[ HAWKS/SHARKS BOX SCORE: GAME ONE ]
[ HAWKS/SHARKS BOX SCORE: GAME TWO ]
The Hawks are fast gaining the reputation as the gutsy underdogs of Division 1. They were no match for the Premier League promotion hopefuls from Bournemouth, but they did not go down without a fight.
For a second week in a roll visitors to the Herts Baseball Club website will be astonished to find out that the Hertfordshire club has once again managed to overcome the extreme effects of “climate change” while the rest of the country finds itself underwater.
Going into this game, the Hawks’ underdog status was compounded by the fact that the squad was seriously depleted, with some key players like Dave Hamilton, Carlos Casal, Rodney Naghar and Ross Davies being sidelined.
The score line from the two games may suggest that this was a mismatch, which was true in Game 2, but the Hawks did not look out of place in Game 1 versus Bournemouth’s ace pitcher, Ben Moody. He managed to shut down the Hawks’ offence allowing only 2 runs on 2 hits, with a nasty fastball-curveball combination but he met his match in the Hawks ERA leader, Larry Martillo. Sharks bats have been punishing their opponents all season long, but Martillo kept them at bay, pitching 5 good innings until the Sharks put the game out of the Hawks’ reach in the sixth inning.
A lot was expected of Hawks starter, Aspi Dimitrov, in Game 2 but disappointingly he struggled badly and the Sharks took full advantage, winning convincingly.
Despite facing some of the toughest pitchers in the League, Pete Kikel and Kal Dimitrov did not seem to be fazed by this and managed to hit the ball hard, Pete Kikel (4-5, 2RBI), Kal Dimitrov (3-3, 2B, 2RBI). Kal Dimitrov has now jumped above Chantal Gerrard and leads the Herts Hawks in batting average (.583), slugging (.667), on-base % (.615) and RBIs (6).
A disappointing result for the Herts Hawks not only because mathematically this puts them almost out of the Premier League promotion race, but also because they could not help out the other Hertfordshire team, the Herts Falcons, by taking a win out of their direct rivals.