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The play-outs staged in Rimini and Riccione this weekend are thrilling and have decreed the salvation of Metalco Dragons Castelfranco Veneto and Ecotherm Brescia. Beaten respectively Mediolanum New Rimini and Torre Pedrera Falcons, in two breathtaking series that lasted up to game-5 and which gave a beautiful baseball until the last elimination.
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The teams relegated to Serie B in the next championship decided: they are Milan New Rimini e Torre Pedrera Falconsafter two exciting and very balanced series that left with bated breath until the last appointment in race-5, heart-pounding on both diamonds.
After the draw in the first two games of last weekend, it is the hosts of Torre Pedrera who move forward in the series thanks to the 4-2 victory in race-3, in which the 3 points scored at the first attack were definitely decisive available, but also the 12 men left behind by the host formation. Furious departure of the Romagna, who immediately put the game down with a triple Giovannini and the single of Poggioli that bring three scoring to home plate, while the second inning also comes 4-0 thanks to the single of Oil that pushes to point Greco. On the other hand, Brescia continues to produce valid (there will be 10 at the end of the match) without however realizing the opportunities, at least until the third round, when Rodriguez beats a double and then scores 4-1 on the scoreboard. In the central innings of the match the excellent performance of the home starter continues Oil (5.2 ip, 2 er), later detected by Mucciniwhile in the Brescia ranks good proof of Virgadaula which in 5 rounds suffers only one valid. In the sixth inning the Ecotherm sketches a comeback attempt scoring a point with the valid of Zattibut she is not cynical enough to turn the tide of the match up, handing the victory to the Falcons.
In race-4, however, the draw of the Ecotherm, which further prolongs the series and leads it to the decisive match on Sunday afternoon on the Riccione diamond. 3-0 the final result in favor of the guests, who with a Ponce literally untouchable on the mound (complete game from 9.0 ip, 0 er and 14 so) and despite the 3 defensive errors they manage to bring home the game, hovering over 1-0 until the ninth round. Also noteworthy is the fantastic performance of the Romagna starter Poggioliwho in 8 innings suffers only 2 points of which the first who unlocks the match arrives only at the fourth inning, on the initiative of Rodriguez who pushes home base with his single Arcila Gonzalez. For the rest of the match, the pitchers dominate the line-ups of the teams, at least until the final recovery, when Brescia stretches 3-0 with 2 goals in the upper part thanks to the double of Jaramillo and to the single of Virgadaula.
It is Ecotherm itself that also prevails in the last, exciting, race of the series, which decrees the salvation of the Brescians thanks to the 7-5 triumph. A game played every shot on a tightrope, which saw a big-inning of 5 points for Torre Pedrera, while the guests built attack after attack a booty that allowed them to reach and then overcome the opponents. Brescia opened the scoring 1-0 to the third thanks to the double of Arcila Gonzalezbut in the lower part of the recovery Torre Pedrera pulls out the claws with 5 signatures by Ioli, Greek and to numerous inaccuracies in the Brescia area. On the partial of 5-1, the away team does not wait to respond present and comes forward with another 2 points that rebalance the match, then drew definitively in the sixth with the valid of Ponce and an excellent offensive line-up job that allows you to maximize the opportunities granted. While on the mountain of Brescia Virgadaula continues to keep the Romagna clubs under control, at the eighth arrive the 2 points that mark the definitive overtaking of the Ecotherm, thanks to the very important double achieved by Zatti which brings home 2 RBI, delivering to teammates the final victory that is worth salvation.
Also in Rimini, but at the Municipal stadium. the other duel was also staged in order not to retreat between Milan New Rimini from Metalco Dragonswith the black-orange initially 2-0 in the head-to-head matches, which, however, recover incredibly by drawing the 2-2 series, only to give in in the last appointment thus sanctioning the salvation of the Venetians.
An exciting match was staged on Saturday afternoon, with the home team keeping the series alive by winning 5-4. It is precisely Mediolanum that opens the scoring in the second inning, with 3 points that immediately bring the inertia of the match to its side thanks to the hits of Cifalinò and Cortesi. At the next attack the black-orange take off with the single of Pandolfi which brings home the point of 4-0, but when the match seems to be directed towards the Rimini port, here is the reaction of the Dragons with two goals in the fourth. On the shields Sciacca and some inaccuracies of the home diamond, which allow the Venetians to shorten to 4-2. Veneti who in the sixth complete the comeback and reach Rimini with an attack of four hits and two points, putting their opponents at risk of collapse, but the newly entered pitcher Tognaci (winning with 5.0 ip and 2 er) and skilled in stopping the bleeding by closing the innings. The decisive point of the match for Mediolanum comes to the last breath on the launches of a great of the rose (for him 8.2 innings on the mountain): Bertagnon takes the base on ball granted by the pitcher, is replaced on the bases by the pinch runner Perazziniwhile Gabrielli beats a deep double that allows his partner to get home safe with the point of triumph.
Riminesi who manage to equalize the series thanks to an amazing game-4 which they win with the round result of 11-1 in the eighth inning, clinging to another great performance of the starting pitcher Carrillo, author of a complete game of 8.0 ip, 1 er and 14 strikeout. It is a solo of the Mediolanum that of Saturday night at the Comunale, with the hosts opening the scoring to the second attack with 2 points scored thanks to the valid of Gabrielli and a mistake by the host defense that allows the point of 2-0 to enter. On the fourth round the Dragons react and shorten the gap to 2-1 with a triple Brownedpushed to home plate by the sprint of Sansonbut it is only a fire-fatuous because from the sixth to the eighth inning Rimini unleashes a 9-point line-up that takes full advantage of the decline of the strong starter Martinez and above all the inaccuracies of the Venetian diamond (which will close the meeting with 3 errors). At the eighth round the 5 points scored allow the game to be closed prematurely at 11-1 due to obvious inferiority, dragging a series that seemed to have been scored after the first two victories in Castelfranco to game-5.
The last game of the exciting play-off to avoid relegation to Serie B, however, rewards i again Dragonswho with a performance of character manage to establish themselves 4-3 while maintaining the category in the 2023 championship. High tension throughout the match, with the launch mountains still protagonists thanks to By Giacomo for Rimini and Polanco for Metalco. The first four innings are a monologue of the starters of both teams, while in the fifth the Dragons take the first step towards salvation with the hits of Valenzuela e Browned which are worth 1-0. The doubling comes in the next round thanks to Tonolo and Mocciabut just when the inertia of the meeting seems in favor of the Venetians, here is the blow of the kidneys of the Mediolanum, which in seventh with Baccelli, Gabrielli and Bonemei collect 2 signatures that balance the fate of the series. For Castelfranco, however, an attack is enough to put the game back on track, with another 2 points that lead the partial to 4-2: thanks again to the contribution Mocciafollowed by Of The Rose. When the score seems consolidated, Rimini is not there and tries all-out in the hunt for a draw, scoring a point thanks to the inaccuracies of the Veneto surveys. At 4-3 we thus enter the last round of the hard-fought match in which, however, they are skilled Tognaci and especially Valenzuela to keep the score unchanged: the closure of Castelfranco’s closer is creepy but perfect, with the 4-3 victory that condemns the Rimini players to relegation.
The results of the play-out weekend:
CSA Torre Pedrera Falcons-Ecotherm Brescia:
Gara-3: 4-2; Gara-4: 0-3; Gara-5: 5-7
Milan New Rimini-Metalco Dragons:
Gara-3: 5-4; Gara-4: 11-1; Gara-5: 3-4
In the photo on the cover the Ecotherm Brescia pitcher Federico Virgadaula: his salvation in race-5 is fundamental for the final victory. (Archive photo, credit: K73 NADOC)
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