YW@BEARS: THAT Triple Play

Last Sunday morning in Bournemouth, our team took to the field versus the Bears on Game Week 7 of the season. It was our second time facing Bournemouth this season having faced them the weekend before; the first games were competitive but we beat them twice last week, so we knew it was possible to win.

There were a couple elements of the day that I found interesting and would love to share in this blog.

This was our first game away from our home ground and it was obviously a different experience. I have only played a few games on dirt and an elevated mound and Bournemouth’s field have both. It changes a lot of things, like the angle the pitcher throws from; it is a lot different as they must use their shoulders to balance with the downhill angle they pitch from. But for me as catcher it was great because the dirt and sand absorbed most of the energy from the ball so, when I had to block, it was almost perfect every time and I was definitely enjoying the easy blocks that game.

Generally though I believe that playing at home is always the best. Our field is a bit downhill to the outfield but it’s really nice because of the home field advantage we have. We practice at Bradford Abbas every week so we are familiar with the need to vary our throws either up or down the slope and sometimes knowing the roll of the ball can be useful too. That being said, a nice even ground with dirt is fun because, along with the easy blocks, it lets me slide nicely into base!

Talking about sliding into base, the team’s general offensive performance is something to be talked about and I’m a good example of this. Last season I had single digit hits but this year I already have a 0.400 batting average because of the excellent coaching we receive. My top batting tip? Focus on your hitting fundamentals and just making contact with the ball. But I can’t be the only one I talk about, everyone has improved their hitting so much and we are winning lots of games because we are scoring loads of runs. It’s great practicing defence, but sometimes you just need to get the batting right to get wins. The last inning of Sunday’s first game proves this. We were losing at the time and I was the leadoff batter. It was terrifying knowing how I batted could impact the team, but I stepped up to the plate believing I would hit it, and I did! A hit that flew down the left field line that was deemed a ground rule double and was the best start I could have hoped for. The inning continued with great batting, and somehow I was up to bat again as we cycled through the batting order. By now we were quite a few runs ahead but I still wanted to get another hit so I flew it past the shortstop for a single, and this eight run inning won us the game because the Bears forfeited. Check out some footage of my hits below!

But the highlight of the day actually happened near the start of the game where a triple play took place. With runners on second and third, the next batter steps up and hits a line drive to the second baseman. With his amazing reactions he makes the diving catch for the first out. The ball was hit so well that him making the catch surprised everyone on the diamond and the runner on second forgot to tag up, so a step on the bag by the fielder resulted in the second out. Similarly, the runner from third was headed to home plate without tagging up. The ball was thrown to me at the plate forcing the runner back to third. After a bit of a bobble, it was an easy throw to third base for the third out.

This was Yeovil’s third triple play since the club was founded in 2018 and it feels great to be part of this bit of history. The MLB has only recorded two triple plays since the start of the 2025 season at the date of writing this demonstrating just how difficult it is achieving a triple play.

This weekend was one of the most exciting because of the comeback we had to make which led us to our 8th win of the season putting us tied second in the Severn division. I have high hopes for this season with our current record 8-2, already 7 wins more than last season.