7th Round Recap

The 7th round took place this weekend. At the top, Saint-Raphaël traveled to Colombes brimming with confidence. Twelve wins in twelve matches, an unstoppable dominance.

Behind them, Pessac and Évry-Courcouronnes are locked in an endurance race where every misstep could cost them the season. The Panthers, solid and consistent, have cemented their second-place position during the 6th round. The Pharaohs, meanwhile, remain in the wings, with one match in hand.

Colombes, fourth, lives in this strange in-between where anything can happen. Capable of striking hard, capable of collapsing, the Wildcats advance with this promise of perpetual rebirth that makes them unpredictable and dangerous.

Grenoble, fifth, is still searching for the light. The Grizzlies have shown flashes, surges, sequences where you can glimpse what they could become. But the defeats pile up, and the breakthrough remains elusive… unless it’s this weekend?

And then there’s Nice, the cellar dweller, still winless. A trip to the Paris region that seems as tough as climbing to the top of a pyramid.

Pharaohs vs Cavigal

GAME 1 Évry-Courcouronnes 16 – 2 Nice

Ambre Brouard leads off with a hit and an RBI, Sirena Salazar follows with two clean hits, Emma Liminier smacks a triple that tears the right field apart, Christel Philippe goes 3-for-3 with a monstrous triple, and Océane Lecourt Milliet delivers three base hits.

But all of this is just the backdrop. At the center of the stage is Rosalie Coste. And Rosalie Coste decides to deliver a high-level performance. Three at-bats. Three home runs. Six RBIs. Twelve total bases. A true masterclass.

Nice, on the other hand, doesn’t manage a single hit. Amandine Bertrand takes the loss, allowing sixteen hits, thirteen earned runs, and tries to survive in a game where every ball put into play seems to want to escape the field. The Nice side scores twice on walks and errors but never manages to exist except in fits and starts.

The Pharaohs gave the Cavigal no chance.

Game 1 MVP: Rosalie Coste, obviously. 3HR, 6 RBIs, the queen of the match.

GAME 2 Évry-Courcouronnes 10 – 0 Nice

The second game isn’t as violent, but it has the same outcome. Évry only manages five hits, but they draw eight walks, advance methodically, and suffocate Nice without ever exposing themselves. Ambre Brouard steals bases like a shadow, two walks, two runs, a stolen base. Sirena Salazar goes 2-for-2, including a powerful double down the left alley. Christel Philippe drives in two runs with a sharp hit to left field. Jade Aubard Cojan adds an RBI on a perfectly placed single.

But the real strength of the game is the pitching. Eidy Tortolero throws three shutout innings: one hit allowed, no runs, two walks, zero drama. Emma Liminier takes over and the effects are the same: three batters, three strikeouts, curtains.

Nice manages just one hit, by Pamela Dessi. The rest of the lineup fizzles under the pressure, unable to find any adjustment.

Évry never forces the issue. Évry controls. Évry advances. And Nice suffers.

Game 2 MVP: Eidy Tortolero Monagas, who delivered a very clean performance.

Panthers vs Grizzlies

GAME 1 Pessac 8 – 0 Grenoble

The Panthers take the field determined to confirm their second-place standing. Isaure Gourgue leads off with a hit and a run, Marion Travers goes 2-for-2 with two runs scored, Camille Riera drives in two runs with a perfectly executed sacrifice, Mylène Graves adds an RBI with a sharp hit to left field, Siobhan Hayes drives in two runs, Amandine Metreau hits a productive single. Everything seems simple, fluid, mastered.

And behind this disciplined offense is, you guessed it, Louise Le Chenadec. Five innings. Nine strikeouts. Three hits allowed. No runs. No doubt.

Grenoble manages three hits — Biteur, Meiss, Korousova — but never manages to assemble a real threat. Too many strikeouts, too little traffic, too much pressure. The Grizzlies play in apnea, and Pessac never lets them catch their breath.

A clean, sharp, flawless match.

Game 1 MVP: Louise Le Chenadec, imperial, as always.

GAME 2 Grenoble 11 – 8 Pessac

And then, as often with Grenoble, everything shifts into the unexpected. The Grizzlies, suffocated the day before, wake up with a hunger after hibernation. Victoria Biteur goes 3-for-3, draws two walks, scores twice, drives in a run, then comes in to pitch the final inning to secure the win. A total performance, a power play.

Capucine Meiss scores twice, drives in a run, steals a base, gets hit by a pitch, and turns every appearance into an opportunity. Shirley Patin hits a single, draws two walks, drives in a run. Diane Simon signs a complete game: two hits, two RBIs, a constant presence in the heart of the lineup. Kristyna Korousova goes 3-for-3, drives in two runs.

Grenoble scores eleven runs, manages nine hits, draws seven walks, and capitalizes on six Pessac errors.

Pessac, however, isn’t absent. Travers goes 2-for-2, Riera hits a double, Metreau smacks a triple, Sinoquet scores twice. But the defense isn’t up to par this time, and even Louise Le Chenadec (ten strikeouts in six innings) can’t compensate for the errors behind her.

Grenoble didn’t just win. Grenoble fought for this match, and this victory could weigh heavily at the end of the season.

Game 2 MVP: Victoria Biteur, the heart, the engine, the closer.

Wildcats vs Comanches

GAME 1 Saint-Raphaël 6 – 2 Colombes

Colombes plays with courage, but against the Comanches, courage isn’t enough. Estelle Meyer goes 2-for-2, including a powerful double that drives in both Wildcats runs. Christina Poley also hits a double, Isabelle Leboeuf steals a base, but the strikeouts pile up (10 in total) and defensive errors prove costly.

Saint-Raphaël, meanwhile, rolls out their game with the assurance of a team that knows they’re on top. Pauline Prade goes 3-for-3, including a double, scores twice, drives in a run. Lisa Carmen Vieira adds two hits and an RBI, Marjorie Brunel hits a productive single, Elise Buvat and Agathe Sagory complete the work.

Prapeng De Ridder pitches six shutout innings, eight strikeouts, perfect control of the game. Alice Chanal finishes the job with two more strikeouts.

Colombes fights. Saint-Raphaël wins. That’s the difference.

Game 1 MVP: Prapeng De Ridder for the quality of her performance.

GAME 2 Colombes vs Saint-Raphaël

The match was canceled due to rain. The rescheduling date for this second showdown is not yet known.

The 8th round promises matchups that could decide this season.

In Nice, the Grenoble Grizzlies arrive for a doubleheader that smells like gunpowder. Two wounded teams, two teams in search of air, two teams that know this kind of duel can relaunch a season or bury it. Nice must absolutely rack up points or risk a season without stakes and without hope. Grenoble can’t afford to back down.

In Pessac, the Panthers host Colombes for a clash that could reshape the middle of the standings. Pessac wants to stay in the wake of the Comanches and the Pharaohs. Colombes wants to prove they’re not doomed to inconsistency. Two matches, two styles, two ambitions colliding.

And then there’s the summit, a final showdown, the one everyone’s been waiting for: Évry-Courcouronnes vs. Saint-Raphaël, at the Pharaohs Field. The match that could, perhaps, crack the Comanches’ armor… or make it even more brilliant. Can’t wait for June 14th!