Yeovil Whirlwinds @ New Forest Thunder

Last Sunday saw the Yeovil Whirlwinds take their longest trip of the year to visit New Forest Thunder in division 5 of the South West and Wales Baseball League. With Thunder topping the table, tough games were expected and the hot weather added to the challenge.

As the visiting side, Yeovil started at bat and opened their account with a solid 4 runs. The Whirlwinds then took the field to defend that total with Simon Causer starting at pitcher for the 5^th time this year. In what would become a familiar pattern through the game, Yeovil were unable to contain the offence of their hosts with New Forest scoring the inning limit of 5 runs in their opening inning.

Having taken a one run lead, Thunder pressed home their advantage in inning 2. Good pitching and solid infield work from the home team saw them restrict Yeovil to a solitary run. This tied the game, however the Whirlwinds again conceded 5 runs to New Forest’s batting lineup meaning Thunder lead 10-5 at the end of the second inning.

Refusing to let the heat or the scoreline cause their heads to drop, the Whirlwinds battled hard and batted in three more runs in their third inning. While this reduced their deficit, the now familiar sight of New Forest scoring 5 runs in their at bat meant that Yeovil went into the final inning on the wrong side of an 8-15 scoreline. Sadly, a lone run was all they could muster and the game ended with Yeovil losing 15 runs to 9. Special mention to David Cheetham gaining three hits from his three at bats.

The Somerset side regrouped and headed into game 2, this time with Chris Spurway pitching. The first inning threatened a repeat of game one with Thunder taking their full 5 runs following the Whirlwinds 3 to open their tally.

Inning two however proved to be the turning point of Yeovil’s day. An assisted “inside the park” home run by Jason Tew helped them notch up their first 5 run inning of the day. Then a tight defensive shift containing good catches from Tew and Cheetham held the hosts to only 1 run and Yeovil had their first lead of the day, 8-6.

Yeovil scored a further 5 runs in inning 3 with catches from Jonny Foster and Chrisi Wilangowski helping extend the lead to 13-10. Going into the final inning the Whirlwinds were hoping to set a tough target for their hosts to chase down but they failed to trouble the scorer, so held their slender lead, meaning New Forest needed only 4 runs for the win. A leadoff walk put a man on base, who eventually scored, added to the pressure but three groundouts taken expertly by Wilangowski at first base ensured Yeovil held on to beat the league leaders 13 runs to 11. A great victory in the sweltering heat with give encouragement for their next game at home against the New Forest Knights.

By Chris Spurway