The first outs of the game, in both camps, were not easy to obtain. Both starting pitchers were very inaccurate in the first inning. Thomas Otis was the first to get into hot water. With the bases loaded, the Verts’ gunner conceded the first run of the game to the visitors on a sacrifice fly. The right-hander from Jonquière, however, stopped the bleeding there, before things got complicated.

Jonquière got back into the game one inning later by showing opportunism. After an imprecise throw from the pitcher to first base, the door opened for Jonquière. In no time, Raphaël Ranger found himself at third base. A single from Raphaël Delisle allowed him to get his team on the scoreboard.

Jonquière showed opportunism at bat. The Voyageurs’ seven hits came at crucial moments and changed the outcome of the game. (Sophie Lavoie/Le Quotidien)

“It’s good to see that guys 1 through 9 in this lineup can hit and make a difference. Raph had a very good game, with his two hits. We continued to play our baseball, our identity. We put the ball in play, we sometimes drop the bunt and we are aggressive on the bases. It creates stress on opposing defenses. It causes mistakes. That’s how we can stand out,” commented Jérémie Chalifour, the Voyageurs’ head coach,

The tie, which had been created by Raphaël Ranger’s point, did not last long. The ABC responded and regained the lead in its third at-bat. Jonquière imitated the 16-year-old hopes a few minutes later. Liam Marcoux’s triple was the trigger for a two-run surge by the Voyageurs. The crowd favorites struggled to preserve their newly acquired advantage, however. The next moment, Jean Michel Laplante, seeing the ball escape the home team’s catcher, brought everyone back to square one. After the start of the fifth inning, the scoreboard read 3-3.

Three defensive errors were made in the match. Alexandre Munger was the author of the only Jonquière blunder recorded on the scorer’s card. (Sophie Lavoie/Le Quotidien)

Jonquière ends the impasse

The game, which had been rather close until then, suddenly turned in favor of the Voyageurs. The aggressiveness of the Jonquière runners finally paid off after a walk and a hit batter. In scoring position, Alexandre Munger and Raphaël Ranger were able to easily cross the plate when Liam Marcoux and Raphaël Delisle put the ball in play.

This time, it was the right one. Ahead 5-3 after almost three hours of play, Jérémie Chalifour called on Alexandre Dionne to close the books. The Verts’ number 34 did the job. He got a first out in the inning by freezing his second opponent with a third strike called by the umpire. Jean Benoît Simard Gagnon then destroyed the ABC’s hopes of a comeback by retiring a runner who had flown to second base. A final defensive effort sealed the Voyageurs’ victory. Nathan Morency completed a superb play in the infield. Everyone in the stadium applauded. It was finally over.

“Overall, our pitchers were good. The next generation really reassured us. Derek is continuing his excellent end of the season. He is becoming more and more reliable in the pen and that is positive for us as we approach the playoffs. We could have given him the last inning of work, but we preferred to turn to Alex. We want to give him the opportunity to prove himself in the big moments. We see him in this role in the long term,” confirmed the Verts’ pilot. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Derek Larouche struck out three batters in one and a third innings of work. (Sophie Lavoie/Le Quotidien)

[EN RATTRAPAGE] A mixed journey through the metropolis

Earlier this week, the Voyageurs paid a little visit to the teams in the greater Montreal area. Jérémie Chalifour’s men first stopped at Gary Carter Stadium on Tuesday to pick up a 3-0 victory over the Orioles. Jacob Laurin got off to a great start on the mound. His performance paved the way for his team’s triumph.

After defeating the Montrealers, the northern force measured itself against the Laval Pirates the next day, last Wednesday. The Laval players hit hard in the second inning by generating four points. This offensive surge completely sawed the legs of the Jonquiérois who finally had to admit defeat 6 to 2 before hitting the road to return home.

“We played our best defensive game of the year against Montreal on Tuesday. Our outfielders were spectacular. Laurin was solid on the mound. We didn’t have the same luck on the mound the next day against Laval. It was more difficult. We came up against an excellent pitcher. After two innings, we were trailing by a lot. It was quite a hill to climb. We didn’t know how to do it. I would say that our trip to Montreal was okay, nothing more. We would have liked to win both games,” concluded the head coach.

Jérémie Chalifour expects a sustained effort from his team for the final stretch of the season. (Tom Core/Le Quotidien)

A major challenge awaits the Jonquière team on Saturday afternoon at Stade Richard-Desmeules, starting at 4 p.m. One of the best teams in the circuit will be in town for a doubleheader. The Verts will indeed try to forget their past setbacks against Trois-Rivières. The Aigles, for their part, will try to stay in the battle for first place in the East Division.

2024-08-03 03:08:21
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