Float like a butterfly, sting like a Hornet

KNYSNA NEWS - Local baseball players from Hornets Sports Academy have recently proved their mettle when five of them were selected to the provincial baseball teams in the Western Cape.

The five were part of an initial group of 12 Hornets players that attended the Eden District trials in George on 5 February.

Of these, six players qualified to attend the Western Cape trials in Cape Town from 11 to 13 February, where selectors picked their players for the province's A and B teams across different age groups.

It's clear that the Hornets' sting shouldn't be underestimated, as five of the six were selected for various Western Province B teams.

In the U12 age group Nadav Mackay and Joah Pietersen were selected, while in the U15 age group Deveno Barnardo and Davince Petersen made the cut, while Duwayne Barnardo was selected in the U18 age group.

Over and above their perfor-mances at the trials and ability to impress both district and provincial selectors, Hornets' players last weekend fared well against sides from the Oudtshoorn A's Baseball Club.

Deveno Barnardo grabs hold of a pitch.

Two matches were played on Saturday 19 February between the Hornets and the Oudtshoorn As, both on the Hornlee Primary School fields.

The matches involved the U12 A and B teams, with the two A teams facing each other first on the day. It was a tough game for both sides with each player playing their heart out on the baseball diamond. It was however the home team that emerged victorious, beating their Oudtshoorn counterparts 11-6 after four innings.

Before throwing his pitch, this lad eyes up the batter during practice.

The Hornets' B team then took on the same Oudtshoorn A side that had just lost to Hornets' A team.

The match was evenly contested once more, but this time the scoreline more accurately reflected the nature of the game. After three innings the match came to an end with the score standing on 7-7, seeing Hornets emerge with one win and one draw for the day.

An exhibition match was played between a mixture of the two teams' coaches and players to round off the day in a light-hearted mood. No score was kept, but fun was had by all on the field.

Hornets pitcher slings in a pitch.