Team Italy manager Francesco Aluffi sent pitcher Giacomo Taschin to start on the mound against Spain in the U18 European Baseball Championship semifinal game in Brno, Czech Republic on Friday, August 19, 2022. The young and talent left-hander threw six innings and gave up two runs on four hits with five strikeouts. Team Italy bench coach John Cortese said, "The defeat against Spain is a big disappointment, because we lost a game that was worth the final by leaving too many men on the base (11), But I would like to underline the performance of Giacomo Taschin. I've never seen a fifteen-year-old boy throw a game like that in my life."
After a rain delay in the bottom of the seventh inning with Team Italy leading 2 to 1, Giacomo Taschin returned to face Spain catcher Marc Rodriguez. The powerful cleanup hitter tied the game 2-2 with one swing of the bat when connecting with a solo home run over the left field fence.
Reliever Edoardo Zingarelli entered the contest and issued a walk to Eusebio Salas, who later scored on an RBI double by Pablo Costales to allow Spain to win the game by a score of 3 to 2. It was a big disappointment for Team Italy as the Azzurri squad was three outs away from its second consecutive U18 European Baseball Championship Gold Medal Game appearance. Instead, undefeated Spain (6-0) will face defending U18 Euro champion Kingdom of the Netherlands (5-1) for the 2022 title.
Team Italy scored the first run of the game in the top of second inning after back-to-back doubles by Andres Annunziata and Tommaso Adorni off Spain starting pitcher José Yanez. The Spaniards tied the contest up 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Team Italy answered in the top of the sixth inning with the go-ahead run. Andres Annunziata led off with a single, and Tommaso Adorni followed with a double. Niccolò Funzione hit a bullet that ricocheted off reliever Ángelo Rodriguez and proved to be the RBI infield single needed to put the Italians on top 2-1.
Team Italy appeared to be in control of the game and destined for the U18 European Baseball Championship final heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. Mother nature intervened and put the contest in a rain delay, which in the end proved costly for the Italians and resulted in the heartbreaking 3-2 loss.
ITALY-SPAIN BOX SCORE
ITALY-SPAIN LIVESTREAM REPLAY
Team Italy (4-2) now plays against Czech Republic (5-1) in the U18 European Baseball Championship Bronze Medal Game on August 20, 2022 at 2 pm (local time) or 8 am (ET). The Euro Gold Medal Game between Spain and Kingdom of the Netherlands takes place later at 6 pm (local time) or 12 noon (ET). Forza #Italia!
by Roberto Angotti
U18 EUROPEAN BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
U18 EUROPEAN BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP LIVESTREAM
TEAM ITALY U18 BASEBALL NEWS
(Photo of Team Italy in the 2022 U18 European Baseball Championship by Petravoet Photography)
