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.

SAN MARINO FIGHTING NETTUNO FOR EARLY ITALIAN LEAGUE LEAD

Defending champion T&A San Marino is off to a 4-0 start in the Italian League, but Danesi Nettuno is keeping pace with three impressive wins to kick off the 2009 season. Nettuno wrapped up a three-game sweep of DeAngelis Godo on Sunday, April 12 with a 13-4 win. Ramon Tavarez had three hits (including a grand slam) and drove in five runs for the winners, while Manny Alexander scored four runs. Lino Connell drove in four runs on a single and double for Godo. Nettuno starter Carlos Richetti was perfect for 2.1 innings, but the win went to reliever Massimiliano Masin, who went 4.2 innings out of the bullpen. Nettuno outscored Godo, 26-9, for the series.

Telemarket Rimini and Cariparma Parma are both a game out of first at 3-1. Rimini took three in a row from the Grosseto Orioles, including a 12-3 pasting on Sunday, April 12. Rimini scored all their runs between the fourth and eighth innings as Eddie Rios and Ivanon Coffie both homered. Rios ended the game with three runs scored and three RBIs.

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.

NETTUNO MAYOR: WORLD CUP FINAL WILL BE HERE

During a season-opening press conference for the Italian League’s Danesi Nettuno team, the mayor of Nettuno, Alessio Chiavetta, told the assembled media he believes the Baseball World Cup finals in September will be coming to his town, saying, “No political decision will remove the final” from Nettuno.


While no official announcement has been made regarding where the World Cup final will be held, original plans to stage it in Rome have hit a snag. With six months to go until the tournament, there is still no sufficient facility in Rome. Nettuno is about 50 miles south of the Italian capital.

The IBAF Baseball World Cup will be staged over a three-week period in seven nations across the European continent. Twenty-two national teams will take part in the event.