Critics may talk down our beloved D1 championship, its overall level, shaky defenses, generous pitching, and the high number of non-JFL players… But when it delivers weekends like this one, we realize we truly love this competition. Because it was epic, heroic, Homeric, stunning, dramatic—pick your superlative. Three walk-off wins, five games decided in the final three innings, and the team scoring first lost five out of eight games, a mere 37.5% success rate, while the season average was 63.4% wins. The standings now look like an ink bottle. True, Montpellier has pulled ahead, Rouen somehow still has a lifeline, and Metz looks in trouble. But five teams are separated by just one game for the last two playoff spots. No one wants to give up, and that’s a good thing.
Speaking of teams refusing to give up, we must turn to La Rochelle. The Buccaneers were in dire straits, suffering seven straight losses, a perfect negative spiral. They were down 0-3 twice early in games. Everything could have gone terribly wrong—losing streaks, discouragement setting in. But no. La Rochelle fought back, showed grit, and lifted their heads with courage and determination that command respect. Everyone pitched in, starting with the usual leaders, including a red-hot Pena, whose two-run home run in the 3rd inning of the first game sounded the wake-up call and sparked the rebellion. But those who were struggling also stepped up: think of M. Pierre, batting just over .160, who delivered a hit against Bellina, or De La Rosa, not as brilliant as last season, but who secured two wins in tense, complex situations. La Rochelle was on the brink of collapse, but the Pirates are back in the playoff race—certainly one of the big stories of the day. They can also thank the Rouen side, who once again proved incapable of winning the big games, delivering a dismal performance with four errors in the 9th inning of game two. The Huskies’ defense has been leaking for weeks: 11 errors in their first 12 games, 24 in the last eight. It’s the sign of a team in trouble, with a fragile mindset, and whose recent recruits aren’t making a difference: 0 for 8 for Martinez, for example.
A heavyweight bout took place in Béziers. It was a high-level clash that confirmed two things: Montpellier will be tough to beat this season, and the Pirates are getting stronger. They nearly pulled off the perfect game, only losing in extra innings of the first match. In that game, facing them was Montpellier’s ace, the season’s best pitcher, who had never pitched fewer than five innings and, excluding the first game of the season (3 runs in 6 innings), boasts a 0.60 ERA. Out in just 3.1 innings. It took a stellar performance from Ozanich to keep Montpellier in the game and score four runs in the 5th to make a difference. But in Béziers, they never give up, and it was an old club stalwart, Alexandre Deschamps, who secured a crucial walk in the final inning before crossing home plate three batters later. But when we talk about a boxing match, Montpellier, who could have been on the ropes, unleashed their best punches in the 11th inning to win. We thought the Barracudas had done the hard part and had the advantage in game two, the JFL pitchers’ duel. We thought it even more when the score was 5-1 after four innings. But then Béziers’ offense kicked into gear. Walks (6), big hits (4)—in two innings, the tide turned. Leading the charge was a red-hot Thomas Debonville, on a 15-game streak with at least one hit (the season record is 16, held by his teammate Meza), batting .403 during that span. And when it came to closing the door, Luis Gonzalez, who had pitched 6 innings and thrown 76 pitches the day before, didn’t hesitate to add two more innings and 25 pitches to his weekend work.
There was plenty of drama in Sénart as well. Right from the first inning of the first game, in fact. The Toulouse side scored three runs, Sénart replied with four. You didn’t want to be late to the Templiers Stadium! Toulouse then pulled ahead with their new strategy of using Nathan Laot in relief (5.1 innings and just 2 runs), which worked until Sénart, where Tanguy Meurant’s arrival has done wonders, became threatening in the 6th inning and cut the deficit to one run. But Keivy Rojas was ruthless in the final three innings, confirming that Toulouse is very effective when everyone is on board (they’re still missing a key piece, Ariel Soriano). Toulouse may have thought they’d done the hard part by dominating excellent Mathis Nayral early in game two, but Sénart also refuses to throw in the towel, even if the winds are against them right now. Led by their veterans, the Templiers cut the deficit to one run in the 6th inning, trembled in the 7th inning with the bases loaded but didn’t concede, tied the game in the 9th thanks to Baoui, and won in the 10th thanks to Brown.
The only truly lopsided game this weekend was Savigny’s 10-0 thrashing of Metz. An offensive masterclass, but also another impressive outing from Pena, who now boasts a 4-0 record, 32 strikeouts in 25 innings, and a stunning 0.36 ERA. Many clubs have strengthened during the season. The Lions have been the most effective and found the real gem. Metz tried to revolt in game two, facing a less inspired Gédéon Coste than in recent times. It worked until the 7th inning, with a 7-2 score for Metz. Then everything collapsed, especially at third base, where poor Crossan committed no fewer than four errors in the same inning. That was more than enough for the Lions, who scored seven times and never looked back. Everything has really changed in Savigny, who have won seven of their last nine games and are starting to scare everyone. It’s much tougher for Metz, who can’t get off the ground and are even starting to be left behind. The good news for the Cometz is that they travel to Rouen next weekend, and the Huskies are the perfect opponent to get back on the winning path.
