The Division 1 men’s softball finals kicked off last weekend, pitting Clapiers-Jacou’s Rabbits against Montpellier’s Barracudas.
After the regular season, both teams topped the standings, closely followed by Saint-Raphaël’s Comanches.
This is a best-of-five series, with the first to three victories crowned 2022 French champions.
Yesterday, the Rabbits proved the more opportunistic, winning two tightly contested games: 9-8 in the first and 11-10 in the second.
The Barracudas team
The Barracudas are coming off a grueling week in the European Cup, where they brilliantly secured the title of European Vice Champions. We’ll delve into that in an upcoming article. Fatigue or a lack of players may have proven fatal in countering the Rabbits’ powerful offense.
Despite several power surges and comeback attempts, the seven innings of each game proved fatal for the Barracudas and favorable for the Rabbits. Yet, the last July matchups between these two teams had left the advantage firmly with the Barracudas.
Next up is Saturday, September 24th, with the third match serving as a potential knockout for the Barracudas, who must win to keep their hopes alive and play the fourth and fifth games on Sunday, September 25th if necessary.
The first two games were broadcast on the Rabbits’ Facebook page, filmed via a phone using the Swislive app. Unfortunately, the field isn’t fully covered by the camera’s lens, and the comments overheard around the field sometimes make us smile, having little to do with the game. That said, this basic broadcast system allows for a good follow of the score and understanding of most plays.
