The Tonbridge Wildcats travelled to Bognor Regis May 17th to play two games against the Cobras. The double-header was played at King George V Recreation Field, Felpham, and marked the first time the Wildcats played the Cobras as both are new in the British Baseball Federation Division 4 South.
Game1
In the first game of the day, Tonbridge jumped to an early lead by scoring four in the first inning and then five in the next. The Cobras showed their resilience, notching two runs in the bottom of the second but the visitors didn’t allow any more scoring after that. Wildcats starting pitcher Rob Best permitted only five hits over the entire contest and finished his second complete game of the season. The Wildcats offense had some big bats and some keen eyesight—tallying 16 hits and 10 walks. Team captain Ben Wells and Matt Styles combined for 7 hits whilst Shota Hamano cranked two doubles. The Wildcats defense turned two double plays stunting the Cobras rally attempts. The final score was a win for the Wildcats18-2.Pictured: two rookies, one old-timer, and delicious Cakes&Bakes
Game2
Tonbridge turned to Andrew Sharp to pitch game 2 and the Wildcats continued where they left off in the first game by scoring five in the first inning. Shota Hamano, Vic Osweiler, and Mike Bartlett earned two RBIs each in the game, Matt Styles tallied two hits and four stolen bases, and Max Boyden made two stellar catches in the outfield. Sharp recorded five strikeouts and allowed only five hits, one of which was a home run by Benjamin Lucas in the 3rd inning when the Cobras made their best rally—scoring three runs to narrow the Wildcats lead 6-4. However, Tonbridge put up five runs in the top of the 4th plus two more in the final inning and didn’t allow Bognor to score again. The win moved Tonbridge to 4-0 on the season.
