WITH only a few weeks of the South West and Wales Baseball League (SWWBL) regular season remaining, Taunton Baseball Club had a weekend to forget, with both sides suffering double-header sweeps.

The Muskets hosted the Bristol Bats in Taunton, falling to 15-14 and 14-3 defeats, while the Pistols travelled to Southampton to face the New Forest Thunder, losing 21-5 and 17-2.

The Muskets and Bats traded runs before the visitors opened up a 10-2 lead with a six-run inning.

The Muskets, however, mounted a rally in the bottom of the fourth, scoring seven runs, with a home run from Dan Kirby-James the highlight. Two innings later, the Muskets took the lead as a three-run home run from José Bobadilla and a towering solo shot from David Van Der Poll put the hosts 13-11 ahead.

Unfortunately for Taunton, a combination of aggressive base running and misplays in the field allowed Bats to regain the lead at 15-13. The Muskets scored once in the bottom of the inning and had the potential winning run at the plate, but a well-struck ball to centre field found the fielder, allowing Bristol to escape with a thrilling 15-14 victory.

Both sides were quickly back on the diamond for game two. Bats started strongly, scoring six runs after two quick outs in the top of the first inning. It would prove decisive, with the Muskets' offence struggling to get into the game.

The home side tightened up defensively, limiting the Bats to just three runs over the next three innings, but it wasn't enoughand Bats put the game beyond doubt, with the visitors securing a 14-3 victory.

Muskets Manager Jake Palmer said: “To be 10-2 down while playing well can be demoralising, so to come back and nearly win game one was an unbelievable team performance.”

Meanwhile, in Southampton, Pistols faced their own challenge against Severn Division leaders New Forest Thunder.

The Pistols equipped themselves well in the first game, managing 12 hits, but were unable to string them together consistently enough to trouble the scoreboard. The Thunder, meanwhile, were relentless, scoring in all five innings to secure a 21-5 victory.

Game two was closer in the hits column, with the Pistols collecting seven hits to New Forest's 10, but once again the Thunder produced the big hits more consistently. A grand slam from New Forest catcher Mitch Sullivan was the highlight of the contest and helped put the game beyond the Pistols' reach. The hosts eventually secured a 17-2 victory, keeping the two sides at opposite ends of the Severn Division standings with the Pistols having just one game weekend remaining.

Pistols Manager Connor Colman said: “We knew this would be a difficult couple of games, but there were some good performances and we were able to give players a chance in new positions ahead of next season.”

The Tricky Cider MVP awards went to Stuart Cook and Sam White for the Pistols, and David Van Der Poll and Dan Kirby-James for the Muskets.

Cook scored two runs from four hits to continue his strong season at the plate, while White made his pitching debut, also scoring two runs and hitting a double. Van Der Poll and Kirby-James both hit their first home runs of the season, with both players also patrolling the outfield admirably across the two games, recording three outs between them.