It was in front of more than 7000 spectators that the match of stars of the Major League Baseball of Quebec was presented on Tuesday at Thetford Mines. On this occasion, no less than five players from the Royal LePage Plus of Saint-Jérôme defended the colors of the Rawlings division team.
While Jean-Luc Désormeaux had been invited to participate in the meeting as assistant coach, Olivier Valiquette, as well as the recruits Yves Lafleur, Étienne Blanchette and Nicolas Trudeau, proudly represented the RLP at this party which brought together the best players from the Quebec Major Baseball League.
Although the roster of players from the Rawlings division lost 11-5 to that of the B45 division, and lost the field advantage in the playoff final, the five Jérômiens appreciated their experience, especially since they are not used to playing in front of such a crowd.
“We experienced something really special. It was incredible!, Said Jean-Luc Désormeaux, adding that he believed it was the largest crowd ever seen in Quebec for an amateur baseball game.
“The atmosphere was exciting. We couldn’t hear each other talking on the ground, ”he continued.
Note that in the defeat, in addition to Désormeaux who was finally invited to jump on the field in the 6th inning and who offered a perfect batting performance with a hit in as many presence, Trudeau ended the match with a hit in three , in addition to producing a point, while Valiquette concluded the match with a hit in two appearances. In defense, Blanchette made a big game to withdraw a runner thanks to a perfect relay which he sent to the plate of the right field.
On the mound, in a working heat, Yves Lafleur allowed two points on two consecutive homeruns before removing the next three hitters.
“In a game like this, even if it seemed that the players wanted to win, individual performance is secondary,” added the manager of the RLP.
The team plays for 0.500
After having been defeated in four consecutive games, the RLP finally found its way to victory last Saturday against Sainte-Thérèse, before losing the following day to the powerful Beavers of Acton Vale.
The 4-3 victory over the Brewers, combined with the 6-4 defeat against Acton Vale, placed Saint-Jérôme in 2nd place in its division at the all-time break with a record of 8 wins and as many losses.
“The defeat against Acton Vale is an honorable one. They were given good opposition, said Jean-Luc Désormeaux, manager of the RLP, who was also pleased to see his starting pitcher Étienne Blanchette concede only two shots on the batter to the Brewers on Sunday, he who had already granted 20 in 20 work rounds before this match.
“The return of Jonathan Lussier, who hit the victory circuit in the 7th round against Sainte-Thérèse, also helped us a lot, as did the return of Nicolas Trudeau,” he continued. It is encouraging for the future. “
The Royal Lepage Plus will face a heavy order this Saturday while at 1 p.m. they will be in Granby to compete in a triple program against the Warriors. In the first match, we will resume at 16-5 in favor of the RLP in the 6th inning, which is where we left off when this match was postponed due to the rain.
