Bristol Bats proved to strong for the Bristol Buccaneers in their derby at the weekend.
The Bats won the South West & Wales Baseball League (SWWBL) double header 25-0 and 15-5 on a damp afternoon at Somerdale Pavilion.
Ty Porter was the star of the first game, pitching a five inning shutout, striking out four Buccaneers as well as getting three hits, including three doubles and three RBIS.
Ben Briggs hit a rare triple for the Bats while infielders Paul Carter and Neptal Ortega-Gutierrez joined Porter in hitting doubles.
Although the second game was closer, the Bats offense and their good base running proved too strong for the Buccaneers.
“We were very efficient and cut down on fielding errors which have plagued us in the past,” said Bats’ player manager Tom Rowe. “Ty had a great game for us today and he’s was supported by a very good batting performance by the whole team which sets us up nicely for some difficult games coming up.”
The Brunels took on the Cornish Claycutters at Somerdale and shared their double header.
After going down 15-2 in the first game, the Bristol side fought back to claim the second 7-4, with pitcher Jo Sutcliffe winning the MVP award for his performance.
Sutcliffe struck out four Claycutters and gave up just three earned runs and also hit a double in his two at bats.
The Brunels had a good afternoon base running with 18 stolen bases on the afternoon.
“We just couldn’t get going in the first game but our fighting spirit came through in the second,” said Richard Evans, the Brunels player manager.
“The team’s attitude is first rate and the improvements in everyone’s performance is as a result of a commitment to training hard and learning.”
The Badgers had a difficult afternoon against BC Vetra in their BBF AAA match in Saltford losing 14-9 and 13-3.
BC Vetra got off to a flying start in the first game racking up 13 runs in the first three innings.
The Badgers responded with a nine run burst with Rhodri Theaker hitting a double while driving in three runs.
Outfielder George Braeger had three hits in the first game while John Brownlee, Luke Claflin and Doug Scriver drove in two runs each in the late flurry of scores.
The second game was tight until the Vetra offense exploded with an 11 run third inning. Only Carlson Charles and Seyi Awofadeju were able to make any impression on the Vetra pitchers with Charles adding an RBI to his two hits.
“The slow start cost us in the first game and we really didn’t get going all afternoon apart from the latter innings in the first game,” said player manager Rhodri Theaker. “We need a step up in our performance particularly as we are coming to the business end of the season.”
Next Sunday, the Badgers host Bournemouth Bears AAA at Somerdale Pavilion while the Bats travel in the opposite direction to take on Bournemouth Bears A.
The Buccaneers head to Weston to take on the Jets for their important SWWBL A clash. All games start at 12 noon.