LA ROCHELLE — The fourth and final matchday of the 2021 Challenge de France was hot, hot, hot, and not just because of the scorching sun that baked the baseball field at Stade des Boucaniers in La Rochelle all afternoon.
The Montpellier Barracudas, hoping for their first senior title in 15 years, cranked up the heat in what turned out to be a surprisingly one-sided showdown with the powerhouse Rouen Huskies, winners of the last five D1 championships and nine of the 16 Challenge de France tournaments since the event’s inception in 2002.
The task of reining in Rouen’s talented hitters fell to left-hander Kevin Canelón, whom the Barracudas had saved for this very occasion. He delivered. Focused from the first inning, the Venezuelan pitcher—a former prospect for the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets who has dazzled since joining France’s D1 league in 2019—had the Huskies on the ropes right from the start…
