Chichester Falcons Softball Club hauled themselves four points clear at the top of Solent League Division Two on Sunday, with a tub-thumping win over Portsmouth Pirates at Oaklands Park Softball Field.

Captain David Morris immediately set the tone with a lead-off double to spark up a ten run first inning, in which the first eight batters in a row all scored. James Wheeler hit his first of two home runs deep into right field and Jenny Horton cleverly engineered a squeeze situation allowing Josh Bristow to dash home from third base with the Pirates' hands tied.

The Pirates clawed back a run in the second and managed to keep Chichester quiet for a couple of innings but the Falcons themselves defended well in the meantime - shortstop James Blackall serving up an underhand flip to second baseman Amy Morris for an out in time to double off the batter at first to end the third inning.

Natalie Morey and Sarah d'Agar both took advantage of some hesitant fielding to stamp more runs on the board but the fourth inning introduction of Yuka Wada, Hettie McNeil and James Mortimore to the batting lineup truly put the Pirates to the sword. McNeil powered in four runs in two hits, crossing the plate herself for a fifth and Mortimore heaved two hits over the Pirates infield to contribute to another ten-run inning in the fifth, before Amy Morris howitzered to right field for her first career home run to get Chichester thirteen runs ahead.

Charlie Thacker and Molly Rayner got aboard with hits to centre field before a second Wheeler home run ended the game on a mercy ruling, with the Falcons fifteen runs ahead in the sixth inning.