The Challenge de France kicks off tomorrow, Friday May 9. The four-day tournament features all of the French Division I clubs along with the French 18U National Team.

The teams are broken down into two groups and will play a modified double elimination tournament. The groups are:

• Group A: Rouen Huskies, Stade Toulousain, Savigny Lions, France U18
• Group B: Paris UC, Templiers Senart, Montpellier Barracudas, Beaucaire Chevaliers

You can also find more information on the tournament’s Facebook Page.

The 10th Annual Challenge de France is nearly upon us. The tournament featuring all seven of the Division I clubs, along with the French National 18U club, will be played in Paris from May 9th to the 12th.

The old round robin format has been replaced with a modified double elimination. Winners of the two pools will advance to the championship with the winner of that getting a ticket to the European Cup.

We will try to bring you daily coverage of the tournament, so stay tuned for more information.

Week Five is in the books for the French Division I League as Rouen stays on top of the league with two huge wins over the weekend. The Senart Templiers fell a game back as they split their weekend set.

Results Week 5:

Paris UC 12, Stade Toulouse 3
Paris UC 11, Stade Toulouse 1

Senart Templiers 0, Montpellier Barracudas 1
Senart Templiers 5, Montpellier Barracudas 1

France Academy 3, Rouen Huskies 13
France Academy 1, Rouen Huskies 22

Savigny Lions 0, Beaucaire Chevaliers 7
Savigny Lions 5, Beaucaire Chevaliers 10

French Division I Standings:

1. Rouen Huskies 9-1
2. Senart Templiers 8-2
3. Montpellier Barracudas 7-3
4. Beaucaire Chevaliers 3-5
4. Paris UC 3-5
6. Stade Toulouse 3-7
6. Savigny Lions 3-7
8. France Academy 2-8

Week four is in the books for the French Division I league. This past weekend the Toulouse Tigers gave the Rouen Huskies their first loss of the year which put them in a tie for first place with the Templiers Senart.

Results Week 4:

Toulouse Academy – Templiers Senart – 3-11 and 0-8

Rouen Huskies – Toulouse Tigers – 4-5 and 5-1

Beaucaire Chevaliers – Montpellier Barracudas- 3-9 and 2-4

Savigny Lions – Paris UC – 4-9 and 11-3

French Division I Standings:

1. Rouen Huskies 7-1
2. Templiers Senart 7-1
3. Montpellier Barracudas 6-2
4. Savigny Lions 3-5
5. State Toulousain 3-5
6. Toulouse Academy 2-6
7. Beaucaire Chevaliers 1-5
8. Paris UC 1-5

The Rouen Huskies have won the 2012 French Division I Championship finishing off the Senart Templiers 12-8 in Game 4 of the best-of-5 series. The win gives the Huskies the title winning the series 3-games-to-1.

Nether starter fared well as they were both touched up a bit by the opposing teams offense. However, Rouen starter Owen Ozanich (1-1) did a bit better picking up the win. Ozanich went 8 innings allowing 5 runs on 6 hits. Senart starter Patrick Farell (0-2) lasted just 6 innings giving up 9 runs on 11 hits.

Ethan Paquette (MVP) had a big day at the plate going 3-for-4 with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored. He was a home run shy of the cycle. Joris Bert scored 3 runs going 3-for-5. Mathew Smith hit Rouen’s only home run going 1-for-3. In the 7th inning, Smith drove in 2 runs with a solo home run and a sacrifice fly as Rouen put the game away scoring 7 runs.

John Putt hit a 2-run home run for Senart in the loss going 2-for-5 with 3 RBI. Frederic Hanvi (2-for-3), and Arthur Paturel (1-for-4) both went deep as well for Senart in the loss.

Senart 6, Rouen 4

Rouen 5, Senart 1

Rouen 10, Senart 0

Rouen 12, Senart 8

Rouen wins series 3-1

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ROUEN, France – The Rouen Huskies took a 2-1 game lead over the Senart Templiers backed by a great outing from starter Christopher Mezguer who picked up his 2nd win of the championship.

Mezguer went the distance allowing on 3 hits and no runs while striking out 7. He has been almost unhittable in the finals so far. In 17 innings Mezguer has given up 1 run on 7 hits and struck out 15 while walking only 1.

Ethan Paquette (3-for-4) doubled in 2 runs in the 6th and hit a solo home run in the 8th to lead Rouen offensively. Boris Marche added a 2-RBI double and a sac fly to help Rouen to the 10-0 victory.

The series will conclude on Sunday in Rouen with Game 4 and 5 if necessary. Rouen is just 1 win away from another French Title.

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SENART, France – The Rouen Huskies came back in Game 2 to tie the French Baseball Division I Finals at one game apiece after defeating the Senart Templiers 5-1 on Sunday.

Christopher Mezguer pitched great for Rouen tossing a complete game allowing only 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 8.

With the game 2-1 heading into the 9th inning, Mathew Smith drove in 2 runs with a pinch-hit double to extend the lead to 4-1.  Maxime Lefevre followed up with a RBI double of his own to give Rouen a 4 run lead. Rouen managed only 5 hits but capitalized on the 6 walks by Senart pitching.

Patrick Farell took the loss for Senart throwing a complete game giving up 5 runs (4 ER) on 5 hits and 6 walks.

The series shifts to Rouen for the final 3 games this weekend.

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SENART, France – The 2012 French Division I Finals started this weekend with the Senart Templiers taking Game 1 from the Rouen  Huskies 6-4.

Matthew Brelle-Andrade pitched a complete game picking up the win for Senart. He game up 4 runs (1 ER) giving up 9 hits and striking out 8. Ernesto Martinez (1-for-4) drove in 2 runs, and right fielder John Putt (2-for-3) doubled and triple driving in a run and scoring another.

Owen Ozanich took the loss for Rouen giving up 6 runs in 5 innings. Ethan Paquette, Louis Aponte, and Boris Marche each had 2 hits for the Huskies.

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The Rouen Huskies just needed one game this past weekend to complete their three game sweep of the Savigny Lions after winning the first two games the previous week. With the 7-3 win, Rouen advances to the 2012 French Division I Finals where they will face the Senart Templiers.

Senart defeated Paris UC twice this weekend (7-2 and 4-0) to take the series 3-games-to-1 after the two teams split the previous weekend.

Rouen is playing in its 9th championship series in the past 10 years.

The Finals will begin this weekend at Senart starting Friday. Game 2 will be Saturday and then the following weekend the best-of-5 series will move to Rouen.

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The semi-final round of the 2012 French Elite League Playoffs kicked off this weekend as the Rouen Huskies faced off with the Savigny Lions, while Paris UC played the Senart Templiers.

Each series will be a best-of-5 that will conclude next weekend. The finals are slated to be played the 2nd and 3rd weekend of August.

Paris UC advanced to the semi-final round after having defeated Montpellier in the quarter-finals. Savigny advanced after defeating Toulouse 2-0 in their 3-game series.

Rouen Huskies 10, 4 – Savigny Lions 0, 1

The Rouen Huskies took the first two games in the best-of-5 series with Savigny over the weekend. The series will head to Rouen next weekend to conclude the series.

Senart Templiers 7, 4 – Paris UC 6, 7

The Senart Templiers and Paris UC split the first two games of their semi-final series over the weekend. The series shifts to Senart next weekend for the final 3 games.

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The French Division I games were held on Sunday a day after the CEB canceled the European Champions Cup Final Four which was a huge blow to the Rouen Huskies.

That didn’t stop Rouen from routing its competition though to stay ahead of the competition. In the two game set, Rouen outscored the Beaucaire Chevaliers 23-1.

The Templiers Senart extended its lead for second place by defeating Paris UC twice. The rest of the league split their doubleheaders.

French League Results:
Rouen 13, 10 – Beaucaire 1, 0
Toulouse 5, 3 – Montpellier 2, 12
Savigny 1, 11 – Pessac 3, 4
Paris 7, 4 – Senart 14, 7

French League Standings:

1. Rouen Huskies 24-2
2. Templiers Senart 19-5
3. Paris UC 15-9
4. Savigny Lions 12-10
5. Stade Toulousain 8-14
6. Montpellier Barracudas 7-15
7. Pessac Panthers 5-19
8. Beaucaire Chevaliers 4-20

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There were nothing but sweeps this weekend in the French Division 1 Baseball League. Rouen continued to roll with a sweep of Stade Toulouse.

Rouen Huskies 9, Toulousain Baseball 3
Rouen Huskies 7, Toulousain Baseball 1

Rouen rebounded after trailing 2-0 in Game 1 after an inning to hold Toulouse to a single run the rest of the game as their bats got going. Rouen scored a single run in the 2nd and two runs in the 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 8th innings. Keino Perez picked up his 5th win on the year.

Game 2 was more of the same with Rouen dominating behind Chris Mezger‘s 9th win on the year. On the offensive side, Ethan Paquette hit a 3-run home run.

Montpellier 4, Pairs UC 7
Montpellier 1, Pairs UC 3

Paris University Club took two this weekend from the Montpellier Barracudas. The sweep didn’t change much in the standings as both teams stay put, but with the wins Paris UC keeps pace with the leaders in the league.

Pessac Panthers 0, Savigny Lions 10
Pessac Panthers 2, Savigny Lions 12

The Savigny Lions moved over .500 with a sweep of the Pessac Panthers. The Lions blasted the Panthers in both games winning by  10 runs in each.

French Baseball League Standings:

1. Rouen Huskies 22-2
2. Templiers Senart 17-5
3. Paris UC 15-7
4. Savigny Lions 12-10
5. Stade Toulousain 8-14
6. Montpellier Barracudas 7-15
7. Pessac Panthers 5-19
8. Beaucaire Chevaliers 4-18

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by French Baseball and Softball Federation

The French Baseball Federation (FFBS) is proud to announce the launch of a new website dedicated to Team France at the World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Jupiter (FL):http://www.baseballfrance.com/en/

This website is part of a first time ever FFBS recruiting campaign to find players eligible to play for Team France in line with WBC and/or IBAF rules. We are searching players with French passports or French family background (ea: born in France or married to a French citizen or with a French parent or Grandparent). The goal is to find professional and amateur players to reinforce the National Teams (all age categories: U16, U18, U21, Adults) and develop the French Baseball Network.

There is a recruitment form available online for players and coaches interested in joining Team France. The highest priority is to recruit top players eligible to play for Team France at the World Baseball Classic.

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FRANCE – Rouen reliever Maxime Lefevre walked Pierrick Lemestre in the 10th to force in the go-ahead run, and the Savigny Lions upset the Huskies 12-11 Sunday in the French Baseball League.

Savigny (7-8), which lost the front end of the twinbill 7-1, fell behind by four runs before plating scores in each of the final six frames to salvage an improbable split with the seven-time reigning league title-holder.

Trailing 11-6 with just three outs remaining, the Lions used a five-run ninth aided by both a run-scoring wild pitch and a run-scoring passed ball.

Christopher Morel went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBIs and reliever Enrique Trinidad (1-0) collected the final three outs to get the win.

Paris University Club knocked off the Pessac Panthers twice. Frederic Mouchet (1-0) scattered a run and six hits with five strikeouts in a complete game effort to lead PUC to a 12-1 win in the first contest.

PUC (13-5) finished off the sweep with a 3-0 win in the second encounter behind a three-hit shutout by James Murrey (7-1) that included 11 strikeouts.

The Beaucaire Chevaliers and Toulousain Baseball split a doubleheader. The Chevaliers (3-14) took the first game, 6-3, as Alexandre Ingram (1-5) struck out eight in a complete game win.

Toulouse (7-11) rebounded to claim a 5-4 win in the twinbill finale. Jossue Mendoza singled home the eventual game-winning score in the top of the ninth with two outs.

2012 FRENCH LEAGUE:

Rouen Huskies (16-2)
Senart Templiers (14-4)
Paris University Club (13-5)
Savigny Lions (7-8)
Toulousain Baseball (7-11)
Montpellier Barracudas (5-13)
Pessac Panthers (4-12)
Beaucaire Chevaliers (3-14)

Marvin Moore is a freelance writer and former int’l baseball coach. He currently teaches baseball to underpriviliged Filipino boys at the Future Stars Baseball School in Bohol, Philippines.

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Templiers Senart with new Ballpark, which meets international standards

Another new international baseball stadium was inaugurated in Europe on Wednesday. After new ballparks were built in Brest (Belarus), Mainz (Germany), Sundbyberg (Sweden) and Parma (Italy) in recent years, a new field was inaugurated in Senart (France) a couple of kilometers south of Paris, raising the prospects for more elite level baseball events in France and Europe.

Construction of the field began last July and was completed just in time for the start of the 2012 baseball season.

“This facility just outside Paris will add some very interesting hosting possibilities and development projects for European Baseball,” said International Baseball Federation president, Riccardo Fraccari, via telephone from Havana, Cuba.

“We are very encouraged by the momentum of baseball in France and Europe in general, as more and more countries are competing on baseball’s world stage and facilities like this will help continue elevating the skill level and standards of players in Europe.” Fraccari continued.

The new baseball stadium, which fulfills all international standards, features a state of the art clubhouse with a bar, a synthetic playing surface, a modern lightning system, bullpens and covered batting cages. There are also plans to incorporate a regional training center in the area to further strengthen the development of baseball in France and Europe on the whole.

“Our hats  go off to our colleagues at the French Baseball and Softball Federation for this world-class venue and their commitment to the development of the game in their country and beyond,” Fraccari noted.

Didier Seminet and Jean-Christophe Tiné of the French Baseball and Softball Federation attended the inauguration ceremony on Wednesday among numerous local dignitaries. With this new venue, France is expected to host European and International tournaments in Senart in the future.

Courtesy IBAF.org

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FRANCE – The Rouen Huskies continued its march towards another French Baseball League crown with a pair of convincing wins Sunday against the struggling Montpellier Barracudas.

The seven-time defending league champion knocked off the Barracudas 9-4 in the first game. Ethan Paquette enjoyed a stellar game with the lumber going 4-for-4 with three doubles and a trio of RBIs. Chris Mezguer (6-0) fanned nine over four one-run frames to get the win.

The Huskies (15-1) finished off the doubleheader sweep with an 8-4 decision. Luis Aponte, Luc Piquet and Bastien Dagneau each drove in two scores to help player/coach Keino Perez (3-0) earn the win.

Paris University Club, the Senart Templiers and the Savigny Lions all racked up twinbill sweeps. PUC had little trouble with the Beaucaire Chevaliers, 14-1 and 5-2; Senart toppled the Pessac Panthers, 10-0 and 8-6; and Savigny walloped Toulouse, 9-2 and 11-1.

2012 FRENCH LEAGUE:

Rouen Huskies (15-1)
Senart Templiers (12-4)
Paris University Club (10-4)
Savigny Lions (6-7)
Toulousain Baseball (6-10)
Montpellier Barracudas (5-11)
Pessac Panthers (4-10)
Beaucaire Chevaliers (2-13)

Marvin Moore is a freelance writer and former int’l baseball coach. He currently teaches baseball to underpriviliged Filipino boys at the Future Stars Baseball School in Bohol, Philippines.

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FRANCE – Mathieu Brelle Andrade delivered a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Senart Templiers to a dramatic 3-2 victory Sunday over the Rouen Huskies in the back end of a doubleheader. With the loss, the seven-time French Baseball League champion saw its season-opening winning streak snapped at 12 games.

Luis Aponte raised his batting average to a whopping .512 (21-for-41) with a 4-for-4 effort in a losing cause.

Rouen (12-1) took the first game, 3-1, as Bastien Dagneau doubled home two scores in a three-run second. Owen Ozanich (6-0/0.43 ERA) went the distance to get the win.

Senart starter Mathieu Brelle Andrade (0-2/1.91 ERA) was dealt the setback despite limiting the Huskies to just four hits over nine innings.

2012 FRENCH LEAGUE:

Rouen Huskies (13-1)
Senart Templiers (10-4)
Paris University Club (8-4)
Toulousain Baseball (6-8)
Savigny Lions (4-7)
Montpellier Barracudas (5-9)
Pessac Panthers (4-8)
Beaucaire Chevaliers (2-11)

Marvin Moore is a freelance writer and former int’l baseball coach. He currently teaches baseball to underpriviliged Filipino boys at the Future Stars Baseball School in Bohol, Philippines.

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FRANCE – The seven-time defending French Baseball League champion Rouen Huskies extended its winning streak to 12 games with a pair of lopsided victories over the Beaucaire Chevaliers.

The battle for second-place between Paris University Club (8-4) and the Senart Templiers (9-3) ended in a doubleheader split. PUC took an 8-1 win in the first game before the Templiers captured the second contest, 9-3.

Toulouse (5-7) slipped past the Montpellier Barracudas, 4-2, in the front end of a twinbill. However, Montpellier (4-8) rolled to a 15-2 blowout win in Sunday’s finale.

SUNDAY, APRIL 29
Rouen 16,16 – Beaucaire 9,1
Paris 8,3 – Senart 1,9
Toulouse 4,2 – Montpellier 2,15

2012 FRENCH LEAGUE:

Rouen Huskies (12-0)
Senart Templiers (9-3)
Paris University Club (8-4)
Toulousain Baseball (5-7)
Montpellier Barracudas (4-8)
Pessac Panthers (3-7)
Savigny Lions (2-7)
Beaucaire Chevaliers (2-9)

Marvin Moore is a freelance writer and former int’l baseball coach. He currently teaches baseball to underpriviliged Filipino boys at the Future Stars Baseball School in Bohol, Philippines.

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FRANCE – Chris Mezguer outdueled fellow import pitcher James Murrey in a low-scoring matchup Sunday, and the Rouen Huskies claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over Paris University Club in the first part of a French Baseball League twinbill.

Mezguer (4-0) scattered a lone hit, three walks and struck out 13 to remain unbeaten in four starting assignments.

Murrey (1-1) was tagged with the setback despite a strong eight-inning stint that included one run and three hits with 12 strikeouts.

The Huskies scored the lone run of the game in the second. Mathew Smith reached on a one-out walk, stole second, moved up another base on a passed ball before scampering home on a wild pitch.

Rouen (10-0) completed the sweep with a 5-3 win in the second game. Kenji Hagiwara and Luis Aponte both drove in two runs, while Owen Ozanich (5-0) worked seven frames of one-run ball to earn the decision.

The Senart Templiers (8-2) moved into second-place with two not-so-easy wins (6-5 and 3-1) over the Savigny Lions, while the Beaucaire Chevaliers (2-7) split two games, 2-3 and 9-4, with the Montpellier Barracudas (3-7).

The Pessac Panthers (3-7) and Toulousain Baseball (4-6) also battled to a draw. Pessac tallied a shutout in the first game, 2-0, before Toulouse rebounded to win the twinbill finale, 9-6.

2012 FRENCH LEAGUE:

Rouen Huskies (10-0)
Senart Templiers (8-2)
Paris University Club (7-3)
Toulousain Baseball (4-6)
Montpellier Barracudas (3-7)
Pessac Panthers (3-7)
Beaucaire Chevaliers (2-7)
Savigny Lions (2-7)

Marvin Moore is a freelance writer and former int’l baseball coach. He currently teaches baseball to underpriviliged Filipino boys at the Future Stars Baseball School in Bohol, Philippines.

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FRANCE – The Rouen Huskies and Paris University Club both remained unbeaten in the French Baseball League last Sunday with a pair of doubleheader sweeps.

Rouen (6-0) captured two easy wins against Stade Toulousain. Owen Ozanich (3-0) and Joris Bert combined on a two-hit shutout in a 10-0 victory in the first game. The Huskies took the second contest, 12-1, as Bert, Luc Piquet and David Gauthier all chipped in a pair of RBIs.

PUC (6-0) swept the struggling Savigny Lions, 8-5 and 8-1. Doug Rodriguez homered and drove in three scores in the opening game before picking up the win and going deep, again, in the twinbill finale.

The Senart Templiers (5-1) stayed one game behind the leaders with two victories over the Beaucaire Chevaliers. Samuel Meurant (3-0) threw five scoreless relief frames to help the Templiers roll to a 11-3 win in the first matchup. Senart completed the sweep with a 11-1 win behind a strong outing by Mathieu Brelle Andrade (2-0).

The Pessac Panthers (2-4) upset the Montpellier Barracudas twice. Patrice Briones (1-0) tossed a complete game three-hitter in a 2-0 win in the first meeting. The Panthers completed the sweep with an 8-6 victory in the second game.

2012 FRENCH LEAGUE:

Rouen Huskies (6-0)
Paris University Club (6-0)
Senart Templiers (5-1)
Pessac Panthers (2-4)
Stade Toulousain (2-4)
Beaucaire Chevaliers (1-5)
Montpellier Barracudas (1-5)
Savigny Lions (1-5)

Marvin Moore is a freelance writer and former int’l baseball coach. He currently teaches baseball to underpriviliged Filipino boys at the Future Stars Baseball School in Bohol, Philippines.

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The schedule for the 2012 Challenge de France has been released by the French Baseball and Softball Federation. The tournament will be played in Senart and Montigny from May 16-20. The winner will receive a ticket to the 2013 European Cup.

The tournament starts on Wednesday when they will inaugurate the new field prior to the first match. Thursday and Friday will be the rest of the preliminary rounds with the playoffs taking place on the weekend.

Challenge de France Schedule:
Wednesday, May 16:
Templiers Senart – Montpellier Barracudas (Senart)

Thursday, May 17:
Rouen Huskies – Stade Toulousain (Montigny)
Pessac Panthers – Beaucaire Chevaliers (Senart)
Stade Toulousain – Savigny Lions (Montigny)
Montpellier Barracudas – Beaucaire Chevaliers (Senart)
Savigny Lions – Paris UC (Montigny)
Templiers Senart – Pessac Panthers (Senart)

Friday, May 18:
Paris UC – Stade Toulousain (Montigny)
Paris UC – Rouen Huskies (Montigny)
Montpellier Barracudas – Pessac Panthers (Senart)
Rouen Huskies – Savigny Lions (Montigny)
Beaucaire Chevaliers – Templiers Senart (Senart)

Saturday, May 19:
14:00 Semi-Final 1 (Senart)
19:00 Semi-Final 2 (Senart)

Sunday, May 20:
10:00 Game for Third Place (Senart)
14:00 Championship Game (Senart)

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FRANCE – The Rouen Huskies opened the 2012 French Baseball League season with a pair of narrow victories against the Montpellier Barracudas.

Right-hander Owen Ozanich (1-0) threw five strong innings to lead Rouen to a 2-1 win in the front end of a doubleheader. The 22 year-old French-born American, who attended the University of Vermont, fanned six and walked one in a sterling outing.

Montpellier starter Thomas Langloy (0-1) was tagged with the loss despite a solid six-inning performance.

The defending French champion finished off the sweep with a suspense-filled 1-0 triumph in the twinbill finale. Christopher Mezguer struck out eight in four frames before giving way to middle reliever Joris Bert. Veteran righty Keino Perez (1-0) tallied the final eight outs to earn the decision.

STB Toulouse needed extra frames to claim a 9-8 victory over the Savigny Lions on Sunday morning. However, Savigny regrouped to salvage a split with a 15-4 drubbing in the second encounter.

The Senart Templiers and Paris University Club (PUC) both captured two wins on Opening Day. The Templiers stopped the Pessac Panthers, 6-5 and 7-2, while PUC hammered league newcomer Beaucaire, 21-3 and 10-3.

WEEK ONE SCOREBOARD:

Rouen 2, Montpellier 1
Rouen 1, Montpellier 0
PUC 21, Beaucaire 3
PUC 10, Beaucaire 3
Senart 6, Pessac 5
Senart 7, Pessac 2
Toulouse 9, Savigny 8
Savigny 15, Toulouse 4

FRENCH LEAGUE STANDINGS:

1. Paris University Club (2-0)
1. Rouen Huskies (2-0)
1. Senart Templiers (2-0)
4. Savigny Lions (1-1)
4. STB Toulouse (1-1)
6. Beaucaire Chevaliers (0-2)
7. Montpellier Barracudas (0-2)
8. Pessac Panthers (0-2)

Marvin Moore is a freelance writer and former int’l baseball coach. He currently teaches baseball to underpriviliged Filipino boys at the Future Stars Baseball School in Bohol, Philippines.

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FRANCE – The Rouen Huskies have inked a pair of American imports, RHP Chris Mezger and 1B Ethan Paquette for the upcoming 2012 campaign.

The duo will join INF Mathew Smith, C Dylan Gleeson, OF Bastian Dagneau and 3B Luis Aponte as reinforcements on the roster of first-year manager Keino Perez.

Mezger is a 22 year-old former USC Trojan with a reportedly above-average fastball. Paquette, 23, played in the Seattle Mariners farm system the past two seasons.

Marvin Moore is a freelance writer and former int’l baseball coach. He currently teaches baseball to underpriviliged Filipino boys at the Future Stars Baseball School in Bohol, Philippines.

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GERMANY – The Solingen Alligators blew open a tight affair with a five-run fourth to beat the Montpellier Barracudas 9-2 Sunday in a European Cup Playoff matchup at the Baseballpark Weyersberg in Solingen.

The German squad, which won Saturday’s series-opening contest 6-5, advances to the 2012 European Cup tournament which showcases the top club teams on the old continent.

American J.D. Scholten (1-0) went the distance to get the series-clinching win. The 31-year-old right-hander, who went 3-1 with a 3.26 ERA during the regular season, limited the French lineup to just a pair of scores on 10 hits.

Montpellier’s Jean-Michel Mayeur drilled a solo home run.

Moritz Buttgereit enjoyed a productive game for the home side with a 3-for-4 effort that included two doubles and three runs scored. American slugger Phil Ortez added three RBIs for the Alligators.

Laurent Andrades (0-1) was charged with the loss after surrendering nine runs and 11 hits in six innings of work.

SERIES-AT-A-GLANCE
Solingen Alligators 6, Montpellier Barracudas 5
Solingen Alligators 9, Montpellier Barracudas 2

(Solingen Alligators wins series 2-0)

Marvin Moore is a freelance international baseball writer who coached in Europe for six years. He currently teaches baseball to poverty-stricken Filipino boys at the Future Stars Baseball School.

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