The strongest teams won. With all due respect to Toulouse and La Rochelle’s journeys, seeing a final between Barracudas and Huskies—who finished tied for first and dominate nearly all team statistics—isn’t very surprising. The scenarios were different, though. Montpellier proved they’re unstoppable when everything clicks. And Rouen confirmed they struggle to find the same harmony. But the result is set, and we eagerly anticipate a thrilling showdown.
We won’t dwell long on the third game of the series between La Rochelle and Montpellier. Veyrassi remains a nightmare for visiting teams, and the Buccaneers paid dearly. Yes, they believed for three innings. They even took the lead in the third inning, thanks to the Barracudas’ Achilles’ heel—the defensive error. But it was a fleeting hope. Montpellier shook off the rust, started hitting, and the score quickly ballooned: 2 runs in the third to retake the lead 4-3, then 2 in the fourth, and five in the fifth to drive the point home. Nieves, who had been so dominant over the weekend, was powerless against Montpellier’s relentless offense.
This semi-final likely hinged on Game 1, when La Rochelle took an early lead and De La Rosa dominated the opposing line-up. But Kovacs’ home run put Montpellier back on the path to victory. Nothing could stop Coach Smith’s squad after that. In total, Montpellier racked up 35 hits, a lot for three semi-final games. As they have for weeks, Flores set the tone with 6 hits, perfectly backed by Bouniol and Monks, each with 5 hits. And while Paolo Brossier only batted .250 (far from his regular season numbers), he led his team in RBIs with 4 (tied with Kovacs). There’s nothing to criticize about this absolute dominance. La Rochelle has nothing to regret. Montpellier was simply too strong.
Toulouse, however, has reasons to be disappointed. The Stade had the Huskies on the ropes after winning the first two games. They started Game 3 perfectly: a single by Baisse-Depontieu, a home run by Soriano. That’s when they should have closed the door. But Rouen showed mental toughness, scoring three times in their next at-bat. The next two innings were evenly matched, with Nathan Laot confirming his excellent performance from the first weekend, then Cegielski (the defensive hero of this semi-final with his spectacular plays in center field) tying the game with a double by Delogu. Toulouse believed they could sweep the series. But once again, the Huskies found their rhythm, especially thanks to Harrison and Dagneau, and took off with a three-run fifth inning. Toulouse had a few late chances, but Rouen’s pitching held firm.
The two weekend games followed a similar script: Rouen pulling away, scoring big innings, Toulouse hanging tough, getting close, but lacking the clutch hits to truly challenge the Huskies. Two stats highlight Toulouse’s struggles: a dismal 2-for-26 with runners in scoring position and a paltry 3-for-30 from their 7th, 8th, and 9th hitters. Plus, when Rouen’s defense was tested, they turned four crucial double plays.
Toulouse fought bravely, led by Baisse-Depontieu and Soriano, who combined for 15 of the Stade’s 37 hits, and Duquenoy, who pitched 4 innings to finish Game 4 and 4 innings to start Game 5 (all pitchers will tell you how tough that is), totaling 144 pitches with excellent command. May this performance for his team give him a boost for next season.
The Huskies had some good news. On the mound, first. The Australian Livian, who hadn’t shown much before, delivered a reassuring performance: 7 innings, 6 hits, and 9 strikeouts under the pressure of winning Game 3. And Thibault Mercadier, who closed that game, pitched the entire match, allowing just 4 hits and striking out 10. He flirted with a perfect game for 5 innings and retired the final 9 batters in order. At the plate, the Huskies got balanced contributions from their entire line-up, with Bert, Brainville, Dagneau, and Harrison making the difference when it mattered. But after this 3-2 comeback, whose moral impact shouldn’t be underestimated, Pierre-Rolland was heard in the stands: « We’ll need to be better in two weeks. » The Huskies know the next step is much higher. Will they have enough momentum to take it?
François Colombier
Cover photo credit: Frédéric Volpato
