  Van Dusschoten, Blaauwgeers win Italian championship
Nederlands
 BOLLATE (Italy) -
Rhibo La Loggia is the new (and surprising) softball-champion of Italy.
After splitting the first two games at home a week ago, La Loggia now won twice in the weekend at the site of opponent Sanotint Bollate.
And so, La Laggia captured the Italian Championship with Dutch players Femke van Dusschoten and Anne Blaauwgeers being part of the team.
Last year, the two won the Dutch Championship, while playing for Alcmaria Victrix.
Pitcher Femke van Dusschoten and catcher Anne Blaauwgeers were two of five players, who played in the Italian Softball League this season.
Outfielder Saskia Kosterink returned to play for Bollate, while pitcher Dagmar Bloeming and catcher Nathalie Timmermans played for DES Caserta.
Except for Kosterink, all played for the time in the Italian league.
On the final day of the season, Lindsey Meadows becomes the sixth Dutch player, as she pitches for Bollate in Game 4 of the Italian Series.
In the regular season, Femke van Dusschoten was 9-2 and finished with a 1.31 ERA, while striking out 97 in 64 1/3 inning.
Anne Blaauwgeers played in 24 games and batted .231 (9-for-39), scored 13 runs and had four runs batted in.
Saskia Kosterink led Bollate with a .506 batting average (40-for-79), with nine doubles and five homeruns, scored 41 runs and had 14 runs batted.
With her average, she also led the league and led in basehits, runs scored and doubles.
Dagmar Bloeming was 13-1 with an 0.34 ERA for Caserta and struckout 123 batters in 83 innings.
Bloeming registered the most wins in the league and also had the best ERA.
She was second in strikeouts, trailing only Kimberly Reeder (Unione Fermana), who had 127.
Nathalie Timmermans batted .368 (7-for-19) with one double, one triple and two homeruns and played in only nine games.
She scored six runs and had five RBI's.
Play-Offs
Bollate vs. Unione Fermana
In the best-of-five Play-Offs, Bollate, which finished in first place in the regular season, eliminated Unione Fermana, winning 3-1.
Bollate won the opener 1-0, thanks to an one-out homerun by Saskia Kosterink (who was 2-for-2) in the sixth inning off of Kimberly Reeder.
Bollate then also won Game 2 with a 3-1 score behind the pitching of Greta Cecchetti, who struckout eleven.
A week later, playing at home, Bollate lost the first game 4-1 when Kimberly Reeder struckout eight and gave up three hits.
The next game was won by Bollate, 6-1, when Cecchetti threw a 3-hitter and Kosterink went 1-for-3 with a run to qualify for the final.
La Loggia vs. Caserta
La Loggia met Caserta in its Play-Off and also won the series 3-1.
In the opener, Caserta won 2-0 when Dagmar Bloeming threw a shutout and gave up only three hits.
She faced Femke van Dusschoten, who gave up only one basehit, but that led to the first run in the sixth inning.
An error accounted for the second run in the seventh at bat.
In Game 2, La Loggia won 6-3.
A week later, playing in Caserta, La Loggia won twice to reach the final.
In the first game, La Loggia won 4-1 in 13 innings.
Bloeming pitched 10 innings for Caserta, struckout eleven and gave up four hits, then her reliever gave up three runs in the 13th inning.
Van Dusschoten pitched two innings in relief for La Loggia.
Anne Blaauwgeers entered the game at 3rd base and went 0-for-1, but scored a run.
In the next game, La Loggia won 2-0.
Both runs were scored in the sixth inning, one by Blaauwgeers, who was a pinch-runner.
Nathalie Timmermans was the catcher for Caserta and went 1-for-3.
Final
The best-of-five final began with a double-header on Saturday, August 3 at La Loggia.
La Loggia won the opener, 3-0.
Femke van Dusschoten throws a complete game and gives up only two basehits, while striking out six.
As a batter, Femke is 0-for-3.
For Bollate, Saskia Kosterink is 0-for-3.
In the starting line-up for La Loggia, Van Dusschoten is the lead-off hitter.
When the first inning begins, Anne Blaauwgeers pinch-hits for her and is hit by a pitch.
Next, Amanda Fama and Sara Avanzi hit back-to-back homeruns to make it 3-0.
In Game 2, Bollate wins 3-1.
Greta Cecchetti gives up three hits and Kosterink scores a run for Bollate.
On Friday-evening, the series continues in Bollate with Game 3.
La Loggia wins 1-0.
Anne Blaauwgeers is initially listed as starting pitcher, which of course is a tactical move in the line-up.
After leading off the game, she is replaced by Femke van Dusschoten in the bottom half of the first at bat, who then throws three innings.
She gives up one basehit and then Blaauwgeers re-enters as pinch-hitter for Van Dusschoten in the fourth inning.
Hereafter, a new pitcher enters the game, who then becomes the winning pitcher.
Saskia Kosterink is 0-for-1 with two walks for Bollate.
The lone run is scored in the fourth inning on a passed ball.
On Saturday, August 10, La Loggia wins 5-2 to win its first-ever Italian title.
Bollate takes an 1-0 lead in the first inning, but La Loggia then rallies for five runs in the sixth inning on four hits and two errors.
La Loggia stages the comeback off of Lindsey Meadows, who is flown in from the Netherlands to pitch in today's game.
In the Dutch big league, her team FysioExpert Olympia Haarlem has the day off due to a re-scheduling of games, making Meadows available to pitch for Bollate, where she played last season.
Meadows ends up as losing pitcher, giving up seven basehits.
Stella Turazzi is the winning pitcher and gives up five hits.
Anne Blaauwgeers starts at 3rd base and is 0-for-1.
And so, La Loggia, which promoted to the Italian Softball League in 2009, does the same as in the Play-Offs: winning the final two games on the road!
(August 10)
...The lone run in Game 3 is scored...
...Anne is the batter, Greta Cecchetti the pitcher...
...Alfonso Olivieri is the umpire... |
...Lindsey throws Game 4 for Bollate...
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