Passing along Via Ezio in Latina it is easy to see the disastrous conditions of the municipal baseball field, named after Mario Zago. The diamond is in ruins with grass a meter high, the grandstand destroyed, dog out unwatchable. A bad blow for a sports discipline loved in the city, it is part of the most beautiful history of the Italian “beat and run”. Born in 1972, baseball in the Pontine capital went from Serie D to Eccellenza in just eight years, winning five championships. In 2013, the name of Latina entered the roll of honor of the Under 21 baseball championship with a championship that had never been seen in the Pontine region. Never mind if in the red-green team the history of the glorious Pontine club is made up of many successes, of joys which could not be followed up due to the chronic absence of a playing field worthy of the name. The Pontini arrived in excellent series in the 1980s, but were forced to give up due to the lack of a lighting system.
A golden period, then the eclipse, then the rebirth with the team first in Serie C and then slowly climbing back up, the investment in young people which led to the growth of now established champions such as Alex Sambucci or Mattia Reginato, Ularetti, Cozzolino, a certain Matteo D’Angelo, a pitcher who took his first steps in Latina… The activity with young people continued, with Insieme while the former returned to A2, years later it came close the conquest of the Serie C Italian Cup. For a year the diamond in Via Ezio has been empty, impassable. It is not possible to practice baseball, softball, tee-ball, slow pitch. Some enthusiasts would like to create a new club or Academy but are unable to promote the brilliant initiative. Two promising Latin boys Mattia and Nicolò Mariani are part of the Italian youth national teams and have participated in international competitions in Colombia and Germany. They are members of San Giacomo Nettuno. Will they come back to play in via Ezio?
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