London Mets stay unbeaten in NBL plus thriller in Cardiff
Reigning National Baseball League champions London Mets extended their league unbeaten streak to five matches after a two-game sweep over Sheffield Bruins at Enfield Playing Fields.
The double defeat left the Bruins at the foot of the NBL table. They have gone winless in each of their five league matches this season.
The pitching efforts of Ryan Mclaughlin, Chris Messer, and Tom Flaherty were key for the Mets. The trio completely shut down the Bruins' offence and allowed zero runs in 13-0 and 9-0 victories.
Mclaughlin’s pitching victory in game one was his second of the season, which is the joint-second most in the league. Messer recorded his first victory this term in game two.
London Mets Ryan McLaughlin starred from the mound on Sunday with five shutout innings including five Ks
Picture : Jody Demay-Davies
It wasn’t just good defence shown by the champions, their offense ran riot with 22 runs over both matches.
Shortstop Marc Theberge was once again a star performer. He scored four runs and drove home five over both matches.
His highlight came at the bottom of the fifth inning in game two where his grand slam home run put the game beyond the Bruins.
Theberge has been dominant when stepping up to the plate this season. He leads the division in slugging percentage, on-base percentage, RBI, and walks.
London Mets manager Derrick Cook was keen to praise the efforts of his team following their series victory. He said: “It was a slow start to get going but the team picked it up. Great pitching married with timely hits and baserunning powered us home for the win.”
Sheffield Bruins manager Charlie Batho defended his team after their poor start to the season. He said: “A tough weekend, but we aim to come back stronger. We know that an 0-5 start isn’t reflective of the talent we have, and we’ll look to make that right as soon as possible.”
The Mets are on the road in a fortnight for another two-game series, this time against Bournemouth Bears at Ferndown Leisure Centre.
The Bruins will have to wait at least another three weeks to record their first win of the season when they play twice against the high-flying Essex Arrows at Thorpe Green Park.
Other NBL action
All of the NBL teams were in action on the weekend for the first time in 2024 with four different matches taking place at Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead.
Essex Arrows now lead the division in wins with seven in total after dominant 13-3 and 15-4 victories against London Capitals and BC Vetra. Arrows shortstop Juan Diaz shared his thoughts regarding his team’s performances on Sunday.
He said: “The first game was a solid one from the start, 3-0 lead to us with a homer by one of our sluggers and kept the fight on until we knocked them out in six innings 13-3.
“In the same fashion, game two kicked off with a 7-0 lead including a three-run homer by Yonathan Novas and a complete game by German Obando for a 15-4 blowout.”
Vetra and the Capitals did not leave Hertfordshire empty-handed though. They both recorded 6-4 and 5-0 victories over Bournemouth Bears respectively.
BBF AAA
New Forest Thunder v Cardiff Merlins
After a 6-4 defeat in game one at Pontcanna Fields. Pinch runner Nick South stole more then just the show.
Cardiff Merlins’ pinch runner Nick South stole second and third before scoring the winning run in a pitching thriller in the AAA clash with New Forest Thunder.
Shannon Hall of the Thunder and Shunta Mochizuki of the Merlins were locked in a fierce pitching battle where neither picther had yielded a single run coming into the bottom of the seventh inning.
Left fielder Rhodri Cavell began the inning with a base hit to the left side before being replaced by pinch runner South. He showed incredible speed to steal both second and third base before being driven home by shortstop Phillippi Griffin for a walk-off victory.
"It was fantastic to get the walk-off win after such a tense game 2, in front of a lot of our supporters. Our pitchers were again excellent on the day, and we backed them up well in the field,” said Ed Peebles, Cardiff’s shortstop. “Offensively, we are still getting used to the standard of pitching we're now facing, but we're confident that with time and the work we're putting in, the bats will come around."
Other AAA action
Croydon Pirates 7-3 & 18-1 Cambridge Lancers
London Metros 6-3 & 15-0 Essex Saxons
Bristol Badgers 6-8 & 13-14 Bracknell Inferno
BBL Higher
Manchester A's 10-15 & 0-18 Liverpool Trojans
Long Eaton Storm 17-0 & 9-3 Sheffield Kodiaks
BBF AA
Brighton Aces 10-15 & 0-17 Brighton Brewers
Bournemouth Bears (2) 3-11 & 7-15 Bristol Bats
Richmond Knights 19-8 & 14-11 Formosa Islanders
Oxford Kings 3-8 & 14-16 Guildford Mavericks
London Mustangs 22-16 & 8-18 London Sidewinders
Herts Ducks 3-9 & 7-14 Milton Keynes Bucks
Herts Hawks 4-7 & 8-13 Norwich Iceni
Kent Buccaneers 8-9 & 7-6 Tonbridge Wildcats
BBF A
London Minotaurs 13-4 & 13-0 Richmond Barons
Cornish Claycutters 15-0 & 17-2 Bournemouth Bears (3)
Essex Redbacks 20-2 & 22-5 Brentwood Stags
New Forest Knights 5-15 & 6-20 Bristol Buccaneers
Taunton Pistols 1-16 & 14-15 Cardiff Merlins (A)
Bristol Brunels 3-6 & 24-10 Cornish Pioneers
Hurricanes Baseball (2) 22-1 & 19-12 Hastings Pirates
London Mercury 16-15 & 16-12 Herts Eagles
Weston Jets 17-15 & 4-5 Taunton Muskets
Croydon Pirates (A) 19-0 & 11-1 Richmond Dukes
BBL Lower
Bootle Trojans 18-3 & 22-4 Halton Trojans
Sheffield Bladerunners (2) 17-5 & 14-3 Manchester Bees
Wragby Warhammers 13-2 Leeds Locos
Hull Scorpions 6-14 & 7-2 Sheffield Bladerunners (1)
East Of England Baseball League
Cambridge Royals 14-12 & 15-6 Cambridge Monarchs
Northants Centurions 16-6 & 15-14 Harwich Town Bay Area Blues
Canal League
Limehouse Cutters 2-8 Suez Tomb Raiders
Suez Tomb Raiders 12-6 London Mayhem
London Mayhem 6-10 Limehouse Cutters
Report by Michael Thomas
