“A baseball lesson,” summarized the Voyageurs’ head coach, Jérémie Chalifour, at the end of the day, describing it as the “worst day of the season.”
The Trois-Rivières players managed three consecutive four-run innings in the second duel, cutting the grass under the locals’ feet before there was even a first mowing! Tempers flared at the end of the sixth inning when former Voyageurs player Gabriel Archambault hit Mathieu Lévesque.
The two young men exchanged sweet words and both dugouts emptied, but the on-field umpire handled the situation like a boss and the story went no further.
Two home runs, seven RBIs
For the rest, the Voyageurs fans were forced to stay well-behaved. Instead, they got to know Eliott Trudel, who had the game of his life. The catcher hit two home runs, back-to-back, his first two in his career in the Quebec Elite Junior Baseball League (LBJEQ). The first good for three runs in the fifth, the second in the following inning, when the bases were all loaded.
Thank you good night.
“In all phases of the game, we weren’t good enough,” Chalifour said. “We know we were facing an offensive team and it was about making plays defensively. We have to work hard in all aspects of the game to close the game. It’s disappointing to be 0-4 this week, but the standings are still very tight and we have to bounce back quickly.”
The Voyageurs’ night can be summed up by looking at just the fourth inning. While the Eagles scored four runs on eight batters, Gabriel Archambault needed six pitches to retire all three men who stepped up to the plate for the home team.
“It’s part of the game to have outs against us, but we have to be harder to out,” the Voyageurs’ pilot pointed out again. “We can’t just come in, swing at the first pitch and hit a small ball. We have to make it harder for the pitchers, it’s too easy for them. They’re good, but if we get to our peak, we’re capable of hitting against them.”
The Jonquiérois had started this second game, by loading the bases on three hits to get the ball rolling, but the runners remained on the spot. The first two bases were then occupied at the end of the second, but once again, Archambault went to get three consecutive outs.
“We weren’t able to hit their starters, our only runs came against the relief,” said Jérémie Chalifour. “It’s a little disappointing because we asked the players to be ready on the fastball, we were facing two guys who have good fastballs, but we didn’t do it. We weren’t ready at bat on pitches that we had to attack. Our defense isn’t solid enough right now, while that’s what saved us at the beginning of the year. Even if we only have one error on the board, we made three or four weird plays.”
The Voyageurs’ only point in this second game was scored on a solo home run by Alexandre Munger in the bottom of the sixth.
An early lead in the game
In the first duel, the Voyageurs relied on starter Jérémie Labonté, undefeated this season with six wins to his name. The Eagles were ready, however, hitting the ball with aplomb. They scored two runs in the first inning, two in the second and two more in the third.
That was enough cushion for pitcher Dominic Teoli, who pitched six innings. He allowed just one hit and struck out seven. Jonquiérois Émile Tremblay came on in relief in the seventh and that’s when the Voyageurs scored their runs.
Jean-Benoit Simard-Gagnon with a double, then Zachary Boivin and Alexandre Munger, each with a single, produced the points in a losing cause.
The Voyageurs will try to bounce back Sunday afternoon, starting at 1 p.m., once again on the Stade Richard-Desmeules field. The Lasalle Cardinals will be visiting to play a doubleheader that was scheduled to take place at the beginning of June. The organization is offering a special price of five dollars per ticket, valid for both games.
“It’s disappointing to give a game like that to our fans. We’re young and we know it can happen, but it’s not what we want,” shared Jérémie Chalifour, who urged his players to get back on their feet as quickly as possible.
2024-07-21 02:05:17
#Travelers #answers #facing #Eagles
