The Savigny Lions have taken control of the French Division 1 Championship. With only one round left to play, the Lions sit alone at the top of the standings following a 3-2 victory over the Sénart Templiers.
The win was largely due to another outstanding performance on the mound from Adrian Pena, who pitched eight innings without allowing an earned run, giving up only four hits while striking out 11. It was his fifth game with at least 10 strikeouts, and he lowered his ERA to 1.25. Orozco was equally dominant in relief, striking out all three batters he faced.
Although the second game proved more difficult - a 10-4 loss marred by five errors - the Lions once again demonstrated their overall strength, both on the mound and at the plate.
Rouen Steps Up the Pace
But the Lions can feel the Rouen Huskies breathing down their necks. As so often happens, after an uneven season, the reigning French champions are stepping on the gas as the decisive late-season games arrive.
They gave the powerful Montpellier Barracudas a baseball lesson with two emphatic victories, 13-3 and 7-1. In both games, Montpellier kept pace with the Huskies early on before eventually succumbing to Rouen's offensive pressure and the effectiveness of starting pitchers Ito - seven innings, two earned runs and seven strikeouts - and Mercadier - six innings, one earned run and seven strikeouts.
The Huskies' offense was firing on all cylinders, recording 24 hits across the two games. Cleanup hitter Hugo Blondel went 4-for-7 with one home run and four RBIs, while youngster Oscar Lebouc went 5-for-9 with five RBIs. With this doubleheader sweep, Rouen moved into second place ahead of Montpellier, their opponents on the day.
La Rochelle Reassures Itself
The playoff picture is now complete, with the La Rochelle Boucaniers clinching their spot thanks to two victories over Toulouse, 5-4 and 3-0. In the second game, Esteban Briones went an impressive 4-for-4, confirming his status as one of the best hitters of the season.
La Rochelle regained some confidence after a difficult stretch in which the team had lost five of its previous six games. The final standings remain to be determined, however, with everything still to play for in the battle for the top two places, which come with home-field advantage in the semifinals.
The final round will feature an enticing matchup between Savigny and Montpellier, while Rouen will travel to Sénart looking to extend its five-game winning streak.
Finally, in the matchup near the bottom of the standings, Paris UC ended its Division 1 campaign on a positive note with an 8-6 win in Béziers, after losing the opening game 12-9. It was too little, too late for the Paris side, which recorded only four victories all season.
The Béziers Pirates played two games that summed up their entire campaign: a formidable offense, with 30 hits in total and Meza going 5-for-9 with one home run and three RBIs, but pitching that proved far too generous.
