Zombies are walking dead and Hurricanes are blown away

Here are the reports... keep up to date with local softball in the Chichester Observer and on this website.

Hursley Hurricanes 7 Chichester Falcons 18

The Falcons flew west to face Hursley Hurricanes in Eastleigh and came away with a fine win.

Ben Sawkins led off with a fine double and came home off debutante Molly Rayner’s confident first hit in a senior league game.

The Hurricanes responded well at first, but pitcher Jason Mercer quickly turned up the heat, consistently attacking the strike-zone and putting the home team under pressure.

Big sticks from the Hurricanes threatened the outfield, but Rochelle Enticknapp and Bart Garofalo blocked right field, while Vicki Cathie’s long arm and Peter Martin’s pinpoint accurate throws to catcher Carrie Suhr helped keep the runs at bay.

The infield pairing of James Mortimore and Lauren Smith was deadly, with consistent outs at first base. Running out of ideas, the Hurricanes were unable to attack the left base-line due to an on-form Emma Brown at third base, and a superb catch from a low line-drive helped her win female MVP.

Meanwhile the Falcons’ strategic batting line-up was paying dividends as the Falcons hit nine runs in the fifth, helped on with a Ben Sawkins home run and a dramatic slide into third base by MVP Sam McGann.

The Hurricanes were limited to four runs in the last six innings as the strikeouts kept coming and the Falcons came home with a deserved 18-7 win.

Chichester Falcons 25 Portsmouth Zombies 3

A convincing win over Zombies kept the Falcons flying at the top of Solent League division three.

Determined to gain revenge for their defeat at Oaklands Park earlier in the season, Chichester hit eight runs in the first, three of which came from first baseman Lucy Morris, who put up her second career home run, bringing in Vicki Cathie and Ben Sawkins in the process.

Pitcher Jason Mercer was on fine form, using the gusty conditions to rattle the Zombie bats and restricting them to just one run in reply.

The Falcons turned up the heat again in the second, with Peter Martin hitting the first of two doubles before Ben Sawkins hit the ball far enough to reach the perimeter hedges.

On an open field Sawkins would have had time to reach home plate, but with the ball lost and unplayable, he was placed on second base for a ground rule double.

Junior Falcon Bronte Harvey stepped up and brought him home with a line drive to left field, continuing to establish herself in the seniors’ team with her calm, consistent approach to the game.

Zombies couldn’t resurrect anything at bat; a weak chopper down the third base line was gunned to first by third baseman David Morris, as Jason Mercer’s knuckleball continued to torture the Portsmouth attack.

Ally Warr and Emma Brown were untroubled in the outfield as the Falcons found themselves 22-3 up in the third before taking their foot off the gas somewhat.

Carrie Suhr forced an error in the fourth to get herself on second base, Clive Janes was smart and aggressive running the bases to add another run, and finally Stefan Panayotopoulos knocked in a further RBI to end the game 25-3 to the Falcons.

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