Fortitudo Bologna – T&A San Marino 9-14
SMA 002 011 442 14 18 0 BOL 430 002 000 9 10 0
SAN MARINO stunned FORTITUDO on Friday on the second game day of the playoffs, overcoming deficits of 0-7 and 4-9 to win 14-9. BOLOGNA took a fast 7-0 lead after two frames and it seems they cruise to an easy victory. The score went to 9-4 after six innings and still everything was safe. But not with T&A this evening. They rallied for four runs each in the seventh and eighth period to score a total of ten unanswered runs in the last three innings to seal the comeback win.
Max Di Biase, Simone Albanese and Riccardo Suardi homered for SAN MARINO. Martin Vazquez and Di Biase combined for six RBI. James Buccheri had three hits and scored three times. Richard Austin was three-for-three with a walk, a homerun, three runs scored and four RBI for FORTITUDO. Lino Connell also hit a homerun and drove in three.
Horacio Estrada (SMA) was charged with five hits, seven runs and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. Jesus Matos (BOL) didn’t fare much better, giving up twelve hits, seven runs and a base on balls in 6 1/3 innings. Brian Looney picked up the win with three no-hit innings of relief. Martin Vargas took the loss.
Danesi Nettuno – Montepaschi Grosseto 3-0
GRO 000 000 000 0 1 0 NET 100 000 020 3 9 0
Nelson Cruz (W 1-0) and Frailyn Florian (S 1) combined to throw a one-hit shutout against GROSSETO to lead NETTUNO to a 3-0 victory. Cruz started with six no-hit innings with Lorenzo Avagnina breaking up the bid with a leadoff single in the seventh. In addition he allowed six walks, while striking out seven.
DANESI took an early 1-0 lead in the first, when Carlos Duran, on base through a double, scored after a run down. Duran ran home on a squeeze play, but Juan Camilo failed to lay down a bunt, but luckily for him and NETTUNO, the ORIOLES could not get Duran out either. He was hit by the throw of the third baseman in the back, but remained in the game. Neither team scored in the next six periods until DANESI added two insurance runs in the eighth. Luis Ugueto reached on a single and advanced to third on a sac bunt and a groundout. He then scored on a straight steal of home, sliding in safely, a split-second before the pitch of Lincoln Mikkelsen hit the catcher’s mitt. He would have scored anyway, as Juan Camilo homered moments later to make it 3-0.
Mikkelsen pitched eight innings, allowing nine hits, three runs and two walks.
You can watch the complete game as video on demand (for free) on FIBS.it.
