All organized championships have reserve days. This allows for rescheduling matches postponed for various reasons (weather, emergency, strike…). Last weekend was one such day for baseball’s divisions 1 and 2. Two games took place, but it also gave softball the spotlight with the men’s division 1 and women’s super league.
In division 1, Metz hosted Sénart. Two games where the Templiers ultimately made the Cometz fold with two hard-fought victories. This allows Sénart to hold onto its challenger spot in its pool, trailing the two heavyweights of this championship’s early stages in Pool B: Savigny and Montpellier. Why use the word ‘fought’? In both games, Sénart scored three runs in the 9th inning. Twice, the Templiers were trailing. They tied and won each time by two runs (4-2 and 10-8). You can never say a game is won until the final out is made. Let’s hope Metz can capitalize on this late-game fatigue. It’s also a sign that the Cometz are starting to hold their own better. They now need to work on their endurance and likely pitching depth to last a full game. Finally, their mental game—especially the killer instinct—needs work. That’s why some teams hire a mental coach; this is exactly the kind of late-game situation where that work pays off.
« It’s tough to swallow, but we played two good baseball games. It’s going to pay off eventually » sums up Pierre Cézard, the Cometz coach.
In division 2, Ronchin hosted Valenciennes. As expected, the Vipers won by mercy rule. Valenciennes joins the top of the table in their pool with Sénart, and Béziers and Clermont in the other pool. Notably, Valenciennes’ pitcher Andrew Paten threw a no-hitter in the first game.
Photo credits: Baseball clubs
