Back-to-back wins for Team Italy in Euro Baseball Championship Placement Round
Having beaten Ukraine 15-0 the day prior at the home of the Nuclears, Team Italy returned to Třebíč for a game against Switzerland. When the teams last met during the Italian Baseball Challenge on September 16, 2023, Team Italy defeated the Swiss easily by a score of 10-2.
On this day in the Czech Republic, the Azzurri once again dominated from the start of the game against the Swiss. Team Italy starting pitcher Gabriele Quattrini allowed two runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts in 3.1 innings of work.
The Italian lineup looked like this: Ricardo Paolini, 2B; Sebastiano Poma, LF; Robel Garcia, 3B; Federico Celli, CF; Alberto Mineo, 1B; Vito Friscia, DH; Mattia Mercuri, SS; J.J. D’Orazio, C; and Nathanael Batista, RF.
In the top of the first inning against Switzerland starter Jonah Schaller, Team Italy scored three runs. After Ricardo Paolini walked, Robel Garcia was hit by a pitch, and back-to-back walks to Federico Celli and Vito Friscia, Mattia Mercuri connected with a two-run single. The Swiss went to the bullpen early when J.J. D’Orazio was hit by a pitch. With bases loaded and two out, reliever Fabio Bundi limited the damage with a strikeout of Nathanael Batista.
The Azzurri added one run in the top of the second inning. After relief pitcher Fabio Bundi issued Ricardo Paolini a base on balls, Sebastiano Poma struck out for the second time. Then Robel Garcia was hit by a pitch for the second time in the contest. Federico Celli followed with his second walk of the ballgame. An RBI single by Alberto Mineo put the Italians in front 4-0.
Switzerland threatened to score in the bottom of the second inning.Hayden Jung-Goldberg led off with a single. William Vassuer followed with a double. Starter Gabriele Quattrini dug deep and kept the runners stranded with a quick flyout and two strikeouts.
In the top of the third inning, J.J. D’Orazio led off with a hard-hit double down the left-field line, but the Italians were unable to cash in and came up empty.
Switzerland scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Hayden Jung-Goldberg led off with a single, and William Vassuer hit a ground-rule double. Despite Team Italy catcher J.J. D’Orazio demonstrating his defensive prowess when making a diving foul-ball catch near the Azzurri dugout for the first out, the Swiss rallied when Saentis Zeller hit a two-run single. A perfectly placed infield bunt by Louis Bischof chased starter Gabriele Quattrini out of the game. He was replaced by lefty-reliever Maurizio Andretta, who stopped the bleeding with back-to-back strikeouts.
The Team Italy offense came to life in the top of the fifth inning when scoring six runs. After Mattia Mercuri reached first base on a fielding error by Swiss third baseman Maxwell Jung-Goldberg. J.J. D’Orazio collected his second hit of the contest with a single to center field. Then Nathanael Batista and Sebastiano Poma came through in the clutch with RBI singles to cause the Swiss to turn the ball over to left-handed reliever Hideori Oshima. Federico Celli crushed a three-run home run over the right-center field fence to give the Italians a commanding 9-2 lead. After a walk to Alberto Mineo, Vito Friscia hit an RBI double down the left-field line to make it a 10-2 game.
Reliever Maurizio Andretta pitched a scoreless bottom of the fifth inning with two strikeouts.
Team Italy added another run in the top of sixth inning. Switzerland brought in Italian right-handed sidearm reliever Andrea Girasole, who made his final performance for the Swiss national team one to remember (2.2 IP, R, 2 H, BB, K) against a strong Azzurri offense. The hot-hitting J.J. D'Orazio was the first batter to face, and the Arizona Diamondbacks prospect won the battle. He led off with a single, stole second base, advanced to third base on a flyout to right field by Nathanael Batista and scored on a sacrifice fly to deep left field from Ricardo Paolini.
Maurizio Andretta returned on the mound to throw a scoreless bottom of the sixth inning with one strikeout. He was replaced by reliever Mattia Aldegheri in the bottom of the seventh inning. The reliable right-handed pitcher threw two scoreless innings with one strikeout.
Switzerland summoned reliever Simon Steffen from the bullpen in the top of the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth inning, he gave up a leadoff walk to Sebastiano Poma. After a single by Federico Celli, Vito Friscia doubled down the left field line so that Sebastiano Poma could cross the plate and put the game in the bag 12-2.
Team Italy lefty reliever Nicolo Pinazzi had control issues in the bottom of the ninth and surrendered one run on two hits after hitting two consecutive batters to walk in a run; however, he ended the game on a positive note with the second strikeout of his brief outing.
The Italians travel to Blansko’s Strawberry Field on Saturday, September 30, 2023 for a 6:30 pm (local time) contest against the winner of the Croatia and Belgium game to determine the European Baseball Championship 9th and 10th place finishers. The Azzurri defeated Croatia 6-2 in Ronchi dei Legionari on Sunday, September 17, 2023 during the Italian Baseball Challenge. Team Italy beat Belgium 14-3 via mercy rule in seven innings two years ago at the 2021 European Baseball Championship in Torino. Watch the Euro Baseball Championship livestream HERE
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Forza #Italia!
by Roberto Angotti
(Photo of Federico Celli during the European Baseball Championship game against Switzerland on September 29, 2023 by Corrado Benedetti/DUCK FOTO PRESS)
