© Lauro Bassani (PhotoBass)
UnipolSai Fortitudo Bologna won the second semifinal match against Parma Clima 8-4 at the “Gianni Falchi”, thus drawing the series after the ducals’ 3-2 success in the initial match. The second inning was decisive in which Bologna scored 7 points, taking advantage of an empty pass by the pitcher Fabiani. Despite an important reaction with 4 goals in the fourth round, Parma Clima were unable to complete the difficult recovery. Winning pitcher Alex Bassani. The best hitters of the evening were Luis Gonzalez from Bologna (3 out of 4 with a double and a triple) and Parmesan Leo Rodriguez (2 out of 3 with two doubles). The third match of the series will be played at 20.30 on Tuesday 23 August at the Cavalli stadium in Parma.
THE CHRONICLE OF MATCH 2 – Parma Clima has re-proposed the same defensive formation of game one, also the same order of service. The only obligatory variation is the presence of Diego Fabiani on the mountain to replace Montilla. Bologna, on the other hand, mixed the cards a bit by proposing a greater number of left-handed batters against the right-footed Fabiani. So Grimaudo joined the team to replace Deotto: the outside line saw Grimaudo on the left, Dobboletta in the center and Lampe on the right. The first ball of the match was entrusted to Filippo Crepaldi, preferred in recent weeks to the left-handed Andretta.
The first inning ended with a stalemate despite a single from Joseph and a triple from Luis Gonzalez: Joseph intercepted the next bar from Martini, lost control for a moment but made up for it with a powerful shot at first base. . Parma Clima nearly took the lead in the second inning with a violent strike from the left by Rodriguez who bypassed the outside giving the illusion of a home run but which broke against the protective mattresses: Crepaldi’s subsequent strikeout on Talevi held to zero the ducal attack. Much more concrete the hosts who took the lead in the lower part of the same second half. Fabiani eliminated Lampe at the plate but then hit Agretti and suffered a single from Grimaudo: the Bolognese attack surprised the ducal defense by performing two perfect “squeeze plays” (transformed into as many valid jokes) with Liberatore and Dobboletta who yielded the points of 2 to 0. It’s not over. Paolini filled the cushions by receiving four balls and Josephina widened the lead up to 3-0 thanks to another free base which prompted the Parmesan technical staff to replace Fabiani with Aldegheri. The entry into the match of the Veronese relief did not stop the Bolognese wave: Luis Gonzalez found a three-point double along the left foul line and Lampe set the partial at 7-0 with another double behind the winger center.
Parma Clima had the great merit of not giving up and put four points on the scoreboard in a profitable fourth batting round animated by the hits of Mineo, Astorri, Talevi (double) and Flisi interspersed with a base for ball granted to Joseph and by a sprint of sacrifice by Noel Gonzalez: to interrupt the moment of inspiration of the Parmesan clubs, the Bolognese technical staff decided to replace Crepaldi with Alex Bassani. Aldegheri also contributed to keep alive the hopes of recovery of the European champions, author of an excellent performance between the third and fifth inning in which he did not concede valid to Bologna. On the other hand, Bassani also lowered the shutter and guided his teammates with confidence until the sixth round, keeping the score steady at 7-4 despite Leo Rodriguez’s second double of the evening. Bologna extended with a point scored in the sixth inning by Dobboletta thanks to a free base and subsequent singles by Luis Gonzalez and Martini.
The last attack of Parma Clima opened with a single by Koutsoyanopulos, continued with four balls granted to Desimoni but ran aground in front of an unfortunate line by Joseph, transformed by Martini into a double game, and a diamond joke. by Monello.
THE COMPETITION CHRONICLE1 – Parma Clima had won the first match of the semifinal round overcoming Bologna with the result of 3-2 at the end of a match that was as hard fought as it was nervous. Bologna complained for an arbitration decision that rewarded the defense of the European champions in the sixth inning. Winning pitcher Carlos Contreras, salvation for Habeck. Two valid battles for Rodriguez and Flisi. The hosts had presented a formation without Bertossi and Grimaudo, with Lampe, Dobboletta and Deotto in the field, Agretti designated and Liberatore catcher. On the mound the veteran Raul Rivero. Parma Clima faced the absences of Monello and Sambucci by deploying Mineo in the battery with Montilla, Astorri in first base, Talevi in second, Rodriguez in third and Joseph shortstop. The line of outsiders was formed by Desimoni, Koutsoyanopulos and Gonzalez with Flisi dh.
The two teams’ first attacks ended with only three batters in the batter’s box. First player to reach first base was Cesare Astorri in the second inning thanks to a catch error by first base Martini: the guest attack continued with a single to the right of Rodriguez but Talevi was unable to produce the first point of the evening hitting a comfortable bounce to second base. At the change of pitch, Bologna also became dangerous with a single right from Gonzalez Taveras but the Parma Clima defense responded masterfully with a “caught stealing” from Mineo and a strikeout from Montilla. Flisi started the third inning with a single on the left but the subsequent double serve by Koutsoyanopulos and a serve towards third base by Desimoni blocked the ambitions of the ducal attack.
After three domination takes Montilla entered into a control crisis by granting two consecutive bases to Lampe and Josephina: the next internal single by Gonzalez Taveras filled the bases (with only one out) and induced the Parma Clima bench to replace Montilla with Contreras. The Dominican relief has done its job very well by inducing Martini to beat a rebound that Rodriguez, Talevi and Astorri have transformed into a fundamental double game. Parma Clima’s fifth attack opened with a strikeout by Rivero on Astorri but then Rodriguez and Talevi hit two singles and Flisi tore four balls after a long duel with Rivero. The hosts followed the same script as the ducal bench and replaced the starting pitcher with Gonzalez Polanco. The result, however, was quite different. Koutsoyanopulos beat home the one-nil point with a painful base for ball and then the former Paolini failed a first base assist missing a double play and giving Guido Poma’s team a three-point lead.
Contreras closed the fifth round with two strikeouts against Liberatore and Deotto and with the second “caught stealing” of the evening by Alberto Mineo. The sixth round began with a strikeout on Dobboletta but immediately after Paolini hit a double on the right, the first valid extrabase of the match, and Contreras hit Lampe: Bologna had the opportunity to reopen the match and did not. let slip by exploiting two “crazy pitches” by Contreras (the first on the third strike shot by Josephina) and a single by Martini. On the result of 3 to 2 the bench from Parma replaced Contreras with Habeck who started a duel with Agretti that we will remember for a long time. First Desimoni missed a foul flyby that would have closed the second half, then Koutsoyanopulos plunged into a very difficult ball. Catch on the fly or ball on the ground? The referees opted for the first hypothesis, sparking protests from the bench and the home crowd and maintained their decision even after a collective consultation. In the seventh attack, Parma Clima produced only a single from Flisi and then tightened around Habeck. Grimaudo, pinch hitter for Liberatore, hit a long line in the center well controlled by Koutsoyanopulos, Deotto was eliminated at the plate as well as Fuzzi, batting for Dobboletta.
