THE penultimate weekend of the South West and Wales Baseball League regular season wrapped up on Sunday, July 20 with the Taunton Muskets hosting the Cornish Claycutters.

The Muskets secured an emphatic sweep, winning both games by mercy rule, 10-0 and 27-7.

While summer downpours disrupted fixtures across the region, the Muskets and Claycutters braved the forecast and were rewarded with a clear day of baseball, despite a brief rain delay during game one.

The opener was dominated by Muskets pitcher Andrés Bianco, who threw a complete game shutout, allowing just two hits while striking out seven.

Bianco also impressed at the plate, recording four hits, including a solo home run, and driving in four runs.

The Muskets sealed a comfortable 10-0 victory, giving Bianco his third win of the season.

Game two saw the Claycutters come out aggressively, racing to a 6-0 lead after early pressure on the home defence. However, the Muskets regrouped quickly, overturning the deficit in the bottom of the second inning to lead 8-6.

From there, Taunton tightened up defensively, conceding just one run across the next two innings, while exploding for a sixteen-run fourth inning to secure a 27-7 mercy rule win.

Multiple players contributed offensively, with Junior Hayward, James Carter, and José Bobadilla-Garcia standing out, each hitting big doubles to break open the game.

Andrés Bianco was awarded MVP for game one with his dominant pitching and powerful hitting display, while veteran Junior Hayward earned the honour for game two, rolling back the years with four hits, including a double, five RBI, and six runs scored.

The South West and Wales Baseball League regular season concludes on Sunday July 27, with the Pistols hosting the Plymouth Mariners at Taunton Green, while the Muskets travel to Wellington to face the Khaki Sox.