The third game lived up to the suspense that has defined this season. Neither team scored through nine innings, but Montpellier broke through in the tenth.
Pitchers Ben Coureur and Kevin Canelon shut down Montigny’s bats, while Robinson Maestre struggled but kept them off the board.
Montpellier outhit Montigny 7-2 overall. It was almost inevitable that their fourth hitter, Anderson, who batted after Brossier in the tenth inning, would drive in the game-winning run. Notably, neither team made an error all game, highlighting both sides’ excellent defense.
There were nine hits in total. The strike zone graphics show Montpellier’s hits in green (at least one base) and outs in red.
First, Montpellier:
Then Montigny:
Tomorrow, Montigny’s ace Yorfrank Lopez (9-3, 1.64 ERA) takes the mound against Daniel Gosselin, who boasts similar stats (9-3, 1.48 ERA). If Montigny’s bats wake up like last week, the Cougars have a shot at evening the series and forcing a fifth game. But we’re not there yet!
Here’s what the coaches had to say:
Owzen Ozanich for Montpellier
Incredible game! Great work by Ben and Kevin—it’s a relief to win a tight one like this. We’ve got to finish the job tomorrow.
And Jose de Araujo for Montigny
Disappointed because I think we could’ve done better, but it’s still a huge game ending 1-0 in extra innings—that’s sports. We’ve got to go out and get a win tomorrow to force a fifth game and claim the title.
Hopefully, Montpellier’s regular broadcast will work tomorrow. Thanks to Véronique Grizot-Garbacz for stepping in with a Facebook Live stream of the third game.
