Designated as starting pitcher on 30 minutes notice, newcomer Nikolas Gariépy allowed four hits and seven runs in just half an inning. Veteran Jean-Sébastien didn’t do much better and the score was already 13-0 after two rounds. Impossible to blame the visitors’ defense since they made only one mistake.
“I sent Carlos (Naveda) to the mound because otherwise, we might have spent the night in Saint-Jean…” commented manager Ben Gariépy, contacted Monday morning.
“The problem is that Carlos will start there on Thursday. To keep him rested, I quickly had to turn to (Félix) Leblanc and (Anthony) Mirande, even if they are not used to throwing. We agree that the match was out of reach for quite a while…”
Naveda was by far the visitors’ best gunner on Sunday, but his earned run average (6.46) has nothing to do with that of the excellent Oscar Nakaoshi (1.40), who scored all three victories of the Warriors in seven games this season. The big guns of the Quebec Major Baseball League are clearly capable of handling the Venezuelan’s powerful fastball, especially when they find themselves ahead in the count. He looked bad in the 14-3 beating suffered last week against the Laurentian Cardinals, who are nevertheless experiencing their share of difficulties.
Naveda’s numbers should improve, but general manager François Giasson will probably have no choice in improving a formula which is essentially based on his two internationals and Charette.
“We won’t settle for lies: the depth on the mound is one of our shortcomings currently.”
— Ben Gariépy, manager
On the offensive side now, Anthony Choquette, Leblanc and Mirande have clearly proven themselves worthy of the Bélisle circuit so far with batting averages above ‚350. However, the Granby attack has just exceeded the milestone of 20 points scored.
“Our A alignment is still good, but we often lack speed on goal. When you need three hits to score, it doesn’t go up quickly!” underlined Ben Gariépy.
The Cardinals will be at Stade Napoléon-Fontaine on Saturday evening.
Elsewhere in the LBMQ, the Acton Vale Castors are in second place in the Louisville division with a 4-3 record. The reigning champions’ pitchers generally do the job, but their offense is not always there. After several campaigns among the Cuban elite, Richel Lopez hits for only .217.
A “very short” summer for the Indians?
Still in senior baseball, but in the Vallée-des-Forts League, the Granby Indians were unrecognizable with their record of three wins and as many defeats before the visit of the Saint-Bruno Pirates on Monday evening. The loss of the Choquette brothers and Yann Gauvin was bound to be felt, but according to Gariépy, that should not serve as an excuse.
“I don’t know if the guys are still riding four championships in a row and expecting small, easy victories, but something will have to happen very soon among the Indians,” warned the one who, despite his news assignments, did not abandon his longtime team.
“In terms of commitment, it’s terrible, I have to find replacements in every match. If it continues like this, I can tell you that our summer is going to be very short!”
— Ben Gariépy, manager
In closing, let us note that the Junior Elite Warriors now find themselves below the psychological bar of “.500” after the sweep suffered at home on Sunday. They could nevertheless move closer to first position in the Center division with a victory against Coaticook on Tuesday, still at the Stade Napoléon-Fontaine.
Among the many reasons for celebration, Lucas Villeneuve and Wyliam Coulombe respectively led the LBJEQ in the column of hits (18) and that of points produced (17) as of Monday morning.
2024-06-03 19:13:44
#Senior #Warriors #caught #lack #depth
