The opening day of the women’s Division 1 softball championship took place on March 19th. Three venues, six matches, 36 innings played, 85 runs scored.
The Grizzlys hosted the Cavigal. The 2022 Challenge winners took both of their matches, winning 13-0 in four innings and 12-5 in five innings. (Reminder of softball mercy rules: 15 runs in the 3rd inning, 10 runs in the 4th, and 7 runs from the 5th inning onwards. In the first inning, they came out swinging, scoring 7 runs and capitalizing on every opportunity and the four errors by the Nice players. They just had to stay solid behind their international pitcher Clélia Coste to win this match by mercy rule. In the second match, it was the Nice players who opened the scoring, but their three runs in the second inning weren’t enough. At the end of the second, the Grenoble players scored seven runs, once again taking advantage of four errors by the southerners. In the fourth inning, two more points by Giret and Flayol wouldn’t change anything as Grenoble won in five innings.
In Paris, the BCF hosted Evry Courcouronnes. The first match took place on Saturday night at the beautiful Pharaohs’ field. Despite an early run scored by the Evry players in the first inning, it wasn’t until the sixth inning that they unleashed their offense and finished the match 9-0 by mercy rule. The next day, it was an 9-8 score that saw the Pharaohs come out on top, leading until the fourth inning at 8-3. They equalized and the teams remained tied until the end of the seventh. The BCF, as often, showed their experience and made it close. It wasn’t far from being a different outcome.
In the south, the Comanches hosted the Rabbits. The two teams split their matches, with Clapier Jacquou winning 7-10 and Saint-Raphaël taking the second 9-2. The first match was a nail-biter, featuring the first extra inning of the season. Despite leading by four runs in the seventh inning with two outs, the Rabbits couldn’t contain the Comanches’ lineup, who strung together hits and tied the score, likely stung by their pride. The Clapier players scored three runs in the eighth inning, and the Comanches couldn’t come back. In the second match, a home run by Marina Morelli of the Comanches in the first inning set the tone. They led the entire match, and the Rabbits couldn’t find the flaw despite their seven hits. The match ended in six innings by mercy rule, 9-2.
After this first day, Evry and Grenoble have two wins each, while Saint-Raphaël and Clapier have one win and one loss. The BCF and Nice have two losses. Nothing is certain, and the championship has in store some great matches and surprises. Next matchday is on April 2nd.
