The Yeovil Whirlwinds began their 2024 Westcountry Baseball League season the same way as in 2023, with the long trip down to the Devon/Cornwall border to face the Plymouth Mariners. A team of 10, including two members making their first competitive visit to the diamond, made the 180-mile round trip to Wilson Baseball Field.
A long winter training regime paid dividends early in the game on both the offensive and defensive fronts. Batting first in each inning as the away team, patience and good hits along with aggressive base running throughout the lineup saw the Whirlwinds notch up as impressive 19 runs in their first five innings. Over the same period Jack Amphlett, the Somerset side’s starting pitcher, restricted Plymouth to only 15 runs. This was with the help of some fantastic fielding performances, in particular Simon Causer’s two catches caught the eye. One of those catches started the club’s second ever triple play (three outs all in one play), assisted by David Cheetham and Chrisi Wilangowski, for what proved to be voted the club’s “Play of the Day”.
Inning 6 opened with Yeovil ahead 19-15 however as the game progressed, the Mariners’ superior numbers started to tell. Only being able to make one substitution meant the away team started to tire, allowing Plymouth to tie the game up 20-20. A Whirlwinds pitching change came in inning 7, an inning in which neither team managed to score. Another scoreless inning followed for Yeovil in inning 8 but the Devonshire outfit managed to score a decisive 5 runs, putting them ahead for the first time in the contest 25-20. Plymouth’s second pitcher, introduced in inning 5, now showed why he is one of the best in the league allowing no runs for the third straight inning and with that, Plymouth ended the game as winners, 25 runs to 20.
Whilst the result wasn’t as Yeovil would have liked, the team performance was fantastic. Honourable mention to David Martin ending with seven base visits from his seven at bats, The Whirlwinds will be looking to bounce back when they host Newton Abbot Brewers in their next game on 12th May at Bradford Abbas Sport Club.
If you’re interested in baseball and want to give it a go or are just looking for a new and different hobby then reach out to Yeovil Whirlwinds via Facebook or Instagram!
By Chris Spurway
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