The Bristol Brunels’ two wins on Sunday extended their win streak to five games and solidified their second place in the BBF/SWWBL Severn Division. In two tight games, the Brunels beat Bournemouth Bears 8-7 and 10-8 in the double header at Somerdale Pavilion.
In the first game the Brunels surged into a 7-1 lead with Noah McCurdy, Jordan Nichols and Rob Horne leading the way with two hits each and six runs driven in. The Bears fought back to tie the game up at the top of the fourth inning, before Phil Midgley struck out the last Bournemouth batter allowing the Brunels a chance to claim the game. Disciplined batting allowed the Bristol side to load the bases and Ed Smith walked to score Nichols with one out.
It was a similar story in the second game with the Brunels leaping to a 5-0 lead behind accurate pitching by Ryan Harris who struck out four Bears. Outfielder Simon Jones led the Brunels offense with three hits – including two hard hit line drives to left field – and five runs driven in. The Bournemouth Bears mounted another comeback to get within two runs before Noah McCurdy took to the mound and struck out three Bears in the last inning to secure the victory.
“We showed great discipline when it was needed both in terms of disciplined batting, good pitching and support in the field,” said Alex Lane-Kieltyka the Brunels’ manager. “After our week off, we have a couple of tough fixtures against Taunton Muskets and Weston Jets and will be back on the training field to sharpen up the areas we need to work on.”
The Badgers secured two victories at Somerdale in their BBF AAA double header against New Forest Thunder winning 8-3 and 11-1. The victories were built on two outstanding pitching performances from Doug Scriver and Alex Martinson who struck out 18 New Forest batters over the two games.
In the first game, the Badgers kept the scoreboard ticking over with outfielders Tim Singiser, John Brownlee and Seyi Awofadeju leading the way with five hits and five runs between them, including a double by Brownlee.
In the second game, the Badgers scored consistently to provide support to Martinson who gave up just one earned run over his five innings pitched. George Braeger and Awofadeju both hit doubles and drove in six runs with Rhodri Theaker and Matt Bray adding two hits and two runs driven in between them.
“They were two games we had to win to maintain our push for a play off spot and once we came to terms with their game one starter we played well,” said Theaker the Badgers’ manager. “Doug and Alex were in dominating form with the ball and we knew that a good team batting performance would get us the wins.”
Photo credit – Richard Johnson @ richardjohnsonphoto.com
The Buccaneers made the long trip to Cornwall to take on the undefeated Claycutters and despite losing both games maintained their position at the top of the BBF/SWWBL Severn Division. The Claycutters offense proved too strong, as the Cornish side ran out 12-4 and 14-2 winners.
In game one, Claycutters’ pitcher Nick Peters allowed only four hits, to Paul Blackburn, Jamie Hartley, Niamh Cogley-Rock and J.P. Bernard, with Hartley driving in two of the Bristol side’s four runs.
In the second game the Buccaneers managed five hits but fewer other baserunners, leading to only two runs, both driven in by starting pitcher Tim Clough.
“The Claycutters are a very good side and it was difficult to keep their batters under control,” said Charlie Deeks the Buccaneers manager. “We were missing a few key players and are totally confident we will bounce back with a full roster.”
The Bats picked up two wins via forfeit, after the Oxford Kings were sadly unable to field a team this weekend.
Next up: There are no games for the club next weekend as players will be taking in the MLB London Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets at the London Stadium on Saturday and Sunday.
Heading into the MLB London Series break, the Badgers are currently second in the BBF AAA South West Division (though having played a game more than leaders Bracknell Inferno), the Bats are top of the BBF AA Division Group D, while the Buccaneers and Brunels are first and second in the BBF/SWWBL Severn Division.
On the 16th June, the Bristol Bats travel to Oxford to take on the Kings, while the Brunels take on the Muskets in Taunton and the Buccaneers travel to the New Forest to take on the Knights. That means there’s just the one fixture at Somerdale, as Bracknell Inferno face the Badgers in their BBF AAA top-of-the-table clash.