The second phase of the Coppa Italian competition started off with two sweeps for Montepaschi Grosseto and Danesi Nettuno. The fifth- and sixth-ranked clubs after the regular season in the Italian Baseball League eliminated playoff losers Telemarket Rimini and T&A San Marino this weekend in best-of-three series. Grosseto and Nettuno will square off in another best-of-three series to determine the opponent of the Italian Baseball Series loser.
Grosseto won 5-4 and 10-2 against San Marino. In game one a walk-off RBI double by Leonardo Mazzanti lifted the Orioles to the one-run win. The Titans had tied the contest in the top of the same frame thanks to a RBI single by Ulrich Snijders. Game two was decided early, as Montepaschi took an early 7-1 lead through two innings. Ivanon Coffie homered and drove in four. Riccardo De Santis struck out eight in seven strong two-hit innings for the win. Max De Biase hit a homerun for T&A.
Nettuno celebrated 4-3 and 6-2 wins against Rimini. In game one Danesi also won it on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth. A RBI single by Renato Imperiali plated the decisive run in a 4-3 victory. They had erased a 0-3 deficit earlier in the game. Starting pitchers Yoel Hernandez and Enorbel Marquez-Ramirez allowed three runs in six innings each to earn no-decisions. In the second match Danesi won broke a 2-2 tie with a RBI single by Renato Imperiali in the top of the seventh. Three more runs in the ninth sealed the win. Carlos Richetti went eight strong innings for the win.
Results Coppa Italia Second Phase:
Montepaschi Grosseto – T&A San Marino 5-4
T&A San Marino – Montepaschi Grosseto 2-10
(Grosseto wins Series 2-0)
Danesi Nettuno – Telemarket Rimini 4-3
Telemarket Rimini – Danesi Nettuno 2-6
(Nettuno wins Series 2-0)
Schedule Coppa Italia Second Phase:
Friday, September 10:
21:00 Danesi Nettuno – Montepaschi Grosseto
Saturday, September 11:
16:00 Montepaschi Grosseto – Danesi Nettuno
21:00 Danesi Nettuno – Montepaschi Grosseto*
*if necessary
The winner of the Coppa Italia earns a ticket to the 2011 European Cup