The Italian Serie A1 baseball playoffs have been underway, and the league is currently in its Semi-Final Stage. Parma leads Macerata in the series 3-1, and San Marino leads Bologna 3-1. Both teams in the lead of the series will host the pivotal game fives.
In the first series, Parma and Macerata both had two byes in the playoff tournament after both teams finished in the top four of Group A. Parma finished 20-10, tied for the best record in the entire regular season of any team, and Macerata finished 15-15. After both teams advanced to the quarter-finals, Parma beat Nettuno three games to none, and Macerata beat BSC Grosseto three games to one.
Parma took an early lead in this semi-final matchup, going up 3-0 in the series, with the headline being a 12-3 blowout in game three. Macerata held off the sweep, winning 4-3 in game four, but still faces a daunting task ahead as they have to win three straight games to advance to the league finals. Parma are the favorites to win the tournament, as in addition to their league-best regular season, they made additions for the postseason, signing players like former MLB prospect Oscar Parades and former MLB player Alex Liddi for their playoff run. Parma looks to win their first championship in 15 years, after finishing second in 2022 and 2018.
On the other side of the bracket, San Marino currently leads Bologna three games to one in their semi-final. San Marino is currently in the driver’s seat in their semi-final matchup against defending champion Bologna. These teams have a long playoff history against one another, with San Marino defeating Bologna in the 2021 final series and Bologna sweeping San Marino in the championship series last year.
Both series play game five today, with Parma and Bologna hosting their respective series. Both games start at 2:30 E.T. and will be available to watch live on YouTube on the FIBS channels.
