Softball is back - and Chichester Falcons are soaring

Chichester Falcons celebrated their first Solent Softball League game of 2021 with a thrilling win over Solent Sluggers

The Falcons came hot out of the blocks with a seven run first innings, including a third base hit from Lucy Morris and a home run for James Blackall, following up with a solid shutout to leave the Sluggers well behind .

By the 5th inning, despite a home run from debutant Dominic Stephenson, the Falcons had been limited to only two runs and the Sluggers exploited mistakes to claw back an 11-9 lead.

Sensing defeat, captain David Piesse rearranged the infield, moving Rose Bhanji to first base and Rachel Horton at catcher. The Sluggers’ advance was halted, thanks to two outstanding diving catches from shortstop James Blackball, and Chichester went into the final innings just behind.

With aggressive hits from the top of the order and gutsy base running from Hettie NcNeil, they ended their batting with a three run lead.

Then pitcher Jason Mercer picked up his third strike-out of the game to hold it at 15-16, before Ally Warr took a vital catch to seal it.

The Falcons travelled again to Portsmouth, this time to face the high flying Dodgers.

Chichester got ahead 5-1 in the first thanks to another homer from James Blackall, followed by a fierce club to centre field by Hettie McNeil.

Pitcher Jason Mercer struggled to find the zone, but gave the Dodgers virtually nothing to hit comfortably and Bronte Harvey consistently shut the door in the middle infield.

Debutant George Farmer offered a confident performance, linking up well with Ally Warr. But it was Josh Bristow who really shone for the Falcons as they won 22-14.