RIMINI BEATS PARMA TO TAKE ITALIAN LEAGUE LEADERSHIP

Telemarket Rimini defeated Cariparma Parma, 5-2, on April 18 to take the Italian League lead with a 5-1 record. Daniel Gonzalez notched an RBI single in the third to give Rimini the lead, and Eddie Rios blasted two homers to help seal the deal. Telemarket starter Sandy Patrone allowed one run on six hits over 6.2 innings for the win, while Parma’s Roberto Corradini pitched well in defeat, giving up two runs on five hits in 5.2 frames.

After starting the season by winning their first four games, defending champion T&A San Marino ran into a surprisingly tough De Angelis GODO team last week. GODO won two games of three against San Marino, including a 7-6 thriller on April 18. After taking a 4-0 lead, GODO gave up six unanswered runs to fall behind, 6-4, before scoring three times for the come-from-behind win. A two-run homer by Danilo Sanchez in the top of the ninth was the difference-maker for De Angelis.

Danesi Nettuno is tied with San Marino for second place at 4-2 following an 11-4 loss to Fortitudo Bologna April 18. Juan Carlos Infante, Giovanni Pantaleoni and Matthew Stocco each had three hits and two runs for Bologna, who is tied with Parma for fourth place with a 3-3 record.

EUROPEAN CUP FINAL FOUR FIELD FINALIZED

The weather in Italy held up long enough earlier this month to allow the European Cup’s final four teams to be determined. Holland’s Corendon Kinheim and Amsterdam Pirates will be joined by Italy’s Danesi Nettuno and Fortitudo Bologna in Barcelona, Spain when the finals are played in June.

Amsterdam took the top seed in their six-team pool in Nettuno, including a clinching 8-4 win over Germany’s Regensburg Legionaere on April 4. Jos de Jong got the win for the Pirates after allowing three runs over seven innings. Nettuno won the second Final Four berth in their hometown pool by topping France’s Rouen Huskies, 7-3, as Giovanni Carrara came out of the bullpen to toss three scoreless innings for the win.

In Matino, where first-day play was called off due to unplayable grounds, Bologna bested Spain’s FC Barcelona, 2-1, on April 4 to take the top seed out of the pool as Jesus Matos turned in a splendid performance for Bologna, no-hitting Barcelona for five innings en route to the complete game win. Kinheim won the other berth from Matino with an 8-2 win over T&A San Marino as Dirk van’t Klooster collected three hits, two runs and two RBIs.