FIORINI FORLI and SANOTINT BOLLATE won their best-of-five semi-final series and advanced into the Italian Softball League finals last weekend. BOLLATE won game three to sweep the series versus EUROPROMO TITANO HORNETS. FORLI needed a game-five victory to move past the defending champion AMGA LEGNANO. The finals start on Saturday, September 27th in Bollate.
(0-3) Europromo Titano Hornets – Sanotint Bollate
SAN 100 001 0 2 3 0 EUR 000 000 1 1 3 0
Kelly Hardie beat Ashley Hamby in a pitcher’s duel and led BOLLATE to a 2-1 win to decide the best-of-five series after three games. Hardie allowed just one run on three hits in seven innings, while striking out seven. She also drove in the second run in the sixth with a single. Hamby struck out 13 in seven innings, but also gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. Brenda De Blaes had opened the contest with a solo homerun. Hardie doubled the lead with her single. The HORNETS tried to come back in the last frame, but only managed a RBI groundout by Lacy Wood.
(2-3) AMGA Legnano – Fiorini Forli
FOR 000 000 0 0 6 1 LEG 111 100 X 4 10 1
With their backs to the wall in the series, after losing the first two games in FORLI a week ago, LEGNANO cut the deficit to a game, when they shut out FIORINI 4-0. Aimee Murch gave up just six hits in seven innings to lead the 2007 champion to the win. The offense scored in every of the first four frames to provide the run support. Christina Rolla went three for four with two RBIs. Simmone Morrow had two hits, scored a run and drove in another. Kasi Carroll took the loss.
FOR 000 002 0 2 7 0 LEG 300 010 X 4 5 0
LEGNANO tied the series with a 4-2 victory in the second game last Saturday. Daniela Castellani was the woman of the match. She hit a three-run homerun in the first, went three for three and drove in four. She also pitched pretty well, allowing just seven hits, two runs and a walk in a complete game victory. FORLI only got on the board through a two-run shot by Christen Bedwell. Leslie Malerich got charged with the loss, despite striking out nine in six innings.
FOR 000 200 0 2 7 0 LEG 000 000 0 0 5 0
On Sunday the comeback try by LEGNANO ended, as FORLI celebrated a 2-0 shutout and the ticket to the final series. Leslie Malerich followed up her solid performance from Saturday with seven scoreless innings. She gave up five hits and four base on balls, but managed to deny AMGA runs on the board. Like a day before she struck out nine. The outcome was decided in the fourth, when Sara Avanzi and Michela Vitaliani drove in the two lone runs of the day with RBI singles. Aimee Murch allowed seven hits, two runs and six walks in seven innings in the loss.
Schedule Italian Softball Series
Saturday, September 27
18:00 Sanotint Bollate – Fiorini Forli
20:30 Sanotint Bollate – Fiorini Forli
Saturday, October 4
18:00 Fiorini Forli – Sanotint Bollate
20:30 Fiorini Forli – Sanotint Bollate*
Sunday, October 5
10:00 Fiorini Forli – Sanotint Bollate*
*if necessary
