line drive between the outside and equalized the series on 2 to 2.
Tomorrow evening (7 September) at 20.30, match five will be played with the Italian school throwers.
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