TORONTO – To make the team grow, to mature some budding champions, to improve the group’s alchemy. All with one priority in sight: the World Cup in the United States. These are the goals of the Italian National Under 18 Baseball team, fresh from a satisfying fourth place at the European Championships and ready to make the big leap on the world stage. The azzurrini – in which the young Italian-Canadian star Alessandro Volpe also plays – will leave for Canada on 28 August, where a period of preparation for the World Cup is scheduled to take place from 19 to 18 September on the diamonds of Bradenton and Sarasota, Florida.
In recent days, after the defeat in the final for third place, the blue coach Francesco Aluffi had taken stock of the European Championship.
«We are obviously saddened by this fourth place – Aluffi underlined – because we could really bring home the match against Spain, we had recovered well from a bad defeat with the Czech Republic and we dominated the semifinal, losing at the end. On Saturday we played with the team that dominated us in the group, but we proved we can play evenly. An episode decided this race ».
«Overall the team has grown – added Francesco Aluffi – we have had some ailments. Against the Czechs we left a couple of players to rest. We expressed a good game, we are saddened by the placement that does not satisfy us ».
«We played well, we suffered three points on a home run in the 1st inning, but then we were consistent and timely. The pitchers shot well, in the area, with good effects and contained the Czech Republic for the rest of the game. A bad inning unfortunately cost us the result. Even today we were a little inopportune but it is something we will work on also in view of the World Cup ».
Italy at the European Championships has grabbed the fourth place (with a record of 4 won-3 lost), after losing the final against the Czech Republic, due to a home run by Zelenka in the first inning.
The good tests on the mountain of Verzin and Nepoti were not enough. The Azzurri archive the European Championship with a batting average of 321 and a pgl average of 3.39.
Spain, on the other hand, is enjoying continental triumph. The Red Furies have twice knocked out Holland, Italy, after having risked losing, and France, but only at the tie-break. In the final five points were decisive in the first two rounds. A historic chapter in European U18 baseball was written in Brno. Spain, after losing five finals in the past against Italy and the Netherlands, put the gold medal around their necks for the first time.
A success certainly deserved for the Red Furies, who finished undefeated (7 victories) the event that had the Czech Republic diamonds as its theater. folded only to overtime. In the semifinals, however, the Iberians won in a sprint over the Italian national team, which dominated (8 valid three in six innings), before undergoing the opponent’s comeback, with a home run by the Brescia receiver Marc Rodriguez on the extraordinary Giacomo Taschin and with the double of Costales on the Zingarelli relief. A victory for which the new champions have to thank the Azzurri for not having achieved the superiority, due to eleven riders left on the bases.
In the grand final, on the other hand, Spain practically closed the scores in the first two rounds, scoring five times against the Netherlands, which in turn had got rid of in a recovery of the Czech Republic.
