In fact, Jérémie Chalifour’s men were never worried during this duel, thanks to a happy mixture of an incisive attack, an airtight defense and stingy launchers. Chalifour also signed his first victory in junior elite, in his first match at the helm of the Voyageurs.

“We were good in all aspects of the game, the guys were eager, they were ready and it showed,” summarized the head coach in a telephone interview. Our energy level was good from start to finish. We started strong with the big circuit in Hugo, which allowed us to have good momentum by taking a 4-0 lead and we were able to maintain our level of intensity.

The Voyageurs were leading 1-0 when Hugo Benoit, just returned from his American college, scored the first fireworks display of this season. Batting sixth, he threw the ball far to center field, out of bounds, good for a three-run homer. Veterans Jean-Benoit Simard-Gagnon and Alexandre Munger preceded him at the plate.

Veteran Jean-Benoit Simard-Gagnon was solid with two RBIs and a run scored, in addition to being the mastermind behind the plate. (Sophie Lavoie/Archives, Le Quotidien)

The Alouettes scored a first run in their second inning at bat, but the visitors added two more runs in the fourth inning. Marc-Alexandre Guérin produced his team’s fifth point with a triple, then Simard-Gagnon hit a single to allow Nathan Morency to make it 6-1.

The veteran catcher scored the Voyageurs’ seventh run with a double in the sixth.

“From the pre-match, I felt that the guys who had experienced it were ready and they were really looking forward to playing that match. It started in batting practice, said Jérémie Chalifour. The young people followed our veterans and JB [Simard-Gagnon] had a big first game, both at the plate and behind the plate.”

An effective first start

For this inaugural match, the ball was entrusted to Jérémy Labonté, who was making his first career start in the elite junior circuit. In four innings of work, the 18-year-old right-hander spaced four hits and one earned run, in addition to striking out three batters. Above all, he did not concede any walks.

“It was really efficient,” praised Jérémie Chalifour, very satisfied with everyone’s work. “The camp was successful,” he confirmed.

It was the young Jérémy Labonté who had the honor of the first start of the season for the Voyageurs. (Facebook)

To return to Labonté, it was a successful entry, he who studies in Ottawa.

“He’s a competitive guy and that’s what I love about him,” said the Voyageurs coach. He always wants to be better on the next pitch, on the next batter, and that’s what impressed us during camp. He remains fairly neutral and controls his emotions, but we see that in his attitude, he always wants more. We took him out after four rounds because it’s the start of the season, but we could have continued for one or two more rounds. He has three good throws and he was very solid.

Joshua Lessard was called in for relief in the fifth inning. He did well even though he gave up two free passes and a single, but he ended the threat with a strikeout. He was then perfect in the sixth, and it was Francis Gagné who got the last three outs of the evening.

Voyageurs and Alouettes meet again Wednesday evening, again on the grounds of Henri-Casault Park in Charlesbourg.

2024-05-19 02:15:04
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