In the Italian Baseball League the last week of the regular season started on Thursday. Rimini prevailed 5-4 against Unipol Bologna. Three runs in the bottom of the fifth – two on a single by Jairo Ramos – broke a 2-2 tie and plated the eventual winning run. Ronny Cedeno hit a solo home run for Bologna. Ricardo Hernandez struck out six in five solid innings for the win. Raul Rivero got charged with the loss.
Parma won a pitcher’s duel 1-0 against T&A San Marino. Pitchers Rodriguez and Jose Gonzalez combined to allow just two hits and five walks in nine scoreless innings to keep the Titans off the board. Parma scored the lone run in the first with a RBI single by Nicola Garbella. Afterwards Yoimer Camacho and Gianny Fracchiolla dominated with 16 strikeouts in eight frames.
Nettuno won an extra-inning affair 3-2 in ten innings against Tommasin Padua. Giuseppe Mazzanti walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the tenth to push the winning run over the plate. Nettuno had erased an early 0-2 deficit with two runs in the fifth. Rodney Rodriguez struck out six in three scoreless innings of relief for the win. Gianfranco Rizzo got charged with the loss.
