Seventy-four matches were played across six fields in Pineuilh this weekend, featuring a two-round robin format followed by finals pitting the top two teams from each ‘upper pool’ in every category.
The Winners
In the 12U final, the Île-de-France league faced off against the Sud league in a pitchers’ duel, with both sides showcasing excellent defense. Île-de-France made the difference in the bottom of the third inning, with a sacrifice fly by Andrew Lecourt-Milliet opening the scoring for the Paris-region side, followed by a RBI single from Morgan Ghene. The Île-de-France defense did the rest, and the match ended with a 2-0 shutout.
In the 15U final, the Occitanie league took on the Nouvelle-Aquitaine league. Occitanie quickly took control, scoring three runs in the first inning and then five more in the second. The final score was a decisive 10-0 for Occitanie. Jason Nayral, Occitanie’s starting pitcher, had yet to pitch in the tournament and delivered a masterful performance in the final (4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 6 SO). Nouvelle-Aquitaine, for their part, had left much of their energy in the qualifying match for the final and had to rely on five pitchers who had already thrown a significant number of pitches.
In both categories, the inter-league champions finished the tournament with a perfect record: 6 wins and 0 losses.
A Thrilling First Phase of Competition
The two-round robin format led to high-stakes matches right from the start. This was particularly true in the 15U category, where one of the tournament favorites, Île-de-France, lost their first match against the Normandy league and consequently found themselves in the middle pool for the rest of the competition. To pull off the upset against the reigning champions, the Normandy side struck early and hard, scoring five runs on four hits in the opening inning. The Paris-region team fought back, and by the end of the third inning, the score was tied at 5-5. But the Normandy side sealed the win with a run in the fourth inning. Final score: 6-5.
The scenario was similar in the pool featuring the Sud and Grand Est leagues, where qualification for the ‘upper pool’ came down to a pitchers’ duel of intense early in the second day of competition: 6 innings played in 1h30 and a 4-0 victory for Grand Est. Elsewhere, Occitanie had to battle to overcome Brittany 5-1 and secure their spot in the ‘upper pool’. And the Hauts de France narrowly missed beating Normandy and opening the door again for Île-de-France to qualify for the ‘upper pool’, but Normandy secured their first-place finish in the pool with a walk-off to win the match 8-7.
The nail-biting matches were just as plentiful in the 12U category. The young Normandy side nearly emulated their seniors by eliminating the Île-de-France league. But in the 12U category, it was the Paris-region team that won this battle, prevailing in a pitchers’ duel with a 3-2 score. Nouvelle-Aquitaine secured their ticket to the upper pool with a dramatic comeback in the final inning. Down 4-2, they scored four runs to win the match 6-4.
Final Phases and Overall Assessment
A clear hierarchy was established in the 12U ‘upper pool’: with Île-de-France winning their three matches without breaking a sweat, and the Sud league mastering their task to secure the second ticket to the final.
In the 15U category, Occitanie won their three matches without facing any real challenges. But there was a fierce battle for the second ticket to the final. Normandy won a pitchers’ duel against Nouvelle-Aquitaine with a 2-1 score, thanks in part to Jade Lippert’s performance (5 IP, 1 R). Grand Est won a match filled with twists and turns against Normandy, with a 7-6 score in extra innings, thanks to a walk-off by Basile Mallé. And Nouvelle-Aquitaine defeated Grand Est 6-1, behind the pitching of Enzo Lecouffe (5.2 IP, 0 ER, 7 SO).
One conclusion we can draw from these inter-league matches is that more and more of our regions have the resources needed to be competitive in this type of competition. At least nine leagues have shown that they are capable of beating anyone in any match. Not everyone has the resources to string together victories, but there are more and more contenders for the podium spots. True, there are still lopsided scores – but there is also undeniable progress among the leagues that finished at the bottom of the standings. And it is precisely by participating in this kind of competition that these leagues will continue to improve.
One observation we can make following this weekend is that ‘double-elimination’ formats are best suited for baseball tournaments (as in the Little League World Series, College World Series, or the northern and southern plates of the French championships 12U and 15U). Losing everything, without any chance of a comeback, in a single match in the first phase of the competition, as was the case for IDF and Sud in 15U, Normandy and Grand Est in 12U, is tough. With 13 teams and three days of competition, it’s impossible to do otherwise. And adding a fourth day of competition would increase the cost for the leagues and the constraints for the volunteers. But we can have a big thought for these leagues that lost big right from the start of the competition.
Finally, a fact: 26 teams, over 350 players and coaches in the competition, over 50 officials (scorers, umpires, technical commissioners…), all box scores available on the wbsc stats site and sometimes in real time, over 700 people around field 1 for the closing ceremony… this 2024 edition was a great success for French baseball!
Now it’s up to us to build on this foundation.
David Ten-Eyck
Photo credits: Benjamin Ibanez
