INFERNO ENGULFS DUKES
Originally written for Richmond Baseball Club and published at Richmondbaseball.co.uk - News
FLOOD FIELD, RICHMOND, SUNDAY 3RD JULY 2022
Bracknell Inferno defeated Richmond Dukes 23-4 and 17-2 in an inter-divisional double header this past weekend. Richmond struggled without their two regular starting pitchers against a very strong Bracknell line up. Apart from a few notable exceptions, Richmond’s offence wilted under the sweltering heat, and woefully underperformed. Bracknell’s 8-6 record going into their matchup belied a very well drilled, experienced and proficient team. Their pitching and offence on the day was potent, consistent, reliable, and they delivered when they needed to.
Bracknell piled on the pressure from the opening pitch, never easing up, chipping away at Richmond, and scoring in every inning. Their line up combined for 40 hits over the two games, including a 6-for-7 performance by Jak Ford-Lane, and a 4-for-6 effort by Piotr Tarczynski and Lee Coster.
But the undoubted star of the show in his first appearance for Bracknell was Eurimel Pujols. He pitched a gem in game 2, mixing up fastballs and a deceptive front door curveball to strike out 15 Dukes over 6 innings of 3 hit work, giving up just 2 earned runs and no walks. At the plate, he was a triple away from hitting for the cycle (hitting a home run, triple, double, and a single all in the same game). His home run was a towering blast to left centre that scored two runs in the top of the first. He finished the day 6-for-7, with 7 RBI, 1 home run, 3 doubles, and 5 stolen bases.
Dukes struggled to get any momentum going all afternoon. Several times they threatened to, but that threat was quickly nullified by excellent pitching and very good defence. A slick 1-6-3 double play in the first inning of game 1 was the icing on the cake for Bracknell.
It was not all doom and gloom for Richmond. Numerous individual moments stood out that would have pleased manager Paul Tiley and provided some much-needed positives to take into their next game. Toby Reynolds destroyed the baseball in the first inning of game 1, sending it to ‘souvenir city’ in deep centre field for his second home run of the season. Gaston Farina went 3-for-3 from the leadoff spot in the first game. Callum Watts recorded his first hit of the season, an opposite field poke to right. Cam Esmond made a terrific play in right field catching the ball over his shoulder on a full sprint to make the final out of the 4th inning of game 2, saving two runs. Toby Reynolds showed off his strong arm with an outfield assist from centre field to Alvin Michael at third base who made a great pick on the one-hop, tagging Joe Williamson in time for the out. Michael also made a couple of outstanding plays from third base. Henry Slesser caught both games of the doubleheader, a feat of great endurance in itself, which made his chase down of Fred Pintaldi all the more impressive, as he dove head first to tag the retreating runner up the third base line.
Jamie Griffiths made his debut for Richmond Dukes and his first ever appearance in a competitive baseball game. At only 14 years of age, he was playing with and against players more than twice his age, and twice his size. Griffiths was given a baptism of fire, but to his credit, he rose to the challenge and acquitted himself admirably. He battled at the plate fouling off a couple of pitches and hustled down the line on a dropped third strike to move the runner up to third base. Whilst his glovework and footwork at shortstop and at the hot corner evinced a level much higher than his age, as he made a couple of difficult plays look easy. It was a solid first outing for Griffiths who did not seem out of place or out of his depth. There is an abundance of raw talent which, if it can be polished and as he physically matures, has the potential to develop into a bright star for Richmond Baseball.
Bracknell dominated both games and deserved both victories. With those two wins they leapfrog London Mustangs into the second playoff spot in the BBF Single-A South Central-A division. Just ten games remain of the regular season, and as the race for the playoffs heats up, Bracknell will be looking to stay red hot and secure their place in the post-season.
Richmond now sits firmly in third place in the BBF Single-A South Central-B division with a 7-7 record, two games behind their rivals London Minotaurs. Their next six games are on the road against teams who are over .500. They must win at least two or three of these next six games if they are to stand any chance of making the playoffs this season. On their best day Richmond are a match for any of the Single A teams. But they will need to perform at their very best the rest of the way in their final push for the post-season.