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May 7 Newly Promoted Bournemouth Bears Win Their First National Baseball League Game

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Bournemouth Bears Win Their First National Baseball League Game: All the Latest

Sunday 5 May 2024: Newly promoted Bournemouth Bears won their first-ever National Baseball League game in a split series against BC Vetra at Saltford Sports Club.

Bournemouth Bears recorded their first victory in the NBL following their AAA championship performance in 2023

After losing the first game of the series, the Bears scored an amazing seven runs in three innings to blow away the Saltford-based club in an eventual 9-4 victory.

Bournemouth’s star man offensively was catcher Jonny Guevara. He scored runs in the third, fourth and seventh innings - and he drove home two more runners.

The result saw the Bears move away from the bottom of the table, leaving the Sheffield Bruins as the only team without a win in the division this season.

In the first game of the series between the two sides, BC Vetra recorded their first victory since the opening day of the NBL season.

However, a brilliant second inning damaged Vetra’s campaign, as the Bears scored four of their total five runs in a 5-1 victory.

Miguel Sánchez picked up his first pitching victory of the season after striking out five Bears batters - and Vetra manager Tadas Sarakojis was full of praise for his pitcher following the result.

Sarakojis said:

“Miguel Sánchez did a great job on the mount he pitched seven innings and the Bournemouth Bears scored just one run. This was a key to the victory.”

Both teams return to action next weekend at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.

The Bournemouth Bears play the London Capitals and BC Vetra play the Essex Arrows before the two sides play each other again.

National Baseball League: London Capitals v Essex Arrows

Angel Perez scored a walk-off home run to kick off a two-game sweep for the Essex Arrows over the London Capitals at Townmead Playing Fields.

Johan Villanueva and Giovanni Pappalardo also showcased strong pitching performances, keeping the game scoreless coming into the bottom of the last inning.

That is before star hitter Perez smashed a home run deep into left field to secure a 1-0 victory for the Essex Arrows in the first game. The centre-fielder now leads the NBL in home runs, with two in total.

Pappalardo’s shutout gained him his third pitching victory of the season, the most wins of any pitcher in the NBL. His earned run average of 1.24 is also the best of any pitcher to pitch over 10 innings.

Will the London Capitals get their revenge at Grovehill Ballpark next week?

Yonathan Novas mirrored Pappalardo’s efforts with another shutout in game two. The pitcher has now pitched 10 innings in 2024 without giving up a single run.

Again, Perez proved a problem for the pitchers, scoring two of his team’s seven runs in a 7-0 win. The centre-fielder’s 0.412 batting average is now the second-highest in the division for any batter with 15 or more at-bats.

Eduardo Rodrigues, manager of the Arrows, was pleased with his team’s two-game sweep:

“Two great games and wins against a very good team.”

The London Capitals could get revenge against the Essex Arrows next week at Grovehill Ballpark. After that match, the Capitals play the Bournemouth Bears and the Arrows face BC Vetra.

National Baseball League Programme

Next weekend, we’ll see all NBL teams in action!

The London Mets and the Sheffield Bruins are at Enfield, while BC Vetra, the Bournemouth Bears, the London Capitals and the Essex Arrows star in a series of games at Grovehill Ballpark.