Game 4, September 3:
(2-2) UGF Bologna – Cariparma Parma 5-7
PAR 100 003 003 7 15 2 BOL 120 000 020 5 5 0
Cariparma Parma is back, tying the best-of-seven Italian Baseball Series on Friday evening with a 7-5 win in a back-and-forth battle with UGF Bologna. Three runs in the top of the ninth decided the outcome with 2,700 in attendance at the Gianni Falchi Stadium in Bologna. Game five will follow tonight at the same place.
Fortitudo had the better start into the game. After Marco Yepez and Jairo Ramos exchanged RBI singles in the opening period, the defending champion plated two runs in the bottom of the second on a bases loaded walk by Juan Carlos Infante and a sac fly by Eddy Garabito. However they missed out on the chance to blow things open early, when Ramos grounded out with three men on.
Parma came back for the first time in the top of the sixth when Davide Dallospedale, Yepez and Juan Camilo started off with consecutive extra base hits to tie the game. A sac fly by Alex Sambucci gave them the 4-3 lead. But Bologna had one answer left with the help of Parma’s reliever Marco Grifantini.
The hard-throwing right-hander walked Joe Mazzuca and Ramos to open the bottom of the eighth. Juan Angrisano laid down a bunt; Grifantini picked the ball up, but threw it over the head of first baseman Sambucci allowing it Mazzuca and Ramos to score. Grifantini (W) recovered and somehow managed to limit the damage to two runs.
It was not enough for Fortitudo. In the ninth Cariparma loaded the based with no outs against Victor Moreno (L) on a single by Leonardo Zileri and bunts by Stefano De Simoni and Dallospedale. And Yepez came through with a two-run single to put Parma back in front. A bases loaded walk by Sambucci later in the frame made it 7-5. In the bottom of the ninth Bologna went down in order and the series turns into a best-of-three affair.
Foreign starting pitchers Gustavo Martinez (PAR) and Jesus Matos (BOL) didn’t had that much influence on the game as everyone expected before. Martinez allowed three hits, three runs (1 ER) and four bb in six innings. Matos issued eleven hits, four runs and a bb in 5 1/3 innings. Cody Cillo (BOL) and Mihai Burlea (PAR) are expected to start in game five.
Game 1: Cariparma Parma – UGF Bologna 1-2
Game 2: Cariparma Parma – UGF Bologna 3-7
Game 3: UGF Bologna – Cariparma Parma 0-6
Schedule Italian Baseball Series:
Saturday, September 4:
21:00 UGF Bologna – Cariparma Parma
Friday, September 10:
21:00 Cariparma Parma – UGF Bologna
Saturday, September 11:
21:00 Cariparma Parma – UGF Bologna*
*if necessary
Live Play by Play available on FIBS.it
Photo: © Ferrini/FIBS