San Marino vs Bologna

Veliz's sixth-in-a-row strikeout streak to open the game suggested a pitcher's duel was brewing, but the back-to-back doubles from Martini and Wong in the third fundamentally altered the game. It forced Bologna to abandon any plan of coasting through on Veliz's early command and turned San Marino's dugout belief tangible after they had lost three straight games.

The double play that Agretti grounded into in the top of the third — Sanchez's second twin-killing in as many innings — was equally critical, erasing Bologna's only base-runner of the first three frames.

Francisco Sanchez (San Marino) — Player of the Match: 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K. The Venezuelan had Bologna's hitters off-balance all night, mixing a lively fastball with sharp breaking stuff. He threw 58 of his 90 pitches for strikes and did not allow a single extra-base hit.

Ademar Rifaela (San Marino): 2-for-4, HR, RBI. The Curacao-born slugger's fourth-inning solo shot gave San Marino breathing room and was his sixth home run of the Italian season.

Lino (San Marino): 1-for-3, HR, RBI, walk. His eighth-inning blast — his first homer of 2026 — sealed the shutout and sent the home crowd into celebration.

Manuel Veliz (Bologna): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K. The Bologna starter was sharp early but could not hold San Marino off the board once they solved him the second time through the order.

The 5-0 scoreline flatters San Marino's dominance only partially. Bologna mustered just three hits — all singles — and never advanced a runner past second base after the fourth inning. San Marino's eight hits included two home runs and two doubles; the 2-for-8 showing with runners in scoring position was enough to win because of Sanchez's command of the strike zone. Bologna did not record an RBI opportunity after the fourth inning.

The shutout was the first of the entire semifinal series across six games. The previous five fixtures averaged 12.2 runs per game, reflecting the volatility of a series that has swung from San Marino leading 2-0 to Bologna taking a 3-2 lead, and now back to 3-3.

San Marino tied the best-of-seven semifinal series at 3-3, erasing the momentum Bologna had built with three consecutive wins in Games 3-5. Game 7 will be played on Monday 24 August in San Marino, with the winner advancing to the Italian Baseball Series against either Parma Clima or Hotsand Macerata.

San Marino have home-field advantage for the decider. They have now won both home games in this series (Games 1, 2 and 6) while losing all three games played in Bologna.

San Marino stayed alive with their most complete performance of the series — dominant starting pitching, timely home runs and errorless defence. Bologna must now win a do-or-die Game 7 on the road after failing to close out the series on their first attempt. The momentum has shifted, but one game still decides the series.