After FORLI won the first two games of the Italian Softball Series last week, they won the championship on Saturday evening with a 7-0 shutout in the fourth match. Opponent SANOTINT BOLLATE had avoided a sweep with a similar 7-0 victory in game three. It is the third title for FIORINI. 2007 champion AMGA LEGNANO was eliminated in the semi-finals.
(2-1) Fiorini Forli – Sanotint Bollate 0-7
BOL 005 001 1 7 7 2 FOR 000 000 0 0 4 3
BOLLATE used a five-run third en route to a 7-0 victory in game three to avoid a sweep against FORLI in the best-of-five final series. In addition Kelly Hardie pitched a complete game shutout. She allowed just four hits and a walk in the seven innings. She also had the spectacular hit in the third with a three-run homerun. Dana Degen had opened the scoring with a two-run single.
Valentina Marazzi added a run in the sixth with a solo shot. Barbara Ungari scored the seventh run on an error in the seventh.
Kasi Carroll took the loss after giving up six hits, five runs (3 ER) and a base on balls in five innings.
(3-1) Fiorini Forli – Sanotint Bollate 7-0 (6)
BOL 000 000 0 4 0 FOR 010 042 7 7 1
The comeback hopes for SANOTINT ended in the fourth game of the series. Leslie Malerich picked up her second win in the finals with six scoreless innings to lead FORLI to a 7-0 shutout and the 3-1 win in the series. It is their third Italian Softball championship. Malerich had some control problems, but escaped a few jams unscattered. She gave up four hits and a whopping seven walks. BOLLATE loaded the bases in the third, stranded two in the fifth and sixth, and had runners on base in each of the six periods.
FIORINI opened the scoring in the second on a solo homerun by finals MVP Christen Bedwell. The game stayed close till the fifth, when Stephanie Ray’s three-run triple highlighted a four-run rally to blow the score wide open. Ray later reached home on a sac fly by Bedwell. In the sixth a two-run double by Sara Avanzi sealed the 7-0 win.
Debora Moretto received the loss after five-plus innings, six hits, seven runs and three bb.
Results:
Sanotint Bollate – Fiorini Forli 0-1
Sanotint Bollate – Fiorini Forli 1-5
Recap Day 1
Fironi Forli – Sanotint Bollate 0-7
Fironi Forli – Sanotint Bollate 7-0
(Forli wins series 3-1)