But the real nightmare for the Barracudas was in the running game. Meyzieu turned every base on balls into a speed drill, stealing 26 bases on the day. Thibaut Duroux alone stole 7 bases, closely followed by Carlos Eduardo De Oliveira Gomez (5). This aggressiveness highlighted Montpellier’s defensive shortcomings, whose catcher could only neutralize two runners out of 28 attempts. With 10 errors and a dismal defensive efficiency of .796, Montpellier leaves this first weekend with a lot of work to do.Nice vs Metz: A duel of titans with two different faces
This was the most anticipated matchup, between the Cavigal from Nice and the Cometz from Metz, two serious title contenders. The spectators witnessed two radically different scenarios, perfectly illustrating the complexity of a two-match series.
The morning was exclusively the property of Nice, carried by a masterful performance from its pitcher Danny Agustin Michel: 7 complete innings, 12 strikeouts, 0 walks. A control of the zone that extinguished what would be, a few hours later, the best attack in the division. The designated hitter Gauthier Rouleau took advantage of this momentum to hit one of his two home runs of the day, confirming his status as the most dangerous hitter in the series.
However, in the afternoon, Metz showed its true colors, with a dominant pitching performance from its ace, Thomas Boulanger, who pitched 6.2 innings, allowing only one run. The Metz offense, which had been silenced in the morning, came alive in the afternoon, scoring 8 runs in the second half of the game, led by a spectacular home run by their star player, Thomas Pesquet. The Cometz showed that they were not just a team with a strong defense, but also a team with a powerful offense.
l’après-midi (14-3). Les deux équipes ont livré une bataille de haut niveau, mais les joueurs de Bréal ont été plus efficaces à la plaque et ont profité de quelques erreurs de Montigny pour prendre le large. Le match a été marqué par un syndrome du bras court chez les lanceurs de Montigny, qui ont eu du mal à lancer plus de trois manches. Du côté de Bréal, le lanceur Stéphane Lepage a été dominant, allant jusqu’à frapper un home run. Le match a été arrêté en raison de la pluie après sept manches.l’après-midi (17-5). An 20-point gap in a few hours reveals a reality shared by many clubs: excessive dependence on an « ace » pitcher.

The first act was a demonstration by Ricky Jon Deeble. The Cougars’ starter locked down the game for seven innings, allowing his offense, led by a brilliant Shortstop Corenthin Flament (average of 1.000 on the day), to roll out calmly. But once the ace went to the locker room, the house of cards collapsed. Deprived of depth in the bullpen, Montigny’s relievers gave away 13 walks on the day, the highest total in the division, which Bréal took advantage of with greed.

The Breton revival in the afternoon owes much to the patience and discipline of the Outfielder Rowan Barbosa-Dias, who managed to get 4 walks and produce 4 essential runs. While this 17-5 victory puts a smile on Bréal’s face, it should not mask the persistent flaws of a still-febrile defense and a collective ERA that peaks at 7.0. For both Bréal and Montigny, the division’s future remains uncertain.The season will be an endurance race to find arms capable of holding the second games.

Rouen 2 vs Clermont-Ferrand: Individual exploits to team success

On the reserve field of the Huskies, the show came from two exceptional individuals. Although the two teams shared the victories, observers will remember two names: Gen Taguchi and Louis Gerberon.

On the Clermont side, starting pitcher Taguchi delivered a particularly dominant performance. In seven innings of work, the Clermont player accumulated 14 strikeouts, an absolute record for this first day, although he conceded 5 runs, 4 ER. A performance that allowed Clermont to snatch the first match 6-5. But the rest showed the limits of the team: as soon as Taguchi was no longer on the mound for the second match, the ERA of the team exploded to finish at 8.75, allowing Rouen to take over.

Les Rouennais ont pu compter sur un Louis Gerberon en feu. Avec 6 coups sûrs en 9 présences, dont deux triples, le Left Fielder a été le moteur d’une attaque normande bien plus tranchante que prévu. Loin de l’image d’éventuelle « lanterne rouge » qui leur collait à la peau, les jeunes Huskies ont montré une rigueur défensive impressionnante, convertissant notamment 6 double plays, un record dans la division. Ce sens du sacrifice et cette efficacité sur le monticule (ERA de 2.92) font de Rouen 2 le poil à gratter de ce début de saison.

Valenciennes vs Ermont : Le promu ne complexe pas

Pour son retour dans l’élite de la D2, le promu Ermont n’avait pas hérité d’un cadeau en affrontant Valenciennes, leader de la saison régulière 2025. Pourtant, les Expos ont prouvé qu’ils n’étaient pas là pour faire de la figuration en s’offrant le premier match 8-7, avant de s’incliner de peu 10-8 dans le deuxième.

The success of Ermont is marked by Amaury Heidrich. His solid performance (ERA of 2.00 in 7 innings) contained the North batters and validated the promoted team’s game plan. In attack, the opportunism of the Right Fielder Rodney Palmero O’Farril did the rest. Although the defense sometimes wavered, the main thing is there: Ermont has the level to challenge the leaders.

In Valenciennes, this draw leaves a taste of incompleteness. Despite the offensive revival in the second game, the Vipères seemed to lack aggression on the bases, with only 6 stolen base attempts. Supported by the precision of Koshiro Fujita and Yugo Takatani on the mound, the Northerners will, however, need to strengthen their offensive game to avoid falling short of the expectations placed on them during the next events.

What to remember