The first day of the women’s French Challenge was intense and spectacular. Three days of tense softball, three days of shifting dynamics, three days of shattered certainties… except for one.

The Comanches from Saint-Raphaël.

The defending champions, who faced the Pharaonnes d’Évry-Courcouronnes, returned in 2026 with a more mature, deeper, and sharper team. And above all, with a mission.

But before getting to the final, which was broadcast live on Sport en France, they had to go through a tournament where nothing was given, where each team left a trace, a moment, a spark.

Here is the story.

DAY 1

n
Évry vs Nice : 13-2n

Right from the start, the Évry team dominated, winning 13-2 against Nice.The first inning, the Pharaonnes set a pace that Nice could never follow. Ten hits, thirteen points, and a very attentive defense: Évry unveiled its well-oiled softball.

Ambre Brouard hit three times, including a double perfectly adjusted in between, and scored twice. Rosalie Coste reached the bases three times, stole a base, and finished the game with an average of .667. Lila D’Hauteville hit a triple and produced three points on two impeccable sacrifices.

Nice, still in training, only hit two hits. The Cavigal made four errors, including two that prolonged innings that should have been closed. The Nice players left eight opposing runners in scoring position. Évry started its tournament in the best way possible.

Grenoble vs Colombes: 23-12

The second match of the day is a crazy match, a match where defenses were dominated by attacks. Grenoble hit 19 hits, scored 23 points, recorded 4 double-plays, and suffered only 3 strikeouts. It was a match where every ball in play hurt the opponent.

Ellie Bouis produced six points, including a double in the closure. Victoria produced five points, including a home run, and hit three hits. The Grenoble defense made six outs, including two fly balls caught in center field. The Colombes offense struggled, scoring only one run on two hits. The Grenoble players dominated both sides of the field.12–1

JOUR 2

Saint‑Raphaël vs Grenoble : 24–4

Le premier match du jour 2 est un véritable massacre. Saint‑Raphaël marque 24 points et en encaisse seulement quatre. Les Grenobloises sont limitées à quatre hits, dont un double de T. Boucher. Saint‑Raphaël frappe 16 hits, dont un double de B. Boucher et un triple de G. Boucher. L’équipe gagnante produit 20 points et ne commet aucune erreur. Grenoble, en revanche, commet quatre erreurs.

Nice vs Pessac : 9–6

La belle surprise du jour ! Nice, bousculé le matin, renverse Pessac dans un match d’une intensité folle. Le Cavigal provoque 11 BB, Peculier claque un triple, Flayol frappe un double, Bertrand produit. Amandine Bertrand lance 7 manches héroïques, ne concède qu’un seul point mérité malgré sept hits et quatre BB. Pessac frappe sept hits, dont un double de Djahel, mais laisse huit coureuses sur base. Nice s’impose et signe enfin une victoire en 2026.

Comanches vs Colombes : 15–0

Le premier match des Comanches est une démonstration. Huit hits, quinze points, zéro erreur. Brunel frappe, Sellam avance, Pean vole, Buvat produit. Colombes ne frappe que deux hits et subit la loi d’The Comanches hit 14 times, scored 24 points, got 11 BB, and didn’t have any strikeouts. Prade hit .1000, Sellam hit a triple, Buvat hit a double, Pean stole, Brunel hit, Sagory produced three points.

Grenoble takes a hit but refuses to give up. Meiss hit a triple, Biteur hit a home run. But nothing stops the black and white wave.

Image: https://baseballtv.fr/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/cavigal-2-193×200.jpg

Columbes vs Nice – 3-7

Nice, boosted by its feat of the previous day, plays liberated. Emma Flayol throws 11 strikeouts, six hits, and only one extra base hit. Ledin hits a triple and hits three RBIs. Petit steals two bases.

Columbes fights, Poley hits twice, Alvarado produces, but the Wildcats make five errors. Nice wins two more victories that must be good for the head.

Pessac vs Grenoble – 6-0

Pessac reacts with authority. Le Chénadec throws a shutout: five hits, six strikeouts, and only one BB. Graves hits twice, produces two RBIs, and scores twice. Buvat hits a double, Pean steals, Brunel hits, and Sagory produces two RBIs.Keranflech scores two runs. Grenoble hits five but leaves six runners on base and commits three errors. The Panthers bounce back.

The game that will go down in the archives: Enora Simon pitches a no-hitter, six strikeouts, one BB, retiring the last eight batters in a row.

Saint-Raphaël hits eight hits, including two triples (Brunel, Hammacott) and two doubles (Pean, Enrione-Thorrand).

Nice, despite being in a dynamic phase, never sees the light. A total demonstration.

Pessac vs Evry: 3-5

The day ends with a control match for the Franciliennes. Tortolero Monagas pitches seven innings without earned runs, only allowing three hits despite seven BB. Brouard hits three hits, D’Hauteville hits a triple, Coste hits twice and steals two bases.

Pessac gets seven BB but converts nothing. Evry finishes the group stage undefeated, just like Saint-Raphaël.The Little Final – Nice vs Pessac : 3–10
Pessac delivers its most accomplished match of the tournament. Ten points, twelve hits, a triple by Isaure Gourgue, two RBI by Riera, three hits by Pitcher. Le Chenadec pitches six innings, five strikeouts. Nice hits seven hits, three of them by Ledin, but commits four errors. The Panthers finish on a high note, the Nice players, with their heads held high.

The Final – Comanches vs Pharaonnes : 10–5
The final, broadcasted on Sport in France, looks like a remake of last year’s… and the same verdict. The two best teams of the tournament. The two most complete. The two most structured.

Saint-Raphaël hits thirteen hits: two doubles (Sellam, Pean), a triple by Brunel, three hits by Elsa.The translation is as follows:

Munier, two RBIs from Sellam, two from Munier, one from Buvat, one from Hammacott. Pean signs a 3/4. Vieira obtains a BB and scores. Haudiquer stabilizes. Les Comanches advance like a tide.

At the mound, Prapeng De Ridder pitches 4.1 innings, six strikeouts. Then Enora Simon closes the door: 2.2 innings, one hit, zero earned points.

Évry fights. Coste hits twice, produces one point, steals two bases. Lecourt Milliet hits a double and produces two points. Liminier hits twice. Papoin obtains two BB and scores twice. Pauthe obtains two BB and scores. But the Pharaonnes leave eight runners on base and suffer eight strikeouts.

Saint-Raphaël never lets go. Saint-Raphaël imposes its rhythm. Saint-Raphaël once again wins the Challenge and recovers the ticket for the European Cup. Lena Sellam, infielder of the Comanches was elected MVP of the tournament.

Congratulations to them.