2010 Italian Series

Cariparma Parma won the 2010 Italian Series in seven games, including four of the last five after dropping the first two at home. Only one prior team, Caffe Danesi Nettuno in 2001, had won the Series after falling behind two games to none. Parma SS Marcos Yepez was named the Series MVP - he hit .464/.500/.607 with four doubles and seven RBI. Gilberto Gerali managed Parma.

Teams

Both Bologna and Parma had come in with nine national titles, but Bologna was the defending champion while Parma had not won the title since 1997. On the other hand, Parma had finished first in the regular season at 30-12 and led the league with 252 runs, while Bologna was 4th at 25-17 but had battled through the playoffs to return to the Series. Neither team had a league leader in any major offensive category, while both clubs had a pitcher who tied for the most wins with 10 - Bologna's Roberto Corradini and Parma's Jesus Matos.

Games

• August 27: Bologna squeaked out with a 2-1 road victory over Parma to kick off the Series. Gustavo Martinez allowed his first run in the third when Liviston Santaniello singled, advanced on a grounder, stole third and came home on a Joe Mazzuca sac fly. In the 6th, Mazzuca doubled, stole third and scored on a ground ball by Stefano Landuzzi. Jesus Matos, meanwhile, threw shutout ball for 6 2/3 innings. Parma finally got on the board in the 8th when Juan Camilo singled and Manuel Gasparri doubled him in. Mattia Bianchini pinch-run but was picked off. That cost Parma the game when Riccardo Bertagnon followed with a double. Victor Moreno wound up with the save for Parma.

• August 28: In front of 1,720 fans at Stadio Europeo-Nino Cavalli, Bologna won again. They got going in the third against Roberto Corradini. Former major leaguer Eddy Garabito drove in one run with a double and 1B Jairo Ramos Gizzi added a two-run double of his own. Parma tied it by the 6th, though. Bologna retook the lead in the 7th when 3B Joe Mazzuca hit a two-run triple off fellow American Marco Grifantini. Bologna wound up with a 7-3 win. Yulman Ribeiro and Fabio Milano combined for 3 2/3 shutout innings to wrap up the game, Ribeiro getting the win and Milano the save. Bologna SS Juan Carlos Infante was 2 foe 3 with a walk and three runs.

• September 2: Parma finally won a game, behind excellent moundwork from Roberto Corradini 6-0 shutout win. Fabio Betto took the loss for Bologna with 2,500 fans at the game. 2B Davide Dallospedale led the visitors by going 3 for 5 with a steal and two RBI. C Riccardo Bertagnon was 2 for 4 with two runs and a RBI as well.

• September 3: Parma tied the Series with a back-and-forth win. 2,700 fans packed Stadio Gianni Falchi (normal capacity 2,500) to watch the game. Bologna burst out to a 3-1 lead after two innings against Gustavo Martinez. Jesus Matos made that lead hold up with strong pitching until the 6th, when Parma rallied. 2B Davide Dallospedale doubled, SS Marcos Yepez doubled and RF Juan Camilo tripled. Camilo later came around for a 4-3 edge. In the 8th, Bologna retook the lead, scoring two on an error by pitcher Marco Grifantini. In the 9th, though, Parma battled back against former Venezuelan national team hurler Victor Moreno. CF Leonardo Zileri and Dallospedale both singled, then Yepez singled them both home. Two more walks followed, forcing in another run, as Parma wound up with a 7-5 victory. Dallospedale was 4 for 5, his second straight big day, and Yepez 3 for 4 with a walk and four RBI.

• September 4: In game five, Bologna pulled out a 5-1 win, the first by the home team so far this Series (in front of 2,400 home fans). Cody Cillo and Fabio Milano tossed a gem, with one run and four hits. Romania's best baseball player, Mihai Burlea, battled control issues for Parma, walking four in four innings in taking the loss. The big blow was a 4th-inning solo homer by C Juan Pablo Angrisano. 2B Liviston Santaniello, the #9 hitter for Bologna, was 3 for 4 with two runs and a RBI to lead his club's offense.

• September 10: 3,000 turned out for an exciting game six at Europeo Cavalli Stadium. The home team won its second straight, with Parma squeaking out with a 7-4 win. Two-time Olympian Fabio Betto turned in an unimpressive start, allowing three Parma runs in the first five innings. Roberto Corradini, meanwhile, was dazzling for the hosts, tossing shutout ball through five. In the 6th, though, SS Juan Carlos Infante singled and 3B Joe Mazzuca doubled him in. Then in the 7th, a flagging Corradini allowed two hits and one walk while retiring only one. He was yanked by Gilberto Gerali in favor of Pedro Orta. Orta immediately allowed a two-run single to Infante to tie the game. CF Eddy Garabito hit a sacrifice fly and Bologna had the lead, 4-3. Veteran Jairo Ramos Gizzi flew out to end the inning. Facing another former Olympian named Fabio, Fabio Milano, Parma rallied in the bottom of the 7th. LF Stefano De Simoni reached on error, 2B Davide Dallospedale got a bunt hit, then SS Marcos Yepez singled the bases full. RF Juan Camilo drew a game-tying walk, then 3B Orlando Munoz hit a sacrifice fly to go ahead. C Riccardo Bertagnon provided insurance with a two-run double. Orta tossed shutout ball in the 8th and 9th and game 7 had been forced. Infante finished four for five in a losing cause.

• September 11: The finale of the close Series was another game that went down to the end, a one-run affair in front of another 3,000 fans. SS Juan Carlos Infante remained hot, opening the game with a single off Gustavo Martinez then scoring on a double by CF Eddy Garabito. In the bottom of the first, 2B Davide Dallospedale singled against Jesus Matos and SS Marcos Yepez played his middle infield mate with a double. From there, it was a pitching duel, though both clubs challenged. In the third, Bologna loaded the bases with two out but 2000 Olympian Stefano Landuzzi struck out against Matos. Several other times, a team would strand two runners. Parma got the game's third, last and decisive run in the fifth. LF Stefano De Simoni coaxed a leadoff walk from Matos. Dallospedale whiffed, but Yepez struck once more, doubling in the winner. Californian Marco Grifantini tossed four shutout innings in relief off Martinez to close the game.