BOURNEMOUTH Bears’ Single A team played their first home games of the season, picking up two wins in the process.

After making the trip to play Cardiff Merlins’ I last week, the Merlins’ II team travelled down to the south coast to face a Bears team that was 3-3 going into the day.

And Bears twice emerged victorious, 11-3 and 9-7.

Stand-in manager Marcus Senior took the mound in game one where he struck out four Merlins batters on the way to his third win of the season.

After pitching three innings, Senior gave way to Rhiannon McMah in the top of the fourth. McMah came through with two strong innings, including back to back strikeouts with the bases loaded in the top of the fifth.

The Bears’ discipline at the plate and proficient base stealing skills were on show throughout the first game, with Danny Vinkler capitalising on a loaded bases situation to drive in two runs in the first inning.

In the third, Senior doubled before scoring on a wild pitch with Vinkler and Eddie Donald following him later in the inning.

Senior drove in a run to get the fourth underway, but it was Donald who came through with the play of the day as he hit a strong ground rule double to bring in Vinkler and Senior as the 11-3 win was sealed.

The second game saw two pitchers pick up their first innings of the season for the Bears, as Mitch Sullivan and Andy Moore took the mound. Both pitchers logged two innings, with player of the day Moore pitching for the first time in a competitive game and Sullivan picking up his first win of the season.

In a close game, Bournemouth again made the most of their opportunities when on base.

Shaun Barrett, Leigh Froud and Senior all stole two bases across three innings, with Barrett and Froud scoring their first runs in a Bears uniform.

In his second at bat Froud went one better, picking up his first hit and driving in Moore for his first RBI.

Vinkler and Manuel Baez also drove in runs as the home team turned three hits and seven walks into nine runs.

However, Cardiff did not go down without a fight, Thomas Poole hit a towering home run and picked up three RBIs in the top of the third.

But in the end solid defence helped the Bears prevail, with Moore supported by fantastic play in the infield and a running catch from Donald at Centre Field to close out a 9-7 win.

Both teams are back in action next weekend, with AAA away to the Taunton Rebeldes and Single A away to the Bristol Buccaneers.