BASEBALL: Pirates Sail On
JAMES YOUNG
Hastings Pirates baseball club continued their blistering form last Sunday (5 July), with two impressive on-the-road triumphs over the Brighton Jets. The wins gave the Pirates a record of 12 victories and only two defeats for the season, stretching their lead at the top of British Baseball Federation Division 5 South to two games.
Uduak Victor Robert pitches for Pirates
The victories showcased many of the strengths of this year’s Pirates. In the first game, a 17-3 drubbing, eight early runs came with two outs (in baseball, three outs ends an inning), demonstrating both discipline and patience at the plate. Pitcher Robert Uduak Victor once again dominated on the mound, giving up only six hits and three ‘walks’ (a free pass to first base awarded when a pitcher misses the strike zone four times), and striking out five – sparkling statistics at any level of baseball.
The Pirates, meanwhile, rattled out eleven hits against the Brighton pitchers, who also coughed up fourteen walks. Such impressive hitting meant there was only minor disappointment when slugger Marhil Romano’s thumping hit to left field was spectacularly caught in the third inning, robbing him of a fourth home run of the season.
Although the second game was closer, with the Pirates only narrowly ahead late on, four unanswered runs in the fifth and final inning brought a comfortable 11-5 win. Once again a balance of timely hitting and strong pitching was key, the latter courtesy of Romano and veteran Frank Cooper, who between them held Brighton to seven hits and five walks. The win stretched the Pirates’ unbeaten run to seven games.
Such form means the thoughts of Pirates’ players and staff are naturally turning to the possibility of qualification for the post-season play-offs for the first time in the club’s nine-year history, which would put the team well ahead of its aims for the year.
“As a club we set out a goal of achieving post-season games in 2027, with the primary target for this year to build on last season,” says general manager Clive Raines. “To find ourselves top of the table and with talk of the play-offs on the players’ lips is testament to the hard work put in by the entire squad.”
To make the play-offs – and ultimately reach September’s Division 5 semi-finals and finals weekend at the National Baseball & Softball Complex at Farnham Park – the Pirates will have to fend off stiff competition from within their division, with a pair of crunch fixtures away to Tonbridge looming this Sunday, 19 July.
“We’re not taking anything for granted,” says Raines. “Our opponents have all experienced this situation before, and are more than capable of catching us. But whatever happens between now and the end of August we’re going from strength to strength, and looking towards the future.”
The Hastings Pirates play their home games at Claremont Prep School on Sunday afternoons. First pitch is at 12noon; attendance is free. For more info follow instagram.com/hastingspiratesbaseball
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