Yeovil Whirlwinds @ Bournemouth Bears

On Sunday the Yeovil Whirlwinds travelled to Bournemouth Bears for their fifth round of games in the 2025 South Wales & West Baseball League season.

Being the away team, the Whirlwinds batted first in both games. Against the fastest pitcher they’d faced this year it was clear every run would be hard earned in game 1 and in their first inning Yeovil dug out three runs. The unfamiliar dirt pitching mound, plus a couple of defensive errors, helped the Bears score 5 runs and take an early lead.

Neither side could score in their next at bats, Bournemouth’s pitcher doing the damage for them, with Yeovil helped by some amazing work in the field. With Bears runners on base, the next batter picked out Tom Poole who simultaneously caught the batter out and tagged out one of the runners, then relay throws to Barni Csicso and then to Jonny Foster put out the second runner for a rare triple play.

This seemed to reignite the Whirlwinds, scoring a further three runs in the third inning while restricting Bournemouth to a solitary score, tying up the game six runs apiece. Bournemouth fought back in the fourth inning, outscoring their guests to take a slender lead and a 9-8 scoreline into the final inning.

With the home pitcher now tiring and reaching his pitch limit, Yeovil scored eight runs without conceding an out. The Bears were forced to declare a time limited concession giving Yeovil their 8th win of the year.

Whereas game 1 ebbed and flowed, game 2 saw the two sides locked together throughout the contest. Good hitting by Yeovil saw them open their account with 5 runs in their first inning. A smart throw out by Yeovil Catcher Dave Martin at 3rd base could not stop Bournemouth matching that tally so inning 2 started with a 5-5 score line.

Two strike outs and a ground out each saw both sides lose their next three outs without scoring. Similarly good defensive work saw both sides only score a single run each in inning 3 which saw the scoreline move to 6 runs apiece and set up a tense final inning.

Things did not start well for Yeovil as they lost two outs in quick succession. A double by David Cheetham started a run of 5 consecutive hits and this was followed by two walks which scored 4 runs. The third out followed to end the inning however, with 10 runs scored, this ensured the Whirlwinds continued their record of scoring double digit runs in every game this year and setting the Bears a 5-run target for the victory.

Sadly, though for Yeovil, their opponents knocked off this target in short order ensuring the spoils were shared on the day with a win for each team.

The Yeovil Whirlwinds now have eight wins from ten games this season. Their next game is a home fixture against Cardiff Merlins on 1st June.

By Chris Spurway