The IBL just about set for round 2

With only two games to go in the first round of this year’s Italian Baseball League schedule the stage seems to be set for round 2. Those moving on to the three game a week formula at the moment will be UnipolSai Bologna, T&A San Marino, Rimini and Lino’s Coffee Parma. The seems comes from a protest that is currently in place in regards to the paper work of one of San Marino’s pitchers (D’Amico - a player that was rented for the 2014 season from Nettuno). If the protest is to go through who knows what may happen in terms of penalties handed out.

This past Friday evening Parma became the last club to qualify for the second round of this year’s IBL. In the end it wasn’t a win that got them in, it was the loss suffered by Nettuno at the hands of Nettuno2 that turned out to be the difference maker. Now all that’s left to decide in Division B is the final standings in which the Rimini Pirates and Lino’s Coffee Parma will finish, with results expected after this upcoming weekend’s play. Now that both Rimini and Parma are moving onto round two look for the two clubs to hit the market place in search of two new foreigners to complete their mounds for the three game a week schedule. On Rimini’s side, they will be bringing in , and as for Parma it looks as if Yepez will take on a starters roll, but look for an eventual third foreign arm to join the bunch.

In Division A, Bologna has been qualified for a while now as the top seed out the Division. They are a club however that is in search of two missing pieces for round 2, both a bat and an arm. It looks as if they were close to presenting a new slugger on a number of different occasions, however no official news has hit the wire as of yet. Finally the last team that should be moving onto round two of the IBL is T&A San Marino. San Marino like Rimini has had some issues with their Italian mound thus far in 2014, both on and off the field. T&A is looking to recuperate their lefty Cooper soon, which should lend a helping hand to the situation, and Valerio Simone has been throwing the ball well as of late, but still 5 of their seven losses this season have come in their Italian game, with the latest one coming this past Saturday as Andreozzi wasn’t able to hold a 2 run lead in a game against Godo. In regards to the off the field issues, San Marino is still waiting on the fate of D’Amico after some paperwork issues were protested upon by the Rimini Pirates..the final decision expected soon.

This upcoming Friday and Saturday will conclude the first round of this year’s Italian Baseball League.