Game Report by www.britishbaseball.org
A combination of the endless Bank Holiday, Royal Wedding fever and of course umpire issues ensured that only one doubleheader survived in the National Baseball League on Sunday 1 May.
Essex Arrows at Southampton Mustangs
The Mustangs were too much for their visitors from Essex, easing to victory in both games by 5-0 and 8-2 scorelines.
Gary Davison took the pitching honours in Game One, seeing off Matt Gilbert in a well-pitched contest as well as clubbing two doubles to help the Southampton offense.
Game Two had more offensive fireworks, with Lee Ralph emerging victorious on the mound after Arrows starter Richard Chesterton was forced out of the game after diving for a ground ball in the second inning.
Southampton coach Ben Davis said: “Our defence was stellar today. The Essex guys were making a lot of contact but our defence really stood up and won us the games. These wins are massive for us as they build confidence. It gives you stuff to work with as a team and proves you can come through in close games.”
Essex pitcher Richard Chesterton said: “We just could not string two hits together. We were hitting the ball well, but straight at their guys. They kept dribbling in the runs and we could never get back into it.
“It was really annoying,” Chesterton added, “but we will get better.”
{mrb-result:2011-05-01|2011-05-02|GB}
{mrb-standing:great-britain-2011}