SAN MARINO — The San Marino Baseball Club preserved its perfect start to the 2024 Italian Serie A baseball season with a tense 2-1 victory over Pallalfinger Reggio Emilia in Game 1 of their opening series, clinching the win in the 10th inning on Saturday at the Stadio di Baseball di Serravalle.
The triumph keeps the Titans undefeated through the season’s first two games, following a 5-2 win against Bologna in their season opener last week. Reggio Emilia, meanwhile, dropped its first game after a promising start to the campaign, having swept its preseason tune-up series against Parma.
“We knew this wouldn’t be effortless,” said San Marino manager Mike Cervenak after the game. “Reggio has a deep lineup and a bullpen that can shut you down. But our guys stayed patient, worked the count, and found a way to scratch across those two runs when it mattered most.”
The game remained scoreless through six innings as both starting pitchers — San Marino’s right-hander Carlos Vargas and Reggio Emilia’s lefty starter Matteo Praticò — traded zeros with precision. Vargas, a former Milwaukee Brewers minor league prospect, worked six shutout innings, allowing just three hits while striking out five and walking two. Praticò matched him through six, yielding only two hits and one walk with four strikeouts.
The breakthrough came in the top of the seventh when Reggio Emilia’s leadoff hitter, outfielder Alessandro Vaglio, doubled to left-center off Vargas. After a sacrifice bunt advanced him to third, Vaglio scored on a groundout by shortstop Leonardo Zini, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.
San Marino answered in the bottom of the inning. Designated hitter Jesús Castillo — the Cuban-born slugger who led the Titans in home runs last season — drew a one-out walk off Praticò. After a stolen base moved him to second, Castillo scored on a sharp single to center by second baseman Alex Liddi, tying the game at 1-1.
Both bullpens then took over, with neither side yielding a run over the next three innings. San Marino’s closer, right-hander Luis Santos, retired the side in order in the eighth and ninth, striking out two. Reggio Emilia’s reliever, Andrea Bassi, did the same in the top of the ninth, setting up a tense extra-inning finale.
In the 10th, with Santos still on the mound, Reggio Emilia loaded the bases with nobody out after a walk to Vaglio, an infield single by Zini, and a hit-by-pitch to catcher Riccardo Bertacchini. Santos then induced a groundout to shortstop that forced Vaglio at home, keeping the score tied. After a strikeout of designated hitter Nicolás Tellez, Santos faced pinch-hitter Fabio Rocchi — who delivered a soft liner to shortstop that was snatched and turned into a double play, ending the threat.
San Marino’s half of the 10th began with leadoff hitter Eric Filia drawing a walk off Bassi. After a sacrifice bunt moved him to second, Filia advanced to third on a groundout by Castillo. With one out and the tying run 90 feet away, Liddi lifted a shallow fly to right field — deep enough to score Filia on the sacrifice fly, giving San Marino a 2-1 lead.
Santos then closed it out in the bottom of the 10th, striking out the side to secure the save and preserve the Titans’ unbeaten record.
“That’s baseball,” said Cervenak. “You don’t always win with large swings. Sometimes you win with a walk, a bunt, and a fly ball. Our guys executed the little things, and that’s what won us the game.”
Liddi finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, while Castillo went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base, and an RBI. Vaglio led Reggio Emilia with two hits and a run scored.
The win improves San Marino to 2-0 in Serie A play, placing them temporarily atop the league standings alongside Parma and Fortitudo Bologna, all of whom are also 2-0. Reggio Emilia falls to 1-1.
The Serie A baseball season operates as a round-robin format, with each team playing 42 games during the regular season. The top six teams advance to the playoffs, which follow a best-of-five format in the quarterfinals and semifinals, culminating in a best-of-seven Italian Baseball Series.
San Marino’s next game is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. Local time (1:00 p.m. UTC) against Parma at Stadio Nino Cavalli in Parma. Reggio Emilia will look to bounce back when they host Bologna on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. Local time (4:00 p.m. UTC) at Stadio comunale di baseball di Reggio Emilia.
For live updates, stats, and standings throughout the Serie A season, fans can follow the official Italian Baseball and Softball Federation (FIBS) website.
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