Italy with gold medal and defender of the European blind baseball title
© Lauro Bassani (PhotoBass.eu)
The first European Baseball Championship for the Blind, under the aegis of WBSC Europe, belongs to Italy which beat the Netherlands 6-0 in the final in Casteldebole. A victory that rewards the experience and technique of the Azzurri, authors of a clear path in the two days of Bologna, and also testified to the growth of the other participating selections.
Italy and the Netherlands faced each other in the last and most important match of the competition after defeating France (10-0) and Great Britain (2-1) respectively. The latter won the bronze after beating the French 9-0.
The first two combined innings of Dutch attack (called first and second “bite” in BXC jargon) flew by in an instant, with Gaetano Casale absolutely dominating the shortstop zone and author of 3 of the 6 consecutive outs. Italy starts with two hits from Oliveri and Allegretta, then, on Napoli’s serve, well managed by the orange defense, the first point comes in. It is the start of a round that brings the Azzurri to the 5-point limit in no time, thanks to the hits of Bonomo (2), Oliveri, Allegretta and Napoli.
Manager Fabio Azzaro makes some changes for the second round and this time the Dutch defense, concentrated and precise, with right fielder Mindy Kroon on the shields, eliminates three blue batters in sequence. Having returned the favor, the Italian national team begins the third attack with Ambra Trefolello, who hits well on the right, but is eliminated by a long assist from the Dutch left winger. Giangiacomo Bonomo then hits a valid shot deep to the left and Fabio Trombini advances him with a precise drive down the line to the left. It is Danny Oliveri who is therefore served on the bases, the runner and the potential point that are worth the gold medal. The Umbria Redskins player does not miss the appointment and his success determines the 6-0 which gives Italy the historic top step of the podium of the first BXC European Championship.
Even at an individual level, Italy stood out with 3 of the 4 awards, with Fabio Trombini (born in 2006) taking home the awards as both best batsman and best prospect, while the MVP of the event went to Giangiacomo Bonomo . Best defender was the British Grant Mallabar.
The joy of the Azzurri after winning the first European baseball championship for the blind
The first European Baseball Championship for the Blind took place on 7 and 8 October 2023 in the cradle of the discipline, namely the “Umberto Calzolari” Technical Center in Casteldebole, in Bologna, where many boys and girls approached the diamond disciplines and where, 30 years ago now, a group of former Fortitudo players joined Alfredo Meli to put into practice his idea of a beat-and-run for the blind and visually impaired.
The event, assigned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation Europe to FIBS and organized by the Italian Baseball Association for the Blind with the collaboration of the entire Fortitudo Baseball and Softball Group, saw France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and the Netherlands on the field.
The decisive day opened with the first semi-final, between Italy and France, which saw the impenetrable Italian defense prevent any possibility of scoring for the opponents, while the attack produced 10 points with 12 hits, including the home run with the bases full by Giuseppe Tocco who allowed the game to end early in the 3rd inning due to clear superiority.
The other semi-final, between Great Britain and the Netherlands, was of a much different nature, ending 2-1 at the tie-break in favor of the Oranje in a sportingly dramatic way: with GB missing home base twice (to score the equalizer and the potential advantage) and the last batter (Ray Clements) who, due to a slight injury, despite batting in the valid zone, is unable to reach second base and is the last out of the game.
The match for the bronze, after the double defense ended without conceding points to France by the British and a first point still missed due to elimination at home plate, saw the Great Britain attack take measures on the field and produce 4 points in the first offensive shot.
The islanders’ second round was equally productive, with 5 points scored before the second out thanks to precise serves that the transalpine defense was unable to control.
Great Britain then conquered the podium with a round 9-0, without conceding anything to the French not even in the third attack.
2023-10-09 23:35:33
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