Baseball, Italy Under 18 champion of Europe
Great Enterprise
The tricolor is once again flying on the roof of Europe. Guglielmo Trinci’s 20 athletes bring back to Italy an under-18 continental title, the 15th in history, which had been missing since the 2015 Ostrava edition. The Italian national team accomplished a great feat, winning the seven competitions played, starting with the final at the Armin Wolf Arena in Regensburg, beating host Germany (3-1), which had reached the final competition for the first time thanks to a historic victory in the semifinals against the Netherlands.
With Giacomo Taschin on the mound for his third win of the tournament (6rl-4bv-5so) with 78 accurate and insidious pitches, the Azzurri once again held the right attitude, focused, patient and ready to take advantage of every opportunity’granted by the home pitchers. The seventh consecutive victory è was yet another masterpiece of a well-built team, which played from memory, after a preparation taken care of in every detail.
For Italy to take the lead, in the 1st inning it doesn’t even need to bat valid: it’s all done by starter Paul Hoff (winner against Spain), striking out Cornelli, who comes all the way home thanks to a crazy pitch, and Magnani and giving the bases to Di Persia and Bernardis. Manager Bull immediately ran for cover with reliever Vogt, who got out of the second round unscathed (despite two base hits), but capitulated at 3°: Taschin took four balls, advanced on Di Persia’s bunt and ran to score the double on De Cristan’s hit, on which he ran in three, failing to stop. The Blue outfielder stops at second. Giacomo Taschin è dominant: Germany managed to touch him in valid three times, but could not get past first. In the bottom of the fifth, Italy stretched it out for good: Filippo Sabatini, primattore on the mound, armed himself with bat and helmet to beat out a double to center, stole second and scored on De Cristan’s hit (2/3). Italy è in absolute control, Taschin quickly takes out the three men faced in the sixth and Widmann manages to prevent any more scoring. In the seventh, Stockhaus’ valid (2/3) keeps the Germans alive. From the dugout, to avoid any risks Diego Gergolet comes out, who places six strikes for the first two outs; he strikes out Siegert, gives up a double to Richards for 3-1 but, with the two runners of potential in the point zone, gets Fermin to strike out Cornelli, for the final out.
Embellishing an extraordinarily fine success also came two individual awards: Filippo Taschini è was the best pitcher, Giacomo Taschin even the best player of the tournament, the MVP. Dutchman the best hitter, Dejan Macares.
