Team Italy rebounds with 15-0 mercy-rule win over Ukraine in Euro Baseball Championship Placement Round
Team Italy dominated from the start of the game against Ukraine. Azzurri starting pitcher Matteo Bocchi threw a three-hitter with 11 strikeouts and one walk in five innings of work
The Azzurri lineup looked like this: Andrea Sellaroli, LF; Ricardo Paolini, 2B; Robel Garcia, 3B; Federico Celli, CF; Alberto Mineo, C; Vito Friscia, 1B; Guilio Monello, DH; Mattia Mercuri, SS; and Nathanael Batista, RF.
In the bottom of the first inning against Ukraine starter Bohdan Kolesnikov, Team Italy scored three runs. Andrea Sellaroli led off with a double in the gap between right and center field. After Azzurri slugger Robel Garcia hit an RBI single and Alberto Mineo walked, Vito Friscia crushed a two-run double to deep center to give Team Italy a commanding 3-0 lead.
The Azzurri offense went back to work in the bottom of the second inning when putting up four runs. After Mattia Mercuri and Nathanael Batista were issued back-to-back walks, Ukraine summoned relief pitcher Sergii Shtapura, who was excused from the military to compete in the competition. Andrea Sellaroli immediately hit into a 6-4-3 double play. Then a two-out rally ensued. Ricardo Paolini was hit by a pitch, and Robel Garcia collected his second RBI single of the game to put the Italians in front 4-0. Federico Celli connected with a two-run triple. An RBI double off the left-field fence by Alberto Mineo gave the Italians a 7-0 advantage,
In the bottom of the third inning, Team Italy faced reliever Bohdan Lucheiko. The right-handed pitcher gave up a Mattia Mercuri single up the middle before issuing Nathanael Batista his second walk of the contest but managed to keep the Italians off the board in both the third and fourth innings.
Team Italy added seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. After a walk to Vito Friscia and back-to-back singles by Giulio Monello and Mattia Mercuri, Nathanael Batista registered a two-run single to give the Italians the 9-0 lead. Ukraine reliever Dmytro Terekhim entered the game and got a fielder’s choice from Andrea Sellaroli. An RBI single by Ricardo Paolini allowed Andrea Sellaroli to reach third and eventually cross the plate on an ensuing wild pitch. Back-to-back RBI doubles by Federico Celli and Alberto Mineo followed by an RBI single by Vito Friscia made it 14-0.
In the top of the sixth inning, Claudio Scotti relieved starter Matteo Bocchi and picked up two strikeouts. Team Italy scored its 15th and final run of the shortened mercy-rule contest in the bottom of the sixth inning off Ukraine reliever Denys Brechko. Andrea Sellaroli was hit by a pitch. Then Ricardo Paolini singled to right. A sacrifice fly to right field by Tommaso Battioni ended the game via mercy rule.
The Italians return to Třebíč Nuclears ballpark on Friday, September 29, 2023 for a 12 noon (local time) 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. Watch the Euro Baseball Championship livestream HERE.
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Forza #Italia!
by Roberto Angotti
(Photo of both teams together during the European Baseball Championship game against Ukraine on September 28, 2023 by Corrado Benedetti/DUCK FOTO PRESS)
