The Herts Raptors came agonisingly close to their first win of the season. In a slugfest away at the Guildford Mavericks they went down by a score of 25-24. Paul Barton was very effective on the mound giving Herts a 7-1 run after 2 innings. Guildford came back thanks to a combination of good hitting and several defensive errors. Daniel Bennett (pictured right) had an outstanding game offensively and defensively. He was involved in everything including 9 catches in left field which 38% of the total outs for the whole team on the day. Similar to last week’s battle in Brighton, the Raptors fought back in the final inning driving 5 runs home, but the tying run was stranded at second base for a second consecutive week. This was their fourth loss in a row, but they are still within reach of the playoffs if they can turn these one-run losses into wins.
The other three Herts teams had no games during the Bank Holiday Weekend, but there are several crucial games coming up for the Herts Falcons in the National Baseball League. Next Sunday, 31 May, they will host the Bracknell Blazers. The doubleheader starts at 12pm at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. The Falcons need to win both games if they are to maintain the pressure on the unbeaten London Mets whom they will face on 7 June away from home in the biggest game of the season so far.
In the Single-A league the Herts Hawks will travel to Tonbridge. Both teams have 100% records so far, so something has to give.
The action is also heating up in the youth leagues. A total of 10 games were played over the three days of the Bank Holiday weekend across four age groups. This included games at the club’s new West Hendon Ballpark in North West London. Herts teams in the U19, U15 and U12 age groups will go into the Little League UK Qualifier next month where the winners will progress through to the European qualifiers for a chance to play in the Little League World Series in the USA shown across the world to millions of TV viewers. It is not to late to join the Herts teams for this prestigious event. Contact us for more details about giving baseball a try.