Yeovil Whirlwinds @ Bristol Brunels

Having lost their last few games, the Yeovil Whirlwinds braved the Glastonbury traffic on Sunday as they travelled to the Bristol Brunels hoping for a change in fortune in the latest round of the 2025 South Wales & West Baseball League season.

Yeovil needed to dig deep early in game 1. Two runs were scored in both of their first two innings but each time having conceded two of their three outs. The stand out play was Jason Tew’s second inside the park home run of the season. Bristol had a brighter start taking a 6 runs to 4 lead into inning three.

The third inning was pivotal. With the Whirlwinds now getting into the game, three consecutive hits laid the platform for a 5 run inning. On defence, three quick catches ensured the home side were unable to score and with that Yeovil had overturned their early deficit and opened up a three run lead.

A run for both teams in inning four kept the three lead and a 10 – 7 scoreline in Yeovil’s favour. In their last at bat, the South Somerset side set an imposing target for victory, scoring 4 runs in their last inning and leaving Bristol needing 8 runs to claim the win. This proved too much and, with only two runs scored by the home side, the Whirlwinds won the first game 14 runs to 9. This game also saw Ridi Agbuke take three stunning deep fly ball catches, a feat voted “Play of the Day”.

With the sun now shining strong, game 2 was a tale of contrasting pitching. Bristol had by far the pacier pitcher however, a lack of control on the day resulted in relatively few strikes, allowing the Yeovil batters multiple base visits through walks. This ensured a steady flow of runs with 5 runs scored in each of the first two innings.

Yeovil’s slower pitching allowed the Brunel’s batters more chance to make contact however the Whirlwinds defence was equal to the task, limiting the hosts to only 5 runs over their first two innings. Three runs in for each team in inning 3 maintained the Whirlwinds five run advantage going into the final inning.

As per game 1, Yeovil needed to set a target for Bristol to aim at. A further three runs brought the Whirlwinds’ tally to 16 and an 8 run lead. This proved more than enough as a ground out and a catch from Jonny Foster at Third Base and a fly ball catch from Left Fielder Simon Causer quickly captured the three outs needed for Yeovil’s second victory of the day and 10^th win of the season, improving their record to 10 wins and 6 loses.

The Whirlwinds’ next game is a home fixture against the other Bristol side in their division, the table-topping Buccaneers on 6^th July at Bradford Abbas Sports Club.

By Chris Spurway