Dramatic comebacks, big hits, dominant pitchers—the championship is delivering on all fronts, and the season is shaping up to be thrilling. Here’s a rundown of the highlights from the second round.
La Rochelle Means Business
La Rochelle has taken charge of the championship with authority. Beating the Huskies twice, a team that seemed full of confidence, isn’t something just anyone can do. What stood out in these double victories was the complete way the Buccaneers took control. Starting with the pitching. A tip of the cap to Pablo Ossandon, who managed his bullpen perfectly. Escorcha proved to be an incredibly effective closer, and De La Rosa’s entrance in the 6th inning of the second game, which raised a few eyebrows, was a success. Not to mention, of course, the work of the two starters, but we’ll get back to that. The four La Rochelle pitchers gave up only 8 hits to the Rouen offense—that’s a remarkable performance. At the plate, everyone contributed, with a special shoutout to young Mattéo Pierre, who went 4-for-7 with two doubles on the day, adding a lot to the bottom of the lineup. And the defense was solid, even pulling off some spectacular plays. In short, La Rochelle is the real deal, a force to be reckoned with. We won’t say the Buccaneers have a foot in the semifinals after just two rounds, but they’ve at least got a toe in.
Long Live Parity!
We can’t say it enough—the single-round robin format with 8 teams is far more interesting than the two groups of 5 or 6. And this year, it seems even truer, with the standings looking tighter than ever. On Sunday, three games were decided by a single run, and four went down to the wire in the final three innings. The suspense is real. It seems like anyone can beat anyone, every match counts, and we could very well end up with decisive games at the end of the schedule, even needing tiebreakers between several teams. That’s exactly what we want, and it’s perfect for the sporting interest of the championship, which has been dominated by a few powerhouses for too long. The signings seem to have paid off, the JFL rule sometimes plays its part in certain games—it’s all perfect, and we’re already eagerly awaiting the next round and the France Challenge, which promises to be more hotly contested than ever.
A Champion Who’s Under the Weather
Clearly, the Barracudas aren’t firing on all cylinders. It’s not like them to lead 5-0 and then lose a game, as happened in their second match against the Lions. Granted, the French champions are at 2-2, but their overall play isn’t reassuring. The pitching isn’t offering much in the way of guarantees, except for Ben Couvreur, even though control remains his weak point. But Canelon wobbled against Savigny, and Gosselin didn’t last two innings. At the plate, while Douglas Rodriguez remains a dangerous hitter, we expect more from Australian Spring. A .235 batting average as the leadoff hitter just isn’t enough. Montpellier seems to lack depth and composure, much like a defense that has already made 9 errors. Nothing too alarming yet—the talent is there—but we expect better from the Barracudas.
Doc, Is It Serious?
Seeing Sénart at 0-4 after four rounds isn’t exactly the norm. Not much is going right for the Templiers. Four numbers to prove it: 15, 10, 16, and 13—the number of hits given up per game by Sénart’s pitchers. That’s too many, way too many, and the Japanese pitcher Kurima is absolutely not up to the task with his phenomenal ERA of 12.00 and a batting average against of .476. It wouldn’t be surprising if he doesn’t finish the season in France. While Dorian Bouniol (4-for-6 against Toulouse), Ryoma Ogawa, and Felix Brown are sometimes productive, the rest of the lineup isn’t pulling its weight, as evidenced by the 7-8-9 hitters, who are collectively batting .150 since the start of the season. Sénart is capable of flashes, of good innings, but they can’t maintain the pace. The Templiers won’t be the same when their four musketeers from Cochise College return from Arizona, but they shouldn’t lose too much ground in the standings while they wait. The upcoming trip to Montpellier will be very interesting to follow.
What a Shame…
It’s a shame that by the second round, the schedule is already disrupted. We don’t know why Metz-Montigny was postponed—there were surely very good reasons (field not ready in Metz and field occupied in Montigny)—but it’s so much better when everyone plays at the same time (when possible, of course). It makes things clearer and the season more enjoyable to follow.
The Podiums
Batting
- Fabian Kovacs (Montpellier). Granted, it was in a loss, but hitting a grand slam in the first inning is hard to ignore. The Barracudas’ catcher finished the day 4-for-9 with 6 RBI (including the one that put Montpellier back in the game in match 1), which is what you call a job well done.
- Ivan Acuna (Savigny). The Montpellier pitchers avoided him in the first game: 3 walks. They didn’t succeed in the second game: 2-for-4, 3 RBI, and a crucial home run in the second game, literally knocking the Barracudas out. Acuna has been one of the two or three best hitters in the championship for several seasons, and he’s continuing on that path.
- Liam Navarro (Toulouse). 4-for-9 with 4 RBI, and clutch hits that count—the single that scored the first points of the first game, the triple that sparked a 3-run sixth inning in the second game. Efficient, Navarro even had a very effective relief appearance in the first game. It’s not batting, of course, but it counts a bit to give him a spot on the podium.
Pitching
- Clément Esteban (La Rochelle). He toyed with the Huskies’ lineup. After giving up his third and final hit of the day in the second inning, he retired 10 straight Rouen players and was never really in trouble, keeping the opposing hitters off balance all day. His seventh inning, full of authority, even as the pitch count started to weigh on his arm, speaks volumes about his level on Sunday.
- Nathan Laot (Toulouse). 8 very solid innings, with 7 strikeouts to boot. What’s interesting about his performance is that he was several times in trouble, often with runners in scoring position, but he always managed to slam the door, sometimes with the help of his defense, but also by executing an important pick-off against Ogawa in the fifth inning.
- Jimmy Izquiedro (La Rochelle). He mowed down the Rouen lineup, 8 strikeouts in 5 innings, no walks, just 3 small hits—a real power surge after a more average first outing against the Cougars.
François Colombier
Photo credits: Hiep Images, Sud Ouest, The free agent
