GELLAINVILLE – After two grueling days of intense competition, players battling sore arms and tight hamstrings, it takes talent and grit to reach the Challenge de France semifinals.
But it also takes heart, and on Saturday at Gellainville Field, on the outskirts of Chartres, the two teams that secured their spot in tomorrow’s championship final showed they had plenty of it too.
In the day’s opening match, the Montpellier Barracudas became the clear favorites to tame the Savigny Lions and earn a shot at repeating as Challenge champions.
They had easily won their previous two games, and their starting pitcher, ace Owen Ozanich, hadn’t thrown a single inning in the tournament and was fresh and eager to go.
Savigny, on the other hand, had a much tougher road to the semifinal, having to play two games yesterday – both decided in extra innings – and three in total.
So it was no surprise when they fell behind early, giving up two runs in the first inning and one each in the fourth and fifth. Heading into the seventh, Montpellier led 4-1.
Ozanich was excellent, allowing just four hits in 6.1 innings and striking out eight, and the Barracudas could see tomorrow’s championship within reach.
The Lions, however, refused to back down. When Montpellier brought in relievers Ismail Pontiac and then Yoan Antonac, their bats came alive.
Savigny scored two runs in the top of the seventh and three more in the eighth to suddenly take the lead, 6-5, on a hit by Gédéon Coste that allowed slugger Jacques Boucheron to score. Boucheron went 2-for-4 in the game.
The Barracudas were stunned but still put themselves in position to tie when pinch hitter Mathis Nayral singled with one out in the ninth and eventually advanced to third.
That brought Paolo Brossier to the plate. The outfielder had two hits in the game but couldn’t connect this time, and that, as they say, was all she wrote for Montpellier’s title hopes.
Cats and Dogs
The two teams in the other semifinal, bitter rivals Sénart Templiers and Rouen Huskies, also showed plenty of heart.
Like the Lions, the Templiers had to play three games to reach the semifinals. In other words, as a team, they were running on fumes, and for a starting pitcher – given the toll the tournament had taken on the rest of their rotation – they turned to Thomas Greely, a power hitter who normally plays catcher.
Pitching may not be his usual routine, but the American rookie gave it his all and held the Huskies to just two runs in six innings of gutsy work.
Greely helped his own cause by going 2-for-4 at the plate and scoring Sénart’s first run, in the top of the seventh, to cut Rouen’s lead to 2-1. But that, it turned out, would be the only run for the Templiers.
Credit that to Rouen’s starting pitcher, Yaferson López, who put on a masterclass. The Venezuelan stayed on the mound the whole game, allowing just four hits and striking out 12, including two of the last three batters he faced.
Talk about an exclamation point! That’s talent, yes. But a whole lot of heart too.
The final between Savigny and Rouen takes place tomorrow, starting at 14:00, in Gellainville. See you tomorrow!
Benjamin Witte
