Crown, Throne, and Scepter for Évry-Courcouronnes

From the very first match of this past weekend, the Pharaonnes completed their mission. Already victorious in the first two games at Évry-Courcouronnes, the Île-de-France team traveled to Saint-Raphaël with the chance to clinch the series. Facing them, the Comanches were backed against the wall, the reigning two-time French champions, defeated for the first time this season just one week earlier and determined to extend their reign. After a tightly contested match decided in the final out, the Pharaonnes won 5-3 to claim the national title. The early innings set the tone for a game dominated by the pitchers. Despite several scoring opportunities on both sides, the offenses struggled against solid defenses and two determined pitchers unwilling to yield anything. The Pharaonnes left three runners on base in the first inning, while the Comanches also missed their chance to score early. The score finally broke in the third inning when Pauline Prade sparked the Var team’s offense with a single before scoring on a defensive error. Saint-Raphaël took the lead 1-0 and kept hope alive for a comeback in this final game.

For several innings, Marjorie Brunel held strong in the circle. The Comanches’ pitcher allowed just one hit over five innings of work and seemed to have regained control of the series. But the fifth inning would turn the tide of the game. Taking advantage of multiple walks, the Pharaonnes built a patient and methodical offense. Léonie Pauthe led the charge before Ambre Brouard delivered the first run of the inning with a center-field single. The Île-de-France team then capitalized on their aggressiveness on the bases and the opposing team’s struggles to contain runners, scoring four points in this single inning. Emma Liminier drove in a run on a walk, Océane Lecourt Milliet added another, and a wild pitch also allowed Rosalie Coste to score. In just minutes, Évry turned a one-point deficit into a three-point lead. The Comanches refused to surrender, however. In the fifth inning, Alice Chanal, Pauline Prade, and Inès Haudiquer constructed an immediate response. A sacrifice fly by Chiara Enrione-Thorrand and a productive groundout by Marjorie Brunel brought Saint-Raphaël back to within 4-3 and reignited the suspense.

The end of the game played on our nerves. The Comanches repeatedly put runners on base but ran into an imperious Eidy Carolina Tortolero Monagas in the clutch moments. After leaving two runners in scoring position in the sixth inning, the Varoises ultimately saw the Pharaonnes extend their lead in the following inning thanks to a wild pitch allowing Océane Lecourt Milliet to score the fifth run. With a two-point lead, Tortolero Monagas shut the door for good in the final inning. Haudiquer, Enrione-Thorrand, and Brunel were successively retired, giving the Pharaonnes the final out synonymous with their championship. Offensively, the game produced only five hits in total, proof of the tension and the pitchers’ dominance. Ambre Brouard recorded the only productive hit for Évry, while Pauline Prade and Inès Haudiquer were the main drivers of the Var team’s offense. But the difference was made in managing the key moments. The Pharaonnes earned eleven walks compared to just five for their opponents, seizing every opportunity to advance runners and build pressure. In the circle, Eidy Carolina Tortolero Monagas delivered a final masterclass. The Pharaonnes’ pitcher threw a complete game, limiting one of the best offenses in the league to four hits and three runs while striking out nine batters. Week after week, she was the bedrock on which Évry built this title. MVP: Eidy Carolina Tortolero Monagas. Already decisive in the second game of the series, the Francilienne pitcher carried the Pharaonnes to victory in the match and to the title. Her seven complete innings and nine strikeouts made her the decisive player in this final.

Facing a Saint-Raphaël team that had gone undefeated in the regular season with 22 wins in 22 games and a victory in the French Challenge, the Pharaonnes pulled off the ultimate feat: inflicting three consecutive losses on the reigning two-time French champions and reclaiming the national crown. A conclusion worthy of a final featuring the two best teams in French softball.

The coach of Évry-Courcouronnes, Sophat Chum, is happy and proud of his team’s journey. He agreed to answer our questions, thank you to him.

BTVF: Saint-Raphaël arrived undefeated with 22 wins in 22 regular-season games and a victory in the French Challenge. How did you approach these French Series psychologically? It’s true that Saint-Raphaël had a perfect regular season, but we were confident we had what it took to reverse the trend in the playoffs. The focus wasn’t primarily on the opponent’s weaknesses but rather on turning ours into strengths—and that throughout the entire season, in every game, win or loss, there are always areas for improvement to become even better next time, and that’s something I never stopped reminding the players.

BTVF: Pitching was a major factor throughout the series. How did you prepare the rotation between Emma Liminier and Eidy Tortolero Monagas to neutralize an offense that had dominated the entire championship? Our pitchers performed exceptionally well in the playoffs; their pitching quality didn’t worry me—I knew they had what it took to hold the opposing hitters. The hardest part is having the mental strength to go the distance, especially when it’s tight. You have to be present with them between innings, call timeouts when needed to give them a second wind if they’re doubting themselves. And of course, the defense behind them must support the pitcher by executing plays when necessary. There were some games we lost in the regular season due to that factor despite our pitchers’ dominance.

BTVF: The Pharaonnes often made the difference in key moments, especially thanks to their discipline at the plate and their aggressiveness on the bases. Was this an aspect you identified as an exploitable weakness in the Comanches before the final, or is this the style you wanted to instill in the Pharaonnes? As I mentioned earlier, we focused more on how to work and improve on our own weaknesses rather than looking at the opponent’s. We pushed the players to have strong plate discipline, sometimes even intentionally putting them in danger to see how they could react when backed into a corner, and I think that strengthened each player’s mindset and their at-bat intelligence.

BTVF: Does this championship victory have a special meaning for the team, and does it represent a form of sporting revenge? This title was great for the team, especially after the European Cup, and it gave them even more confidence. Knowing that we had a group that had gotten younger, we weren’t necessarily expected to win titles, but that’s the kind of challenge I love to take on and prove that we’re capable of being there where we’re not expected. It’s really a boost to have won these titles for the coming years.

BTVF: You’re ending the season with a European and French Championship title. What’s the next step you want to take with this team? The idea is to continue solidifying and uniting this collective. We’ve taken steps, but we can’t stop there—there are still big challenges ahead, especially at the European level, where we want to, with a lot of long-term work, reach the same level as the teams finishing in the top four.

Sébastien Dondé
Photo credits: RS of the clubs; results design: Lucas Arrighi.