Osborn and Kano shine as Badgers inflict two defeats on Rebeldes
MIKE Osborn, Badgers pitcher, threw his second successive shutout as the Bristol team swept SW Rebeldes in Sunday’s BBF AAA double header in Taunton.
Osborn’s stellar performance in the second game’s 12-0 victory was supported by Taka Kano’s threerun home run as the Badgers blasted six runs in the second inning.
Mattia Papini, Doug Scriver and Osborn also produced with the bat, driving in five runs between them.
The Badgers took the first game 10-3 behind another good pitching performance by Kano, who struck out 11 Rebeldes batters over his seven innings pitched.
Tom Hollies, Scriver and Kano all had a multiple-hit game as the Badgers scored consistently from the start.
“Mike was brilliant for the second game in succession and deserves the plaudits for the way he goes about pitching,” said Tom Hollies, the Badger catcher who has played with and against Osborn for many years.
“It was a good all-round performance from the team which bodes well as we get deeper into the season.”
The Bats and Brunels faced each other in the first club derby of the season at Somerdale Pavilion. The experienced Bats proved too strong for the Brunels taking both games 16-7 in the SWWBL A league battle.
The Brunels fought hard but couldn’t contain the devastating base running of the Bats who wracked up 25 stolen bases on the afternoon. Alex Brown, Paul Gardiner and Billy Garrett all had multi-hit days to support the pitching of Sean Wilkins and Ty Porter.
“I was really pleased with the offensive side of our game,” said the Bats player/manager Neptali Ortega-Gutierrez. “There were too many errors in the field which we need to tighten up on in training but the result has given us momentum for the rest of the season.”
For Brunels, infielder Coral Pike had a great second game with three hits and a stolen base, while Michele Botta had two hits to celebrate his birthday.
“We fought hard all afternoon against what is a very strong hitting team and I am delighted with the way players responded to the pressure,” said Brunels player-manager Richard Evans.
The Buccaneers were also in action, against the Weston Jets at Somerdale, but went down 18-12 and 16-8 to the Wessex division leaders.
The Bristol team outhit the Jets in the first game but couldn’t convert them into runs. Paul Blackburn, Henry Mcnamara, Eric Hiller, Tom Farrell and Dani Searson all had good days at the plate, driving in eight runs.
It was a similar story in the second game with the Buccaneers unable to take advantage of the 11 hits against the Jets pitcher.
“It was a good offensive performance and the result would have been a different story if we had been able to convert the number of hits we got into runs,” said Josh Williams-Trim, player-manager for the Buccaneers. “Good situational hitting can make the difference between a win and a loss and we need to work on that at training.”
This weekend, the Bobcats kick off their BBF Women’s Baseball League campaign as they travel to Bracknell to take on defending champions The Belles.
“Its going to be an exciting season for the Bobcats,” said manager Pau Miquel Mir. “We have been training hard and the players have been getting good experience in the club’s mixed teams.”
The Badgers travel to Bournemouth to take on the Bears in their next AAA double header. The Bats welcome Cardiff Merlins II, while the Brunels will host the Cornish Claycutters. Both games will be at Somerdale, starting at noon.