Illustrative photo from the article: Cyril Vissac (left) of the Rouen Huskies, winners of the 2022 CDF.
Gellainville, May 29, 2022
The day of glory has arrived.
The Lions and the Huskies, victors of the first rounds and semifinals, once again had the honor of crossing their paths.
Carried by the winds of Eure-et-Loir, the grand final of the famous France Challenge, granting the winner a spot in the CEB Cup (European Cup B), lived its final act today on the field of the « French Cubs de Chartres ».
Above: The Lions of Savigny reach the final by eliminating the Barracudas, the defending champions. Photo credit Glenn Gervot
The following were swept aside according to the program of the previous two days: Metz (2L), Sénart (2W-2L in the semifinals), Montigny (1W-2L), Montpellier (defending champions, 2W-1L in the semifinals), La Rochelle (1W-2L), and Toulouse (2L). The Barracudas failed to defend their title. However, they will face the Huskies again in June, as the Huskies host the European Cup from June 6 to 22 in Normandy with six other continental teams.
Above: The Templiers of Orestes Kindelan couldn’t do anything against the Huskies in the semifinals. Photo credit Glenn Gervot.
The day will come when the Rouen Huskies will need a larger clubhouse – just to house all the trophies and medals they keep collecting!
Over the past two decades, the club has built a dynasty for the ages in D1 baseball, winning six consecutive championships and 16 of the last 18 since 2003.
They have also had their fair share of success in the France Challenge tournament, and on Sunday, in the match for the title of this year’s edition, they once again prevailed, defeating the Lions of Savigny to win the event for the 10th time.
What is the secret of their success? The answer is undoubtedly multifaceted. They have had excellent coaches over the years, yes. And some out-of-this-world foreign recruits. But they have also had the knack for developing – and retaining – local French talent, and that more than anything, has made the difference.
Sunday was no exception, as the Huskies – their pitching staff exhausted by three previous days of intense competition – chose to trust a relatively untested arm named Thibault Mercadier.
Fresh out of his first year at a community college in Nebraska, USA, the 19-year-old player rose to the challenge (and then some) in what was undoubtedly the biggest game of his baseball career.
He allowed one run (unearned) in the first inning in what looked like a promising start for the Lions, who hoped to capitalize on Mercadier’s inexperience in D1 to give the Huskies a real jolt. But from there, the young pitcher settled into an impressive groove, allowing only two hits and striking out seven batters in five innings of work.
Above: Lions vs Huskies. Photo credit Glenn Gervot.
Rouen led 6-1 thanks to a big fourth inning that included a massive two-RBI double by Bastien Dagneau, who had two hits in the game. It turned out that was all they really needed, as Rouen’s relievers, Will Moscato and Esteban Prioul, limited Savigny to one more run in what remained of the game.
For good measure, the Huskies added five more runs in the ninth to win by a final score of 11-2, but to be honest, the result seemed decided well before that.
Louis Brainville of Rouen had as many hits in the game (four) as the entire Lions lineup combined. Maxime Lefèvre and Hugo Blondel each had two hits, and Joseph Toubeaux, Mercadier’s teammate at Western Nebraska College, entered the action with his own hit.
This won’t be the last time the Huskies and Lions meet this year. Rivals in the same division (Group A), the teams will face each other again on June 19 as part of the D1 regular season.
Photo credit Glenn Gervot
As things stand, Rouen leads the pool with a record of 8-2. Savigny (5-3) currently occupies third place, behind the Cougars of Montigny (7-3), but will seek to close the gap during the weekend of June 11/12, facing the UC de Paris, which has yet to win a match this year.
Congratulations to the new Huskies manager, Boris Marche, who, in his first season in charge, lays an unalterable stone.
Above: Boris Marche.
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Benjamin Witte
Layout Vincent Picard
