Voyageurs Dominate Doubleheader with Strong Offense and Pitching

In the first duel of the doubleheader, the Voyageurs first took advantage of defensive errors on the part of the visitors to score a few points. After three and a third innings of play, the crowd favorite led 3-1 without even hitting a hit.

“We have a fast team. I’ve been saying it since the start of the season. There, we knew how to use our speed and our aggressiveness to go for the extra goal when it was necessary. The day before, before the match, we had a big baserunning practice. The idea was precisely to find ways to produce points when the hits don’t come. I think we did well in that regard,” said Jérémie Chalifour, the head coach of the Jonquière team.

Hugo Benoit finally hit a first ball to safety for the Jonquiérois. The twenty-year-old third baseman, who had just made a spectacular defensive play in the previous inning, catapulted the opposing starter’s offering over the fence in right-center field to give his team a three-run lead .

Several bad throws allowed the Voyageurs to advance on the trails. A few balls were also misjudged by the receiver, which allowed the locals to take the advantage at the start of the match. (Tom Core/The Daily)

Dominant goodness

For his part, Jérémie Labonté did a solid job on the mound. The Voyageurs ace pitcher limited the damage by getting important outs at the right times. Without generating too many strikeouts on swings, the elite gunner stood out in particular by inducing low-quality contact among his opponents.

“He’s our number one Jérémie. He attacks hitters. He has a tempo that keeps guys in the game. Then, he has an innate quality of managing runners. He went for a huge takedown with a pickoff in game one. This isn’t the first time he’s done it this year. It changes the look of certain matches, a little detail like that,” assured the Voyageurs pilot in a post-match interview.

However, to take permanent cover, the Jonquiérois needed a bigger insurance policy at the end of the match. At the end of the sixth inning, the locals delivered a real offensive push. Four runs were produced in a combination where batting discipline, quality contact and “good situational baseball” combined.

Up 8 to 2, Jérémie Chalifour sent back his starting pitcher for a last and final effort. Number 77 of the Greens completed his brilliant outing by getting out of hot water, with two runners on base. In seven innings of work, Jérémie Labonté allowed only two runs, six hits and four walks. This excellent start allowed him to maintain his perfect record on the mound this season in addition to offering a ninth victory to his teammates.

Jérémie Labonté has been sparkling on the mound this season. His earned run average, in 28 innings of work, is slightly above two. (Tom Core/The Daily)

A little scare in the second duel

If the Jonquière attack took time to get going in the first match, it was quite the opposite in the second. In their very first turn at bat, the locals hit hard. Veteran Jean-Benoit Simard-Gagnon made short work of his opponent’s throw. The experienced receiver took the time to savor the journey of the ball until it passed the fence. Two of his teammates also scored on the sequence. The Voyageurs took a 3-0 lead.

A few rounds went by without anything happening after this rather explosive entry into the matter. The gunners, on both sides, muzzled the batters and got out of difficult situations to keep the score intact. It was in the fifth inning that a little life was given back to both offenses.

Jean-Benoit Simard-Gagnon’s long ball set the tone in the second game. (Tom Core/The Daily)

First, the Dukes scored their first point by giving reliever Mathieu Vachon a little trouble. Jérémie Chalifour had no choice but to make another change of pitcher to silence the Longuilloise threat. Joshua Lessard, freshly arrived from the pen, ended the fifth round by limiting the damage, his team still ahead 3 to 1.

Then the Travelers’ turn came and they took the opportunity to fight back and widen the gap. After placing two runners in scoring position, a defensive error allowed the locals to add two points to the scoreboard. However, things started to go wrong at the start of the sixth. Joshua Lessard faltered and a comeback took place among the visitors. A three-point spurt from the Dukes was almost enough to bring everyone back to square one. Almost. After the offensive storm of the blues, the scoreboard showed 5 to 4.

“Thomas Otis gave a very good start. It was his second time as a starter. We wanted to take it slowly for him. That’s why we turned to the bullpen in the fifth. It was difficult for our relievers. Mathieu had trouble throwing catches, Josh had difficulty afterwards. Fortunately, each new guy we called in came to correct the setbacks of his predecessor. We haven’t been able to do that all the time this year. It’s positive,” suggested Jérémie Chalifour.

For the Voyageurs to sign a second victory, they had to dip into the bottom of the tank. A little magic was needed to confirm the Dukes’ sweep. The crowd favorite loaded the bases with two outs. It was again the experienced receiver, Jean-Benoit Simard-Gagnon who dealt the hammer blow. A one-goal drive resulted in a sixth and a seventh point. A few seconds later, the eighth and final point for Jonquiérois widened the gap once and for all on a single from Hugo Benoit.

“Jean-Benoit didn’t necessarily have the start to the season he wanted at bat, but with this game of five RBIs, it will very clearly give him a boost for the second half of the campaign. We are happy. The guys were solid at the end of the match,” confirmed the head coach.

The Voyageurs delivered a thrilling end to the match for their spectators. (Tom Core/The Daily)

Phillipe Bégin, already called in relief the previous round, was entrusted with the task of closing the books. The gunner did not fail in his task. He made the last three withdrawals of the game to confirm his team’s second victory.

The Voyageurs will take advantage of a few days off before playing the mid-season tournament, from June 27 to 30. Jérémie Chalifour’s men will cross swords with other LBJEQ teams in a competition that does not count for the regular season. “We’re going to go there wanting to win every match, but we’re going to try things too. We don’t want anyone to get hurt. Some guys who have played less will perhaps have the chance to prove themselves,” concluded the man at the helm of the Voyageurs.

2024-06-23 02:15:06
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