Semi-Final Preview #1

#1 Cariparma Parma (28-14) vs. #4 Caffe Danessi Nettuno (25-17)

 Contender A: Parma is the top seed and the team has won six of their last nine games. Led the league with 415 hits and 215 RBI’s.

Players to Watch: Leonardo ZILERI .329, Orlando MUNOZ .325, Adolfo GOMEZ .320, Laidel CHAPELLI .300, Junior ORTIZ 8-3, Christopher DI ROMA 4-1, Michele TORIACO 4-1.

Scouting Report: Parma is the best hitting team in the Italian Baseball League with five players notching at least 50 hits. CHAPELLI leads a team hitting .281 as a group with six homers and 34 RBI’s. Leadoff hitter GOMEZ has scored 32 runs on 57 hits. ORTIZ is the staff ace with eight wins and a 1.71 ERA in 84 innings. Parma’s 3.38 team ERA is the worst among the playoff contenders.

Contender B: Nettuno is the fourth seed and sports a 6-3 mark in their past nine games. The squad is #2 in the league with 371 hits and #3 with 182 RBI’s.

Players to Watch: Giuseppe MAZZANTI .345, Juan CAMILO .323, Carlos RICHETTI 5-4, Diego RICCI 4-1, Frailyn FLORIAN 2.06.

Scouting Report: Nettuno has two of the better hitters in the league in MAZZANTI (five homers, 18 doubles, 30 walks) and CAMILO (eight homers, 38 RBI’s, 50 hits). Pitching staff has a 3.06 team ERA with 276 strikeouts. FLORIAN has fanned 52 in 48 innings while RICHETTI has 62 K’s.

Past Meetings: Nettuno went 4-2 against league-leading Parma during the regular season allowing four or less runs in each victory.

Prediction: Both teams are playing well and Parma is loaded with offensive firepower and one of the league’s top hurlers. Nettuno pitchers stymied Parma during the regular season and must do so again to gain a berth in the finals. Parma wins series 4-2.