Category: Eagles

11 May 201511 May 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

4 home runs help Herts teams pick up wins in Essex

On Sunday the Herts Falcons emphasised their intent to battle for the title this season. They won the first and lost the second game in their doubleheader away at the Essex Arrows. Last year they lost all three meetings with the reigning national champions. This season the team seems to have the self-belief that they can beat any of their opponents, home or away.

Jose Sosa was the winning pitcher for the Falcons in game one which finished 15-6, although it was the 11 Herts runs in the final inning which give the false impression of a one-sided game. The second game was just as close. On this occasion the Arrows scored six runs in the late innings to secure a 12-6 win.

Click here to view game one Box Scores
Click here to view game two Box Scores

Maikel Azcuy had three hits over the two games – two doubles and a single – so fans will have to wait a bit longer for his record-breaking 36th NBL career home run. While the focus was on Azcuy, two other Herts players are starting to add some real power to the line-up. In the first game Joel Vallejo hit a towering home run which went over 400 feet. In the second game it was Edwin Alcantara who went deep with a home run of his own and had a total of three hits over the two games.

The Falcons are now second in the NBL standings, one game behind the London Mets who remain the only unbeaten team in the league after their two wins against the South London Pirates. Next for the Falcons is a home game against the revamped Pirates who are proving to be a major player in the playoff race. The game starts at 12pm at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.

In the Triple-A League the Eagles suffered two heart-breaking losses against the Oxford Kings. Their next game is away at the Essex Redbacks where they will need to win to stay with the rest of the playoff-chasing pack. In the Single-A League the Herts Hawks are still unbeaten after they won their fourth game of the season away at the Forest Glade Redbacks. Ken Pike and Ilya Dimitrov hit a home run each in that game.

4 May 20155 May 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Hawks extend unbeaten run. Raptors’ game suspended after just 5 minutes.

Hawks catcher Paul Auchterlounie enhanced his reputation as a killer of base-stealers

While Herts teams in the top two leagues rested over the Bank Holiday weekend, the Herts Hawks continued their unbeaten start of the season in the Single-A League. Their opponents were the Richmond Dukes who were also unbeaten going into Sunday’s game. The Hawks won it convincingly 34-10. Andrew Slater was the winning pitcher for the Hawks, his third win of the season. There was some controversy in the final inning. The new rule which regulates plays at home plate has been causing confusion in Major League Baseball and it seems to have done the same in the BBF Single-A League. A Hawks runner was adjudged to have slid home illegally making contact with the pitcher who was covering the base. Judging by this incident managers and officials will be referring to their rulebooks frequently this season, but unlike their MLB counterparts they will not have video replays at their disposal.

The Herts Raptors faced another Richmond team, the Richmond Squires. They got off to a difficult start conceding four runs in the top of the first inning at which point a heavy downpour flooded Grovehill Ballpark within minutes. The officials declared the game suspended so the two teams will have to meet again later in the year to complete the game with the score 4-0 in the top of the first inning with one out. Time will tell whether or not nature’s intervention will work in favour of the Herts Raptors.

Next Sunday, 10 May, all eyes will be on the National Baseball League (NBL) game between the Herts Falcons and the reigning NBL champions, Essex Arrows. The Falcons (2-0) find themselves tied at the top of the standings with the London Mets (2-0). Essex Arrows (2-2) are third and they can overtake the Falcons if they win both games of the doubleheader. First game starts at 12pm at Town Mead Ballpark in Waltham Abbey.

The Herts Eagles are also in action. They will play at home against the Oxford Kings. Two wins in this doubleheader could see them leap from seventh to third place in the Triple-A League standings. The Herts Hawks will travel to the Forest Glade Redbacks looking to extend their unbeaten start of the season. Before that the Herts Harriers will host the London Mets in the Under-19 baseball league on Saturday.

27 April 201527 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Eagles eliminated but Falcons will carry Herts flag in the next round of the BBF Cup

Another home run for Maikel Azcuy, this time in the BBF Cup (photo by Paul Holdrick)

BBF Cup (1st Round), Herts Falcons 15 London Metros 9

The Herts Falcons are through to the second round of the BBF Cup after a 15-9 win over the London Metros, however the score line does not tell the whole story of the game. The Londoners led for most of the game. The Falcons recovered to tie it 8-8 going into the final inning and ultimately secured the win driving in 7 more runs in that ninth inning, but they knew that they were involved in a real battle. Pitcher Jose Sosa was awarded the win for the Falcons. Record-chasing Maikel Azcuy hit another home run, but this was a BBF Cup game and will not count towards his NBL career home run tally which stands at 35. He needs one more to overtake record-holder Simon Pole. The Falcons are also starting to see power from other members of the team. On Opening day it was John Blose. This time it was Yvan Pena who hit his first home run for Herts.

BBF Cup (1st Round), Bracknell Blazers 10 Herts Eagles 3

The Herts Eagles were the underdogs in their BBF Cup first round game against Bracknell Blazers, a team playing one league tier above them. They had to face GB pitcher Jordan Edmonds which made the likelihood of a giant-killing even more improbable. Despite losing 10-3, the Eagles had one of their better performances of the season so far which will boost team spirit as they turn their attention to the race for the Triple-A League playoffs.

NEXT WEEKEND

Both the Falcons and Eagles will have a rest this coming Bank Holiday weekend, but there is a Herts-versus-Richmond double bill on Sunday, May 3, as the Herts Hawks meet the Richmond Dukes at 10:30am while the Herts Raptors will play against the Richmond Squires immediately after that at around 2:30pm. Both games are at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.

23 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Falcons and Eagles prepare for their first ever BBF Cup games. Raptors meet Redbacks in the league.

Can Herts Falcons keep the winning run going this Sunday against a very awkward opponent (photo by Paul Holdrick)

This weekend sees the first round of the newly introduced BBF Cup. The concept is similar to the FA Cup (football). Two teams meet in a one-game decider. The loser is eliminated. The winner progresses through to the next round.

The draw paired the Herts Falcons with the London Metros. The two teams finished just three places from each other in the overall ranking in 2014. Herts Falcons second from bottom in the NBL and Metros second in Triple-A League, so this is expected to be a very close encounter. The two teams have met once only. That was just four weeks ago in the Herts Spring League. The Falcons came out on top, but not before a late surge from the Londoners, who will have home-field advantage this Sunday.

The Herts Eagles were drawn at home versus Bracknell Blazers. They go into the game as the clear underdog so there is a potential for a major giant-killing. The game starts at 1pm on diamond one of Grovehill Ballpark. This would be the first ever meeting between the two teams.

Raptors were the winners in their last meeting with the Redbacks. Can they do it again?

Unlike the FA Cup, the BBF version of the competition features only teams from the top two league tiers. The Herts Hawks are resting this weekend, but the Herts Raptors will play their second game of the season looking to bounce back after a defeat against Tonbridge last week. Their opponents are the Forest Glade Redbacks. The last meeting between the two teams was the final league game of the 2014 regular season. The Raptors came out on top in that clash. The game commences at 12pm on diamond two.

The Herts Harriers were expecting to get their U19 league season underway on Saturday, but they will have to wait an extra week for their season opener versus the London Mets.

20 April 201520 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Weekend round-up: Wins for Hawks and Eagles. Raptors and Herts u12s suffer defeats

Herts Hawks continue winning run (photo by John Kjorstad)

HERTS EAGLES vs LONDON MAMMOTHS (Triple-A League)

While the Falcons were resting, three other Herts teams were in league action. The Herts Eagles suffered two heavy defeats on opening day. It became three losses in a row after the London Mammoths won the first of two games on Sunday. However the Eagles fought back in the second game of the doubleheader to end the losing streak with a 13-4 victory.

HERTS HAWKS vs BRIGHTON RED HAWKS (Single-A League)

The Herts Hawks remain unbeaten this season after a 22-18 win over the Brighton Red Hawks, who came close to pulling off a major come-from-behind win in the late innings.

HERTS RAPTORS vs TONBRIDGE (Single-A League)

Herts Raptors came up against a Tonbridge side who have made big strides over the winter and look like they will be a major playoff contender this year. It proved to be an uphill task for the team from Hertfordshire who went down 27-9. Six Raptors players made their league debut so it may take several more games for them to find their feet, but the signs are good at this stage of the season especially with several big names expected to return to the lineup shortly.

HERTS U12 vs LONDON METS U12 – (pre-season friendly)

photo by Vicky Sinclair

The youth baseball season is about to get underway. In a under-12 pre-season friendly on Saturday the London Mets proved too strong for the Herts under-12 team. With teams in every age group it is not too late for players between 4 and 18 years of age to join the Herts teams in Hemel Hempstead and North West London. Contact us for more details.

13 April 201513 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Record-breakers, home runs, forgotten rules and more on Opening Day

Herts Falcons pitcher, Matt Gilbert – making British baseball history (photo by Paul Holdrick)

The Herts Falcons had the best possible start of the season winning both of their opening games and one of its debutants setting a new National Baseball League record.

Herts Falcons 16 South London Pirates 15

It has been a busy close season for the team from Hertfordshire with six players making their debuts on Opening Day and another expected to do so next week. Their opponents were the South London Pirates, a team which has struggled over the last few years, but by the end of the day they showed that they have quietly built a squad which will be very difficult to beat this season.

The focus today was firmly on Falcons starting pitcher, Matt Gilbert. Apart from making his debut and being their opening day starter, he was looking to make British baseball history as he needed two strikeouts to overtake Cody Cain who led the NBL in career strikeouts with 408. The Pirates had no intention to make way for Gilbert. He was getting the outs but they were coming by way of groundouts and flyouts. Eventually that record-breaking strikeout came and Matt Gilbert received a standing ovation and, in accordance with baseball tradition, the ball he threw for that 409th strikeout was taken out of the game for Gilbert to keep and perhaps auction on eBay in a few years.

Congratulations Matt Gilbert. Your longevity in British baseball is testament to your pitching. Well done!@hertsbaseball @CodyLCain

— Cody Cain (@CodyLCain) April 12, 2015

History was made but there was no time to celebrate. The Falcons had a game on their hands. The Pirates had a 3-1 lead and that was the wake-up call which the Falcons needed. John Blose struck the first blow – a three-run home run to left field. Next it was Maikel Azcuy’s turn. He also went deep with a 2-run home run again to left field, which is not an easy feat on diamond two of Grovehill Ballpark.

John Blose (left) and Maikel Azcuy (right) greeted at home plate after their home runs (photo by Paul Holdrick)

Just when it seemed like the Falcons had secured the win, the Pirates struck back in the late innings reducing the deficit to one run. Herts manager, Lee Manning, made what seemed to be a risky move putting 17-year-old Carlos Casal Jr on the mound to replace Gilbert and close the game. The youngster from Hemel Hempstead came through with flying colours shutting down the Pirates in the final inning and ending it in style with a strikeout.

Southampton Mustangs 4 Herts Falcons 5

The second game of the day for the Herts Falcons was against the Southampton Mustangs, who were the favourites to win it before the start of the day. The visitors took a 2-0 lead, but Herts responded immediately.

It was new signing Maikel Azcuy who hit his second home run of the day, a 3-run bomb to left centerfield, which was a reminder that Matt Gilbert is not the only player chasing a record. That home run was Azcuy’s 35th of his NBL career tying the current NBL career home run leader Simon Pole. Before the start of the season some have argued that it would be easy for Azcuy to add to his home run tally given the favourable dimensions of Grovehill Ballpark, but this home run would have been out of any ballpark in British baseball, including Farnham Park. It was measured at around 390 feet.

The Falcons had a 3-2 lead but despite another outstanding performance by starting pitcher, Jose Sosa, this proved to be a very tense game. Things weren’t made easier by a highly unusual event which occurred between innings. New signing Joel Vallejo was making his way to left field from the dugout before the start of the new inning and as he passed the mound he asked catcher Lee Manning to receive one pitch from him while Jose Sosa was preparing to take the mound. He did and the umpiring crew deemed it to be an official warm-up pitch which meant that Vallejo had to start the inning as the pitcher and face at least one batter. He did and Jose Sosa retook his place on the mound, but they certainly would have been happier not to go through the drama which ensued. In football terms this could be compared to Michael Carrick being asked to swap places with Joe Hart and be in goal for 5 minutes for England while Joe Hart plays in central midfield.

The Falcons held on for a 5-4 win – a great start to the new season. There were no more home runs from Maikel Azcuy. He will have to wait until the next league game on 10 May at the Essex Arrows for another shot at breaking the record. Before that he and the rest of the team will have to turn their attention to the BBF Cup on 26 April when they will travel to the highly-touted London Metros.

OTHER HERTS TEAMS ON OPENING DAY

The Herts Eagles couldn’t have faced a tougher opponent than last year’s Triple-A League Finalists, London Metros. They were stunned by 3 home runs in the first inning. Despite recovering well from that early shock, the damage was done and the Metros won it 13-1. It didn’t get much easier in game two of the doubleheader which the visitors won again, this time 24-5. Despite what seems to be a demoralising start of the season, the Eagles will know that if they can win the remaining winnable games, they will be in the playoff race this year.

The Herts Hawks picked up an away win at the Haverhill Blackjacks, which will surprise the rest of the league as the Blackjacks have been the national runners-up for two years in a row in the Single-A League.

The Herts Raptors rested this Sunday. They will begin their season next Sunday, 19 April, at home against Tonbridge. The Herts Hawks and Herts Eagles are also at home on that day.

10 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Vallejo joins Herts just hours before Opening Day registration deadline

Herts has added infielder Joel Aybar Vallejo ahead of Sunday’s Opening Day games.

He is 35 years old and last season played in the Spanish League.

This acquisition happened just a few hours ago and we understand that the Herts coaching staff have not had a chance to assess him yet. They have received some information about the player from various sources but it is fair to say that Vallejo will be as much of an unknown quantity for the Falcons as he will for their opponents this Sunday.

He will certainly add a sense of mystery on Opening Day and something for the fans to look forward to.

SCHEDULE AT GROVEHILL BALLPARK

10:30am, Herts Falcons vs South London Pirates (NBL)
1:00pm, South London Pirates vs Southampton Mustangs (NBL)
1:00pm, Herts Eagles vs London Metros (Triple-A League)
3:30pm, Southampton Mustangs vs Herts Falcons (NBL)
3:30pm, Herts Eagles vs London Metros (Triple-A League)

FOOD AND DRINKS

Apart from five cracking baseball games, fans coming to Grovehill Ballpark this Sunday can look forward to the famous Herts hot dogs as well as many other snacks and drinks. The Herts shop will also be offering Herts, MLB and other baseball merchandise. Admission is free. Click here for directions to Grovehill Ballpark.

6 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

British baseball season commences this Sunday with 5 games at Herts

The waiting is over for British baseball fans. The 2015 league season commences this weekend. The Herts Falcons open their NBL campaign at home with a doubleheader as part of an Opening Day involving three NBL and two Triple-A League teams.

NATIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE

The Falcons will face the South London Pirates in the first game of the day starting at 10:30am. Maikel Azcuy, Robbie Almanzar, Edwin Alcantara and Moises Vasquez are expected to make their Herts debuts. The Pirates media department has been quite during the off season so it is difficult to assess what we can expect from them this season. This may be a ploy to keep their secret weapons up their sleeves. We will have to wait until Opening Day to find out. The Falcons won three of the four meetings between the two teams last year.

At 1pm the Pirates will play the 2014 NBL runners-up Southampton Mustangs and then at 3:30pm the Mustangs and Falcons will meet in what is always a tense clash. During the winter Southampton has strengthened its roster further with the acquisition of Shaun Macey (Australia), Kevin Hightower (USA), Alrey Lorenzo (Cuba) and Piotr Kosiba (Poland). Macey brings over 20 years experience, and was most recently a pitcher for the Auburn Orioles of the NSW Major League. Hightower is a catcher and can also play at first or second base. He spent the last ten years in Florida and Washington DC playing in the MABL. Alrey Lorenzo is a shortstop who previously played for the Southern Nationals. Kosiba is a former member of the Poland National Team. He also has experience playing in Italy, France and Germany.

Falcons centerfielder Cris Hiche hit a home run on Opening Day 12 months ago. Can he do it again this Sunday? (photo by Richard Lee)

Herts Falcons won two and lost two of their games with the Mustangs last year. Manager, Lee Manning, will need his players to make a good start if they are to be in the playoff race this year. He is going into the new season in an upbeat mood not only due to the new arrivals but he can also count on the return of players who missed most of 2014 with injuries. The one big setback for the Falcons is the news that shortstop Ryan Hackel, has had an emergency deployment. The date of his return is not confirmed at this stage.

TRIPLE-A LEAGUE

The Herts Eagles also open their Triple-A league season this Sunday at home. They have the hardest possible start against the London Metros who were runners-up last year. In 2014 the Eagles finished last with a record of 2-16. They will once again go into the season with a team made up predominantly of under-19 and under-17 players who have grown in the club’s youth system. They are now a year older and the newly appointed managerial duo of Arnie Longboy and Jake Caress are going into the season with optimism. In addition, they will be able to count on several more returning experienced players such as pitcher Louis Hare, outfielder Mahendra Prasad, pitcher and infielder Gilberto Median, new signings Gary Ward and Omar Vallenilla among others.

There are seven players in the Eagles roster who are battling to win a place with the GB U19 and U17 National Teams. The biggest challenge for the team would arguably be to survive the weeks when players are called up to the GB national team.

SINGLE-A LEAGUE

The Hawks find themselves in new surroundings as they will make their first appearance in the BBF Single-A League. They are on the road on Opening Day making the trip to the Haverhill Blackjacks who reached the Single-A final in 2013 and 2014 but just missed out on winning the championship on both occasions. This will be a major test for the Hawks and it will give Herts fans a good idea about the team’s chances of reaching the playoffs. The Hawks have lost the services of ace pitchers Nick Russell who transferred to Northampton and Zack Longboy who is now with the Herts Eagles in the Triple-A league. Despite this, the team will not be lacking in the pitching department with Andrew Slater, Greg Bochan, Jim Arnott and Nic Goetz who are all experienced pitchers.

The Herts Raptors will have to wait an extra week for their season opener. They start at home on 19 April against Tonbridge who impressed in the Herts Spring League over the last three weeks.

SCHEDULE AT GROVEHILL BALLPARK

FOOD AND DRINKS

6 April 20156 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Arrows, Hawks and Mavericks clinch 2015 HSL titles

Anxious wait for the Guildford Mavericks in the race for the HSL Single-A title

The Essex Arrows won their second HSL Majors title in a row. The Herts Falcons were hoping of overtaking them in the direct clash between the two teams but it was rained out. The London Mammoths took full advantage of this on Saturday beating the Herts Eagles 9-4 which moved them into second place tied with the Falcons. With fewer runs per inning conceded by the Mammoths (Mammoths 0.57 runs per inning and Falcons 1.22 runs per inning) they overtook the Falcons pushing them into third place.

Before the final weekend of the HSL the Herts Hawks had a commanding lead at the top of the HSL Double-A standings with 3 wins and no losses. Only the Haverhill Blackjacks had a mathematical chance of overtaking them. The Herts Raptors were Haverhill’s opponents and they gave their club mates a helping hand with a 8-4 win which confirmed the Herts Hawks as this year’s HSL Double-A Champions.

The umpires have been fantastic once again this HSL. Great effort in tough weather conditions.

The HSL Single-A race went right down to the final game of the competition. The Guildford Mavericks were sitting comfortably in first place at the start of the weekend. The London Musketeers needed two wins to overtake them. They seemed on course after taking a 6-0 lead into the final inning of their game against Kent Mariners, but 8 Kent runs in the final inning derailed the Musketeers’ title hopes. That gave Guildford an even firmer grip on the Single-A title, but as news of Tonbridge beating Haverhill 5-1 came through on Sunday they had to wait anxiously for the score of Tonbridge’s final game. Tonbridge won that game but it was once again those Herts Raptors who played the role of the spoilers as they drove in seven runs in the process which pushed Haverhill’s runs conceded per inning up to 1.43 compared to Guildford Mavericks’ 1.18.

View HSL scoreboard

View HSL standings

With Spring Training completed, British baseball teams up and down the country will hope that this will be their year. The 2015 League Opening Day is this Sunday, 12 April, with five games at Grovehill Ballpark. Follow us on twitter and facebook for a comprehensive coverage of the 2015 baseball season.

23 March 201523 March 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

New signings make debuts on first weekend of the HSL

Mike Osborn was the starting pitcher for the Falcons against the London Metros

The first weekend of Herts Spring League games gave a glimpse of what we can expect from the 2015 British baseball season which commences on 12 April. However, after a hectic winter of players being transferred from one team to another and new players signing up, it is going to be difficult to make an accurate prediction of where teams will end up in the standings of the various league tiers.

The Herts Falcons faced the 2014 Triple-A Runners-up, the London Metros, in their opening HSL game. This was a first opportunity to see new signings Maikel Azcuy, Robbie Almanzar and Moises Vasquez play for Herts, who also fielded several players whose identities they chose not to disclose. The game also saw the return from injury of centerfielder Cris Hiche and pitcher Louis Hare. The Falcons took an early lead and held on to it despite a brave fight back by the Metros to bring the score to 14-11. It was Maikel Azcuy who took the game beyond the Londoners with a 3-run home run in the eighth inning.

In another highly anticipated game, the 2014 NBL Champions, Essex Arrows, faced the Triple-A Champions, Cambridge Royals. In a closely fought game the Arrows won 4-1, but it is becoming evident that the gap between the top tier and the Triple-A is narrowing. The hope is that the BBF will promote more Triple-A teams as part of an overdue expansion of the NBL. In this game Jorge Machado made his debut for the NBL Champions after his move from the Southern Nationals in the offseason.

In their other game the Royals faced the London Mammoths who will be the newest member of the Triple-A League after being awarded promotion by the BBF. The Mammoths will be very pleased with their performance. They held a 3-0 lead after 3 innings. The Royals fought back to win the game 5-4. Later in the day the Mammoths won 6-2 against Brighton who will also be making their Triple-A debut this year. The team from the South coast fielded a mix of their Triple-A and Single-players but they still managed to defeat the MK Bucks who are always difficult to beat. It didn’t get any easier for the Bucks as they suffered another defeat later in the day against the Essex Arrows.

The Haverhill Blackjacks slugged their way to a victory over the Cambridge Monarchs

In the Double-A division of the HSL the Herts Hawks lead the standings after wins against Tonbridge and London Marauders. Haverhill Blackjacks are half a game behind after their win against the Cambridge Monarchs. In the Single-A division, Guildford are ahead following their exciting 15-13 win over the London Musketeers. Herts Raptors beat Kent Mariners and lost to Tonbridge to put themselves in the group of four teams which are half a game behind the Mavericks.

Click to view HSL scoreboard and schedule

Click to view HSL Standings

The HSL games resume next weekend. The game of the day is expected to be the all-NBL clash between the Essex Arrows and the Herts Falcons at Grovehill Ballpark.