We said after the last matchday that La Rochelle had pulled off a stunning coup, but we must repeat that phrase after Sunday’s games, as the Boucaniers are now in the playoffs. The Boucaniers perfectly managed a favorable schedule, sweeping Sénart and Béziers (with the latter clash seeing their away record improve from 1-9 to 3-9), and can legitimately hope to play their second semifinal in existence. They now need to beat Metz twice, which won’t be easy as the Lorraine side is fighting for survival, but it’s an achievable task.
Béziers suffered from the absence of Debonville, who has been the heart of their attack all season and seemed a bit off his game. However, we must salute the nice nod to coach Teixidor, who got two at-bats (out of respect, we won’t share the results), a friendly and symbolic gesture from a team that has brought a lot of freshness this season. It’s a shame Béziers faltered at the end, with only two wins in their last nine games, but the essential is secured for the Pirates, who have clinched their playoff spot (their point difference is favorable against Metz), and even treated themselves to a thrilling challenge semifinal, with a squad of foreign reinforcements who came out swinging and significantly boosted the team’s performance, as well as some promising young talents: seeing Lesfargues, Bernardelli, Guyonneau with an extra year under their belts will be interesting, and even more so to follow the progress of Keurinck, who has turned heads and seems on the verge of a very promising career.
The Lions have put themselves in a very tricky position. After their fantastic comeback (10 wins in 12 games), they’ve now dropped back-to-back games against Montpellier and Toulouse. In the latter, they struggled with their over-reliance on Nunez and Acuna, who accounted for four of Savigny’s five hits (Acuna also stole four bases, a feat only achieved by Meza, Baisse-Depontieu, and Cegielski), and a clear drop in form from Pena, who, after two outs in the first inning, loaded the bases with walks and hit-by-pitches before being crushed by Velazco’s three-run double. With La Rochelle’s two wins, Savigny can’t afford to lose another game. And it won’t be easy against Rouen next Sunday: the Huskies are 11-1 at home and just dominated the Barracudas, so it’s hard to see them losing twice. There’s still that postponed game from Sunday, which could be played on the weekends of August 3rd or 10th, although some players will be with the France U23 team. However, this game might not take place, depending on certain standings circumstances that would make it unnecessary.
Toulouse, despite taking a big step towards qualification, must stay alert, as Stade, who travel to Montpellier (the Barracudas are unbeaten at Veyrassi), aren’t completely safe from being overtaken by La Rochelle and Savigny. A win in their next three games will be enough for them. Metz did what they needed to by dominating Sénart. The Templiers are in total disarray: 3-13 in their last 16 games, a .183 batting average, and a 7.17 ERA during this period. It’s time for the season to end… In these circumstances, it’s hard to see Sénart beating Béziers next Sunday, but it will be more complicated for the Lorraine side, who will have to beat the Boucaniers twice while they’re in top form and fighting for the playoffs. But Metz has put themselves in a position to turn the tables and pull off the perfect upset. In any case, the job was done brilliantly against Sénart, and two former Templiers had a field day, no doubt with extra motivation: Ruiz, who went 6-for-9 over the weekend, and Launay, who, after driving in two runs on Saturday, threw a masterpiece of a seven-inning, no-run performance on Sunday.
We’ll finish with what was undoubtedly the game of the season in D1, this epic 13-inning, 4h30 battle between Rouen and Montpellier, which ended with a walk-off error by Flores… Defensive mistakes also partly cost the Barracudas the win, as without the fifth-inning error, the Huskies wouldn’t have scored twice. This match was thrilling from start to finish, with the Huskies dominating early (5-2 after five), Montpellier’s comeback in the seventh and eighth innings, exceptional performances from Couvreur and Mercadier in incredibly tense situations, the Huskies’ equalizer in the 12th inning, after two outs and with a 2-2 count by Martinez, who was batting .208 before his decisive double, the Barracudas’ three runs in the 13th, and the Huskies’ late comeback, with Harrison and Brainville at the heart of this rally, the leaders of Rouen’s offense. It was a bit calmer the next day, but not without interest or suspense, with a win for Rouen. Montpellier pushed hard during both games but lacked killer instinct: .200 in 35 situations with runners in scoring position (against .259 for Rouen) and 0-for-3 with the bases loaded.
The two teams seem a cut above the rest as the season draws to a close, and it will take something special to stop them from meeting in the final.
For Montpellier, while it’s never pleasant to lose twice at a rival’s home, it doesn’t change much. A double victory at Veyrassi against Toulouse and the top spot will be theirs. For Rouen, this clash was a chance to regain confidence, forget Bellina’s departure for Japan, and chase away some psychological demons when the opposition comes back or takes the lead.
F. Colombier
Photo credits: F. Volpato, J. Barrio
IG: Jujub_64 – Rs Clubs RS
