Category: Hawks

HAWKS END LOSING STREAK

Report from Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, DAVE HAMILTON

 

The Herts Hawks halted their four game losing streak last weekend with a solid 10-7 win over the Brentwood Stags in their AA league match-up in Hemel Hempstead. 

 

Showing no signs of the defensive frailties that had hampered their efforts in recent games, the Hawks built an early lead which they never lost, controlling the game throughout.

 

Pitcher John Oliver starred for the home side, conceding just three (unearned) runs in the six innings he pitched, and also reaching base four times in five attempts when batting, scoring two of the Herts runs.  With manager Carlos Casal scoring four runs and stand-in Pete Kikel contributing a run-scoring triple, the heart of the line-up contributed more than enough offense to guide the Hawks to victory.

 

Backed up by stellar defense in the infield, the Stags didn't mount a serious challenge until the late innings, coming back from a 5-0 deficit to make it 9-7 in the eighth inning.  An insurance run in the bottom half of the inning helped settle any jitters in the Hawks camp though and a full stretch running catch from their defensive replacement in the outfield sealed the victory.

 

Buoyed by their return to form, the next target for the Hawks will be a return to a .500 winning percentage as they visit Northampton for their next game.


Brentwood Stags at Herts Hawks
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Brentwood Stags 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 1 0 7 8 5
Herts Hawks 2 1 1 0 1 4 0 1 0 10 13 2

Herts Hawks 10, Brentwood Stags 7
Herts Hawks Brentwood Stags
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Ross Asquith lf 5 1 1 0 Sean B c 4 1 1 1
Tim Elkins rf 3 0 0 0 Ronnie S 2b 4 0 1 1
John Oliver p-1b 3 2 2 0 John R cf 2 1 1 1
Carlos Casal 3b 4 4 2 1 CJ Evans 1b 3 1 1 0
Peter Kikel 1b-3b 3 0 2 1 Sheldon S ss 4 2 1 2
Paul Auchterlounie cf-c 4 1 0 0 Andy S lf 4 1 1 0
Dave Westfallen c 3 0 0 0 Steve T rf 4 0 0 1
Nick Russell 2b-cf 5 1 1 0 Mike J 3b 5 1 0 0
Luis Goncalves ss 3 1 1 0 Jeff A p 3 0 2 0
Kal Dimitrov b 0 0 0 0
Stuart Boast b-p 2 0 2 2
(b6) Rob Jones b 0 0 0 0
Humberto Goncalves b-2b 2 0 2 1
(b6) Jonathon Lewys b 0 0 0 0
Dave Hamilton b-rf 2 0 0 1
(b6) Jake Kikel b 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 39 10 13 6 TEAM TOTALS 33 7 8 6

E: Carlos Casal, Peter Kikel, Sheldon S(3), CJ Evans, Sean B. LOB: Herts Hawks 10,
Brentwood Stags 10. 2B: Carlos Casal, Sheldon S, Ronnie S. 3B: Peter Kikel. SB:
Carlos Casal(2), Ross Asquith(2), Luis Goncalves(2), Nick Russell(2), Humberto
Goncalves(2), Paul Auchterlounie, Sheldon S(2), Ronnie S, Sean B, CJ Evans, John R,
Mike J, Jeff A.

Herts Hawks IP H R ER BB SO
John Oliver W 6.00 5 3 0 7 4
Stuart Boast 3.00 3 4 3 3 2
Brentwood Stags            
Jeff A L 8.00 13 10 6 5 8

HBP: by Stuart Boast (John R). . . PB: Paul Auchterlounie(3), Dave Westfallen. T:
3:00. A: 60.
Brentwood Stags – Top of the 1st:
Sean B flied out.
Ronnie S lined out.
John R walked, stole 2nd.
CJ Evans walked.
Sheldon S grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts Hawks – Bottom of the 1st:
Ross Asquith grounded out.
Tim Elkins lined out.
John Oliver walked, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on error.
Carlos Casal walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to home on error.
Peter Kikel singled, advanced to 3rd on error.
Paul Auchterlounie reached on error.
Dave Westfallen lined out.
2 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Brentwood Stags – Top of the 2nd:
Andy S reached on error, advanced to 2nd on passed ball.
Steve T popped out.
Mike J popped out.
Jeff A struck out looking.
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Herts Hawks – Bottom of the 2nd:
Nick Russell singled, batted forward to 2nd, stole 3rd, stole home.
Luis Goncalves walked, stole 2nd, tagged out going to 3rd.
Ross Asquith reached on fielder's choice, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error.
Tim Elkins struck out swinging.
John Oliver flied out.
1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Brentwood Stags – Top of the 3rd:
Sean B struck out looking.
Ronnie S walked, stole 2nd, tagged out going to 3rd.
John R walked, batted forward to 2nd.
CJ Evans singled.
Sheldon S flied out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts Hawks – Bottom of the 3rd:
Carlos Casal grounded out.
Peter Kikel flied out.
Paul Auchterlounie reached on error, advanced to 3rd on error, advanced to home on
wild pitch.
Dave Westfallen reached on dropped 3rd strike w/error, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch.
Nick Russell struck out looking.
1 run, 0 hits, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
Brentwood Stags – Top of the 4th:
Andy S walked, forced out at 2nd.
Steve T flied out.
Mike J flied out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Hawks – Bottom of the 4th:
Luis Goncalves grounded out.
Ross Asquith grounded out.
Tim Elkins grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brentwood Stags – Top of the 5th:
Jeff A singled, batted forward to 2nd.
Sean B flied out.
Ronnie S flied out.
John R singled.
CJ Evans grounded out.
0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts Hawks – Bottom of the 5th:
John Oliver singled, forced out at 2nd.
Carlos Casal reached on dropped 3rd strike w/error, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Peter Kikel tripled, 1 RBI.
Paul Auchterlounie walked, stole 2nd.
Dave Westfallen struck out looking.
Nick Russell struck out looking.
1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Brentwood Stags – Top of the 6th:
Sheldon S walked, batted forward to 2nd, stole 3rd, advanced to home on error.
Andy S singled, advanced to 3rd on error, batted forward to home.
Steve T struck out looking.
Mike J reached on dropped 3rd strike w/error, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Jeff A walked, batted forward to 2nd, tagged out going to 3rd.
Sean B singled, 1 RBI.
Ronnie S flied out, 1 RBI.
3 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Herts Hawks – Bottom of the 6th:
Luis Goncalves singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Ross Asquith singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Dave Hamilton grounded out, 1 RBI.
John Oliver walked, batted forward to home.
Carlos Casal doubled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
Stuart Boast singled, batted forward to 3rd, 2 RBI.
Paul Auchterlounie grounded out.
Humberto Goncalves singled, stole 2nd.
Nick Russell grounded out.
4 runs, 5 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Brentwood Stags – Top of the 7th:
John R hit by pitch, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, advanced to 3rd on passed ball,
batted forward to home.
CJ Evans walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Sheldon S doubled, stole 3rd, batted forward to home, 2 RBI.
Andy S struck out swinging.
Steve T grounded out, 1 RBI.
Mike J bunted foul on 2nd strike.
3 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Hawks – Bottom of the 7th:
Luis Goncalves flied out.
Ross Asquith struck out looking.
Dave Hamilton grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brentwood Stags – Top of the 8th:
Jeff A singled, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, tagged out going to home.
Sean B walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Ronnie S doubled, batted forward to 3rd.
John R grounded out, 1 RBI.
CJ Evans grounded out.
1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Hawks – Bottom of the 8th:
John Oliver singled, batted forward to 2nd, tagged out going to 3rd.
Carlos Casal singled, batted forward to 2nd, stole 3rd, batted forward to home.
Stuart Boast singled, batted forward to 3rd.
Paul Auchterlounie struck out looking.
Humberto Goncalves singled, stole 2nd, 1 RBI.
Nick Russell flied out.
1 run, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Brentwood Stags – Top of the 9th:
Sheldon S popped out.
Andy S grounded out.
Steve T walked.
Mike J flied out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Hawks – Bottom of the 9th:
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

IMPROVED HAWKS PERFORMANCE FAILS TO END LOSING STREAK

Report from Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, DAVE HAMILTON

 

It went down to the wire, but unfortunately the Hertfordshire Hawks suffered their fourth consecutive defeat in the AA British League on Sunday, losing 9-5 to the Richmond Dragons in a typically competitive match-up between these two sides at Grovehill.

 

Coming back from a heavy defeat to the Bournemouth Sharks in their previous game, the Hawks were keen to put in a much stronger performance against their long time rivals.  On this front, they certainly delivered, as they were only one run behind going into the final inning, but unfortunately the hitters were once again unable to deliver the crucial hits needed to bring victory.

 

The first two innings were tight, with neither side able to make any real impact against some good starting pitching.  However, once again fielding errors proved the Hawks' downfall in the third inning, as three errors contributed to two Richmond runs.  The damage could have been much worse though if catcher Dave Westfallen hadn't succesfully tagged out two runners as they tried to score.

 

A superb bunt single from Hawks leadoff hitter Ross Asquith gave the Hawks the perfect start to their half of the third inning.  Asquith then showed off his speed on the basepaths as he stole second and third base before forcing a mistake from the normally reliable Dragons catcher Charlie Pratt, which made the score 2-1.  Unfortunately, despite threatening further damage, the Hawks were unable to level the score, and Richmond increased their lead in the next two innings to leave the Hawks trailing 5-1 at the halfway stage.

 

Hertfordshire's second team were determined not to go down without a fight though, and pitcher John Oliver spearheaded the offensive charge, scoring a run in the fifth inning, before driving in two more runs in the sixth with a two-out double.  This made the score 5-4 and with the defense now standing firm, the Hawks sniffed victory.

 

With hard-throwing (but occasionally erratic) relief pitcher Dan McAneny on for Dragons, catcher Pratt got his revenge on Hawks speedster Asquith by throwing him out at second base on a steal attempt in the 8th inning, and the game was headed for a tense final inning.  Sadly for the Hawks though, it was their opponents bats which finally came to life, as they strung together five hits and added four crucial insurance runs. 

 

Even then, the home side did not go down without a fight.  The Hawks scored a run of their own, and with two further batters reaching base, the Dragons were forced into a second pitching change in order to close out the game.

 

Although understandably disappointed after the loss, the team's manager Carlos Casal was heartened by the improved performance and knows that cutting down the fielding errors or making a couple more hits with the bat will be enough to swing the next game (vs Brentwood on June 15th) in favour of the Hawks.

 


 

Richmond Dragons at Herts Hawks
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Richmond Dragons 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 4 9 11 4
Herts Hawks 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 1 5 6 7

Richmond Dragons 9, Herts Hawks 5
Richmond Dragons Herts Hawks
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Dan Lally p-1b 4 2 1 0 Ross Asquith lf 4 1 1 0
Charlie Pratt c 5 1 2 0 Tim Elkins rf 4 1 0 1
Chris Gould 3b 4 2 3 1 John Oliver p-1b 4 1 2 2
Jeff Vilasmil ss 3 1 0 1 Louis Hare 1b-p 5 0 0 0
Dan McAneny cf-p 4 1 1 1 Carlos Casal 3b 3 1 1 0
Per Nilsson 1b-cf-p 3 2 1 1 Dave Westfallen c 4 0 1 1
Stuart Hendry rf 3 0 0 0 Nick Russell 2b 2 0 0 0
(t6) Woo Kim 2b 2 0 1 2 Luis Goncalves ss 4 0 1 1
Gonzi Lorenzo 2b-rf 1 0 0 1 Dave Hamilton cf 1 1 0 0
(t8) Nigel King rf 1 0 0 1 (t7) Rod Ariss cf 2 0 0 0
Pete Gosselin lf 2 0 0 0
(t6) Brandt Kloke lf 3 0 2 0
TEAM TOTALS 35 9 11 8 TEAM TOTALS 33 5 6 5

E: Per Nilsson(2), Charlie Pratt, Dan McAneny, Carlos Casal(3), John Oliver, Louis
Hare, Dave Westfallen, Nick Russell. LOB: Richmond Dragons 10, Herts Hawks 13. 2B:
Dan Lally, John Oliver. SB: Dan Lally(2), Chris Gould(2), Per Nilsson(2), Brandt
Kloke(2), Charlie Pratt, Ross Asquith(2), Dave Westfallen, Dave Hamilton, Luis
Goncalves. CS: Ross Asquith. SF: Gonzi Lorenzo, Dan McAneny, Jeff Vilasmil, Nigel
King.

Richmond Dragons IP H R ER BB SO
Dan Lally W 6.00 6 4 4 5 7
Dan McAneny 2.33 0 1 0 6 3
Per Nilsson 0.67 0 0 0 0 0
Herts Hawks            
John Oliver L 7.00 5 5 0 6 1
Louis Hare 2.00 6 4 4 1 0

HBP: by Dan Lally (Dave Hamilton). . . . WP: Dan McAneny(2), Dan Lally, John Oliver.
T: 3:00. A: 40.

LEE MANNING SUBMITS HALF-TERM REPORT ON HERTS TEAMS

After playing in the BBF leagues for over 10 years I thought I would do a first 1/3 of the season report on would I think each team will do over the next 1/3.

 

FALCONS

The Falcons have had an amazing start to the 2008 league, going 7 wins and 1 loss. The one loss was against the London Metros and it was a painful one but the Falcons quickly got back to winning ways with a 3-2 victory in the second game of the double-header. The Falcons have won 7 of there games with great pitching, solid fielding and some nice timely hits.  Only 4 or 5 players can be happy with their hitting and if the law of averages is applied in this case then a lot of players are expected to hit a hot streak later in the season. So far the players have worked very hard and have made a great jump on improving every part of their game. I strongly believe that this team will still be at the top of the table after the next 8 games and will get their own back by sweeping the Metros at their field later this year.

 

HAWKS

The Hawks have not been playing at full potential yet but I feel a winning streak is right around the corner. The Hawks have had some tough losses to the Knights, Sidewinders and the Sharks in the last three weeks. With Hare and Oliver on mound duty they should start picking up some big wins. They have great fielding and some very good hitters but it’s time to pull it together and help the cause. Carlos has had a hard start trying to pick which players to play where but I think he’s heading the right way. They are working hard and the gel is starting to set and the hits are coming. I think that the Hawks will be in the top two after there next 4 games and will start to show the league the talent which Herts Baseball Club in all its teams.  This is a winning team that will be playing AAA next year. Come on boys we are all behind you”.

 

RAPTORS

The Raptors got their first win last weekend and will feel on top of the world and rightly so. I know that for a lot of them this is their first season playing and that they will find the game a far reach for the MLB’s game they have been watching but stay with it and it will come. Jake has been around the game and knows how to coach.  His son Pete is a good example of this. He will help the players grow and move up to the Hawks when ready. The league they are in is not as easy as it looks at first sight. With all the other teams being in the BBF leagues for a few years and the old timers who I think could do well in the AAA Division. The main thing about this team is that almost everyone is in the same boat as rookies with a few veterans thrown in. I remember when I first joined the Falcons 11 years ago when we were in the old Division 2 and we would be lucky to win 4 games a year. Every year we all got better and started to move up the leagues. I think these boys’s will do the same. I think the Raptors will win a few more games this season and should be aiming for a .500 winning percentage.

 

Do you agree with me?  Give me your views by clicking the add a comment button.

EXTRA REPORT: HAWKS 1 SHARKS 14

Report from Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, DAVE HAMILTON

The Hertfordshire Hawks stumbled to their third straight loss on Sunday, being beaten 14-1 by the Bournemouth Sharks in their AA league fixture at Grovehill.

 

It's well known in cricketing circles that 'catches win matches' and the Hawks were made to pay for a number of fielding errors by their opponent.  In the end at least four catches were dropped in the windy conditions, most critically in the fourth inning when the Sharks took advantage of three consecutive errors to score six times and effectively put the game out of reach.

 

By this point the game was 10-1 as Bournemouth had taken an early 4-0 lead although player-manager Carlos Casal's run for the Hawks narrowed the gap to three.  Unfortunately this was to be the Hawks only run of the game as the home team were unable to get a hit in the key moments, and ended up leaving 10 runners stranded on base.  Insurance runs by the Sharks in the final three innings completed the scoring.

 

One of the few high points for the Hawks in the loss was the performance of Louis Hare who smashed three of the Hawks' six hits in the game as well as pitching six strong innings.  Unfortunately his team mates were unable to match his success and extra training is planned next Sunday in their week off so that the Hawks can return to winning ways when Richmond visit on June 1st.

 

Given the quality of his squad, Carlos Casal is confident his team can recover from this early dip in form and climb back up the standings in a competitive division.  Commenting after the game, he said “we started positively but unfortunately we lost our composure and things quickly went downhill.  However, I know we all have the skills and spirit to achieve as a team and am confident we can put things right and start winning again.

SHARK ATTACK IN HERTFORDSHIRE

The Herts Hawks suffered a heavy defeat against the visiting Bournemouth Sharks in their fifth game of the 2008 British Baseball’s AA league season. 

There were a large number of fans who had come out to support the Hawks, but unfortunately nothing seemed to be going right for the home team on the day.  They managed to keep within reach in the first 3 innings, but never managed to deliver the much needed hit with runners in scoring positions.  They left 10 runners on base during the game.   The only Hawk who seemed to be seeing the ball well was Louis Hare (3-3) who kept fighting even when the game was beyond the Hawks.   He also performed well on the mound with good control, allowing only two walks.  He did not receive  help from his teammates who committed an uncharacteristically high number of errors in the field (10).  Despite the demoralising score, the fans were once again able to witness some spectacular plays from 14-year old, Luis Goncalves at shortstop for the Hawks.

Late in the game, Rod Ariss, who had received a call up from the Herts single-A team, the Raptors, marked his debut in AA with a fine play in right field.  Another debutant was catcher Dave Westfallen, who is wearing the Herts jersey again after an absence of nearly 10 years.

The Sharks were missing their two big starting pitchers who were dominating the league last year, but in their place were some new faces from Latin America.  A new pitcher, catcher and infielders have made the Sharks a formidable defensive force and they will be winning many games this year.   They allowed 1 run and committed only 1 error.

After a promising start of the season with two big wins, the Hawks have now recorded three loses in a row and they need to bring their season back on track as soon as possible.  In situations like this players usually want the next game to come as soon as possible to wipe the memory of those defeats, but unfortunately for the Hawks, they will have to wait until 1 June for their next league game at home against the Richmond Dragons.  Until then, Hawks manager, Carlos Casal, has ordered extra training this week.

More Photos


Bournemouth Sharks at Herts Hawks
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Bournemouth Sharks 0 4 0 6 2 1 1 14 11 1
Herts Hawks 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 8

Bournemouth Sharks 14, Herts Hawks 1
Bournemouth Sharks Herts Hawks
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 c 5 1 0 1 Tim Elkins lf 2 0 1 0
Player 2 cf-rf 4 1 1 0 (b5) Stuart Boast lf-cf-p 1 0 0 0
Player 3 1b 5 1 1 0 Luis Goncalves ss 2 0 0 0
Player 4 p-ss 5 1 2 2 (b5) Rod Ariss rf 1 0 0 0
Player 5 ss-p 5 2 2 3 Louis Hare p-3b 3 0 3 0
Player 6 3b 3 2 1 1 John Oliver 1b 3 0 0 0
Player 7 lf 4 2 2 2 Humberto Goncalves 2b 3 0 0 0
Player 8 2b 4 2 1 1 Kal Dimitrov c-cf-lf 3 0 0 0
Player 9 rf-cf 3 2 1 2 Carlos Casal 3b-cf 1 1 1 0
Nick Russell rf-ss 2 0 1 0
Dave Hamilton cf 1 0 0 0
(b5) Dave Westfallen c 1 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 38 14 11 12 TEAM TOTALS 23 1 6 0

E: Player 5, Nick Russell(3), Luis Goncalves(2), Carlos Casal(2), Tim Elkins. DP:
Bournemouth Sharks 1. LOB: Bournemouth Sharks 8, Herts Hawks 10. 2B: Player 4, Player
6, Player 7. SB: Player 4, Player 6, Player 7, Player 2, Player 8, Player 9. CS: Luis
Goncalves, Tim Elkins, Louis Hare. SF: Player 9.

Bournemouth Sharks IP H R ER BB SO
Player 4 W 4.33 5 1 0 6 1
Player 5 2.67 1 0 0 3 0
Herts Hawks            
Louis Hare L 6.33 11 14 7 2 3
Stuart Boast 0.67 0 0 0 1 0

HBP: by Louis Hare (Player 7). . . . . . WP: Player 4. PB: Kal Dimitrov(2). T: 2:33.
A: 48.

SIDEWINDERS BRING HAWKS DOWN TO EARTH

The AA League leaders met at Grovehill Ballpark for what was promising to be a very closely-fought battle.  But a powerful Sidewinders line-up stunned the Hawks with 23 runs and 23 hits, combined with controlled pitching and smooth defence (2 errors).  They started the game with 4 runs in the top of the first inning.  Despite keeping within touching distance in the first three innings, it was an uphill battle for the Hawks after that. 

 

In the bottom of the fourth the Hawks received another blow as Paul Auchterlounie sustained an ankle injury after stepping awkwardly on the first base bag.  It was difficult to determine the extent of his injury and hopefully he will be able to recover quickly in time for next Sunday’s crunch game.  With no Hawks players left on the bench, Falcons player, Pete Kikel took Auchterlounie’s place behind the plate.

 

The 10 errors committed by Hawks fielders made a difficult task impossible against a team that will certainly be one of the main promotion contenders. 

 

There were bright spots for the Hawks.  14 years-old rookie phenom Luis Goncalves once again produced some amazing plays at short stop including a gem from deep in the hole on the 3rd base side.  Louis Hare had another good performance (4-5, 2B, RBI, 2R), as well as a fine work on the mound 2/3 of an inning in the ninth.

 

The Hawks will now have to regroup as they prepare for battle against the Bornemouth Sharks who will travel to Grovehill Ballpark this coming Sunday.

 

Among the Sidewinders was former Falcons manager, Bruce Dullea.  It was good to see Dullea alive and well out on the baseball field after his mysterious disappearance a few weeks ago.  He came on late in the game playing at first base and making good contact with the bat.  A rare diving attempt to catch a line drive by 6’7” Dullea brought cheers from both benches. 

 


 

Sidewinders at Herts Hawks
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Sidewinders 4 1 0 3 3 3 2 1 6 23 23 2
Herts Hawks 1 1 1 1 0 2 1 1 0 8 14 10

Sidewinders 23, Herts Hawks 8
Sidewinders Herts Hawks
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 p 4 5 2 0 Tim Elkins lf 5 0 1 1
Player 2 c 6 3 1 2 Nick Russell cf 4 1 1 0
Player 3 1b 7 2 4 4 Louis Hare 1b-2b-p 5 2 4 1
Player 4 2b 6 3 4 4 Stuart Boast 2b-p 5 0 0 0
Player 5 3b 6 2 3 1 Humberto Goncalves rf 5 0 2 2
Player 6 ss 6 2 3 2 John Oliver p-1b 5 0 1 0
Player 7 lf 6 2 2 1 Carlos Casal 3b 5 2 2 0
Player 8 cf 6 1 1 2 Paul Auchterlounie c 2 0 2 0
Player 9 rf 6 3 3 1 (b4) Peter Kikel pr-c 1 2 1 0
Luis Goncalves ss 2 1 0 1
TEAM TOTALS 53 23 23 17 TEAM TOTALS 39 8 14 5

E: Player 2, Player 4, John Oliver(3), Luis Goncalves(2), Peter Kikel(2), Stuart
Boast, Nick Russell, Carlos Casal. DP: Herts Hawks 1. LOB: Herts Hawks 8, Sidewinders
10. 2B: Player 4, Player 3, Player 6, Peter Kikel, Louis Hare. 3B: Player 9. SB:
Player 1, Player 4, Louis Hare(3), Peter Kikel(2), Carlos Casal(2), Nick Russell,
Humberto Goncalves, Tim Elkins, Luis Goncalves. CS: Player 2, Peter Kikel. SF: Luis
Goncalves.

Sidewinders IP H R ER BB SO
Player 1 W 9.00 14 8 4 2 6
Herts Hawks            
John Oliver L 6.00 16 14 9 4 1
Stuart Boast 2.33 6 9 5 3 0
Louis Hare 0.67 1 0 0 0 1

HBP: by Player 1 (Luis Goncalves). . . . . , by Stuart Boast (Player 1). WP: John
Oliver(4). PB: Player 2(2), Peter Kikel. T: 3:00. A: 45.

BIG WEEKEND LOOMS ON THE HORIZON FOR HERTFORDSHIRE’S THREE TEAMS

This coming Sunday the climax of the English Football Premier League will not be the only sporting event taking place.  Hertfordshire’s three baseball teams enter a critical stage of the season. 

 

In the AAA Division the Herts Falcons will clash with the London Metros.  Both teams sit at the top of the standings with 100% records.  The London Metros are affiliated to the London Mets Ball Club which snatched all of the British baseball titles last season from the National League Final 4 to the Youth National Final 4.  The Falcons have had a perfect start of the season winning their first 6 games.  As a newly promoted team their opponents so far may have underestimated the strength of the Falcons, but after a 6-0 start, the secret is out and now teams in the AAA league know that Herts Baseball Club means business.  The team has now played 4 games without making a single error.  Can they keep this impressive streak going this coming Sunday?  This will be a double-header which will be played at Grovehill Ballpark in Hertfordshire.  The first game starts at 11am followed immediately by the second game at around 1:30pm. 

 

The action does not end there.  A top of the table clash between the Herts Hawks and the Sidewinders takes place immediately after that on the same field at around 4pm.  The Hawks’ loss at Richmond on Sunday means that they are now tied at the top of British Baseball’s AA Division with the Sidewinders and two other teams.  The Hawks and the Sidewinders are expected to stay involved in the title race all the way to the end so this game will have serious implications on the league table in August.

 

With three games back-to-back at the same venue, this will be a great event for regular baseball fans and for those who have not had a chance to attend a baseball game yet to come and enjoy.  The number of fans attending games at Grovehill Ballpark has increased this season and last Sunday included some loyal Herts Baseball fans who had travelled all the way from Seattle, USA to support their favourite baseball club.

 

This year fans at Grovehill Ballpark can also enjoy various hot and cold beverages, snacks, sunflower seeds, sun-screen and other goodies from the concessions stand.  Starting this Sunday, the club will revive a Grovehill tradition going back to the 1990s by offering an official matchday programme for sale.  The prices are reasonable and profits will be used to fund the development of the club’s baseball facilities including the building of a second baseball diamond.

 

While the Hawks and Falcons play their games at home, the Herts Raptors travel to Essex for a repeat of the heartbreaking clash with the Arrows last month which they lost in the last inning.  Can the Raptors win their first game of the season and start a climb up the league table?  Mobile phones and text messages will be exchanged nervously between Hertfordshire and Essex all day with players and fans keeping a close eye on scores.

THE HAWKS HAVE THEIR FIRST LOSS OF THE SEASON AT RICHMOND DRAGONS

Report by Newswire correspondent, KAL DIMITROV

 

This Sunday saw the first loss for the Herts Hawks.  They were faced with the big-hitting Richmond Dragons team, who had lost narrowly to the Sidewinders in their first game, but managed to out-score the Croydon Pilots in their second game.  It was expected to be a tight game and a competition of “who could outslug who”.

 

It did not happen that way.  The Richmond starter Dan Lally showed great composure and had two 1-2-3 innings to start the game, ably assisted by the defense. The Hawks were able to get a couple of runs in the second, but their bats were mostly silent until the 7th. By that time Richmond had replaced Lally with Per Nilsson (who is even taller), and he was continuing along the same lines.

 

On the other hand, the first three innings were a nightmare for the Hawks. Their starter, Louis Hare, may not have felt very comfortable in the first inning, but that was not helped by a slightly shaky display by the defense.  From the second inning on Hare settled down and started “dealing”.  Only an error-strewn 4th inning (which brought the score to 11:2 for Richmond) was able to shake him momentarily.  The biggest problems were felt in the infield, predominantly behind the plate – several passed balls and dropped third strikes, as well as an error tagging a runner at home (author’s note: in my completely unbiased opinion, we got hosed on that call). 

 

Irrespective of the defensive shakiness, Hare maintained his concentration, shutting down Richmond in the last 3 innings. At the same time, the bats started to come alive, helped by some jitters in the Richmond defense.  John Oliver and Louis Hare were their usual outstanding selves, with some great efforts by the rest. The outstanding batter, however, was Dave Hamilton, who not only brought in the first run for the Hawks, but was able to perform some jedi mind-tricks on the defense, which allowed him to go from home plate to second virtually every time. 

 

Despite rallying in the last 3 innings, all that Hawks were able to do was to make the score a bit more respectable. The final score was 12:9 to Richmond Dragons.

 

Special thanks have to go to both Jon Lewys and Ilya Dimitrov (manager Carlos Casal had called them in, the former as a back up sub, the latter as a scorer), but when push came to shove, they stood up and were counted (if Jon lays off pitches higher than his head, he would be an even better batter, but that is just in the form of constructive criticism).  The reason for the inclusion of Lewys and Dimitrov was the fact that without them the Hawks would have had 7 players.

 

The two that were expected were Humberto and Luis Goncalves.  However, at approximately 13:15 (with the game scheduled to start at 14:00) they called in to check how long they had, as they were “pretty close to Doncaster already”.  To the bemusement of the manager, they explained that they were following their SatNav to Riverside Drive (which is indeed the street where the Richmond field is located).  After some deliberations it was clarified that poor Humberto and Luis got suckered by the SatNav (which provides several options for Riverside Drive, one of which is indeed near Doncaster – see attached map).  By the third inning they had made it back down to Northampton and probably got home around the time the game was finishing. They were extremely unfortunate and wasted their time, but it makes a good Nob-out award candidate.

 


 

Herts Hawks at Richmond Dragons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Herts Hawks 0 0 2 0 1 0 2 1 3 9 12 3
Richmond Dragons 5 2 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 12 9 8

Richmond Dragons 12, Herts Hawks 9
Richmond Dragons Herts Hawks
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 p 4 4 1 0 Ross Asquith lf 6 3 3 1
Player 2 c 4 2 2 1 Kal Dimitrov c 5 0 1 1
Player 3 1b 5 2 2 1 Louis Hare p 5 1 1 1
Player 4 2b 5 2 2 5 John Oliver 1b 5 1 3 0
Player 5 3b 4 2 1 1 Carlos Casal 3b 4 1 1 0
Player 6 ss 3 0 0 1 Nick Russell ss 5 0 1 0
Player 7 lf 3 0 1 2 Dave Hamilton cf 4 2 1 0
Player 8 cf 3 0 0 0 Jonathon Lewys 2b 5 1 0 0
Player 9 rf 4 0 0 0 Ilya Dimitrov rf 4 0 1 1
TEAM TOTALS 35 12 9 11 TEAM TOTALS 43 9 12 4

E: Player 4(4), Player 6(2), Player 5, Player 2, Carlos Casal(2), John Oliver. LOB:
Richmond Dragons 5, Herts Hawks 10. 2B: Carlos Casal, Kal Dimitrov. HR: Player 4. SB:
Player 1(3), Player 5(2), Player 7(2), Player 2, Player 3, Player 6, Player 8, Player
9, Ross Asquith(3), Kal Dimitrov, Louis Hare. SF: Player 7.

Richmond Dragons IP H R ER BB SO
Player 1 9.00 12 9 1 3 8
Herts Hawks            
Louis Hare 8.00 9 12 7 4 7

HBP: by Louis Hare (Player 5). . . . . . WP: Player 1. PB: Kal Dimitrov(2). T: 3:00.
A: 25.

HAWKS WIN AGAIN. GONCALVES HITS FIRST HERTS HOMER OF 2008.

Posted on behalf of Herts Newswire Correspondent, DAVE HAMILTON

 

The Hertfordshire Hawks extended their winning start to the season on Sunday, putting in another strong defensive performance to defeat the Brentwood Stags 6-3 and retain their place on top of the British AA League standings. 

In a game that had a little of everything, including disputed umpiring calls and a rain delay, it was a three-run home run by Humberto Goncalves that ultimately made the difference and drove the Hawks to another hard-fought victory. 

Manager Carlos Casal praised the team performance saying “we have a strong squad this year and we’re playing some good aggressive baseball.  It’s still early and we have a few things to work on in training but it’s great to start the season with two wins.” 

The Hawks knew they would be in for a tough contest, travelling to a Brentwood side who had beaten the hotly tipped Bournemouth Sharks in their season opener.  However, they managed to keep the same defensive discipline they had produced in their first game, and the score remained at 1-1 after four innings. 

That is not to say the game was what baseball afficionados would call a ‘pitching duel’ as both sides managed to consistently threaten only to have their chances snuffed out at the crucial moment.  Hawks pitcher John Oliver showed composure under pressure to keep the Stags off the scoreboard, ably supported by some solid infield defense, with the Hawks showing the benefits of their more intensive pre-season training to turn two double plays in the early innings.

Despite the low score the game was proving very eventful, with players from both sides questioning some debatable umpiring decisions, and several runners being caught out on the base paths.  The most surprised of these was Oliver, who expected his hit to be caught, only for two Stags outfielders to collide and miss the ball.  Looking to capitalise on this mistake, he raced for second base but was then thrown out by a perfect throw from the recovering fielder.

The Stags edged into a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning but this finally stirred the Hawks’ struggling offense into life.  With two outs, Ross Asquith used his speed to turn a weakly hit ball into a run scoring single and cut the gap to one.  This brought Humberto Concalves to the plate, who blasted the ball over the left field fence for the Hawks first home run of the year, much to the delight of the vociferous travelling supporters. 

Now holding a 5-3 lead, Hawks’ relief pitcher Stuart Boast kept the Stags at bay as Brentwood remained unable to find the crucial hit with runners in scoring position.  The Hawks added an insurance run in the eighth inning, before a rain delay threatened to bring the game to a premature end.  Luckily though the April shower abated and the Hawks retained their focus to close out the victory.

The Hawks now travel to play regular rivals the Richmond Dragons over the Bank Holiday weekend.  Looking forward to the encounter, catcher Kal Dimitrov commented “they gave us some tough games last year, so it will be tricky but hopefully we can get the bats going and score a few more runs”.  The Herts Manager is certain to be urging his hitters to go on the offensive as the Hawks look to avenge their pre-season defeat and extend their unbeaten run. 


Herts Hawks at Brentwood
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Herts Hawks 1 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 6 12 3
Brentwood 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 11 4
Herts Hawks 6, Brentwood 3
Herts Hawks Brentwood
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Ross Asquith rf 5 1 3 1 Player 1 p 5 2 3 0
Humberto Goncalves 2b 5 2 2 3 Player 2 c 4 0 2 0
John Oliver p 3 0 3 0 Player 3 1b 4 1 2 1
(b5) Stuart Boast p 2 0 0 0 Player 4 2b 5 0 1 0
Louis Hare 1b 5 1 1 0 Player 5 3b 5 0 1 0
(t1) Carlos Casal 3b 4 1 1 0 Player 6 ss 5 0 0 0
Kal Dimitrov 3b-c 4 0 1 1 Player 7 lf 2 0 1 0
Luis Goncalves ss 4 0 0 0 Player 8 cf 3 0 0 0
Tim Elkins lf 4 1 1 0 Player 9 rf 2 0 1 0
Dave Hamilton cf 3 0 0 0
(b6) Nick Russell cf 1 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 40 6 12 5 TEAM TOTALS 35 3 11 1
E: Stuart Boast(2), Luis Goncalves, Player 6(3), Player 5. DP: Herts Hawks 1. LOB:
Herts Hawks 8, Brentwood 11. 2B: Player 1. 3B: Player 3. HR: Humberto Goncalves. SB:
Louis Hare(2), Tim Elkins(2), Ross Asquith(2), Carlos Casal, Player 4(3), Player 1,
Player 3, Player 2, Player 9. CS: John Oliver. S: Player 7.
Herts Hawks IP H R ER BB SO
Stuart Boast W 5.00 3 0 0 4 1
John Oliver 4.00 8 3 1 1 4
Brentwood            
Player 1 L 9.00 12 6 5 1 8
WP: Stuart Boast. T: 3:00. A: 30.